Sexuality

Sexuality is a very big part of Thai culture. Especially when it comes to sexual orientation. At first it really shocked and confused me at how many different sexual orientations there are and how forwardly they are expressed, but now it has come very comforting to me and I find it extremely normal. One of my guy friends even came out to being gay once he came to Thailand as he felt so comfortable with being himself here. However, unlike Canada there seems to be many different orientations when it comes to sexuality, and some of different qualities may give a person a completely different orientation. I have tried to explain them to a few people and they just get very confused so I thought I would break it down for those of you that I have yet to mention it to. I'm going to use the terms that Thai people use (mostly because the English terms and Thai terms usually have some differences and sometimes, there may not even be an English word).

1. Straight (there is no word in Thai)- Attracted to the opposite gender.

2. Gay - Boys who are attracted to other boys

3. Lesbian - Girls who are attracted to other girls

4. Bisexual (I don't know the Thai expression) - Someone who is attracted to both genders.

5. Katoei - Katoeis are boys who dress up like girls. In a highschool situation where you must wear a uniform this could just mean putting on makeup or carrying a purse but Katoeis who are out of school usually completely dress up, wear wigs and sometimes take hormones. Katoeis are the coolest Thai people ever in my opinion; they are so flamboyant and cheerful and they are almost always the best dressed.

6. Tootsie - Boys who get a sex change to become a woman

7. Tom - A Tom is a girl who dresses like a boy, cuts their hair like a boy and usually is flat chested. However, they do not take hormone pills or get plastic surgery, so most of the time they just look like very put together and somewhat feminine boys. "Tom" is short for "tomboy" - a girl who likes to look like a boy.

8. Dee - A Dee is a girl who likes Toms. They are different than lesbians because they are not exactly attracted to girls - they are simply attracted to girls who are dressed as boys, girls who LOOK like boys. (This is the hard one to understand)

That's all I can think of for now - I will add more if I learn any new ones.

"Will you stay with me, will you be my love" - Fields of Gold

Songkran

Everything was wet; every stretch of road, vehicle and house in the city was glimmering with the watery reflection of the sun, every person was soaked through and water crashed on top of you from above. You would have thought it was raining.

You were wrong.

Songkran is the celebration of the Thai New Year - celebrated by washing all the Buddha images and temples with scented water and blessing your elders. In other words: an excuse to close down all the shops, cancel summer classes and have a country wide water fight for 3 days to celebrate.

In Nakhon Phanom, the celebrations started early as little children anticipated the excitement. As I biked to Suzanne's house to meet for a haircut I was ambushed several times. Children sprayed me with water guns, ran in front of me to stop me from biking further and dumped buckets of cold water on my head. Teenage boys stood in front of my bike as they rubbed baby powder all over my face and continued to dump cold water down the back of my shirt. By the time I reached Suzanne's house I was dripping, cold and the baby powder had turned into white paste on my forehead.
The first day of Songkran was the official elders' day - my family drove to Ban Paeng to visit our grandparents and wish them well. We stood outside of our grandparents' house and threw buckets of water on passing motorbikes and trucks filled with dancing villagers in the back. When we got tired of standing at the side of the road we took our buckets with us as we walked toward the markets, stopping at the people at the side of the road to douse them in water and exchange baby powder. The market street was filled with people dancing to traditional Thai music, water was tossed into the air, sprinkling over the heads of all the villagers and a looming cloud of baby powder hung in the air. That afternoon our parents and grandparents held their hands over a silver bowl and we all took turns blessing them by pouring scented water over their hands and wishing them beauty, long life and wealth. The next two days were cause for more celebration, more water throwing and more baby powder.

High pitched squeals and shrieks filled the air as I sat in the back of my second host family's truck and threw ice water at the people in the street below. We tossed it in the faces and on the heads of people walking and got into full out WARS with other trucks that dared to have water as cold as ours. The final day all my Thai friends and I crammed into the back of our friends' truck and took the streets from lunchtime until well after dark. We reached the river edge where there were stages set up for bands to play and we stood up in the back of the truck during the traffic jams and jumped up and down singing and dancing to our favourite songs by BigAss, Bodyslam, Silly Fools and other Thai bands. Most of the villagers who had come into the city danced at the river edge, drunk and much more outgoing than Thai people EVER are. They ran up to the trucks, plastering coloured baby powder on the pretty girls' faces and danced around carrying pitchers of beer in their hands. Red water, yellow water and ice water was tossed into the air, staining our shirts and some of the more rambunctious girls danced on top of barrels in bikinis.
By the time it was dark most of the city had gone home, the ice cold water leaving them shaking and in need of a warm shower despite the 40 degree weather. But we still kept driving - filling up our barrels with water from the gas station, filling the water with bags of ice and shrieking when we were sprayed with particularly cold water. We started to recognise the people who had ice water as we passed them for a eight or ninth time through the busiest areas of the town.

Songkran was an excuse to break physical barriers, laugh more than I thought physically possible and have the most fun I've ever had. My friends and I went into hysterics when we stopped suddenly and I fell over and got stuck in the bucket of water; when a few of the boys jumped out of the truck and chased a group of girls down the street with their water guns out; when our driver didn't realise they had gotten out and started moving without them; and as we watched them running down the street after us as we drove away.

If I only have one chance to return to Thailand it will be during Songkran; it is the true essence of Thai culture that I love, all wrapped up in the biggest party of history.

"So get out of your seats and jump around, jump around" - House of Pain

McCruelty

I just watched this video online that made me really upset about the McDonald's corporation. They used inhumane methods of killing their birds when it would cost them NOTHING to switch to methods in which the birds would not feel any pain.

Please, Please, PLEASE visit this website

http://www.mccruelty.com/

Watch the video, and then sign a "ready-made" message to McDonald's to ask them to switch over to more humane methods of killing their birds.

And, better yet - stop eating McDonalds and switch to healthier food.

Thanks so much

Down the Drain

You know that feeling when a bucket of cold water is dumped on you, freezing your inner core and sending a shock through your whole body? That's my shower in a nutshell. I have been living with my new family for 4 days now; of these 4 days, three of them the water has not been working. Therefore the toilets don't flush, the sink doesn't run, and I shower by pouring pails and pails of cold water on myself. Every once in a while the slow trickle of water in the sink downstairs will pour enough water to wash a few dishes. I've given up hope on my own personal bathroom. The water hasn't worked since I've moved in.

Pictures from the Southern Paradise Trip

I haven't put up pictures on this guy for a while. So, here you are!


Phang Nga Bay


James Bond Island (as seen in The Man with the Golden Gun)



Me and my lovely friends at James Bond island. (Our pose is not cliche at all)

Exchangers in Krabi

Krabi

Krabi

Jumping off the boat in Krabi

Krabi

Sea, sand and sky

I have returned from paradise and surprisingly, I am relieved.

All of the Rotary exchange students in district 3340 along with Papa P, P Dog and Smokey (Smokey's wife and son as well as P Dog's son came along for the ride as well) just came back from a two week trip to the South of Thailand. Our Never Never Land for 10 days had the clearest of clear waters - they turquoise reflection of the sky swam beautifully in the water amongst all the fish and sea life you could possibly imagine. I could not have dreamed up a more beautiful habitat. Large green islands sprang up through the water as we drove by in our speed boat, the sun bounced off the ripples in the water and lit up our faces as we stared in awe at the beauty surrounding us. Then there was the sand - a white stretch of silk for us to walk on along the shore of the bustling beach.

There were giant rocks to climb up and jump off of, stalactites hanging eerily in lagoons, natural caves that twisted and turned under water. I was locked in a book of paint chips; I could choose any colour I liked and see it first hand, in the flesh and blood. Choosing a colour for my bedroom back home would never have been easier.

Most of our time was spent snorkelling, roaming the beaches and jumping off the side of our fishing boat into the warm, living water beneath us. We started to jump from the lower deck, and as we took turns our fear of heights rushed away - we jumped from the top deck, off of the railings and finally... the roof. Two days and nights were spent on the Similan Islands - the most remote islands in Thailand, where we spent the days petting sea turtles, swimming with giant eels, playing in a coral playground and jumping into water so deep the only thing you could see was the rich blue of the water surrounding you. The sun drove through the water like daggers, leaving silvery trails of light beaming from above; the sea, appeared bottomless. We found poisonous salt water snakes, fish the width of my thigh and in every colour of the rainbow. Striped, spotted, blotched, big, medium, small, flatfish, round fish - they were all there. And one day... we found Nemo (not to mention all of his friends).

In the evenings we explored the island, climbing over rocks like daggers in our bare feet, clambering between jungle trees and scaring away hundreds of crabs. We found safe havens as the sea pushed up into a small pond where a miniature scale coral reef settled under the setting sun; likewise we found danger as we tried to find our way through all the boulders back to our beach. Some of us spent the nights on the beach, where through the haze of mosquitoes the sound of the waves lapping against the shoreline rocked us to sleep.

Our trip was not only to see the parts of Thailand that are secret, dear and preserved but to celebrate our time together. I became so close with so many people, made such wonderful friends, strengthened my relationships with others and I can't imagine the rest of my life without them. My friends mean everything to me, and I'd like to thank them for helping make my exchange, and our trips as amazing as they have been.

Though paradise is something I'll never forget, I love being home. Nakhon Phanom, though quiet, is the place I love the most in the world - my Never Never Land for the year. It feels lovely to be out of the hustle and bustle, to be free of salt water skin and to relax in the comfort of my bed with the sound of Thai country music playing from across the street. I've missed my family, neighbourhood and my city - and as of a week ago, I only have 4 months with them left.

"The depth of pure blue just to probe curiosity." - Boats and Birds, Gregory and the Hawk

FAMILY VACATION - edited

WEEK ONE - HEATHER SMITH

MONDAY FEBRUARY 23 - After 30 hours of travelling we arrived in Emma's city. Driving on the wrong side of the road was different as well as the heat. I think it was around 37 C which was a nice change from snow, but disgustingly hot. Once we settled in to our hotel, Emma showed us her current house and took us into town for Thai massages. I had never had any sort of massage before, but a Thai massage is very different from the ones at home, very painful but relaxing in the end. We were too hot to stay in the sun any longer so we headed back to our air conditioned hotel For dinner we went to a Korean BBQ with Emma's host mom and sister, which is a bucket of coals in the middle of the table covered by a grill. You go up like a buffet and pick what you want to cook (raw pork, chicken, veggies, noodles etc.) and bring it to the table and cook it yourself. For myelf, my mom, Ashley, Emma and her host family it cost 100 baht par person which is about $3.50 a person - and we ate a lot of food. After dinner we went to a Thai like Walmart (Tesco Lotus) to get stuff for us to have at the hotel, and had a great night's sleep.

TUESDAY FEBRUARY 24 - we slept in and caught up on some sleep, and heat out for lunch to where Emma said had the best pad thai. We ate on the river which boarders Laos and Thailand. It was a beautiful view. When we were done eating we took a Sam Law (Thai taxi) into town to the fresh market. They sold EVERYTHING there, I mean EVERYTHING! We all bought beautiful silk dresses there for CHEAP, and fruit for later. The heat was exhausting us and causing our clothes to stick to us, so we went for a swim at Suzanne's (Emma's exchange friend from the US) school to cool off. It was well needed. We freshened up before heading to Emma's Thai friends' house for dinner. Kate and Klao are twins and so adorable and friendly. We ate a huge meal of rice with soup, pour with peanut sauce, Veggie salad, and my mom's new favourite - sticky rice and mangoes. EEM MAK MAK KA! (Very very full!) We sat around and sang Thai karaoke and recieved very beautiful bracelets from their mom. We were very tired, Thai sun does that to you, so we went back to the hotel and passed out early.

WEDNESDAY FEBRUARY 25 - We were up and ready by 9:30 for Tony and Kaew to pick us up. They took us to an old Thai prison and a beautiful library in Nakhon Phanom, as well as temples on the river. On our way out of Emma's city we stopped at a temple that had a HUGE Buddha sitting on the roof. My guess is that it was a coupe hundred feet tall. We went to a chrimp farm for lunch, I think it was teh hottest day so far, so I didn't have much of an appetite, but my family seemed to enjoy it. After lunch we stopped at the hiding spot of Ho Chi Minh's house. For you who don't know he was a leader in Vietnam and he escaped to Thailand when the French invaded. The property was beautifully covered with plants and exotic flowers. We also saw the aquarium (Under Water World_ with lots of fish from the Mekong river. After a long afternoon of sightseeing I knew I needed some "normal" falang food so Kaew invited us for steak and potato salad which was well needed and delicious. A quick visit to Emma's first host family and back to the hotel for bed.

THURSDAY FEBRUARY 26 - Tony and Kaew picked us up again (they were so good to us) and took us to the nicest temple so far. Buddha's original chest bone was in the roof which was made of 300 kilos of pure gold. We saw a museum of really ancient artifacts and headed to lunch (which we sat on the floor for). We went to a Thai Catholic church and a really big market, and saw the village that Kaew grew up in. The village made me realise how lucky we are to have the things we do, it was a very poor village, and it's sad to think people have to live like that. We got dropped back off in Emma's city and had noodle soup and crepes, then watched 2 movies at Emma's house before bed (Second Hand Lions and Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants 2).

FRIDAY FEBRUARY 27 - We woke up and got ready and went to see Emma's school. The Thai kids are so kind and friendly. Her first host mom took us out for Vietnamese food, which has been my favourite so far. She also took us to the post office to mail postcards and to the bank. We went to an internet cafe to check our emails / facebook which cost 10 baht for an hour (35 cents). Then we went to a cool night market, where we bought too uch stuff and had a huge dinner at Emma's house. We watched House of Flying Daggers and head home early becuase we were waking up to feed the monks and pack to go to Bangkok the next morning.

SATURDAY FEBRUARY 28 - At 5 am we woke up to feed the monks. If you give the monks food you will not be hungry in your next life, if you give them money, you will not be poor and if you give them flowers you will be beautiful. Monks cannot eat past noon so they rely on the town people to give them food to eat in the morning. We went home and packed a bit and then went for breakfast at Emma's house. We watched Friends while waiting around until 11 when her 1st host parents were picking us up. We went to the King's park and fed fish while going for a nice walk. Afterwards they took us otu for a nice lunch on the river. We stopped to get locks for our suticases and notebooks to write in, said goodbye to her first host family and headed back to the hotel to finish packing. At 3pm Tony and Kaew (so nice!) picked us up and drove us to the airport for our flight to Bangkok. After safely arriving at the Bangkok airport we took a near death cab ride to the Holiday Inn. This guy was going about 130 km in a shuttle bus, dodging and weaving in and out of traffic. After settling into our hotel room, we hadn't ate dinner yet so we went down to the lobby, looked around and had a very nice buffet in the hotel. By that point we were so tired we went back upstairs and went to bed.

Thailand is such a welcoming country, with very kind people always offering food and gifts to their new friends. They are always smiling, always laughing and the happiest peopel I've met so far. The past 2 weeks have been an experience of a lifetime and hopefully one day I will return :)

WEEK TWO - ASHLEY SMITH

SUNDAY MARCH 1 - On our first day in Bangkok we caught the sky train to the JJ market. The market was as large as 6 football fields and had wonderful things to buy. We shopped around and then went for lunch at one of the resturants in the market. After we continued to shop and then took the sky train to the Siam Paragon mall. This mall had 7 floors , 6 Starbucks, a movie theatre inside and bell men to hold the doors open for you. We didn’t buy anything since it was full of stores which were too expensive to buy from for example Chanel, Giorgio Armani, etc. We went to Starbucks and chatted about what to do for the rest of the day and decided to go see a movie. We saw Confessions of a Shopaholic which was very funny. After the movie we went downstairs and had dinner at a fish and chips joint and then headed home for a swim in the hotel's pool.

MONDAY MARCH 2 - On Monday morning we woke up and packed for our trip to Ko Samed island. We then took a taxi to the dock where we would take a ferry to our resort. Once we had settled into our room we went for lunch and got massages. Emma had a thai massage, Mom had a leg massage and me and heather had oil massages. We all then got pedicures and manicures. After, we roamed around the resort waiting for Emma's Rotary friend Chris to show up. Heather and I then learned to ride motor bikes! It was a lot of fun!! After that we all went to dinner and shared food with each other. We had a furry friend sit near us all night so we named him Jasper. Since it was very hot on the island we took a swim in the pool and sat and talked for the rest of the night.

TUESDAY MARCH 3 - The next morning we woke up and had breakfast at the resort. It was nice to have eggs and sausages for once. In the morning we went to other side of the island (via motor bike) and swam in the water. It was really salty. Then Emma and I went jet skiing while Heather and Chris played pool and Mom tanned and waded in the water. We couldn’t stay long at the beach because we had to catch the ferry back so we could get the bus to Pattaya to see the elephant show. When we arrived in Pattaya Emma and Chris' friend Adrian's host parents drove us to the elephant show. We first watched a dancing show where Thai women danced on stage with fans and the men drummed on drums. It was really neat to see all the things they could do as well as their costumes. We had to leave that early so we could get good seats for the elephant show. It was really fun. We got to watch the elephants ride tricycles, play basketball, bowl, paint pictures and dance. We bought bananas so after each act the elephants came over to the stands so we could feed them. Their trunks were really ticklish! We each took turns being picked up by the elephants and got our pictures taken. We went to a Korean barbecue that night with Adrian's family and had a lot of fun. We then headed home to Bangkok on a taxi instead of a bus since we were all very sore from getting sunburnt.

WEDNESDAY MARCH 4 - Wednesday we went to Auttya the former capital of Thailand and saw a lot of the old temples that were destroyed during the war. It was really nice to see the different culture and hear the stories of each temple. Once we were back in Bangkok we went to Siam Paragon and had dinner at the fish joint again and had ice cream. They had some of the most random types of icecream and it was really hard to pick what to eat. After we went swimming in the lobby pool and hung around the hotel room.

THURSDAY MARCH 5 - Today was our Kachanaburi day tour! We got picked up by a taxi bus and were heading first to the floating market when heather got really sick in the taxi and we had to pull over. It was no fun for her since she wasn’t feeling well the rest of the day. When we went to the floating market we were driven around in a boat and pretty much went shopping. It was really interesting. After the floating market we went to the Bridge over the river Kwai cemetery where we saw all the graves of the people who were killed while building the bridge. It was really heartbreaking to see how many people died. We stopped for lunch at a little place near the tiger temple and watched a video about the tiger temple. At the tiger temple we walked a while until we saw a huge line up of people waiting to pet the tigers. Since we paid extra we got to skip the line and lie down with the tigers and get our pictures taken. It was very scary at first since the tigers aren’t drugged but since they are very tired from the sun most of them were fast asleep. We each got to sit with each of the tigers and have their heads in our laps. After we walked some more and got to the baby tigers! They were so cute! I wanted to take one home! After the tiger temple we went to ride elephants. It was really scary when they went down the hills cause it was steep but the man rididng the elephant let us take turns sitting on the elephants neck while they walked! It was a lot of fun. On the way home we stopped off at the bridge over the river kwai and walked along it. It was so beautiful but it was upsetting to see how many people died to build it. After that we headed home and went to dinner at the restaurant downstairs in the lobby. Mom and I had the steak sandwich, Heather had the turkey sandwhich and Emma had a Panini loaf. It was really good. After we continued to pack our stuff and then went to sleep for a few hours.

FRIDAY MARCH 6 - We woke up and continued packing and once we were done we caught a taxi to the airport where we hung around Starbucks until we had to leave. We said good bye to Emma and headed through the gates home. It was a long flight but since we got our own tv screen we were allowed to watch whatever we wanted so Heather and I watched twilight. Since Heather had an extra seat beside her we each took turns napping over two seats it was a better trip home then it was coming. Once we arrived in Toronto we collected our baggage and went to find Daddy. We didn’t have to wait long cause he had arrived early. It was really nice to see him and even though we had a wonderful trip it was nice to be home.