Say Goodbye to Rulers and Notebooks

Schedule:

Monday > FREE > Thai > Biology > English > LUNCH > Math > Chemistry > FREE
Tuesday > Math > Thai > Biology > PhysEd > LUNCH > FREE > Thai Dancing > Thai Dancing Wednesday > Thai > Chemistry > Math > Guitar > LUNCH > English > FREE > FREE
Thursday > FREE > English > Thai > FREE > LUNCH > Math > FREE > Glass Engraving Friday > Chemistry > Thai > Guitar > FREE > LUNCH > English > Drama > Homeroom

"Un-Young, Klao, Kulap and Kate" > I am wearing the sports uniform, they are wearing the general uniform.

To say the least, school is still interesting. People still ask for a picture with them and everyone always asks me "Gin khao mai ka?" which really means "have you eaten rice?" [it's more of a greeting than a question]. I love this school, all the students and the teachers. I have NO idea what is going on in any of my classes but I like being a part of them even if I do spend my time writing in my journal or reading books. I am taking classic highschool classes: Biology, Chemistry, Math, English, Thai, PE, Drama but I am also taking creative classes: Thai dancing [mostly hand movements and small steps], Guitar and Glass Engraving [I am learning how to carve pictures into mirrors to make them look decorative]. The only classes I am somewhat productive in are: Thai [I have one on one classes with a different English teacher every day, which sometimes they don't show up to so I have attempt mission impossible and teach myself] Guitar [Once I've learned the C Scale I can read the music and pick simple songs] PE [Gym is gym in every language and badminton is badminton] I am horrible at Thai dancing, my wrists clicked for days after my first class and as easy as it looks it really strains your arm muscles. English is quite pointless as the English they are learning is for foreign students so it would be much too easy for me to study. I do help my friends sometimes when they are not sure of something. All the rest of my classes are spoken fluently in Thai and so I have no idea in the world what is going on. I attempt to write down equations on the board in Math but they are written in Thai script and although I understand the diagrams in Chemistry, I can't really learn anything if I don't understand the explanation. I also have many free periods where I tag along with friends to their classes and sit in another classroom where I have no idea what is going on, or I will get food and sit in the courtyard and memorise the Thai alphabet. Thursday I had 4 free periods, it was a very boring day. I have been learning some interesting games though. My gym and guitar class 5/1 invites me to play games with them at lunch most days and we teach each other. There is one game where you have a bunch of star shaped chains and you pick one and then you have to throw it in the air and pick up some and then catch it again. Whoever can pick up the most wins I think. I am not too skilled in that area. Then there is a Pepsi game where you have to remember what people say and there is an order to what you need to say and if you mess up you get a "stupid line". People draw a line down your arm for everytime you mess up so that people know that you lost. They draw stupid lines for most games where you mess up and though I have never got one some people have 6 or 7 or 8 by the time that lunch is over.

I didn't think that school could be so different than in Canada. To start, there is no such thing as being late. Punctuality isn't taken into consideration and the teachers definetely do not seem to mind when students walk in 10, 15 and 20 minutes late. This is the same for role call in the mornings. Secondly, if a Canadian teacher ever taught a Thai class they would probably have a heart attack. At first I thought it was just one of my classes that was extremely rowdy but it turns out that it is not impolite to talk while the teacher is explaining something, or to walk around the classroom and socialize when students are making presentations. It almost frusterates me how the discipline in the classrooms is so lenient. I was really excited to hear that my English class was putting on presentations but even though I sat in the front row of the classroom I couldn't hear a word over all the chatter. I wonder how the students can learn anything over so much noise but I guess it is just different coming from classrooms where you get in trouble if you talk too much. I asked the Thai students who have been to North America on exchange and they said they thought that North American teachers are very strict and that they are used to talking during class and that it doesn't seem weird to them at all. They definetely noticed the difference between a school in Canada and a school here though. Thirdly, the teachers joke around with the students as much as they do with each other. They call them fat, ugly, beautiful, chubby and everyone laughs. No one seems to be upset by insults and I don't think I have seen anyone in a fight yet. Everyone is always smiling. Also, the school is not just one building. It is a campus like a university except without dorm rooms. There are seperate buildings for different subjects [which makes it a pain when it is pouring rain and you have to run from building to building] and some classes you have to take your shoes off before you come inside. The library is really nice, I have been there to look at the English books but unfortunately the book I wanted to read on World History is not allowed to be borrowed. I was hoping that I would be able to borrow a book to read during my classes so that I could learn SOMETHING but I guess I will have to make do with sleeping and talking [that's fine with me]. In the cafeteria you can buy so many things: doughnuts, water, noodles, rice, seafood, som tam, tam yun and all sorts of packaged goodies!
I love school, it has got to be one of my favourite parts about Thailand so far. Once I learn more Thai it will be more enjoyable, but I love being around people my own age and not being stuck inside my house. I finally have people to hang out with after school whether we go on bike rides, out for dinner or to buy crepes. I have been invited to a birthday party for my friend Aom and my friend Ai is going to teach me to play tennis. I love making friends, it is such a wonderful feeling to have people to talk to. They want to learn English [and some of them Spanish which I am happy to help them with] as much as I want to learn Thai. We help each other. We are the best team you could think of.

"You're there and I'm here... There's something wrong with that"

Kulap

Perfect Imperfection

What would you do to get a blonde foreigner dressed in a knee length skirt, school girl leather shoes, high white socks and a frumpy blouse to notice you?Not sure? Neither am I. But I will tell you what the Thai boys do.

Our tale starts off on Monday, August 17th 2008 at 7:15 am. [Cue loud music.. and a woman's voice loudly being played from a tape player over a speaker system] I wake up to the sound of the feeding of the monks [which has become quite normal to me as the same music plays and the same woman's voice is played across the sound system in every city I have stayed in] and though I wish I could go back to sleep I know I can't because a. It's too much of a racket that it would be virtually impossible even if I tried and b. I realise I have slept through my alarm which was supposed to wake me up at 6 because I have to be at school for 8. Wonderful. I have less than 45 minutes to get ready for my first day of school, a speech in front of the WHOLE school and my first lessons. Great. Just peachey. I have a shower, get dressed in my hysterical uniform [which oddly enough I have come to enjoy and ironed (MYSELF!) the previous day], pack my bag, take out all my jewellery [jewellery would be a big "NO" in Thai schools] and clip back my hair [hair in front of your face is also a big "NO"] in record breaking time. I came bolting downstairs when my mom reminded me that I forgot my belt; so I bolted back up the four flights of stairs to my room, grabbed the wretched thing and ran back down. I was like lightning, Superman almost. When I finally sat down at the breakfast table I was given a heaping pile of sticky rice and pork. Just the thing you want to eat when you are panting, exhausted and boiling in the humidity. I tried to force down a few mouthfuls to be polite, but apparently my host parents don't know what "Mai hiyu [not hungry]" means. Then I realised I left my pens and pencils upstairs so I ran back up the four flights of stairs, grabbed THOSE wretched things and ran back down again. By now, I wasn't feeling at all the greatest and I was handed an apple and some milk... in a juice box. Then after patiently waiting while my mother fiddled with my shirt [untucking it, twisting it, retucking it, untucking it again and patting it down], my belt [tightening it, untightening it, turning it around, clipping it to my skirt], my skirt [twisting it, patting it down, pulling it down] and my hair [clipping it, pushing it out of my face (I can't help that I have bangs that refuse to stay in a bobby pin), reclipping it and pulling a comb through it]... we were ready to go. And we were late. We arrived at the school and my mom had to go into the school to sign in so she left me in the car with the windows rolled up, my apple and my milk in a juice box. Now I don't know if YOU'VE ever gone through a similar situation so let's make this visual. Hot weather [36 degrees Celsius] + Humidity + Car windows rolled up + Exhaustion + Forced heavy meal + Nervousness + Excitement = not a happy camper.. or healthy for that matter. I really needed a drink and after waiting in the car for over 10 minutes I decided the best thing to do would probably be to have some of my apple.. maybe the nausea I was feeling was because I hadn't eaten much. Not such a good idea, and so I untucked my shirt and propped the door open a little bit. I wanted to tell my mom that we needed to go home because I felt sick but right at that moment she came over and told me we had to go meet the director. So I got out of the car and then realized that my shirt was still untucked so I started to tuck it back in when she looked at me with such a look of horror and rushed over to fix it for me. I won't say how frustrated and grumpy with this I was because it would make this story [and myself] much less appealing so I'll just skip to where I met the director [with one of my buttons undone, my shirt not as neatly tucked in as my mother would have hoped and beads of sweat forming all over my forehead, neck, back, nose etc.] and about 800 other teachers whose names I won't remember because even in English it would be impossible. Thai is worse; you have to try to remember names that use sounds your mouth has never made before and that are SO LONG [Because it is impolite to address a teacher by their nickname]. All the while the sun beat down, the humidity rose and students were staring as if I was an exhibit in the zoo. I didn’t really mind it though, it feels nice being some sort of a “celebrity”. After meeting with the MC we waited outside while all the students lined up in rows and rows on the blacktop; they were a sea of colour and excited faces. There are different uniforms for boys and girls [that’s just a given] , but there are also different uniforms for different grades. This means that high school students have a different uniform than the junior high school students. Then there are two different types of each uniform: athletic and general. So as I looked out into that sea of Thai students who were all excited for my arrival [staring, quite a bit] a rainbow of colour awaited my eyes. Pink for the sports uniforms of the girls, blue for the sports uniforms of the boys. A different blue for the general uniforms of the high school students, brown for the uniform of the younger boys. White shoes, brown shoes, black shoes… and all the teachers were wearing yellow t-shirts to respect the King’s birthday [Every Monday]. Of course, I didn’t really have all that time to focus on the colours because something else fascinated me a million times over. They were in perfectly straight lines organized by their grade and their uniform colour. They were all singing the national anthem. Every. Single. One. They were all chanting and praying with their hands up in a Wai. It was beautiful. Not like the scenery or the silk fabrics you find in so many shops, but it really made me feel as if I were a part of this country and its beliefs. Then the director came up to do his morning assembly speech and all the students sat down. Before I knew it I was running into the bathroom and was sick in the sink. It doesn’t sound very nice, and it wasn’t but I’m not very embarrassed anymore because practically everyone in the city seems to know about it. My mother was the only person there, so either there was a spy, or my mom told someone and word spreads quickly. Either way I felt much better afterwards and after cleaning up [and spraying my shirt with water in the process] my host mother walked me out to say my speech. I was anything but perfect: I had mascara stains under my eyes, my hair was stuck to my face from all the sweat, my shirt was soaked through and I was only wearing a bra underneath. [This didn’t seem like such a problem when I had woken up. I hadn’t expected to be entering a wet t-shirt contest anytime that day]. My shoes were scuffed, my t-shirt was untucked and my belt was off center. It was a wonderful ensemble I must say and I was happily surprised when none of the students laughed at me, but gasped as I walked onto the stage. I was handed two gifts [I found out after they were notebooks and a sports uniform… the bubblegum pink one] and a bouquet of roses. I was introduced and then I had to say a few words in Thai. This is what I said: Hello, My name is Emma. My name is Kulap. I am seventeen years old. I have three sisters. I have three cats. I’m from Canada. Excited. Happy. Thailand beautiful. Nakhon Phanom beautiful. Sounds pretty stupid eh? Well it was… but I think just the fact that I was speaking Thai was enough for them; they cheered for the celebrity on stage louder than any other speech I’ve heard combined. Their faces lit up with smiles and they absolutely had a fit of laughter and giggles when I waied to the crowd with my Hello. Now wherever I go on the campus, whether I am with teachers or not I am greeted with smiles and more affection than anyone at MM Robinson High school has ever given me, combined. When I walk around with Thai friends we will be stopped in the hallway with crowds of people all asking my Thai friend to introduce them to me. As I walk through the courtyard people yell out "HELLO! I LOVE YOU! BEAUTIFUL! SA WAD DEE KA!" The younger children seem to be somewhere between terrified of me and in awe, they can never look me in the eye and turn crimson when I say hello. Girls show up to escort me to classes so that I don't get lost in the University sized campus. They tell me I am pretty and if the cannot speak English they ask one of their friends who can to ask me questions. All the students offer to share their textbooks and notebooks with me [though I can't read a single word] and when they see that I am being introduced to someone a flock of people run over to get their names mentioned. The Thai students stand outside my classrooms and watch me, or watch me practicing Thai dance. They laugh when I make a mistake and correct me, and when I say something correct in Thai they beam with happiness and practically have a field day. They watch me when I wai the teachers and marvel at my polite manner with my elders [polite conduct was drilled into me like a nail my first two weeks]. Boys tell me I'm beautiful and that they love me... Girls tell me that I'm beautiful and that they like my hair. [Having blonde hair, pale skin and blue eyes makes you a real knock out in Thailand, it's not too much to feel proud of]. Everyone here has made an effort to help me learn Thai whether it is correcting my speech, teaching me the word for "circle" or teaching me the Thai alphabet. It sounds vain and conceited saying this but I do love the attention I get here. I feel like I'm friends with everyone, even if I haven't met them. I have a special connection with every student and I can smile at any of them and they won't look at me like I'm a huge loser. I was afraid it would be hard for me to make friends with the language barrier but there are people flooding from all over the school to join in games that I play with my friends. We play different games from throwing wierd star things in the air to English word games to practice the names of the animals. We play hangman, badminton and some other English word game that I would love to play in Thai but I don't have the vocabulary for yet. And then there are the boys. They hang over the railings on the top floors of the buildings and catcall, hoot, holler and cheer at me as I walk by. Many of them never pluck up the courage to speak to me but when one does and I answer them they slap each other on the back with congratulations. Many of the boys have already proclaimed their love for me and I don't know their names. Some of them follow me around, some of them are too shy to say "Hello" back to me when I greet them and instead they run away blushing and whispering with their friends. Some of them stop to watch my play badminton in gym or stand outside the English department when I am learning Thai. I once asked a boy to show me where the library was and as he led me there his schoolmates cheered for him from upstairs as if he had won a prize. I almost don't want to stop and talk to them in case they think I am enticed by their catcalls. Then there are the boys who act like crazy wild animals to get my attention; they run around the room, they shout my name, they ask me random questions, they push and shove to be introduced by Noo my English speaking Thai friend. One boy even wrote "I love you Kulap" on the board while he was in the middle of writing his math equation. They even wave to me and look outside of school when I'm sitting on the sidewalk drinking bubble tea with my friends. It feels so different being the centre of attention, but it is settling in a way to know that I'm not the weird blonde kid, but the "Cool" blonde kid. So to answer my previous question: “What would you do to get a blonde foreigner dressed in a knee length skirt, school girl leather shoes, high white socks and a frumpy blouse to notice you?” The Thai boys would say “Jump around, hoot and holler and attract as much attention to yourself as you can, at some point she’s got to talk to you.” I haven’t yet… but I do laugh and smile until my face hurts.

"There are no such things as strangers. Only friends you haven't met yet."
-POSTSECRET

My First Rotary Meeting

Before I talk about my meeting I thought it would make sense for me to first mention what I did today. This morning I woke up and sent out a couple emails and then I went downstairs and watched a couple movies. I had Pomello [pretty much a giant orange] for lunch as well as cornflakes and then I had a shower and read some of "The Voyage of the Dawn Treader". I have read 4 books since I have been here, I am wondering what I am going to do once I run out of books. Then my mom took me out to dinner where I met two of her friends and fellow teachers and I had Suki Heh. It was delicious.

Then we had dessert which was also delicious... and now I'm here :)

My Thai name is official!!!!! I have been named Kulap which means Rose in English. Koon Paw Es named me because he said I was very beautiful and of course when he said this I started crying.. classic me. I now have school uniforms with "Kulap Sangprom" [my host family's last name] embroidered on them as well as "Emma" and the initials of my school. The Rotary meetings for Nakhon Phanom are held on Thursdays at 8:00 pm at a big hotel on the Mekong River. The hotel was gorgeous and my mom and dad took me outside on the patio in the back and I got to see the Mekong River at night time. It was breathtaking; there were hundreds of yellow tulips growing all along the shoreline as far as you could see. I noticed when I initially walked outside that there were black things moving on the white poles outside. Of course I thought there were bugs but when I looked closer they were lizards! Tons of little lizards crawling all along the poles outside, on the walls and on the ceiling. Then I remembered how I had seen one on the wall outside my bedroom door when I had first arrived in Nakhon Phanom. I guess they are everywhere here and they are SO CUTE! There are also just as many dogs and cats roaming the street as in Bang Pa-In. They kind of scare me when I randomly see them, it is still a shock to me that wild dogs are allowed to raom the streets wherever they please. Anyways, back to the meeting. After we looked around a bit we went upstairs where there was a room with only two people in it sitting at a long table. The one woman invited me to sit next to her and asked me a bit about myself. Then I met the other exchange student Suzanne who lives in Nakhon Phanom. She does not live in my district but she lives only about a 10 minute drive away. Suzanne [or "Sai" which means sand (we think it is because of her hair colour)] is amazing. She is so much fun to talk to and almost the whole meeting we chatted about our experiences in Thailand so far, our families and how we get along with them and about our schools. Of course we had no idea what they were saying in the Rotary meeting so we tried to be very quiet when we were talking becuase we didn't know when they were talking amongst themselves or when they were saying something important. We noticed that other people were talking so we just chatted quietly. Then we had to introduce ourselves. I said "Sa wad dee ka, Chan Cheun Emma, Mee Pee sow sam Quon" which means "Hello, My name is Emma, I have three sisters"... That's pretty much the only thing I could think of to say. Of course I know much more than that but it was all very sudden so I didn't know what to say haha. Sai has invited me to go shopping with her and some of her Thai friends tomorrow. We are going to meet at her school and bicycle to the place where we will go shopping. I'm excited to meet some more Thai people because until I met Sai I have had no friends. I haven't started school yet so I haven't met anyone except adults who are friends with my parents or other teachers at the school. My mom seems a little worried about letting me go, but she needs to let me go out with friends some time. I am really excited for school, apparently there is a guitar course that I think I will try to take with Kate who I know from MSN. Kate also told me I should join the school orchestra and play my flute, and she asked me to be the English vocalist for her rockband. 55555!! I didn't know what to say to that becuase I'm not a good singer at all, but I think that English is English and they probably wouldn't care either way. Haha. I am really excited for this weekend and then the weeks to follow; I am so sick of sitting at home all day watching TV. I'm not allowed to walk around the city alone even in the middle of the day so my past week has been filled with ironing, watching TV, eating and reading. It's not that exciting. I'm excited to start doing something! And to wear my uniform [as funny looking as it is]. "Everyone knows I'm in over my head" - The Fray

Until Next Time,
Kulap xox.

All That Jazz

Elephant Riding and Ayutthaya:
So a week ago today my aunt Noi took me to Ayutthaya the old capital city of Thailand and we saw so many wats and I got to ride an elephant!!
These were the wats I got to see:

Wihan Phra Mongkhon Bophit [Home of the largest bronze Buddha]

Wat Phra Ram [I saw this one from across the pond while I was riding an elephant.. it's a decent picture for balancing on an elephant I think]

Wat Yai Chai Mongkhon [Wat with a GIANT reclining Buddha]

Wat Lokaya Sutharam [Another Reclining Buddha]

Wat Chai Watthanaram [Old Wat ruined from the war. You cannot go in but you can look at it, and it's beautiful!]

Wat Phanom Choeng [Home of the largest Buddha in Thailand, I couldn't get a good picture of it because it is black and they were doing construction around it]

I also got to ride an ELEPHANT!

It was the queerest feeling ever. I had to attempt to balance on the thing without a seatbelt or place to put my feet except on the thing's back.. but then of course I felt too bad to do that, so I tried to hang them to the side but then I had to sit in the middle of the elephant's chair thing and that was right in front of the umbrella overhead and so it kept smacking me in the back of the head. Then while all of this was happening I had to pose for my aunt's pictures and try to take my own. I don't think I need to say that half of my pictures were slanted or blurry from the elephant movement but I did happen to get a bunch of nice ones too!

Dining

I know a lot of people have been asking about what we eat here so I thought I would write a bunch about how we eat and what we eat here :) [I use we.. because I feel quite Thai now]
To start Thai food is wonderful. Everything is either sweet, spicy, nutty or sour. Nothing is bland and everything is filling. Unlike in Canada there is really no such thing as "breakfast, lunch and dinner". Thai people are eating all the time. In my host sister's word "My people eat when we are happy, sad, celebrating, nervous, hungry, full... always always eating". And I couldn't better any other way. Every moment my host parents are asking me if I am hungry and it seems that at all times of the day I see people sitting at restaurants or in the food court at the mall. Not just a select few either, they are always full. Sometimes we use chopsticks and little spoon things. But a lot of the time we use forks and spoons. You don't eat using the fork.. you use the fork to pick things up and put them on the spoon and then you eat off the spoon. Knives are barely needed because most things are cut up small enough already. And if you do need to cut something you just use the side of your spoon.

Now, for what they eat. You can buy classic hamburgers and chips and hotdogs and all that jazz at 7eleven but as for restaurants.. except for very tourist filled cities you won't find any international food. My city especially is very old and authentic so there are few 7elevens, lots of markets and lots of classic Thai food. Thai food is a mix of everything and anything.. you can have dishes that are all vegetables [there are many fruits and vegetables in Thailand that you wouldn't find in Canada], then there are dishes that have the biggest staple ever: rice. There are dishes with noodles, with pork, chicken, shrimp, squid and fish. Last week we were served an entire fish covered in sauce and vegetables with a bowl of soup you can pour over top.

In Thailand, the person who invites the others out to dinner usually pays. There is really no such thing as "going dutch" in Thailand. Also when food is ordered it is ordered for the whole table and served in the center like it would at home. Then everyone takes turns pulling what they would like out and putting it on the plate in front of them. Also rice is often served by itself and you can just pick out stuff you want and you pour it on top or eat it with rice.

I haven't really seen "candy" here yet, but I have definetely seen desserts. Cookies of all sorts: some with nuts, some made of soy beans, some made of coconut, some sweet, some tart, all different colours. Then there are these cracker/cookie things made of rice all stuck together. Those are really yummy. I have also come to liking fish skin which is deep fried. It's actually quite yummy. You can dip it in chili sauce or just eat it by itself. Then there are mushroom type chips that are really yummy and all sorts of other goodies.

Then there are the fruit and vegetables. I am sure you probably have read all about them in my "Marketplace" post. But if you haven't there are so many types of tropical fruits here. For dessert the other day I was served a whole coconut which I drank the milk from and then scraped the sides of. It isn't nearly as sweet as artificial coconut you usually find in Canada, but it was delicious. There is dragonfruit [which I haven't tried yet but I hear is wonderful], Rambutan, Durien, Bananas of all shapes and sizes [you'd be surprised how different they all taste from each other], and tons of others that I forget the names of.. and even if I remembered I wouldn't know how to type them in English as they are Thai names.

I would love to type more.. there is so much more to say.. but as I have been sitting in this chair for a while now my back is beginning to be quite uncomfortable. I will write some more tomorrow while I am home alone.

Peace and Love

"Let us leave this place where the smoke blows black And the dark street winds and bends. Past the pits where the asphalt flowers grow We shall walk with a walk that is measured and slow, And watch where the chalk-white arrows go To the place where the sidewalk ends."

xoxox.

Bangkok and Bang Pa-In

I would first like to start this post by apologizing for the lack of contact I have had with anyone over the past several days. On Friday my host family arrived in Bang Pa-In and this weekend we went to Koon Pa Bum's house in Bangkok to stay.

Today we said goodbye to my younger sister Aoei as she set off on her adventure to Vancouver. Though it was a day for her to say farewell to her family, it was a day for me to meet extended family from right, left and center and truly feel welcome as a part of the Sangprom family :) This weekend I stayed at Koon Pa [Auntie] Bum and Koon Loom [Uncle] Su's house in Bangkok as we awaited Aoei's departure date. This weekend was full of different adventures.

1. We went to the Platinum Shopping Mall where they attempted to "Thai-ify" my by helping me to pick out suitable clothes to wear to the temples and out to dinner (ie. long shorts, long skirts, capris, tshirts etc.) as well as clothes that Koon Paw [Father] thinks are acceptable. The mall is NOTHING like a mall in Canada. If you could just imagine hundreds and hundreds of little stores packed to the brim with clothes that hang out over the aisles with sale signs for 100 baht T-shirts and 3 for 400 baht pairs of pants then maybe, MAYBE you could begin to picture this mall. There were clothes of every shape, size, colour, make and everything was dirt cheap! There were so many people that you couldn't help but bump into people constantly and in the shops you had to step over piles of clothing sizes in bags on the floor in order to pay.

2. On our first night in Bangkok we went to a restaurant called Farang [this is the Thai word for someone from the West with fair skin and fair hair... ie. a foreigner] where I had a ceasar salad, mashed potatoes and classic Thai dishes. The next night we went to a restaurant on the river [it was raised on stilts overtop of the river with an AMAZING view] where we had an enormous amount of food from deepfried shrimp to wrapped squid, catfish, rice, noodles, some type of vegetable we don't have in Canada and finished with a coconut to drink from and eat :)

3. The first night we all slept in the same room on the floor and I woke up at 12 am with a COCKROACH on my neck... sounds rediculous and impossible.. not even. And it wouldn't leave me alone! It kept crawling all over my bed until I ran out of the room and Pee-Ake came in and killed it for me. Haha. I haven't quite become used to the bugs here yet. It's easy to say that I barely slept that night because I kept thinking there was something crawling on me. UGH.

4. Today we took Aoei to the airport and the whole situation reminded me so much of my departure from Canada. She looked so sad to be leaving but also so excited at the same time. There were so many people there wishing her a safe trip and I was sad to see her go, I really enjoyed having a younger sister for the weekend.

This is the list of all the people I met this weekend [or at least the ones I can remember]

Koon Mam [Mom]
Koon Paw [Dad]
Nong - Aoei [Younger sister]
Pee - Oak [Older brother!!! He came from University in Bangkok to say goodbye to Aoei. I was really excited to finally meet my brother :) Unfortunately I won't see him often as he is studying 12 hours from our home in Nakhon Phanom.]
Koon Pa Bum [Aunt]
Koon Loom Su [Uncle]
Pee - A [Cousin] and her husband
Pee - M [Cousin] and his girlfriend
Pee - Ake [Cousin] and her best friend
Koon Mam's best friend
Koon Paw's brother
Two teachers from my school in Nakhon Phanom
At [a friend of Aoei's who is going on exchange to Ohio this week]

5. Tonight we drove back to Bang Pa-In to spend the night and tomorrow we wake up at 5 am to drive 12 hours to my city for the rest of the year [Nakhon Phanom].

I have so much more that I would love to write about but I am very sleepy and I have to be up in less than 4 hours to get ready to leave.
I will post again soon with updates.

"Of course, he remembered, as every sensible person does, that you should never, never shut yourself in a wardrobe."
-C.S. Lewis "The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe"

xo.

The Market.. What more to say?

So the first thing you should know about the market is that it is NOTHING like Canadian markets.. and why would it be? If it were.. this blog post would be quite boring.. but trust me it is anything but.

So I set off last night for the Market with Mam, Paw and Ja-Eh. This was probably the busiest market I have ever seen in my life! So busy that we had to park way down the street in a back alleyway. Then we had to brave the Thai traffic [THEY DRIVE SO FAST] of buses, cars, motorcycles and wreckless bikers to get to the other side of the street. This was no easy task. Since I have been in Thailand I have not seen one single crosswalk, so Jwalking is the only way to go.
After almost getting hit by cars, buses, a few motorcycles and bikers we reached the other side of the street where the sweet mixture of aromas hit my nose.

At the first sight you would think that this market was a few food stalls, a couple of clothing stalls and jewellery on racks, but this was only the very front of the market. It took us nearly 20 minutes just to walk through the whole thing passing stalls and stalls of fine silk, clothing, shoes, jewellery, CDs for 100 baht [keeping in mind 31 baht is 1 dollar in Canadian currency], perfume, alcohol, cellphones, cellphone covers, cameras, everything you could possibly imagine to by at a mall or department store was there... and more! Cellphones of every shape colour and size, shirts, shorts, skirts, belts galore! I could spend my entire exchange just in this one market and I would be content. Because not only was the merchandise cheap and spectacular but the culture that came along with it was fantastic. I loved hearing the bustling chatter of the Thai language and watching Mam and Paw as they would by things in less than a minute... I hadn't even noticed they wanted to buy something and all of a sudden the vendor would be bagging it and they would be paying. There were poor Thai people sitting down munching on satays and khao [rice] and people everywhere chatting away. The thing I love the most about Thailand is how complete strangers can stop and have a long conversation together, always smiling and carrying on. No on is a STRANGER in Thailand, everyone is a FRIEND who you haven't met yet.

Then there was the food. The food market was even bigger than the last bit and there were so many different smells that you didn't know where to look to follow your nose. Some of the smells weren't the most pleasant but you hardly worry about them when there is so much to look at. The market had Canadian fruits and vegetables of course, corn [4 cobs for 20 baht], apples, papaya, mangoes, grapes, potatoes, chicken, fish and pork. But there was so much else that I had not and could not have ever dreamed of. Durian [a spiky looking cantaloupe with a pungent smell but wonderful taste], Rambutans [(or ngaw) small, red, and hairy with a delicate and sweet inside], Coconut milk, Mangosteens, Guavas, Jackfruits and Bananas of all shapes and sizes. Then there was the classic Thai cuisine that I am not yet courageous enough to try: Crickets, Grasshoppers, Beetles, Pig's Head, Intestines, Fish heads, Frogs [whole], Squid, Octopus tentacles.. the list goes on.

The market was the most spectacular and amazing place I have been. There was a new surprise and smell around every corner, new people who smiled and pointed at the blonde "falang" wandering around with her Thai family, and new food to try with new people. Everytime I walked by something in Canada I would say "mee" and when there was something that we do not have in Canada I would say "mai mee" and my family was astounded that we did not have many of their delicacies. Even when I said I was full "eem" they would still buy some of almost every fruit that we do not have in Canada. When we came home we sat around the dinner table, snacked on fruit and laughed when we could not understand each other.

I feel so comfortable here, with these people, in this culture. I love every moment of it, and wish I could share it with all my family and friends.

Until next time.

"There are three items that can provide nourishment and energy for positive change: the air you breath, the food you eat, and the ideas you ponder. Travel can literally import a breath of fresh air... Eating new and different foods can nourish the spirit as well as the body" - Karen Page - Becoming a Chef

Emma. xo.

The Land of Smiles

Sa wad dee ka from the Land of Smiles!

I could not have asked for a more beautiful country to do my exchange in. Everything about Thailand takes my breath away from the front yard to the wild dogs roaming the streets to the magazines with Thai superstars on the front covers. Even as rediculous as it sounds, everything is so foreign to me here. But I am loving and breathing in every minute of it.
So this is my first official post of my exchange so I will try to say as much as I can about my travelling experience so far. But words or pictures cannot do justice to all of the amazing journeys I have already encountered.
However... I will try.
To start off I left my teary family at security at the Pearson Airport at 12:00 pm and from then on I was on the adventure of my lifetime. After I had been checked over I picked up my stuff, turned around and my family was standing there, behind all the other travellers waving goodbye and yelling at me. That image is the last I will have of them for the next year.
After I got to my gate I went to the washroom and waited to board. I was seriously dreading the 13 hour flight to Tokyo but I definetely lucked out. It turned out that I had an entire row of three seats to myself so I stretched out and slept for almost the entire plane ride. I only watched half of a movie and the rest of the flight I dozed off with the help of ear plugs [Thanks mom :)] The food, however, was as awful as always so once I landed in the Tokyo airport the first thing I thought of was getting food. Once I had gone through security [for a second time] and reached my gate I found somewhere to sit and eat some french fries and orange juice while I wrote in my journal. After waiting a couple hours for my next flight I was off to Bangkok accompanied with a man sitting next to me who reaked of beer and looked very unhappy. Oh well. The flight to Bangkok wasn't nearly as wonderful as the flight to Tokyo. But what can you do?
As we were landing in Bangkok I looked out the window and couldn't help butt stare at the bustling of the city below me. It was almost 11pm and the city was wide awake and full of life. After claiming my baggage, going through customs and all that jazz I followed the long hallway lined with people holding signs with pictures and names to find their loved ones. I had NO idea who or what I was looking for until a man came up to me, looked at me, then turned to a waiting crowd of people and yelled "Emma!!!" At that, a group of people ran over including my host aunt, uncle and cousin, Peter head of Youth Exchange in my district and many other people.
I was asked to call my host mom in Nakhon Phanom to let her know I had arrived, and then I called my mom in Canada to let her know she could sleep without worrying :)
On the way to my host aunt/uncle's house we stopped for dinner [at 1 am] at a small restaurant off the highway. For 1 am the restaurant was busy! I was surprised that this many people were out for dinner so late at night. As I got out of the car and walked to a table [I must have looked horrible after 20 something hours of travelling and extreme jet lag] all the Thai people stopped and stared at the blonde "falang" in their country. It was madness. Two Thai boys even came over to me while I was eating and said "Where are you from?" and [I was very proud of myself] I replied "mah jak Canada". They smiled and ran back to their table where I could hear them chattering in Thai and saying "Canada, Canada". It seemed as if everyone else in the restaurant had wanted to know the answer to the very same question, as after I answered they stared for a few seconds and then returned to their dinner.
Now, I know that most of the exchange students will probably say the same thing no matter WHICH country they are in, but FOOD IS HUGE in Thailand. Everyone in the restaurant seemed to know each other [even though they didn't]. The way that everyone came together over food was amazing, and all the food that arrived at our table looked magical and enough to feed a small army. I wondered how the Thai people who are so small could fit so much food in their stomachs! First came pork satay with peanut sauce, then battered shrimp, then sweet and sour chicken/pork with rice, and then came a big bowl of what looked like pink shrimp soup. Apparently you scoop out the soup stuff and put it on your bowl of rice.. well... that's pretty much what they did with everything. Some of the food will take getting used to but for the most part it was delicious.. and spicy!
Then Ja-Eh [my cousin] and I went to the 7Eleven and I was marveled by all the Thai goodies on the counters, and even more excited when I saw Mentos and Clorets on a rack. On our way home Ja-Eh helped me learn more Thai and I am proud to say I remember all of it today! [Two days later]. I had always been frightened that I wouldn't learn the language, but it is much easier to learn now that I am surrounded with the language and I can practice all the time.
My aunt and uncle's house is gorgeous! Not in a "Paris Hilton's mansion gorgeous" kind of way, but in an authentic, rustic, magnificent kind of way. Every little detail of the house I love [except maybe the immense amount of ants that like to attack the garbage can in the kitchen], from the marble patio out front and all the different kinds of plants on the lawn. Types of trees I had never even imagined before. It's literally like a jungle outside the front door [minus the monkeys and such]. My bedroom is like a little hotel room with a balconey I like to stand on in the mornings after I have a shower, and windows that open to the backyard of the neighbours [who blar Thai music at 7 in the morning]. It is breathtaking.
Yesterday I woke up and I was home alone, my aunt, uncle and cousin were out at work and school so I came downstairs and wrote in my journal and tried to write letters. Then after my aunt came home from work she took me to a small restaurant on the river. The food wasn't great, but the view was wonderful.
Then we went to a temple across the river; I can't put into words just how peaceful and special the wat was. We had to take our shoes off outside and inside we waid [bowed] to the buddha and the statue of the grand king. The architecture of this building has increased the beauty of Thailand for me by far. Then we went to the Bang Pa-in Palace and again we had to take our shoes off. The buildings here are so defined and particular down to the last piece of cobblestone or golden archway. I will try to put pictures on later this week, Lord knows I took many. My aunt took a picture of me in front of almost every building we walked by, she is so adorable. Her English isn't the greatest, but she tries very hard to speak English with me, and to help me learn Thai.
After such a long day in the heat I came home and took a four hour nap [it was 4 in the morning back in Canada] and I awoke to the sound of my aunt calling me from outside my door. I opened the door and she said "gin-gin! we eat dinner!" I swear to you almost every hour she asks me if I am hungry and she is surprised when I can't finish all the food we have. She once said to me "you no eat a lot, why?" I guess my stomach isn't Thai enough yet. But soon I will probably be eating like mad. Anyways it turns out we were going to KFC for dinner. Haha, a little taste of home. Then Ja-Eh and I went to the department store so I could buy a razor and hairclips etc. [all the stuff I didn't take with me and needed] and then we looked at cellphones. I think my uncle will take me tonight to buy one. You can buy a phone here for 800 baht, which is roughly 25 dollars I think. Then you just buy minute cards to put on them. :)
As soon as we got back from dinner I checked my email and went to bed. Then I awoke this morning to the sound of the neighbour's music at 7 am and took a shower. Showers are much needed here, I felt soo much more refreshed and cooler after my shower and I laid on my bed in my towel for a couple hours. It was wonderful.
I have given up on trying to watch DVD's when no one is home. I am not technologically advanced so I have noooooo idea how to use their DVD player. Plus I was watching the Incredibles earlier [in Thai, with no subtitles... it's a good thing I've seen it before and have some idea what is going on] and it decided to just shut off on me in the middle. Oh well.
I am going to leave this long blog message now and have some lunch [leftovers from yesterday's pork satay and peanut sauce]
Ki tu. [Miss you]

"And there was evening, and there was morning - the third day."
Genesis 1:13

Peace and Love,
Emma. xo