A Few More Observations from Asia…

Sizes

Upon first arriving in Thailand, we were thrilled to find that our city has a Dairy Queen, complete with DQ bars and blizzards. Blizzards come in 4 sizes: small, medium, large and extra-large. The extra large is about the size of an American “small.” Here it’s called a “Take Home.”

The size conversion seems to apply to people too. When I went to buy a pair of pants last week, the merchant took one look at me and handed me a size “large.” Hmmmm. Maybe I’ll think twice before ordering a “Take Home.”



Exercise

The norm is quickly changing, but in our neighborhood Thai women do not participate in strenuous exercise. Perhaps this explains the portion sizes. I told my tutor that I went for a 10 mile run, and she appeared to be concerned. As if, perhaps, my uterus may have fallen out somewhere along the road.

The one form of exercise that IS acceptable for women here is aerobics. Every night at 6:00 a group of women meet in the grocery store parking lot for an intense hour of aerobic dance. I tried to go a couple of times when my sister-in-law was in town. We spun. We stomped. We kicked. But mostly we just flailed around as helpless foreigners while a professional-looking dancer yelled what sounded like angry instructions in Thai. I haven't given up on my dream of becoming a Chiangmai aerobic junkie, but for this white girl, running 10 miles is so much easier.



Water Fights

The only water fighers we were brave enough to photograph.

There’s a three-day holiday in April (or five-day, depending on your level of enthusiasm) called “Songkran.” It’s basically one big city-wide water festival. Everyone, young and old, rich and poor, douses each other with super-soakers and buckets of water. On the first day of the festival our family walked to the main road to assess the situation. We saw adults piled into the back of pickup trucks, throwing barrels of water on other trucks as they speed down the highway. Meanwhile a gang of high-schoolers stood on the side of the road hiding behind a sign and tossing gallons of water unsuspecting motorcycles.

Last year about 400 people died during the holiday, mostly from alcohol related motorcycle accidents. Needless to say, we decided not to drive anywhere this year during Songkran.



Tones

Sorting tones with flashcards.

The Thai language has 5 tone—high, mid, low, rising and falling. The inflection of your voice changes the meaning of the word. Depending on what tone and vowel length you say the word “mai” in, you can say “wood”, “not”, “new”, “burn”, “calculate”, “widow”, “warrant”, “mile”, “microphone”, “silk”, and “isn’t that right?”



Script

The Thai language has 44 consonants, many of which seem to represent “t” or “k” sounds. When Thais write, all the letters are pushed together sothatthesentencelookslikeonebigword. I still can’t read Thai, but after I get speaking down a little better I hope to work on reading. In the meantime we’re picking up lots of cans at the grocery and thinking, “I wonder what’s inside?” Occasionally we’re terribly mistaken, like the time we bought some Thai version of buttermilk and added it to our fruit smoothie.



Food

If you felt bad for us stumbling through the language and drinking buttermilk smoothies, spare your pity. We’re loving the food here. We can buy a delicious plate of green curry or fried vegetables for less than a buck at the mom-and-pop restaurant down the road. As long as we remember to add in the words “not spicy” (in the right tone), we’re set. I have learned, however, to practice my order before leaving the house. The first time I tried to order green curry, I said it with the wrong tone and a Midwest accent and asked the (rather perplexed) restaurant owner if I could please have a “green prostitute” for lunch.

Cultural Differences We've Learned to Embrace

There’s a fine line between making fun of another country and finding enjoyment in the other culture’s differences. This treacherous line has kept me from blogging much during our early months here. There’s much to love and respect about the Thai community. Because of our love for this country I’ve decided it’s time to share. Here are a few glimpse of everyday life that make me smile.

• Driving skills
  
  
  Some Thais can fit an entire family (including the pet dog) on a bike. I’ve also seen sheets of plywood, piles of suitcases, and kitchen tables on bikes. Meanwhile, the driver is talking on his cell phone. Another favorite was an elephant being carried across town on a pick-up. Thais possess of level of driving skill that I may never reach. I am learning, however, how to drive a stick shift on the left-hand side of the road. I’ll just pass on adding in the “texting while driving” feature.
  



• Creativity.
  
  
  We’re proud owners of a 91 Sunny Nissan. We have to pull the choke to start the engine. I didn’t even know what a choke was until last month. Apparently most cars stopped using them in the 80s. Our car also has a few rearranged parts. For example, the original level for the choke must have fallen off, so the mechanic replaced it with the level that opens the hood. (We call this our anti-theft security system. You can’t steal a car if you can’t figure out how to start it.) Somewhere along the way our turn signal switch must have fallen off too. It’s been replaced by a screw. I can’t wait to see what happens when the wheel falls off.
  



• Ingenuity.
  
  
  One day when our power was off we saw this view from our balcony. Our electrician’s bamboo ladder is being propped up by a mass of electrical wires.

• Safety regulations.
  
  You may have guessed from points 1-3 that regulations are a little looser here. For example, fireworks are often included in local celebrations. During one event we attended we saw fireworks being lit IN the crowded streets while people, motorbikes, and pickup trucks zoomed by. There’s no age requirement for buying and lighting fireworks, so each holiday seems to be every junior high boys dream. I wish I had a picture of the more dramatic moments, but quite frankly, when I see fireworks going off 30 meters from my feet, my first thought isn't "Hey, what a great photo opp. Let me take my toddler closer." Instead, here's a picture of our Thai friends helping us light a latern from our balcony.

• Safety.
  
  
  Despite what we’re described above, when we’re not driving and we’re not walking through fireworks, we feel incredibly safe here. Most Thais have an extremely strong ethics code when it comes to stealing or harming others. We’re thankful for our new home and our Thai friends who are helping us navigate this new culture.