August 22, 2019
This post is a near duplicate of the one on https://wordpress.com/view/alisoninthailand.travel.blog. I'm putting it here so there's some sense of continuity and so that I can add pictures, and also because I forgot to add something and got a few dates mixed up. But either way, they're very similar.
Things that I've learned about/from Thailand so far:
1. The boba milk tea is really good and it's going to take a lot to restrain myself.
2. I don't like durian all that much. It's good, and it's actually kinda sweet, but I don't think I'll ever get over the creamier-than-avocado texture or the weird aftertaste that it leaves.
3. High humidity is to be expected! Yes, this is kind of well known. But I'd like to mention it anyways.
4. Bugs and small animals are not uncommon. There was a gecko just kinda chilling by my face this morning, which was terrifying. Also, on Saturday I reached up to touch some leaves on a tree and ended up grabbing a gigantic beetle or bug of some sort that flew into my face. It wasn't pleasant, but I wasn't hurt. Still though, I will be more wary of suspicious trees.
5. Rain is also to be expected! Again, this is well known, but I'd just like to point out that there is a lot of rain. It has rained every single day that I've been here. It's not constant, and it's not always torrential, but it's definitely always there. There has been a total of two (2) days here that I have actually seen the sun. This isn't a complaint, by the way, I'm just saying so. Also, when the sky does decide to crack open and unleash its watery demons instead of giving us a gentle drizzle, it really comes down hard. If you're inside, you just hear this roaring outside from the water hitting the metal ceilings. Everything outside gets wet, nothing is safe, and the noise drowns out the teachers who, by the way, are using microphones in the classroom. If you're outside... good luck to your poor soul. I happened to be outside under a bridge today when it started really coming down, and even though the bridge was about ten feet wide and I was in the middle of it, I was still sprayed head to toe with the mist that was created when the water hit the ground. It really rains here. And finally...
6. Mosquitoes. Are. Everywhere. You know those horror movies where there's this creepy thing following the main characters wherever they go? Yeah, that's what mosquitoes are like here. Everywhere you go- bam, there it is. Outside? Definitely. In the classroom? Still there. In the living room or dining room? Right there with you. In your own private room with the windows and doors shut? They'll be there. In the shower or on the toilet? You bet they're gonna go for the places that'll be the most embarrassing to scratch. I'm not joking in the slightest. Mosquito repellent is my best friend right now.
Anyways. I've actually done some really cool stuff in the past week or two, and I wanted to acknowledge those as well.
On Wednesday of last week, my host brother (His name is Pattarapon but he goes by Stamp, don't ask me how he got from one to the other because I don't know) and I went to a group tutor. The tutor has been teaching Stamp for several years now, and while she helped several students with their homework, I worked on my speech for the school that was to be recited the next day (and also played with her puppies that were outside. Don't worry, Mom, I was careful not to touch them too much and I washed I thoroughly washed my hands afterwards). After everyone was done, Stamp and I went with the tutor to go see a movie. The movie was "Fast and Furious," and I understood absolutely nothing from what they said. I could kind of make out the plot based on English signs in the movie and from the characters' actions, but in all honesty I was still confused throughout the whole thing. Also, we rode a motorcycle to get there and back, and it was honestly really fun. I was terrified at first, not to mention I didn't keep my feet up high enough and scraped one of my shoes on the asphalt. But once I got the hang of it, I really enjoyed it.
On Thursday of last week, I gave my speech introducing myself to the school as an exchange student. People seemed to really like it, and they said that I spoke well! After school that day, my host mom said that she would be late when picking me up, so I headed to a small cafe in old town Chanthaburi on the riverside. I didn't order much, but one of my friends got a spicy noodle dish and I worked up the courage to try some. I actually really loved it, the noodles were really good and the sauce was a great blend of sweet and spicy. But I could only have a few bites here and there, otherwise the spices probably would've made me cry. (Also, they were playing the Bee Movie in the cafe, and while that has no significance whatsoever, I thought it was really funny).
On Friday after school, we kicked back and played a few games until dinner came around. That was when we went to some fancy restaurant and met a ton of family members, most of which I didn't understand in the slightest. But they were still really nice! Plus, the food was really good.
On Saturday we went to the beach, and in all honesty, I really loved it. I went to a nice cafe with my host parents and cousin, and then we went to pick up Stang and head to a beach resort. It was absolutely beautiful, even though it was overcast, and we spent several hours in the water and on the beach. The food that they served was delicious, and afterwards, we kicked back in the room that my host cousin and his family were staying in. We headed back home at around 11:00.
Sunday was oddly quiet, and as it turns out, there was nobody in the house aside from my youngest brother (Stang). I still don't know what everyone else was doing, but either way, it was nice to have some quiet time to call my family back home. And since then, nothing all that major has happened.
In all honesty, most things are really nice right now. I'm a little nervous to try some things, but I've been working up the courage to almost always say yes to a new opportunity. It's intimidating, but there are people to help me along the way and then I really enjoy it. For example, in class, there are so many classmates of mine who are more than willing to help me. They're usually a little nervous because they don't want to butcher the English language, but they all speak it really well. Actually, they speak English a little too well, which makes it hard for me to learn Thai, but they also help me by giving me direct translations, which I write down in my notebook. As of now I have about four pages of translated words.
My level of speaking right now is basically the equivalent of a toddler (and people kind of treat me like one which is fair), and I can't imagine how I sound to anyone passing by. I mean, imagine passing by some confused teenager on the street in America and hearing them say, "Cloak? Clack? Click?... Oh! Clock! Clock!" and pointing excitedly at their wristwatch while jumping up and down like a four year old while a group of teenagers cheers them on as if they've just made a great accomplishment. Because that's probably how I look. When my friends aren't there, I just have to tell people I don't speak Thai, and a lot of them kind of give me this look of "oh, pity the poor monolingual American" before giving me hand motions or speaking in English. I visited a Thai market on Sunday, and that happened pretty frequently. But I got some great snacks!
The only time I'm really confused is during class lectures. All of them except for Biology and English are just really, really long segments of time where there's just a bunch of Thai going over my head and I can pick out maybe a dozen words. Physics and Chemistry are actually the worst right now, because the classes are above what I've learned so far and also because they're in Thai. They're the most frustrating, because I can interpret the numbers and equations but can't make the connections between those and the solutions given. I've been looking into finding old lessons on those subjects in English in hopes that I can help myself understand, but it hasn't worked yet.
Luckily, I'm not going to those classes tomorrow. (Actually, it's not a good thing because school is where I learn Thai the most but that's not my point.) Instead, I get to enjoy an eight hour car ride to Khon Kaen, where the first Rotary orientation is being held. The orientation starts the day after tomorrow, and I'll be meeting a bunch of other inbounds from several different countries while also reuniting with my travel buddy, Josie, whom I flew here with. The orientation will last two days, and then I'll get to enjoy another eight hours back to Chanthaburi.
I'm looking forward to it!
Things that I've learned about/from Thailand so far:
1. The boba milk tea is really good and it's going to take a lot to restrain myself.
2. I don't like durian all that much. It's good, and it's actually kinda sweet, but I don't think I'll ever get over the creamier-than-avocado texture or the weird aftertaste that it leaves.
3. High humidity is to be expected! Yes, this is kind of well known. But I'd like to mention it anyways.
4. Bugs and small animals are not uncommon. There was a gecko just kinda chilling by my face this morning, which was terrifying. Also, on Saturday I reached up to touch some leaves on a tree and ended up grabbing a gigantic beetle or bug of some sort that flew into my face. It wasn't pleasant, but I wasn't hurt. Still though, I will be more wary of suspicious trees.
5. Rain is also to be expected! Again, this is well known, but I'd just like to point out that there is a lot of rain. It has rained every single day that I've been here. It's not constant, and it's not always torrential, but it's definitely always there. There has been a total of two (2) days here that I have actually seen the sun. This isn't a complaint, by the way, I'm just saying so. Also, when the sky does decide to crack open and unleash its watery demons instead of giving us a gentle drizzle, it really comes down hard. If you're inside, you just hear this roaring outside from the water hitting the metal ceilings. Everything outside gets wet, nothing is safe, and the noise drowns out the teachers who, by the way, are using microphones in the classroom. If you're outside... good luck to your poor soul. I happened to be outside under a bridge today when it started really coming down, and even though the bridge was about ten feet wide and I was in the middle of it, I was still sprayed head to toe with the mist that was created when the water hit the ground. It really rains here. And finally...
6. Mosquitoes. Are. Everywhere. You know those horror movies where there's this creepy thing following the main characters wherever they go? Yeah, that's what mosquitoes are like here. Everywhere you go- bam, there it is. Outside? Definitely. In the classroom? Still there. In the living room or dining room? Right there with you. In your own private room with the windows and doors shut? They'll be there. In the shower or on the toilet? You bet they're gonna go for the places that'll be the most embarrassing to scratch. I'm not joking in the slightest. Mosquito repellent is my best friend right now.
Anyways. I've actually done some really cool stuff in the past week or two, and I wanted to acknowledge those as well.
On Wednesday of last week, my host brother (His name is Pattarapon but he goes by Stamp, don't ask me how he got from one to the other because I don't know) and I went to a group tutor. The tutor has been teaching Stamp for several years now, and while she helped several students with their homework, I worked on my speech for the school that was to be recited the next day (and also played with her puppies that were outside. Don't worry, Mom, I was careful not to touch them too much and I washed I thoroughly washed my hands afterwards). After everyone was done, Stamp and I went with the tutor to go see a movie. The movie was "Fast and Furious," and I understood absolutely nothing from what they said. I could kind of make out the plot based on English signs in the movie and from the characters' actions, but in all honesty I was still confused throughout the whole thing. Also, we rode a motorcycle to get there and back, and it was honestly really fun. I was terrified at first, not to mention I didn't keep my feet up high enough and scraped one of my shoes on the asphalt. But once I got the hang of it, I really enjoyed it.
On Thursday of last week, I gave my speech introducing myself to the school as an exchange student. People seemed to really like it, and they said that I spoke well! After school that day, my host mom said that she would be late when picking me up, so I headed to a small cafe in old town Chanthaburi on the riverside. I didn't order much, but one of my friends got a spicy noodle dish and I worked up the courage to try some. I actually really loved it, the noodles were really good and the sauce was a great blend of sweet and spicy. But I could only have a few bites here and there, otherwise the spices probably would've made me cry. (Also, they were playing the Bee Movie in the cafe, and while that has no significance whatsoever, I thought it was really funny).
On Friday after school, we kicked back and played a few games until dinner came around. That was when we went to some fancy restaurant and met a ton of family members, most of which I didn't understand in the slightest. But they were still really nice! Plus, the food was really good.
On Saturday we went to the beach, and in all honesty, I really loved it. I went to a nice cafe with my host parents and cousin, and then we went to pick up Stang and head to a beach resort. It was absolutely beautiful, even though it was overcast, and we spent several hours in the water and on the beach. The food that they served was delicious, and afterwards, we kicked back in the room that my host cousin and his family were staying in. We headed back home at around 11:00.
Sunday was oddly quiet, and as it turns out, there was nobody in the house aside from my youngest brother (Stang). I still don't know what everyone else was doing, but either way, it was nice to have some quiet time to call my family back home. And since then, nothing all that major has happened.
In all honesty, most things are really nice right now. I'm a little nervous to try some things, but I've been working up the courage to almost always say yes to a new opportunity. It's intimidating, but there are people to help me along the way and then I really enjoy it. For example, in class, there are so many classmates of mine who are more than willing to help me. They're usually a little nervous because they don't want to butcher the English language, but they all speak it really well. Actually, they speak English a little too well, which makes it hard for me to learn Thai, but they also help me by giving me direct translations, which I write down in my notebook. As of now I have about four pages of translated words.
My level of speaking right now is basically the equivalent of a toddler (and people kind of treat me like one which is fair), and I can't imagine how I sound to anyone passing by. I mean, imagine passing by some confused teenager on the street in America and hearing them say, "Cloak? Clack? Click?... Oh! Clock! Clock!" and pointing excitedly at their wristwatch while jumping up and down like a four year old while a group of teenagers cheers them on as if they've just made a great accomplishment. Because that's probably how I look. When my friends aren't there, I just have to tell people I don't speak Thai, and a lot of them kind of give me this look of "oh, pity the poor monolingual American" before giving me hand motions or speaking in English. I visited a Thai market on Sunday, and that happened pretty frequently. But I got some great snacks!
The only time I'm really confused is during class lectures. All of them except for Biology and English are just really, really long segments of time where there's just a bunch of Thai going over my head and I can pick out maybe a dozen words. Physics and Chemistry are actually the worst right now, because the classes are above what I've learned so far and also because they're in Thai. They're the most frustrating, because I can interpret the numbers and equations but can't make the connections between those and the solutions given. I've been looking into finding old lessons on those subjects in English in hopes that I can help myself understand, but it hasn't worked yet.
Luckily, I'm not going to those classes tomorrow. (Actually, it's not a good thing because school is where I learn Thai the most but that's not my point.) Instead, I get to enjoy an eight hour car ride to Khon Kaen, where the first Rotary orientation is being held. The orientation starts the day after tomorrow, and I'll be meeting a bunch of other inbounds from several different countries while also reuniting with my travel buddy, Josie, whom I flew here with. The orientation will last two days, and then I'll get to enjoy another eight hours back to Chanthaburi.
I'm looking forward to it!
Puppies from the tutor's house (I will post pictures of
puppies, I don't care if they're not related to exchange.
They're adorable and you can't stop me)
The school director and even a local governor came to welcome me and gave me this flower wreath kind of thing. No idea what it's called or what it's for, but I liked it. Also, a picture of the cafe in old town Chanthaburi.
Saturday trip to the beach- Look closely! There are
sand crabs in the holes, and they make those little balls of sand.
Thai marketplace
Part of Chanthaburi next to the school (Not actually sure
what part of Chanthaburi it was, we just went there to get boba)
Comments
Post a Comment