Not the Norm-Pay it Forward

Today was not the normal run. Today I saw a boy fall off his bike my first reaction was to run over and help him. However, I recently had a motorbike accident here in Thailand, and no one helped me. Everyone just stared at me, I was not used to this kind of reaction at all. I just figured this must be the norm. I took this as an opportunity to not only Pay it Forward, but to maybe change the norm. I ran over and helped him up. As I picked up his bike that was on top of him, I noticed his bike chain had fallen from place. I didn't know what I was doing, but at the end of it all...I'd like to think he rode of a little happier. :)

My Thai Famly

We were given the option to stay with a Thai family for one night, I jumped at this opportunity. I was introduced to my family and I was told we'd be doing some kind of activity and to take plenty of pictures...this left me with lots of curiousity, but I was ready for anything. Luckily for me I was not alone one of my Fin friends had applied for the homestay as well, and we able to go together. Which was nice, I might have felt very lonely, if she hadn't have been there.We drove off, and we were told we were close to their home. We were pretty much off roading, they lived very far out from the road near the most beautiful mountains. As I was preoccupied with taking lots and lots of photos we had arrived. There home was basically made of cement. they had different rooms, but the walls were not attached and you could pretty much hear everything even if you closed the door for privacy. They showed us our room, then our bathroom, and the kitchen. The bathroom had no shower, but they seem to use a bucket of water to wash their bodies, then the toilet had no toilet paper, and no other way to clean yourself afterwards. This was going to be an experience. We were told dinner would be served soon so we could do whatever we wanted in the mean time. They had cooked fresh crab, shrimp, and some other kind of fish that they didn't know the English word for. I was very hesitant because I never eat seafood even in America, but I was willing to give it a try for once. I was happily surprised they prepared a lovely meal for us, and at the end of it all I was so full I felt sick literally. So when we got home I felt like I might be sick, their grandmother made me some kind of Thai remedy, and it fixed me right up. I am amazed with their culture. It was time to hit the showers. This was definitely one of those moments where I knew I had taken my precious hot water showers in America for granted. Having to use a bucket of water, and having to fill it each time I needed to wash the soap off my head and body was just something you only want to have to do once. I have been spoiled and I realize that now. After my shower, I looked in the mirror and my eyes were bloodshot. Note to self try not to open your eyes if you are taking a shower by bucket. Yeah, not so much. It was finally time for bed. The bed was pretty stiff, so I couldn't get comfortable right away, and then the grandfather seemed very sick and was coughing very loudly, and the crickets, and frogs, and dogs, were keeping me up...again it was an experience. I finally dozed off, and woke up to a beautiful day ahead. We were told to have breakfast, and then we would be on our way to the beach, a waterfall, and then we would come home for our things, and head back to the university. The beach and waterfall were absolutely gorgeous. There are no words to fully describe the beauty in everything I saw today. I will have to link this blog to my facebook album, because it's one of those things you have to see for yourself. We returned home, and were told to clean up for lunch. I had mentioned I loved green curry with chicken at dinner, and guess what our thai mother had made for us...she made GREEN CURRY! I was so happy :) They were so good to us. After lunch we headed back towards the university, but first we would go to the Chalong temple, and then to the Big Buddha. We had already been to the temple and didn't realize it haha so they took us to the big Buddha instead. It was amazing...after climbing up 80 steps, we could see all of Phuket in front of us. The view was breathtaking. Then they took us to the best place to watch the sunset in Phuket. We didn't stay to watch it, but it was absolutely beautiful. They were so happy to just be with us, and they wanted to take photos with us before we left for the university, it was so cute. I was really sad to go...I got kind of attached to them, I felt like part of the family. It was also great for me to practice my Thai, they said my Thai accent was very good, so I was pretty proud of myself haha. All in all it was one of the best experiences EVER, and I will never forget their kindness or generousity. Their family just wanted to know us, they spent more money than was necessary just to make sure we had whatever we needed, and that we were happy. I honestly hope that one day I can return the favor for an exchange student in America. I loved this, and think everyone should do it before they leave. It's not something you should miss out on. Until next time...keep in touch

The Thai people

So it's been a little while since my last blog, but I have been learning a lot. I have learned just how important looks are to the Thai culture. I always felt like it was bad living in Los Angeles with all the plastic surgery that takes place, but in Thailand, I feel much more self conscious than I do in the states. I have been told on several occasions by my Thai friends that I eat TOO MUCH. I have been told by any young girls here that they need to go and get there acne removed once a week and they try to eat one meal a day. They want to be slim like pencil thin. So me weighing in between 120-130 could be considered obese here. Also there are mirrors everywhere. They are always looking at themselves and very conscious of the way they look on public. I find it interesting because even on my flight over here I wanted to look at myself while I was sitting on the plane and I tried to hide my mirror. In the US I feel like we try to hide the fact that we want to be conscious of the way we present ourselves, because it might be taken as we might have low self-esteem. I also must say I miss the importance of hygiene. There is not a whole lot of that here. I was given a bowl last night with two ants crawling on the outside of it. Normally in the US if we saw that we'd be demanding a free meal, but here it's normal. They have no sense of time management here as well. Everything is Mai Pen Raj or Hakuna Matata. No worries! So if you tell a Thai friend to meet you at 2:00PM, they may be there at 3:00-3:30PM so yeah it can get kind of frustrating if you are one of those people who is always on time or keeps to a very strict schedule. I planned a party for my birthday at 10PM, but my Thai friend didn't pick me up until around almost 11PM and we still had to drive a good 15-20 minutes and other people had already arrived. So these are few things for me I find a little difficult to deal with, but I am learning and that's what matters most. I also had to learn how to wash my clothes in a bucket of water, and I got my first hair cut here. That was interesting. Have you ever gotten your haircut by someone who didn't speak your native language? Yeah it can be hard to get exactly what you want even when they can understand you, let alone when they speak very little English. I didn't get what I wanted, but I was happy with what I did get. It's all about learning, and maybe next time I'll know what to ask for :)

However, they are some of the most generous people I have ever met! They bought me drinks for my birthday, drove me to and from the club, they bought me a birthday cake, the sang to me...as much as I hate to admit it... I am not sure many people in the US would return the favor if a Thai came to study in the US. The circumstances in the US are different though. Here if you are a foreigner they know just by seeing your face, but in the US we have all kinds of different cultures that we wouldn't know if they were just visiting or if they lived here unless we tried to get to know them. Something to think about...until next time.

Week 3 at PSU

This week was full of ups and downs, but I created some wonderful memories. I did things I would never normally do, trying new things can be so FUN! I was able to go out to a birthday party on Valentines day. Staying out until after 2AM the night before my first test...something I would never do haha. I was also able to go out to a new beach this week with four other new Thai friends. I also received what they call a "Phuket Kiss". I burned my leg while getting off of a motorbike. Not fun, but a good lesson always get off on the left side haha. I absolutely love learning from the people here. I learned that my Thai friend Jane struggles with English as many of her other Thai friends do. I was able to help her with her English this week when we were studying for our test. She taught me so many things. She taught me how important it is for woman here to be stick thin, because if you are not most men will think you are unattractive. She also says that all women want to have white skin. They have several whitening products, lotions and body wash, etc. They seem to really struggle with wanting to change themselves rather than what I grew up with learning how important it is to be YOU and be your own person. She shared with me that she only eats one meal day because she is dieting. I felt so bad for her. I wanted to show her how beautiful she really is. I told her in America you are thin...then she began talking to me about her acne, and how her mother buys her medicine to get rid of it. I know everywhere you go society is telling us what the ideal man or woman looks like, but I want these young girls to know they are BEAUTIFUL. I am also excited to make a difference in the "Safe House" here. There is a place where Thai orphans go when their parents abandon them, or lose them to an addiction or they may be in jail. This semester I am enrolled in Social Psychology, and we are required to do case studies, and help these children to see how special they truly are. I can't wait to share a smile with these children. All in all, I am so excited to be here, and to give back while I enjoy this warm weather, beautiful beaches, it's truly a dream come true for me. My birthday is coming and I keep meeting new friends...so it might be a big party haha. We'll see how things go, I am ready to have the time of my life, and can't wait for the love of my life to get here. My boyfriend should be here just in time for my birthday! Until next time...

Ordering in Thai-and Getting Sick

I got sick today...I am not sure what it was because the Panang Curry was amazing. I had eaten there before, and I was perfectly mine, but today not so much. It was one of those instances where you are fine one second, and the next not so much. So I wasn't able to do many exciting things tonight I was in bed resting. However, once it came time for dinner, I was getting pretty hungry so I decided to go out alone tonight. I ended up at a pizza cart. I wanted more curry, but decided to try something new. I was actually able to use my Thai tonight. I ordered and paid in Thai. It was so refreshing, I finally felt like I was learning something. the pizza was nothing like home, but I was able to use my Thai, and now I know next time...stick to the curry haha.

Day 2 of Classes at PSU

Today I had Principles of Management and Thai as Foreign Language. It was really interesting. I am here with 20+ other students and they are all from Finland and Germany and Austria, and even Denmark, yet they are always hanging out with one another. So when I walked in to class today it looked like the room was segregated. The whites/Europeans on the left and the Thai students on the right. I feel like I have a great deal to learn from the Thai culture, so I chose to sit on the right side with the Thai students. With that, I ended up making new friends. One Thai girl named Jane asked me to promise her that I would help her with her English. She struggled a little during our lecture this afternoon. Our professor has a British accent and was going pretty fast through everything. So I totally understood why she might need the extra help. She also promised to help me with my Thai. I was so happy to have met her. She was so kind she offered to me her contact information even her skype user name. The Thai students are so happy to see us, and are always smiling at us. They make us feel welcome, and loved. I just hope that if they ever come to America to study, we treat them with as much respect. Today I also had my Thai as a Foreign Language again, and today we learned how to count to hundred and above. It was a little tough at first, but I think I've got it down now. However, I went to try to ask for my room key from the receptionist using the numbers I had just learned and they told me to say it another way. Oh geeezzz...haha :) Well the important thing is I am learning and I feel grateful to be here. This experience will change my life forever. Until tomorrow...keep in touch!

First Day at Prince of Songkla University

Well, like most first days of school I was nervous. This day was different however, I had to put on a uniform for the very first time since elementary school. These uniforms though were different in that you actually needed to assemble your own outfit. There were silver buttons given to us that we needed to figure out how to put on our shirts. This involved scissors and razor blades believe it or not haha. Luckily a very nice Thai student helped me. They are so generous here. In America, people rarely seem to want to do nice things for others without getting anything in return. Especially her, a stranger, she was not required to help, but she did. That to me is so amazing. Even though I am what they call a "Farang" or foreigner she helped no questions asked. Later today I went to class and met Thai students who had trouble understanding a lecture given in English. They asked me what encouraged meant, and I answered "Well like motivate", and then I soon realized they had no idea what that meant either. It was really interesting to see them in class, and to see how they think. Our teacher showed us photos and asked what they thought of each picture, the meaning behind it. Their answers were so different than what I would have said. There was a photo of a happy Asian family, some of the Thai students answered with happy family, but then someone said they saw warmth. To me that was really  refreshing. Just to see how deep some of them thought. Even though they were struggling to understand the lecture, they still managed to use words like warmth. To me being an American, I would have said a family or a happy family, but I know deep down I wouldn't have responded with warmth right away. They are such hard workers, and I can see they really want to learn. I feel so lucky to be here with them. The next course was Thai as a Foreign Language. Now that was interesting. I definitely will need to study hard for any exams in this course. I struggled a little with the tones, but she asked us later to identify which word she was saying by circling one of the two answers. I only missed one. I was pretty proud of myself for day one anyway. The tone is everything in this language. Saying Maa with a high tone, low tone, mid tone, etc. means totally different things. This is going to be a challenge, but I am so excited to learn. After class it was time for dinner haha. I arrived back at my hotel where I will be staying for the next month, and needed to have 12,000 baht paid today. However, I have been having problems with getting cash out from these ATMs. I was trying to explain my problem to the receptionist, but she had no idea what I was saying. Luckily a Thai student who spoke English very well, came and helped translate. Again I experience tremendous generousity. She asked me what was wrong I explained why I didn't have the money and she told me she would be willing to drive me to eat, and try to go to another ATM that might work. I was in shock! She had no idea what my name was yet she was willing to get in her and drive me and my friends around town. This doesn't happen in America...not sure if it ever has. I understand that there are safety issues, but I was just so surprised. She was so very helpful, I was even able to ask her for help with pronunciation on some of the things I learned in my Thai course this afternoon. She was such a sweet girl. I was very fortunate to meet her. She offered to drive us any where any time and gave us her contact information and now we are facebook friends. I am can hardly wait to be around people with such big hearts. This is going to be an amazing experience. I'll be back with more! Until then... :)