Week the first

Thailand, where the cats are thin and the rats are fat. Not NY fat though.

Falang. I have picked up a few words in the last few days. Let’s call that word “gringo” and I hear it often. Two Falang on the back of a motorbike is probably the most amusing thing people have ever seen in Korat, or so they tell us and it’s probably the beginning of a joke.

Thai is a “tonal” language meaning you can say the word “my” 5 way; one makes something negative, a question, “burn,” “wood,” and “new.” I have picked up none of these and if you remember correctly I speak only in monotone and sarcasm.

Friendly and polite.

Let me just say my experience with the Thai people has been a delight.

I was instructed upon my arrival at the bus station, to just ask any Thai person to use their cell phone to call someone from my school to pick me up. That sounded crazy to me and was even more crazy when it worked, twice.

My first few days off the plane should hopefully be my hardest and I am set on learning as much Thai as I can as soon as I can so the country can unfold around me. There are some English speakers here but this is not a tourist town and I can’t imagine there are more than maybe 2 other Falang women in this city, tops. Maybe. And I’m one.

Tiger Torelli, the lovely teacher I am staying with until she ships back to Oregon this weekend has been showing me the ropes, ordering food for me, and just generally keeping me amused. I should have a new lady teacher arriving next week, so we will have time to complete the joke.

Nakhon Ratchisima, the city I am in is very working class, I have compared it to Milwaukee and that would be a fine comparison. The city is the biggest in the province that is surrounded by farms, so things are quite cheap and metropolitan without the glitz and glam of Bangkok. There are several large shopping centers here, the most popular one being “the Mall” which has a grocery store, a large swimming pool, a kiddie amusement park, a movie theater, a car show, etc. you get the picture. They even have an authentic “iStore” on the gadget floor.

Another spot, the Tesco Lotus is a supermarket, Target and Costco all rolled into one, it kind of feels like home and their dehydrated cuddle fish selection is stellar. I bought some slid-on sandals to wear in the shower for $1.46. Bathrooms in apartments and hotels have a shower without a door or curtain so the whole room gets wet when you shower. Still bigger than my bathroom in Brooklyn.

At one of the Night Markets you can buy all manner of pets including tiny puppies. They have fighting cocks, parakeets, mice, fish, turtles, etc. They also have tons of crap for your house and cheap clothing. There are some knock-off products but I’m told the gold is near the Cambodian border, which I will be visiting for some Converse.

A couple people from the school took us out of town to be tourists on my second day here. First stop, an outdoor mall that was Tuscan themed with outdoor music you would hear in the Italian section of Disney world. Very strange. Second stop, a restaurant that was neatly organized with stuff, ephemera, antiques, etc. from America. This expansive place had great food and a pleasant view to match if you ignore the brown color of the stream. It reminded me of a well-preserved junk shop or just my parent’s garage.

Getting around. We get towork on a “song tau” which is basically a pick up truck with seats in the back. It costs 8 baht, roughly $0.26. It kind of reminds me of the NYC subway system without the map or schedule. Sometime people give me their seats.

I substitute taught my first two classes this week, a 1.25 and a 2.5 hour class with a hectic 10 minute break in between. Thai are very accommodating and helpful as a whole and my students are eager to learn and very respectful. I chose this job because it is an after school/work program so people are paying to be there, or more likely some of their mothers are paying for them to be there.

I have been told that in class, the sillier the better. Thai are willing to throw themselves completely into a game and have fun, no matter how stupid the game. If there is some learning involved as a result, you are doing your job. They love getting points for things, having a time limit to do something, winning, even if the victory is only rewarded through light applause and a smile from teacher.

I will never get tired of eating Thai food. A typical meal costs between $1-$3 when we splurge. I paid $0.81 for a Papaya salad that I watched her make fresh in a mortar and pestel at “the Mall” today.

It’s all delicious and it comes from the land, lots of vegetables. The KFC even has a soft serve bar, although I have yet to try it.

My current apartment is small but a lot more space then I had in NYC. And it’s in Thailand. The view outside my window is of a wall and there is a lovely farm on the other side of said wall. I was told that there was terrible flooding here last October, about 3.5’ worth, so everything is freshly painted and they have really amped up flood protection around their property. I can even flush toilette paper down the toilette in my own house, what a luxury.

There are also a ton of dogs roaming around. I think they are cute and during the day they tend to just sleep in the heat. We turned a corner yesterday and there was a motley cru of 5 dogs sitting there, ears up watching us, all roughly around 35 pounds in a variety of colors. Night is a whole other story in which I am resorted to waving my bags at them, yelling "No," and just generally asserting my dominance. If they ever unionize I'll be in trouble.