Well shoot. Time has gotten away from me!
This feels exactly like my first few weeks of freshman year at SUU. I've only been gone 3 weeks, but it feels like I just got here yesterday. At the same time though, so much happens that my days are starting to mix together and it feels like I've been here forever. It's hard to explain, but it has just reinforced the need for me to consistently write in my journal.
Let's do a quick recap, shall we?
Cooking lessons with Tang. If you ever travel abroad take cooking classes. Unless you loathe the food... then it might not be a good idea :P
Tang taught us how to make Sweet and Sour, Green Curry, and a chicken and green bean dish. As a group those have been our favorite meals, so she taught us how to make them! Personally, I'm a huge fan of the green curry and the sweet and sour. Definite keepers.
And who woulda thunk?! Ice cream trucks aren't just an American thing.. besides the obvious I mean :)
Rice is huge here. Not only have I had rice twice a day every day since arriving, but rice supposedly makes a great topping on ice cream as well. Not that I would know... He had chocolate, so I passed on that one.
One of my favorite things about traveling is soaking everything in. There is so much in this world that we have never experienced and traveling to a foreign place is, in my opinion, the best thing anyone could ever do.
Try all sorts of crazy food,
--Best fresh fruit smoothie I've ever had! And for only a dollar!--
And watch out for the creepy crawlies.
--We found a baby scorpion by the Pre-Kindergarten classroom over the weekend when all the kids were gone. Needless to say we all freaked out. The handyman, George, laughed at our attempts to catch it and then proceeded to guide the probably poisonous critter back outside with a cup. Walking barefoot in the school (it's a Thailand thing) just got so much less appealing.--
But I think my favorite thing about living abroad is learning to embrace a new way of life. Suddenly many of the staples of life - such as shaking hands, wearing shoes, driving on the right side of the road, and heck, even understanding conversations and the written word - have vanished.
Last semester in one of my Psychology classes I learned about paradigms and how everyone lives in their own little world, but unless they're challenged, nothing ever changes. Growth comes from change. If this isn't change then I don't know what is.
Perspective is everything.
On Saturday my group and I decided to join the local LDS ward for an activity. (This seems like a random jump, but I promise it ties in.) Due to bike complications only 4 out of the 7 of us were able to make it to the train station on time. From there we traveled about an hour's journey to meet the ward at the closest church. The members squished us in their car and drove us to the 'waterfalls'. This was our chance to travel to and explore a new part of Thailand so, of course, I was stoked, as were the girls in my group. Now, I'm not sure if there was a mistranslation or the dear Thais honestly believe this was a waterfall... but what we drove up to turned out to be little more than a stream.
Waterfall or not, it was gorgeous country and I realized something.
Everything about the way of life here is different. If I try to live in the same paradigm, or with the same perspective, that I've grown up with, then I won't be able to make the most out of this experience. I need to start by stepping out of my comfort zone, and enjoying every single moment of the time I've got. I can't let my perspective of how I think the world should be cloud out the reality of what's happening. Sure, it wasn't the waterfall I was expecting, but I was able to leave Phichit (it sounds like I've been forced to stay :P Haha, no, I love it, but I also love exploring new areas.) and be guided around by natives to see more of this beautiful land. I loved it.
I loved swimming in my clothes, playing with some of the kids in the water, and watching a lot of the families look at me like I was crazy for 1) swimming during the cold season -- the lows are mid 60's while the highs are low 80's -- and 2) laying out on a rock to dry while simultaneously tanning. Thais avoid the sun in an effort to turn whiter and think us Americans are insane for wanting to be dark.
Life is all about perspective.
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