Foooood

Thai girls are so freaking cute! They're all very feminine, and wear heels and dangly earrings to school every day. They're also, however, really weight-obsessed. My Thammasat-assigned buddy, Yeepoon, told me that she very much wants to study in the US but is afraid it will make her fat. I laughed until I realized how serious she was. Fortunately, I don't think that's going to stop her, and I told her to live in a coop so that there are always plenty of vegetables around (which Thailand seems to lack anyway). Thai girls are also right about their skin. They like to be pale here, and they use whitening cream in lieu of tanning oil. They're so beautiful pale, though. Unlike Americans (or Western Europeans, I guess), their "pale" skin is a beautiful shade of ivory. (They don't look sick or on the verge of death like I do in the winter.)

It's bloody hot here, and it's only going to get worse during the "summer" in March and April. There was a nice wind yesterday which made me think I could wear jeans out. Wrong. I was okay until we all decided to walk off our dinners instead of taking a cab home. After 45 minutes in the Bangkok night heat, I had to positively peel my pants off when I got home.

But the meal was fantastic, and on the street I had the best dessert I've had in Thailand yet. It was a piece of thick, heavily-buttered toast with sliced banana, chocolate syrup, and - if we asked for it - a green coconut cream to top it off. Deeelicious. In fact, Meris and I liked it to much we tried to imitate the dish for ourselves last night. Mommy Meris made some for all of us.

Charity with the legendary dessert:

But let's continue to talk about food, since it's my favorite part of Thailand. Other than the banana dish, my favorite dessert is mango and sticky rice, which has coconut milk dribbled on top. Yummy. All of the fruit, but especially the pineapple, which I don't even like in the United States. I eat it every day to and from school. Mm, and the fruit juices, because they're just that: the juice of a fruit. No added sugar, no preservatives. Oh yeah! And this is something I never thought I would say. I had sushi... from KFC. That's right, Kentucky Fried Chicken makes damn good sushi. For 29 baht you can get a whole roll, unsliced and fried. It's not quite a tempura fry, but nothing else here is either, and it's not a chicken fry either. It's filled with yummy crabstick and avocado, like a california roll, and is handed to you in stick form, so you end up biting off chunks and eating with your hands.

Some of the other funny uses of food:
- Corn is always used as a dessert
- Ice cream sandwiches are literally made with bread, a la:

- I miss potatoes, bread (served on anything but ice cream), and cheese
- When I ordered "queso" at a Mexican restaurant, I was served some weird salsa with a tiny blob of mozzarella

When I originally wrote this post I was sitting in class, listening to an i-banker use his supposed excellent "communication skills" to relate fundamental analysis to us. The class is half exchange students and half Thai students, and as Brad put it, we sit on opposite sides of the room like we're players in a warped version of West Side Story. For the record, that isn't our mentality.

Next post: tigers and how I wound up at a Thai biker gang's reggae festival

Movies in Thailand

Even movies are on "Thai time" here. I went to see Cloverfield yesterday (which, by the way, was the best movie I've seen in a very long time). It was scheduled to start at 5 p.m. but didn't start until 5:30. Furthermore, movie patrons weren't let in if they got there after five. This is presumably so they have to sit through a half hour of trailers and commercials? Oh yeah, and the Thai national anthem. That's played right before the movie starts, and everyone has to stand up. Throughout the entire song the video is a montage of the king's pictures, and at the very end it says, "We love the king. Long live the king." Even I'm getting brainwashed by all this king business.

Hua Hin and Prachuap Kiri Kan

Time to write again. Let me pick up where I last left off.

On four hours of sleep the BBA kids set off to Hua Hin, a beach about two and a half hours south of Bangkok. Courtesy of Thammasat and the BBA program, we were treated ridiculously well. We stayed in a five-star hotel, the Dusit, and enjoyed its gourmet buffet and private beach before we started “team-building” activities. A lot of them I had done before at LeaderShape, (yes, it’s spelled correctly), but I eat that sort of stuff up. The human spiderweb, the wooden islands, I love it all. When we were divided into teams and told to come up with a name for ourselves, how appropriate that each team came up with something alcohol-related. My team was “Singha,” which is the cheapest Thai beer, and our slogan was “smooth and fizzy.” Another one of the groups was “Happy Hour.” Beer is the major Thai cultural element that I guess we all readily identify with.

The resort we stayed at in Hua Hin:


After the games and get-to-know-yous were over we all spent the night on the beach, listening to music and truly getting to know each other this time. With the privacy of the beach we truly weren’t bothering anyone, which was nice. Something that made me laugh was that some of the other students who are not familiar with beaches panicked because the tide was low. I understand everyone’s tsunami fears, but come on. High and low tide!

The next day we visited the king’s summer home, which was my dream house. It’s technically a palace, but not ornate in the least. It’s a maze of highly polished, outdoor wooden walkways that connect small rooms (small, at least, for a palace). It’s all painted pale yellow and light aqua. Because the whole thing is on stilts, I felt like I was walking through a beautiful treehouse. It’s set on the water so it gets a nice breeze, and every room is open, so even while I was in them I felt like I was outside.

The palace:


After the palace visit the rest of the BBA group went back to Bangkok, and I stayed behind with about 10 others. We took a taxi to the city and got the first hostel that could fit all of us. It was… not nice. “Dark and gloomy” was how Lonely Planet described the hostel, and dark and gloomy it was. It also didn’t have enough rooms for us, so Marney, Meris, Charity and I decided to all share a room (one queen sized bed) for 100 baht ($3) each, but Charity got sick and threw up, so the rest of us ended up sleeping with two more people. Five to a bed was sort of fun, but every time anyone rolled over, we would all wake up and have to roll over, too.

All the girls in our 400 baht room:

The rooms locked with a padlock:

Not on the private beach anymore, Hua Hin was gross. It’s choc full of ugly Europeans who have been in the sun for too long, and when I got out of the water, a brown film was clinging to each of the hairs on my arms. Blech.

We stayed for one insect-bitten night and then did the most dangerous thing I’ve ever done before. We rented motorbikes (for $6 a day!) and left for Prachuap Kiri Kan, which according to all our travel books has a decent beach and a mountain in the middle of the town swarming with monkeys. The motorbikes were amazing. Amazing amazing amazing. I had been feeling homesick before we got on them, but once we got going that was no more. We went about 100 km/hr, which felt fast, for about 90 kilometers. And yes, I was wearing my helmet. We all were. I wish I could write more about it but I really can’t describe how I felt. Exhilerated, yes, but better than exhilarated. After the ride was over I felt a lot closer to the 6 other people on the bikes. We just kept saying to each other, “Eek! We’re alive! We’re so happy!” One of the guys I did it with (I was one of only two girls actually driving) was terrible. He weaved in and out of the road (for the most part, we stayed on the left shoulder) and would slam on his breaks at everything. If I was ever attracted to him before (not very much), I’m not at all now, haha. Oh yeah, and driving on the left side of the road was a trip. It’s actually not that bad, and I think I’m used to it now. At one point I found myself trying to remember which lane was the passing lane in the United States, and I got myself all confused.

Our newly formed biker group, from left: Bruno, Dylan, Brian, Jon, me, Meris, Brad, Natalia

The monkeys ended up being nothing special. They were really aggressive and all had a humungous tumor growing beneath their chins, which grossed me out. The town, however, was what I think of when I think of Thai beaches. Not clear water, but nicer than the water in Hua Hin, and a lot of green bluffs sit on the horizon. We motorbiked to one of them, and it was pretty incredible. Prachuap Kiri Kan is not a big tourist destination, and at both of the restaurants we went to when we were there, we ordered things that they didn’t have. (Basics, like chicken.) We should have just told them to make whatever they have, because I think we all ended up eating squid anyway. Prachuap is abundant in squid.

Marney at Prachuap Kiri Khan:

Still haven’t eaten bugs, but am now determined to tackle jellyfish. They dry it out here, which looks positively gross. I’m excited!

Last night was one of the best nights in Bangkok yet. We stayed in and made friends with a girl, Katy, who lives in the penthouse of the Rattanakosin. We spent the entire night on the roof of the whole building (38 stories high), just talking and looking at nighttime Bangkok. My friend Jake pointed out all the major buildings and temples that were lit up. I invited Justin but he couldn’t come because he’s getting over a cold. I can’t wait to hang out with him.

As I type this I’m sitting on a bench facing the river outside Thammasat’s cafeteria. It’s a nice day in Bangkok, and at 5:15 p.m. the sun is already beginning to set behind the water.

This entry is a bit scattered, because there's too much to write about.

Bangkok is DIRTY. Like, the most polluted city I've ever been in. Even though every day is cloudless, by 2:30 the sun goes behind the pollution, and the city becomes hot and muggy, but not what anyone would call "sunny." It's as if a light cloud were covering the entire sky. That means that I have to utilize my AMAZING condo's pool between 10:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. (or 14:30, which is how they tell time here).

The people are incredible. First, they're all extremely friendly and helpful. Instead of being put off that Westerners are visiting their country, they're delighted, and do most of what they can to help us in any way. I read that this is because Thailand was one of the few Southeast Asian countries not to be colonized, so they never got a bad perception of Westerners. I had a man approach me on the street and direct me and my new friend, Andy, to the most inexpensive canal ride in town. He went out of his way to draw Andy and me a map. And the students at Thammasat are just as nice. In my accounting class we have a homework due on Monday. Since it's about a Thai company, my teacher suggested that each exchange student pair up with a Thai student. When I first heard that I assumed I would have to ask a Thai student to help me out and be my partner; instead, two girls approached me and asked if they could be my buddy. They were excited to help me out. Really! I love it.

On the other hand, because they're poor and we're not, we get exploited. I've already learned to bargain a bit. At first I felt really shy and peculiar, even rude bargaining, but now that I've done it, there's no going back. It doesn't matter that 500 baht is only $15 and I would pay that much or more normally, it matters that they charge everyone else 200 baht.

A few things that drive me nuts:

- Very few garbage bins anywhere, so you have to hold your trash for miles. Absolutely no recycling bins.
- No sauce on sushi
- Every shampoo and conditioner sold is made for "straight and weighty" hair
- No toilet paper anywhere, and for the most part just sprayers
- No napkins to speak of
- Only ob tampons

The food is fantastic, and I've become a very adventurous eater.
I try to eat at least one very spicy dish per day, so that my taste buds get used to it. This is for my own personal satisfaction. I also love to try new things. I've eaten anything set in front of me, but a few goals of mine include eating jellyfish and insects. The other exchange students are worried about the street food, but I've gone as far as to have sushi from the street and I've been fine. If we're going to get sick, we're going to get sick.

Sample street food I'll eventually eat: (This is a chicken claw)


Tonight we went for Korean barbecue, which was delicious until I scalded my knee. The grill is set in the middle of the table, but it's plenty hot underneath. Afterward we set out for a club called "Bed," in which the seating is entirely beds, but we somehow wound up in the Red Light district. No worries (mai pben rai), Thammasat warned us all about it.


Everyone else seems pretty great so far. I'm rooming with a beautiful Hawaiian girl named Meris, who goes to USC. We live in a completely furnished (and when I say completely, I mean we even get wine glasses) condo on the 34th floor with two balconies overlooking Bangkok. It's beautiful and spacious and just $255 a month. Beat that, Austin. The other two girls from our group live directly one floor above us, and the eight other guys are scattered throughout the complex. We hang out every night, which I love. In fact, last night I can tell that no one did anything because three separate facebook albums went up.

We're going to Hua Hin, a beach down south, tomorrow on a field trip. Instead of coming back with the rest of the group, though, we're all staying through Sunday. I'm excited! My first real beachy Thailand experience.

The other exchange students have asked me, in complete sincerity, whether I have a gun or not. And have been similarly sincerely surprised when I've told them that there are many gay clubs in Texas. I've become accustomed to adding the phrase, "But I hate George Bush," after I get introduced to people. It's my personal mission to dispel all their preconceived notions about Texas.

Similarly, Thai people stare. I don't understand why, because I see caucasian backpackers everywhere, but it's true. Especially children. It's a humbling experience to be the minority in terms of race for the first time in my life, but I like it. The little kids and babies, especially, don't know what to think when they see me and the other exchange students. Some get really happy when we wave and smile, and others are too shocked to respond. What I didn't expect at all, though, was that Meris, who is Chinese by descent, would be the most conspicuous. She gets stranger looks than any of us, because Thais wonder what she's doing in Thailand. They can't figure out whether she's a funny looking Thai, or a Thai of Chinese descent, or what. And most of the time they try to talk to her in Thai. When she doesn't speak it back, they're even more bewildered that she's an American.

Lastly, (and since I'm technically here to study), I'm going to say that classes are the biggest culture shock of all. I feel more like I'm in high school than college, because the teacher spends most of the time trying to control the class. Thai students go so far as to talk on their cell phones while teachers are lecturing, which blows my mind. It's also to my disadvantage. I feel like I'm being more lectured at than anyone else since I'm the only one not talking.

Four hours until Hua Hin! I need some sleep. Pictures when I get back, I promise.

Question:

How do mosquitoes make it in through a 34th floor window?

Plastic Surgery in Thailand

The rest of the exchange students got here today. I think we're a pretty good group! It reminds me of freshman year when everyone is just so excited to meet everyone else and have a new experience together, we're all really really positive and nice to each other. I hope that doesn't change.

Here's a picture of my main girlfriends. From the left: Marney, Meris (my roommate), Charity, and me:


The manager of the condos we rented today is the most adorable little Thai man I've ever met. His name is something very long and Thai, but we're supposed to call him Justin. He speaks very good English for a Thai person, which made the act of renting until May endlessly easier than it would have been otherwise. He learned English by practicing in front of a mirror. Isn't that funny? And by the end of the two or so hours we spent checking out apartments and signing papers he had memorized all of our names. Genius. This is the funny part, though. First, I think he was wearing blush. Second, he had a dimple on one of his cheeks. This is how I found out about that dimple:

Me: "Do we pay our rent in cash?"
Him: "Yes." Then: "I love my king." Then: (Points to dimple) "See my dimple?"
Me: "Yes."
Him: (Sly smile) "Surgery."

Isn't that hilarious? I included our exchange because I don't know where the king comment came from. I think either the king has a dimple, too, or the king is on the money. Either way, I love him. He's going to be our lifeline for the first month or so, because he speaks such good English. I can't wait to hang out with him.

By the way, my completely furnished, beautiful apartment with a swimming pool that rivals UT's Gregory pool, costs $255 a month:

First few days in Pattaya

Greetings from Bangkok!

First, the flight was really easy. I got bumped up to first class on one of the legs (Houston to Seattle), which was super cool. First class, which I have never been on before, has its own restroom, coat closet, tons of leg room, and instead of the cart that gets pushed down the aisle one time, all the flight attendants serve you the whole time, constantly refilling your drink. Oh, and the alcohol and headphones for the movie are free, so I had two glasses of red wine and fell asleep. Not. Bad.

Anyway, upon arriving in Thailand and figuring out that I was once again the victim of an airline that lost my luggage, I tried to explain that to the more official-looking people at the airport. Most spoke no English at all. When I did find an airport employee with broken English, he would ask me the color of my bag and then walk me over to the carousel to help me look for it, thinking I just couldn't see my bag. I was simultaneously frustrated and amused, and took many pains to try to explain that I had definitely looked at all the luggage going round, it was definitely not there, and I definitely needed to file a report. Eventually I found the right person, and it came two days later. I was prepared to do without luggage, since with three flights I figured it would get lost in there somewhere, so I was fine. (Remember Mexico?? That was a mess!!)

Tyler's family is absolutely amazing. From the minute I got there they thrust me into tons of really fun activities. The activities were:

1. I got "Thai-lights" in my hair, which are very thin pieces of gold strings tied into two pieces of hair all around my head. I really like them because they're similar to my hair color, and they catch the light really beautifully. All the Thais have them, except most of them do more adventurous colors, like red and blue. You can get any color, really.

2. I got an hour and a half aromatherapy massage on my very first day. Unfortunately, it was at 9 p.m. Thailand time, and I fell asleep. Jet lag has been a bitch.

3. I ate my first very spicy Thai meal. It was seafood with squid and shrimp and tons of other stuff. Couldn't finish because it was so spicy, but soooo yummy.

4. I don't know how to describe this, but I jumped off of a 56 story building on a cable. I was attached to the cable, which stretched at a diagonal to the ground, by a harness. It was incredibly terrifying, not helped by having to sign a note prior to jumping that said I couldn't sue them if I died.

5. I went to an "ice bar," which is a bar literally entirely made of ice. For 500 baht for boys (girls free), the bar gives you a fur coat and gloves to walk in with, and all drinks are free. 500 baht is about $15. The bar is made of ice, as are the seats and shot glasses they give you, and after you take a shot you're supposed to smash the shot glass on the ground. Super fun, let me tell you.

Here's a picture of us at the ice bar:


Those are just the concrete activities. It's about 85 degrees here and sunny, so one of my favorite things to do was just to sit by the Cummins' pool. They live in a beautiful high rise condo that overlooks their entire beach town and is on the beach, but has an "infiniti pool," which when you're in it looks like you could swim out to the ocean. They've were really amazing to take me in. The restaurants we went to were wonderful, especially the one we went to for New Year's last night. It was a set price for the fanciest, most expansive buffet I've ever seen. Sushi to my heart's content, as well as everything else I could have wanted. I almost tried pigeon, in fact. I would have but by that time I was just too full.

After dinner the parents went back to the condo to see the fireworks with their view, and Tyler, his brother, his brother's friend and I walked along the beach. Crowded as hell, let me tell you, but the atmosphere here is so nice. It's crowded beyond belief and has absolutely the worst traffic I've seen, but there's no anger to it. There's no honking or yelling. Anyway, we eventually found a place to sit on a metal box by the street that had a "Danger: High Voltage" sign on it. I was scared but it was okay and really the only place to sit. Now, the fireworks started going off about two days before New Year's, because in Thailand New Year's is the biggest holiday, but as we got closer and closer to midnight they got incredibly intense. And without pesky American regulations, they were in our faces. Full sized fireworks shot up just high enough that they would burn out before they hit the trees, but not higher. It was incredible!! I think I'm deaf now, and it's not to say we weren't in any danger, because in the time we sat on that box there were two misfires, and I'm willing to bet people got hurt. One exploded in the street in front of a car, and the other exploded on the beach sort of sideways. But other than that it was amazing. At one point the electricity went out, which enhanced everything else.

Pattaya on New Year's:



One last thing about the New Year's celebration: My favorite, more subtle celebration was that people would light these really pretty helium filled bags, which would fly off into the sky. There would be a dozen or so at a time, but they were impossible to capture with my camera, so I'll just have to remember them.

Up to that point I was not homesick in the least, then yesterday (New Year's Day), as my stay at the Cummins' wound down, I got a sinking feeling in my stomach, and it more or less stayed that way until today, when they dropped me off at my hostel. On my own in Bangkok! I cried as I hugged them goodbye, because staying with them was just a vacation. This is reality.

After I got settled into my hostel I walked around, but was really too scared of getting lost to go very far. The street food, which looked so delectable in Pattaya, while I was eating with the Cummins at fancy restaurants, now looked heavy and homogenous. The street vendors, whom I adored before, now seemed too pushy.

I calmed my nerves by having a beer on the street and people-watching, then buying a Thai bag for 120 baht, the equivalent of less than four dollars. I'm in my hostel's room now, watching tv and writing this, and soon I'm going to hit the street again for dinner.