H&M

So today I went to The Siam Paragon to get a book.
The Siam Paragon is this gigantor mall in the center of Bangkok, and the special book I wanted was The Casual Vacancy by J. K. Rowling. TCV is Rowling's first non-Harry Potter related book out, it is an Adult Mystery. It came out two days ago. Although these past two days I have been busy so I couldn't get it. So today I woke up early to get to the Paragon when it opened so I could get TCV.
 I arrive at the Paragon, and wait outside for about 20 minutes. I was waiting for an exchange student friend who was or was-not coming.....she did not come. No big deal.
Although while I was waiting I spotted some foreigners, but they looked odd.
You can spot a foreigner from a mile away in Bangkok. We stick out like sore thumbs.
They looked odd because they were carrying nothing.
Nothing at all, just themselves.
I live here and I even carry around a ton of stuff! How are they getting around? At first I thought, maybe they are just white people who live in Bangkok.......but that wasn't right... they were all wearing matching shirts.
The shirts read:
FINALLY HERE BANGKOK.
And all I could think of was, "Don't you mean 'Finally here in Bangkok'."
And then one of the people who was wearing the shirt turned around....
and on the back was printed
H&M.

Well I was screwed.

Ever since I have been in Bangkok there have been huge signs, flyers, banners, etc., advertising the opening of the first H&M in Bangkok.
And it opened today.

On every floor of the Paragon there were these huge lines of people organized into lines, waiting to be allowed entrance into the H&M.
After successfully avoiding the crowds, I found the Kinokuniya Book Store, it's Japanese. And they had this huge display of TCV right in front. I quickly snatched a copy. And to my good fortune, until September 30 the price was reduced to only 665 baht!!

The whole time I was in the Paragon, I thought about how silly the people were to wait in line for hours for an H&M. They don't even know what H&M is, they have just seen ads. Just go tomorrow, and then you don't have to wait in line.

And then I thought about how I waiting for the Midnight Premiere of Harry Potter, and The Dark Knight Rises and. And thought about how I raced to the book store today to get TCV.
I kept trying to separate myself from them.
They are waiting for clothes.
I am waiting for books and knowledge.
They don't even know what H&M really is.
I don't really know that much about TCV.

And I realized that to them, I am a them. I am the silly girl racing up the escalator to get a book.

Book: TCV- page 15, yeah I know, I'm reading it kind of slow, I had a headache today and didn't feel like reading.
Thai: Poom- Pay.................Allergies

Oreo

If you know me, you know that I LOVE OREOS.
The reason why is because when I was little, we didn't have "junk food" around the house. Sure we always had cookies and a bowl of m&ms out "for guests" during the holidays but you could never find Cheetos or Oreos in our house.
That is why now a days, I have a few guilty pleasure foods. And all of them are the foods that were never in my house when I was little........hmmm spot a connection?
They don't have much "western food" here, but they do have Oreos. Which could be considered bad, because they're unhealthy for you, but also good because, well, because I love them.
So today I was eating Oreos. (Here they come in rolls of 10 or 12, instead of a package, which is actually super convenient.) And I was looking at the Thai writing on the package, thank goodness the nutrition facts are in Thai, and came upon some English writing. It read:
PRODUCT OF INDONESIA.
What? No! My favorite fatty- lard filled- sugar coated- artery clogging- milk loving cookie from America can't be non-America?!
But sure enough, as I read more of the writing on the once familiar blue packaging, I found out that my once All American cookie was made in Indonesia and the distributed in the Philippines.
This is almost as bad as when I found out that Nestle is a German company and not an American company.

I'm not upset, just shocked. And also a tad upset at myself for being shocked.
There comes a small sense of American pride when you walk in a store in Thailand and can spot American products. Even if they are fatty- lard filled- sugar coated- artery clogging- milk loving cookies. It's a reminder that your country has an influence on the world. And that maybe, one day, I can influence Thailand. Not in the sense that I'll be a celebrity or whatever but in the sense that my classmates, teachers and friends here in Thailand will remember me. That maybe when they walk into a store and buy Oreos one day, they will think of the silly yet awesome girl from America. Just maybe.
Or maybe they will think of Indonesia.

Dirty

Feet are taboo in Thailand.
Thai people are not too fond of feet.
The main reason why Thai people don't like feet is because of Buddhism.
98% of Thailand is Buddhist and 1% is Muslim so there isn't too much diversity....or religious freedom for the matter. Even if Thailand doesn't have an official religion.
I learned quickly what- not- to- do with my feet here...
Don't directly point your feet at people of Buddha.
When walking through doorways, don't step directly in the doorway/frame, step over it.
Take off your shoes before you eater the house, or any special building or classroom.
Don't step over anyone, or anything important like books, instruments or really anything.

There are tons of other foot related taboos here, but i just try to make it simple by remembering:
Don't step on or over anything.

The way Buddhism relates to feet is that Buddhist people believe that your soul is located in your head and therefore heads are sacred. And since your feet are the furthest from your head, feet are "dirty".

At first I didn't understand this. Why does there have to be a part of your body that you hate? Can't it all be good? Why the feet? Feet are useful, they help you walk and play football (I call soccer football now apparently...).
And if you take off your shoes before entering a house, wouldn't it be worse? Because instead of your shoes on the floor it would be your actual feet?

So I asked my Thai friend Gap. And he said that it all goes back to ancient times. Because your feet were literally dirty from walking around the streets with the dirt, so people didn't like them. And the "taking off your shoes" thing, was not for Buddhism (even though that's what people say) it's because people don't want the floors of their house getting dirty.
Wouldn't ya know.
Thinking all this time that the Thai people had this long tradition of hating feet turned out to be them being stubborn about cleaning their floors.
But who would blame them?

Warning: Some people actually really care (especially the elderly) about the whole soul/dirty feet thing, so if in Thailand, follow the rules.

Book: Just finished Paper Towns today. Holy Toledo. That book was soooooooooooo good. I know I say this about all the books I have been reading but gosh darn they're all good!
Thai: face..............................................na

Kreme

So far, I have taken two other exchange students to try there first krispy kreme.
One was from Canada, Gabby, and the other Sophie, from Germany.
Sophie enjoyed them so much that she and I have split many boxes of krispy kreme's since.
Although today my friend Willis, from the US, and I took Gabby to try her first krispy kreme.
We all spit a box of 12. Meaning four each.
That four turned into five when a KK employee gave us a free one while standing in line.

Exchange students are known for starting their exchange in their host country as thin people, and returning to their home country as slightly-larger people.
And I know realize that I will probably become "slightly-larger" off of american food here than Thai food.
Luckily I only was able to eat three krispy kreme.

Book: Paper Towns page 230 or so. THIS BOOK IS SO GOOD!
Thai: ant........................moat (pronounce short)

Sorry I haven't posted in a while..........I'm actually busy now!!

Occupy

Recently I have been watching RT, Russian Today when I eat dinner. It's nice to have on in the background and there has been more news on that I actually understand.
Although today they had a special on. The special was about the occupy wall street movement. Today was  the anniversary of the movement.
The funny thing about RT and the occupy movement is that ever since I arrived in Thailand, there have been commercials produced by RT to join Occupy Wall Street and support it on Facebook and other social networking sites. I always thought this was odd, but I just ignore it.
So, for the special they had the interviewer (from Russia I believe), a professor from University of California Sacramento, a businessman from Islamabad, and another businessman/politician from London.
Warning: I really don't know anything about the Occupy movement. At all.
They were all asked questions about how effective the Occupy movement is and what can Americans do to help it move along. The man from Islamabad said they need to be more organized. Seemed to make sense. The man from London said that the movement hasn't been that effective. And I have no idea what the man from Sacramento said at all. Something about the elites, the rising of unions, the teacher strike in Chicago, JP Morgan, private student loans, Obama doing nothing, congress doing nothing, how the stimulus didn't work, job cuts etc., etc., etc. I was really confused. I expected the American to know the most about the movement. Know what's going on and maybe have some intelligent advice to give. But all I saw was a man screaming at the other interviewers and finding myself wanting to turn the TV off.
So I did turn it off. I turned my computer on, and I read about it on Wikipedia.

The whole time I was watching the Sacramento man, I couldn't help but think, "Have you been anywhere outside of America?" or "Have you ever been to a developing country?".

Book: Page 263/310 of WGWG. Hoping to finish it tonight and hoping to do a book trade with another exchange student tomorrow. I am swapping with him The Keeper of Lost Causes (The first book I read here in Thailand) for Paper Towns by John Green.
Thai: Nung.................One

Titanic

This morning I took a boat. Three boats actually.
My host dad takes a boat to work everyday and so this morning my host mom and I went with him for the first part of his journey.
Th boat was medium sized, rusty and crowded.
I estimated the amount of people at around 220. And was able to spot only 10 life vests.
Did we not learn from the Titanic?

Prediction

Right now I feel as if my life is being predicted by a book.
Will Grayson, Will Grayson to be exact.

So I spent a good hour and a half reading WGWG today. And it was so good. I absolutely love reading this book, but never did I think that it would connect so well to what is happened to me today.

So yesterday Sophie called me and told me some super excited news! She said that her host mom said that I would be spending a week at my house starting Saturday for vacation! AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! We were both so happy and excited and in complete bliss! I automatically began thinking of all the cool things we could do when she came over. Like we could go swimming in my host parents condo, or go get starbucks, or go to the market or rent movies, yada, yada, yada.

This afternoon my host mom and I picked up my host dad from the MRT (subway) station and went to a Rotary meeting. I wore to the Rotary meeting my Rotary blazer, freshly garnished with new pins, an aqua dress and my dress shoes. I really try to take care of my dress shoes here, because I don't have much to really "care" for here. So I try to keep them in good condition and only wear them to rotary functions.

So on our way to the Rotary meeting I asked him about Sophie coming over.
He said that Sophie was spending a week with my SECOND host family.
I just about turned into a human hosepipe but I kept myself together.

Right before all of this happened though, I was reading WGWG. One of the main characters, Will Grayson,  was supposed to meet someone. And he was really excited. But it turns out that the person he was supposed to meet never existed.

I feel like Will Grayson. I'm sure Sophie does too.
Being an exchange students is a roller coaster. One minute you are having the time of your life and the next minute you feel as if a tsunami has swiped you away into a vast and empty sea.
It's most definitely hard, but worth it. And hopefully I will learn how to keep my feet grounded when the next tsunami comes.

Book: Page 172 of WGWG!
Thai: cow jai................I understand

9.17

9.17

Today was my last day of school. Well until the end of October.

I started off the day waking up at 7:00am, leaving myself too much time to put on clothes that have already been determined for me by the Thai government. Back in the states I usually wake up between 6:30 and 7:00 and hopefully leave my house in one piece by 7:15 to make it to school by 7:25. Here I have plenty of time. I leave my house at 7:30 and get to school at 7:40 which is 10 minutes early. All the students gather for the anthem around 7:50 and classes actually start around 8:20.

Each day the students sing the Thai national anthem, although, I don’t know the words to the anthem. So instead I make up my own words. Sometimes they’re silly, sometimes I try to make them rhyme. Sometimes I just zone out and forget to make lyrics.

So I stand singing these words in my head with 3000 of my closest friends on a concrete basketball court with no shade. I think the school is secretly roasting us students until we complete our senior year and then we’ll finally be considered “medium rare”.

After the mass roasting today, student had finals. Well really they had midterms because it’s half way through the school year for them. I only had to take one exam, for German. But it was at the end of the day, so I had five hours to kill.

Testing here is not like finals in the states. In the states we still go to our classes as normal, we just have a test. The testing here is more like when one takes the HSPE or WASL or whatever state required test. (It’s odd to think that some students back in Washington have never heard of the WASL.) They cancel classes for the day and your class is sent to a different classroom and you spend the whole day testing.

Usually lunch is at noon but today it was at 10:30. I was shocked, why is it so early? And then I realized that’s the time I eat lunch back in the states….

While my classmates were testing, I spent my time reading. I finished The Great Gatsby. That was a good book. I usually don’t read classic novels because they are just plainly harder to read. Like I tried to read Huk Fin and Treasure Island but just couldn’t do it. But TGG was not like this. Sure sometimes I would have to reread a page or two to fully understand what was happening. Overall, I would recommend this book.

And I started reading Will Grayson, Will Grayson. I’m already on page 95.

When I read I ‘dog-ear’ the pages at the top of the page that I think contain something funny or witty. I find myself ‘dog earing’ almost every page……

The best part is that I find myself actually laughing out loud when I read this book. This book contains quotes like “’Why would you like someone who can’t like you back?’ The question is rhetorical, but…you like someone who can’t like you back because unrequited love can be survived in a way that once-requited love cannot.”

Or witty things like calling a spilled drinking on a shirt a “monochrome Jackson Pollock.”

This book is brilliant and truly connects to the thoughts of the reader.

One time when reading WGWG I looked up from my desk to find that I was the only one is the classroom and the students had finished their test. Oops. But seriously no one even tried to tell me the test was over! Come on people we’re supposed to be “friends”.

For lunch I had spaghetti. Yes sometimes they have spaghetti at my school.

However, it’s not the same.

The pasta looks and tastes the same. But the sauce is no where close to actually being considered as “pasta sauce”. It more looked like spaghetti o’s. I have never had anything made by the infamous Chef Boyardee but I’m pretty sure I did today. I think there was more sodium than tomato, so I scraped the majority of the so called “sauce” off to the side of my plate and just ate the pasta.

I took one final today which was for German. It was pretty easy, although I think I missed a couple of points. Luckily, you can’t miss points for spelling. Thank goodness.

Currently I am eating these cookie wafer things that taste like vanilla from Mexico. Yum.

California

So while in Thailand I think about the things that I'm going to do when I go home. Like go camping with friends. Or finally take the train to Portland etc., etc. My most recent scheme is one of which my best friend Emma and I will take a road trip down to southern California together and spend a week there.
So I told my dad this tonight when we were skyping and he replied with "Hmm, maybe when you're in college."
What?
"You sent me away to Thailand for a year and don't trust me to go to California?"
"No, I trust you. I just think you and Emma together are dangerous."

I can't help but smile at his reaction and can't wait to go on a road trip to California, hopefully before college.

Book: on page 104 of the Great Gatsby, will probably finish tomorrow. Next up: Will Grayson Will Grayson by John Green and David Levitthan. I'm really excited to read this one!!!
Thai: Pie wrote meh.......bus stop or literally "bus sign"

Cutlery

Most of the time, people in Thailand eat their food with a soup spoon and a fork.
They hold the spoon in their right hand and use the fork to push food from the dish onto the spoon and then eat whatever is on the spoon. At first I found it odd, because for some foods I just need one spoon or one fork, but not both. But now I find it extremely effective! It's easier to eat noodles, rice, steamed vegetables, and a much of other things with a spoon and fork than with just a spoon or just a fork.

So today, I ate my dinner with a spoon and a fork.
I went into the kitchen to grab a bowl and the necessary cutlery, but when I reached for a spoon, I noticed something was odd. Usually the cutlery in Thailand is made out of cheap silver, like so cheap you can bend the metal with your hand. But the spoon I grabbed today was unusually sturdy. I immediately looked down at the spoon and was reminded of my Besta and Grandpa's silverware. For those of you who don't know, I call my Grandmother 'Besta' because my grandmother is Norwegian, and grandmother in Norwegian is bestemor. Anyway, the special thing about my grandparent's silverware is that it's pretty eclectic and classy at the same time. It ranges from what my sister and I used to call "the star spoon",  to spoons and forks from Denmark that my aunts have found in Goodwills, and even to knifes from an airplane.
When I looked down at the spoon I was holding today, it reminded me of one of the spoons my Besta has that was made in Denmark. So I flipped it over expecting to see a clue that it was made in Scandinavia but instead found a symbol that reminded me of an Airline logo.
It's strange how many little things remind me of home.
Like sometimes my host dad and mom will ask me if i have turned off everything in my room. And I am reminded of my grandparents, as they unplug everything.
Or sometimes at my school they sell ice cream. And the person who sells ice cream only puts one scoop of ice cream on top of the cone, instead of filling the cone up with ice cream. And I am reminded of the story my grandpa used to tell me about when he served ice cream. And how for the people he liked he would fill up the cone with ice cream, and for the people he didn't like he would only put ice cream on top. :)
Even though my friends and family aren't with me, I am reminded of them every day I'm here.

Books: Still in the same spot as last time.
Thai: shoe...........long tow

UPDATE

I have a lot to update you guys on so this blog will come in Nine Parts!

Part One:Books
Finished Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children. It was not what I expected. It turned out to be sort of a sci-fy novel? Which turned out to be quiet interesting. The peculiar and clever thing about this book is that every chapter or so there is vintage picture, a picture that connects to the plot. Which was genius and the photographs in this book are beautiful. This book was good, but not my favorite. The ending is a set-up for a sequel which I'm probably read.
On page 74/140 of The Great Gatsby. 50% of the time, I enjoy reading it. 50% of the time I have no idea what's going on because there are too many characters that have similar names so I get them all muddled up!
In the back of TGG there is a a small classic literature dictionary. And there are some pretty awesome words in there! Like ecod, galoot, haply, huffy, vittles, valetudinarian and my personal favorite spondulicks!
I'm going to try to use them more often.

Part Two: Jeopardy
I have never won a game of Class Jeopardy in my life. (Class Jeopardy is where you play Jeopardy except the questions are all about whatever class subject you are studying.)
And I can tell you why I haven't won any.
Let's start in 7th grade.
Washington State History - Didn't have any friends in that class the day we played jeopardy, so I was a little discouraged and just didn't get my hand up fast enough.
8th Grade:
Geometry- yeah I'm good at math, but not that good.
US History/English- We played a lot of Jeopardy in that class although it was set up differently. We played a normal first round, and then the losing team got to choose a player to transfer to their team from the winning team. And then there would be a second round and final jeopardy. And for some reason I was really good at Jeopardy in this class because I could somehow remember the names of American generals during the civil war? Although the problem was, every single game I was chosen to be transferred to the losing team and thus lost jeopardy.
9th grade: I don't think I ever played jeopardy in 9th grade...
10th grade:
World History -So I have no excuse, I didn't know any of the answers....
Page School:
For those of you who don't know, last winter I had the pleasure of being a Senate Page for Derek Kilmer for Washington State. During which, I had Page school for 2 hours a day where I learned about government stuff. On the last we played jeopardy and my team lost during final jeopardy because none of us knew the name of our state's chairman of transportation or finance or something.

Although, today I played jeopardy and won. But I don't think I will count it as a success. The reasons are...
1. There was no final jeopardy.
2. It was about English grammar and vocabulary.
3. It was too easy.

I have struggled through 5 years of battle with class jeopardy and I am not going to take a hand out! So I'm not counting this one.

Part Three: Sick
On Tuesday I was sick. Like feel icky sick. And so I stayed home from school and my host mom took me to the doctor. The doctor's office was at the hospital and my doctor spoke English. As far as I'm concerned I don't have a diagnosis like "virus" or "flu" or "cancer" but I have a ton of pills to take! Like 8 pills a day. Apparently a lot of exchange students here have been getting sick so I'm not too concerned, just think my body is adjusting.

Part Four: Vacation
From next Tuesday until the end of October I have school off. The reason why is because the semester will end next week and there are a lot of Buddhist holidays in October. I am hoping to get together with some of the other exchange students during that time!

Part Five: Thai
chan.............I
koon............you

Part Six: Languages
I am taking German and Chinese classes here! And it's going pretty well. So if all goes as planned, I will be able to speak five languages when I get back to the states....didn't think that would happen...

Part Seven: Debate
Gosh I miss my Debate Class so much! People don't argue or complain here which is super nice. But that means that they don't know what debate is. Like no political debates, no "civil discussions" about business tactics. Nada. And it's killing me!!!! I also feel like I am going to be behind in my debate skills when I get back, I'm not looking forward to that.

Part Eight: iPhone
Multiple people have asked me at school if I am going to buy the new iPhone 5. No. My phone works fine. Plus whenever something new comes out there are always problems with it. And Thai people think that because you  are a foreigner you are rich. No. I am an exchange student aka I am broke.

Part Nine: Questions
Do you have any questions about Thailand? Rotary? Being an Exchange Student? Please let me know in the comments and/or email me at yellowsplat15@gmail.com! Also- video blog? Yes/no?

9/11

Today I sat in my bedroom feeling terrible. Not only was I sick but I was homesick and alone with my dangerous thoughts.
And I thought to myself about how I was going to blog about how tough it is to be an exchange student sometimes.
And then I looked down at my phone to check the time.
But instead of reading the time, I read the date on my phone.
It read September 11.
I began to feel even worse. Why? Because I spent the whole day worrying about myself. How selfish I had been today. How ignorant.

Even though I was only five, I remember 9/11.
I don't remember a lot. But I remember.
It was dark in the house. I was still living in California at that time. My dad ushered my sister and I into my parent's bedroom. My mom was sitting on the bed staring at the television. She said, "Watch this, this is history."
I remember watching them fall. I remember the pictures of the smoke. The pictures of the ruins.
I don't remember anything else.

I sit here moping in my room, crying over missing my family.
Missing my family.
But, you see, I am so lucky. I am so lucky to have a family that supports me. Even if sometimes they feel so far away, I know they are closer than I think.

My tears will stop and my moping with cease. At least for today.
Today I will be thankful and proud.
Proud to be an American.

Books: Page 308/348 of MPHFPC
Thai: wat..................temple

Relax

I am not what you call a "relaxed person".

I'm just not. I am busy all the time, and I like it that way.
I do enjoy those Sunday afternoons when I can sit and watch a movie with my dog and gaze off into......yeah no Sunday afternoon/evening is when I do all my homework.
I like to be busy!
Although, in Thailand it's hard to be busy.
Usually, I get home from school and have the day to myself. I don't have homework because I'm taking classes like vegetable carving and I can't go anywhere by myself. So I am trying to learn how to relax. It's quite difficult for me.

Although, yesterday my host parents took me to the park to ride bikes again. God how I love bikes. But this time, my host dad let me ride my bike alone. Which was very nice.
I took a couple of laps around the park, thinking about Burma and some articles I recently read about the DNC. I also did some people watching. Always fun. And I actually relaxed. It was odd. But nice.
So I stopped by a grassy hill to read some of my book only to find another teenage girl who was also reading a book and wearing green converse!

I read about 20 pages or so and decided to go bike around the park one more time. While I was packing up my things I thought about how parks are awesome. Parks allow people to read on grassy hills, go biking, have picnics and be around nature.
My thoughts were then interrupted by a loudspeaker.
The Thai national anthem began to play and everything in the park stopped. Everyone dropped what they were doing and stood up to listen to the anthem. This was then followed by a Buddhist prayer.
Gahhhhhhhh!
In other words, I don't think I'll actually be able to relax for a while.

Books: Page 284/348 of MPHFPC It's really good, not what I expected at all.....but I keep reading.
Thai: like...............................chop

Jeans

Today I found myself sitting in a lobby, in furniture I could never afford, with magazines displayed on the coffee table in front of me that were written in English and Japanese.
And you'll never guess what they were about.
They were about Jeans.
I'm not kidding. There is such a thing as a Japanese Denim Buyers Guide.

So, my host dad told me we were going to look at jeans and then go the market. He said they were hand made jeans.
Ok, sure.
We were driving in a neighborhood and I was enjoying looking at the urban houses and clothes lines when we stopped in front of a really modern building. It was terribly out of place.
The sign outside read New Generation Jeans.

We stepped inside, I took of my shoes before entering as is Thai tradition. And the attendant asked me if I knew any Thai.
"Uh, not really."
"Ah, we can entertain you then."
Whatever that meant.


For the next 15 minutes or so, I sat around looking at the modern interior of the room. The attendant asked me if I wore jeans.
(Let me point out that I WAS WEARING JEANS.)
"I'm from America, everyone wears jeans," I said with a genuine smile. It's true. And being in a jean store/factory/jean couture place made me sorta proud to be an American.
"Yes, our jeans have more of a vintage look," he (the attendant) said as he pulled out a freshly pressed, dark slim pair of jeans from a cabinet and showed them to my host dad.
All of a sudden I felt completely under-dressed. I looked down at my jeans. My jeans. The jeans I have had for three and a half years, that have holes in the knees because of wear-and-tear (not because I bought them that way), that I now wear as capri pants because the legs are too short. I compared them to the pants the attendant showed my host dad.

Wait a second.

My jeans have been to Europe. My jeans have survived public middle and high school. My jeans have been through corn mazes and games of Lap Tag. My jeans have been with me to camp and doctor who parties. They have been with me to two concerts about harry potter. My jeans have character!
I appreciate fashion and like clothes. But clothes are meant to be worn. I can't slide in the mud in a pair of vintage jeans or paint my room with vintage jeans.
The point of jeans is that they are supposed to be worn.
They are like pair of converse. You can do anything in them and you can still find ads for them in Vogue!
I have a certain respect for people who wear converse. You know that they bought those shoes because they are going to use them. Not because they are vintage, or an American Classic.

Books: Page 120 or MPHFPC and on cht 7 or sherlock holmes
Thai: desert.............................................................................. ka gnome

Buses

Today I rode the bus alone for the first time. I have ridden the bus a couple of times before with Gap or my host family, but never by myself.
I don't have a problem with sky trains or subways but buses concern me. Sky trains and subways run on the same route each day and are predictable. Buses are the opposite.
You don't know what time they will come, you don't know if they will stop at your stop and there is always a 50% chance you are on the wrong bus. For instance, I ride bus 64 home from the nonthaburi market. Bus 64 with no air conditioning. Bus 64 with air conditioning will take me into some obscure corner of Bangkok. So i have to be pretty careful.
So, as one can imagine, I was really nervous to take the bus into Bangkok today.
But, as predicted, it went just fine.

Once I'm on the bus, I'm really comfortable. I like taking public transportation. Not for the odd looks from strangers or from the smell of the old seat cushions. But because taking the bus makes me feel like a city person. And I like to feel like a city person.

Now that I have taken the bus in Thailand, I will most definitely be using public transportation in Washington.

Compared to Thailand, everything in America seems so safe!

Books: I HAVE BOOKS NOW! Finished listening to chpt 6 of sherlock holmes, started listening to the tragedy of hamlet, reading Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children. It's really good, I started reading it yesterday and I'm already on page 62!

Thai: a-roy..............delicious

Help

The foreign teachers at my school have told me that Thailand is completely opposite. At first I didn't totally believe them, thinking 'there has to be some similarities'. Boy was I wrong.
Everything in Thailand is different.
Everything.

There is another teacher at my school from America. Today he told me a story, a story about "cultural differences".

One day my teacher, Chris, was riding the bus. He noticed that a person was laying in the middle of the road, as he had fallen off his bike and had a scraped knee and leg. He also noticed that no one was helping the man. All the cars were serving around him and the pedestrians just walked past him. So, Chris got off the bus and helped the man move to the side off the road, helped him out a little. Then he got back on the bus. All the people on the bus were looking at him like he was crazy.

They asked him why he helped the man.
Chris thought two things. One having gone to law school, thought about the good Samaritan law. And two, he thought that it was just a nice and considerate thing to do.

They said, "Why are you helping him? If he dies the man's blood is on your hands."

That is the Thai culture.

They believe if you fail at helping a man, even if you try as hard as you can, the man's misfortune or in a most case scenario, death, is your fault.
So they don't even try to help people at all.

I don't think so.
I believe that if you don't try to help a person who is in trouble when you can, you have the bloody hands.
I don't believe that this has anything to do with cultural aspects or opinions. Because the facts are that there will always be a slight chance that you will fail at helping someone but there is also the chance of prevailing.

There is a very fine line between beliefs of a "culture" and "human rights" or "universal ethics". I am not one to judge on what crosses that line. But I know that I will try my hardest to help whoever is in need whenever I can.

Oblivion

This morning, I had Thai lessons.
I was so happy that I am finally learning some Thai! Life will be so much easier! Although, today was tough.
Yesterday and the day before yesterday were the best days I've had in Thailand. It was so much fun to hang out with all my exchange friends and to talk in full English sentences! It was a high point point of my life in Thailand. But, what goes up, must come down.

Today, I woke up, and didn't want to get up. I didn't want to eat or move. I didn't even want to open my eyes, even to check the time.
I have been home sick here before. But not like this. Before it was a longing feeling.
Now it feels like I am not present. I am a hollow shell. A drone. A ghost. It feels like there are holes in my gut and chest. Empty holes. Black holes. Holes filled with oblivion.
Despite my despair, I got up, I showered and went to school. I listened to music on my ipod and said hello to my classmates.
Next, I went to Thai tutoring. I began to learn some new words and phrases when out of the blue my teacher asked me if I called my host mom 'Mom'.
I said no.
"What about your host daddy?"
I call him Chanan.
She then started speaking in Thai to all the other teachers in the room about me not calling my host parents mom and dad.
I just couldn't handle it.
It's hard enough to sit through people talking in Thai without understanding, but it feels really bad when you know what they're talking about but don't know what they're saying about it.
Tears filled my eyes.
I want to talk to my exchange friends. I want to be with my real Mom and Dad.  My real parents understand how I function. They notice how I feel and know what I like and don't like. I want to talk in English and understand what people are saying.
The teacher noticed my watering eyes and said I didn't have to learn any more Thai today. I am thankful that she let me stop for today.
My next class was Sword Fighting, although the teacher had a meeting, so I didn't have that class today.
My next two classes were art. The teacher decided to go to the mall for the day.
So I sat at my Thai teachers' desk for three hours. She was teaching another class and said I could use her computer until lunch.
So I sat. I sat and watched Youtube videos. Video after mindless video.
I sat and tried to fill my holes of oblivion with the oblivion of the internet.

Book: The legend of sleepy hollows, half way done
Thai:chai...............................................................yes

Orientation

I am one of just 28 exchange students in my district. I met all 28 of them today. And they are my new family. Friends are the family you make for yourself. I have my family of friends in Gig Harbor, but it is so nice to talk to people who know what you're going through. I am so happy I have friends now. I love all of them! Everyone is so friendly and funny! I just can't wait until our bus trips together!!

Book: Sherlock Holmes Chpt 5
Thai: best.................................dee

Pelican

Today I was going to go to the book store with one of my friends. That didn't happen. Instead, I spent the day with Sophie(from Germany) and Gap. A number of things happened. We saw many animals at the zoo, rode in 2 tuk-tuks, went on the bus, went on the sky train, ate duck and some sort of duck organ (not sure what I ate, not sure I want to know), met cute snakes, almost got eaten by a pelican, fed an elephant, fed a camel, drank Starbucks, discussed the difference in how Germans and Americans pronounce words( like Ikea and haagen-das), got mistaken for being from the Czech Republic, bought postcards from a store that makes nice shirts, went into my first Thai 7 Eleven, went to the museum of Jim Thompson, found like the most expensive blanket in Bangkok, found out where you can get that blanket for very cheap, was told not to take pictures (both Sophie and I), took lots of pictures, found out it's good luck to have long ears if you are Thai, crossed two streets in Bangkok(that's saying something), solved the mysterious disappearance of Jim Thompson( he got eaten by a Foreigner eating Pelican) and best of all, received and gave a hug.

I love being an Exchange Student.

Book: still on Sherlock Holmes....
Thai Three.................................Sam

Stamp

When I'm not in a "Thai Culture Class", I sit in on Class M5. They are one of the classes in the English Program at my school, which means the teachers teach in English.
Ekie, the teacher from New York, was teaching English at the time I sat in on M5. They were learning about cycles. There were 11 pictures of "The Life of a Letter Cycle" drawn on a worksheet, the students had to label each picture or step of the cycle with a sentence in the passive voice.
For example, they would write, the letter is written, the letter is put in an envelope, etc,.
The third picture was of the envelope with a stamp and address written on it.
In my head I thought, The stamp is placed on the envelope.
Then Ekie wrote on the board, "THE STAMP IS STUCKED ON THE ENVELOPE."
What the heck?
This teacher is from America, where he grew up speaking English, that is not English!
So I said, "I don't think that's right".
He responded, "I know it's wrong but they have to learn the rule. Because otherwise they won't understand."
Oh boy.

Book: Still on Sherlock Holmes.
Thai:Two................................Song

Outside

This week at school, I actually went to class. The school gave me a schedule with specail classes to help me learn Thai culture. This includes everything from Thai Sword Fighting to Vegetable Carving. I also am taking a Thai culture class.
The thing I find interesting about my Thai Culture Class(well it's just me and the teacher, so not really a class) is that it is taught by a Thai teacher.
Let me explain, I didn't really know the American culture until I looked at it from the outside. I find myself comparing things about the Thai culture to the American culture all the time. I am not judging whether either culture is better but I most definitely think of America differently.
I am learning about America through British news, Russian news, Thai people and other exchange students. I am learning more about my home country everyday.
I guess I shall wait and see about how much my Thai teacher can teach me about Thai Culture and how much of her Thai I can understand.
That's right, she doesn't speak English.

Book: Listening to the adventures of Sherlock Holmes- Chpt. 2
Thai: One...............................................................................Nung