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