Forgot

Sorry I forgot the book  recommendation for yesterday. Here it is:

Book: Fahrenheit 451
Thai Word: Cat.......May-ow

Unexpected

If you know me, you will know that I make a lot of lists. Lists of things to do, things to look up, etc,. So here is a list of things that I was unexpected by in Thailand.

1. I might be better at badminton than the rest of the girls in my class (it's an all girls school).
2. I was cold today because of the intense air conditioning in my school.
3. Each student has around 100 points in school, and depending on if you break school rules, points can be deducted. But you can never earn points (this point system reminded me of the House Cup).
4. If I was under the point system at school, I would already have had points deducted for having too short of hair.
5. My host brother is packing for the Apocalypse. He is going to Michigan on exchange. He is packing a ton of noodles and Thai food.
6. I learned German in school today. And actually retained the information.
7. Thai students don't pay attention in class, at all. There is not a moment in class where only the teacher is talking.
8. I haven't seen that many tuk tuks here.
9. They don't eat chocolate here either. That's going to be difficult.
10. The image Thai people have of America. They believe America is the best country in the world but most people don't know who our president is.

Different

So my last post was really sad and depressing and angry, but I felt that I needed to post it because I spent a good amount of time and thought on it. So I thought I would counterbalance this with some funny things.
There are some examples of things that are different from America in Thailand...

1. MILK
Yeah, they don't drink milk here. They have this drink called Dutch Mill and it is a "non-fat yogurt flavor drink"? I am curious about what it is made of but the nutrition facts are in Thai :(. But when I bought an Iced Coffee Late the other day, I saw a real carton of milk. MILK! I almost asked the barista where they buy their milk, but thought better of it. Although, I am becoming really tired of dry cornflakes in the morning....so I will probably ask next time.

2. BATHROOMS
They are so different it's crazy but I'm not gonna go into detail.

3. TEENS
I realize I am not the average teen. But Thai teenagers are like nothing I have ever seen before.
First, they have too much energy. At school in GH, teens drag themselves out of bed, buy a coffee at the student store and trudge on through the day. We hit an energy peak around lunch and during after school activities. Thai teens are literally running around the classroom at 7:20am. How?! Their cells must be mutant because of the weather in Thailand and therefore must produce more ATP than Americans. Or they just actually eat breakfast, unlike most american teens.
Second, extracurricular activities. Most Thai teens listen to Korean pop, or K pop. A combination of early 2000 pop music and One Direction. Except the voices are extremely high and the content is more conservative. I do listen to Indie music at home but I mostly listen to music about partical physics, harry potter and Doctor Who. So when my friends asked me to show them my favorite song, I looked up on YouTube I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles) by the Proclaimers. They changed the song to K pop within two minutes.
Third, reading. They don't read here. The only novel that my friend read was Kite Runner, which is a very good book, yet how can you not read? No one has read Harry Potter but they have seen the movies. And when I asked them why, one girl said to me, "why read it when you can watch it." I could say so much about that...........

Overall, they are a lot of things that are different in Thailand, but I love it. It will take me a while to get over the culture shock and be able to fit in with Thai people. The Harry Potter thing will take a long time, actually no. I think reading is like believing in climate change. YOU HAVE TO BELIEVE IN IT. So I may never get over the Harry Potter thing, but I know that I can most definitely live in Thailand for a year. But first things first, I must find milk!

Some Housekeeping:
There will be a book recommendation for each of my blog posts from now on. If you have suggestions for books for me to read please leave them in the comments or email me at yellowsplat15@gmail.com. Or if you would like to send me books to read since I have a lot of spare time ;), email me and I can provide you with an address.

Each blog post will also include a Thai word or phrase.

To read: HARRY POTTER: ALL OF THEM
Thai word(s): Where can I buy milk?.............Chan sawh-mah sue gnome. (pronounce gnome as in the garden decoration)

Face

I hear my shoes clack against the broken sidewalk. I count my steps….29,30,31…. I stare at the ground and wait for…. Wait for something, anything, a sign that someone acknowledges my presence.

My classmates at school stare at me in aw. The same stare they use to gawk at celebrities. To me, they stare at me like a purple nosed alien. And sometimes I feel that way.

They all want to talk with me, but choose not to, because they don’t think their English is up to par. They whisper into my friend J’s ear. And J repeats the question in English to me. This is when I feel like a two-nosed purple alien.

I trip about every five steps because the side walk is in ruins. The stones are flat; they rise for tree branches and sink in places that are walked over too many times.

The sinking stones remind me of Canterbury Cathedral. There are steps at Canterbury that are a hundred years worn. They are smooth. They are wavy. They are aged. Hundreds of people crawl up these steps to pay tribute to God and visit the uplifting center of the cathedral. Hundreds of people tramp through the rubbish on the sidewalk to the bus stop, for the bus with air conditioning.

One of my classes at school today was PE. Today’s activity was badminton. The badminton I know. The badminton I play for hours on end with mi Papá, until the sun sets and until we can hear the summer grasshoppers chirping.

I watched the birdie fly in the humid air and followed it until it hit my racquet, just like Papá taught me. My partner, J, asked what music I listen to. J just got back from spending a year in Indianapolis. How could I explain that I listen to Hank Green, Harry and the Potters, Chameleon Circuit and Charlie McDonnell? I responded with “Indie.”

My host grandmother walked me home from school today. I know the path already, but I must don’t want to be rude. We walked in silence. She knows no English. I know no Thai. I wanted to tell her about my day, just like I tell my family when the sun fades away the day. Instead, I watch faces. Faces of those struck by my Caucasian appearance. Faces of those who are hurting. Faces of those who are sick. Who are poor. Who are weak. Faces who always keep face.

My second friend is a teacher. He teaches English at my school. He allows the students to have fun because that’s what matters. He is a born and raised New Yorker. I can tell by the way he casually talks and the way he can carry on a conversation about Apple products for days. He gave me a piece of advice today.

“There is one thing you must remember to do everyday.”

“What is it?”

“Smile.”

I laughed.

“Smile even if you are mad, or upset. Smile even if you want to cry.”

I did not expect this.

35, 36, 37……mindlessly pacing with a hard and sullen face through the monsoons for the last time. From now on I must let the clouds carry my burden. I will let the sky cry for me when I want to cry. I will let the sun burn up for me when I am angry. And I will let the night thunder take my upsetting thoughts for me. And I will let the sticky, humid air plaster a smile on my face.

Why

Today I explained what Christmas is to Pon. He thought Christmas was just for Santa Claus. I explained it by telling him the story of the three wise men who were guided by a star to Jesus. I'm still not sure he knows who Jesus is either, but I still thought it was important that he know the story, mainly because Christmas is important to me. This made me realize the importance explaining things.
In other words, Pon knows what Christmas is but does not know why it is Christmas.

I am a "why" person. I like to fully understand things and question authenticity. I like being aware of what is happening in the world and in my community. I enjoy random useless facts and debating about philosophy. And I realize that sometimes asking "why" too much can be annoying and that sometimes the answers to my questions are just too darn confusing. But I will never stop being a "why" person.
And why am I writing about being a "why" person?
Well, because I am a "why" person, my blog will also be a "why" blog.
In the sense that my blogs will not be typical. They will probably not explain my day or describe the amazing things I am doing in Thailand.
My blogs will be about my friendship with Thai culture and how we are getting along.

Free

Today I asked my host brother what he does for fun in his spare time. He said that he plays the guitar and reads comics. I attempted to continue the conversation and asked if he read any books recently. He said that he didn't like to read.
So we watched tv until dinner.
BBC?
MTV?
Nope.
Russian Today.
Russian Today or RT is surprisingly informative and the only ENGLISH speaking tv channel in Thailand. RT covers a variety of subjects including weather and stock exchange news. Although they mostly cover political situations and geopolitics. This makes me very happy. If I cannot watch Doctor Who or SNL in my spare time( Netflix and Hulu do not work in Thailand), global politics will just have to do. Today RT had a segment about "file sharing" websites and free speech rights in America. I asked Pon (my host brother) if they have free speech in Thailand (to this I already knew the answer but asked anyway). Pon said yes. This temporarily rattled my mind as I knew the opposite. I continued and asked if you can talk about the government and the king freely. Pon replied no.
My curiosity rose.
"Why can't you talk about the king or the government?"
"It's bad."
"Why is it bad?"
"It is the culture, folk way." (yup he said folk way)
"Is it against the law?"
"I don't know, maybe."

There is a law that prevents free speech. It is called "Lese-Majesty" and has been established in Thailand since 1932. It prevents Thai people from speaking ill or even critiquing the Royal Family. The Thai constitution (all 17 versions) states "the King shall be enthroned in a position of revered worship and shall not be violated. No person shall expose the King to any sort of accusation or action."  It later states "whoever defames, insults or threatens the King, Queen, the Heir-apparent or the Regent, shall be punished with imprisonment of three to fifteen years." Wikipedia likes to point out that "Missing from the Code, however, is a definition of what actions constitute 'defamation' or 'insult'."At a first glance, one can see that Thai people love their King and Queen. One can see it in the hundreds of Royal flags flying and the extravegant shrines found around each corner.But do Thai people actually love the Royal family or is praise for them just a social norm? What does the King do for the country and Thai people? What if the king makes a bad decision for the people, can people tell him that it was a bad decision? But most importantly, why is Lese-Majesty a law in Thailand?

I probably will never know the answers to these questions. But I do know that I need to keep my mouth shut.

Harry

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I am Harry Potter. My room is small and used to be my brothers (well I'm assuming it was).  There is a lock on the outside of my door and cage bars on both my windows. I have a scrapbook filled with my memories of my friends and family that Hagrid (Mariah and Emma) gave to me before a left on a train (plane). I have stopped receiving letters (texts and emails) from my friends. My brother doesn't talk to me much and all I need is a hug. And I really wish that my friends would come to my window in a magic car and we could fly off to Hogwarts in the middle of the night (nope not kidding).

Although, I know that I have something inside off me that my friends and family gave me to help me carry on.  That gift was love. I know that they are proud of me and want me to succeed and in exchange I promise  that I will defeat the dark lord for them. :)

Realistically- I miss home a lot. Thailand is wonderful and beautiful but I miss these things...

1. My friends and family.
2. My funny cats and dumb dogs.
3. The sound of my sister's voice.
4. My dad telling me to wake up in the morning.
5. Giving my grandpa the biggest desert available.
6. Besta triple checking that everything is turned off.
7. My mom's hugs and kisses.
8. Emma telling me that I'm crazy.
9. Being a nerdfighter with Mariah.
10. Shouting the lyrics and dancing to Wizard Rock in my room.
11. American food.
12. The sound the garage makes when my dad comes home from work.
13. Doctor who references.
14. The Puget Sound.
15. REAL COFFEE.
16. Clean air and clean rain.
17. Being cold.
18. My familiar bed.
19.Long phone calls with Emma.
20. Skyping with Mariah.
21. My sister nagging me about my driving.
22. Speaking English and people understanding me.
23. Fleece Blankets.
24. Politics and the election news.
25. The Olympics.
26.  Sweaters.
27. Harry Potter.