I went to Chiang Mai for Loy Krathong and Lantern Festival, so I’ll post up pictures and stuff of that soon. It was so beautiful! One of the best things I’ve done in my life.
I haven’t posted a lot recently, because with Chiang Mai and being back at work I’ve been pretty busy. But life is going really, really well. I haven’t been this happy in like… maybe ever. I can’t believe I’ve been here for almost 4 months now. It has been a whirlwind adventure. I’m having so much fun, learning new things, meeting new people, and I know I’m changing a lot. For one thing, I’ve definitely become more chill and way less uptight. I think Thailand just forces you to become sabai sabai.
It struck me today how quickly the culture shock passed. I mean, I suppose I’ve had a lifetime of training in Thai culture, but I still didn’t think it’d become so natural for me to do things like jaywalk across busy streets, haggle for lower prices, ride motorcycles (yes! so fun!), just buy random shit off the street… but the stray animals still make me sad every time.
But everyday, I’m learning new things about Thai culture, specifically the people. And I’m learning how very American I really am. I’m seeing how Thailand is still very sexist. How incredibly close-knit many Thai families are. How little trust people have in the government. And how Thai people are incredibly multi-talented – I love that everyone learns things in school like cooking and sewing and music and art. In America, these things are a bit of an afterthought, though we might have a few classes or electives. But I think these kinds of things should be part of the curriculum – we’re really missing out on useful information.
I’m just really, really happy. Tired and busy, but in the best possible way.
