Day 1: August 28th
This morning I woke up thinking "Who's on desk, who's on the floors, how many departs are there, and what am I going to do after work?" Then, before I opened my eyes, I took a moment to think...this place did not smell like my room. In an instant it all came back to me: the long layovers, the never ending flights, the greetings, the unpacking, the chaotic beauty of entering a country so different from your own. Right down to the moment I laid my head down on that pillow to sleep. Then I began the hectic thoughts of "I don't know Thai!" I began to question my doing this. I became frantic. Then I heard loud banging on my door. "What is going on?!" I thought to myself. My eyes flew open and I jumped for the door. "Hi! We take you to lunch. Steaks!" It was my host sister, Kung, and her friend Fon. It was at that moment I realized, I'm OK here. I came here to experience this. I also realized it was 12PM and I had slept half the day away. I quickly got dressed and rushed downstairs. We piled into the car and pulled out of the driveway. For a fleeting moment I forgot they drove on the left and was convinced we were about to die. That moment passed after I grasped my seat belt and quickly groped for the buckle. I realized how silly I was for forgetting such a simple thing. I relaxed and began to focus on other things, such as the music that was playing. Britney Spears, Lady Gaga, and other various remakes of English music. Now, I would be ignorant to say it was American music, but it was in English and we do listen to it quite often in America. We arrived to a little restaurant where they had only steaks and pastas. Again, English music was playing, this time love songs. Songs such as "Stand by Me" and "My Girl". Songs that remind me of home. After our lunch, we piled back in the car and headed to a bakery. This time I was less frantic for my seat belt. After we had cake and my beloved coffee, we went back home. Despite all the sleep I had the previous night, I felt exhausted. Yet, there was still more to do. The three of us met up with my host dad and went to the market to buy food.
Once we were home, my host mom plopped me in front of the TV and showed me all of the channels that were in English: the news, some discovery channel, and a self-help channel. I opted for the soccer game, even though it was in Thai, it was easy enough for me to understand what was going on. I later met Nut, in front of that very TV. He managed to find a channel that was very similar to our VH1. While there with my host mom and Nut, we started attempting to communicate. They are very kind and very patient with me. They asked me what kind of music I liked, and I told them all kinds. They wanted to know specific artists though. At that point, Adam Lamberts "If I Had You" had come on. Oh Emma. I told them, "I love this song." They laughed, but I meant it. My host mom then repeated his name a couple times, and wrote it down. She is such a sweet-heart. He asked me if I liked Eminem, I told him yes, I did. He was surprised that I liked rap. Soon Kloy arrived with two of her friends, Fai and Aime. They were very exciting. "You want to go with us?" She asked me in English, yes she knew English. I quickly responded "Chai!" Which is yes in Thai. They were both surprised and excited. They whisked Nut and I away and off to the market we went. They call it the Big C. We wandered around the market and they had me try various foods. It was all very exciting and different from what I am used to. They love English words. They ask me how to pronounce certain words, and then laugh as they try to say them. After some time, we went back home and talked in the living room. We tried some sushi, some of it was weird, but some was very good. They're favorite thing to say now is "One bite! Just one bite!" They are all very funny and exciting. They drain the energy right out of me, or is that the jet lag?
Day 2: August 29th
I woke up very early this morning. 7:30 AM. I don't know why, but I just could not sleep. I went downstairs and watched "Dumbo" then turned on a soccer game. A few hours later, my host mom joined me and showed me around outside. They love to tell me about their family, and I love to learn. Fon came in soon and I went with her to the Big C. We rented some movies and then had Thai massages. They were amazing. Sometimes, when we go out, I forget how different I am from everyone else, until I notice people staring at me. We went back home again for a bit before setting out yet again. Fon needed to go to the bookstore and asked if I wanted to come along. I, being the Rotary student that I am said "Chai!" "Yes!" After the bookstore, we stopped at a bakery for some cake and a chat. She has been helping me quite a bit with my Thai, and I have been trying to help her with her English. Again this bakery was playing English music, but this time it was Joshua Radin's "I'd Rather be With You". Home seems to follow me everywhere. When we got back home, I had planned on putting my things away and heading back downstairs, but I sat down for two seconds and BAM! I was asleep. It was almost 6PM when I woke up, knowing Kloy and her friends would be there any minute. I leapt out of bed, made myself somewhat presentable, and raced for the door. Just as I opened it and stepped out, there they were, heading up the stairs. That would have been an interesting awakening. What I thought was going to be three had multiplied into six. The more the merrier! As we stepped outside of the house, the Rotary president pulled into the driveway. At first I thought I was going to be in trouble, despite the fact that I had done nothing bad. He simply wanted to know about my visa and how things were. Of course he said all of this in Thai to my host parents, and before any of this could be relayed to me, we were saying our goodbyes and piling into a car. Yes, all seven of us piled into one teensy tiny car. Seat belts are a thing of the past to me now. The entire night seemed to fly by in an instant. We fanangled our way into a parking spot, found a place to eat, visited with Finn, then piled back into the car once again, all in the blink of an eye. Once we returned home, we gathered around a table and talked with my host dad about my visa and the upcoming Rotary conference. He, as did everyone else including me, had no idea about the visa, so he got Big on the phone. Big, so useful in times of need, also did not know, but told me not to worry, so I won't. Worst comes to worst, I get deported.
Day 3: August 30
Today I went down for breakfast around 9. My host father then showed me how to work the DVD player and handed me a stack of movies. They were American movies, but of course they were all in Thai. I opted for Harry Potter and The Order of the Phoenix, because I had seen it so many times, I would still be able to understand what was going on. He then came back, about an hour later, and told me he would take me to get my school uniform. He said it in Thai, and even though I couldn't understand him, I somehow knew what he was saying. Just to be sure I wasn't confused, he called Big to explain to me what was going on. This very chipper woman, who was the presidents wife, helped to have me fitted. It was quite the experience. I had no idea what anyone was saying, so I smiled, nodded, and followed their prompts. I'm getting very good at that. It was then that I met the man who was driving all the time. His name was, and I hope I'm spelling this right, Eh. I also decided to try out a new Thai phrase, so I said "Yin dee te-dai ru juk" which I think means "nice to meet you". They seemed to understand what I was saying, and they laughed, so I laughed too. On our way back, we made a quick stop at his work. For a moment I was confused as to where we were, but I got out anyway. Moments later, after collecting Kung, we climbed back in. "We are taking you to lunch!" She told me. They also proceeded to teach me how to say some things in Thai, it was very helpful, and slightly entertaining. My host dad seems to love talking to me and teaching me Thai, because in turn I teach them words in English. The place we were going to go to for lunch was closed, so we went to KFC instead. They love chicken. "Gai!" I don't think I have ever been so full in my life, yet they always insist that I eat more. "Im!" I say "Im maak!!" "Very full!" We arrived at home around 2PM.
Once again, Kloy and her many friends arrived to pick me up for dinner. I heard the fateful knocking, knowing it was them, I rushed to the door. I pulled it open so quickly that I almost hit myself in the face, this happens often, but there was no one on the other side. For a moment I was convinced I had imagined it, but I was sure I had heard Kloy say my name. All of a sudden they jumped out from around the corner! It scared me so much that I actually screamed, like a girl. High pitched girly scream and I jumped about eight feet in the air. They, of course, laughed. "Ba, ba! Let's go!" They told me between fits of giggles. We went to the palace to feed to fish and the ducks. There was a beautiful shrine to pray and make wishes, so Kloy decided to teach me how. She lit the incense for me and I was very frightened that she would burn something. If you knew her, you would understand. We said our prayer and then stuck the incense in the sand. On our pathway out, there were two dogs simply lying there. Dogs are everywhere here, just laying around. Sleeping dogs have the right of way here. (If you know where that quote is from, I would be very impressed. Nick Summers should know). Aime was afraid of the ducks, so we didn't feed them for very long. They enjoyed saying "duck" and "goose" so much, that I decided to teach them the game "duck, duck, goose". They caught on very quickly, and the enjoyed it too, but apparently we were too loud. One of the security guards scolded us for being too loud. It was about time we left anyway. We had dinner and went through our usual "One bite!" routine and I met even more of Kloy's friends. All just as funny and exciting as she is. They decided they wanted to take me out for lunch tomorrow and introduce me to more of their friends. She has so many friends!
Day 4: August 31
Today I was picked up around 11 by Aime and we went to her university. There we met with many of her other friends, some I knew already and others I met for the first time. They are all just as exciting and friendly as if they've known me for years. We had some time to kill before others were out of class and ready to go to lunch, so they took me around their campus. It is much smaller than most of our colleges in America and much more beautiful. While at the college, Aime had to drop off a paper for one of her classes, on the fourth floor. We took the elevator up, it was very crowded and mostly girls. I was in the back so no one really noticed me, it was on the way back down that someone clearly recognized my presence. One kid, a boy, kept going in and out, in and out, not deciding if he wanted to ride down or not, meanwhile his friends are laughing. One other boy, however, was pressing the "door close" button. One last time, the boy went out, then changed his mind to come back in, unfortunately for him, however, the door quickly closed in his face and would not open again. We all burst out in laughter. The look on his face: priceless. The boy who had been pressing the buttons turned to me and said "It was not my fault." Up until this point, I had forgotten I was American. We made it down and into the bustle of people. We arrived back to the cafeteria and alas, we met up with the rest of the girls who were going to lunch with us. As always, we had far too many people for one car, so instead we took a car and motorcycles. Kloy turned to me, laughing, "Courtney! You want to ride motorbike?!" As I always answer when faced with that kind of question, I enthusiastically say "Chai!" And climb on the back. It was amazing. If you have never ridden one before, I highly recommend it. After lunch, we piled into the car and others parted on motorcycles. Of course we still had too many people for the car, but that was no problem. I have come to realize that the seat belt sign is always lit and payed no mind, just as the analog clock. Off we went to the Songdhammakalyani Temple, the symbol of Nakhon Pathom. There, we prayed, or made a wish, and stuck gold pieces of paper on statues. We also got our fortune by shaking a container of sticks until one fell out. Each stick has a number and you take the one that fell out to a monk, who gives you a piece of paper with your fortune on it. Then we went to kneel in front of a monk with a microphone. I had no idea what was going on, and told Kloy this. She told me to follow him, indicating to the monk, but with her accent, I thought she said something in Thai. Naturally I repeated what I thought she said to me to the monk. He laughed and said something to her in Thai. Then it hit me. "Oh, haha, chai, chai!!" Then he began. We repeated his chant after him, word for wordish, as best as we could, then poured some water into a bowl, and poured that water onto a tree. After that confusing, yet very interesting ritual, we left and headed back home.
After a resting period and some movies, a nap, I woke up to my host dad knocking on the door of the room I was in. I said something to me, but I was still too groggy to truly understand; I got up and followed him anyway. We went out to the car and Ai, I know I must be spelling that wrong, laughed at me for having just woken up, of course I laughed too. He is, from what I've gathered, their driver. He is very friendly and loves to say hello to me as I get into the car slightly confused. We drove to their work, picked up my host mom, then went out to pick up Kung for dinner. We pulled off to the side of the road and I heard loud music playing and Eh laughing. When I looked over to my left, I saw a large group of mostly woman dancing. Zoomba! Yes, my friends, they have Zoomba in Thailand. My host dad got out of the car to find Kung while I waited with Eh and my host mom. I look up to see Eh watching me in the rear-view mirror, then he started to dance! He is not a very good dancer, but it was very entertaining. My host mom laughed and started dancing too. They asked me how to say it in English and I told them, but they did not understand, so I began to dance as well. Nothing says bonding like dancing in a car with people who barely understand you. Kung was no where to be found so we set off to dinner without her. My host mom asked me what I liked to eat, and I racked my brain for Thai words of food I liked. The first thing that came to mind was "gai" or chicken. Naturally, they took me to KFC. Before I continue, I would like to sidetrack for a moment and tell a story. Once, after a Rotary meeting, Alison and I were picked up by her dad. We were both very hungry and we knew we would have to work when we returned, the hotel was desperate. So we made a quick stop at KFC. There we saw a pregnant woman with braces and a family of a mother, a father, and their two kids. We joked about there being nothing like a family outing at KFC. Alison also pointed out the pregnant woman with braces, saying that would be me some day. Anyway, back to Thailand. So there I was, at KFC, bonding with my host mom and my host dad. Nothing like a family outing at KFC. My host dad decided to take that time to teach me numbers in Thai. I didn't have the heart to tell him I already knew them, so I went along with it. If he ever asks, I learned Thai numbers off of a KFC menu. At this time he showed an uncanny ability to know exactly when I'm thinking I need something. There I was thinking, I sure could use a napkin, or three, when he handed me three napkins. Now at first I thought this may have been a coincidence, or that it may have had something to do with the fact that I had ketchup and mayonnaise dripping from my chin, but there's more. After we had finished eating and he had returned from his walk, as he always does when he is im maa, I was sitting there thinking, "if only there was a sink right here so I could wash my hands." No sooner had I thought this, he directed me to a sink right beside me! Now, at this point you may believe me, but you may also think I'm crazy. I promise you, I am not. We were walking around in the market by a stand of odds and ends. Since I have been here, I have desperately been wanting Q-tips, but have never found them. I was thinking about this as we walked around, wondering how to ask if they knew where I could find Q-tips, when my host mom walks up to me with a package of Q-tips and asked is I wanted any. I was so excited that I exclaimed "Oh! Chai!" And I may or may not have jumped up and down for a second, I will not disclose that information. She was so excited by my excitement that she ran off and grabbed another package! I am now set on Q-tips for quite some time. My ears are very happy. We pile back into the car, Eh looks at me and says "Im?" "Chai!," I replied, "Im maa!" And another round of laughter as Courtney attempts to speak Thai. As my host mom is explaining to me what this huge building is, I realize we were going in it. It is basically the same as Home Depot. Like the lost puppy I was, I followed them into the store, not knowing what to expect. My host dad was looking at locks for doors, like the ones they have at hotels, and I couldn't keep myself from playing with one. He asked me which one I liked best and I, thinking he was just asking my opinion, pointed to one, because it was very shiny. He chose that one. I thought we just had the same opinion, it turned out it was for my bedroom door when I sleep at night. As we wandered around the store, I couldn't help but notice how we looked like an odd, sort of miss-matched family. I was in the middle of this thought when Ai tried to convince me to jump into the cart. That was the end of my deep thinking for the evening. Soon our shopping was done and we were checking out. We arrived home and I was exhausted.
Day 5: September 1
This morning, as I do every morning, I walked downstairs around 9 for breakfast, this morning, however, I was not alone. I was accompanied by my host dad. He taught me how to say ham, egg, toast, and sausage in Thai and insisted I taught him the English. He is as eager to learn as I am. He, and Kung , my host sister, joined me again for lunch. This time we ate at the dining table in the front room. We had fish, still in the fish shape, and various vegetables. I did not eat a lot because I was still full from breakfast. I'm not used to eating so much! After lunch, they went to work, after my host mom brought me a KFC menu and ordered yet more food! The food arrived, but at this point it was just her and I eating. When we were done and about to leave, my host dad arrived. His face lit up with glee when he saw the KFC. So I sat back down at the table and joined him as he ate. He loves KFC.
It's pouring! Oh how I love the rain. Nothing stops when it is raining here. It's not like in Cooperstown where we get to watch the tourists run around and find shelter. The only thing that changes is the dogs lay under overhangs rather than in the streets. While I was sitting, watching a movie, my host dad came in with a book. It was a book, in Thai, on how to say things in English. We started out with very simple questions I could easily answer in Thai, but then it became difficult. Naturally I whipped out my English to Thai dictionary to accurately answer his questions. Of course I was pronouncing everything wrong so he tried to help. Unfortunately the print is very small on this particular dictionary, too small for his glasses, so he had to use a magnifying glass. We must have seemed quite the pair, him mispronouncing questions in English, and me mispronouncing answers in Thai, then him squinting through a magnifying glass at my little book. After a while of this rendition, we went out for dinner, this time pizza. First, he wanted to buy me yogurt because that's what I had answered when he asked what I liked to eat for breakfast. While we were walking around the super market, he was looking at some tools, and of course, just a little ways down were three shelves of the fluffiest teddy bears I had ever seen. Now, a side note: I have this problem where if I see something soft or fluffy, I HAVE to touch it. There's no stopping me. I thought, "He's preoccupied with his tools, he won't notice if I sneak a little squeeze." So I snuck over to the teddy bears and, oh my goodness! They were so fluffy! They were the true definition of fluffy. Of course I took too long, I just couldn't keep my hands off of them! My host dad caught me. He laughed and said "Me too." the walked over and squeezed the teddy bear. I'm not the only one. Back to dinner. Pizza. My host parents insist on American food. They love it. I don't blame them! American food here is infinitely better than the American food in America. I just had the best slice of pizza in my life. I'm sorry Sal's, but I couldn't stay faithful. Yet again, we climbed into the car and went home. One of my favorite parts of the night is riding home with my host mom, my host dad, and Ai and just listening to them talk. I can't understand a word of what they are saying, but it is somehow comforting. When we arrived home, I met my younger host sister Koy. She asked me to help her because she has to read a book in English but she doesn't understand it. Alas, I am of some use here!
Day 6: September 2
Again I had breakfast with my host dad. I know this is probably boring for you to read about, but it is very exciting for me to have that time with him, just the two of us. He left to go deal with some business, and soon called me over to him. He needed help writing a man's name on a check, in English. Again, I am of use! He then brought me to his work for a little bit. I watched them make ice! I have never seen such a thing before! To me making ice is pouring water into an ice cube tray and then setting it in the freezer for a time. This was an ice making factory! I watched as huge blocks of ice slid down a conveyor belt and then were loaded into a truck. It was fascinating. We went back home a talked a bit more, but then he had to go back to work.
We went out to dinner tonight, my host mom, my host dad, Kung, and I, with another woman and her daughter who are always in our house, I'm assuming they are relatives of my host family. The little girl is the cutest little girl I have ever met. At the restaurant we met up with Finn's dad, who actually owned the restaurant. I'm pretty sure I ate the entire cast of the little mermaid tonight. I'm sorry Ariel, but your friends are delicious. I'm not actually sure of most of what I ate, but I ate it anyway. I figure it's probably best for me not to know. Towards the end of the night, Finn joined us just after school. I always love when he comes to visit. We sat around the table chatting, well the adults talking amongst themselves and Finn and I having a conversation on the side. It really isn't the most exciting of stories, but it was exciting for me to be there with them. This was the definition of a family-style dinner. All of the food is put on a smaller table on top of the table, which spins around. Everyone spins it around and takes what ever they want to eat. Who ever sits next to me usually ends up doing this for me because sometimes I can be quite inept. It was a short night, but an enjoyable one. I like watching them talk to each other; all talking over each other, but to each other at the same time and still understanding what the others are saying. It's very confusing at times, and often makes my head hurt, but I enjoy it none-the-less.
Day 7: September 3
Today I had to get up early! As in, I had to be out of the house by nine, not that early. Aime and her mom picked me up to go to Bangkok! Well, to meet Kloy and Fai to catch the van to Bangkok. We took one van for about twenty minutes, then switched to one we rode for an hour all the way to Bangkok. Once in the city, we took two sky trains, which are basically subways but above ground, to Siam. We went into one of the malls and met with Kade, Nan, and Poi. This mall was huge. It had more than four floors. I cannot recall the exact amount because I was too dumbfounded by the amount of up escalators to count. On I believe the third or second floor, we went to a Japanese buffet restaurant where we met Iciez. Basically, there was a big pot in the middle of the table, but it wasn't on the table, but set in, kind of like an in-ground pool. There was some form of heat that caused the contents of this pot, some form of broth, to be always boiling. The pot was separated into two halves: spicy and not spicy. Next to the tables was one long train of plates with some form of raw food. The point was, when a plate of something you wanted came by you, you grabbed it and put the contents into the pot. The boiling broth would cook the food, and you would have a delicious soup. This was an ingenious idea. We had exactly one hour and twenty minutes to eat all that we could possibly eat. When it was time for us to leave, we headed to another mall. First we parted with Kade, then Nan and Fai. It was down to Kloy, Aime, Iciez, Poi, and I. I believe it was called the Phahonyothin Mall. This mall was not what I would call a mall. It was a shop-ahaulics dream, or demise. It was at least seven stories tall and crammed full of what I we would call stores. They were more like stalls of items to sell. We were there for hours. I had never been shopping for so long in my life. I was beyond tired when we finally left. We were standing, waiting for a bus when the clouds began to roll in. We all new what was coming. It was soon a race to see which would come first: the rain or our bus. We hoped for our bus, but our prayers were not answered. Drop by drop the rain began to fall, faster and harder. It was soon pouring and our bus still had not arrived. We ran for cover under an overhang. Huddled together among strangers, we waited. Finally, it arrived and everyone went running for it. We could see from the outside the bus was already crowded. As we were boarding the bus, Aime caught a man trying to put his hand in her bag, and yelled at him. We were very cautious from then on. We stood in yet another huddle on the bus around a pole. At this point Iciez and Poi had taken a different bus and it was just Kloy, Aime and I, so we took up slightly less room. The bus ride was long and tiring for we had to stand for the majority of it and there was a traffic jam, causing it to take even longer. When we had finally reached our destination, it was pouring. We held hands and ran across streets through the pouring ran, hoping to make our van. Fortunately we did, just in time. It was a quiet trip back to Nakhon Pathom. The journey does not end here, however. Once off the van, it was still pouring and we still had to get home. Our only mode of transportation was Kloy's motorbike. We piled on and after having to start it a few times, we were on our way. I love riding on that thing, even more so in the rain. We were laughing and screaming the entire way. Every time we were passed by another car, we were splashed with a wall of water. I arrived home drenched and freezing, but still smiling. I was beyond exhausted at this point, all I wanted to do was fall down any where and sleep, but my family insisted I ate first. I was glad, I hadn't realized how hungry I was! Now it is late and I must recover from my long, exciting day.
This morning I woke up thinking "Who's on desk, who's on the floors, how many departs are there, and what am I going to do after work?" Then, before I opened my eyes, I took a moment to think...this place did not smell like my room. In an instant it all came back to me: the long layovers, the never ending flights, the greetings, the unpacking, the chaotic beauty of entering a country so different from your own. Right down to the moment I laid my head down on that pillow to sleep. Then I began the hectic thoughts of "I don't know Thai!" I began to question my doing this. I became frantic. Then I heard loud banging on my door. "What is going on?!" I thought to myself. My eyes flew open and I jumped for the door. "Hi! We take you to lunch. Steaks!" It was my host sister, Kung, and her friend Fon. It was at that moment I realized, I'm OK here. I came here to experience this. I also realized it was 12PM and I had slept half the day away. I quickly got dressed and rushed downstairs. We piled into the car and pulled out of the driveway. For a fleeting moment I forgot they drove on the left and was convinced we were about to die. That moment passed after I grasped my seat belt and quickly groped for the buckle. I realized how silly I was for forgetting such a simple thing. I relaxed and began to focus on other things, such as the music that was playing. Britney Spears, Lady Gaga, and other various remakes of English music. Now, I would be ignorant to say it was American music, but it was in English and we do listen to it quite often in America. We arrived to a little restaurant where they had only steaks and pastas. Again, English music was playing, this time love songs. Songs such as "Stand by Me" and "My Girl". Songs that remind me of home. After our lunch, we piled back in the car and headed to a bakery. This time I was less frantic for my seat belt. After we had cake and my beloved coffee, we went back home. Despite all the sleep I had the previous night, I felt exhausted. Yet, there was still more to do. The three of us met up with my host dad and went to the market to buy food.
Once we were home, my host mom plopped me in front of the TV and showed me all of the channels that were in English: the news, some discovery channel, and a self-help channel. I opted for the soccer game, even though it was in Thai, it was easy enough for me to understand what was going on. I later met Nut, in front of that very TV. He managed to find a channel that was very similar to our VH1. While there with my host mom and Nut, we started attempting to communicate. They are very kind and very patient with me. They asked me what kind of music I liked, and I told them all kinds. They wanted to know specific artists though. At that point, Adam Lamberts "If I Had You" had come on. Oh Emma. I told them, "I love this song." They laughed, but I meant it. My host mom then repeated his name a couple times, and wrote it down. She is such a sweet-heart. He asked me if I liked Eminem, I told him yes, I did. He was surprised that I liked rap. Soon Kloy arrived with two of her friends, Fai and Aime. They were very exciting. "You want to go with us?" She asked me in English, yes she knew English. I quickly responded "Chai!" Which is yes in Thai. They were both surprised and excited. They whisked Nut and I away and off to the market we went. They call it the Big C. We wandered around the market and they had me try various foods. It was all very exciting and different from what I am used to. They love English words. They ask me how to pronounce certain words, and then laugh as they try to say them. After some time, we went back home and talked in the living room. We tried some sushi, some of it was weird, but some was very good. They're favorite thing to say now is "One bite! Just one bite!" They are all very funny and exciting. They drain the energy right out of me, or is that the jet lag?
Day 2: August 29th
I woke up very early this morning. 7:30 AM. I don't know why, but I just could not sleep. I went downstairs and watched "Dumbo" then turned on a soccer game. A few hours later, my host mom joined me and showed me around outside. They love to tell me about their family, and I love to learn. Fon came in soon and I went with her to the Big C. We rented some movies and then had Thai massages. They were amazing. Sometimes, when we go out, I forget how different I am from everyone else, until I notice people staring at me. We went back home again for a bit before setting out yet again. Fon needed to go to the bookstore and asked if I wanted to come along. I, being the Rotary student that I am said "Chai!" "Yes!" After the bookstore, we stopped at a bakery for some cake and a chat. She has been helping me quite a bit with my Thai, and I have been trying to help her with her English. Again this bakery was playing English music, but this time it was Joshua Radin's "I'd Rather be With You". Home seems to follow me everywhere. When we got back home, I had planned on putting my things away and heading back downstairs, but I sat down for two seconds and BAM! I was asleep. It was almost 6PM when I woke up, knowing Kloy and her friends would be there any minute. I leapt out of bed, made myself somewhat presentable, and raced for the door. Just as I opened it and stepped out, there they were, heading up the stairs. That would have been an interesting awakening. What I thought was going to be three had multiplied into six. The more the merrier! As we stepped outside of the house, the Rotary president pulled into the driveway. At first I thought I was going to be in trouble, despite the fact that I had done nothing bad. He simply wanted to know about my visa and how things were. Of course he said all of this in Thai to my host parents, and before any of this could be relayed to me, we were saying our goodbyes and piling into a car. Yes, all seven of us piled into one teensy tiny car. Seat belts are a thing of the past to me now. The entire night seemed to fly by in an instant. We fanangled our way into a parking spot, found a place to eat, visited with Finn, then piled back into the car once again, all in the blink of an eye. Once we returned home, we gathered around a table and talked with my host dad about my visa and the upcoming Rotary conference. He, as did everyone else including me, had no idea about the visa, so he got Big on the phone. Big, so useful in times of need, also did not know, but told me not to worry, so I won't. Worst comes to worst, I get deported.
Day 3: August 30
Today I went down for breakfast around 9. My host father then showed me how to work the DVD player and handed me a stack of movies. They were American movies, but of course they were all in Thai. I opted for Harry Potter and The Order of the Phoenix, because I had seen it so many times, I would still be able to understand what was going on. He then came back, about an hour later, and told me he would take me to get my school uniform. He said it in Thai, and even though I couldn't understand him, I somehow knew what he was saying. Just to be sure I wasn't confused, he called Big to explain to me what was going on. This very chipper woman, who was the presidents wife, helped to have me fitted. It was quite the experience. I had no idea what anyone was saying, so I smiled, nodded, and followed their prompts. I'm getting very good at that. It was then that I met the man who was driving all the time. His name was, and I hope I'm spelling this right, Eh. I also decided to try out a new Thai phrase, so I said "Yin dee te-dai ru juk" which I think means "nice to meet you". They seemed to understand what I was saying, and they laughed, so I laughed too. On our way back, we made a quick stop at his work. For a moment I was confused as to where we were, but I got out anyway. Moments later, after collecting Kung, we climbed back in. "We are taking you to lunch!" She told me. They also proceeded to teach me how to say some things in Thai, it was very helpful, and slightly entertaining. My host dad seems to love talking to me and teaching me Thai, because in turn I teach them words in English. The place we were going to go to for lunch was closed, so we went to KFC instead. They love chicken. "Gai!" I don't think I have ever been so full in my life, yet they always insist that I eat more. "Im!" I say "Im maak!!" "Very full!" We arrived at home around 2PM.
Once again, Kloy and her many friends arrived to pick me up for dinner. I heard the fateful knocking, knowing it was them, I rushed to the door. I pulled it open so quickly that I almost hit myself in the face, this happens often, but there was no one on the other side. For a moment I was convinced I had imagined it, but I was sure I had heard Kloy say my name. All of a sudden they jumped out from around the corner! It scared me so much that I actually screamed, like a girl. High pitched girly scream and I jumped about eight feet in the air. They, of course, laughed. "Ba, ba! Let's go!" They told me between fits of giggles. We went to the palace to feed to fish and the ducks. There was a beautiful shrine to pray and make wishes, so Kloy decided to teach me how. She lit the incense for me and I was very frightened that she would burn something. If you knew her, you would understand. We said our prayer and then stuck the incense in the sand. On our pathway out, there were two dogs simply lying there. Dogs are everywhere here, just laying around. Sleeping dogs have the right of way here. (If you know where that quote is from, I would be very impressed. Nick Summers should know). Aime was afraid of the ducks, so we didn't feed them for very long. They enjoyed saying "duck" and "goose" so much, that I decided to teach them the game "duck, duck, goose". They caught on very quickly, and the enjoyed it too, but apparently we were too loud. One of the security guards scolded us for being too loud. It was about time we left anyway. We had dinner and went through our usual "One bite!" routine and I met even more of Kloy's friends. All just as funny and exciting as she is. They decided they wanted to take me out for lunch tomorrow and introduce me to more of their friends. She has so many friends!
Day 4: August 31
Today I was picked up around 11 by Aime and we went to her university. There we met with many of her other friends, some I knew already and others I met for the first time. They are all just as exciting and friendly as if they've known me for years. We had some time to kill before others were out of class and ready to go to lunch, so they took me around their campus. It is much smaller than most of our colleges in America and much more beautiful. While at the college, Aime had to drop off a paper for one of her classes, on the fourth floor. We took the elevator up, it was very crowded and mostly girls. I was in the back so no one really noticed me, it was on the way back down that someone clearly recognized my presence. One kid, a boy, kept going in and out, in and out, not deciding if he wanted to ride down or not, meanwhile his friends are laughing. One other boy, however, was pressing the "door close" button. One last time, the boy went out, then changed his mind to come back in, unfortunately for him, however, the door quickly closed in his face and would not open again. We all burst out in laughter. The look on his face: priceless. The boy who had been pressing the buttons turned to me and said "It was not my fault." Up until this point, I had forgotten I was American. We made it down and into the bustle of people. We arrived back to the cafeteria and alas, we met up with the rest of the girls who were going to lunch with us. As always, we had far too many people for one car, so instead we took a car and motorcycles. Kloy turned to me, laughing, "Courtney! You want to ride motorbike?!" As I always answer when faced with that kind of question, I enthusiastically say "Chai!" And climb on the back. It was amazing. If you have never ridden one before, I highly recommend it. After lunch, we piled into the car and others parted on motorcycles. Of course we still had too many people for the car, but that was no problem. I have come to realize that the seat belt sign is always lit and payed no mind, just as the analog clock. Off we went to the Songdhammakalyani Temple, the symbol of Nakhon Pathom. There, we prayed, or made a wish, and stuck gold pieces of paper on statues. We also got our fortune by shaking a container of sticks until one fell out. Each stick has a number and you take the one that fell out to a monk, who gives you a piece of paper with your fortune on it. Then we went to kneel in front of a monk with a microphone. I had no idea what was going on, and told Kloy this. She told me to follow him, indicating to the monk, but with her accent, I thought she said something in Thai. Naturally I repeated what I thought she said to me to the monk. He laughed and said something to her in Thai. Then it hit me. "Oh, haha, chai, chai!!" Then he began. We repeated his chant after him, word for wordish, as best as we could, then poured some water into a bowl, and poured that water onto a tree. After that confusing, yet very interesting ritual, we left and headed back home.
After a resting period and some movies, a nap, I woke up to my host dad knocking on the door of the room I was in. I said something to me, but I was still too groggy to truly understand; I got up and followed him anyway. We went out to the car and Ai, I know I must be spelling that wrong, laughed at me for having just woken up, of course I laughed too. He is, from what I've gathered, their driver. He is very friendly and loves to say hello to me as I get into the car slightly confused. We drove to their work, picked up my host mom, then went out to pick up Kung for dinner. We pulled off to the side of the road and I heard loud music playing and Eh laughing. When I looked over to my left, I saw a large group of mostly woman dancing. Zoomba! Yes, my friends, they have Zoomba in Thailand. My host dad got out of the car to find Kung while I waited with Eh and my host mom. I look up to see Eh watching me in the rear-view mirror, then he started to dance! He is not a very good dancer, but it was very entertaining. My host mom laughed and started dancing too. They asked me how to say it in English and I told them, but they did not understand, so I began to dance as well. Nothing says bonding like dancing in a car with people who barely understand you. Kung was no where to be found so we set off to dinner without her. My host mom asked me what I liked to eat, and I racked my brain for Thai words of food I liked. The first thing that came to mind was "gai" or chicken. Naturally, they took me to KFC. Before I continue, I would like to sidetrack for a moment and tell a story. Once, after a Rotary meeting, Alison and I were picked up by her dad. We were both very hungry and we knew we would have to work when we returned, the hotel was desperate. So we made a quick stop at KFC. There we saw a pregnant woman with braces and a family of a mother, a father, and their two kids. We joked about there being nothing like a family outing at KFC. Alison also pointed out the pregnant woman with braces, saying that would be me some day. Anyway, back to Thailand. So there I was, at KFC, bonding with my host mom and my host dad. Nothing like a family outing at KFC. My host dad decided to take that time to teach me numbers in Thai. I didn't have the heart to tell him I already knew them, so I went along with it. If he ever asks, I learned Thai numbers off of a KFC menu. At this time he showed an uncanny ability to know exactly when I'm thinking I need something. There I was thinking, I sure could use a napkin, or three, when he handed me three napkins. Now at first I thought this may have been a coincidence, or that it may have had something to do with the fact that I had ketchup and mayonnaise dripping from my chin, but there's more. After we had finished eating and he had returned from his walk, as he always does when he is im maa, I was sitting there thinking, "if only there was a sink right here so I could wash my hands." No sooner had I thought this, he directed me to a sink right beside me! Now, at this point you may believe me, but you may also think I'm crazy. I promise you, I am not. We were walking around in the market by a stand of odds and ends. Since I have been here, I have desperately been wanting Q-tips, but have never found them. I was thinking about this as we walked around, wondering how to ask if they knew where I could find Q-tips, when my host mom walks up to me with a package of Q-tips and asked is I wanted any. I was so excited that I exclaimed "Oh! Chai!" And I may or may not have jumped up and down for a second, I will not disclose that information. She was so excited by my excitement that she ran off and grabbed another package! I am now set on Q-tips for quite some time. My ears are very happy. We pile back into the car, Eh looks at me and says "Im?" "Chai!," I replied, "Im maa!" And another round of laughter as Courtney attempts to speak Thai. As my host mom is explaining to me what this huge building is, I realize we were going in it. It is basically the same as Home Depot. Like the lost puppy I was, I followed them into the store, not knowing what to expect. My host dad was looking at locks for doors, like the ones they have at hotels, and I couldn't keep myself from playing with one. He asked me which one I liked best and I, thinking he was just asking my opinion, pointed to one, because it was very shiny. He chose that one. I thought we just had the same opinion, it turned out it was for my bedroom door when I sleep at night. As we wandered around the store, I couldn't help but notice how we looked like an odd, sort of miss-matched family. I was in the middle of this thought when Ai tried to convince me to jump into the cart. That was the end of my deep thinking for the evening. Soon our shopping was done and we were checking out. We arrived home and I was exhausted.
Day 5: September 1
This morning, as I do every morning, I walked downstairs around 9 for breakfast, this morning, however, I was not alone. I was accompanied by my host dad. He taught me how to say ham, egg, toast, and sausage in Thai and insisted I taught him the English. He is as eager to learn as I am. He, and Kung , my host sister, joined me again for lunch. This time we ate at the dining table in the front room. We had fish, still in the fish shape, and various vegetables. I did not eat a lot because I was still full from breakfast. I'm not used to eating so much! After lunch, they went to work, after my host mom brought me a KFC menu and ordered yet more food! The food arrived, but at this point it was just her and I eating. When we were done and about to leave, my host dad arrived. His face lit up with glee when he saw the KFC. So I sat back down at the table and joined him as he ate. He loves KFC.
It's pouring! Oh how I love the rain. Nothing stops when it is raining here. It's not like in Cooperstown where we get to watch the tourists run around and find shelter. The only thing that changes is the dogs lay under overhangs rather than in the streets. While I was sitting, watching a movie, my host dad came in with a book. It was a book, in Thai, on how to say things in English. We started out with very simple questions I could easily answer in Thai, but then it became difficult. Naturally I whipped out my English to Thai dictionary to accurately answer his questions. Of course I was pronouncing everything wrong so he tried to help. Unfortunately the print is very small on this particular dictionary, too small for his glasses, so he had to use a magnifying glass. We must have seemed quite the pair, him mispronouncing questions in English, and me mispronouncing answers in Thai, then him squinting through a magnifying glass at my little book. After a while of this rendition, we went out for dinner, this time pizza. First, he wanted to buy me yogurt because that's what I had answered when he asked what I liked to eat for breakfast. While we were walking around the super market, he was looking at some tools, and of course, just a little ways down were three shelves of the fluffiest teddy bears I had ever seen. Now, a side note: I have this problem where if I see something soft or fluffy, I HAVE to touch it. There's no stopping me. I thought, "He's preoccupied with his tools, he won't notice if I sneak a little squeeze." So I snuck over to the teddy bears and, oh my goodness! They were so fluffy! They were the true definition of fluffy. Of course I took too long, I just couldn't keep my hands off of them! My host dad caught me. He laughed and said "Me too." the walked over and squeezed the teddy bear. I'm not the only one. Back to dinner. Pizza. My host parents insist on American food. They love it. I don't blame them! American food here is infinitely better than the American food in America. I just had the best slice of pizza in my life. I'm sorry Sal's, but I couldn't stay faithful. Yet again, we climbed into the car and went home. One of my favorite parts of the night is riding home with my host mom, my host dad, and Ai and just listening to them talk. I can't understand a word of what they are saying, but it is somehow comforting. When we arrived home, I met my younger host sister Koy. She asked me to help her because she has to read a book in English but she doesn't understand it. Alas, I am of some use here!
Day 6: September 2
Again I had breakfast with my host dad. I know this is probably boring for you to read about, but it is very exciting for me to have that time with him, just the two of us. He left to go deal with some business, and soon called me over to him. He needed help writing a man's name on a check, in English. Again, I am of use! He then brought me to his work for a little bit. I watched them make ice! I have never seen such a thing before! To me making ice is pouring water into an ice cube tray and then setting it in the freezer for a time. This was an ice making factory! I watched as huge blocks of ice slid down a conveyor belt and then were loaded into a truck. It was fascinating. We went back home a talked a bit more, but then he had to go back to work.
We went out to dinner tonight, my host mom, my host dad, Kung, and I, with another woman and her daughter who are always in our house, I'm assuming they are relatives of my host family. The little girl is the cutest little girl I have ever met. At the restaurant we met up with Finn's dad, who actually owned the restaurant. I'm pretty sure I ate the entire cast of the little mermaid tonight. I'm sorry Ariel, but your friends are delicious. I'm not actually sure of most of what I ate, but I ate it anyway. I figure it's probably best for me not to know. Towards the end of the night, Finn joined us just after school. I always love when he comes to visit. We sat around the table chatting, well the adults talking amongst themselves and Finn and I having a conversation on the side. It really isn't the most exciting of stories, but it was exciting for me to be there with them. This was the definition of a family-style dinner. All of the food is put on a smaller table on top of the table, which spins around. Everyone spins it around and takes what ever they want to eat. Who ever sits next to me usually ends up doing this for me because sometimes I can be quite inept. It was a short night, but an enjoyable one. I like watching them talk to each other; all talking over each other, but to each other at the same time and still understanding what the others are saying. It's very confusing at times, and often makes my head hurt, but I enjoy it none-the-less.
Day 7: September 3
Today I had to get up early! As in, I had to be out of the house by nine, not that early. Aime and her mom picked me up to go to Bangkok! Well, to meet Kloy and Fai to catch the van to Bangkok. We took one van for about twenty minutes, then switched to one we rode for an hour all the way to Bangkok. Once in the city, we took two sky trains, which are basically subways but above ground, to Siam. We went into one of the malls and met with Kade, Nan, and Poi. This mall was huge. It had more than four floors. I cannot recall the exact amount because I was too dumbfounded by the amount of up escalators to count. On I believe the third or second floor, we went to a Japanese buffet restaurant where we met Iciez. Basically, there was a big pot in the middle of the table, but it wasn't on the table, but set in, kind of like an in-ground pool. There was some form of heat that caused the contents of this pot, some form of broth, to be always boiling. The pot was separated into two halves: spicy and not spicy. Next to the tables was one long train of plates with some form of raw food. The point was, when a plate of something you wanted came by you, you grabbed it and put the contents into the pot. The boiling broth would cook the food, and you would have a delicious soup. This was an ingenious idea. We had exactly one hour and twenty minutes to eat all that we could possibly eat. When it was time for us to leave, we headed to another mall. First we parted with Kade, then Nan and Fai. It was down to Kloy, Aime, Iciez, Poi, and I. I believe it was called the Phahonyothin Mall. This mall was not what I would call a mall. It was a shop-ahaulics dream, or demise. It was at least seven stories tall and crammed full of what I we would call stores. They were more like stalls of items to sell. We were there for hours. I had never been shopping for so long in my life. I was beyond tired when we finally left. We were standing, waiting for a bus when the clouds began to roll in. We all new what was coming. It was soon a race to see which would come first: the rain or our bus. We hoped for our bus, but our prayers were not answered. Drop by drop the rain began to fall, faster and harder. It was soon pouring and our bus still had not arrived. We ran for cover under an overhang. Huddled together among strangers, we waited. Finally, it arrived and everyone went running for it. We could see from the outside the bus was already crowded. As we were boarding the bus, Aime caught a man trying to put his hand in her bag, and yelled at him. We were very cautious from then on. We stood in yet another huddle on the bus around a pole. At this point Iciez and Poi had taken a different bus and it was just Kloy, Aime and I, so we took up slightly less room. The bus ride was long and tiring for we had to stand for the majority of it and there was a traffic jam, causing it to take even longer. When we had finally reached our destination, it was pouring. We held hands and ran across streets through the pouring ran, hoping to make our van. Fortunately we did, just in time. It was a quiet trip back to Nakhon Pathom. The journey does not end here, however. Once off the van, it was still pouring and we still had to get home. Our only mode of transportation was Kloy's motorbike. We piled on and after having to start it a few times, we were on our way. I love riding on that thing, even more so in the rain. We were laughing and screaming the entire way. Every time we were passed by another car, we were splashed with a wall of water. I arrived home drenched and freezing, but still smiling. I was beyond exhausted at this point, all I wanted to do was fall down any where and sleep, but my family insisted I ate first. I was glad, I hadn't realized how hungry I was! Now it is late and I must recover from my long, exciting day.
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