Here’s some things I’ve learned and experienced being in Thailand so far:
Meat on a stick, pineapple that I picked myself (I can never again eat one from the grocery store), deep fried bananas, pink tofu, silk worms, bamboo worms, locusts, grasshoppers, dog, squid head, seaweed chips (served up like a bag of dorritos), a lot of rice and one slurpy are all tasty things I’ve eaten here.
Monkeys are herd animals. I challenge any scientist in charge of classifying such things to come here, hold out food, and not say they were charged by a large herd of monkeys.
I am now in a Thai family, I was adopted by Mae Toom (Mother Toom), and she laughs loudly every time I call her that (pronunciation is not my strong point).
I soak my shirt through with sweat a few times a day just sitting still.
Korin tradition is to drink water from a communal bowl, and the water is flavoured with fresh jasmine flowers.
The world is small. You wind up working with people like Vanya Klassen on the opposite side of the world that grew up in the same town and knows the same people as you.
My Thai name is San Di, which means ‘Good Person.’ Go figure.
When team mates are lost, it really helps if you’ve given them the emergency phone number without conveniently reversing the last two digits for them.
It also helps with stress levels if you give the team mates that are going to get lost a 3 hour head start on getting back to where you’re staying so just as you get there and realize the door should not still be locked, the lost team mates pull up on the backs of scooter taxis anyway. With the only keys to your place in hand, as a bonus.
We planted pineapples, which grow like a plant, not from trees as many people think.
I found the best Pad Thai in the world; it’s made by a lady in a banana boat at the floating market in Ratchaburi if you’d like to have some.
I can’t remember how to say ‘toilet’ but I know how to say eat, drink, and count to 99 so I can work out food prices (20 to 35 baht a plate, which is about 60 cents to $1). Priorities are obviously in order.
I thoroughly take advantage of any flushing toilet I can find. While I see them often enough, it’s just never guaranteed that you’ll see another one for a few days.
Thai people don’t seem to have this fear of self image thing that North Americans wind up with where they’re suddenly too cool to dance to weird action filled songs and just be silly. University students love our kids songs as much as kids do, and have a huge collection of their own to teach us. It’s awesome.
The thumb is not the universal hitchhiking sign. In Thailand, beckon with your hand, only flip your hand around so you’re palm down while doing it. Faster and cheaper than the bus.
