Do you like how professional and descriptive that title is?
Sweet beans, because I put a lot of thought into it. Ard. So, for all you
children who are very inquisitive or don’t feel like doing too much research,
or want to be EXTRA prepared for what’s to come, read on. All of my parents and friends reading this
who have no intention of ever coming to Thailand, just don’t read this
page. It’ll be a waste of time unless
you want to hear me complain. Also, sorry that there are no pictures. I'm being lazy today.
Let’s get on with it!
1) You
probably got a packing list from your school.
It won’t be sufficient.
Especially if you come from St. Mary’s and you are not a
minimalist. Buy your own uniform shirts-
they have shirts here, but they are not breathable and make you sweat ten times
more than you would ever have to if you were wearing the right material. To make the situation even more irritating,
they tell you right off the bat that Thais don’t like you to be smelly or look
disheveled. While you are red-faced,
sweating profusely through your pristine unwrinkled shirts, hair sticking to
your forehead, while all of the Thais look like frickin perfect porcelain
dolls. Get your own uniform shirts.
Also, they tell you to pack like
eight shirts and two pairs of shorts.
No. You are allowed to pack
more. I wore more lounging clothing than
anything. You are in the city, so yes,
you are allowed to pack a few tank tops.
At night, half the city is dressed in a slutty fashion, so if you wanna
bring your tiny black dress, you can do it.
But, bringing conservative clothing
is VERY important. This means clothing
that covers your shoulders and knees if you are a girl. For guys, you are jerks and can pretty much
get away with anything. Just dress
decently. Girls, you will need these
conservative clothes not only for temples, but for more traditional places. Some places will also prefer that you wear
white to the temples, such as in the village that you will visit sometime
during the semester.
Speaking of the village- make sure
you pack all conservative clothing and clothing that you will not mind getting
dirty. You will be doing some grimey
work. We helped them build a dam in the middle of the jungle- you will want to
be covered from mosquitos and mud and whatnot.
Now, don’t be too stingy when
packing, but also don’t take too much.
If you think you are taking a lot, take some stuff out. Either that, or take a bunch of stuff you
don’t mind leaving behind in Thailand.
Also, Ozzie (super cool guy) and I set up a sort of Good Will thing
where students in my group left behind a bunch of stuff like bedroom
necessities, clothes, etc. for future students to buy things at a very cheap
price. The funds will go to Healing
Family Foundation. So, if you don’t want
to pack too much, you can go shopping here at Payap!
2) Make
sure you know how to ride a bike. Payap
is a bit isolated, but there are some great things that are not too far
away. It’s sometimes a hassle to walk
because of the heat and because Thailand has virtually no sidewalks, so it’s
nice to have a bike. You can rent a
shitty one on campus or you can buy one in the city. Trust me, it’ll be liberating, and you will
save time and costs on songtaews (red taxis) which literally ate my wallet.
3) Make
friends with the Thai people. It’ll give
you a great chance to practice your Thai, and it’s a better way to learn more
about the culture, society, and just things around Chiang Mai. Some might even invite you to their
homes! In town, try speaking Thai when
haggling with songtaew drivers and salespeople- they think it’s cute and it
might be easier to get a lower price. Also,
SMILE! Thailand is the ‘Land of Smiles’ so get with the program.
4) Explore. There’s a lot of cool stuff to see in
Thailand. Just go through my links page
on this blog and you can find out about a bunch of cool stuff to see. Ask around, go online, walk around town. You’ll find a lot of neat nooks. As far as
food goes, if you get tired of the school cafeterias, there are some really
great cheap restaurants right outside of campus near 7Eleven. Speaking of 7Eleven- they are literally
everywhere, and a great place to break your 1000 baht bills. Explore the food in there too! You never know if you’ll like that
questionable orange liquid or those fishy strips, unless you put it in your
mouth!
5) TRY
NEW THINGS! OR I’LL PUNCH YOU!
6) Be
friends with the Payap staff- they’re annoying sometimes, but they’re really
sweet people. It’s easy, just smile,
wai, and say “sa wad dee kha (if you are a girl)/ sa wad dee kap (if you are a
boy)”.
7) Get
involved. You can do this on or off
campus. On campus, there is the
International Community, and Ozzie Crocco is pretty much in charge of this. I wish I could recommend a lot of the other
great staff members, but many of them are leaving L Ozzie is really cool
and he’ll get you in touch with a lot of people. IC hosts a lot of really cool events like
International Day and Community Outreach Days.
Play sports with the Thai kids outside of Alpha or Sigma. Join the dance team, try out for the talent
show, start a mural project (like I did!- see future blog post to find out how
I did it), blah blah blah!
Or, do service within the city. There are a good many organizations to work
with. You just gotta find out what you
are interested in! Help children whose
parents have AIDS, help people with disabilities, help abandoned animals, help
sex workers, get an internship at an environmental law firm, help ethnic hill
tribes, teach English or Chemistry to Burmese refugees so that they can pass
the GED. There’s so much here, and it’s
a really rewarding experience. You get
to see an entirely different side of Thailand, and you leave knowing that you
gave back to a little bit of the community.
8) Take
every opportunity to learn. Being here
is not only about the academics- you can learn in so many different ways. You can’t grow, and you can’t really know
about Thailand without taking hold of every opportunity.
9) Oh!
Definitely don’t forget to pack gifts from your hometown! You’ll need them for
your roommate(s) and for your host family in the village. It’s just a really nice gesture and they like
things that they won’t really be able to get from Thailand. It doesn’t have to be anything too intense-
it can even be a weird ornament that says “Outer Banks” or maple candies or
something. I didn’t know about this tidbit- and it was really embarrassing not
having anything.
10) Keep
calm. Things get really frustrating here sometimes. But try not to be too angry or complain too
much. It’s just different, and sometimes
illogical, but really, being negative won’t get you anywhere.
11) Oh!
Pack things like soap, shampoo, makeup, and deodorant. A lot of that stuff here has whitening
chemicals in it. The Thais are trying to have white skin and facial structures
like the Koreans, so that’s why you may see some ridiculously weird looking
Thai people here. Also, ladies- pack
tampons. They are virtually impossible
to find in Thailand, and if you find them, they are ridiculously
expensive. I’m gonna invest in a Moon
Cup or a Diva Cup- maybe that would suit you a little better. Just look into it!
12) Be
prepared for grody toilets, lack of toilet paper, and soap. Bring plenty of travel-sized hand sanitizer.
13) TRAVEL!
Take advantage of the fact that you are in a different country or continent or
hemisphere! I don’t mean see all the
Southeast Asian countries for two days each- that’s just not enough to really
KNOW a country. Explore different parts
of Thailand, go to another country that you’d really like to see during the
longer breaks.
14) Hmm,
I don’t wanna give too much away. You’ve
gotta learn for yourself. But these are
just some things to keep in mind. You’re gonna have a wonderful time here-
Chiang Mai is a really great city.
Remember how lucky you are to even have this opportunity in the first
place. THAILAND, BABY! If you have any
other questions though, feel free to ask, and I’ll answer as best I can! Smiley
face.
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