Not Busy, Just Thai'd Up

 

Movies:  Spirited Away is awesome- watch it.  Adam, the head of the SEAIGS program, has set up a weekly movie screening in which he features documentaries and films that highlight a bunch of human rights issues happening around Southeast Asia.  Who Killed Chea Vichea is about the political killing of an important labor rights leader in Cambodia, and At the Horizon is a film that gives a voice to the Lao people in the face of a corrupt justice system.  I encourage everyone to watch them, despite the feelings of world-loathing, sickening anger, and incredible sadness that might be experienced.  The hard facts of life have to be faced so that changes can be made and more light can be brought into the world.

 

Here are pictures of my room! Pictures of my Thai roommates may come later- you’ve already seen Alex.  It bothers me that the walls are so bare and white.  Tis why I hung up my favorite Yugioh cards and my Lego men in my corner of the room.  I basically sleep and dump my shit in the room, and hang out in the common area all day long.  So there’s not too much to say about that. 

 

The bathrooms.  The bathrooms are fun- I will refer you to this blog post about the bathrooms because it is well-writ, and because Rachael is also in the same program! So read on, fellahs!

 

My budget- lemme tell ya what.  Getting rides to places is by far the most expensive thing that I am doing here. I have to spend money every time I want to go somewhere, and it is frustrating.

 

Ethnic identity.  People are obsessed with appearances.  They say, “where are you from?” I say that I’m from America.  And then they ask me my origins again, gesturing to the face.  Sometimes, people just assume that I am Thai, and proceed to ramble in really fast Thai to me, until they realize that I have absolutely no idea what I’m saying.  I need to master the Thai language so people will believe that I’m Thai, and will not rip me off because I’m a foreigner.

 

School work is starting to happen.  Just a few hours ago, I finished writing two mid-term essays for my Social and Cultural History class.  I know I am here to study, but sometimes I wish that I weren’t.  There is so much more to do here than read textbooks and write essays, although it is fascinating to do schoolwork about another country while residing there.

 

New stuff.  Cliff-jumping! Umm I don’t feel like re-writing this, therefore I will use an exerpt from a message that I sent an hour ago:

i went cliff diving/jumping in this awesome quarry.  the first jump was fine because it was a reasonable height that i've jumped before cliff-jumping in hawaii, but the second jump- it was incredibly scary, and i almost didn't do it because not only was it super tall, but the cliff angled out and i was afraid i would hit the rocks. but then a thai girl i didn't know said "jump with me". so i did! and i landed on my ankle, which made swimming hell- my ankle is swollen now. and i have a gash in the bottom of my foot. which is annoying and should make muay thai (which is done barefoot on concrete floor for some of the training) interesting. so hopefully my ankle heals up by wednesday. later that night we went to an arabian restaurant slash hookah place. and i tried hookah. matt and i switched shirts because he wasn't dressed properly for the black and white party he was going to afterward (i went home). i was wearing a white overshirt. i walked out of the restaurant before he could say he wanted to switch shirts, which was hilarious. the boob lines on the shirt were evident and he looked like a gay european. i was proud of myself.