Lifestyle Thai-style (Part 2)

I am now 75% through my time of service in Thailand. This country has grown on me in so many ways, and I feel as though I am a part of it, I know for certain that it has become a part of me. There are parts of Thai culture that I absolutely love and that I have embraced and adopted, and there are other parts that just are what they are. As my time here is winding down, I realize more and more the many, many aspects of this lifestyle that I've become accustomed to that will be no more when I get to the other side.

To continue from my previous post, here are just a few more examples.

4.    Culture of Rice... Rice is engrained in many aspects of Thai culture, economy, and overall lifestyle. Up until recently, Thailand was the world's largest exporter of rice, now second to India. One informal way to greet someone is to ask "Gin kaao ru yang?" (Have you eaten rice yet?) in lieu of the more standard "Sabaai dii mai?" (Are you well?/How are you?). The general term for eating (gin kaao) literally translates to "eat rice" and the terms breakfast, lunch, and dinner, literally translate to morning rice, noon rice, and evening rice. To ask someone what they've eaten, one would say "Gin kaao gap aria?" (what did you eat with your rice?). As you may have guessed, rice is not only a part of everyday conversation, but the central part of every meal, and many desserts. It was quite the interestingly pleasant surprise the first time I bought  ice-cream in Thailand and found rice at the bottom of my cup.  At most meals, each person is served a bowl of rice and a variety of dishes are placed in the middle of the table for everyone to help themselves. It is considered disrespectful and unacceptable for a person not to finish their serving of rice.

Kaao niiao mamuang -- Sticky Rice and Mango
My  new favorite dessert! (next to cheesecake)

A rice coconut snack

Learning to make a dessert
rice cooked in coconut milk and a small slice of banana
wrapped in banana leaf

Fun for everyone LOL

Not too shabby, eh?



Blue Dyed Rice

Can you tell what's missing? 

I've been asked, "Do you ever eat rice in America?" and I'm sometimes met with a shocked response when I say that I do. Some Thai people tend to think that the equivalent to rice in America is bread. I've had to explain on many occasions that Americans don't eat hamburgers and subway sandwiches for every single meal. In fact, I recently developed a sensitivity to gluten (found in wheat, rye, and barley) and my host family's initial response was basically, "how will you ever survive when you get back to America when all they eat over there is bread?" Sure, we have terms like "bread winner" and "daily bread" but we don't have national holidays and ceremonies to commemorate the plowing of wheat.



Celebrating Father's Day with Rice Games!

We change it up occasionally. For my host mom's birthday, we had hot pot!.

5.    Alcohol… Many Most social interactions in this region of Thailand include alcohol, specifically beer and whiskey. There are areas of Thailand where it is not customary for women to drink alcohol, but where I live, everybody drinks, all the time. There is no such thing as waiting until five o’clock. At dinners and social gatherings, the host takes pride in making sure that each person’s glass is full for the duration of the event. The usual options at such gatherings are beer, whiskey, and water, so I drink lots and lots of water. Sometimes there is Coke, but I don’t drink caffeinated drinks either. There is hardly ever any sort of juice or non-caffeinated drink option, so yes, lots and lots of water. Being happy and having a good time is very important in this culture, and although there are the negative social, domestic, health, and safety implications of this manner of alcohol consumption, they don't seem to weigh as heavily as the importance of having a good time. 

Lunch-time with the teachers at school.

We had a visitor, so the good stuff was brought out.

6.    Motocy… The motorbike, or motocy as the Thais say, is the main mode of transportation in most communities throughout Thailand. It's not unusual to see a family of three or four sitting on a single bike, I see pre-teens riding motocy's full speed throughout the community, the older kids ride these bikes to and from school, I've seen people carrying live chicken on their motocy's, I've seen dogs of all sizes driven around on these bikes, people load their motocys with small and medium sized pieces of furniture, large water jugs, tons of shopping bags, parcels, luggage, and just about anything that you can imagine putting in a car. Some motocy’s even have baby seats, and I'm almost positive that I saw a mother nursing her baby on a moving bike. 

Taking a ride with the dog. Why not?

It's amusing, even awe-inspiring sometimes to see how creatively people are able to arrange and maneuver themselves and their belongings to get from point to point. It's disturbing though, to see that many riders do not wear helmets or exercise much caution when riding. I've seen people talking and texting on cell phones, riding shirtless at high speeds, dangerously weaving in and out of high traffic, I've seen both passengers and drivers eating and drinking while riding, then there is also the issue of drunk driving. My own little community has seen a handful of bike accidents and fatalities during the time that I've been here. This is a huge issue country wide, especially during times of festivities and merriment. 

 

Peace Corps prohibits volunteers from operating any motorized vehicle, and from riding (even as passengers) on motorcycles. Doing so can result in immediate termination or expulsion from service. I do my part to set a good example to my students and community by always wearing my helmet when I ride my bicycle (regardless to the fact that not wearing a helmet can also result in immediate termination of service). I teach my students bike and helmet safety, and even though many of them may not be able to access or afford helmets, I've taught them other ways that they can be safe and cautious on the road. I hope that my students, and everyone else for that matter, can avoid the tragedy of motorcy injury or fatality.

Students riding to school

Some people attach carts to their motorbikes to carry crops and produce. 

And sometimes, children.

What is a culture without quirks? Sometimes it seems like there is a YOLO mentality at play - you only live once, so have fun, be merry, take risks, enjoy life. Interesting twist though, Thai/Buddhists actually believe in multiple lives through reincarnation, and that each life should be lived fully and well. Here are a few snippets of how I've been living my life...