5 months in another country = 2 bags.
My carry-on luggage and my backpack. And neither are exceedingly heavy either. Now the question is just, what did I forget? Which undoubtedly will only be answered when I actually need said item.
Tomorrow is my last dinner at home. Then I'll spend Wednesday night at Steve's before departing on Thursday. Needless to say, we will be eating good tomorrow night. Dad is cooking us up some steaks, and there is blue moon ice cream (my favorite and it should be yours too) for dessert.
At this point I am wondering what I'll miss most about America, and I'm not quite sure. I feel as though I will have most of the 'comforts of home' over there also. English, i think is what I will miss more. At this moment, I speak about 5 phrases and 5 random words of Thai. I like the game charades, but I have a feeling it will begin to wear thin on me if it has to be my main way to communicate.
Monday, December 28, 2009
Friday, December 25, 2009
Merry Christmas
Merry Christmas to all who celebrate it!
Thailand, being a predominately Buddhist country does not celebrate Christmas as a national holiday, however the secular aspects of it creep into their culture more year after year, mostly due to shop owners seeing the monetary benefit of a holiday tradition based around buying stuff for people.
As for my christmas, Santa, unsurprisingly, blessed me with gifts perfect for my trip to Thailand.
Clothing for a tropical environment:
~A lightweight rain slicker that rolls up into a small pouch.
~A lightweight tee-shirt designed to wick sweat away from my body.
~Lightweight trousers (shorts are only worn by tourists, Thais almost always wear full length pants).
~A button up shirt that repels mosquitoes. I dont know exactly how its possible, but they apparently infused the shirt with mosquito repellent. Hopefully it will work on my trip to Cambodia, when i will be in a malaria zone.
In addition to Santa's thoughtful gifts my aunts and uncles also chipped in to assist my journey
~A money/passport pouch. Im said this is a must for international travel. It makes me feel like a badass worldwise traveler, so I dig it.
~Inflatable Travel Pillow. Its like and upgraded version of when i would inflate a plastic bag from lunch to use as a pillow in high school.
~1500 Baht in 20, 50 and 100 Baht notes. Lovely money, the color of monopoly. The most interesting thing is that the 100 Baht note is slightly longer than the 50 and the 50 is longer than the 20.
(33 Baht equal 1 Dollar, so this is about 45 Dollars worth of Thai Money)
Less than a week till I depart. I suppose I should give some thought to packing. . . Nah.
Thailand, being a predominately Buddhist country does not celebrate Christmas as a national holiday, however the secular aspects of it creep into their culture more year after year, mostly due to shop owners seeing the monetary benefit of a holiday tradition based around buying stuff for people.
As for my christmas, Santa, unsurprisingly, blessed me with gifts perfect for my trip to Thailand.
Clothing for a tropical environment:
~A lightweight rain slicker that rolls up into a small pouch.
~A lightweight tee-shirt designed to wick sweat away from my body.
~Lightweight trousers (shorts are only worn by tourists, Thais almost always wear full length pants).
~A button up shirt that repels mosquitoes. I dont know exactly how its possible, but they apparently infused the shirt with mosquito repellent. Hopefully it will work on my trip to Cambodia, when i will be in a malaria zone.
In addition to Santa's thoughtful gifts my aunts and uncles also chipped in to assist my journey
~A money/passport pouch. Im said this is a must for international travel. It makes me feel like a badass worldwise traveler, so I dig it.
~Inflatable Travel Pillow. Its like and upgraded version of when i would inflate a plastic bag from lunch to use as a pillow in high school.
~1500 Baht in 20, 50 and 100 Baht notes. Lovely money, the color of monopoly. The most interesting thing is that the 100 Baht note is slightly longer than the 50 and the 50 is longer than the 20.
(33 Baht equal 1 Dollar, so this is about 45 Dollars worth of Thai Money)
Less than a week till I depart. I suppose I should give some thought to packing. . . Nah.
Monday, December 21, 2009
5 Things I Won't Do in Thailand
Many people ask me what I will do in Thailand. I can really give nothing more than a general idea, since I will figure most of it out when I get there. However, there are certain things that I will not do.
1. Say bad things about the King
The Thai government is a constitutional monarchy, similar to that of Britain. However, in the Thai tabloids you will not find scandalous stories about the royalty. The royal family his held in utmost respect and insult leveled at them is committing the crime of lese majeste.
2. Use my feet to point at anything.
The feet are the filthiest part of the body, and it is quite the insult to point my feet at someone or something (especially the soles), or to have feet at a higher level than a statue of Buddha, the king, or a monk.
3. Get in a yelling match
Thailand is often known as the land of smiles. This is because thai people rarely show anger or annoyance, and instead smile in most situations. It is considered a great loss of face if you are to show frustration.
(should be a good lesson that i can put into practice in the theater)
4. PDA
The most you will see in regards to Public Displays of Affection in thailand in holding hands, and even then it is more accepted if it is two same gender friends rather than a couple.
5. Walk Around Shirtless
Hmm, I may have trouble with this one, but apparently Thai's tend to dress modestly, and only a westerner would be caught in public shirtless. Although I am a westerner, I am trying to learn about the culture.
1. Say bad things about the King
The Thai government is a constitutional monarchy, similar to that of Britain. However, in the Thai tabloids you will not find scandalous stories about the royalty. The royal family his held in utmost respect and insult leveled at them is committing the crime of lese majeste.
2. Use my feet to point at anything.
The feet are the filthiest part of the body, and it is quite the insult to point my feet at someone or something (especially the soles), or to have feet at a higher level than a statue of Buddha, the king, or a monk.
3. Get in a yelling match
Thailand is often known as the land of smiles. This is because thai people rarely show anger or annoyance, and instead smile in most situations. It is considered a great loss of face if you are to show frustration.
(should be a good lesson that i can put into practice in the theater)
4. PDA
The most you will see in regards to Public Displays of Affection in thailand in holding hands, and even then it is more accepted if it is two same gender friends rather than a couple.
5. Walk Around Shirtless
Hmm, I may have trouble with this one, but apparently Thai's tend to dress modestly, and only a westerner would be caught in public shirtless. Although I am a westerner, I am trying to learn about the culture.
Sunday, December 20, 2009
Adios Lincoln!
On Friday I finished my finals, packed my minivan full of Steve's and my stuff and cruised out of Lincoln. As we said our farewells to friends and acquaintances we were given a plethora of advice for our trip to thailand. Most of it, however was squarely in one of two camps.
1) Be safe.
2) Don't be safe.
I think everyone knows which advice I prefer to follow. However, I think the most sage (sagest?) bit of advice was "Get in dangerous situations, just don't die".
So never fear, everyone, I fully intend on not dieing. (and if i do the heath insurance covers repatriation of remains, so you can still come to my funeral, in which everyone is welcome to give a eulogy, and it should be more like a roast than anything)
1) Be safe.
2) Don't be safe.
I think everyone knows which advice I prefer to follow. However, I think the most sage (sagest?) bit of advice was "Get in dangerous situations, just don't die".
So never fear, everyone, I fully intend on not dieing. (and if i do the heath insurance covers repatriation of remains, so you can still come to my funeral, in which everyone is welcome to give a eulogy, and it should be more like a roast than anything)
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
Ready To Go
Well, the plane tickets are purchased, the Visa is in hand, and this semester is almost done, which means that I am ready to head to Southeast Asia. My travel buddy, Steve, on the other hand forgot to mail his passport along with his Visa application, but I'm sure it will all come together soon.
I'm sure everyone is wondering what a pair of theater majors are studying abroad in Bangkok for, and if I ever figure it out myself, I'll be sure to let you all know. But for now I'll stick with the response that I've given everyone else who has asked: I'm going for the Culture Shock. I only get to study abroad once, so I might as well make it as far from America as I can. And so, Thailand it is!
I'm sure everyone is wondering what a pair of theater majors are studying abroad in Bangkok for, and if I ever figure it out myself, I'll be sure to let you all know. But for now I'll stick with the response that I've given everyone else who has asked: I'm going for the Culture Shock. I only get to study abroad once, so I might as well make it as far from America as I can. And so, Thailand it is!
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