Don't be fooled by the red hair....I'm Thai

Last weekend, a group of Suphan farang decided to have one last hurrah on Khao San Rd. It had been a long while since I've gone wild on the most overstimulating street in the world, but we wanted to go big one last time. As we stepped into the hostel, which was bumping with backpackers from all over the world, I was instantly struck with anxiety and discomfort. I used to live for these kinds of places, so I was really thrown off by this feeling. I have been so enamored with Suphan, and thus traveling a lot less this semester. I've gotten really used to being one of few white people in a given place. I love Thinglish conversations and continual "Chon gao's" (Cheers') with Bia Singha. I love getting my photo taken with random Thai people and rocking the peace sign. I absolutely love awkwardly dancing to Thai bands at Thai bars where there are no other farang in sight. It's just the way it has been for the past year, and luckily, I love it. I embraced it long ago and have been reaping the benefits of pretty epic nights out in Suphan. So, after some thought, it was pretty understandable why I felt so out of place in a hostel teeming with farang. I forget how to interact with them. Which means only one thing..... I. Am. Thai. 


I use baby powder on a daily basis, I rely on Google Translate, I don't wait for others before eating, I only listen to Thai music, I'm a Thai band groupie, I cannot form a coherent English sentence, I double dip, I contribute to Facebook conversations (84 comments? chyeaaa), I very publicly use a toothpick after my meals, I text while tripling up on the back of a motorbike (okay it only happened once, but I felt very Thai), I cross the street at really inopportune times, I eat freaky things like deep fried shredded catfish with mango, I drink whiskey and coke, I 555 a lot, I try to avoid the sun, I crush on Thai superstars, I smell menthol tubes, I use bug spray as perfume, I eat rice every single day and miss it when I don't, the list goes on and on....


Seriously- I'm becoming Thai. When we walked into a bar later that night (to see my third 25 Hours concert in a month), we were pretty obviously the only white people in the bar, and everything felt right again. I have not only been introduced to a completely new culture this year, but I've been fully immersed in it, and somewhere along the way, I adapted to it. Which is all fine and dandy, but I am days away from embarking on a 6 week backpacking journey before going back to America. Is Thai Nell going to be completely overwhelmed or will I just 'snap' back into backpacker mode? I'm sure it will be fine...Mai Pen Rai....right?


Also- with that being said, I will have very limited access to the Internet in the next 6 weeks, and so blog posts will be far and few. 


BKK- Isaan- Laos- Siem Reap, Cambodia - BKK- some beautiful tropical island(s) TBD- Chiang Mai- Suphan- BKK - Seoul- Chicago- BOSTON (what?!?!?! ahhh!)


Suphan- I love you. I'm not ready to say goodbye. I still have a few more nights to cherish with you, so CHON GAO!

Some of my favorite people 

Best. Night. Ever.

Once upon a time, in a land far, far away, there was a farang named Nell. Nell was new to this land and though she embraced the food and the scorching sun, she was very hesitant to accept the Thai music scene. But then, one day, she heard this song and everything changed. 25 Hours had rocked her world and pranced their way into her heart. As the months passed by and her love for 25 Hours grew stronger, she knew she must see them live. But where? But how? She made it one of her top priorities to make it happen. 


The 25 Hours album had officially dominated her Itunes, circulating on repeat all day and into the night. Her friends, Sarah and Clare, also had a strong love for them, and so the three of them put their powers together to make their dreams come true. With lots of Google searches, Facebook and Twitter stalking and whole lot of Google Translate, they struck gold. 25 Hours playing in Ayutthaya, only 45 minutes away, at a small pub...that night. Excitement took hold of their bodies. 


Later that night, after many tuk-tuk and motorbike rides, there they were...sitting not more than 20 feet from the stage where P'Lam and his crew would soon come on and fill the room with their mellifluous music. As the pub filled up, their hearts grew big with anticipation. And then...it happened. 


Nell's heart was sent in a flutter when P'Lam came out and started singing their newest single, Lohk Bai Mai. At that moment she thought "I couldn't possibly be happier." She had no idea what the night had planned out for her. Within minutes, she was standing front row, inches away from the band members. She danced and grinned as they took notice of her. She let out a giddy yelp when P'Lam reached out and touched her hand. She nearly fainted when he stooped down to say something to the three girls at the end of the show. "No, really," she thought, "this night couldn't possibly get any better."


Before she knew it, they were outside posing for photos together and chatting with the members of the band. Hours whizzed by as they talked, laughed, sang and even got a preview of their not- yet released single. The night was pure bliss. 


Nell woke up the next morning with a giant smile plastered onto her face. She wondered if it had been real or just a beautiful dream. But, as she looked to her friends on either side of her, donning the same silly grins, she knew that this fairytale had been real...and she's been living on a high ever since....

It was seriously one of the best nights of my life. They were all super cool guys and they were really happy to find that they had some hardcore farang fans. Here are a couple of my favorites by them....listen- they are amazing!!!!

I'm Kind Of A Big Deal

I don't know if you've heard, but I'm kind of a big deal. Seriously- I just got like 50 new facebook friends. Big. Deal. 


Let's back up. Last week, on my daily trip to Baanya's, I was startled when I walked into the cafe and a film crew was set up. Two super cool men, one rocking purple hair, were sitting on the couch and filming their gossip show. And obviously, they couldn't resist asking three farang to get in on the action. So- they gave us their opening line and filmed us saying it. I made my Thai TV debut and it felt so great. But...that was just a preview for the real superstardom I was to encounter. 


EP Night. EP Night has been talked about since they day I arrived at Sa-nguan Ying. It's a night where we celebrate the English Program and all of its achievements. It's a chance for parents to see what the students have done and for the students to be proud of themselves. And they deserve it! They are such hard-workers and a night of fun was just what they needed. 


The students in the EP have worked so incredibly hard, organizing performances, memorizing speeches and making sure this big event would pan out perfectly. Usually, the foreign staff is asked to put on a small performance...maybe sing a diddly, or do a little Thai dance to get a chuckle from the students. But, not us. We went big. Shea, one of the teachers, has a killer singing voice and had been asked to sing Bird's 'Too Much, So Much, Very Much,' which is one of the most popular songs in Thailand. About a week before EP Night, she informed us that aaaalll of us would have to participate in some way. I was all over the dancing. We studied the dance from the video, learned it, added some of our own moves, and practiced our little butts off (kind of). Ally, being such a cool kid, learned the Thai rap in the video and it...was....AMAZING. We kept the performance a secret and so when it was our turn to take the stage at EP Night, the kids went wild. It was a little nerve-wracking to perform a ridiculous dance in a ridiculous outfit in front of hundreds of people, including some of the higher-ups of the school, but I felt like a rock star. It was awesome and the kids loved it. 


Check it out!

Although I loved being a superstar for the night, the kids were the real stars. They worked so hard and put together really incredible performances. They looked absolutely adorable in their outfits and it was so nice to see them in this type of environment. They looked like they were having the best time, donning smiles from beginning to end. I had a lot of fun and I will definitely remember EP Night beyond it being the night I became famous. 

Don't they look so happy to be reppin' the USA?

Students made up and looking pretty to host

The Dancers

How cute are they?

How crazy are they? I love them.

Love.

* Please take note of how many peace signs are happening. I cannot stop. 

Things That No Longer Phase Me

I've been in Thailand for a decent amount of time now, and I've come to realize that a lot of the oddities/awkwardness/shockers that phased me in the earlier months, no longer have that effect. So I've compiled a list of the more apparent changes...


1. Being stared at: Pre-Thailand, I despised being stared at. I had a pretty awful "me-syndrome" where I became completely paranoid if I noticed someone staring my way. "Do I have something on my face?" "Is my hair a disaster?" "Is my fly down?" I would immediately consult a mirror to make sure I wasn't a total mess. But here, I'm stared at a lot. And it's not because there's something on my face, or my fly is down. There is a very high chance that it's because my hair is a disaster, but more likely, it's because I'm white. Like I've said, being white gives you celebrity status in Thailand and the stares are just a reminder. In the beginning of my time here, I was a little freaked out by the constant stares, but now I embrace it. I am farang. Hear me roar.  


2. Motorbike Madness: During my first four or five months here, I was 99.9% sure I was going to die via motorbike. But, now I kind of love them. Riding on one is so freeing, but I'm more impressed by their utilization. 

• A means of transporting a family of 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8....you get the point. Seriously how do you fit 3 grown men, a teenager and a newborn child on the bike?
• Who needs a car seat when you have...well...nothing. I've seen one too many babies being held in one arm while the other arm is driving the motorbike. Scary! I've also seen toddlers riding on the back. 
• Thais are so comfortable on the back of the bike. So comfortable, in fact, that they can eat a bowl of noodles, text, read, or do homework, all while sitting (helmet-free, mind you) on the back of the bike.
• If you have to buy a 100 pound bag of rice, it makes total sense to load it on the back of your motorbike, right? No. 
• Or, if you are moving, you may as well bypass the hassle of renting/borrowing a truck and just strap on your ENTIRE life onto one bike.
• Opening a new restaurant has never been so easy. Just hook on a grill and drive around town, looking for hungry customers. 
• Even Thai dogs are motorbike pros. I love it when I see a dog standing in the small space between the front of the bike and the seat. I will never understand how they are able to balance. One of the most impressive things I have witnessed was seeing TWO dogs in that small space while the bike rounded a corner. Wow. Just wow. 

(Image courtesy of Google)

(Thanks, Google!)

                                          

3. Sweating and Humidity: ALWAYS. I am very aware of how hot I am, but I no longer fret about the size of my hair or how sweaty I look. I have a lion's mane look going on, and I think Simba would be proud. 

Sadly, I think Simba's hair looks better than mine.

4. Being dirty. See #3.


5. Not understanding 80% of what is going on around me: I can pick up the gist of a conversation, but for the most part, I am completely clueless about what is being said. Someone could be screaming bloody murder, and I probably would have no idea. 


6. The students not understanding 80% of what is going on around them in the classroom: I used to panic a little bit at the front of the classroom when it fell completely silent and all I could see was a sea of confused faces. I would awkwardly try to maneuver my way around a topic but fail. Now, I thrive on awkwardness. I like to sing little ditty's or pull out the "Bueller....Bueller...." line when no one has a clue what is going on. The kids probably think I'm a weirdo. 

7. Geckos: We are family.    

8. Bugs in my food: Seriously not an issue. I can just pull the ant or fly out of my water or out of my noodles and continue on. Out of sight, out of mind. 


9. Freaky food: Pig's blood soup, anyone? Or how about some chicken feet? No? I guess you'll settle for some fried duck beak, or chicken intestines. Yikes. I definitely don't eat these delightful sounding dishes, but I'm no longer surprised at what is considered a delicacy anymore. 

A particularly disturbing looking bowl of chicken feet

10. Restaurants in every way, shape and form: I will happily eat food from a restaurant, a shoddy little food stall, a portable stall while sitting on the side of the road on a plastic stool, the market, via motorbike or from a person walking roadside with a basket. No matter where it comes from, it is always delicious. 


11. Extremely loud noises (usually accompanied by bright lights): Be it a concert, karaoke, a dinner party, the radio or the TV, Thais LOVE to celebrate (or relax) with abnormally high volumes. Bus rides can be torturous when the driver decides to blast Thai rock for 4 hours straight. Everyday I become a little more deaf because my eardrums get a little more damaged with each passing minute. Any sort of festival is sure to leave my ears ringing for days, and my eyes a little blurred because of the neon lights accompanying the sounds. But I've learned to tune it out. It's some sort of superpower, I think. 


12. Thai fashion. Scrunchies? Check. Acid wash jeans? Check. Full denim outfits? Check. Bedazzled shirts? Check. One would think I was living in the 80s, but nope, that's just Thai fashion for you. 


13. Beer and ice. At first, I was weirded out when my beer was served in a glass with ice. But with the heat and all, it makes total sense. I'm actually more phased by it not being in my beer. I mean, no one likes a warm beer. 


Basically....what is my life?