The Sights, Sounds, Smells, and Joys of Thailand

This last weekend was our second planned trip to Ayutthaya and this time we actually followed through. It's one of the closest places to us (only about 45 minutes by car, sometimes 2 hours by bus) so we decided to make it a day trip. If we didn't do everything we wanted to, we could always come back. And maybe we will. It's a really pretty place that oddly, has a bit of beach-town feel to it. And the ruins are definitely cooler than I thought they'd be. But really, once you see a few crumbled monuments and temples, you've seen them all. The best and cheapest way to see the ruins (Ayutthaya is filled with them) is by bike. So we rented bikes for the day (for the staggering price of 40 baht) and pedaled our way to some history. Now, some of you may be recalling that I have something of an irrational dislike, possibly even a fear, of bikes. And this is true. But a lot of things that normally bother me haven't been an issue while I've been here. Bikes, bugs, a lack of food and health codes. I wouldn't survive here if those things continued to freak me out. I'm probably saving it all up for when I get home and I'll have a massive meltdown the first time I see a bee.

Now that I've been in Thailand for a month and a half, and teaching for almost that long, I feel more settled. And I've been paying more attention to the little things that make this whole experience so interesting. They are the difference between visiting a country and living it.

The sounds:

There is at least one rooster that lives somewhere close to my building. Roosters are loud. They are loud at sunrise and sunset. And these particular roosters are especially loud because some of the locals have cockfights at 6:30 in the morning, we discovered not too long ago. I have an excellent view from my balcony, when I want to watch. Which is never because...cockfights.

Shots/fireworks/cannonfire: It's a series of booming sounds that could be either one of these. We think it's coming from the nearby temple. I've heard two explanations. One, that this is part of the Thai funeral service. They happen a little too regularly for this to be true and it also came from a farang, so I'm thinking it's unlikely. The second option, which came from a local, is that it's the call for the monks at the temple to come to the meal. This seems like an unnecessarily extreme version of a dinner bell, but I suppose it's possible. Although, for all I know, there's a turf war going on between the street vendors.

The smells: The most pungent smell I've been exposed to lately has been the particularly identifiable smell of durian. Durian is a fruit and it's banned from most airports, subways, and enclosed public places. I've even seen a "no durian" sign in a restaurant. Why someone would feel the need to bring their own fruit to a restaurant, I don't know, but I can understand not wanting it anywhere near your business, food, or person. Durian is rank. A teacher at school brought it in yesterday as a gift for me and I couldn't fake liking it even for a second. I'm impressed that I swallowed the teeny tiny bite that I took. It tastes like it smells. Now that I've had it, I can think back to the fruit stalls I've passed and realize that was the weird smell I could never identify. I am now on the look out for a "no durian" sign that I can hang around my neck.

The joys: This particular joy has become a weekly event. Every Tuesday, I teach one of my lower level matayum 1 classes (12 year olds), which I've taken to calling my lady boy class, because it has at least 4 lady boys. For those of you who haven't been introduced to this aspect of gender and sexuality in Thai culture, "lady boy" is the general term for a flamboyant gay man. It may even be for all gay men, but don't quote me on it. Some lady boys go the whole nine yards and get the sex change, but most are simply flamboyant. And Thai people are completely cool with this. It's a non-issue, which is refreshing and also unexpected (at least for me) in a culture that can be so conservative. But Thais are also the friendliest and most open people I've ever met, so maybe it's not so surprising.

There is at least one lady boy in most of my classes and I love them. So many of my students are shy and getting them to speak is a painful experience for everyone. And, while this isn't true across the board, a lot of the students who aren't shy have an attitude problem. But my lady boys are neither. They have personality, they participate, they have fun in class without causing problems. We enjoy each other. But the lady boys in my Tuesday class are my favorite. First, because they are adorable. They are tiny Thai boys with sweet smiles and I just want to hug them. But the biggest reason I love them is that every Tuesday they come to my office to fetch me for class. They always come early and say "Teacher, go room now." And I say, "Five minutes" because usually I'm in the middle of an important game of solitaire. They get excited and wait outside and when I leave the office they take everything I'm holding (even if, like today, it's only two pieces of paper) and carry it to class for me. I have trouble getting some of my classes to roll in less than 15 mintues late, and these boys come early to get me. And when I draw pictures on the board and the whole class laughs? They clap and say "Teacher, beautiful." They're great for my self-esteem. I should start taking them with me to all my classes.