It's been weird, being away from home, the cold, and the snow for the Christmas season. There are some things I haven't missed, like the crowds that seem to appear out of nowhere after the Thanksgiving turkey has been cut up and put in the freezer. And then those holiday soundtracks that rarely differ from store to store.
But being in a tank top and light shawl on Christmas Eve? That is weird.
But Chiang Mai has welcomed me (and all of the rest of us Christian-inspired tourists) in with it's holiday charm. Plastic trees were taken out of the storage rooms of guesthouses about a week ago, and the holiday jingles started echoing from a small, but noticeable number of shops and restaurants around the same time. Completely manageable. Not too much; not too soon. Just enough to get you excited just in time for the real deal. It's odd, that a country that doesn't even celebrate a holiday can make me feel better about holidays than my own country ever did.
No station playing "A Christmas Story" all day, but luckily I snagged it from a friend before he departed for Bangkok.
The best Christmas gifts I could ask for will arrive in CHX in less than 24 hours. And will probably be fast asleep, recovering from their travels, this time tomorrow.
Happy holiday wishes to everyone!
B(ee)
24 December 2009
12 December 2009
I Know I'm Being Influenced...
The first indicator that I have been in Thailand longer than the average tourist, with a map in one hand and a schedule in the other, was that those people started hurriedly passing by me on the street, maps and timetables in hand.
I was that tourist at one point. I creeped up on others and walked closer than usual to pressure them to move faster before dodging between motobikes and parked silaws to gain a few feet on the casual walkers. I was guilty, but I've gotten over it.
I no longer tap my fingers on the table waiting for food to come out. I don't mind if they bring the food out as it's hot, instead of letting it cool down and waiting until all meals ordered are ready. I'm not irritated if getting the bill to me isn't the top priority on their list. I've slowed down. The Thais have made me slow down.
And I think I present myself like this too. Or maybe I've just gained some insight on how Thai business is done. The last two purchases I've made, the Thai buisnessmen (yes, they've both been men), have slashed the price down without any pressure on my part. Maybe it's a courtesy for engaging in conversation and spending more time in their shop than the average passerby. Maybe they can see that I haven't just booked three nights in a guesthouse with the intention of seeing "all the Chiang Mai has to offer". I'm here for more than that, and I think we both know that.
B(ee)
I was that tourist at one point. I creeped up on others and walked closer than usual to pressure them to move faster before dodging between motobikes and parked silaws to gain a few feet on the casual walkers. I was guilty, but I've gotten over it.
I no longer tap my fingers on the table waiting for food to come out. I don't mind if they bring the food out as it's hot, instead of letting it cool down and waiting until all meals ordered are ready. I'm not irritated if getting the bill to me isn't the top priority on their list. I've slowed down. The Thais have made me slow down.
And I think I present myself like this too. Or maybe I've just gained some insight on how Thai business is done. The last two purchases I've made, the Thai buisnessmen (yes, they've both been men), have slashed the price down without any pressure on my part. Maybe it's a courtesy for engaging in conversation and spending more time in their shop than the average passerby. Maybe they can see that I haven't just booked three nights in a guesthouse with the intention of seeing "all the Chiang Mai has to offer". I'm here for more than that, and I think we both know that.
B(ee)
10 December 2009
My Onesie...
[The following is a piece I wrote for the community newsletter that I thought warranted a blog post. Pictures to follow!]
In one of our lectures, we learned about the religion of consumerism. Our arjan even proposed that this was the most practiced religion in Thailand, second only to Buddhism.
We’d all like to say we’re frugal. We’d all like to say that we’re “conscious buyers”. But when it comes down to it, when you’re walking around the streets of Chiang Mai and you see something that catches your eye, you can’t help but promise yourself you’ll eat street food in favor of expensive pseudo-Italian for the next three days just so you can buy that perfect item.
For me, it was a onesie. Gray, with a slight hue of moss, amethyst, chartreuse, steel, wisteria --- whatever color you’re looking for, really! It was my idea of perfection, manifest in a garment; an elastic tube top with adjustable straps attached to a pair of high-waisted, loose, cotton pants with pockets(!) and elastic bottoms. It was displayed on a mannequin outside a (literal) hole-in-the-wall shop. I saw, I touched, I swooshed, I admired…
I walked away. I didn’t even look at the price tag. I saw the careful attention to detail of the items around the shop; I saw the quality of the fabric used; I saw a man handcrafting a bag in the back. No way would I spent the last of my stipend on a piece of clothing…I needed to eat lunch!
But my mind did not stray from that glorious item of clothing. I yearned like I hadn’t in a long time. “I deserve a treat,” I told myself. “I’ll at least go back and casually glance at the price tag…” So I did. And to my surprised, I saw three digits on the tag, and the first one wasn’t even higher than I could count on one hand! [Keep in mind, we're talking Thai Baht, here.]
But a onesie? My first onesie since I needed snaps around my legs to facilitate diaper changing. I mean, I did get those fleece spaceship footsie pajamas from my roommate’s mom for Christmas last year, but those are for special occasions! This, was no small deal.
As I tried it on in the make-shift changing room which consisted of a sheet pulled between me and the street-end of the alleyway-wide shop, I didn’t need a mirror to know that I would be eating cheaply for the next few days. As I made the transaction (which, like everything in Thailand, was lackadaisical), I was informed that it was the last one in the shop --- the last one in this line --- my last chance, and fate, working her magic.
And as I wore the onesie around town for the rest of the day, I knew I had found something special. One person said I was channeling an elephant, the animal closest to my heart; another was distracted from her advising session because of the awe-someness of me in my new prize; a random man on the street laughed as I walked by and I like to think it was because he was jealous. Me? I felt comfortable and f-a-b-fabulous for the rest of the day.
A word of advice to all shoppers in, and out, of Thailand, if the love you have for something is so strong that you’re willing to ration your food spending for the next few days, go for it! You have until the day you die to make up for uneaten food. It’s not every day that you come across a onesie that will make you feel fabulous for the rest of your life.
Happy in my onesie,
B(ee)
In one of our lectures, we learned about the religion of consumerism. Our arjan even proposed that this was the most practiced religion in Thailand, second only to Buddhism.
We’d all like to say we’re frugal. We’d all like to say that we’re “conscious buyers”. But when it comes down to it, when you’re walking around the streets of Chiang Mai and you see something that catches your eye, you can’t help but promise yourself you’ll eat street food in favor of expensive pseudo-Italian for the next three days just so you can buy that perfect item.
For me, it was a onesie. Gray, with a slight hue of moss, amethyst, chartreuse, steel, wisteria --- whatever color you’re looking for, really! It was my idea of perfection, manifest in a garment; an elastic tube top with adjustable straps attached to a pair of high-waisted, loose, cotton pants with pockets(!) and elastic bottoms. It was displayed on a mannequin outside a (literal) hole-in-the-wall shop. I saw, I touched, I swooshed, I admired…
I walked away. I didn’t even look at the price tag. I saw the careful attention to detail of the items around the shop; I saw the quality of the fabric used; I saw a man handcrafting a bag in the back. No way would I spent the last of my stipend on a piece of clothing…I needed to eat lunch!
But my mind did not stray from that glorious item of clothing. I yearned like I hadn’t in a long time. “I deserve a treat,” I told myself. “I’ll at least go back and casually glance at the price tag…” So I did. And to my surprised, I saw three digits on the tag, and the first one wasn’t even higher than I could count on one hand! [Keep in mind, we're talking Thai Baht, here.]
But a onesie? My first onesie since I needed snaps around my legs to facilitate diaper changing. I mean, I did get those fleece spaceship footsie pajamas from my roommate’s mom for Christmas last year, but those are for special occasions! This, was no small deal.
As I tried it on in the make-shift changing room which consisted of a sheet pulled between me and the street-end of the alleyway-wide shop, I didn’t need a mirror to know that I would be eating cheaply for the next few days. As I made the transaction (which, like everything in Thailand, was lackadaisical), I was informed that it was the last one in the shop --- the last one in this line --- my last chance, and fate, working her magic.
And as I wore the onesie around town for the rest of the day, I knew I had found something special. One person said I was channeling an elephant, the animal closest to my heart; another was distracted from her advising session because of the awe-someness of me in my new prize; a random man on the street laughed as I walked by and I like to think it was because he was jealous. Me? I felt comfortable and f-a-b-fabulous for the rest of the day.
A word of advice to all shoppers in, and out, of Thailand, if the love you have for something is so strong that you’re willing to ration your food spending for the next few days, go for it! You have until the day you die to make up for uneaten food. It’s not every day that you come across a onesie that will make you feel fabulous for the rest of your life.
Happy in my onesie,
B(ee)
06 December 2009
Happy Birthday, King!
...well, belated birthday. By one day.
The King of Thailand is a lucky guy. His birthday celebration is probably the biggest of any living person on Earth. I thought for a second that it was anyone, and then I remembered Jesus. But are we really sure of that date, anyway?
Yesterday, I had a prime seat in front of the guesthouse's lobby television for the King's drive from the hospital where he's been kept the last two months to the Royal Palace. All along the kilometers of street he drove on (which was all completely shut down) were crowded along the edges with giddy Thais in pink shirts. The station reported that "surveys have shown that Thai happiness level has gone UP in the last week in anticipation of the King's birthday!" And I think that survey may have been correct.
I was talking to the owner of my guesthouse, asking her about what was going on in the scene. She kept reminding me (excitedly) that it was "My King's birthday! My King's 82nd birthday!"
The city basically shut down around 4 o'clock yesterday. Most places didn't serve alcohol for the day. Signs around the city advertized the day as not only the King's birthday, but Father's Day.
Lucky for us, a 3-story Starbucks on the corner of a major plaza in the city was open during the candlelight ceremony last night in honor of the King. A huge, 100-foot tall picture of the King towered over a presentation of cultural dances before a selection of Thai national songs were blasted through speakers as attendees passed a flame from one candle to another.
Had there been a translation, I would have gotten more out of it. But if nothing else, I was assured that the Thai people awefully love their King.
Happy (belated) Birthday, King!
B(ee)
The King of Thailand is a lucky guy. His birthday celebration is probably the biggest of any living person on Earth. I thought for a second that it was anyone, and then I remembered Jesus. But are we really sure of that date, anyway?
Yesterday, I had a prime seat in front of the guesthouse's lobby television for the King's drive from the hospital where he's been kept the last two months to the Royal Palace. All along the kilometers of street he drove on (which was all completely shut down) were crowded along the edges with giddy Thais in pink shirts. The station reported that "surveys have shown that Thai happiness level has gone UP in the last week in anticipation of the King's birthday!" And I think that survey may have been correct.
I was talking to the owner of my guesthouse, asking her about what was going on in the scene. She kept reminding me (excitedly) that it was "My King's birthday! My King's 82nd birthday!"
The city basically shut down around 4 o'clock yesterday. Most places didn't serve alcohol for the day. Signs around the city advertized the day as not only the King's birthday, but Father's Day.
Lucky for us, a 3-story Starbucks on the corner of a major plaza in the city was open during the candlelight ceremony last night in honor of the King. A huge, 100-foot tall picture of the King towered over a presentation of cultural dances before a selection of Thai national songs were blasted through speakers as attendees passed a flame from one candle to another.
Had there been a translation, I would have gotten more out of it. But if nothing else, I was assured that the Thai people awefully love their King.
Happy (belated) Birthday, King!
B(ee)
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