It's only been 9 days since we've been in Thailand and already I feel stretched beyond what I thought I would be. I've always considered myself easily adaptable to new situations, but I don't anyone who develops any habits or preferences in life can cross the globe and not be shaken up a little bit. Mostly I'm talking about changes in diet and cultural customs that make up our everyday but often go un-noticed. For instance, I didn't know how not having cheese at least every once in awhile effected my mood or how I rely on something like pb&j when I"ve had a rough day to comfort me.
There was one day in particular here where I tried ordering something in quasi Thai and was given something completely different. Not knowing what it was and being suspicious of its looks and smell, I tried communicating to the lady that it wasn't exactly what I had in mind. Obviously she couldn't understand me, so, feeling helpless and frustrated, I gave in. Here is where I learned traveling rule #1: If something looks like it's going to taste groose, don't necessarily avoid it, but beware, because there's a good chance that it might (if for no other reason than your body's up-chuck reflexes have been culturally conditioned to think so). After forcing down a few bites of this brown tofu looking stuff emersed in brown juice, I knew I had to find out exactly what I was eating or I would see it again very soon. Ajarn Ad, one of the Thai professors who's helping out with the program, looked at my bowl and with a smirk (which I think with Ajarn Ad can mean many things), kindly informed me that it was pigs blood.
Standing there, knowing that that stupid pigs' blood had weaseled its way through my esophagus and was at that very moment defiantly sloshing around in my stomach made me feel helpless and defeated. I tried to stop it but couldn't and was now experiening my first real case of culture shock. I wanted to cry. Thankfully, there is chocolate in Thailand, and so I fixed myself up with a little box of a chocolate stick snack to comfort me and had only two unadventurous scoops of ice-cream for dinner that night.
Okay, so I just shared probably the worst experience for me so far in Thailand, but over all it has so far been an amazing experience! I guess I didn't know where to begin with all the good and so I just shared the "bad".
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