Bonding with "crop-krua khong Thai"

The last few days have been wonderful ones with my host family. Not that we've done anything extra special, but there have just been some good bonding moments. Two days ago, nan helped me do wash in their spring board (?) washer/dryer. For each load I did, I had to fill up this machine with water three different times: The first time with detergent, the second time just water, and the third with fabric softener. Each time required me draining all the water first and then turning this nob that made it go for 15 minutes. Then on the other half of this machine was the dryer, this container that you shove your clothes into and then compress as tightly as possible before cranking the nob to heat them. The first time I tried this I filled the container too full and nearly knocked the machine over, shaking itviolently off its wooden platform. oops. How do you say "I broke your washing machine" in Thai? One of my goals this trip is not to find out.
I've learned the hard way that washing clothes back home is a definite luxury which, if I may be blunt, I would be screwed without (granted I haven't had much of an opportunity to improve in my use of other methods).

Yesterday nan, nuu, now and I watched the movie Transporter over our noodles and french fries dipped in Thai ketchup (which seems to be much sweeter than the ketchup back home). Talking over movies doesn't always work out, but we like to do a lot of comparing cultures in our side commentary. For example, the other night we watched a movie that was made for a Western audience. This movie had Asian actors/actresses, and nan could tell that they were trying to pass Chinese actors off as Thai. Now whenever I watch this movie back home I can laugh along with others who have the same cultural insight (not that this makes us any better; there are plenty of generalizations made about Americans here in Thailand that simaltaneously make me want to hurl and die with laughter).
And did you know that people here can't tell our group of American students apart, even though some of us have blonde hair and others black or brown hair, some blue eyes and some green or brown eyes? And it's not that all Asians look alike; it's just that our cultures look at different characteristics to distinguish one person from another. Honestly, I wasn't really aware of this until I came here, and feel silly not that I see it. I hope that now I'll think twice before making generalizations about the looks of people with different nationalities.
Later that night I got out my Thai language book and had a very broken conversation with my 13 year old host sister named nuu. I know I must've sounded foolish, mumbling the simplest sentences, but I think we connected a little bit. I hope that even if she can't speak English or Thai with me that she at least feels more comfortable around me; naan says that she's very shy, which I think Thai children generally are in comparison to children in the U.S. (this does NOT mean that they're any less stubborn or rowdy, though). Nuu even went "running" with me today before dinner (although it was more of a trot for her; I don't know what we looked like in this culture, but back home we must've looked pretty silly since she was still wearing her school uniform, which is made of a thick green material, the skirt of which hangs below her knees).
Then tonight we went out to eat at another restraunt where everyone shares from a bunch of different entrees, a style of eating that I've come to love. I hate how when you go out to eat in America you're given a huge plate of food that your stomach, in act of black magic, somehow expands enough for you to consume. Even doggy bags usually don't take away from the fact that you will usually consume an unearthly amount of food. Okay, so that's probably being a little harsh, but only a little. It's also less common in America to share food since there's a definite sense of ownership that we (including myself) have over "our" plates. So I love eating here because everyone shares and I find it generally easier to stop eating when I'm full. And it's not that they're more altruistic than us, it's just that it's more of a group mentality, which has both its positives and its negatives.
The point of all this is to say that, through events none too extraordinary, my Thai family and I have gotten closer and I'm feeling immensely thankful.

Cliff note on culture: Our last few nights of eating Chinese food brought to mind some interesting notes on prejudices among the Thai people. There's a large Chinese population in Thailand and many of the wealthier business class have a Chinese heritage. For this reason, many ethnic Thais feel threatened by their success and have a prejudice against them. One of my Ajarns (Professors) told us a story of a brilliant Thai man who studied at a prestigious school in England but for whom it took nearly his whole adult life to accept his Chinese heritage.
There's an even stronger prejudice against those with Indian heritage, since they're the skilled silk makers and artisians, Thai trades that are world renowned for their excellence. We asked how such people remained in business if Thais were so prejudiced against them? Thais still buy their products because, well, they're the best, and even if they didn't, foreigners who come here do.