Over this past weekend, I stayed with my paw-aw, or principal, and his wife at their house with their daughter, P'Dtia, who's a doctor somewhere 'round these parts. I went sightseeing around my area with the wife and daughter, and I've definitely been able to add a couple of cool things to the list of places that I can bring people should they decide to visit beyond the somdtam restaurant by my school. We were joined on our little day trip by my paw-aw's niece, P'Neung. I should explain that the P' before people's nicknames is a sign of respect towards people that are older than you. Also, everyone in Thailand has a nickname because first names tend to be so long. I've had two in my three months here, and they've both been flowers, along with a few other people in my training group, because all foreigners are beautiful like flowers?
I really enjoyed spending time with P'Dtia and P'Neung for a couple of reasons. First of all, they both speak excellent English, which was a nice change from the very stunted conversations I've been having recently. Also, they both are kind of, well...not normal. At least in Thailand. They are both in their 30s and not married, and I don't think they have any plans to get married, and I think they're okay with that. P'Neung is an archaeologist who works at a university in Bangkok and majored in art history. She is also very knowledgeable of world events. We talked about history and politics, movies and TV shows.
To me, it's always kind of refreshing to meet women that break out of the mold for what's expected. I suppose because, from a certain standpoint, I can relate to them. In the past year and a half, I've spent only two months at home, and I know that many people back in the U.S. can't really understand my desire to be here and do what I'm doing, so I feel like kindred spirits with people, especially women, who don't always follow the crowd.
I'm learning from this experience, though, that, just as in America, Thais don't always fit the stereotype that we've attributed to them. Women don't walk around in beautiful Thai dress with their make-up done to perfection serving the men around them with a demure smile (at least not in everyday life). Although struggles here vary from the U.S., the need to take care and protect your loved ones and help run a successful household is still present.
I really enjoyed spending time with P'Dtia and P'Neung for a couple of reasons. First of all, they both speak excellent English, which was a nice change from the very stunted conversations I've been having recently. Also, they both are kind of, well...not normal. At least in Thailand. They are both in their 30s and not married, and I don't think they have any plans to get married, and I think they're okay with that. P'Neung is an archaeologist who works at a university in Bangkok and majored in art history. She is also very knowledgeable of world events. We talked about history and politics, movies and TV shows.
To me, it's always kind of refreshing to meet women that break out of the mold for what's expected. I suppose because, from a certain standpoint, I can relate to them. In the past year and a half, I've spent only two months at home, and I know that many people back in the U.S. can't really understand my desire to be here and do what I'm doing, so I feel like kindred spirits with people, especially women, who don't always follow the crowd.
I'm learning from this experience, though, that, just as in America, Thais don't always fit the stereotype that we've attributed to them. Women don't walk around in beautiful Thai dress with their make-up done to perfection serving the men around them with a demure smile (at least not in everyday life). Although struggles here vary from the U.S., the need to take care and protect your loved ones and help run a successful household is still present.
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