I have been seeing this blog post circulating my news feed and wanted to give my own take on the things they mentioned. (If you haven't read their post, you might want to do so or skim it before you read my response)
1. Having High Restaurant Service Expectations
There is a certain place in my neighborhood that has horrendous service. Most other places prescribe to what the blog post says but I don't believe what is described is equivalent to poor service though. In fact, I love that you have to ask for the check - it allows you to enjoy the meal or company longer. At restaurants in the states I felt like waiters couldn't wait to get rid of me so they'd bring the check before being finished as if to say please hurry up and leave. Point 3 happens because language/culture differences (duh!)
2. Relying on Big Brother Warnings to Keep Us Safe
While true, and something I appreciate (take responsibility and use common sense people!) I do believe there are certain places where more precautions should take place (Chiang Mai Zoo - I'm looking at you).
3. Depending on a Car and All the Road Rules That Go Along With It
I LOVE MY BIKE SO MUCH! sure, it was annoying to have to strategically plan in order to only take 2 trips home with stuff from the house I was pet sitting, and sure, rainy season means I might get stuck someplace waiting for rain to pass or actually get wet, but I love the freedom it gives me!
As far as road rules go - Thailand's got it down! While it may look like chaos to someone just arriving, there is a certain kind of flow that goes with it. I also find that Thai drivers seem to be more aware of their surroundings than American drivers - probably because certain road rules are more like suggestions. In fact, I got frustrated driving in America because of the strict rules and, in my mind, overly defensive driving.
4. Wearing Shoes Indoors
It's the worst when water has spilled, you accidentally step in it with your dirty feet, and then leave footprints across the tile floor. I wouldn't necessarily say my shoe purchases are based on removability, though it is a factor. I would say another factor is how they will hold up in the rain as I will inevitably get caught in the rain and don't want to have cold, wet feet for the rest of the day. Along with the other stuff they said about taking shoes off inside, I would also say that seeing a foreigner with their feet up on a songtaow seat or their shoes on the outside of a backpack also make me cringe - feet, shoes, socks are gross and should be kept as close to the ground as possible in order to not be disrespectful.
5. Being Carefree in the Sun
When I went to Krabi on vacation I wore a long-sleeved shirt and long shorts the day we did an island/snorkeling tour. I have gotten too much sun on past snorkeling trips to know that this is the way to go. Shade - even if created by an umbrella - is cooler than the hot sun. I will cross the street in order to walk in the shade because even just a little relief goes a long way during hot season. Since I work in an office, I'm not outside much and can only think of one time in my whole time here so far when I got slightly pink from being out almost all day running errands. Also, I brought lotion/deodorant/face wash/sunscreen with me from the states because it is incredibly difficult to find those products without whitening in Thailand.
6. Living a Fast Paced Life
In general this is true of my life in Thailand. While I may have a more rigid schedule than the people who wrote the blog post, I still have a lot of freedom to come in later, leave early, or not come in at all. I don't abuse it, but it is nice to know that if I've had a rough night I can sleep in a bit, or if I have to do an immigration check-in I can leave after lunch. Where this deviates is in the work that I do. As the volunteer coordinator and (currently) the only foreigner on the HR team, if there is a visa problem/emergency, everything gets dropped in order to get the proper paperwork together as fast as possible. Visa issues are never fun to deal with, but are stressful for everyone involved.
They mention taking more time to relax ... well, I get at least a 1 hour massage once every 2-3 weeks. If it's closer to 3 weeks or if I'm feeling extra pressure/stress, then I'll probably get a 2 hour one. When it's only $6-7/hour, why not!
7. Being On Time
This is a funny one - because it is true. I find that most foreigners are still, for the most part, punctual. Another time that it important to be on time is for immigration/city hall appointments. Even if that office is running on Thai time and you end up waiting 30 minutes + before seeing anyone, you wouldn't want to miss your appointment if things are running on schedule. The other thing about cafe/restaurant times is that sometimes they aren't posted and/or have a random day that they are closed. For example, Nic's is closed on Mondays, Pizza and Pasta is closed on Tuesdays, the french fry lady at the market is closed on Thursdays. Places might even close early. I once went to a coffee shop 30 minutes before closing but I couldn't order coffee because she had already begun to close coffee stuff up. Other times places will close early because they run out of food/ingredients.
8. Paying with Credit Cards
I go to the ATM once, maybe twice a month. Anytime I go I withdraw the largest amount I can at one time. It's a good way to keep me on budget. When I get down to a few thousand baht I know that I either need to make it stretch, or that I'm doing fine based on the time of the month. The only time this is different is if I have to pay some extra expense (ie work permit renewal). Many places won't accept credit cards or have a minimum, it's just not worth it.
9. Needlessly Spending Money
When I only go to the ATM only so often, I have to be aware of my spending and carefully consider certain purchases. I also have only so much space on my motorcycle to transport things.
10. Relying on Modern Day Appliances for Domestic Chores
I've never had a garbage disposal, so that doesn't really bother me. I also hardly ever cook/eat at home. If I do eat at home, it's 'take-out' from the market. The majority of my dishes then are cups and silverware - pretty easy to clean by hand.
I do have a clothes dryer, which is such a luxury! But it was purchased a number of months after I had moved in. I also tend to use it only for clothes that I want to try and keep the same shape or if it's rainy/really humid. That is the hardest thing about rainy season ... it could take days for something to dry if it gets even a little wet in the rain, or the humidity is high, and there's little sun during the day.
We have a service that refills large water jugs with filtered water and we have at least 4 of these jugs, so we've never really had to be concerned about our drinking water. We just have to make sure empty jugs and money is by the gate once a week when the service drives by.
Our house came with a microwave, toaster, hot pot and an oven was recently brought in (we could live without the toaster and have lived without an oven for a year). We did buy a blender because smoothies! As I don't do much cooking, I don't do much baking either. It's nice to have that option available though.
Wednesday, July 22, 2015
Sunday, February 22, 2015
A Week in the Life
Once I get to the office I write down what I'd like for lunch (usually chicken fried rice or khao soi), put my lunch money in the jar (equivalent to $1.16), and grab a cup of coffee. I head upstairs to my desk, saying hello (sawadeekaa) to whoever I pass along the way.
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| Artist depiction of our office building, which is actually a house. Government officers come about every other week to audit us/our volunteers. |
If I'm the first one in the open area that serves as my office space, I open the blinds and window (though in another couple weeks I'll be turning the air-con on instead of opening the window). I sit down at my desk, log into my computer and get started on emails.
I attempt to answer people's visa and work permit questions, I check to see if anyone's recently applied, I follow up with placements, I review applications/job descriptions/references, I pass along relevant visa/work permit information, and review where incoming people are in process to hopefully ensure we don't miss anything.
There's a good chance that I'll have at least one meeting during the week with someone who is interested in joining our foundation, or will have an orientation for new volunteers with the foundation. Tuesday morning is our HR development meeting - where I learn what steps have been taken in creating our new HR database and user interface. Wednesday morning I participate in the CCF (Chiangmai Christian Fellowship) staff and prayer meeting. Thursday afternoon is dedicated to working with our Thai visa staff ... either providing computer training or collaborating in order to update our new HR database.
Depending on the day/what else is going on I leave the office between 3 and 5pm. One of the greatest things about the work I do is the flexibility I have with my schedule. It truly is a blessing. Most evenings I go to the market for dinner ... very rarely do I cook for myself. If I do I have pasta or salad ... it's just cheaper for me to go to the market or a food stand than it is for me to buy the individual ingredients and cook for myself. It also saves me time and means less dishes to do.
The first Wednesday of the month is the "Connection Meeting." Everyone within a FCF project is supposed to attend, with few exceptions. My job is to prepare and print the attendance sheet the day before, make sure everyone who is present signs it, then enter the attendance into our database. We started taking attendance a couple months ago to try and show the government that we are a unified entity - not just some organization that provides work permits. These "Connection Meetings" provide space for us to worship and pray together as a foundation. It is also a time when we participate in a training of some sort, and have an opportunity to hear and share about what's going on in different projects. The meeting ends in a free lunch, which is always great Thai food and a wonderful time of fellowship.
Almost every Tuesday night I go to "Garcia Night," which is a delicious dinner for single foreigners in the area. There's usually 15-20 of us, but there's always plenty of good, home-cooked 'Merican meals (we're talking breaded chicken with rolls and salad, lasagna and garlic bread, chili, breakfast for dinner, burritos/tacos, etc) with coffee and a delectable dessert to follow.
Wednesday nights I help out at the youth group for CMCC (Chiang Mai Community Church). Usually this just means hanging out with the students before and after, though sometimes it means I have to think of a joke or some bad poetry to share.
I have Saturdays and Sundays off. Depending on the weekend and what I've done during the week or the previous weekend I might go to a movie, do laundry, clean my room/house, get a massage, sleep in, read, go to a youth group event, watch tv/movies on my laptop, go to a "cultural event" (ie Flower Festival, Chinese New Year), go shopping, etc. Most Saturdays I like to keep close to home.
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| These are pictures from different weekend events I've gone to Top Left: Chinese temple decked out for Lunar New Year. Top Right: Tradtional Thai dance preformance at Tha Pae Gate for the Flower Festival. Bottom Left: CMCC Youth group "Gross Night" challenge ... take a bite of a cooked pig stomach (it smelled awful and was disgustingly tough - I know because I tried it). Bottom Right: Lighting and sending up lanterns for Loi Krathong. |
Sundays are spent in town. I go to CCF in the morning and every other Sunday I'm in with the senior high youth group. The Sundays I'm not in youth group I tend to run the powerpoint for the service (I also put the worship 'powerpoint' together as soon as the worship leader for the week sends me the order and songs). After church I go out to a 'foreign' food restaurant - usually with my neighbors and usually to a Mexican food place. After lunch I find a coffee shop to hang out in until it's time for CMCC. Every other Sunday there I leave when the kids and junior high youth group are dismissed, before the sermon, to help out with junior high discipleship class. Those same Sundays I stay after the service for the senior high discipleship class. Currently, we're using the senior high discipleship class time preparing for the mission trip to a Muslim village outside Hat Yai in southern Thailand.
And that's a fairly typical week in my life!
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