So that bbq that I told everyone about? Yea about that. I must have eaten some meat that wasn't completely cooked, or something, because its pretty clear after 48 hours that I have food poisoning. Or some sort of bacteria. Looking back, the fact that the pork, fish and shrimp skewers were sitting out for over 2 hours before they were amateurishly grilled by myself and a bunch of 14 year olds, it doesnt come as a huge surprise that I am sick. Also, we are talking about Thailand here (although my French host family wasn't big about keeping raw meat refrigerated either... but I think that was just them though and their complete lack of hygiene in all areas of their existence). I am surprised its been this long already and this is my first serious incident. Refrigeration is not their strong point here, actually outside of the US it doesn't seem to have completely caught on (are we just paranoid germ freaks?) anywhere. A little bacteria will probably do my system good. I'm on anti-biotics now so I'm on the road to recovery. Seeing as I want to maintain some semblance of dignity after my host mother told everyone at my school, including all of the teachers who told all of the students, and apparently everyone who works in the pharmacy about my "issue", I'll leave the story of food poisoning to two words: squat toilet. 'Nuff said.
So since I've been, slightly indisposed, I've pretty much been laying around, bored out of my mind. The only thing to do here is eat, and while I can't do that, and really shouldn't given my ever-expanding midline, I'm at a complete loss. I've tried to get into reading Catch-22, I saw it at the English bookstore and I felt obligated to buy it and read it since its one of those books that "everyone" has read and I felt inadequate as a human not having read it. Yea not feeling it really. Luckily I'll be trapped on a plane for 16 hours so I'm sure that I'll get through a good chunk of it out of necessity.
So yesterday afternoon I got home from school to find a random man in our house reading palms. My host mom asked if I wanted mine read and I say sure why not? So with my host brother translating, this man wrote down all of these numbers relating to my birthday and read my palms. First he told me I need more vitamin C because my palms were spotty (must have had something to do with the food poisoning), but what he said was really creepy. First he decided that my number is 7, which means that I am always moving around and traveling and I'm happiest that way. Next he said that I worry too much about things I can't control, even as a small child I worried about things unnecessarily (definitely absolutely true. I am a serious control freak with anxiety issues!). Next he asked if I had a boyfriend at 15 and 19. Um yea those were the ages I started what I consider to be my "big" (if emotionally disastrous) relationships. How did he just pick those ages out of thin air? I don't usually believe stuff like that, but this random Thai man who has no idea who I am all of a sudden tells me this stuff. Makes you wonder.....but there is good news! I am apparently going to have a boyfriend at age 22 that will be wonderful. Bring it on! I hope he's fabulously wealthy and famous and the heir to a small country or something. Hey a girl can dream...
Well today I asked if I could help cook lunch, as I have been doing on the weekends, and I got to go to the market too! The cook came and picked me up on her motorcycle (motorcycles are the most ubiquitous form of transportation in Taphanhin. Everyone uses one to go everywhere) and we went grocery shopping-Thai style. Every morning and evening there is a huge market in Taphanhin where everyone gets their fresh veggies, fruit, meat, etc. There isn't a grocery store in the American sense in our town, and you have to drive 30 minutes to get to a Carrefour (American wal-mart). So, everyone goes to the market everyday and buys what they need for that day. My job was the basket holder and on the back of the motorcycle I hold a big blue basket that we put the food in. The cook has her master list of what she needs for that day's meals and we wind around the market on the motorcycle to the different vendors to pick out what we need. May is the cook's name and her English is rudimentary, but every time she would pick something out she would let me smell it and say the word in Thai. Works for me! I did however, decline to smell the kilo of chicken feet we bought Ikkkk. Everything is so fresh and looks so wonderful. Even better-its dirt cheap! I kept laughing looking at all of these fresh, "exotic" (in the American view) veggies that would be so pricey at a trendy, yuppie-filled Farmers Market whereas we are getting enough food to feed my host family, Crystal's and the people who work in the pharmacy (about 20 people) for multiple meals for literally, about $15. Crazy! Also, when you buy fish, you pick out the live fish from this huge tin basin and they kill it and clean it right there in front of you. Super fresh, although I have to use the I'm an American! card and say that I like my meat products already dead and wrapped in plastic and in the refridgerated section. Each to his own I suppose. Everyone in the market had a field day with the crazy white girl on the back of the motorcycle shopping for food. I am endlessly entertaining apparently.
This afternoon I hopped on the back of my older host brother's brand new motorcycle (which he is verrrry proud of-it looks like he won the argument between him and his parents about whether or not he should get one quite triumphantly) with my other host brother (the younger one was putting behind us on the older motorcycle with just a tragic look on his face. it was so funny and cute) to go to the opening of...wait for it....KFC in Taphanhin! This is the first time Taphanhin has ever had a fast food restaurant or anything like this so it is a BIG to-do. There were flowers, speeches, Thai dancers (The same ones we had at our party actually....they look like "baby prostitutes" with their make up according to Crystal) and the works. My host brothers were so excited to order, I even got a free "I <3 KFC" teddy bear with the amount of food they ordered. So pumped about that. I politely refused the KFC, luckily my stomach has been a great excuse to get out of eating less desireable things, like the shrimp burger they ordered. No thanks.
After an afternoon of laying around and organizing my room and suitcase, I went with the host fam to walk at a sports complex near the edge of town for exercise. Little did I know that when we all piled into the car that it would also be driving practice for my 17 yr old host brother. Ay dios mio, I can barely handle it when I drive, or when my little sisters drive (I recognize I am an awful, obnoxious and hysterical backseat driver) but this was beyond my ability to remain cool, calm and patient (as I have actually really learned how to do here! Sort of). Teng had only been driving for 2 days and was attempting to drive a manual transmission (we were stalled in the middle of a 4 way stop for I kid you not, 5 minutes) admist Thai traffic which includes motorcycles, bicycles, carts, animals, people...its a zoo! Also, my host mom's reaction to our close calls and brushes with death were the same as any other situation-hysterical laughter. So I'm squished in the backseat with the entire Thai family laughing and yelling in Thai while a 17 year old who has never driven before is in charge of the vehicle and therefore my life. Never again. I managed a weak smile but on the inside I was clawing at the windows begging to get out.
I did live to experience dinner though. At dinner, my host father inquired about my weight and whether or not it had gone up. My host mom volunteered the information that she had a scale in her room and that I could weigh myself. Right then. So we go up to her room and I step on the scale with her and one of my host brother's watching. She reads my weight, announces it to the family back at the dinner table and we discuss how it has gone up since I have been in Thailand. You can imagine how great I feel about this. How the hell is it NOT suppoesed to go up when I have to eat rice for breakfast, lunch and dinner? Also, after cooking the food myselfs, its hard to remain slim when EVERYTHING, including veggies, meat, whatever is seasoned with a tablespoon of sugar. Next, my host mom informs me excitedly that I was invited to a wedding and that I can wear a dress and wear "make up!". I said awkwardly, "Oh, I don't have any make up, do I need to wear it?" and she sort of gave me a blank stare and then said "Oh I guess you don't have to". Really? I look that awful? Great. Did a whole lot for my self-confidence and self-esteem. In Thai culture, discussing someone's weight and telling them they are "fat" is not looked up as rude for some reason. Are American's just hyper sensitive? I can't imagine anyone enjoys this!
I have 6 more days until I can choose when and what I eat. I can also choose when I go places, I can choose where to go and how to go there. I can be....an adult! Yippee! I love my host family-I could not have asked for sweeter, more generous people-and I love Thailand, but this whole innate individualism-thing Americans have going on is hard for me to shake. After learning in France that I do not really "mesh" well with a culture that is inherently rude (ok that and the following sentences are crossing the line. That is totally not true at all and a completely exaggerated and irrational judgement made from my one personal experience), I began to discover how "American" I really was. I like showering (French host family, not so much), I like saying excuse me when you bump into someone (French people, not so much) and I also enjoy not openly mocking people (French host family, again, not so much).
Allright I'll get off my soap box.
3 days and I'm off to Bangkok! Cannot wait to see someone and eat my cheeseburger in the land of the free and the home of the brave. xoxo
Stace
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