Myths I Believed About Thailand
Posted on January 28 by Mera Delwiche
Thai people don’t use chopsticks. I was pretty sure that Thai people didn’t use chopsticks. The truth is, some people do and others don’t. Noodle dishes can be eaten with chopsticks, but they can just as easily be eaten with a spoon and fork like the rest of Thai food. It varies from family to family.
Thai people don’t drink milk. I was under the impression that people in Thailand didn’t really eat dairy and that there weren’t very many cows in Thailand. But most Thai kids do drink milk. Maybe not in the amounts we’re used to in Wisconsin, but some every day. The most common way milk is packaged is in small boxes like juice boxes or in plastic bags that you puncture with a straw. I don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone drink milk from a glass in Thailand.
Thai students are super studious and study every moment of the day. Haha…hahaha…no. Ok, some are probably really serious about their studies and I can’t generalize a whole population based on one grade in just my school, but… No one in my class studies. They don’t seem to care at all. I was going to say that maybe the younger students are different, but a young girl from Australia in the Thai equivalent of 3rd grade who was reading over my shoulder as I typed said, “That’s true. The first time I went to class no one seemed to be studying. They were just throwing balloons around.”
Thai food all has coconut milk in it. If you have ever been to an American Thai restaurant, at least to the one in Madison, you would think that all Thai food is super sweet and made with thick coconut milk and peanut sauce. Thinking of the food I ate at the Thai restaurant before I came to Thailand, I’m probably never going to eat there when I come home because it’s nothing like Thai food. (Ok, actually I will eat there because it’s about a 23% match to Thai food and I’m sure I’ll crave Thai food. So anything is better than nothing.) I live in the Isaan region of Thailand, but I have also been to the north and so far I haven’t found a place that serves coconut curies. There are a few dishes that have coconut milk in them but they are the exception rather than the rule. The same with peanut sauce. There are peanuts in a lot of things, but not peanut sauce like we would have in the U.S.
Thai people eat a lot of Tofu. Another misleading thing about the Thai restaurant is that they seem to imply that tofu is a staple. I’ve eaten several tofu dishes (soup with soft tofu, tofu in Pad Thai, stir fried vegetables and tofu) but hardly what I expected to eat.
Thailand is never cold. FALSE! IT WAS RECENTLY 48 DEGREES IN UBON AND I WAS FREEZING!!!!!!!!!! I slept with four blankets and wore a thick sweatshirt, scarf and hat to school. My body has adjusted to the heat, so “cold” (as in 60 degrees) is cold enough for a sweatshirt. It’s the cool season now and probably around 70 each morning. I still wear a sweatshirt to school in the morning. I’m sure I’ll be wishing for the cool weather come March when the heat starts though.
Thai people smile all the time. Never mind. That’s not a myth.
Independence
Posted on January 9 by Mera Delwiche
Most exchange students find that when they come to a country like Thailand they lose a good deal of their independence. Especially the girls.
Partly it’s the culture. Children are given less freedom to make decisions, aren’t expected to get jobs or pay for what they want from their own money, and respect for parents and elders is also a much bigger deal here than in America. In addition, girls have much less independence than boys because Thailand is still very much a male-dominated culture.
But a larger part, I think, is just being an exchange student. Because we are essentially infants and toddlers at both language and culture of this country, we’re often treated as if we were much younger than we actually are when it comes to our independence. It varies from host family to host family, and much of it depends on the exchange student, but for the most part we are carefully watched over.
Many of the exchange students are high school graduates on a a gap year. In America, they could drive and were used to the luxury of being able to go wherever they pleased. In Thailand, we can’t drive and have to have someone take us where we want to go or find another means of transportation.
However, I feel like I’ve gained a good deal of independence here, rather than lost it. In fact, in the beginning, the independence terrified me. The idea that I could get on on a bus and go to the mall by myself was pretty frightening. The idea of buying my own clothes was uncomfortable (for previously I had been extremely content to simply wear hand-me-downs or let my Mom or Grandma buy me clothes.) And making plans to meet up with friends was very new to me.
My childhood was wonderful and I don’t regret the way that I was raised at all. But coming to Thailand has made me realize just h