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CIEE Khon Kaen Study Center, Thailand Volume XXII, Issue 1, Fall 2015
Isaan Insider
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Letter from the Editors The last month has been a whirlwind of
busyness, hard work and fun. Our time in Thailand started with a jam-packed orientation: intense 4-hour Thai classes in the mornings, followed by discussions about adjusting (i.e. how to not make fools of ourselves) and making the most of our experience, and fun group dinners and get-to-know-you activities at night. After these three exciting, exhausting days, we settled into our new homes at Khon Kaen University (KKU) – dorm rooms a 15-second walk from our CIEE program center, complete with Thai roommates and an Asian-style bathroom. Despite repeated warnings of culture shock, all 25 of us have arrived at the four week mark remarkably well adjusted, learning to be comfortable with being uncomfortable, expect the unexpected, and find small comforts in our daily lives. As classes started, students worked hard but continued to take time to explore Khon Kaen. From trips to night markets and 7/11s, a three-day homestay at local urban villages, and learning about life and Thai culture from our roommates, we grow more at home here every passing day. We’ve also been able to connect with the local community and past CIEE students through extracurriculars: covering a local protest for the Isaan Record, getting involved in ENGAGE and more. This isn’t even mentioning the international culinary experience we have three times a day: breakfast, lunch and dinner at cafes, cafeterias, restaurants and food-stands. From honey toast to authentic pad Thai to delicious (albeit sugar-packed) coffee drinks, we speak for all on the program when we say: THE FOOD IS SPECTACULAR. This isn’t to say our semester so far has been perfect. In addition to a few brief illnesses and a hospital trip, as many of us have found, tricky and sometimes awkward racial questions emerge from being such a diverse group in a
Elyssa Eull Kallin Zehren Natalie Amstutz
largely homogenous country. While the more fair-skinned of the group are bombarded with compliments about their light skin tone, Asian-American students continually deal with Thais who don’t understand that they are American. Although these experiences can be jarring at first, they ultimately serve as an opportunity for learning – both for us and the people we’re talking to. As the semester progresses, students continue to travel around Thailand and South-East Asia, both with the program and on their own or in groups. This past weekend, the majority of us took an overnight, 12-hour bus ride to Chiang Mai, a popular tourist destination in the northwest. There, we split into smaller groups; some of us exploring the beautiful, bike-friendly city and the gorgeous temples and delicious restaurants there, and others venturing into the jungle to hike, white-water raft and volunteer at an elephant sanctuary. Looking forwards, the Public Health class will be taking a group trip to Vietnam in addition to more homestays, while Development and Globalization will be embarking on four more community visits around Thailand. And as fall break creeps closer, students are starting to brainstorm places to spend their weeklong break: South Korea, Singapore, Bali, Cambodia, Indonesia and even Australia, to name a few. Although we miss our friends and family at home, many of us are already shocked at how quickly the semester is speeding by. In this first of three newsletters from CIEE Khon Kaen, please enjoy students’ musings on their experiences and observations from our first month in Thailand.
- Elyssa, Kallin and Natalie
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Table of Contents
2. Letter from the Editors 3. Table of Contents 4. Preparing for the Unexpected by Jaime
Webb
5. Kwan: A Traditional Isaan Welcome by
Nancy Chong Unexpected Familiarity by Billy Lee
6. Squattie Potties and Wet Bathrooms When Opportunity Knocks, Bring a Camera
by Kelsey Magill 7. KKU Night Market by Leah Riefberg
Save More, Dine Out by Ellie Boyd
8. Comfortable with Being Uncomfortable by
Sina Reinhard “Hello There Neighbor” by Bright Osajie
9. Home Away From Home
Thai Class Over Pad Thai by Elyssa Eull
10. The 8th Wonder of the World by Kallin
Zehren 11. Pictures 12. Pictures
13. Pictures 14. Asian Farang by Midori Yoshino
“Bug’s Life” by Maddie Gale-Laman
15. It Takes A Village by Esha Mehta
16. You Don’t Know You’re Beautiful by
Julia Kramer-Golinkoff A Tone of Embarrassment by Rachel
Frishberg
17. Cars, Motorcycles and Song Taos by
Taylor Karns 18. Buenos Días, Thailand by Megan
Brookens The Silent Truth by Genevieve Glatsky
19. Roommates with Benefits by Riley
Oshiro Small Comforts by Kaori Nagase
20. A Walking Aversion by Lindsay
Palmisano 21. Chue Len: Play Names by Jamie Rudd
Starting Fresh by Annie Sadler
22. English Text, a Fashion Fad by Joseph
Plvan-Franke 23. Pictures 24. Contact Information
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Preparing for the Unexpected
Unexpected Encounter 1: I
watched the mist rise from the
heart of the mountains as a
free-roaming elephant
scratched his back on the pillar
of the porch I was sitting on,
shaking the entire structure.
Unexpected Encounter 2: I had
reached a point in my home-
stay experience when I felt like
I was really home. I was sitting
outside with the elders and
neighbors in the community.
We were all facing the village
and simply watching it. Or at
least, that’s what I thought we
were doing. In actuality we
were watching the roosters
intently in order to catch our
evening meal. As a vegetarian,
I was not expecting this. I
watched my Pa patiently lure a
rooster under a trap. He calmly
grabbed the rooster and tied its
Jaime Webb, Luther College legs together. The rooster
resisted until it fell silent on the
grass. My Pa left in smug
satisfaction. After he left, the
rooster began to squawk, stand
up, and free himself. The
neighborhood watched and
laughed at the sudden new-life
of what we had predicted to be
our dinner.
Unexpected Encounter 3:
When walking through the
village, I saw a near-by school
and decided to roam the
building filled with smiling
children. Then, one child asked
me to “come here.” I followed
him, stunned. I did not expect
to be spoken to in English. An
English teacher who wanted to
meet me had asked for me. We
discussed education with our
limited common language and
then I continued touring the
school and playing with the
children. By the end of the day,
I was asked to return to the
village to teach English. I could
have never predicted I’d have
one of my life-long dreams of
teaching overseas to be
fulfilled by simply choosing to
take a walk through the village.
I don’t know how to prepare
myself for these seemingly
continual unexpected
encounters in Thailand, but I
have come to find reliability in
unpredictability, looking
forwards to the unique
adventures that each new day
brings.
Isaan Insider, Volume XXII, Issue I, Fall 2015
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In Isaan Thailand, Bai
Sri Su Khwan or Thai blessing
ceremonies are held to
welcome visitors, friends, and
other important events. CIEE
Community Public Health and
Development and
Globalization students had the
chance to participate in a few
Bai Sri Su Khwan ceremonies
during their first week in Khon
Kaen. These ceremonies were
held when we met each other,
our roommates, and our faculty
members.
Khwan means spirit or
soul and some Thais believe
that this spirit protects friends
and family wherever they are
in the world. This ceremony is
practiced to call individual
spirits so that the Khwans can
bring happiness from home to
Khon Kaen. The Bai Sri tree
(usually made of green banana
leaves and flowers) is the
center of focus during the
welcoming ceremony. The
white strings that adorn the tree
are tied around the wrists of the
guests. This is a way to ask the
Khwan to bring happiness,
goodness, and protection to the
guest. This ceremony not only
provided CIEE students with a
warm welcome, but also was a
chance to cross cultural
differences and barriers
between us and Khon Kaen
University students by
participating in a ritual
ceremony that has been passed
down through generations. By
wishing each other good luck
and happiness for the semester,
we were able to cherish this
experience as a memorable
cultural exchange.
Khwan: A Traditional Isaan
Nancy Chong, American U.
Welcome
Most seem to define the
first few weeks of study abroad
by “culture shocks” - a series of
unpredictable incidents and
revelations that make the
overseas experience stressful
but, ultimately, wonderful.
Perhaps equally striking,
however, is all that is familiar.
For a country that prides itself
on never being colonized by the
Unexpected Familiarity Billy Lee, Tulane U.
West, there’s no shortage of
Western corporate influence in
Thailand, even in Khon Kaen,
a hub of the more rural
northeast. Here, hundreds of
miles from Bangkok, 7-11’s
dot the street corners, and
American denim brands are in.
A short cab ride to the new
mall scores KFC and tickets to
Mission Impossible 5.
Of course, living in Khon Kaen
is in many ways an entirely
foreign experience. Before
enjoying a Hollywood
screening, one must stand in
respect to an extensive
dedication to the king; local
activists were recently jailed
for refusing to do so. From
relatively trivial distinctions
like sometimes
overwhelmingly spicy—and
rice-y—meals, to more
powerful ones like
fundamental disparities in
social structure, life in Isaan
is different. Still, the identity
of places like Khon Kaen
seem locked in an endless
battle with the forces of
globalization, a clash that
makes some aspects of life
here all too recognizable.
While the popcorn is a nice
touch, I wonder how much
Isaan charm has already been
lost to western-style
commoditization, and what
could be next on the
chopping block.
Isaan Insider, Volume XXII, Issue I, Fall 2015
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When I left home, I
figured I'd miss creature comforts
like my bed, favorite foods, and
my dog. But I never thought I'd
miss my bathroom. For the first
few weeks, and arguably still,
getting used to "squattie potties"
and "wet bathrooms" has been
the biggest culture shock and
hardest adjustment I’ve
experienced.
In Thailand, Western
toilets are not commonplace, and
many public restrooms still have
squat toilets. Instead of sitting
down, you're essentially squatting
over a hole in the ground, which
you flush manually by dumping
water in from a nearby bucket.
The sewage system in Thailand
isn't well equipped to handle
toilet paper either, and many Thai
Squattie Potties and Wet Bathrooms
Kelsey Magill, George
Washington U.
Lately, I've realized that
whenever an opportunity presents
itself, big or small, you should
seize it. Especially when that
opportunity involves getting
published in Isaan Record - a
local news agency dedicated to
telling the often underreported
stories of the Isaan region. Just
two weeks into our time in Khon
Kaen, Nancy Chong and I were
asked to cover a public meeting
between government
transportation officials and local
community leaders who, along
with their communities, are facing
eviction with the development of
a planned high speed rail system.
It was the first week of classes,
we were in the middle of our first
homestay, which happened to be
in one of the effected
When Opportunity Knocks,
Bring a Camera
communities, and the meeting
would be conducted in Thai, a
language we'd only had about five
classes in. So of course we said
yes.
The morning of the
meeting, we met Ajaan John and
Mariko Powers, one of the
program interns, notebooks and
camera in hand. As we conducted
interviews with villagers and
listened to the government
representatives, Ajaan John acted
as our translator. We'd prepared a
few important questions should
we have the chance to talk to a
government official, and as the
meeting moved forward, we got it
– the Deputy Director-General of
the Office of Transport and
Traffic Policy and Planning was
doing interviews. After a few
awkward minutes of
establishing our legitimacy and
waiting for him to answer other
questions, we got our turn, and
walked away with a story
defining quote.
The rest of the day, we
were ferried back and forth
between classes and the CIEE
office as we worked hard to
finish the piece before we had
to return to our homestay
community for the night. The
article was published the next
day on Isaan Record's website,
and we got our first byline as
student journalists in Thailand!
Moral of the story - if someone
comes up to you and says, "An
opportunity just came up, would
you be interested in..." the
answer is always yes. You won't
regret it.
people don't use it at all. In a
Thai bathroom, next to the toilet,
you'll almost always find a small
spray hose attached to the wall,
which, lieu of tissue, you use to
"take care of things." Many Thais
insist that it actually gets you
cleaner than toilet paper would,
though I'm still on the fence.
Another bathroom
feature commonly found across
Southeast Asia is a lack of
separation between the toilet/sink
area and the shower. Instead,
there's a showerhead and a hot
water heater attached to the wall.
As you'd imagine, things tend to
get very, very wet.
While I'm continually looking for
ways to immerse myself in the
local culture, I admittedly get
really excited whenever I find a
true Western toilet. Some old
habits die really hard.
Isaan Insider, Volume XXII, Issue I, Fall 2015
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Whether it’s for a quick meal or snack, to buy
a gift, to do some shopping for yourself, or simply
just to walk around and catch up with friends, if you
go to Khon Kaen University’s night market, you’re
sure to leave with a smile on your face. Many of our
Thai roommates took us here on our first night, and it
was the perfect place to try out some new Thai foods.
Sure, I might have also gone a little overboard on the
shopping – thanks to some enabling and encouraging
from my new friends – but luckily, most of the stands
are pretty inexpensive.
Although there are many interesting markets
in Khon Kaen, this one wins the award for
convenience. It’s located only about 5 minutes
walking distance from our dorm building – plus, it’s
open every night of the week! This place is definitely
a highlight of Khon Kaen University, and I look
forward to going every time I get the opportunity.
KKU Night Market
Leah Riefberg, Tulane U.
In the United States, we
have a multitude of grocery stores,
ranging from Costco to
Wholefoods. Not only do these
stores offer different items for
purchase, they also appeal to
different socioeconomic groups
within the United States. Here in
Thailand, however, there is an
apparent lack of socioeconomic
divide in day-to-day life when it
comes to enjoying goods in
markets, cafes, and eateries. One
contributing factor to this is the
cost of food; here in the college
area of Khon Kaen, thirty-five baht
(less than $1.50) will get you a
Save More, Dine Out! Ellie Boyd, U. of
Washington large plate of stir-fry with an egg
and rice at your local university
cafeteria.
Food courts, restaurants
and markets are frequented by all
dimensions of Thai society.
During my homestay in the urban
community of Mittraparp, my
host mother took me to the
market to buy groceries for the
day. There, we came across numerous
KKU students in their school uniforms,
a few businessmen, a nurse, and a
monk. In Thailand, the price of your
food or the location you purchased it at
is not a sign of status, since it is less
expensive to buy every meal from a
street vendor than it is to prepare your
own food. This creates a mix of social
and economic classes in markets and
cafeterias that creates Thailand’s
diversity.
Purchasing every meal as you
go throughout the day is a new
experience for many of the CIEE
students, as the typical American
college student is trained to
save money by cooking
rather than dining out. The
lack of cooking here leaves
grocery stores acting more
like convenience stores,
where you buy yogurts, eggs,
candies, and snacks, but not
the ingredients for a home-
cooked meal. But rather than
isolating individuals, as
eating out and on the go does
in the US, the Thai style of
eating brings everyone
together. People aren’t
cooking inside, or rushing to
pack a lunch, but merely
purchasing food when
they’re hungry and
socializing with friends
while they dine. There is no
stocking of fridges here in
Khon Kaen; instead, we eat
when we’re hungry, for a
mere dollar. I’m learning to
appreciate my meals here,
since it is unlikely that I will
be able to purchase a one-
dollar meal at Whole Foods
in Seattle, or pass by a monk
in the vegan cookies section.
Isaan Insider, Volume XXII, Issue I, Fall 2015
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At home, my planner is
one of my best friends. I know
with a fair amount of certainty
what every day entails.
Surprises are few and far
between and life operates at a
rigorous but regular pace. Life
at home is predictable and
comfortable. Transitioning into
life abroad can be rather abrupt
and at times harsh for a ‘type
A’ personality. Beloved
schedules from home crumble
away into daily uncertainty and
discomfort. You get thrown
into situations where you have
no idea what is going on and
you just have to roll with it.
“Just be flexible” becomes the
slogan of every activity, which
can be enough to drive a person
who likes to know what is
happening in any given day
Comfortable with Being
By Sina Reinhard, Indiana U.
Uncomfortable
I had always
thought that for the
most part Americans
had a great level of hospitality,
friendliness, and openness. But
in coming to Thailand for my
study abroad experience, my
whole perception has been
turned upside down. After
staying in the humble village of
Theparak 5 for about 4 days, I
witnessed a whole new level of
human connection.
At 6:30 in the morning
when I would wake up, and find
that everyone else in the village
had been up for at least an hour
or two. After my morning
shower, I would proceed to
change into my school uniform
in the living room, a room that
can be seen and accessed by
anyone from the door wide open
leading to the main walkway of
“Hello There Neighbor!” Bright Osajie, U. of Massachusetts
the village. Putting on my pants,
members of the community rush in
to buy cigarettes, food, and other
items from my homestay mother,
one of two inhabitants of the
household. I stand in shock
wondering why there is not a
higher level of privacy, meanwhile
the hustle and bustle of another day
surrounds me, in my semi-clothed
state.
I have never experienced
such confusion, happiness and
disappointment in the fact that
the norm for this community is
to walk in and make themselves
comfortable in someone’s home
without warning. Everyone
knows each other, and from
what I observed treats each
other with immense respect and
constant friendliness. By the
end of my stay in the village, I
realized that the high value
Americans place on privacy
holds us back from an amazing
communal connection that
could exist if we broke down
our individualistic walls. For
this lesson I am truly grateful to
Thailand!
slightly crazy.
Before embarking on my
world adventures I was told I had
to learn to be comfortable with
being uncomfortable. This is a
piece of advice I want to pass on
to my peers as well as anyone
considering study abroad.
Learning this lesson has had a
miraculous impact on my sanity.
Situations that would have made
me frustrated beyond belief before
are now a welcome growing
experience. Staying in within
one’s comfort zone, while it may
be easy, is rather boring. Thus,
embrace the frustrations, embrace
the uncertainty, and embrace the
fact that you will be
uncomfortable. With that embrace
will come an experience of a
lifetime that will be truly life
changing.
Isaan Insider, Volume XXII, Issue I, Fall 2015
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Thai Class Over Pad Thai Elyssa Eull, Luther College
Home Away From Home As I’ve transitioned into life
in Khon Kaen, I haven’t come
across many things that remind me
of home. Countless aspects of
everyday life here – from navigating
unmarked streets laden with mopeds
to purchasing phone minutes at the
local 7-11 – are novel and require
getting used to, however interesting
and exotic they may be. To top it
off, last week, each individual on the
CIEE program lived with a host
family in a nearby village for three
nights.
In Nong Waeng, a town on
Learning Thai language in
its host country has been both a
challenging and rewarding
experience. The beauty of learning
in Thailand is that you are inclined
to use the language all the time;
when bonding with a roommate,
bartering for souvenirs at one of the
many local night markets, indicating
to a taxi driver where you’d like to
be dropped off, or ordering food in a
restaurant. This is especially the
case in Khon Kaen, where English is
a rarity due to the smaller size and
minute influence of tourism on the
city. Though I began learning Thai
just a few weeks ago, already I
depend heavily on what I know for
everyday tasks.
I’ve realized that my
food choices are not so much
dependent on what I’m hungry
for or what I should be eating
nutritionally; rather, they are
directly related to the food
vocabulary terms I’ve mastered
in Thai. It becomes quite a
challenge when I’d like to try
new foods or I can’t remember
the Thai word for curry. There
are a select few restaurants that
provide pictures, though from
experience, I’ve learned you
can’t be sure that you will be
served what you pointed
at. Thus, in order to increase
variety in my diet I’ve got to
keeping learning more Thai, as
well as become more comfortable
with uncertainty. It’s become very
convenient that I eat nearly
everything – thanks mom and dad!
Isaan Insider, Volume XXII, Issue I, Fall 2015
the outskirts of Khon Kaen, I
stayed with a large extended
family: two older parents, their
daughter and son-in-law, and their
four young grandchildren. From
the start, I was plunged into the
dynamics and nuances of living in
a Thai household; my host ‘Ma’
and ‘Pa’ directing when I should
eat, bathe, and sleep, the toilet
requiring manual flush by bucket
of water, and my host brothers
making games out of squishing
giant caterpillars. To my surprise,
it was easy to find comforts and
warmth in a home that was starkly
different than my own.
I began to understand and
fall into the rhythm of my family’s
everyday schedule. The house
began to rustle around 5:00am,
either by way of the resident
rooster, music played on a
loudspeaker throughout the
village, or their own will to start
the day. Ma would wake up and
do dishes, cook breakfast for me,
and pester her grandsons to get
ready for school. Her daughter
would also fill the morning with
tasks, helping her mother or
tending to the children before she
took off for work. Even I was
given tasks, wordlessly, when
things got hectic. The kids and
their parents would go to work or
school on one of the two family
motorcycles, and the house
would fall, temporarily, quiet. As
I look back, I realize that
although it wasn’t my family that
I stayed with, or my routine I
briefly adopted, it was
comforting to be a part of a
family and a routine for a few
days, after the craziness of the
last few weeks.
In Thai culture, it is less
common for men and women to
touch – we were informed by
CIEE that our host fathers may
be alarmed if we tried to hug
them goodbye. However, I was
very pleased to experience warm
and purposeful hugs from both
my ‘Ma’ and my ‘Pa’. I look
forward to visiting my beloved
Nong Waeng family again.
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Our world is a great
spinning kaleidoscope of
wonders, filled with fabulous
breathtaking sights. The
opportunity to study abroad in a
country on the other side of the
world allows us just a glimpse of
all the world has to offer us.
Although some students on the
program are experienced travelers,
nothing could prepare any of us
for what is sure to be the 8th
wonder of the world: the truly
amazing Thai 7/11. Located on
every block, and I do not
hyperbolize when I say every
block, these glimmering beacons
of convenience have everything
your little heart could possibly
desire.
I remember my first
experience at a Thai 7/11 like it
was yesterday. On our bus ride
from Khon Kaen we stopped at a
gas station, and there nestled
among fruit stands and local Thai
food restaurants was not one but
TWO 7/11s, only 15 meters from
each other. I felt comforted to see
them yet deeply perplexed by their
The 8th Wonder of the World Kallin Zehren, Tulane U.
proximity. Once I entered
however, I understood. These
little jewels of Thailand don’t just
have your average overpriced
Slurpee. Oh heavens no! From
Shampoo to school supplies to
packaged lunch meals, your friend
7/11 has it all. Need to add more
minutes to your phone? Head on
over to 7/11. Have to pay your
water bill? Your electricity bill?
7/11 has got your back. In fact it
has your back all 24 hours of the
day, which is amazing since most
places in Khon Kaen do not open
before 11:00am. I was in
awe.
After my first
personal encounter with a
Thai 7/11 I did some
research and found that
immersion into Thai culture
can actually be
scientifically quantified by
how quickly you realize
that the answer to any
problem you could ever
have is: 7/11. I was proud
my first epiphany occurred.
My online bus company
wouldn’t allow me to buy a
bus ticket to Chiang Mai for
the weekend and I had
already reserved a spot to
volunteer with elephants for
two days. I was devastated.
Then it hit me. The answer
is always 7/11. The answer
is always 7/11. And sure
enough, I was able to buy
my bus ticket. Once again,
7/11 saved the day.
Isaan Insider, Volume XXII, Issue I, Fall 2015
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The word farang means
Caucasian in Thai language. Given
Thailand’s homogenous demographics,
Thais directly refer to all white people as
farang. As an Asian student on a U.S.
study abroad program, this term farang
tends to separate me from the rest of
CIEE students who are predominantly
white. At times, I find myself treated differently from my
friends, and it is because I look Asian, not because I am
from Asia. Even when I am with a group of American
students, Thais will ask me where I am from, assuming that
I come from somewhere in Asia. I am in fact Japanese,
born and raised in Japan, but Asian American students
often have to explain themselves. When they say they are
from the U.S., Thais often look confused and say, “but no,
you look Asian.” They’ll sometimes even try to guess
(often incorrectly) what country you are from, saying
something along the lines of “you have a Japanese
look”. My Korean American friend shared her feelings:
“I’m not offended, but it can get invasive.”
Being Asian in Thailand can also be an advantage.
In fact, it can help you learn Thai language. At night
markets, I speak to vendors in Thai, and they answer in
Thai. Conversation continues in Thai language. Strangely,
when my Caucasian friend walks up to them and asks “Tao
rai? (How much?),” she gets the response “One hundred
Asian Farang
Within one week of living in
Thailand, I had acquired so many bug
bites that my entire leg resembled some
kind of rash in between chicken pox and
poison ivy. I’m convinced the bugs
single-handedly chose me to attack,
considering my track record of being
absolutely terrified of every insect ever.
After my bug bites faded and my leg
“Bug’s Life”
Maddie Gale-Laman, Curry College
started to look like a leg again, I
decided to make peace with the
bugs.
At my first homestay in
the Mittrapahp community I had
an encounter with two of my least
favorite insects of all time. As I
was taking my bucket shower and
intensely concentrating on making
sure I didn’t get any shampoo in
my family’s communal water, I
noticed, in my fairly vulnerable
state, that I had company. Not
only was a colossal cockroach less
than a foot away from me, but he
or she was also accompanied by
an equally large spider. And I was
somehow okay with it. This is
coming from someone who still
wakes up her brother in the middle
of the night at 20 years old to kill
a tiny spider. There is a point to
these stories and it is that while
abroad in Thailand, you will be
pushed out of your comfort zone
and conquer your fears first-hand.
Also: your perfume will be
permanently replaced with bug
spray.
baht,” in English. I can imagine how
upsetting that would be when you are
eager to learn and practice Thai.
The consequences of looking
Asian, whether they are positive or
negative, definitely stand out in my
study abroad experience in Thailand. I
consider myself part of CIEE and
therefore part of a "farang
community" so to say, but to Thais, I am Asian and
therefore not a farang. I am viewed through a different
lens. Such a mindset of Thais is by no means a
discriminative attitude. It is simply a mentality rooted in
their culture.
Thailand is a gorgeous place with beautiful
smiles and excellent cuisine. At the end of the day, all I
have in mind is anticipation for the new journey that
awaits. On top of
that, what can I
say when I blend
in so well in my
Khon Kaen
University
uniform that
people genuinely
cannot find me in
a crowd?
Midori Yoshino, Macalester College
Isaan Insider, Volume XXII, Issue I, Fall 2015
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15
It Takes A Village The Theparak 5
community is filled with lively,
loving children. They run
barefoot on the road on which
they spent the last five minutes
having a spitting competition.
This road is the only one that
leads into and out of the
community, so there are cars,
tuk-tuks and motorcycles
continuously driving in and
out. Theparak 5 is located
adjacent to an active railroad
with trains continuously rolling
through. There is no barrier
preventing community
members from roaming around
on the tracks, even my 2-year
old host sister wandered to the
tracks before being chased after
by her mother.
As outsiders, we fear
for the safety of these children.
What if they don’t realize a
Tuk-tuk is speeding down the
road or a train is approaching
quicker than they can react?
Esha Mehta, George
Washington U.
These are terrible thoughts are
some of the first few thoughts
that cross my mind upon
arriving.
Little did I know, the
people of Theparak 5 have an
unspoken agreement to look
after their own. I see it as sort
of a safety net that the children
can fall back on if need be.
Parents don’t only look out for
their children, they look out for
all fellow community
members. Kids don’t cry to
their parents every time they
fall off their bike, and parents
don’t come running when they
see it happen. The parents
closest by are ready to help and
the older kids look out for the
younger ones.
Maybe the children were more
energetic when we were there
to play with them, and the
parents saw them in good
hands. Maybe communities
such as Theparak 5 simply
have a less hands-on parenting
style. Regardless, I know what
I saw. These kids play until
they are called in for dinner,
they play until the sun goes
down. The railroad, the tuk-
tuk’s, and the cars can’t stop
them from roaming the
community and having a good
time.
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Many Thais are very
direct when it comes to
physical appearance. During
orientation, our Ajaans warned us
about this cultural difference,
telling us to not be surprised – or
offended – if a host family member
points out how tan you have
become or if you’ve gained weight.
At the time, I found this funny and
slightly unimaginable, but only
took a few hours at my homestay
to experience the unabashedness of
Thai culture on my own, twice.
First, our host mother, or
Meh, as my roommate and I called
her, pointed to my roommates
tattoo and made a motion of
disgust. She shook her head, waved
her hand in the air, stuck out her
tongue, and squinted her eyes. She
then pointed to my inkless skin,
You Don’t Know You’re
Julia Kramer-Golinkoff. Tulane U.
Beautiful!
Thai is a tonal language,
meaning a single word can have
up to five different meanings,
depending on how it is
pronounced. Coming from the
US, it’s actually relatively
common to be tone-deaf - and
luckily, the worst that can
happen to someone who’s tone-
deaf, like me, is embarrassing
oneself trying to sing: just ask
my sister. But as you can
imagine, in Thailand, being
unable to differentiate pitch
brings about far more
embarrassing experiences than
bad karaoke.
One such example takes
place on a beautiful day at a
smoothie stand. I walked up to
the kind looking woman at the
counter, ready to order my
banana smoothie. After recently
A Tone of Embarrassment
Rachel Frishberg, U. of Wisconsin
learning Thai words for a variety
of fruits, I confidently told her I’d
like one banana smoothie—“nung
pan glue-ah ka”. The woman was
instantly confused. Flustered, I
tried switching my pronunciation
to “nung pan koo-ah ka” and
became shocked when the woman
started to laugh hysterically. I
whipped out my notebook and
realized that the correct
pronunciation for banana is “glue-
eh”. Finally, I correctly
pronounced my order and received
an exceptional banana smoothie.
You may wonder what
kinds of smoothies I had attempted
to order. My first attempt “glue-
ah” means salt - who doesn’t love
a salt smoothie? The next attempt
“koo-ah” translates to be male
genitalia; yum. Needless to say,
I’m happy that I didn’t receive
either of those orders. Speaking
Thai has proven to be extremely
easy to mess up - the key is to
laugh it off, learn from your
mistakes, and avoid the
smoothie stand.
held her thumb in the air and said
“S̄wy,” which means beautiful.
The following night, Meh
motioned for me to take the ring off
of my thumb. She then grabbed hold
of it and shoved it on a separate
finger. She proceeded to look up at
me, smile, and again told me “S̄wy.” I
attempted to discreetly remove the
ring and placed it back on its rightful
thumb. Without hesitation, Meh
declared this decision “Mai S̄wy!” not
beautiful. While it was definitely an
adjustment, our Meh’s blunt and
honest nature dictated many
conversations and quickly became an
expected and appreciated aspect of
our time in her home.
Isaan Insider, Volume XXII, Issue I, Fall 2015
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17
Walking down the streets of Khon Kaen,
the first lesson to be learned is how to avoid
being run over by the barrage of motorcycles
barreling down the street. Though laws exist to
regulate the roads of Thailand, very few are
actually followed. This is not unique to
motorcycles, or motorcies, as they are commonly
called here; cars, trucks, and song taos (open air
buses) appear to follow no rules at all as they
pack the Thai roads. Going down the highway,
cars weave in and out of traffic and speed by on
the shoulder, often with a small child (sans car
seat) in the front seat.
The best way to observe the chaos of Thai traffic
is to take part in it by riding on the back of a song
tao. Song taos are a sort of pickup truck with
railings and seats around the bed of the truck, and
are a commonly used form of transportation in
Thailand. Leaning off the back of a one (two
Cars, Motorcycles and Song Taos
Taylor Karns, U. of
Wisconsin
extra seats are created by connecting a horizontal
metal bar and footrest on the end of both sides of
the truck), speeding down the highway, enveloped
in the warm Thai breeze ignites a rush of
exhilaration and a sense of peace simultaneously.
Riding in the open air allows for the incredible
scenery of Thailand to
be fully experienced
and appreciated;
removing the glass
between one's self and
Thailand, be it on a
motorcycle or a song
tao, allows for one of
the simplest yet most
freeing experiences
I’ve ever found.
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18
"It's a quizzical thing to
study human rights in a country
where they don't exist," ponders
Ajaan Dave, the director of the CIEE Khon Kaen Program.
Indeed, studying human rights violations under the
watchful eye of a military dictatorship comes with some
riveting aspects. For example, our plans to visit a
government-sponsored mine with detrimental effects on
agriculture and the environment could get derailed at any
point. We might even have to change one of our entire
units if it proves to be too much of a hot-button issue.
Realizing that we don't have the same freedom of
speech that we're all accustomed to is jarring. However, the
fact that we strive to study the truth anyway is one of the
most thrilling aspects of the program. It reminds us all that
we are looking at real issues with real impacts on the
livelihood of people in Thailand.
The Silent Truth Genevieve Glatsky.
U. of Pennsylvania
When I began learning
my first foreign language,
Spanish, in high school, I
remember feeling like a small
child again, striving to re-
imagine the world around me
in new ways. Even though I
studied Spanish for 5 years, I
never really felt comfortable
having a conversation since I
had so little practice speaking.
But here, I have never
been so excited to learn a new
language, largely because I’m
able to use Thai on a daily
basis – in fact, I have to, just to
be able to buy food or catch a
song tow. Our Ajaan’s
(instructors) teaching methods
are different than I am used to,
focusing on speaking and
memorization instead of
writing or reading, but the use
of repetition has been valuable
because Thai is a tonal
language. Someone told me
that Thai is a little like learning
music because you kind of
have to match the tone or pitch.
I’ve found this to be true –
every Thai class feels like a
work out for my voice box.
I can already tell that I
will learn more Thai in 4
months than I have in 5 years of
Spanish. One amusing thing I
have noticed is that my brain
will default to Spanish if I don’t
know the word in Thai. It’s as if
my brain panics and whips out
any foreign language phrases
that I have in storage whether it
is Spanish or Thai.
Although I have
struggled to order food, one
thing that has encouraged me is
the myriad of help available,
including the support of total
strangers. I enjoy the fact that
people get excited when I know
even a little bit of Thai. This does
remind me of the harshness of the
United States regarding foreigners
who have trouble speaking
English. Instead of trying to help
non-native English speakers, many
servers would get very annoyed in
the United States despite the fact
that English is a tough language to
learn. I myself have witnessed this
in the restaurant where I worked in
high school. In the past few
weeks, the little Thai language
victories have added up although I
still feel like I am a small child
with my little vocabulary. When I
find myself messing up a tone or
making grammar mistakes, it is
more fun than discouraging. The
opportunity to learn words and
phrases that can help us
understand Isaan culture is worth
the struggle.
Megan Brookens, U. of
Pennsylvania
Buenos Días, Thailand
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19
Roommates with Benefits
Riley Oshiro, American U.
Bright diamond-shaped
lanterns float above. The hubbub of
people, the crackling of street food
hot off the coals, and the voices of
vendors weave together to create a
mélange of sounds. There are just
two lanes at this market, but
together they span a distance of a
mile. Isolated from all else, it’s a
world within itself. Flowing fabrics
with elaborate elephant patterns,
wooden carvings, jewelry so bright
my eye catches their glimmer far
before my footsteps catch up.
Noodles of every color in the
rainbow, skewers of whole fish
roasting, and crackling sweet rice
desserts – a feast for the eyes and
tongue.
In a split second, the
bubble of excitement pops, and
you’re engulfed by your senses.
Overwhelmed. But the crowd
keeps going, and so do you.
Shuffling your feet, you try to
block out all of the Thai you’ve
been straining to understand. Your
eyes begin to take wider sweeps,
giving up on taking in each detail
of every stall. Until they light upon
a little succulent plant.
Small Comforts
Kaori Nagase, Brown U.
The setup is simple. Five succulents the
size of a palm, lush in their evergreen and
forest green hues. A mellow light
illuminates the table from a white lamp.
Hints of Brooklyn. I pick the one with a
strong trunk and the smallest leaves. The
man nods at my choice, and places the
plant in a sturdy paper bag meant for coffee
beans. He ties it up carefully with a string
of rope, handing it to me with a kind smile.
And just like that, I ease back into comfort,
just a little more at home.
An essential part of our
CIEE study abroad experience is
living with a Thai roommate.
These students not only graciously
share their rooms with us, but also
work to make us feel at home here
at Khon Kaen University. They
incorporate us into their lives by
showing us favorite local
restaurants, markets and cat cafes,
taking us for thrilling rides on the
backs of their motorbikes, and
introducing us to ‘honey toast’. On
top of a heavy college course load,
these wonderful humans get to
play tour guide for the
semester. Though living with a roommate can be fun, it can
present challenges for both parties
involved, especially when there are
cultural barriers. While some of us
are able to communicate relatively
easily, thanks to our roommate’s well-
practiced English, others are discovering
just how useful hand gestures can be.
CIEE student, Ellie, and her
roommate, Praew, enjoy having “low-
key nights in” that involve listening to
music and studying. Praew is a 4th year
dental student and practices dental
procedures in the room, much to Ellie’s
amusement. The two also love going for
rides on Praew’s motorbike and
participating in CIEE sponsored
activities on weekends. As we all adjust
to life here in Thailand, our roommates
are a source of comfort and fun. We
can’t wait for more adventures as the
semester continues.
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20
Do you ever want
that late night honey toast
but you are just too tired to
walk and get it? Or do you
ever have that early morning
coffee craving but you only
have five minutes before
school? In Khon Kaen,
anything is possible.
Anyplace you could ever
imagine, no matter how far
or near, is just a short motoci
ride away.
A Walking Aversion
Lindsay Palmisano,U. of
Richmond
My first morning here,
my lovely roommate and her
friend wanted to take me and
another exchange student out for
breakfast. They informed us
about a great nearby cafe called
Have a Break, but after walking
25 seconds down the street from
our apartment, hidden from the
sun under our umbrellas, we
found that Have a Break was
closed. Disheartened, our Thai
roommates turned around and
began to head back to our
rooms. I then suggested going to
another cafe two buildings
down. With this proposal, they
stared at the further café’s sign
for a couple of minutes and
insisted it was too far away. I
replied that I did not mind the
extra exercise, and it took a little
convincing, but in another ten
seconds, made it on foot to Cafe
Me 2 less than 100 yards from
our original departure point.
Before leaving for
Thailand, I envisioned the
people to be extremely active,
contrasting them to the
stereotypical "lazy Americans"
who use drive-thrus so they do
not have to get out of their cars
to get food. I was shocked to
find the existing aversion to
walking in Khon Kaen and their
reliance on motor vehicles. If
you see a Thai student, it is
likely that their motoci is just a
skip and a hop away.
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"Ab nam!" My host mother looks at me confused and points at
the shower repeating "ab nam!” I have been in my host mother, Meh
Wan's house for under 10 minutes and I am being asked to "ab nam" or
shower in Thai. In general, most of Thailand showers in the morning, at
night, and few times in-between. Though the humidity and heat make
each shower a welcomed break from stickiness, this is a stark contrast to
my scheduled evening showers in the U.S.
Cleanliness is a value clearly seen through my days of living with Meh
Wan. All of our shoes were to be left outside the house, we swept our
living space several times a day, and of course took many showers. As
my Thai language skills are barely survivable, showers became a way for
Meh Wan and I to communicate. Meh Wan “ab nam” was how I was
welcomed back to the house, what signaled time to go to bed and was
how I was woken up each morning. While my hair did not ever fully dry
during my time with Meh Wan, I grew to love the ritual of starting each
activity with a clean slate.
Starting Fresh
One of the very first
words we learned on our
cardinal day of Thai class was
cheu len, meaning nickname.
Since then, this term has
become one of the staples of
our Thai vocabulary, and a
component of every first
meeting. While nicknames
certainly aren’t unique to Thai
society – many people use them
all over the world – in Thailand
they are notably more common
than in the U.S. They often
come with meaningful and
interesting backstories and are
used throughout an individual’s
life.
While you occasionally
meet someone whose nickname
came about in a predictable
fashion, such as the nickname
Min for Mina, it is often
difficult to guess nickname
origins without asking.
According to our Thai
instructors, Ajaan (Professor)
Nid Noi (little bit), Jeab (little
Chue Len: Play Names
Jamie Rudd, U. of Rochester
chicken), and Poi (tuft of hair),
most people in Thailand prefer to
use a nickname because their full
names are “too long and
complicated.”
My peer tutor, for instance,
goes by Cheese. When I asked her
about it, she explained that when
her mother was pregnant with her,
she constantly craved pizza, which
is hard to find in Thailand. So for
approximately nine months
Cheese’s father had to find the
ingredients and make his wife
pizza himself. Today, Cheese is
content with her name. Had she
been a born a boy she would
have been called Sausage – a
name she finds quite distasteful.
Other nicknames can
have multiple layers of
meaning. When I first met my
roommate, she told me that her
nickname, Krachao, means
basket. It wasn’t until we had
time to talk later that night that
I learned her name has
significant sentimental value as
well. Krachao’s grandfather
was a soap opera star in his day.
The lead actress in his show
was named Krachao and my
roommate was given the same
name in honor of her
grandfather’s legacy.
The nickname culture
here is one of many delightful
surprises that we have
encountered in our first weeks
in Thailand. They’ve been a
quick and easy medium for
getting to know new people –
the perfect way to learn a bit
more of someone’s story.
Annie Sadler, Davidson
College
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Coming to Khon Kaen, I had heard a good deal about
Thailand’s infatuation with Western culture – the whitening
creams, the abundance of American movies on TV – but I
didn’t realize how powerfully that attitude prevailed until
we took a cramped car ride to the downtown night market.
Aside from a street entirely full of fantastic food
stalls, most of the vendors were selling clothing and jewelry, with a good helping of “funny” tourist shirts. What
was interesting, however, was that the products with Thai script on them numbered in the single digits, while
English was plastered on every fabric surface available, shouting
motivational quotes and confusing vulgar slogans to the shoppers.
We realized that it wasn’t the message of the English quotes that
people cared about, but just the mere inclusion of Western-looking text,
which meant that much of it was fascinatingly hilarious and nonsensical. We
walked by “GRER ASKETBALL,” “ANGLE IN CAR,” “Thailand of
Smile,” and much more that I probably shouldn’t reproduce here. My
personal favorite was the name “STAR TREK” accompanied by a Star of
David. Halfway through our trip, a girl stopped me and two friends, saying
she was “studying farang” and could we take a picture with her? We agreed,
and the student walked away with a photo of three taken-aback Americans
throwing up peace signs around her. I had been thinking that the obsession
with the west was pretty weird up until then, but after that I think I kind of
got it – the behavior isn’t a need to be more like us and less Thai, but a fad,
something cool you’d show your friends, the same way Americans have
their own subcultures for anime and K-Pop. And with that hopefully true but
still-unsure thought, we piled back into my roommate’s tiny Honda, and
drove off into the snarled downtown traffic.
English Text, a
Fashion Fad
Joseph Plvan-Franke, U. of
Rochester
Isaan Insider, Volume XXII, Issue I, Fall 2015
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23 Isaan Insider, Volume XXII, Issue I, Fall 2015
Website: http://study-abroad-blog-khon-kaen-dg.ciee.org/
Facebook CIEE Khon Kaen
Twitter CIEE Khon Kaen
Instagram #cieekhonkaen
issue, date
CIEE Study Abroad Advisor in Portland, ME, Susan Pollis, spollis@ciee.org
Center Director, David Streckfuss, dstreckfuss@yahoo.com
Assistant Resident Director, Arunee Sriruksa, aruneee@yahoo.com Community Public Health Program Academic Director, Dr. Anootnara T.
Kuster, anootta@kku.ac.th
Visit us on the web, at:
Isaan Insider, Volume XXII, Issue I, Fall 2015
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