Wednesday I started my international film class. The class is taught by a man from NY and apart from myself, there was only 2 people in the class that weren't Thai. I think the class will be really interesting, and being a movie buff, I am excited to explore film from all over the world and compare them. We started with Star Wars, and although I can appreciate the beauty of a film that has made such an impact on not only the US, but the world, I really don't see the appeal. I have been fighting off watching Star Wars for so long, and now that I've seen it, I wasn't that impressed. We are scheduled to watch a Thai film next week, so it should be fun!
After my class, one of my classmates and I took the long shuttle back to Tha Prachan Campus where we live and decided to head down Kao San Road to get some food. We stopped at a busy side street and ate at a little street restaurant that he had frequented before. I got a banana smoothie that was really good. It still amazes me how much more I appreciate fruit here. The fruit here just tastes better, it is a lot more fresh. For dinner, I decided on Chicken Cashew Stir-fry. I am so glad I chose this, because it was one of the best meals I've eaten since my arrival here in Bangkok. At 70 baht, (about 2.18) I got a huge portion of chicken and mixed vegetables with browned cashews. It was the perfect blend of spicy and sweet! After picking around at the food, I was surprised, and suddenly my mouth was on FIRE. Too busy enjoying my food, I didn't even notice that carrots weren't the only orange vegetable in my dish. Unknowingly, I shoveled three chillies into my mouth! As a person that loves hot food, and can normally tolerate a kick, this is nothing like anything I've tried before. My whole mouth felt numb and my nose began running and my eyes watering! Prik Kee Noo, or "mouse shit chillies" as they are nicknamed in Thailand, was the little surprise in my dish. Apparently, they got their name from "hiding" like a mouse does and surprising the finder. (they're also the hottest in Thailand) Well, the Thai's got it right, surprised I was! I liked the heat, but I stayed away from the orange for a while. I think one per dish would have been plenty!
Thursday, I had my final two classes. Islam in Thailand and Thai Cuisine. Islam in Thailand was a little dry, but we are taking multiple field trips, so I am excited to learn about different religions and see how they practice. I wanted to take a class in Buddhism, seeing as it is the main religion in Thailand, but it wasn't offered this semester, like basically every other class I wanted. But I think it will still be a really cool experience and learning about the 2nd largest religion of Thailand works too. The Thai Cuisine class will be one of my favorite classes, I am sure. The instructor is a chef and owner of a restaurant in Bangkok. The first part of the class, she said we would be learning about Thai food, what goes into it, the culture and history of food, and more importantly for practical reasons, what things are called! Gone are the days of staring at a script I cannot read, looking at a plate of food and wondering what the hell is in it, and pointing to things trying to order. At least I hope so! She seems like a really sweet woman, and I am excited to take the course. The second part includes a cooking tutorial where we will learn to make curry pastes, salads and soups, and other Thai dishes! My mom would be proud! I think it will be an awesome experience to not only cook things that are extremely different than food I eat at home, but just to cook with a professional Thai chef in general.
I saw fish pedicures yesterday. For those unfamiliar, fish pedicures are where you go to a little street salon and you stick your feet into a fish tank, so that hundreds of fish can literally eat the dead skin off of your feet! I know, it sounds kinda weird, but I talked to a girl who has already gotten one, and she said it was amazing and it was the softest her feet have ever been! I have a HUGE blister on my foot, so I don't want to get one just yet, but I will be doing it as soon as my foot heals! (so check back in for that blog entry!)
Today is Friday, and our school took us on a trip to the Grand Palace. And the name doesn't even do it justice! It was incredibly breathtaking. From the first steps inside the white fortress walls, everything was so amazing. Bangkok is a pretty dirty place, but this was like an Asian Pleasantville. Everything was so ornate. The temples and buildings were covered in tremendous detail. The main golden dome was one of the most beautiful things I've ever seen. At first glance, you are deceived to believe that the entire building is just painted gold. But as the tour guide rounded the path and we got closer up to it, it was covered, from floor to peak, with small probably 1 sq. inch glass tiles. These tiles were then covered with gold leafing. It was insane to see. I couldn't believe the amount of laborious detail that had to go into the construction of this. All of the sights within the palace had incredible detail and were tremendously inspiring. I was just in awe the entire time. I still have to pinch myself once in a while, and say, 'Am I really in Bangkok?!' We went inside the Temple of the Emerald Buddha and it was really cool. Outside there were flowers that you could dip into holy water and place on your head, then once inside, people crowded around a tall tower-type wall with the Emerald Buddha inside. Seeing everyone bowed in respect was just a really awesome experience.
Today was the first day I wore my uniform. Although I thought it was required when I applied here, I was informed upon my arrival that BJM or the school of journalism, and Thai studies classes (which includes all of my courses) were not required to wear them. The only times I HAD to wear my uniform was the palace tour, midterms, and finals. However, I felt really nice today when I wore it. I really did see why the program coordinator said it was optional, but would gain you more respect if you chose to wear it. The already tremendously nice people around me, seemed to look at me differently. Being a student of Thammasat University gains a tremendous amount of respect in Thailand. I had two people bow their heads to me in a wai (which is a huge sign of respect here) and two others go out of their way to tell me hello, and say Thammasat and smile a gigantic grin. It was nice to see how people respected education so much, and it made me really appreciate what I have been given and the opportunities I have been lucky enough to embark upon. Although the uniform is stuffy in this heat, and wildly uncomfortable, I may consider it wearing it a few more times than the required amount. Respect and keeping face is a huge deal in Thai culture, and I definitely saw that first hand today!
As for the weekend, it is finally time to relax! I have been stressed, running around trying to fit into this new lifestyle, at a new school, with new friends and now that I am getting more settled in, it is time for the beach! Tonight, I will be leaving for Kho Samet, an island a few hours away from Bangkok to spend the weekend on the white sandy beaches, soaking up the sun. I am incredibly excited, because I have seen pictures and heard of the beauty in the beaches of Thailand, so I cannot wait! This should be a great way to set off the semester!
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