Big Changes

I have asked both my grandmothers what they believe the biggest change in the world was during their life times was. One believes it was transportation, the other the vast increase in population density, and both really make you consider just how much has changed in the last century. But there is an incredible, and potentially huge difference between the generation of my parents, and my generation, that of electronics and the internet. With all respect to the car, and airplane, I really think that this may be more revolutionary in terms of human behavior. Many who know me have heard me be amazed at modern technology, be it indoor plumbing or a smart phone, but I recently had a moment which drove home yet again what an colossal gap exists between the two: Sitting on my bed, sweating slightly, I had just plowed through two episodes of the office, when I looked out my window. The realization was simple and obvious, that I was in Thailand, not the northeastern United States. There are always moments like this in a sudden transition in life styles, but this was slightly different. My amazement came because watching The Office was an identical experience in Thailand as it would have been in northern Vermont. As my generation ages I have absolutely no idea what the ability to be entertained so easily and freely by something so portable as a laptop will have on us; there is no pressure to challenge yourself to find entertainment when it is quite literally sitting in your lap, no matter where you are.

That being said, here are a couple reasons to travel. Saturday night was the last night of the Vegetarian festival in Surat Thani; it had been an ongoing celebration, which I was mostly unaware of, and unaffected by. In fact, I thought last night had been the previous night when I had attempted to attend some fire walking at a temple, and found that it happened a night earlier, there was a lot of fire crackers, some fireworks, an auction in a language I didn’t understand, and some men taking down a bamboo stage using machetes. So one night later, when I was heading into town to get dinner at the night market I did not expect more festivities, however when another teacher suggested we make an incense offering at the temple we were unwittingly swept up into it. I expected this to be a two minute max affair, light the incense, bow in prayer at an alter, and leave the aromatic offering. Instead we received a large bundle of incense, and left three sticks at several different alters, being led to each one by a kind person giving us directions in rapid Thai that none of us understood. Once finished we were ushered into room behind the main space of the temple (the doors to this were ornately painted pictures of Chinese warriors, the faces had spectacular detail and another teacher astutely noted that the face was probably done by a master, and the rest by apprentice) where it became clear that they were going to give us a vegetarian feast. We were put down at a table and several dishes were brought over, the only one of which that I recognized was a ridiculously tasty yellow curry, others included something akin to dumplings, various greens and an interesting mushroom soup. As we ate a Thai woman came and sat with us, instructed us on how to request water when she saw we were over heating from the spice, directed us to bathrooms and provided the kind of company that only a benevolent person with whom you can’t breach the language barrier can. By the time we headed off to explore the night market, a fantastic place that I will devote another entry to, we had turned down seconds, had them, than insisted on turning down thirds and left to a “See you soon” from our amicable dinner companion.

The next story is one more suggestive of the connections you can make over a year in a place like Surat. My two roommates and I stopped by a local restaurant to enjoy not only good food and fruit smoothies (ridiculously common and significantly better than in the states) but a reliable wireless connection offered by Earth Zone on Chalok Rat Rd. in Surat Thani. A teacher, who sadly left on Monday after a year at Super English, stopped into to check in his computer and grab a bite to eat. This was a restaurant that he had frequented, and he had come to know the staff quite well. We eventually got up to pay our bill and the grizzled veteran of a teacher got to talking with the owner, who has a good grasp of English, though she speaks it in a very ESL way takes some time to grow accustomed to (I had no idea what was being discussed). After a few moments, Chris, the veteran, turns to us with wide eyes and says, “Are you ready for this?” Apprehension begins to fill me, what could prompt such a reaction? Moments later the owner returns to the bar, carrying a tray of six shot glasses filled with a liquid roughly the color of apple cider, though beholding to a very different genre of drinks. She explains that this is an old Thai medicine, a shot a day will keep you healthy forever. It is a wide variety of Thai herbs (don’t ask which, I’m not sure anyone really knows) that have been allowed to steep in honey and vodka for a year. Bottoms up. There are some sensations which I don’t think can be accurately described, and moments after that traditional kick of hard liquor dominated my senses for a moment a new stirring occurred which is certainly beyond my ability to accurately describe. It trickled down through my digestive system, highlighting each step, the mouth, the esophagus, the stomach, and beyond. I don’t think I have ever had such an intimate experience with the biology of my body beyond the stomach.

After this a group of men, whose connection to us I am still unsure of, bought us all a glass of red wine (we toasted them merrily, standing awkwardly at the bar). This felt strangely un-surreal after what had just happened. None of this truly remarkable experience would have been available to us had the teacher who came before us not been a wonderfully kind, outgoing, and adventurous person over the previous year.