Life around Khon Kaen University: Thursday, August 23, 2012

 Really great bubble tea! They have some delicious flavors, including "passion-fruit" "blueberry" "plum and lemon" "kiwi" "honeydew" "strawberry" "honey and lemon" and a variety of milk teas. 

This is a funny story of Megan getting an adapter from the Complex. 

The complex is basically a building, except that it does not have doors or windows, so it is kind of like an outdoor market, except that if it were to rain there is a roof to protect the merchandise, etc. So Megan picks up and adapter that she wants to buy and just walks away! I ask her if she has paid the lady and she just says she thought there would be a register at the end of the market somewhere! We go back and she finally paid the lady 59 Baht ($2.03) for the charger.

This brings up a really good point about the Thai culture that I have noticed. It seems that a lot of the business places are very trusting. For instance, people do not really follow you as you shop through their stand. You can order food from a stand/fast-food place, pick up the food and not even pay for the food until you finish eating (kind of like a restaurant mentally except that you are not restricted to eat in their vicinity). You can literally leave their stand and come back after eating to pay them. 

We bought our uniforms in the complex! For the white shirt, I paid 180 Baht (~$5) and 240 Baht (~$9) for a long black skirt. So my uniform cost me around $15! How great is that?!

The prices here are also based on size, so the bigger piece of clothing you need, the more expensive it is. I thought this was interesting because I think that would be hard to implement in America. 

Here we are just walking around Khon Kaen University and exploring which stores and restaurants there are nearby. 

Another great comparison, food here (a full plate of food) is anywhere from 20-50Baht ( $.69-1.73). However, almost everything here you buy is the same price. Whether you want to buy a single piece of fruit, or a yogurt, small bag of M&Ms, ice-cream or drink, it is still the same price. So the hardest thing to decide sometimes is whether I want to get a meal or just a scoop of ice cream for the same price. Life's hard decisions.

7 Eleven? You exist in Thailand? Oh yes! 

Apparently there are more 7 Elevens than in any other country (you might want to research this because I am not sure how valid that statement is). For me, 7 Eleven has been my biggest source of dairy (yogurt) because most Thai dishes do not have cheese or cow's milk in them. In the mornings, I always get a raisin bun and yogurt for breakfast.

7 Elevens also sells calling cards that we buy to make our domestic calls on our cell phones.

Winding down to the evening and I got a little snack-- roasted peanuts with a glaze and sesame seeds for 10 Baht ($0.33)

First Full Day at Khon Kaen: In the morning, we had an Anti-Oppression Activity. We had to read a packet about discrimination, oppression and the white supremacy. I gained a new perspective of the white supremacy and what benefits exist when your skin is white. I believe that this might be one of the reasons why some Thai residents use "whitening" products, which includes lotion with sunscreen, shampoo and face wash with bleach, etc. It was a nice topic to think twice about. Then, we were assigned a "Buddhist Buddy", who is basically a person from our group who can keep us in check by: (1) seeing if we are meeting our goals, (2) keeping us grounded and (3) serving as a person who can you discuss whatever issues you might be experiencing (being home-sick, struggling with academics, personal problems, etc). My Buddhist buddy, Roren, and I got to eat lunch and get to know each other well which was really nice. Lastly, the Public Health Group made ground rules and had a night activity. All in all, it was a really wonderful first day in Khon Kaen.