Songkhla, Thailand: Hit or Miss

In a few days, I will be leaving Thailand for the third, and most likely, last time. At the moment, I have one eye pointed toward my future adventures in India as well as marriage and one eye looking back at this country where I cut my ESL teeth, where I endured heartbreak, and where I discovered what amazing really can be. The following is what I will miss and not miss about this beautifully baffling country.

What I Will Miss: The Sea, The Forests, The Lake, The Hills

Lately my main focus has been reaching my goal of running 10k without stopping, which I'm happy to say, I've accomplished. My morning run along the sea and through the forest is my sanity.

What I Won't Miss: Rubbish

Some just throw their Styrofoam lunch containers and the plastic bags they came in on the ground when finished. Beach picnickers will leave the remnants of their feast in a neat little heap in the sand for some city worker to pick up the next morning. It is difficult to find bins, but not impossible.

What I Will MIss: Sunshine

It's always sunny in Songkhla. Even on rainy days during rainy season, the sun feels obligated to make an appearance at least for part of the day. I hope I have enough sunshine stored up for when I move to Dublin.

What I Won't Miss: The Heat from Sunshine

I'm sweating any moment I am not in an air-conditioned environment.  No amount of prickly heat powder and deodorant can stop the trickling of sweat. That is a lot of the day. Even at 7:00 when I do my run, it's about 80-85 degrees and the temperatures climb to near 100 in the afternoon. Sometimes the air is so hot, it hurts to breathe it. Again, I hope I can survive in a country that regards 70 degrees a "scorcher".

What I Will Miss: Food.

Thai food is the  most complex, varied, and exciting food I've ever had. Ever. Sweet, sour, spicy, salty. Everything natural: palm sugar, coconut milk, ginger, lime juice, garlic, shallots, chilies, fish sauce, cilantro, and of course, the amazing lemongrass. Red, yellow, green curries. Incredible soups. Grilled meats. Steamed fish. Sauces galore!! I could go on and on and on about my fascination with Thai food. And did I mention the price? I can find a feast at the nightly food market near my house for less than 5 euros.

What I Won't Miss: A Lack of Food Other than Thai Food

Sometimes, you need cheese. Or a French fry. Songkhla does have a pizza place, an Italian restaurant, a Japanese place, and a couple of pubs with overpriced strange cheeseburgers. But these get old and at times, I felt I would die if I didn't have a taco.

What I Will Miss: Relatively Stress-free Job

Rajamangala is a pretty laid back place and there seems to be a holiday every four days. It's also a lovely campus with lots of trees and birds and a good canteen.

What I Won't Miss: A Too Laid Back Attitude Towards English in the English Department

There are only about 10 visible words of English in the English office and two of these are "Angry Birds" which adorns some official document, possibly the curriculum book. I don't know because  it's not in English. I feel strongly that by not having signs, notices, and information in English and Thai, it sends the message that English is not important outside of the classroom. Which is the exact opposite of reality in an English program.

What I'll Miss: Big, Free Apartment

The apartment provided by the university is quite big and it's great to be across the street from the school. In one year, I only paid $50 total for electricity.

What I Won't Miss: The uncomfortable bed on the floor, no hot water, no stove. Ants. In all fairness, though, we could have bought stuff to make it more homey and comfy, but we were never quite certain how long we'd be staying.

 

What I'll  Miss: Friday and Sunday Markets

Imagine a garage sale, farmers' market, and a food fair in one setting. Every Friday and Sunday morning there is a market near my apartment that sells cheap second hand clothes, household wares, traditional Thai foods, fresh meat, veg, and fruit, and accessories. The smells, colors, and buzz make it an interesting jaunt. Except when you're hungover. Then it's a nightmare.

What I Won't Miss: No Big Size Clothes and Shoes

The average Thai woman is about  5' tall and a size 0. I'm 5'10" and a size 12. Need I say more? I've found a few skirts and shirts that I can squeeze into, but there have been many a time that I was close to tears because I couldn't find anything that fit. Oh, and shoes? Forget about it. I'm still wearing the Sketchers I bought in Iowa City in 2009 and the men's Li-Ning running shoes I found in China.

What I'll Miss: Cheap Transport

I don't have a family so I didn't feel a need to get a vehicle when public transport is so cheap and easy. Also, I've always had this strange feeling that I would have a bad accident if I had a motorbike. A tuk-tuk ride is about 50 cents and a motorbike taxi is about 75 cents. The market is oversaturated with them, so it's easy to get a ride during the day.  My morning run ends at the fresh food market and all the motorbike guys know me and where I live. I love my morning ride through town on the back of a bike, dripping sweat and clutching bags of fresh veggies and fruit.

What I Won't Miss: Honking of Transport             

The drivers honk at you even if it is painfully obvious you require no transport, for example, when you are running down the road.

What I Will Miss: Thai Smiles

Thai people are generally lovely and generous. Just this week, a random stranger pulled over and gave me a pamphlet for a marathon and another guy at the market said, "Hello Miss Running". I go to the same vegetable sisters, pork lady, and chicken lady and they always have a ready smile. Thais love fun and want to smile and laugh. Everything seems to make them feel "happy, funny, and relax".

What I Won't Miss: "You! You!!" and Aggressive "Hello"s

About once a day someone shouts at me, usually a young boy, and usually after I've passed. It makes them laugh hysterically. Usually it's no big deal, but if I'm having a bad day, it can send murderous shivers down my spine.

What I Will Miss: Cheap Beer

 A large 660ml of Leo beer costs about $2.

What I Won't Miss: Cheap Beer

Leo tastes like piss and some cheaper brands, like Chang, give you such bad headaches, you know you've been brain damaged.

 

What I'll Miss: The Table

The Table is an actual table at a Vietnamese restaurant run by the wife of Chris, a long term expat from England. Many teachers and some off-shore people hang out here for the cheap beer and camaraderie. A lot of laughter and tears have been shared at The Table. One of the gang, Rocky, started a side business of Indian food at the restaurant. Sadly, he died in a car accident April 2012. He was a large part of the heart and soul of The Table and is greatly missed.

What I Won't Miss: No Places to Enjoy English Outside of The Table

Sometimes my whole being craves English in the form of cinemas, libraries, theatres, museums, galleries, and live bands. Hat Yai has some, Bangkok a ton, but Songkhla, not so much.

What I Will Miss: This Girl
 

M is the only other female ex-pat that hangs out at The Table. We're the same age, and except for the fact that she's good at practically everything, we have a lot in common. I think I would be a smidge more insane if it weren't for her. I'll miss our til dawn sessions. Check out her incredible art at: http://www.gallerymg.com/index.html

What I Won't Miss: Girl Jealousy

Occasionally a Thai girl will get it in her head that M and I are after her man, which is a bit of an insult to the men we're happily attached to.

What I Will Miss: This Cat. Beyond Reason.

This little heap of white and gray fur has brought so much happiness to our lives. I'm incredibly sad that I won't see her again, but happy that she'll be cared for in a home with a big garden and other cats. And I'll try not to think about the cobras that also share this space.

What I Won't Miss: Meow O'Clock

Every morning at approximately 6:00 a.m. Friday Cat begins her relentless meowing until I get up and feed her. Once sated, she goes back to sleep. For me the day has begun whether I wanted it to or not.

What I Will Miss: Travelling to Islands

Thailand has some of the most stunning beaches in the world. My favorite are in Taratao National Park off the coast of Satun in the Andaman Sea.

What I Won't Miss: Rarely Travelling to Islands

Despite the fact that the university has nearly as many holidays and activity days as teaching days, we still had to sign our names every morning. I usually did this for us before my run.


I'm finding it's impossible to capture everything about this experience in one blog. I'm driving myself insane trolling through all of my poorly organized photos looking for the "one". I've realized that I didn't even talk about my main reason for being here which is to impart my expertise of the English language to students! That blog entry will have to wait til another day. Until then, this badly formatted--I just cannot seem to master it---entry will have to suffice as my virtual time capsule.
 

Songkran Festival: Splashing in the New Year

Some countries have day or week long fireworks displays while others have long and loud alcohol fueled dance parties. Some focus on family and community while others focus on spirituality and renewal of the self. But nowhere other than SE Asia does the New Year involve donning your gaudiest floral attire, stocking up on plastic guns and taking to the streets to shoot and douse strangers with water. 

What could be more fun than flowered shirts, bubbles, water guns?

April 13-15 is the traditional Thai New Year, though January 1 is the official day in keeping with the international calendars. The days are national holidays and many businesses are closed and people often travel to see families. Though it may seem like days of frivolity created to alleviate the madness created by the summer heat--everyday is nearly 40/100 degrees--there are meaningful roots to be found in the splashing.

Stephen in battle mode

 

As far as I can tell from my brief internet research, in the past the day was used to clean Buddha statues. The statues were sometimes brought around the towns and villages and people would splash water on them and the collected "blessed" water from the statue cleaning was poured on elders and family to symbolize washing away the past and giving blessings for the next year.

In addition to the buckets of ice cold water, people will also stop to rub some talc powder mixed with water onto your face. This is symbolic of the chalk used by monks to mark their blessings when you go to the temple to make merit.

Many add color to their blessing goop

Now, anyone who steps outside is fair game for throwing water on, whether on a motorcycle, tuk-tuk or just walking around. Some people, foreigners included, will travel or stay home to avoid the "fun". We wanted the full experience, so joined the local Hash Harriers-- a group of ex-pats who torture themselves each week with long afternoon runs followed by copious amounts of beer and food. After maintaining our post at the Coffee Love Bar and shooting countless children, teens, and elders, we set off for a short walk around the town, engaging in water fights with everyone and occasionally stopping at the beer truck for a refreshment. Unfortunately, this was NOT a typical summer day. It was cool and rainy.

Taking it to the streets

Don't get me wrong. People still go to the temple to make merit and give alms to the monks. People pay respect to their families on this day and use it as a time to reflect on the past and make goals for the coming year. Some lament that the once very traditional day has evolved into just a day of play with the meaning taken out of the equation--not to mention some of the negative consequences related to drinking and getting splashed in the face while driving. However, what I experienced on this day was lovely community spirit. Regardless of age or class, everyone played together as equals, sharing their water with those whose guns were empty. Everyone seemed heartfelt in their "Happy New Years" and best of all, everyone got to shed the chains of adult responsibility and for a few blessed hours, be a kid again.

Everyone especially loved shooting the giant foreigner

Before my hair and eyes were matted with water and colored powder

 

The gun on the left only made it a few rounds

 

I wish I had dressed more fashionably like the teens

 

 

 

Mom and daughter squad

 

Many of the wimpier foreigners stayed "dry" inside the bar

 

guarding the powder for sale

 

Steve and  Mick talk strategy

 

older women and children are fair game

 

Bubble machine!!!

 

quick stop at the beer truck

 

 

Drug Run

This kid not good at sports? Shocking!

As a kid, I was one of the only few in the Y swimming classes to never move beyond the “minnow” group to the coveted cool kid group of "dolphins" or "sharks". In gymnastics, when we did backbends, I was the one who, instead of looking like a leotard clad rainbow, looked like a coffee table. In junior high, I was a benchwarmer for the “C” team of girls’ basketball (this was before schools tried making the distinction less obvious by using colors and random nouns). I was the only 7^th grader who tried out for cheerleading to not be picked. In high school, the ever-stressed, ever-pushed over Mr. Drake graciously let me onto the show choir team despite by near inability to even master basic jazz hands. All I heard growing up was that I lacked the basic endurance, flexibility, skill, and grace needed to do anything remotely athletic. I’m not sure I would have qualified to even be a ball girl or water bearer.

Though I’ve consistently been a train wreck at sports, I like exercise. I’ve endured ridicule in American and foreign gyms as I’ve tried to keep up in that month’s flavor of dance-meets-aerobics-meets-torture class. I’ve joined gyms and hamstered it out on the treadmill (ellipticals are too elusive) and done my time on the weight circuits. And why? One reason is to combat the effects of my love of food. But two, I like the high you get when you reach the “zone”, that blissful moment where you feel you could keep going forever. If you are the type that enjoys mind-altering substances, exercise is a natural and safe dealer. And for me, the dealer has come lately in the form of outdoor running/jogging.  I use "running/jogging" as a term because there doesn't seem to be any definitive difference between the two and I don't want to be pretentious by saying "running" when I'm actually doing what real "runners" would call "jogging".  And if I am really "running" and not "jogging", I want my street cred.

track behind the house I lived in in Nanjing, China

I started running/jogging in China when I had a track in my backyard (a very, very rare thing in a huge city!). But I often gave up before getting the high. Running around in small circles was too close to a physical reflection of my current life, not to mention the toxic fumes from the construction site next door. In Songkhla, I started running/jogging up and down the beach road but couldn’t seem to push myself past a certain point. I would be going along not even particularly tired, and something in my head would say, “Ahh, just stop. Just stop kidding yourself.” And I would stop and walk home feeling like I had lived up to my potential.

But then I think I woke up one day and said "I'm going to do this" though I can't remember which day or consciously having the thought. Or clearly defining what "this" was. I started off with a small distance and did that four or five times until it was easy, and then I went a bit further until that new distance felt easy. As of now, I'm able to run/jog about 8-9km in an hour.  These are the things that worked for me. I write them here more for myself for the inevitable time when the high of the high wears off and I need to get back on track.

First goal was to reach here and now this is where I feel I'm just warming up

1. The most important change I made was changing my route. I used to run up and then back down a busy beach road that had a zillion motorbikes and no change in scenery. Also backtracking is something that always annoys me in any situation. So my new morning route goes along the quieter part of the beach road, past a dozen seafood restaurants that are setting up for the day, past a remote control aircraft club, through a quiet forest full of cranes and butterflies, past an abandoned campground where all the bungalows look like KKK hats, past a water fountain and strange sculptures, along a street full of small carts selling soup and fried donuts, and to the market where I can by fresh meat, veggies, and fruit for the day. Varied, mostly quiet, and purposeful.

2.  I had to stop stopping because as it turns out, after the initial difficult 5-10 minutes, it actually gets easier. Strange. It surprises and delights me every time.

3. It's no secret I have abysmal posture. So focusing on standing straight, taking in and letting out breaths in a steady rhythm makes everything less painful. The focus on breathing and keeping my shoulders back also puts me in a meditative state in which I can block out the negative thoughts that usually make me want to stop.

4. I bought a nice sports bra.

It's not a huge accomplishment; I haven't lost any weight or won any awards and it could potentially lead to ruined knees and the disintegration of other bones. But I feel so energized--high--and refreshed after I wash off all the sweat, and at night, sleep is no enemy. And who knows? Maybe when I get to Dublin this summer, I'll put on a sweater, tape a number to it, and take my chances competing among others who are out to get a fix.

 

Part of the route goes past....

the sea and view of Cat and Rat Islands

bikers, other runners, and stray dogs

lady setting up souvenir stands

Cat and Rat statues

Seaside restaurants. Most of them have seating on the beach

spirit tree

It's best to let sleeping dogs like and just run around them



Pacman Statue

near the mini forest

over the bridge

part of the body of Nga, the serpent dragon that lives underground

The quiet, quiet outdoors. No traffic, only the sounds of birds and the wind.

Butterflies are everywhere here!!

These bungalows always make me think of KKK hats.

This club always has a smile and a hello for me as I pass