Sawadee ka!!

I made it. Twenty two hours of airplane food and lines and boarding passes later and I'm here in Nichada Thani, Nonthuburi, Thailand. The first thing I noticed upon arriving were masks. Getting off the plane, it was evident that the majority of the people shuffling through the airport were either doctors who are taking their jobs way too seriously or bonafide germ-a-phobes. It's funny, I always think of Americans as being overly fearful about germs and disease, but we've got nothing on SE Asia. These people are ready to combat every swine that crosses their path. That was the first thing I noticed. The second thing I noticed was at the grocery store. The baggers wear roller skates. I used to be a bagger at Safeway when I was in high school. I quit that job after a couple of months. I would have stayed at least two months longer had I been on roller skates. Roller skates are efficient and fun. When the cashier needs a price check, the bagger just takes off on skates, checks the price, and shaves about a minute off his tennis-shoe-only time. I love this part of Thailand. Roller skates make everyone smile and these people sure do smile. I think I smile about 75% more here than I do at home so I guess it's rubbing off on me. When you can't speak a word of Thai, the smile strategy works like a gem. You smile, they come to your rescue. Seriously. The people here serve my foreign ignorance. Simple things that I am more than happy and able to do myself like open a car door or push my own shopping cart or find shade when the sun is out, all of these things have been done for me. Unfortunately, I could really get used to this which could spell disaster when I go back to the states and nobody notices or cares about me unless I'm in their way.

In an effort to save time and because I am sitting on my balcony dripping with sweat and a hot laptop is perched on my legs I will wrap this up with a list of observations about my three days living in Thailand.

1. Fruit here looks fake. I bought a dragon fruit. It looks like a hot pink boa on the outside and a spotted zebra on the inside. It was bland. Never judge a fruit by it's cover. Lesson learned.

2. This place is so peaceful that the army runs a nursery. All of the plants on my balcony were purchased on an army base. Nothing like picking out orchids while men in camouflage fire automatic weapons and smoke cigarettes. The army guys also picked up every plant for me and followed me around until I was done shopping, then loaded it into a truck, drove the truck to my apartment, and voila! I have a balcony full of tropical plantst. All this (10 potted plants and trees) for under $40. What the?! I'm never coming home.

3. There are minumum three layers of sweat and filth accumulated on my body every minute of every day.

SE Asia, I'm hooked...