Hello There! I hope you've had a wonderfully productive and enjoyable week...I certainly have! My new digs are becoming more and more familiar to me, and I'm slowly adding my own touches to the condo, so things here feel really good:-) Plus...the Australian Open is on - whoop! I never realized what a difference it would make living in Thailand during the Australian Open, but it makes a huge difference. Melbourne is only 4 hours ahead, so I just finished watching Andy Murray and Milos Raonic play. Wow! Amazing stuff! Won't tell who won~
My first week of Thai reading and writing went well. I'm the only female in our class of 7 students. All of the guys want to stay here in Thailand, so they have to prove that they can speak, read and write Thai. Something about a student visa? I have no plans of living here permanently. I'm just doing it because it's fun. As a matter of fact, I booked my return ticket the other day. If all goes well and the creek don't rise, I'll be home on August 23rd. Double whoop!
Hua Hin and Chiang Mai are very different for many reasons. One of the most remarkable differences (other than the beach) is the number of older white men who are in a relationship with young Thai women. What's up with that? Here are two articles that discuss relationships between Thai women and "farangs" (foreigners). (For those wondering...although it is rare, Thai women also marry black farangs - Tiger Woods is part Thai).
http://oddmyklebust.com/2013/07/11/young-thai-women-and-their-old-white-sexpats/
http://news.thaivisa.com/thailand/new-trend-of-young-educated-thai-women-with-farang-husbands-emerges-researcher/109615/
One thing I keep forgetting to talk about is Thai nicknames. Thank goodness Thais use nicknames! Most farangs would have a hard time remembering the real Thai names, let alone pronouncing those names correctly. My friend Angela (that's her real name) is an exception. Here's an article about what's up with Thai nicknames in case you're interested:
https://www.into-asia.com/thai_language/reference/nicknames.php
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Pineapple fried rice from my daily restaurant |
