I can now count to 999,999 in Thai*. I should ask someone how to say a million, then get someone to challenge me, like kindergarteners... but alas, I am doing more important things with my time, such as discovering the best way to simultaneously spend one hour of my life plus six dollars. My body type was made for Thai massage; fairly bendable, happy to be popped and cracked and layered just enough so the pain is good pain, for example, when your masseuse curls into a ball and rolls onto her back while holding your arms over her head and walking her knees into your back as your bum lifts off the ground. Très acrobatic.
This weekend I jaunted off to see mom and grammy in Krabi, on the southern peninsula of Thailand, west coast, Andaman Sea. It was über fun. Mom and I even took Gram out for a 3 person kayak trip (she was our queen in the middle, sans oars.) Turns out my camera isn't of the underwater variety--thankfully my pictures were salvaged and people seem to be hopeful that it can be nursed back to life; "it happens everyday" the locals kindly reassure.
For clinical this past week we visited the local Planned Parenthood for our community health course. Again massage and acupuncture are widely used modalities, just like at prison, the drug addiction treatment center and the child development hospital too. We were at one point shared the information that STI prevention and education is being done in outreach settings in rural Thailand. Apparently it's tricky because the condoms don't fit. We were told they are too small for Thai people and too big for the Hill Tribe communities. To which I promptly asked if that was an actual valid statement based on a documented report of clinical testing, or if it was a massive general assumption possibly based on institutionalized racism? This was very much lost in translation. I reserve my suspicions. Later we were shown the condoms, as our curiosity was not lost on our presenter. What was most unique about these was the expiration date, 2555! Wow, that's some serious preservative (melamine?) This is when we learned a great new fact about Thai culture; the calendar is, of course, based on Buddhism. Buddha was born 543 years before J.C., so there you go: normal preservative (I suppose it could still be melamine), presently it is the year 2551 in all Buddhist countries and the size-discrepancy is still to be investigated.... but I probably just won't have the time. However, my offense at the likely affront on the phallusism of it all shall remain.
Unrelated, though it makes for a good title, I now segue into politics--a previously indirectly mentioned topic in this space. Namely, I am having a heck of a time being so removed from much of the goings on, but I am equally relishing in the stark absence of those awful televised party bashings that many of you back home are no doubt inescapably being inundated. I am by no means out of touch completely. The class has convened at one of the professor's apartments for every debate thus far, even if it meant shifting her own theory class for it. I also have the internet. So I have replayed many times the glorious Palin interviews. And just a word here, if I may, "because she's so pretty." is not an answer to: "Why do you support Sarah Palin as a VP hopeful?" Source: BBC.
For clinical this past week we visited the local Planned Parenthood for our community health course. Again massage and acupuncture are widely used modalities, just like at prison, the drug addiction treatment center and the child development hospital too. We were at one point shared the information that STI prevention and education is being done in outreach settings in rural Thailand. Apparently it's tricky because the condoms don't fit. We were told they are too small for Thai people and too big for the Hill Tribe communities. To which I promptly asked if that was an actual valid statement based on a documented report of clinical testing, or if it was a massive general assumption possibly based on institutionalized racism? This was very much lost in translation. I reserve my suspicions. Later we were shown the condoms, as our curiosity was not lost on our presenter. What was most unique about these was the expiration date, 2555! Wow, that's some serious preservative (melamine?) This is when we learned a great new fact about Thai culture; the calendar is, of course, based on Buddhism. Buddha was born 543 years before J.C., so there you go: normal preservative (I suppose it could still be melamine), presently it is the year 2551 in all Buddhist countries and the size-discrepancy is still to be investigated.... but I probably just won't have the time. However, my offense at the likely affront on the phallusism of it all shall remain.
Unrelated, though it makes for a good title, I now segue into politics--a previously indirectly mentioned topic in this space. Namely, I am having a heck of a time being so removed from much of the goings on, but I am equally relishing in the stark absence of those awful televised party bashings that many of you back home are no doubt inescapably being inundated. I am by no means out of touch completely. The class has convened at one of the professor's apartments for every debate thus far, even if it meant shifting her own theory class for it. I also have the internet. So I have replayed many times the glorious Palin interviews. And just a word here, if I may, "because she's so pretty." is not an answer to: "Why do you support Sarah Palin as a VP hopeful?" Source: BBC.
A lot of things are pretty; Miss America is probably really pretty, I think male peacocks are pretty, and stained glass windows. But I don't think these would make very good options for president (McCain is a septegenerarian, and probably a really stressed out one too.) Now, I'm not saying pretty equates with stupid or inept, not at all. Case in point: my model friend Kaiulani, if you're lucky enough to know her. I'm only saying that Americans (you know the "hockey moms" and I believe Palin also used the phrase "Joe Beer Belly,") cannot use "pretty" or even drop-dead gorgeous for that matter, as a criterion for choosing to sway McPalin. Or maybe I should just say what I really feel here... I heart Barack! He would beat Palin in a poltical beauty contest any day of the week, Obama, you're beautiful.
*Incidentally 999,999 goes like this: Gǎao s33n gǎao muun gǎao pan gǎao rćcy gǎao sìb gǎao!
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2 comments:
Great e-mail! sounds like your having fun! Keep enjoying.karina
Maybe Palin has a lot of inner beauty... or maybe she shouldn't be a VP candidate.
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