It's Friday night here and I am going to collect data tomorrow, so there's not much relaxing to be had. After five days here, I have collected data from nearly 100 skulls, and I think I will collect more data next week since I'm getting into my groove.
I think I may have shocked Nongnuch the other day when she asked me if I was religious and I told her I wasn't. She was flabbergasted. Then she asked me if I wanted to go with her one morning when she brings food to the local monks (a local Buddist tradition). I just told her since my parents weren't religious I wasn't raised to be and left it at that.
Then I proceeded to shock her again when she asked me if I had a boyfriend and I said no. I guess she was shocked at my spinsterhood, then she suggested I get a Thai boyfriend so I could improve my Thai. I laughed at her suggestion but it does seems like a good way to improve my language skills. I think I can currently say/identify 10-20 different things. Most of what I can say appears to revolve around food. Thai people eat a lot but they are really skinny. They kept commenting that I don't eat that much, and for anyone that knows me, that is so not true. They like to have a rice dish with meat and then fruit and dessert after each meal. It's a lot of food! Here's a picture of my dinner at the hotel restaurant.
I still can't get used to the crazy motorbike riders here. I forgot to get a picture today, but I will soon. It's pretty standard to see three or four people crammed on a motorbike on the roads here, but today I saw two guys riding a motorbike and the guy on the back was carrying a full sized ladder! If I was that guy I would be really tired.
Every morning in front of my hotel there are women who sit and sell their silk wares. They even weave silk cloths, purses, and other goodies while they sit. They are gone by the time I get back for the evening. One of these mornings I will look at their wares and buy some souvenirs. Here's a picture of them selling their stuff.
There is a shrine across my hotel that many students frequent before exams to pray for good luck. It's really pretty with lots of elephant statues in the front. I still have yet to see an actual elephant though. Here are some pictures of the shrine.
The food is really good here and really cheap. I just have to be careful not to order the spicy stuff, cause then it's REALLY spicy. I wish they had the chili pepper icons next to the menu like they do at Chinese restaurants back home. However, I now know the Thai word for chili so I know what to avoid.
One last note, one thing that really confuses me about Thailand is that their toilet paper is very strange. It's not a continuous roll, but rather square by square (if they have it). I haven't really adjusted to using this type of toilet paper, so it's a good thing that I brought travel toilet paper. The toilet at school doesn't have toilet paper, so I have to remember to bring my own everyday, so I'm learning to adjust.
Otherwise, life here is good, albeit a little rural for my liking. I really like my hosts and Dr. Panya is really sweet and funny. I'm collecting lots of data and I may be even able to finish the entire collection in a month! I hope that I get to see some of the sights before I leave, but it's work first then play later.
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