I hate ironing. In Thailand, I have to iron my school uniform. I almost never iron in the U.S., but here in Thailand I do it everyday. I forgot how much of a nuisance it is, but I was reminded when we started the new semester this week and our holiday ended. Thai uniforms are very puzzling to me. On Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, I wear the same thing: a long, dark blue pleated skirt with a black belt and a light blue button up shirt that has the name of my school (I think) and my name embroidered on it. I also wear white socks with black chunky school shoes and a dark blue bow that ties my longer than average hair into a high-pony tail. This uniform is very common and the standard thing to wear across Thailand, so this makes sense to me. We all look conservative and decently professional, but on Tuesdays and Thursdays, we wear sweatpants which isn’t exactly traditional “business casual.” Number one, it is far to hot to be wearing these heavy sweatpants, and number two, we all look a little silly wearing them. We wear them with “sport shoes” which are white canvas shoes for girls and brown canvas shoes for boys which I find to be pretty uncomfortable. This is all fine and good, but what I don’t understand is why on Tuesdays we wear them with a polo. I wear a yellow polo… with sweatpants… This doesn’t make an opportune outfit for sports (which is what the outfit we wear on Thursdays is supposed to be, even though it’s a very heavy shirt material and is not actually something I would wear to exercise). I just don’t understand why Thai people didn’t think about the heat when choosing the material for this clothing and why we wear a polo with sweatpants. Although this is all very peculiar to me, I don’t find the uniforms to be too terrible. They don’t really bother me too much. After all, my skirt has a pocket. What else could I ask for?
Getting back to school has been a very boring experience. It’s a new semester, so there are all new classes. So far, if the teachers show up (which is only a 50/50 chance here in Thailand), they spend about 5 or 10 minutes talking about what we will theoretically be learning this semester and then they leave, giving the class free time. In America, free time seems awesome, but here in Thailand, all my time is “free time,” so when everyone has free time, it just means that they all talk to each other in large groups at high speeds that I don’t understand, and I end up sitting and reading instead of on normal days when I can have shorter conversations one on one with people. Either they all talk or they sleep. Sleeping is a very big thing here in Thailand. I take at least one nap every day and my record for naps during school is four in a day… sorry mom. At least learning to sleep on desks and concrete floors means I’m assimilating to the culture, and after all, isn’t that what exchange is all about. But don’t get me wrong, I still do study in school. I’ve learned a lot of new Thai words this week, and I force myself to study when I could be reading or napping. I haven’t given up. I don’t think I can, just in the same way that I can’t stop being curious about why things are the way they are here. I don’t think I’ll ever understand the uniform situation or how teachers get away with not showing up, but that’s Thailand for you. I’ll just continue to be curious and try to figure out why everything is the way it is. I think I just have to be comfortable with the fact that I may never know. Sometimes, you just have to go with the flow. After all, doing and understanding are far different things.
Until next week,
Sam
Getting back to school has been a very boring experience. It’s a new semester, so there are all new classes. So far, if the teachers show up (which is only a 50/50 chance here in Thailand), they spend about 5 or 10 minutes talking about what we will theoretically be learning this semester and then they leave, giving the class free time. In America, free time seems awesome, but here in Thailand, all my time is “free time,” so when everyone has free time, it just means that they all talk to each other in large groups at high speeds that I don’t understand, and I end up sitting and reading instead of on normal days when I can have shorter conversations one on one with people. Either they all talk or they sleep. Sleeping is a very big thing here in Thailand. I take at least one nap every day and my record for naps during school is four in a day… sorry mom. At least learning to sleep on desks and concrete floors means I’m assimilating to the culture, and after all, isn’t that what exchange is all about. But don’t get me wrong, I still do study in school. I’ve learned a lot of new Thai words this week, and I force myself to study when I could be reading or napping. I haven’t given up. I don’t think I can, just in the same way that I can’t stop being curious about why things are the way they are here. I don’t think I’ll ever understand the uniform situation or how teachers get away with not showing up, but that’s Thailand for you. I’ll just continue to be curious and try to figure out why everything is the way it is. I think I just have to be comfortable with the fact that I may never know. Sometimes, you just have to go with the flow. After all, doing and understanding are far different things.
Until next week,
Sam
Yes, I am wearing black socks instead of white... Whoops. If I wasn't an exchange student, I would've been in trouble.