Such a beautiful peaceful place. In my last blog, I may have made things sound a bit scant, but that is hardly the case. Our daily life in our village is very primitive but that is only one side of it. The elements that we may never thought about living without seem so insignificant.
One piece of life that has really intrigued me is the Buddhist religion. So much of it focuses around peace of mind and kindness toward others. I’m sure it that plays a huge role in the surrounding environment that generally feels very safe, giving, and accepting. As it is the dominating religion by 96% it is obvious that most Thai are faithful to the religion and take it very seriously.
Some of the very first things I was taught when I arrived in Thailand were the rules not to offend or dishonor anyone. The human chain starts with Monks at the very top, then eldest to youngest. When greeting someone it is important to address them appropriately based on their status. Some that are a little harder for me to adapt to are watching the way you sit, making sure your feet are never pointing towards anyone, as they are thought of as the lowest part of the body... when in fact... they are. Pointing, I have never thought about how much I point my finger to show something or get someones attention, but it is thought of as very rude here. The top of the head is very sacred, so no matter the age touching the head is very inappropriate... even when playing “Duck Duck Goose”. My least favorite, of coarse, is taking your shoes off EVERYWHERE. It is very impolite to wear shoes indoors, so whether your at a house, school or public place such as a temple, restaurant, or hotel, it is customary to leave your shoes at the door. All I can think of is how many nasty feet have been on that floor, but I kindly obey.
It is a slight challenge to learn as much as you want here with such a huge language barrier, but I take in as much as I can. Although we are learning Thai phrases a little bit at a time the language is based on tones. There are 5 different tones and what you want to be saying could easily be interpreted very differently based on the tone. I try to use it as much as I can around our village and some with the kids, but find it quite intimidating to take other places.
If you are a nature lover, the vegetation is unbelievably beautiful. Everywhere you turn there is a jungle rolling on hills and mountains far into the distance. Rice paddies stand out in the midst of the jungle in the most vibrant green I have every seen. In the mid day, when the paddies are flooded it is as if they almost glow when the sunlight reflects off of the water. At any point and time it is easy to find a spot that you can only hear the the whispers of the incest and rustling of leaves. Whether it is to take time to think, or enjoy not thinking at all the peace is rejuvenating.
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