Enjoying the Ride: Two Months in Thailand

What I have learned during my first two months in Thailand:

1. Always carry an extra pen.

2. After 2 solid months of biking 30 - 70km/ week, the peddling still hurts, but you begin to get where you're going much faster, and getting there begins to feel less like a struggle and more like a ride.

3. There's a little bit of ritual in everything.

4. Sometimes, the only alone time you'll get will be sitting on the steps outside a Wat, eating a bag of peanuts, typing on your phone, because your backup pen ran out of ink after you lost your main pen.

5. Everything wears out eventually.

6. Mosquito bites itch less before you scratch them.

7. There will always be another mosquito bite.

8. Tired happens, no matter where in the world you travel to try to avoid it. Small moments of peace are essential.

9. When you begin to understand the local language, sometimes words the natives try to say in English begin to sound like words in their tongue, and you accidentally answer a question nobody asked... that is to say, listen more.

10. 90% of the time, people will smile when you make eye contact. Smile back.

11. You'll stop killing spiders when your bathroom is crawling with ants and flies and mosquitoes.

12. Personal space is a luxury.

13. Owning things is a social construct, and sometimes the woman cooking the wedding feast just needed to borrow whatever flip flops were lying around that happened to be yours. Somehow, this won't bother you at all.

14. The cat's play bites become more gentle when you're constantly being gentle with the cat.

15. Nothing turns a bad day around faster than a happy social interaction, especially on the days when social interaction is the last thing you think you want or need.

16. The wedding/ funeral/ monk ordination will always be more important than home or housework. Or work or school, for that matter.

17. If you say something the wrong way, you might call someone "bad luck" instead of "beautiful" or call a "doctor" a "dog." Use your words wisely.

18. Generosity will fix most misunderstandings. Here we call it "naam jai" or "water of the heart," meaning "overflowing heart."

19. Being able to laugh at yourself will diminish most problems.

20. As it gets hotter, you will inevitably have to drink more water. In most situations, this will be the case... the more you put out, the more you'll have to put in. This will start to look like biking 30 minutes out of the way to watch the sun set over the Big Buddha at Wat Pikhun Thong while eating a bag of peanuts and writing. This will mean waking up an hour early to read the American news. This will mean going to bed 30 minutes early to watch a little Pirates before you go to sleep.

The Peace Corps means adaptation, and sometimes adaptation means finding what fills you in small moments... in smiles and laughs and a particularly satisfying bowl of rice. In hugs from your little sister. In an especially glorious sunset, when the sun glows like a raw egg yolk hanging over the rice paddies. Adaptation comes when you stop incessantly itching every mosquito bite... most of the time.

And, sometimes, adaptation means being okay with the things you can't adapt to, but do or try to do anyway... or just find a different way of doing altogether.

But mostly adaptation means becoming a beginner again and allowing yourself to enjoy the ride... which is starting to feel like less of a struggle everyday.

#travel #travelwriting #peacecorps