#21 Night Market

Night markets are definitely in the top ten things I love most about Thailand. Watching a mile long market unfold within a few hours slowly covering the street is quite amazing to witness. Then after a few hours open the vendors again slowly pack up their merchandise and the market vanishes again. The people do this EVERYDAY. If it is a food stand you can see them wheeling their cart over to the designated street or a clothes outlet where they first construct a wire rack then perfectly assemble the clothes. All to be taken down that same evening.

Night market food can be some of the cheapest and best options for a quick dinner. The variety of food is endless and you can pick up a dinner for about $1. In my village we have a small night market every wednesday night that brings everybody together as that nights dinner is picked up, peruse the clothes, or just to grab a bobo tea and socialize.

One of my favorite night markets is the Chaing Mai Sunday walking street market (pictures left). The hippi- style city produces a market filled with it's famous handi-crafts, art, and endless souvenirs for backpackers. I went there when my parents where visiting me in Thailand and if anyone knows my mom you can imagine the endless hours we spent at the markets driving my dad to retreat to the hotel room with a beer.

Pla Pak Wednesday Night market (below)

**Pictures by Jackie :)

#22 Fruit

Hands down Thailand has some amazing fruit! Fresh fruit carts line almost any street you walk down making a cold, sliced mango or watermelon a perfect snack on a hot day. Throughout the year I was introduced to many fruits I had never seen before as they came into season. Here are some of my favorites:

Dragon Fruit, the most unique looking of all the fruits, has a rather bland but refreshing flavor. Maybe a cousin to a Kiwi.

On the far right we have rose apples, which in my mind taste exactly like their name. Crunchy like an apple but with a subtle sweet rose flavor. In the middle, one of my favorites from the states and Thailand, Mangos. Top left: Dragon fruit again and Far Left: classic oranges.

Yummy classics Bananas and Watermelon!

Pictures taken from Kerry because I'm too lazy to take my own pictures..

I ate these for weeks, Rambutans! They are a spiky soft round fruit with an egg-like center. The fruit is very sweet and I can devour a bag within minutes. The only nuisance is an almond shaped seed in the middle that Kerry describes perfectly as a "wood chip" since the shell of it peels off when you try to take it out tasting similar to a wood piece.

These might be my favorite fruit in Thailand, Mangosteen. They came into season a few months ago and have now past..sad! They have a doily type top and thick outer shell. The middle contains a soft sweet fruit with a few big seeds. Unlike the states fruit is only available when it is season and most of it grown in a field next to where they sell it.

Fresh and delicious Arroy Mak Mak!!

**other fruits not pictures but are worthy of mention: Guava in thai called Farang (the name they use for foreigners), Tarmarind- similar to a dried apricot and the fruit that just came into season full force Longan a small ball shaped fruit. .

# 23 Neighbors

I got really lucky having such a great placement, living on the high school campus, Pla Pak Witiya. Most government jobs such as teachers, postmen,doctors, police,etc.. provide on-site housing. How awesome, right?! On the high school campus is a row of houses reserved for teachers only. Here is my street!

My house is like a duplex with another house sharing a wall providing close quarters with my neighbors (see My House). Again, I have been lucky to have wonderful neighbors. For the first semester of teaching there was a family living next door with a 2 year old daughter, Katjang. You can imagine my excitement knowing that I'd have a playmate around. She would always be waiting in the front when Amanda and I came home from teaching, jumping up and down screaming " PI TUEY, PI DAA" (for Pi Bai Tuey and Pi Amanda) doing a happy dance. It was interesting for me to see how they parent children and the similarities and differences between the cultures. Potty training for the most part was a free for all. They let it be a natural process unlike most American parents who pressure their children before they are ready. If Katchang had to go, where ever she was standing she'd do her business or as she got older would use Pi Yok's garden haha. This led to a lot of laundry though! Her 'crib' was a plastic basket lined with blankets hanging from rope with no guard rails or safety devices. We also got the pleasure to hear her screaming during bath and bed time or at 6 am on weekend mornings yahhh. However, as a new family, they wanted a place of their own near their family which led them to build a house in a village nearby and move during semester break. saddd

When we came home from break, SURPRISE, the Student Teachers and a chinese volunteer had moved in! They are the same age as Amanda and I (23) which has been nice to be around thai people in the same age range since many of my teachers are above 40. They definitely have changed our house dynamic and have taken an interest in learning english. Often we hear yelled through our walls, "WHERE YOU GO??" "WHAT YOU DOING?". It's been fun having them around hearing about their many many so-called boyfriends and helping each other with our thai and english. I have been able to get a taste of living next to a new family and the younger generation of thai people!

Washing mushrooms after school one day. Left to right: Chompoo, Teep, Owie, Gen

#24 Weather

This might fall more into the hate-love category of my Thailand experience, but never-the-less I'm sure I will miss it. Coming from the mild climate of California, I had little experience dealing with the extreme weather conditions that thailand goes through. This seems like an appropriate tribute to do today since last night I survived an intense thunder & lightening storm that cut off our power and shook our house. The lights were out but a shot of lightening came down every second lighting up our house so we could still see a little. It was pretty incredible to watch. The storm came after a day with a heat index of 106! With a little warning of wind a storm can onset within minutes. Thai's have weird ideas about the lightening with one of my teachers taking off her watch and rings when a storm is coming, and unplugging all appliances, afraid lightening would be attracted to it.

The humidity is something I dislike very much and will be happy to return to dry California. I have acquired a serious hate-love relationship with my classroom fan. I would not be able to teach without it but continuously am picking up papers off the ground or forgetting and setting a stack of papers down in line with the fan that sprays them across the classroom. Ahh I hate it so much, but love it.

read more about rainy season see: Rainy Season

Other weather memories are of our great escape from southern thailand during the flood.

Two of my favorite products for dealing with the heat:

Cooling Powder. A sprinkle of this down the front and back of your shirt provides an instant cooling sensation!

Pond's Sweetie Pink is a light, face powder for hot days!