Stephen's Guide to Thailand:

Alright, I thought I would explain that glorious thing called 'Culture
Shock'. Thailand is a little different from the USA and here's how:

There's no toilet paper. None. Bathrooms here do not have toilets,
either. It's a ceramic sink in the floor with a large hole, which
means you get to squat when nature calls. Next to the hole is a large
basin with a small bowl, and a small hose and nozzle. You literally
spray your ass as best you can over the hole, hopefully missing your
pants, then take the bowl and use the basin of water to rinse it all
down the hole. Of course, you're soaking wet and have to pull your
pants up anyway, then hope there is soap at the sink. I have an
emergency supply of napkins on me at all times.

There are also no garbage cans and an EXTREME shortage of garbage
collectors. They pick up garbage like once a week.

Dogs run rampant in Thailand, without caregivers or much food. They
all have mange (which means their hair is falling out) and are the
saddest creatures I've ever seen.

Traffic in Bangkok is quite a sight. It moves with unexplained
efficiency, but it's one of the scariest things you'll ever partake
in. Motorcycles need only an inch on either side of their handlebars
to squeeze thru traffic, there are no blinkers, the horn is used at
all times, and the painted lanes are optional. Driving into oncoming
traffic is acceptable as well. But here's the thing, I have seen ONE
car accident since I've been here and the cars aren't dinged up at
all. The top speed in all of Thailand is about 60 km/hr, and every
car is small enough to stop on a dime.

Thai culture has a thing called losing face. No one here wants to be
embarrassed or called out in any way. This is a problem because when
I need to find out if my Visa is valid, or if I need a work permit,
and the person I've asked doesn't know, they just don't answer.
They'd rather leave me in the dark than give me the wrong answer.
This includes when a waitress brings you the wrong food, she'll just
give it to you and not return. Also, you can't get angry in Thailand,
to show extreme emotion or get pissed off is far more embarrassing to
yourself than to the other person. Which means i can't reprimand my
students or get frustrated when they talk on their cellphones in
class.

There's no such thing as homework either. Thai students just flat out
don't respect foreign teachers enough to do homework.

When venturing out to the bar scene, you see some interesting sights.
If you happen to make it to one of the red-light districts, you'll see
hundreds of old, sketchy men with like 3 Thai girls hanging off their
arms. Unfortunately for poor Thai girls, they don't have many options
in life and one of their ways out of poverty is to be taken away by
some rich Westerner. I've had to completely change any ideas i had
about prostitution, because it is a way for poor girls to get out of
that life, and send money back to their families. Even some Thai
teachers at my school are married to much older white men, they were
then able to get an education and help their families.
It makes me feel very lucky to be born in Oregon.

If you go to a touristy bar, any girl that comes up and talks to you
is a prostitute. If you go to a Thai bar, any girl that comes up and
talks to you isn't a girl, she's a guy. They're called Lady-Boys, and
they've had a sex-change. The Thai culture has no prejudice against
homosexuality or transgendered people. Once a thai hits puberty it's
up to them to decide who they want to be. I teach a lot of
homosexuals and the lady-boys are something else, they want all the
attention in the world and are a huge disruption in the classroom.

Watching Thai TV is interesting as well. Every actress and actor on
the screen is as white as they can be, they look pale. There's even
commercials for whitening creams, and every deodorant, facial scrub,
or body wash has some kind of "whitener" in it. It's quite a paradox,
every white person over here is working on their tan, and every Thai
is trying to be as white as they can.

I'll have more as I get into teaching, but those are the big things
I've noticed thus far.

Hope Everyone is doing well, I think about ya a lot.