Future Park

Today is Saturday, and since all the University faculty have gone home for the weekend, I had the day to myself. Sort of... I was planning to take the bus into Bangkok to see the Grand Palace and the famous Emerald Buddha, but no sooner had I returned from breakfast to gather my things than Will - one of Amrit's American colleagues -- called to invite me to Future Park. The last thing I wanted to do on my first free day was go to an indoor shopping mall (ick!), but I couldn't turn down a free ride to accomplish one of my critical errands for the weekend: purchasing a cell phone. Amrit had suggested buying a phone so that we can maintain reliable contact between the field site and the University. Also this way family and friends can reach me if necessary. So I met Will and his friend, Nok in the lobby, totally oblivious to the valuable cultural lessons I was about to learn.

Of all the fascinating people I've had the good fortune to meet, Will and Nok are definitely at the top of the list. Will, a San Francisco native, ex-pro baseball player, and twice retired investment banker, moved to Southeast Asia 10 years ago and has since fallen deeply in love with Thailand.

Most Thais have very long complicated names, and generally go by shorter informal nicknames. These names often have a literal translation which isn't always flattering (e.g. "fatty", "toad" - seriously!). Even so they stick with these nicknames their whole lives. Nok, whose name becomes her graceful nature (translation: "bird"), grew up raising water buffalo in a small village north of Bangkok. Her family scraped together all they could to send her to college and she is just finishing up her last year. When she first arrived she had to take a job at a factory working 10 hour days, 6 days a week just to support herself. I have no idea how she could balance all that work on top of a normal college courseload, and still manage to be one of the sweetest, happiest people I have ever met.

Sweet as she is, tiny Nok (literally half my size) was a bulldog in the Nokia store when I attempted to purchase a phone. She kindly fought tooth and nail to ensure I didn't waste a single baht. Nevermind that the University will be reimbursing me for this expense.

After buying a phone we browsed through a Thai bookstore -- one of the more humbling experiences I've had. It was like walking ravenous through a grocery store of fake plastic food. Many of the books and magazines had misleading English titles, only to reveal on the inside a dizzying maze of Thai text. I have been told that I shouldn't even bother learning to read Thai, since I won't be here long enough to develop the requisite skills. To my ignorant American brain the text looks for all the world like tracks left by tiny microbes skating across the page. It was in this befuddled state of mind that I bumbled through the bookstore like a big white Neanderthal, towering over bookshelves, ultimately relegated to the childrens' section with big pretty picture books. Who doesn't like a good book with pictures of dinosaurs, honestly?...

Finally we left the bookstore and had lunch at a wonderful restaurant that prepares Thai food "Suki" style. This basically means that you order a variety of raw ingredients and cook them in boiling broth at the center of the table. Like fondu or any other style of communal cooking/dining, this culinary experience lends itself to good conversation. I think I learned more about Thai language and culture by spending a few hours with Nok and Will than I would have from days of listening to bland language cds.