And the flip side

I've been home two weeks, so its had a little time to sink in...

10 Things I Missed About Thailand While I Was Home In America

10. Thai - I'm getting pretty good at it. I'll have whole conversations with people, I'm picking up idioms, flirting with girls...It feels kinda cool to speak a another language (semi) fluently.

9. The Time Zone - Chiang Mai and Chicago vary from being 12 and 13 hours apart, depending on Daylight Savings Time. In other words, its like the worst possible distance to adjust too, as day becomes night and night becomes day and your body has no idea whats going on. At home, I would go to sleep normally but was waking up for a few hours in the middle of the night before going back to bed. It wasn't until the last night I was home that I got a good 7 hours of uninterrupted sleep. When I got back to Thailand however, my extremely confused body settled on sleeping hours of 5pm to 1am. This was puzzling as that would correspond to times of 4am to noon back in Chicago. Like my body wasn't sure which way to go so it just split the difference. I mean it was doable, I basically get home from work and go right to bed, but it's not very social, as there are not many people to hang out with from 1am when I wake up till about 6:30 when I have to get ready for work. I have managed to break this in the last two weeks, but it was a pretty bizarre feeling when your body was dead tired everyday at 5pm.

8. My Kindle - OK this one is cheating because I didn't actually get one until Christmas and I had it at home for a while, but I've really grown to love it here. It's awwwwwesome. When of the few electronic toys I've ever owned and I just love it love it love it.

7. Bake N' Bite - Being home meant I had to break my streak of like 22 consecutive weekends having brunch there. Luckily Lex and Adam were gone as well so I don't feel as bad. Don't worry, we started up a new streak.

6. My Commute - Yes I love driving, and it was good to be behind the wheel. And I love my job, but its not like I spring out of bed every morning at 6:45 itching to go to work. But I will admit that I really enjoy that 25 minute bicycle ride every morning. Kinda wakes me up, gets me ready for the day, and I usually spend the time to and from school listening to a podcast.

5. The People - I tell ya, something that I definitely take for granted living here. Everyone is just so friendly and nice. It was a little better at home than I thought it would be (I think because it was Christmastime), but here, you walk down the street and everrrryone smiles and says hello. It takes me half an hour just to walk around the corner to 7/11. Back home, I unthinkingly was smiling at people as I was walking past them on the street, and I got quite a few strange looks. Not that I stopped doing it...just way different than Thailand.

4. My Bicycle - Yes, it's pink, and yes, it looks like something straight out of Wizard of Oz, but I really do like transporting myself on my own motive power (Objectivism alert!). That, and its cheap (the El + cabs + Metra + filling up the gas tank once = around $70) and is pretty much the only form of exercise I get, aside from maybe once a week basketball. And that hour on the bike everyday is about an hour more than I got at home.

3. Food - Mu gatiam, kao soi, khao man gai, milo dip, nagi khao mu, mam saparod....really just white rice in general. When I got here, I could only eat Thai food like every other meal, I needed something western. The longer I've been here, the bigger and bigger (or smaller and smaller) that ratio got, until now I have western food maybe twice a week. And being home, I found that I missed the simplicity of just some meat and white rice.

2. Weather - I got off the plane at midnight, it was 75 degrees. I was in shorts and a t-shirt and sandals. On January 4th. Um, awesome.

1. (Tie) - Sai, Nammon, Nakoa, Don, Sim, Nina, Bam Bam, Miyuki, Jaja, Chan, Aomsin, Bella, Aueng, Tata, Thee 1, Nine 2, Kaning, Tee 2, Pet, Emma, Panda, Asmee, Yok, Pooh, Shumie, Poon, Dominique, Nine 1, Bible, Pear, Win, I-Nam, Both, Tong Tong, Fai, Name, Stang, Guy, Phet, At, Tiger, Champoo, Zen, Gun, Nice, J.J., Pin, Nam King, Soman, Aut, Pleng, Lita, Poom, Ida, Dragon, Davy, Lily, Nalin, Bew, Mengjai, Boss, Jetty, Khreena, Pang, Indy, Ja, Numfah, Gorkaw, Champoo, Numwan, Katang ,Tonnum, Almond, Kimmy and Uki.

TPWWLT - Fall Out Boy - 'Chicago Is So Two Years Ago'

PS - It's my birthday tomorrow, and if you think we aren't having a party at school then you are sadly mistaken. I have to admit its pretty awesome though, my kids are wayyyy more excited about my birthday than I am. We actually have a countdown on the board counting down the days, and the first thing my kids do every morning when I get is tell, nay demand, that I change the countdown to one less than yesterday. Imagine how excited you were for your birthday when you were 6, and now imagine that you have 32 six year olds that are all that excited about someone else's birthday. And it happens to be yours. Do I have a great job or what?

Rabies? No thanks.

So I got bit by a dog yesterday.

First, let me drop a little knowledge on you. Dogs lounging around on streets are a way of life in Chiang Mai. This isn't a country where pet care includes a lot of leash walking and pampered indoor beds. Most people that own a dog will put food out for it once or twice a day, but the majority of a dog's time will be spent roaming streets and lounging around where it sees fit. I spend an hour on my bike every day going to school and back, and I see dozens of dogs outside in that hour. 40, 50 maybe? 60? I really have no idea, I honestly don't even notice them anymore, they are so prevalent. And even with my ever increasing knowledge of Thai society, I could not even begin to guess how many of those have owners in the truest sense, how many maybe have someone that feeds them semi regularly, and how many are truly wild. I would say....35% have some sort of owner, the rest are wild? But wild only in the sense that they have no regular place to sleep. (I feel like I should watch Lady and the Tramp for some research into what exactly constitutes a 'wild dog'.) They don't range in packs, terrorizing the city or anything. They are just forced the fend for themselves, find their own food, and try not to get hit by a car or motorbike. And this country is full of people on two wheel vehicles, so even on my pink bicycle, I hardly merit a second glance. In the year I have been riding my bike, I have had maybe a dozen instances where a dog saw me ride by, and started to run along side me while barking. But 11 or 12 instances in a year is pretty good, and I have never had one so much as take a chomp at me. Until yesterday.

I was biking home from work, right around the corner from my place, almost home, and I see a mangy looking mutt laying down on the side of the road. He looked pretty beat down and mean, even before I saw he was wearing a muzzle. And as I said above, I really don't even notice dogs anymore. So by the time I realized he was chasing after me and that maybe I should be a little more worried considering the muzzle, he was right next to me. With nary a bark or growl, he managed to open his jaws enough to jab a single canine (pun/irony fully intended/realized) into my left ankle as I was pedaling past him. All the while while wearing an, admittedly rather ineffective, muzzle. With the bite, he stopped chasing me and melted back to his vantage point overlooking the road, waiting for his next victim.

The bite hurt pretty bad. He had bitten me through my sock and/or pant, and as I was almost home, I figured I could wait to see if he had managed to break the skin. But I had a pretty good idea. So I was hardly surprised when I got home and pulled off my sock to find one little wound and a little blood dripping down my foot. My first thought was almost annoyance. Knowing the status of most dogs in this country, and knowing the Thai's in the area I was biking through weren't likely to be ones that spoke much English (and my Thai knowledge does not include the word 'rabies'), I realized heading back there to see if I could A) find the owners and B) find out if the dog had been vaccinated wasn't really an option. (And quite frankly, I am not going anywhere near that dog again. I was a little scared biking to work this morning passing all those dogs. None of whom even looked at me. Though I was convinced they could smell my fear.) The fact that the dog had a muzzle on meant that not only had he probably done this before, but that he most likely had owners or someone who cared enough to muzzle him and not just put him down after the last incident. Still, not really a factor in the vaccination status either way. So, after much googling into the effects of untreated rabies (ie, DEATH), I resignedly made plans to go to the doctor.

Went to work today, talked to Mai, learned the word for 'rabies test' (pitsooknakbaa dtrooah, spelled phonetically), covered my last class, and left school after lunch. Came home to change real fast, ended up sitting around for 2 hours, because honestly, who really wants to go to the doctors? Forced myself to google 'rabies' some more (did you know that in the end stages it warps your brain so you are actually afraid of water? crazy), realized that dying by rabies because I was too lazy to go to the doctor would have to rank in the top 5 most idiotic ways to die of all time, and finally got down to it.

And it was easy as pie. I had been to the hospital before for work, so I had my registration card and insurance and everything. Made it known what I needed, sent me to the ER, took my vitals, met with a doctor who spoke excellent English, and got the first of what will end up being 5 shots over the next month. Insurance even covered the first visit, though the next four will end up costing me about $100. And really, I'm just annoyed. It's definitely the wrong attitude to have, but I have literally like the smallest bite possible that still broke the skin. It happened yesterday, the doctor took one look at it and didn't even bother to clean it out. And this one little bite is costing me all this time and money. And rabies? What is this, the 1820's? The Office did a whole episode mocking the idea that people get rabies. (PS, so hard not to quote that episode this whole post. 'Myth: 3 Americans every year die from rabies. Fact: 4 Americans die every year from rabies.') Oh well, I'm not complaining. Just a silly occurrence in this zig zagging path we call life. I dated a girl used to say, 'If this is the worst thing that happens to you all day, you are probably doing pretty good.' And it makes a lot of sense. If a minor dog bite/mild rabies scare is the worse injury/most grievous bodily harm/closest I've come to death in my 14 months here, I guess I'm doing pretty well.

But seriously, rabies?

TPWWLT - Kanye West and Chris Martin - 'Homecoming'

PS. 'A woman shouldn't have to be hit by a car to learn that she may have rabies. But that is where we are in America. And that does not sit right with me. And that is why I'm hosting a fun run race for the cure for rabies. To raise awareness of the fact that there is a cure for rabies. A disease that has largely been eradicated in the U.S. But not very many people know that.'

Ruminations on America

10 Things I Missed About America

10. Winter - HA! Just kidding, it was miserable. Like seriously, I don't miss it at all. Wearing all those clothes, having to pack gloves, a scarf, a hat, extra socks...blah.

9. My boots - That being said, I did really love stomping around all week in my boots. The only times I put on socks and real shoes in Thailand are for work and to play basketball, so it was nice to put on some heavy duty work boots and stomp around Chicagoland. Makes one feel much more manly than wearing white flip flops.

8. Christmas! - I think I like the Christmas season more than the actual holiday, and I only got to experience the last 2 days of it, but I loved it. Everyone is happy and nice and its the best time of the year.

7. My bed - We have done so much room switching at my mom's that I'm not even sure whose mattresses they are, but the bed I was sleeping in while in 'my room' at home was huge and soft and incredible. It was a rude awakening getting home and sitting on my bed here and brusing my tailbone.

6. Driving - Wasn't planning on driving at all when I was home, but after plans changed and I averaged 3 hours behind the wheel each of my first 4 days home, I realized how much I miss being in control of your destination like that. Just not the same as on my bicycle here.

5. Food - Chocolate chip cookies without the chocolate chips (thanks Joe!), deep dish pizza, burgers at Five Guys, Frisco Melt, Mom's bacon and eggs, Pancakes with real syrup, Resse's PB Cups, HC-Orange from McDonalds, Chili's Queso Dip, Portillo's hotdogs/vanilla shake, Dad's lamb-chops, buffalo wings with lots of bleu cheese dressing, Potbellies ham and cheese, and crab cakes and a medium rare ribeye from Ruth's Chris Steakhouse.... My tongue and heartstrings loved it, my newfound potbelly, not so much. (Also, dad cooking on Christmas Eve and mom cooking us breakfast that one morning were the only two, home cooked, not-eating-restaurant-food meals that I had all week. No wonder I got fat.)

4. Gambling - Sure I lost and came home smelling like smoke, but being able to throw dice and sit at a blackjack table for an hour with my friends was like scratching a much needed itch. (And one that would get me arrested in Thailand. Hey, if I have to leave the country to gamble, might as well head home to do it, eh?)

3. Live Sports - Went to a Hawks AND Bulls game. Atmosphere for the Hawks was so much better, even if only the Bulls managed to pull out the win. Still, both were awesome. And seeing D Rose in person...speechless.

2. Culture - Saw 2 plays ('The Importance of Being Earnest' and 'Who's Afraid of Virgina Wolff?') and a musical ('Million Dollar Quartet'). And I'll even include going downtown to sing Christmas carols and watch 'It's a Wonderful Life' on the big screen. I really do get an inordinate amount of enjoyment from being able to digest different types of culture like that, and considering I get very very little of that here, I was very fortunate to be able to do so much when I was home.

1. My Family and Friends (duh) - From walking off the plane to hug from my 8 foot tall little brothers and a 'Welcome Home' reception (complete with a sign), to a trip the casino and a New Year's Eve party with some of my oldest friends, to seeing two plays with my best friend, to spending some time with my brothers and them letting me win at Ticket to Ride (not to mention treating me to lunch!), to not one but TWO breakfasts with my aunt and grandparents, to a burgers/True Grit/Hawks game boy's day with my dad and brothers, to Illini Bowl watching and New Year's Day football watching parties filled with catching up with college friends and old roommates, to having my mom spend a day treating us to a play and a very fancy dinner downtown, to numerous lunches and dinners spent catching up with random people, to finally having an extended family Christmas with all 30 of there (and being the last ones to leave), to a concert downtown with my sister...it really was an incredible week.

I am incredibly incredibly fortunate and my week was super busy and packed with some very fun activities - I mean you go to one sporting event or play or nice dinner, and its a good week...I went to what seemed like 15. (And thank you very much to everyone who helped make all those happen, esp you Mom and Dad. I know everyone worked really hard and planned a ton to make my week fun, and even though I had crazy high expectations, it was like a million times better than I could have hoped for, so thank you.) But even despite getting to do all these things, (and I know this is super cliche) it's perfectly clear to me that it's not what I got to do, but the people I got to do it with that made it such a great week. Just being able to see and spend time with the people that I care most about in the world was what made it so good. So thank all of you for taking the time out for me and working with me as I tried to squeeze all of you in to my crazy busy week. I have an incredibly tough decision coming in the next few weeks (which I will try very hard not to agonize about on this forum) and regardless of if I decide to come home or not, the biggest thing in my pro list for returning to America, the thing holds more of a pull than all the other factors put together, is the ability to be near those I love. So I guess I just want to say thanks for making the decision so hard.

TPWWLT - 'Hey Jude' - Across the Universe Soundtrack

PS I've tried to thank them numerous times, but one last public shout out to Mom and Dad. Besides making my week home so enjoyable, you were the ones responsible for financially getting my home. I really appreciate it, and I love you.