I am having somewhat of an identity crisis. Well not really. But everyone here calls me something different. Some call me Kristen (Kree-ten), some call me Kris, some call me Cream, and some simply call me Go-Cha-Porn. It kind of creeps me out too, because our school uniforms have our names embroidered on one side, and whenever people are reading my name, esepcially male teachers, I feel like they are staring at my chest. I'm also really getting sick of the fact that to everyone, I am Go-Cha-Porn Isarasereepong. Whenever I meet someone knew they ask me what my Thai surname is, and I try to tell them, but I really still can't pronounce it. I just don't understand why I can't just be Kristen Small, exchange student from Canada. Instead I have to be Go-Cha-Porn Isarasereepong, "daughter" of a politician, and member of a very well respected family. It just kind of annoys me because it feels like people don't want to know the real me, just my Thai counterpart. Ugh.
Today at school I went to all of my classes once again. I had two free periods first thing in the morning, so I spent them in the English room, reading the newspaper, and trying to contact the AFS lady I talked to last week, but that didn't work out. I then had two periods of "Flower Making" before lunch. The teacher began teaching me how to make a rose by glueing these fabric-papery type pre made petals to a styrofoam thing. It's hard to explain, but it was really beautiful. Tomorrow I will finish by adding leaves and a stem :) I didn't feel like I was doing a very good job, because every petal I would add, she would go back and fix it. But in the end she told me I did very good and that the flower was very beautiful. I had lunch with Cherry and her friends (no bubble-tea this time) and after lunch spent my next free period in the computer room checking my emails and such. My AFS coordinator invited me to go this Saturday with her and some students from the school to a local TV station for something, I'm not really sure what. I told her though that I already have plans with Amanda and Juan, but if those plans don't work out, I will go with her. Since Patch still doesn't have any real classes to go to, she went with me to my last two classes so she could keep my company and also help translat between me and the teacher. We went to my first Thai Music class, and my teacher told me she would teach me the Thai Flute, which is pretty much like a recorder. She was super impressed with how quickly I could play different notes, but really I just remembered them from when I played Flute in band :P she doesn't know that though. She gave me my own Thai Flute for me to practice, which was very nice of her. For Thai Cooking, I didn't actually cook anything. I chopped up a few onions, but then my teacher got impatient and just finished herself. I pretty much just watched her cook this Thai Salad for me, that included some vegetable I've never heard of before, onions, chillis, eggs, shrimp, ground pork, peanuts, crunchy squid, and a dressing made from limes, fish sauce, and sugar. It was good, but the portion she made me was huge, so I tried to feed Patch some of it, but she couldn't eat it because she is Muslim, and they apparently don't eat pork. Since I had nothing to do after school, and Patch had to go to a nearby market to buy some things, I went with her. We mostly just wandered around for a little while, talking about things, and eating melted Toblerones. I asked her where I could possibly get a Thai Dress to buy and take home with me, and she said she bought one in Bangkok to take with her to America, so she will take me to the store one weekend. She also said that when her cousin is here, they are planning to go to the HUUUGE market in Bangkok, and she will take me. Apparently at this market though, they like to cheat money out of the tourists by telling them a higher price than normal, so she said if I'm with her, she will help me barter.
Tomorrow after school I am going with Patch to have supper at Pylynn's house. It will be fun I guess, esepcially being able to talk to someone in completely good English (her dad). And maybe also it will be nice to eat English Food! mmmm hopefully he makes Fish and Chips and Mushy Peas!
Something I keep meaning to comment on but then I forget, is the insane driving here. Not to mention the fact that nobody wears seatbelts, and carseats are unheard of. Yet despite all the madness (I swear even though they are supposed to drive on the left side of the road, it feels like they all are trying to drive on the right) I have only seen one car accident since I've been here. I find it amazing. Although the driving here seems insane, they actually all pay attention to the road really good..
Also, these are the first three questions everyone asks me when I tell them I am Canadian:
1) Do you speak French?
2) Do you know Natalie, the girl who won Miss Universe from Canada a couple of years ago?
3) What state are you from?
I find it a little amusing. However I am getting sick of Thai people asking me, "are you boring?" instead of, "are you bored?" or, "are you funny?" instead of, "are you having fun?"
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