Many times I am asked what I want to eat, or how I want something, when I have no frame of reference and no idea how I want it. I just want something good, and maybe without anything too scary to eat like frog soup.
I will probably end up loving ant eggs and frog soup by the end of this. I just want them to choose what they like, or think I will like. I have been referred to as "ambassador of all that is lovely and divine" by friends back in North Carolina, but I am far away from my known landscape. Every store and restaurant is full of many many things I do not know, (and I can't read Thai) - This is why I need to learn how to say, "I want what is best". I think this is my philosophy on life, I just want it all to be the best. My best is not your best and your best is not my best. Sometimes my best might be eating a frozen snickers and watching four straight hours of Community. Sometimes it might be doing two hours of yoga, then having a two hour Thai massage and then drinking cold coconut water and eating a healthy veggie meal. Sometimes it is submitting to the will and choosing of someone else and letting them choose, "what is best" for me. That is becoming a more comfortable option for me these days.
For example: Last Thursday I was in a parade in my town. Puey Noi has a Khmer castle ruin which puts it on the map. Once a year there is a four day celebration of this fact with giant stages, smaller stages, laser light shows, professional dancers, fancy dinners, carnival rides and games, and a two headed cow that costs 10 Baht to see.
Each night, next door, on the volleyball/ badminton/ dahk graw court all of the ladies would practice a dance. Not dancing was not an option. And then I was told to be ready at 9 am the next day. Then I was told to wear a denim shirt. (Luckily they guessed my size correctly, Thais are pretty good at that). That morning I was told 8:30 let's go let's go and then it seemed like maybe this was going to be a parade. Sure enough, I was in a parade dancing a choreographed dance with my fellow village ladies. It was sunny, and very hot, but we suu suued (fight, fight) and we ended up getting first place. I was pretty proud of my community integration skills that day. Later on, we walked around the ruins three times, everything sacred is a multiple of three here, and splashed scented water on the walls. Luckily, I made it home to wash cloths before 11, and was finished before a thunderstorm rolled in to town.
my lovely neighbors, they like fun.
fishermen, he dropped the fish right after I snapped this
me in mostly Esan dress in front of Prasat Buey Noi (spelling varries)
Sure enough, my villagers knew what would make my trip, and work here in Thailand "best" and they were right.
I am in Chiang Mai right now visiting a friend from back home in North Carolina. She loves tea. Maybe because her name rhymes with tea, I don't know. But she wanted to know what I wanted in it. That is where this blog title came from. I replied to her, "whatever makes it best" and sure enough, she knew what to do. Earlier that night I had asked her friend to take me home early, Bee however knew I didn't really want to do that and said "NO! It's not on the way." Sure enough I had a great time hanging out with her family in a compound in the forest. When we left, it was very cool outside, and it really felt like I was in North Carolina. We left on our bikes and rode along the sacred Ping river with a full "pink"moon rising over the river. Bee knew what would make my night "best" and I am so glad I had the courage and patience to trust her. It was certainly worth it.
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