My second month in Thailand has already come and gone.

Even as I re-read that sentence it seems like a typo. That can’t possibly be true… can it? It feels like just yesterday that I was hugging my mother goodbye and boarding a plane at O’Hare. I still remember the snot-freezing temperatures (GROSS… but you know what I mean!)  and the 20-mile-an-hour winds.  I still remember the knots in my stomach made in equal parts by fear of the unknown and hunger for adventure. I even still remember which socks I wore that day and how I spent $10 on a cheeseburger.

I was hungry for adventure AND  a snack!

No fries or a drink were included in that price, mind you, it was just an extremely expensive airport burger that was worth every penny. It was cheesy, greasy, and the last deliciously authentic burger I’ve had for a while. Thailand does a lot of things very well, cheeseburgers are just not one of those things.

Fun fact: if you order a burger here, more often than not it will be a water buffalo burger. The meat from water buffalo is leaner, healthier, and a lot less delicious than the meat from its farmed, fat, and grain-fed bovine relative from the States.

I have eaten a total of 2 burgers here, the first out of curiosity and the second for research purposes. I will not be having a third. I had heard rumors about water buffalo in disguise, so I decided to find out for myself. I concluded that they were both, in fact, water buffalo and topped with cucumbers (weird), eggs (delicious), and no cheese (tragedy). One of them I paid 450 baht/ $15 USD for. I’m not proud of this, but it was all for the sake of science! Side note: you may have noticed I’m referring to these delicious sandwiches as “burgers”, not “hamburgers”. If you order a “hamburger” here you will get a slice of ham on a burger bun. This is adorably literal and extremely disappointing. You should specify “beef burger” if you want to get even remotely close to satisfying your craving for western food.

I mentioned briefly that neither of my burgers had any cheese topping. If you’ve ever met me, then you know how much I love cheese. Just like a true Sconny, I basically bleed the stuff. So you can probably guess how truly upsetting this was/is for me. Its absence on my burger, however, is just a small indicator of a larger issue with SE Asian cuisine. They just don’t have, cook with, make, or use cheese.  Actually, I take that back. Cheese isn’t a part of *THAI* cuisine. The cheese in Cambodia is delicious.

See…? Every cloud really does have a silver lining; even if your country/culture was taken over and colonized by the French.

Cambodia, unlike Thailand, also has great wine at a reasonable price. The (affordable) wine here is awful—think boxed red wine mixed with grape juice. Thailand’s take on pizza is pretty good, but I’d strongly discourage you from ordering the lasagna. I’ve stopped bothering with breakfast foods—Thais don’t really understand the concept. Don’t get me wrong, Thai cuisine is amazing. But like anywhere, it’s hard to authentically recreate a different country’s food.

My favorite dish here is the Massaman curry. Of course, I’m still a huge fan of pad thai, fried omelette, and tom yum soup, but Massaman curry takes the cake. It’s a mild and sweet brown curry that usually comes with your choice of meat, potatoes, onions, and peanuts. I order it with a side of steamed rice and always ask for “mai pet” or “not spicy”. Thai food can be extremely spicy, and while my blonde hair and white skin are a good indicator that I can’t handle the heat, it doesn’t hurt to remind your server.  I usually get a good chuckle out of them, and it’s better to be safe than sorry/hungry because you can’t finish your meal (I’m speaking from experience).

Sadly, after two and a half months of practicing, I can’t say I’m getting any better at eating spicy food. I am, however, getting better at Dandayamana-Janushirasana and can recite a handful of basic Thai phrases. I’m also officially TEFL certified and know that I definitely don’t want a job as a teacher (but OMG are the elementary school kids adorable). I’m also better at finding beauty in everyday situations and being happy by myself. Oh, and healthier. I’m  a good 15 lbs. lighter than when I left home.

Here’s my crazy crash diet plan:

1. Eat fresh fruit.
2. Get some exercise.
3. Remember how absolutely beautiful you are.

I know, right? You’re welcome.

I guess a lot has changed since I left home. When I think about everything that I’ve done (and eaten!), that  familiar sting of negative degree wind across my cheeks becomes more and more of a distant memory. In fact, I can’t say that I’ve been cold—really, TRULY, cold—since I landed in Phuket. I get a little chilly on my way back from yoga when I’m soaked through with sweat (hot yoga is HOT) and the wind is whipping through the open air tuk tuk after sunset. I’ve actually started daydreaming about wearing jeans. I love the goose bumps I get when the beach breeze cools my skin after a dip in the ocean. I think it just snowed today in Minneapolis, so I probably shouldn’t elaborate any further, but you get my point.

You can take the girl out of the Midwest, but you can’t take the Midwest out of the girl. 

I love Thailand. But if I’m being totally honest with you, I do miss home. I miss my friends and my city and my mac & cheese. Even with the modern miracle that is human flight, I still find myself wishing the distance were smaller. I wish I could have all of my people here with me in the same place at the same time. I wish I could have white sand in-between my toes one minute, and Nicollet Ave. under them the next. But I know I’ll miss Phuket so much when I leave. I’ve been keeping busy here and trying to be present for every amazing moment.  My time here has gone by in the blink of an eye, just like Ferris said it would. I’ll be home soon enough, but for now I’m just trying to have as much fun as possible. Time really flies when you’re doing that though, doesn’t it?

Remember:

1. Time flies like an arrow, fruit flies like a banana.
2. I miss you and I love you and I appreciate you reading my thoughts on cheeseburgers and modern miracles.

xo

N

p.s. Again, I’m not trying to rub it in, but this was  my Saturday evening!

Hello again!

I can’t believe it’s been over a week since I last wrote. Time is FLYING by here. I apologize for the wait, and I can’t promise it was worth it, but I do have an excuse! I’ve been BUSY!

My TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language) certification course started last Monday, on my 5th day in Phuket. It’s a three week course so we’re just over halfway done, but I already feel like I’ve learned so much. Right now I’m sitting on my front patio trying to soak up some sun rays before I go back in and continue working on lesson plans.  After lesson plans, I have some reading from my textbook to do. Then I should probably do a little more research on the presentation that I’m going to give at the end of the course. After that I have to prepare some materials for my tutoring lessons this weekend. Our professor is a tyrant who wants to make us miserable and exhausted. JK- our professor is my dad 😉

Class starts at 8:30 every morning- and in case you’ve never met me before, let me tell you- the struggle is real. I get up at about 7:30am, get in the shower, and I’m ready to go by the time the morning anouncements play over the town’s loud speakers at 8am sharp. It’s a bit reminiscent of 1984, but I can’t understand a thing they’re saying, and it’s probably best not to think about it too hard. The school is within walking distance, but sometimes we drive if we have to teach at the public school that day. I prefer to walk. Anyone with a morning commute on public transit will understand me when I say-  sometimes it’s nice to have a few minutes with your thoughts before the day begins. I remember dreading having to take the Campus Connector (go gophs!) to my morning class freshman year. By the time the semester was over, however, I missed the routine. I would read, or listen to music, or just zone out on that 15 minute bus ride to St. Paul. It gave me time to prepare to see the rest of the world, and I think the rest of the world really appreciated it. I can be a little scary in the mornings.

Every morning the sun rises at 6:30am here, so by the time 8:15am rolls around, it’s already sunny and hot. So I’m coping with the early morning as best I can because, as mornings go, these are pretty stellar. The 7 minute walk is also nice because my freshly showered hair has time to wind dry because 1) I don’t have a hair dryer here and 2)NO WAY am I waking up earlier to have extra time for it to dry.

I’m having a hard time putting this tactfully for all of my northern, snow bunny friends… but it is so incredibly beautiful here that even 7am looks good to me. I know, I know. You can pick your jaw up off the floor. I, Natalie Reece, just said something nice about mornings. Thailand has a way of doing that to you, though. It is the land of smiles.

And for those of you who can barely read these words because you’re seeing so much red, hopefully this will help. That beautiful morning walk, while good for my freshly showered hair, is not so good for my freshly showered legs (well, whole body really). The street I live on is a mix of dirt and gravel. This means that the town is at risk of being covered in a fine layer of dirt, because it gets kicked up on the road and the wind takes it everywhere. The solution to this problem drives around all day in the form of a water truck. They water the roads here. Think salt truck, but instead of salt, it’s just water, and it turns that dirt right into mud. So by the time I’ve arrived at school, my flip flops have kicked up enough of it to cover my calves, my backside, and sometimes I’ll even find little spots on the backs of my arms. Fun!

Yes, my school’s bathroom has a sink with running water so I can wash off. And no, we don’t have a washer and dryer- we have our laundry done by a service that charges at most 200 Baht ($6 USD) a load. And yes- always- I somehow leave the house every day at the exact moment the water truck is passing by so I get the fresh mud!  Any other questions?

But, Mai Pen Rai, no worries. My body, while occasionally mud covered, is super happy here. My skin is sun-kissed, my belly is full of Fried Rice in Pineapple (and other delicious Thai dishes I promise to tell you all about), and my muscles are being put to good use. Not only do we walk almost everywhere, but I’ve found a yoga studio where I take classes most week nights. They offer a “Power Fusion” which is a 75 minute vinyasa flow, as well as a “Hot Yang” which is a 75 minute take on the Bikram poses. The instructor, Jack, is Bikram certified but has shortened the class a bit and taken a few creative liberties. Jack, I should also add, is a beautiful Australian man with blonde, flowy, beach hair, a permanent, scruffy 5 o’clock shadow,  and an apparent aversion to wearing shirts. So, yea, I try to make it to yoga every day.

Speaking of, I’ve got about 15 minutes before I have to catch a tuck tuck to the studio. So your guess is as good as mine as to when I’m going to get my homework done. But I get a new message at least once a day from someone asking when I’m going to write more. And I promised quite a few of you that I’d post more often, so I’m prioritizing. I promise to write more about my TEFL class, my new friends, my tutees, and the elementary school children who are so adorable I could just die. I promise to write more about the delicious food, the thai language, the stray dogs, and the town I’m living in. I promise to write more about my pet frog, my elephant spirit animal, and the books I’m reading (so far I’m LOVING Outlander- thanks Aunt Mary!!). What else would you like to know about?

I miss everyone and I wish you all could be here with me. Each night I can’t hardly wait to see what the next day brings. There’s so much I want to add to this post and I promise it will all get written down soon. Thanks for being patient, even if you can’t hardly wait either 🙂

xo

N

p.s. is everyone aware that if a text is green, you can click on the word and the hidden link will open up on a new page?^^ try it! Ok, good, just making sure 🙂

Fried Rice in Pineapple. They grill a pineapple, hallow it out, and serve your fried rice in it. It’s the perfect To Go box and one of the best meals I’ve had here.

water truck

A video of the water truck making mud on my street.

tuk tuk

A video of my very first tuk tuk ride.

I made it!

Nearly 22 hours (!!) of traveling later, I’ve arrived safely in Thailand. I’ve been in Phuket for about 48 hours, and already there are so many things that I can’t wait to tell you all about! First, however, I need to warn you that what I’m about to say might upset you. Especially if you’re currently living in the Midwest or any place where the temperatures are below freezing and the ground is covered with snow. Continue reading at your own risk.

It is crazy beautiful here.

Yesterday (and the day before) was a breezy 87°F  with sunny blue skies and barely a cloud in sight. My dad is calling this type of weather, “A Chamber of Commerce Day” and the weekly forecast is set on repeat. After my dad picked me up from the airport, we drove through town on the wrong side of the road. They drive on the left here. Yes. That’s right, Charlie, I said wrong side. Most of the highways here are paved, but the roads in our neighborhood are gravel/ dirt and lined with overgrown fruit trees and flowering bushes. I haven’t yet had time to learn all about the local plant life, but I promise I will.

After a half hour drive and a handful of water buffalo sightings we pulled up to Baan Reece. [baan means house in Thai] The place is great— all bright colors and tile floors (it’s too humid for carpet here) complete with a Koi pond under the front steps.  I have my own room and the bathroom has a flushing toilet and a hot water shower (a.k.a. I’m living in the lap of luxury). We dropped my bags (of which there were two, 50 lb suitcases filled with textbooks, a guitar, and backpack), unpacked just enough for me to find a swim suit, and we were out the door again. Fast forward 3 minutes and I’m drinking a fresh pineapple smoothie and my toes are buried in the white sand of Bangtao beach. Surreal.

We walked along the water for a while and then stopped at one of the stands selling food and drinks. This particular one has become somewhat of a staple in my dad’s day. They charge too much for food, he says, but the price for beer is just right, and they were so friendly the first time that he just kept coming back.  And he’s right, they were friendly. And happy. And smiley. And polite. I couldn’t tell the difference, though. Everybody here is like that— surprisingly friendly, smiley, and helpful. I’ve been wished a “Happy New Year!” about a million times since I arrived. It’s wonderful. It makes me feel like the whole town would wrap me up in a big hug if it could. It actually reminds me a lot of a little thing we like to call “Minnesota Nice”. 🙂

And in case you were worrying that little reminder would make me feel the sting of homesickness, don’t. I’m on the other side of the world where the culture is very different from my own but somehow I feel right at home.  When you spend 22 hours flying to the other side of the globe, you expect things to be pretty unfamiliar. And to have sore arms!! (Ha! Who doesn’t love a good Dad Joke?!) I guess I didn’t really know what to expect, but I’ve never been to Asia and I don’t speak the language, so I was a bit nervous. Turns out all that worry was in vain, and I’ll tell you why.

My first and only layover was a 2 hour stretch in Hong Kong. As I stepped off the plane, a tiny part of me wondered if the plane had gone anywhere at all. Was it possible I’d spent 16 hours on a plane on the tarmac at Chicago O’Hare? Am I being tricked like Sweet Dee in the “The Gang Broke Dee” episode of It’s Always Sunny? I’m immediately bombarded by the english language and there’s a huge sign on the wall that reads, “WELCOME TO HONG KONG”. There’s a man in a neon vest pointing through an automatic glass door yelling, “Immigration to the left, transfers through here.” in almost perfect english. As I pass through security the lady points at my backpack and asks, “laptop?” On my way to Gate 17, I pass not one, but two, Starbucks. This kind of familiarity has it’s way of calming me down. People are the same everywhere, I think. Hong Kong is home to over 7 million people who, flown half way across the world, they too would also feel like a fish out of water. But here, they move effortlessly through daily routines and feel at home surrounded by friends and family. It’s the second hand comfort of strangers that puts my mind at ease.

But don’t worry, I’m not completely blind to the damaging effects that globalization has on local cultures. This is familiar feeling is equal parts comfort and terror.

I remember being in Cotacachi, Ecuador (yet another stellar trip I didn’t blog about) and ordering a slice of carrot cake in a small internet cafe. It wasn’t as good as the way my mom makes it (add pineapples, just trust me on this) but it was absolutely delicious. Having been away from home for about 3 and half months at this point, my belly was filled and so was my homesick heart. Honestly, (places a huge bite of cake on my tongue) the world is such small place these days (licks the icing off my fork). Somewhere past the dopamine receptors and taste bud center of my brain a little alarm was going off. This wasn’t right. While carrot cake is delicious, I shouldn’t be able to order it in a town where the majority of the inhabitants didn’t have electricity or running water. I wanted to be eating Humitas or Pan de Yuca or whatever other delicious foods that make up the local, native cuisine. I was acutely aware of the profound pressure the global culture, and my culture, was was putting on people’s lives in Cotacachi.

I digress. My point is that there are overly friendly “Minnesotans” all over the world, which doesn’t feel as big as I thought it would. Maybe to a fault. My new friend, Mey, who is the manager at a bar down the road told me she likes the same Portuguese song I heard about a million times in Ecuador and then she suggested we listen to some Eric Clapton. In addition to making friends at bars, however, we’ve been pretty busy. My dad bought a TEFL English school here and his first set of students begin class on Monday. We’ve been running around buying supplies, cleaning the classroom, and trying to get our bearings. Both nights I’ve been so exhausted that I haven’t been able to stay awake past midnight, and as the Queen of All Night Owls, that’s saying something. Today we’re running off to have a few meetings, run more errands, have a tutoring session, visit the yoga studio, the market, the grocery store, and who knows what else. Not to worry, though. I’m sure today will be just as exhausting as the last two, and just as fun. I’m sure between all the craziness and hussle we’ll find time to drink a Singha (thai beer) or two on the beach. I’m sure I’ll make a bunch of new friends, learn some new phrases, and get a good base tan. I’m sure that while everything is new/different, the important stuff— the smiling, the good food, the helpful people, will all be the same.

It’s a small world, after all.

xo,

N

p.s. This is my dad. He’s the best.

Hello!

Welcome to my FIRST EVER blog post! Whether you’ve visited my site on purpose, or stumbled upon it by mistake, I hope you are as excited as I am! This post has been a l o n g time coming. I’ve had a handful of amazing experiences, always with the intention of writing about them, but somehow I’ve gotten through 25 years without writing one, single blog post. As this is the first time either of us are reading/writing a blog post of mine, I feel a few introductions are in order… BUT for the sake of time, I’m going to re-direct you to my About Me page. I will, however, take this time to briefly address my excessive use of the exclamation mark(!) I use it a LOT. Please don’t let it bother you. I promise it’s 100% sincere. I’m just happy you’re here!

I’ve always loved the idea of journaling — of taking note of all of the exciting, meaningful, mundane, or (extra)ordinary things that happen to me and then sitting down to process my thoughts through writing. Well, maybe not sitting per se, but reclined on a beach chair or snuggled under a blanket on an overstuffed couch, preferably with some sort of spirited drink in my non-writing hand. I day dream about crouching near the candlelight, scratching notes into a leather-bound journal in some exotic corner of the world. Plus, I read somewhere that a bunch of the world’s most successful people keep/kept a journal. This list includes Barack Obama, Melinda Gates, Steve Jobs, Oprah, Hillary Clinton, Thomas Edison, and Beyoncé, (Yes, I made this list up. None of this has been, or will be, fact checked. But feel free to, I bet I’m right.)

A blog, while not as romantic as a torn up, dog-eared, coffee-stained journal, serves essentially the same purpose. This blog will be a journal of sorts– complete with pictures, videos, recipes, anecdotes, and maybe even a few LPTs (Life Pro Tips. If you are unfamiliar with reddit.com, my LPT for you would be to stay very, very far away if you ever plan to get anything meaningful done with your day). I’m not saying that using a blog as a journal is an original concept. I’m simply spelling out the obvious here, just in case anyone thought this blog would be exclusively academic and free of the emotional, impulsive, fickle, and possibly uninteresting musings from my 25 year old brain. As my sister loves to point out, I’ve always had a bit of a flare for the dramatic, so there’s bound to be some real touchy feely stuff on here. You’ve been warned. My hope for my blog is that, from now on, I will remember to stop every once in a while and write some thoughts down. Because life moves pretty fast. Because even though you think you will, you’ll never remember all of those beautiful, fleeting thoughts your incredible mind comes up with. Because Ferris Bueller says so.

Here’s the really great thing about a blog. It provides its writer a special platform to connect to readers. A blog post is meant to be shared— meant to be consumed by foreign eyes. Instead of a lonely stash of secret thoughts it becomes a shared experience. What a great bonus! All of the most wonderful things in life are only made more so when shared with others. Or, as Christopher McCandless put it better, “Happiness is only real when shared.” What’s that? You’ve never read John Krakauer’s, Into The Wild?! Oh my, go read it now! I’ll wait!!

…

Now that we’ve all read that literary gem, we can agree that while some mistakes were made, he got that last part right. Real joy is being able to share great experiences with the people you love. That’s the good stuff. So, I want to share this experience with you.

I want my happiness to be real. So I’m going to share it. 

I’m finally writing this, and you’re kind enough to read it, and we’re sharing this experience and everything is really lovely. HERE’S THE CATCH. Once I hit ‘publish’ and my words are sent out into the world, I might as well have chiseled them into stone. This is terrifying. I change my mind a hundred times a second, a million times a day. Who knows how I’ll feel 5 minutes after posting this? This is the same reason I’ll never get a tattoo. I know, I know. Never say never. But you can be pretty sure about this one thing, Mom. Aside from my tendency to procrastinate and my extreme bouts of laziness, this is probably the biggest reason why I’ve never blogged. But you’re supposed to do one thing every day that scares you right? So here I go!

GOODBYE!

My dad recently moved to Phuket, Thailand to run an english school. HOW COOL IS THAT?! I know!!!! So, I will be spending the beginning of 2015 visiting my dad and getting my TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language) certification in Phuket. Bangtao Beach, to be exact. I suppose this is the real catalyst behind my blog. I’ve posted the school’s website along with a little more information on the page titled Thailand. I’m planning to spend a lot of time walking on the beach, hanging with my dad, and doing as little studying as possible. I’m told I’ll be very close to a yoga studio, dive shop, and a little french restaurant complete with a 20-something adorable french hunk. I’m finally going to travel somewhere cool and collect a whole bunch of new experiences and, darn it, I’m going to write about it if it’s the last thing I do!

This big move, coupled with my 25th birthday (today is my birthday!!), has landed me squarely in the midst of what some would call a “Quarter Life Crisis”. I don’t completely disagree with the word choice. Sometimes “CRISIS” is exactly what it feels like. From here on out, though, I’d like to refer to this as my “Quarter Life Relax, Everything Will Turn Out Fine”. Maybe at the end of the day a rose is still a rose but hey, life’s all about perspective, isn’t it? And I’m choosing to see this glass as half full.

Which brings me to my final, closing words about glasses and their states of fullness/emptiness. YOU are not drinking enough water. NONE of us are drinking enough water. I’m serious. Start drinking more water. You’ll feel better. Also, where is my birthday margarita?

xo,

N