15 Things You Might Not Know About Thailand

After nearly two days of travel...
(Dulles --> LAX --> Beijing --> Bangkok (BKK) --> Bus to DMK --> Phuket)
 I arrived safely at Matt and I's house in Phuket, Thailand!

(to be accurate this view is about 15 min from where we actually live)

To say that it's another world here, would be an understatement. There are the obvious differences, of course, the ones that everyone knows about.. the language (Thai), religion (Buddhism), climate (tropical), and the time difference (11 hours ahead of EST) All of which are an experience!

But here are 15 things you probably don't know about Thailand...

1) You cannot flush toilet paper 
(didn't learn this fun fact until I got here..it's all an adventure! haha)
2) There is no such thing as personal space in this culture
3) You cannot drink the tap water
4) Motorbikes are used like minivans for Thai families
(the most I've seen so far is 4 people on one: a mom, a dad, a toddler and a baby)
5) They do not use shower curtains
6) There are 7-11s on every corner
7) They are REALLY into KFC and fried chicken in general
(they will eat it for breakfast)
8) There is a scent of shampoo called "Beer and Eggs"
9) They call white people "farangs". This is actually the same word used for guavas...Incidentally Thai people find great humor in seeing whites eating guavas ("farangs" eating "farangs")
10) They do not have dryers
11)  One word in Thai has 5 tones, each with a different meaning (for example the word for "rice", if used with different tones can also mean "white" and "stinky fish")
12) It's normal for people to have roosters
(There is one right outside my window that likes to start crowing at sunrise...they actually do this)
13) There is a very large Russian population
14) There is a section of the supermarket entitled "Jeans and Camping"
15) They have Dunkin' Donuts, where they sell Thai Iced Tea!
(Thai Iced Tea for those who haven't had it is DELICIOUS)

So there is an obvious adjustment period. Luckily for me, Matt has been a wonderful teacher and has really paved the way for me! I don't know how he did it all by himself. I'm in awe! I'm also incredibly grateful for this whole experience. It's already an adventure!