1. The community. My goodness I cannot emphasize this enough. Anywhere we go in this little village we have people looking out for us. If my motorbike runs out of gas, boom, 3 seconds later I have a ride to the marker to get more. If Asher goes out into the street, the neighbors will grab him, in fact, anyone walking by will grab him and bring him home. We cannot drive 2 feet without someone honking at us to say hello, asking us if we've eaten yet. People stop and lean down on Asher's level and talk with him, give him hugs, and generally let him know his is treasured. If something were to happen to any one of us, the community would step up in a heart beat. If I got into a crash or something, someone would be on the phone to Amon or at our doorstep within seconds to let him know. We are always being fed. We would never go hungry because we can just pop into a friend's house, without notice, and they will feed us. Our front door is always open (except at night) for the same reason. If Amon needs help moving or working or getting me food when I am sick, all it takes is one phone call and we have friends available, no strings attached.
2. The importance and understanding of children. Asher is a maniac guys. Like, he is pretty much unstoppable on a day to day basis. He doesn't walk, but runs, where ever we go. He is constantly grabbing, snatching, touching, bouncing... on everything. Yet, I have not heard one complaint. Not one. Not one person has said "you need to control your child", not one person has given me a dirty look for having a very active little boy. There is a general understanding that this is normal, completely normal behavior. He will never be diagnosed with ADHD here, because it doesn't exist. We were at a friend's house the other night for a birthday party and Asher was going insane after having a piece of sugary cake. I'm talking full on running in circles, shouting, swinging on a random rope in the room, and being quite obnoxious. I was getting a little nervous, like, um, we need to leave, ASAP before he breaks someone. But Amon and his friends just sat and laughed, "what a cutie!" "Very naughty!" "Very strong boy, that is so good." Will I ever hear those phrases in relation to my wild child again?
3. Gender neutrality. Everyone knows Thailand is famous for Ladyboys right? But they aren't just in strip clubs, like we are led to think in the west. No, they are a part of the every day fabric that makes up this country. They are TV hosts, superstars, and your every day cashier. They are you and me, and guess which restroom they use? I don't know, and no one cares! Often men and women will share bathrooms here without a second glance. The same is true of lesbians, or "Tom" as they say in Thai. LGBTQ and whatever you identify yourself with is so completely accepted by everyone, it is such a nonissue. I can dress my son in pink and put a pony tail in his hair and never do I hear a "that's too girly", or any statement of the sort. Amon still wears his hair in pony-tails, like the high up spout kind that children wear, and I think it's the most awesome thing ever. He also wears headbands on occasion. He is never called "gay", his sexuality is never called into question because of the way he dresses, as it should be. I really wish the West would catch on in this department.
4. The selfless-ness and pure generosity. I've touched on this before, but seriously, just can't get over it. Someone with nothing to give will literally give you the shirt off their back if you needed it. A family with very little to eat will invite you into their home and feed you, because that's what you do. And don't you dare turn them down, that's rude. One for me and one for you is so common-place. Often times it's more like, two for you, none for me, all with a wide smile. Too many examples flood my mind, but one in particular merits a story: I used to do relief work in the jungle, bringing rice and beans and medicines to old people or people who didn't have any work. I am talking dirt poor people, with just a roof over their heads, if that. But this one little old lady, whenever we went to her house she would give us the limes from her tree. She could sell those and make a little money, but no, she gave us stacks every time we came. There was no if and or buts about it either, you took those limes home with you and you made freaking limeaide. And the smiles... oh my, the smiles. I will miss those, so much.
 | |
| Asher and one of his favorite "Yai's"- Grandmother in Thai. |
No comments:
Post a Comment