“You’re Not Tourists Here”

38 Commentsby   |  07.27.11  |  Chiang Mai, Thailand

We’ve known that this whole time—we’re not here to be tourists. That’s what we told all our sponsors while we were fundraising, that’s what we tell our students when they ask why we’ve come to Thailand, and I think that’s what we tell ourselves even as we’re climbing up a mountain to a famous temple, going to movies and eating out with our students, or spending a day riding elephants through the mountains outside of Chiang Rai. By the way, riding an elephant might be one of the most “suhtyaaht” (awesome) experiences in the world.

So we’re here to build relationships, work with the church, teach English, organize events to involve the university students, etc., etc. So we’re told. And for the most part, I think we’ve done that as best we can all summer, though we’re always learning more and finding ways to do things more effectively. Lately, especially, having seen most of the tourist attractions here and become accustomed to life in Chiang Mai and met more and more people, it’s been a lot easier to really focus on things like teaching and encouraging relationships.

But there’s a different point I’d like to make about this tourist vs. intern conundrum, and it’s one that a church member articulated over dinner one night during our weekend away in Chiang Rai. A few of our friends from the Pepperdine group were leaving the next day to spend time on the beach in Phuket before going back to the states, and one of them said that he was really going to miss Chiang Mai. To this our friend Oi, one of the church members, said, “That’s because in Phuket you’re just tourists; here, you’re family.”

That sounds cheesy—like a low-budget advertisement for a family-style restaurant or something. But at the moment, over a bowl of traditional Northeastern Thai soup that she’d bought specifically to share with us, it wasn’t.

And it still doesn’t feel trite or cliched or oversimplified or tag-lined. If anything, I think it’s been the most compelling—and surprising—aspect of our summer here. We were given the warmest welcome both by the Thais and the church when we arrived, and since then we’ve been more and more included, more and more a part of things. More loved, even.

What I find most remarkable is that they really have no reason to befriend us: we can’t order our own food except by pointing, we can’t drive anywhere, we can’t speak Thai even to the people who try their hardest to speak English to us, we’re completely oblivious to our swelling noise levels and the positioning of our feet (which should stay on the ground pointed away from people), and I’ve spit out an entire chicken foot while sitting next to a judge at a table with ten government workers.

Part of it, I know, is that many want to learn English and create connections that will get them to America one day. There’s also a fascination with “farong culture,” which we’ve tried to avoid encouraging and inadvertently promoting over Thai culture. And we’ve also experienced a willingness among Thais to bend over backwards for farongs, which I think goes beyond even the friendliest hospitality into a misguided glorification of the “farong visitor.” I don’t, however, want to discount the sincere friendliness and genuine hospitality among the Thais. It’s certainly not just because we’re Americans.

That spirit is even more evident within the church community. They invite us to their homes for dinner, or throw a birthday party for a young Thai man whose family never celebrated with him for the last twenty-four years (the picture above and at right). I could go on and on with examples.

The point: I’ve taught English classes, we’ve tried to include and invite as many people as we can, and we’ve tried to serve in many different ways. But we’ve been served much, much more than we’ve served. We’ve learned more than we’ve taught. We have ended up being neither tourists nor interns, but something else entirely that we never would have expected.

38 Comments

  1. very good company

  2. gaby media
    5:49 am, 01.08.21

    hello

  3. BuzzNewsPost
    5:50 am, 01.08.21

  4. Lomond
    4:08 am, 01.21.21

    Thanks a lot.

  5. Live
    4:08 am, 01.21.21

    Perfect, thank you.

  6. Gold
    4:10 am, 01.21.21

    Perfect, thanks a lot.

  7. khaled
    12:09 pm, 08.14.21

    اسعار حجر هاشمي
    الحجر الهاشمى
    الحجر الهاشمى من الاحجار الاكثر استخداما فى تجليد او كسوة واجهات المنازل والفلل والقصور والبيوت ويستخدم فى اسوار الفلل والمنازل ومداخل الفلل والمنازل وابراج الفلل والمنازل ويستخدم ايضا فى بعض الديكورات الداخلية حيث انه يمتاز بجودته الاعلى بين الاحجار فى صلابته وقوة تحمله وثباته على مر السنين فى اعمال الواجهات مما يعطيه الاولويه فى الاختيار والاختبار ان كنت تبحث عن واجهة منزل اكثر فخامه وحداثه لمنزل يليق بك
    وللحجر الهاشمى مقاسات مختلفه دئما تبدا من مقاسات صغيرة الى مقاسات كبيرة دئما تكون حسب رغبه العميل اما الخامات

  8. khaled
    12:10 pm, 08.14.21

    انواع القرميد
    تتنوع ديكورات الحجر الهاشمى فى الحجر الهاشمى الكريمى والحجر الهاشمى الهيصم فى كثير من الاشكال والاعمال
    مميزات استخدام الحجر الهاشمى فى الواجهات
    يضفى استخدامه فى واجهات المبانى منظر فخم وعتيق مميز على المبانى، بالإضافة الى عمرة الافتراضى الطويل، وهناك العديد من المميزات الاخرى لاستخدامه فى الواجهات تجعلها مفضل عن غيرها من انواع ومواد تشطيبات الواجهات الاخرى مثل :
    يقوم بعزل حراره الجو الخارجى عن المبنى وتثبيت درجه الحراره فى الداخل

  9. واجهات حجر كريمي
    الحجر الهاشمى أو حجر الهشمة، هو نوع من الاحجارالصخرية الطبيعية يستخرج من الجبال عن طريق ماكينات تقطيع عملاقة تقوم بتقطيع أنواع معينة من الجبال الى كتل صخرية عملاقة، ثم يعاد تقطيع هذه الكتل الى مقاسات محددة مسبقا فينتج الحجر الهاشمى بخاماتة المختلفة ( تختلف الخامة بإختلاف الجبل الذى تم القطع منه
    وتتنوع الوانه الى درجات الأصفر المختلفة وأشهرها الاصفر الجملي واللون الكريمي وهناك حالات قليلة يكون

  10. Joilya Smith
    12:03 am, 11.23.21

    It is quite simple indeed just use best cleaning equipment’s to keep your interior neat and clean.
    People are much curious about their home and kitchen. They buy high quality Kitchen and Home appliances.

  11. Beylikdüzü Çilingir
    2:08 pm, 03.12.22

    Beylikdüzü Çilingir 7 gün 24 saat çilingir hizmetimiz mevcuttur.

  12. Tgal
    12:15 am, 03.16.22

    Erotic call girls and escort service in Bangalore with genuine service and also in cash payment or UPI.

  13. All candidates must verify their results and wait for the JNVST Selection List 2022 Class 6th and 9th for future reference. All candidates whose names appear on these lists are eligible for admission. To confirm your seat in the school, नवोदय 6 वीं कक्षा का रिजल्ट 2022 you must come to the school and pay your entrance fee. The JNVST Result 2022 will be available in May 2022, and you should all go to the official website to verify your results.

  14. buca çilingir
    9:34 pm, 08.30.22

    buca çilingir servisi izmir 24 saat anahtarcı

  15. dara
    10:58 pm, 08.30.22

  16. Beykent çilingir
    4:14 pm, 10.25.22

    Sektöründe en iyi Beylikdüzü Beykent çilingir anahtarcı kapı açma kilit değiştirme oto kasa locksmith
    Beykent Çilingir

  17. Claud Saille
    5:40 am, 11.25.22

    amazing post thanks for sharing

  18. Ameli
    1:49 am, 11.26.22

    thank you for sharing nice post

  19. bahçeşehir çilingir
    1:56 pm, 12.19.22

    Bahçeşehir locksmith sektöründe bahçeşehir bölgesinde en iyi çilingir firması http://www.bahcesehircilingiri.com

  20. Andrew Mark
    9:10 am, 01.31.23

    This is excellent article, thank you for the share! This is what I am looking for, hope in future you will continue sharing such an superb work.
    Barbie Ryan Gosling Leather Vest

  21. Xatib
    1:58 pm, 05.07.23

    Very good information. Thank you

  22. slot maxwin
    2:50 am, 05.22.23

    Daftar Link Situs Slot Maxwin Gacor Paling Gampang Menang 2023

  23. khaled
    1:24 pm, 08.02.23

  24. شركة صيانة
    1:41 pm, 10.12.23

    صيانة غسالات دايو بالاحساء شركة متخصصة في صيانة كافة أنواع الغسالات الاتوماتيكية وليست دايو فقط

  25. المسائي للصيانة
    1:43 pm, 10.12.23

    طرق تنظيف المكيفات بالمدينة المنورة شركة متخصصة في صيانة المكيفات وتنظيفها بالمدينة المنورة يمكنكم معرفة المزيد بالتواصل معنا

  26. صيانة غسالات اريستون بالرياض هي ركة متخصصة في تصليح كافة انواع المكيفات المنزلية بمدينة الرياض

  27. صيانة ثلاجات بالدمام هي شركة متخصصة في تصليح وصيانة الاجهزة المنزلية

  28. صيانة غسالات بالطائف يمكنكم معرفة المزيد حول خدماتنا المختلفة بالدخول الي موقعنا

  29. e3lanat elkuwait
    5:13 am, 12.09.23

    Learning english is important
    ارخص صباغ بالكويت

  30. machinesmanuale
    1:25 am, 12.21.23

    Bobcat is a well-known brand in the construction and landscaping industry, providing high-quality equipment for various tasks on job sites. With its wide range of products, it’s no surprise that Bobcat has become a household name for those in the construction business. However, with the constantly evolving technology, it can be challenging to keep up with the new features and functionalities of the latest Bobcat equipment. This is where downloading Bobcat manuals in PDF format comes in handy.

  31. samsmith
    3:00 am, 01.16.24

    I’m a dedicated reader who loves diving into informative posts like yours. If you’re in Australia and seeking professional dissertation help, look no further! We’re experts in dissertation proposal writing, dissertation writing, and dissertation proofreading. Our team is always available to provide you with excellent support, 24/7. Don’t hesitate to reach out for all your dissertation needs!

  32. Kristin Lynch
    3:13 am, 03.21.24

    The website’s blog section is filled with incredibly valuable content. Also check how-techblog

Add a Comment