I have been considering lately how Thailand is a place full of contradictions. For instance, the Thai people are known to hate confrontations and avoid arguments at all costs. They do not want, above all, to displease others. I have heard that if you ask a Thai person, "Does the bus leave at 5?" he will say yes because he doesn't want to disappoint you, even if it does not actually leave until 6. But, despite the fact that they hate to cause turmoil, when you shop locally, it is characteristic for people to bargain, which is to me a very confrontational activity. At first, I was hesitant to take part in this practice. I mean, it is true that I am quite rich in comparison to most of these people, so is it really justifiable for me to argue about the price! But, over the last few weeks, I must admit that I've become more accustomed to the bargaining culture here. Who am I to go against Thailand's ways, particularly if it means I get a beautiful pair of shoes for $5!

The contradictions follow me into my daily life here in the village. Although the living conditions are simple--there is no running water in the house, I sleep on a thin pad on the floor, the Thai toilets are a badmitten field away from the house, and I shower out of a plastic trash can full of yellow water--I was astonished to discover that there is a TV with cable in my bedroom! And not even a small TV. This TV is about twice the size of the one I have in Vermont!

It was so strange, Kara and I were hesitant to turn it on. But we finally did yesterday when we heard about the bombings in Lebanon and were desperate for some world news. There are only a few English-speaking channels, but we found a decent news outlet in Russia Today. But now I sort of wish we hadn't turned the rest of the world back on. When I left the US, I was rather looking forward to abandoning all of the tragic NPR stories that I invariably hear every day. I was anticipating the joys obliviousness. But, from what I heard yesterday, it does seem like the world is just coming apart. And now with the new earthquakes and tsunamis in Indonesia! I think I'll just unplug that TV right now.

PS. Just in case you are the worrying type, I am not in a tsunami-threatened area of Thailand. The last tsunami of '04 did not affect this area. (But don't tell the Habitat for Humanity and World Vision volunteers, because they have been doing tsunami relief efforts here over the last two years! Oh these tricky Thai folk--happy to oblige the foreignors with a smile!)