Foreigner in Chiang Mai, Thailand
Moving halfway around the world to Thailand at the age of four is not easy. Culture shock hits like a slap in the face. On top of that jet lag sets in. Being one of not so many white people in Asia attracts a lot of attention. Stepping off the airplane and heading out the motion sensor sliding doors into the city began the adventure of a lifetime. From that point on, for an unknown amount of time I would remain in Thailand. I would have to figure out how I was going to make it through such a hard time of life in a new country. By the grace of God he has led my family and I this far and will continue to lead us further.
Going out into the public is in a way embarrassing because people are staring at the “white kid”, and then whispering things behind my back. The worst experience of all is when the people see me, come up to me and talk like I’m a baby not knowing what they are saying, and then they squeeze my cheeks. Wandering around town seeing all these weird taxi looking vehicles that can carry about 15 people per car load is very different. From time to time you will see things that are never seen in America. For example a trucks full of cabbages, onion, garlic, and other food items almost lifting the front end of the vehicle off of the ground. Besides that, the people are very nice and helpful, if they notice you need or are struggling to do or to find something around town they are more than happy to help.
When transitioning into a new culture there are many outcomes that could occur because of the lack of knowledge of that specific culture. For example Thai people believe that it is wrong to step on any Thai coin with the kings face on it because for some reason it is disrespectful. With many people in the country believing in Buddhism one interesting thing they believe in is karma.
Different cultures have different beliefs and different religions. Karma is what this culture believes. Say if you do something bad in your “first life” then you will be cursed and will be something different in your “second life”. For example a three legged dog, or a cow with one eye. In the area where I live there are enormous wats where people go to pray and is like an area for monks. Scattered around town are mini temples standing about 4-5 feet off of the ground that are colored red, white, gold, and other colors. People bring food to them and a drink so that the gods can eat and drink. In the morning monks go around with a bucket and people will put food in the bucket for them to eat. Everybody knows not to touch monks. For some reason it is not polite and it is disrespectful.

A lesson that is important to understand is that before you go into a foreign country, it is good to do some research to know exactly what you are getting into. A big part of Travel and Culture is that the transitioning part is a killer. Getting used to all of the Thai ways like driving on the opposite side of the road and more unusual things is a must. Transitioning may be hard but with time and patience it will get easier. This basically sums up what it is like to be a foreigner in a land that is unfamiliar with people who have different ways of life with different religions.