Katie's closing thoughts

On Thursday when we arrived in Bangkok and got in the van with Martina and her two friends from Vienna, the first thing we mentioned (and actually what we raved about the most) was the Sukhothai aiport and flight. After all we had explored and ventured through, our minds could not leave that last luxurious experience (though Mom was definitely praising more than I thought neccesary). What about our homestay or the fabulous new foods we had or the fabrics we fell in love with or the crazy Thai's we met the past two weeks? Was all that meaningless now?

No, of course not. In fact, it was because of what all we had been through that we were able to appreciate the flight and all its amenities. I would never trade those crowded bus rides, long train trips, meals with the locals (especially those with Supijit), nights in the guesthouses, and all those moments of feeling lost, tired, and frustrated for comfortable, easy, and clean transportation and accommodations. It's not that I want to be uncomfortable or lost but I want to learn and explore a culture, and I have to do that by emerging myself within it and that requires getting out of my comfort zone. I did not come to Thailand simply to be pampered (though I have gotten plenty of it and I'm not complaining) because I could do that without having to travel 24 hours on a plane to get it.


This trip has been my first time in a "developing country" where I have first-handedly seen villages where people still make crafts and grow food the same way that their ancestors for generations have. I love seeing this but at the same time it makes me think a lot about this type of society. It's called "developing" because it is not what is supposed to be and needs changing. I personally struggle with this because it thrills me to see cultures that are still unique and not manipulated by a corporate matrix. But I always wonder what the people actually want. Do they really want what the "developed" world has or are they just brainwashed to think that is what they want and need?


Yes, I live in a "developed" country where I am beyond privileged to have the life I want, but does that mean that in order to have the life you want you must live in a society like I live in? I would argue definitely not and that Americans who are truly satisfied with their life are a minority. While I can't prove this, it seems evident that people always want something they don't have that they think would make their life better. When does it stop? If people aren't satisfied there then why should other societies seek that way of life? And how can you determine if what works in one part of the world will automatically apply somewhere else? and how can you possibly know what another culture- something foreign and so different from your society- could possibly want or need?

Rice is a very important part of Thai (and Asian, for that matter) culture. Central Thailand is considered the rice bowl of the world accounting for 30% of global exports and claims to be the original site of the first rice plants. Thais are very serious about their rice having it at least three times a day. As we traveled through rural areas of Thailand, much of what we saw was rice fields, and there was never a time that I didn’t see someone out working in the field. I personally can’t say that I would want to be bending over 12 hours a day planting rice, but there is something very special about the intense human involvement and time that the Thai’s put into growing, harvesting, refining, and cooking rice. I can appreciate this because we don’t have that in our culture. First of all, we don’t have a national food staple. The closest we have is corn, but most of the corn is not eaten as corn but processed into more things than I want to know about. Secondly, corn (or any other staple such as wheat) has little or no human connection. It is all done by machine. Many of those “farmers” will not walk the field, study the soil, anticipate the weather, or even taste the crop. They simply sit back and let the machine roll. Many people would look at the rice fields here and say if only they had machines people would be better off and they could produce more rice at a cheaper cost. But that is the problem with the “developed” world- people get left out. The human face is lost to the consumer’s pocket.

One of my favorite things that I observed about Thai culture was the way they did fast food. (Yes, they had fast food but not anything like what is in the States). Food joints and snack stalls line the streets all day long filled with freshly prepared dishes of all sorts. Most of the "restaurants" come out of people's homes, or at least the food is prepared at home and then brought to a street vendor. Some people just set up a table outside their door having hot rice and fried fish ready for any passerbys. It's just like the old fashioned lemonade stand- sell what you can make and what people want at a price that is fair for everyone. I don't know any numbers but I would estimate that a large portion of the small town population is occupied in the food business. And since Thai's seem to eat all the time and enjoy one another's company at the table it is much more than just a business

But what if one day the food joints and snacks stalls that line the streets and provide independent jobs for people will one day be replaced by fast food chains and if all those delicious freshly made tropical fruit juices are outrun by soda drinks and bottled, preserved juices (that aren't really made from fruit) or if the street side tailors are outsized by the incoming textile factories or if the rice fields are managed by John Deeres? Not only will many people lose their jobs and way of life, but even worse a culture will be lost.

That is why I wanted to come to Thailand and live with a Thai family because I could see and experience an authentic livelihood at work (of course, there are other countries that I could go to but Thailand also has my Aunt, Uncle, and two cousins!). Despite the authenticity, I was shocked at how much Western influence there was here- in clothing, food, brands, ideals, looks, etc. (By the way, I am mostly referring to the non-Bangkok areas of Thailand that we visited- Bangkok is very developed and westernized in my view but still has some of the unique Thai cultural aspects). And not everything I saw about this way of life was good. The towns were dirty, polluted, and smelly. They were overrun with stray dogs and shops filled with only junk. They used motorbikes extensively in places that were just right for biking and walking. There was always a TV on wherever we went- people were glued. There are not yet signs of the “epidemic” but they are already promoting after school aerobics classes and dance video games for those too sedentary kids. I even saw an advertisement for a weight loss program targeting Asian women (the “before” picture outdid many of the American “after” pictures). Plastic surgery is widely available (almost as much as Thai massages) promoting the image of the ideal white female model as what every woman should want to look like (since when do Asian females have bad figures?)

I know I have probably taken this much too far, but this is just a sample of my thoughts that arise as I look at this world. As a student in International Agriculture Development, I constantly face these predicaments. What is development after all and what should our (those with money and education) do about it? What is our responsibility and what are the boundaries? What is the goal of development, globalization, foreign aid? Is it to create a world of peace, joy, and justice or is it a selfish, political, economical ploy? And then I think where do I fit in with all of this?

I look forward to returning to school and my studies so that I can apply what I have learned through my experiences in this short time in Thailand. It's just a beginning for me but it was a great one. I am so grateful to have a mother that I can travel with so easily and can share similar interests with. This will not be our last. Stay tuned for future adventures and thank you for reading this far.