tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-357331852011-04-21T14:54:47.091-07:00An American expat who's lived for years in remote Northeast Thailand is afraid of losing his foreign perspective of the surrounding culture. At first, everything seemed weird. Now it all seems so normal. So, he has promised himself to observe at least three weird things a day--things that would have surprised him on his first day in Isaan, or rural NE Thailand. This becomes his own mini-diary, to remind him that all is not "Yankee-normal" in Southeast Asia.JDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13989442374208541696noreply@blogger.comBlogger11100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35733185.post-1160390368951469062006-10-09T03:05:00.000-07:002006-10-09T03:43:32.850-07:00<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4877/728/1600/soi_dog.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4877/728/320/soi_dog.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />1. Dogs here are not things you cuddle up to. They're mangy, flea-bitten, diseased and half-wild. Also, you don't adopt a dog. They adopt you. They choose a house or apartment to guard as their territory, and run off all non-residents. This, appreciated by the residents, usually results in a few scaps a day to keep up their salary.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4877/728/1600/ThaiFam_Motorbike.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4877/728/320/ThaiFam_Motorbike.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><br />2. A family of five on a motorbike? Not unusual, and quite a sight. Mom on the front with the smallest child in a vice-grip between her legs. Two kids in the middle, and big sister or brother brings up the rear. I would only wish to add crash-helmets to all participants to increase their well-being.<br /><br />3. Don't rock the boat! Problems at work? Problems with your landlord? Problems with a friend? Problems with the utility company? DON'T ROCK THE BOAT. Figure out some way to avoid confrontation and allow everyone to save face--even to your own detriment. Maintaining social harmony is the paramount cultural value in Isaan.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/35733185-116039036895146906?l=threeweirdthings.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>JDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13989442374208541696noreply@blogger.com1