There comes a time in every expat’s life when you realise that what’s ‘normal’ has changed. This recently happened to me when I discovered the following….experiences…had become routine.
Taking your shoes off
In Asia, when entering a house, shop or office, it is customary to take your shoes off. Even if your shoes match your outfit. Even if you look silly walking around in business attire and bare feet. Even if you are just going to the kodak photo shop to do some printing. While I quite like the principle behind it – leaving the dirt of the street outside – it is a strange adjustment to make.
Spirit houses and monks
Buddhists believe that you should have a spirit house in or around your house as a place of worship to Buddha. It’s often a tiny little house, usually painted red and covered in flower leis an surrounded by offerings of food and drink…depending on what Buddha may like. Ours is in the living room…but often lacking offerings.
As for the monks, it is not unusual to see them walking up my street in the early morning collecting alms.
Blessings
Before a big event or opening your shop for the day/night it can be customary to bless it. This could involve something as simple as burning incense and a prayer, to something as elaborate as sprinkling the perimeter of your property with whiskey – or the blood of a virgin – to keep the rain away. Whiskey is preferable as it is often hard to find a virgin in Phuket.
Seeing 5 people on a bike
Given that a motorbike is the most common mode of transport for a family, it isn’t uncommon to see all of them on the one bike. Sometimes little kids have a cane chair straddling the main seat. Sometimes they just learn to hang on…tight. Dogs standing (balancing!) behind the rider isn’t unusual either. How else will they get around!?
(Learning to ‘triple double’ with my gorgeous cousins)
Elephants
Nothing like heading round a blind corner on your bike only to be confronted by an elephant taking his time to cross the road. While it sounds silly, it can be quite dangerous, for both the elephant and the rider. Elephant sized reflector vests?
Hard beds
Sounds ridiculous but in reality – ouch! Lying on a piece of furniture resembling a bed but feeling like a plank of wood, night after night is not the most pleasant experience. Many an expat has spent hard earned money on a softer bed….or at least a quilted mattress topper. Thanks mum! X
Bottled water
How does it happen that drinking from a tap seems abnormal? It is so easy to get used to drinking from water bottles that I am sure I have personally contributed a significant amount to world plastic pollution. It also means being a little more organised then normal – waking up hungover with no water in the house is NOT a nice experience!
I have loved my ‘normalisation’ in Phuket. After all, this too becomes normal…
But as one door closes, another opens 🙂
