Farang on a motorcy

So, my friend JB is doing something amazing and live blogging/typing each episode of this season's Biggest Loser (BL).  A group of us used to watch BL together every Tuesday, "Fat Tuesday" if you will, and knowing I was going to miss the newest season, which started Jan 3, this was his going away gift to me.  So far, I have highly enjoyed the 3 emails he has sent and I deepy look forward to this little link to home.  But this week, when the prize for winning the challenge was letters/videos from home, I for the first time understood why everyone on BL gets super emotional and cries like babies when they get to hear from their family - whom they have only been away from for a few weeks at this point. 

I'm just two weeks into my Thailand experience and the BEST part of my day is BY FAR emails, facebook posts/messages, and skype chats from home.  (Props to my bf Bobby for making time for me every day to Skype.  You rock!!)  If someone were to take these daily emails and messages away from me, I might not be able to cope with being so far away.  Dear BL contestants:  I understand now why a letter from home is considered one of the most valuable prizes and why you bust your poor, exhausted bums to jump through hoops, drag pails of water through sand traps, or hang on to hooks for as long as possible before dropping into a pool.  I'm so sorry for having made fun of you and your overly emotional reactions to seeing your family in a pre-taped message.  Please forgive me!   Especially forgive me because I am not fat, nor am I forced to work out 12 hours a day; I'm in a beautiful, tropical country being loved by my Thai family, consoled by my American counterparts and eating myself silly and I'm still homesick!!

Anyway...

Today we took a four hour bike ride around our village (with our language learning group) pointing out important places, community leaders, and visiting each of our homestays.  I learned that the restaurant at my homestay is called Teacher Steak Restaurant.  If you haven't already guessed, that's because the restaurant serves steak and my mee (mom), who runs the restaurant, is also a teacher. 

Aside from the heat - and how grumpy I was from the heat - I really enjoyed today. So far, I have figured out that I am happiest here when I'm riding my bike.  I'm hot and sweaty and a little scared about being hit by a semi-truck hauling sugar cane, but I'm alone.  ALONE.  Alone and thinking, seeing, smelling, and taking in all that is around me.  It's kind of my only time to actually process what is going on here and what I've done with my life by moving here.  They weren't kidding when they said we'd be experiencing life as if in a fishbowl.

Tomorrow my family is taking me to Monkey Land.  Stay tuned.

PS: I was not on a motorcy (a motorbike) but I did see a white guy (farang) on one.  We both did a double take when we saw each other.