Cold Season

                

Thais the season!

                It was cold today, seriously cold. It was the first time that I had ever been cold at school. Chaiyaphum and the Isan region in general tends to be one of the hottest areas in Thailand. I didn’t like the cold at all before coming here, and today made me remember how grateful I am for Thailand’s tropical climate.

                I usually just laugh on the inside when my community members complain about it being cold. Their tolerance for cold is even lower than my own. I’ve seen people bundled up in gloves and scarves in 80 degree weather. You can only imagine how miserable they were today when it was windy, raining and only in the mid 60s. For the first time ever, I was able to answer “now maak!” (very cold!) when they asked, “now mai?” (Is it cold?), which they have been asking regularly for the past month or so, just to get my take on things. Tonight it is supposed to get all the way down to the low fifties! It probably doesn’t sound drastic at all for those back home who are experiencing single digits and below zero temperatures, but it is coming as a shock for me after being here for nearly a year and having this be the first time I’ve ever had a cold nose and toes during the day (with the exception of overly air-conditioned rooms).

                It was so cold today that all of the teachers left school immediately afterwards and went straight home with the excuse being that it was so cold. The funny thing was that it seemed to be a completely valid excuse, even by my standards! When I told some of the students that it was even colder in Colorado right now, they were in complete disbelief. They couldn’t imagine it possibly being any colder than this. Just as I thought it was funny to see people bundled up when I didn’t consider it to be cold, many of you are probably thinking how ridiculous I sound right now. I agree that it’s pretty pitiful. I don’t know how I’ll ever be able to return to the States if I can’t even handle 53 degree lows. My plan for now is to make some Rad Naa (total Thai comfort food) for dinner then make some tea, wrap myself in a blanket and fully experience this Thai “winter.”