Otto's Family
Our trip to Ubon Ratchathani was amazing. We'd just come back from Cambodia, so it was nice to relax in the village. Otto's village is about 40 minutes outside the town but it's near the university so we were able to go there for coffee in the morning. Otto's sister Toon was so nice and prepared a room for us to sleep in. Their house was really comfy and everyone was so kind. I didn't realize that most of them only speak Laos so even communicating in Thai was a bit difficult. We did our best and Otto translated. The thing that most surprised me about village life was the complete lack of privacy and also the lack of any kind of schedule. People were constantly coming in and out of the house just to get a look at me. Every morning, Otto and I would come out of our room and eat breakfast while villagers would come and watch us. They thought our food was quite strange (yogurt, bread and peanut butter) and asked to try it. Most people eat rice for breakfast. They also wake up whenever they want and go to work in the fields until it gets too hot. Then they come back to hang out in the village until it's almost sundown when they go back to work. Time seems to have no meaning there.
The first day, we went to visit Otto's brother-in-law's mom who is the cutest old lady. She makes these mango fruit roll-ups that are to die for. She also won this "Beautiful house competition" so she was really proud of her house. She was eating "mak" which is kind of like chewing tobacco but it's a really red color. I thought it was blood coming out of her mouth at first, but then Otto explained what it was. Here is a picture of her:
That night we had dinner with Ot's family. His two older sisters were there as well as one of his older brothers (he has 2 sisters and 3 brothers and he's the youngest by 10 years). We had a good time sitting around chatting. I ate my veggie food i bought from a shop in the town and we had some beers. I really felt like I was the guest of honor...everyone was so kind to me.
In this picture: P. Nang, Me, P. Toon, Otto, and P. Pon. (P. means older brother/sister)
The next morning, we went to P. Nang's village. Her husband is the village leader and they served us fresh coconut water and pomello. Everyone in the village had gathered and before they left, they wanted to take pictures. Of course, everyone had to get ready so they ran to put on their beautiful clothes and fix their hair!
Nang's husband, me, Nang, and a random villager. I told them to smile for the picture because it looks friendly for Americans. Thai people don't usually smile but try to look dignified.
That night we went to P. Pon's house in the town. He owns a little corner store with his wife and so we sat and had dinner outside their shop. He kept giving us beers and his son was making awesome clay animals. Before we left, Pon gave me his favorite jacket. I didn't really want to take it because it was clear that he really loved it, but Otto told me it was polite to take it. I was really touched when he told me that their family loves me and welcomes me.
Me and Bank with his clay creation:
Otto with Pon and his wife:
The last day, we took P. Toon, Ot's dad and his nephew into town for lunch. They got all dressed up and I could tell they were really excited. Otto's dad is so awesome! He is totally a country guy and lives in a little hut out in the rice fields with millions of animals. When we came back from town, he gave Otto and I "sai sin" to protect us and told us to take care of each other. He also drinks this herbal whiskey that he makes. He says one shot a day keeps you healthy. He should know...he's almost 80 and rides his bike around everywhere. That evening, we went out to his shack and he showed us all his animals. He told us to love each other and take care of each other.
Me and P. Toon...an awesome hostess. She gave me a scarf she bought in Laos almost 20 years ago. She's been saving it for a special occassion.
Otto's dad with his trusty old bike:
Me and the baby calf at Otto's dad's house:
Otto's dad's shack:
The first day, we went to visit Otto's brother-in-law's mom who is the cutest old lady. She makes these mango fruit roll-ups that are to die for. She also won this "Beautiful house competition" so she was really proud of her house. She was eating "mak" which is kind of like chewing tobacco but it's a really red color. I thought it was blood coming out of her mouth at first, but then Otto explained what it was. Here is a picture of her:
That night we had dinner with Ot's family. His two older sisters were there as well as one of his older brothers (he has 2 sisters and 3 brothers and he's the youngest by 10 years). We had a good time sitting around chatting. I ate my veggie food i bought from a shop in the town and we had some beers. I really felt like I was the guest of honor...everyone was so kind to me.
In this picture: P. Nang, Me, P. Toon, Otto, and P. Pon. (P. means older brother/sister)
The next morning, we went to P. Nang's village. Her husband is the village leader and they served us fresh coconut water and pomello. Everyone in the village had gathered and before they left, they wanted to take pictures. Of course, everyone had to get ready so they ran to put on their beautiful clothes and fix their hair!
Nang's husband, me, Nang, and a random villager. I told them to smile for the picture because it looks friendly for Americans. Thai people don't usually smile but try to look dignified.
That night we went to P. Pon's house in the town. He owns a little corner store with his wife and so we sat and had dinner outside their shop. He kept giving us beers and his son was making awesome clay animals. Before we left, Pon gave me his favorite jacket. I didn't really want to take it because it was clear that he really loved it, but Otto told me it was polite to take it. I was really touched when he told me that their family loves me and welcomes me.
Me and Bank with his clay creation:
Otto with Pon and his wife:
The last day, we took P. Toon, Ot's dad and his nephew into town for lunch. They got all dressed up and I could tell they were really excited. Otto's dad is so awesome! He is totally a country guy and lives in a little hut out in the rice fields with millions of animals. When we came back from town, he gave Otto and I "sai sin" to protect us and told us to take care of each other. He also drinks this herbal whiskey that he makes. He says one shot a day keeps you healthy. He should know...he's almost 80 and rides his bike around everywhere. That evening, we went out to his shack and he showed us all his animals. He told us to love each other and take care of each other.
Me and P. Toon...an awesome hostess. She gave me a scarf she bought in Laos almost 20 years ago. She's been saving it for a special occassion.
Otto's dad with his trusty old bike:
Me and the baby calf at Otto's dad's house:
Otto's dad's shack:
posted by Jen @ 9:02 PM
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