Some Initial Observations

• I’ve noticed a lot of adult woman wear braces- our coordinators at Mahidol, women at the malls, the singer in the band on the cruise- and apparently it’s a trend through out Asia. It has become popular enough that even woman who don’t need them are getting them and turning to sketchy means and serious infections are occurring and its become a public health issue.

• There are pictures everywhere of the King everywhere. Ann Dunn told me before I left that she had a UNC professor that is banned from Thailand for insulting the king and I didn’t believe that was possible because it’s a fairly modern country- definitely likely. Insulting the king is a huge deal and can result in legal punishment. I went into the international relations office at school and my advisor, Susie, who is in her mid-twenties, had a big laminated picture of the king next to her desk with dried flowers taped next to it. He is currently pretty sick (we drove by his hospital the other day and there were guards everywhere) and when he dies there will be a year of mourning and then his son will take over, so I might be here when that happens which would be interesting.

• Access to non-bottled water is pretty limited. It’s not exactly clear when the water is safe- some of my peers brush their teeth with bottled water only but the general consensus is tap water is okay to have in the mouth (like in the shower) but don’t drink it. You have to pay attention to the ice: if there’s a hole in it it’s safe, especially at vendors. For example, some places will use ice to keep the raw meat cold, and then re-use it for drinks, so I’ve been told that when ordering street food or at markets, and the place doesn’t exclusively specialize in drinks, definitely avoid ice in drinks. It’s initially a little unsettling to eat street food because you see the raw meat just sitting there in the open air but it’s cooked for you and its typically safe, just very different health standards. So far I haven’t gotten sick!