YES, I AM A FARANG!

Sunday, 6 February 2005

Went with Ray to vote today, well watch him vote for the elections which were held today in Thailand. I think they were voting for governor and prime minister. The whole twenty minutes or so I was there, waiting for him in line and to go vote, I think the whole village was more interested in me standing by a pillar rather than the voting process! With each new person that would arrive on their moto and get in line, the whispers would commence, and the heads would turn and peer around the huge board to look in my direction. Little kids, grandmas, neighbors, the election personnel, and Ray's friends alike. They would say in Thai, "Look at that farang (foreigner - white person) standing by the pillar." , "No, she is not Thai. She is American.", "Who is not Thai?", "That girl over there!", "Speak English to her", "Sit down", "Stand up" (which are the few words most Thais know because they practice using these in school when they give respect and wai teachers). The gossip went down the line and heads would turn in domino fashion until everyone was alerted of my presence. One guy tried to use a baby as a ploy to come say hello to me because he saw me smiling at the baby. Yeah, nice try mister...I know that line already, even if it's in a different language.

When Ray was finished voting, he asked why I didn't take a picture with my camera. I told him "Mai Pen Rai!" ("Never Mind")....as if I want to draw MORE attention to myself! I don't think so. Besides, it looked like the same voting process in the states. As we left, I felt like I should say goodbye to everyone to acknowledge, "Okay, the farang is leaving now! The show is over! There will be a meet and greet at Ray's house! Autograph session will be 5 minutes per person." This is probably the first time a farang has ever visited their village before.