As I mentioned in the post about my cooking class, Thai people use every last part of the things they have. They somehow made congealed chicken blood into a delicacy just to avoid any sort of waste. They appreciate the things they have and show total gratitude for it. Things are quite different, however, across the pond. Within my peer group of American university students, there are plenty of people that have stood hours in line to get the newest iPhone, even though theirs is only two months old. I've never thought this was the right way to live, always striving to obtain the very best, so I really do appreciate the mentality that "old" doesn't mean you throw it out.
At some of the schools I've taught at, resources are so very limited. There's one childcare center where all of the children wear donated soccer uniforms. Some of the primary schools can't even provide each child with a chair, let alone a desk to write on. The one primary school that sticks out in my mind was a classroom of about 25 with three desks to share between the children. Pencils were more of stubs, and the chalkboard had some rough spots. Maybe they would go out and buy brand new things the instant they wanted it, if they could, but the resources just are not there. So instead of complaining, they use what still works and fix what doesn't. Because people here are forced to use things until they simply cannot, they tend to value their belongings more. I cracked my iPhone while I was here, and all of the teachers on homestay were so interested in how I did that and how much it would cost me to get it fixed. When people here can afford something nice, they take care of it. The Thai people I've met are anything but careless, and I was embarrassed to have been so reckless with my own things.
There are so many things, aside from the schools, that are overdue for an update. Even our volunteer accommodations were a little dodgy. The sinks had chunks missing from them, and the tile floors were crumbling. Cobb webs were everywhere, and bugs died by the hundreds in our dormitories this past week. But things don't need to be perfect, they just need to work. Everything here has at least one hole in it, from the motorcycle seats to the sidewalks to the public restrooms. Yes. One public restroom my friend used had a hole in the wall big enough for a woman to casually stare at him. It would be amazing if these things could all be fixed, but most can't. Life doesn't stop, and people don't worry about them. I'm sure they'd all love to have shiny new motorcycles and a squat toilet fit for the King. My point is not to say that Thai people have it rough and simply deal with it. They are collectively the happiest group of people I've come across (granted I haven't been too many places).
My point is this: people here are grateful. They have things that work, and that is enough. Their motorcycles are old as hell, but at least they have a motorcycle to get them from point A to point B. There are so many people with such a limited perspective back home. Spending a month under a leaky roof kind of fixed that for me.
