Crossing Boundaries, whatever that means

I can haz Japanese?

I am currently in Bangkok, Thailand amidst the protests and political unrest that is in its seventh week yet I’m finding myself rather unaffected by it all. Sure, it’s bullshit, I find the entire situation very “un-Thai” and embarrassed for my own country. The amount of bad press and situation these protesters have put the nation in makes us all look like uncivilized barbarians. I can get into this further, but this short post is mainly about how I’m not recognized as a Thai here.

Since last time I visited Thailand, which was down to Phuket and Krabi last March, every person I spoke to here seem to think I am a foreigner. If I can get a dollar for every time someone asked if I was Japanese, I’d be able to buy a new laptop. Anyways, all I wanted to post to remember this moment by is yesterday while strolling with Nikesh down at Jatujak Weekend Market, a shop owner (of course) asks where I’m from and says I look Japanese. Nikesh then comments later on that the first time he noticed me, he also thought I was Japanese, to which I playfully threw a fit for being in “my house” and not recognizing I was Thai. But then …

“People if your own fucking country don’t even think you’re Thai!”

Never truer words.

It’s a little difficult to differentiate Thais from other Asians particularly because our ancestry is a mix of Chinese and Indian immigrants; combinations of both result in a variety of looks. I guess I must have mutated a bunch of the Chinese genes and mixed them with growing up in the states to equal Japanese.

Physical appearances are a funny thing. I sort of enjoy a look that’s rather ambiguous, but at the same time, it sucks a little to not be able to look like you’re from where you rep.

Wingin’ it

Today marked a somewhat scary day: having to give a presentation on our business plan to bring a foreign company into Japan. As part of my International Business minor, I had to take this Global Management class as a required credit, and this was our final project.

The longer I study abroad, the more I discover who I am and my true passions. For example, I’m steadily realizing how little interest I have in business and more on social interactions and communications, and telling stories. Though I understood very little of the business material we spoke about in class, I fancied all the words spoken. While I came off nervous, which I was, bullshitting seemed to come naturally when my ass needed it. To add to seeming like I knew what was happening, I paid extra attention to other students’ presentations to ask inquisitive questions, though they were really simple. 

During the half way coffee break, I was preparing to leave class so I can finish business and prepare for my mother’s visit in Hong Kong. Before walking out of class, the professor stops me to say, “You are very good at what you do, keep working at it.” I responded to this with a confused “What does that mean?” and he seemed to think I was fine. He just kept repeating that I think, speak and process information well and I should “keep working at it”. Still bewildered, I raised an eyebrow, half smiled and proceeded to going home.

I would say I’m the kind of person who can be decent at mostly anything I put my hands on, but I can be great at something for which I have a passion. Unfortunately, I’m finding out business or political studies are both equally uninteresting although all of my classes here are in those subjects. Meanwhile, I’ll still be blabbering, aka, blogging about the thought process of it all. What the professor said to me today was certainly odd, but a part of me is kind of glad he said it. He’s not my favorite professor, but it provided an ounce of affirmation that I’m not all too terrible at this, even if I hated it.

My name is “Lemon Tea”

In less than 24 hours since we’ve arrived in Hong Kong, we’ve managed to hit the streets at night looking for dinner, wander the heights of Victoria Peak, ate Dim Sum on a floating restaurant on beautiful clear water in Aberdeen, toured City University, took the MTR/subway home and roam the streets some more for nearby banks, restaurants, shops, and offices. I did not feel the jetlag until 4, 5 pm but waking up at 8 in the morning for a huge day would have made anyone sleepy by then.

One of my student ambassadors who showed us the school and city introduced herself as “Lemon Tea”. The first time I heard it, I thought it was a Chinese name and I’m hearing it wrong, but she gave me a contact card and apparently it’s really her nickname. Never got to ask why that’s so.

Many fellow students in the program who’ve learned I’m Thai wants me to help them tour Bangkok. I’ve no problem with that, in fact, that’ll be exciting … but I don’t know how to handle large crowds. It feels like if everyone who’ve asked me to take them around goes, I’ll have a group of about 10 people to lug around. But I suppose the Japanese girl feels the same. Hey—at least I know for sure some people do want to go which is so, so exciting!

Photos as soon as I get my hand on USB wire. Yes, I forgot it. Yes, I’ll borrow it from someone or buy a new one for cheap here. No, I’m not stupid, some things slipped my mind!