July 31st = The Day of Joyous Celebration

In eleven days, I will get my first paycheck. Yes, I have been here for almost two months, working for almost two months, and I still have not seen a baht from Chiang Mai University. I'm not bitter, but I must admit that I am looking forward to the end of July with eager anticipation. Because there is a lot of paperwork to process, CMU can't pay their part-time faculty until two months after the first day of classes.

Because I am basically a dirt-poor college graduate, I evaluate every purchase carefully. However, it is almost laughable at how my perception of the value of money changes when I switch countries. At home in Santa Barbara, I would easily drop $10 - 15 for a dinner out with friends, but here I evaluate whether or not I should walk 45 minutes in 98 degree weather (95% humidity) rather than taking a taxi for 15 baht (about $0.50). I get weird here. Because everything is so cheap, I get extra frugal and often save no more than a couple of dollars.

This makes me think about the economic situation in general. Thailand is a very poor country. Some refer to it as a "third world" country, which is another discussion altogether. I'll tackle that one in a later post. Being a university teacher is one of the best paid jobs around - and CMU pays their employees well, for Thai standards. With my salary, I can live comfortably, but not extravagantly. However, I am only one person. Most of the jobs that the average Thai person holds pays much less than my job. How then, would one afford a car, a college education for children, heck, children in general? Not to mention insurance, a home mortgage...

I have new respect for the hard-working people of this country. I am always learning something from them. At any rate, I hope I will re-think how I spend my dollars when I get home.

July 31st, I still await you with open arms.