When 85 feels cool.

You know you live in Thailand when 85 degrees feels cool. I actually called it chilly this evening when it was 80. Weird. Just because I wasn't sweating profusely does not mean it is cool. Come on, Meaghan. Get it together. You're a New Yorker.

I may be a New Yorker, but I am becoming comfortable here. Thailand is my home at the moment, and it is really beginning to feel like it. I have favorite spots. I have a favorite place for pad thai, and a favorite fruit stand. I have a lunch spot and an iced coffee spot. The people at the photo place wave and say hello every time I walk by. I know the people at the gym, and they know me. I see familiar faces, and it is pretty cool.

Yes, I stand out a little. My hair is blonder than anything a Thai person could dream of. The lightest hair dye even offered in this country is dark brown! I don't always have my shoulders covered, and I have a visible tattoo. I also speak English, so that's a dead giveaway right there. I don't always wai perfectly and I am far from twig thin. Even Ronald McDonald knows how to wai! People stare at me, but they are getting to know me. They nod and they smile. They still stare, but at least they make the polite gesture.

It is a wonderful to feel comfortable, but life is still a challenge. Everyday I say hello, goodbye and thank you to everyone, but I constantly worry about my pronunciation. I wonder if I am wai-ing correctly, or if I should have wai-ed that woman that I just barely made eye contact with. It is stressful to order food, take a tuk tuk or buy anything. I constantly have to use hand gestures and props. Often, i just have to settle for what I am given.

Life isn't easy. It's pretty great, but it's tough. Now I need to do another Rosetta Stone lesson, I must learn the language.