Farang: A Cultural Phenomenon

I’ve been meaning to write about Farangs for some time now, but kept putting it off for various reasons.

Farang. This is the Thai word for foreigner.  It’s also the Thai word for guava, but that’s besides the point. Farang is not necessarily a negative connotation, but it is an umbrella term for foreigner. Yet in Thailand, there seem to be about four different types of farang.  For this reason, I wish there were more specific names for foreigners, because some of these farang create a negative image for the rest of us. Here’s what I’ve seen and experienced thus far.

There are the ex-pats. These individuals are living here either temporarily or permanently. They work here, and usually have families. I’ve met a couple of American ex-pats, but most of them seem to be European.

Here’s the issue with ex-pats. Some of them are harmless.  Technically, I fall under the category of ex-pat,  because I’m living here temporarily. Like me, some of them are here for work, teaching English (that’s the most common), humanitarian/aid work, etc. However, most of the ex-pats live here because they “fell in love” with a Thai woman. These farang are often (and I do mean often, like 80-90% of the time) much older than their Thai partner. It’s rather gross to witness, and you see it quite often here. In Big cities especially, but I still see it here in Chiang Rai. Not only is the man much older, he is also, most of the time, not attractive at all.  This is horrible to say, but it’s true. And let me point out, that the Thai lady with this man is almost always hot. Not that looks matter, I’m not saying that couples should be matched based on their physical appearance, but the difference in age is so apparent here that’s its mind-blowing. Why does this happen and why is it such a phenomenon? I’m in no way an expert on this (obviously), but what I’ve witnessed and learned so far seems to be this: money and idealism.  American money (and the Euro) go quite far here. Street food or open restaurants costs $1, a traditional Thai massage costs $6.50, a decent hotel room starts at $40 a night, etc.  Basically,  you can live extremely well here. If money could buy love, it happens here. Often the women who marry farang come from Isaan, the northeast Region of Thailand, one of the poorest parts of the country (it is not uncommon for young teens and young adults from Isaan to leave their family’s farm and move to Bangkok in search of something better, which often ends up being some kind of minimum-wage job for men or the entertainment industry for women). Thus, Isaan women marry farangs for their money, to live like a princess, and to be able to support their family (brothers, sisters, parents, aunts, uncles, etc.).  Yet what’s in it for the man? Besides having a younger, hotter wife, it seems that they are infatuated with a certain type of woman: the subordinate woman.  They want a woman who will cook and clean for them, and who won’t talk back to them, or outright question their judgment.  There was a New York Times article back in September of this year about this exact phenomenon.  In it, Joseph Davis, 54, who married a much younger Thai woman, explains the allure: “Thai women are a lot like women in America were 50 years ago, before they discovered their rights and became strong-headed and opinionated.  The women now know they are equal, so the situation is not as relaxed and peaceful as it is between an American and a Thai lady.” Yeah, disgusting.  It makes me so angry.  But which is worse? The men marrying for sex and an ego boost, or the women marrying for money?  Does it make it okay for  women if most of them grew up extremely poor and just want to live a comfortable life, without having to work 16 hour days to barely make ends meet?  Is it justifiable? I can understand it, but I still can’t help wondering, what’s the point of being in a relationship if both people are in it for all the wrong reasons? Is being in a happy relationship or marriage a privilege and a luxury in places where you come from a poor family?

Here is the link to the NY Times article for those who are interested

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/25/world/asia/25iht-thai.html?_r=1&scp=1&sq=western%20men%20and%20thai%20women&st=cse

Sports Day

I'm baccck! After a long delay due to vacation and lack of computer, I'm back with a vengeance! Well, not really, just back to discussing all the ridiculous things that happen to me here in Thailand :-)

Sometimes it feels like this place isn’t real, as if I’m living in a parallel universe. Sports Day is a great example. Sports Day, or really Sports Week, since it took place from Tues-Thurs, is basically school Olympics. The students were split up into four teams: red, yellow, green, and blue, and had to compete against one another in various sporting events. This was legit. There was an opening ceremony just like in the actual Olympics. It included a parade through the village where our school is located, and proceeded to the school track. Following the parade, there were dance performances (each team performed), plus the “big performance” by Mat. 6 (12th grade, the seniors). They even lit an Olympic torch. I’m telling you, I had to keep pinching myself to make sure I was awake and that it wasn’t all just a dream; can you picture any of this happening in the U.S.? The most amazing part of it all, is that it is all put on my the students, with barely any help from the teachers. The students spent months choreographing their dance performances, and even created their own costumes. I think the only thing the teachers did was set up the electrical equipment and the sports schedule. Plus, all of this preparation (picking out the music, choreographing, creating costumes) took place outside of class time, after studying for exams and doing all of their homework (okay, well maybe not AFTER, but you get the picture). It’s amazing all of the creativity and energy the students have!

Besides the opening and closing ceremonies, everything in between was kind of boring. Mainly, because sports is not my thing, although it was fun to be out and about on campus and not be stuck at my desk all day long. As stated earlier, the students competed in various sporting events. Thursday was dedicated just to track events. There were individual and team relay races, long jump, javelin (that stick-throwing one), and even that event where you hold that heavy ball and have to throw it as far as you can. Although, because it was so hot out, some students passed out from the heat after competing (mainly because we don’t have track at my school, so they’re not used to running in the heat, and it was SO hot out), I felt so bad for them. The closing ceremony was just as fabulous as the opening ceremony. This time, however, there was even more elaborate costumes, dancing, and cheering! Oh, Thailand.