So no one really clarifies this, “jet lag” thing.  This thing is Satan and robs you of all ability to function normally in any time zone.  Imagine the specific time zone as the exact 100% reversal of your native zone.

Awake is an interesting state to achieve these days.  I feel horrible about it, too.  I should be more awake and interactive and things.  I shouldn’t be forgetting what “Sabishii” means.  I should know things at all.

They weren’t kidding, though.  When you’re an exchange student, forget all dignity and image of intelligence.  You are not intelligent.  That five year old could completely school you…and you wouldn’t even know.

The thing about being absolutely exhausted, blatantly unaware (blissfully?  A guy took a picture of me at the park with his phone.  He wasn’t cute enough to get away with it in my head.  Thus, I can’t imagine what the schoolboys were saying when we visited.), and otherwise disinclined to interact…you get a lot of time to just observe, even when you’re out with people.   As a result, the novelty (and I knew that it was, but it was fun, man) of this place is wearing off.  People seem like people, living life in the place they live.  You get time to understand that these people aren’t gaping at everything–they’ve seen it a thousand times.  They know their way around the rotary intersections that confuses the life out of you.  They know what those sounds mean, and what ones make it funny, or smart, or cute, or mean.

And I have time to realize that as much as they stare at me now, try to speak broken English, shout out a familiar, “Hello!” I will soon be one of them.  Living life, speaking to friends, amongst a familiar atmosphere.  This is going to take work, though.  Even I can see that.

I didn’t get to blog about my birthday party, which I absolutely should, because it was amazing and wonderful and otherwise incredible.  I will.  Keep an eye out for that.

Sawatdee kaa…