Forever Young...or At Least Until I Get Some Wrinkles

For the past few days I have been trying to pin point what exactly makes me feel so content here in Thailand. There are many great attributes to list, but in today's class one particular aspect became clearly evident to me...

Thailand is based on hierarchy. There is hierarchy in education, jobs, and most of all in age. Here, respecting your elders seems to almost be an understatement. If you don't have wisdom, wit, and wrinkles, you got nothing. When I tell people I am yee sib et they look at me with a soft, sympathetic expression, "oh, you are a baby."

What! I most certainly am not! I'm 21, I'm graduating in 6 months, I'm entering into adulthood for peets sake.

"No, you are a baby, so young!"

You know what, I'm beginning to realize that they're 100% right. I am still a baby. What's more, I love feeling like the baby. There is less pressure.

In the States you turn 18 and BAM! your supposed to be an adult. You have to pay for school, get a credit card, get a job, and take on a crap load of responsibilities until your bursting from the stress that has built up inside of you. Our culture values youth so much, yet we're not allowing ourselves to be young. When do we have time to make mistakes, enjoy our relationships, and learn from those who have gone before us? Our youth culture doesn't have all the answers and we need to realize that. How can I fully develop into the adult I am supposed to be if I haven't had the time to grow as a child?

I love Thailand so much because it has allowed me to be the child I am supposed to be. I feel completely taken care of. No stress. No pressure. My only responsibility is to learn. To grow. To be yee sib et.