Wanderlust: Expat Life & Style in Thailand Dec / Jan 2017: Special Edition | Page 12

Opinion

‘HE WAS NEVER
AFRAID TO
BE TIRED’
An American girl, now grown up and all but Thai in most
every way, remembers the man who became her king.

W

of those here, I am mourning the
hen I was a girl, I spent
loss of an amazing man whose legthe vacation months of
acy echoes into the Thai people’s
each year smack in the
future like no other: the late King
middle of exactly what you’d think
Bhumibol Adulyadej.
of as an American summer.
Let me explain what carried me
There was the lake house in
to this moment.
Illinois. There was fishing and barI was brought to Thailand at the
becuing, and helping out on my
age of 7. And, just as expected, I
grandfather’s farm. I would do
went to an international school.
things like sneak into the Sky-Vu
But unlike most of my friends, I
Drive-In Theater in the trunk of a
didn’t stay in the expat bubble.
car. And I found my summer love
I don’t think this was anyone’s
at the Green County Fair while
plan. It was just how I ended up
watching the demolition derby. If
living my life. As I strugmy summer memories
gled with bullying
could be made into a
at school, I would
reel, they’d form a
fight my way
montage fit for
through each
an American
weekday and
teenIf anyone asks me where
run home to
age movie.
I’m from, the answer I always
play with
My home
want to give is, ‘I’m Thai.’ But
my neighcountry—
bors—the
where my
this response, coming from
children of
passport
a 5-foot-11 blonde woman,
the maid of
comes
never fails to elicit a very
the house
from, at
next door.
least—is the
confused reaction.
Living in
United States
a gated moo
of America. I
baan, us kids
have all the makwould go explore
ings of a true-blue
the area for days on
American girl: blonde
end, me on my rollerhair, blue eyes, American
parents who come from a long line blades and them on their bicycles. Looking back, it seems what
of farmers and cowboys.
I did as a child in Thailand wasn’t
But I don’t feel American, and
too different from what I did
half of the time I don’t even feel
during my summers in the States.
Caucasian. My friends and I like to
I somehow learned to read,
kid that what I am is a Thai woman
speak and write Thai, too. While
in an American woman’s body.
other friends at my school studAnd these days, I am a Thai
ied French (because it was “cool”),
woman in mourning. Like so many

I decided I should learn the language of the country where I lived.
My nanny would tell me stories about Thai history and bring
me to her old wooden house in
Singhburi, where I would be taken to temple and county fairs. I remember there being no air-con. I
remember being the first blonde
child in the town, which caused
most people there to stop by and
call me out for a picture.
Later, as a senior in high school,
I found myself with more Thai
friends outside of school than expat friends in school. I learned pop
culture and slang from them and
how to act more Thai. They introduced me to movies and to all the
different scenes in Thailand (skaters, punks, models and more). I became immersed.
If anyone asks me where I’m
from, the answer I always want to
give is, “I’m Thai.” But this response,
coming from a 5-foot-11 blonde
woman, never fails to elicit a very
confused reaction.
On Oct. 13, 2016, a piece of the
heart of Thailand was lost. King
Bhumibol Adulyadej p assed away
peacefully at the age of 88.
It’s hard to describe this to people who have never lived in a country looked after by someone who
cares as he did—someone who
was thrown into a position that he
never expected and spent most of
his life caring for an entire country’s well-being.
Our king always made an effort
to be face to face with the citizens
of Thailand. He educated himself

12 WANDERLUST

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PHOTO: Shannon Frandsen

By CAITLIN LEE CHULLASAPYA