"You know you have been in Thailand a long time when..."

.....the first words out of your mouth when you see a local is "Sawasdee Ka" and not hello.

....you walk down the left side of a stairway instead of the right (and inevitably walk into Western tourists who havent adjusted yet)

...you automatically throw your toilet paper in the bin NEXT to the toliet, not in the toilet, as doing so could cause the next great flood in Thailand.

...you get a bit stressed when you pay more than 2 dollars for a meal, and 4 dollars for an hour massage.

...you refuse to step into a Starbucks, even when craving a Tall Iced Chai with Soymilk.

...a local person tells you that you have a "very good Thai accent." (this was pretty special.)

...you just dont care anymore that you are twice as tall and twice as dark as 99.99% of the population around you.

...you feel a bit out of sorts if you haven't seen a Buddha or a 7-Eleven in your day's journey.

...you are always calm as you cross a incredibly busy street as thre are no pedestrians crossways in most towns. The key is to just keep consistent with your walking speed and the cars and bikes adjust accordingly. I always try to walk near a monk as I feel safer this way. :)

....you can walk through a massive night bazaar/marketplace and not be tempted to but one thing.

.... you walk into a shop, cafe, or internet shop and the local people know you by your first name. You are no longer a "farang" (foreigner) but just a local person going about her daily business....this really makes me feel at home.

...and finally, you know you have been in Thailand a long time when you do not even flinch at the sight of a man walking by you trying to sell you deep-fried cockroaches ("crisps) from his well-lit cart on wheels.


that's all for now...

"Khop Khon Ka" for listening...:)