Hood Today

Have you seen the big posters of beautiful dream-like palm beaches that are enriching so many student rooms and making them easier to live in? Well, these beaches do look like a dream, but they are real in countries like Thailand. You can imagine how jealous I felt when I saw my Thai friend's photos from home. I told her to expect my visit in the near future. My friend went on bragging that the famous movie Beach with Leonardo DiCaprio was shot in her country, as well. In later conversations, I felt her pride when she talked about her country and I found out more about Thailand.

The name of Thailand's capital, when written in Tha,i is as long as the first paragraph of this article. It is in fact the longest capital name in the whole world. It is mouthful to say it, but the meaning is beautiful; "City of Angels." The capital of Thailand is internationally known as Bangkok, which is what Thai people called it in the past. Why is the international version of the capital's name so much shorter than the original name in Thai? The reason is that the long name is a product of very sophisticated language that has been used to make the capital's name as special as it can be.

One more thing, or person rather, makes Thailand special. It is their king. The country is still a kingdom, but that is not all. The Thai king has already ruled for over 60 years. He is definitely the king who has ruled for the longest period of time ever. He must have had an amazing life being in a great position in a beautiful country for such a long time.

Another interesting thing in Thailand is the way in which Thai people name their children. Because 90 percent of the population is Buddhist, Thai parents go to the temple with their baby and ask a monk to name them. For example, my friend's name, when translated in the Thai language, means "Rabbit on the Moon." This name, for us, can sound random, but it is in fact full of symbolism and beauty. Rabbit is one of the characters from a Thai fairytale, while the moon is considered something beautiful and romantic. After all, the moon is extremely valuable because it lights your way during the night. There is a cultural difference because for some people the name "Rabbit on the Moon" does not make much sense, but for others it has so much symbolic meaning.

One last interesting piece of information about Thailand is that Thai people measure time by the Buddhist calendar. The Buddhist calendar is 543 years ahead of the calendar that we use. So, the current year in Thailand is not 2009, but 2552. Do not get confused if you go there, you did not travel through time, but to the country that measures time in a different way than you do.

From Thailand we go to another Asian country - Indonesia. For some, the first thought when you hear Indonesia is Bali, "the paradise island." However, Indonesia is not just the island of Bali, Indonesia has 17, 999 other islands. It is a big country, indeed. Out of these 18 thousands islands, there are five large ones that most of the population lives on. Some islands are so small that they do not even have a name and are not inhabited.

Besides its interesting shape and size, Indonesia has a fascinating, but, in many cases, an unfortunate location. It is located in the so called "ring of fire," an Earth plate that moves. The movement of the plate causes earthquakes and other natural disasters that disrupt this country. A strong tsunami hit Indonesia in 2004. The tsunami resulted in numerous displaced and homeless people, many of whom had lost their loved ones. This unfortunate event brought about sympathy and reaction from the whole world. International aid came into Indonesia to help people in need. The tsunami put Indonesia in the news headlines all around the world, and the world lent a helping hand to Indonesia.

An interesting connection between the United States and Indonesia is that Barack Obama spent four years of his childhood in Indonesia. He lived there with his mother and step father and attended a few years of elementary school in the country. When asked if he still spoke the language, the president said that he still remembers some. This connection between the two countries is a coincidence, but it can also show how small the world, in fact, is and how we all are interconnected to each other in one way or another.

The third country that we will discover is Panama. The month of November is, for some, an ordinary month like all the rest. However, for Panamanians, November is a month of huge importance. Why is it so important? Because all of the independence days are celebrated in November; thus, it is considered an exceptional month for this country. The celebrations and special feelings that all Panamanians share starts on November 4th with Flag Day. On that day, virtually every house puts up a flag as a sign of how proud they are to have their own country. In the past, Panama was under Columbian rule and then under Spanish rule. In 1903, they gained independence from Columbia. The independence from Spain came in 1921. The independence did not come easily, the people of Panama had to fight for it and much blood was spilled. Both independence days are celebrated with big parades. My friend from Panama gave a short presentation during the International Club meeting about the importance of independence for her country, and she was very proud while she presented it.

Every country in the world has something unique and worth knowing. The facts that I have presented might not be the most important ones, but they are here to stimulate your curiosity to search for more. This search does not have to happen in the library; it can happen in the dining hall or in the residence halls. It is a great thing that here at Hood there are people from so many different countries that want to learn about American culture, and also share their own. Finally, I want to thank Sasiya, Tania and Nilsa for teaching me more about their respective countries.

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