Alaskans in the world
Alan Prosser in Thailand
By Heather Adams
Alan Prosser is a third-generation Alaskan, a lineage fairly uncommon among Anchorage’s mid-twenties crowd. It is in large part because of this long-time affiliation with the state that I wanted to focus this first edition of Alaskans in the World on his recent travel to Thailand. Having planned this trip with friends long before the devastating news of a tsunami-ravaged Asian seaboard reached America, Alan was unsure as to what he would find in Thailand. Hoping to help, learn, and experience, Alan of course returned to Alaska with far more than pictures and souveneirs.
Alan and friends Kristen and Kelly started talking about visiting Thailand in part to study massage technique for Kristen’s locally-owned massage therapy business. Traveling first in and through Bangkok and then later on to the more quiet and less cosmopolitan islands and insular northern villages presented the breadth of Thai life. Alan related the buzz of Bangkok--the rush of vehicles and motorbikes flooding streets that oozed with lights, peddlers and smog. Nightfall found our travelers at a Thai boxing event--the arena proving to be as interesting as the uber-aggressive fighting style. Thai patrons occupied a large portion of the facility, while all foreign ticket-holders were seated in a separate section of the arena. Alan could offer no clear explanation for the segregation. “I really don’t know why,” he admits. A veil of chicken wire distinguished various seating sections, and further distanced non-Thai viewers from the locals.
Back on the street, Alan noted the number of homes whose back wall was built to convert to a canopied storefront. From internet cafes to variety stores, children were often found studying lessons and waiting to call to grandmother once a customer ducked inside the family-owned establishment. A variety of Thai-culture classes offered a more hands-on integration into the culture, and Alan noted the number of courses offered in language, cooking, massage. Spending an evening chopping vegetables and preparing multi-course meals certainly steeps one in intricacies of a culture that are not gleaned from a typical dinner on the road. “Culture like this is a resource,” Alan offers. “It is far less voyeuristic this way.” How has culture been commodified by these classes? Perhaps this is a notable way to support an economy and impart culture, Alan suggested.
Preparing to head to some remote villages, the travelers visited a museum whose main objective is to teach tourists about the six main tribes of northern Thailand--a process of building awareness and asking tourists to avoid actions that, little by little, erode the texture of these pockets of Thai life. Stepping on a door jam will release an evil spirit, believe the Lahu tribe. These spirits need to be acknowledged and respected, prompting locals to fashion wooden tree talismans that hang on the edge of the village. Alan described them as reminiscent of something from The Blair Witch Project, and eerily powerful in the feelings that they evoked as they silently hung from branches bordering town. This spirit-honoring was tempered with the more American-like habits of watching television in the town hall, where Alan found at least twenty children one evening.
“When we travel, we expect a different culture, but that is harder and harder to find,” Alan adds. Owning his own business, Alan felt fortunate to be able to soak up nearly four weeks of Thai life--a length of time that he realized was common for most other foreign travelers, but rare for Americans.
“We leave America to get away from it for a while.” Thankfully, we have those like Alan who can bring a piece of the world back to us.