Changes

They say that VSO is a life-changing experience, and I expect that by the time I return in two years' time I will have changed in many ways, some of them possibly quite profound.
However, here are a few not-quite-so-profound changes that I have noticed already as I adjust to my new situation:

• Walking slowly - I have always been a very brisk and purposeful walker, to the extent that I tend to get irritated by groups of slow-moving pedestrians blocking the pavement. Here, I am learning the art of walking slowly, expending as little energy as possible. You have to - it is simply impossible to rush around in this heat. Yesterday I was overtaken by a Thai lady, which makes me think I am definitely making progress! I wonder if this will turn out to be a metaphor for a more fundamental change - taking life itself at a slower pace and not feeling the need to rush about achieving so much... We shall see.
• Drinking Coca Cola - I have never liked coke, and in the UK would not have dreamed of drinking it. Yet here, it has suddenly become my preferred dinner-time drink. I can only think that with the heat and the change of diet there is something in it that my body needs.
• Calmness in the face of canine attention - I have always had a fear of dogs. As a child, I was petrified. As an adult, I have learned to control my reactions to a large extent, but the fear is still there. I have therefore been quite surprised at how calmly I am managing to deal with the presence of so many dogs wandering freely in the streets. I have been told that they chase after people on bicycles and scooters. Working on the principle that it is probably best not to trigger their chasing instinct, I have decided on the tactic of cycling past them as slowly and nonchalantly as possible, with the idea of making myself far too boring to chase after. Seems to have worked so far! On foot I march purposefully past, staring straight ahead as if they don't exist. This is all quite conscious behaviour, and only really works if I spot the dogs in advance and have the time to prepare myself mentally. If one appears suddenly from no-where it is still likely to set my heart racing! Having said all that, most of them actually appear to be perfectly innocuous, and in the heat of the day they are generally flat out on the ground looking half dead! (Interesting related observation: given the sheer number of dogs, I have noticed here and in Bang Saen that there is hardly any dog mess on the streets at all. Contrast this to Milan, where the pavements were adorned every few metres with generous donations from the pampered pooches of the Milanese!)