Character Analysis: From Saraburi To Cary

From Saraburi to Cary Despite how interconnected the world feels due to the startling rate of technological and social advancements, the understanding of how other countries operate on a normal day to day basis tends to be lacking. However, having a simple conversation can be all that is needed to help elucidate this. Chomnapat "Fon" Imtanacanich, a young woman from Thailand, was full of laughs; even her more serious moments felt relaxed. Within two short hours, Fon's experiences were able to portray a personal perspective of Thailand that went beyond the scope of what a textbook could offer. Although she came home from a trip to Washington D.C. the night before, Fon smiled and insisted she was not tired. She wore a simple outfit that consisted …show more content…
She leaned back in her chair as she thought of how to describe her home town, but her answers came to mind quickly and she used her hands to further elaborate each point. Saraburi, as it was a factory town, had a lot of dust in the air and would be best described as a “suburb.” She also mentioned that it was hot and humid all year and then joked about how in school “they would insist there were three seasons, rainy season, summer, and winter, but [she] never felt the winter.” With a sigh, she mentioned that she enjoyed the weather in Cary more. Although there were aspects she did not particularly enjoy, her love for her hometown was still evident. Her excitement about how the marble mountains looked and her promise to take a picture next time she went made it clear; it was contagious and the phrase “second-hand excitement” never felt more …show more content…
“It’s more western now,” she said with laugh, “It used to be more modest. Your parents would sit with you if you were meeting a boy.” Nowadays, the youth of Thailand are more likely to wear western clothing and have casual romantic relationships. Many are inspired by western culture due to the west’s heavier presence in Thai media. Fon sighed and looked wary as she explained some of the effects that this has caused. Children are “more confident” and are less likely to be respectful to their elders. This seems to be the case with children who have studied abroad. In the poorer parts of Thailand, girls are more likely to have children at a young age and sometimes abandon their baby if they do not want them. Thankfully, society has been moving away from these trends in the more recent