[wepoiyub]

I'm thinking my experience in Thailand will match my experiences in Japan and China. I think it is just the cultures of Japan and Thailand - to be friendly to each other among other things - and it it just coincidental that they are fairly mono-cultural societies. China is also very much a mono-cultural society, but I see the two countries as quite different. I did not find people there too trusting, caring, friendly to each other. All of the above are definitely not friendly to their minority ("different") citizens though, they treat them horribly (not that any other country always treats their minorities fairly). But I find racism to be more of a problem in Asia than in America since the people there are accustomed to their mono-cultural society and not accustomed to a multi-cultural society at all.

That was what was mainly in my head paul-au was how easily I tan. In winter I'm light-medium, in summer I'm dark. I get comments in Japan once in awhile because of the Asian obsession with whitening lotion. So funny how it is the opposite in America and people are obsessed with having a tan. I tell them it's just normal where I come from. So I'm curious as to my treatment in Thailand (basically my post is just me thinking out loud, I'm not really worried about it). I try as much as possible to speak in the native language and not use English, so many people do not spot me as American or even a foreigner. But honestly it's great leverage a lot of the time, to speak in English and be an American. They treat Westerners very well in Asia. Maybe too well. Most of the people I've encountered really think highly of Americans for better or for worse.

So I'm wondering if I'm gonna be shunned more in Thailand as opposed to the other Asian countries. Apparently it's not that often an Asian encounters a dark American.

Either way I'm not worried about it. I travel too much to be worrying how the locals will react to me. I just go and make the most of everything and hopefully broaden mine and their horizons.