What Isaan means for some

Monday, 26 Feb 2007 | Life in Asia

Thailand is commonly devided in the north, northeast, east, central and south regions. The northeast, also known as Isaan, is the poorest part of the country and makes most of its money from rice farms. I have also heard that it is a popular tourist destination these days, but other than a jurassic park (dinosaur bones were found here) I haven’t seen a whole lot of things to do for tourists. Maybe I just wasn’t looking. Kalasin City, the capital of the Kalasin province in Isaan, is a typical rural provincial capital. It exists as a meeting ground from people around the area, who come here to do their shopping and business. It seems more a business area than a place where people actually live. Wide roads lined with businesses and shops. Certainly nothing for tourists, except perhaps those in search of ‘what Isaan looks like for real’.

I certainly was a tourist and aside from the actual reason I was there, seeing ‘what Isaan looks like’ was also certainly a reason for me to go there. I’ve been wanting to visit Isaan for a while. A few friends are from there and I’ve always wondered what it would be like to visit such a poor area of the country, being so different from what I have been used to in the west. They always speak of Isaan with warmth and kindness, still referring to it as home. Even Nat, who has been living in Bangkok since her early teens, still calls it home. She kept referring to the trip as ‘going back to Kalasin’, not ‘visiting Kalasin’.

I won’t pretend I can relate to why people feel that way. Neither Eindhoven nor Amsterdam make me feel this way. But I think I understand a little bit of why they so lovingly talk about it. The first and most important reason is family. This is the most important thing in the life of any Thai and coming from a village like the one I visited the whole place seemed like one big family. The second reason perhaps is because it is not where ‘work’ is. Most of the people who move to the big city, do so because they are in search of opportunity. When they ‘go back home’, at least for a few days they can forget all about the worries of work and everyday life. And this goes, because adding to ‘work not being there’ it is also the spirit of the people there. Without wanting to insult anyone, these are simple folk. Nat once described their characters as ‘white hearts’, meaning their hearts are not hardened by bad experiences that come with evil city life. They still have a childlike innocence to their being, which is surprising and endearing at the same time. Going back home means people can stop being on guard, relax and chill out and have a sanuk (happy) time with their family.

I got to witness that and am very happy I did.