Culture Shock?

Ok I'll get pictures later from my roommates of all the good parts of today, but I just wanted to get some thoughts down.

Our treatment of animals in America is probably the best it could ever get. The way the Thai people view them is heartbreaking. We actually got shooed out by a vendor today for gasping at their 'meat selections'. They had skinned the frogs so that it was pulled up over their face then, still alive laid them out for people to choose. When the frogs would try to squirm away, they beat them down, twitching and kicking, with a stick. The catfish weren't in water but just wriggling about, still alive, probably dying slowly. The turtles were all in a bucket trying to get out and falling down on their backs; we flipped one over because it couldn't on it's own.

On top of that, we came home today to these two quite pathetic existences of dogs. They're starved to the bone, and when they're caught inside they're beaten by the people. Today was especially sad listening to an extremely flea-ridden and horribly underfed dog run past me whimpering/howling, head almost to the ground while his eye bled after being beaten. This one has cuts all over his body, and is constantly attacked by another dog who asserts his dominance.

It makes me realize how spoiled we have it in America, where we can afford to view animals as forms of life and even part of the family. Here in Phichit, the majority see them as meat or a nuisance. The only people who watch after the malnourished animals everywhere are the monks down the road from us.

A pretty heart wrenching day, I have to admit. The kids may be cute, the food may be delicious, but my stomach just feels so unsettled.