The primary issues that strikes you about Sasha are her positivity and her huge smile.
I meet her for this interview just about – she’s in her residence in Bangkok, I’m within the Intrepid workplace in Melbourne. She’s simply completed main a visit and is taking advantage of her few days off by having her air conditioner mounted. I hear the restore individual banging round within the background as Sasha tells me about how she got here to work with Intrepid.
‘I’ve been working for Intrepid since 2011; I obtained a job with one other tour firm after I completed finding out English and tourism at college, however my good friend instructed me I ought to apply for a task Intrepid. I went to the interview and obtained the job! I actually get pleasure from what I do; it’s good, it’s enjoyable, and I like my colleagues and the folks within the workplace a lot.’
Sasha is certainly one of Intrepid’s transgender tour leaders. Over the previous eight years, she’s been main small group adventures round her residence nation of Thailand, and in neighbouring Cambodia.
Discover Northern Thailand on an 8-day journey
‘Once I meet my teams initially of the journeys, I don’t inform them I’m a Miss, not a Mister, or that I’m transgender. I simply current myself as who I’m: Sasha!
‘Individuals don’t actually ask me what I’m; they only get pleasure from what I do, and what I present them in my nation. Generally folks ask me about my life – “Are you married? Do you might have infants?” – and I say “No, nonetheless single!”
‘Generally I meet a homosexual or a lesbian couple and, after speaking to them, I can learn their faces and I can see they’re pondering “Are you…?” after which we speak about it and so they’re glad! I feel it makes a optimistic distinction to some travellers having me as their chief.
‘I met one couple – at the start of the journey I assumed they had been simply buddies – and I used to be displaying them round and speaking in regards to the metropolis, and telling them a bit about myself. And after some time I realised that they weren’t ‘simply buddies’. So I sat down with them and re-introduced myself – “I’m transgender!” I feel it put them far more comfy. They had been very fearful to carry fingers once they had been strolling round, and I instructed them Thailand may be very open and respectful in direction of same-sex {couples}. Thailand is de facto very accepting in direction of homosexual, lesbian and transgender folks.
‘I’ve been working with Intrepid for eight years and I’ve by no means met anybody who wasn’t comfy to journey with me.’
Listening to Sasha’s tales about her life in Thailand makes me take into consideration how members of the LGBTQIA+ group are handled in different elements of the world, significantly in my residence nation of Australia. Similar-sex marriage has solely simply been legalised, and prejudice in direction of members of the LGBTQIA+ group continues to be fairly rife. Admittedly, I went into this dialog anticipating one thing fairly totally different; that Sasha would have probably confronted quite a few challenges from individuals who didn’t perceive her lifestyle. I used to be so glad to be confirmed in any other case.
Our dialog turns to a subject near each of our hearts: meals. Positive, the structure, temples, jungles and seashores are large drawcards for travellers going to Thailand, however the principle driver for my journey by Northern Thailand in 2016 was the meals. I ask Sasha if there’s a specific dish everybody going to Thailand ought to attempt.
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‘Pad ka prow. Everybody ought to attempt it! It’s sizzling chilli, basil, rice and meat. However the very first thing folks eat plenty of in Thailand is pad Thai. That’s the primary well-known dish. My teams are at all times “Pad Thai, pad Thai, pad Thai!”. It’s fundamental, however it’s actually scrumptious. Some folks like making an attempt bugs too – like deep-fried grasshoppers and issues like that – however there are many different nice issues to eat, like noodle soup, barbecued meat, curries, hen with sticky rice. Individuals are usually shocked by how low-cost and scrumptious the meals in Thailand is.’
I admit that I fell much more in love with pad Thai on my Thai travels, and come clean with a reasonably alarming habit to mango and sticky rice (I used to be consuming it every day).
Sasha says, ‘On the journey I simply completed, I discovered some mango sticky rice on the road – it was round 50 baht, which is about two Australian {dollars}. My group had by no means tried it earlier than and so they all stated “Oh I like this, I need extra, when can we have now it once more?!?!”’
The message in Sasha’s Skype profile consists of 4 brief phrases that sum up every thing I find out about her from right this moment’s dialog: be a superb individual. Talking to Sasha, evidently this can be a key a part of what she believes, and what’s most vital in life; the sum of money you make or the automobile you drive doesn’t matter. What does matter is being variety, welcoming and open.
‘We’re all totally different!’ Sasha exclaims, her smile beaming extensively throughout her face. ‘Man, girl, homosexual, lesbian, transgender – all of us have totally different characters, and various things make us glad. If folks respect one another, there are much less judgments. I feel that’s vital. Simply to be a superb individual.’
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