Betsy Calhoun, Emerita Ambassador from Thailand

Because I am not ethnically Thai, I am used to people mistaking me as a tourist in Thailand.

I felt as if I was constantly explaining to people that I lived in Thailand and definitely was not a tourist. Yet walking down the street, unless wearing my school uniform, I accepted that most people assumed I was a tourist.

Of course at times it is quite frustrating as I tend to attract so much attention - sometimes I feel like wearing a sign on my back that reads "YES, I CAN eat spicy food," and "No, I don't 'wan go Tuk-tuk give me shopping'!", "I am NOT lost", and "No, I have never met Britney Spears, Michael Jackson, or even a single Backstreet Boy!"

One of the most difficult things about living in another country, especially one in which everyone looks different than yourself, is feeling accepted....

While at school and in my own neighbourhood at home I was accepted and treated like anyone else, outside of that network I was just another farang.

It look me some time to come to terms with that. I still always get stared at and get funny looks on public buses and river taxis, roadside food stands and at Thai language movie theatres.

In Thailand, I am not a tourist. But this summer I had to be.... After so many years of trying to prove myself as anything but a tourist, I finally played the role....

The experience made me laugh, for the most part, but at times it also made me insecure.

As a tourist, I was ripped off constantly, harassed by beggars, asked a billion questions a billion times over, treated like a queen, had 2 marriage proposals, stimulated the Thai economy with trinket purchases, and, for the first time, paid the farang price to see the King's palace.

Changing roles made me realize just how much I love NOT being a tourist!

While I am not Thai, I am happy to say that I am at home in Thailand. It was years before I figured out who I was and where I belonged.

Being a tourist only made me further realize that identity is much more than meets the eye.