Throwback Thursday: First Impressions
Occasionally, I will bring you a post from one of my journals. This week, it is the first post I wrote in Thailand. Enjoy!
Apologies for making you wait so long for the first Thailand post! I did write a stream of consciousness note to self about the first day:
Thursday, October 11, 2012: Thailand Bangkok, airport luggage made it through Ellen met a few travelers Jenna Jessie Caitlin Brendan van across the city confusing jumble of highrises, half-abandoned apartment buildings, traditional houses, and hovels, the hotel is nice enough good service took care of our bags much to our dismay, tiny elevators, quick shower meeting again for dinner with same plus Brendan’s roommate Andrew. Headed out on the street and stopped at an open-air bar for beers, Leo for most of us, then food, rice noodles with chicken in sweet sauce, yum totaled 145 baht aka just under 5 bucks. We had a great time, just chatting and absorbing the daily life of these completely new people. many people selling roasted nuts and many stray animals, neither of which can be acknowledged without hassle sadly. Walked back going to bed now. I like it here. The hotel room is nice enough. I have a bed!
Hopefully, that gives you some idea of the state my brain was in that first evening. I’ve spent most of my time in orientation, which includes brief TEFL lessons and mind-boggling Thai language lessons. There are 80 of us in this orientation, divided into three groups for lectures. Everything takes place in the Louis Tavern hotel on the outskirts of Bangkok. It’s a rather nice hotel that includes a pool koi fish tanks in the floor and air conditioning. The second evening, after an intensely spicy dinner of green curry, plus a chili, which I was for some reason inspired to eat, I headed into Bangkok with a bunch of people, including Kevin, the guy teaching in Aranyaprathet with me. After using every mode of transport imaginable, except a long tail boat, we arrived at the assault on the senses called Khao San road aka backpacker’s paradise. Incidentally, once you get over the absolute terror of racing through the streets of Bangkok on what amounts to a tricycle with a covered couch on the back, tuk-tuks are pretty fun. One thing that is certainly clear about traffic laws in Bangkok, they’re more like guidelines than rules. It took me until day 3 to realize there are in fact lines on the road. Orientation day two was more of the same lessons, plus a scavenger hunt around our street Soi 64. Soi means street or alley and there are so many alleys that they’re simply numbered, not named. The day ended with an incredibly charming traditional Thai welcome ceremony performed by the Thai OEG staff. They gave us their blessing essentially, for a safe and happy time in Thailand. Caitlin, Jessie and I wandered down Soi 64 again, looking for dinner and settling on a street cart with delicious Pad Thai.
We took a break from lessons this morning for a trip to the Grand Palace, which houses the Temple of the Green Buddha, Wat Phra Kaew. It was stunning, breathtaking, phenomenal, these adjectives refer both to the Palace and the heat. We were warned to dress appropriately, with shoulders and knees covered, but apparently, scarves don’t count as shoulder covering and I was required to buy a shirt, which is actually quite pretty and cost 10 bucks. I took so many pictures my iPod died. See below for evidence.
Tonight is dinner and a show in downtown Bangkok. Tomorrow we leave for a two day trip to Kanchanaburi, which will involve elephants and a trip to the bridge over the river Kwai. After that, the unknown again, Aranyaprathet and teaching!
