Our first day of “orientation” (term used loosely), we got up at 5:30 (Thai people wake up really early), and headed out to the market to hunt for breakfast. First stop-Thai iced coffee and tea. We went to Supa’s favorite stand, where they make fresh coffee and tea and put it over ice in plastic bags, which you hold and drink out of a straw. The coffee and tea are super sweet and usually have condensed milk in them. Everything in Thailand has a crazy amount of sugar-I worry about their teeth and cavities! I asked for “ooliang”, which means iced coffee without milk-which is really yummy. It’s almost like a strong espresso with TONS of sugar poured over ice. I love hanging the bag over my wrist and just sucking it through a straw-close enough to the coffee IV I so long for. Thai breakfast is just like other meals-rice, veggies and meat. We bought tons of fruit, again, and had rice porridge, dumplings and soup. Low-card is non-existant here.
After breakfast, we finally got our SIM cards (Supa had them delivered-I love life outside of America), and did some service planning and Thai language lessons. Afterwards, we cooked Thai food with Supa and made papaya salad (eat with caution! I think I permanently numbed a few tasted buds), rice, stir fried veggies and mushroom soup. I thought of my cousins Shelly and Brian when I went to the mushroom stand at the market-they had so many types of fresh mushrooms that looked so amazing, it made Dean and Deluca look like a cheap grocery store! We got pounds of fresh, exotic mushrooms for a couple of dollars that I’m sure you would spend over $30 for in the states.
After lunch we set off to the market, walking in the heat at 2 pm. Sweaty is just a way of life here I’ve decided. We went to the bank (there are plenty of ATMs, of course, thank you American capitalism), got some toiletries, and I bought some closed-toe shoes. They are awesome-black rubber croc-esque shoes that were 160 Baht, about $5. I plan to wear them at school and only at school and then will only wear them as a joke after this trip. After shopping we went to Supa’s friend’s mobile phone shop to use their internet (She knows everyone, everywhere it’s crazy). I went in the back to get on the computer and as I was pulling out the keyboard tray, found a miniature poodle stuck on the tray underneath the desk. What?! I saw something moving on the tray as I was pulling it out and was praying it wasn’t any sort of insect, but when I looked down I came face to face with a little mini-poodle who was surprised as I was. I didn’t get to write any emails-just read them, but thank you thank you for the emails I love them and they are my saving grace!
After the market and internet, we went to the town temple to go to the daily service. We sat in a huge, open air temple on our knees behind the monks as they chanted. The monks began their chant, which was monotonous but relaxing and for the first few minutes I felt very "zen" and all that crap…1 hour later, I was about to shoot myself. I have never felt so neurotic and Western in my entire life. An hour of chanting? An hour of sitting still and just closing your eyes and listening? Once was more than enough for me. I cannot meditate. I don’t enjoy it. Anytime I get the idea in my head that I need to be more “zen” or centered and think that maybe meditating would help me be less anal and try it, I go crazy. Immediately my brain goes to ok what do I need to do, I start making lists and planning. It’s instinctual! I can’t help it. So after an hour, I had run out of things to think about, I started watching the other people (one of the volunteers fell asleep) and counting down the minutes.
Apart from the Buddhist service, this entire experience has been a lesson in patience (which I recognize I sorely need). Planning and communicating is excruciating. According to Daniel, in Thai culture when you make a plan, everyone needs to be consulted and put in their own opinion. Not one person can make a decision and then have it implemented. No no no, it takes back and forth and discussion, add in translation and you have what is in my opinion one of the antechambers to my own personal hell. I really do want to work on that though-and this is clearly the correct environment to test my patience in. Maybe after this I’ll return to the states calm, easy-going and with the ability to “go with the flow”…
Don’t hold your breath.
After dinner, we ate noodle soup at a street vendor, and headed home for the evening. Sidenote: Supa’s mother is this crazy old Thai woman who is just always around and laughing and yelling things in Thai at us-it’s hilarious.
So, I start teaching in less than 2 days. Our orientation has been less of an actual orientation and more of hanging out and getting to know the area. I have yet to actually have a real lesson in how to teach, and I still don’t know what grades I’m teaching. My schedule that the school sent is in Thai, and only has a bunch of numbers in time slots so I have no idea where to go. Also, there doesn’t seem to be any one person at the school that I am supposed to report to, or talk to. Nobody is supposed to show me around or introduce me to the school. Literally I think I am going to show up randomly on Monday, ask someone where the classrooms are and just hope that somebody recognizes the lost-confused looking white girl and knows where to send me.
On a happy note, my host family is getting more ridiculous and awesome by the day. My host mother, who I call “Na Pet” (meaning Auntie Pet), is the most adorable person in the entire world. She has been by the house a few times helping with certain things, and she is ridiculously sweet. She is at her tallest 4’9, super bubbly and cannot stop smiling. Also, she keeps bringing me things and offering to get me whatever I need. The guilt is getting to me! I told her I needed to get a phone charger and today she showed up with 5 different phone chargers and snacks for my day. It’s like elementary school again ☺ Also, they do have maids so although I want to have the real Thai experience and go “rustic”, let’s be honest-I secretly cannot wait to get to her house and unpack and have someone clean my laundry and sleep in my own bed.
I seem to be constantly tired, and I have been sleeping at around 9 pm every day, seeing as we get up at 5:30. I am really missing my large black coffees in the morning, but I will have to survive :)
Off to bed, xoxox, EMAIL ME!
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