Sawasdee krap!
The big day’s over almost over! I must say that it was a day filled with more highs and lows than I ever anticipated. Leaving was way more difficult than I ever expected it would be. I just think that I’ll be gone from basically the only world I’ve ever known for an entire month. That’s a little tough to wrap my head around…
The trip to New York (JFK) was completely uneventful, but being a NWA flight, you can already see that, I’m sure.
It’s from New York that the day really gets going. The difference between my Thai Air flight and the NWA flight was unbelievable. Words may seriously not be able to describe it. First, simply walking onto the plane it was incredibly warm and friendly. When I finally got to my aisle seat, I was greeted with my own blanket, pillow, and water bottles…not a bad start. It also had fabulous food. Meals of grilled salmon, along with a second of chicken curry, were not what I really expected out of airplane food. The entertainment wasn’t half bad, either. I think there were over 40 movies to choose from, along with music and video games.
After 18 hours in the air I finally arrived in Bangkok. It didn’t take too long before I realized I was going to be in for quite a trip. I would definitely say I’ve had a small case of culture shock. Everything from the language, the mannerisms, the driving (other side of the road, no yielding to peds), the weather, etc, is foreign (…obviously). It’ll take some time, but I think it’ll be okay.
I got to the hotel around 6:00p and found out some of the fellow teachers were going out for Thai food. We ate at a great little place right down the road from our hotel, the Thai-Pan. It was a great meal, but I am definitely going to need to adjust my appetite to agree with Thai. Thankfully, the Thais love just about anything, so I should be safe for eating (I’ve already seen numerous Italian restaurants).
I did find out my school is in the eastern suburbs of Bangkok. I’m still not sure where, but when I find out the actual name of the school, I’ll let everyone know. I think they even have a web-site. Tomorrow morning will come bright and early (even more so with jet lag) for an orientation session, followed by heading out to our schools around mid-day. Hopefully by the evening I’ll be settled in and be able to report in.
1 comment:
Hey BM, I got this link from Melissa's blog and am so excited for all of you who are now in Thailand! My only advice for you is to always stay flexible, and even if you can't look on the bright side of any inconvenient/absurdly uncomfortable situation, always think of how you can turn it into a great story later. It relieves a lot of culture shock and frustrations if you just imagine telling the unbelievable story later (my friend got goat urine on her yesterday as we were riding in a 16-passenger van with 24 people and 2 goats on top!) Try to laugh and you'll do just fine!
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