First Impressions and Orientation

I arrived in thailand around midnight, Tuesday morning. Traveling was really not a hassle at all, or at least it went as smoothly as possible. Every flight departed and arrived on schedule. Going through immigration was much easier than I anticipated, and customs just waved me right through. My bags were conveyed to me within ten minutes of my arrival. All bags accounted for. All items in tact. I met up with another participant in Tokyo, and we shared a taxi to the Pinnacle Hotel in Bangkok. Having been prepared for an onslaught of "private" taxis at the airport, we politely declined their invitations for a discounted rate to the hotel. Since orientation did not officially start until Wednesday, we put ourselves up an extra night in the hotel for a modest price.

When I first stepped out into the Bangkok evening (early morning), I was met with a fistful of shocking humidity (this coming from someone who has lived in Memphis, TN most of his life). What I noticed next was the heavy concentration ofpollutants in the sticky air, an addition that made the rare Bangkok breeze that much more palpable.

When we arrived at the hotel, we checked in and the bell boy delivered our bags to our rooms. I tipped him 50 Baht($1.75), and he smiled at me every time time he saw me for the rest of the night. Not just a reserved, gratuitous smile. This man was peaking his head up at me from the ground level while I smoked on the balcony above him. He was really straining his neck. I was creeped out, indeed. I knew coming in that the Thai people were a smiley bunch, but actually experiencing this seemingly unwarranted display of joy and appreciation was rather baffling. This was the beginning of my interaction with an entirely different culture than my own.

I had my first experience of the culture my first morning in Bangkok: breakfast at the hotel. They were serving boiled rice, pork, and some western breakfast dishes as well. I tried the boiled rice and some random thai meat dishes, but I ended up going for the more traditional American dishes such as toast, french toast, eggs, and bacon(pweef?). The fruit here is amazing, especially the pineapple. I have had pineapple at least twice a day since I've been here. So fresh, so sweet. The breakfast at the hotel hardly represented a typical Thai meal, and I have to admit that my cowardice got the best of me my first night in Thailand: I ordered a club sandwich and french fries through room service. I was fatigued and intimidated by the stream of food vendors and the general hustle and bustle of the highly active city. Also, the food stnads were located 5 feet from the busiest street I have ever seen. The fumes were not too appetizing. I do have to admit that i was a lame westerner my first day in Thailand.

Orientation was a great experience. There were eighteen of us total(I think? I'm sure someone will correct me). Most of the group was from the U.S., although we did have 3 Canadiens and 1 Aussie. No one had ever met, except for an engaged couple. The couple had originally planned to teach in China but were denied entry unexpectedly at the last minute. All of the particpants were women except three of us. This imbalance was extremely curious to me. Surely women are not more adventurous than men.

Orientation week was very busy. We spent approximately 5 hours a day in the classroom completing a teacher's training workshop( by the way none of us have ever taught before). We learned a bit about Thai history in the classroom and also by going to the Grand Palace and taking a tour of the complex that houses Thai royalty(historically). We learned some basics about Thai food and the Thai language, two things very foreign to me. It was a fun week, and I think I will miss having native English speakers in my life for the next 5 months.

When orientation ended my buddy Ike and I were picked up from the hotel by our school coordinator and driven to our apartment in Bang Bon, Bangkok. It is a minimal setup, but that is okay. I have a/c and a fridge, so I will not complain. We are headed Chiang Mai for 4 days because we don't start teaching until tomorrow(the 18th, this is kind of a delayed post).

It feels like I have been here for about a month. There's so much going on. Until my next post, which should be tomorrow, take care.

Sawasdee Krap, amigos.