I'll commence with the trip over here which can be best described as The-Longest-Trip-Ever. The end. Okay, that's a lie. It was a really long trip but there were a few highlights I did manage to log in my journal before my Thailand initiation week began. The trek began at Detroit Metro where I bid farewell to my mom, dad, and Emily. I got to my gate a good two hours early so I had time to call almost everyone for one last chat then it was a quick jump to O'Hare and boarded the jet where I was to spend the next 12+ hours. The following is a recap copied from my journal entry at the Narita International Airport in Tokyo, Japan: I sat in seat 53B, betwixt two Japanese guys. One of them was wearing a SARS mask as were a good 30% of the other passengers. I wanted to get a photo with him but did not. This was mainly because A) he may have had swine flu and was trying to keep it to himself and B) whilst we were completing a survey issued by the Japanese department of health I caught a glimpse of his passport which informed me he was a government prosecutor in Japan; so I thought it wise to pass on the photo-op and just keep a mental picture of how that photo may have looked.. The prosecutor looking awkward in the mask and me, a peace sign with one hand and a thumbs up with the other.. Anyway, the other Japanese chap was quiet, boring and never let me look out the window.
While I'm sure the food on the flight was great, it sure was smelly. I passed on the first meal because I had a stash of treats packed for me by my loving mother. (Brownies are the best treat ever--nice job Em). After that it was lights out to 'Nixon/Frost'. Four hours of solid sleep later, it was snack time with Chinese noodles (Cup-of-Noodles). Yum.
After that, it was pretty much no sleep and '7 Pounds' started, so I tuned into that. Then I began to tear-up towards the end of the flick and was embarrassed so I had to stop watching before the flood gates opened. Everything after that was uneventful and the longest six hours ever. Basically all you need to know is Tokyo, Japan, looks beautiful from the air. From what my neighbor let me see out of the window, there are a few thousand or so rice paddies and I counted three or four golf courses.
When I arrived in BKK, everything was a breeze. Dr. Supa was there waiting for me and one other teacher--I had sign with my name on it and everything! My room is great, it's like living in a hotel. The campus is beautiful and looks just like the photos on the website.
The first week here was a blast! We went downtown Bangkok where I saw an elephant in the middle of the city. Then I took a trip to Pattaya where I ate bugs (grasshoppers and beetles) from a street vendor, sang Sublime and Jason Mraz in the middle of the street along with some Thai kids with a guitar, swam in the ocean at dawn... and that was only the first couple days here.
It truly is spectacular over here--the unexpected around every corner. As much as I am enjoying the amazing sights, sounds, foods and people, I have to say that teaching is definitely one of the best parts of this experience. I am really enjoying what I am doing. My students are a blast. We just completed the first five weeks of the semester and I think I have all 200 names down. I mainly teach conversation courses and have one section of academic English. I will be sure to post highlight stories from the classroom in subsequent posts.
I hope that all of you are doing well and please drop me a line and fill me in on your life. I promise more frequent posts and more photos to come sooner rather than later. I love you and miss you all! Until next time..
~Cheers
