So, in my one day of having a blog, I've noticed a pattern that freaks me out a little. It sounds silly, but so many people write about how ready they are/were to live abroad or to get away from the States. Honestly, I didn't feel this way at all before I came to Thailand. Well, I shouldn't say at all, that's kind of dramatic but my feelings were like an East Coast barometer during Hurricane Sandy (which by the way is slated to be the storm of the century if you haven't heard from at least forty people on Facebook)-one day I would be up (super excited and itching to get there), and one day I would be down (totally dreading the 24 hour travel time, being on an airplane, leaving home, leaving family, leaving friends, not sleeping in my waterbed, not skiing, etc, etc, etc). I think because I did not know what to expect at all, the "ups" were more vague in nature while the downs were very clear because I just kept thinking about all I would be missing...Wait a minute, that doesn't really make sense, does it? I was moving to Thailand-THAILAND. Home will always be there (theoretically), and I guess Thailand will be too technically, but I am never going to be 22-23 years old again, the experience would never be the same if, say, I went post-retirement. It was time to break out of my shell a bit and do something that basically scared the crap out of my parents and myself, something that so many people want to do or wished they could do, but "never could." I don't want to be 45 years old with three kids running around me and dinner on the stove, and be saying to myself "Why didn't you go? What were you so afraid of?" I don't want to be an old person with regrets, so I decided to act on it.
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| Wat Ban Na Muang temple |
Once at the security gate at JFK, with my mom and dad standing there next to my gigantic bags (Molly Weidman, I know you feel me on the overpacking situation), reality set in, a.k.a.: "Holy s***, I'm going to Thailand for a year" (sorry mom; also, that was terrible grammar). The security guards were laughing at me, in good nature, because I was on the verge of hysterically losing it in the middle of a security check at Kennedy, and because my parents were still standing there, waving and not making things any better. I could compare it to kindergarten on the first day, when there are those kids who are snotting and crying and blabbering all over themselves because they aren't going to see their mom for six hours, for me, those "six hours" are equivalent to one full year. Funny how time becomes relative, huh? Anyway, I made it to the Emirates gate and sat myself down and took a deep breath. Why was I crying? Maybe because I was sad about leaving my mom and dad, because I was going to miss the snow, because I was going to miss all of the comforts of home. HAH-there it is! I realized I was not going to Thailand because I knew it would be comfortable and familiar. I was doing it to make a difference, to gain experience as a teacher, to continue building the person who I want to be. That's about the point when I realized that I was going to be scared and I was going to be homesick, but that those feelings would be overruled by the new experiences I would add to my belt and the teaching skills I can throw in my bag of tricks and of all the amazing people who I would be honored to meet and know.
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| Eve |
Time for some Thai talk. I've now been in Ubon Ratchathani for three weeks, and I'll give you a rundown of the things I have done and experienced. First of all, I live in a mansion. No, not an actual mansion, that's just what they call apartment buildings here. It's about a five minute walk from Assumption College where I'm teaching three levels of kindergarten in the English Bilingual Program with about 30 kids per class (yes, that's approximately 90 kids a day, math, science, and English). My room isn't anything to write home about, but it's mine and I'm paying for it with my own money now, so that's pretty cool. The maintenance guy have started a friendship, though I'm not really sure how since he speaks zero English and I speak about four Thai phrases. There are now five of us Yanks living here, me and two couples who are awesome. There's also an older guy named Martin from Australia who has lived in Thailand for at least ten years. There is a laundromat about ten feet away, a handful of hole-in-the wall, outdoor restaurants, and Tesco Lotus which was my mecca for the first couple of weeks. It's essentially a deadly combination of Walmart and Target, Asian-style. Since I didn't know where else to go, I wandered Tesco about 2-3 times a day (which I later found out is completely normal).
I also made it a point to locate a yoga studio the first week I was here. I found this awesome place called Diva Yoga Studio run by a woman named Nook and her family. I'll drop the link at the bottom of this post so you can check it out. I go three times a week and I've met some really awesome people, one of whom's wedding I am going to on Friday...crazy!
Diva Yoga Studio
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Wat Pah Nanachat (International Forest Temple)
"If you have time to breath, you have time to meditate." Ajahn Chah |
I have to make a major note of the kindness and generosity of Thai people. From the moment I arrived, I was welcomed with open arms by my boss/host mom Busaba who has taught me how to cook, speak some Thai, fed me, entertained me, and more than once has suggested that I'm marrying her son. Pure (pronounced Pee-oh) and Eve are two of the people I have met at Diva Studio. They've showed me the awesome downtown that Ubon has once you get away from the older part (where I live) and I've never once had to walk or beg for a ride from the studio. People are so happy and willing to show you around, introduce you to their families, pay for your meal, or just hang out here...all the time. The people of the Isaan province love a good time, a cold Leo or Chang beer, and a jam session of "Zombie" by The Cranberries or "Hotel California." Everything here is just slower paced and more laid-back than in the States because people just seem genuinely happy where they are in life, even if they're selling chicken on the side of the road for five baht and returning home to a shack. It really is amazing.
I'll post some pictures for now for you guys to check out. This is just part one of my first couple of weeks because there's just so much to post! I'm going to Laos tomorrow to get my non-immigrant B visa and I'll be there until Thursday, but I'll be sure to post this weekend!
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| Learning how to make spring rolls, massaman curry, and phad Thai at Busaba's house! |
So, in my one day of having a blog, I've noticed a pattern that freaks me out a little. It sounds silly, but so many people write about how ready they are/were to live abroad or to get away from the States. Honestly, I didn't feel this way at all before I came to Thailand. Well, I shouldn't say at all, that's kind of dramatic but my feelings were like an East Coast barometer during Hurricane Sandy (which by the way is slated to be the storm of the century if you haven't heard from at least forty people on Facebook)-one day I would be up (super excited and itching to get there), and one day I would be down (totally dreading the 24 hour travel time, being on an airplane, leaving home, leaving family, leaving friends, not sleeping in my waterbed, not skiing, etc, etc, etc). I think because I did not know what to expect at all, the "ups" were more vague in nature while the downs were very clear because I just kept thinking about all I would be missing...Wait a minute, that doesn't really make sense, does it? I was moving to Thailand-THAILAND. Home will always be there (theoretically), and I guess Thailand will be too technically, but I am never going to be 22-23 years old again, the experience would never be the same if, say, I went post-retirement. It was time to break out of my shell a bit and do something that basically scared the crap out of my parents and myself, something that so many people want to do or wished they could do, but "never could." I don't want to be 45 years old with three kids running around me and dinner on the stove, and be saying to myself "Why didn't you go? What were you so afraid of?" I don't want to be an old person with regrets, so I decided to act on it.
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