Chasing the Sun

I know I’ve been lagging on my blog (what’s new?) but! I do have a legit excuse: My first week in Thailand was busy—getting to know the culture, language classes, teacher training classes, and getting to know the other 79 teachers with the program. Also, I haven’t really had access to the internet. But I’m finally situated at my school and now I have plenty of time to get down and dirty.

Who knew sitting could be so exhausting? Divide eighteen and a half hours by four in-flight movies, three meals, seven pages of writing, attempting to sleep, and staring into space and you get a painfully tired Kristin. I felt like a zombie and probably smelled like one too, maybe not so much like a decaying corpse but you get the picture—tired & stanky. Not a good combo.

First thing’s first, I woke up feeling great. I slept well, woke up on time, and did all the things I needed to do before I left—took out my trash, cleaned the room a little, made copies of my passport and visa, fed my dog, etc. It was a very productive morning. I said bye to pops, kissed him, hugged him, and told him I’d miss him and Mom took me to the LAX. Twice. We were 5 minutes from the airport when I realized I left my passport in the printer. Yes. I left my passport (the most important document when leaving the country) at home. Why was I not surprised? And why, when I told my sister and Danny, did they reply, “Of course, you did”? Oh yes, it’s because I am the manifestation of forgetful. I may even say that’s an understatement. I would say looking for my keys, wallet, and cell phone are hobbies of mine because I do it so often. Mom was pretty upset and lectured me for a little bit but I would have been more surprised if I didn’t forget anything.

We called Dad and luckily he was able to meet us at a gas station on Pico and La Brea to drop it off. Let me explain to you how this went down. And honestly, if I wasn’t apart of this whole situation, but saw it happen, it would seem pretty damn shady. We pull into a gas station and wait for a few minutes. I hop out of the car make a quick call and wait on the curb. A car pulls up and he hands me a yellow envelope and small plastic case (bobby pins) and drives off. I run back to the car and we drive away. The only way it could have been any shadier is if we were driving black SUVs with tinted windows and I whipped out my sawed off shot gun.

On the drive to the airport, I was freaking out—“What are you doing? What are you doing? What. The. Heck. Are. You. Doing?!” I felt nervous, so nervous that I was nauseous. It reminded me of pre-skydiving jitters—anxiety and uncertainty. Mom said it was probably because I was texting in car; I’d say she’s 25% right. 75% goes to finally leaving the country and being placed in a completely different environment. I was uneasy and queasy but I think that’s normal. I took it for what it was and realized that this feeling is what I’ve been searching for. The uncertainty and discomfort is what I want to feel, what I need to feel, and for me, becoming a tourist is the way to do it.

I was in line for the security checkpoint, I looked around, and I was in the middle of a sea of Asian. The real kind, the ones that speak their native language. I knew that if I didn’t speak, I’d fit in. I was standing behind an elderly Japanese couple, the wife went through the metal detector, and the husbands turns to me and asks something in Japanese. I apologized and said I didn’t understand. He walked away. Sorry, Bro.

Between the two flights, I was in the air about 19 hours. My first flight (13 hours) to Seoul went by like a blur. Sitting for such a long period of time should be considered torture. I was a little antsy and, at one point, felt like doing laps around the plan. A young American couple sat in the two remaining seat next to; I was relieved. They were traveling to Thailand for two weeks to celebrate their two-year anniversary. Congrats, Amanda & Jordan! And I’m pretty sure there was an Asian men’s basketball team on my flight—they were tall, built, and some were good looking (SOME)—I know basketball players when I see them. Yummmm.

I was fortunate enough to get a window seat; I like being able to peak through the window every now and then. Traveling westward is like chasing the sun. I saw daylight for about 18 straight hours. I woke up at 7:30am and the sun didn't set until 6:00pm in Korea. My plane took off at 12:30pm and I took pictures at:

2:14pm

6:14pm

10:14pm--keep in mind this all in Los Angeles time.

These pictures were taken in four hour increments, but it looks like they could have been taken at the same time. The only difference is in the clouds. I don't know...it kinda just blew mind. The second flight from Seoul to Bangkok wasn't too bad. I was tired though. But I was fighting the urge to sleep because I figured that I'd be able to sleep well when I got to Thailand.

no sleep = decreased chance of jet lag.

Not sleeping totally bit me in the ass. On the plan, I sat next to this one guy from Pakistan. He didn't creep me out, his friend did. His friend didn't really speak English but kept asking me questions. Maybe it was because his English was limited that his questions came out weird? Probably. But this is how his questions progressed:

Where you come from?
-America
You look like Asian.

-Yes, I'm Filipino.

You look like Thai people.

-(I smiled)
Who you travel with?
-My friends.
Are they here?
-I will meet them at the airport.
Are you married?
-Yes.
No ring?

-I lost it.

He walked away after that and that was my cue to go to sleep. I arrived in Bangkok around 11:30pm. Now begins the adventure. I got off the plane and mostly everything was in Thai. YIkes. I went through immigration and just an FYI it takes way longer in real life than it does in movies. I waited for like 15 minutes just to get to the desk. I grabbed my bag and followed the signs to catch a taxi.

I stepped outside and it was like walking into a brick wall. The heat and humidty caused instant beads of sweat to seep through my pours in the 2 seconds I was outside. Just kidding, it wasn’t that dramatic. But, dude, it was freaking hot. I wasn’t sweating but I sure was sticky.

As I was walking, I was trying to remember all the dos and don’ts. I got off the escalator and cab drivers kept repeating, “Taxi. Taxi. Where you going?” First rule of thumb: Only take official metered taxis; they are on the first floor and usually set up with podiums. At the airport, if a man comes up to you asking if you need a taxi, do not take it; chances are they're going to rip you off.

Second rule of thumb: to avoid being over charged, decide on or get an

estimate of how much your cab ride will be. I asked the woman at the podium how much it would be to get from the airport to Louis’ Tavern on Soi 64 right off Vibhavadi Rangsit Road. She said about 450 baht and I said okay. She handed me a piece of paper (written in Thai) and I got into the cab. Then it hit me:

They could have said 800 baht and I probably would have said okay.

How would I know if they're overcharging me? I wouldn't. But let’s talk about the driving in Thailand. It’s insane! You know those lines in the street? The lines that divide our streets into lanes and the lanes we drive to avoid accidents? Thailand has those lines and those same exact lanes but they don’t use it. Lanes

are but mere suggestions. My cabbie was straddling the line for a good portion of the highway. In the rain. With mopeds weaving in and out of traffic. With 2 other cars next to him (also straddling lines). I will give it up to them though. These dudes definitely know their car.

I got to the hotel around 12:30am and met my roomie at the time but now good friend, Danielle. We chatted for a bit and went to bed. In the morning we met Mike and Erin. Meet the core group of peeps.

(Above Left to Right: Mike, Erin, and Danielle)

Orientation October 14-October 19

Picture this: a group of 80 travel hungry Americans, who just graduated from college within the last 2 or 3 years, with an average age of about 22 or 23, in a completely new country. Sounds like a great time, huh? It was awesomeeee. It was like spring break. Like a vacation before the vacation. Language and cultural students by day, kids at play by night. We hit up a few bars, definitely took over the fifth floor one of the nights we were there (as seen above), and explored Bangkok. Guests of honor: Chang, Leo, and Singha.

The Grand Palace

Can you say BEAUTIFUL?! The architecture was amazing, not that I'm a connoisseur of Asian architecture but, DUDE, you really don't need to touch the fire to know it's hot. Everything was so ornate. You can see the labor put into each structure. You feel the importance of their heritage, religion, and traditions. The prominence of Thai culture makes me wonder about American culture. Where is it?

Muay Thai @ Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok

Muay Thai is so ridiculously insane. There were nine matches and the fighters could have been any older than 18. The main event was match 7 and boy o boy was it the main event. I really don't understand how your body can take a beating like that. Their kicks and punches were so fast and so hard that I was standing up for most the time and every now and then I couldn't help but scream out "Ohhhh!".

Kanchanaburi

Kanchanaburi is a town a few hours (by bus) outside of Bangkok. It's best known for The Tiger Temple and Erawan Waterfalls. Although we did not do either, this trip was probably the highlight of orientation. We went the Bridge Over the River Kwae, bamboo rafting, swimming in the river, and rode freaking elephants. ELEPHANTS! They’re just amazing creatures and not to mention HUGGGGGE! Geez. I rode with Erin and we just couldn’t stop giggling; we could not get over the fact that we were sitting on the neck of an elephant—feet behind the ears and hands resting on its head. Crazy. The elephants were trained so that when you rub their head, they bring their trunk over their head to get a treat. When they didn't get their treat, they would blow their hot elephant breath into your face through. It was the worst smell ever. I felt my face turn green.

One downer to this trip was that my camera fell. From on top of the elephant. From on top of the elephant. From on top of the elephant. ahhh. It hurt my heart just thinking about it. But it's just a material possession, easily replaceable. Luckily I brought my iphone, which does take quality pictures.

The Bridge over the River Kwae

I love bridges, especially ones with so much history. If you didn't know, the Bridge over the River Kwae (or Kwai, but pronounced Kware) is a World War II monument, also known as the Death Railway. This railway was constructed under Japanese rule to connect Burma (Myanmar) to Siam (Thailand) to quickly move men and supplies for Japanese troops. Prisoners of war built the railway under unbearable working conditions, many of who died during the construction. It's so sad.

On a brighter note, our hotel was unbelievable. Two swimming pools, beer, ping-pong table, and a

club/pub room that smelled like it hasn’t been used in years. We checked into our rooms and automatically raided the hotel for beer, beer, and more beer. That night was probably one of the better nights because everyone was hanging out! I mean we all did our own thing but eventually came back to the game room/pub/club thing and had a fantabulous time. I went swimming for a bit and got out of the pool with five huge mosquito bites on my forehead. They were ginormous and they hurt. Thank goodness for bangs.

Welp, I think that just about sums up my first week in Thailand. There are plenty more pictures and so many other things I've done, but it would be impossible to blog about every single thing. I'll post more pictures. When I can. Just know that Thailand has been amazing so far and I can't wait to see what's in store for these next couple months. I'm already working on my next blog. Hopefully it won't take me forever. :) but no promises.

I miss you guys back home. Especially Mom, Dad, Jeeks, Jan, Ken, and Kumbeezy. I think about you guys a lot, you know when I'm not really doing anything cool. hahaha love you!!!