Author: Melanie Julison

“Adversity is like a strong wind. It tears away from us all but the things that cannot be torn, so that we see ourselves as we really are.” -Arthur Golden

It’s been far too long since I’ve written a blog post, but as is the case with most things, life happened instead. (I also wrote an entire update, only to lose it to a frozen browser)

I have felt almost every emotion since moving to Banphai and establishing myself as an English teacher in a small Thai community, but as I reflect upon all of my most difficult moments, I am certain this is what I came here for. To leave western civilization and travel halfway across the world is to experience a certain level of culture shock, and after coming home from a long weekend to ten cockroaches in my room, I know this to be true. But with that shock comes a newfound level of resilience and patience, which I have adopted alongside the wonderful people I come into contact with every day.

Thailand has thrown me into the roach pit more than once, but it has also given me a heightened sense of clarity and perspective. I remind myself every day that being uncomfortable is not always a bad thing – that fear is only what you make of it – and I feel myself breaking ground.

I am no longer just a tourist in the “Land of Smiles”; I am a contributing member of the educational system in a nation that is looking to improve its standard of living. My work is done in the poorest region of Thailand, which is home to one-third of the total population. But what Isan lacks in resources, it makes up for in genuine hospitality and camaraderie. I am constantly humbled by my students’ parents, smiling in appreciation every time I see them, presenting me with homemade treats, and lighting up when their children are able to retain the slightest bit of English. They think it’s cute that the kids have adopted my Northern American accent, and they want me to stay in Banphai for a second semester. It took almost 8 weeks of teaching to feel completely settled, but I finally feel at home in this little town. The spectacle of the newest farangs (foreigners) has died down, and I no longer feel like a circus act, which is both refreshing and invigorating. I know I will never blend into the crowd in such a small place, and I will never escape the reality of being the “other,” but it feels good to be accepted as an effective teacher in the Thai community.

I would not consider my job an easy one, and sometimes I get so frustrated with my little kindergarteners: but then I remember that if they can go home at the end of the semester with even the tiniest hint of English conversation in their sponge-brains, I’ve done something effective that has the potential to help them out in the future. And if not, I still come home every day exhausted but knowing I gave it everything I could. There’s only so much we can do as ESL teachers in Thailand, with most kids coming from a place where opportunities for growth are scarce, and where they may not have the motivation or faith to get out of the society they grew up in. With that being said, I love my students, and I don’t know that I’ve ever experienced something as rewarding as that “light bulb” moment, when 90%+ of the class seems to fully grasp the concept we’ve been working on for the past couple weeks. At the end of the day, that’s enough to keep me going, and since my little ones are only 4-6 years old, they have plenty of time to do what they want with their English skills (or lack thereof). I’m just happy to be the smallest part of their journey, and even if they don’t remember my influence on them, I hope I will have given them a nice foundation to build on once I’m gone.

Since I started teaching in May, each week has posed a new challenge – to help paint a picture of my internal struggle, I created a short breakdown of each week in Banphai, focusing on the highlights:

Week 1 – “Everything is brand new and exciting; our neighbor has a puppy, our Thai teachers like whiskey, and life is good. We had this week to get to know our town a bit before teaching, and we got to do some serious exploring. The generosity of our Thai friends has allowed us to try several new foods, some of which originated in the Isan region, and I can’t wait to continue this strange journey for my taste buds. We also managed to visit Khon Kaen city (~45 minutes away) for some temple hopping and lakeside chillin.”

Week 2 – “Favorite weird delicacy in Isan?… Cooked baby ants with Thai seasoning (check it out here). Least favorite weird delicacy in Isan?… Stinky fish papaya salad (#3 on this list). Favorite memory of a Thai student so far?… A 6-year-old boy named O.T. decided he will be giving me back massages at the end of every day, and I taught him a hand clapping game. Least favorite memory of a Thai student so far?… A 5-year-old girl [appropriately] named Punch is wayyy too assertive about grabbing all of my lady parts and trying to flip up my skirt. I disciplined her in front of the class, so here’s hoping she doesn’t find it quite so funny next time. #teacherproblems”

Week 3 – “The language barrier has caused some slight administrative failures at school, but it’s nothing our agency can’t clear up. We are still adjusting as kindergarten teachers, but overall, I can’t complain. I took my second trip to Khon Kaen city, and I managed to get my fix of western food at a restaurant called Didines: owned by an American who initially started off teaching in Thailand, this place knows how to make a quality burger, and I plan to revisit it real soon. I also got to meet up with one of my backpacking buds, explore the nightlife, and indulge in a post-midnight swim in the hotel pool.”

Week 4- “I made the 6-hour mission on a bus to Bangkok to celebrate a lovely friend’s birthday, and the trip proved to be 100% worth it. I got to reunite with a couple other girls from our TESOL course, one of which was my Hua Hin roommate who I missed dearly, and for 36 hours I forgot all responsibility. We made the most of our weekend, going out on the town AFTER uniting in the airbnb (I didn’t get there until 11pm), and we rallied the next day for Bangkok: part 2. We had a beautiful view of the city from the 29th floor, and we spent our days bonding over things that no one outside of our situation could possibly understand. Being an English teacher in Thailand is not always easy, but when you have so many amazing people struggling through the same experience, it makes all the difference. I came back to Banphai refreshed, enlightened, and filled with enough laughter and memories to get me through another week.”

Week 5 – My accommodation situation has become unbearable after a month and a half: between clogged sink and shower drains, monsoons flooding my porch, and dead bugs scattered all over my enclosed “laundry space,” I am ready to get out of this place. Yet, despite avoiding my apartment at all costs, my experiences with my students and my Thai friends have kept me afloat. After a trip to the grocery store for cleaning supplies and a night at the newest club in Banphai, my status went from deflated to inspired. I developed a knack for overcoming adversity since moving to Isan, and as I slept in my bare essentials room, I vowed to find a better place to live within the next week. To help sustain my sanity, Julia and I met up with several others from our TESOL group in Khon Kaen over the weekend, including my Canadian duo. I experienced some quality friend time, danced my stress away, and rode home in the back of a pickup truck with my new moped. ;]

Week 6 – “Leah reached her breaking point as the solo English teacher of a K2 class at our school (5-year-olds), and she completely bailed on the job by the end of the week without informing the school. Julia and I dealt with the consequences of Leah’s lack of professionalism as gracefully as we could, reassuring our school that we would NOT be leaving until our contracts expired, and that they had nothing to worry about. We continued to get up, dress up, and show up, and the staff gained a newfound respect for us. The head nun also helped us find a new apartment building to move into (which we did immediately after touring it), and I finally began feeling settled into my life in Banphai. We were shown a beautiful pool in our town just a 5 minute moped ride away, and we stumbled upon a hidden gem of a temple on our way back from swimming this weekend. #diamondsintherough”

Week 7 – “Despite the backlash of Leah leaving her job without mentioning it to our school administrators, Julia and I managed to find our niche as kindergarten teachers. Now we live directly next door to the school instead of 10 minutes away, and we have reached an equilibrium between what the school expects from us and what we are willing to deliver. Without the negative energy associated with Leah’s obvious struggles (she is much happier in her new school with older kids), Julia and I have worked with the school to find balance, and we have embraced our titles as English teachers at Prakumanjesu Banphai School. We are each responsible for teaching the after school program (Julia teaches K3, I teach K1), and we alternate teaching the Thai teachers every Monday. The head nun has approached us more than once to tell us how much the students, teachers, and parents appreciate us, and we have taken on some extra responsibilities in Leah’s absence. Because of this, we have officially gained the respect of our colleagues, and the daily routine has become an established comfort. I visited several friends in Chaiyaphum over the weekend, which is the second largest city in Isan. We met some neighborhood kittens, got rained out on our way to a local waterfall, and indulged in the beauty of mixing street smoothies with vodka at the bar. Everything felt right, and I am hoping to take a second trip to Chaiyaphum before the semester is over.

Week 8 – My students mastered the emotions/feelings unit, and they love to present their knowledge to me outside of the classroom: “Teacher! I am happy!” is heard through half-open windows, shouted from busy sidewalks, and accompanied by clapping hands. I am so proud of my little ones, and their joy is intoxicating. It carried me through another wonderful weekend spent with TESOL friends in Khon Kaen, and I felt love for this country in a new way; Even when I’m at my worst, my students seem to snap me out of it simply by being kids. The innocence of a child is something that crosses cultures, and their uninhibited way of life keeps me smiling through the most stressful moments.

Week 9 & 10 – I had two of my best weekends so far, hiking through the beautiful Kao Yai National Park with my Canadian friends, and exploring ancient ruins in Korat/going out on the town with my fellow Banphai westerner. But I will feature those trips in detail in my next post(s), because they truly deserve their own space. :]

Until then, here’s to taking chances, feeding my soul’s need for adventure, and finding comfort in the uncertainty that lies ahead.

<img width=”150″ height=”113″ src=”https://thaidyedsunrise.files.wordpress.com/2015/07/banphaisunset.jpg?w=150&h=113″ class=”attachment-thumbnail” alt=”My solo sunset journey








<img width=”84″ height=”150″ src=”https://thaidyedsunrise.files.wordpress.com/2015/07/chaiyaphumkittens.jpg?w=84&h=150″ class=”attachment-thumbnail” alt=”

“You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream.” -C.S. Lewis

The past month has been full of excitement, accomplishment, adventure, and perseverance. I graduated from my TESOL course in Hua Hin alongside classmates that turned into very good friends, and packed up my room in Baan Jaco, which served as my temporary home. Several goodbyes were said, but they weren’t tearful – we would see each other again. Each of us had different traveling plans and start dates, but we promised to create reunions all over Thailand whenever possible.

Our teaching course had its difficult parts, and sometimes we hated Michelle for keeping us longer than the other two classes. But by the time we had to use the practical skills we learned to teach at summer English camp, I’m sure everyone was thankful that she kicked our asses into gear for three weeks. I taught Kindergarten and Primary levels, and I learned the basic concept of winging it in a classroom when all else fails. It proved to be one of the most valuable skills I have to this day, and I couldn’t be more grateful to Michelle for having such a positive impact on my confidence as a teacher.

The ten days following graduation served as the perfect segue into becoming an official teacher, because I was able to get some much-needed backpacking out of my system before settling into my new home. I traveled around three islands (Koh Tao, Koh Phangan, and Koh Samui) with two girls from my TESOL group who turned into my Canadian soul sisters, and it was the kind of trip that you wish never ends. We snorkeled in crystal clear waters, hiked a few peaks with beautiful lookouts, jumped a rope on fire, and partied on the beach til the sun came up. We met up with lots of friends from our XploreAsia group, and it felt like we had never left Hua Hin. It’s funny how such a short time can spark such profound connections, but by the end of our backpacking trip, I felt like I had made two of the best friends I’ll have throughout my Thailand adventures and beyond. And since we survived a Full Moon party together, I’d say that we’re a pretty unstoppable trio. We met so many dynamic people while island hopping, keeping me inspired to continue traveling after Thailand. My plans are not set in stone, but I have several ideas brewing for potential visits, with family and friends all over the globe.

After a few beautiful nights of detoxing in Koh Samui, we headed to Bangkok for our Media Kids (agency) orientation. Although the orientation itself was very repetitive following everything we had learned through XploreAsia, coming back to Bangkok turned out to be the perfect opportunity to meet up with more of our TESOL group before heading off to our placements. I was excited to have one more night with my roommate from Baan Jaco, especially since her placement is pretty far away from mine, and our last night in Bangkok served as the perfect send off to a fresh start in my new town.

I arrived in Ban Phai around 6pm on a Monday, and I spent the next week exploring my new home with my fellow western teachers. It didn’t take long before we were the talk of the town, because three new “farangs” in one small town is a big deal. We made several Thai friends within days of arriving in Ban Phai, including some of the Thai teachers, and we spent our first week getting acclimated to the slower pace that comes along with living in Isan. On May 18th, I officially became a teacher of English for Communication Development for Kindergarten 1-3 (ages 4-6), and my first lesson focused on Introductions and Numbers.

I was surprisingly calm throughout my first week, and I spent 60% of my class time winging it. I conjured up a list of activities in my head, but I had nothing written down, and I went into my first day hoping for the best but expecting the worst. I was pleasantly surprised by the temperament of my students, and their willingness to learn from me. Even the 4-year-olds seemed genuinely interested in me, even if they had no idea what I was saying (blank stares for days). I countered their stares with songs and games, and the reception was incredibly positive. Since they are so young, I have already come to the conclusion that interactive games and activities will be most effective in allowing my students to retain any information, and I plan to incorporate them into my future lesson plans.

Overall, my first week went surprisingly well, and despite a few bumps in the road so far, the kids are more than enough of a reason to get up in the morning. It’s hard not to smile, even at the end of a long day, when you have so many adorable kindergarteners looking up to you with genuine interest. They wave to me in the hallway and say “Hello Teacher Marta!” and I can’t help but feel valued in this small community. I get several hugs from these tiny people every day, and their kindness and joy becomes contagious. So even at my worst moments, as a teacher or as a person, I will go into each day with a clean slate and a positive mindset. That’s how they do it in Thailand: one day at a time.

<img width=”113″ height=”150″ src=”https://thaidyedsunrise.files.wordpress.com/2015/05/11117903_10203812726543074_1172153821_n.jpg?w=113&h=150″ class=”attachment-thumbnail” alt=”

“Choose your thoughts carefully. Keep what brings you peace, release what brings you suffering, and know that happiness is just a thought away.” -Nishan Panwar

Disclaimer: This post is an excerpt straight from my personal journal. I hope it speaks to the positive impact Thailand has already had on my psyche, and perhaps it will inspire some onlookers into taking a leap of faith in their own lives. It may also do absolutely nothing for you, but thanks for tuning in to my self-reflective rants as I straddle the line of my comfort zone.

Today I fell in love. In a collection of small, fleeting moments, I saw myself as I am and I began to accept all those parts of myself that used to hold me back. It was all triggered by a foot scrub, in the Gulf town of Hua Hin, Thailand.

I had spent the day teaching Kindergarteners for the first time in my life, and the experience was more rewarding than I could have imagined. It was hard work, mixed with a lot of improvising, but I left that school with a full heart and a group of smiling Thai faces stamped in my mind. As I observed my friends’ lessons, I tried to imagine our solo journeys – only one week away – scattered all over the country with like-minded motives to make a difference while traveling. I was overwhelmed by how far we’d all come in the past three weeks during our TESOL course, but it didn’t settle in until I had settled into that massage chair, gingerly motioning at my tattered and torn feet.

I have always been fascinated by the smallest moments that become monumental to change and growth. I try to absorb those moments for what they are, and capturing them for self reflection has become a very cathartic process for me. For future purposes, I will try to replay today’s “moment” as authentically as possible:

After our long day of teaching and lesson planning, my teaching partner from the summer camp and I decided to get well-deserved foot scrubs/massages. My feet were full of cuts, bites, blisters, and burns, but as soon as I sat in that chair, the lady-boy scrubbing my feet took it all away. I had some major scar tissue/dead skin buildup on my right foot from getting a wart surgically removed in February, and as she scraped it all away, I gave her a genuine look of gratitude and compassion. In one sitting, this person epitomizing Thailand’s accepting culture had taken my pain and lifted it – first by adding to it, then by nursing what felt like open wounds. She painted my nails all pretty, and as dramatic as it may sound, I felt like I got my life back. The very part of my body that has sparked my deepest insecurities over the years became the most valuable to me, and it only took 75 minutes of kind attention for me to see it.

My feet brought me here, to this breathtakingly beautiful country, with a group of people who totally understand my wanderlust and nostalgia for all of the places I’ve never seen. My feet suffered through years of soccer, track, hiking, biking, mud sliding, concrete, bumps, bruises, and falls. They took a hit during the Thai New Year (Song Khran Water Festival) so that I could live up to my own expectations and have a free-spirited good time. They ran into the ocean, dipped into the carp-infested waterfall stream, and sunk deep in the sticky sand. My feet are definitely not the most beautiful part of me, but their struggle for my happiness will never go unnoticed again. My scars were embraced by the wonderful Thai lady-boy who scrubbed them, and her nonchalance relaxed me to the brink of sleep. My comfort level in that state, physically vulnerable, emotionally insecure, and spiritually centered – stunned me into silence. I closed my eyes, and each gentle stroke of the file took away a layer of self doubt.

When we left the massage parlor, I felt like 500 pounds had just been lifted from my shoulders. My heel felt so much better, and I could finally walk like a normal person (weight bearing)- the scrapes and cuts still sting, but the pain only reminds me of how grateful I am to be exactly where I am right now. On the long walk home, Kat and I talked about our love of travel, the places we’ve been, and the many places we have left to see. We discussed the possibility of friends and family coming to visit, and I realized that my happiness no longer depends on the actions of others. I don’t want to live a “reactive” lifestyle, where I’m just waiting for the next thing to happen – for that job to turn into a promotion – for that guy to tell me he genuinely wants to spend more time getting to know me, and meaning it – for that friend to venture out with me in order to discover something much bigger than us – for my parents to actually say the words, “I’m so proud of you, and who you have become.” -> I’m tired of waiting for the next best thing, so I’m making each moment a priority. This life is much shorter than we give it credit for, and the tiny monumental moments add up to a lifetime of fulfillment. I want that fulfillment.

For the first time in a long time, I feel like I’m on my way to exactly that. Today was my first practical experience as a TESOL teacher, and I can already tell that the job itself will be incredibly rewarding. The Thai New Year brought with it many resolutions, and I will make it my mission to stay true to them. Being in Thailand for less than a month has already made me feel accepted in countless ways, simply for being me. It is an indescribable sensation, when you no longer worry about each consequence in your life, but simply choose to be happy in the present. I plan to hold onto that feeling for as long as possible, and hopefully my faith in good things will keep me traveling for longer than I had originally planned. I am adopting the Thai phrase “Mai pen rai,” allowing myself to take things slowly and breath into each moment: good or bad, happy or sad, I will take note of my time in Thailand before it becomes a set of memories.

Thursday was one for the books, and that is putting it very lightly. We got picked up from the main road at 8am and headed to the school to learn Thai language for three hours. It was very enjoyable, and our teacher was the kind of person who captivates you into learning more. We focused mostly on simple phrases, such as:

“How are you?” (sà-baai dee măi)

“Good” (sà-baai dee kâ)

“What is your name?” (kun chêu a-rai)

“Where are you from?” (kun maa jàak năi)

“I am from…” (rao chêu …)

“I understand” (kâo jai láew)

“I do not understand” (mâi khâo jai)

“How much is this?” (raa-kaa tâo rài?)

“Where is the toilet?” (hông náam yòo têe năi?)

I have managed to retain at least half of the information we learned in our first Thai lesson, and I am hoping to be able to hold a decent (beginner) conversation in Thai before leaving. Once we were done absorbing some Thai, we went to lunch for an hour and then headed off to Khao Tao Temple. It was at this temple, about 15 minutes from our school, that we experienced the kind of event that you simply cannot make up.

Khao Tao contains a temple complex with several caves, as well as Buddha statues and shrines. After our group hiked to the top of the hill to see the biggest Buddha statue, we all took pictures overlooking the ocean and then followed our Thai agent to another area of the complex to meditate. We gave our well wishes to the Buddha/monks and performed a ritual to honor them. I felt so relaxed after meditation that I almost fell asleep, but we were awoken by our next task, which was to go into one of the caves to be blessed personally by a monk!

We walked into his small “lair” and sat down on the floor in front of him (feet facing behind us, of course). He spent about 45 minutes explaining to us how Thai culture is different from other cultures because the Thai people focus on small acts of kindness in every day life in order to reach a fulfilled sense of self. He also emphasized how important it is to thank our parents for bringing us into this world, and that nothing should be left unsaid. He believes that it is crucial to respect your elders, and in Thai culture it is very common for sons and daughters to put their lives on hold whenever their aging parents may need them. I thought this was a very interesting concept, and it expressed how much age and wisdom are valued in Thailand. Once he had finished his speech, the monk passed around bracelets to represent our time with him, and he gave us his blessing while sprinkling water on us from a distance (he is not allowed to physically touch women, so we had to sit a foot or two away from him at all times). At this point, it is normal for people to make donations to the monk and say a peaceful goodbye to him. However, our experience did not go as planned…

After blessing us all with the water, the monk pointed at Jared (one of the guys in our group) and encouraged him to stand up and come to the front of the room for a demonstration. He asked Jared to put both of his arms out straight to the sides, and balance on one leg in a position similar to the tree pose. Then, he pushed down on Jared’s left arm with one of his hands and told him to try to use resistance against him. The monk made it look easy, pushing Jared’s arm down in one swift motion. From there, he grabbed a weighted stone of some kind and clipped it to the inside of Jared’s shirt. Once again, he asked Jared to get into the same position as before, and he began pushing down on Jared’s arm. But this time, he was putting a LOT more pressure on Jared, and we realized later on that the trick came down to where he was distributing his weight. The first time, it was easy to push Jared’s arm down because he was focusing on the forearm, but the second time it was much more difficult for him because he was focusing on the bicep/shoulder area. In order to emphasize how much “stronger” Jared had gotten from this “magic stone,” the Monk used both of his hands on Jared’s arm/shoulder, fighting against the resistance as much as he could. Within a few seconds, we all heard a loud pop, and Jared was wincing in pain after making an audible sigh. As he tried to contain his obvious agony, he said, “It’s popped out.” At first, I didn’t grasp the weight of the situation, but it only took me a few seconds to realize that his shoulder had actually popped out of its socket!.. Everyone in the room was on edge from that moment on, and what made the situation that much scarier was that the monk did not seem to understand how serious Jared’s injury was. Because of the language barrier, he was convinced that Jared was simply complaining about the pressure he had put on his shoulder, so the monk began to massage Jared’s dislocated shoulder. He also attempted to pop it back into place a couple times before we convinced him that he could not help us in this particular situation… It was very difficult to watch, and the air in the room was dead still as we all waited for someone to react. Jared needed to go to the hospital, and he needed to be taken care of by a doctor. As I sat and witnessed this entire scenario play out in front of me, all I could think about was how unreal it all seemed. Did Jared actually just get his shoulder dislocated by a Buddhist monk in the temples of Thailand? Yes; yes, he did.

Apparently Jared had dislocated his shoulder four times in the past, but there was no way for any of us to expect it to happen! Especially since none of us really understood what the monk was doing during his activity to begin with. I still can’t believe that the monk pointed Jared out of all people to demonstrate how “magical” the stone was, but I suppose some things just cannot be explained. Either way, our entire group will have a very interesting story to tell for years to come, and Jared gets the first person perspective to go along with it.

From that moment on, our group was slightly shaken up, but it only made us closer, and we kept tabs on Jared for the entire day. As we left the temple (leaving zero tips for the monk because he clearly felt awful about the whole situation and more or less kicked us out immediately after), Jared and Declan went to the hospital with a couple of our superiors. The rest of us boarded the Song Tao to help out at the local dog shelter, Rescue Paws. We were given a tour of the grounds, and Jaco explained to us that we could volunteer at Rescue Paws while taking our TESOL course in Hua Hin. I am hoping to participate in the volunteer process with Rescue Paws, and I think I should be able to make at least a couple more trips down there before leaving. Jaco and his team are definitely tackling an important issue, with several packs of 30-180 street dogs in existence throughout the Hua Hin area alone. They have organized a “catch and release” program for spaying and neutering, and they are a non-profit organization that depends mainly on donations to stay afloat. While we were there, we met some adorable puppies and several well-tempered dogs. We also helped clean up trash in the area around the rescue, which is important to building a safer environment for the rescued dogs to live. I will be spreading the news about Rescue Paws while I am in Thailand, and once I get home I will encourage people to donate the smallest bit to this great cause. Jaco informed us that a spay/neuter costs about 300baht in Thailand (~$10 USD), and vaccinations are another 300baht. Compared to prices in the U.S., donations to support this movement not only go a lot further, but they are much more reasonable for the average person to make a huge difference.

On Friday, we had our school and agent talks with Mike, helping to prepare us for just about anything. Since none of us know where we will be placed or what age group we will be teaching, Mike spent a lot of time going over the different regions of Thailand and what to expect from each. It was interesting to hear about the quirky aspects of each area, as well as positives and negatives of living/working there. During this time, I was also pulled away for 15 minutes to talk to Paang (our Thai teaching agent) about my preferences. I started my answer to each question by emphasizing that I was open to just about anything, but that I would prefer to live in the north for my placement (near the mountains or in the northeast), because it seems to be more centered around culture. I also think that the north has a slightly cooler climate, with more opportunities to do the types of outdoor activities that I’m definitely interested in doing while I’m here (hiking, biking, running, etc.). Don’t get me wrong, I absolutely love the time I get to spend in Hua Hin near the beach with an amazing group of people, but with the constant heat and stickiness of living in such a hot and humid climate, I will be ready to take a slight break from it during my placement. And if I get placed in the north, I still plan to beach hop around the southern parts of Thailand once my semester is over. I want to experience as much of this country as I can while I’m here, and fully engage myself in the best aspects of each region. I would prefer to teach younger children, because I think my creative mind is geared toward making lesson plans with lots of activities and simple structure, but I told Paang that I would still be willing to teach older students if I were offered a job at a high school. It will be interesting to see if any of my preferences are met, but I am going into this with very little expectations and an open mind.

The highlight of Friday happened after our long day in the classroom. Once we had finished our final Thai language lesson, the entire TESOL group was ready for the weekend. And to top it all off, my roommate’s birthday just happened to fall on Friday as well! A bunch of us went out to the bars/clubs, and we fell in love with the slightly crowded streets of Hua Hin. We basically took over the first bar we visited, playing beer pong and listening to music on the second floor. Then, we headed off to a karaoke bar for awhile, where we watched some of our friends sing songs in front of a live band. We didn’t last long there before wanting to dance, so we went to a club named Click, which was packed with people from all over the world. I met a guy who was half Australian, half Chinese, and we hit it off right away. It was definitely a night to remember, and I think everyone had a really good time. I was just happy to have experienced a night out with our entire group, where we got to finally relax and have a few drinks/be goofy together. My experience so far has definitely exceeded my expectations, and I welcome the challenges that lay ahead with the start of our TESOL course.

After a week full of orientation activities, I feel like I have been living in Thailand for much longer than I actually have. I have already met so many wonderful people, and I go to bed at night with zero thoughts keeping me awake. It is such a peaceful, nonjudgmental place to be in, and I’m just trying to remain open to all of the possibilities that lay ahead.

Our first day in Hua Hin was all about the preliminaries. We had breakfast at the hotel in Bangkok before heading out around 8:30am. The car ride was over 3 hours long, and we were hardly given any time to unpack before we were sent off to the mall to get supplies for our rooms. I experienced my first Tesco, and it was magical. We got lunch, and after unpacking our stuff in our accomodation, we had to attend the Rules and Regulations lecture with Jaco and John. Jaco is probably one of the coolest guys I’ve ever met, and he has managed to reach a place in his life where he genuinely loves himself and doesn’t care what anyone else thinks or says about it. I think that’s pretty amazing. He spent most of the lecture giving us advice about the nightlife in Thailand, including lady-boys, and to stay safe under all circumstances. Since Hua Hin will be our home for a full month, it is important that we know the do’s and don’ts of this particular city, and after hearing from Jaco, it sounds like Hua Hin has much more to offer than I could have expected.

Our long day in the classroom made us veryyyyy hungry, so I went with the girls from my house to explore some of our neighborhood streets. We were pleasantly surprised when we walked into what looked like a fancy restaurant/club from the outside and found out it was an entire marketplace! It reminded us of a carnival, because there was a ferris wheel at the end of the street and lots of different types of food. There were also several options for clothing and other supplies, so it’s nice to know that we have a place like that basically across the street from our house. I ordered the pork dumplings, and followed up with a chocolate covered banana – delicious! I will definitely be visiting that marketplace at least a few more times before we move on from Hua Hin. They even had a burger place, so if I get food nostalgia any time soon, I’ll know where to go!

We had to be up early on Tuesday, leaving our accommodation at 7am in order to be at the pineapple farm by 8am. We learned that pineapples can grow directly from the ground in rows, and we were given fresh samples. It was easily the best pineapple I have ever had in my life, which led me to buy a bag of pineapple slices to eat at lunch. After walking around the farm for an hour, we headed to Hutsadin Elephant Sanctuary, where I met some gentle giants. We were given a bunch of pineapples from the farm that didn’t quite meet the standards for selling in stores, and we brought them with us to feed to the elephants. It was so fun watching them wrap their trunks around the pineapples and eat them straight out of our hands. There was one elephant that preferred extra soft pineapples, and her method of finding them showed how truly smart elephants are: she would drop each pineapple to the ground, and before eating it, she would step directly on it until some of the juice came out. At that point, she could get a better grasp of the consistency in the middle, and she only chose the ripest ones. I got a hug from the baby elephant (her name is Songkrun), and my dreams came true. She was so expressive with her eyes in each picture that we took with her, and it made me want to hang out with her all day. I also got a picture with one of the larger elephants, and the difference in size is pretty outstanding. Songkrun has a lot of growing up to do, and she’s still so much bigger than any of us!

After eating lunch and saying goodbye to the elephants, we headed over to the Artist Village, where we browsed a bunch of really unique paintings and sculptures before learning how to do henna on ourselves. Mine faded within a few hours, but a lot of people in our group had much better luck. At that point, it seemed like we had been out all day, but it wasn’t even 1pm yet. I don’t know if it’s the heat or the fact that we consistently get up early for our excursions in Thailand, but I feel like time moves slower here. I have already come to appreciate this lifestyle, because the structure of their day-to-day lives isn’t so rigid, which promotes a much less stressful environment. We got picked up from the sanctuary and headed to the school, where we learned about Thai Culture and Politics for three hours. It was probably one of the most interesting classes I’ve ever sat through, because we were covering so much ground about a culture I have never been a part of. From there, we finally managed to make it to the beach, where we watched the sunrise while swimming in the ocean.

Wednesday was surprisingly therapeutic, both in the classroom and outside of it. We started our day by doing a Teacher Workshop with Jaco, and no one really knew what to expect. He told us all about what brought him to Thailand (from South Africa) in the first place, what encouraged him to stay for the past several years, and all of the struggles in between. Then, he invited the whole class to do the same, and everyone’s stories had me on the edge of my seat/very in tune with my emotions. The purpose of the exercise was to prove that we all came to Thailand for a specific reason, and we all have baggage that we’re either running from or tackling from a distance. I didn’t get a chance to share my story, but we were told that we will continue the exercise sometime next week. By the end of that session, I felt like I had just gotten out of group therapy, and it was refreshing to feel so comfortable/close to these people whom I had known for less than a week. After lunch, we experienced Muay Thai, and it was definitely the highlight of the day for me. We learned a bunch of different punches and kicks, and then each of us practiced individually with a trainer. It was so fun, and it was a great source of stress release for a lot of us after that intense session with Jaco. I am hoping to do some yoga in the studio near our accommodation during the month, and now I may have to add some more Muay Thai into my schedule. I miss working out regularly, but I know that it will all come into place when we get a little bit more settled in Hua Hin. So far, so good! (:

<img width=”112″ height=”150″ src=”https://thaidyedsunrise.files.wordpress.com/2015/04/bigelephant.jpg?w=112&h=150″ class=”attachment-thumbnail” alt=”

So much has happened in the past few days that it feels like weeks have already passed! My body is having a hard time adjusting to so many changes so quickly, but hopefully my swollen ankles and light-headed vertigo symptoms will subside in the next few days. I have never been in such a hot, humid climate for extended periods of time, let alone walked around for hours in such drastically different weather conditions! But I am by no means complaining – I can certainly get used to walking around in shorts and a tank top with no worries about being cold. (:

On Friday, a group of us went to Wat Pho, which included several temples and the famous Reclining Buddha. The details inside each temple were so intricate, from the shrines themselves to the painted walls and support beams. I cannot imagine how long it must have taken to build such extravagant pieces by hand, let alone the Grand Palace! And everything seems to remain in sparkling condition, emphasizing how respectful the Thai people are of Buddhist culture and the monarchy.

Our first day in Bangkok was full of trial and error, but we managed to make it to Wat Pho without too many problems. I especially enjoyed the boat ride from the train station to the temple pier, because we got a nice breeze and a beautiful water tour of the area. When we returned to the train station from Wat Pho, our intention was to find Lumphini Park. However, navigation was more difficult than we anticipated, and we ended up riding in the wrong direction for quite awhile. Since it was the middle of the day at that point, most of the group decided to return to the hotel, while Kaila and I wandered around the mall for an hour. It was interesting to see the subtle differences in fashion, as well as the set-up of the mall’s restaurants and shops.

By the time we got home, I was overdue for a quick nap and a shower. After rebooting, Sam and I met up with a large group of people from our program (~20), and we all experienced Khao San Road together. I couldn’t be happier to experience the parts of Bangkok that give into its reputation, and Khao San Road did not disappoint. As I walked and browsed the vendors, I was overcome with sensory overload: there were several neighboring restaurants/bars blasting different types of music, and I witnessed my first Thai lady-boy, prancing around in lingerie and heels. The street was crowded with people from all walks of life, and full body massages were given upon request. There was even a selling fake IDs in just about every form, from U.S. driver’s licenses to college degrees. When I saw that, I understood why our Greenheart organizers were so adamant about us bringing our official diplomas/transcripts to teach! It’s crazy how many things are hidden under the radar in places like Thailand, from underage drinking to the very real sex industry in this country. But it puts me on high alert to make conscious, smart decisions while I’m here, which makes me feel like an adult with a purpose.

Once our van driver picked all 20 of us up from Khao San Road (around 1245), we were brought back to the hotel, where most of us called it a night. On Saturday morning, we checked out the Grand Palace, and boy was it grand! In fact, a few of us got turned away at first because we had wrapped scarves around our shoulders as opposed to wearing sweaters that covered our shoulders. To anyone thinking about going to Thailand, take our experience as a lesson: the Grand Palace does not accept scarves in the place of sweaters or t-shirts under any circumstances. This led to my renting a shirt that did not match my outfit in the slightest, but it turned out to be a great conversation piece: it was a black and red button up with dragons all over it – and to make it even better, the other girl who rented a shirt had Hawaiian flowers all over hers. Our pictures were definitely entertaining, and it made us laugh that those shirts were considered more appropriate than a draped and tied scarf around our shoulders.

On Saturday night, our entire group went to a rooftop bar to celebrate Kaila’s birthday, and the view was spectacular! I think Bangkok is the biggest city I’ve ever seen, and it feels like it never ends! A smaller group of us went to a karaoke bar afterwards, and it turned out to be a nice ice breaker for the new people I met. Our entire group consists of almost 100 people, so keeping track of everyone/getting to know them over the next month is going to be difficult. But I’ll try!

My favorite excursion in Bangkok was the floating market. It’s such a cool idea to have vendors and shops right on the water, and our boat driver was very accommodating. Kaila and Julia bought some pretty sweet straw hats, and we all drank free coconut nectar while browsing. (:

As I prepare to leave Bangkok and move to Hua Hin, I am looking forward to a slight change of pace in a smaller beach town. I am keeping an open mind and trying to absorb as much as I can from my surroundings. I have been told that orientation week seems to fly by, but the amount of information we obtain makes it feel like a month. I’m not sure what to expect, but I am excited to settle in one place for the next month, living and learning in the moments to come. As the Thais would say, ไม่เป็นไร (mai pen rai): loosely translated, it means everything is okay, or “not to worry.”

<img width=”113″ height=”150″ src=”https://thaidyedsunrise.files.wordpress.com/2015/03/elephantstatue.jpg?w=113&h=150″ class=”attachment-thumbnail” alt=”Elephant Statue

“And above all, watch with glittering eyes the whole world around you because the greatest secrets are always hidden in the most unlikely places. Those who don’t believe in magic will never find it.” -Roald Dahl

สวัสดีค่ะ (sà-wàt-dee kâ) = Hello

This is real. I am in Bangkok, Thailand, and not just on a typical vacation.

I don’t have work on Monday, and I will not be returning home for another six months. But I’m already seeing the beauty in taking a step out of my comfort zone and just going with it.

When I first decided to teach English in Thailand, I felt like I was running away from society’s (and even my own) expectations of me. I was defying the laws of “supposed to” and making an adventurous decision because it was a decision. I’m not sure what I want to do with my life after all of this, but in the months I had to mull over my choice, I became more and more excited about this path of self-discovery. And in one of the meccas of Buddhism! What could be more fitting?

The fact that I will be living in Thailand has not quite hit me yet, but Bangkok has been full of surprises and peculiarities, both pleasant and shocking.

The drive from the airport to our hotel took close to an hour in traffic, but I was more than happy to absorb the size of this city and its slightly overdeveloped nature. There is a very mismatched quality to Bangkok; one minute, a sea of half-constructed buildings, and the next minute, seemingly new apartment buildings and businesses looking sleek as ever. I think this speaks to the economic and political status of Thailand, while slightly humanizing the struggles that defy race, color, and country.

I saw my first tuk-tuk in person, and I finally witnessed the crammed mopeds I’ve heard so much about! The women riding side saddle looked so relaxed, and some of them even had children riding with them. I would probably be holding on for dear life, especially in Bangkok traffic, but their effortless ways made me smile. That doesn’t mean I will be getting a moped while I’m here, but it’s a fun thing to see!

Our excursions so far have included Wat Pho, Khao San Road, and the Grand Palace (all highly recommended). Details coming soon. After a long day of exploring in the sun, I think some pool time is well-deserved. (:

ขอบคุณค่ะ (kòp kun kâ) = Thank You