Home Sweet Home

I have finally arrived in Suphanburi after a very, very busy orientation week. I think everyone probably got a big reality check when we all departed and went from a group of 81 Americans to our respective spots where we may be 1 of 5 foreigners in a city of 30,000. But, I couldn't have been more excited about getting to The Soup! 

Suphanburi is drastically different than Bangkok. As cool as Bangkok is...it is completely overwhelming. I felt like i was risking my life every time I walked around because 1. There is ALWAYS a ridiculous amount of traffic 2. No one follows any traffic rules. 3. No one stops for pedestrians and 4. Mopeds take over and zig-zag their way through the streets. And to top it off- people drive on the other side of the road so I have to engrain that in my head to avoid getting hit. Fun!

Orientation week is such a blur now, and I cannot believe it was only a week. In that time, I learned how to make effective lesson plans, basic Thai, places to travel, how to teach, and I made new friends (awwww). It seems that a lot of us feel that we remind one another from someone back home and it just seems natural to be friends. And luckily, a few people that I had hung out with a lot are also in Suphanburi, which is nice. 

The food. Oh. My. Goodness. I have yet to eat something that disappoints me. Granted, 90% of the meals were provided for us and we had a lot of options. But, we were on our own for dinner every night and I have been really digging the street vendors. I've just been saying Gai (chicken) or Khao (rice) and I get something delicious every time! Booyah! Now it gets scary, though, because I am on my own and I don't have a kitchen in my apartment so I really have no choice when it comes to eating out. I'm realizing more and more everyday how much I really need to learn Thai. 

To finish up orientation we spent a night in Kanchanaburi at a resort. It was green, and jungly and very SE Asia. It was a great contrast to Bangkok and made us all feel like we were actually in Thailand. We stopped at the Bridge Over River Kwai which was absolutely beautiful. There was even a floating kareoke club! We ate a floating restaurant before heading to the hotel. 

The next morning we got up nice and early to go elephant riding and bamboo rafting. Sarah and I had an elephant named Kondi and a guide (called a mahout) who made fun of our accents and Thai capabilities a lot. Jump back! At one point, he jumped off of Kondi and she went BUCKWILD- running down the hill, causing us to slam our backs constantly against our wooden bench. It was hysterical, but thank you Kondi for the giant bruise on my back. I mean, I got an elephant kiss afterwards so I suppose I can forgive her. Afterwards, we went bamboo rafting, which was so relaxing. Our guide sang Thai songs to us, which was adorable. We all ditched the life jackets and jumped into the river. Heavenly. 

We got picked up by our coordinators yesterday afternoon and had a busy, busy day with them. First, they brought us to our new apartment, which is really nice (pictures when it is more Nell-like), and then they brought us to this giant Super Walmart-esque store to buy stuff. Overwhelmed doesn't begin to describe it. Everything is in Thai and I really had no idea what I needed, but I ended up getting a lot. I had about 10 bags, and the other 4 girls had about the same. We thought we had a van to drive us back, but turns out we had to take tuk-tuks back. So, Sarah and I stuffed our stuff into the tuk-tuk and held on. It was awesome. When we got back, our coordinators took all 5 girls out to dinner, and I seriously have never eaten so much. We were warned that Thais like to eat and they will feed you as much as they possibly can. Everytime I finished a bite, one of the coordinators would refill it...even after saying No. I finally just kept saying 'Im! Im!' which means Full! so I wouldn't explode. So, it was a whirlwind of a day, from elephants going wild to unpacking in my new home. We ended the day by two of our guy friends coming over and telling us about their crazy adventures...and let's just say, I am very happy with my apartment. 

So now I just need to explore my surroundings and settle in. I think Im gonna love it here :)

Fun facts:

1. The number 5 in Thailand is pronounced 'ha,' so instead of LOL or hahaha, they say 555. Awesome!

2. The word for curry is Geung, but in a different tone, it means prostitute. So when some menus are literally translated, they may say whore dust instead of curry powder. The other night we were meandering around for some street vendors and ended up on one of the more risque streets. We happened to be talking about wanting Curry and how to say it. I reeeaaally hope no one thought we were talking about our surroundings. 

3. Thai animal sounds are hilarious! Dogs dont say 'bow -wow or woof- woof' but something totally absurd (for us Americans). We had fun going through all the different sounds with some Thai people.

Jason- Merry Christmas!