Sawadee ka! Hello from Thailand! Hard to believe I just finished my third full week here! A little easier to believe that I am just now starting to write my first blog post..
Our first ten days were spent at the Golden Dragon, a hotel about two hours outside of Bangkok. More importantly a hotel with flushing toilets, Wifi and Air Condition! All of which sound very nice right about now. The past couple weeks I have been living with a host family, who welcomed me with open arms and a plenty of kind words (I think.. still working on that language barrier).
There are seven people living at home with me. First, there’s Mee, my host mother. Mee runs a market out of the side of our house complete with Coke, chips and every flavor of Ramen Noodle you can imagine. Then, there’s Paw, my host father. I rarely see Paw except for on the weekends, when he is roaming around the house shirtless, smoking a cigarette. Paw works most nights driving a cab in Singburi, the nearest city. I also live with Bas, my 20 year-old host brother and his 18 year-old girlfriend, Film. Bas and Film are both traditional Thai dancers. Apparently both Film and Bas are very talented and I get to go to a performance of theirs in February! Bas and Film have two babies – Godschakon (a little over a year) and Taanawat (three months). They are both adorable and are definitely helping me cope with the fact that I can’t see Vivien everyday! And last but not least, I have a twelve year-old host brother, May. The first day I arrived, May was extremely shy, he giggled at almost everything I said and turned to Mee whenever I asked a question. But May has quickly warmed up to me! We play a lot of cards, ping pong, soccer, and volleyball. May is also extremely patient with my limited understanding of Thai.
These first few months are called Pre-Service Training, or PST. Technically I am not a Peace Corps Volunteer yet, I am just a simple trainee. But hopefully after the next couple months of Thai language classes and other preparations, I will be sworn in as an official Volunteer for the United States Peace Corps!!
So for my first post, I thought I’d try to lay out my everyday life for all of my loyal followers.
Everyday I wake up around 6:00 and eat breakfast. Breakfast usually consists of rice (which is definitely taking some getting used to) and literally anything else you can imagine. For breakfast this morning I had pork soup and rice. Yesterday for breakfast, I had fish soup, deep fried pork and rice. The day before, I had ovaltine, an egg omelet and rice. Then, around 7:00 I bike to the Aw Bah Taw, or the Government Office/SAO where our classes take place. Luckily my ride only takes about 8-10 minutes, but the views along the way are amazing. One side of the road is lined with rice patties and palm trees and the canal/river snakes along the other side. I get to the SAO about 45 minutes before class starts so I can use the Wifi, still not ready to completely disconnect! ; )
During the week, we have class from 8 – 4:30. In the morning, we have either Thai lessons or various lectures to prepare us for our service. The mornings filled with Thai lessons are definitely exhausting, but I can already say what my name is, where I’m from, what I like to eat and order an iced tea with milk! Each class has only 4-5 students, which allows us to develop a very close relationship with our ajaans (teachers). For lunch, we have found a few “spots” nearby that serve delicious food. I am hoping to become a regular at one specific restaurant – they serve delicious chicken skewers, fried rice, stir fried vegetables and my new favorite, papaya salad. After our lunch break, we continue with class until around 4:30.
The afternoon classes are typically focused on preparing for our future projects at site. Over the next few weeks we will be preparing lesson plans for teaching English, activities to educate students on life skills, and making plans to organize a camp. By the time 4:30 hits, most of us are drained and ready to head home. Occasionally, we will head to a nearby coffee shop or grab an ice cream; then, it’s back to our host families.
My family usually eats around 6:30, so I have some time to relax and hang out with the babies, May, Film and all of the neighborhood kids who hang around Mee’s shop. Then, we eat (gin kao), take a shower and watch TV in Mee’s room. Thai TV may be the most dramatic thing I’ve ever seen in my life. It is best described as a soap opera with cartoon sound effects and seventh grade drama. So it is safe to say I love it. Around 8:00/8:30, I climb under my mosquito net, set my alarm and get ready to do it all again.
Everyday is filled with highs and lows, but everyday I am reminded why I am here, whether through an interaction with one of my host siblings, a conversation with a fellow volunteer or a presentation during class. I am beyond excited to learn more about Thai culture, portray a new representation of American culture and most importantly to begin working with Thai youth!
