One thing I have been bracing myself for is the culture shock; weirdly it hasn't really hit me yet - maybe its because I'm surrounded by Westerners or because I think it's because I see a lot of comparisons with Malaysia and so I think my subconscious thinks I'm there or something I'm not too sure... A bright pink taxi (they're a thing here) took me to the hotel from the aiport. The hotel is basic but it's clean and the staff are friendly. Biggest issue is the plank of wood they like to call a mattress. It is so hard to sleep on and a big reason as to why I didn't sleep well. Let's hope that improves when I reach Nakhon Ratchasima tomorrow!
We spent the majority of today in Orientation - just running through the do's and don'ts of Thailand and expectations for when we start teaching on Monday. The excitement is still there but after meeting one of the officers from Thailand (her name was Pla which means fish in Thai), I cannot help but get a sinking feeling that things are not going to be exactly what I expected. Out of the 8 of us that are part of this orientation group, 5 are heading to Assumption; As friendly and enthusiastic as Pla was, she did make it sound like the 5 of us were going to have the hardest time - 60 kids per class (god help me!) and for me personally, an age group that is not really too interested in learning English (early teens). To make matters worse, we were told that we don't get much help with apartment hunting either - so that's going to be interesting! Hopefully I can secure a pretty nice gaff out there...
As nervous as I am feeling though, and everyone else for that matter, I was constantly reminded to keep smiling and not worry too much about it. Easier said than done if you know what I'm like. As I said though, this has honestly not deterred my excitement. I've just got to prepare myself for the challenge - it will all work out eventually.
Right now I am staying in Bangkok; I haven't really experienced much of the city yet, but from what I've seen it seems like a pretty hectic place. Some guys from the orientation group and I headed to a nearby park which felt odd to see something so pretty and calm in the hustle and bustle of an extremely busy city (A tiny central park of Bangkok if you will...). Furthermore, where do I even start on the weather?! It is so hot here! It is around 30C but because we are in rainy season, the air is extremely moist, making it feel warmer than it is and making everyone super sweaty. Not nice. What IS really nice though about it all is the fact that there are people around me who agree and are in the same boat; the orientation group are super nice and pretty much all come from the UK/Ireland. It's nice for now that I can do my typical British moaning enough to not sound grumpy if I was doing it to the locals for example.
We had lunch at a local restaurant and just ordered several dishes and tried them all out. I have to say I was really proud of myself that I tried pretty much all of it - even the catfish! (And for people who know me, I am not the biggest fan of fish). My spice tolerance seems to be working in my favour at the moment as I haven't had anything yet (and I strongly emphasise YET) that I haven't been able to handle. This will most certainly change as Nakhon Ratchasima is notoriously known for having some of the spiciest food in Thailand...thanks heavens I bought some Immodium with me!
Off out to dinner tonight with the group and leave early tomorrow morning for the 4hour journey to Nakhon Ratchasima. This has just flown by and its crazy to think I start teaching in just under 4 days.
Will update more when I reach my base for the next 6 months.
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