First Day in Thailand

In under two weeks of getting a teaching position in Thailand, I am finally here! All the stress of packing, applying for Visa's, and saying goodbyes is over with.

I recommend China Airlines. Having only flown Air China prior on vacation to China, I can say China Airlines is superior and offers great vegetarian options. The flight from San Francisco to Bangkok was around 17 hours with one minor stop in Taiwan.  There was suppose to be another stop in Hong Kong, but that didn't happen. Communication of this fact was lost - something I would have to get used to living in Asia. The flight went by really fast. I planned on working on lessons and brushing up on my Thai, but that didn't happen. You think 17 hours is plenty of time to do work... your just sitting in a seat! But all the errands and running around prior to leaving the United States caught up with me. I just slept.

When we landed in Bangkok it was 12:30 p.m. We were an hour early. The school was sending a driver to pick us up and take us to Pattaya. It is about an hour and a half drive from the airport.

Stepping off the plane, you are consumed with hot air. It is incomparable to anything I have ever experienced before. It takes your breath away. It took a while for my lungs to process that it was air I was breathing in!

The airport was a bit empty. I contribute this to the protests currently happening in Thailand. The red shirts revolt! On the plane, there was school group from Colorado who was suppose to have a volunteer trip to Thailand, but had to divert to Cambodia because of the political unrest. Easily put, they were disappointed. I wouldn't want to go to Cambodia either :) You might fall in a mass grave!

I had to take a moment to fill out paper work before we proceeded through immigration. I acquired an Immigrant - B Visa. I am allowed to stay 3 months in Thailand. Once working in Thailand, I can apply for a Work Permit. Without the permit, I would not be able to work legally in the country or I would have to do Visa runs to other countries every 3 months. Not Fun!! No problems getting through Immigration. They do take your picture when you enter Thailand.

I know they are common in Thailand and other countries, but something about the term "Visa Run" sounds shady to me. It sounds like a criminal offense... Though I know it is not. In fact, two of my fellow teachers at the school just got back from a Visa run. I also live down the street from a company that specializes in Visa runs.

Ad in Baht Bus

Seeing our luggage come around the carousel was a relief. I think everyone who has experienced lost luggage knows the excitement of seeing your bags arrive at your destination! It's nice that international flights do not charge fees for bags. Like the good ole' days in America, you are allowed two bags. Since I plan of doing some backpacking, I wanted to pack light. I had my backpack stuffed with clothes and shoes, and another "throwaway" bag packed with things I do not intend to bring back to the States with me. It also had all kinds of knick knacks for the children. I was quiet proud of myself... the bag was from goodwill and only cost 10 dollars!!!!

I was told to meet our driver at door 3. He would be holding a sign with my name and  picture. I was excited by this idea. In America, if someone is holding a sign with your name it means you are someone special.

I have never seen so many signs in my life! There was tons of people holding signs. I didn't feel special anymore :(

Unfortunately, the flight was early. I found a cozy spot on the floor next to door 3 so I could see incoming sign holders. Brian and I took turns walking around looking for our sign. We also took this opportunity to spend our first Baht. Brian bought a delicious Green Tea drink and what we call in Hawaii, Manapua. No idea what the proper Thai name is. I set off and bought some spring rolls.

After some time had passed and Brian was doing his rounds looking for our sign, He came back with the cutest little Thai man. Indeed, he was caring a sign that said my name. However, he only had a picture of me. So when Brian approached him, he could only be convinced that it was the correct party if he saw me. This little fact makes me laugh, as Brian was not amused that again I held the cards in my hand :)

It took a while on an elevator to find the correct floor. We went up and down and up again. Eventually, we made it to the taxi. We loaded the bags and got in. Thank goodness the AC still lingered in the car!

As we left the airport, gold adorned statues lead the way out. In Thailand, they do drive on the opposite side of the road compared to America. Our driver did not talk much. His English was minimal, but at least he keep the AC cranked up!

There isn't much to see between the Airport and Pattaya. Just the random shacks that adorne the sides of the roads that offer fruit.

At one point we got pulled over by the police. Needless to say our driver was speeding, but there really isn't any signs posted with a speed limit. The police in Thailand walk carelessly into the middle of traffic and signal you with their hand to pull over. This is the normal way to be pulled over. The policeman did this to several vehicles. As we waited our turn to speak to the second officer, Brian and I watched as the other officer kept walking nonchalantly into the middle of the freeway to pull people over.

The driver exchanged a few words with the officer and had a couple laughs. Then we were on our way.

We arrived at our school. It is safely tucked away behind a couple buildings on Sukhumvit Rd - The main road between Bangkok and Pattaya. We were greeted by Ooie. She works in the office at the school. Her and the principal both have apartments at the school. We put our bags in her house and paid the driver. It cost 1,000 baht or roughly $30.00 for the hour and a half ride.

We then were taken to the main office. We waited outside on one of the many picnic tables for the Principal, May. There was tons of construction happening. There must have been around 50 workers. Half were working on installing the pool, and the others were pouring concrete. This was 2 days before school would start.

May personifies Thailand's motto of the, "Land of Smiles." She is Thai, but is originally from Chiang Mai so her features look a bit more Chinese. She can speak 5 languages, and her English is very good. Her and her husband, Eric, started the school a couple years ago. They went from having 2 students to having around 400 hundred students. Eric learned English 3 years ago and he is quiet good as well.

We were given a tour of the school. Needless to say, the idea of "showing face," in Thailand was achieved! The school was much better than I expected. The classrooms are well stocked and have good layouts. There is a dance studio and ballet studio upstairs of the main building. This is the builiding where Brian's class will be. Across the newly paved playground area is another building. This is where preschool and most of the Kindergarten classes are held. My class is upstairs in this building. Connected to this building is the cafeteria and school store.

My class is upstairs in this building. From the stairs on the left, my class is through one of those windows!

The clearing is where the children do their morning activities while the Farang stand outside in the Heat!

Upstairs play area.

May insisted we retire to our temporary apartment. She wanted us to rest. We didn't argue. We were tired!

It was right around the corner from the school at a place called the Cold Rock. Nice enough place... had a western style bathroom, bed, TV, and AC!

Why we teach!

We were too excited to stay indoors. We walked down the street to the beach. It was about a 15 minute walk. It felt longer because of the heat. Seeing the ocean made it worthwhile.

There were tons of umbrellas and chairs that lined the beach. There isn't really alot of sand in Jomtien. More like a patch of sand then the water. We walked down a little ways and decided to eat. I had Pad Thai. It was very good. The presentation in Thailand of this dish is to blanket the noodles in an egg canopy.

After a long journey, our first Thai sunset.

We walked back to our apartment and stopped by a 7-11 for the essentials, water and local candy.