Emotional Roller-Coaster

I had trouble waking up this morning because I felt drained from all the transitions and starting a new job. Everything feels a little overwhelming and I wasn’t looking forward to the twenty minute (scary) motor scooter ride. Additionally, I’m not eating breakfast because my stomach can’t handle the types of food that Thai’s traditionally eat in the morning. Their breakfast is pretty much the same food as one would eat for lunch or dinner.

I don’t feel sad or depressed, it’s just the transition stretches all parts of me physically, emotionally, and spiritually. Further, even though the motor scooter ride is exhilarating, they don’t provide helmets so I don’t feel safe at all. I made it to school all in one piece, had my morning coffee, and felt a lot better. I made a short lesson plan that involved listening to American music, playing a Tic Tac Toe game that included naming a job or vacation spot and then using that word in a sentence using past, present or future tense.

Classes went well and I’m getting used to the excessive sweating that occurs when I teach. During lunch, I played soccer with some of the boys and they accepted me into their game. I really want to find a way to integrate myself into the community. I think back to my experience in Hua Hin at the temple and definitely want to pursue that this coming weekend. After school, I met with the head teacher who walked me around the neighborhood and showed me where to eat and not to eat. We ended up eating (I ate shrimp fried rice, chicken and mushroom dish in a garlic sauce and morning glory-garlic, soy and a mixture of green vegetables) at an open-air restaurant and the owners spoke a little English. I was surprised at the amount of people out in the street. It was a vibrant scene that was filled with odd smells, noises, and sights. The canals running throughout the town (Rangsit) that I am in have a sewer type smell emanating from them and the fish are constantly hitting the surface in pursuit of the mosquitoes that are everywhere. I asked the head teacher if the fish that was cooked in the markets and stalls was from the canal and she said, “No.” I’m not sure if this is true because I see people fishing in the canal all the time.

Mostly what I learned about the community is that I am in a truly Thai area and I need to be aware that some of the Thai restaurants or businesses will not speak English and may ignore me. If that happens, I should move on to the next spot and identify those people that interact with foreigners because there are not many foreigners in this area of the city. I walked back to my apartment and laid on my bed hoping to watch a movie on Amazon prime. I ended up falling asleep because I was so tired!