Bangkok is...

view from my first apartment

I know it may seem as if I have disappeared into Thailand... in fact, the Big Mango (Bangkok) does have a certain absorbant effect (this is actually pretty necessary during the rainy season to minimize flooding). I feel like I've been on a moving sidewalk (or possibly one of the escalators I ride everyday)... not really rushing or speeding, but also not stopping. I've been here two months and I still feel like I'm in the process of settling in. One of the lessons I teach is "What's it like?" in which I ask students, "What's Bangkok like?" I think the students' answers may provide some insight into my experience here thus far.

"Bangkok is traffic jam." -Not grammatically correct perhaps, but telling nonetheless. This city of around 10 million people is unbelievably busy. It is difficult to walk down the uneven sidewalk due to both the sheer number of people and the mass of street stalls piled on top of each other that they stop to shop at. Traffic really is horrible, so I stick to the Skytrain and motorbike taxis (By now, I've become a pro at riding side-sadle in a skirt. I even rode with another passenger recently for the first time- only for a short distance!)

"Bangkok is hot." -The weather here ranges usually ranges from hot to inferno. Now that the rainy season has tapered off into "winter" the climate has become milder, though by no means could it be described as cool. Breezes are a blessing that merits much appreciation, and I have ducked into a convenience store on more than one occassion just to get some relief (7-11 always feels like a refridgerator). Unfortunately the combination of heat, humidity, and pollution is not my preferred consistency of air. Funky smells are preserved and waft out of unexpected places as I pass by, and mold grows rapidly in my bathroom and kitchen. At least I never have to question the temperature of the pool at my condo- I can just jump right in, being assured of the refreshing effect of the water.

Giant photo of a past king in the mall

"Bangkok is modern." -I work in the heart of downtown, on the 16th floor of Siam Tower, which has a 360 degree view of the city. Our language school is surrounded by no less than 5 multi-story malls. I hop off the Skytrain and walk right through one of them to get to the school. The school I worked at before my transfer was actually inside a mall! My new apartment is a condo with a pool, internet, and entertainment system. I really love my comfortable little oasis in the midst of all the chaos.

There seems to be something for everyone in this city, especially in the way of nighttime entertainment. I can add to my checklist salsa-dancing at a 5-star hotel, wine-tasting at a restaurant with it's own private lake in the middle of the city, drinking tea under a tent in a garden at a Middle Eastern spa, various rooftop pool parties, company Halloween party at an amusement park, several hi-so parties sponsored by different liquor companies, and eating at countless restaurants with mind-blowing menus (new favorite cuisine: Burmese). Many of these things were free or cheap as well!

"Bangkok is convenient." -Any need or want can be easily fulfilled here in Bangkok. There is street food available practically 24 hours a day, there is a 7-11 every few blocks, grocery and superstores compete for the lowest prices, the Skytrain and subway manage to cover most of the city with buses, taxis, and motorbikes making up for the in-between, pirated DVDs are sold on every corner, international restaurants can be found everywhere, including McDonald's, which delivers (!?), public or private transport can take you out of the city to beaches or forests within a few hours, English-speakers are abundant in certain areas, and the airport is close and even connected to downtown by another line of the Skytrain! The only danger here is becoming spoiled by the instant-gratification, or if you are foreigner, sometimes being treated like a D-list celebrity (friends and I were put on the red carpet at a Grey Goose event). 

Restrictions on the subway

"Bangkok is confusing." -The second day I was in the city, I went to a salon in the mall I first worked in. I explained that I wanted my hair black, even pointed to a black swatch, and somehow it turned out blond! That was a low moment for me, because I had no one I could call in that moment (seriously, how have I become so paranoid about my hair?), but it was easily changed back. Another night, I was in the car with some Thai women from work, but the driver was not used to going downtown. We missed our turn and it took us an hour to do a loop, owing to so much traffic. We later joked that we had actually driven out of the city to the beach that night. 

"Bangkok is nice." -I enjoy my students. They are respectful and fun and I enjoy spending time with them. The challenge will be to get to know them better, because the school functions like a language machine- input English, test, send down the line. They really do receive quality instruction, so I am happy about that, but I would like to see the same students more frequently. While this is not "traditional" teaching, it has already helped me realize that I'm really looking forward to future opportunities when I can truly commune with students. The other teachers here immediately merged me into their family, no questions asked. They are extremely friendly and interesting people who I enjoy spending time with. There are even two other teachers from Wisconsin! I am hoping that having friends around will make not being able to be home for the holidays more bearable.I'm quite happy with my home away from home!

Back to Bangkok + trip to Khao Yai National Park

I had a very interesting first week getting settled in here. I had been told to be here by Sept 4 in order to start training on Sept 6, so Monday morning I was all prepared to go. After a long commute on foot, subway and skytrain (made longer by getting turned around frequently), I arrived at the head office. As it turns out, my orientation was little more than a powerpoint presentation, and then they sent me home because the director of my branch was not able to come meet me as planned. "Oh and we don't have anything for you for Tuesday so just go in to your center on Wednesday."

Another day of unpacking and then I did it all over again to reach my center. I met the manager and observed some classes, after which I was again told there was no training for me to do... until the following Monday! The other news that was dropped on me was that I would actually be working at a different center for the first month! That center was short one teacher so I would be helping out there until they could bring in a replacement in October. The only good things about this was that it was closer to the apartment I had been put in (which otherwise was a very random location) and that I had met the teachers there on Tuesday just because I happened to stop by. Needless to say I felt quite frustrated on my ride home that day. I decided that to reduce boredom and anxiety, and also because it would probably be my last chance to get out of the city for awhile, I decided to go to Khao Yai National Park.

The public bus to get there took only just over two hours (a time period I now consider short for transportation). My guest house sent a shuttle to pick me up at the bus station- a deal I got for purchasing a trek. I settled in and went to sleep very early, owing to the last remnants of jet-lag and the fact that I needed to be up early the next morning. At 7am I was ready to go, jumped in the truck with a few other trekkers, laced up our leech socks (a necessary precaution during the rainy season), and we were off. Our guide had grown up in the town near Khao Yai and knew exactly where to look for animals. As we wound through the dense forest and attempted to avoid slipping in the mud (fail!), we came across spiders, scorpions, and giant millipedes. We almost ran right into a venomous green snake that was luckily pretty groggy, due to being noctural, and not to mention busy digesting the previous evening's meal. Suddenly, we heard a sound overhead like a fleet of helicopters rushing in- it was actually the beating of the powerful wings of one of the species of hornbill native to the park. Later we heard hooting ricochetting off the trees and followed it to find a family of gibbons using their long arms and legs to swim through the highest layer of the leafy canopy.

Even though we didn't see any elephants, the excursion was memorable, and best of all... just what I needed for relaxing. I befriended a family from Pennsylvania and exchanged travel stories and jokes with them the entire time. We swam under a massive waterfall, just out of sight of a sign that may or may not (but definitely did) say "No Swimming". I ran into a ballet of blue butterflies at the park where we ate lunch and filmed them as monkeys looked on in lust after our food. We walked down a paved path that ended in 23849890741 stairs (it was a lot ok!) to see another waterfall, and then had to hike all the way back up... taking frequent breaks, of course. I was exhausted by the end of the day but felt amazing- I had gotten to breathe fresh air, exercise in multiple ways (hiking, swimming, climbing trees and... does involuntary mud-sliding count?) and have good conversation with real live human beings for practically the first time since I had landed (that's what I get for not understanding Thai yet). AND my leech removing skills (grabbing them, rolling into a ball and flicking them away) apparently reached a professional level- I was one of the only trekkers who didn't get bit! More getaways necessary- pronto!