Settling in to my new Life

As predicated, things are settling down somewhat, which is both good and bad. Good because I'm able to find my way around more easily; bad because things aren't as new anymore. There are some things I love so far---my apartment, teachers at school are really welcoming, exploring such a vast urban jungle, the prices of most things, the skytrain, the food--to name a few. There are also some things that aren't so great--the rooster that crows all day and wakes me up at 5am every morning, the pollution and geneal dirtiness of the city and it's streets, the poverty-stricken homeless and stray animals, the constant rain (it's the rainy season), the difficulty with communicating--to name a few.

I am finding that in general I feel it a bit daunting to go out, especially if I know I'm attempting something new like shopping at the grocery store when I know I'm not going to be able to read the packaging, and it's difficult to find things I am familiar enough with to eat, or when I know I'm going some place new and it's going to involve trying to communicate with people to ask directions.

Actually yesterday I was going to do this walking tour that's in my Travel Planet tourist book but when I saw that it would require the use of another form of mass transit than the skytrain (in other words, the subway system or ferry system of which I'm not yet familar) I decided against it and opted for the safer version of the weekend market which was only 1 stop away on the skytrain, but which I wasn't as interested in bc I knew I would go there with Melissa next weekend. I know I will get over this fear, and really it's not so much a fear, as it is just a daunting task that takes a lot out of me. There is so much I want to see and do, but it's very difficult when not speaking the language.

It's like I'm living in a small bubble, only staying in a safe, tiny little network of street and stores and transit - the places where I don't have to deal with trying to talk to people that don't understand me and vice versa. It's funny because I was always trying to impart the importance of learning about different cultures and peoples to my students, whom I felt many lived in small bubbles, not having seen much of the world themselves, and I genuinely wanted that for them because I know how mind-expanding it can be. If I remain trapped by my lack of understanding of the lanaguge, I will, in essence, become one of those kids trapped in a very small world. I refuse to allow my experiences here to remain small, so I must learn some Thai in order to expand my horizons and branch out! Ismail found a good online resource for me to use that repeats the phrases so I know how to pronounce. I am going to attempt to spend at least half an hour each day learning important phrases, like "How do I get to...", and such things. Right now all I know is the standard greeting: "Sawadee Kah" and the standard thank you: "Kawp-Kun-Kah", both of which I'm butchering as far as spelling!

Stay tuned for Thai language lessons! Pics Below: My first commute to the school
Picture #1: Smiling bc I got on the right bus to take me to Pathum Thani from my stop in Bangkok.
Picture #2: Frowning in the back of a cab bc I got off at the wrong stop and had to take a cab back to the right stop.
Picture #3: Smiling after I got dropped off at the school from a motocycle taxi.