First Two Days a Whirlwind in Thailand

So I arrived very late (and technically the early morning) of January 8 to Bangkok. The next morning at 10 am I met two staff members from OEG (which is the Thailand partner to Greenheart). They were really awesome people. Their names were Phillip and Sara. They both taught for a year in Thailand at the schools through OEG and then ended up staying there. Phillip for 10 years and Sara for 2. . . I do not think I will be doing that! But, they were really nice to talk to and we walked about 20 minutes to their office building, stopping for the most delicious smoothie ever on the way. It was mango and kiwi and it cost about a dollar. So then I went through an orientation from about 11 to 4:30. The last session was a crash course in Thai language and I remember absolutely none of it. By the end I was so exhausted I could hardly function. So I went back to my hotel and slept/remained in bed for the next 13 hours.

Which brings me to today: Today, I met with someone else from the OEG office who I had met yesterday, named Fernn. She is Thai and also awesome! She took me to the Grand Palace and the Reclining Buddha. She feed me tons and tons of delicious food (all of which I can’t remember except a basil and pork dish, Thai style omelet, and a fresh cracked open coconut to wash it all down). Along with having me try lots of different types of food, I also got to experience all the different modes of transportation Bangkok has to offer. This includes: a taxi, a tuk tuk, a long boat, the sky train, and a motorcycle taxi. The motorcycle taxi was by far the scariest, but also the shortest. It was so much fun! And then. . .

I got to meet my host family! Tun (the mother) came to pick me up from the OEG office and thank goodness her English is quite good! The 20 minute drive back to her house took over an hour because of traffic, but it was nice to talk to her and get to know her. Then I was given a grand welcome once we arrived at her house by her great grand mother, mother in law, father in law, neighbors, and adorable daughter, Boki. OEG had been telling me that they would treat me like family and care for me very well and I can already tell that is the case. I am so excited for what is yet to come, but am going to enjoy every minute as it comes.

I learned a Thai phrase that I think I will live by for the next two months. Mai pen rai. Which is most often used as a response to “thank you” as in “you’re welcome”, but it also means sort of the equivalent of hakuna matata, or don’t worry about what you can’t change. I am just going to make the most of this trip and do my best with whatever comes my way! I love and miss you all!

Also, pictures to come soon.