The first 8 days

Ohhhh where to start...

I have now been in Thailand for 8 days but I have been away from home and everyone I love for 11 days, and it feels like a freaking month! The last week or so has been a blur of orientation: meetings, Thai lessons, classroom lessons and cultural etiquette. It has been insane, but I cannot begin to count the blessings that I have been given in terms of people I have met. Everyone in our orientation group were amazing; sure there were different friendships and group dynamics, but all in all it was filled with lively beautiful people, who just like me are searching for some adventure.
Everyone talks about Thailand like it is some amazing place, and it is one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen, but it is also very bleak in some places as well. We went to Khao San Road in Bangkok, and it was a sensory overload. You walk down this one strip of bars, all playing western music with all white tourists and Thai vendor stands and all you can think is "Holy S*** it is so hot" and "wow I didn't know there were so many white people in Thailand." There are stands for fresh fruit (which is amazzzzinnnggg), clothes for the gaucho elephant pants, which I broke down and bought, but not with elephants but sea shells ( I couldn't be that much of a tourist). The road was filled will all different smells and critters to eat. I ate a scorpion, which really wasn't that bad, just like an extra extra super crunchy kettle chip. So not great, but definitely worth trying once! "When in Rome" I guess! Most of you might be wondering how this ties in to the bleak part of Thailand, and I will tell you. Many of you joked or were serious in the warning "Don't get sold into sex slavery." Ha real fully and back at home we laughed and joked about me being the next star of Taken, but here it is not really that funny, or funny at all. There were young girls lining these streets and guys with signs saying "Pussy Ping Pong Show." While I am tempted to see it because it is a staple in Thailand, the part of me that was raised by my slightly feminist mother screams not too. Most of the guys that went to see it came out saying it was interesting but they would never go see one again, and that they would never want to see their girlfriends or wives try the activities that were done. I will let you make your own judgement call on the shows, because like I said, I am torn, but even threw that it just seems very disturbing knowing that is going on so close to where I live.
Speaking of living, I have finally moved into my new apartment and I will be honest, the first moment I saw the city I was living and the apartment I would be spending the next 5 months in I sat on my bed (which feels like sleeping on a dirt packed floor with a sleeping bag when I used to go camping) and cried for a good 5 minutes. I know I do cry occasionally, but I will deny it if you say anything!!!! It is not anything like I expected and it threw me for a loop, but I took a shower, in my bathroom that is conjoined with my shower with a shower head that feels like I am being stung by needles and it gave me a better perspective on how grateful I should be. Somehow I will need to figure out how to take a shower without soaking my toilet paper, which is not a feat I have accomplished yet, as I went to use the bathroom last night after my shower and it was soggy. If you don't know that feeling, it is GROSS! I got a plant for my room and unpacked which has made my room come to life a little bit, and we are going to Kho Samet, which is a beach island! SO STOKED FOR THAT! We have two days off and you can bet your butt I will have mine plopped in the sand or swimming in the ocean for the entirety of those 2 days. Unless of course I decide to go eat at a local seafood restaurant or need to purchase a new frozen beverage of some kind. The point of this blog is to basically tell you and myself that Thailand is great, but different than I expected and even though I have done some amazing things and met wonderful people there is still things that I have to see and do before I leave. First and foremost, teaching. My school seems wonderful and the classes will be great I believe. The students (who I will start teaching in 10 days or so) are in the business side of the vocational school and have very low levels of English, but I have been told I will love every minute. As excited as I am to talk about the school and the students, I feel as if I should wait a bit because, just like everything else in this trip, I am sure it will be nothing like I expect and at some point there will be a huge curve ball thrown in.

All in all, I am in freaking Thailand and it can't get much better than adventuring!!