What a weekend! I moved to Chachoengsao at the beginning of the week to teach at a new school. Originally, I was placed in Nonthaburi to teach high school science. Funny story – I do not have any qualifications to teach science. It wasn’t conversational science either (is science ever conversational? I HAVE NO IDEA! I don’t understand the subject at all!). I took one science class in college. I was a senior in a freshman chemistry class. If that helps you understand how little I actually know about the subject. Anyway, it was obvious I was uncomfortable and I told the school that I felt I was not a good fit for who they needed as their foreign English teacher. It was a hard departure as I really liked my students, the school, and my Thai family. However, I knew it was not the right place for me. So, I moved! I’m going to be teaching first graders at a government school. Chachoengsao is a very quaint river town. It’s adorable and it felt like home right away. There are quite a few other western teachers at my school, too!
So, this week/weekend was all about sight-seeing my new home! I’ve created a video that you can watch highlights of the adventures. However, I feel that it is a disservice to the beauty of Thailand and the experience that I am actually having off camera. I simply cannot film the emotions and little moments that surprise me every day. All I can do is encourage you to step out of the tourist zone comforts that too many of us gravitate towards and experience the REAL culture of the countries you visit. I’ve learned more about myself and the Thai culture by stepping outside of my comfort zone and getting lost in a city where no one speaks English. A smile goes a long way and has opened up new comforts for me.
I’ve seen Wat Sothon, supposedly the largest Buddhist temple (if you believe Wikipedia), walked through the food market right outside, I’ve taken motortaxi rides when I swore I would die my first time on one, I’ve eaten some mysterious food that tasted better than anything you will EVER eat at a Thai restaurant in the US, and I took a van to Chon Buri to have a day at the beach. At the beach, everyone took pictures of Casey and I (another teacher at my school who I roomed with in Bangkok when we first arrived in Thailand). One little girl just stared at me and would pet my shoulder and hold my sunscreen. She was truly shocked to see someone Western at this beach. While we were laying out in the sun, everyone else was under dark, dark shade and wearing long shirts and pants and hats to hide themselves from the sun. We definitely looked like we were new to the area! Also, a group of women came up and had a mini photoshoot with us and then smacked our butts and said something in Thai… I hope it was a compliment 😉
Here is the video and a few pictures! Enjoy
