as usual i have forgotten the piece of paper that has my adddress and phone number on it, so i cannot post them here. i promise in the next few days i'll remember. i started learning Thai yesterday. it is rather difficult because of the tones and getting pronunciation correct based on an alphabet that does not correspond properly. it's still fun though. we learned how to barter in Thai today, and we practiced at the local market. i got a few things at price lower than advertised. go team! tomorrow is resturaunt day, and we will be able to order everything we need.
it's the long awaited update. i am in Pattaya. after 48 hours of traveling plus a twleve hour time change, i landed in Bangkok and saw my name on a sign with a friendly looking face behind it. Erinn, my advocate (she does stuff like pick me up, answer questions, show me around, set up interviews, give me tips about just about everything, and just generally be a friendly person) took me to a hotel where i slept for a few hours. saturday morning we walked around in Bangkok, went to the weekend market, rode the BTS (elevated train), had thai food, went to the airport a few times to pick up two of my class mates, and i took a nap. that night we headed to Pattaya, didn't get there until three AM because of airport troubles. after no sleep, the group, consisting of Rick (head hancho guy), his wife, their baby, Erinn, me, my classmates, Seth(been here for two years and knows the ropes and wanted a free trip), and four girls who are here for the summer program went to an island to have a day on the beach. YES DAD I WORE THE SPF 50 AND DID NOT GET BURNED WHATSOEVER. :) it was absolutly gorgeous! white sand, bath water temperature, and not that crowded. it was nice to relax, and now it's night and i'm really tired, so hopefully i'll sleep a normal amount tonight. tomorrow we start thai language training at 9am. we have that all week with a different topic every day. it's going to be nice because i don't like not even being able to say thank you in their language. then next week is the tefl training. and after that who knows! an intership for sure for awhile, but then a job, and these jobs come and go quickly. apparently there is a huge demand for english teachers here in thailand. good for me. i am living at a hotel for the next two weeks. it's nice, tile floors, air conditioning so cold, i get chilly at night. my classmates are a girl from boston, Alissa, and a guy from Sacramento, Mike. Alissa is cool, we talk a bit when we aren't fending off sleep. Mike is cool, too, but not my kind of person. but one can never tell! the culture here is so relaxed, and very much based around food. i either didn't notice, or have forgotten that. it's really astounding to me actually, given the size of the people. but granted, a lot of sweating goes on, so it's not as bad to eat.
i would type my address here, but i am not sure what it is, so i'll get to that tomorrow. and my phone number, too, in case anybody wanted to call. well i hope all of you are well and enjoying summer. bad news, NO waterskiing. poop. oh well. ok, i am going to chat with a guy who went to tech and maybe do some writing before i hopefully crash.
thank you all for the endless support.
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Friday, June 17, 2005
a week today and i'll be on a plane headed over the nation and then the ocean for my new home! i absolutely cannot wait. it has come fast, but can't come fast enough! i am trying to practice up on the waterskiing for hopes of making a connection with water skiing in Pattaya. i even tried to get up on dad's new ski, but was unsuccessful as the boots are so close together. oh well, it was still fun. my new shoes are awesome, but i had to return them for a bigger pair. doh. we are going to the wallace zoo tomorrow where the guy breeds large cats for zoos around the nation. it should be awesome! i'm off to have a coffee. ciao.
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Saturday, June 04, 2005
as i get closer to leaving, i get lose ends tied up. visa prepared, new shoes, more shots, etc. i am excited, though nervous about the weather. it's gonna be HOT! currently we, my parents and i, are trying to sneak in as much water skiing as possible. i am very sore at the moment from the first few attempts. :) smiles all around though. must go continue the search for shoes, something closed toe and very comfortable, but breathable as i am cursed with the bruno smelly feet! ciao.
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