New Friends New City
When I think about orientation I revert directly back to moments of my first day of college and high school, feeling completely overwhelmed and excited and completely exhausted. Well orientation in Bangkok was a bit like that but about 20 times more exaggerated. Not only have we traveled halfway across the world, but we are thrown into a huge hotel with 225 other teachers that are complete strangers and given a class load of adjustment and educational forums to attend. After stumbling upon a group of fellow travelers and teachers in the airport, we were taken by van to our hotel known as the Royal River hotel. By hotel standards in Thailand, this hotel is extremely nice. Its almost a fake life of luxury before we are placed at our schools, a future that was in most cases extremely daunting for most of us. In the first 8 hours of being in Thailand, I had to deactivate my phone in order to activate it with a Thai SIM card, help a new friend with a stolen wallet by visiting an ATM to give her money and then navigate the streets of Bangkok looking for food not knowing how to order the food and pointing at something that was presentable enough to scoff down. Yeah it was incredibly overwhelming. I forgot what time it was and did my best not to fall asleep at 5:30pm meaning that I need to keep myself awake. Overstimulation is a sensation that is incomparable to the rest. Essentially every single sense you have is acting at full speed absorbing the entire environment around you and your brain is about 5 steps behind, almost shutting down. You cannot process anything and your body turns into a robot where the most necessary sensations need to be met, food, sleep, and sometimes a fetal position embrace is the only way to help yourself overcome this feeling. This is how I felt for the first three days of orientation. I must say however, some of the people I met at the very beginning are still my very very close friends. For this I feel extremely lucky.
A day in Orientation went like this, wake up at 5 am and stare at the ceiling because of the 12 hours jetlag transition, make our way down to breakfast between 6-8, and then separate into randomly assorted groups for Teaching lessons, Thai Lessons and other important forums such as health and safety regulations and culture and lifestyle discussions to prepare us for the massive transition of moving across the world. May I just take a moment and thank OEG for the extraordinary job they did organizing and informing us students of the culture shock we were soon to endure. I can honestly say although I felt as though I was being herded like a field of cattle for the first 5 days we entered Thailand. I actually felt as though I was beginning to fully process and comprehend the change that I was confronting. The Coordinators were amazing, so informative and extremely helpful. (Shout out to you Kelly Carpenter!) I am forever grateful for the opportunity to meet all of the amazing people in our program who moved across the world just as I had. Most teachers running orientation had been here for up to 6 months to a Year and not one of them didn't absolutely love their experience. Also, another shout out to Kerry Plath, the one the only, representative of CIEE who was in charge of all 225 teachers applications, visa processes, and most of all, our panicking selves. This lady is a champ and also one of the coolest people I have met. I am so very lucky for people like in my life that understand how to take on visa and panick attack crises modes on the daily for MONTHS before moving across the world. Honestly, you rock Kerry, and you were like a famous rockstar at orientation because everyone knew who you were and when you would walk by people would whisper there she is! Omg she must hate me... haha but you turned out to be wicked cool (yes I say wicked) its a curse. Thank you Kerry for everything.
'Mai Pen Rai'
Needless to say, throughout this chaotic first week of classes, consulate forums and other informative sessions, OEG paid for us to go to the grand palace. Now, I had been at the Grand Palace when I was 14, something that I had the amazing privilege of doing with parental unit. My brother and I were so taken back by the magic of the place and it is the very reason I decided to get back to Thailand. I had to. Something about this place was so amazing, the people I remember were so kind, the canal and floating markets were something out of a fairy tale and the lifestyle, laid back and easy. I remember being little having the worst culture shock ever, crying my eyes out, but really falling in love with travel and witnessing an entirely new world. Traveling is magical and you would only understand if you put yourself out there and sometimes allow yourself to be scared. Anyways tangent aside, I had the ability to visit the Grand palace again with my program. They split us into groups, paid for our entrance fee, and let us play in the palace for a morning. This was the last day we spent in Bangkok, and we were all so excited. I tried to take the same photo I had taken when I was a little girl, but that part of the palace was being renovated. Photos can be seen below. The museum in the palace had some of the queens clothing collections and the story of her and the recently passed King's relationship. This was unbelievably amazing. She was so freaking tiny but had the most gorgeous dresses. Alongside the traditional court clothing, this museum was definitely for the girls as most of the men int the program were out the other side of the museum in minutes waiting for us to finish. This place is breathtaking and if you haven't been, pay the money because it is worth the wait. The emerald buddha temple and the real gold flakes that decorate the entire insides of the palace walls are addicting to stare at. You quite literally can get lost in this place. And I did, with my camera and myself stumbling around staring so closely at the walls that people would only assume that there is something wrong with me. See pictures below for part of the effect but GO there. Seriously. Book your ticket now.
Last but not least, the night of, OEG planned a boat cruise for the entire orientation, complete with kareoke, a bar and a buffet. Needless to say we were rock stars, screaming our heads off on a boat gliding down the river in central Bangkok. Forgetting that this was Halloween night, we scrambled off the boat to Khao San road immediately thereafter. Khao San is one of the most energetic streets in Thailand, full of tourists, bars, clubs and from what we found out, face painting. 5 hours later I found myself, face painted like a zombie bartering with a taxi driver to take me home 7/11 in hand with my roomate Shawnda. Bangkok had gotten the best of us, and I had never been happier about it. Until the morning, when I had to get up 3 hours later, wash my face, pack to leave the city and present to a group of children after a teaching competition that my friends and I had won earlier that week. Either way we killed the presentation, and felt 100 million times better about teaching in Thailand. The children were a group of 7th grade boys, shy and sweet and extremely bright. They worked with us on emotions, and I immediately knew I would never regret my decision to move across the world.
Take pleasure in my pictures of our week in Bangkok.
xx Samantha Jane
Boat Cruise and Khao San
Grand Palace, Bangkok
Boat Cruise and Khao San
Traditional Welcome Ceremony
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