Thailand is not Your Job

During the week, I wake up at 7:30 and just like I did throughout high school and college, I hit the snooze button. The first week, I did so confusedly. My alarm clock is a phone. The first sight upon sitting up is a 12-story drop onto the streets of Bangkok. I shower, shave, and get dressed all the same. The actions are all familiar, however They all feel revitalized. New. The air tastes different, yet welcoming. It's a pleasure to wake up early when your views are new.
More...Before taking the elevator ride to work, I walk to one of the several local coffee stands and order my favorite: cappuccino yen won nit noi (iced cappuccino, little sweet). It costs a dollar and is nothing like home. It is sweetened with condensed milk and made a cappuccino because of the name of the beans used. Just in case you're a respectable barista, I know there is no such thing as an iced cappuccino.

Work starts at 8:30 a.m. and it's many things. It's a cramped room previously used for storage, still marked by lingering filing boxes and stacks of forgotten documents. It's a reminder of the developing autumn of the northwest; one of my co-workers wears a jacket and must have the air conditioner at 20 degrees Celsius. I'd tell him to take off his coat if he's hot, but he understands English as well as I understand Thai. That, and it would be kind of rude. No one else in the room is complaining that it's cold. I wear a coat now.

It's a series of rooms on the 5th floor of the A building on the campus of Assumption University. I have always wondered, 'Why "Assumption?"'. The only explanation I've heard was, "Assumption? Man, catholic schools are weird." Work is a polling service paid for by government and private companies located and supported by the university. Most of all, it is the most unfamiliar part of my day: a 9-10 hour day of reading the news, lesson planning, teaching English, and editing surveys, memos, and website texts translated into English from Thai. It's learning the Thai language and culture and way of life.

Food is abundant and cheap. Everyday I eat lunch and dinner prepared for me by locals. It's cheaper to eat out than to buy groceries. To get authentic Thai food, all I have to do is walk outside the campus. Food vendors and restaurants line almost every street, and are prolific around the campus. They are ran out of shacks, houses, carts, buildings, cars, and pockets. Lunch costs a dollar. The freshly sliced fruit afterward (usually pineapple and watermelon) costs 80 cents. I tried eating somewhere different everyday, but I realized last week I have more than nine months to eat at different places, I don't need to be in any rush. Now I order food and fruit from the same places and bring it back to the office. It's nice to eat in quiet solitude once in awhile. Usually, when I eat with co-workers, the conversations are all in Thai, which I'm trying to learn, but with patience. I find myself focusing on patience more than anything. I'm learning a new way of life takes time.

After work, I go back to my room and relax, reflecting on the day and how it'll repeat the next day. I pine for the trips to the southern coast in October and December. I study, read, and watch TV just like I did when I was in the states. By saving money, I hope to explore and see more.

Weekends mean one thing without fail: badminton. It's popularity is something like going to bars for office workers in the states for the staff of the office. Usually twice a weekend I play badminton with five others and I'm getting damn good. I still lose the most, I think, but I am starting to win more. This last Saturday, we played for three hours and on Sunday for two. By the end, my shirt is drenched with sweat and I can wring it out of my headband. I've lost three pounds, one a week. Hopefully I'm still existing by the end.

I know this isn't what you expected. You expected adventure and details. You expected excitement and intrigue. Trust me, it will come. I just wanted to get a foundation established so I can build detail on top. Now that I've bought the canvas with these words, I'll paint you a picture with my continuations.