One week in...

Greetings friends!

I’ve now been in Bangkok for one week and two days now. How time flies, yes?

And what a city. I can’t think of any city I’ve spent time in that compares in effect to Bangkok. It’s a world of a city; just eight million people but all of them living amongst a sea of skyscrapers spread in every direction, reaching into apparent infinitude. Between all the skyscrapers is everything really: neighborhoods, used car parts stores, high-end shopping centers, 7-11s, temples, shacks, packs of dogs, monks, silk-screen shops, salons and street vendors, and so, so many people.

For the most part, I’ve been busy with orientation. Every morning our conspicuous little flock of American girls walks through the streets of waking Bangkok to Chulalongkorn University for training. Your tax dollars are treating us to a speedy but rigorous education in Thai culture, language, economics, history, politics and education policy, as well a primer in being an educator and in teaching English to speakers of another language. We spend our days absorbing all of this information as presented by a panoply of Thai government officials, American diplomats, and university professors. It’s the next best thing to happen to me since school ended. It does make me aware of how unqualified I am to teach, and especially to teach English (our lecturer today asked how we would explain the past subjunctive tense…), but I’m here so I suppose that’s really a moot point.

I spent the weekend industriously touristing. Within about thirty-six hours we visited Chinatown, shopped in a gigantic and packed market in north Bangkok, took a boat up the main river, visited several Wats and a Golden Mount, went to a bar dripping with farangs (foreigners), and trekked many miles for an American style Sunday brunch. The only part of the weekend worth writing home about was our Friday night visit to an exclusive club for Bangkok’s rich and fabulous (“hi-so,” if you will). A chance invitation landed us in the company of fashionable and glamorous Thais, including not just a senator but also the son of a publishing magnate, as well as German-Korean model. We stuck out like sore, unfashionable thumbs.

I’ve put up some pictures if you’re interested. I’m off to orientation now. I take an oath that my future entries will be more interesting. Please take care. And do send me e-mails? You’re not the only one who is bored by the fact that I only talk about myself in these entries.

Yours,
Rebecca