Mai Bpen Rai

Currently, I’m in a resort in Sukhothai that is quite far away from anything. I just walked out the door to explore, took a left, almost had a pick-up truck back into me, turned around to grab a Chang and Cup Noodles from 7/11 and came right back.

I think it’s a night for chilling. In the space of three days I’ve graduated, said goodbye to my TESOL family, traveled by bus for nearly 14 hours, seen my school, met my school director and co-teachers, chosen my apartment (I’m moving in tomorrow! So enthusiastic to not live entirely out of a suitcase for a while) and received the assignment to write and direct a Christmas pageant.

I have a bit of sensory overload, so it’s important to know when I need to chill. Even though it’s Saturday, I spent most of today at the school speaking with the director and looking at lessons/arranging some logistics of my time here. For example, she informed me that I’m going to travel to Laos for a Visa run in January and that I’ll spend my first month planning/directing the Christmas pageant, which will be televised on Channel 3.

This morning I was picked up by my co-teacher on her motorbike. She is Thai, and we communicated mostly through a translator app. Throughout the day she seemed very concerned with whether I was hungry, and a few times brought me Pocky and little hot dogs on a stick. I also met another co-teacher who is from the Philippines, and speaks English fluently.

The school genuinely seems to be right up my alley. It’s a Kindergarten with non-traditional methods; they incorporate meditation, tae kwon do, art, gardening, lessons on sustainability, music, and so on. I clicked right away with the school director, who seems to be a figure of influence in the community, which I learned when she easily found me an apartment and said she’d have someone bring me a motorbike (yeah, that’s happening). She is very open and made me feel like I was welcome instantly.

She ordered us lunch, I had pad see ew, and they seemed to get a kick out of how many chilis I added… I suppose it is kind of funny to see a “farang” who likes spicy food.

On that same train of thought, as a foreigner, I get treated a lot differently here than I did in Hua Hin. Because Hua Hin is more touristy, it’s not uncommon to see a white person. In Sukhothai, even though I haven’t even been here a full day, I’ve gotten a lot of stares, heard a lot more use of the term “farang”, and even had a few random people taking pictures of me.

I haven’t seen the Old City yet, but just driving through the city center with my director was exciting. She pointed out each Soi (small street) that came alive with markets at night, and it was very promising. There is a lot here to explore.

My apartment is behind a sliding fence and is double pad-locked. It’s spacious, and I am so excited to fill it with plants and decorate. Once I’ve moved in and unpacked, I will post photos. It’s also located much more centrally which I am excited about.

Although I’m rebuilding from scratch yet again, the Thais say it best: “mai bpen rai”. No worries! I am completely surrendering to the change that is all around me, and choosing to be present with each and every moment.