Adapting to Thai Culture - Amanda

They tell you to prep for the culture shock and I was definitely not prepared.

~ the weather - I knew it was going to be hot but I feel like I'm walking through water constantly in this heat. I'm usually cranky in this heat and I'm doing everything I can to not let that get to me. Bring me 60 degree weather any day (apparently that's the coldest it can get)!

~ the restroom - So there are two types of toilets (Western and squat), luckily I've avoided using a squat one. Here's the thing, their sewage system is not able to handle toilet paper so if you choose to use it you must toss it into the garbage and not the toilet bowl. The other option is to use the badet hose. I'll admit I've tried it since arriving, I don't like feeling wet after going to the bathroom but I also don't want to have used tp in the garbage...one of those catch-22 situations. And being a menstrating female trying to figure this out isn't helpful either...tmi?

~ the smell - Honestly this was worse in Bangkok...just imagine walking past a pile of manure every 10 to 15 feet...ok that might be a bit of an exaggeration but that's what it felt like.

~ the trash - finding garbage bins is like searching for Waldo! I have no idea where to put my trash or when it gets picked up. You can't drink the water here so it's a bottle water haven...but I see no recycling at all! (Ben Gorman I'm losing it for you) I recycle back home and it's so hard for me not to...I feel wasteful. I have three empty water bottles sitting next to my desk right now because I don't know what to do with them.

~ the language barrier - I only know one word and I'm not even 100% sure what it means. This lack of communication makes it hard to order food, buy anything, or get directions. I'm well aware that this was going to be an issue and once in a while we're lucky and someone near by knows enough English to help us out.

~ the food - no complaints here so far! Almost everything I've tried so far has been wonderful. Today we got these little balls that reminded both of us of brats...13/10 would have again. At the hotel, they had toast, I know it's just toast but it tasted amazing.

~ the bowing - ok I get it, it's a cultural thing but I think it's weird. I'd rather they just wave and smile and move on.

~ the stray dogs - this is by far the saddest thing I've seen here, there are stray dogs just roaming the streets. They looks hot, tired, and thirsty...I feel ya buddy. And it doesn't help the missing of our pup.

~ the beauty of the country - Where is it? Seriously? Nong Khai reminds me a little bit of your average Midwestern town just with palm trees. The only 'interesting' thing in this city is apparently the Laos-Thailand Friendship Bridge ( a man made structure)...not what I'm here to see.

Not Prepared and Not Supportive - Genie

That's about as much praise as I can give MediaKids for my placement.

We're at PTK school in Nong Khai.

We're teaching M1, M2, and M3 students. Assume I just said 7th, 8th, and 9th graders.

Imagine this was your timeline:

Day 1-2: Traveling
Day 3-6: Orientation and Traveling to the city we're teaching in
Day 7: Teaching

Did you anywhere in there get a schedule of what you're supposed to be teaching? The correct books? A syllabus? Course outline? Background on the English levels of your students?

No.

Because MediaKids is radically unprepared.

For the past two days, I've been scrambling to create lesson plans. I've been taking pictures of my student's books when I'm in class with them and creating lessons for the next day at night.

Now for me, this is purely frustrating. I CAN write my own lessons. I CAN plan my own curriculum. I've been taught to do this. I went to college specifically to learn how to. However, my placement was changed from math to science.

How much high school biology, chemistry, and physics do you remember?

Now stand in a room with 30 students who barely have a grasp of the English language and improv a lesson on physics. Now run to another classroom. Improv a lesson in chemistry. Now run to another classroom and improv a biology class. Now run back to classroom number one and for no good reason, teach them something completely different about something in science - because they have "supplemental science" which is a different class than "science".

There's another guy in our group.

He teaches 'computers'.

We get paid the same.

We have the same "responsibilities".

He teaches 3 classes.

I teach 18.

Can you see why I have no eyelashes?

I can only imagine how this is for Amanda with no formal teacher training. At least she doesn't have to re-learn physics, right?

The nightmare is real.

The nightmare is MediaKids.

Pathumthepwittayakarn or Anubanchaiyaphum -Genie

Honest to god, those are the names of the schools I’m being asked to choose between - or my mother’s cat moved to Thailand, grabbed my phone, and sat on it. (It would definitely be Tiki.)

Two days ago, Amanda and I were asked to consider different contracts. After debating between our old and new contacts, we settled on the new one. Therefore, on Sunday we will be moving to Nong Khai City.

In reality, it was a super easy decision: better location (25km from the Laos capital), more money, and now we’re in the same school! It’s a brand new program within an international school. In the US, think of it as a new Gifted and Talented program for a foreign language. Amanda will still be teaching English - but now it’s going to be more advanced to prepare students for university studies. I will still be teaching Math and English, but now I will also be teaching Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Computers, and Health. And the best part: I get the equivalent of 10th-12th graders now!

However, by the time we got our new contracts, we had already been with our Chaiyaphum group for two days. Honestly, I haven’t met a single person from this group that I don’t like. We have yet to meet anyone from our new school. I’m nervous that they won’t be quite as spectacular as the Chaiyaphum group... but one way or another, we’re now headed very far north for a job that starts on Monday morning!

We Got Promoted? - Genie

Wow.

If you want to experience stress, I highly suggest doing the past two days of what Amanda and I have just been through. I officially have no eyelashes or eyebrows (sorry, Mom).

So we left off in Minneapolis where all seemed dandy. Our flight from MSP to San Francisco was perfectly fine - a little delayed which made our layover even less pleasant.

We finally arrived in San Fran about 25 minutes later than expected. Normally you'd celebrate this, right? Less of a layover? Well, we would have except that our next flight was on the other end of a different terminal, the train between terminals was broken, we had to re-check luggage, and go through security again. And now we had to do all of that in 52 minutes.

Arriving at the ticketing office, out of breath and chugging down our water bottles (can't bring water through security anywhere - there's a drought in California but sure, let's dump our nice, potable water down the drain), we finally get to the EVA Air check-in station. A very timid young lady did her best to help us and did... frankly a crap job. I'm almost certain it was her first day based on the people buzzing around her (I was doing my best Mandarin eavesdropping... it turns out I'm still "meh" at best. But it also turns out that "meh" is much better than nothing.) but that still does not excuse the phrase: "here's your boarding passes. You're going to be turned away by Bangkok immigration. Sign this paper so we not held responsible."

INSERT MASSIVE PANIC ATTACK.

Like. What do you do when you hear that?

Answer: you whip out your phone and email your school company with an all-caps headline. It turns out Leon (our MVP rep from MediaKids Academy) will email you back relatively quickly. But not quickly enough. We had to go through security, sign the forms stating if we were turned away, we would need to pay the full ticket price to get back, and boarded our flight.

Then had to make a calculated choice. In order to be guaranteed access to Thailand when we arrived on tourist visas, we needed to have proof we were leaving the country again. So we needed to book further tickets. However, since we were already in midair above the Pacific at that point, it wasn't really an option to whip out our phones and book something. (I am not rich enough to afford in-flight WiFi. If you are, please Venmo me some money or Paypay - I'm not choosy.)

After a very stressful flight  (so stressful that my 'when you're stressed all food makes you feel nauseated' senses kicked in), we landed in Taipei, Taiwan.

But I go too quickly. The flight was, in theory, pretty grand. We got 2 meals. They thought I was a vegetarian from India so my food was actually spectacular. There were piles of movies and an interactive map stating where we were and a bunch of statistics about the plane and where we were in relation to what was below us. Also, there were two planes leaving from the same company doing the same route but 10 minutes apart (thank god we were on the later one). So our flight was only about 1/2 full. This meant that Amanda and I got 3 seats instead of 2 and we got to spread out and relax a bit which was lovely on a 14 hour flight.

Also, at the beginning of our flight, I started waving into the camera of the lady who was sitting in front of us. We got to talking and it turns out that she used to live about 30 minutes from where Amanda and my contracts are. She was very cool and gave us her phone number in case anything bad happened in the next month. 14/10 these people are basically midwesterners.

Anyway. So we get off our flight (which was, wait for it, late) and head over to our next concourse. This was THE COOLEST AIRPORT. Like I wanted to wander around all day and just look at it. It had little stations that were all themed for the waiting terminals. Honestly I wish all airports were like this. Imagine if every terminal was a mini-museum for something. There was one for the history of the Chinese postal system. Another was for their water purification center - which you would think isn't interesting, but we've already covered that I'm a nerd.

We thought it safest at this point to buy tickets from Bangkok to the capital city of Laos. This way we would be guaranteed a way into the country - but we weren't guaranteed our money back when we cancelled the tickets.

The flight from Taiwan to Bangkok was delayed due to what the captain said was a: "mechanical failure" WHICH DOES NOT HELP ANXIETY. We knew before we left the ground in Taipei that we were going to miss our bus to the hotel.

That plane ride was 100% uneventful. We sat next to a guy named "Papa Steve". He was ... a 50 year old 'dude bro' who once knocked up his Thai girlfriend when he was a contractor here about 10 years ago and now he visits his daughter twice a year. He was an interesting fellow.

This plane ride, I was apparently not a vegetarian.

The normal people food was not as good.

Life hack: register as a democrat and a vegetarian.

So that plane landed, we got off, and began the freaking nightmare of an adventure through immigration.

First we headed through what felt like a maze of passageways following signs for "Immigration and Baggage". When the maze finally took a split between "Immigration and Baggage" and "Visa on Arrival", we went to "Visa on Arrival" (in the US, we lived too far from a Thai consulate to get a 60 day tourist visa and were informed we would need one when we got here.). We filled out the two page document, went to the photo center, got told by the lady at the photo center that we needed to go to immigration processing first, went to immigration processing, and promptly panicked. You needed 5 things to get in on a "Visa on Arrival".

1. Passport
2. Boarding Pass coming into the country
3. Boarding Pass leaving the country in no more than 15 days
4. The name, number, and address of someone in Thailand to vouch for us
5. 2500 bhat each (~75$)

We swallowed our nerves and walked up to the counter. I was very aware that we didn't have 3 and 4. I was getting ready to argue it with our boarding passes we booked in Taipei for 21 days from now. I even had the contact number of someone at the school screenshot in my phone if it came down to it.

But after waiting in line, the immigration officer took one look at my passport and said: "American? Oh no. Just go straight through."

WE DID ALL THAT PANICKING FOR NOTHING.

So we got to head right on over to immigration. We got through that in about 15 minutes, grabbed our luggage, and were disastrously late for our bus. Thankfully there was one more bus to go out today and boy oh boy am I glad we were on it.

We met some lovely humans today. First it was Fern and Penny from MediaKids. Then it was Bianca from Toronto. Then Rachel from Orlando, Sarah from Dallas (formerly Iowa but wearing an Idaho shirt), and Ashley from California. Bianca, Rachel, Amanda, and I got to sit around for 2 hours waiting for Sarah and Ashley's flight to come in and in that time, there wasn't a silent moment. They were super fun.

When Sarah and Rachel did arrive, we boarded a van and took off for our hotel.

This place is gorgeous in a very "American Horror Story: Hotel" sort of way. I'll definitely be taking pictures to post later.

We got all checked in, got our super attractive uniforms, new SIM cards for our phones, and then were taken aside by Leon (mentioned above MVP) and Dana.

Now. If you've just moved to a foreign country and two people who are essentially your bosses pull you aside with the phrase: "we need to talk", what do you do?

Guys, you know me by now.

You panic.

You think of everything that could be wrong: visa problems, job issues, I talked too much in the van ride over... I don't know. It's just... what you do, right?

HA.

I love being wrong.

Take that, anxiety.

So Amanda and I have been offered different teaching jobs. These are at an international school. It's better pay and a better city. We have until tomorrow morning to talk it out, but we both think the answer is pretty obvious. We'll keep you updated.

In the meantime, it's 6:30pm and we have a dinner date with the ladies from the airport van.



TLDR: we're safe, very warm, and freshly showered. Fear not, we have also found the Pokestops (though we don't have data plans yet - so forgive me for slow gift giving!)

Today is the Day - Genie and Amanda

Well. Here we are. Perpetually early and sitting at our gate long before we needed to be here. We highly recommend flying out of T2 at MSP. The line is nauseously shorter.

Per usual, both of us got pulled aside in security. Amanda made another best friend with her pat-down buddy and all of our board games in my bag got personally screened by a man who referred to me as a "dork". I couldn't argue. He wasn't wrong...

Today went remarkably smoothly. This morning started with an instant replay of my high school days when my mother came over to find me still asleep past when she thought I'd be up. (Admittedly it was before my alarm went off so for once, I didn't sleep through it.) We then hiked it to the bank and got a bunch of paperwork notarized. We left Lanesboro around 10:30 am.

With the road between Chatfield and Marion closed effective this morning, we took a detour through Stewartville and grabbed Amanda's mother in Rochester. We then went out for the most spectacular lunch.

Seriously.

Go check out this menu. 

We split a wild mushroom bruschetta and then I had the most amazing wild mushroom pasta. They handmake the noodles in the morning and they tasted like ... ugh. I can't describe it here. People are already looking at me as I roll my eyes back remembering the scallops. And then the dessert. It wasn't a mousse; it wasn't a cream. It was like if you folded egg whites into a lemon custard. Except it wasn't that.

Just go there and eat it. What is this? A food blog? (Amanda: "I mean... kind of?")

We then drove north, stopping for a round of Chai teas at Moka, and arrived at the airport approximately 5 hours and 45 minutes early. We then got a lovely tour of my mother's old stomping grounds and then decided to head on over to the airport to hang out for a while before Amanda and I bopped through security.

After about 2 hours (or 8$ worth of parking at MSP), our mothers departed back home and we went off through security. We won't see our checked baggage until Wednesday afternoon, so I hope the poor people of Taiwan and Bangkok are ready for how poorly I'm going to smell in 2 days!

And now we sign off from Minnesota. We have to go find some place for me to plug in my computer. Handmaid's Tale isn't going to watch itself...

The Finish Line - Amanda

Two weeks...that's what we have left here in the states until we embark on this journey. Ahhh!!!! *deep breathing*

This past weekend we accomplished a lot. The kitchen, a project Genie began last July, was finished. I think it looks fantastic! A big shout out to Genie's mom who was the real MVP this weekend! We appreciate your help so much! Scaffolding was taken down, some kitchen items have been packed, borrowed items have been returned, and phase one of cleaning has begun. This week we keep pushing forward with storing items, cleaning, a titch more painting, and baking. I won't get the opportunity to bake in Thailand so I'm taking a final chance to do some here before we leave.

The moment that hit me the hardest this weekend was taking down our art work. How can something so simple bring me to tears? Although that's been happening a lot lately.

April Fools! - Genie

Today was the day I turned in my notice at work. I wanted to give plenty of notice. They're going to need to re-hire my position and I'm the department trainer. I though 4 weeks was polite.

However, my boss is making me re-resign again tomorrow.

Why, you may ask? Because today is April Fools Day. Below is the conversation that took place in our office this morning.

My boss, Jeff: "I believe that this is your official notice. However, to be safe, will you do this again tomorrow?"

Me: "Sure. Do you want to see plane tickets and my contract?"

Jeff: "No. I believe you would go the distance on an April Fools prank. You would have that information at the ready whether this was fake or not. Just confirm with me tomorrow so I can contact our HR rep."

Me: "Fair. This does sound like me."

***

In other news, yesterday I bought a beautiful suitcase at Target. It was an American Traveler - a huge, beautiful suitcase that I will be returning today. The problem with it? I just wanted to keep packing. I filled the entire suitcase, got my entire wardrobe packed, zipped it up, stepped on the scale, and gained a whopping 94 pounds.

Unfortunately, we are limited to certain weights on planes for shipping luggage overseas. More unfortunately than that, one airline we're taking for the second two legs of our trip merely states that each person can bring 2 bags with 44 pounds. Confusing wording as we're not sure if this means we can bring 2 bags totaling 44 pounds or 44 pounds of baggage total.

I parsed out my closet over the past week and currently what I have is: 5 black skirts (mandatory for teaching in Thailand), 4 pairs of shorts, 4 t-shirts, 2 nice shirts, 1 black pants, socks, underwear, foundation garments, 2 pair of leggings, 3 dresses. And I'm considering getting rid of even more. All of the clothes I currently own are in what used to be my sock/underwear/leggings drawer and on 7 hangers.

It's weird to think of how many clothes I'm donating. I wish I lived in a video game and could right click on my clothes and get a couple dollars each for them. :)