Beginnings

Preparation

I’m still not really sure what I expected from a two month stint in a random Thai school. I was aware that I was likely to be placed in a school toute seule, maybe even in a province on my own, and to some extent, I had mentally prepared myself for this. Exactly what the next two months of my life would entail was essentially still a mystery. The fact that all sixty five of the chosen English Teaching ‘Assistants’ were notified a mere three weeks before the departure date gives a good sort of indication to the calibre of the others who participated in the project.  

Whilst my last- minute approach and laissez-faire nature might have gotten me into all sorts of unfortunate situations in the UK, it actually has proved to be the most useful thing I could have brought with me to Thailand. Forget the seven unopened books that I was convinced would be my only solace on lonely weekday evenings, forget the realms of smart clothes and equally inappropriate ‘summer’ outfits; in hindsight, the only useful item in my unnecessarily large suitcase would have been bug spray. Bug spray. For anyone planning a trip to Lop Buri province in the near future, if you do not fully utilise bug spray, it is a near certainty that you will be eaten alive. Perhaps the stupidest thing I have done during my two months in Thailand is to launch a suicidal mission to boycott bug spray. At the Orientation ceremony in Bangkok during the first few days, the damage inflicted on my skin by hungry insects was minimal, from which I inferred bug spray to be an unnecessary item. Upon reflection, this may have had something to do with the five- star hotel and the lack of countryside. 

Needless to say, by only my second day at Piyabut School in Ban Mi, word of the new farang’s bizarre skin affliction had spread with the rate at which our very own resident ant army consistently pounce on unsuspecting crumbs, and my passage through the school was accompanied by significantly more pointing and giggling than strictly usual. Tiger balm, my saviour…

Setting off After a minor mishap prior to my departure day (for which I still hold Transport for London responsible) I finally succeeded in obtaining my visa from the Thai Embassy just five hours before my scheduled flight, and was henceforth determined to let nothing faze me. I resolved to remain calm as it dawned on me that I had mislaid my ‘organisation’ folder- containing everything I would need for a stress- free journey, tickets included. Indeed, I remained calm as the large screen in departures casually informed me that my flight had been delayed by three hours; that I would miss my connecting flight in Vienna, even as I was hurriedly shepherded into the next available seat to Doha. Ramadan restrictions and turbulence aside, the flight was otherwise an enjoyable experience.

Had I thought it necessary to make any arrangements for my arrival in Bangkok Suvarnabhumi airport (transport, accommodation etc), my late arrival could have put them all in jeopardy. Fortunately, as it happened, I had planned absolutely nothing. As a result, I was able to put everything I learnt on my Erasmus semester in Aarhus to great use, and made a nice selection of new international friends on the train to my unknown destination; nationalities ranged from Australian, to French, to Spanish, to Dutch. We all ended up staying in a hostel together on the Khao San Road, and I had an awesome first night in Thailand. I can write about this now, because we all had great fun, nothing bad happened and all my stuff was still there in the morning, but even as a seasoned traveller, it’s probably not an ideal situation to find yourself in, anywhere in the world. Furthermore, upon my arrival in Bangkok, it transpired that my camera was indeed in a state of total disrepair. There is therefore no photographic evidence to support any of the above events, and many of the following. The bizarre nature of it all does at times leave me questioning whether any of this ever really happened.