hmm, so i have discovered that even though im trying in my mind to forget the fact that my body has jumped forward in time so that i can get over jet lag quicker, my scheme doesnt really work. my body wont listen to the lie, its not as gullible as i thought it was. as a result the past few days i have woken up at 4:30/5 am ready to go. i already have problems with not being able to sleep in normally, but thailand has taken me to a new level. hmm..so instead of lying in bed trying to force my brain off and my body to sleep, i have decided to give up the battle and blog instead.
CENTRAL PARK BANGKOK STYLE
so yesterday i decided would be my chill out day since i had killed myself the day before wandering for hours around the tall malls. i got on the metro to go to lumpini park. i love parks and was thinking it might be sweet to run there, since lots of people go there to run i heard, but first i wanted to scope it out.
of course, nothing is as simple to find in bangkok as it so easily appears on the map. well, perhaps it might be simple for most people, but for directionally challenged sherri, its not so easy. so once i arrived at the right station, i kept walking back and forth on the same food stall/cheap clothes/cheap watches filled aveneue, not discovering lumpini park admist any of it. i think the vendors were getting used to me and didnt take much notice of me after awhile. i wasnt really in distress about it though, i wasnt in a rush and was discovering life on the bangkok streets, so it was all good.
anyways, i eventually found the park! it was not as naturey as i thought it would be, but what do you expect for a park in the middle of a city? there were wide asphalt running paths that super sweaty old men were gasping along on. there was also a lifting weights area, where you could just sit and gawk at more super sweaty old men lifting weights. i took a pic, i think that made them happy and feel all tough. how cute.
i found a sweet little bench next to the lake to spread out on and read my book. i sat there, while wataching the little swan paddle boats slowly drift by. then i peered over at one family in a boat near me and saw a reptile like head coming out of the water. i was like, aww...how sweet a cute turtle is coming out. but no...as i watched the head kept getting longer and skinnier and the body started to pop out and it was so freaky! im not sure what it was, some sort of lanky reptilian creature. it just sat for awhile on the edge of the lake, sticking its tongue out and looking formidable. i then told my thai friends about it later, and they said that the name of the creature is what you call someone if you dont like them and want to call them a bad name..i can see why.
BANGKOK IS LIKE...
as i wandered the busy streets, i was trying to think of other places i have been to that bagnkok might remind me of...i think it definitely has a mix of mexico city, because of all the vendors everywhere selling some appetizing, some not so appetizing food. then some of the alleyways remind me of kenya because there are native thais selling things out of their tiny shops. those parts sort of reminds me of the slums, but not quite as rundown. yet, it also feels a bit like a European city, with all the levels and levels in the fancy shopping malls. then everything gets thrown off with the exotic palm trees speckled all over the city, under the sky train lines that run above. go bangkok for being so unique!
SWITCHING IT UP
so i have decided the place where im staying now, the temporary place before my housing opens, is a bit too sketchy for me. i havent really felt comfortable here since the day i arrrived. i have to walk down this sketch alleyway to get here, while sometimes odd people stare at me. then i run in and lock the door. it was nice of my director to let me stay in the guest rooms above the non-profit's offices, but i think im going to tell her today that im going to try to move to a hotel. i was suggested to do that after i told my dad how i was a lil freaked out last night. so hopefully she will understand and not fire me or something. hehee...im going to see if i can move into my apartment early and pay extra or something. but i shall keep you updated...
AN OH THAILAND MOMENT
i was in this store and saw a shirt that says, "I like to dress up because it makes me feel happy and confident." it cracked me up! hmm..but it doesnt seem like the person wearing the shirt would be very dressed up though? so would they be happy and confident? oh thailand....
PICTURES!
so i have pics of that shirt and more! enjoy them...there arent many of me since im wandering by myself and dont want to look like a dork taking pictures of myself. but maybe i will do that today for fun.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/55907373@N00/
Tuesday, July 31, 2007
the first tastes of thai life..
SPICY OR SPICY OR SPICY?
this morning had my first street vendor food! i decided to chose my vendor by picking the first one i saw with someone standing in line cuz the line must mean they are good..so when i went to the worthy vendor i pointed at the dishes, and i asked what meat it was. she was like, "pig, or chicken." then i pointed at the chicken stuff, and she was like, "spicy!" i was like, "what isn't as spicy?" then she pointed at each dish, "spicy, spicy, spicy, spicy." haha..so i decided to do it the thai way and asked for the chicken. she was like "are you sure you want it??" i said "yes, but only a little bit..."
so after my first two bites my lips felt numb and like they were on fire and about to fall off all at the same time. but at least it had good flavor! so my first thai breakfast consisted of a small container of rice, a wee bit of chicken veggie hottness and a fried egg. all for under a dollar! woosh! im eager for the day i will be able to eat without my lips falling off..
then i wandered some more and found a coffee shop! its called mau's coffee beans. it had a cool modern feel to it. i asked for a cappuccino and thought i could just get it to go, but she directed me to sit down. so i sat and waited and listened/watched some sort of thai american idol superstar singing easy listening songs. she then brought it over in this funky cup and saucer with a wee spoon. but first she laid out a placemat, and a folded napkin. then she also gave me my very own container
full of sugar packets. the cappuccino was pretty good, almost met my standards. i even got a little creme puff on the saucer to eat after my drink. go thailand!
SHOP INTO CULTURE SHOCKNESS
so my director, ja, is super cool. she is 27 and we have a lot in common. she was sweet enough to take me to buy a cell phone and show me the malls. but then she had to leave to meet someone, so i was left, gaping up at the seven story malls alone.
at first i was a little overwhelmed, but then i got my bearings, and enjoyed myself. i loved the independent feeling of going wherever and just wandering with no goal in mind but to explore. i felt thai culture zooming at me full steam though. i couldn't absorb it all at once, so it was making my mind boggle. there were so many different stores, and different people coming at me. its ok though, cuz i got a cool shirt and even got to barter for it. hmm..but she didnt accept my offer of 180 baht. so my bartering skills need to be worked on...
CANT ESCAPE UNC...EVER
then the best part of my day, was when i met up with my friend ja, who studied abroad last semester at UNC. i had just sent her off in may at the airport in raleigh, and then a few months later i get to catch up with her at a mcdonalds in bangkok. how crazy!
so we chatted merrily for awhile, and she helped me with my thai. i had been asking everyone all day how to say thank you, and no one really helped me. they just repeated the phrase to me with a blank stare. then i would try to say it back and a bunch of goobeldy gook would come out. but then ja slowly went over with me each tone, and i sort of got it. its hard cuz i feel like i sound like a man when i use some tones cuz they are really low. then i feel like i sound like im whining when i use the other tones. then other times i sound monotone. it feels so unnatural. but im sure i will get used to it.
its so nice to have friends here and to be meeting new people. but i didnt feel super alone even when i wasnt with them because i know God is with me. its pretty sweet..
this morning had my first street vendor food! i decided to chose my vendor by picking the first one i saw with someone standing in line cuz the line must mean they are good..so when i went to the worthy vendor i pointed at the dishes, and i asked what meat it was. she was like, "pig, or chicken." then i pointed at the chicken stuff, and she was like, "spicy!" i was like, "what isn't as spicy?" then she pointed at each dish, "spicy, spicy, spicy, spicy." haha..so i decided to do it the thai way and asked for the chicken. she was like "are you sure you want it??" i said "yes, but only a little bit..."
so after my first two bites my lips felt numb and like they were on fire and about to fall off all at the same time. but at least it had good flavor! so my first thai breakfast consisted of a small container of rice, a wee bit of chicken veggie hottness and a fried egg. all for under a dollar! woosh! im eager for the day i will be able to eat without my lips falling off..
then i wandered some more and found a coffee shop! its called mau's coffee beans. it had a cool modern feel to it. i asked for a cappuccino and thought i could just get it to go, but she directed me to sit down. so i sat and waited and listened/watched some sort of thai american idol superstar singing easy listening songs. she then brought it over in this funky cup and saucer with a wee spoon. but first she laid out a placemat, and a folded napkin. then she also gave me my very own container
full of sugar packets. the cappuccino was pretty good, almost met my standards. i even got a little creme puff on the saucer to eat after my drink. go thailand!
SHOP INTO CULTURE SHOCKNESS
so my director, ja, is super cool. she is 27 and we have a lot in common. she was sweet enough to take me to buy a cell phone and show me the malls. but then she had to leave to meet someone, so i was left, gaping up at the seven story malls alone.
at first i was a little overwhelmed, but then i got my bearings, and enjoyed myself. i loved the independent feeling of going wherever and just wandering with no goal in mind but to explore. i felt thai culture zooming at me full steam though. i couldn't absorb it all at once, so it was making my mind boggle. there were so many different stores, and different people coming at me. its ok though, cuz i got a cool shirt and even got to barter for it. hmm..but she didnt accept my offer of 180 baht. so my bartering skills need to be worked on...
CANT ESCAPE UNC...EVER
then the best part of my day, was when i met up with my friend ja, who studied abroad last semester at UNC. i had just sent her off in may at the airport in raleigh, and then a few months later i get to catch up with her at a mcdonalds in bangkok. how crazy!
so we chatted merrily for awhile, and she helped me with my thai. i had been asking everyone all day how to say thank you, and no one really helped me. they just repeated the phrase to me with a blank stare. then i would try to say it back and a bunch of goobeldy gook would come out. but then ja slowly went over with me each tone, and i sort of got it. its hard cuz i feel like i sound like a man when i use some tones cuz they are really low. then i feel like i sound like im whining when i use the other tones. then other times i sound monotone. it feels so unnatural. but im sure i will get used to it.
its so nice to have friends here and to be meeting new people. but i didnt feel super alone even when i wasnt with them because i know God is with me. its pretty sweet..
Sunday, July 29, 2007
whoa, where am i?
i really need to sleep i have decided. i have only slept for an hour here and there the past two days so i guess it might be good to do some of that. ahhh! but im in bangkok!
here are the headlines:
I FINISHED BOOK SEVEN OF HARRY POTTER!
NOTHING BAD HAPPENED, NO DELAYS, OR LUGGAGE LOST?! CRAZY!
I FOUND JA, EVEN THOUGH I WAS A LOST AND CONFUSED SAD LOOKING AMERICAN GIRL FOR AT LEAST HALF AND HOUR
sorry those headlines arent really proper journalistic style at all. im too tired to care though. ja was super sweet and went in a taxi with me to where im staying now. im all by myself in some guest rooms that the foundation im working for has. i just heard all these loud noisesm and it sounds like water is pouring from somewhere right over my head. hmm, so other than feeling a lil freaked out about the random flood sounds, im great! i just bought a lychee drink from the 7/11 and had my first cashier look at me like i was a new exhibit at the freak show. many more of those to come im sure...
i love you all. now i shall hopefully sleep. please keep me updated...
here are the headlines:
I FINISHED BOOK SEVEN OF HARRY POTTER!
NOTHING BAD HAPPENED, NO DELAYS, OR LUGGAGE LOST?! CRAZY!
I FOUND JA, EVEN THOUGH I WAS A LOST AND CONFUSED SAD LOOKING AMERICAN GIRL FOR AT LEAST HALF AND HOUR
sorry those headlines arent really proper journalistic style at all. im too tired to care though. ja was super sweet and went in a taxi with me to where im staying now. im all by myself in some guest rooms that the foundation im working for has. i just heard all these loud noisesm and it sounds like water is pouring from somewhere right over my head. hmm, so other than feeling a lil freaked out about the random flood sounds, im great! i just bought a lychee drink from the 7/11 and had my first cashier look at me like i was a new exhibit at the freak show. many more of those to come im sure...
i love you all. now i shall hopefully sleep. please keep me updated...
Friday, July 27, 2007
random rants from an exhausted excited sherri
i was just sitting on the front porch with my friend, watching my last summer thunderstorm in waxhaw. the sky kept shocking us, flashing from bluish black to an eerie luminescent blue. the thrill you can get from those storms is so sweet. mainly because you don’t know when the thunder will roar next or how bright and big the next bolt will be. as im in a contemplative mood tonight, it made me think of my trip tomorrow. how its totally not in my control really, all that is ahead of me. yet that’s the adventure of it, if i knew everything that was next, how lame and boring that would be...
yeah, so im leaving in a few hours. i cant wait for the flight. mainly becauase i shall finally delve into the final harry potter book. it has been sitting on my shelf tempting me the past week, and now i will finally allow myself to read it. i hope the 26-hour travel day--charlotte to dulles to tokyo to bangkok-- is long enough to finish it. if not, maybe i will have some convenient delays to give me more time. who cares about going to thailand, i just want to see if harry survives...
so my director, who i will be working for in september, is awesome enough to say that she will pick me up at the airport. even though i have seen her pic, i hope she doesn’t blend in with all the other thais running about in BKK. oh well, it will be an adventure finding her. i hope she has a sign with my name on it-- i have always wanted that.
im going to be a little sappy and say that this summer i have really come to realize how blessed i am when it comes to having amazing family and friends. as i have traveled around, seeing those who are important to me, and getting phone calls and emails from those who are important, but i couldnt see..i cant believe i have such people surrounding me, and I really don’t deserve it. its hard to leave such cool people, but thankfully technology makes the world tiny and keep us close.
ahhhh! im off and away...i shall try to blog as soon as i get some wireless in bangkok to say im alive.
here i go...
yeah, so im leaving in a few hours. i cant wait for the flight. mainly becauase i shall finally delve into the final harry potter book. it has been sitting on my shelf tempting me the past week, and now i will finally allow myself to read it. i hope the 26-hour travel day--charlotte to dulles to tokyo to bangkok-- is long enough to finish it. if not, maybe i will have some convenient delays to give me more time. who cares about going to thailand, i just want to see if harry survives...
so my director, who i will be working for in september, is awesome enough to say that she will pick me up at the airport. even though i have seen her pic, i hope she doesn’t blend in with all the other thais running about in BKK. oh well, it will be an adventure finding her. i hope she has a sign with my name on it-- i have always wanted that.
im going to be a little sappy and say that this summer i have really come to realize how blessed i am when it comes to having amazing family and friends. as i have traveled around, seeing those who are important to me, and getting phone calls and emails from those who are important, but i couldnt see..i cant believe i have such people surrounding me, and I really don’t deserve it. its hard to leave such cool people, but thankfully technology makes the world tiny and keep us close.
ahhhh! im off and away...i shall try to blog as soon as i get some wireless in bangkok to say im alive.
here i go...
Tuesday, July 24, 2007
Thursday, July 19, 2007
getting ready to jet...
wow..i leave a week from saturday. that makes me freakin excited while freakin me out a wee bit. im slowly checking off my to do list for the summer. its so refreshing to get stuff done that i have been wanting to do forever like clean out my old room and finish my kenya scrapbook...
next step is packing. which im forcing myself to finish on thursday! we shall see if that occurs. i would not like to repeat the same packing job i did when i studied abroad in new zealand. i started packing the day before around midnight and didnt finish till like 3 am. of course, i brought WAY too much stuff. hopefully i shall learn from my past.
i wonder what life will be like 9 days from now...
next step is packing. which im forcing myself to finish on thursday! we shall see if that occurs. i would not like to repeat the same packing job i did when i studied abroad in new zealand. i started packing the day before around midnight and didnt finish till like 3 am. of course, i brought WAY too much stuff. hopefully i shall learn from my past.
i wonder what life will be like 9 days from now...
Thursday, July 5, 2007
NO WAY!!
so for awhile the past month or two i have been like, so am i really suppose to go to thailand, what am i thinking? ahhhh...
what led to this confusion was my friend praew, who i was suppose to stay with, told me that it wasnt going to work out like she had planned. her new home, which was suppose to be finished in august, now wont be finished till who knows when. as a result there was no room for sherri anymore.
that is what let to the ahhhhh. but praew proved how awesome she is by searching the apartments near siam square, where i need to be for my course, to find a place for me to stay called the evergreen. it is not ripping-me-off-expensive, not sketchy, and if i only speak english i will be all right. she has connections to it through her university so i get a discount. i will have an exchange student roommate which matches me since i love internationals, and she will be able to commiserate with me and my cultural shockness. and i will even have a maid come in every day and clean it!?
then i was like, ahhhh, but i dont have a job! even though i will finish the course at the end of august it doesnt guarantee me a job. yet, i emailed a church in the area, called newsong, which i heard about through two different people. i asked about their ministry and then randomly was like, so...is there anyone in your congregation who needs english teachers? it turns out there was...whoa!
i got connected to someone who works for SDRF (Sustainable Development Research Foundation) which is a Thai foundation whose mission is to serve people throughout Thailand in a holistic way, one being through education. she is in charge of the bangkok branch which is Elite of Thailand ( lite is SAT prep school), CARC ( Center for at Risk people-Slum Communities and Woman at Risk) and Mobilization Project.
so she said that she needs teachers at Elite to tutor the wealthy kids of Thailand in the SAT so they can go off to American universities. she said since i majored in journalism i could tutor them in the writing section. i love writing, so that made me really excited. i also love that the money they make goes to meaningful causes, yet i still get paid. i even get paid more than what the average english teacher gets paid. it fits everything i was looking for, so after a few interviews i surprisingly got the job!
i will start work in september after i finish my course...its crazy how when i reach the point of wondering how anything will connect...i worry...i wonder...and worry...and wonder... but in the end, for me it usually all flows together without my worrying crazed efforts doing anything to help.
what a sweet blessing.
what led to this confusion was my friend praew, who i was suppose to stay with, told me that it wasnt going to work out like she had planned. her new home, which was suppose to be finished in august, now wont be finished till who knows when. as a result there was no room for sherri anymore.
that is what let to the ahhhhh. but praew proved how awesome she is by searching the apartments near siam square, where i need to be for my course, to find a place for me to stay called the evergreen. it is not ripping-me-off-expensive, not sketchy, and if i only speak english i will be all right. she has connections to it through her university so i get a discount. i will have an exchange student roommate which matches me since i love internationals, and she will be able to commiserate with me and my cultural shockness. and i will even have a maid come in every day and clean it!?
then i was like, ahhhh, but i dont have a job! even though i will finish the course at the end of august it doesnt guarantee me a job. yet, i emailed a church in the area, called newsong, which i heard about through two different people. i asked about their ministry and then randomly was like, so...is there anyone in your congregation who needs english teachers? it turns out there was...whoa!
i got connected to someone who works for SDRF (Sustainable Development Research Foundation) which is a Thai foundation whose mission is to serve people throughout Thailand in a holistic way, one being through education. she is in charge of the bangkok branch which is Elite of Thailand ( lite is SAT prep school), CARC ( Center for at Risk people-Slum Communities and Woman at Risk) and Mobilization Project.
so she said that she needs teachers at Elite to tutor the wealthy kids of Thailand in the SAT so they can go off to American universities. she said since i majored in journalism i could tutor them in the writing section. i love writing, so that made me really excited. i also love that the money they make goes to meaningful causes, yet i still get paid. i even get paid more than what the average english teacher gets paid. it fits everything i was looking for, so after a few interviews i surprisingly got the job!
i will start work in september after i finish my course...its crazy how when i reach the point of wondering how anything will connect...i worry...i wonder...and worry...and wonder... but in the end, for me it usually all flows together without my worrying crazed efforts doing anything to help.
what a sweet blessing.
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