From a place I didn’t know to a place I don’t know..

If you’ve ever had a conversation with me for more than half an hour, I probably mentioned Jordan at least once if not twice. At this point you can probably guess how much it shaped me and affected my life. I probably humble-bragged about it or complained about it. Probably mentioned my tattoos and how I want another on another on another.  Even before Jordan or Palestine/Israel I knew I wanted to live abroad, so here I am in Thailand. With less background knowledge, language ability, and clarity than I had in Jordan. I still compare that experience with this one—I can tell that studying abroad has made me less surprised to encounter the poor sidewalks, dangerous traffic, and inability to communicate. Yet Thailand so far has demanded a little more maturity and permanence; a little more dedication and flexibility. Being here, of course, is for a job and not study abroad. Yet the camaraderie is familiar and comforting. We will be living with a host family for 3 months of training, but after that we’re on our own. I can’t wait to actually get out and practice everything I’ve experienced.

We got to our training site about 2 days ago (time is irrelevant at this point to me) and have been in intense trainings about logistics and other such boring things in our hotel. The first time I even left the complex was last night for dinner. It was my first time here needing to point and nod for food, and rely so heavily on people who knew just as little as I did. I couldn’t have enjoyed it more. Peace Corps has done an incredible job helping us anticipate the challenges and prepare to begin our jobs. I still feel vastly inadequate when it comes to interacting with Thais, but the host family and language training will alleviate a lot of those anxieties. I am really grateful for the generous adjustment period allowed to us.

Even the weather seems to be helping us adjust. It has been ridiculously cloudy since we arrived, so visibility barely goes beyond two city blocks. It makes me feel like an infant that can’t see beyond its mother’s face so its brain isn’t overstimulated and shuts down. But now that I’ve seen people drive on the left side of the road and have avoided getting hit by a reckless motorcyclist, it’s much less overwhelming. Having been able to rest well helps. I don’t think I’ve eaten more rice for breakfast, lunch, and dinner before—even though the spicy chicken made me cry I liked it. Even the congealed blood in rice soup is pleasant.

First impressions are hard to fish out of my groggy head, but I’m working on just trying to learn as much as possible about the unobservable, and getting to know new friends.  In short—I’m alive and loving it.