Bangkok Orientation

Our view from the Royal River Hotel

I flew to Thailand on October 23, 2019 with two layovers and a total travel time of a little over 30 hours. My last layover before arriving in Bangkok was in Taipei, Taiwan. At my gate in Taipei I saw a handful of other young solo travelers and after talking with them I discovered that they were going to be teaching in Thailand too. We boarded the flight for Bangkok and flew over Vietnam and the rural areas of Thailand. Looking through the window was spectacular- the jade green mountains and long rectangular rice fields looked so different compared to the brown hills I was used to seeing when flying to Boise.

When we stepped out of the Suvarnabhumi Airport we were immediately hit with a wave of humidity and heat. I thought that the air conditioning near the exit doors were just hot air when in reality it was the hot blanket of humidity hitting us! Haha. Some of the other teachers and I climbed into one of the vans that our travel group had organized for us and we drove to the Royal River Hotel. We wove through Tuk Tuks and motorbikes in six-lane traffic crammed together in the van like groggy sardines. During the car ride I had a truly fearful moment knowing that this unknown place would be my home for at least the next full year. It took a few days into orientation for this fearful feeling to diminish and for my excitement to grow instead!

The side streets of Bangkok

I chose to teach in Thailand through and organization called CIEE (Council on International Educational Exchange). CIEE acts as the "middle man" communicator between teachers and Thai schools. Technically the Thai schools hire the foreign teachers, but for both parties it is much more convenient to have an organized system in place when it comes to communication, documentation, and preparation. For a fee CIEE provides pre-departure help, health insurance, documentation assistance, and teaching orientation in Bangkok. Once I arrived in Thailand an organization called OEG continued our assistance working with our Thai schools.

The Chao Phraya River 

My hotel room during orientation

Orientation week required a lot of time, focus, and attention. Immediately when I got to Bangkok I knew my immune system wasn't happy from traveling and entering into a new climate. I spent most of the week trying to help my body recover by going to bed at a decent time and avoiding outings that were too high-energy. Orientation lasted from 9am - 5pm every day with a lunch break in-between. We had different classes teaching us about Thai culture, classroom management, lesson planning, Thai currency, SIM cards, transportation... the list goes on! Overall orientation was a great way to meet other Thai teachers and to hear the experiences that current teachers were having.

Kru Guai (aka "Thai Mom") showing us how to make Som Tam.

Som Tam is a spicy green papaya salad that can be made
with chilis, fish sauce, lime juice, and coconut sugar.

One of the orientation rooms at the Royal River Hotel!

I was so excited when I met the other teachers who were going to be at Lomkaophittayakhom(LKP) School! Although I went in with the expectation of being placed with very few to no people, I was pleasantly surprised to find out that there were four other new teachers starting at LKP too. My roommate Mai Yer was actually born in Thailand and is Hmong. The Hmong people are from the mountainous regions of China, Laos, Thailand, and Vietnam. Her family immigrated to the United States when she was young and she decided to teach in order to learn more about the Thai and Hmong people. She has such an insightful view about Thai culture and has taught me so much already! Kevin, Andrew, and Zach are the three boys that have been placed at LKP. We all get along extremely well and are continuing to make such great memories.

Kevin and I at the OEG Welcome Dinner

On the last day of orientation I met Phee Nit and Phee Pui, both who are our LKP school coordinators. They have been working tirelessly on our documentation for months and were so happy to finally meet us. I think the whole room lit up when all of us finally were able to meet! We quickly left Bangkok for Lom Kao because the drive was around 6 hours from our hotel. Phee Nit and Phee Pui treated us with grilled chicken, chicken feet, and sticky rice for dinner on our van ride to Lom Kao. We were all happy to escape the city and see what was in store for us at our new home.

The other English teachers and our coordinators at Lomkaophittayakhom School.
(From the left) Zach, Mai Yer, Kevin, Andrew, and coordinators Phee Pui and Phee Nit

Leaving for Lom Kao!