Lessons learned in Thailand
Flaming B-52 shots, cat cafes and street meat. The three things I would say most accurately describe my first month living in Chiang Mai, Thailand.
Upon arriving in Bangkok just over a month ago, we were immediately scammed by a Tuk-Tuk (open air taxi) driver, whom aggressively insisted that I purchase a tailored suit from his dear friend, and apparent business partner.
But we quickly learned how to spot a scam and we felt a little less like tourists, which is all anybody abroad wants.
After a few, very informative and educational days in Bangkok, we headed to Chiang Mai, with a dream in our hearts and something like 150 pounds of luggage on our backs.
Compared to Bangkok, Chiang Mai was a fantasy (even though it is near impossible to watch soccer here because of the time difference).
An economical oasis nestled in between vast mountainous regions replete with national parks and farm land.
And the weather is grand. Aside from the occasional monsoon, of course.
But even those are greeted with a smile in Thailand.
A chance to take a swim in a flooded street, perhaps. Or finally get that laundry done.
The hotel we stayed in for the first month was like something out of a museum. It was antiquated in the best way.
Antiquated and not run down because it was meticulously well-kempt. As most things in Chiang Mai are.
There were beautiful handcrafted wood benches and tables. Each one carved in its own immaculate detail. There were paintings that could have been put on display.
And there was free coffee too which really brought it all together.
The course we took in order to get licensed to teach English as a foreign language was actually very rigorous. It was one of the more difficult classes I’ve taken.
I kept realizing that I hadn’t worked that hard in years. Which says just a bit too much about me.
But for this course both Shelby (wonderful girlfriend) and myself, worked our you know what’s off.
Late nights of preparation. Early morning lessons in front of 30 Thai students that were probably wondering why this giant sweaty white man was yelling the word “corn” at them repeatedly.
But through the training, I also experienced some of the wonders of teaching.
Connecting with a student and seeing them trying and understanding what I was teaching.
Feeling like what I was doing meant something.
It probably doesn’t but sometimes it feels good to think it does.
Well, we completed the course and are now certifiable English as a foreign language teachers so watch out non-English speakers of Thailand because we’re comin’ for ya.
Yes, one month down and to be honest it has already felt like an eternity.
“Time slowly moves fast here, man,” a new friend of mine said to me the other day. Wait. Was it slowly moves fast or quickly slows down?
Whatever it was that the fellow said, time feels different here.
Whether that is good or bad is yet to be determined.
There is a Buddhist belief and proverb here in Thailand that says one should not dwell in the past or dream about the future, but rather concentrate the mind on the present moment.
I would be lying if I said I wasn’t dwelling in the past: missing East Tennessee. Missing my friends and family, namely my cat.
I would be lying if I said I wasn’t dreaming about the future:
When am I going to get a job?
What if it is harder to find work than I thought it would be? Dreaming of writing the next great American novel and writing the next one after that.
And I would be lying if I said I even knew how to properly concentrate my mind on the present moment.
But I’m trying to live in the moment.
And maybe buying the plane ticket in the first place was a start.
And maybe trying in each individual moment of my day to be fully present and aware of myself as a living sack of bones on this planet is what I should be striving for.
I am standing on the same planet that I was standing on a little over a month ago.
People here may talk different, look different, smell different. But we’re all the same.
We all have a little time to kill.
Whether we are here or there.
With that, I am going to initiate an exercise in living in the moment and go meet some new friends at some new place.