I haven't been away from my computer for this long in at least a year. It's nice to be back.
The past week has (of course) been a bit of a roller coaster. Los Angeles was wonderful-- sunny and breezy, and I really enjoyed seeing Joy again and meeting her husband.
It ended too soon though, and soon I was at the beginning of a 25-hour trip to Bangkok. It wasn't bad. I finished Life of Pi (great book), watched some bad movies, listened to music, and rested (but didn't sleep).
We finally got into Bangkok around 11:30 Thursday night (11:30 Thursday morning in Michigan). The hotel that AFS put us up in was amazing. I'm sorry I didn't take pictures of our room, but I don't think I will forget it anytime soon.
There are a total of 12 people staying in Thailand to do community service. I am the only one staying in Bangkok, which is both a blessing and a curse for me. I really would rather be in less of a tourist (Westernized) area, but all of the Thai people that I know live in Bangkok so I will get to see them often.
I see this already becoming lengthy, so I will just include a few highlights of my first few days in Thailand. My host family is wonderful. They are young, so I call my host parents by the word for older sibling. The kids are great, and they make adjusting to life here a lot easier. They've taken me out each day so far, and I've eaten more squid in the past 2 days than I ever planned to in my lifetime. I saw an elephant in the street, surrounded by all the crazy Thai drivers. My host parents like to take advantage of my not understand them or Thai culture, so they say shocking things and then laugh at my response when I try to be polite. I am learning to bow to everyone I meet, and to sit without crossing my legs so as to avoid pointing my foot at people (a big no-no in Thai culture).
A high-tech toilet in Tokyo:
And for all of you who love the sound of a toilet flushing but could never indulge in your love because of the water-waste, the Japanese have a solution for you!
There will be more to come!
Love,
Alex
I would love to see an elephant in the street! Please supply pictures for your next true-life nature adventure tale. I'm so glad we got to talk this morning. Your host family sounds so nice.
ReplyDeleteHi Alex! I'm glad you made it there, safe and sound. You sound like you are already living life to its fullest there. I'm glad you have a good host family, too. Scott and I loved having you at our place --- thanks for coming.
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