On Monday, January 14 at approximately 12:10 a.m. local time, I touched down in Bangkok by way of Narita, Japan by way of San Francisco. The 50 other trainees and I rode an hour and a half to the hotel to prepare for the next week of training that was set to begin six hours later. Since then, it all has seemingly been non-stop.
We are in the Suphan Buri province which is northwest of Bangkok. It is mostly a farming province, with main crops of rice and water chestnuts. They say that it has been unseasonably cool here lately (we are nearing the end of the cool season) with temperatures in the mid-to-high-20s Celsius (high 70s/low 80s Fahrenheit). Historically, this was the border between Burma and Thailand and there was a great elephant battle here where the Thai people were able to hold off the Burmese army and remain un-colonized. (I believe there is an reenactment of the elephant battle coming up this weekend.)
Unfortunately, half of my time here so far was spent inside, going over policy and procedure and getting shots (Japanese Encephalitis, Rabies, Hep A, Hep B, Influenza). But also, we had some intense language sessions in order to learn how to introduce ourselves and where we are from. We had a big test on this in the form of introducing ourselves to the Vice Governor of the region. Luckily we all passed. We’ve also learned numbers, which we practice every time we go to the store. This is only going to get more intense, but I was complimented on my Thai today so that is really encouraging.
Speaking of today, we spent yesterday and today getting acquainted with our bikes, which will be our main mode of transportation for the next two years. Yesterday we learned some basic maintenance and did a quick skills assessment test: riding on really bumpy dirt, doing really tight U-turns on a road that had rice paddies on either side (no falling in!) and an emergency stop. Then today, we went for a ride around the area that we will be staying for the next 8 weeks, riding 37 kilometers (about 22 miles) all told.
The ride was beautiful and a great experience in general to get used to riding here. Thai’s drive on the left side of the road so there is getting used to that as well as getting used to traffic here and the road conditions. I did eat it once: I was practicing looking over my right shoulder instead of left to check for traffic and ended up engaging the front brakes which sent me over the handlebars. Nothing hurt except my pride.
Another highlight of the week was the welcome ceremony, a Bai Sii Soo Kwan. All of the adjaans (teachers) tied strings on our wrists after saying a blessing to take all the bad things out and push the good things in and wish us the best on this journey. It was so moving.
Tomorrow we meet our host families, immerse ourselves completely in the culture and see our Thai houses for the first time. Super exciting, but also a little nerve wrecking.
In all, there is a great group of people here and wonderful staff supporting us. I’m trying to hang on tight because I know this is going to be a wild ride.
curlyadventurer January 20, 2013
This is amazing Christine!!! I know how you feel riding bikes in ridiculously epic surroundings. That is how I felt when I bombed down the death road in Bolivia. They say when something is simple it is like riding a bike, but riding a bike abroad is definitely something singular and epic.
Christine January 27, 2013
Oh man, I ride past this rice field every day that when I first started was just mud and now I can see the little shoots of rice. I’ve also been watching some lotus flowers bloom. Definitely a singular and epic experience. Miss you!
curlyadventurer January 21, 2013
Reblogged this on curlyadventurer and commented:
This post is from a friend who is just starting her career placement with the Peace Corps. She is a real adventurer. Experiencing the world while positively affecting it. She is a great leader, follow her adventures in Thailand!!