Bangkok --> Chonburi

Our time in Bangkok flew by, and all of a sudden it was time to pack our bags yet again and say goodbye to our new friends as we all took off in separate buses to spread throughout Thailand. I'm extremely grateful that we had this time at orientation to get to know the other AYC people, I already feel like I have a huge support system ready to help me out. Emily and I both headed to Chonburi, along with another AYC girl, and then there were two older AYC teachers stationed in this same area ready to meet us when we arrived! So all together there are five of us within about 30 minutes of each other, three who are new, lost, and confused; and two who have been here since April and actually know what they're doing! In my daily life I'll just be seeing Emily, as we're living together and teaching at the same school. But during weekends we'll easily catch up with the other three in this area.

Sunset from our last night in Bangkok 

Our technical location is Chonburi (still conflicted if that's one or two words), but in reality we're much closer to Pattaya, so it seems that's where we'll be spending more of our time. Our first full day here we headed into Pattaya with all 5 AYC people and set out to explore the area. Pattaya is only about 10 miles away and easily accessible if you know what you're doing. Thanks to the older AYC teachers we simply hopped onto a song taew and headed towards the beach. A song taew is a strategically colored truck with a cage type thing over the back that houses all of the passengers. Each colored truck has a different route, and as far as I can tell you just learn that through trial and error. Thanks to the older AYC teachers they knew which truck to hop into and we were off to Pattaya. Song taews are great because they have no set stops, you just flag one down if you want to hop on, and once you're inside you just hit a buzzer and they stop immediately so you can hop out. A 25 minute ride to Pattaya cost a total of 20 baht, which is about 60 cents. I have now found my new favorite form of transportation. 

Song Taew

Thailand continues to surprise and startle me in new ways each day. Pattaya reminded me a bit of Key West, Florida. A party city situated right on the ocean with open-walled restaurants and bars luring customers in with the promise of cold drinks and AC. But of course there's an Asian flair to this city; motorcycles flying past, song taews honking in the streets and food vendors lining the sidewalks selling every bizarre food you could think of.
It's still a hard adjustment for me. Thailand is not as clean or nice as I have been conditioned to be comfortable around. Most streets have some sort of smell to them, there are stray dogs everywhere you turn, the normal place to eat is food stands or small open-air restaurants, but I would run away from anything looking like that in the states. This experience has pushed me very far outside of my comfort zone, and it hasn't even been two weeks. I love my western amenities; I like normal toilets that provide toilet paper and soap, I like food places that actually look like clean and healthy places to eat, I like coffee shops. I am constantly questioning myself and my surroundings as I slowly try new foods and go one block further than I've previously been before. I can't stop myself from thinking "this would never happen in the states", but I'm trying very hard to get that thought out of my mind, because of course I'm not in the states. The culture shock of Thailand has blown me away, but each day I learn a little more and am one step further ahead from where I started.

Pattaya Beach

The beaches in Pattaya are not very clean and there are a lot of fishing boats off the coast that pollute the water, so it's not the best place to be swimming. However, off the coast is an island that is rumored to have the pristine white beaches that everyone pictures when they think of Thailand. This coming weekend we're hoping to take a 30 minute ferry ride to check out the island and beaches. 

Home Sweet Home

AYC usually sends teachers to the same areas, so our new school has already hosted AYC teachers. As a result of that, the teachers usually stay in the same apartments each year. We have the option to find our own living, but I chose the easy way out and decided to sign where the previous teachers lived. Our new apartment is right around the corner from our school and located just off of a main street in Chonburi. We are walking distance to 7-Eleven (a staple in Thailand), numerous markets and restaurants. We can also easily catch a song taew from our corner which can take us south to Pattaya or north to the mall. The street itself is four lanes each way but thankfully we have a pedestrian bridge to make crossing the street a breeze. 

Our pedestrian bridge, decorated with Thai colors and the Thai royal family

Our apartment is very basic for American standards and has taken a bit of time for adjustment. It's not common to have any sort of kitchen amenities in an apartment because most people prefer to eat out (especially because it's so cheap to do so). I know some other AYC people were able to get apartments with a fridge, but we didn't even get that luxury. For me it's a bit of an inconvenience; I'm a big believer in breakfast and was really hoping to have at least a fridge to hold some milk for my cereal each morning. I quickly got rid of that thought and have learned the art of eating out instead. Emily and I will be living together which is great for many reasons, including the fact that we share rent. The grand total comes out to $112 USD a month, which means we're each only paying $56. It constantly amazes me how inexpensive Thailand is. We'll also be paying a water and electricity bill each month, and even with AC blasting all evening long it shouldn't come out to more that $60-70 total. 

Who needs a shower curtain when you can just
 get the whole bathroom wet, right?

As you can see, our apartment is extremely basic. We have a small table, a wardrobe cabinet and a bed. No complaints though! Our bed is a massive king size, we have functioning AC and we also have a front and back balcony. We've managed to make it a little more homey after the first few days with a trip to the mall. We sadly learned that Thai bed sheet sets don't come with an actual blanket, so we went a few days using towels to keep us cozy until we had time for the mall. Today we bought actual blankets, some more hangers, and an electric kettle for coffee.
As weird as it might sound, although I love to travel I'm a huge home body. I don't want to invest a ton of money into a temporary home, but I'm hoping to make a few more purchases to add a little bit of color and life to our new apartment. And as you can see, we have a huge bed and plenty of floor space, so visitors are always welcome!