Chapter 3ii: Discovering New Comfort Zones in Hua Hin

"Sawadee Kap"

I will make bad decisions.  I will mess up.  I will embarrass myself.  I will hate my life.  I will miss home.  I will question myself and my abilities.  I will drink beer alone.  I will long for companionship.  I will give up.  I will lose hope.

And this is precisely what inspires and motivates me.  It is why this will be the best time of my life. 

Twenty-two people, of differing backgrounds and English-speaking origins, unite in a developing country.  We all have a similar purpose, but our justifications are largely selfish.  For some, they are escaping familiarity and comfort.  For some, they want spicy food and cheap beer.  For others, they want to assimilate into another culture and travel.

Few of us have taught.  Few of us have worked with children.  Few of us have stepped foot in the country.  None of us have spoken the language.  And for all of us, fear and discomfort envelopes a façade of security and confidence.  For now, we are each others’ crutch.  When we get lost, run short on Baht, order the wrong food, and escape death on public transport, we are reassured by recognizable smiles and a common language and background.

In one week, we have become a family; our curiosities, secrets, motives, and desires have served as catalysts to bonds typically reserved for months of interaction.  With this family, I have experienced blessing by a Buddhist monk at the Khao Tao temple and received a fortune reading.  I have fed, hugged, and played with elephants.  I have bagged food for over 2,000 rescued dogs.  I have cooked Pad Thai and spring rolls.  I have eaten deep fried frog.  I have had wordless conversations.  I have been waved at by school children.  I have been clapped at for taking my shoes off as I enter a building.  I have been smiled at as I bowed for the King passing by.  I have trekked the beach at night.  I have divulged my life to strangers.

In one day, I will be greeted at a bus station in Suphanburi, Thailand.  I will likely part with Jeff as our school placements, 30 km apart, will render it difficult to share accommodation.  For rent, food, transportation, and other living expenses, I will expect to spend $400 a month, leaving $700 at my disposal for October travel during the country’s school break.  I have no idea what I am doing.  There is one 7-11 in my rural town.  Nobody will speak English and my Thai is unacceptable.  I am scared and I am excited.  But I am ready to bridge the gap between the Yin and Yang of cultures.  Here we go.