Orientation Begins

Today was the first day of orientation.  There were thirty or so of us that arrived a day early and today made me realize how lucky we were to have time to explore Bangkok and meet a few people before everything began.   The fifty or so people that arrived late last night seemed to be a little bit frazzled as they were quickly thrown into the swing of things.

This morning we met all of the directors of the program.  They all seem very nice and extremely organized and supportive.  Certainly a comforting thing as they will be our main lifeline in case of any sort of problem.  After the initial meeting we split off into two groups.  My group had our first Thai lesson.  We learned a number of necessary phrases and things such as proper behavior in restaurants.  I enjoyed learning about certain Thai customs that are different than our own.  For instance, Thai people don't use knives.  They use a spoon and fork with every meal.  Proper manners require you to use the fork to push the food onto the spoon and then eat off of the spoon.  Cutting of any sort is supposed to be achieved by using the fork and spoon to separate the piece.  I'll let you know how well this works out when I have my first steak.

After this lesson we had an outstanding, family-style meal.  All traditional Thai specialties, from Pad Thai to Sweet and Sour Chicken, were represented.  It was one of the better meals I've had in awhile.  Following lunch my group had a class covering teaching methods.  It was interesting but gave me the impression that I am largely on my own when designing lesson plans.  I think it will be a challenge at first but eventually I'll figure out what works and what doesn't work and how to effectively convey my lessons.

Following our second class for the day we had the opportunity to buy Thai cellphones.  The basic phone I bought cost me a whole 1,000 Baht.  This initially seemed like a lot but it was only 35 dollars.  The exchange rate is certainly a benefit in this country.

I spent the rest of the evening hanging out with a bunch of other participants in the program.  A few of us went to dinner at a local restaurant.  I've found that almost every time we all receive different meals than what we order.  However, without fail the meal that is put in front of us is outstanding.  An open mind, and a lack of fear at what you might be eating, can go a long way here.

Tomorrow should be an amazing day.  We have a trip to the Emerald Buddha Temple and Grand Palace.  I don't know too much about either of these places but from what I understand the Buddha Temple is one of the most revered places in Asia.  The day should certainly be one to remember.