Thap Teem

Hello, one and all. I am using the must faster Internet and much better keyboard of my school, ISDSI.  Later on I'll talk more about what we do at school.  But because I have very little time before my host sister Ben comes to pick me up (on a motorbike. by the way.) I'm just going to steal my friend Dana's idea and write about the general routine of life so far this week.

4:45 am.  Wake up.  Still have not recovered from jet lag, apparently.  Wander around, check email, read my comfort book (Princess Bride).  Go back to sleep.

6:30 am.  Wake up.  Dress in school uniform with difficulty because I am too sticky from the heat to put on any articles of clothing.  Awkwardly go to the kitchen, where Mae Aun has laid out a vast and improbable breakfast for me, so far having included:
            a. A citrusy soup with whole chilis
            b. Lots of rice
            c. A huge, excellent omelett
            d. JUST THIS MORNING: an entire fish, scales, head, eyes, and all.
            e. Thick soy milk with strange Western cereal

6:50 am. Have confusing conversation with Mae Aun about how I am going to get to school.  Almost always, she recruits one of her many "children" --really, just other students -- to drive me via motorbike.

7:00 am. Try to get ready fast enough, always fretting that I'll forget something.  Alerted by Mae Aun banging on my door from the outside that her kid is ready to go.  I stumble out, grabbing spare pens on the way.

7:05 am. Awkwardly mount motorbike in knee-length black skirt and don huge white helmet.

7:05-7:15 am. Exciting/terrifying ride through the city.  Every once in a while glimpse of speedometer reveals speeds of 80, which puts me in a brief panic, but then I remember it is in kilometers and is more like 55 or so.

7:15 am. Dismount, also awkwardly.  Bow ('wai') to person who drove me.  Carry helmet into school.  Am 45 minutes early.  Drink tea in kitchen (ISDSI is kind of just a big house). Hang out with other early arrivals. Get on Internet.

8:00 am. Commence 4 hours of mind-numbing Thai lessons.  I am in a class with Taylor Stamm, Taylor Sruba, Max, D.K., and Jordan.  If a native speaker happened to hear our class, they would probably be filled with pity/fear at the mangled Thai we keep shouting/trying to read.

12noon.  Lunch. Amazing array of Thai food and fresh fruit.  Everyone, mentally exhausted, eats way too much and shares stories about homestays/exciting food.

1:00 pm. This week, orientation.  Ajaan Mark ("teacher") scares everyone straight with horrific stories about students who have done drugs or gone to brothels only to end up dead or in Thai prison for years.  We are outside and are soon stuck to our seats with sweat.

3:00 pm.  Occasionally, the class goes to the back patio area, changes into workout clothes, and participates in Crossfit training, which is insane.  The 90+ degree weather makes everyone almost pass out.  Our trainer plays Fergie and Lady Gaga, which I discover I have not escaped.

4:00-5:00 pm. Get a ride home from Ben, my host sister.  She is a better driver than some of Mae Aun's other children, and spends less time accelerating as intensely as possible.

5:15 pm. Arrive home, shower (maybe), collapse and rest for a little while.

6:45 pm.  Ben and Nat and I hang out.  Occasionally they tell me about something they are taking me to do.  Sometimes we go out to eat, other times we sit in Mae Aun's tiny kitchen and eat the huge quantities of food she puts down in front of us.

8:00 ish.  Wash dishes outside. Hang out a little more.  If possible, study Thai a little bit.

8:02 pm.  Fall asleep as soon as body is horizontal.  Repeat.

Today we visited a walking market and an art museum as part of our city orientation.  I asked one of the Thai instructors what Mae Aun's nickname for me (thap-teem) means, and found out that it means Pomegranate.

Love
Emblz