Q: Why does this mango smell like a foot?

Sawatdee Kaa! Random thoughts and highlights from Bangkok...

* Orientation has been pretty awesome - it's kinda like I'm in college all over again, and this hotel has been my dorm. I've been meeting people from all over the place, lots of peeps from Boston and Cali in particular.

* Bangkok, simply put, is cray-cray. I thought that NYC was a big city... it ain't nothin compared to this place. Shopping here on Wednesday was like trying to shop in a TJ maxx on Black Friday. Also, it's 85-90+ degrees here everyday, and you're cloaked in humidity and pollution... sweat errrywhere.

* Food is dank here... and cheap as hell. A plate of noodles or rice from a street vendor is 30-35 baht, which is roughly a little over $1 USD. Sweet dollar menus everywhere. Food in a restaurant is still only about 80-100 baht.





* I bought a mango one day on the street for 6 baht... i got back to the hotel, peeled it with my hands, and realized that it smelled like a foot. Lee confirmed this fact. We still ate it because we were hungry. Someone told us that we probably ate a durian, a fruit which is banned from some hotels and modes of public transportation due to its smell. This temporarily comforted me until I saw a picture of a durian and realized that it's spiky on the outside. The fruit I bought was definitely not spiky. Therefore, I can only believe that I ate a Foot Mango.

* I went to an internet cafe down the street, and it was filled with little Thai boys furiously gaming. I learned later that Thais don't read books - they play violent video games and listen to Kpop (Korean pop). On a semi-related note, there's 4 music channels on the TV here in the hotel room, and one of my favorite videos is by a rapper by the name of Thaitanium. Clever

* On Friday we went to the Grand Palace, the holiest of places for Buddhists in Thailand. About 8 other girls and I got called out for dressing "too sexy" and were made to put on long sarong-skirts (see below). They were actually pretty awesome and I wish I could have kept mine...



(blessing Lee)



* Met our school coordinators on Friday - I will be teaching 18-19 DIFFERENT classes each week. 40 students per class. High schoolers ages 12-18. No A/C in the school. This will be challenging... I should have brought more silly bandz because I only have 150...

* We got Thai massages on Saturday after orientation, 1 hour for 150 baht (roughly $5 USD). Lee got his by a dude. A 6'4'', 250lb dude with a ponytail. He was also given a pair sheer cotton jammies to wear. Really wish I had photo documentation.