Arrival

Getting off the plane in Suwanapoom Airport in Bangkok was like stepping into a strange dream. I smelt it long before I saw it, as the strange and unforgettable odor came in like an unseen mist and filled the cabin memories of past visits suddenly exploded in my mind; everything that was Thailand to me was encompassed by this smell and memories I thought I'd lost returned like an unrelenting flood.
The airport itself is massive, you can see it stretch out along the tarmac for what seems like miles. It's modern, it's air-conditioned, and it's one of the most crowded places I ever been to. I arrived at around 11:35 but did not actually get out of the Immigration Line until almost two hours later, stuck between a Malay family and a creepy English old guy who kept looking at the Malay's young boy I had nothing to do but practice my Thai until I got to the checkout counter. After I grabbed my baggage a Thai guy walks right up to me, places my bags on a cart and leads me to the exit, where we begin a desperate search for my family (who now had been waiting for at least an hour and a half). My cousin and one of the kids are the first to spot me and they bring me to a van with the others. I'm introduced to my cousins sons (whose English is surprisingly fluid) and we take off in the crazy Bangkok traffic for my first meal in Thailand (and since leaving Taipei).
We arrived at a large shopping complex (there's a lot here) and in the food court we go to a Chinese place called "MK" where I we get hotpot and buns and I am fed till bursting, while sitting across from the boys as I catch up with my cuz's.
At home I am greeted by my aunt and am placed in my room upstairs. Later I would be brought to mass (all in Thai) where I nearly fell asleep in my pew and was brought back early so I could pass out properly, propped up next to the air-conditioner vent.

The Big Flight and locked in Taipei Airport's motel prison

Well... not a cage so much and I was locked in, but I was unable to get out of the airport the entire time and there was absolutely nothing to do but tune into Chinese subbed, American action movies from 10 years ago and stretch (I had to after the flight).

So Taipei airport isn't exactly the most accommodating after 22:00, but to be fair after a slow opening they had some decent noodles and even a blind-person-massage-parlor that I didn't get to use. The flight in itself was actually pretty unremarkable, the 14 hours wiled away to the not-so-quiet hum of the engines and while I found that even 3 days latter my lower back still thinks it's missing a vertebrae or two, with a few timely stretches and walks to the bathroom (more for my legs than my bladder) I was able to get by without too much trouble. I didn't sleep much but most of the flight I was watching one movie or another either on my laptop or the seat-screen and did quite a bit of reading (Having an ereader on a plane is extremely handy as they have none of the weight and size of a few books). Luckily, in the middle section they had three seats, the middle one being empty leaving me and my left-side counterpart both two wonderful armrests all to ourselves and an empty space with which to throw our bags and computers.

On arriving in Taipei I was informed I had to pay $100 dollars for the airport motel (they called it a hotel, it wasn't) or have all my baggage dumped outside the airport at 22:00 and with a guy who has never been to Taipei and has no idea where the hotels are (and with no real way to look them up or any Taiwanese money). So very groggily I took their directions (which only worked because the airport is basically a straight line) and got to my room and even though I was told I'd be woken for the flight to Bangkok, either due to excitement or worry or both I was unable to sleep and spent the night emailing various people in other (daylight) time zones. This was one of the roughest nights so far.

The next morning I got out of my room as the airport was still waking up and spend a few hours waking around, wishing I could get a massage by a blind person until the cafes opened and I could get something to eat. After that I grabbed my bags and waited at the gate 'till my flight arrived (08:30).

LA

After I landed in LA from Milwaukee my cousins picked my up from the airport and brought me to their place, it was great to see them as the last time I visited was easily 6 or 7 years ago and I was just a little kid. For the next few days I would find myself travelling around the city eating at places that Food Network hosts would envy (I put on something like 4 pounds right away) and playing with my little cousin/nephew (depending on what culture you're in). It was a great and much needed American vacation and I was able to unwind and relax a bit while at the same time was brought by one of my cousins, who was an experienced Thai traveller, to 3 Targets, 2 sporting goods stores and a few other places to get more than double the clothes I had brought and over triple the sunscreen. What's funny is that even though my luggage was now at least 30% larger than before, I have gotten much better at packing my bags and they fit even better than when I packed to leave Boston.

Not only did they help me on the packing side of things, but I was given a little notebook and immediately filled the first four pages with Thai words and phrases that I would most likely need for survival (I was given two ways to say "diarrhoea") and with the help of my nephew, worked on the pronunciation. With all that being said I felt a great deal more prepared for Thailand than before (with some real knowledge instead of web-surf-stuff) and was able to relax even more from that than from the food.

After all that it was sad to leave everyone and I wished I had more time to visit them, but they said that they are coming to Thailand in a few months so hopefully I will get the chance to see them again soon and they got me a bus to LAX (which is a confusing lil' airport if I ever saw one).

Flights 1 & 2 Complete!

I would like to tell the world that when I approached the Hot Gates of TSA Insecurity that I stood firm, held my ground and announced boldly “Go! Feel my junk for today I wear no underpants and refuse to be scanned by your machine!”... yes, that would have made a good story for the blog. Instead, I shuffled along and meekly protested with hard looks at the bored and distracted employees and whispered a half-hearted and silly sounding “I surrender” (like the French) as I stood with my arms raised above my head as my un-underwear’d manhood got pelted by who knows how much radiation and x-ray stuff, and I didn’t even have a boner to show off. That and the quiet and anti-climactic farewell to my family at the gate as I trudged into line for the scan-o-ma-bob made for a very awkward and slightly disheartening beginning to my first flight.

The flight itself got a little better as I was luckily given a Business Class seat next to a Giant Fat Man who, in coach, would have crushed me instantly and for the entire flight. As it was I was saved with ample wiggle room and two plush armrests to spare in a nice plush and leather seat the entire ride. This ended up being perfect as I instantly passed out on sitting down. The last thing I truly remember before waking up on touchdown is the slight mesmerizing effect of the line of faces as the other (coach) passengers took to their seats.

This was something I had actually tried to avoid with coffee earlier because I knew that of the two flights that day, that the first and shorter (2 hours) one was not the ideal “pass out” flight as I figured I would be groggy while finding my next flight and would not be able to sleep at all on the longer flight to LAX (4 hours), not to mention having to stay awake until boarding. Sadly, these predictions were all true and while I did not sleep a wink on the flight to LA, was in coach the entire time and kept on getting whacked by the stewardesses as they handed out two measly crackers during the flight the trip was for the most part enjoyable and not difficult in the least. A working wifi connection provided ample relief from boredom and while the seats may not have been plush leather, they were in fact quite comfortable and at no time did I feel any envy to the current business class passengers (though it did take much longer to get on and off the plane).

One thing does worry me though, and that is at about halfway through the flight, after glimpsing a series of mountain ranges which I took to be the Rockies, I packed up my laptop and sat in quiet anticipation of our soon-to-be landing. This happened a little under two hours short of the actual landing, a fact that I did not discover until a half an hour later from a stewardess. In itself this is not so bad, as I was able to re-unpack my laptop and begin surfing the web again in earnest, but getting the feeling that I had passed 4 hours in only a little over 2 does not bode well for my future 14 and 4 hours flights to Taipei and Bangkok on Monday.

Those Left Behind

In my rush to leave the U.S.A. I ended up missing a lot of things: my sunglasses, spare prescription glasses, peptobismal and my inoculations (which could potentially kill me in all sorts of interestingly painful ways), but most of all I have missed my people. Friends and family who I have either not seen in ages and now will most likely not get another chance for years and others who I may have seen weeks ago but would liked to have said final farewells to. I’ve honestly never been good at staying in touch and I’m sure that some people still think I’m working retail in small-town Massachusetts right now. I feel bad about it all, but things like forgetting to call or write or visit someone while I’m caught up in the day-to-days of life (never-mind epic journey’s across the other side of the globe) seems to be second nature for me even when I have the best intentions. So, to all the people who I said I’d visit and didn’t, and all the people who don’t even know I’m gone I am sorry; I don’t care about you any less it’s just a combination of situation and personal-wiring that made it inevitable for me to leave you behind without any last goodbyes and I truly regret that. 
Nest Post: My Flights (Actual Travelling! )

Rushing for a visa

“Okay, but you must arrive today... yes, today”, she said with finality. It looks like I’d have to find a way to make it to the Thai Consulate in New York City (a four hour drive at best) by 12:30 or I would not be able to get my 90 day “B” Teaching visa before I left for California, and without that, I couldn’t get in the country to teach and later get a one year teaching visa (it was 09:30).

Now it turns out that she was wrong, and I was able to make it to the consulate the next day and hand it in at 11:30 no problem, but that phone call and the ensuing hopeless panic is a good summary of my entire application and travel process to this day: lots to do and it had to be done yesterday. First applied to this school in Suratthani on a whim; my TEFL seminar had finished spellchecking my resume and they were about to start sending out applications to their constituents around the world on my behalf and I kind of figured, “Why the Hell not?” and sent out a single application to the only Thai school on the International Jobs Board on a popular TEFL website (Dave's ESL Cafe). I didn’t even expect a reply (many of the Taiwanese schools I tried after graduation never did) so when I get an invitation to a Skype interview a few days later I was stunned speechless.

That was March 5th. By the 8th I had a job offer, I was to begin training and teaching on May 1st; less than two months to prepare for my longest stay abroad and a first step in a brand new career. Two days later I was given my teacher’s contract, visa application checklist and a request for an arrival date (plus a handful of other, lesser documents I had to read or sign). Within a little over a month’s time I had booked three flights, gotten a police records check, and been two consulates (both Boston and New York). The communication I had with other teachers revealed similar levels of daze and extreme pressure, especially for the other first timers like myself.

My family in Thailand, who had been blissfully unaware of any of my goings on at all had to be informed of my arrival in their country (and told that it was not just a visit, but that I had graduated from school and was working). Thankfully, the Internet made this a quicker process than it used to be (while reading the compiled letters of my ancestor Patrick Glennon, the dates between each letter and response could be over a month apart) and I was able to contact my cousins (who I had not seen since they came to America to study when I was a child) through email and Facebook. Everyone seems very excited and I can’t wait to see them again, even after all this time (and apparently a few kids) and it’ll be nice both not to have to pay for a hotel in Bangkok and have the help show me how to get a cell phone and bank account.

In terms of packing, it has mostly taken place in the last week. I plan on taking a suitcase, a backpack and I’m bringing The Gibson which was a gift from an old friend (even if I am rhythm deaf and practice only occasionally). The backpack, which will be my carry-on, is filled mostly with cranberries, macadamia nuts and chocolates for the aunts and uncles and kids of the family for once I meet them and my computer. The suitcase has all the rest of my living essentials (or at least what I can think of anyways) which mostly includes clothes and hygienics.  

Sadly, it is all for naught as I am bound to die by the hand of some nasty and completely fatal indigenous disease as while I had time to get the first round of shots I need from the travel clinic I have both missed my last appointment and will have to miss my next due to time constraints (I will sadly be in New York for my visa during my scheduled shot-taking). This predicament, which could have been completely avoided I should add by a more prompt me, leaves me to the mercy of Hepatitis B and Typhoid Fever which both sound wholly unpleasant. Thankfully, for a third-world country, Thailand has a medical industry on par or possibly even better than our own here in the US of A and I will be able to complete my round of inoculations once I arrive. This will make for some very interesting drinking though, as Hep B is the main “bad water” virus and even the ice cubes in Thailand could be carrying it.

All of this and more has made a jam-packed March/April and while I’ve learned a lot about prior preparation, it does mean that there are more than a few things I think I’m lacking (the shots alone show that) and that things should stay interesting and eventful on my arrival; hopefully making for some interesting reading.

T-minus 7 days...

I've come across a few standard responses when I tell people I'm moving to Thailand for work. Most involve some sort of wide-eyed staring and a good amount of surprised stammering (I can't tell you how awkward it makes me sometimes) and then a flood of questions like "Why?" and "How long?". And, to tell the truth, I hate that because I have some pretty shitty answers.

Most of the time when asked why, I try to dodge the question with a "Why not?". It saves time and makes them feel about as awkward as I do when they ask. It's a good question, though. I like to take it in stages, the choice to teach, the choice to leave the country and the choice of where I landed (there were a lot of options). 

Aside from early feelings of stage fright teaching, for me, has always been easy. Part an act, keep whoever you're teaching entertained; part mentor-ship where you provide guidance and give approval or discipline and of course part tool to be used to impart knowledge. I've been teaching one thing or another (karate, religion, English) since I was a teenager and always felt comfortable in that role. That, and a degree in Psychology with which I had no real plans for meant teaching English, which required no more than a one month certification program and a BA in any subject, was perfect for me. 

The decision to leave America was the easiest. I want to travel, always have. My father was an immigrant/traveler and one of my favorite books is the travel journal kept by my great-great-great grandfather Patrick who came from Ireland to America and then from Boston out West with the wagon trains. I've played with the idea of everything from military service to the Peace Corps, but I only really started taking the concept truly seriously at the same time I heard about English Teaching as a professional option. While working at a large computer retailer store I helped a young couple that just got back from a whirlwind, five year excursion across Taiwan and China. As we talked, I learned they were English teachers and had gone directly after graduating from college (which was coming around the corner for me at the time). They told me stories of lil' Asian kids screaming and bouncing around, having fun in the classroom; they told me how they paid off their student loans years in advance and how they got to learn a new language and culture while being paid for it (like a Travel Channel gig, but you get to stay!). It sounded perfect and later, as I looked into it a bit more online, that perfection only seemed to get shinier. So a season or so after graduating I went in to the Oxford Seminars of Boston and came out with a TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language) Certification.

As far as teaching in Thailand, that took a bit more time. I originally intended on teaching in Taiwan at the same place as the young teachers I met at the store. However, after a few rejections (before I became certified) and some good old fashion day dreaming, the thought occurred to me to check out what Thailand was like. I am half Thai, my father immigrating to the USA at 17 for school, and always played with the idea of living there (somehow) one day. I visited as a kid for a short stay, but don't remember much and I don't really know any of the family over there (except maybe a cousin or two). That and I've always been into martial arts (karate teacher and all) and the chance to take authentic muay thai is a huge plus for me. That plus the fact that the entire country is pretty much jungle/beach paradise with some of the nicest people culturally and a food that makes the French look like the English and it was almost a slam dunk. So, a few months after getting my certification (one month of classes and I'm already re-burnt out) I send out another batch of applications, this time to Thailand and almost immediately get a job. 

I was stunned, couldn't believe it. Yeah, sure I was sending out apps, but I did that before and nothing came of it. But lo and behold, less than two weeks from first sending out my resume I have a job, a day I need to be in Thailand by, and living arrangements (the school, thankfully, will provide housing). This is the first of many instances in the following month of "Shit just got real". 

They say "You go to Thailand for the lifestyle, not the money", basically because there is none. I'll be making slightly more in Thailand full time than I do currently working at my part-time, college, retail job. I've had to defer my loans and save up money just to make it through the first few months there. Even though I'll be making a lot compared to my local, Thai counterparts I still apply for all economic hardship check-boxes on pretty much any questionnaire from any loan office or bank thanks to the exchange rate (33 baht to a dollar). The first year, as you still learn the culture and language you also tend to get conned a lot so this is expected to be a very pricey job in the beginning, but the benefits should pay off many times over once I get the skills and knowledge to succeed at Professional Teaching on an International level.  

People ask me all the time how long I intend on staying there and the truth of the matter is I have no fucking idea. I've told people everything from "forever" to "this is a one year contract" (which it technically is, but let's not get into that right now), but honestly who knows? If I like it, like the country, like the profession, like my family I could find myself staying for many years past even my own wildest dreams. I could finish my assignment then take off for Korea or Japan in a year or two. With this kind of job I can go where the wind takes me and not give a shit, and I really (REALLY) like that. But I do have a certain amount of plans. I plan on learning the language. I plan on learning the names of all my aunts and uncles and to get to know them and their families well. I plan on being a badass kickboxer with a crazy finishing move that harkens back to Tekken and Hajime no Ippo. So until I complete at least the first two, I think I'm stuck there for a while (let's call it a "few" years). And I do know, that so long as I do realize I hate children all of a sudden and that teaching English gives me brain-rash, then I'll use it as my meal ticket around the world as far and as often as I possibly can.