So after about a week of bouncing around Bangkok, seeing long lost relatives, taking part in a Thai Easter and coming to grips that "loose stools" will now be a norm it was time for me to catch my flight to Suratthani. After dinner my little cousins (two brothers) came into my room and with the most English I'd heard them use to date showed my pictures of, and described their recent trip to China, it was really touching and a great way to say goodbye.
However, that night I didn't sleep at all, nerves and a bad case of diarrhea dominating my thoughts and bowels (I gorged myself on some snack we got while visiting a group of nuns). Would I get along with the other teachers? What would the town be like? And the school? There were so many unknowns and the only pictures of the town and other teachers I got were of either flooding or a fabled Full Moon Party (held every full moon) that seems to make Woodstock look tame in comparison.
The next morning one of my cousins (from Chiang Mai) drove me to the airport at around 05:00 where after some complications with my bags we sat down for breakfast (I, wasn't feeling so great so I just had a coffee). Worried thoughts still prevalent, I was unable to focus and we quickly made way to the terminal and said goodbye. When I made it to the terminal all my fears melted at Annie and Jill, the two teachers I was supposed to meet in Bangkok, waved me over all excited smiles. As we sat waiting for the plane we talked about where we came from, what we did before and what our experiences the past week in Thailand have been.
The plane flight itself was over before I knew it, and we exited to the small but really nice Suratthani airport where after collecting out bags we were immediately met by Darren, the academic director, and Jena another teacher who was coming from Vietnam and already been travelling for 5 years. We all piled into a small van and brought to our new homes to deposit our belongings and get a look around. The houses being older versions of what my family has in Bangkok, with two or three levels, multiple balconies and a front courtyard with a gate (Mine has a palm tree!). Our beds are the largest I've ever slept in (king size, baby) and minus a slight roach problem, very comfortable (did I mention I have a pool table, too?). Very impressed now with my new accommodations we were brought on a quick tour of the town (which is very small) and then went and got some key supplies we'd need at the local Lotus (kind of like a Walmart). Darren seemed very friendly and laid back and I was impressed by Jena's wealth of knowledge from her many years teaching and travelling (those two being my real first pro-expatriots).
After the girls were dropped back off at their home Darren and I went to the pier where we talked a bit about travelling, Thailand, teaching and a few things until we went and picked up three more new teachers Mark (one of my roomates) Kelly and Jackie. They all seemed nice but exhausted from their travels and we were dropped off until dinner which we all got at the pier that night.
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