The Thailand I Read About

This week I moved into a new place, a guest house called Mango House.  It is located inside the old city, which I have never considered before.  Everyone I talked to said to avoid the old city, that it was dirty and I wouldn't like it.  I guess that's a lesson learned, it's always good to investigate for yourself, no matter what people tell you.

The guest house is located on a very nice street called Moonmuang Soi 9.  It it a residential area with trees and plants, houses and animals, and lots of little restaurant-shacks and other businesses like massage parlors, tattoo parlors, hair salons, laundry shops, convenience store-shacks, and a ton of other little random stuff.  I wake up in the morning and go across the street and order an "American" breakfast; eggs, toast, fresh fruit and orange juice.  People walk by on the street who look like they just rolled out of bed, hair sticking up, clothes all rumpled, looking like they desperately need a cup of coffee!  That's what I love about here, there is no pretense, no makeup, people just show up as they are.  This morning I was eating and one of the staff came out, apparently from the shower because her head was still wrapped in a towel, and started taking orders. I call them shacks; they're not exactly shacks but they are certainly not restaurants like we have in the states.  As far as I can tell, there is a house in the back and they put up a shelter, like a carport in the front, with a kitchen and chairs and tables.  When they close, they just pull down a giant metal rolling door and lock it all up.   I have a very nice room here, it is all decorated in blue.  You can see the beautiful painting hanging above the bed in the picture.  The rest of the room is blue as well, and it makes for a very soothing atmosphere when I get home hot and sweaty from the day.  The bathroom is tiny as you can see, that's it.  There is no shower like we have in the states, when I want to take a shower I close the door and use the shower attachment you can see on the wall and the whole bathroom turns into a shower.  Actually I think it's a really smart space saving design and pretty easy to use once you get used to it.

Thai class is going well and I am now able to carry on a basic conversation in a restaurant with limited English.  So that’s fun!  The Thai people are very gracious about my attempts to speak Thai and genuinely seem pleased that I am making an effort.  They are very helpful and often teach me a new word or give me hints when I am not sure. Also, in an unexpected turn of events, I asked the owners of the guest house, who are French, if I could practice my French with them.  I didn't know if they would be keen on helping me, as I have had limited success with other French speaking people.  But to my pleasant surprise, they are gracious and even enthusiastic about helping me with my French!  So around the guest house, we speak mostly French, then I go out and speak Thai in the markets and restaurants, and speak English with my friends.  This is a dream come true for me.  I have always been in awe of people who speak more than one language (and even a little jealous).  I feel like I am finally getting clear on what I want to do with this next season of my life, and becoming a polyglot is definitely at the top of my list. It is exciting, I finally feel like I'm where I want to be and starting to develop into the person I want to become!