#'3 equals a successful war against cockroaches

After 3 weeks here, we have finally won the war against the cockroaches.

We started out living in our house by refusing to go downstairs past 6/7pm as the cockroaches came out around then and turned out living room into their social space. Living with cockroaches with a pain but they never ventured into our room upstairs so we coped. My mum then told me to buy spray and spray the downstairs and it will scare them off, so we did that... That night turned into a war - 50+ cockroaches against 3 scared girls.

We had sprayed all the exits/entrances thinking it will stop them coming in, instead it trapped them in. One deadly bugger even flew at my leg and I screamed so loud the girls came running down thinking I'd seen a snake. I wish it was a snake. We then tried to ward off the cockroaches with a broom and the spray. It didn't work, it just aggravated the buggers. So we ran up to our room to seek safety.

Then, whilst we were all minding our own business, one little bugger came crawling through the top gap in our bedroom door and my God did we scream. We sat there staring at it for a while not knowing what to do and then we realised we left the spray and the broom downstairs... dun dun DUN. We attempted to open the door and the cockroach ran into Nicole's bed whilst I then ran downstairs to grab the spray and broom and well it all ended in a puff of smoke. By that I mean, tons and tons of spray to kill the cockroach.

The whole night then followed with not much sleep and when I did fall asleep, scary cockroach nightmares! The next morning we all huddled together to go view the devastation downstairs... there were, and I am not exaggerating, over 50 dead cockroaches lying on their backs all over the living room and bathroom. It's safe to say cleaning that was not a fun morning. We even showered at the boy's house in Phana as we couldn't face even more dead cockroaches in the bathroom. The day followed with sweet and sour chicken rice and crushed oreo milkshakes in Phana! We treated ourselves for surviving the cockroach war.

#2 consists of bad luck with technology!

So far, so much bad luck with technology. Firstly, the insanely clever part of me decided to kneel on my kindle breaking the screen meaning I was now bookless. I could cope with this for a while knowing I had a kindle app on my mac though. Then, Monday afternoon decided to hand me a plate full of more bad luck - my laptop just turned off and wouldn't turn on. After several phone calls home trying to explain that this time it wasn't my fault - "no mum I did not drop it, no mum I didn't step on it either, I also did not spill anything on it or let it overheat. No mum... mum seriously...?" It's now the following Monday night and as far as I know, my laptop is in the hands of some computer tech man who speaks barely any English "I fix for you, leave here, 2-3000 baht, I call when fixed" God knows the fate of my poor Apple Mac which has been a trusty reliable friend for about 6 years now.

At the Temple with the teachers

So with the evenings dragging without my laptop to watch films (and Suits, omg I was in the middle of an episode where Donna was sleeping with the new fancy pants guy!) it has been a loooooong week. However, the days have only gotten better! One day we drove a two hour drive to the Mekong River where we could see Laos and we went to one the biggest temples in Thailand with all the teachers at the school parading around with us, we had no idea what was going on but we did get to bang the big gong at the end! The next day we drove a similar drive with the two guy volunteers from Phana and their hosts to a National Park where we saw many cool rocks (kinda like Thailands equivalent of Stone Henge - interesting for a moment or two and then you realise that it really is just a rock) but we also saw a famous rock painting which was actually really cool! Afterwards we walked down to a waterfall and us 5 volunteers all jumped in the water and swam under the waterfall which in the blistering heat was insanely refreshing and fun! Then on the drive home our host bought us ice creams, soya milk and fried chicken and chips - she really really doesn't think we can handle Thai food! 

After two busy days we were then left to ourselves on Friday to have a lie in, relax, attempt to order our lunch from a local restaurant where they speak no English and we speak no Thai... we eventually managed to say chicken rice in Thai - kow man gai (that could be spelled totally wrong)! We also got to ride our bikes more - we love our daily bike rides down to the 7/11 where we buy chocolate milk and cakes for the morning. Ok, so we are trying to immerse ourselves into Thai culture but we have found that we just simply love the chocolate milk and banana/milk cakes from 7/11 and of course the strawberry fanta! 

Saturday we arranged with the other volunteers close by to all meet in Ubon Ratchathani for some real fun! We had all managed to find our various ways in via Song Thaew's or lifts from hosts if you were lucky and had met everyone by 12ish in Sunee Tower where we ate lunch from the food court. This mainly consists of pointing at pictures which look fairly edible and not having a clue what is in it - not eating beef or pork means this is very difficult so I have learnt the Thai for chicken to try and suss out what I am eating. We then decided to go bowling as the only English films on were ones we had never heard of. Bowling was so much fun - we ordered some alcoholic slushy type drinks from the bar and were given a form of shot glass and jugs of alcoholic slush. They tasted pretttty daaaamn good (especially after 2 weeks of no alcohol which I'm sure many of you are shocked that I am still standing after 2 weeks with no alcohol). Seeing other volunteers was a nice reminder that all of us out here are going through similar versions of culture shock and are adapting slowly, most of them have been quite ill which I have not yet suffered so I'm counting my blessings. Even if I can't manage to save my electronics at least my body is saved from illness (fingers crossed).

All in all, the second week at Muang Samsip has brought ups and downs but my lovely partners have been letting me use their laptops and kindles - I'm now reading some strange WWI book that has actually gotten quite interesting, clearly not the end of the world then. Today is my birthday and I've had a lovely card signed by the other volunteers and cute little cake from Nicole and Cissy and a purple bag that our host had me knitted as purple is my favourite colour - how cute! It's weird to think that although my birthday is almost over here in Thailand, it still has half a day left in England! Also, Cissy's mum has sent Les Mis bracelets in the post as she found out I love Les Mis, I cannot even explain how excited I am for this!!! 

Loving and missing you all back home and thank you for the lovely birthday messages! I'm going to properly celebrate once we get to Chiang Mai with vodka mixed with strawberry fanta (So excited to try this!)

(Also photos will be added when and if I am reunited with my baby appley - come back to mummy soon laptop, I'm praying for you)

Amy xxx

Week One in Thailand!

This last week has felt like an entire month but I’m here, I’ve made it! I finally have time to relax as I listen to my Les Miserables 10^th Anniversary Concert album with the two fans we have on full and covered in mosquito spray. The day before leaving Essex, I found out that I’ll be spending this year with a girl called Cissy as well as Nicole as her project has fallen through - this can only mean more fun! All us 19 volunteers arrived in Bangkok at 7am on Friday 30^th and were met by Lucie, the PT rep, and taken in mini buses to Hotel Malaysia where we enjoyed iced drinks and a quick chat with Lucie before we were left to sleep! Leaving home at 5am on Thursday morning and arriving at what would be 1am English time, we were exhausted and Nicole and I slept the whole afternoon. After that we enjoyed a massive spread of delicious (and some not so...) dishes at a restaurant near by and then were taken to a bar, Cloud 47, on the 47^th floor which overlooked the sights of Bangkok - and what a sight it was! 

The next day we were left to do as we please in Bangkok and Nicole, Cissy and I decided to brace the tube in Bangkok and attempt to make it to MBK shopping center - I think making it across Bangkok speaking no Thai was a definite achievement! We also managed to use the Sky Train to make it to the weekend market which was filled with so so many stalls selling everything from fruit to flip flops to pets even! That evening we then boarded our 10 hour night bus to Ubon Ratchathani. I was lucky and managed to sleep for over half of this, but others did not share my fortune and found the journey knackering especially as we arrived at 6.30am the next day and did not have a single rest! 

On arriving at Ubon our Host, Adjarn Prayang, met us and took us to our first traditional Thai breakfast... MCDONALDS! (It’s not the same as in the UK though) I don’t think Prayang thinks we can handle ‘Isaan food, very spicy food’ so since we have lots of western food. Mother, you said I wouldn’t be getting good Italian food well we had Pizza’s at Spago in Ubon tonight!

Since arriving we have been shown around the Buddhist Temples - they are so so beautiful and were even taken to a food offering service with the other teachers at school once! We have been welcomed with such enthusiasm by the teachers at Amphawan Wittaya Secondary School, and have had so so so many photo’s taken of us! All the time someone new will just point us into a space and put their arms around us and there will be a photo taken - there is absolutely no time to adjust our hair!!! The students at the school are nicer than any students back in England without a doubt, two students even showed us the way into Ubon from Muang Samsip on the Song Thaew (the public ‘bus’) and have taken us on many tours of the school and to the market and showed us Isaan dancing as well - I think it’s safe to say we were awful! 

As well as the upsides to my new life here in Thailand, there have been a few err... Mishaps. Our first night in our temporary room here in Ubon where innocent Nicole went to our beautiful squat toilet and was met by the unsightly view of a gecko lying in front of the hole (I mean toilet). Not only was poor Nicole met by a gecko, it was a DEAD GECKO lying on its back with its legs in the air! We are still not far into our investigation of the mysterious Gecko killer! 

Our house we move into this weekend was also not a pleasant first visit... To be met with Ben and David’s (last years volunteers) socks and boxers was a shock to say the least! Thanks Ben and David for your kind gifts!

All in all it’s been a crazy busy week with lots of things to get used to! Even just the way if someone says they’ll meet us at 8 they always mean 9, but be ready for 8 just incase they decide to be on time. Time is not so much of an issue here so everything is done slowly which kind of makes me miss the London Underground at rush hour - kind of!

I can only imagine the next 3 weeks will bring even more adventures and surprises and then we’re headed off to Chiang Mai for our 3 week language course with all the other volunteers! Endless fun! 

I’ll be in touch soon,

Lots of love,

Amy