Settling In

It's been a busy week here, filled with staff meetings, technology training, classroom preparations, and of course, getting to know people.  There have been several interesting moments and experiences along the way.

• I love that the bus system in Bangkok is almost identical to the bus system in Buenos Aires.  It's made it much easier to learn to get around.  Like in BsAs, there is no timetable- you wait at the bus stop till the right bus comes along and you flag it down.  There is a route map that would take a graduate degree to read and you still have to know what comes right before your stop so you know when to ring the bell.  There is one important difference: you can pay with bills, no monedas required.  
• Also on a transportation note, I rode my first motorcycle this week, taking a very short moto-taxi ride to the bus stop.  My friend told the drivers that it was my first time so they went nice and slow, no crazy driving.  It was actually pretty fun! 
• Many things here are nice and cheap- Thai food, massages, most transportation- but some are as expensive as at home, namely pedicures, which was a disappointment last night (we made up for it by going for massages instead).  
• It's rainy season and some days it's so humid the air feels like pea soup.  Yesterday was one such day- hot, sunny, and humid- until the late afternoon when the rain hit...
• It started raining a little while Mara and I were out shopping, no big deal.  A few minutes later we were supposed to leave to meet some friends for dinner across the street when the heavens opened.  We went to dinner late, there was no other choice really.  It started pouring again during dinner and on our way to the mall (where the nail salon was).  When we walked into the mall the lobby was full of people waiting for the rain to leave.  
• By the time we left to go home it was only sprinkling, but traffic was very slow because there was so much water.  Our soi (the small street we live off of, they're called sois) was flooded up to the curb.  Sometimes the taxis will refuse to go down flooded streets, but luckily our driver did.  I think he was enjoying the trip- Angela trying to figure out the word for lightning and him having no idea what she was describing and Mara and I in the back ohhing and ahhhing and the flood waters.  
• My classroom has an AWESOME interactive board called a Mimio. It's similar to a Promethean or Smart board, just a brand that does better in humidity apparently.  I love it, except that the projection screen is a little high so I can just barely reach the top on tip toes.  We checked, and it can't really be lowered.  So far only the math teachers have the Mimios and as the only female secondary math teacher, I think I'm the only one with this problem.  
• More Western brands discovered: Jiff, PG Tips, Dunkin Donuts, Gap, Pop Tarts, Post-it, and more I can't think of right now.  It simply amazes me what you can get and find here- though it's generally pretty pricey.  
• Thais very rarely use last names for anything other than paperwork, from what I can tell, and why would they with last names as long as theirs.  What this mean for me, however, is that I will no longer be Miss Messink, or Miss M, or even Mrs. Messink, ha.  I'm now Miss Clare, which is taking some getting used to.  Even just labeling things for my classroom or for school, I have to fight that instinct.  And I suppose I'm going to need a new name for Storytime with Miss Messink, because "Ms. Clare" just doesn't fit there as well.  I don't mind being called Miss Clare, I've had plenty of other situations in my life where kids have called me that, it's just going to take some adjusting to remember that's who I am, not Miss Messink. 

I am looking forward to "finding my place" more over the coming weeks and beginning to put a routine together.  I want to start Thai classes soon and am considering leading a middle school girls "Life group" on Tuesdays after school.  I am trying a muscle workout/stretching class tomorrow with a Thai friend from work.  I also want to find some way to connect to a local ministry, in a children's home or something similar.  

So life continues to settle in here in Bangkok and at ICS.  My classroom is 98% ready for Monday's Open House and Tuesday's first day of school.  I am finding ways to be intentional about getting to know people, although still get frustrated easily by how long it takes to build real friendships, even abroad.  I miss home, more perhaps than I anticipated, and miss being in a similar time zone as everyone.  But I am excited too for this week ahead and all that God has in store for it.