Oh, Say Can You See..: Rice, rice, rice, and noodles

2 weeks down, 8 to go!

I still can’t believe I have only been in Thailand for a couple of weeks. We have done so much already. Pre-service training (PST) is not a joke. I am up at 6 every morning then 4 hours of language class, 4 hours of technical training, and I am home by 6 in the evening. In my free time I spend time with my Thai family, do laundry, and study…a lot. The days are exhausting. I am just holding on to the fact that this will all be worth it when 124 officially becomes Peace Corps Volunteers (PCV) in March!

I am sure you are dying to know where I am living. I am one of the lucky few (this is sarcasm) who landed a home without internet and with a squat toilet. But it’s not all bad. My room is separated from the rest of the house. I have my own little living room/kitchen, bedroom, and bathroom – and TWO fans. I am really enjoying the fact that I have my own separate space and that I get private time every night. I live with my Thai family – my mom, grandma, cousin, and two puppies. My mom and grandma do not know a word of English. I am not exaggerating when I say that. I spend most of our conversations just smiling and agreeing to everything they say. My cousin knows a little English and I am so thankful for that! She is home about ½ the time because she works a lot, but she gets to act as translator when she is here.

The food!!! The first week when we were at the hotel I was convinced I would die of starvation by the end of PST. I hated everything. But now, everything is amazingggggg. I am getting fatter by the minute. I still lack the communication skills to know or remember what I am eating most of the time but I love it all. Fried bananas, sticky rice desserts, iced coffee, pad thai. Everything is so good. My mom feeds me so much. She started by giving me about 15 oranges and some sliced watermelon every day to keep in my fridge just to snack on. While I have been writing this she just walked in and re-stocked my already full fridge with about 30 oranges and 10 apples. I keep filling my backpack with fruit and taking it to friends because I would never be able to eat it all.

Favorite moment of the week: I was getting ready to take my nightly bucket shower last night when I noticed something above my bed. It was a spider about the size of my palm. I ran out of my room screaming “help me” in Thai. My mom rushes in and takes a good look at the spider. We moved my mattress out of the way and without even hesitating….BAM! She grabs the spider and crushes it in her bare hand.

I miss all of you! Hope everything is great back home in the USA! Next time you get the chance to sit on a toilet, please think of me and make sure to enjoy every minute of it.

This is where the magic happens. The pink thing in the back is my toilet. You stand on the sides, squat, and go. The little bucket next to it is full of water that you scoop into the toilet to flush. I do my laundry in the two buckets in the middle of the picture. And the big trash can is full of water that I dump on my head to shower. How do I brush my teeth without a sink? I just spit on the floor.