Monday, November 4, 2013

11-2-13 and 11-3-13 First Weekend Off! (Or So It Seems)

     This Saturday was my first real day off since coming here to Thailand. No one was around, I did my own things on my own time, and I accomplished a lot for a lazy day. 
     I first swept my entire place, finding hair and dust everywhere. I swept up some dead bugs as well. Ewww! After binging on a whole bunch of different types of fruits, cookies, milk, eggs, and bread, I finally brought myself to take a shower and headed downstairs to ask about the lightbulb that has not been working since I moved in and to hand over, very sheepishly, the late electric bill. Thankfully, it was not my bill, and the landlady would cover it, since it was from the previous person, but still, I kept apologizing because even though I had tried to reach her yesterday, I had gone too late and she had already closed her shop.
     I went back to Dtac (phone company) to upgrade my plan with the Hivalue representative, P’ Pook. I FINALLY met her, after talking with her on the phone so many times and then working with her husband, Noom! Her daughter, Babe, was very cute as well. :) We walked over to Watson’s where I splurged a little on shampoo, conditioner, and soap (all buy one, get one free), plus a coconut milk conditioner. 
     P’Pook (you add the P to the front to address an older person) recommended good som tam to me right around the corner from where I live and bought me thai iced tea, which made me VERY happy. :) 
     I was so elated from it that I must dedicate an entire paragraph to its deliciousness. Remember in a previous post when I said that my students would transform within seconds from monsters to perfect little angels? Well, my transition was even faster. I took one sip and my whole world seemed to light up. Everything that had previously been ailing me literally flew off of my shoulders. I felt ready to take on the world, and it’s not too often that I feel that amazing in my own skin. 

This is so safe. Bug spray next to my laptop and my food.


My giant bag of thai iced tea in all its delectable glory :)

Also, luk chup on my laptop. Everything I do is so safe haha


     Anyway, that night, I was still so ecstatic from the thai iced tea that I decided whenever I need a pick-me-up, that’ll be my very perfect go-to solution. I was feeling so joyful that I went downstairs and tried to use Thai to order my food from the locals around my area. Of course, it was so limited that I asked this one lady to repeat herself about 5 times. 
     My som tam cost 30 baht (it was 35, but the lady gave me back 5, I think), my 2 pork-on-a-stick cost 15, and my sticky rice was only 5 baht, which is actually normally priced. My total for the entire meal was only 50 baht or $1.33. NICE!


My meal that is unnecessarily explained in detail below


Som tam thai = papaya salad
I ordered it ped noi, which means a little spicy. P’Pook said that even she couldn’t handle the Thai spicy that they used, and she’s Thai! It was for advanced spice-handlers haha, like for my mom :)

Khao niao = sticky rice
I don’t think I’ll ever get sick of that! It also goes so well with the som tam!

Cha yen = thai iced tea
How come in Chicago, my sister was one of the only ones buying this? I’ll be a regular customer now :D

Ig = already (I think)

Ig nan = a while

     Anyway, I’m just really content about today, even though I was feeling slightly depressed earlier. I have officially unpacked all my stuff and put my suitcase on top of my dressers as well. This is now, for real, my home for ig nan. And I’m actually okay with that. Part of me is wondering what they might have put in that cha yen though to make me feel this way.... Oh well, I’ll be back for many, many more!

Random stream of consciousness (I made my friend type one too): Sitting here in my apartment is an amazing experience in itself. I know it’s not the most exciting thing, but seeing pictures in iPhoto and then looking around and being by myself, I think I love having a place to myself. Of course, this is the first time this has ever happened, so for the first 3 weeks, this is just something that I’ve not paid attention to quite enough. There’s a ladybug on the corner of my poster. I wonder if it’s from the giant ladybug that was in my room that one night. Baby ladybugs everywhere! Also, I should probably not listen to music while typing this because now I’m dancing and just want to shout Troublemaker. Ooh, I was wondering what that loud beeping sound was. I thought it was my air conditioning, but apparently, it’s my phone telling me to stop typing... 




11-3-13 
     After unpacking everything the night before, I finally felt that this place was really going to be my home. :) Still, Sunday came a little too quickly. I woke up, ready and raring to go to the Chatuchak Market, or the JJ Market (since the Thai name is pronounced with almost “J” sounds and it is just too long). It is one of the largest markets in all of Thailand, located in Bangkok. However, I had a rather long Skype session filled with emotions, feelings, and all my other weaknesses, haha jk :)
     My friend Lindsay, who I originally had planned to meet at the market, unfortunately couldn’t make it, and my other friend Julie was carrying an overnight bag and couldn’t wait for me too long. By bus, it would have taken me about an hour just to reach JJ. By the time I finally found the vans, I could tell that she was giving up waiting on me, so we decided just to cancel the trip and meet up to talk later. Plus, it was one of the hottest days so far, being about 97 degrees, so I didn't want to make the journey after sweating by the bus station for 15 minutes.
     I ended up just having another fruitful day of relaxation and work, as I turned up my music, had another hermit dance party, and scrubbed my floor and kitchen area with soap and water, a sponge, a rag, and brimming determination. Being the laziest person in existence though, I would give up every few quarter-hours and take a facebook break. However, my room now smells really great! I just need to scrub my bathroom... maybe next time lol.

Getting ready to clean! And no, I did not wear this outfit to clean lol


     The Sunday market that shows up the first and last Sundays each month showed up again today, so I went there and tried not to spend money. My main purchases though were towels (which I was in dire need of... you seriously can’t have enough of those things!), stickers (for the kidlets), and some random organizational things from the 20 baht store.
     Even though I didn’t quite make it anywhere, I loved this weekend! It’s been so long since I’ve been able to relax on my own and I was glad to have it. 

This is my personality summed up by a cat meme lol
(Copyright Google)

     My friends, however, have plans in store for me for the next few weekends. Beach, Ayutthaya, Chiang Mai. Part of me says bring it on, but the girl that came from home says... slow down! I’m barely settled in! But after all, I guess I need both introvert and extrovert parts, right?

Copyright Google


What I wish I could say to all my friends sometimes...
(Copyright Hyperbole and a Half)





My refrigerator with my milk boxes, bananas, little mandarins, and giant water that I got since I moved in and have barely drank out of... I'm slightly dehydrated at all times... well, until I got my juice!

I hard boil eggs every morning for breakfast and I just bought a 
bunch of juices! I really miss sugar lol


And I'm ending this post on this note because
this is how I feel every single morning haha
(Copyright Google)


Until next time!

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