IN TRANG.....my first real stop

Trang Airport
see all photos »

The first stop of importance on this journey is Trang which is located in the southwestern part of Thailand near Malaysia.  This is a city/ region which is 92% Buddhist and 8% Muslim.  It is close to the area that was affected by the Tsunami.  As most of you may know, I found my way to Trang through Cross Cultural Solutions; a non-profit based in NYC established to help support local communities in 3rd world countries through english teaching and other programs to help the communities.  Specifically here in Trang, our mission is to work with the children and teachers to help improve their english by spending time with us through talking and listening.  Departing the Bangkok airport for Trang I met up with my fellow volunteers.  A couple from North Carolina, a breast cancer and Katrina survivor from New Orleans, a young girl just starting college, another that goes to NYU and a lady from the UK.  Everyone seems really nice and I think it will be easy living together for the next 4 weeks.  Landing at the one runway and one baggage claim/ jetway terminal in Trang we were met by some of the staff.  All of the luggage was loaded up on the top of the open air truck and we piled in the back for a short ride to our home for the next 4 weeks.  After a short ride, we entered a gate onto a 1 acre of property leading up to a house which has been converted into an apartment that could accommodate about 24 people.  This apartment which is fairly nice is more like a Kings palace compared to the shanty's that I saw on the way from the airport.  Many of the palaces resembled the homes that you would see on the outskirts of La Paz or Cabo San Lucas in Mexico; concrete two or three room places with no windows or doors and certainly NO Air Con.  After we unpacked we spent the rest of the afternoon getting hammered with Thai language lessons; learn by being thrown into the fire and getting burnt.  It was a totally Seinfeld episode at first; the staff were talking so fast and looking at you and you know darn well they were saying something about you, or at least it appeared that way.  After 24 hours you realize that all the staff are nothing but some of the nicest people and there is no way they could have been saying anything.

Other volunteers
see all photos »

Later in the afternoon, armed with some of our Thai phrases, we were taken to the center of town and dropped off armed with a mission to accomplish something.  My mission was to find my way to the hospital, go to a tourist center and ask about some attractions, make my way to a massage parlor to get rates (BTW - 1.5 hour full body thai massage is about $10 US) and then go the market and buy 1 kilo of mangosteens.  Well, I did it but it definitely came with its challenges....namely walking in a big circle around the hospital about 3 times other than that, I made a complete fool out of myself asking a question in Thai and it was clear they had no dam idea what I was asking.  I have no idea how, but I made it back to the apartment which is located about 4 miles away.  The rest of the night was spent having a beautiful thai dinner and comparing our adventures of the afternoon.  Needless to say, at the moment, I am completely overwhelmed with this new place and trying to grasp the language....but I am working through it and in one months time I will be spitting out thai like i just ate a big fat red chili pepper.

Spitting out Thai like I just ate a big fat red chili pepper!

CCS Staff (Housekeepers, Cook, Driver and office admin)
see all photos »

One last thing before I sign-off on this journal entry.......the apartment here brings back memories of being at summer camp.  In each room there are bunkbeds, we eat together, do activities together and the bath houses are outside in the back of the apartment.  It is actually pretty cool; I am at a summer camp for adults halfway around the world.  Yeah, I still can't believe that I am in Thailand......just taking one day at a time.

I will write more in the next day or so.....