Welcome to Kalasin

So, after a 7 hour van ride with our two thai coordinators, reuven and i arrived in Kalasin at midnight. after lugging all of our oversized baggage up the stairs (and for the record, reuven had way more than me) we reached the door of our new apartments. this was to be our place of refuge after a long day of teaching crazed thai students, and the threshold was covered with all kinds of bugs! there were mosquitos, geckos, and bugs with more wings and legs than I could possibly name. when I opened the door I was greeted by a kingdom of ants that had laid claim over my bedroom. Walking into the bathroom was somewhat less than comforting: the “shower” consisted of a detachable shower head that plugged in above the toilet seat??? Oh, and a solitary cockroach frantically flailing across my bathroom floor. Welcome to kalasin...?

Exhausted, I had shut my eyes tight, pull the blanket over my head and the ac on high and gone to sleep. beginning the next morning, reuven and I were escorted all around town. We were shown a degree of hospitality that is unheard of in the states. Everywhere we went, people would welcome us to Thailand, and to their city kalasin. Our coordinator even went as far as to open her home to us and our families, should they ever choose to visit. The downside of this tremendous courtesy, we can absolutely no control over what we do, say, or eat! One teacher simply showed up on our doorstep without any warning and announced that she was to take us to her family’s home in the county outside Kalasin and “feed you breakfast, lunch, dinner! Yes!”

Luckily, after a few days we were able to leave our creepy crawler apartments and move into AP Garden, an apartment complex on the other side of the city. Although it is much farther away from our school (we now walk about 25 mins as opposed to 10) it is so beautiful! The building is tall, clean, and safe. It is run by a family who lives on the bottom floor and is very friendly and helpful. My room came with a bed with a big bed frame, a desk, a fridge, a vanity, a television, a closet, and my own bathroom. Reuven and I promptly went to the outdoor market to stock up on rugs, drawers, bug spray, a broom and other such essentials.

On top of everything, we are living about 30 seconds away from Kud Naam Kin Park. It is a good sized park with a path encircling a big lake. At the top of the loop is a facility with a fitness center and several gazebos that you can sit in and read, eat, nap, whatever. After moving in and beginning to “nest” on Sunday, I went for a walk. The lake was crowded with groups and couples walking or jogging around the park at sunset. The air was warm and damp. It was so beautiful!

Welcome to Kalasin!

Pictures to come soon, seriously this time.