Today is the day!

I have to admit, this has, so far, been the lamest blog ever! I cannot seem to commit to writing even though I have been reminded countless times to "keep a journal", "where's your blog?". Well here it is....

No better time than the present to get on it. A lot has happened since I left Athens, GA well over a year ago. I've kept a pretty good picture diary for myself and have managed to share a lot of pictures, but no stories or thoughts about my adventures. I'm not going to try to backtrack, but there will be a lot happening as I move forward, so I'll just go from here.

It's Sunday afternoon in early January and I am in the process of completing the school year at Triam Udom Suksa School of the South in Nakhon Si Thammarat, Thailand. This in itself will be an adventure and then I believe the coming year will be my most exciting ever. 

I will finish the semester in early March and within days will be meeting Paula, my sister, for a whirlwind tour of Vietnam. Then I will hop back through Thailand and head off to Nepal for a yoga teacher training (YTT) for a month. Then...back to Koh Samui, Thailand, an island in the gulf, and  I hopefully will follow a month or so there with a trip to meet some of my friends from home in Europe. I have only finished and confirmed plans through the Nepal trip, so I won't give anymore details for now. 

My plans remain fluid until commitments are made, so a lot can still change and it is definitely evolving. All I know is that things are taking shape and barring unforeseen changes and issues that can arise, it's going to be worth writing about.

So, for anyone who is interested, I'll try to keep up this year and really share what's happening.

Rainy street view from my neighborhood...thank goodness the rainy season has ended! This was a few weeks ago.

A simple trip to Songkhla

So apparently to have a blog means you should actually blog. Duh!  This picks up at the Hat Yai airport after a disappointing outcome to a desirable job interview,  but I have a feeling it's all for the best. I got a nice couple of days walking along a lovely beach with absolutely no other white tourist and no one trying to sell me anything.  Quite nice,  but possibly too quiet:)
So all of my belongings are in Bangkok because it seemed a major hassle to tote it all around the country while I interview. Now I need to get to the Hat Yai airport from Songkhla City which is not a main stream tourist site (which I've already mentioned) So the night before i ask the front desk at the Singora Hotel.  First hotel to give me a hand towel and wash cloth since I got here!  I don't know what it is,  maybe the fact that there are no dryers,  but Asians are quite stingy with the linens. Anyway, back to my dilemma.  I ask the front desk and they say they can call a taxi to pick me up from Hat Yai, but I basically have to pay for both directions. There are mini busses that run there all day, I know because that's how I got to Songkhla in the first place.  Great,  how do I get to the minibus?  A motorbike. But I have a suitcase. .. can I walk?  After a lot of discussion btw the 3 workers,  it is decided that one of them will take me there!! Super nice... Thais can be very kind.
So I check out at noon, hotel guy drives me to the bus,  refuses a tip.  I'm on the bus with my suitcase in my lap and backpack under my feet so that we can get add many people as possible into the bus. My next instruction is to get off at the big clock and I can get a car to the airport from there. I'm desperately trying to find the big clock on Google maps so I know when to get off,  but don't geta good reading until I'm already past it. I asked right there at the stop but everybody shrugged and I couldn't see out. So at the next stop,  I thought it best to get off.  Immediately got a taxi and agreed to pay him a flat rate rather than meter (cause that's what they do). He proceeds to take a detour to drop off someone's lunch..ok...but then to route starts looking really freaky and I get a little paranoid.. but the route straightens out and I'm OK. I tend to use Google maps when in a vehicle so I can see where I am.
Meanwhile I've called and excepted the position in Nakhon Sri Thammarat.  During all this process in the taxi,  the driver has asked where I'm from and where am i going. I tell him Bangkok and then nakhon Sri Thammarat.  He proceeds to break out a fee chart,  explain where Bangkok is and Nakhon is and tries to sell me a ride to Nakhon.  Then he calls his friend to tell him what I'm doing, again tried to sell me the trip, then pulls up to the airport and jumps out to share this information with the other taxi people who try to talk me into a ride to Nakhon. I'm finally at the gate and just ate a hot dog at the Dairy Queen.
Geesh.. The drama if it all...
The moral of the story. ... They really don't speak English;)

Leaving the well known behind

Today is my second to last shift at Athens Regional Medical Center and I can honestly say I will be leaving with mixed emotions.