From Bangkok I was picked up by a cab and driven to Ayuthaya, an hour away. I had no idea where excatly the driver was taking me but I just hoped that it would all work out. I was going to meet Sukanya at Thomasaat University. However, the driver didn't know where to drop me off and I didn't know where to go. So I go out, got my luggage and started walking around the campus it was Sunday so everything was closed. Now that I was outside of Bangkok no one spoke English and I don't know Thai. After walking around for an hour in the hot sun with my heavy bags, I got a little frustrated about what to do, but hey I am the one who signed myself up for this. Finally I met Sukaya and she took me to the house where the other volunteers were arriving.
We all get along very well, there are 6 of us- 2 from the States and 4 from Denmark. I will only be with them for this week then I am headed to Bangkok for the TEFL certification. This is all our 1st time to Asia so we all plan to meet up on the weekend's to travel around the country. There are so many weekend trips to take for only about 350 baht- $10!
The first two days was the language and culture class. Thai language is SO hard because of all the different tones/letters/ and sounds that we do not have in our language, but I'm still trying. Sukanya taught us as much as she could but Eastern thought is very complicated for Westerner's to understand. Haha we would ask questions and she wouls answer and then start laughing and say, "something like that."
After the class part we would visit the nearby ruins- I was blown away about how close you can get to them! It was funny because Thai locals would come up to you and want to have their picture taken with you. There are about 15 Wats (Temples) just in the area ( it is considered an island because it is surrounded by a river on all sides). It was nice to have our own personal guide to take us around and tell us about the history. The older ruins are about 750 years old and show the Khmer (Currently Cambodia) influence- they show the corn-loke style temples. The new Thai style shows the Chedi's that are bell shapes. Most of the ruins are blackened due to when the Burmese came in and sacked the the capital in the 1700's.
After seeing the Ruins we went to go feed the elephants. The whole time I could'nt help but feel like I was feeding Dumbo because they were making the elephants do tricks like walk on their hind legs or hula-hoop with their trunks, it was like being in some sort of carny zoo. It was such a crazy feeling to have them suck food out of your hand.
I'm really enjoying my time out here- I felt like I have changed into a new person automatically. Thailand really is magical- I think its because the Buddha is all around. Today we leave for our next stop- a village homestay about 40 minutes from where we are now. The next days will be spent learning thai and how to cook the food. I'm sure there won't be internet there so I'll be back on Saturday when I return to Bangkok. This computer can't handle loading pics so I'll have to wait to show you.
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