Sometimes life is an up
Sometimes life is a down
But what you gonna do?
Will you smile or will you frown?
If you frown then you feel bad
And everything around seems bad
But if you smile, although it may take a while
Then you will see that you are free
To do things that others can only wish for
And smiling makes it seem alright
You have one life so make it count
Don’t sit and wonder of how things could be and doubt
If you want something bad enough
Whatever that may be
Reach out, Chase your dreams
Be whatever you want
You see…..
Dreaming big along with positivity goes a long way
Don’t let others get in your way
Don’t be scared to go your own path
And maybe one day…..??
Risk things- the worse that can happen is they don’t work out
So what? At least you have tried
Every person has life’s share of up’s and down’s
And it’s every person’s decision
Whether they smile or frown
Make the right decision 😉
Firstly I must apologise for not posting anything for what seems like ages. In fact I just checked and, apart a post written a couple of weeks ago, the one prior to that was back in May. It’s not that I haven’t been writing because I have- a weekly diary of whatever the hell is going on in my head. I think the reason I haven’t posted anything is because I never want to come across as being negative when I am lucky enough to be living in this wonderful country.
So I shall condense what I have been up to and I promise not to be slack again! One Weekend
Having started my new job I was feeling slightly better about everything, but still terribly homesick. I went for a swim and started the Insanity workout. There is a reason it is called Insanity- basically it’s completely insane. It’s all cardio but it gets faster and faster. I couldn’t keep up as I was so immobile and I found it hard to do some of the moves, but I am now two months in and have really improved. I feel fitter and can just about complete it all. I have even started to tag on a little 5 km run afterwards some days. And it’s working- I have lost nearly half a stone.
View of Laemtaen Cape
I also took myself off to Central Plaza in Chonburi as I needed to buy some more clothes for work, which I did, but I also came back with a DVD player and a fan. All the things I had in Surin which I now seem to be re-buying, but I don’t like the AC very much because it gives me a sore throat and I am constantly turning it on and off throughout the night. And I thought the DVD player would be a good investment as it will keep me amused in the evenings, although I have only watched one thing on it so far. Good Day
My life in Bangsaen isn’t very exciting. Apart from the odd trip to Bangkok to see friends my weekends are pretty tame but these days I like tame (although I am always up for a little party). So one Saturday I took myself Big C to do some food shopping and went to the Saturday market to get some fruit and vegetables.
I went to put my laundry in (I told you it wasn’t exciting!) and walked to Beach Road to hire a bicycle for the day, which cost 100 baht (about 2GBP). Once I had done my chores I cycled to Sammuk Hill which is about 2 km away, falling off and grazing my knee on the way. I misjudged the kerb. I would have fallen down a drain if the cover had not been there!
On the way up to Sammuk Hill
I stopped a few times to take photos and on the way to the top I met a fellow cycler who said hello and told me the views at the top were better for photographs. So I followed him up but had to get off and walk as my bike didn’t have gears. When I got to the top the guy said he had just finished telling the fruit sellers that I was very good for cycling up the steep hill. I turned up pushing the bicycle, huffing and puffing and covered in sweat. This made everyone laugh. I took some photos and had to rescue my bike from the ground because a monkey had leapt on it and it had fallen over- at least I wasn’t on it this time!
I got back around 5pm and, having been out all day doing this and that, I had a shower and walked to the beach so I could take pictures of the sunset. Afterwards I ended up in my usual Saturday night restaurant for dinner and a few deserved wines.
So that day was a good, good day. I felt happy and contented.
Onwards and Upwards
The following week I had plans to go to Bangkok but woke up later than planned so I messed about on-line, did my workout, cleaned my room, shopping, and took some photographs on the beach followed by dinner and wines at my usual place but that day I felt so damn deflated again.
Maybe it is because I wasn’t as busy as the week before. I don’t know what’s wrong with me-one day I feel fine and another I feel fed up. Normally I am a positive and happy kind of girl. I live in Thailand for goodness sake and I can do that because I have no ties and I have taken it upon myself to choose to live a different life. But being away this time is taking longer to re-adjust. I think I spent too long at home- but if I hadn’t done that I would probably still be living in Surin. At least I am experiencing something new and meeting new people- and that should be what it’s all about, right?
All this was a few weeks ago and since then I have had a friend here so we have been meeting up and having dinner and beers quite a few times. I have discovered a couple of new places to eat and drink and we have been out to visit the reservoir, which is beautiful. I love living in Bangsaen, it’s such a beautiful little place and I like teaching the kids so everything is looking bright- onwards and upwards as they say.
So on my way to and from work every day I had spotted a new sign along Bangsaen Lang road that invites people in for breakfast- it has a sign out front with a picture of Thai food, pancakes and coffee. So at the weekend having ran out of breakfast stuff in my apartment I thought I would go and check it out and as it is literally next door I didn’t have far to go.
I went in the shop and I said that I wanted breakfast and asked if they have a menu. The owner, who I know now to be called May, said we don’t have a menu yet but we do bacon, egg, toast… I actually didn’t find out what else they have because I decided on egg and toast and coffee.
She didn’t ask me how I wanted my eggs so I was thinking that I may get a raw egg in a bowl with toast to dip in which I have been served before somewhere in Thailand but she did ask me if I wanted one or two to which I replied “one please” and make a gesture to mean that I wanted the egg on the toast. I needn’t have worried though it was a very tasty toasted egg sandwich with really lovely black coffee and a glass of water which they bring to you when you sit down.
The shop itself is small and has beautiful wooden furniture. A little area where they make the coffee and a kitchen out back. There are t-shirts hanging on a rail and a few hats which are for sale. And I noticed some really nice light shades and wondered where she had bought them. There is also free wi-fi and a television.
When I had finished my breakfast I asked her for the bill and she said 50 baht. I was pleasantly surprised. Normally a sandwich and coffee would be over 100 baht. I went back later that day and met May again and told her I was a travel writer and asked whether I could take some pictures. I didn’t know the name of the place when I had gone there earlier and she told me that it was Chutinit Coffee and Art. Art? I wondered, and she showed me the t-shirts and hats that I had noticed earlier- they were decorated with hand paintings all done by May. And the light shades-again beautifully painted by her.
Chutinit Coffee and Art is open Mon-Tues 8.30am-8pm and Thur-Sun 8.30am-8pm and they serve breakfast, lunch, coffee and other drinks. There is also a takeaway service.
I was glad I returned and met May properly. I wouldn’t never have known about the art she does. And a little research done on her Facebook page tells me that you can learn to paint and she offers cooking lessons as well. (Maybe I will have some painting lessons myself).
So if you are in the neighborhood pop in to Chutinit Coffee and Art-the staff will welcome you with open arms plus they do great coffee!
You can find Chutinit Coffee and Art at:
17/2 Bangsaen Lang Road
Bangsaen
Chonburi
20210
0806388324
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Chutinit-Coffee-Art/184534498233309?sk=timeline
Having moved to Bangsaen mid-April I have been feeling slightly lost and lonely. I had a few days in Bangkok with my friend and then another weekend in Bangkok with some other friends and each time I had a fantastic time- but then I return to my new place and still feel a little deflated. Deflation- what’s all that about? One definition is “brought low in spirit” and that is definitely how I am feeling at the moment. I am not generally an unhappy person, nothing gets me down, I am always cheerful but I can’t muster any enthusiasm for anything at the moment.
However, I know myself and I know that in a few weeks once I start work and start to meet new people I will become excited about Thailand again and love living here but that’s in a few weeks. Although my friend did say to me that I am lucky to have the choices I have-not everyone has that. And this is very true.
It was the same when I started to live in Surin, although I had a Thai friend with me, it took me a while to meet people and get to know people and in the end I loved living there. At least in Bangsaen I already have a couple of friends who I have seen over the past few days and who helped me to celebrate my birthday.
But when you live in a foreign country away from your loved ones all your feelings seem heightened. As my mother told me it is my choice to come and live here (and you know your mother is always right) and it would be a knee-jerk reaction to go home. This is not an option for me but it has crossed my mind.
So the best thing I can do is get a new plan and one of my friends, Doyle, told me that one of the things he loves about me is that I always have a plan.
So my plan is: –
1. To get fit- and I mean really fit which means cutting out the booze and cigarettes (cutting out seems so extreme so it’ll just be cutting down for now).
2. To save loads of money- I still want to travel and see other countries so while I am teaching in Thailand it gives me the opportunity to save. Plus as I will be getting fit I won’t be going out and spending loads of money.
3. To learn languages- since I finished my Open University degree I have been lost without it so before I left the UK I started to improve my Thai and start learning Hindi. I need to speak Thai better than I do because I live in Thailand and Hindi is just for fun, although I plan to visit India at some point so that will come in handy. And I may throw a bit of Arabic in there as well. One never knows when languages will come in handy.
Whether these plans come to fruition time will tell but plans are good- they keep you focused and determined, instead of knee-jerk reactions. So after my contract finishes (or before) I can re-assess things and go from there.
I started to write this over a week ago and today I am feeling better about things already. Mostly I have my head screwed on and know what I want to do (although that awareness never came to me until only a few years ago) but sometimes, just sometimes I get confused and thrown about how I feel about things- but like I said I know myself and I know that I will be excited again about living in the place that I love and who knows what the future will bring.
Having been in Thailand since February and bagging myself a job as a primary school teacher, starting in May 2014, I am making the move to a little town called Bang Saen.
Bang Saen
I went to Surin to stay with my friend Mark, who generously let me stay at his house until I got myself sorted, and so after my trip to Kuala Lumpur, and a couple of weekends in Bangkok, I was on the job hunt.
My friends, Chris and his wife Na, have lived in Bang Saen for a good few years and I went to visit them to have a look around. As soon as I got there and had a couple of days and nights out I realised that this was the place for me.
It is a beautiful little place on the coast along Thailand’s eastern seaboard, right on the beach and about an hour and a half bus ride to Bangkok- just the things I wanted when I lived in Surin (from Surin it takes 7 hours on the bus to Bangkok and it is about 9 hours from any beach). I just had visions of myself on a Sunday afternoon on the beach reading my book.
Bang Saen is a favourite for Thais as a weekend getaway resort and, as such, busy at the weekend and holidays but during the week it is like a ghost town and no hordes of tourists anywhere- something that may change in the future- but for now it feels like the perfect place for me. Plus I already have two friends there who have been showing me around, for which I am eternally grateful.
So I went there for a second visit with CVs in hand and Chris took me round to the different faculties at the university there and to a few schools and basically asked for a job. (This is such the best way to gain employment here, rather than emailing CVs and most of the time getting no response-the Thais are very much about appearance and if you go in person they can see that you look professional and it also saves them the bother of advertising the job). However, the one I eventually got was actually advertised on the main teaching website, Ajarn.com, so I went to see them and arranged an interview for the following day.
Interviews in Thailand are not like they are back home- they are, shall we say, less formal. Yes, you have to dress smart and yes, you have to sell yourself but they asked me strange questions which were actually quite amusing because, Thais being Thais, they like know what’s going on with you- Are you single?; Do you have a boyfriend?; Where are you going to live? And statements like “the guys are sexier in Bang Saen than in Surin”; “oh you can live there (I told her I was going to live in a particular apartment) you’re single”; “give her the job she’s single”. Questions and statements that would not be heard in your own country (not in an interview environment anyway) but I took it in jest and thought it was pretty funny.
So having completed the interview, which included showing them how I would teach young kids- question: what’s an animal beginning with A?-answer: Ant; question: how do you spell it?-answer A-N-T….., and answering their unusual questions, with a smile on my face, I got the job.
I have never taught little ones before, the previous teaching job I had in Thailand was teaching 12-15 year olds. But I think it will be fun and it will be less serious- learning through fun activities. I think I will have to brush up on my football and singing skills (not that I have any skills in those areas).
I was wondering how I was going to get all my stuff from Surin to Bang Saen and since leaving the UK I have acquired more of it. I looked into hiring a car with a driver but this is very expensive for me- 5500 baht (about 100 GBP), so am getting the bus. Nachon Chai Air is the best way to travel in Thailand. Gold class is the best actually but they were sold out-it being Thai New Year here- so silver class it is. NCA have stewards and overhead compartments just like on a plane and as the bus leaves the station the steward or stewardess stands at the front and lets you know how long it will take and what time it will arrive at the destination. Plus you can put your luggage underneath. The thing they don’t know yet is I have a very large, heavy suitcase, a smaller case and a big box (I did have two boxes which I had in storage, at my friend Patrick’s house, for the two years I was away) but I have been ruthless and got rid of a load of books and DVDs. But I have been reliably informed I should (should being the operative word) be able to put everything underneath the bus for free. The cost of the journey? About 376 baht (7 GBP). Much better than 5500 baht.
The bus should get to Bang Saen around 6.30pm but as it is Thai New Year it might take a while to get to my final destination because, although it starts around 12th April in Bangkok, in that area in gets staggered so Bang Saen will celebrate it on 16th-17th. I don’t half make things difficult for myself because the 17th is the date I travel, but I will just have to take it in my stride and put up with the potential 2 hour + journey from Chonburi to Bang Saen- normally about 15 minutes. Although I shouldn’t say that in the first place I might just jinx it!
