Peace Corps Site

I have arrived! My location is fairly isolated; Lonely Planet doesn’t even give it a mention. I do not expect to see any other farangs, except for Bobby, a PCV not too far from me. The local ladies are very interested in him and will do their best to get us together so they can see him! It was an uneventful 8 hour van ride.
I have heard that today, first day at site, is one of the hardest days to get through. My first day at work was actually productive and interesting. The language is a huge challenge; even those who say they speak English have very limited comprehension, although better than my Thai. I introduced myself to the staff, set up my weekly schedule, went to a monk ordination (I don’t think you can live in Thailand without some kind of weekly event involving food, music, and drinking!), and began researching English lessons for adults. The Tessabaan staff (where I work) wants to learn English. Tomorrow I am giving them a survey to see what they want to learn, that is if I can get it translated. I also hope to take a bike tour to begin to learn the area.
My home stay family for one month is very nice. They set up an area partitioned off in the upstairs. No western toilet which is a bummer, but warm water – a tradeoff I can live with! Work is less than a mile away so I need to work at finding other exercise.

Last good-bye until Reconnect in June!

My desk first day...roses!

My office