Before I begin, let me just say that yes, I’m still in Thailand and yes, it’s been amazing. I realize that if I was being a good writer/blogger, I would have been providing you all with updates on a regular basis throughout my trip. I usually do this. I usually don’t have trouble doing this. But this trip was different. On this trip I really checked out. I mean sure, I posted some obnoxious status updates to Facebook to make everyone jealous, but other than that I didn’t even keep a journal. Instead I sat, sailed, swam, kayaked, and let myself just be.
That is, until today. Today turned into a most eventful, unplanned, and blog-worthy day… And so here I am.
Let me start with waking up this morning and looking at the clock only to see the the numbers 7:25 glaring back at me. Since my flight was to leave at 8:30, I naturally went into full panic mode. I was up in a flash with my not-quite-yet awake mind scrambling for what I should do. After a minute I stood in the middle of the hotel room and calmly said (out loud), “It’s okay…calm down. You’ll figure it out. Everything will be fine.” I immediately felt more chill and was able to collect my things, check out, and then make it over to the airport. I felt a little more panic when the first thing the airline rep said to me was that she couldn’t get me on the flight tomorrow because it was fully booked, but she followed it quickly with an option to take a different flight from Tokyo to LAX and then to SFO. This will certainly make for an even MORE hellish traveling day, but whatever – I still get home.
Once that was sorted, I went to an Internet cafe (because the wifi in the BKK airport is spotty at best) and found myself a hotel room where I am sitting now. It’s clean, but that’s about the only good thing I can say. There’s a mosquito that somehow found its way in here and I haven’t been able to kill him, so I’m under the covers and wearing a long sleeved shirt so as to try and thwart any plans he may have of devouring me in the night.
After checking in and changing out of my travel clothes, I went downstairs to see about a taxi into Bangkok. As luck would have it, there was a Frenchman named David who was doing the same and offered for me to share his taxi which was being driven by a Thai who called himself Mr. Boy (I’m not kidding – that’s even what it says on his business cards). I gladly accepted. During the long ride to downtown Bangkok, I discovered several things:
- David and Mr. Boy had been partying together the night before
- David was still a little drunk from said night of partying (or at least he smelled like a distillery…and not in a good way)
- David had apparently won Mr. Boy’s friendship by providing him with some…how can I say this delicately…? I guess “escorts” would do. Very sad.
Communication was a bit of a challenge as well. Mr. Boy didn’t speak French and David didn’t speak Thai, so they were communicating in English, but while David’s grammar was better than Mr. Boy’s, Mr. Boy’s vocabulary was way above David’s so I ended up acting as something of an English translator between the two of them. Good times.
Once we made it downtown, Mr. Boy was insanely concerned for our safety and made us promise we wouldn’t get into any tuk tuks or talk to people or generally do anything but stay on the main roads and visit the Grand Palace which is how I ended up spending the day with David which was quite amusing, but also strange… For example, over a bag of street food, he told me how his wife had left him and taken their two boys and broke his heart which is why now he “only has the sex with the prostitutes.” Um…yeah. Like I said…strange. However it DID get me a paid-for taxi, entry to the Grand Palace, lunch, street food, beer, and a necklace. He wouldn’t hear of me spending anything in his presence – he kept saying, “In France, women do not pay for things and I am believing that to be the right way.” It was a very weird day.
They dropped me off about an hour ago and Mr. Boy took David back to his hotel from last night to get his stuff. As for me, I need to catch a 3am shuttle back to the airport and, for safety, I have set the alarm on my phone, my iPad, and asked for a wake-up call. There is no way I’m missing my flight again!
Oh, David and Mr. Boy? My guess is they will be partying again tonight…that seems like a safe bet.
So here we are… September 11th. Again. I can’t believe it’s been 10 years since that awful, awful day. I had gone to the city just 4 days after the attack, but couldn’t stand the feeling of helplessness so I started looking for ways to go back in and help. The Red Cross provided the perfect opportunity.
So in remembrance of 9/11, I thought I would repost my experience from the first time I volunteered at the WTC.
I haven’t been much for blogging lately. In part because I’ve lacked the time. But on a lazy day like today where the San Francisco fog is ruling the land and I have nothing to do but wait for my car to show up, I thought I’d take a moment to share what’s been happening since Chena and I arrived here last Saturday.
The last few weeks have been some of the craziest I’ve ever known. From the water heater explosion and subsequent renovations to the movers (who were definitely NOT shakers) who stripped me bare of nearly all my earthly possessions, I have been trying to maintain some semblance of balance. This has not always been easy, but then I never thought it would be.
Water heater aside, the move has been fairly calm. Last Saturday I was a little frantic as I did a few last minute things around the house, packed the suitcases, and got loaded into the car that was taking us to Newark. Chena was checked in (which took awhile) and then we were both off to the City by the Bay.
The arrival at SFO was a little stressful as it took me almost an hour to get the correct answer to the question, “Where do I pick up my dog?” After about 45 minutes of waiting for her to come out of what turned out to be the wrong location, I was in full-blown panic mode. I was tired, stressed out, and desperately wanted my dog back. We finally located her in a separate building that we had to actually drive to quite a distance away from the baggage claim. I don’t know which one of us was more happy when she was finally brought out in her kennel.
Once in the city at the corporate housing apartment in the so-called “luxury” building, I finally felt able to breathe…despite the cigarette smoke which somehow makes its way in from the apartment next door. Yuck.
The building itself might be considered luxury, but the oversized hotel room masquerading as a studio apartment? Not so much. The living area is small, the kitchen is dark and unattractive, the TV is old (like 15 years at least), the decor is plain, and then sound proofing is non-existent. The best thing about it is the bathroom, but since that’s where the cigarette smoke seems to seep in the most, I can’t even get excited about that. Best thing about being in this building, though, is definitely the rooftop deck (FANTASTIC view – you can see both the Transamerica Building and Coit Tower) and its proximity to my office (I can walk to work in about 10 minutes).
My plan is to enjoy it for what it is (convenient and free) until it’s time to move into my permanent new home on September 1st.
I have a deposit down on an Archstone apartment in San Bruno. For those of you not familiar with the Bay Area, San Bruno is down the peninsula from San Francisco a couple of miles. It’s maybe 2 miles from the city limits and roughly 10 miles from my office in the Financial District downtown. The apartment building I’m moving into is brand new with an in-unit washer/dryer, large bathroom, terrace facing the courtyard, and gorgeous kitchen with granite and high-end appliances… Basically everything a girl moving 3,000 miles from her newly renovated townhouse could ask for. Secure garage parking is included, the whole community is dog-friendly and smoke-free, and I’ll be walking distance from the BART (subway) station as well as shopping and restaurants.
The only thing I’m slightly (but only slightly) worried about is how close to the airport the building is. I’ll be 3 miles away which, while convenient, could also be noisy. The planes apparently do not fly directly over my side of the building, but they still fly pretty close and may therefore be loud. However, everyone I’ve spoken to and all of the reviews I’ve read have indicated that this is really not a problem and eventually becomes just background that you get used to (like sirens do to city dwellers, or trains to people who live by a station). In addition, the building itself was built to originally be sold as condos so the concrete walls and floors provide fantastic soundproofing, both from neighbors and the outside.
I want to go back down there and get some measurements and take some pictures (once I do, I’ll be sure to post them). My car (which was supposed to show up yesterday) has yet to materialize, but when it does, this will be one of my first objectives.
So that’s really the latest on my new western front… Chena is adjusting, as am I… I know it’ll take time to really settle in and feel at home, but we’re off to a good start!
So I’m 37 today. 37. It’s an odd number which I suppose is fitting because 2011 is also an odd number and this is so far turning into an odd year.
For my birthday last year, I was in Seattle. It was cold and rainy and J and I spent the day hanging out while S, Z, and KJ prepared the most fun evening of good food and fun. It was a great day.
This year has been a little less exotic… Yesterday I spent hanging out at my aunt & uncle’s with almost all my cousins, my aunt’s awesome Italian cooking, and topped off with a slice of my favorite triple chocolate cake and a traditional candle blowing ceremony. Today has been very chill so far with a morning spent on the couch with coffee, TV, and a virtually endless barrage of FB notifications popping up on my phone. I’ll be going to workout in an hour (where my trainer will likely have the rest of the gym sing to me if he remembers that it’s my birthday). After which, Alyssa will be meeting me in New Hope for dinner.
While my actual birthday may not be as “exciting” maybe as last year, I’m glad since 2011 has been a whirlwind so far and I’m feeling very much like I need to have a little bit of calm amidst the craziness. January brought the confirmation that my job would be transferring me to our San Francisco office. February was spent understanding the details of this prospect and getting my house on the market. Right now I’m in the middle of…
- Mentally and emotionally prepping myself for the move (which is now less than 12 weeks away)
- Trying to sell my first home which (and no one could have prepared me for how bittersweet this would be)
- Organizing my trip to SF in 2 weeks to start looking for my new home
- Coordinating with movers, real estate agents, human resources, and relocation people on the move itself
- All the other little odds and ends involved with uprooting my life to repot it 3,000 miles away.
Don’t get me wrong – I’m not complaining! I love change…in fact, I thrive on it. But change is always difficult, even when it’s good, expected, or sought after.
I’m excited about this move on so many levels and for so many reasons…not the least of which is the excitement of wondering what it is that God has in store for me there because I have complete confidence that (as has been evidenced in the rest of my life) He has things up His sleeve that I would never have imagined for myself.
So here’s to another year down, and many more to go! I can’t wait to see what’s next!
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