Life in Bangkok – Fund for Education Abroad

Hello! Wow, it has been two weeks since my last journal entry, and let me tell you, it has been an exhausting and intense but exciting ride. I am beginning to adjust to life in Bangkok, and the city is really starting to come to life for me. I really love the constant level of activity – it is practically impossible to get bored over here, because there is literally not a single dull moment to be had. From exploring the winding depths of Bangkok, to partying into the wee hours of the morning at Khao San Road, to simply kicking back with the friends that I have made here, there is always something going on! I love it.

I am starting to lose track of time over here. Time is an illusion here – I don’t think it is real. The days are blending and blurring together, and I am having trouble remembering what happened when and where. Maybe I need to start walking around with a notebook and just start jotting things down for the sake of remembering the details later on. But then again, it doesn’t really matter, because it is the holistic experience that matters… I think so, anyway!

Classes are moving along well. Over here, every class at my university – Thammasat – lasts three hours, which is absolutely exhausting. Seriously, I don’t know how the professors can talk for three straight hours! It is crazy. I am in the political science department (which means that I don’t need to wear uniforms to school, thank God!), and it is interesting to see the parallels and dichotomies that exist between the political systems of Thailand and America. It has been absolutely fascinating to see how the monarchy system operates within society – I can honestly say that I have never seen anything like that.

I am now doing an internship with the Education Development Center, which is one of the world’s largest nonprofit research and development firms. I am working for the USAID-funded COMET project, which seeks to revamp the local school curriculum in order to better prepare students for the workforce by working directly with the largest companies in the region. I am starting my second week there, and so far, it has been pretty cool! I can’t wait to get involved further! Fun fact – I commute to and from my internship on a canal boat. It’s a pretty rickety boat, and there’s no official entrance to it which means that you have to sort of jump in through the “windows” (there are no windows). It’s fun. Definitely the most memorable form of public transportation that I have ever taken in my life. The most mind-blowing thing about this is that this is considered completely normal and boring to the locals of Bangkok.

Moral of the story: no matter how much you think you got things figured out, Bangkok always finds another way to surprise you.