Bangkok: The Countdown

There are less than 3 weeks left before I depart for Bangkok, Thailand to start teaching English, and I can't explain to you how much is going on in my head right now. It has got to the point where all other forms of inspiration and creativity have evaporated from my brain (including my sense of humour if I'm honest). I am a nightmare to be around lately, and I apologise in advance to family, friends and strangers (the man at the post office on Tuesday) that have been caught in the thunderstorm mood-swing that is Sarah. I feel the necessity to share what is going on in this head of mine in the hopes that it won't explode. It's not pretty...

Image from vegatravelbangkok.com

Saying Goodbye

Our farewell is a week before we leave and all our favourite people are going to be there. The people that we have spent years and months growing closer to, socialising with and relying on. Who will still be there when we decide to come back? Who will wake up early or stay up late just to Skype? I know saying goodbye is going to be more difficult than I ever thought. Bittersweet I tell you-Tearrrrssss!!

I can't begin to explain the love and appreciation I have for mine and Trav's family, who have supported us with this crazy decision to move to a foreign country and live out our dreams. I wish I could take them all with!

Finding an apartment

Bangkok is easily one of the most confusing places to understand. There are districts and areas within districts and roads with names similar to areas etc etc. As soon as I think I have finally got the just of it, I find myself even more perplexed.

So clearly, due to complicated Bangkok city planning, it is not a simple task to find an apartment that is in a suitable area, at a suitable price, and close to some form of public transport. I am very much a little suzy homemaker, so finding a home is right up there on my list of priorities! I know that as soon as we find a place I will be settled in, but before that it will be complete chaos.

Expectations

I am well aware of having certain expectations of a place or an experience and it not turning out the way I imagined it to be (whether good or bad). I am fighting against my vivid imagination and reality everyday. I think of it as reading a really good book and then watching the movie after... it is never the same as what you thought it would be.

Making friends

Not knowing a single word of thai other than Sawadee (hello) can very easily limit our communication, and of course meeting new people. Will we meet thai people that can speak some English or that actually want to be our friends? Who knows what kind of expats and travellers we will meet, and it is difficult to form a friendship with people that are only in the city for a couple of days. Am I starting to sound super negative as yet? I did warn you hahaha... (nervous laughter)

Will we even like it?

This is a question that plagues my mind when I lie awake at night. It seems like as soon as we booked the flights it all became real, and I stopped sleeping properly ever since. It is one thing to research every detail about a place until your eyes bleed, and hear varied opinions from five hundred people, but being South Africans who detest huge cities like Johannesburg... will we even like living there?

It is a question we will only be able to answer as we arrive and settle in, but I prefer to keep my mindset more on the positive end of the spectrum. I would be lying if I said I was fully prepared for the wonderful chaos that is BKK. Here goes nothing x