So I have a room! Not sure what the mix-up was, but it has been corrected, and I am no longer homeless. My room is a studio containing a queen or maybe king-sized bed, chairs, side tables, desk, sink, lots of storage, a TV (mostly just the Discovery Channel and CNN in English), a small fridge (which I am very thankful for), and a bathroom. Also, AC that works beautifully!
Of course, when I took a shower last night, the hot water didn’t work. So I ended up taking a freezing shower in the freezing room I had created. Maybe I’ll get lucky and not catch a terrible cold right before my internship starts on Monday.
After getting my room, but before taking the shower, I went for a walk around my neighborhood. Almost everyone spoke at least a few words of English (hello, thank you, etc.), which is good, since I have not yet taken the time to study my Thai phrasebook. After wandering the streets and peering at the mystery foods being prepared on the street carts, I found a grocery store! With real food. Like chocolate. I will definitely be exploring street food as much as possible, but it’s nice to have somewhere to go to get staples. I left with grapes, milk, toilet paper, and water. No chocolate—how strong am I?
Note to self in future: when there is a sale, but it requires buying 6 huge bottles of water, then carrying them home in 95 degree 95 percent humidity weather, don’t be so cheap. I was really exhausted by the time I got back to my apartment with that load. But people were right about the tap water here. I haven’t tasted it, but it definitely smells funny, so I’ll likely be paying for bottled water for the rest of the summer.
After my shower, I collapsed in bed, watched a little TV, then fall asleep around 6:30. A little earlier than my goal of 8, but the walk really was the final straw. This morning, I woke up at 6:30 and feel much better, although still a bit disoriented.
Now I’m off to check out Chatuchak Market—the all-weekend flea market at the last stop of this branch of the Skytrain line.
