Take yesterday-my first official day at work. Glad to get back to some sort of routine after weeks of navigating Bangkok's English-teaching job market (a ridiculously shallow process that requires you to send a "HOTT PIC" with your resumé... and I'm pretty sure sending the resumé is optional ...) I am sitting with the other teacher trainee in the staff room. Fellow Trainee and I have just enjoyed a leisurely lunch among the soldiers and barbed wire that line the street food stalls nowadays, and are awaiting instructions from our boss on how to do the next training activity. Boss-Man has been gone for a few minutes after being summoned by a front desk clerk, but this is Thailand, and having to wait around for people to do stuff or things to happen in general is pretty normal. So I'm cool. Maybe even teetering towards a state of boredom.
BAM! The door swings open and hits the wall with a smack, sending worksheets flying from desks and books tumbling from shelves. My boss darts in with a troubled look on his face. Oh boy. Here we go again.
"There may be a bit of a situation up the road," Boss-Man says, trying to keep his voice calm.
"What is it now?" Asks Fellow Trainee, shooting upright in his chair.
"There may or may not have been reports of a grenade ... andsomegunfire." Boss-Man adds, trying to tack the last few words on quickly so as not to alarm us. That's actually a pretty good tactic-by this point a grenade's not that big a deal, just spare us from the indiscriminate gunfire!
"So what should we do?" I ask, feeling the familiar pumping of blood as my heart rate begins to crank up to maximum speed.
"Well, we've sent an employee up the road to check it out ..." Says Boss-Man. Oh great. Talk about some quality employee treatment. Welcome to your new job, where they have no qualms about sending helpless reception staff into a possible war zone! Sign the employment contract now and receive a free bullet-proof vest!
"As for now, just stay put. Probably best to stay back here in the staff room. I'm going to go tell all the students not to leave the center, and I'll be back in a minute." Suuuuure. Back in a minute. See you in a couple hours, Boss-Man! If I even live that long!
... Fifty minutes later ...
"Well, false alarm!" Exalts Boss-Man, as he strolls casually back into the teaching room.
By this point, Fellow Trainee and I are looking up flights to Cambodia and debating different ways to get our stuff packed and shipped to us out of the country without having to actually go back to our apartments.
"Wait, what do you mean? We heard from the teaching assistants that there was smoke? And gunfire?!" Fellow Trainee chokes out.
"Oh yeah, not too sure actually. Some people think it was a tuk-tuk backfiring. Other people said there were some teens playing with firecrackers. Meh, what are you gonna do." Boss-Man shrugs with the casual nature of the jaded ex-pat, and settles down into his chair.
Fellow Trainee and I exchange glances. All the blood has pretty much drawn from his face, and his hands are shaking as clicks out of the "Book Now!" Page for our flight to Cambodia. We both force ourselves to look back at Boss-Man, who's waiting expectantly with the latest set of trainee handouts.
"So. Shall we continue? I think we were talking about the present continuous tense, and how to error correct a struggling speaker ..."
Heart rate settles back to normal ... Try to listen to information on present continuous tense ... and I'm back to being bored.
Just your friendly neighborhood soldiers, standing at post down my block. Passing these dudes is becoming part of the routine, and they are some of the nicest people you'll ever meet.
I just sent you some pictures from the New York Times -- really, the Thais are sweet people, you can see it in their faces...except of course for the meth addict who stole your purse. The revolution sounds kind of like a baseball game, though I notice you haven't been doing that much belly scratching...Cambodia is supposed to be very nice this time of century, post Lon Nol and the Killing Fields. Wow, your story is gripping, honey...It's so hard to know what to think, since this is such an old fashioned revolution. Even the guns the police carry must be ages old. I am a little worried that the more sophisticated terrorists in the world might want to take advantage of the unrest to stage something. But I think Thailand probably isn't on their radar unless there is opium involved. Could you please clarify that for us???
ReplyDeleteMeanwhile it is sunny and very windy in LA. I just talked to your brother who is disgusted with the recent law that just got passed in Arizona that requires the police there to check immigration papers every time they see someone they think looks like an illegal alien...So, you see, America can be barbarous, surprise surprise. You would probably be profiled as a foreigner in Thailand (just guessing)...has anyone asked to see your papers randomly in the street?
Wow Charlotte.
ReplyDeleteThis seems like an incredible experience. It is amazing that you are exposed to such a unique and probably indescribable event. I am sure that through all of the struggles though you are still your same old cheery and giggly self. It can be really hard leaving the comfort of the south bay, but those difficulties are why we sought out these positions (man, I have wanted to just go home so many times this year). You cant really grow at all if you stay in Manhattan beach your whole life... And you will always have these experiences with you for the rest of your life. It really helped me too to know that a bunch of other people we know were doing similar things (Taylor Debevec, Victor Algaze, Kevin Currey). If you ever need an online hug, hit me up, and good luck with the rest of your time there! I am excited to share some abroad stories with you over a beer upon your return.