To get a work visa in Thailand you need to pass a medical exam, in which they take your blood pressure, blood type, check for Syphilis, Elephantiasis, Leprosy, drug addiction, and alcoholism. All the casual things, I'm sure you understand. So I went to the local hospital because my landlord assured my that they spoke English here. My taxi driver dropped me at the Emergency room entrance so it got off to a weird start with men running to the cab opening doors and me just walking out. I had the paper I needed in Thai so they understood what I wanted, but it seemed their best English was "Please take a seat". A woman took me outside to a golf cart that was waiting and drove me to another building where there was an eye health office and then wherever I was. Maybe general practitioners, I'm not sure. Anyways, the nurse who was 'taking care of me' brought over a questionnaire and kind of went through it. She basically read the English words but didn't exactly form them into questions. Example she said the word blood, I looked down said type A positive and she smiled nodded tapped my arm and pointed to Syphilis. I said ' uh no have syphilis', she hits my arm again says blood and I realize now that she was saying we will test your blood for it, but that was not clear earlier. Despite it being the cleanest hospital I've ever been in I still got nervous when she used the needle and this tiny daunting voice kept telling me I was going to get Staff. After going back to the lobby to wait a bit, I got called into the doctors office, who I was very relieved to learn spoke English. She checked my breathing, had me sit on the table and despite me wearing pants they put a towel over my legs. She rolled my shirt up a bit and for the first time I felt kind of embarrassed for having a belly button ring. I don't really know why but I just felt like she was going to judge me for it or something. She pressed on my stomach and liver and asked me if it felt tender. I said no and apparently that was my test for drug addiction and alcoholism. No pee test or anything. Anyways the whole thing took maybe an hour and some change and it cost me less $17. Hows that for Healthcare reform. Speaking of which at this point and I still don't know who the new President is. I get in a cab and the Thai driver asked where I come from, I said America and he shouted Obama. I smiled and said the election was today and asked if he won. He nodded, but I wasn't clear if he understood. As soon as I connected to wifi in the apartment I could tell he had won within seconds of Facebook uploading. At this point my day turned around and I went to go have dinner and drinks with a girl I met at the Halloween show. We went to this amazing Japanese restaurant where I got a noodle set with gyoza, kimchi, rice, miso soup, and some unknown tofu thing. All for $5. It was delicious. Then we walked to this place that has wine for 99baht which is about $3. It was super classy and a section of the Hyatt Erawan. Definitely, going back. The night was really good, lots of great conversation, as we chatted about Politics, America, Thailand, personal lives, school, and jobs. It was really nice just to have some free flowing intellectual conversation and I hope her and I will become good friends. I will also say that now is a great time to be living outside the US. Seeing America through an outside lense looking in is so much different. Ethnocentrism doesn't even begin to explain how self absorbed the country is, yes American decisions have an outreaching affect, but they don't make or break every other country's state of well being. People love or hate America, but there's a good fucking reason nobody is in-between.
On the other hand, today I have done absolutely nothing. Tomorrow, I have my first day of training that starts at ten. However, before this I have to go into the US Embassy to get that letter and my passport pages. I should probably remember to bring a shitload of money and my passport and degree. Fashion Island hired two other teachers as well so I will get to meet them tomorrow, which is exciting. They are both dudes, and there is only one other female teacher there so I kind of wonder why that is but maybe they will live somewhere near me so I can commute with one of them.Anywho, I should have another update after at least the weekend. Enjoy yours!
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