In Chaiyaphum!

We have arrived in Chaiyaphum (Chai-Ah-Pum) and it is quite a change from Bangkok and Phuket. Basically NO-ONE here speaks English besides hello. Even so, the people here try to be really helpful, and everyone from the lady at the drink store to the tuk tuk drivers want to get a bartered English lesson in exchange for drinks/food/rides. Within the first hour we were here, we had signed a lease, rented a moped and been given a tour of the local hotspots, the night market, the Korean barbeque, and Tesco Lotus. (Think Wal-mart plus 3 stories) All with the help of one of our fellow teacher from the Philippines named Joan. Walking through town we may as well have a sign on our head. If people aren’t staring or calling us pharangs (which means foreigner in Thai), he children are tugging on their parents and pointing at my white legs and blonde hair. We’ve been asked to be in many pictures, and even offered free food and drinks from local restaurant owners.
Chaiyaphum is not the small town that everyone makes it out to be, I would estimate it to have nearly 50,000 people, there is a great sense of community, especially at the night market, where you can feed yourself anything you want for around 20 baht, and get anything from a watch to a fake polo shirt for around 100 baht. The town even has
a driving range.

The Contryside just east of our apartment.

Our school is about 3 miles from our apartment, so the motorbike is a must. And its great for visiting all of the natural parks and waterfalls that are nearby. As well as ride out into the rice paddies, which feels strangely like New England. The climate here is also nearing the winter months, which during the day its still in the 90’s but at night its much cooler, and should get down to around 50 by the end of December.
There are 3 high schools in Chaiyaphum our school, Muangpayalae being on the smaller end with 1500 students. It includes an Olympic sized swimming pool with a three-story stadium, (something you don’t usually see in an American school), plywood doors on the classrooms, holes in the wall, and birds constantly flying through.

Our apartment is also very nice and spacious. It has a living room, a bedroom and a back balcony and the view looks out towards a pond and some palm trees. It’s a brand new building, and the landlord is incredibly nice and hospitable.