Test Run Complete...

We are not yet in Thailand or on our way. We are a little embarrassed to admit that we booked our flights for Wednesday the 29th at 1:30am NOT Tuesday the 28th. Tyler's mom drove us 2 and a half hours to the San Francisco airport, the anticipation was rising and we were finally ready to go. We got all 7 pieces of luggage (yes 7!!) stacked up on a cart and waited in line at the San Francisco airport for 45 minutes. We made it to the front of the line and the Chinese check-in attendant kept repeating "China Airlines?," and we kept saying "Yes" all the while thinking what is wrong with this guy. He proceeded to say he didn't have us booked, we handed him our itinerary thinking okay man you have to get us on this flight. He then tells us that we are scheduled for tomorrow, sure enough after actually reading our itinerary we don't fly out until tomorrow. We didn't know whether to laugh or cry but laughter and jokes seemed appropriate at this time.

From canceling our flight, to going to the airport a full day early we have high hopes that the third time is the charm. We plan on leaving tonight for the airport (again).


Funny Facts:
*Tyler's job has been to book flights and plan itineraries for the past 2 years and has never messed up until now. :)
*The organization we are going through emailed us and said see you on Thursday and I asked 'Tyler why did he say Thursday when we arrive on Wednesday?' Tyler made up something like 'Oh well maybe we won't meet with them until the next day' when they had told us they would meet us at the airport the day of.
*I emailed and printed our itinerary 3 times the day before leaving but never double-checked the dates.
*Test run complete.

On the way back home, we got hungry and stopped for Taco Bell's 4th Meal, only to find out .... what an "inconvinient!" When asked "If that was all?", Tyler proceeded to politely order a side of beans.

The Journey Begins

We would like to let everyone know that we are still heading to Thailand and WE ARE EXCITED! The rioting has come to a halt and everything seems to be safe and back to normal within the country. We have been back and forth on the decision to go. After much consideration we came to a joint decision to still go as both of our hearts were set on Thailand.

The last few weeks preparing for our trip have been busy to say the least. We were glad to be able to spend some time in California visiting Tyler's family and Iowa visiting my family before our big move.

The day has finally come for us to leave. We will be heading to the airport this evening to fly out of San Francisco at 1:30am. Upon arrival we will be spending a few days in Bangkok and then heading two hours North of Bangkok to the city of Chainat where we will be teaching. We still have a lot of unknowns (such as: where we will be living) but with everything out of our control we have gained a sense of trust, freedom and adventure that we are learning to appreciate.

Bon Voyage...stay tuned we are almost there!

ps: Thoughts and prayers are much appreciated.

Thailand: On hold

Last week in Bangkok brought not only the Thai New Year but days of protesting against the Prime Minister and unsafe streets in Bangkok (photo above). We were scheduled to attend an orientation and training seminar this week in Bangkok and neither of us felt safe about making the trip. Although the US Government did not officially post warnings or advisories, the Australian, British, Japanese and other governments posted warnings for their citizens not to travel to Thailand, or if they were there, to stay in their hotel rooms.

From the many articles we read, it became apparent that this was not a one-day event and the streets of Bangkok were not safe. Since neither of us have even been to Thailand, it was hard to judge how serious the situation would have been for us as we moved there.

In the middle of last week, we made the decision to cancel our plans (flights, contracts, and our lined-up jobs). While we're not sure what is next, we know that our hearts and minds are set on Thailand. Currently, we're sitting in sunny California with my family and trying to figure out the next steps.

Our minds have been opened up to the MANY opportunities that exist in the world, but we're still headed to Thailand to try to find jobs. Since we'll be able to travel as we please, we'll try and find jobs in a city where we feel comfortable and still have a sense of adventure (Phuket or Chiang Mai to start).

It's been an up-and-down adventure so far, and we haven't even made it to Thailand yet! In the next week or two, we'll make the plans to move to Thailand and let the sense of adventure guide us.

We'll update you more soon!!
-Tyler & Amye

We're going to Chainat!

We learned the other night that we have a job teaching in Chainat (or Chai Nat), about 120 miles north of Bangkok in the Central Plains. We're very excited to have an idea of where we will be in Thailand and the name of our new city.

From what we know so far, Chainat itself is small, but on the river (a bonus) and not touristy. With the lack of major tourism, there isn't a lot on-line about Chainat or in any of our books, but we're excited to learn more. It will definitely be an opportunity for us to really immerse ourselves in Thai culture and a community.

The school we have a placement in only has 5 classrooms, about 125 kids, and is a Kindergarten/Primary school. Our guess is that we'll be teaching the very basics!

If you want to check out Chainat's placement on the map, use Google Maps and search "Muang Chainat, Chainat, Thailand." The city center appears to be to the left of the red arrow that Google places. The river that runs through town is the Chao Phraya River. We don't know where our school is exactly or what part of town we'll be living in yet. More to come as we prepare to move. Only about 2 1/2 weeks away!

Thailand bound

WELCOME to our blog!

This is the spot where we will be keeping you posted on our journey through Thailand (and beyond).

We will be departing for Bangkok on April 18th. At this point we don't know where in Thailand we will be placed, but we are excited to see what the unknown brings.

Stay tuned...

Cheers,
Tyler & Amye