So we've been in Bangkok a week now, but if feels like much longer. We finally arrived on January 1st after a good 12 hour wait in the Ottawa airport. We flew out to Franfurt, had a six hour layover and then flew in to Bangkok. Frankfurt was a neat place...you get a chocolate with your coffee! AMAZING! But we were also exhausted and slept most of the time. The Bangkok airport looked like a mall. Very sleak and incredibly clean.

We took a taxi to our apartment and had our first experience of thai driving. We got to our building and met with the owner who is an energetic little thai woman named Oillie. She's responsible for organizing the events for the exchange students and also our "go-to" for anything Thai-related. We got settled in to our place and then went out in to get a vibe of the city. Over the next couple days, we mostly shopped, unpacked and just tried to get familiar with the city. Adjusting to the time difference has been a bit of a struggle. We went to bed at 6pm on our first night and woke up at 3am, so we watched a movie. The hardest part has been trying to get a regular eating routine. We never really had appetites during the day (because it would be Canadian night) but would be starving when we were trying to sleep. Things have definitely turned around.

We've gotten used to the crazy drivers who find lanes where there shouldn't be a lane, squeeze through alleys while passing another car and driving 130km/hr in residential areas. We've been to a couple markets that have been a little overwhelming. The heat, the crowds and the funky smells are alot to take in sometimes but Nic always manages to come home with goods. We went to Pratunam market on Monday where Nic bought Ralph Lauren polos and I got traumatized by my first mouse encounter. Too much.

We've met a good group of other students staying in our building and had our first night out last night. We went to an Indian restuarant called Bombay Blues which was incredible. The food was something else and definitely somewhere we would go back. We then went to RCA, a club district that "high society" young thais go to. Very different from Ottawa but still a good time. After a couple hours of green and red lazers we called it a night.

We don't have too much planned for this weekend, probably just more exploring, tanning and bonding with the other students in our building. By next weekend we should be ready to go on our first weekend trip to Koh Samet. All is good on our end and we hope everyone at home is doing the same!

-Nic and Em