Remembering Amazing Thailand

When I arrived in Ubon I met wonderful people and to our surprise we actually coexist a couple of times in the Philippines but didn’t really get acquainted until this time.

But there was a negative report that came about before I arrived which was going to tarnish my reputation without giving me a chance to prove my innocence. Justice played foul this time because I was judged right away just by word of mouth.

But I was not moved. I was determined that I went there with no less than a throbbing desire to do my duty as a missionary English teacher.

The house I was staying was a five-story apartment that stood just across from the school. Ubon is so much quiter than Bangkok and the street was not a busy one but public transportation was excellent.

620 kilometers northeast of Bangkok, Ubon is a big city that lies in the eastern border of Thailand. It was much cooler here than in Bangkok and the air was less polluted. This was going to be my home for the next six months.

Ubon Ratchatani is a rather progressive city outside Bangkok. There is not much tourist attractions because it’s far from the sea but the province thrive with local industry like farming.

I think being the biggest city in that part of the country, Ubon was lucky to be the seat of a number of reputable schools that attract students from its neighboring cities.

Although there were no taxis but the public transportation system in Ubon was also very good and reliable.

Finally, the day had come for me to go to my work place in Ubon Ratchatani, 620 kilometers northeast of Bangkok, near the border of Laos and Cambodia. I was thrilled. Assuming I already knew everything I needed to know, I went to the bus station by taxi. I was overwhelmed. It was the same bus station in Morchit, where we used to take the bus to Saraburi. But this time I was alone and didn’t know which teller to buy the ticket from. Everything was written in Thai. Then a man came to me and I just said, Ubon.

He took me to a booth and again I said, Ubon. Obviously she was asking where I was bound to, right? She gave me a ticket and showed me the price. Thankfully, the numbers were written in English and the ticket had an English print as well so it was easier for me to follow which platform number I had to go to take the bus.

The trip was rather long and boring. Every town or city we stop at the bus station to pick up or unload a passenger. We left Bangkok at around 8 pm and I couldn’t sleep in the bus. I was anxious. Finally, I saw the breaking of the dawn and I thought we were there yet. We were supposed to arrive in Ubon at around 6 AM but it was already 7 am and the bus was still running and I couldn’t see any sign of a nearby city from the window.

Finally, at around 8 am, we bus came to its final destination –12 excruciating hours! I looked for someone who was coming to pick me up but didn’t find any that looked like a Filipino. I called my contacts and I was told that  Welmer was there at six am waiting for me. So I took a tuktuk instead.

 After the result of my test, I got called for additional information and instruction about my job. i was very happy. I’m gonna have a work permit at last–or so I thought. For another month I stayed unoccupied but I didn’t bother look for another or a more lucrative teaching job in Bangkok. I felt that I have found my place and even if I was going to receive only half as much as I would normally get paid if I teach in Bangkok. I think the hostility that I have experienced really put me off and so I would rather receive less and be happy where I am–or so I thought.Interestingly, that same day I signed the contract, I got an email or an invitation for interview in one of the kindergartens in busy Bangkok. But I have already made up my mind so I didn’t go for the interview.For the next couple of weeks I stayed mostly in the apartment idling. There was nothing else better to do because I didn’t have money to spend. Well, I was saving what I had for my trip to Ubon Ratchatani. 

Finally, somebody told me to apply at SDA language School. They didn’t pay as much as the international schools did but I thought to myself that it would be good for a start. Maybe it was for me as well.

So off I went to the language school to send my resume and I was asked to take an English proficiency test–sort of. Wow, so strict, eh? International schools didn’t require that. Anyway, I was undeterred. The next day, I went back to take the test. To my surprise it says on the top of the questionnaire, “Oxford Placement Test”. Holly Molly! Am I going to get a seat in Oxford? Anyway, I started answering the questionnaires and it took me about two hours to finish it together with the listening test which was only a few questions anyway. But that was not the end. I had one more test–reading comprehension. But it was getting late and I was starving. So they asked me to go back the next day.  The reading comprehension test took me about an hour and a half.

Two days later, I got a call. Congratulations! You passed the tests.

When I arrived in Thailand in 2001 there was no prepaid simcard. If you wanted to buy a phone it’s got to be on a contract and the price of simcards were ridiculously expensive you could buy another phone. It was a difficult time for me because it means I couldn’t buy a phone. One requirement for buying a mobile phone is work permit which I obviously didn’t have. So I put my neighbor’s number instead.

Having a mobile phone was more of a burden than a convenience because it cost so much to call and text. Actually, it was cheaper to call than to send SMS.

But Thailand is not resistant to the latest technologies. A few months later, prepaid sims became so popular you could even get them for free.

After some weeks of job hunting, Karoline got accepted at EIS and when she came home she told me to see the principal at once.

I called the principal and made arrangement for an interview which was going to take place the next day. I was excited and hopeful that I would also get accepted. I went with my best wearing white top and a pair of pants. I was criticised and told to wear a more formal dress like skirt. But I didn’t have any that looks good enough for an interview. So I pressed on with what I already was wearing.

ANyway, I go to the principal office and carefully laid my resume on the desk and the interrogation began. There was a question regarding my last principal and who I thought was a better bet. I told my honest opinion.

Then I was asked, “How did you hear about our opening?”

“Karoline told me,” was my quick reply. He then said something that I didn’t understant very well but I think he said something like, “Okay, we’ll call you back. Blah! Blah! Blah!

I didn’t get accepted.

Eventually, Karoline and I got tired of looking for teaching vacancies so we decided to try telemarketing. Through my homies’ help, dictation, and influence, we called one of the telemarketing bosses who was based in Thonglor. We mentioned the name of our referrer and we were asked to go to their office with a copy of our passport. Take note, just a copy is what they asked.

Since I didn’t want to show my real name I made up a name, Anne Sales. I made a copy of my passport and in the copy I covered my real name and stick a small piece of paper, wrote down my new name and made a new copy. Bingo! I’m a new person.

The next day, I went to the office with my fake copy of passport. When my name was called, I was startled a bit but I felt simultaneously it was me. The recruiter just gave me instructions on how to do the simple job and then finally shook my hand and said, “See you on Monday.” That was Friday morning. Karoline were supposed to start that day but she didn’t go.

Before I went for the interview, there were already rumours of immigration police investigating the telemarketing industry. The workers were illegal, the office was not register, and so many hoax. With over 80 telemarketing offices, there was only a handful legit ones and you would never know which.

That day as I left the building, I was more nervous than excited. After lunch, friends who was working in that building where I had my interview, came home with the bad news. Immigration police came to raid the office half an hour after I left the building.

Whew! Was I lucky or not? I was going to have a job by Monday and now it’s over before I could even start!

Once back in Bangkok, Karoline and I started the job search again. We would borrow newspapers and scout for ads. One time she got a call for an interview and she asked if she could take a friend which the caller approved. However, it was strange because the interview was going to take place at 9pm. Well, it was a call center allegedly so we thought that they were really busy during the day.

Before we left, my cousin loaned me her cellphone so that in case something happened, I can call for help. We took a taxi and was so shocked where we were. It was a place rather indecent for wanna-be teachers or call-center phone operators. The address given to us and the sign on the road confirmed our doubt. Good thing our contact was a Filipino and so I called her on the phone and I said that we didn’t think we wanted to go for the interview.

While teaching in Muaklek, Karoline and I thought it was good to buy new clothes and we went to the sidewalk vendors along Ramkhamhaeng Road. But I was not really a fan of sidewalk vendors and I thought that it was better to buy clothes from a reputable shop. Anyway, I did find a nice Thai-style top but I wanted to buy more. We walked through the crowd inching our way till we get to a shop or stand that caught our interest. Then moved on.

Sidewalk vendors are another ubiquitous sight in Thailand from Chiangmai in the north to Hatyai in the south. In Bangkok they were by the big malls and nowadays they are on the footbridges. Nearly everywhere you go in Bangkok you will find them.

Since Bangkok is a night city, most of these sidewalk vendors open at night until ten pm or up to two am in Patpong area and in Khaosan Road. I have learned to love buying from them because they sell the same thing you find in the shops at a much lower price. Well, considering it’s Bangkok, they sell nearly all imitations so it’s more practical to buy in the sidewalks and not get ripped off that much.