I have anticipated culture-shock, but this is way more than I thought it would be. But… things seem to be turning out for the best. Out of the six days I’ve been here, I’ve only had one bad day.

I can’t even begin to describe life here… this is the first time in sobriety that I feel inclined to call my surroundings “exotic”. Japan was just weird, not exotic. This is exotic. Yesterday I ate a fried cricket. It tasted like salty grass, and was impossible to swallow, even after thorough chewing… the exoskeleton simply had to be spit out (I think we have something to learn from spiders here).

I do not live in what most people conceive of as Bangkok. My house, clean and fancy as it is, was made cheap by being built between the Chao Phraya river, and what is quite literally a stilt Shanty-Town with no vehicle access (in other words, a slum). This means that in order to reach the street, one has to walk on a series of thin, stilt-raised walkways between wood or tin houses that look like they might fall apart any minute, all on top of flood-plain waters completely littered with human waste. No, I’m not complaining… this is no comparison to the slum I lived in when I worked in New Orleans. The people are all nice, and everything is very different. There are as many cats and dogs as there are people, too!

I am currently looking for work. My friend here has been very helpful so far. I met his friends as well… and all were nice. I seem to have luck with the Dutch, for some reason!

My only grievance here is the garbage that ruins what could have been a very scenic place. That, and the fact that I cannot read, understand, or talk to anyone properly…

Going to Bangkok tomorrow. Feeling like crap right now - my body decided to get a full-on panic attack. I feel like I'm going to throw up.

I hope I'll be able to get just a bit of sleep tonight as that would cure it. Otherwise, I'd have to go through two days worth of this torture :(