Hello Bangkok!

Since I've been here in Bangkok for 2 months now, I suppose it's about time for me to write an entry about it!
Let's start at the beginning....
I had been looking for a job teaching english. In July I did a TEFL (teaching English as a foreign Language) certification course in Kolkata in July, and then flew to America for a visit with my family and our vacation to Alaska.
I had been trying to decide which country would be the best place for me to work in....many of the students from the TEFL course were working and living in Oman...and were trying to convince me to come there. Although the pay was ridiculously high, I felt that I really needed a break from restrictive environments. I was really fed up with that aspect of living in an Indian village, and just longed for a place where I could dress normally without anyone giving me funny looks or remarks....so an Islamic country (even such a progressive one like Oman) was certainly out of the question.
I was regularly checking the internet sites that list TEFL jobs, and had sent my CV to many places. I had many replies, and was mainly focusing on Taiwan. I had been to Taiwan previously, and ironically the place I was staying in at the time was a sort of hostel for English teachers....I spent a lot of time asking them many questions, and I suppose I always had it in the back of my mind that if I was ever really short on cash...I could always come there and work as an english teacher.
Prior to doing the TEFL course I had quite a lot of anxiety over the whole thing....I was planning to take a job as an english teacher...but really didn't know if I would be any good at it, or if I would like it...and had a bit of a fear about getting locked into a contract for a year, and find out that I absolutely hated it....The TEFL course was amazing for me on many levels...but on the most practical and obvious level was that I realized that I could teach...I in fact felt quite natural at it, and that I even liked it. My teachers said that I had the potential to become a really good teacher. (In fact they even offered me a job to come and work for their company as a teacher trainer assistant after I finished the course).
I was pretty set on teaching in Taiwan, and even had phone interviews with a few schools...when i suddenly saw an ad for a teacher for a school of arts in Bangkok Thailand. This was a school that taught arts and crafts, music, dance and drama.
The pay was much lower, but I figured (with my background) that this was perhaps the perfect job for me.
While I was in US, the manager and I spoke on the phone, and as they wanted me to start right away, I changed my return ticket from the US. This meant that I left for India right after our Alaska trip. I applied for my non-immigrant B visa (the kind of visa you need for working there) the day I arrived, and booked a ticket to Bangkok for the day after my visa was to be ready. I had a big stack of documents, all in Thai, for applying for the visa. As this was only a center that takes the applications for the visa, none of the workers there actually knew Thai...and I was unable to check if I actually had all the documents I needed....as I couldn't read any of them...and neither could any of the workers there. (Because of the large volume of Thai visas that are applied for in Delhi...they have an office that you must submit the applications to....which is not the actual embassy, so everyone there is just a bunch of office boys and girls, and no one official is even there.)
After spending a final 3 days in Vrindavan, cleaning up the house, clearing out all the foodstuffs and arranging a maid to come in twice a month, I headed back to Delhi to pick up my visa.
I discovered, much to my disappointment, that I was denied the B visa. They said that I was missing a document...which ironically was not on the list of documents that I was supposed to have!
I decided (since I already had a ticket) that I would fly anyway....as US citizens can enter Thailand for 30 days for purposes of Tourism without a visa.
Leng, the Manager, who was supposed to pick me up at the airport was not there when I arrived and I ended up waiting at least 40 minutes for her to arrive. Hmmm....bad first impression.
She took me to a simple hotel not far from the school where I spent the night. In the morning I walked to the school and spent the entire day there. (yeah, I actually started working the morning after my late night evening arrival!) I met the other teacher, a Canadian girl named Sarah. I spent a second night at the hotel, and on the 3rd day moved into my new apartment. It turns out that Sarah has the apartment directly above me...and we could take taxis to work together to cut down on the costs...so that was really nice. She showed me around where we lived...and was in general a great help and a good friend. The apartment is quite small, but new and bright...and I really like it a lot. the complex has a nice pool which we both use on our days off...remember it's warm all year round here! We are really close to a University on one side, and there is a simple vegetarian restaurant less than 5 minutes away.
I spent the next few weeks assisting Sarah, and another teacher who was part time (just Saturday and Sunday), who's classes I would be taking over. Things were really disorganized at the school, and I was starting to wonder if I made a mistake in choosing Bangkok over Taiwan. The manager was making no effort to find out what I needed to do about getting the right type of visa, so I ended up spending a large majority of my time on the internet at work researching what I needed, and where was the best place to go to get a B visa. I ended up finding out that the best place to go for a B visa was Vientienne, Laos, and ended up finding out all info about how to get there overland, and how much it would cost. Leng was trying to convince me to take a flight there, but as I was not sure if I would be reimbursed for my travel expenses...I just couldn't afford it (plus I had to pay 4 months rent up front...3 months for deposit, and one month advance...which was aprox. $1,000 USD, so I was a little tapped out at that point) After some more research I found out that you can convert a visa exemption (which is what I had) for a B visa a the Bangkok Immigration, provided you have 21 days left on your arrival visa....which I did not have.
We had a meeting with Wannee, the owner of the school franchise, and I was telling all of the information that I had found out to Fon, the HR girl who was arranging the visas and work permits for us. Fon was saying such a crazy stuff...that I was convinced that she didn't know what she was talking about. She said that you had to pay 10,000 Thai Bhat for converting the visa (it's 2,000), and that I needed the original copy (with signature and stamp) of the reference letter from my previous employer. I had a reference letter from Pacnancy Kram, the company that my husband partly owns from Poland which was sent to me by email...and it took me almost 2 months to just get the other ower, Janaki, just to sign and email back...so I don't know how long it would take me to get an original mailed to me. I was frustrated....no where (on any informational websites, or Government website) did it say that I needed such a letter....and it would be difficult for me to get...so I expressed my frustration.
I suppose looking back on it...that was very stupid of me to do. Asians rarely loose their cool...and my irritation and frustration (which by western standards was quite mild) was seen as a very bad attitude and super big blowout. I should've just agreed to whatever they said...and then just did the thing myself on Photoshop and signed it myself....who would know the difference?
A week later I find out that Wannee is 100% dead set on firing me. She said that I am uncooperative, and she doesn't want to work with me. I spoke at length with Leng, my manager...at how crazy it was that Wannee wanted to judge me entirely on a very small mistake, and instead of just telling me that she did not appreciate it, and not to do it again...just decide to fire me. At this point I had already started teaching classes...and the parents were saying to myself, as well as the receptionist at how pleased they were with my teaching, and how much the preferred me over the previous teacher. We even had a parent tell the receptionist that she had decided to take her child elsewhere for classes, but she liked me so much she decided to stay....
Leng, was so upset over the whole thing, and so deeply in disagreement with Wanee over firing me, that she decided to quit.
I wrote a long apology letter to Wannee, asking her to overlook this stupid error of mine and judge me on my teaching ability instead. For me it was sincere. I really was ready to admit that I had made a mistake...(even if Wannee totally over reacted to it). Everyone at work couldn't believe that I had done that. Most of them said that they would've told Wannee to fuck off and just left immediately (which would've totally screwed her over...they would've had to cancel tons of classes....and would've had a hard time to higher another teacher in my place)....
In the end....Wannee came to speak with me at Kid's gallery. She did not say anything about the letter, or that she accepted my apology...just basically pretended that the whole episode never happened....and encouraged me to get the papers I needed (yeah...I did forge it!) So, in the end...I stayed, and our Manager Leng left.
Before 30 days ended I spent one of my days off traveling to the Cambodian border, and then re-entered Thailand for another 30 days. The next day I made some certified statement at the US embassy that I really attended Ohio U (because they don't actually certify documents like diplomas etc) and managed to vote with an absentee ballot.
A few days later, Fon and I went to immigration to submit the application for conversion of visa...which was finally approved on Nov 7th....so I finally, officially (a month and a half after my arrival here) have a B visa. Now we are working to get me a work permit (yeah...I am basically working illegally right now)...It's crazy....I got the B visa for 3 months...then they will issue the work permit for 3 months, then you can apply to extend the visa for 1 year (after work permit is issued), then they will extend the work permit for 1 year. Crazy crazy bureaucracy!