Arrived in Chiang Mai
I arrived in Chiang Mai yesterday. My flight was short and smooth, except for having to get up at 3:30am to get to the airport. My baggage came out within five minutes of arriving (my friends from Tashkent should appreciate this fact), and I was met immediately by a greeter with a placard that had my name on it. It always feels good to be met by the right person at the right time upon arriving in a new country.
The drive to the school was interesting as I really had no idea what to expect upon arrival. It turns out that Chiang Mai is within the foothills at the end of the Himalayas at this end of Asia. I knew that, but was not sure whether we would actually be able to see these foothills. They are very visible, and reminded me a lot of the foothills in Denver that were at the edge of Golden and that I saw daily from my home in Arvada. The main difference being that the foothills are jungle covered, rather than the arid covering of the Coloradan version. One huge difference was the low clouds that seemed to bouncing between the hills, buildings and trees throughout the area.
The school itself is in a beautifully peaceful location 30 minutes outside of Chiang Mai. It has many trees that shade the area, several ponds a small stream, an organic farm, and many buildings that have been built to blend in beautifully with the surroundings. The weather was much cooler than Malaysia yesterday, and more like Malaysia today. So I see that I will at least experience variety in the weather, and look forward to a few cooler months.
My campus apartment is smaller than the one I had in Malaysia with only two bedrooms, but we have planned for that in terms of shipping for the boys, by buying a loft bed for one of them, and another to slip directly under that bed. The apartment itself is not in perfect condition, but with a bit of loving care and personalization it will soon be a wonderful home for us. For some reason my bedroom is missing doors, and I hope that soon enough they will be replaced. We have a very nice balcony area, a nice living space and kitchen.
Right now I have not taken any pictures because I have been having some internet difficulties, that have led to me not having consistent Internet access. I ordered and paid for 6 months of Internet today, so hopefully I will have my own personal connection in my apartment within the next few days. At that point I will feel more confident in posting pictures and such. However, I may get a cable today or tomorrow that will aid me in this process. So please be just as patient as I am trying to be in this process.
I have met most of my new colleagues, and they seem very nice and interesting people. As always you tend to bond the most with the people that you come in with and I have to say that this group of people are similar to me in time of life, interests and experiences. I sense that it will be a very good group of people to work with and spend personal time with. I look forward to meeting the rest of the staff in the next days and beginning my new responsibilities of teaching Psychology and being the IBDP Coordinator. Lots of new things to take on board and develop. Wish me luck!
The drive to the school was interesting as I really had no idea what to expect upon arrival. It turns out that Chiang Mai is within the foothills at the end of the Himalayas at this end of Asia. I knew that, but was not sure whether we would actually be able to see these foothills. They are very visible, and reminded me a lot of the foothills in Denver that were at the edge of Golden and that I saw daily from my home in Arvada. The main difference being that the foothills are jungle covered, rather than the arid covering of the Coloradan version. One huge difference was the low clouds that seemed to bouncing between the hills, buildings and trees throughout the area.
The school itself is in a beautifully peaceful location 30 minutes outside of Chiang Mai. It has many trees that shade the area, several ponds a small stream, an organic farm, and many buildings that have been built to blend in beautifully with the surroundings. The weather was much cooler than Malaysia yesterday, and more like Malaysia today. So I see that I will at least experience variety in the weather, and look forward to a few cooler months.
My campus apartment is smaller than the one I had in Malaysia with only two bedrooms, but we have planned for that in terms of shipping for the boys, by buying a loft bed for one of them, and another to slip directly under that bed. The apartment itself is not in perfect condition, but with a bit of loving care and personalization it will soon be a wonderful home for us. For some reason my bedroom is missing doors, and I hope that soon enough they will be replaced. We have a very nice balcony area, a nice living space and kitchen.
Right now I have not taken any pictures because I have been having some internet difficulties, that have led to me not having consistent Internet access. I ordered and paid for 6 months of Internet today, so hopefully I will have my own personal connection in my apartment within the next few days. At that point I will feel more confident in posting pictures and such. However, I may get a cable today or tomorrow that will aid me in this process. So please be just as patient as I am trying to be in this process.
I have met most of my new colleagues, and they seem very nice and interesting people. As always you tend to bond the most with the people that you come in with and I have to say that this group of people are similar to me in time of life, interests and experiences. I sense that it will be a very good group of people to work with and spend personal time with. I look forward to meeting the rest of the staff in the next days and beginning my new responsibilities of teaching Psychology and being the IBDP Coordinator. Lots of new things to take on board and develop. Wish me luck!
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