An Expat in Thailand: Seasonless Greetings from Bangkok

Seasonless greetings from Bangkok, Thailand! 🎄

I’ve surpassed my third month in Thailand and the time has just flown by! It’s crazy to think that I’ve celebrated Halloween, Thanksgiving and the start of the Christmas season here, and the average temperatures have remained 80-90 degrees throughout! 😅

Now technically speaking, Bangkok isn’t completely seasonless. It has three seasons- hot, cool, and wet.

That being said, it’s the cold season right now and I still can’t put on my makeup in the morning without sweating! Hah! 💄

Sometimes I don’t know why I even try! 🤣

My only way to combat this heat was to embrace a shorter hairdo! ✂️

Now don’t get me wrong, I’m definitely not complaining, considering last year I was living in Wisconsin where we experienced a polar vortex and temps dropped below -55 degrees! 😲

I will add though, without having four distinct seasons, and with no palpable change in the landscape, it’s difficult to visibly see time passing, as the months just run one onto the next. 🌴

I believe this has led me to living with a much more relaxed mindset, but also still thinking that it’s August when I first arrived.

Now although there is no chance of having a white Christmas here, Bangkok is quite Westernized, and the amount of festive decorations around every corner definitely fill you with good ol’ Christmas cheer, and send a clear reminder that the holidays are almost here! 🎅

Speaking of Bangkok’s westernization, I’ve continued to notice so much foreign influence, especially when it comes to cuisine. I’ve visited a kitschy 1950s American diner, enjoyed some Cajun food, a Western bistro, unique vegan fare, and even some Egyptian delights. I use the app Eatigo to get 10-50% off restaurant menus.

Of course, as always, I’ve still been indulging in lots of Thai cuisine, convenience foods and 7-Eleven treats.

In fact, Bangkok’s city center has become so westernized, that I almost forgot that I was living in Thailand.

But then my friend living here sent me this video from the nearby national park where they saw a wild elephant, and I had a stark reminder that I was living in this tropical paradise! 🐘

Aside from that unexpected delight, things that still surprise me about Bangkok after living here for three months living here would be the cost of imported goods…

The amount of childlike goods aimed at adults…😍

The amount of pollution…

This just means that I make frequent trips to the park.🌳

Side note: while at Chatuchak Park, definitely check out the market, which is the largest in Asia. I especially like their used section, where I found some gently worn Birkenstock’s for 15 bucks!

And lastly, the things that never cease to amaze me are the strange Asian health remedies and the even stranger local men. 😂

Luckily, I have my own cure for both of these- pickled garlic! Guaranteed to fight off any illness and ward off all creepy men! 😂

Anyway, in the classroom, I’ve gotten the children in the holiday spirit as well.

We’ve made acrostic poetry about winter, created gingerbread houses, painted the Northern Lights landscape, and made fake snow. ❄️

Aside from that, we’ve been doing lots of hands-on learning activities. We’ve learned about Italy by crafting the Leaning Tower of Pisa, baking pizzas from scratch, creating an Italian restaurant play, painting with coffee, and drawing upside-down like Michelangelo. 🎨

We’ve also learned about parts of plants by going on a nature walk and completing some artwork using different leaves.🌿

The kids even celebrated a superhero day, where us teachers tried to show them that not all superheroes wear capes. 👨‍⚕️

Also, being a British international school, we had to say goodbye to one of my students who moved back to Europe, we celebrated the UK holiday Remembrance Day with bagpipes, and we celebrated many birthdays with lots of Western treats.

Crab pizza- don’t knock it ’til you try it! 😋

Three of my girls even got to participate in the local spelling bee! I used to do those when I was younger, so I made sure to teach them the word I got wrong- v-a-c-u-u-m! 🐝

Overall, I always try to keep things fun and exciting in the classroom!

Aside from Western holidays, I’ve also taken part in Thailand’s Loy Krathong festival of lights, indulged in the local art scene, shopped at Bangkok’s semi-annual library sale, attended seminars raising the issue of homeless in Southeast Asia, and become active in a campaign against gender-based violence.

And although I’ve thoroughly enjoyed getting settled here, and decorating my condo, this term is coming to an end, and I’ll be heading off to Vietnam for a three-week holiday with the possibility of visiting Cambodia as well.

Stay tuned to hear all about my adventure. Until then, enjoy this short recap of this last month in Bangkok! Happy holidays everyone! 🎁