It's Official

Rick and I returned from a whirlwind trip to Bangkok this past Wednesday. We flew out last Tuesday, arrived Thursday morning, Bangkok time (you loose a day going over since you cross the international date line) and were busy from the time we got there until the time we left! However, we accomplished a lot!

Thursday and Friday were spent getting acclimated to Bangkok and to a time zone 14 hours ahead of our own. We also spent a lot of time checking out the kids' school and finding a house.

The school was really oustanding...it's an international school that is located right in the middle of the community we'll be living in. There's a huge amount of diversity there, with most classes representing about 8 to 10 different countries. Since it is a private school, it gets all kinds of neat corporate sponsorship which results in things like the Nike Athletic Center there, complete with a pool, gym, indoor/outdoor equipment, dance studio, etc. There is also a very nice performing arts theater and more neat technology there than I've ever seen at another school! We're sure the kids will really love going there and they are already very excited about it!

The neighborhood where we will live is also very nice. It's made up mainly of ex-pats, like ourselves, with plenty of Americans in the mix. The houses are all western style and BIG! We settled on a four bedroom home on a cauldesac in a neighborhood that is packed with kids and very close to the school. The nice thing about the whole community is that it is very self contained (school, grocery store, urgent care health and dental clinic, dry cleaners, health club, olympic size pool, church, etc. all on the grounds of it) and very safe. It's got a guarded entrance and then once you enter into each, each neighborhood also has its own guard at the entrance. You see people just cruising around in golf carts (we're going to need the stretched model to fit us all!) and little motor scooters. Once you are inside the gates, you could really be anywhere in the US!

Over the weekend we also managed to do a little sightseeing, which was fun. We went to the Royal Grand Palace, where Thai kings have lived off and on for hundreds of years. We also went on a Tuk Tuk ride (a kind of 3 wheeled motor scooter with a covered bench on the back that is used as a taxi) that took us all over the place (to see a temple with a big golden Buddah - neat, to a jewelry show room and to a silk showroom - we didn't want to go to either of those places but it seems the Tuk Tuk driver was in charge of our destinations!) We hit a huge outdoor market that is set up every weekend - the Chatuchak market, where we saw quite a variety of stuff - trash and treasure - for sale! There are over 9000 stalls there, with an amazing variety of stuff displayed! We also spent some time downtown in Bangkok, which reminds me a lot of being downtown in Manhattan - lots of big buildings, traffic, and pollution, but lots of really interesting people and sites, too. You see people zipping around on motor scooters with kids clinging to their backs, food carts everywhere (I think the Thais must eat 10 times a day) with some really interesting looking foods, buddhist monks walking around, people from all over the place (we didn't feel out of place at all as there were so many Westerners wandering around, too), and probably the funniest, a baby elephant getting walked down the middle of a very busy street!

Monday and Tuesday Rick went out to the Microchip facility where he'll work in Chacherngsao. He got a taste of the commute (about 1 1/2 hours each way - ouch!) and a taste of more Thai food in the cafeteria! He also got to get a feel for the place and meet the people he'll work with. All in all, a productive couple of days for him. While he was there, I spent some time riding the SkyTrain through Bangkok and checking out some of the local shopping malls so that I'd have an idea of what will be available to us when we move. Also productive for me!

Wednesday found us at the airport by 6am to start our very long trip home! We were glad to finally arrive in Phoenix early in the afternoon Wednesday (there's that big time difference again - we gained a day coming home) and happy to be home and see the kids again. Now the real work starts...packing and getting ready for the move at the end of July!!! Stay tuned for more details! :)


Here's a few pictures from our trip:

Us at the Royal Grand Palace

Downtown Bangkok, view from our hotel

The Beginning

Well...kind of the beginning after the fact. The beginning really starts way back in January of 2008. Rick called me one morning and posed the hypothetical question of, "What would you think about moving to Bangkok, Thailand?" To which I replied, "Let me think about it." An hour later, I called him back and told him I was in....I thought it would be an adventure.



From that point on, our lives seemed to be dominated by discussing this potential move....would it happen? When would it happen? Who else at work was possibly in contention for it? When would we hear something? How would the kids handle it? What other cool places could we visit? Should we sell the house or rent it? When do we start packing? And maybe the most pressing, what in the world will we do with four kids under the age of eight on a 24 hour journey from Los Angeles to Bangkok?!?!!? (Any ideas you have are welcome -please share! ) In a process that seemed to move slower than molasses, we got from point A, that first phone call in January, to point B, now, on the verge of a gigantic, life changing move that should happen in mid July.



Why in the world would we move? What's in Thailand for us? Are we crazy? There's plenty of answers to those questions!



We are moving because an interesting job opportunity was presented to Rick to train some of the Thai engineers at Microchip's facility there to do what his group does here in Chandler, AZ. The job presents a challenge to Rick, a new direction for his career, and just lots of possibilities. For our family, it means exposing the kids (and ourselves) to an entirely different culture...to many different cultures, for that matter, if we manage to travel like we hope to while there. It will broaden us all and expand our concepts of self and of how we fit into what is rapidly becoming a global society. We'll see parts of the world none of us has experienced before, meet new people, and basically have the adventure of our lives! And yes, we are a little crazy to be doing this, but we've thought it through very thoroughly and feel confident in this choice for ourselves and our family.



We'll be living in an expatriate community just north of Bangkok called Nichada Thani, and the kids will attend International School Bangkok, where they'll mix, mingle, and learn with kids from all over the world. We'll fill you in on more details about house and home, school, etc. as we get them. Rick and I are heading over in about two weeks to find housing and get the lay of the land, and we'll know a lot more after that trip.



Right now, we are looking at the gazillion details that come up when planning a move of this magnitude for a family of six. What to ship? What to store? When to get the kids' passports?What immunizations do we need and how do we make it as painless as possible for all of us (I think I might be as a big a baby about this as the kids are! Unfortunately, I don't think anyone is buying me an ice cream cone, a Webkinz, or any other big treats after I get my shots and I probably need more shots than the kids do! I might, however, at least get lunch out of the deal!)



So that brings you up to speed with what has been happening with us for the past five months and how we now find ourselves soon to be residents of Thailand! We'll be sure to keep you updated on the process - keep checking back for details and photos!