After a few weeks of living in Thailand, my roommate and I decided we should quit our grocery shopping and cooking in habits and start eating out more often, whether we were in the street markets or in the restaurant.

You would think this would be so much more expensive, but it's actually around the same as the price to grocery shop. Maybe even cheaper considering we weren't purchasing much meat or fish when we were shopping for home cooking.

To show the kind of food available and what we like to eat, I've done a small photo story on a day of eating on the street. This was my day off of uni, so all of this food was purchased within walking distance of our apartment. I hope you enjoy!

First, I went out at around 10:30am and bought both my breakfast and lunch for the day.

Iced Cappuccino | 40 Baht ($1.22 USD)

Tangerines and Pineapple | 35 Baht ($1.06 USD)

Chicken, Pork (on a stick) and Papaya Salad | 50 Baht ($1.53 USD)

Around 8:00pm, I joined some friends from to grab dinner. We usually dine at the night market next to the On Nut BTS station, only a 5 minute walk from where we live. There are a lot of options to choose from, including western and thai cuisine, fruit, smoothies, and even bubble tea. So convenient, and so tasty! 

Pork and Basil Leaves with Sunny Side Egg and Rice | 45 Baht ($1.37 USD)
Bottled Water | 10 Baht ($0.30 USD)

 Pearl Milk Tea with Tapioca Bubbles | 25 Baht ($0.76 USD)

Total Spent | 195 baht ($5.95 USD)

Goals

As my days in Bangkok pass me by, I can see why people would want to stay here forever. It seems like such a carefree, laid back life here for someone like me. There is so much opportunity for relaxation, and with school being so undemanding, I can easily see myself giving in and not being productive in creating new projects in this beautiful, exotic place.

While that does sound tempting, I feel it would also be a waste not to take advantage of all that is around me. Who knows how this culture will inspire me?

For as long as I can remember, I've been the type to follow guidelines to a certain extent, and never do more than I absolutely have to. That has to change. Thus far, my professors haven't wanted us to work too hard, or to have work to accomplish outside of class. This concept is so foreign to me, I'm used to spending countless hours in the graphic design lab back home trying to create something amazing to wow my classmates, always competing to get the professors approval. I told myself the first week I arrived that I wanted to do something to showcase my time spent abroad, whether it's through fine arts or design. While I haven't pinpointed exactly what I want to do, I have many things I know I want to work on before I return home to finish up my degree.

My biggest goal for myself, is to build up my graphic design portfolio with outside projects. There are many art libraries I've discovered in Bangkok, so with a little research here and there I think I will be able to accomplish a lot if I really set my mind to it. Starting off small, I would like to at least create blueprints for one self-made typeface, build up my drawing skills, and use this blog as an attempt to showcase that all. I'm hoping that I will be able to be influenced by the Thai culture through things like textiles, found patterns, and just traveling.

Another big goal is to get back into the swing of photography. I used to shoot so much in high school, and always had my uncle's old film 35mm attached to my person. My parents were so kind as to purchase a Nikon D40 for my graduation, which I barely touched after having it for 4+ years. (Yes, I realize this isn't the best body for taking quality photos, but many friends have already assured me it's the talent that makes the photo, not the build of the camera) I've already snapped a few shots here and there, and it's clear I'm quite rusty. However, practice makes perfect, and I have an amazing teacher and photographer that happens to be my roommate. How lucky is that? While it will most likely stay a hobby of mine, I miss photography quite a bit. Plus it will be nice to return home with a hard drive full of snapshot memories of my time here.

There will always be more that I want to do in the 6 months I'm abroad, but one can only take things one bite at a time. I plan to do my best to immerse myself into at least one project at a time, while still taking time to be social and explore Thailand. I have a feeling the more time I am here, the more inspired I will be, and the more I will be able to share, through whatever medium.

I find myself excited to get started, and anticipating your feedback as I begin to share my progress with you all.

Dasa Books

A few weeks ago, my dear friends and I ventured to Dasa Book Café, a second hand book store and café located in the city of Bangkok.

Initially, McKinsey and I were trying to find a book store with hard back books in the Thai language to create some creative journals during our stay here. Even though Dasa Books carried books in almost every language BUT Thai, the trip was definitely worthwhile.

Dasa Book Café is exactly what I am looking for in a quiet, relaxed café and book setting. As soon as I walked in I could smell all of the old, book smell, and loved the vibes. A small café is set up on the first floor and there are some tables when you first walk in. With three floors stocked full of so many books, it's hard not to stay for over an hour exploring. A lot of books were in the  English language, however we also found quite a few in other European languages such as Dutch, French, German, and so on.

I was kind of embarrassed when I realized how long it had been since I had even walked into a book store, let alone purchased a book. School is often so hectic I don't make time for myself to get lost in a good read. It's much easier to get distracted by the hottest show on Netflix or falling asleep to one of the many movies/shows on my hard drive. However, I vow to get my reading habits back while abroad. I believe time will be spent much better with less attention paid to the media and more attention paid to the written word, especially if I start to find more books on the culture or history of Thailand (of which there were many at Dasa).

I would definitely recommend this spot to anyone looking for a good used book store, or to someone that's looking to find a store with enough stock to find whatever you might need for a good price. The store was very cozy; I will be returning to gather books before beach trips during my stay here.

For those who are interested in finding this beautiful book palace, you can take the BTS to Phrom Phong, and the store is located between Soi 26 & 28 (a quick 5 minute walk from the station). For further details, you can visit their website here.

Happy Reading!

-- My dear friend, Anna, was so sweet and bought me a copy of The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo on our trip. Such a sweet thing to do, I can't wait to start it.

New Beginnings

A little over a month ago, I made a huge life change.

I was a nervous, excited wreck; but I have made the journey and am currently residing in Bangkok, Thailand for the next 6 to 7 months for a semester abroad.

When I first had the idea to study abroad, my mind was filled with fantasies of living somewhere in Europe; something familiar, yet different from my mild Midwest way of living. Looking more into this option, however, I was awoken with the reality of spending a bit more, limited options of study, and following the footsteps of many students before me that spend semesters abroad in a European country. Then the option of Thailand came into play. This option was definitely more exciting, no other student from my small university in Missouri had gone to Thailand before me, and the added incentive of a hefty grant being offered for studying here. Not to mention the fact that one of my brother's good friends (or my brother from another mother) lives in Bangkok and is fluent in the language.After doing more research of how this was really going to come to being a reality financially and academically, Thailand seemed like the most adventurous (and frugal) route to spend a semester. Somehow I talked my parents into it, and it was time to start planning. I had visions of learning the language, and everything about Thailand and Thai culture. Being the avid procrastinator that I am, though, put me a bit behind my planning. I ended up moving to this completely foreign land with little to no knowledge of what I was really getting myself into. I was so sure of Justin (the brother-like figure) being able to lend a helping hand that I took no personal responsibility to research anything besides looking at images on Google and Google Earth. 

I couldn't have been more right about Justin and his massive amounts of help to not only myself, but also my friend and traveling partner, McKinsey. Without him, we would have been absolutely screwed for the first few weeks. He set us up with bus passes, pretty much acted as a walking and talking translator, and even introduced us to our first friends in Bangkok. I will always be grateful that he took us under his wing.

Hopefully I will be able to capture the essence of my time spent studying abroad here in Bangkok through photos and some longer "dear diary" type posts such as this one. So much has happened already, everyday seems like it's own mini adventure. 

Bangkok is a beautiful, crazy, and different place. I find myself falling more and more in love with city every day I am here. This is such an opportunity for growth and new experiences, and I am glad to have the chance to share my experiences with you.