Culture Shock!

The first week in Thailand, we stayed at a local hotel in Uthai Thani where we received our first Thai language lessons as well as lessons on Thai culture and customs. We also received instructions on how to bathe as well as how to improve our aim while using a squat toilet. This is one of the ajaans (teachers) demonstrating the proper way to use the toilet. The daily language courses were intense and, at times, very frustrating since our "senior citizen" minds had most of the windows shut (or at least the blinds closed) to the learning of a new language. The trainings in culture, customs, and language lasted all day and we were exhausted at the end of the day. In retrospect, "It was the worst of times, it was the best of times." We kept pinching ourselves and asking, "Is this a dream, or we really on the other side of the world living our dream?"