We are learning fast and hard, and it's all good stuff. This is getting easier by the day, and for that I am extremely grateful. After all the extra prayers to the Buddha and the Master to please help me remember all that I have learned, I think they might have decided to help me out.
Thai massage isn't a magic bullet; it doesn't work for everyone or for every kind of muscular problem. Learning what will work and what won't is half the battle. Understanding what you are doing is the other half. The first course we took, the Professional Level I course, frustrated most of us because it was so rigid; we had to sit a certain way, do the massage a certain way, etc. Level II is very different as there is scope for using different techniques to treat a given condition, and what I am finding the case to be is that each new technique I learn is just another tool in the toolbox to be used whenever I see fit. I am excited to be bringing this modality back to my clients in the UK!
The Thai yoga RueSi DatTon is amazing, and I am steadily improving my skill level. I am trying to perfect my RueSi DatTon postures while I have the guidance, because I will be using it when I get home. I believe that doing the yoga every morning is keeping me from completely seizing up, since I'm not working out in a gym or doing the hours of cardio that I do back home. My physical work load has changed dramatically, but I am still tired at the end of each day. My superhuman strength is fading, but slower than it would be if I wasn't getting any exercise. I can last twenty four more days but will definitely have to spend some quality time with some free weights when I get home! Gyms in Bangkok are expensive, and right now I really need to be focusing on what I am here to do anyway.
There is talk of a Level III course, but Wat Po is waiting to get a few more Level II candidates through the doors first. I will of course take Level III when it becomes available. I have also started making inquiries into learning the rest of the RueSi DatTon postures so it looks like at least one more trip to Thailand is in my future at any rate.
I have taken to wearing ear plugs in the evening - my room faces the street and the noise is incredible. The tuktuks, buses, shouting people, live bands whose members shouldn't ever give up their day jobs...it's all here and it's all happening on the other side of my paper thin guesthouse room walls. I've not slept well since I got to Thailand, but really have been struggling with it since coming to Bangkok. Earplugs are bliss! What a fantastic invention! I took one out a moment ago, to test the difference, and was nearly deafened by the din.
My wardrobe is continuing to malfunction at an alarming rate. I have had to throw a bra and a pair of 3/4 trousers away just today. I gave away my largest clothes to a friend because there's simply no point in me owning or wearing them. A pair of my shorts didn't return from the laundry service. Replacing clothing isn't really in my budget, so I am trying to cling to what I have. We are planning a little shopping trip this Sunday so maybe I will find another pair of shorts or trousers for super cheap. The clothes you can buy in the markets here are inexpensive, but they aren't worth keeping for very long as the fabrics used are of a pretty low quality and have a short lifespan. Good quality clothing costs the same here as it does in the UK.
I'm finished with the rabies vaccinations, the last, deepest dog bite is almost healed up, I'm not getting bitten by every insect in the district, I've found some really good, cheap places to eat and even have a favorite monk. Thailand has entered the cool, dry season so it's actually quite pleasant out. The temp is still up in the mid- to hi-20's but it's not so humid. Our morning walk to school is fast becoming the best part of the day. Things are looking up!
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