Bangkok beckons with grime, grit, and many opportunities

I swore I would never live in Bangkok.

It's crowded. It's dirty. It's noisy and polluted. It's a huge, sprawling city with horrific traffic and scams aplenty.

... And it's full of opportunities.

With our teaching contracts coming to an end in Lopburi, my friends (the other English teachers) and I began to consider our options.

Some were happy where they were and elected to renew their contracts. Others had already purchased return tickets to their home countries and had one foot out the door. Still others would go on to teach in a variety of schools in Thailand, Indonesia, South Korea and Japan. And many had plans for multicountry travel trips.

I had a plan of my own.

My photo shoot with hangingpixels had me thinking about modeling. Sure, I'd gone to Thailand to earn my certificate to teach English as a foreign language, gain some additional teaching experience and learn more about the culture through living in it. I didn't go there to model.

But among the many things I learned in my five months there was that things don't always go as you plan ... and that's part of the adventure.

I went to teach. And teach I did. But my contract was up, and I just wasn't ready to leave.

Of course, living in a foreign country can be a challenge. Some people never adapt. Many can't adjust, refuse to learn the language, hate the food, get homesick. Some people just survive. But I thrived. I was happy and energized and inspired — and I didn't want it to end. Doors seemed to be opening for me, and I wasn't prepared to turn my back on them just yet.

I went to a casting for a Disaronno TV commercial to be shot in Bangkok and aired in the United States, the United Kingdom and Canada.

I responded to an ad for a weeklong pool-products photo shoot in Phuket for a China-based company, for worldwide distribution.

I auditioned for a Scandinavian TV commercial to be produced in Bangkok and aired in Finland, Iceland, Sweden and Norway.

And I got cast for all three jobs.

Two out of three required me to make several trips to Bangkok (the capital city two hours south of the city I lived in, Lopburi). The casting agents advised me that if I wanted to be considered for other gigs, it would be wise to move into the city.

I'd sworn I would never live in Bangkok.

And yet I found myself spending more and more time there — castings, fittings, shoots, job interviews, apartment hunting.

To my surprise and in spite of my personal disdain for all things noisy and polluted, I began to feel a new appreciation for the city. Beyond the grime and grit, I began to see the beauty.

On my trips to Bangkok, the city slowly revealed its many and varied sides. Ancient golden temples; quaint soi (soi is a Thai word meaning "side street") communities; bustling markets; clean, cool and modern shopping centers; a true melting pot of cultures; an endless selection of international foods and flavors.

... And endless opportunities.

In Bangkok, I could be a teacher, a model, an actress. In this crowded, chaotic, yet captivating city it seemed I could become almost anything I wanted to be.

If I was willing to take the chance.

Moving to Bangkok meant packing up my things, saying goodbye to my friends, setting out on my own and facing the unknown ... all over again.

If I said I never hesitated, never considered the easy and obvious option of heading home to Hawaii, if I said I never had a doubt about my decision, I would be lying.

It is natural to be afraid, to second-guess yourself, to hesitate. But indeed, that was exactly how my adventures in Thailand began: a tentative plan, some hesitation, a giant knot in my stomach, the excitement and possibilities of the unknown.

And so the adventure would continue, a new chapter would begin ...

Ashley M. Fitzgerald was a teacher, model and program coordinator in Thailand until December, when she left due to political unrest. She is now the international student adviser and registrar at Intercultural Communications College in Honolulu, Hawaii. She is a 2000 graduate of Harrisville Central School and a graduate of Middlebury (Vt.) College. "Grown Local, Gone Global" is published every other Sunday. You may send your questions and comments to her at afitzgerald@wdt.net.