Sa-wa dee

Sa-wa dee, hello. Back in Bangkok. It is important to stretch out the syllables in Thai because as a farang (foreigner) they have difficulty understanding you.
It is one heck of scorcher out there today. I am hoping it decides to rain soon to cool it down a bit. Rain is inevitable but not always convenient. Rain hardly ever lasts long than 20 minutes in one go and it often comes out of nowhere.
I am feebly trying to grasp on to some Thai phrases to ease transactions at the market and the 7-11. You may think 7-11 is an odd place to go when in Thailand but the 7-11 will save your life... seriously. There is one about every 2 blocks usually. They usually have an ATM outside and are willing to give you change for big bills that the street vendors can't handle. They also sell the 2 liter bottles of water I am always talking about, and as a farang in Thailand you should never go anywhere without your giant water. If you dehydrate you get all sorts of weird ailments you can't even imagine. I felt like I had pins and needles all over my body for a day and a half and then broke out into a rash on my belly before I managed to get enough water back into my system. It is advisable you drink 2 big bottles of water every day. I am lucky now I'm back in Bangkok that I have a free refill station and I can save $1+ CAD a day on water purchases. Big bottles of water range from 13-20 Baht depending on brand, which averages at $0.50 CAD per bottle.
On top of the need for hydration you must intake enough salt to counteract the sweating for someone who watches their diet as closely as I do back how this is not easy. I have to intentionally buy junkfood in order to get enough salt. I find I do not like a lot of the Thai junkfood because it is too salty or too sweet. I bought orange juice at breakfast today and it was seriously like tang with added pulp... and I think the pulp was actually orange rind. They sometimes even sweeten fresh fruit, although it usually doesn't need it because it is so fresh compared to what I am used to in Canada.
After purchasing something you should say kob-khun-ka (if female) or kob-khun-krab (if male), which means thank you. That is sadly about the extent of my Thai so far. I can definitely sympathize with immigrants to Canada who have to learn English. It is very overwhelming to be immersed in a new culture and language all at once and try to figure out how to do everything associated with moving on top of learning to speak to people around you and not do something that offends someone. It really is terrifying, and excited, and sometimes it is just too much and you can't take the over-stimulation.
Tomorrow I will meet my class and finish decorating the bulletin boards (hopefully).