The Postharvest Technology Institute does not exist. Period.

Today my supplemental English Conversation course was supposed to start. At least that is what I thought.

I finished my 2:30 class and immediately walked to a main road to try to find a taxi to take me to the Postharvest Technology Institute, which is where the class would be held. I did not know the name of the institute in Thai. This presented a problem. None of the taxi drivers had heard of it. I tried to show them on my map. No use. After about twenty minutes of this, I was getting nervous about the time. I called a Thai friend and gave the phone to the taxi driver. Finally, I thought we understood each other. I hopped on and off we went.

The taxi driver dropped me off by the side of the road and pointed. I guess that meant that my building was somewhere in that general direction. I started walking and went in the first building I saw. I explained to about five people who I was and what I was there for. They took me in to see the director (of what, I don't know) and the director then proceeded to tell me that the building I was in was NOT the Postharvest Technology Institute. It was somewhere further down the road. So I started walking again.

At long last, I found the building. I went in and went through the same routine, explaining that I was a professor from the Humanities Department here to teach a class. I received a lot of blank looks. I was told to stand in a hallway while various Thai women discussed what to do with me. (I can understand Thai better than I can speak it. They also said I was cute and had nice skin. How nice).

Next thing I knew, I was on the phone with my supervisor and she was explaining that the class did not start today, but that the date had been changed to Wednesday and she forgot to tell me. Opps. At least I know where the building is now. Weary and sighing, I started the long walk to a road where I could catch another taxi in my very cute but uncomfortable shoes, glad that at least now I got to go home.