So it’s safe to say that this week was by far my favourite one here. When I found out I got a job in Thailand, I imagined beaches and nature and up until now it was mostly the stuffy Bangkok. I have been waiting for this week since I found out that it will be happening and girl, it did not dissapoint me. So without further ado:

Sunday. Had a bit of a rough start for me since I was still tired from the week before and had to wake up earlier to pack. We were filming in one of the Thai markets a little down south of Bangkok. It felt so nice to be out of the city and the market was giving me a bit of the Moroccan vibes. My guess was that the air was dryer and the heat resembled a bit of what I experienced in Morocco last year. We did only half day as the second half was scheduled as our travel time. This whole upcoming week we will be shooting out and about and the first stop is somewhere by the beach. Yay! I slept through most of the trip while listening to Steve Jobs book and somehow remembering what I listened too? I guess my sleeps are not that deep. We arrived at our new hotel just after 6pm. I showered, settled in and took one step at a time achieving little goals I set to myself for that evening. One of which was this 21 day meditation challenge my friend invited me to take a part in. It’s as if she knew I was struggling and needed a bit of help getting myself back on track. It did help. Also the bed is exceptionally big and comfortable so I rolled around with my pillows like a baby. This trip away with work could not have come at a better time.

Monday. I woke up still on the FaceTime call with the bf from the night before. Rushed to get dressed as I felt like I overslept in my glorious comfy bed and was greeted by one of the warmest sunrises once I was out of the door. That’s mornings like these which make it so easy to appreciate the job I do. We spent the day filming in this nice modern house by the beach. Funny enough the first scene was meant to be set in New York, so all the massive glass windows overlooking the beach were covered with green screen where skyscrapers will be added in post. However the rest of the scenes were taking advantage of the beautiful scenery. It was a great day. On my lunch I was just chilling in one of the hammocky chairs overlooking the sea and daydreaming about my time in Indonesia this winter. In the evening we had work dinner for one of the actresses who was about to wrap on the show the next day. Meal was lovely and conversations fun. Change of location really did good for the crew. I also got a present from the lighting guys – one of their yellow crew t-shirts. Was super pleased.

Tuesday. We were filming in one of the resorts next to the hotel I was staying in, so I literally walked to work. That was very special. Also I wore my new t-shirt to work. Got a lot of attention because of it. The guys were joking around and were very happy to see me in it. The day was once again very enjoyable as after lunch we traveled more inland to some swampy area around the mountains. We were trying to catch some beautiful sunset moments on camera, but goodness, in this country sun set in seconds. Crazy!

Wednesday. Another beach location in the morning. I so easily can got used to that. Also it felt like the week just flew by with all those travels. I really need more jobs like this! We also only filmed for half a day, as the other half was scheduled for the travel up north to Kanchanabry to film the next day. I follow a Keto lifestyle (not a diet, as I’ve been on it for over a year and for me it isn’t about loosing weight, but feeling good) and at times at work it’s proving to be a little difficult to have a proper keto lunch, because Thai food has so much hidden sugars, that’s actually crazy. Anyway, so on Wednesday I literally had nothing keto to eat on my lunch break and kinda felt that ok, I would just skip the food altogether, when one of the PAs came over to me half an hour into the break and said that he noticed that I wasn’t eating and asked catering to prepare some grilled salmon for me. What a sweet boy really. So much love for him. In the evening I was already in my new hotel where I finally got a Thai massage, my first one since arriving in Thailand. It was great and straight in my hotel room. Didn’t have to go anywhere. That was pretty cool.

Thursday was so much fun. We were out in the open fields filming the car driving and people having a conversation in it. Story wise the car was supposed to get a flat tire and we had a VFX assistant on set to see how we should shoot it so he could pop the tire in post, but then the unexpected happened. During our second take of the car speeding down the country road the tire literally broke off! I mean, we are super lucky no one got hurt or anything, but also, we were rolling when that happened and the shot was actually perfect. Poor VFX guy had nothing to do and had to leave. We saved a lot of time though, because we decided to go with the shot and match everything to it. Moments like these are what makes me love my job even more, because you never know what can happen and you get a chance to embrace the unexpected. Also another surprising thing happened that day. So as we were setting up for a different scene involving 30 German extras in the tour bus, the 1st AD asked me to do some translation as majority of those “German extras” were actually Russian whose English wasn’t the best. So as I was doing it, I recognised one of the extras! He was one of the non Russian ones, who I met on tinder while visiting Shanghai 2 years ago! I even mentioned the whole tinder and travelling here on my blog back then. It’s funny how life goes in complete circles, because back then I only went on two dates and the guy from the first one, I ran into this summer (the now boyfriend by the way) and now this. Life really is unexpected and even if you think that you might never ever see that person again in your life it might happen, equally if you think that someone will be in your life forever, he/she may not be. After work we went out to have a meal with some of my male colleagues and it is a story in it self, but just to make it short, we were swarmed by a bunch of Thai girls hitting on all of the men at the table and being forward with asking for drinks or to exchange contact details. It was quite a sight and I am still not sure what to make of it. (I am really considering a separate post just to rant about it a bit more) The night concluded in some sort of local nightclub with extremely loud music and fake boobs everywhere.

Friday. Travel day back to Bangkok. We stopped by the Death Railway POWs cemetery I have visited in my 4th week. I had a bit more time to walk around it this time though. It’s not to say that I enjoy cemeteries, but they do convey some real strong energy and it makes me feel things. As I was walking along the lines and reading the tomb stones I got quite emotional. You can really feel the grief and unfairness of the war there. In the evening I was back in Bangkok, which now really feels a lot like home. I also realised that, by the time I will have to leave Thailand, it will be the country I spent most of my time in this year.

Saturday. The day of relaxation and meditation. I am still keeping up with the 21 day meditation challenge and really enjoying it. I also listened to more of Steve Jobs, which I find quite inspiring and went to my 2 back to back reformer classes. I finally feel like I am getting my strength back. Had a nice FaceTime chat with my mama and sister and now just getting ready to call it a night. Life feels more balanced once again.

Stuff I found interesting:

  • For some reason it only just now dawned on me that we don’t get that much of the daylight in Thailand. I literally wake up when it is dark, start shooting with the first light and wrap with the sunset. No wonder I was getting a bit depressed doing interiors, as you feel like you always live in the dark. Besides I am used to working outside for most part, so being indoors is already a bit depressing for me.
  • Also just wanted to give an extra thanks to the lovely man who always brings me a chair and points a fan at me so I wouldn’t get too hot. He is awesome. And the camera guys who make sure I have monitors up and running close to set as well as playback and CineEye available for my beautiful screenshots. THE BEST!
  • There was an earthquake on Thursday! I didn’t feel it as we were north west of Thailand, but some crew who were back in Bangkok said they saw our building block swaying. Crazy!! I am from inland Europe, there is absolutely nothing like that there.
  • The whole week!! There was so much happening I feel so much better now!
  • Also the bf! For all the extensive, “please don’t think I am crazy” conversations.

Cheers with the glass of happy elephant!