Massage school in Bangkok

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So I'm enrolled in massage school. It's a thirty hour program over 5 days. It costed a bit more than I wanted to pay, but it's ok - it's Thailand's premier massage school.

It's actually quite surreal. There are only four Falang (foreigners) in my class - an old, sometimes grumpy man named Robert, a hip young Japanese guy named Mitsuhiro, and a Japanese girl (Rumiko) with no English but a background in massage. We are training alongside a bunch of Thai people who are actually taking the course for career - very strange to be training with them, but they are very friendly for the most part.

It's quite a surreal place. First thing in the morning you arrive, chant prayers and meditate to clear the mind. Then you strike up a conversation with the guy next to you. Without warning, a smiling Thai girl is cracking your toes, or has you in a full nelson and is spinning you around against your wishes, cracking every vertebrae you didn't know you had. Fifteen minutes later, you and all the Falang are belly down, getting walked on, inverted, or just chopped on by a bunch of Thai's who are chattering away gleefully, cracking jokes about how big Thomas is and who could really stretch those legs.

Did I mention it's extremely demanding? I've always found it difficult to sit on my knees, but that's where I find myself six hours a day. If the pain of the knees and thumbs wasn't enough, how about memorizing 73 unique positions complete with unique pressure points, hand positions, locks, and all sorts of things I could waste time describing? 73, and I've only finished my second day. If you think I'm exagerrating, or making it sound harder than it is, think again.

I'll be tested the fourth day. There's a chance that I'll pass, but there's a lot of material. After you take the course, you're expected to hang around the school for a few days (free of charge) practicing the routines on various other students until you've got them figured out. My timeline doesn't allow for this, so it's all or nothing!

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