My Bangkok Debut: The Vagina Monologues

flashback to Jan 2016
"Hey Jaclyn, I'm Lauren. I'm the EAL teacher at AISB. I'll be working with you and your students all year long. Let me know if you ever need anything."
a few days later...
"Sure Jaclyn, I'll help you find an apartment. In fact, I'll bring you to talk to the manager of my building after school today."
a week later...
"Sure Jaclyn, you can borrow my extra pillows and bedding while you get situated."
a few weeks later...
"Jaclyn, you can absolutely use my vaccuum. In fact, I have two. Just keep this one in your apartment."
a few weeks after that...
"Hey Jaclyn, can I ask you a favor?"
[YES. OF COURSE. ABSOLUTELY. ANYTHING. FINALLY]
"I'm directing the Vagina Monologues and I've invited the entire staff at work to attend the performances. Would you please be part of my cast?"

Oh Shit. I can't believe I didn't see this one coming. You never can trust the nice ones, can you? Now what? Maybe, if I pay her an obnoxiously large apartment finders fee, replace her bedding with egyptian cotton and hire her a cleaning lady she'll reconsider asking me to go onstage in front of my brand new colleagues to talk about my vagina.


24 & 25 March 2016
After participating in the monologues (egyptian cotton was wayyy out of my price range) I've come to realize a few things:
-my dramatic reading skills are on point; my agent is currently taking offers for upcoming shows
-being onstage at an establishment that serves alcohol (to both the performers and the patrons) is way less scary than being onstage during a high school musical
-reading the experiences of brave, outrageous, poignant and lusty women will help you appreciate yourself and the women around you, including the 23 others in your cast and your 15 coworkers in the audience
-and last, but certainly not least, I realized that maybe, just maybe, you can trust the nice ones after all :)

Thanks Lauren, for giving me the opportunity to step out of my comfort zone, to make new friends, and to involve myself in a show that encourages dialogue among women everywhere.