One of the first things you learn when you come to Bangkok is the always-appropriate phrase “T.I.T” – This Is Thailand. This encompasses all manner of experiences: elephants walking along a busy highway, five people piled onto a tiny motorbike, little old ladies cutting in front of you in line even if you’ve been waiting for an hour… there’s an odd mixture of charm and frustration in this city, no matter who you are or where you come from. Some experiences are worse than others (as I discovered when I spent two months trying to get internet in my apartment), and some are just plain amusing.

Today fits more into the amusing category, thankfully. I spent the morning judging a debate competition for the World Scholar’s Cup that was being held at our school, then I ran a few errands, paid some bills – nothing too out of the ordinary. When I got back to my apartment, arms full of grocery bags, and went to put the key in the lock, I swung around and one of my bags stuck to the door. Obviously this made me do a double-take – usually things bounce off my door instead of stick to it…

Apparently someone painted my door during the few hours I was away from home. My entire apartment now smells like paint, and I’m left wondering who the drive-by painter in my building is.

T.I.T. indeed.