Teaching update

Well it has been about 2 months since I started my work as an English teacher, so know I know a little bit more about it and have some stories to share.

It is both rewarding and exciting being a teacher, but can also be extremely draining and frustrating as well. Some days the lesson plans go well and you feel like you are getting somewhere, and other days you feel like your time was mostly wasted. These feeling are the most fluctuating in my class of 3^rd graders. Sometimes they love the activities and get all their bookwork done, but sometimes I can’t even get them to sit in their chairs. I will discard the lesson and revert to a game, only to find that some of the students are even uninterested in that! Sometimes you just have to surrender to failure. The problem is that they are just too dang cute!

It is sad when half of the students really want to learn and the other half are too loud and rowdy that I can’t even hear myself speak. I love it when a little girl gets all worked up and yells at the others to be quite and listen to me, although that usually just adds to the general noise.

My older grades are much more behaved, but the chore is getting them interested in the lessons and to do their work. Sometimes I have to act really goofy to get their attention. They are also shy when it comes to practicing speaking English in front of their classmates and I have to beg them and give them imaginary “extra points” to get them to participate.

Every once in awhile a girl will start to cry, or a fight will break out between two friends. I never know the reason, because I do not understand Thai, so I usually just stand there and rub their backs while continuing with the lesson…these are things TEFL doesn’t prepare you for.

I finally got my uniforms for the days of the week. Monday we wear black pants and a grey polo with a green collar, Tuesday we wear a dark purple suit (not kidding, Lizzie says it makes her feel like Barney). Wednesday there is another purple suit with a skirt, but we don’t have those so we usually wear a polo they have for sports days. Thursday we have a light purple suit, and Friday it’s black pants and a green polo with yellow collar. The children all wear uniforms as well and they change depending if they are in elementary/middle or high school. Sometimes they wear their girl scouts uniforms too and everyday they wear their hair in french braids.

On Mondays I’ve started going to a yoga class in the mornings on campus. It goes on every morning, but that is the only day I have 1^st and 2^nd period off. They do it outside under a covered structure that is very beautiful. Now I’ve done it about 4 times and I really like it. It is very relaxing and the routine is always pretty much the same so I can follow easily, although since it is outside I work up a sweat instantly.

Last week was midterms so I have 3 days of no classes and just grading tests and recording them. It was exhausting, but I didn’t go traveling last weekend so I actually got some rest. Lizzie and I went to the gym (we also go most days after school), we went into Bangkok to go to Forever 21 and have lunch, and went out to dinner Saturday night with a Thai teacher and a Chinese teacher. We had fresh seafood and since it was too early to go out we went back and played cards in the apartment and had a few drinks. Noi, the Thai girl, does not drink, so she played with water. We had so much fun, but when it got later I was too tired to go anywhere so we called it a night and went to bed. I was really fun to get to know the other teachers better that are around our age and I think they had a lot of fun too.

This week Christmas has overrun the school! Every morning and in between classes there is Christmas music playing over the loudspeakers, they put up tons of decorations, there are games where the children can win presents, and each teacher had to buy a gift that gets raffled off and given to a student. Even the older students go crazy over stuffed animals. Some of my students requested that we have a Christmas party in their classes, so I’m letting them. I bought some tins of butter cookies to bring and they bring anything from chips to spicy octopus snacks—a little different than snacks in America. 

For my 9^th graders I will show them the Christmas episode of Glee during the party because I think it will be fun for them to see an American TV show, although I don’t know if the sound will be loud enough on my computer… there are no working TVs in the classrooms.  

Thats just a little look back on how teaching is going for me, I'll be sure to add more later. 

Khao Sok National Park

 Last weekend (December 10-12) I went with four other girls way down south to Khao Sok National Park. It is just north of Phuket if you look on a map and most Thais have never even heard of it. Lizzie and I took a bus after school on Friday to the Skytrain in BBK and took that to the MRT subway. We stopped and got dinner at au bon pain (bagel with cream cheese, lox and tomato) and then met up with Sarah on the subway going to Hualampo train station. This was the first time any of us had taken an over night train and it felt like something out of Harry Potter…except not magical at all. We weren’t able to book sleeper cars. For the next 12 hours we tried to sleep on the noisy train that kept making stops. They never turned the lights off and there were people selling stuff and yelling the whole night. I wrapped a scarf around my head and when I looked over Sarah had a pair of jeans around her face! We looked ridiculous. When we finally got to Surat Thani (3 hours late), we decided to go to the bathroom and brush our teeth before finding a bus to the park. Maybe we shouldn’t have done this because by the time we got there the seats were filled and we had a 2-hour ride standing up in the isle! Some Thai women offered us a place to squeeze, but that just made my butt fall asleep and it was almost easier to stand. They guy taking money was a jerk and kept making us move for no reason, I got pretty annoyed with him real fast! When we fiiiinally got off the trip instantly got way better. We got on a truck that took us to Our Jungle House where we had reservations. The place was definitely in the jungle; there was a main reception area with a restaurant upstairs looking into the trees and the river. It had a little bar where a buffet-style breakfast was served, a hammock and low tables with cushions. We were given a key and walked down a path to our own tree house. It was so cute with big bed and 2 bunk beds, a nice bathroom and a large porch. I caught my breath when I walked outside and looked up at these cliffs that must have been hundreds of feet tall. Everything was very green and lush and you could here birds and insects everywhere.

  

The first day we decided to go tubing down the river. It cost 350 baht for about 2 hours. The water was pretty cold, but you got used to it quickly. There were some rapids, but other parts were slow and relaxing. You can only do this during the wet season; otherwise the water is too low (we even hit our butts on some rocks). We saw a big snake in a tree, monkeys, and a king fisher bird (mom you would have been really into that!). By the end we were getting chilly and it looked like it was about to rain. We got back to take showers just in time. We went to eat dinner very early because we were starving. The menu was fairly small, but all the food we had was amazing. During the weekend I tried 3 different types of curry and tom kha soup. For breakfast they had eggs, German style potatoes, fried rice, toast, muesli, yogurt, fresh fruit, juice and coffee. We also had our fair share of banana and pineapple fritters with chocolate, they were to die for! We went to bed early the first night so we were refreshed and ready to go the next day!

On Saturday Erin and Kristin went on a half-day hike because they were going home earlier than the rest of us. Lizzie, Sarah and I really wanted to see the lake so we chose to do the full day lake tour and jungle trek.

After eating breakfast we took a songtaw for about an hour with 7 other tourists to the lake, we all got in a longboat for another hour leg of the trip. The lake was gorgeous, some people describe Khao Sok as being something like the setting for Jurassic Park and I agree. These cliffs rose out from the water on every side and our guide explained how people used to live on these islands many years ago. We got to these little wooden houses that were built out on the lake that had some cabins attached that people can rent who want to stay longer in the park or do a  night safari. Sarah and I took a kayak out for a spin while our lunch was being made, and then sat down for fresh fish, some stir fry  dishes, and fruit. I was excellent. 

Our hike was about an hour and a half until we got to the cave. Even though the trails were pretty flat, the going was slow because all of the slippery mud. Many times I nearly lost my shoes! It was very pretty in the jungle though. We learned about bamboo (it only grows to be about 8 years old before it dies, and when it's young it can grow about 4 centimeters a day), we say a massive black tarantula (I stayed far away), and we crossed some refreshing little streams that helped to clean our muddy shoes only temporarily.  When we got to the cave, we were given flashlights and told to leave anything outside that you didn't want to get wet. Sun put everyone's cameras into a waterproof bad that he had. The entrance to the cave was small, but it opened up right away, and you could stand up in it. What made it different than any other cave I've been in was that there was a river running through it. Not only did we have to do some rock climbing up some waterfalls, but at parts the water was so deep we actually had to swim! It was so dark that you could only see what was right ahead of you so had to be pretty cautious. 

When we got out Sun told us that during the dry season you can hike all the way through the cave because the river dries up, but it takes about an hour. He also told us (after we came out) that people have died in the cave because of rain storms coming and flash floods... but he said he would not have taken us in if he had thought it was going to rain. (It had been raining off and on our whole trip, just glad of no flash floods while we were in the cave!)

After that little adventure we made it back to the longboat, again with no falling in mud, and back to our hostel just in time for dinner. We had some curry and beer and when back to our little cottage for a good nights sleep. That night it really stormed and when we woke up the river was high and the color of red mud. I was very glad we had gone tubing when we had, but throughout the day we saw groups still going down, it actually probably would have been faster, but also much colder. 

We spent the day hanging out at the main house on the balcony, readying and journaling. It was great just to enjoy being there and not running off to do more things. At about 4 p.m. we were on our way back to the train station and home. This time we were in an air conditioned "express" train. There were only 2 cars when we got on and we weren't sure we were on the right train, but we were and it was much better than the first. They actually turned off the lights at one point. Since it had been a few hours late however, we had to call into work and tell them we were running late due to transportation issues...they weren't too pleased about that, but what can you do? We got off before getting into BKK and took a taxi (which only took about 30 minutes and about $6) to our apartment. We showered and jumped on a scooter as soon as we were ready. Since I don't have class till 10:40 on Monday, I ended up making it on time! I planned my lessons VERY fast and did not even have time to think about being tired. :) 

Things I miss from home:

                                                                                                                             

I know there are many things that I will miss from Thailand when I go home, such as cheap transportation, all kinds of food, the hot weather and the sweet pineapple, but right now here are some things I miss from home.

My family and friends of course!

My roommate’s dogs Jack and Etta and all my roomies

Megan, Nyssa and Sonja

My parent's house in the country

Cuddling up in our living room on the couch with TV and hot coco

The snow (this is JUST because it’s so hot here, I really can’t believe I’m writing this)

My co-op

Good beer

Magazines (Self, Fitness, Elle, Vogue, pretty much anything in English)

Food from the Summit (SHOCKING!) and other restaurants like India Café, Formosa, Chipotle, Atlas, the list goes on

Kombucha, spring mix lettuce, berries, natural peanut butter

Fall fashion and getting to wear cute boots

Heels (I haven’t worn any since I’ve been here)

All my clothes that I couldn’t bring with me

My comfy bed and down comforters

Not having tiny ants get into everything you leave out

Having an actual kitchen

Music

Not being scared when driving around

Going to Hot House yoga with Christa

Understanding/being understood when I talk to people

Things I will miss from Thailand:

All Thai food (and the cheap cost of food) including: Curry, som tom, pad thai, roti pancakes, mini bananas, super sweet pineapple, banana cake, bubble tea, sticky rice, fish and seafood, dumplings, all street food pretty much…

The cheap transportation

All the random types of transportation including: Motor taxies (scooters), taxis (pink, white, green and yellow, blue, orange and purple, just to name a few) sorngtaaos (covered pickup trucks with benches in the back), tuk tuks, busses, trains, ferries, longboats, etc.

The islands and beaches

Palm trees

Fresh coconut water

My students

Elephants

Street markets

Feeling really satisfied from little things such as saying something correctly in Thai

Traveling every weekend

The jungle and wild animals

Massages

Saying hello to people with a “wai”

Old temple ruins and wats

Fire throwers and beach bumming on Kho Samet

Yay! Time to blog because the students are having their midterms today!

 Last weekend summed up a long sting of busy traveling weekends for me. Because of the Father’s Day (the King’s Birthday) and Constitution day, I had two 3-day weekends in a row. On December 3^rd Lizzie and I took off after work and went into Bangkok. We first went to the train station to book tickets for our trip to Khao Sok National Park and then took a bus to Sarah’s house in Chanburi. We went out to dinner in her town of Amamta and are fish, green curry, som tom, and some Leos. Right after we sat down, a table of men had one of the very scantily clothed waitresses bring us over a note that said “sorry can we know you?”  We were so hungry we decided to ignore it and were no further bothered. We ate and went back to Sarah’s apartment. She really lucked out and got a nice place to live. It has a sitting room, a bedroom and even a pool (which she never uses).

The next morning we woke up early, took a bus to the ferry and the ferry over to Kho Samet, getting there at around 2 in the afternoon. We walked across the island, and found our bungalow before hitting the beach.

I really liked Kho Samet. It is a big island and the closest to Bangkok, which makes it a popular place for Thais to vacation, however the vibe is very laid back and it has a bohemian feel. The bars and restaurants that face the beach trough out mats, low tables, cushions and lights in the evening, making beautiful places to enjoy your dinner and the beach at the same time. Another big attraction in Kho Samet are the fire throwers. They have shows every night and are very fun and entertaining! Some do tricks with bottles, sticks, fire balls on stings (don’t remember the names of these things), and they all take turns on the stage, then do some together and then move to the beach for the big show. This is all done to super loud pulsating music and people get really into it. On the beach they all have a choreographed show (same every night) and it looks awesome with the dark water in the back. Since it was the king’s birthday, on Sunday night they had fireworks going off ON the sticks and ropes they were swinging around!

Then after the show they start fire games on the beach such as limbo, jump rope, jumping trough a burning hoop, etc. Everyone gets really into it and has a lot of fun. After seeing some people get tripped up on the burning rope, however, I decided I was just fine observing and filming! (I did do the limbo once, but it was not too low)

After a long night of raging all we wanted to do the next morning was relax. We got lounge chairs on the beach, some coconut water, and a foot scrub/massage. It felt absolutely amazing and I could have sat there all day. The water was a perfect temperature and very clean, I watched some Thai children spend hours trying and failing to catch fish with a plastic pail. Sarah later bought form fried chicken and sticky rice from a woman on the beach and went back to the bungalow for an actual nap. Lizzie and I went out for dinner further down the beach and had some delicious panang curry and chicken quesadillas mmmm. I also got a yogurt mango shake.

We laid out and read a little while before going back and taking showers. Each night we went to the same place for dinner (the one with the fire shows) and had grilled corn and bbq ribs. I’m not one who ever orders ribs, but this place was known for them and they were really tasty! One night we smoked hookah too (this is not weed for those of you from earlier generations, I have not been doing anything illegal here!) Before the fire shows there was a Pilipino band that played really good English music. All in all I had a fabulous long weekend on Samet and met some really fun people! 

Monkey Business

It's getting harder and harder to keep up with posts, but after hearing from my dad that I actually have a following, I will try harder to devote some time to writing--which is good, because I love sharing and I am so happy hear that people are reading my blogs!

Last weekend was yet again jam-packed with traveling to new places and seeing new things. On the itinerary: Ayuttaya, another popular city full of grassy ruins and rich culture. It is not too far North of Bangkok, making it an easy to get to destination. I took a couple vans and met up with two girls from the OEG program. I wasn't feeling so hot that morning, but I figured that if I started to feel better I would rather be at ruins then in my bed. During the van rides I was second guessing my decision a bit, but after having some coconut water and resting in the shade for a bit, I started to feel much better. By the time the girls got there I was ready to explore! We saw the main ruins of Wat Phra Si Samet, Wat Chai Wattanaran, and the big bronze Buddha in Wihaan Mongkhon Bophit, but decided to miss some of the other smaller ones. This was a different experience then I had had in Sukhothai, since here the ruins were spread across the city, not in a historic park. We opted for tuktuks instead  or bikes, which was the right plan since we would have gotten totally lost otherwise.
After a late lunch, a leisurely stroll in the park and sipping on a beer through the night market, we parted ways, they getting a tuktuk to go home, I getting a motorcycle taxi to the train station to go to Lopburi. (note: blog on transportation soon I promise)
Next up: Lopburi.

Amazingly I got lucky and the train to Lopburi left about 5 minutes after I bought my ticket and cost me only 14B (50 cents). This was my first train ride in Thailand! Not too bad, although there were lots of bugs and no announcer telling you what the stops were. Since it was dark already I couldn't see anything so I asked a Thai girl where Lopburi would be. She counted 4 on her fingers. I said ok, so 1, 2, 3, and then Lopburi? No, it was 5 stops actually. Whew! I kept very close track of the stops and ended up getting there about 2 hours after I had gotten on. I knew there were many people from the program there and had talked to a couple I was sharing a room with. I knew the hostel was pretty close, but since it was dark I hopped on a scooter (less then a dollar) and got there is a jiffy. They were all just going out to dinner so I joined them.
This was probably the first weekend I reunited with so many of the other teachers from my program. There must've been about 20-25 of us altogether! It was fun to reconnect and share funny/crazy stories about our teaching experiences and see how similar and different they really are. We were having so much fun, that instead of finding a bar, we decided to go to the rooftop of the hostel and hangout. The guys found some chairs and boards and in 5 minutes had built a table to play flip cup! (some of you reading this might not know what that it.....that's ok haha)
So I have left out a MAJOR part of the story. Why were we all in Lopburi this particular weekend you ask? Well, this city is well know its notorious residents---monkeys. These macaques usually live in the ruins that scatter this charming town, but they also roam the streets, buildings, and cables. Many of the shop owners have slingshots or poles to keep these thieves at bay. But it is also believed that the monkeys bring the town good luck by attracting the tourists who come to see them. They actually feed the monkeys twice a day at a designated feeding area. This helps so that they do not steal as much from the people. I know many people think that monkeys are mean, and they can be. They will take anything that looks like food, or even hair clips and sunglasses if they get their hands on them, but I think they are just more curious than mean. Each year the town throws the monkeys a festival in their honor at one of the ruins. There is usually a theme, they make towers of food, lay out tables and sheets all over the ground, and even perform dances. They don't have to tell them to help themselves, the monkeys are all over it!
It was quite the experience seeing the monkeys and having them jump on you unexpectedly. There were some really cute little babies and some big mean ones that would get into fights. No one got bit, but the monkeys did score some new sunglasses and hair clips. It was so hot and sunny, that by the afternoon everyone was whipped out and ready to head home. This mean bus, bus, taxi, skytrain, bus and motorcycle for me. No wonder I'm always exhausted Monday when I get up at 6 am to go to work!

Hello kitty! 

Bubble tea: best after school snack, only 10 baht!

Thanksgiving, so much to be thankful for this year!

I'd just like to start out by saying how grateful I am to have such a strong and amazing support system from all my family and friends. I could not be here without you all and even though sometimes I miss you so bad it hurts, I know you are thinking of me and will be there when I come home. Ok, getting a little cheesy, but it's true!

After debating all day whether or not I wanted to make the trip into Bangkok after work to attend an expensive Thanksgiving buffet, I decided against it. I love Thanksgiving, but more then the turkey and stuffing it's all about family... and if it's not my mom's cooking then Thai food would be just fine :) So I invited some of the teachers from my school to go out to a really nice restaurant right by our apartment. One of the teachers at the boys school, Eric, tutors three children everyday after school and was going to meet up around 7:30 for dinner. After hearing that it was Thanksgiving, the family told him that they wanted to take us out (and it happened to be the same restaurant).  Since he didn't know the other 2 teachers were coming the family, he called me, we went with them, and the others met us there. So a small Thanksgiving put together very last minute, turned into an even with 3 Thai families, 6 children, 3 American teachers and 1 Russian teacher! The families were SO nice! The mother spoke some English and they made their children all introduce themselves and ask about us. They are in the English Program (very expensive at this school) and were the most adorable things ever. During dinner they went to play in the toy room so we talked and laughed, learning new Thai words and teaching them English words. We explained Thanksgiving and how nice it was to be with families, we all said what we were thankful for after explaining it to them as well.
The food was amazing and I did not regret not having turkey one bit. We had green curry with chicken, grilled prawns, fish cakes, vietnamese spring rolls and dumplings, seafood curry baked in a coconut, veggies, crab fried rice, grilled snapper with some kind of delicious sauce and fresh mozzarella and tomato salad. Yeah, Thais really know how to treat.
After "stuffing" ourselves and having lots of laughs (they kept saying I looked like Angelina Jolie?) They insisted on picking up the tab ( I mentioned how nice this place was right?) and driving us home. It is unexpected occurrences like these that I feel so happy to be in Thailand and meeting such wonderful people.
When I woke up at 6 am to get ready for school, I gave my family a call. They had just had their own Thanksgiving meal. It was great to know that they were all together and hear their voices. Can't wait to get some turkey next year!

Sukhothai and the Loy Krathong Festival

Last weekend was Loy Krathong festival in Thailand, one of the largest and most celebrated holidays all over the country. It is celebrated on the first full moon of the 12th lunar month (November), but in most places the celebration will last 3-5 days. Lonely Planet states that the festival thanks the river goddess for providing life to the fields and forests and asks for forgiveness for the polluting ways of humans. Sukhothai (rising of happiness) is regarded as the first capital of Siam and is the city where the Loy Krathong festival originated. It is still one of the most popular places to experience it. 

The Krathongs are little handmade boats made out of banana leaves or wood woven together and very intricate, almost like origami. They decorate them with flowers and put a candle and incense in the middle. When you are ready to “loy” your krathong, you make a wish, toss a few coins in it and float it into the country's waterways. Another tradition during Loy Krathong is to set of large globes, or lanterns into the sky. If you have ever seen pictures from Thailand, most likely you have seen pictures of this. You light the lanterns at the bottom and they take about 5 minutes to fill with hot air. When they feel full you can slowly let go and they speed off into the night sky. When everyone is does this it looks magical and they look like bright stars the farther out they get.

I got to Sukhothai with Lizzie on Saturday morning after an overnight bus ride from Bangkok. We checked into a hostel and got lucky to get an adorable little bungalow in the back yard for 1000 B a night for 3 people (about $33). Shella, another teacher met up with us and we took a tuktuk into the old city and the historical park. We rented bikes ($1 for the day) and spent all day riding around and seeing the “wats”, or old temple ruins. They were beautiful.

After go back to refresh and having dinner of som tom, ginger fish, pad kapow, and some cold Leo, we returned to the much more crowded park. There were lanterns in all of the trees, and people selling all sorts of food, krathongs, you name it. We bought our krathongs and caste them off into the water. We bought our lantern and set them off into the sky! It was an experience I will never forget. There was traditional dancing, singing, light shows and fireworks. After buying some sticky rice in bamboo we went to a local bar to relax and visit and were back in our bungalow to crash. Did I mention how comfortable the bed was? This is not common in Thailand so we were very happy J

Sunday after a breakfast of mochas, green curry and veggie pizza (umm… yeah haha we’re weird and the veggies on the pizza looked like they came from a bag or peas, carrots and corn) we did about the same thing as Saturday, but visited the wats that are outside the main park area. We leisurely rode our bikes into the country roads, singing songs from Katty Perry to Christmas carols. We some great reactions from the Thais and we passed by! The festival was very busy and we ate at the market for dinner, trying food from different stalls that were really delicious. I also tried the Sukhothai noodles, which the guidebook recommended—no complaint here!

We took the 8:30 night back bus to Bangkok and shared a taxi home. All went smoothly until I was paying the taxi and realized I didn’t have any small bills (and Lizzie was out of money). We ended up having to drive to 711, buy some gum to get change, and pay the poor driver. And this was at 3:30 am…I would have to get up just a few hours later for work. But “mai pen rai” (it’s ok, oh well) it all worked out and the weekend was well worth the sleepy Monday. 

Catching up-- my last 2 weekends

Well today the school is having testing, which means I have a lot of free time on my hands. Out of my 5 classes I usually have on a normal Tuesday, I only have my 3:05 class. This does not mean, however that I have the day off; I still had to be here by 7:45. Why? Who knows? Just be happy that I’m finally able to get caught up on my blog, there is no way you can work on lesson plans for 7 hours. Tomorrow I only have 2 classes… this is going to be a long week.

Going back to the weekend of November 6^th-7^th, I took a little trip to Bang Saen, Pattaya, and Koh Larn with Lizzie and her friend Sarah. We got to Bang Saen Friday evening and met up with two Thai girls for dinner that Lizzie knew from her old school (she transferred to the school where I’m working this semester, but came with the same OEG program in May). We ate a wonderful dinner of raw oysters, tom yum soup with squid, som tom (spicy papaya salad), crab fried rice and some Chang beer. 

We were then met by Sarah and some other girls from the program and went out to a Thai club. There was a DJ and we were all dancing our little booties off when a Thai rock/pop band started playing. We did our best to go along with the others and act excited but after about an hour of it I was praying the DJ would save us. He finally did and even played some songs we requested. Lizzie, Sarah and I stayed the night in a hostel and started our trip to Pattaya the next morning.

Let me tell you a little bit about Pattaya. As some of you may know, it has a rep in Thailand for being the “sex capitol” and a place where spotting old white men with attractive Thai women or groups of Russians is very common. Knowing this I was hesitant to go there, but it is also a very beautiful place with many tourist attractions, good food, and of course the beach is not something to complain about. The old ex pats really do creep me out though.

After checking into our hostel and taking a little rest, we went and bought a ferry ticket to Kho Larn, a little island about half an hour away from the main land. We had to wait for the next boat so we went and got some ice cream in an air-conditioned McDonalds. The ferry was packed with so many people that some (like us) had to find places to sit on the floor or the deck and by the time we got to the island by butt was asleep. I woke it up, walked over to a chair by the water and took a little nap after ordering a coconut and taking a dip in the clear, warm water. We spent the day relaxing until the last boat came to pick us up at 5:30 to take us back to Pattaya.

We opted for Indian food for dinner, a bit pricey for Thailand, but well worth it. Since it was only about 8 when we got back to the hostel, we showered and then decided to take a little nap (yes we were still tired form the night before). The nap turned into a very good, long nights sleep that we were all kind of embarrassed about the next morning. Who goes to Pattaya and doesn’t go out? Guilty. But we all felt good in the morning, and after a breakfast of a tomato and cheese omelet we hit the beach. I started feeling a little sick after eating some pineapple (my go-to snack in Thailand, it’s amazing and usually costs about 35 cents) and the trip back was not the most pleasant thing ever. We took a van to Bangkok and after walking around Victory Monument for a while, another van to Nakom Pathom. By the time we made it back it was almost 7 and I was up and down with nausea all day. I hadn’t eaten anything since the morning. At my apartment I didn’t have to “go to the bathroom” like I thought I might, so I took a shower. Right away it hit me again and I threw up. Great this is that my shower literally goes right into the toilet so it was very convenient at a time like this. My breakfast and the pineapple had definitely not been digested. I felt a little bit better, but started to get a temperature and actually felt cold in my warm room. Knowing that I might not make it to work I slipped my coordinator a note letting her know. My fever broke during the night, but the thought of standing in front of screaming kids trying to be upbeat and interesting made me dizzier and weak than I already was. I decided instead to stay in and rest that Monday and by the middle of the day I finally got my appetite back.

 Tuesday-Friday it was back to my now normal routine, school till 4 then hop on a bus and go to the gym that is about 30-40 minutes away. It is a great gym and perfect after-work activity. They have classes every hour from Body Jam to Yoga Flow. There are trainers that always want you to stay longer and take more classes. Sometimes they don’t understand we need to go home and eat, they’re pretty intense.

Last weekend both Lizzie and I decided we would skip the gym Friday and instead go explore a big mall that is just past it. We get so excited about little things, food in particular. We walked all around, checking out the stores and restaurants. We also found the movie theater and bowling ally, checking which movie they had playing in English. We ate dinner at Sizzler’s, doing our very best to take advantage of the all-you-can-eat amazing salad bar. I was all smiles. After being pleasantly stuffed, we decided it was safe to go back down and check out the market (because we wouldn’t buy as many unnecessary items). Then we headed back up to the theater and went to see Due Date, a comedy with Robert Downy Jr. and Zack Galifianakis. At movies in Thailand they play the King’s song before the showing and everyone must stand in respect to the king.

On Saturday I actually got to sleep in! I woke up at about 8:30 and it felt like bliss. This was the day I planned to buy a refrigerator and cooker. I took a sorng taa ou (literally a covered pickup truck with benches) to the Tesco Lotus grocery store. Another American teacher had just gone through the process and had given me her delivery form so that I could point and say “same” if they didn’t understand what I wanted. It still took some time, I think they thought something had gone wrong with a delivery at first, but I finally got my message across. It was to be delivered at 15:00. So Lizzie and I went to the gym. This doesn’t happen much since we rarely stick around on the weekends. On the way back I got a call from someone who had to be the delivery man. I couldn’t understand a word he was saying, but I was on the bus back and it was only 14:30. I kept saying ok, 10 minutes, yes. He called back about 10 times (umm my Thai is not getting any better sir, please just wait). Well, it was a success and I have my little fridge and cooker, a most necessary purchase if you’re living somewhere for a year!

At 5:30 I met Lizzie and Eric (another American teacher) and we took a bus and van into Bangkok. We met up with Sarah and some other girls in Siam Paragon (remember the place I got that amazing bagel?) for Mexican food! The girls were going to go out to RCA after dinner, a big club in Bangkok, but I knew some friends who were going out on Khaosan road so I went to meet up with them when we had finished dinner. We went to a few different bars, ending up at a club called Lava, where we all danced and had a grand time. It was good to see people from the program that I hadn’t seen for awhile and meet other foreign travelers. One this that is expensive (relatively) in Thailand is beer and alcohol, especially in bars and clubs. Good thing I don’t get the chance to go out much with my busy work schedule.

Sunday was a day of rest and an outing to our local night market for smoothies and food to take home and reheat. You can’t be shy or afraid to try new things here, it is the best and only way to find things you like. Sometimes you might be able to tell what something is, but other times you may have no idea. I’ve found that I like most things I try. Shocking haha, but this is really not the place if you’re a picky eater, or if you don’t like spicy food for that matter (be ready Leo!!!). And don’t worry, I will write a blog dedicated solely to food soon, I haven’t forgotten. Maybe it will be just pictures!

Halloween weekend

Halloween weekend was spent in Bangkok, known in Thailand as Krung Thep. Friday night I met up with some girls from my program at a hostel downtown and we all went out to see Benny Benassi, a Grammy Award winning Italian DJ.

Benny

After using my ability to get by security without an ID, we spent the night dancing to electronic house music and having a blast. On our way back to the hostel, our cab got pulled over by four policemen who asked us to get out of the car. We were confused when they asked for our passports, only two of the girls had theirs on them, but we told them that we were all English teachers and that the schools were getting our work permits. This seemed to do the trick and they were much more amicable to us after that. We just wanted to get the hell out of there and got back into the cab as quick as we could, still confused at why we were stopped in the first place.

Then next morning three of us went on a search for dim sum in China town. We found a place after a bit and ordered a bunch to share along with some refreshing coconuts. The girls had to get back home, so I said goodbye and met up with another friend from the OEG program. We hung out, showered, and then went to meet some friends who were staying at a family member’s pent house apartment. We hung out, drank and played cards before heading to a Halloween party on Khaosan road, the backpacker’s district, a place filled with bars and restaurants teaming with all sorts of people. That night the party stayed in the street where there was a DJ and light show going on. When we got there we ran into other people from the program and all had a blast catching up. There were a few costumes, but of course not like it is in the States.

On Sunday Erika and I went to Siam square food court. It was the first time I had seen so many Western restaurants and when I ordered a bagel with lox and an iced coffee from au bon pain, I swear I was shacking I was so excited. It was the best breakfast I’ve had here yet J. 

Oh and I found some Brie... delicious! 

After looking around the mall (drooling over the fresh market and fall fashions that look totally out of place here) we made our way to the weekend market that is like a small town in and of itself. I bought a pair of sweet pants, a bag and a bracelet and then decided it was time for me to head on home. Remember my last experience trying to get from Bangkok to Nakhom Pathom? Yeah, well I spoke to some of the other teachers and they gave me better instructions, which made this trip much easier, and I made it home without a hitch. Now I know, 

Call me Teachaaaa!!!!!

It has already been over a week since I officially became an English teacher! I am just now starting to get the hang of things and getting used to the new job. I teach 20 classes a week, sometimes more if they need a substitute (I’ve already done that 3 times). I teach 3^rd, 5^th, 6^th, 7^th, 8^th, and 9^th graders. It is quite a range and very fun to see the different levels and how they change over the years. Some of the older girls are very shy, whereas the younger ones are still loud and rowdy. They all however love to chat in class Thai, just not English! Every time I come into the classroom they stand up and shout, “good morning/good afternoon teachaaa” then when I tell them they can sit down they say, “thank you teachaaa!” It’s adorable.

A few of my 5th graders

The school itself is a Catholic school composed of a boy’s school, a girl’s school (where I work) and an English Program. There are boarding houses for some of the children and the seminarians. The school has about 5,800 students. It’s like its own little town with 3 gates and more buildings than any school I’ve ever seen. Just the girl’s school has 6 floors, a large canteen, sports fields, etc. All the girls wear uniforms depending on their grade. The teachers have uniforms as well: we wear black pants and a grey polo on Monday, a dark purple suit on Tuesday (I’m not kidding, I’m still waiting for mine from the tailor), a light purple skirt suit on Wednesday, some other type of purple suit on Thursday and a green and yellow polo on Friday. Whew! And there are also special polos to wear on sport’s day.

I get to work by 7:45 am and I get done at 4. The classes are 50 minutes long, there are 10-24 children in each of my classes (this is small in Thailand, most schools have up to 60), lunch is served in the canteen, a large open cafeteria with lots of long tables, you get rice and get to choose 2 dishes, there are palm trees everywhere J. This is definitely going to be a tough yet very deserving job. I am excited to get to know the students better and maybe learn some Thai from them too while I’m at it! More about school soon to come, but I have to get to bed—6am wakeup call!

Hua Hin

After debating over where to spend the 3-day weekend before starting to teach, myself and 5 others from OEG orientation decided to make our way to Hua Hin. It is an easy 3-hour (or more depending on what transportation) from Bangkok. We decided to rent a van from the train station since there were so many of us it made sense, but it cost about $15 when it could have cost much less on a bus…note for later. It was a fast and easy ride and dropped us off right by where we found a guesthouse to stay in for the weekend. The guesthouse was very quaint, and the upper floors where we stayed had little porches with benches. For 2 people it cost 250 Bhat a night ($5 per person!) There was a nice area to hang out in where we played cards with before hitting the town.

During the day we went to the beach, which was right across the street, swam (except the water was so warm it didn’t cool you down), drank coconut water and relaxed. The first night we met some guys from the Netherlands who were just finishing up their stay in Thailand. They had been to Hua Hin before and were staying at the same guesthouse. We went and explored the night market and had dinner (Me and Kai split this huge plate with a whole red snapper, 3 large prawns, muscles and clams for about $10). After dinner we thought we would check out a Muay Thai boxing match, but we didn’t all want to pay so we decided instead to do Karaoke. As we were walking on the street we passed by a food stand that was selling bugs. Kai asked my if I would try a grasshopper and I said “of course!” The man realized that we just wanted 2, not a whole bag, no thank you and gave then to us for free. When the rest of the group realized what we were doing some were excited, the others were disgusted. We bought a bag then and tried to make everyone try. To tell you the truth, I quite liked them! They were crunchy and had a nice smoky taste to them. This is not to say I’m going to substitute chips for them, but it’s worth a try.

                        [Diverting to food for a second (one of my favorite subjects), it is very hard sometimes to know what you are getting and even when you get it, what it is…. you may think that something that you thought was some kind of meat, is really congealed blood (vomit). The other day my coordinator and some teachers took me to a noodle place and ordered pork balls  (not actual balls I don’t think but they are everywhere and do not appetizing to me) so of course I was forced to try them. One thing I also tried was black eggs. They tasted like normal eggs but pretty funny looking. Apparently the black eggs are those that are died pink… I still don’t get how that happens. Oh Thailand you amaze me! Soon I will devote a whole post to food]

            Back to Hua hin. We found the Karaoke bar (the guys from the Netherlands had been there before) and started belting out American tunes. You should no that I NEVER participate in this activity back home, but this night I had a mike glued to my hand! Haha it was fun because we were the only people there J And none of us were really good singers (ahem Leo Marlow) so there was no pressure.

            Anyway the whole weekend was a tremendous success. It was sunny and warm all day, downpour for usually 1 hour form 5-6pm and then be nice again. The only trouble I ran into was coming home from Bangkok… I asked an information lady where to go to get a bus to Nakhon Pathom, and she told me I had to go to the Southern Bus Terminal. Weeeeell everything in Bankok is sooooo far away that I decided to take a taxi (really only way). All transportation is cheap, but comparatively taxis are very expensive. So I finally found a bus, waited for 20 minutes, got off at the last stop an hour later and I had not recognized any along the way. They made me get off and I had no idea where I was. Well, it would have been good to know that I am not in Nakhon Pathom really… not the city at least; I am just in the province. Yes, that makes a big difference. I was so desperate to get home (I still had my swimsuit on) that I showed a scooter taxi a map of where I live. He laughed, showed it to his fellow scooter buddies and said “you take bike??” Ummm, well since I thought I must not be THAT far I was like “yes, I take bike”. He was stoked.

                        HALF AN HOUR LATER I am still on the back of this damn scooter and nothing is looking familiar! There were signs pointing to Bangkok and I was worried he did not read my map right. He however was certain he knew where he was going. Well he did. Thank God. 200 B scooter ride, I hope I don’t make that mistake again. Funniest thing was that when I got off and paid he tried to talk to me and all I got was “very beautiful”. I thanked him again and drug my weary feet up to my room. I took one look at myself in the mirror and bust out laughing. I was super sunburned, had a wild fro from the beach and the crazy scooter ride, and my eyes were watering from all the dirt they had just been exposed to. Hey, if I looked pretty to him… well that’s just sad.

Going out to eat soon, but I will blog next about school and all my little Thai munchkins! Keep posted! 

Elephants!!!

Here are the links to my facebook albums-- much easier, it takes forever to load them to my blog for some reason :( I think they are just to big but I don't know how to change them. More stories to come soon about my first beach experience but I'm hitting the sack early tonight to get up early for my first class! EEEKKK!!!  xoxo

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=248272&id=696190911
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=248262&id=696190911

My new home!

Last night my coordinator picked me up at the hotel and it was so chaotic with everyone leaving it was hard to say goodbye. We are now all dispersed all over Thailand and it’s pretty crazy to think about. It tool almost 2 hours with the traffic to make it to Nakhon Pathom. Majuri and another man that works at the school took me out to a delicious meal and once again I stuffed myself with Ton Kha soup, seafood curry served in a coconut, crab, Japanese vegetables, rice and spring rolls. Then they drove me to the apartment where I will be staying the next 12 months. They call is the “mansion” but it is just dorm-style rooms with a common kitchen and laundry that I haven’t explored yet. The bathroom is small and the shower is just stuck out of the wall and goes into the toilet when you turn it on. I will be just fine with no hot water because it is extremely hot and I cannot figure out the air. I slept with the fan blowing on me last night and was still very sticky.

It is sinking in that this is all for real and my coordinator is picking me up soon to go to the store to buy black pants and some home appliances that I need still. She was so nice and got me a bottom sheet, pillow, an electric kettle, water, bread and some crackers and jam. I’m sure that I’ll be going to her for lots of things because her door is just 2 down from me.

Today Majuri and Runna (pronounced Lana) took me to the Big C shopping center for lunch and so I could pick up a few things like pants and shampoo. I got to drive around both the boy's school and the girl's school as well. With all the buildings this school feels more like it's own little town, it's HUGE! I organized my room and finally got my internet working. I would like to take a few days to visit an island before I start work, but we'll see how that works out!

Miss everyone please stay in contact! 

Orientation and more...

Our weeklong orientation in Bangkok through OEG was well worth the program fee. We had teacher training classes, Thai language classes, and then some panels on topics such as traveling, visas, etc.

Thom is our Thai language teacher (that’s her nickname), and the funniest Thai I have met so far. She is always laughing at us for our bad pronunciation, but at the same time praises us and tells us that we sound good. One of the funniest parts of the last lesson was when she talked about Thai translation of English. She showed us a picture of a translated menu that said something, something, something with “whore dust”. Well apparently “curry” can mean, “prostitute”, so “whore dust” quite literally would mean “curry powder”. Haha good to know!

10/19           

Yesterday after planning and presenting lesson plans in groups for our last project, we took a 3-hour bus ride west to Kanchanaburi. We stopped to see the bridge over the river Kwae that was built during WW2 (look it up it’s a good story) and then ate a wonderful meal at a restaurant jetting right over the river. It consisted of a variety of seafood dishes, my fave!

The hotel that we stayed at—let me rephrase that—our resort, was amazing (I think this word will be repeated constantly on this bog, sorry). It is in the middle of sprawling green lawns, palm trees, flowers, and multiple pools. The rooms has balconies and the restaurant was an open-air buffet style with a bar and karaoke room below. Since there was no other place to go (and why would anyone want to?), all 80 of us rushed to buy all the booze and beer we could get our hands on. We were told that the infamous pools were closed L, but everyone had a blast drinking, playing games, and visiting. After we got a buzz going, a few of us just couldn’t resist the calm, dark water of the pool and decided to break the rules. Well worth the risk! We enjoyed ourselves for at least a half an hour before I guard decided to finally ask us very kindly to put back on our clothes. This was probably good because wake up call was at 6:30 am.

On a side note, I’m not really sure if I’m still experiencing jet lag, but almost ever morning I wake up at 3 am ready to take on the day. It’s so annoying! Usually I pull out my kindle and read under the covers for a while until I force myself to sleep just a few more hours. In the stated it’s a challenge to get up at 9! I’ll keep you posted if my sleep schedule ever goes back to normal.

10/20

Today was the best day ever!!!!! We got to ride elephants and go bamboo rafting. The elephants were the most amazing (there it is again) experience that I had pictured, but when you’re actually on…. Wow, just mind-blowing. These animals are SO BIG and SO GENTLE! I got to ride right up on the neck with no help and our guide just walked along side and commanded her by talking to her. Just feeling that massive body beneath me and having her slap my legs with her enormous ears; I’ll never forget.

Our guide went into the trees and picked leaves, which he sewed into hats for us and I bought a bag of small bananas for like 50 cents to feed to the elephants. After we dismounted, there was a show where 2 small elephants did tricks for us such as dace and play harmonicas, play basketball, pop balloons with darts, and hula-hoop with their trunks while crossing their legs. Then I got to take a picture with one and it gave me an elephant kiss!

The bamboo rafts were these large platforms that floated down the river. I spent most of the time swimming alongside the raft though because it was a beautiful sunny day (first one since we’ve been here) and I just couldn’t resist the water. Our guide was very young and sang almost the whole way that was guess what? AMAZING! Haha. When we got back to the hotel we had just one hour before lunch and check out so I went back to the pool. As many of you know, if there’s water, I’m there!

I am now on the bus back to Bangkok where my coordinator will pick me up, and I will finally be able to move into my apartment that will be my home for the next year. I can truly say that I was blown away by today and I know I’m in the right place here. I cannot wait to do and see more amazing things that Thailand has to offer. 

Grand Palace

Sa wat dee ka!

I made it safely to Thailand with all my bags YAY!  I think I'm already in love. The architecture, food, language and people and absolutely fascinating!

Lets start with the trip:

Each of my flights went off without a hitch and was on time to the minute, very impressive.  On my 13-hour flight from Chicago to Seoul I sat next to a very sweet lady from Viet Nam who would ask me to help her push her seat back each time. I watched three movies and probably slept for one hour. When I got off the plane I started to talk with a man who turned out to be from Cedar Rapids (small world) and was going to somewhere in Indonesia to get married.  I waited for him to have a cigarette in a smoking room and then he bought me a coffee and we chatted for a bit. He was raised Amish and had left when he was a teenager saying that it was more of a cult than anything. I would have never had pegged him for Amish, but people have a way of always surprising you.

By the Seoul airport is ridiculously awesome. They have everything from Burberry, Internet cafes, and Hermés to bars, sleeping booths, and said smoking rooms. The architecture is modern with the walls all of slanted glass. I didn’t really mind spending three hours there.

The next leg of the journey was six hours to Bangkok and a half hour taxi ride to the hotel. I sat next to the cutest Thai girl named Erng (I couldn’t pronounce it correct so she told me to call her “American” name). She has been studying in Washington DC for that last 4 years but is home visiting Bangkok for two weeks. She helped me with a few words and insisted on waiting for me to get my luggage at baggage claim and walk me to the taxi even though hers had come first. Have you ever hear that Thais are very nice people? It’s true.

After getting to the hotel around 1 am and waking up my roommate who later said she had taken a Benadryl a few hours before, reason for grogginess, I attempted to sleep with no luck. By that time I was just too excited and the pillow was too big. Lets just say the first day of orientation I think all the 80 teachers were struggling with jet lag. But we all made it through and are getting to know each other and having a great time.

Today we went to the Grand Palace, which is supposed to be the most beautiful temple in Thailand (and I can bet it’s true). We were split into groups for the tour and our guide Simon told us all about the history—fascinating. After that we had lunch at an amazing restaurant that must have specialized in seafood. Aroi ka! (delicious). Oh and last night my roommate and I were solo to for the search for dinner, which turned out to be no easy task. ALL the signs are in Thai. Not the Thai that we can sound out, but in that beautiful, impossible to read letters. We finally pointed at some fried rice and said “gai” which means chicken and had an actually very good meal. It was especially good because it cost $1. Then on the way back to the hotel I stopped and bought coconut water for 25 cents. FRESH COCONUT WATER is the BOMB! I’m going to live off it. And the girl thought I was very funny using my limited Thai when ordering, I’m glad to have made her night a little more entertaining.

We are now waiting to meet our school coordinators and have our welcome dinner, going to take a shower and wear something nice to make a good first impression!

1 Week Countdown

I am counting down the days until I will be trapped on a plane for what will feel like days heading towards a new adventure and new chapter of my life. I have received my Thai visa and it finally seems like everything is falling into place--except for packing. Yikes, the scariest task of all!


After being home for only 1 week, I already miss my friends in Iowa City. It's always sad to leave those people who make you happy, but this time it is particularly hard since I know I won't be moving back there after the year is up. I know some of you think I will get swallowed up in Thailand and stay longer, but we'll see!


Before I go I just wanted to start this journal so that I can stay connected to those I love by sharing my stories and pictures with all of you while I am living in the "land of smiles."