Monday, December 29, 2008

Christmas tree drinks & Barefoot Bowling

It’s been a bit since my last blog update…so here’s what I’ve been up to.
A few weeks ago we made it to Jae Sarn National park. From Lampang, it’s only accessible through private transportation, so we decided to motorbike it. So we (Margo, Apple, & I) set out on a drive to Tao’s house, which is on the way to the park. It took about an hour and a half in total, not including the time it took to pick up Tao & enjoy a meal while looking at family pictures. The ride was beautiful…once we got out of Lampang, there were just us, the roads, and the mountains around us. The sun warmed our backs so there was no need for long sleeves. We got to the park, which holds a few waterfalls, and a hot springs. After seeing the waterfalls in Thoen (especially the second one) this one wasn’t much to see. But we settled for a picnic at the hot springs complete with (almost) hard-boiled eggs that we cooked ourselves in the springs.
On the ride back, as the sun was setting, I knew I was in for trouble. When the sun hid behind the mountains that’s when it got bad. I had a long-sleeve shirt, but that wasn’t enough to keep the cold wind from penetrating my thin layers and jeans. By the time we got to Tao’s house my fingers were starting to swell from the cold, so Margo ended up driving my motorbike & I back while Apple drove Margo’s with Tao in tow. I spent most of the ride using my hands to cover my ears, which are particularly susceptible to the cold, and getting pelted by bugs. But after what seemed like forever, I started recognizing the scenery and made it back home safe, where I fell into my bed and slept like a baby.
The weekend after that we took our third trip to Apple’s house in Thoen: this time not for a visit to a waterfall, but to a cave. The cave was not quite like any of the caves I’ve been to. We climbed to the top of a set of stairs to the entrance, where Apple lit a candle and rang a bell to ask the spirits of the cave for their permission to enter. The cave was dimly lit; at times I thought we had come to a dead end only to see an arrow pointing our way down another dark alley or signaling us to crawl under a rock formation to another section of the cave. One dark park of the cave we heard some squeaking noises and when we looked up we could see the wall of the cave above us covered in hanging bats, which umm to say the least scared me a bit. The most memorable moment was when Margo literally jumped across the cave when she heard “a bat laughing in her ear” and I look over to see Apple and Margo hugging each other and cowering in fear. Behind where Margo had been standing was a stalactite in which a bat must have been sleeping and made a noise that Margo claimed was a laugh. We finally made it to an opening in the cave and climbed out and then to the top of the mountain. The whole cave exploration would have been a lot easier if we had sneakers on instead of flip-flops, but we managed.
I got home that evening and had a package…but I wasn’t sure from who. I knew my parents were sending one but that won’t be here until January at some point. So I was super surprised to see it was from Dawn. I ran up to my room and opened a package full of candy, cookies, and Christmas stuff. It was like Halloween and Christmas rolled into one. I had been craving chocolate cookies for the longest time so immediately went for those and brought them over to share with Margo and Apple. With the surplus of candy and a stocking I got in the package, I brought candy to my class that I was proctoring during midterms week. They were all very excited to try American candy, and I watched some of their faces of shock when they tried sweet-tarts and realized they weren’t that sweet after all. On Christmas Eve, I received another package from Alyse and Dan with more chocolate and goodies. It didn’t really feel like Christmas this year being away from home, but the cards and packages were a nice taste of home 
Christmas was an odd one this year. We were done with school around 12 since it was midterms the whole week. Margo & I celebrated by listening to Christmas music and drinking what my brother likes to call “Christmas tree drinks” (otherwise known as gin & tonics) and dancing around.
My favorite Christmas picture...


I went out to dinner with the rest of the Farangs to exchange our secret Santa gifts. The rest of the night included bare-foot bowling, beers, and pool.


Another Holiday away from home came and went…
Now, I’m looking forward to New Years in Chiang Mai! We got some visitors (Margo’s sister Mariana & friends) so it should be a good time!
Happy New Year to all!
This is me & some of my students!

Wednesday, December 10, 2008

The Adventures of Guava & Mango

This past week, Margo and I went on a little adventure. Friday we had off for the King's Birthday, Wednesday we had off for Constitution Day, and our school decided to close for those who weren't involved in an art competition. We went last Wednesday night to buy bus tickets to Bangkok on Thursday, but they were booked. Our options were to leave Friday or to leave Wednesday night. Not wanting to miss out on a valuable day of vacation, Margo and I decided to miss school to get to BKK earlier. So we took the overnight bus to BKK and got in around 5:30 am. We took a VIP bus, which includes snacks, drinks, head pillows, big seats, and blankets. The blankets were necessary only because they turned up the A/C past high, to artic. Even with jeans, a sweatshirt, socks, and a blanket, I was shivering and had the blanket covering my face. It seems to me that they could save quite a bit of money by turning down the A/C, which would then mean we wouldn't really need the blankets. Maybe that's just me.
We ended up walking around all day Thursday with our back packs; we went to a cafe in the morning (where I had some "wood flavored" coffee), the golden mountain wat, national library, and a palace. While wandering around the palace a guard said under his breath to Margo (in Thai), "you're cute." When we passed by again, Margo asked (in Thai) how to get to the entrance to the main palace. I wish I got the guard's face on camera when he realized she could speak Thai. I don't speak Thai or understand very well, but I understood that he was shocked and a bit embarrassed. But he went out of his way to walk with us to show us where we needed to go and even asked Margo for her phone number. Margo said she didn't have a phone (although it was sticking out of her pocket) and got his number instead. That evening we caught a showing of "Twilight" at Margo's request. I can't say it was a good movie, but it was entertaining for us to make fun of it.
We made it to Margo's Aunt's house that night and stayed there for Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights. Friday we spent wandering around BKK. Did some shopping, spent 2 hours at a bookstore, and met up with one of Margo's friends from her TEFL course for dinner at the food court in the mall. The system for paying at the food court is so odd to me. You pay a certain amount of money to be exchanged into "Monopoly money" which you can pay the vendors with. After eating, you have to exchange the monopoly money back into real money. I guess its so the vendors don't have to worry about change?
Saturday, we rose at the crack of dawn to get to the floating market about an hour outside of the city. The markets used to be the way everything was exchanged. Most of the houses were built on the banks of rivers and canals, so small boats were the choice method of transportation and floating markets were the choice method of shopping. Now the floating markets are more of a tourist attraction. The only thing we actually bought there was coffee and food, but it was a fun experience.
Saturday night we went to a famous bar called "Saxophone" to see Margo's cousin P Noon play with her band Pure. The bar definitely caters to an older crowd- Margo and I were by far the youngest one in there. They played a wide range of covers- a lot of Queen, which was fun. Dad, if you ever come to Thailand, you would like this place.
Sunday Margo and I were headed to Ayuthaya. There we saw another palace and wat or 2, had lunch at a boat restaurant, and checked into our guest house that her aunt had recommended. In our travel book, it was described as a "romantic get-away" but I can't say it was very romantic. We were right on the river, well one of the rivers because Ayuthaya is actually an island. That night we went on an adventure to look at the wats (temples) that were lit up, walking around the city at night. It was neat to see the ancient ruins all lit up at night and saved us the walk in the heat of the day. Monday we headed to a "high-tec" museum and (one of my favorite parts of the trip) to see the elephants! I bought some bananas to feed to the elephants. They are such amazing creatures. We then splurged on a bumpy elephant ride around the ruins. We passed another elephant passenger who said "Its a guava and a mango!" (in Thai of course) about Margo and I. In Thai, the word for guava (farang) also means westerner. So I am the guava and Margo is the mango.
The baby elephant:


Our next stop was Lopburi, purely because I wanted to see monkeys! There were also ancient ruins there, but we felt no need to pay to get in since they were so small and mostly we just wanted to see the monkeys. We saw lots of monkeys! I got a couple videos as well. I accidentally caught monkey sex on tape; I was filming one of them walking and he just walked over to another monkey and well, started having his way. There were signs warning us that monkeys steal purses. The monkeys didn't really have any purses to steal from us; purses were something we both forgot to bring, so we carried around plastic bags with our stuff instead.
A monkey chowing down on a stolen banana:


After the monkeys, were were pretty wiped and ready to get back to Lampang- a day earlier than we had planned actually. We had to take a train to Pitsanuloke- which took 2 hours longer than the tickets said, and then a bus back to Lampang in time for bed.
In total we went to 3 palaces and 12 wats. The highlights of the trip- the elephants and monkeys :)
This is a map of Thailand with our travel route in red:

Wednesday, November 26, 2008

La Situacion Politica

Thailand has currently been all over the news...but don't worry...I am far far away from the protesting, which is taking place at isolated locations in Bangkok
The political situation...
While traveling around Mexico with Sarah and Kayla during Semana Santa (the week before Easter), Sarah asked every taxi driver, tour guide, tourist, busboy, waiter, and every random person we came across "Como esta la situacion politica?" (How is the political situation?) She was referring to the teachers strike that had happened previously in Oaxaca, Mexico. We got a variety of answers. We found that the taxi drivers and tour guides were against the teachers because it caused the airport to shut down, which hurt the tourist industry in the area. I will try to touch on the political situation in Bangkok at the moment...so Sarah, this one is for you.
What I've heard or read about the "situacion politica" here...
Let's start back 2 years ago, when the former Prime Minister Thaksin was ousted by the military. He was accused of corruption, vote buying, interfering with independent agencies, nepotism, as well as human rights violations. For the most part- supporters of Thaksin were from the lower class while opponents were from the middle and upper class. Thaksin's government appealed to the rural (poor) majority by, among other things, offering low-interest agricultural loans and financing village development. I was told that the lower class who widely supported him, were unaware of the corruptiona and scandals. Thaksin was criticized for tax evasion when selling one of his corporations to the Government of Singapore. In 2006, Thaksin was overthrown quite peacefully- there was no bloodshed. This was 2 years ago.
Fast-forward to this summer...
The People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD)has been trying to force the current Prime Minister, Somchai Wongsawat out of office. As Thaksin's brother in law, Somchai is seen as a front for Thaksin and is accused of election fraud. In August, the PAD stormed the Government House, the Finance and Transport ministries, the PR Department, the Police Bureau, and took over the National Broadcasting Services. They managaed to shut down the airport in Bangkok and some of the trains. This didn't last too long and by the time I got here, it was a bit calmer.
This past week, the protests in Bangkok have once again made headlines internationally. The PAD has closed both of Bangkok's commercial airports, leaving thousands stranded. The PAD has said they will stay at the airports until the government officials have stepped down. The protests have turned violent, but this all has taken place in certain parts of Bangkok...hours away from us...so moms and dads, don't worry!

Tuesday, November 18, 2008

English Camp

This past weekend, Margo and I had to go to Phrae, a smaller city about an hour from here, for English Camp. The school hosts a camp over a weekend for its students to practice English. Its run by mediakids- the company I work for. Its in our contract to participate in one for free. We ended up missing the bus there- well not missing it because we were an hour early, but it was full. So we had to call our consultant Kris, and ask one of them to pick us up.
English camp on Saturday was actually kind of fun for me. English Camp is pretty much just playing games and singing songs (all in English of course.) I played this Harry Potter tag game...4 people were Voldemort (the bad guy) and had wands (straws) and could put a curse on whoever they tagged (such as jump, spin, dance). I was super sweaty after an hour or so of running around...it was a lot of fun though. There was this one short little chubby boy. I gave him a free icecream for singing "Beautiful Girl" in English. During tag he was running until he realized he was running towards a Voldemort...then he just stopped and started screaming and waving his hands. I was "under a curse" so was just standing and watching...his voice is so high, it was the funniest thing, I couldn't stop laughing. I wish I got it on camera to show everyone.
On the way back the bus and van were also full, so we just crammed in their truck with them (there was 6 of us) and drove back to Lampang. They were headed here anyway b/c they are observing teachers today. Of course I got the front b/c I'm the fattest...seriously they are all so frickin skinny. So they all thought it was funny when I said "It pays to be fat!" Speaking of skinny/fat...my friend Dao is exactly half my weight...I am equal to two Thai girls! (Although in my defense I am like a foot taller than her)
There was a wall down the street from our hotel that I thought was interesting to find in Phrae...



Here are some random things I noticed about the students or Thailand:
-They have to take their shoes off before they enter a school building (teachers don't)
-If a boys hair is too long, a teacher will take scissors or a buzzer and cut one area so he has to get it all cut
-If a girl or boy gets in trouble they can also get their hair chopped
-They all repeat say "I'm fine thank you and you?" when asked "How are you?" without really knowing what they are saying. If the question "How are you?" is varied at all they just give me a blank stare.
-People at the pre-fix "Pee" to people who are older than them. So I call my friend Dao, Pee-Dao.
-There are mirrors in the stairwells- students stop to check themselves out.
-First impressions are the lasting impressions.
-Some teachers have several pictures of themselves on their desks.
-Girls pull out their compacts during class to reapply (white) powder or just check themselves out.
-People ride 4 people on a motorbike...which I guess isn't tooo much considering I'm like 2 Thai people lol
-We drink beer with ice (so it sometimes gets watery)
-At a restaurant/bar, your cup is never empty because they continue to fill it
-Students don't ever have to be on time...10 or 15 minutes late is normal.

That's all I can think of for now.
I've been playing volleyball everyday afterschool since I first went last week. So far the coach has only been there once or twice. The girls (and 2 boys that come) are great. They repeat what I say for some things...like when I call "mine." I have some of the volleyball players in my classes, so I've been beginning to recognize more students. During cool-down they all ask one of my students, Jeab, to ask me questions because she is one of the better English speakers...but I can tell that they are trying to ask me a question. There are 2 boys that come to volleyball-both my students and both what Thais call "Ladyboys." One of the boys that comes to play is definitely the tallest kid in the entire school...which is why his nickname is Big. His height no where near rivals Jake's, but it makes him look that tall because he's among a sea of short people. He tried to make me promise that I would come to play volleyball everyday.
Monday, as a I was about to walk home, there was a group of boys playing football (soccer) on the school field, so I joined them. It was the first time I played football in a while (and just finished playing volleyball)...so I was tired after about 15 minutes. I played until someone popped the soccer ball. There are always kids playing, so I'll probably be playing more soon.

Thursday, November 13, 2008

Loi Krathong & Lost in Lampang

This week was my first Thai festival. It was Loi Krathong which occurs every year on the 12th month (of the Lunar calendar) at the full moon. "Loi" means "to float" and "Krathong" is a small raft made of banana leaves in the shape of a lotus with a candle and incense. They light the candle and incense and send it down the river. They also light lanterns made of a tissue paper that rise (like hot air balloons) into the sky. I was told that this gets rid of bad luck- all the bad luck and worries rise to the sky. Our landlady invited us all to send some off on Wednesday night. We sent off 3 or 4. The sky was full of them, but unfortunately pictures can't really capture what the sky looked like.


After that, I went with Margo, Apple, and Dao to another teacher's house (an older teacher who I had never met before). Her and her husband told us to sit down and pour ourselves a drink...there was plenty of whiskey to go around. They live right next to the river, so we just crossed the street (which was jam packed with people, cars, and motorbikes)to see the floats in the river. Aside from the little candles floating in the water, there was a procession of huge floats, each more ornate than the next, each with a girl or two sitting and waving and a few men as the crew. Again, I have lots of pictures of these, but it was dark out so most of the beauty is lost in the pictures. We set off even more of the sky lanterns. The mystery of where the lanterns actually land when it burns out was solved when a blackened lantern landed in the yard. To accompany all the lights and people were lots and lots of firecrackers, sparklers, and fireworks (Dad, this festival is for you!)...which leads to many spark related injuries every year.


Wednesday night also happened to be my first night with my own motorbike. I was petrified to drive knowing it would be one of the busiest nights of the year on the road, but I survived...good thing its automatic.
In school on Thursday, I found out that Loi Krathong wasn't over...Thursday was the "big" Krathong...with more fireworks and firecrackers, lanterns, and a parade around the city. Margo wasn't feeling so well, so I went with some of the other farangs living in my apartment building, but couldn't find them in the crowd. I was with my neighbor, Sean, searching for anyone else we were supposed to meet up with, even calling them several times...no luck in actually finding them though. Eventually, Sean's girlfriend found us and they walked back. I was alone with my motorbike and had a good idea how to get back. The problem was that the direction I needed to go was completely blocked off due to the parade and huge crowd. I tried to make my way around it, but turned too soon and came smack right into the parade procession again. So I turned off my motorbike and enjoyed the parade for a few minutes before turning around and continuing home...only I didn't make it home quite yet. Every turn I tried to make I ran into the parade.


I ended up driving around in circles forever. I passed the place I started twice and saw parts of town I've never seen before. After about a half an hour of wrong turn after wrong turn, I started to feel a bit better when things started to look familiar and I was sure I was about to come out on the main road near my school or house. But no. It looked familiar because I had passed it 10 minutes earlier and went in a huge circle! I contemplated calling Margo, or someone who knows Lampang better than I do, but the problem was, I had no idea where I was! Eventually (after what seemed like hours) I ended up on a familar road and back to my apartment. Exhausted, I plopped myself down on my bed and decided to watch some tv. I'll admit that I watched 3 episodes of Hannah Montana since that was the only thing that was in English that wasn't the news. Obviously not what I would pick to watch if given a greater selection (no offense Krista). I've also stooped as low as to watch the new 90210 show...its so bad...awful acting.
For my lesson this week, I decided to give my students the lyrics to "Beautiful Girl" by Sean Kingston and have them fill in the missing words. I know that they have all heard of the song and might know the chorus, but none of them actually knew any of the rest of thew words. I have to play it 4 times in each class, so with 21 classes, I think I might be suicidal.
Yesterday, was my first volleyball practice! I went and met the team and the coach on Monday with Margo, but didn't make it to play until yesterday. Since its their off season, its really lax and I just got to warm-up and play with them. The coach is really nice (I bumped into him at lunch and ate with him) but speaks little English. Some of the girls speak pretty good English. The team is actually quite good, especially since they are a lot shorter than your average team in the US. I'm excited to finally be playing volleyball (and excercising) again!
So this week was a lot of firsts...and a lot of fun!

Sunday, November 9, 2008

Farang Friends

On Thursday night, I meandered around town a little bit by myself. I walked to a place that sells pad thai and managed to order myself some vegetarian pad thai (quite a feat for me since Margo wasn't around haha). I sat down and started eating. A few minutes into my meal, another farang (westerner) showed up. The cook looked over at me and pointed "Friend! Friend!" Of course, since we are both farangs she assumed we were friends. So the cook insisted that this other farang sit with me, who of course must be my friend. It turns out that she (Kay) used to teach at my school, and after leaving and living in Australia for a few months came back to Lampang and is teaching again at a university. It also turns out that she had heard of Margo and met some of the other farang teachers in the area. Farang news also travels. The next day, Chris, another English teacher, had heard that I met Kay. Its such a small community of Farangs that everyone knows each other.
This weekend Margo, Apple, and I went to Apple's house in Thoen, which is in the country, where we met her parents, grandparents and some of her extended family. Saturday we hiked to the top of a 7-tiered waterfall. We brought some food and beer and had a little picnic at the top.





Before heading back to her house, we stopped at her farm and got a bunch of pomelos (grapefruit like fruits that aren't as sour) (see picture below)
and lots of other vegetables and fruit to bring back to Lampang. I must say I had the most local meal I've ever had. We had sticky rice for breakfast while their rice field was just steps away. It was so awesome to be in the country and see the "real thailand" that most tourists who visit the beaches in southern Thailand don't get to see. The pictures I have of the rice fields and mountains are just as pretty as pictures of the beach.

Margo & I definitely want to go back, so we'll just have to invite ourselves back to Apple's house :)

Tuesday, November 4, 2008

First Lessons

This past weekend I had my first motorbike lesson. Its not that hard to actually ride a motorbike, but I'm still a little nervouse to ride one when other bikes (and more particularly) cars are around. The rules here are quite different, besides the fact that they drive on the left side of the road of course. Motorbikes don't really have to stop at lights if they are making a left and they can "cut in line" so to speak...which brings me to the point that Thai people don't understand the meaning of lines. We could be waiting to pay for something at a 7-11 (there is pretty much one on every corner, more so in Bangkok than Lampang), and someone comes right up and puts their stuff on the counter. Same goes for waiting for the bathroom or a table at a restaurant...but anyway back to the motorbike. The hardest part for me, as Margo can attest to, is actually starting the bike. Another thing I have to get used to though is switching gears since I've never driven a manual car.
Yesterday I also had my first Thai lesson. Nothing seems to really stick yet, unless I repeat it about 100 times. I'm learning a few words at a time, but I have 3 people helping me. We decided to have a Thai-English lesson twice a week. Each lesson being 2 hours- 1 for English, 1 for Thai. For the first hour, Margo's roommate Apple (pronounced more like "Bun") helped me with Thai, while another Thai teacher Dao helped Margo with reading and writing, since Margo has pretty much mastered the speaking and listening part. The second hour was quite fun since Margo & I could teach together and I found myself acting the part of a hostess, waitress, and moviegoer.
Monday was Sports Day. Sports day is a cross between homecoming/prom in high school and field day in elementary school. The whole school is broken into 5 teams (pink, blue, green, orange & yellow) that compete during the day. The morning starts with a parade of each of the teams lead by their own marching band. The homecoming/prom parts come into play with some of the upperclass girls and guys that get decked out in prom gowns and suits. Some were even towed in a horse and buggy! I mean, bubble-gum pink frilly barbie dresses (well for the pink team at least.) All the girls looked gorgeous, but I've never seen so many Thai barbie dolls in my life. Here's one of the girls dressed up...



After the parade there were dancing routines and races and more field day activities.



After that we went to Margo's house for lunch (which is on campus) and never really returned. So in essence, sports day was a free day for us.
Tuesday is definitely my worst day. I have 6 classes...the most is 3 in a row, which is so draining. Tuesdays deserve a nice cold beer :)

Thursday, October 30, 2008

First day of school!

Yesterday was my first day of school. I'm teaching 10th & 11th graders at a public high school in Lampang called Lampangkanlayanee. There are 3 other farang (western) teachers at my school that teach english and then there are the thai teachers that teach english. I have 21 classes and see each one once a week for 50 minutes. Its such a short time and so infrequent that they will pretty much forget what they learned by the next week.
The students are so cute. They stand up at the beginning of class and say "Good morning Teacher" in unison and then "Thank you teacher. See you Teacher" at the end of class. All Thai people have short nicknames. Some are just vowel sounds like "Oh" or "Aeh" but I have quite a few students whose nicknames are "Beer" (pronounced "Be-ah." There are several students with the nickname "May," "Bee," and
"Pam." A common nickname is "Porn," although its pronounced "Pawn." I won't be able to remember everyones name because I have something like 800 students in total.
The funniest thing happened in one of my 10th grade classes (they call it M-4 here). I went over the months of the year. Then I split them into 4 teams and they had to get in age order. I had to explain it several times, but they got it eventually. When they were all in order, each team got a point and I told them they could sit down. They all sat down exactly where they were standing, not in their seats, so they were all sitting on the floor, which was hilarious. When they realized that I meant their seats they all started laughing and I needed a minute to compose myself because I was laughing so hard. It was funny to see 40 students just sit on the floor.
I was also supposed to teach 5 classes yesterday, but because they are on a 10 period schedule this week instead of the usual 9 and I didn't hear the bell, I overtaught about 10 minutes and no one said anything until finally one kid said "Teacher you teach long." That was my only 11th grade class yesterday. I ran out of things to do with them because I didn't hear the bell. This made me late for my next class, and a teacher had already told them that they could leave. The way the schedule works is that both teachers and students change class rooms for each class. Once in a while the students may be in the classroom already, but for the most part they come in at least a little late because the bell that dismisses the first class is also the bell that starts the next one. I have to hustle to get to classes on time if they are in different buildings.
I'm living in an apartment that is right next to the school. Almost a roll out of bed and get to school, except that they close the gate that is right next to my apartment building by 7:50, so I can't ever be later than that. Its quite a convienient commute. I have one room with a bed, tv, fridge, ac, and a bathroom (with hot water!) The other teachers that I met at training that are in Lampang are also in the apartment building so there are some friendly faces.
Todays the second day of classes for me...then, its the weekend!
Monday, Margo & I went to Chiang Mai, which is easily my favorite city so far in Thailand. Compared to Bangkok, it is amazing and one of the biggest differences is that most stuff within the city is walkable. Some of the touristy type things are a tuk-tuk (a type of taxi) ride away, but we haven't done any of the touristy things yet. Lampang is only about an hour and a half away from Chiang Mai, so I know I'll be there again soon. On the way there, we took a really cheap bus- about 40 baht (or $1.50). I got on and saw that there was only one double-seat left on the bus (perfect for me & Margo), but when I got to the back I realized why it was open- there was a very noticiable leak and the seat was already wet. So I sat in a wet seat with water continually dripping on me and new leaks kept springing up on the way. It was actually quite funny when I got off and the back of my leg was soaked and my extra t-shirt that I draped over my shoulder was soaked as well. At least it was only $1.50, so I can't complain about that!

Friday, October 24, 2008

A note from training...

I finally made it to an internet cafe during training. Its not that they are hard to find- this one is just down the street from our hotel- we've just been so busy with the training this is the first day I had time.
I thought I was going to feel like a lost puppy away from its mother for the first time when I first left Margo at her aunt's house and took a taxi to the hotel, but I was just nervous to be navigating through Bangkok by myself. I got to the hotel after the taxi driver dropped me off at the wrong place, but it was very close to the actual hotel I was supposed to be at, so one of the guys at the first place brought me to where I needed to be. My roommate at training is really cool. She's from Cali, is Cambodian, and knows some Thai, so we've gotten around together without a problem. After our first day of training the two of us went to Khao San road, which is where every tourist goes for a least a little bit. Its a street full of vendors- vendors of food, clothing, watches, jewelry, pirated music and movies, basically everything. We decided we had to go there at least once. Yesterday after training we went as a group to Siam square, where the newest (and most expensive mall is.) By expensive I mean, Prada, Coach, and all the other name brands I don't know and don't buy. Needless to say I didn't buy anything there (well except food of course.) We then went to a bar called the 360, which boasts a 360 degree view of Bangkok from the 31st floor of the Hilton Hotel. The view was amazing, especially at night when the lights set the city aglow. The prices for drinks weren't quite as amazing. I can't complain though because they weren't even expensive for NYC standards, just high compared to everything else here, and high compared to what we will be getting paid as teachers. I found out that while we don't get paid all that much, we get paid up to 3 times what Thai teachers make. This doesn't seem fair at all, but schools wouldn't be able to attract farang (western) teachers if they paid us the same as they did Thai teachers.
Training so far has been helpful for me. Its not all that exciting, but they've gone over stuff like lesson plans, what to teach, what to expect from Thai students, what to expect anywhere in Thailand, grading etc...
This was more helpful for me than for most because I am one of the few that has no teaching experience or hasn't taken a teaching english as a foriegn language course. Today we did sample lessons. I was the only one in my group that didn't just finish a 3 week course in Phuket, Thailand, so my lesson was completely different from the rest of theirs (so more exciting). They all liked it, so I think it went well. I'm still nervous for my first day, which is next Thursday (the 30th.) I was supposed to start November 3rd, but since the school starts earlier and I don't have to take a trip to Laos to get my non-immigrant visa, I agreed to start a few days earlier.
Training ends tomorrow, and after that Margo & I will head up to Lampang, which is about a 7 hour bus ride.
I met the other new teachers that will be placed in Lampang. They won't be at my school, but they will all be in the same apartment building as me because the schools are so close. I think we'll have a fun time in Lampang :)

Monday, October 20, 2008

Everythings better in Lampang

I’m back in Bangkok with Margo- this time staying at her aunt’s house in the outskirts of Bangkok. Her house is really cute. The compound is set up so her office building (and part of the living quarters) is on one side and the rest of the living space is on the other side, separated by a nice green space and a pool. Some day I'd like a commute so short! The plants and trees in the courtyard are so jungly.
Koh Samet was beautiful and relaxing. It took us most of the day to get back on Saturday. On our way in, I had my first experience with squat toilets. Squat toilets are basically half toilets that you stand on and squat and hope your pants stay dry. My camping experience has prepared me for this. Squat toilets also don’t flush the way western toilets do- you have to pour a bucket of water to flush out the dirty water. At one point on our way to a meal, we passed a sewage hauler, the pungent smell reminded me of my days at the Grass Island Waste Water Treatment Plant.
It was so humid in Samet, the I started to sweat immediately after showering. I felt like I was on the island from LOST, but I’m sure I did not look as good as Kate or Jack…I probably looked more like Hurley. Me as Hurley...

Most of the menus so far are in English as well as Thai, but some of the translations are not quite perfect. This one restaurant in Samet had “Wodka tonics” and offered “fried aborigine” in the vegetarian section…a few letters (it should have been aubergine) makes a huuuge difference.
Sunday we went to Chatuchak market- a huge weekend flee market that was started in the 40’s by Prime Minister Plaek Philbulsongkram. We were there pretty much all day. I ended up with a t-shirt, shell necklace, sunglasses, and a keychain for 270 baht, or around $8. I still think of everything in USD, but Margo, who thinks in baht, says that it was expensive (or at least in Lampang standards since everything in Bangkok is more expensive.) I still maintain that it was a successful day of shopping. Margo's motto has been "Everything is better in Lampang"...she's reffering mostly to the price of things because everything is cheaper there for sure. Margo keeps hyping up Lampang, but I'm still not quite sure what to expect.
I felt like I was on a set of a movie while at the market. They play the Thai national anthem at 8 am and 6 pm everyday in public places. During the playing of the national anthem everything stops. People freeze in their tracks. Its like one of those movies where someone has the power to stop time, everyone freezes, and the person with the power can walk through the crowd. It was particularly amazing today at the market; all the walking, talking, shopping, bartering, and eating paused for a few seconds.
I also saw my first elephant while at the market- although it shouldn’t have been there. While we were wandering around Chatuchak, we got stuck in the pet section, which was heartbreaking. There were so many tiny puppies that should not have been away from their mothers yet. After seeing a few we jetted out of there for fear we would end up buying one.
There are a few things I noticed about driving: road rules are just a suggestion, signaling is a rare occurrence, and cars can squeeze 3 lanes wide on a 2-lane highway.
Today we went to the Royal Palace and Temple of the Emerald Buddha, which is not actually emerald, but when it was first discovered covered in plaster, the green was thought to be emerald, when it was actually jade. The architecture is soo beautiful. Everything is so intricately decorated and lots of gold.

This is Margo & I at the Temple of the Emerald Buddha

Thursday, October 16, 2008

Koh Samet


I am currently sitting in an internet cafe in Koh Samet, which is a small island about a 3 hour bus ride & ferry ride south of Bangkok. We left the hotel in Bangkok yesterday morning and got here yesterday afternoon. It was pouring by the time we got to Ban Phe, the city we took the ferry from, and the streets were flooded. It didn't really slow us down too much, but the water had no where to go so the streets flooded pretty quickly. We got to Koh Samet and walked down to the beach looking for a bungalow. The first place had no fan rooms left and the second had none with private bathrooms, so we settled on the third, which was, how should I put it?, below standards.

It was also a steep walk with no path to get to it. We were so exhausted though from traveling that we accepted it. I was still jet-lagged from the flight that I laid down for what was supposed to be a nap at around 7 pm and didn't wake up until 7:30 am. We decided to find another bungalow, which we did, and although its a bit more expensive (about $12 each per night as opposed to $4.50 a night) its definitely worth it.
The water is beautiful and warm! For me, it is heaven! We spent hours in the water today. I also got an hour long Thai massage for less than $7. Mom, maybe you should fund some more massages so I can learn from experience ;)
Ok, were off for some dinner! More to come when I get back to Bangkok for shopping and training...

Tuesday, October 14, 2008

Bangkok!

So I made it to Bangkok after a 24+ hour trip. The flight was awfully long, but luckily Tammy suggested I request bulkhead seats, which I got for the first flight. I had lots of leg room and was able to get up and walk around quite frequently. I was next to a very nice older Thai lady on the flight from JFK to Tokyo who shared stories about Thailand and the US and also shared her snacks. 14 hours is a long time to sit around. I did get to catch up on some movies that I've been wanting to see: Sex and the City, Indiana Jones 4, and Leatherheads...even watching 3 movies only took up half the time at most.
I arrived at aroun 11:30 pm (Thai time) last night and went back to Margo's parents hotel, showered, and went out for my first meal in Thailand, which consisted of lots of noodles, vegetables, and tofu...my kind of food! So cheap too. I had a Vietnamese dish for lunch today which cost about $3 USD. Apparently that's expensive by Thai standards. In Lampang I could get the same for about $1 USD. My money will definitely go far here if I can eat a full meal for $1. After traveling for 24 hours and my first meal, we went out for a few beers but had some trouble finding a place that was open. A taxi driver wouldn't take us where we originally wanted to go because the protestors were out, so Margo's roommate's friends picked us up and we drove around to find another place open, had a beer or two and played some pool. The music choice at the place we went to was quite interesting. They love Eric Clapton...but the most interesting song choice was "Puff the Magic Dragon."
Its quite easy to avoid the protestors, you just need to avoid certain areas. Since I'm with people who know Thai and where to go I'll be completely fine (so don't worry Mom & Dad!) Also, its very nice touring around Bangkok with my very own personal translator (Margo that is.)
I've only had a few hours around Bangkok, but it reminds me of NYC a little bit- only hotter, stickier, with lots of pink taxis, cars that drive on the opposite side of the street, and more street food and vendors. Picture China town x100.
I think tomorrow Margo & I will be off to the south (not quite sure where exactly yet) until I have my training here in Bangkok on the 22 to the 26th.
Love and miss everyone at home!

Monday, October 6, 2008

New Adventure

I have 6 days left in the states, for a long while at least. It seems to weird to think about. For those of you who don't know, I'm leaving October 12 for Thailand. I'll be there for 5+ months teaching English at a high school in Lampang, Thailand.

I've been out of the country before but its still a new feeling for me. When I studied in Mexico I had some of the same jitters I do now but I can say that I'm less nervous than my last trip abroad even though I know absolutely no Thai at all. I was nervous about how my Spanish would fair when put to the test (it turned out to be fine). For some reason though, I'm not nervous really about not knowing Thai. The fact that Margo and her parents will be at the airport when I arrive in Bangkok (in 1 week!) is putting me (and my parents) at ease.

The only part I'm nervous about is the teaching part. My undergrad degree in Environmental Engineering did not exactly prepare me for teaching. Why teach English in Thailand when I studied Environmental Engineering you ask? Well, for one, I'm not ready to enter the "real world" and get a real job. My internships have given me a taste of that and honestly I'm not ready for it. Secondly, why not? I wanna travel as much as I can so why not travel and teach English to make enough money to continue traveling. I've only planned as far as February 28th (the last day of the semester). Who knows where I'll be after that.

Margo is working on finding me a house or apartment...but that won't be settled until I get there.
What else? Oh yes, what to pack? I am limited to the amount I can bring on the flight and wouldn't want to bring too much more because we plan on traveling around after the semester is over. Everything is cheap there, but I'm surely much larger than most Thai women that I might have to have clothes made specifically for me...and forget about bras. I know I need to be prepared for not being able to buy any that would even come close to fitting. I'm a procrastinator, and although I've thought about these things- I've done little to address them. Now I'm running out of time to get it all done and see everyone before I leave!

I'm so excited to get out of the country and to see Margo, but the full effect has not hit me yet. I don't think it will until I'm actually on my flight...my 14 hour flight from JFK to Tokyo and then another few hours from Tokyo to Bangkok. I'll have so much time on my hands during that flight- I could write a book, but I promise not to bore you with that.