Suphanburi

Sorry this will be a long post.

Last night was bundles of fun even if all we did was eat Pad Thai at this little food stall they call their own since they go every night almost, drink some Leo and Singha beer from their corner store guy called “Tony,” walked past a shrine with tons of roosters all around, and played Uno.

Today I got adopted by Wattana, the others school director. She is hilarious, kind, and overall amazing. She borrowed her sister-in-law’s Jeep to fit one extra person (me) for the day’s excursions when she didn’t have to. She brought us to the Samchuk market. When it was lunch around then, we had these yummy fish noodles – Pom Yii Nam. There were 3 kinds of noodles with fish and tofu in it. I also got Cha Yin otherwise known as Thai Iced Tea, and it was quite refreshing. Sweeter than I imagined, but it was great even without the boba.

Maybe because we didn’t let her pay for lunch, Wattana cracked a prank on us. She told us to say “Chee” as we all gathered for a picture. Normal thing to say when taking photos right? But when we did, she erupted in laughter. Apparently what we thought as “Cheese” or as Thais say it “Chee” is saying “Pee,” and we did that in a restaurant full of people. Glad she got some giggles out of that, and that we can’t understand what Thais say when we do something stupid.

So could it get any better? Yup! She took us to the Buengchawark Underwater Aquarium. Woot! We got to see all these pretty and strange freshwater fish, along with a crocodile farm. And it got even better. Allison came to town! We went for more noodles at the same place the night before, but this time I got Pad-See-Ew. It didn’t taste the same as home, but much better even though the ingredients appeared the same. Maybe it’s the sauce or maybe it’s tastier because it’s more “authentic?” Guess I won’t know until I try to cook it when I take lessons (if I can find someone to teach me!). For dessert, we went for Banana Roti. DEE-liious. I am definitely getting spoiled on this weekend trip…good company, internet, something to go to at night, and a variety of food stalls.

Ok I really need to stop gushing, but this long weekend trip was fun even if I didn’t go to the beach or somewhere far since it was one of the few long weekends. I think I just needed to be in a larger town than U-Thong.

The next day we went to a clothing market in downtown Suphanburi and then off we went to Thailand’s Walmart – Tesco/Lotus.

Shopping in another country has always been fascinating to me. I don’t even have to buy anything; just seeing what products other countries produce is intriguing. Shopping for clothes for example is not just about the different items available, but the fabric and the sizing to me. When I think Thailand, I think loose cotton clothing, shorts, linen pants. I however saw fleece pants decorated in sheep, long sleeves, and warmers for their “winter.” I never expected this. Also, when I think Thailand, I imagine the clothes to be made for smaller sized people. I just didn’t quite imagine how small. So even though I am what many call tiny, I’m not a XS. No scoffing. True. I could be a S in the mornings (that is when we’re the tiniest) or after I work out, but mainly I’m a M in the states. In Europe, I was a 4. In HK I was a M/L. Here in Thailand however, I am a L. What my friends call Thai small might not apply to them, but I’m having issues as well.  I guess it’s just one way of reiterating how Americans don’t completely fit in despite efforts to since we are larger than they are. (too harsh?)

Throughout this weekend, we for the majority of the time walked. Walking outside at 7:30 A.M. isn’t bad because it’s not too hot. Come 9:30/10 A.M. it’s intense. Noon was killer. On Sunday, we roughed it to Tesco after the clothing market, sweating bullets as we walked. After basking in the air-conditioned building, we quickly in unison decided to take a sorng-taa-ou back to the apartments.

Little two-rowed trucks act as buses are great ways to get round for cheap. No seatbelts, and little strings to signal the driver when one wants to get off for about 8B. If it’s this cheap to travel locally, it can’t cost too much to travel when I want to go to Bangkok or other locations on weekends. I guess I’ll find out about the van/bus fare to Bangkok next weekend when I go to meet the girls.  I know do know though that while vans are comfortable because of the AC and might be faster, buses are just as good if there are no time constraints. I took one back to U-Thong for half the cost of the van when I was traveling to Suphanburi, there was AC though not as strong, and while the bus never “stopped” to let people out, it slowed down more so for me since I was a farang and probably didn’t know how to get out “properly.”

I don’t know how other weekends will compare, but I had a great first weekend in Thailand. I pray as my time in Thailand evolves, my expectations do as well and I’ll keep being amazed. Maybe the “honeymoon” isn’t completely over. :)

Day Two

We woke up to our bottom level of the house caked in dry mud. Lovely. School was still in session like it was nothing. It seemed as though it didn’t phase them at all. Thank goodness we live on campus because I think the vice director (we have 4 – one for academics, another for behavior, the other for budget, and for sport) realized how unfamiliar we were to the situation and got the janitor, who is so kind and nice, to help us clean while we taught.

I found out that last night was the hardest its rained all season. Just our luck we ran out of the house to use the internet because if we didn’t I’m sure I would have freaked as the house was filled with water below.

The kids were much better today. They listened and were actually interactive. Maybe it was because it was Friday, or maybe I somehow did something differently from the day before? I mean I had them all make name tags, pair up to introduce one another, compete to name the most sports or colours…nothing different. I guess it’s just one of those things.

After teaching all my classes, I left U-Thong to go to Suphanburi. I took the air-conditioned van for 40B with the others, and took a tuk-tuk to the Yuu Dee Mee Suk apartments. Each of those rides were fast. The van didn’t stay in the line, swerved in and out of cars, and honked for a majority of the time. While I did take a nap for about 15 minutes due to the lull of the honk and Thai variety show on TV, I woke to the site of the car entering Suphanburi. We left the bus terminal and took a tuk-tuk, squeezing 3 in with bags for the weekend. 

Yeee! Excited to see my good friends Liz and Ciana. Maybe it was just the thrill to see familiar faces, being in an actual city, or experiencing something beyond U-Thong made me giddy.

They along with Andrew stay in this palace of an apartment. When the tuk-tuk pulled up I was jealous. I mean I thought my accommodations were nice, but wow. Nevermind…I’m grateful for the escape they provide.

Floods

Sorry for the pause. Let’s just say I learned what the Thais consider the rainy season.

 

We left the English department after 2 hrs of using the internet and saw these frogs all over campus. I thought it was just the residual effect of a small rainstorm since the rain didn’t seem so horrible when we were running to the building and when we were inside. But surprise surprise… the school was somewhat now flooded. My front lawn is covered in water. My porch to the house is covered. I hoped my house wasn’t flooded, but when I opened my front door, water gushed out. My living room and my kitchen were coated in dirt and water. The bathroom was disgusting- the floor is bout 5 inches below the kitchen floor so that whole thing was filled with water!

flooded front porch                                                                                        gross kitchen floor

Nu couldn’t come out to help us when I called because the streets in front of her house were flooded. I asked our neighbors who stood outside what we should do, and they told us to let it drain. Seriously? I asked our director who lives next door when he came to check on us if this was normal, and he simply said “yes.” Sigh… ohh rainy season…why

My attempt to clean the floor, and to help relieve the drain by pushing water out the door with the mop didn’t go so well. Mud was still everywhere. Hopefully the school can give us the necessary equipment to clean tomorrow, or to have the janitor help us out.  I really would have flipped a shit if the upstairs was a mess. Yah for the concept of an upstairs.

So it is 11:52 pm as I type this and I have class tm at 8:30 A.M. I cleaned as much as I could when I got home at 10 P.M. without Elana since she was still using the computer but it’s still a mess. I am dirt tired (pun intended), and I have no clue how to deal if this happens every time it pours.

Today was day one of my life as a teacher.

The school’s administration welcomed us into their school with speeches (despite the fact we couldn’t understand as they spoke in Thai), and with wreaths of flowers during Thursday’s morning assembly. We were introduced to the entire school – over 3000 students, and 100 or so teachers, and man was it intimidating. Every person is staring at you like an alien, and I guess in some ways we are. We dress, act, and speak differently from everyone around us.

When the assembly was over, we were directed to our classrooms. (Thank goodness Nu gave us a walk through of all the buildings the day before or I would of gotten lost). I had only 2 classes to teach on my first day as my other 2 were cancelled (the 8^th and 9^th period) for a teachers meeting we just learned about that morning. The Thai way of life/teaching - go by the flow. The meeting appeared to be planned last minute or possibly just last minute to us since they only told us that morning, but it was to update everyone on everything since school only began that week. (To clarify, U-Thong School started Oct 18, but Elana, Jenny, and I were still with OEG. We began teaching on Thursday one full day after we arrived).

As I began teaching, it wasn’t that I didn’t realize that there are simply just too many students for myself to teach, it was that if this is how Thai students learn, how much do they really learn? I have 20 classes to teach each week. I see each class once a week for about 50 minutes each if that. Every class has about 45 – 60 students. There are no books, no course outline, no nothing. I question my role as teacher, and what I can really provide for these kids.

I am responsible for the Mat-tha-yom 1 and 4 kids. My Mat-tha-yom 1 (lower secondary) kids are cute, but as other Thai teachers say they are “naughty” as well. It appears they understand English, but are unwilling to speak it. Not everyone is like this of course, but the majority are quiet. For those other kids, they can be loud and rambunctious, running from their seat to sit with a friend across the room. They’ll scream the answers, or say something else entirely. I’ll definitely be bouncing ideas with Elana and Jenny as we learn the ins and outs of how to teach Thai children. Of course asking for advice from Thai teachers is a must as well. I haven’t seen my Mat-tha-yom 4 (upper secondary) kids, but hopefully their level of English will be higher, and they’ll be willing to speak it.

We left to explore the town via our bikes and even rode on the left side of the road. No accidents this time like Amsterdam. Phew… We met some interesting people as we were shopping. We had a small but insightful conversation with the people who sold us new comforters for 200 baht (B) since the one the school provided was not something I wanted to really use. We met one of the fruit stall ladies and bought a plateful of pomelo for 20B. YUM!!! Got this strange but delicious sweet deep-fried pretzel from this older lady, hard to ask her what it was, but using key words we learned helped us make sense of it eventually – 3 pieces for 20B. When it came close to 6:30 P.M., we went back home luckily before it began raining.

So even though it rained once we entered, we decided to leave again. I haven’t used the internet for about a week now, and decided to go to the school’s English department with our special key (surprised they trusted us but then again we can’t go very far with just our bikes and hardly anyone is on the school site) to use the internet. Running through the rain to use the internet…. that is how desperate we are. Although I must say running through the rain felt great. I definitely like the rain now more than I did before because I don’t have to go to class in it. Sorry Santa Cruz folks.

                                                                                                

Hello U-Thong

Elana, Jenny, and I were the last people at the resort as we waited for our school coordinators, Suthaporn (Nu) and Aroonsi (Jaeb) to pick us up. It took about an hour via the school’s van to bring us to U-Thong. Arriving in town was not what I expected. There were tons of things to go to within distance. Yah! I love how everything is within walking distances – fruit stalls, vegetable market, CJs (a convenience store), several pharmacies, and little shops here and there. BUT anything outside what I believe is a 5 block radius is difficult to get to (even by bike which they provided to us). Ugh…

I share the house with Elana here on the school site. We live in a two story house – living room, kitchen, bathroom and shower room (separate rooms) are downstairs, and the two bedrooms are upstairs. The other teacher, Jenny, lives in another house around the corner as she waits for the Chinese teacher to come live with her.

U-Thong Home

U-Thong School

The three of us appear to be the only foreigners in town. I knew there were chances we might be the only people who speak English, but it was still a shock. Then we learn that many if not most of the buildings all close by 6:30 P.M. We’re in trouble…Definitely wasn’t expecting that. That ‘honeymoon’ stage is definitely disappearing and quick.

However, I guess I can say I’m still lucky in comparison to other OEG participants. I live in a real nice accommodation (no large bugs, just geckos which eat the mosquitos for us!). My coordinators are sweet and try to help us despite the language barrier. I live on campus which is great since I don’t have to wake up too early. And I live close enough to Suphanburi where I can go to on weekends to visit close friends.

It’s just interesting to see such a different way of living from all the articles and stories I’ve heard about Thailand. This is definitely one way to get a glimpse into traditional Thai living.

Kanchanaburi

One of the greatest things I’ve ever done so far – Elephant Riding.

You would think an elephant is soft, but its hair is coarse and prickly. The skin is not completely gray; there are splotches of skin tone behind the ears and around its trunk.  Chelsea and I rode one elephant together, and all I could do when I sat down was grin.

As we sat on the chair, we thought we’d go on a nice little walk…. but our elephant guide moved us away from the track, and into the bushes. I’m not sure whether I was scared he’d leave us there completely or that he’d leave for too long and the elephant would wander without instruction.

Eventually we made it back to the group after he gathered some leaves to make hats for us (how cool is that!). Our guide then had us to sit on the elephant outside the seat as we walked to the river and back. Freaky and soo insanely unbelievable!!! Used more core and thigh muscles in those 20 so minutes than I did the whole week. And when I was feeding it bananas, I felt like I would fall, but, the elephant was so responsive to all my moves it used its ears to cover my legs/keep me in place. Though all of this could be because the elephant was trained to be responsive to the riders or because it was very responsive to our guide who stood and watched us from behind.

What threw me was how the camp functions as a family. There are people who are the tour guides, the ones who take the photographs, the ones who sell snacks, the ones who create performances for tourists to view, and the ones who maintain the grounds which are surrounded by younger or older families members (who all most undoubtedly worked or will work with these creatures sometime). 

I wondered if the elephants would be better off in the wild, and if there were no elephants for these people to care for, would they still live as they do - away from developed areas? But the concept of poaching entered my mind as I had a discussion with a friend – these beautiful creatures would be at risk without humans caring for them. These individuals grew up learning this single trade, and so without elephants, they most likely will be unable to support themselves. I guess both elephant and these caretakers need one another.

As for the second excursion, bamboo trekking was more floating then rafting which was something I didn’t expect, but fun all the same. We attempted to fit 7 on the raft and let’s just say there was a reason for 6 seats, not 7. As we moved down the stream, I kept thinking how great, nice, and calm it was – an escape from the bustling city. These outdoor adventures just made me want to kayak, find a waterfall to jump in when I come back to Kanchanaburi, and swim in the ocean that much sooner.

Birthday!

October 18th was my birthday. What a way to spend my 22^nd right? Overseas and in beautiful Thailand!

We left that day for Kanchanaburi, which is West of Bangkok. The town is famous for the Bridge Over the River Kwae or the “Death Railway”, the floating restaurants, karaoke bars, and amazing jungles, and other outdoor activities (definitely returning to see the Erawan National Park which contains the seven step waterfalls).  

We, as a group, visited the bridge, which was built during the time the Japanese occupied Thailand in WWII. The 300m bridge was created to link Burma and Thailand together, and to create a supply line for Japanese troops.  More than 100,000 laborers died during its construction. 

We stayed at this amazing resort called the Pavilion Hotel. The property was enormous and the architectural layout was stunning. I loved how open the property was, how lush and green the gardens were, the fabulous pools that I didn’t get to try, and the experience I had.

Thank you OEG/CIEE for finally getting all the participants in one location even though we were “together” in Bangkok. I don’t think I could have gotten a nicer party/hangout, being at a resort in the jungle dancing and drinking with everyone at the pub/karaoke bar. Although we were together in Bangkok, we were still separated through orientation schedules – group A and B. It made me see faces I didn’t realize were a part of the program even after a week “together.” It was such a great bonding experience even if we were getting separated the next day for our schools.

Thank you to the girls who made it that much more special. I couldn’t have been happier than to spend it with ya’ll (you know who you are even if you aren't in the picture below). I am just so grateful to have made such great friends in the short amount of time we had.

                                                    (Chelsea, Chelsea, Jess, Liz, Jenna)

Grand Palace & Emerald Budda

Because our hotel was far from central Bangkok, it was more difficult to experience the city. Good thing OEG took us on a field trip to the Grand Palace and the Emerald Buddha. There are few words to describe the details I was seeing. I mean I believe it is the first of many my eyes will behold. 

The Grand Palace is considered the most holy temple to the Thai people. It was originally built as a home and temple for the reigning monarch, but is now a sacred landmark/tourist attraction after what was the assassination attempt of King Rama VIII (or so our guide Angela told us). Within the Grand Palace, there are many other buildings used for various ceremonies, official uses, and religious practices. 

By far the largest and most sacred though is the home of the Emerald Buddha, the Wat Phra Kaew. The Emerald Buddha is actually not made of Emerald but Jade, and is not as large as one would think. But it does sit on a HUGE decorative alter several feet high, and attracts Buddhists and people from all over the world. The Emerald Buddha actually has three sets of gold clothing for the three seasons in Thailand: the summer season, the rainy season, and the winter season. it was pretty amazing and a real cool experience seeing such elaborate and well kept historical buildings.  

As orientation was winding down, several girls and I were able to take a taxi to downtown Bangkok one night. And man were the taxis nutty. Meters are not in every car, and sometimes one has to barter a fee.  The speed, the weaving in and out of lanes…intense. My friends and I got to Kao San Rd, one of the backpacking districts and tourist central by metered taxi (combined to be about 164 Baht and 45 Baht for the express lane). Although it could have been worse (like during rush hour), it wasn’t bad for the first time.

Arriving in Kao San Rd. was such a different view of Bangkok we haven’t been exposed to. There are tons of bars that are little stalls itself and have liquor in a bucket. You sit outside on benches under umbrellas or none at all with stools as tables. There are people offering to sell fake diplomas from Harvard and the University of California which look legit, and there are people selling clothes all over the street. We grabbed dinner first before getting sucked into anything, and let’s just say ordering was much easier. The Pad See-Eww was delicious. :) We eventually got a Fish massage – based I believe in Japan, but got it there. Free with a drink :) A very interesting experience and one I’m not sure I want to repeat, but glad I did. When we left later on the evening, we squeezed 6 people in one taxi for 400 baht to the hotel. Impressive no? Uncomfortable…somewhat.

This is only one form of transportation. Tuk-tuk, motor-taxis, and the sorng-taa-ou which is literally a pick-up truck with two rows of bench seats down on the side of the truck bed, are other ways to get round. I imagine all of these non-conventional in my western mindset to be fun and an adventure if it isn’t too hot or rainy. 

More to come...sorry if it takes so long to post. Internet is not as available as one would think when working at a school. 

Orientation

80. 80 individuals who all wanted to teach English in Thailand together under one roof no matter the reason blows my mind.

Participants arrived from all over the United States – North Carolina, Georgia, Virginia, Tennessee, Massachusetts, NY, Wisconsin, Cleveland, Texas, and of course California. We got in at various times – the day before the 13^th, the day of the 13^th, or even wayyy after. We stayed at the Louis Tavern Hotel in the outer Bangkok area. We quite literally took over the area with all 80 participants. 

The hotel is located on Soi (Street) 64. There were tons of little stalls, an Internet playstation (5 Baht for 25 minutes), motorcycle taxis in the corner of the intersection, and tons of stray dogs all over. Because it was some distance from central Bangkok, and we were just beginning to learn the language and get accustomed, ordering food was more difficult. [Note: Fried Chicken or Gai is a staple in restaurants and on the streets. KFC is not needed here.  “Nidnoi Prick” or a little chili/spicy is a necessity for people who can’t tolerate the heat. Although I love spicy food: chili oil in the states, hot sauce, and Korean food to name a few, let’s just say that has become a key phrase for me.]

Then again the language barrier will always be a problem for us since so few people in Thailand speak English in general. A goal of mine is to be able to at least speak enough where the person can understand, and where I stop feeling so helpless (like when I attempted to order food). This situation in front of me is something I never had so much an issue of when I traveled. Europe and HK didn't present much of an issue.  It's strange because I came to Thailand to travel and explore their culture, but with this barrier, how will it work? I guess time will tell.  

Orientation was a madsqueeze of information for five days, which felt in actually like 2 weeks due to our daily itinerary of lessons: Thai Language and Culture with Thom, Teacher Training/Orientation with Paul Hinshaw and Mike Kearney, and things like informational sessions on Thai Education Systems & Standards and a panel with former participants. Although we did not do all this everyday, in some format we were able to do it all (of course not all was needed since there was overlap…). Each of these classes helped me in preparing for what I should expect when I teach Thai students English, yet I still felt nervous since I didn't know what grade I was teaching, I didn't know the level of my students, and I found out I along with 2 other Americans will be teaching over 3000 students English by ourselves.

Hopefully what is the "honeymoon stage" as our coordinators called it since everything was so exciting and new will not wear out in a rush but a gentle release to something else.  While I look forward to the challenges and the new situations I find myself in; hopefully it won't come back and bite me in the butt later when it all fades.

Getting to my new home

Leaving San Francisco was harder than I ever imagined. I cried and probably felt like if I left nothing would ever be the same - of course that’s because it’s true - my cousin is having her first child, my older sister is graduating from ASU, and I'm essentially leaving the nest.  But my dad put it best… “This is just an extended vacation. Enjoy, don’t worry, and keep going.”

Nothing truly stays the same whether I stay or if I leave… I just need to make the best of how challenges are presented to me. Of course having Skype, emailing, and having a group of gals I get along with real well helps immensely.

Rewind: Got to the SFO international and checked in with Cathay Pacific. I departed for HKG en route to BKK at 1:20 am, and arrived at BKK 10:15 am on October 13, 2010.  TIME TRAVEL!! Naah just really intense traveling. Of course it was quite sweet due to the upgrade. Thank you for the mileage points dad!!

                                           

When I got off the plane, I felt the humidity despite the gust of air-conditioning in my face. I wandered to the immigration checkpoint, but before I could exit, they stopped me. Slightly worried and thinking “oh SHIT! What did I bring that I wasn’t supposed to?” But it was only my Klean Kanteen filled with water. Psh..  of course they didn’t catch the foldable scissors I "accidentally" left in my pencil bag. After that there were no problems. I thought the checkpoint individual would question why I was coming to Thailand and why I have a VISA. Nope! No questions. I guess another farang is barely worth more than just a quick check to make sure I match my picture on my passport.

Eventually I made my way to Exit 3 to meet up with my CIEE peoples, and after some time, any young American with more than a single suitcase was my peoples. YAH! I got to meet some great people right away, people from Wisconsin, Michigan, Montana, other California individuals, and it gave me hope that more good things were to come.

But what’s ridiculous and quite weird, we had two vans to transport over twelve people with 20-24 pieces of luggage. Yea…imagine that. Thank goodness another van moved towards us. The trip from BKK to the Louis Tavern Hotel took about an hour due to traffic and lets say Bangkok is like LA. The different surrounding districts/counties have their own names, but together make up what is Bangkok.