Pictures from graduation:
http://drake.facebook.com/album.php?aid=34120&l=bb6d6&id=512610984
On Sunday we had an little party for the English Majors who graduated last year. They are back in town because their official graduation (walking and receiving their diplomas) is today. There is a tradition that every year the old 4th years come back and treat the current students and the faculty to a dinner and a night of some performances. It was nice to get to see some students outside of school and not in their uniforms.
Pictures from Koh Chang:
http://drake.facebook.com/album.php?aid=34116&l=d2cef&id=512610984
Two weekends ago I met Steph, my friend who is teaching in Nan, in Koh Chang. Koh Chang is an island southeast of Bangkok. It took almost 15 hours to get there and I only had 2 days there and then it was time to return to KK but it was a great little escape. It was a nice beach and very relaxing. But being with friends makes anything even better and I hadn't seen Steph since August so it was great to catch up with her. We literally did nothing but lay on the beach and eat some scrumptious Western food.
Midterms start on Friday so I'm taking my cue and heading to Southern Lao for midterms break. Thursday after classes I am heading to Mukdahan, which is a Thai border town. I'll stay there overnight, cross the border Friday and head down to Pakse, Lao where I am meeting up with another PiAer and two of her friends. I'm excited to have some people to explore with and we have over a week to do it. Southern Lao is supposed to be less developed and have less of a tourist infrastructure so I'm curious what it'll be like. Everyone seems to think Lao in genereal is like Thailand 20-30 years ago. After Lao I'm heading up to Chiang Mai to meet up with some people for New Year's. See you next year!
Tuesday, December 18, 2007
Friday, December 7, 2007
December in KK
But it really feels nothing like December. As I hear reports of snow back home I look outside and see a few leaves fall from trees. Is that really winter?! The tempertaure has dropped to a chilly 60s at night and 70s during the day. I now bring my fleece everywhere I go. And I laugh thinking of most of you bundled up in winter coats, hats, scarves, gloves, and boots! But some things are the same here. Scarves and winter coats are starting to make their appearance around here and the ski masks and hats are usually worn by people on the back of pick up trucks. My students moan if I want to turn on a fan while I teach and they don't take their jackets off during class. Oh, where did those days of sweat drenched lessons go? Well they are not too far away as some don't think this cold weather (yes, you can hate me for calling it cold) will be here for too long.
December is full of holidays and days not working. Two days ago was the King's Birthday and Father's Day wrapped into one big celebration. I'm not sure what happened because I holed up in my house and did nothing much. It was beautiful. Then on Monday is Constitution Day. another week later and it's Graduation Day (for someone, I have no idea) and another day off and then 4 days later is the start of midterms. My winter vacation starts on December 21st and I think it goes until Jan. 2. The holidays make the time leading up to the midterm fly by. And then after New Year's it's just a month a half until the end of the semester.
With holidays comes vacations. Tonight I am overnight bussing it to BKK (mom and Dan, I know you are jealous! ha) and then catching a 6am bus to Trat and then a ferry to my final destination of Koh Chang. Koh Chang is an island near Cambodia and is supposed to be gorgeous. I think the whole island, or a large part, is a National Park. So I'm escaping the winter weather in some bungalow on the beach with my friend who is teaching in Nan. The funny thing is, to me, it's a no big deal trip. I decided last night and will be on my way in 10 hours. Over the midterm break I will be in Lao traveling by bus and boat through the larger cities and the northern countryside. We'll see how that goes! It'll be my first time out of Thailand actually.
Signs that I am becoming antisocial (or just more selective of people I talk to):
-I sat on the sawngthaew for 10 minutes next to this white man before I chatted him up. At least I said something!
-I met a bunch of new people and couldn't really remember how I have made friends in the past. After I asked the typical questions of what do you do here? where are you from? how long have you been here? do you like it? what do you do in your free time? I ran out of things to say.
-I'd rather watch a movie or read my book than go out and be social
-The biggest festival in KK is happening right now, right by my house, and I still haven't gone because I have heard of the hordes of people. It's just really not enjoyable to be stared at and people yello HELLO at you. I could never be famous.
-I just want to eat lunch by myself. Maybe hearing myself talk in class is just too much for me!
And now I am going to go warm up my lunch and eat it alone at some table outside in the chilly weather. :) And tomorrow the beach!
December is full of holidays and days not working. Two days ago was the King's Birthday and Father's Day wrapped into one big celebration. I'm not sure what happened because I holed up in my house and did nothing much. It was beautiful. Then on Monday is Constitution Day. another week later and it's Graduation Day (for someone, I have no idea) and another day off and then 4 days later is the start of midterms. My winter vacation starts on December 21st and I think it goes until Jan. 2. The holidays make the time leading up to the midterm fly by. And then after New Year's it's just a month a half until the end of the semester.
With holidays comes vacations. Tonight I am overnight bussing it to BKK (mom and Dan, I know you are jealous! ha) and then catching a 6am bus to Trat and then a ferry to my final destination of Koh Chang. Koh Chang is an island near Cambodia and is supposed to be gorgeous. I think the whole island, or a large part, is a National Park. So I'm escaping the winter weather in some bungalow on the beach with my friend who is teaching in Nan. The funny thing is, to me, it's a no big deal trip. I decided last night and will be on my way in 10 hours. Over the midterm break I will be in Lao traveling by bus and boat through the larger cities and the northern countryside. We'll see how that goes! It'll be my first time out of Thailand actually.
Signs that I am becoming antisocial (or just more selective of people I talk to):
-I sat on the sawngthaew for 10 minutes next to this white man before I chatted him up. At least I said something!
-I met a bunch of new people and couldn't really remember how I have made friends in the past. After I asked the typical questions of what do you do here? where are you from? how long have you been here? do you like it? what do you do in your free time? I ran out of things to say.
-I'd rather watch a movie or read my book than go out and be social
-The biggest festival in KK is happening right now, right by my house, and I still haven't gone because I have heard of the hordes of people. It's just really not enjoyable to be stared at and people yello HELLO at you. I could never be famous.
-I just want to eat lunch by myself. Maybe hearing myself talk in class is just too much for me!
And now I am going to go warm up my lunch and eat it alone at some table outside in the chilly weather. :) And tomorrow the beach!
Friday, November 30, 2007
Semester at a Glance
I just realized I have never shared my class schedule for this semester. I have 3 English major classes which is really exciting. All the PiAers had to prove themselves and then we were rewarded with some English major classes.
A short description of my classes:
411130
-I have two sections of this class. It is conversation and listening skills for first year English majors. One section is made up of regular students and the other section is special students. Special students are students who pay extra to be students in a certain program. They have to pay extra because for some reason they can't be in the regular program. For most of the students, they didn't pass the entrance exam or they registered after the program was filled. Some of the students struggle more but I have other students who have lived in the U.S. for a few years and just applied late! It's a fun class and it's so great to have the students want to learn. They want to make conversation with me (sometimes!) because it may be the only time they can speak with a native speaker. Others are still scared to talk to me but they are all coming around. There's an adjustment period of getting used to a native speaker for your teacher!
411431
-This is a conversation and listening class for 4th year majors. We mostly work on things to get them a job after college. It can be really fun as their English is at a level where I can communicate normally and almost get rid of my teacher voice. Sometimes I have to remind myself to speed things up a little as none of my other classes are this advanced. It's exciting to help them with resumes, cover letters and interviewing skills. Dorky, I know, but true. They are very intelligent students and I hope that I am helping them. It's different teaching them about things that I recently learned rather than things that I innately know. I think I have had more times where they correct my mistake or I really have no idea what the answer is and one of the students knows. It's embarrassing but I just have to remember that I don't have to be perfect. Lots of these students are also in Grease! so I spend a few hours a week with them outside of class. It's fun to get to know them on a more personal level. It's much harder to keep things professional when they are my age (and some older than me!). I've decided that they have many teachers who can keep a distance from them but it'd probably help them more if I did talk to them like a friend. Is it a good justification? Good enough for me.
411206
-I taught this class last semester, English for medical students, but now I have section1 which is the best section. I can really tell a difference. It's sorta of intimidating to know they will all be doctors and probably know way more than I do but they just can't express it in English! About half of the class is made up of students from my class last semester. It was great that they wanted to take the class with me again. A real boost to my teaching confidence.
411207
-I also taught this class last semester, English for science and technology students. Again, I had about a third of my class sign up with me again. I am now the only native speaker teaching this class. It's been frustrating because my class size went from 40 students to 32 students in the first two weeks. I felt it was a reflection of my teaching but I think it's just so much easier for the students to hop down one section and have a Thai teacher. Think, would you want to be forced to speak and listen to English or would you rather be taught mostly in Thai? I can understand that and so I try to make it more beneficial for the ones who are sticking it out in my class. They are the ones who like the challenge although for some I think they just have friends in the class and so they don't want to change :) Either way, I think they will come away learning more about the culture in the U.S. at the very least!
I like my schedule this semester. I'm even going to start teaching a night class two nights a week. It will be a listening and conversation class for public health majors. I'm not sure what to expect so the first class I just need to figure out their level somehow.
An another note, it's getting cold here! Seriously! I'm not going to complain as my mom told me it's been around 20 degrees in Minnesota and a big snowstorm is expected this weekend BUT I didn't come prepared for cold temperatures here! Even knowing it would be in the 70s in the winter didn't sound the cold to me before I came. But when you get used to 90-100s every day then 70s is like a freezer. I am very thankful I brought a fleece even though I thought it was crazy many times over the last 6 months. I am trying to hold out on some new warmer clothes but I think I'll have to buy something. Or I could do laundry more often...hmm, can you guess what I'll choose?
A short description of my classes:
411130
-I have two sections of this class. It is conversation and listening skills for first year English majors. One section is made up of regular students and the other section is special students. Special students are students who pay extra to be students in a certain program. They have to pay extra because for some reason they can't be in the regular program. For most of the students, they didn't pass the entrance exam or they registered after the program was filled. Some of the students struggle more but I have other students who have lived in the U.S. for a few years and just applied late! It's a fun class and it's so great to have the students want to learn. They want to make conversation with me (sometimes!) because it may be the only time they can speak with a native speaker. Others are still scared to talk to me but they are all coming around. There's an adjustment period of getting used to a native speaker for your teacher!
411431
-This is a conversation and listening class for 4th year majors. We mostly work on things to get them a job after college. It can be really fun as their English is at a level where I can communicate normally and almost get rid of my teacher voice. Sometimes I have to remind myself to speed things up a little as none of my other classes are this advanced. It's exciting to help them with resumes, cover letters and interviewing skills. Dorky, I know, but true. They are very intelligent students and I hope that I am helping them. It's different teaching them about things that I recently learned rather than things that I innately know. I think I have had more times where they correct my mistake or I really have no idea what the answer is and one of the students knows. It's embarrassing but I just have to remember that I don't have to be perfect. Lots of these students are also in Grease! so I spend a few hours a week with them outside of class. It's fun to get to know them on a more personal level. It's much harder to keep things professional when they are my age (and some older than me!). I've decided that they have many teachers who can keep a distance from them but it'd probably help them more if I did talk to them like a friend. Is it a good justification? Good enough for me.
411206
-I taught this class last semester, English for medical students, but now I have section1 which is the best section. I can really tell a difference. It's sorta of intimidating to know they will all be doctors and probably know way more than I do but they just can't express it in English! About half of the class is made up of students from my class last semester. It was great that they wanted to take the class with me again. A real boost to my teaching confidence.
411207
-I also taught this class last semester, English for science and technology students. Again, I had about a third of my class sign up with me again. I am now the only native speaker teaching this class. It's been frustrating because my class size went from 40 students to 32 students in the first two weeks. I felt it was a reflection of my teaching but I think it's just so much easier for the students to hop down one section and have a Thai teacher. Think, would you want to be forced to speak and listen to English or would you rather be taught mostly in Thai? I can understand that and so I try to make it more beneficial for the ones who are sticking it out in my class. They are the ones who like the challenge although for some I think they just have friends in the class and so they don't want to change :) Either way, I think they will come away learning more about the culture in the U.S. at the very least!
I like my schedule this semester. I'm even going to start teaching a night class two nights a week. It will be a listening and conversation class for public health majors. I'm not sure what to expect so the first class I just need to figure out their level somehow.
An another note, it's getting cold here! Seriously! I'm not going to complain as my mom told me it's been around 20 degrees in Minnesota and a big snowstorm is expected this weekend BUT I didn't come prepared for cold temperatures here! Even knowing it would be in the 70s in the winter didn't sound the cold to me before I came. But when you get used to 90-100s every day then 70s is like a freezer. I am very thankful I brought a fleece even though I thought it was crazy many times over the last 6 months. I am trying to hold out on some new warmer clothes but I think I'll have to buy something. Or I could do laundry more often...hmm, can you guess what I'll choose?
Sunday, November 25, 2007
Bicycling in KK
http://drake.facebook.com/album.php?aid=31546&l=b73d9&id=512610984
More pictures from around KK this weekend. I hope these pictures help to see what I am so used to seeing. Many times I would pass something and then realize how weird that is and have to U-turn to take a picture. It's hard to take a picture of somethings as I feel like I'm exploiting the people in it. It's a hard balance to find for myself (as everyone is different).
I love my bike rides but I do not love riding by dogs. I've only had a few bark and half-chase me. I think I just look terrified and keep ringing my little bell (which makes a really cute sound that I doubt scares anything more than an ant away). I had a little incident yesterday where I was saved by some Thai man that I am forever indebted to. It's always the dog that lets you ride by with no problem and then 3 seconds later decides it wants to rip out your eyeballs. I am convinced that dog was going to do something vicious to me and that bell was not going to stop him. I had to jump of my bike to protect my legs and was ready to use my LA Rider as a weapon when this man comes out of his truck and starts yelling in Thai. I took that opportunity to book it out of that street and didn't look back when I saw the man pick up a stone. I don't know if I could have actually fended off the dog but my adrenaline was pumping so anything was possible. I'm happy I didn't have to figure it out. These crazy dogs! 1 in 6 months is pretty good though. There will always be one.
More pictures from around KK this weekend. I hope these pictures help to see what I am so used to seeing. Many times I would pass something and then realize how weird that is and have to U-turn to take a picture. It's hard to take a picture of somethings as I feel like I'm exploiting the people in it. It's a hard balance to find for myself (as everyone is different).
I love my bike rides but I do not love riding by dogs. I've only had a few bark and half-chase me. I think I just look terrified and keep ringing my little bell (which makes a really cute sound that I doubt scares anything more than an ant away). I had a little incident yesterday where I was saved by some Thai man that I am forever indebted to. It's always the dog that lets you ride by with no problem and then 3 seconds later decides it wants to rip out your eyeballs. I am convinced that dog was going to do something vicious to me and that bell was not going to stop him. I had to jump of my bike to protect my legs and was ready to use my LA Rider as a weapon when this man comes out of his truck and starts yelling in Thai. I took that opportunity to book it out of that street and didn't look back when I saw the man pick up a stone. I don't know if I could have actually fended off the dog but my adrenaline was pumping so anything was possible. I'm happy I didn't have to figure it out. These crazy dogs! 1 in 6 months is pretty good though. There will always be one.
Loy Krathong in KK
http://drake.facebook.com/album.php?aid=31542&l=75e8c&id=512610984
Last night was Loy Krathong (translates to "float rafts") all across Thailand. According to the official website, "the floating of a ‘Krathong' – a banana–leaf cup – is intended to float away ill fortune as well as to express apologies to Khongkha or Ganga, the River Goddess." Don't ask me why floating things into the water says thank you to the water. I won't go into the effect the production of the festival probably had on the water we were all thanking since I did partake and can't go on disagreeing. And, of course, it's beautiful.
Joey, Jordan and I went to KKU to watch the parade and then see the festival. The parade was like all the other parades I have been to here but better because some of my students were in it! It was exciting to see them outside of the classroom. I took lots of pictures of all my students. It was fun to see some of them that I hadn't seen since last semester too. We met up with new friends, Nat and Sarah, and watched the parade go by. The most hilarious part was that the parade was walking from downtown KK to KKU. To get from downtown to the University you have to walk on a major highway. Instead of closing down the street for an hour or two they just ran traffic beside the parade. Also, the parade still had to abide by all traffic lights. As I took the sawngthaew to the University I was passing the parade. I can't imagine how tiring that was and how unlucky some people were since they weren't wearing shoes.
After the parade we walked around, checking out the stands of food, of clothes, of anything else you could want to buy. An addition to this festival was that lots of Faculties had their own booth to raise money. I had fun seeing students but luckily I wasn't stopped too often. Pinn couldn't walk 10 feet before another group of students wanted her to do the game in their booth. It was fun although we questioned if some of the games were even possible! I paid B20 to choose what Dentistry student I would throw water balloons at. I choose the most outspoken one who relishes in any extra attention. Maybe I feed into him so much but I knew he would love it and I like to make people happy! He is the same student who dressed up like Britney Spears (with a lace up camisole, fishnet stockings and high heels) for a presentation last semester. He brought the same risque attitude to the water balloon area! I would say most of my students do not treat me like a traditional Thai teacher and I like it that way.
It was a lot of fun to do a festival in KK as I think it's my first one. It's odd to think that I've always been out of town when something goes on here. Maybe that's why I missed my bus! Just to remind myself that KK is an interesting city too.
Last night was Loy Krathong (translates to "float rafts") all across Thailand. According to the official website, "the floating of a ‘Krathong' – a banana–leaf cup – is intended to float away ill fortune as well as to express apologies to Khongkha or Ganga, the River Goddess." Don't ask me why floating things into the water says thank you to the water. I won't go into the effect the production of the festival probably had on the water we were all thanking since I did partake and can't go on disagreeing. And, of course, it's beautiful.
Joey, Jordan and I went to KKU to watch the parade and then see the festival. The parade was like all the other parades I have been to here but better because some of my students were in it! It was exciting to see them outside of the classroom. I took lots of pictures of all my students. It was fun to see some of them that I hadn't seen since last semester too. We met up with new friends, Nat and Sarah, and watched the parade go by. The most hilarious part was that the parade was walking from downtown KK to KKU. To get from downtown to the University you have to walk on a major highway. Instead of closing down the street for an hour or two they just ran traffic beside the parade. Also, the parade still had to abide by all traffic lights. As I took the sawngthaew to the University I was passing the parade. I can't imagine how tiring that was and how unlucky some people were since they weren't wearing shoes.
After the parade we walked around, checking out the stands of food, of clothes, of anything else you could want to buy. An addition to this festival was that lots of Faculties had their own booth to raise money. I had fun seeing students but luckily I wasn't stopped too often. Pinn couldn't walk 10 feet before another group of students wanted her to do the game in their booth. It was fun although we questioned if some of the games were even possible! I paid B20 to choose what Dentistry student I would throw water balloons at. I choose the most outspoken one who relishes in any extra attention. Maybe I feed into him so much but I knew he would love it and I like to make people happy! He is the same student who dressed up like Britney Spears (with a lace up camisole, fishnet stockings and high heels) for a presentation last semester. He brought the same risque attitude to the water balloon area! I would say most of my students do not treat me like a traditional Thai teacher and I like it that way.
It was a lot of fun to do a festival in KK as I think it's my first one. It's odd to think that I've always been out of town when something goes on here. Maybe that's why I missed my bus! Just to remind myself that KK is an interesting city too.
Friday, November 23, 2007
Unhappy Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving Day in Thailand is just like any other day. I didn't see any turkeys or any decorations. Judging from some students who thought it was a religious holiday Thais just don't know what Thanksgiving is about. I talked about it in all of my classes but I didn't not mention the common believed myth of how it started (no mention of Christopher Columbus or his killing sprees). I talked about how it brings family together and we eat and give thanks. The students were interested and it went over really well.
That night I was going to Nan to visit friends and witness Loy Krathong there. Loy Krathong is a festival to honor the water goddess. I had bought my bus ticket the morning of Thanksgiving morning and unfortunately couldn't go to the Thanksgiving feast at the Sofitel because of the availability of the buses. No big deal, soon I'd be spending the weekend with friends. I arrived at the bus station at 7pm for my 7:30pm bus. Many buses are going in and out the exhaust fumes are very unpleasant. I didn't have anything to breathe into to block the scent so it was really an awful wait. I was waiting for the bus and I expected the destination to be written in English and the only bus without English I asked where it was going and they told me my bus would come "right there" (and pointed). Sounded good to me.
7:40....7:50....8:00 hmmm. Usually buses aren't late but I hadn't seen by bus yet so I wasn't too worried. I just wanted to get away from the smell and taste of exhaust. A Thai woman came up to me and that's when I got worried. She wanted to know where I was going and then told me I had missed my bus. What? I said with a forced smile. I have been right here since 7pm I said probably too sternly but still with a smile. I missed it and that was that. It must have been a bus with a different end destination. So that was that. I was really frustrated purely because it was Thanksgiving and I didn't get to see the Nan girls and by then I had missed the Sofitel dinner. With tears of frustration brimming in my eyes I said thank you and started toward home. I needed to walk off some steam as it's so hard to not be able to figure out what really happened. No money back or anything. They said they just didn't know what bus I was waiting for. It just sucked and I was feeling bad because it was a night when I should be spending it doing something! Holidays away from home can bring out emotions that aren't normally there. Also, feeling a little sick and then breathing in exhaust for an hour can really have an affect on your mood.
I came back home, popped some balloons leftover from the baby shower and did some emotional eating with Goldfish (Thanks Sarah and Jason!). So my Thanksgiving meal was....Fried Rice with a bedtime snack of Goldfish. Not really any different than a normal day...which is more truly Thanksgiving in Thailand. The good news is I get the day off from work, good thing since I truly don't feel well. Hopefully the next holiday will be better :)
I hope you all had a very good Thanksgiving with family and friends.
That night I was going to Nan to visit friends and witness Loy Krathong there. Loy Krathong is a festival to honor the water goddess. I had bought my bus ticket the morning of Thanksgiving morning and unfortunately couldn't go to the Thanksgiving feast at the Sofitel because of the availability of the buses. No big deal, soon I'd be spending the weekend with friends. I arrived at the bus station at 7pm for my 7:30pm bus. Many buses are going in and out the exhaust fumes are very unpleasant. I didn't have anything to breathe into to block the scent so it was really an awful wait. I was waiting for the bus and I expected the destination to be written in English and the only bus without English I asked where it was going and they told me my bus would come "right there" (and pointed). Sounded good to me.
7:40....7:50....8:00 hmmm. Usually buses aren't late but I hadn't seen by bus yet so I wasn't too worried. I just wanted to get away from the smell and taste of exhaust. A Thai woman came up to me and that's when I got worried. She wanted to know where I was going and then told me I had missed my bus. What? I said with a forced smile. I have been right here since 7pm I said probably too sternly but still with a smile. I missed it and that was that. It must have been a bus with a different end destination. So that was that. I was really frustrated purely because it was Thanksgiving and I didn't get to see the Nan girls and by then I had missed the Sofitel dinner. With tears of frustration brimming in my eyes I said thank you and started toward home. I needed to walk off some steam as it's so hard to not be able to figure out what really happened. No money back or anything. They said they just didn't know what bus I was waiting for. It just sucked and I was feeling bad because it was a night when I should be spending it doing something! Holidays away from home can bring out emotions that aren't normally there. Also, feeling a little sick and then breathing in exhaust for an hour can really have an affect on your mood.
I came back home, popped some balloons leftover from the baby shower and did some emotional eating with Goldfish (Thanks Sarah and Jason!). So my Thanksgiving meal was....Fried Rice with a bedtime snack of Goldfish. Not really any different than a normal day...which is more truly Thanksgiving in Thailand. The good news is I get the day off from work, good thing since I truly don't feel well. Hopefully the next holiday will be better :)
I hope you all had a very good Thanksgiving with family and friends.
Thursday, November 22, 2007
KK Pictures
http://drake.facebook.com/album.php?aid=31123&l=75f72&id=512610984
Pictures of bicycle rides around KK, a visit from the PiA boss and a baby shower we threw. We're bringing the tradition of baby showers to Thailand.
Happy Thanksgiving everyone. I'm thankful I have the opportunity to still stay connected to you even when I can't be home for this holiday.
Pictures of bicycle rides around KK, a visit from the PiA boss and a baby shower we threw. We're bringing the tradition of baby showers to Thailand.
Happy Thanksgiving everyone. I'm thankful I have the opportunity to still stay connected to you even when I can't be home for this holiday.
Wednesday, November 21, 2007
Vacation Time--10/13-10/26
So it’s been so long that I’m starting to forget! Oops. I’m thinking this entry will be much shorter than the last one as I just need to write it all down! But, some people haven’t even posted the pictures of our trip yet. A picture is worth a thousand words (hint, hint).
Saturday, 10/13
To save time, we flew to Mae Hong Son today. It was less than an hour flight and a beautiful flight at that. I plan to travel back that way and to take a bus through all the winding roads and mountains. It was so beautiful. We stayed in a little guesthouse off of a man-made lake that is surrounded by a market every night. We walked around the small town, tried new food (the crepes were mom and Dan’s favorite) and tried to figure out other things to do in town. Well, there wasn’t much. When tour books mostly talk about the treks that are led out of Mae Hong Son they are really saying that there isn’t much in town and it is just a great place to start a trek. Since we weren’t planning on trekking we didn’t have much to do. But the beauty was worth the trip as it’s just a small town in the middle of tall, green peaks. Mom and Dan also got another taste of Thai hospitality. Our guesthouse didn’t have a bed for three people so they brought in blankets and mats for Dan to sleep on. Of course, Dan didn’t seem that impressed but I am always happy when they go out of their way to make things work. Maybe I would have felt differently if I was sleeping on the floor (concrete floor as Dan would say for the rest of the trip). Definitely one of those “this is all about the experience of Thailand” times. How many times do you think I can legitimately say that? Probably not as many times as I did say it!
Sunday, 10/14
Today we hiked up to a wat on a big hill just north of the town. It always feels good to hike when you see other people just taking vans to the top. It always feels hilarious when you are “hiking” on a road though. But it was good exercise and we felt like we had accomplished something. Dan even used it to work out his calves and went down the hill on his tippy toes! Mom and I tried, emphasis on tried. It was very scenic to look out over the town and the surrounding mountains. A great early morning activity.
Then we got to the bus station to take a bus to Pai (said “bye”). I’ve never had an issue getting a bus so I wasn’t too concerned about how early we were there. Well, I jinxed myself. We get there and there aren’t any buses. They are all full for the day except for the really late one which we didn’t want to take. Part of the reason to take a bus from Mae Hong Son to Pai was to see the scenery. So the heat and the annoyance of this weren’t working so well with us. I’m sure it didn’t help that I was like, “oh, I’m sure it will work out”. And it did end up working out. Not really how we expected. There was so many people that needed to get to Pai that they decided to charter a Sawngtaew—and guess who got to go on it! Well, not just us. We were one of maybe 25 people. Now you all know a sawngtaew is just a converted pick up truck with some seats and a roof. There are enough seats for 12 people. We started piling in. Just when it seemed like we couldn’t any more, we had to. People were on the top of the roof (about 7 military boys), hanging onto the back, and sitting in the aisles and on luggage. Dan even decided that hanging onto the back was more comfortable and he could see more. I always made sure I could see part of his pants leg…just to make sure! The most hilarious part was that our driver continued to stop for people on the road. It was insane how many people we fit on there. You have to see the pictures because I can’t even describe how it worked! My mom’s favorite part was stopping off at the driver’s home and picking up some bamboo that we had to stuff under our legs. No hurry, no problems---so Thai!
It was quite an adventure and it then ended up being one of the most memorable few hours of our trip. We met a couple from France who had just finished a three day trek so we got to hear all about their adventures. Then I got to practice my Thai and English with a high school girl who’s English was pretty good (meaning, we could communicate a little bit but it takes a lot to have the courage to say something to a farang). It was fantastic and beat taking a bus any day. Sometimes the experience is better than anything else. Actually, almost always that is true for me. I mean, we didn’t get to see as much of the scenery but mai pen rai…we had such a great time talking to people and freaking out that we were actually doing this!
We got into Pai and took motorcycle taxis up to this hotel that is a little bit out of town. It was a great place to stay. Pai is known for is music and art scene but we liked the place we stayed so much we ended up never staying out late to catch the music! Some of the best times of a trip are when you end up doing very little.
Monday-Wednesday, 10/15-17
Pai was a great little town but even though it was the low season, I would say there were more farangs than Thais. Talk about shock to your system. They were everywhere! But one farang ended up being Kirsten, a PiA fellow in Nan, and her mother! It was exciting to hear my name through the street and turn and see Kirsten. Unfortunately, they were leaving that morning but mom and I got to catch up with them before they left. Small world. They introduced us to this amazing Muslim Bakery where we got this Cinnamon Butter Cake every day. On that note, the food was great. Excellent pizza, I got to have falafel and other delicious treats. We found our favorite place for food (which had free Internet if you ate there) and we got food there 3 times I think. We are a family of routine I guess. Or more true, if we find something we all like we don’t feel the need to change it.
We got Thai massages which I loved. I felt so flexible afterwards and good amount of soreness at Thai massages are intense. It’s like active yoga with big women pushing your body in ways you didn’t think it could go. And in ours, you can only imagine Mom saying “ow ow ow” as a reaction to many of the stretches. I had to try my hardest to keep from laughing. It definitely required some practiced breathing through many of the “massage poses”.
We eventually rented motorbikes and toured around a bit. I was too slow of a driver for Dan but I think part of driving is taking in the scenery. The area around Pai is really beautiful. That night we ate at this packed Thai place and Dan ended up getting food poisoning! So that was the end of Thai food for Dan. It sucked for him but luckily he had time to rest that day.
Wednesday morning Mom and I got on a motorbike and started to follow signs to a waterfall. It ended up being so beautiful and we were so happy to sacrifice some sleep to see that. Sometimes everything isn’t in a guide book. It was too bad Dan didn’t feel well so he didn’t come as it was one of the most beautiful adventures. We really liked this bustling town in the mountains. It had character which a lot of Thai cities don’t have (in my opinion).
After lunch we boarded a minivan to Chiang Mai as we were flying out to Southern Thailand the next morning. We almost didn’t get transportation to Chiang Mai as, again, things were booked up! What’s with that! But, they added another buss and we jumped at the chance. I’m still a firm believer that everything works out, even if it causes some anxiety.
Thurday-Sunday, 10/18-21
Early morning flight to Bangkok with a connecting flight to Krabi. Well, not exactly. Good old Air Asia may be the cheapest, so we shouldn’t expect to be accommodated, BUT we thought they would check our luggage all the way through to Krabi. Not at all. We had to pick up our bags in the international airport and of course, missed our flight to Krabi. I guess we were supposed to allow at least 2 hours in between connecting flights but we didn’t see any warnings about it! It was unfortunate and annoying but at least it still is “cheap” to pay in dollars. We had to buy all new tickets and hang out in the Suvarnbhumi Airport for several hours. A total backfire of our extra day on the beach. We didn’t really have a choice and we definitely learned our lesson. We got their eventually and that’s what matters.
So we flew from BKK to Krabi, took a van to the sea and drove through the limestone cliffs that jut out in that province, then boarded a longtail boat to Railay Beach which is not an island but the cliffs make it so you can’t get there by land, then took a tractor from the boat to the beach and finally walked a few minutes to our hotel. Phew! Lots of modes of transportation. The limestone cliffs are amazing and I haven’t seen anything like them before. Everything thing was so green so the rainy season did have an upside.
We spent 3 nights on Railay Beach. There were good and bad things. The beach was very pretty since the end of the beach is marked by towering cliffs. Very picturesque. Unfortunately, it was cloudy most days and usually rained in the last afternoon. Our hotel had a diving board with their pool so we had lots of fun with that. It was like visiting my Uncle and Aunt in Tennessee and playing on their diving board! We had competitions (because we are a competitive family, we have to know how can dive the best!) and we read when Dan would let us! The South is soooo expensive compared to everywhere else in Thailand. Especially here as there are only so many options of places to eat. Meals were still just around $5 but when we’ve been spending $2-3 it really seems expensive.
The highlight was finding Phra Nang Beach which is this amazing beach with a cave on one side. The limestone cliffs are enormous and hang over the water at one point. The pictures hopefully do it some justice as I don’t have a way with words when it comes to describing places. We climbed into the caves and felt proud of ourselves for getting all the way to the other side. It wasn’t that difficult but I don’t think most people would want to do it.
After 3 nights we were ready to move on as it’s really just a place to lie on the beach (but it wasn’t sunny) or go rock climbing. So our next stop was Ao Nang beach. It has more of a town so we hoped there would be more to do.
Sunday Night-Thursday, 10/21-25
Ao Nang was a very happening town and again, I can’t imagine being there during the high season as there were so many farang. Mostly Europeans though. If the U.S. had vacation time like they do then maybe others would have been there. It was a small town with lots of places to eat and lots of shops. There are two beaches and we stayed in the middle of both of them.
We rented motorbikes again and decided to take them south toward Ko Lanta. It ended up being one of the worst experiences on a motorbike. The whole drive was on a highway. As if that wasn’t bad enough, it was windy and they were doing construction on the highway. So, there we were on the shoulder with cars zooming past us and a couple foot drop off on the other side of us. It really was not enjoyable at all. When we finally got to some nature things they all charged money to get in. I can’t believe anything can be that pretty with so many other tour groups there too. We decided to waste our time and money with over-crowded tourist destinations. I think I’m getting spoiled with traveling and so it makes it hard to pay money to do much of anything! We did spend money on pedicures and it was a very nice way to pamper ourselves.
Thursday we headed back up to Bangkok. First we had to take a 3 hour bus to get to Surat Thani, where we were gong to take an overnight train. And that’s where I made a huge mistake! I forgot you could book a train in advance so the train was full. Some of us were not happy campers. Luckily, we ended up getting on a bus—an overnight one which Mom said she would NEVER take again! We even had to sit riding backwards and sit next to an old American man with his young Thai girlfriend of the week. It was awful to listen to their conversation (if you call broken English a conversation). We did make it back to Bangkok and then went to pick up bags at my friend’s house. Then off to our hotel where we just sort of sat around and slept a little as none of us had really slept the night before. It was easy to lay around since this hotel upgraded our room as we stayed there our first night in Bangkok too. And quickly it was time to sleep and then at 3am Mom and Dan had to leave for the airport. It was probably an easier goodbye since we were all half asleep. As quickly as they were here they were gone and I was on my way back to Khon Kaen to start teaching.
It now feels like a dream but it’s so good that they were able to come and to understand what I’m talking about now. I think they see why I like it here which makes it easier for me to make my decision for next year. There is something special in being able to share this country with family. There are so many things I forget to say or don’t even notice and after 3 weeks I think they had heard or seen most of my observations. It’s really hard to explain the things I experience every day when most people have little information to base my life off of, but now Mom and Dan do and it really means a lot that they were able to come. Who’s next?
Saturday, 10/13
To save time, we flew to Mae Hong Son today. It was less than an hour flight and a beautiful flight at that. I plan to travel back that way and to take a bus through all the winding roads and mountains. It was so beautiful. We stayed in a little guesthouse off of a man-made lake that is surrounded by a market every night. We walked around the small town, tried new food (the crepes were mom and Dan’s favorite) and tried to figure out other things to do in town. Well, there wasn’t much. When tour books mostly talk about the treks that are led out of Mae Hong Son they are really saying that there isn’t much in town and it is just a great place to start a trek. Since we weren’t planning on trekking we didn’t have much to do. But the beauty was worth the trip as it’s just a small town in the middle of tall, green peaks. Mom and Dan also got another taste of Thai hospitality. Our guesthouse didn’t have a bed for three people so they brought in blankets and mats for Dan to sleep on. Of course, Dan didn’t seem that impressed but I am always happy when they go out of their way to make things work. Maybe I would have felt differently if I was sleeping on the floor (concrete floor as Dan would say for the rest of the trip). Definitely one of those “this is all about the experience of Thailand” times. How many times do you think I can legitimately say that? Probably not as many times as I did say it!
Sunday, 10/14
Today we hiked up to a wat on a big hill just north of the town. It always feels good to hike when you see other people just taking vans to the top. It always feels hilarious when you are “hiking” on a road though. But it was good exercise and we felt like we had accomplished something. Dan even used it to work out his calves and went down the hill on his tippy toes! Mom and I tried, emphasis on tried. It was very scenic to look out over the town and the surrounding mountains. A great early morning activity.
Then we got to the bus station to take a bus to Pai (said “bye”). I’ve never had an issue getting a bus so I wasn’t too concerned about how early we were there. Well, I jinxed myself. We get there and there aren’t any buses. They are all full for the day except for the really late one which we didn’t want to take. Part of the reason to take a bus from Mae Hong Son to Pai was to see the scenery. So the heat and the annoyance of this weren’t working so well with us. I’m sure it didn’t help that I was like, “oh, I’m sure it will work out”. And it did end up working out. Not really how we expected. There was so many people that needed to get to Pai that they decided to charter a Sawngtaew—and guess who got to go on it! Well, not just us. We were one of maybe 25 people. Now you all know a sawngtaew is just a converted pick up truck with some seats and a roof. There are enough seats for 12 people. We started piling in. Just when it seemed like we couldn’t any more, we had to. People were on the top of the roof (about 7 military boys), hanging onto the back, and sitting in the aisles and on luggage. Dan even decided that hanging onto the back was more comfortable and he could see more. I always made sure I could see part of his pants leg…just to make sure! The most hilarious part was that our driver continued to stop for people on the road. It was insane how many people we fit on there. You have to see the pictures because I can’t even describe how it worked! My mom’s favorite part was stopping off at the driver’s home and picking up some bamboo that we had to stuff under our legs. No hurry, no problems---so Thai!
It was quite an adventure and it then ended up being one of the most memorable few hours of our trip. We met a couple from France who had just finished a three day trek so we got to hear all about their adventures. Then I got to practice my Thai and English with a high school girl who’s English was pretty good (meaning, we could communicate a little bit but it takes a lot to have the courage to say something to a farang). It was fantastic and beat taking a bus any day. Sometimes the experience is better than anything else. Actually, almost always that is true for me. I mean, we didn’t get to see as much of the scenery but mai pen rai…we had such a great time talking to people and freaking out that we were actually doing this!
We got into Pai and took motorcycle taxis up to this hotel that is a little bit out of town. It was a great place to stay. Pai is known for is music and art scene but we liked the place we stayed so much we ended up never staying out late to catch the music! Some of the best times of a trip are when you end up doing very little.
Monday-Wednesday, 10/15-17
Pai was a great little town but even though it was the low season, I would say there were more farangs than Thais. Talk about shock to your system. They were everywhere! But one farang ended up being Kirsten, a PiA fellow in Nan, and her mother! It was exciting to hear my name through the street and turn and see Kirsten. Unfortunately, they were leaving that morning but mom and I got to catch up with them before they left. Small world. They introduced us to this amazing Muslim Bakery where we got this Cinnamon Butter Cake every day. On that note, the food was great. Excellent pizza, I got to have falafel and other delicious treats. We found our favorite place for food (which had free Internet if you ate there) and we got food there 3 times I think. We are a family of routine I guess. Or more true, if we find something we all like we don’t feel the need to change it.
We got Thai massages which I loved. I felt so flexible afterwards and good amount of soreness at Thai massages are intense. It’s like active yoga with big women pushing your body in ways you didn’t think it could go. And in ours, you can only imagine Mom saying “ow ow ow” as a reaction to many of the stretches. I had to try my hardest to keep from laughing. It definitely required some practiced breathing through many of the “massage poses”.
We eventually rented motorbikes and toured around a bit. I was too slow of a driver for Dan but I think part of driving is taking in the scenery. The area around Pai is really beautiful. That night we ate at this packed Thai place and Dan ended up getting food poisoning! So that was the end of Thai food for Dan. It sucked for him but luckily he had time to rest that day.
Wednesday morning Mom and I got on a motorbike and started to follow signs to a waterfall. It ended up being so beautiful and we were so happy to sacrifice some sleep to see that. Sometimes everything isn’t in a guide book. It was too bad Dan didn’t feel well so he didn’t come as it was one of the most beautiful adventures. We really liked this bustling town in the mountains. It had character which a lot of Thai cities don’t have (in my opinion).
After lunch we boarded a minivan to Chiang Mai as we were flying out to Southern Thailand the next morning. We almost didn’t get transportation to Chiang Mai as, again, things were booked up! What’s with that! But, they added another buss and we jumped at the chance. I’m still a firm believer that everything works out, even if it causes some anxiety.
Thurday-Sunday, 10/18-21
Early morning flight to Bangkok with a connecting flight to Krabi. Well, not exactly. Good old Air Asia may be the cheapest, so we shouldn’t expect to be accommodated, BUT we thought they would check our luggage all the way through to Krabi. Not at all. We had to pick up our bags in the international airport and of course, missed our flight to Krabi. I guess we were supposed to allow at least 2 hours in between connecting flights but we didn’t see any warnings about it! It was unfortunate and annoying but at least it still is “cheap” to pay in dollars. We had to buy all new tickets and hang out in the Suvarnbhumi Airport for several hours. A total backfire of our extra day on the beach. We didn’t really have a choice and we definitely learned our lesson. We got their eventually and that’s what matters.
So we flew from BKK to Krabi, took a van to the sea and drove through the limestone cliffs that jut out in that province, then boarded a longtail boat to Railay Beach which is not an island but the cliffs make it so you can’t get there by land, then took a tractor from the boat to the beach and finally walked a few minutes to our hotel. Phew! Lots of modes of transportation. The limestone cliffs are amazing and I haven’t seen anything like them before. Everything thing was so green so the rainy season did have an upside.
We spent 3 nights on Railay Beach. There were good and bad things. The beach was very pretty since the end of the beach is marked by towering cliffs. Very picturesque. Unfortunately, it was cloudy most days and usually rained in the last afternoon. Our hotel had a diving board with their pool so we had lots of fun with that. It was like visiting my Uncle and Aunt in Tennessee and playing on their diving board! We had competitions (because we are a competitive family, we have to know how can dive the best!) and we read when Dan would let us! The South is soooo expensive compared to everywhere else in Thailand. Especially here as there are only so many options of places to eat. Meals were still just around $5 but when we’ve been spending $2-3 it really seems expensive.
The highlight was finding Phra Nang Beach which is this amazing beach with a cave on one side. The limestone cliffs are enormous and hang over the water at one point. The pictures hopefully do it some justice as I don’t have a way with words when it comes to describing places. We climbed into the caves and felt proud of ourselves for getting all the way to the other side. It wasn’t that difficult but I don’t think most people would want to do it.
After 3 nights we were ready to move on as it’s really just a place to lie on the beach (but it wasn’t sunny) or go rock climbing. So our next stop was Ao Nang beach. It has more of a town so we hoped there would be more to do.
Sunday Night-Thursday, 10/21-25
Ao Nang was a very happening town and again, I can’t imagine being there during the high season as there were so many farang. Mostly Europeans though. If the U.S. had vacation time like they do then maybe others would have been there. It was a small town with lots of places to eat and lots of shops. There are two beaches and we stayed in the middle of both of them.
We rented motorbikes again and decided to take them south toward Ko Lanta. It ended up being one of the worst experiences on a motorbike. The whole drive was on a highway. As if that wasn’t bad enough, it was windy and they were doing construction on the highway. So, there we were on the shoulder with cars zooming past us and a couple foot drop off on the other side of us. It really was not enjoyable at all. When we finally got to some nature things they all charged money to get in. I can’t believe anything can be that pretty with so many other tour groups there too. We decided to waste our time and money with over-crowded tourist destinations. I think I’m getting spoiled with traveling and so it makes it hard to pay money to do much of anything! We did spend money on pedicures and it was a very nice way to pamper ourselves.
Thursday we headed back up to Bangkok. First we had to take a 3 hour bus to get to Surat Thani, where we were gong to take an overnight train. And that’s where I made a huge mistake! I forgot you could book a train in advance so the train was full. Some of us were not happy campers. Luckily, we ended up getting on a bus—an overnight one which Mom said she would NEVER take again! We even had to sit riding backwards and sit next to an old American man with his young Thai girlfriend of the week. It was awful to listen to their conversation (if you call broken English a conversation). We did make it back to Bangkok and then went to pick up bags at my friend’s house. Then off to our hotel where we just sort of sat around and slept a little as none of us had really slept the night before. It was easy to lay around since this hotel upgraded our room as we stayed there our first night in Bangkok too. And quickly it was time to sleep and then at 3am Mom and Dan had to leave for the airport. It was probably an easier goodbye since we were all half asleep. As quickly as they were here they were gone and I was on my way back to Khon Kaen to start teaching.
It now feels like a dream but it’s so good that they were able to come and to understand what I’m talking about now. I think they see why I like it here which makes it easier for me to make my decision for next year. There is something special in being able to share this country with family. There are so many things I forget to say or don’t even notice and after 3 weeks I think they had heard or seen most of my observations. It’s really hard to explain the things I experience every day when most people have little information to base my life off of, but now Mom and Dan do and it really means a lot that they were able to come. Who’s next?
Tuesday, November 20, 2007
Debate Team in Bangkok
This past weekend I headed down for a free weekend in Bangkok. Are the best things in life free? Possibly. I had a great time having some work but mostly playing. The debate team at KKU (which is all in English and run by John) had a competition in Bangkok. I haven’t really enjoyed my time at debate meetings as I’m not much of a debater. I figured it would be a good experience and also there was something of PiA reunion in Bangkok. I can do almost anything if there is a light at the end of the tunnel. So Friday morning Liz, Kian (teacher at KKU Language Institute) and I headed down in a van with 10 KKU students. Liz, Kian and I were in a van with 2 3rd year students. These two girls were fantastic and the 5 of us talked for the 6 hour ride to Bangkok. The Thai students did sleep for awhile as what trip would have a Thai stay awake for the whole travel time! We had some interesting conversations and learned a lot about each other.
That night the three chaperones/judges/adjudicators left our team to enjoy a fancy PiA dinner hosted by our directors who are out visiting from Princeton. It was a dinner with current PiAers, PiA alumni still in Thailand and also friends of PiA. It was great to meet some new people and catch up with people I haven’t seen much since orientation. We eventually made our way to a bar in Bangkok that ended up being SO much fun! It was full of farang which put me off at first but the cover band played all the right songs and their Thai accents were perfectly English. We danced the night away and I went to bed thinking of how early I had to get up the next morning.
A few hours later the debate team was up and at ‘em. Although Liz, Kian and I were supposed to be adjudicators for the debate we ended up missing the training. How did we miss the training? Well, when the schedule for the weekend was released Friday morning we were in the van. When they planned for the adjudicator training to be Friday at 3pm it was impossible for us to get to Bangkok in time! Mai ben rai I guess. No big deal though as then we had more time to do our own thing and help out the debate team. Guess again. They decided it wasn’t a big deal that we missed the 2 HOUR training and we could still train as adjudicators. Well, at least Liz and I were trainees-which means we watched debates and judged them but our scores didn’t count! Terrible waste of time if you’re not serious about debate!-but for some reason Kian was an actual adjudicator. Kian must have done this before, right? Wrong! He hadn’t debated or anything before. Was it because I wrote his name sloppily as Kran and they thought he was Thai? Maybe. Was it because someone said he would do a good job? Unlikely. Was it because he is male and we are female? I think so. Completely unfair, especially knowing that Liz has done debate before! Kian said he didn’t know what to do but they didn’t care. They decided to tell him 2 hours worth of information in 5 minutes. Needless to say, the next round he was bumped down to trainee with us It was interesting to witness debates but it’s hard to judge them. Many times it comes down to technical things which is hard to judge if you don’t know what they are. Our students would say that they died gracefully. I would say they were getting some experience as a lot of them had never debated before. And also, the other teams practice A LOT (14 hours a week we hear) and our team practices 3 hours a week (if they go to practice). A learning experience is better than nothing and I’m proud of them for doing it as I don’t think I would even have the courage to do it (shhhh don’t tell them though).
That night I hung out with some students from the team as we splurged on some Western food in an Irish Pub. The next morning I decided I had had enough trainee stuff and I just wanted to be an observer. I ended up watching all of our teams and I was able to give them tips on public speaking. As I don’t know much about actual debate all I could do was tell them how to keep from fidgeting or how to seem like you know what you’re talking about. See, I learned things in college. It ended up working as our Team 3 (rank ordered) beat Team 2! Team 3 had never debated before and so they were like sponges with the suggestions I gave them. It made a huge difference and they flourished in their next debate. I felt so proud of them. I hadn’t seen Team 2 before so I couldn’t give them advice until after that debate. Team 1 eventually won 2 debates which is great but unfortunately none of our teams made it to the quarterfinals. For us that was good news as some of us needed to travel back to KK and now we could leave earlier. As I’m leaving one of the debate coordinators comes running out to me. Get this, Liz and I had to seriously adjudicate! I tried to explain that I didn’t want to, that I hadn’t had the training but they didn’t care. As there is a head adjudicator in each team, I don’t know why it matters if they have us on a panel with them. Their decision is what matters! And of course Kian doesn’t have to do this one and he gets to go back and sleep! Unfair!! But it was a good debate and really interesting to see.
We ended up only having a little bit of time to get ready for this dinner cruise on the Chao Praya River because of it though. We decided we wanted to do the fancy cruise (normally 1500 B, I make that much money in 5 hours of teaching) and take and overnight bus back to KK. It was worth it and beautiful evening and delicious food (spaghetti and bread!). The 8 of us who stayed for the dinner headed back to KK at about 1:45 am, and lucky me got to teach on only 2 hours of sleep! But it was good as I spent most of the bus ride talking to one of the debaters who is a Master’s degree student and a part time English teacher. It was all worth the tiredness I am still feeling even though I’m struggling to hide my lack of energy from my students. It happens though and all of a sudden I feel more invested in the students on debate. It was a really fun time and hopefully I can continue to be of some help to them.
That night the three chaperones/judges/adjudicators left our team to enjoy a fancy PiA dinner hosted by our directors who are out visiting from Princeton. It was a dinner with current PiAers, PiA alumni still in Thailand and also friends of PiA. It was great to meet some new people and catch up with people I haven’t seen much since orientation. We eventually made our way to a bar in Bangkok that ended up being SO much fun! It was full of farang which put me off at first but the cover band played all the right songs and their Thai accents were perfectly English. We danced the night away and I went to bed thinking of how early I had to get up the next morning.
A few hours later the debate team was up and at ‘em. Although Liz, Kian and I were supposed to be adjudicators for the debate we ended up missing the training. How did we miss the training? Well, when the schedule for the weekend was released Friday morning we were in the van. When they planned for the adjudicator training to be Friday at 3pm it was impossible for us to get to Bangkok in time! Mai ben rai I guess. No big deal though as then we had more time to do our own thing and help out the debate team. Guess again. They decided it wasn’t a big deal that we missed the 2 HOUR training and we could still train as adjudicators. Well, at least Liz and I were trainees-which means we watched debates and judged them but our scores didn’t count! Terrible waste of time if you’re not serious about debate!-but for some reason Kian was an actual adjudicator. Kian must have done this before, right? Wrong! He hadn’t debated or anything before. Was it because I wrote his name sloppily as Kran and they thought he was Thai? Maybe. Was it because someone said he would do a good job? Unlikely. Was it because he is male and we are female? I think so. Completely unfair, especially knowing that Liz has done debate before! Kian said he didn’t know what to do but they didn’t care. They decided to tell him 2 hours worth of information in 5 minutes. Needless to say, the next round he was bumped down to trainee with us It was interesting to witness debates but it’s hard to judge them. Many times it comes down to technical things which is hard to judge if you don’t know what they are. Our students would say that they died gracefully. I would say they were getting some experience as a lot of them had never debated before. And also, the other teams practice A LOT (14 hours a week we hear) and our team practices 3 hours a week (if they go to practice). A learning experience is better than nothing and I’m proud of them for doing it as I don’t think I would even have the courage to do it (shhhh don’t tell them though).
That night I hung out with some students from the team as we splurged on some Western food in an Irish Pub. The next morning I decided I had had enough trainee stuff and I just wanted to be an observer. I ended up watching all of our teams and I was able to give them tips on public speaking. As I don’t know much about actual debate all I could do was tell them how to keep from fidgeting or how to seem like you know what you’re talking about. See, I learned things in college. It ended up working as our Team 3 (rank ordered) beat Team 2! Team 3 had never debated before and so they were like sponges with the suggestions I gave them. It made a huge difference and they flourished in their next debate. I felt so proud of them. I hadn’t seen Team 2 before so I couldn’t give them advice until after that debate. Team 1 eventually won 2 debates which is great but unfortunately none of our teams made it to the quarterfinals. For us that was good news as some of us needed to travel back to KK and now we could leave earlier. As I’m leaving one of the debate coordinators comes running out to me. Get this, Liz and I had to seriously adjudicate! I tried to explain that I didn’t want to, that I hadn’t had the training but they didn’t care. As there is a head adjudicator in each team, I don’t know why it matters if they have us on a panel with them. Their decision is what matters! And of course Kian doesn’t have to do this one and he gets to go back and sleep! Unfair!! But it was a good debate and really interesting to see.
We ended up only having a little bit of time to get ready for this dinner cruise on the Chao Praya River because of it though. We decided we wanted to do the fancy cruise (normally 1500 B, I make that much money in 5 hours of teaching) and take and overnight bus back to KK. It was worth it and beautiful evening and delicious food (spaghetti and bread!). The 8 of us who stayed for the dinner headed back to KK at about 1:45 am, and lucky me got to teach on only 2 hours of sleep! But it was good as I spent most of the bus ride talking to one of the debaters who is a Master’s degree student and a part time English teacher. It was all worth the tiredness I am still feeling even though I’m struggling to hide my lack of energy from my students. It happens though and all of a sudden I feel more invested in the students on debate. It was a really fun time and hopefully I can continue to be of some help to them.
Monday, November 5, 2007
King's 80th Birthday
The King is very revered in Thailand. There are pictures of him EVERYWHERE. I mean everywhere too, as billboards, on shirts, on money, in people's homes, etc. It's probably the most prevalent advertising I have ever experienced. Thais love their King and this year is his 80th Birthday. Of course, Dec. 5th is a national holiday but it doesn't stop there. A party will ensue and I guess it has already started!
http://travel.nytimes.com/2007/10/21/travel/21journeys.html
http://travel.nytimes.com/2007/10/21/travel/21journeys.html
Thursday, November 1, 2007
Vacation Time--10/5-10/12
School is back in session. I like my schedule and it seems like I have more advanced classes. I was nervous because now they will know what I am saying but I think it will be good. I will write about my classes soon but first I need to update the three weeks of travel with my mom and brother. I didn’t journal while vacationing so I don’t remember most dates so bear with my re-creation of our trip.
Friday, 10/5
Mom arrived in the morning and Dan arrived at midnight the same day. We stayed near the airport so Mom could just sleep and I could easily pick up Dan in the evening. It was surreal to have Mom walk up in the airport…like with anything, it feels like the 4 months apart never happened. It was so normal! She traveled from South Africa (which is why Dan flew on his own) so she didn’t have much jetlag. Just normal tiredness from traveling for awhile. She had her FIRST EVER Thai dinner that night at our hotel. Pad See-u (fat egg noodles with a brown gravy). She liked it (phew! Weight off my shoulders!).
Dan had some trouble with the Thai immigration as he didn’t know where I lived. After a few minutes of questioning they let him go by taking his U.S. cell phone number. It’s all about formalities here…make a big deal out of it but in the end just taking some random phone number. That may play into the ongoing pedophile search in Thailand—being so relaxed can lead to serious problems but I guess if they weren’t so relaxed I don’t think I would have a job. Luckily for Dan, things are still relaxed and we found each other eventually!
Saturday, 10/6
Late check out and then off to BKK for the next couple of days. We stayed at this unique hotel north of Khao San Road (major backpacker area and also near all of the sites of BKK). The hotel tries to run itself in the most sustainable way possible which is why I chose to stay there. The design was beautiful and it was tucked away from the busy streets of BKK—but the beds were some serious Thai mattresses. A Thai mattress just means it is hard, like really hard. Good for your back? Maybe, but I don’t think Mom wanted to find out! We checked out Khao San Road on a Saturday night which is crazy even in the low season. It’s known as the best people-watching place as there are so many different kinds of people. I would say my mom’s favorite part was a concrete truck driving down the road (keep in mind there’s barely room for people to walk without bumping into each other)! Going forward was one thing but really…did it need to back up into crowds of people? Luckily, there were no casualties. We got dinner with other PiAers who were in BKK. Dan fell asleep at the table—I can’t believe the conversation wasn’t exciting enough to overcome his jetlag J It’s always fun to meet up with people from all over Thailand in BKK.
Sunday, 10/7
It was quickly decided that no one liked BKK so we packed up our stuff and headed to KK a day early. BKK is great for some reasons but sometimes the negatives are too much. The constant traffic, the pollution, the inadequate transportation in parts of the city, and I would say for Dan and Mom it was just too overwhelming in the first couple of days. There’s so much going on that you end up not taking in anything. I was fine to get out of there as I didn’t need any Western fix!
We bussed ourselves to KK after leaving some bags with my friend Chris in BKK (thank you as always!). We tried to pack as light as possible but I think you always want to pack even lighter when you realized you actually have to carry your bags sometimes. Mom and Dan loved the double-decker bus to KK where we got to sit in the front of the 2nd level. A bus ride in the daytime is a good way to get a feel for the area.
When we arrived in KK I got that excited “returning home” feeling. But I would get that when I would arrive in Des Moines too…what is that!? I don’t think most people get that after only a few months. But it is the most familiar thing to me in Thailand. We got to stay at our house as Jordan and Joey were already off to Krabi for a rock climbing vacation. The cockroaches were waiting for us J My mom thinks the cockroaches are bigger than she’s seen in the U.S.! To me, they look like the same size as the couple we had in DC last summer. Maybe my definition of cockroach size is much bigger because of the places I live—this definitely influences my disgust with them. The cockroaches didn’t know what they were in for as we were armed with imported cockroach traps. We put them out and hoped the cockroaches would be able to fit through the eating holes so they could eat the poison. Joey and Jordan have since witnessed them squeezing into the holes and eating-which is maybe more disturbing that they can squeeze into something less than half the size of their body, yuck! Dan was asleep early and Mom and I figured out she has possibly seen every episode of Sex and the City before going to bed!
Monday, 10/8
Woke up to do some serious laundering of dirty clothes for all of us. We then walked around my part of town and Mom and Dan proceeded to meet every dog or cat we passed. I realized I’ve become immune to seeing animals constantly. I still greet some but not nearly as much as they did! We made friends with a women who owns a little bakery and we played with her dog. When we walked out with our Thai baked goods (which were actually good and tasted like chocolate) my mom couldn’t believe that the woman would survive on the income from that tiny store. I don’t know either but most people seem to have a set up like that and are doing ok. I think it helps that their house is usually attached. As my mom said and I agree, Thais are really hard workers. Think, people who work at markets travel from their homes, to a city center with all of their items, then set up the stand, put all the items out, after hours of sitting in the sun or under an umbrella they take it all apart and travel back home. EVERY DAY! It’s just so different from what I’ve always thought work is.
Then off to KKU to check emails and meet my co-workers who were still administering final exams (being a PiAer is totally unfair but it’s so nice to be able to travel when others still have to work—the downside is I am paid less, but I’ll take vacation time any day).
We got dinner at the veggie place on campus and then walked around the campus night market. I had never really been to this night market as I figured nothing was vegetarian but I was wrong. I’m super happy I got to see it and we got to try different things. Our dinner at the veggie place was pretty spicy for them…oops! I thought my mom was going to choke right there on our couch. I guess my taste buds have adjusted more than I thought. It was spicy to me but that’s what made it yummy!
Tuesday, 10/9
Back to KKU for a printer and Internet where I figured out how hard it is to get a tourist visa to Vietnam. Why does it all have to be so difficult! Of course, I figured this out after we purchased our bus tickets to Chiang Mai for that night and the only Vietnamese Embassy in Thailand is in KK and BKK. Unfortunate but we thought the hassle of getting the visa would outweigh the few days we would get there. So Vietnam was nixed and we thought ending the trip in southern Thailand would be even more beautiful.
I received my birthday present-a bicycle! So I can now bike to things that are close by. I’ve decided not to get a motorbike as I don’t think I NEED it. There is public transportation and I should use it-even if it take 3 times the amount of time as a motorbike. I got all the time in the world here…even if it means I have to wake up early. So I’m pumped about my cute, 50s style bicycle with a basket and a back seat for passengers! We splurged for the most expensive one in hopes that it will be the best. (Progress on the bicycle—Joey has been riding it to work and it takes about the same time as a motorbike, priceless! But the handlebars are awkward and the brakes are iffy. I rode the bike home from downtown KK and couldn’t help laughing out loud at myself riding alongside motorbikes with my blue Doremon decorated helmet. What a site to see…as if I don’t get looked at enough!).
We got to walk through a true market on the way back to my house (the bus to Chiang Mai left at 9pm-yay for overnights, maybe). Sometimes big markets just pop in KK. Maybe other people know it’s coming but I never do. All of a sudden I am riding the sawng thaew home and we detour to this tented community that is blocking a road. It’s lovely (not physically but just that there is something different every so often) but seems so random to me. My mom had her favorite food there—a waffle with maple! She tried new things but I think my mom just really likes her tried and true foods. I made my brother try new things but after the whole trip I think there is just no topping pizza for them. They loved The Pizza Company pizza (something just like Pizza Hut). Haha, Thai food is not for everyone and I do admit I love pizza too. Years of frozen pizza didn’t turn me off the way it truly should have.
Overnight Bus to Chiang Mai
The worst overnight bus I have EVER taken! This was no VIP although it was still air conditioned thankfully. The bus itself was not bad but my mom and I got the worst seats. What defines the worst seats…not being able to recline! Imagine sitting straight up and down for 11 hours while the people in front of you reclined their seats so you could see the tops of their heads. Imagine if you were bigger than we were! Thailand is not made for big or even average sized Americans. It was far from pleasant and sleep was very minimal. Mom got to use her first Thai toilet but she didn’t face the door. She claims there was no splashing. I don’t think she liked it.
Wednesday and Thursday, 10/10 and 10/11
Chiang Mai is the second largest city in Thailand and its official claim for tourism that it’s smaller than BKK but has more wats. Some people might be drawn to that but I’m not a big wat-goer. They are beautiful but it’s like churches in Europe…you see a few but you usually don’t plan a trip around seeing them. In Chiang Mai, I was incredibly surprised to see English signs! All over the place! It was crazy to see how much of the city was catered to tourists. Nice for a vacation but I personally can’t imagine living there…I think I’d rather just go back to the U.S.
We walked around a lot and shopped at the Night Bazaar. The Night Bazaar had all sorts of things to buy so we searched for most of our presents here. Clothes, movies, necklaces, anklets, hill tribe crafts, etc. The “be all end all” of Thai tourist shopping supposedly.
Chiang Mai was only going to be a jumping off point but as we tried to decide the rest of our trip we kept staying “just one more night”. I don’t even know what we did other than walk, shop and plan our trip! Lots of the things to do in Chiang Mai involved being on a tour and we didn’t want to do most of those.
Friday, 10/12
We finally found a tour that sounded like something we wanted to do. Since I requested no elephant rides (not very nice to the poor elephants) and no visiting the hill tribes (weird to watch people trying to live their own life while you are taking pictures and wondering how they live like they do). We found the Elephant Conservation Foundation and it was amazing. We were in a group of under 12 and took a van into the mountains were a woman named Lek is working to save Asian elephants who are abused or mistreated in Thailand. We learned so much about Asian elephants and I came away with so much more knowledge but also so many more questions. There are less Asian elephants than African elephants yet no one really thinks about them. Asian elephants are much smaller and their tusks are not as big. Lek takes care of 31 Asian elephants on her land and she is trying to lead a revolution in how Thais think about and treat the elephants. The short story is—the elephants that you see as a part of tourism here are badly mistreated in how they are trained, they physically suffer from carrying people on their backs and also from being on the streets begging. I think it goes without saying that elephants belong in the wild but Lek has taken a more moderate approach. She is trying to show Thai elephant trainers how they can use the elephants but in a more positive way. Training the elephants can be through positive reinforcement rather than abusing the animal into following you. It’s a serious problem, especially for the supposed animal that represents Thailand. Lek is also trying to show how successful her place is for tourists and that there are people who will not ride elephants or feed them miniscule amounts of food on public streets. Thais can still profit from elephants but in a way that is good to the elephant.
Promise me that before you come to Thailand you will at least research your tourist options before taking part. Responsible tourism is important anywhere and I think it is the best for the country. Ok, I am done preaching.
All in all, the day was wonderful we got to feed the elephants (man, do they eat a lot of food. Something like a third of their body weight every day!). An elephant’s skin is so rough and they have so much more hair than I thought. Very cool. We also got to wash them in the river. I loved it. Slapping water onto them from a bucket and scrubbing them hard with brushes while big elephant poopy floats by you. Fantastic experience! We even got a kiss from one of the baby elephants. Like a small plunger on your face but so much cuter. Most of the day was spent just watching the elephants roam and do their own thing. We heard a lot about each elephant and their interactions with others are their backgrounds. The stories were heartbreaking but you could see how Lek’s place had changed these elephants. One of the elephants had killed her trainer (I won’t go into details but she was not treated ok, and just like people who are abused, some find physical violence the only way to get out) but now she peacefully eats food out of our hands. Completely amazing and inspiring day. Lek is one of the most influential people in Asia these days and I can see why. What she has done is amazing and I hope to witness more changes in the next few years.
MORE TO FOLLOW!!
Friday, 10/5
Mom arrived in the morning and Dan arrived at midnight the same day. We stayed near the airport so Mom could just sleep and I could easily pick up Dan in the evening. It was surreal to have Mom walk up in the airport…like with anything, it feels like the 4 months apart never happened. It was so normal! She traveled from South Africa (which is why Dan flew on his own) so she didn’t have much jetlag. Just normal tiredness from traveling for awhile. She had her FIRST EVER Thai dinner that night at our hotel. Pad See-u (fat egg noodles with a brown gravy). She liked it (phew! Weight off my shoulders!).
Dan had some trouble with the Thai immigration as he didn’t know where I lived. After a few minutes of questioning they let him go by taking his U.S. cell phone number. It’s all about formalities here…make a big deal out of it but in the end just taking some random phone number. That may play into the ongoing pedophile search in Thailand—being so relaxed can lead to serious problems but I guess if they weren’t so relaxed I don’t think I would have a job. Luckily for Dan, things are still relaxed and we found each other eventually!
Saturday, 10/6
Late check out and then off to BKK for the next couple of days. We stayed at this unique hotel north of Khao San Road (major backpacker area and also near all of the sites of BKK). The hotel tries to run itself in the most sustainable way possible which is why I chose to stay there. The design was beautiful and it was tucked away from the busy streets of BKK—but the beds were some serious Thai mattresses. A Thai mattress just means it is hard, like really hard. Good for your back? Maybe, but I don’t think Mom wanted to find out! We checked out Khao San Road on a Saturday night which is crazy even in the low season. It’s known as the best people-watching place as there are so many different kinds of people. I would say my mom’s favorite part was a concrete truck driving down the road (keep in mind there’s barely room for people to walk without bumping into each other)! Going forward was one thing but really…did it need to back up into crowds of people? Luckily, there were no casualties. We got dinner with other PiAers who were in BKK. Dan fell asleep at the table—I can’t believe the conversation wasn’t exciting enough to overcome his jetlag J It’s always fun to meet up with people from all over Thailand in BKK.
Sunday, 10/7
It was quickly decided that no one liked BKK so we packed up our stuff and headed to KK a day early. BKK is great for some reasons but sometimes the negatives are too much. The constant traffic, the pollution, the inadequate transportation in parts of the city, and I would say for Dan and Mom it was just too overwhelming in the first couple of days. There’s so much going on that you end up not taking in anything. I was fine to get out of there as I didn’t need any Western fix!
We bussed ourselves to KK after leaving some bags with my friend Chris in BKK (thank you as always!). We tried to pack as light as possible but I think you always want to pack even lighter when you realized you actually have to carry your bags sometimes. Mom and Dan loved the double-decker bus to KK where we got to sit in the front of the 2nd level. A bus ride in the daytime is a good way to get a feel for the area.
When we arrived in KK I got that excited “returning home” feeling. But I would get that when I would arrive in Des Moines too…what is that!? I don’t think most people get that after only a few months. But it is the most familiar thing to me in Thailand. We got to stay at our house as Jordan and Joey were already off to Krabi for a rock climbing vacation. The cockroaches were waiting for us J My mom thinks the cockroaches are bigger than she’s seen in the U.S.! To me, they look like the same size as the couple we had in DC last summer. Maybe my definition of cockroach size is much bigger because of the places I live—this definitely influences my disgust with them. The cockroaches didn’t know what they were in for as we were armed with imported cockroach traps. We put them out and hoped the cockroaches would be able to fit through the eating holes so they could eat the poison. Joey and Jordan have since witnessed them squeezing into the holes and eating-which is maybe more disturbing that they can squeeze into something less than half the size of their body, yuck! Dan was asleep early and Mom and I figured out she has possibly seen every episode of Sex and the City before going to bed!
Monday, 10/8
Woke up to do some serious laundering of dirty clothes for all of us. We then walked around my part of town and Mom and Dan proceeded to meet every dog or cat we passed. I realized I’ve become immune to seeing animals constantly. I still greet some but not nearly as much as they did! We made friends with a women who owns a little bakery and we played with her dog. When we walked out with our Thai baked goods (which were actually good and tasted like chocolate) my mom couldn’t believe that the woman would survive on the income from that tiny store. I don’t know either but most people seem to have a set up like that and are doing ok. I think it helps that their house is usually attached. As my mom said and I agree, Thais are really hard workers. Think, people who work at markets travel from their homes, to a city center with all of their items, then set up the stand, put all the items out, after hours of sitting in the sun or under an umbrella they take it all apart and travel back home. EVERY DAY! It’s just so different from what I’ve always thought work is.
Then off to KKU to check emails and meet my co-workers who were still administering final exams (being a PiAer is totally unfair but it’s so nice to be able to travel when others still have to work—the downside is I am paid less, but I’ll take vacation time any day).
We got dinner at the veggie place on campus and then walked around the campus night market. I had never really been to this night market as I figured nothing was vegetarian but I was wrong. I’m super happy I got to see it and we got to try different things. Our dinner at the veggie place was pretty spicy for them…oops! I thought my mom was going to choke right there on our couch. I guess my taste buds have adjusted more than I thought. It was spicy to me but that’s what made it yummy!
Tuesday, 10/9
Back to KKU for a printer and Internet where I figured out how hard it is to get a tourist visa to Vietnam. Why does it all have to be so difficult! Of course, I figured this out after we purchased our bus tickets to Chiang Mai for that night and the only Vietnamese Embassy in Thailand is in KK and BKK. Unfortunate but we thought the hassle of getting the visa would outweigh the few days we would get there. So Vietnam was nixed and we thought ending the trip in southern Thailand would be even more beautiful.
I received my birthday present-a bicycle! So I can now bike to things that are close by. I’ve decided not to get a motorbike as I don’t think I NEED it. There is public transportation and I should use it-even if it take 3 times the amount of time as a motorbike. I got all the time in the world here…even if it means I have to wake up early. So I’m pumped about my cute, 50s style bicycle with a basket and a back seat for passengers! We splurged for the most expensive one in hopes that it will be the best. (Progress on the bicycle—Joey has been riding it to work and it takes about the same time as a motorbike, priceless! But the handlebars are awkward and the brakes are iffy. I rode the bike home from downtown KK and couldn’t help laughing out loud at myself riding alongside motorbikes with my blue Doremon decorated helmet. What a site to see…as if I don’t get looked at enough!).
We got to walk through a true market on the way back to my house (the bus to Chiang Mai left at 9pm-yay for overnights, maybe). Sometimes big markets just pop in KK. Maybe other people know it’s coming but I never do. All of a sudden I am riding the sawng thaew home and we detour to this tented community that is blocking a road. It’s lovely (not physically but just that there is something different every so often) but seems so random to me. My mom had her favorite food there—a waffle with maple! She tried new things but I think my mom just really likes her tried and true foods. I made my brother try new things but after the whole trip I think there is just no topping pizza for them. They loved The Pizza Company pizza (something just like Pizza Hut). Haha, Thai food is not for everyone and I do admit I love pizza too. Years of frozen pizza didn’t turn me off the way it truly should have.
Overnight Bus to Chiang Mai
The worst overnight bus I have EVER taken! This was no VIP although it was still air conditioned thankfully. The bus itself was not bad but my mom and I got the worst seats. What defines the worst seats…not being able to recline! Imagine sitting straight up and down for 11 hours while the people in front of you reclined their seats so you could see the tops of their heads. Imagine if you were bigger than we were! Thailand is not made for big or even average sized Americans. It was far from pleasant and sleep was very minimal. Mom got to use her first Thai toilet but she didn’t face the door. She claims there was no splashing. I don’t think she liked it.
Wednesday and Thursday, 10/10 and 10/11
Chiang Mai is the second largest city in Thailand and its official claim for tourism that it’s smaller than BKK but has more wats. Some people might be drawn to that but I’m not a big wat-goer. They are beautiful but it’s like churches in Europe…you see a few but you usually don’t plan a trip around seeing them. In Chiang Mai, I was incredibly surprised to see English signs! All over the place! It was crazy to see how much of the city was catered to tourists. Nice for a vacation but I personally can’t imagine living there…I think I’d rather just go back to the U.S.
We walked around a lot and shopped at the Night Bazaar. The Night Bazaar had all sorts of things to buy so we searched for most of our presents here. Clothes, movies, necklaces, anklets, hill tribe crafts, etc. The “be all end all” of Thai tourist shopping supposedly.
Chiang Mai was only going to be a jumping off point but as we tried to decide the rest of our trip we kept staying “just one more night”. I don’t even know what we did other than walk, shop and plan our trip! Lots of the things to do in Chiang Mai involved being on a tour and we didn’t want to do most of those.
Friday, 10/12
We finally found a tour that sounded like something we wanted to do. Since I requested no elephant rides (not very nice to the poor elephants) and no visiting the hill tribes (weird to watch people trying to live their own life while you are taking pictures and wondering how they live like they do). We found the Elephant Conservation Foundation and it was amazing. We were in a group of under 12 and took a van into the mountains were a woman named Lek is working to save Asian elephants who are abused or mistreated in Thailand. We learned so much about Asian elephants and I came away with so much more knowledge but also so many more questions. There are less Asian elephants than African elephants yet no one really thinks about them. Asian elephants are much smaller and their tusks are not as big. Lek takes care of 31 Asian elephants on her land and she is trying to lead a revolution in how Thais think about and treat the elephants. The short story is—the elephants that you see as a part of tourism here are badly mistreated in how they are trained, they physically suffer from carrying people on their backs and also from being on the streets begging. I think it goes without saying that elephants belong in the wild but Lek has taken a more moderate approach. She is trying to show Thai elephant trainers how they can use the elephants but in a more positive way. Training the elephants can be through positive reinforcement rather than abusing the animal into following you. It’s a serious problem, especially for the supposed animal that represents Thailand. Lek is also trying to show how successful her place is for tourists and that there are people who will not ride elephants or feed them miniscule amounts of food on public streets. Thais can still profit from elephants but in a way that is good to the elephant.
Promise me that before you come to Thailand you will at least research your tourist options before taking part. Responsible tourism is important anywhere and I think it is the best for the country. Ok, I am done preaching.
All in all, the day was wonderful we got to feed the elephants (man, do they eat a lot of food. Something like a third of their body weight every day!). An elephant’s skin is so rough and they have so much more hair than I thought. Very cool. We also got to wash them in the river. I loved it. Slapping water onto them from a bucket and scrubbing them hard with brushes while big elephant poopy floats by you. Fantastic experience! We even got a kiss from one of the baby elephants. Like a small plunger on your face but so much cuter. Most of the day was spent just watching the elephants roam and do their own thing. We heard a lot about each elephant and their interactions with others are their backgrounds. The stories were heartbreaking but you could see how Lek’s place had changed these elephants. One of the elephants had killed her trainer (I won’t go into details but she was not treated ok, and just like people who are abused, some find physical violence the only way to get out) but now she peacefully eats food out of our hands. Completely amazing and inspiring day. Lek is one of the most influential people in Asia these days and I can see why. What she has done is amazing and I hope to witness more changes in the next few years.
MORE TO FOLLOW!!
Friday, October 5, 2007
Independent Days
Pictures:
Kanchan and Ayutthaya
http://drake.facebook.com/album.php?aid=25469&l=109f3&id=512610984
Ayutthaya and Sai Yok National Park
http://drake.facebook.com/album.php?aid=25470&l=ae6d8&id=512610984
Sai Yok and Sangkhlaburi
http://drake.facebook.com/album.php?aid=25471&l=ff964&id=512610984
I am safely back in BKK, Mom is here and sleeping, and now is the time were a make a dent in everything I've been doing in the past week. I'll try to make it short but thorough so we'll see how it goes. All in all....AMAZING TIME! I don't think I would have come back if I was coming back for Mom and Dan.
Day 1 9-26
Thoughts on the way to BKK
-The loud and overpowering Thai music on the bus rides really get tiring. But it probably wouldn't be a bus ride without it. Hearing loss might be a huge reminder of Thailand when I'm older. It amazes me that the Thais sleep through it all. I only slept 5 hours last night and I will still just be able to doze for a few short naps.
-I wonder if Thais think it's weird that all their international movies are dubbed in Thai. I know most of the movies would require subtitles but it seems annoying for me and them that every movie is dubbed. And the buses always show violent American movies! No wonder people think the U.S. is a violent culture. Yes, some movies are violent but other are not and those never seem to be popular here
-I think my definition of nice is chaning. A nice sidewalk would have just a few big open spaces of dirt. A nice building has AC. A nice bus has AC and I get my own seat. Water for the bus ride? Fabulous!
-Got to go to the Thailand Open which was my first live tennis experience. We thought we were seeing Andy Roddick but I guess he canceled--along with the other players I had heard of. I'm not convinced that they were ever actually coming! Maybe they just put their names on posters, got paid some good money, and then "got injured". Seems fishy that it happened to 3 out of the 4 men on the posters. Oh, and I have been craving a sandwich so I ate at Subway which I imagined would taste amazing....and I was thoroughly disappointed. Do I even like Western food anymore? It tastes so blah to me! The food I miss ends up being less than spectacular and I just want some rice....AAAAHH
Day 2
To Kanchanaburi (Kanchan)
I am staying at this cheap and beautiful guesthouse that is a very affordable B70 a night ($2!). It a room with a fan, shared bathroom, but overlooks the Mae Nam Kwai (Kwai River) and has an amazing garden area to just sit a relax. A beautiful spot for breakfast as the sun rises up and I look out at the river and the distant green mountains. So nice. Lots of backpackers and I think most are Eurpoean as I haven't heard much English spoken.
I've been using my Thai a lot already. It's easier to use it here because a) they speak better English so they can meet me halfway sometimes b) they don't startlaughing as soon as I try! I think using Thai in the really touristy places really helps me set myself apart and I think I get better deals and find out more information. It'snice fo rme to be forected to practice (forced because there's no one else and I want to be speaking Thai) and it makes me want to study more.
Kanchan is a city of about 60,000 people and was made famous by the movie "Bridge Over the River Kwai". It seems like there is the touristy section of the city but then the typical Thai city. They city reminds me of Nan but it's bigger and way more tourists. There are mountains in the distance and National Parks less than 60KM away--and only 2 hours from BKK. Today I walked to the Bridge which made me see more of the city. It was nice to walk and take it all in as the other farangs were taking taxis over to it (my mother taught me well!). The bridge was a bridge and it's just a replication of the real one as it was blown up - just like in the movie. It's really just a big tourist attraction so for me it was much nicer to walk there than once I actually got there. Sometimes the people who I am pretty sure were Americans were embarrassing. I think part of travelling to a country is to adapt their culture but I know not everyone thinks like that. It's just odd to see it and be somewhere in the middle.
I'm trying to figure out what to do for the week. Things I'm thinking about doing: motorbike to the national park and stay overnight, cooking class, finally get a Thai massage, kayaking down the river, Burma? unlikely with the political protests getting more serious. Killing monks is so unheard of in a Buddhist country-I don't know what to think. But maybe to the border town that has many Burmese refugess so I'd at least get a feel for the country, bicycling, all the historical WWII sites and surely more. Tomorrow I need to start collecting information so I know what there is to do.
I've been asked two different times by Thais if I am travelling alone and where I am staying. I had to start lying because it's just uncomfortable for me even though I really do think they are just being nice. You never know but it's hard for me to imagine something bad happening in Thailand. But I am starting to leave notes in my room each time I leave, just in case.
Tonight I went for a run around a soccer field and then joined in on the aerobics. And the aerobics kicked my butt! I think I am going to head to bed early tonight so I can rest my poor muscles. But then I checked out this place with live music and oh, it's been far too long. I miss concerts! Even though it was in Thai it was still great. And the English remakes are possibly worse--I mean, when was the last time you heard "Achy Breaky Heart"? With a Thai accent?
Day 3
These Birks were made for walking
So I saw a veggie restaurant near the bus station and I am determined to find it today. So I set off walking in the right direction, ready to just be lost in Kanchan for the day. I found some amazing viewpoints along the river and got to see the real Kanchan. Much like other Thai cities. It's like KK, but with tourists and a river and mountains. So it's still Thailand--food stalls, 7/11, dogs, motorbikes, open trash cans, uniformed children, shouting "farang" or "hello" to me, and no clear sidewalks. I was offered many rides as I think people were very confused as to what I was doing in that area. I never knew what to say so I had to look up "take a walk" in Thai so people don't worry about me.
I found the veggie restaurant and it was ok food. It's hard to just point, not know what you'll get and then enjoy it. I think I'm getting a mushroom dish and then it ends up being who knows what. Mai ben rai (no problem).
I did a little shopping and my Thai bargaining skills came in handy. It's so funny when I start speaking in Thai, and then I say I speak a little, then the store owner turns to anyone who will listen and tells them I speak a little Thai. And then they all want to know what I do and they all talk about it to themselves. It's a spectacle for sure.
Dinner at a delicious Indian restaurant where I met Irina, an American from New York City who is living in Hong Kong but visiting Thailand. We ended up hanging out for the night and going back to the live music place I found last night (exact same act!) So she was headed out to Ayutthaya in the morning and after re-thinking my plans I decided why not. I always wondered how things like that happened but that was that. Change of plans and Ayutthaya here I come.
Day 4
Ayutthaya-old capital full of ruins
So I have never had any interested in visiting this historical city so my expectations were minimal--and rightly so. I was pretty unimpressed after seeing ruins in Guatemala and Mexico. These were ruins, that were not the impressive and not that well taken care of. They let people walk on them so what do you expect! And for someone who is not into Thai history the city didn't really give you a reason to be interested. There isn't much information about the ruins so you look, and then on to the next set of ruins. After a few hours I was ready to leave!
We rented bicycles which was an adventure in itself as Saturday traffic is busy! Obviously we made it out alive and so it didn't really matter. Ayutthaya has many, many small streams that weave throughout this area which is known as the old town. old town is almost like an island because it is cut off from the other land my this streams that really just make a moat. They all look man made though as the banks are perfectly curved, intersecting streams make 90 degree angles and the water is contained in neat, straight lines. Still pretty though. There are some pretty parks and the streams give the city more character than most Thai cities I have been in.
At night we went out to this Jazz Club and met some other tourists and some people who live in the city. I got to hear what it was like to teach in a high school there and I don't think I'd really like it. Seeing your students for 1 hour a week just doesn't seem like I could be an effective teacher no matter how much I tried. I would say there's no way to retain a language with such little practice.
Day 5
More ruins that were actually cool but it's just not my thing. Then bus back to Kanchan and say goodbye to Irina who is headed to the airport. A typical Thai incident on the way back:
I had to switch buses to get back to Kanchan and when I got the transfer point I guess I missed the bus to Kanchan. The woman was speaking in Thai and all I could understand was bus and already. So I figured I'd wait for the next one as it shouldn't have been the last one. Well, the urgency of these Thai women made me rethink that. Also, when people are helpling me I don't really feel like I cannot accept. Good thing I didn't need to use the bathroom because they rushed me onto some other bus that said the final desitination in Thai. No big deal, the worst case scenario is that I spend the night somewhere and take a bus to where I need to go in the morning. It's amazing how relaxed I felt getting on a bus, having no idea where it's headed! Within 10 min., our bus starts honking a lot, I hear "farang, farang" and I perk up to see who's obviously yelling at me. This same woman waves me to the front of the bus and I get off to see that they have waved down the bus to Kanchan and the drop me off and both buses get on their respectable ways. So typical.
Day 6
My "I can't believe I did that" day
It's totally not fair to be a white woman travelling along in Thailand-people always help. I take a bus to Sai Yok National Park and plan to stay overnight in a guesthouse along the river. Well, the map I had didn't seem very accurate. The road to go the park didn't seem to be there! I was able to figure out a place to stay though. Between three Thais and me we figure dout I needed a place to sleep. So they set up a tent for me outside of their house which was the ranger station. So I camped in the park right by the Sai Yok Noi Waterfall. Beautiful! Shortly after I checked into my tent hotel I figured out there was not much to do. I saw the waterfall, then hiked to this spectacular cave. I'm not a big spelunker but I didn't have much else to do so I started the hike to it. After 20 min. of walking the park ranger pulls up on his motorbike and motions for me to get on. He speaks no English so we ride to where the cave is located (it would have taken so long to walk there with the sun and the bugs!). We hike up to this HUGE mouth of a cave, he prepares the light and I step in. One thing about a language barrier is your end up doing things you aren't too sure about but you don't know how to say things like "is this safe?" or "i'm nervous", so then you just suck it up and do it. I also had to keep going to keep up with him and the light! This was the most serious spelunking I have ever done. Climbing all over, through cracks and crevices, having no idea what my hand it touching and trying not to think about it! It was amazing though. The main room of the cave as gigantic. I got to take some phtographs but I don't know how they turned out. I wish I had more time to take it all in as it was breathtaking. So neat and so natural. The floor was covered with clay so that my hands felt like I had just an art project on the potter's wheel. amazing! I found out later in the trip that they don't always let people go to the cave--unsure of why but I probably don't want to know. It was safe for me :)
After that I decided I would find this road that is supposed to lead to the National Park. It is supposedly across the street but then I find this is not true at all. But I ended up with a guide who took me to where I wanted to go. It was amazing. We went to waterfalls, caves, hot springs...everything and more of what I wanted to see. It's an amazing area and I thouroughly enjoyed all the sites.
Then back to my tent to sleep for the night. Luckily, I was so tired it quelled my fears of an animal or person attacking me in the night. I know, I can be a little dramatic! But I slept well. Went to sleep with the sound of crickets and the waterfall. beautiful.
Day 7
Sangkhlaburi (S-buri)
I decided to head out to Sangkhlaburi as this Burmese border town would give me a feel for what Burma is like without having to go there. I do want to go eventually but not with such a hostile military. The bus ride was unbelievable-wow! Mountains after mountains, climbing tot he top only to come all the way down. HUGE lake with fraft houses. Tiny villages with kids running around and playing. Dogs of course! It's like I'm in a new country because the topography is so different than KK. I've never lived in a pretty place and i think I've paid my dues and deserve somewhere beautiful next year!
S-buri is a small town on a lake over look mountains. Not too shabby! The town is maybe 5,000 people but I'm purely guessing. My guesthouse makes it even more amazing as I have a nice room with a balcony overlooking the lake and a small village across the lake. Again-wow! Sitting on my balcony as the wind blows in the evening rain through the mountains.
When I checked in I meet Nong, a Chinese-Thai with spectacular English! The best English of anyone I have met so far. Nong is awesome. I easily talked with him for an hour and he ended up giving me a personal tour of the Mon village across the lake. There is this long wooden bridge that connects S-Buri with the Mon village for trade purposes. I learned a lot by having Nong with me such as:
-traditional Mon houses look like traditional Thai houses except for one difference --> Mon build out a part of their house to put their Buddha whereas Thais put the Buddha on a stand in the house.
-I got to see all the trees where the fruit I eat comes from-mango,rambutan, papaya, banana,durian, jackfruit, coconut and starfruit. MMMM fresh fruit.
-He's an avid birdwatcher so I learned bird names in English and Thai but have now forgotten
-Illegal logging is happening near the border because the people who do it are the head of the government or police in their communities. There's no one to turn them into.
-Burmese curry is like Indian curry and Thai curry always adds coconut milk
-the Nagas headdress protects the Buddha from rain and all other things as he reaches enlightenment
-We are very near and active fault line and the 2 dams in the area could cause a major disaster if an earthquake occurred. Scary.
-He can't tell the difference between Thai, Mon, Karen and Burmese until he hears them speak.
The Mon village was not all that different from a Thai village. It's funny to see how a guidebook really builds it up to be so different when it's not. The kids were still playing futboll, motorbikes were still whizzing by, people still smilling and yelling hello, TV's still heard inside hosues and school uniforms were still present. Intersting just to see that and not to be touring the city expecting it to be different.
Day 8
No 7/11 and making friends
Huge news....this town DOES NOT have a 7/11. Repeat, does not have a 7/11. This is the first town I have been in that doesn't have 7/11. No worries, I still found yogurt and cereal for breakfast but it threw me through a loop!
It rained all morning which is odd! My plans for kayaking around the lake were ruined with the rain and then finding out they actually only have canoes. I know I have limits and one of them is canoeing on my own. It is such a Minnesota lake-except for the whole overlooking mountains thing! I ended up going swimming in it with this other girl from Minnesota. Ohhh Minnesotans. I was so excited to meet her! She's been living in Australia for the last 2 years and she's travelling her way back home to Minnesota.
At lunch, I met some people who are working in S-buri. it was good to get the scoop on what it's like to live there and work there. There seems to be a mix of English teachers and also NGO workers and volunteers working with Burmese refugees. Lots of things seems to be going on in this small, diverse town. I walked around with one of the guys I met and the highlight was this delicoius Tea Leaf Salad. It was one of the best meals ever!! It's made with all kinds of nuts, tea leaves and yummy herbs. I don't know but it was good. The atmosphere was great too....sitting at a wooden table in front of the family's home. Chickens, roosters, cats and a cow all nearby makign noise, chatting with John and eating deliciousness by the mouthful. I felt so content.
Day 9
Bye Bye Beauty
An early morning start to get back to Kanchan to pick up some bags before the check out time. I had continued to pay for a room there just to leave my bigger bag and have less hassle with it. Well, I didn't tell them I wasn't sleeping there for awhile but I didn't think it was a big deal. I hadn't spoken to any of the workers the whole time I was there. Well, they noticed. When I got back and checkout I had 20 questions directed at me! But in a very Thai way. They wanted to know where I was and what was going on. No big deal and we all laughed. Then they said, "I have somethign funny to tell you"...."we called the police". Laughter ensues and somehow my relaxed persona of the trip was still in full effect. Mai Ben Rai. We laughed, I asked if everythign was ok and they said yes and I was on my way. WHAT! i don't know what they called the police about but I used my passport today and I was interrogated about anything so it must be ok.
Back to BKK and a night to unwind before Mom and Dan come. Chris is hosteing three of us for the night so there's lots to catch up on as we are all in different locations-and one even just got to Thailand around 1am! It's funny to be completely on my own but then come right back and meet up with a group of people. I definitely got used to being on my own and it takes an adjustment to be around groups again! Good thing my adjustment period is with Mom and Dan. I still can't believe she's just sleeping upstairs. It's so normal to see her and 4 months really did just fly by.
So there you have it. Hopefully I'll get the pictures up when I am back in KK for a few days but I wanted to start the travel blogs before I had a month to catch up on.
Now you know I am safe and loving it!
Kanchan and Ayutthaya
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Ayutthaya and Sai Yok National Park
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Sai Yok and Sangkhlaburi
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I am safely back in BKK, Mom is here and sleeping, and now is the time were a make a dent in everything I've been doing in the past week. I'll try to make it short but thorough so we'll see how it goes. All in all....AMAZING TIME! I don't think I would have come back if I was coming back for Mom and Dan.
Day 1 9-26
Thoughts on the way to BKK
-The loud and overpowering Thai music on the bus rides really get tiring. But it probably wouldn't be a bus ride without it. Hearing loss might be a huge reminder of Thailand when I'm older. It amazes me that the Thais sleep through it all. I only slept 5 hours last night and I will still just be able to doze for a few short naps.
-I wonder if Thais think it's weird that all their international movies are dubbed in Thai. I know most of the movies would require subtitles but it seems annoying for me and them that every movie is dubbed. And the buses always show violent American movies! No wonder people think the U.S. is a violent culture. Yes, some movies are violent but other are not and those never seem to be popular here
-I think my definition of nice is chaning. A nice sidewalk would have just a few big open spaces of dirt. A nice building has AC. A nice bus has AC and I get my own seat. Water for the bus ride? Fabulous!
-Got to go to the Thailand Open which was my first live tennis experience. We thought we were seeing Andy Roddick but I guess he canceled--along with the other players I had heard of. I'm not convinced that they were ever actually coming! Maybe they just put their names on posters, got paid some good money, and then "got injured". Seems fishy that it happened to 3 out of the 4 men on the posters. Oh, and I have been craving a sandwich so I ate at Subway which I imagined would taste amazing....and I was thoroughly disappointed. Do I even like Western food anymore? It tastes so blah to me! The food I miss ends up being less than spectacular and I just want some rice....AAAAHH
Day 2
To Kanchanaburi (Kanchan)
I am staying at this cheap and beautiful guesthouse that is a very affordable B70 a night ($2!). It a room with a fan, shared bathroom, but overlooks the Mae Nam Kwai (Kwai River) and has an amazing garden area to just sit a relax. A beautiful spot for breakfast as the sun rises up and I look out at the river and the distant green mountains. So nice. Lots of backpackers and I think most are Eurpoean as I haven't heard much English spoken.
I've been using my Thai a lot already. It's easier to use it here because a) they speak better English so they can meet me halfway sometimes b) they don't startlaughing as soon as I try! I think using Thai in the really touristy places really helps me set myself apart and I think I get better deals and find out more information. It'snice fo rme to be forected to practice (forced because there's no one else and I want to be speaking Thai) and it makes me want to study more.
Kanchan is a city of about 60,000 people and was made famous by the movie "Bridge Over the River Kwai". It seems like there is the touristy section of the city but then the typical Thai city. They city reminds me of Nan but it's bigger and way more tourists. There are mountains in the distance and National Parks less than 60KM away--and only 2 hours from BKK. Today I walked to the Bridge which made me see more of the city. It was nice to walk and take it all in as the other farangs were taking taxis over to it (my mother taught me well!). The bridge was a bridge and it's just a replication of the real one as it was blown up - just like in the movie. It's really just a big tourist attraction so for me it was much nicer to walk there than once I actually got there. Sometimes the people who I am pretty sure were Americans were embarrassing. I think part of travelling to a country is to adapt their culture but I know not everyone thinks like that. It's just odd to see it and be somewhere in the middle.
I'm trying to figure out what to do for the week. Things I'm thinking about doing: motorbike to the national park and stay overnight, cooking class, finally get a Thai massage, kayaking down the river, Burma? unlikely with the political protests getting more serious. Killing monks is so unheard of in a Buddhist country-I don't know what to think. But maybe to the border town that has many Burmese refugess so I'd at least get a feel for the country, bicycling, all the historical WWII sites and surely more. Tomorrow I need to start collecting information so I know what there is to do.
I've been asked two different times by Thais if I am travelling alone and where I am staying. I had to start lying because it's just uncomfortable for me even though I really do think they are just being nice. You never know but it's hard for me to imagine something bad happening in Thailand. But I am starting to leave notes in my room each time I leave, just in case.
Tonight I went for a run around a soccer field and then joined in on the aerobics. And the aerobics kicked my butt! I think I am going to head to bed early tonight so I can rest my poor muscles. But then I checked out this place with live music and oh, it's been far too long. I miss concerts! Even though it was in Thai it was still great. And the English remakes are possibly worse--I mean, when was the last time you heard "Achy Breaky Heart"? With a Thai accent?
Day 3
These Birks were made for walking
So I saw a veggie restaurant near the bus station and I am determined to find it today. So I set off walking in the right direction, ready to just be lost in Kanchan for the day. I found some amazing viewpoints along the river and got to see the real Kanchan. Much like other Thai cities. It's like KK, but with tourists and a river and mountains. So it's still Thailand--food stalls, 7/11, dogs, motorbikes, open trash cans, uniformed children, shouting "farang" or "hello" to me, and no clear sidewalks. I was offered many rides as I think people were very confused as to what I was doing in that area. I never knew what to say so I had to look up "take a walk" in Thai so people don't worry about me.
I found the veggie restaurant and it was ok food. It's hard to just point, not know what you'll get and then enjoy it. I think I'm getting a mushroom dish and then it ends up being who knows what. Mai ben rai (no problem).
I did a little shopping and my Thai bargaining skills came in handy. It's so funny when I start speaking in Thai, and then I say I speak a little, then the store owner turns to anyone who will listen and tells them I speak a little Thai. And then they all want to know what I do and they all talk about it to themselves. It's a spectacle for sure.
Dinner at a delicious Indian restaurant where I met Irina, an American from New York City who is living in Hong Kong but visiting Thailand. We ended up hanging out for the night and going back to the live music place I found last night (exact same act!) So she was headed out to Ayutthaya in the morning and after re-thinking my plans I decided why not. I always wondered how things like that happened but that was that. Change of plans and Ayutthaya here I come.
Day 4
Ayutthaya-old capital full of ruins
So I have never had any interested in visiting this historical city so my expectations were minimal--and rightly so. I was pretty unimpressed after seeing ruins in Guatemala and Mexico. These were ruins, that were not the impressive and not that well taken care of. They let people walk on them so what do you expect! And for someone who is not into Thai history the city didn't really give you a reason to be interested. There isn't much information about the ruins so you look, and then on to the next set of ruins. After a few hours I was ready to leave!
We rented bicycles which was an adventure in itself as Saturday traffic is busy! Obviously we made it out alive and so it didn't really matter. Ayutthaya has many, many small streams that weave throughout this area which is known as the old town. old town is almost like an island because it is cut off from the other land my this streams that really just make a moat. They all look man made though as the banks are perfectly curved, intersecting streams make 90 degree angles and the water is contained in neat, straight lines. Still pretty though. There are some pretty parks and the streams give the city more character than most Thai cities I have been in.
At night we went out to this Jazz Club and met some other tourists and some people who live in the city. I got to hear what it was like to teach in a high school there and I don't think I'd really like it. Seeing your students for 1 hour a week just doesn't seem like I could be an effective teacher no matter how much I tried. I would say there's no way to retain a language with such little practice.
Day 5
More ruins that were actually cool but it's just not my thing. Then bus back to Kanchan and say goodbye to Irina who is headed to the airport. A typical Thai incident on the way back:
I had to switch buses to get back to Kanchan and when I got the transfer point I guess I missed the bus to Kanchan. The woman was speaking in Thai and all I could understand was bus and already. So I figured I'd wait for the next one as it shouldn't have been the last one. Well, the urgency of these Thai women made me rethink that. Also, when people are helpling me I don't really feel like I cannot accept. Good thing I didn't need to use the bathroom because they rushed me onto some other bus that said the final desitination in Thai. No big deal, the worst case scenario is that I spend the night somewhere and take a bus to where I need to go in the morning. It's amazing how relaxed I felt getting on a bus, having no idea where it's headed! Within 10 min., our bus starts honking a lot, I hear "farang, farang" and I perk up to see who's obviously yelling at me. This same woman waves me to the front of the bus and I get off to see that they have waved down the bus to Kanchan and the drop me off and both buses get on their respectable ways. So typical.
Day 6
My "I can't believe I did that" day
It's totally not fair to be a white woman travelling along in Thailand-people always help. I take a bus to Sai Yok National Park and plan to stay overnight in a guesthouse along the river. Well, the map I had didn't seem very accurate. The road to go the park didn't seem to be there! I was able to figure out a place to stay though. Between three Thais and me we figure dout I needed a place to sleep. So they set up a tent for me outside of their house which was the ranger station. So I camped in the park right by the Sai Yok Noi Waterfall. Beautiful! Shortly after I checked into my tent hotel I figured out there was not much to do. I saw the waterfall, then hiked to this spectacular cave. I'm not a big spelunker but I didn't have much else to do so I started the hike to it. After 20 min. of walking the park ranger pulls up on his motorbike and motions for me to get on. He speaks no English so we ride to where the cave is located (it would have taken so long to walk there with the sun and the bugs!). We hike up to this HUGE mouth of a cave, he prepares the light and I step in. One thing about a language barrier is your end up doing things you aren't too sure about but you don't know how to say things like "is this safe?" or "i'm nervous", so then you just suck it up and do it. I also had to keep going to keep up with him and the light! This was the most serious spelunking I have ever done. Climbing all over, through cracks and crevices, having no idea what my hand it touching and trying not to think about it! It was amazing though. The main room of the cave as gigantic. I got to take some phtographs but I don't know how they turned out. I wish I had more time to take it all in as it was breathtaking. So neat and so natural. The floor was covered with clay so that my hands felt like I had just an art project on the potter's wheel. amazing! I found out later in the trip that they don't always let people go to the cave--unsure of why but I probably don't want to know. It was safe for me :)
After that I decided I would find this road that is supposed to lead to the National Park. It is supposedly across the street but then I find this is not true at all. But I ended up with a guide who took me to where I wanted to go. It was amazing. We went to waterfalls, caves, hot springs...everything and more of what I wanted to see. It's an amazing area and I thouroughly enjoyed all the sites.
Then back to my tent to sleep for the night. Luckily, I was so tired it quelled my fears of an animal or person attacking me in the night. I know, I can be a little dramatic! But I slept well. Went to sleep with the sound of crickets and the waterfall. beautiful.
Day 7
Sangkhlaburi (S-buri)
I decided to head out to Sangkhlaburi as this Burmese border town would give me a feel for what Burma is like without having to go there. I do want to go eventually but not with such a hostile military. The bus ride was unbelievable-wow! Mountains after mountains, climbing tot he top only to come all the way down. HUGE lake with fraft houses. Tiny villages with kids running around and playing. Dogs of course! It's like I'm in a new country because the topography is so different than KK. I've never lived in a pretty place and i think I've paid my dues and deserve somewhere beautiful next year!
S-buri is a small town on a lake over look mountains. Not too shabby! The town is maybe 5,000 people but I'm purely guessing. My guesthouse makes it even more amazing as I have a nice room with a balcony overlooking the lake and a small village across the lake. Again-wow! Sitting on my balcony as the wind blows in the evening rain through the mountains.
When I checked in I meet Nong, a Chinese-Thai with spectacular English! The best English of anyone I have met so far. Nong is awesome. I easily talked with him for an hour and he ended up giving me a personal tour of the Mon village across the lake. There is this long wooden bridge that connects S-Buri with the Mon village for trade purposes. I learned a lot by having Nong with me such as:
-traditional Mon houses look like traditional Thai houses except for one difference --> Mon build out a part of their house to put their Buddha whereas Thais put the Buddha on a stand in the house.
-I got to see all the trees where the fruit I eat comes from-mango,rambutan, papaya, banana,durian, jackfruit, coconut and starfruit. MMMM fresh fruit.
-He's an avid birdwatcher so I learned bird names in English and Thai but have now forgotten
-Illegal logging is happening near the border because the people who do it are the head of the government or police in their communities. There's no one to turn them into.
-Burmese curry is like Indian curry and Thai curry always adds coconut milk
-the Nagas headdress protects the Buddha from rain and all other things as he reaches enlightenment
-We are very near and active fault line and the 2 dams in the area could cause a major disaster if an earthquake occurred. Scary.
-He can't tell the difference between Thai, Mon, Karen and Burmese until he hears them speak.
The Mon village was not all that different from a Thai village. It's funny to see how a guidebook really builds it up to be so different when it's not. The kids were still playing futboll, motorbikes were still whizzing by, people still smilling and yelling hello, TV's still heard inside hosues and school uniforms were still present. Intersting just to see that and not to be touring the city expecting it to be different.
Day 8
No 7/11 and making friends
Huge news....this town DOES NOT have a 7/11. Repeat, does not have a 7/11. This is the first town I have been in that doesn't have 7/11. No worries, I still found yogurt and cereal for breakfast but it threw me through a loop!
It rained all morning which is odd! My plans for kayaking around the lake were ruined with the rain and then finding out they actually only have canoes. I know I have limits and one of them is canoeing on my own. It is such a Minnesota lake-except for the whole overlooking mountains thing! I ended up going swimming in it with this other girl from Minnesota. Ohhh Minnesotans. I was so excited to meet her! She's been living in Australia for the last 2 years and she's travelling her way back home to Minnesota.
At lunch, I met some people who are working in S-buri. it was good to get the scoop on what it's like to live there and work there. There seems to be a mix of English teachers and also NGO workers and volunteers working with Burmese refugees. Lots of things seems to be going on in this small, diverse town. I walked around with one of the guys I met and the highlight was this delicoius Tea Leaf Salad. It was one of the best meals ever!! It's made with all kinds of nuts, tea leaves and yummy herbs. I don't know but it was good. The atmosphere was great too....sitting at a wooden table in front of the family's home. Chickens, roosters, cats and a cow all nearby makign noise, chatting with John and eating deliciousness by the mouthful. I felt so content.
Day 9
Bye Bye Beauty
An early morning start to get back to Kanchan to pick up some bags before the check out time. I had continued to pay for a room there just to leave my bigger bag and have less hassle with it. Well, I didn't tell them I wasn't sleeping there for awhile but I didn't think it was a big deal. I hadn't spoken to any of the workers the whole time I was there. Well, they noticed. When I got back and checkout I had 20 questions directed at me! But in a very Thai way. They wanted to know where I was and what was going on. No big deal and we all laughed. Then they said, "I have somethign funny to tell you"...."we called the police". Laughter ensues and somehow my relaxed persona of the trip was still in full effect. Mai Ben Rai. We laughed, I asked if everythign was ok and they said yes and I was on my way. WHAT! i don't know what they called the police about but I used my passport today and I was interrogated about anything so it must be ok.
Back to BKK and a night to unwind before Mom and Dan come. Chris is hosteing three of us for the night so there's lots to catch up on as we are all in different locations-and one even just got to Thailand around 1am! It's funny to be completely on my own but then come right back and meet up with a group of people. I definitely got used to being on my own and it takes an adjustment to be around groups again! Good thing my adjustment period is with Mom and Dan. I still can't believe she's just sleeping upstairs. It's so normal to see her and 4 months really did just fly by.
So there you have it. Hopefully I'll get the pictures up when I am back in KK for a few days but I wanted to start the travel blogs before I had a month to catch up on.
Now you know I am safe and loving it!
Tuesday, September 25, 2007
Pictures
This is of a day trip to Nong Khai with Annie, Phil, Pinn and Kian. We drove up to Nong Khai for a change of scenery. We saw an amazing sculpture garden, ate delicious Vietnamese food and saw Lao. Frankly, I am sick of seeing Lao and not crossing the river so I am looking forward to actually experiencing the country soon!
http://drake.facebook.com/album.php?aid=23893&l=bbd38&id=512610984
Then we have my pictures of all my students. Great examples of the infamous Thai mullet which I think the Thais pull off nicely...others will disagree I'm sure. The uniforms are slightly different for each faculty and also for the ages. Since I have all freshman you will see that they all (should be) are wearing white shoes. That's how you know which students are freshman. Each year there is a little more leniency on the uniforms. Much different from most college uniforms of sweatpants and t-shirts.
My 105 language students and my medical students:
http://drake.facebook.com/album.php?aid=23899&l=f8f3b&id=512610984
My dentistry, science and technology students:
http://drake.facebook.com/album.php?aid=23940&l=7d1da&id=512610984
http://drake.facebook.com/album.php?aid=23893&l=bbd38&id=512610984
Then we have my pictures of all my students. Great examples of the infamous Thai mullet which I think the Thais pull off nicely...others will disagree I'm sure. The uniforms are slightly different for each faculty and also for the ages. Since I have all freshman you will see that they all (should be) are wearing white shoes. That's how you know which students are freshman. Each year there is a little more leniency on the uniforms. Much different from most college uniforms of sweatpants and t-shirts.
My 105 language students and my medical students:
http://drake.facebook.com/album.php?aid=23899&l=f8f3b&id=512610984
My dentistry, science and technology students:
http://drake.facebook.com/album.php?aid=23940&l=7d1da&id=512610984
Monday, September 24, 2007
Semester Break
So as many of you know, my mom and brother are coming to visit me in just 11 days. It's crazy to think they will be here so soon after 4 months of talking about it. I am really excited to get to show them Thailand and also to experience two new countries with them (Lao PDR and Vietnam). I think the experience will move both of them outside of their comfort zones at least for periods of time. I want them to be seeing the real Asia and not touristy Asia. Maybe they will see enough of that by just visiting my Thai hometown of Khon Kaen! I am sure they don't know what to expect and I am not sure what they will think. I was talking with some other people here about their reaction but saying that they'll get a few days in Bangkok to adjust where it will be more Westernized. The people I was talking to didn't agree with me. They said Bangkok is still an Asian city and will still shock their systems even though to us Bangkok is the epitome of Western cities (compared to what we see every day).
I can't wait to see them and to hear their thoughts on everything.
In the next few days, I will be off to Kanchanaburi, Thailand for a week. It is a small river town Northwest of Bangkok that was made famous by the movie "Bridge Over the River Kwai". I am ready to chill out, read, write, think, run along the river, be somewhere new, see waterfalls, check out the national parks and maybe even go into Burma for a day. I have no plans and I am making an effort not to make any. But seriously, you all know that I have read all the guidebooks and still have plans in my head. This is my attempt at letting go even though it's a little laughable.
If I don't write for a month don't think the worst. I will be enjoying life more than you can imagine!
I can't wait to see them and to hear their thoughts on everything.
In the next few days, I will be off to Kanchanaburi, Thailand for a week. It is a small river town Northwest of Bangkok that was made famous by the movie "Bridge Over the River Kwai". I am ready to chill out, read, write, think, run along the river, be somewhere new, see waterfalls, check out the national parks and maybe even go into Burma for a day. I have no plans and I am making an effort not to make any. But seriously, you all know that I have read all the guidebooks and still have plans in my head. This is my attempt at letting go even though it's a little laughable.
If I don't write for a month don't think the worst. I will be enjoying life more than you can imagine!
3 Month Report...I mean 4 month Report
For PiA we must complete 3 and 6 month reports to update them on EVERYTHING! It's pretty intense, especially when mine was due near the end of the semester. So it was put on the back burner and I gave more attention to my students and preparing them (which one student just emailed me and said the final was very easy for him, yay!). So I've been working on it for the last month, little parts at a time, and I finally finished. It's more of a rambling journal entry but that's how I am able to get the most information out of myself. I thought it would be pretty informative for you all to read it too as sometimes I don't know what to tell people and this made me answer certain questions.
Enjoy a slice of my thoughts.
Princeton-in-Asia 3 Month Report 2007-2008
Office Mailing Address:
Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences
Khon Kaen University
Mueng Khon Kaen, Khon Kaen
Thailand 40002
TEACHING
Please outline the academic schedule.
Start date: June 4th
End date: around the middle of February
Vacations: For the first semester-lots of three day weekends, a week for midterms the first week of August and 4 weeks in between semesters from the last week in September to the last week in October.
Teaching (classroom) hours/week: I teach 15 hours a week
Office hours/week required for prep/grading/other: Office hours are not required but it looks good if you are around the office doing something. Prep and grading is entirely up to your teaching style and each week can be different.
Are there set requirements for office hours? No
Please list the classes you teach for your host institution, number of hours you see each class, number of students in each class, and give a short description of that class:
105-This is a general freshman level English class for students majoring in the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences. All of my students are majoring in another language and this is the first semester of their required English course. I teach this class 3 hours a week and there are 40 students. As a native speaker, I got the top class in this section and they work hard and do pretty well. They have a midterm, listening midterm, speaking midterm, final, listening final and speaking final. This class has the most extrinsic motivation to speak and listen to me in class. All of the tests are based on their book and I do not see any of the tests or grade them.
106-This is a general freshman level English class for medical students. I have two sections, one section is made up of pre-med students and the other section is pre-dentistry. I teach both classes for three hours a week and both have around 40 students. They have a midterm, final and writing final which I never see or grade. Again, everything is based out of a book. They have a final presentation which I do get to grade and it is on any topic of their choice.
107-This a general freshman level English class for science and technology majors. This class uses the same book as 106 but the skill level is less and so not as many chapters are covered. I have two sections and a variety of majors like food technology, biology, geology, etc. I teach both classes for three hours a week and both have around 40 students. They have a midterm and final which is entirely based on the book. In this class I got to write part of the midterm and grade some sections.
In greater detail, please describe your students (caliber, attitude, age, motivation, etc.):
The students vary between majors just like you would stereotype. The medical and dentistry students strive for excellence and want to get an A. The science majors are just happy to get by. My 105 students are really great and I think it helps that they are learning another language for their major. With all of the sections I teach they are the best of the best. This means that they scored the highest on some English placement test. This usually means they can read and write ok but they haven’t ever spoken in English class (unless you count repeating words back to their teachers). For all of my students except the ones who studied abroad in the U.S., I am the first native speaker they have ever had as a teacher and usually ever heard. This means that for the first month (at least!) when I thought I was speaking slowly or using easy words I wasn’t. It takes awhile to get used to the level of English they know.
My students have become much more active in class over the last three months. There are frustrating days when I feel like they won’t talk but I have to remember that they are used to a Thai teacher speaking to them in a microphone while they take notes or repeat things back to them. I noticed right away how differently I have been taught my whole life. It takes awhile for them to get comfortable and to be able to even ask a question in front of the class.
I think I laugh a lot in class, and not at the students! My students can be hilarious and I love thinking that they are making jokes in English. Quite a feat. I think they feel pretty comfortable in class which is something I really wanted to cultivate. The students help each other, sometimes to the point where you are not sure if they are cheating but its best to remember how community-oriented Thais are compared with Americans.
I still have to remind all of my classes to speak in English when they are doing group work. It’s a constant struggle because it is just a required class for them. I can’t expect them to act like students who are majoring in English but I still want them to get a lot out of the class. This goes along with the motivation. Remember required classes you HAD to take in college? Remember how you felt? I try to remember all the time so I don’t lose sight of their perspective. Sure they think it’s cool that they get a young, native speaker but in the end they just want to pass the class.
Does the school provide you with textbooks or other materials? If yes, do you find them useful?
Textbooks are provided and they must be used or else your students will have quite a disadvantage for the exams. It is hard to work outside of the textbooks because 85% of their grade is the midterm and final which is based on the book. When I deviate I get mixed results and have to make it clear how this will help them with their exams. So the textbooks are made useful because I want my students to learn English and do well on the exams. This means there is not a lot of lesson planning as there is little extra time for activities but you can do extra things and assign more homework. It’s up to each person but there is no need to bring your own material for the general English classes.
My personal opinion of the textbooks doesn’t really matter as we must use them.
Would you recommend that future interns bring any of their own teaching materials? If so, what?
Not really necessary. If you have good lesson plans from home for college students definitely bring it but it is in no way necessary. I usually go online and search for applicable activities because I figure the people online have way more experience teaching than I do.
What are the names and positions (titles) of those to whom you are directly responsible and how would you describe your relations with them?
Ajarn Araya Vithsupalert is the head of the English Department but this is a very loose office. I would never say she is directly responsible for me as there is no oversight. I am on my own and everyone is available to answer my questions but they trust us to run our own classes. My relationship with Ajarn Araya is good but it really only consists of seeing each other around the office and talking about her daughter, who I tutor. We don’t teach the same courses so there is no reason for interaction beyond office small talk.
How would you describe relations with local faculty and staff?
Relationships with foreign teachers and Thai teachers are good. Everyone is very helpful when I have a question but leave me alone for the most part. There is lots of small talk and smiling but when it comes down to it, there are only a few Thais in the office that I can actually have a conversation in English. Relationships are definitely friendly but the language barrier makes it difficult to really form much more than work friends.
What do you wear to work?
Here’s the lowdown as I brought some clothes that were not ok. No worries, I didn’t lose any face :)
Females-you MUST wear a knee-length or lower skirt or long slacks. Khakis and capris are not ok but black dress pants are. Thais dress like we would at an office in the U.S. so think more business professional than laid-back teacher (that was my problem). Shirts are more flexible. Be professional but you can get away with fitted-tees (which I do a lot and I don’t think is looked down on). Collared shirts always look more professional. You may have a few A/C rooms to teach in but don’t plan on it. Be prepared to sweat through anything you bring. Shoes must have a back, even if it’s a little sling, something on your heel. I wear sandals with a back or ballet slippers.
Males-You must have a collared shirt and wear pants. This can range from a nice dress shirt or a polo. Khakis are ok. Most of the Thai ajarns do not wear ties but some PiAers like the image it gives them. And image does matter here. The clothes you wear reflect how much money you make, and we are in the higher end of the socioeconomic status. You don’t need fancy shoes but semi-fancy is a good idea. Some comfy loafers will be perfectly alright.
Have there been difficulties/frustrations with teaching?
Of course and I can’t imagine anyone answering this question any differently. It’s hard to teach, especially when you’ve never truly done it for a full time job. It’s an even harder adjustment because we are used to teaching (or being taught) in the U.S.—big reminder that Thailand is a different country. The students act differently, learn differently, study differently, interact differently, etc.
Right now, the most frustrating part is finally getting to know how to teach each class (as they all require something different) and then it’s the end of the semester and I will have a new class. So goes the life of a teacher I guess. I had a hard time at first figuring out how to add to the lessons in the book. Sometimes there is not tons of time for extra things because you need to get through all the material for the exam. There are crazy times of teaching but it’s all in the experience. It just makes it more frustrating to have such little control over the courses I teach. Instead of being able to test or grade my students I have to prepare them for an exam I never see. Then they take the exam, I see their scores but I still don’t know what the exam was like. There was lots of midterm frustration and I anticipate more after the final test. I have a hard time figuring out if I am teaching them well enough because there is no real way to gauge it.
As has been said before in reports, the faculty trusts me and the others as teachers and do not feel it’s necessary to check in on me. We have a great amount of responsibility but at the same time, we are teaching classes that are entirely based out of a book. That comes with its own frustration. I realize the books allow for 2,000 students to take the same course and then they need to have some standardized test. But when the standardized test is above their ability and then all the scores are curved it really makes you feel useless as a teacher. I’m still not sure what to do with that.
The student’s abilities are a huge frustration. Before I started teaching I expected a lot more from the students. Most have been taking English for 12 years but for many years they have been taking English most have never spoken English and never heard English spoken by a native English speaker. Seriously, the poor students who got me as an ajarn! No wonder they were terrified the first week. I had to stop thinking that they should know lots of the things I am teaching (which I am told I should just review grammar but I need to teach it for all my classes) because they just don’t. And I recently graded tests done by some primary and secondary school English teachers and then it was pretty evident why the student’s English language needs improvement-the English teachers need improvement too. It was a good lesson for me to learn!
There’s my negative rant and please, with anything, keep in mind that I enjoy teaching here with the faculty and the students. There are some things that I don’t like and other things I do. I would wholeheartedly recommend this post to anyone who really wants to get to know Thailand because I am definitely living in it.
LIVING
How have you been spending your free time? Are you studying the language?
My free time is occupied mostly by: reading, watching bad TV because it’s in English, watching DVD’s on our new PiA house DVD player, pilates, aerobics, hanging out with my roommates, staying in touch with people back home, and researching the next trip. Much more normal than I would have expected. I have a good amount of free time while still showing a lot of face at the office by emailing and blogging. I never had this amount of free time in college so it was hard to get used to but after a month or two I figured out my activities. This is a place where you can pursue all sorts of hobbies…just make sure you bring the right tools to do it.
I am taking Thai classes but I am a bad student and don’t usually choose to spend my free time studying. I have learned enough to get by and plan to do more. I now have lots of vocab I need but the biggest thing with Thai is practicing the tones and saying everything right.
Comments on the local language(s) and culture:
I think this is the hardest question as it’s hard to notice a place’s culture when you are living in it. One thing that is always said and I agree with is the friendliness of Thais. There is more of a community feel than individualistic. People go out of their way to help you (which I think is the way it should be!) even when there is a language barrier. There is a lot of laughing and not always about things that are funny. Laughing is the best way to make sure no one is losing face and I see people doing it to me a lot. If I try to speak Thai and they don’t understand they will just laugh. It has taken some getting used to to not be offended and to know they are not laughing AT me, they are just laughing at the discomfort of the situation.
The Thai language is hard but when you can understand something or are able to communicate with someone it is so exciting. I think it would be the best to start learning some Thai before you come and then continue lessons while you are here. I thought that I would learn Thai out of pure immersion but that is not the case! There are not that many instances where you need to whip out random phrases of Thai. I can navigate a bus station and find where there is vegetarian food but other things just don’t come up too often. Also, you are not immersed here. You will work in an office where people will (at least try) to speak English with you, you speak English all day, go home to your English speaking roommates...the immersion doesn’t really happen unless you make it happen.
One thing to keep in mind—Thai people are small. They have small body frames and weight is talked about. If you lose weight, gain weight, whatever, someone will say something. Women will also be asked if they are pregnant if you look a little round in the belly. It’s something that is a part of their culture and I truly don’t think it is meant in the same way as we would take it in the U.S.
Has there been anything that you wanted but have not been able to find?
Chips and salsa! Sandwiches! Cliff bars! Food is the biggest thing but not that big of a deal. You can get any food you want depending on your price limit…and Bangkok is only 6 hours away and Vientiene (French food) is closer. One thing I saw a lot before I came is the lack of non-OB tampons. I use a Diva Cup and it makes everything so much easier. I would recommend it to everyone because now I don’t have to worry.
What about your experience thus far has been most surprising/not surprising?
Most surprising-how much I am living a normal life. Ya, it’s crazy I’m in Thailand yet it’s not really. I have the Internet at work, transportation is accessible, there are people who speak English, I live in a nice apartment with everything (and more) than what I need. I mean really, this life is pretty nice. I thought it would be hard to keep in touch with people but it’s not. There’s plenty of time to write emails or letters or call people in the U.S. I have also been surprised by the people I meet here that speak English. I imagined (as I think most people do) that everyone who is teaching English in Thailand will have a similar mindset to me but this is not true at all. Even people the same age as me have very different reasons for coming here than I do. And I thought this experience would bond me with anyone else who is going through it but I do not find that to be true.
There are so many surprising things because I tried to come in with very little expectations. Since this question is based on expectations I could write a novel on all the surprising things! Ooo but one really surprising thing is that I feel more patriotic than EVER before. I would have never thought I’d feel that way.
Not surprising- That I miss people, food, many things about the U.S. Sometimes I just want to fly home for a day but all in all I am happy to be here. My taste buds are growing to find non-spicy food bland J. Oh Isaan.
MONEY & HOUSING
Base salary/month: 18,000
How often and by what method are you paid? Pay day is about the middle of each month, which means the first month you will not get paid for your first month and a half of teaching. We get paid in cash.
Is additional work necessary to meet expenses? Not at all. If you want to travel a great deal I think it is. I have easily been able to save B4000 a month even with trips to Bangkok. No matter what, it is not hard to get extra work and the pay is good (B300/hour).
Type of additional work: I tutor, grade exams when they come up, and teach extra classes.
Hours/week additional work: I do at least 1 hour a week but up to 10 hours...it all depends on what I say I can do.
Average pay/hour for additional work: B300/hour or B5/test
Your salary relative to other foreign teachers is: Unfair question as the other foreign teachers are contract teachers with a degree in TESOL/TEOFL or something! They all have their Master’s and are responsible for a lot more than we are. They get paid around B35,000 for about 20 teaching hours. Even the part-time Thai teachers are paid the same but they are overworked and therefore earn more money (as we are paid by the hour).
below average _____
average _____
above average _____
very generous _____
Please give a detailed description of your living arrangements:
I live with Joey (2nd year PiAer) and his wife Jordan in the PiA house. We all share a two bedroom town house that is on a quiet soi (little street) off of a main street. We have a TV, cable, DVD player, Internet, AC in our bedrooms, two bathrooms (one Thai toilet so it’s only used in emergency or sometimes to practice), a kitchen with a microwave and two refrigerators. Our living situation is pretty nice and I really like it. I feel like I am living in a neighborhood because there are children outside playing and friendly dogs and cats. It’s been a great fit for me.
We live next door to Karl who is one of the foreign Ajarn at KKU. Our landlord is Thai and is great. His English is good enough and he takes care of us really well. We live across the main street from the National Museum which includes a park, a path around a large pond and aerobics every night. It’s a nice break from the city traffic and it’s so convenient. We live very close to a vegetarian restaurant and other restaurants and of course lots of street stands where you can get food. It’s about a 10-15 minute motorbike drive to KKU or about 30 minutes on the songthaew. The songthaew that goes by our house gets to the main bus station (where you can connect to all songthaews) in 5 minutes or it goes to downtown Khon Kaen shortly after that. The city is very accessible to us.
Is housing provided by the institution? If not, how was it arranged?
Nope, I live in the PiA house that has been passed down each year to new comers. I emailed Joey to see if they wanted to live with me and thankfully they said yes.
Average monthly expenses (rent, utilities, food, transportation, etc.):
This does not account for any traveling! This is only my life in Khon Kaen.
Rent: B2750
Utilities: B500 (including Internet which is the most expensive)
Food: hard to estimate but maybe around B2400
It’s about B20-35 a meal but I splurge on imported breakfast cereal so that’s expensive
Transportation: B350
Have you been able to save money for vacations/travel?
Lots of it. I choose to live simply in Khon Kaen so I can travel more. It has not been hard and I do not feel like I turn down offers to do something because of money. For me, I can turn down a fruit drink or a snack here and there just to have more money to travel. It hasn’t been hard.
Enjoy a slice of my thoughts.
Princeton-in-Asia 3 Month Report 2007-2008
Office Mailing Address:
Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences
Khon Kaen University
Mueng Khon Kaen, Khon Kaen
Thailand 40002
TEACHING
Please outline the academic schedule.
Start date: June 4th
End date: around the middle of February
Vacations: For the first semester-lots of three day weekends, a week for midterms the first week of August and 4 weeks in between semesters from the last week in September to the last week in October.
Teaching (classroom) hours/week: I teach 15 hours a week
Office hours/week required for prep/grading/other: Office hours are not required but it looks good if you are around the office doing something. Prep and grading is entirely up to your teaching style and each week can be different.
Are there set requirements for office hours? No
Please list the classes you teach for your host institution, number of hours you see each class, number of students in each class, and give a short description of that class:
105-This is a general freshman level English class for students majoring in the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences. All of my students are majoring in another language and this is the first semester of their required English course. I teach this class 3 hours a week and there are 40 students. As a native speaker, I got the top class in this section and they work hard and do pretty well. They have a midterm, listening midterm, speaking midterm, final, listening final and speaking final. This class has the most extrinsic motivation to speak and listen to me in class. All of the tests are based on their book and I do not see any of the tests or grade them.
106-This is a general freshman level English class for medical students. I have two sections, one section is made up of pre-med students and the other section is pre-dentistry. I teach both classes for three hours a week and both have around 40 students. They have a midterm, final and writing final which I never see or grade. Again, everything is based out of a book. They have a final presentation which I do get to grade and it is on any topic of their choice.
107-This a general freshman level English class for science and technology majors. This class uses the same book as 106 but the skill level is less and so not as many chapters are covered. I have two sections and a variety of majors like food technology, biology, geology, etc. I teach both classes for three hours a week and both have around 40 students. They have a midterm and final which is entirely based on the book. In this class I got to write part of the midterm and grade some sections.
In greater detail, please describe your students (caliber, attitude, age, motivation, etc.):
The students vary between majors just like you would stereotype. The medical and dentistry students strive for excellence and want to get an A. The science majors are just happy to get by. My 105 students are really great and I think it helps that they are learning another language for their major. With all of the sections I teach they are the best of the best. This means that they scored the highest on some English placement test. This usually means they can read and write ok but they haven’t ever spoken in English class (unless you count repeating words back to their teachers). For all of my students except the ones who studied abroad in the U.S., I am the first native speaker they have ever had as a teacher and usually ever heard. This means that for the first month (at least!) when I thought I was speaking slowly or using easy words I wasn’t. It takes awhile to get used to the level of English they know.
My students have become much more active in class over the last three months. There are frustrating days when I feel like they won’t talk but I have to remember that they are used to a Thai teacher speaking to them in a microphone while they take notes or repeat things back to them. I noticed right away how differently I have been taught my whole life. It takes awhile for them to get comfortable and to be able to even ask a question in front of the class.
I think I laugh a lot in class, and not at the students! My students can be hilarious and I love thinking that they are making jokes in English. Quite a feat. I think they feel pretty comfortable in class which is something I really wanted to cultivate. The students help each other, sometimes to the point where you are not sure if they are cheating but its best to remember how community-oriented Thais are compared with Americans.
I still have to remind all of my classes to speak in English when they are doing group work. It’s a constant struggle because it is just a required class for them. I can’t expect them to act like students who are majoring in English but I still want them to get a lot out of the class. This goes along with the motivation. Remember required classes you HAD to take in college? Remember how you felt? I try to remember all the time so I don’t lose sight of their perspective. Sure they think it’s cool that they get a young, native speaker but in the end they just want to pass the class.
Does the school provide you with textbooks or other materials? If yes, do you find them useful?
Textbooks are provided and they must be used or else your students will have quite a disadvantage for the exams. It is hard to work outside of the textbooks because 85% of their grade is the midterm and final which is based on the book. When I deviate I get mixed results and have to make it clear how this will help them with their exams. So the textbooks are made useful because I want my students to learn English and do well on the exams. This means there is not a lot of lesson planning as there is little extra time for activities but you can do extra things and assign more homework. It’s up to each person but there is no need to bring your own material for the general English classes.
My personal opinion of the textbooks doesn’t really matter as we must use them.
Would you recommend that future interns bring any of their own teaching materials? If so, what?
Not really necessary. If you have good lesson plans from home for college students definitely bring it but it is in no way necessary. I usually go online and search for applicable activities because I figure the people online have way more experience teaching than I do.
What are the names and positions (titles) of those to whom you are directly responsible and how would you describe your relations with them?
Ajarn Araya Vithsupalert is the head of the English Department but this is a very loose office. I would never say she is directly responsible for me as there is no oversight. I am on my own and everyone is available to answer my questions but they trust us to run our own classes. My relationship with Ajarn Araya is good but it really only consists of seeing each other around the office and talking about her daughter, who I tutor. We don’t teach the same courses so there is no reason for interaction beyond office small talk.
How would you describe relations with local faculty and staff?
Relationships with foreign teachers and Thai teachers are good. Everyone is very helpful when I have a question but leave me alone for the most part. There is lots of small talk and smiling but when it comes down to it, there are only a few Thais in the office that I can actually have a conversation in English. Relationships are definitely friendly but the language barrier makes it difficult to really form much more than work friends.
What do you wear to work?
Here’s the lowdown as I brought some clothes that were not ok. No worries, I didn’t lose any face :)
Females-you MUST wear a knee-length or lower skirt or long slacks. Khakis and capris are not ok but black dress pants are. Thais dress like we would at an office in the U.S. so think more business professional than laid-back teacher (that was my problem). Shirts are more flexible. Be professional but you can get away with fitted-tees (which I do a lot and I don’t think is looked down on). Collared shirts always look more professional. You may have a few A/C rooms to teach in but don’t plan on it. Be prepared to sweat through anything you bring. Shoes must have a back, even if it’s a little sling, something on your heel. I wear sandals with a back or ballet slippers.
Males-You must have a collared shirt and wear pants. This can range from a nice dress shirt or a polo. Khakis are ok. Most of the Thai ajarns do not wear ties but some PiAers like the image it gives them. And image does matter here. The clothes you wear reflect how much money you make, and we are in the higher end of the socioeconomic status. You don’t need fancy shoes but semi-fancy is a good idea. Some comfy loafers will be perfectly alright.
Have there been difficulties/frustrations with teaching?
Of course and I can’t imagine anyone answering this question any differently. It’s hard to teach, especially when you’ve never truly done it for a full time job. It’s an even harder adjustment because we are used to teaching (or being taught) in the U.S.—big reminder that Thailand is a different country. The students act differently, learn differently, study differently, interact differently, etc.
Right now, the most frustrating part is finally getting to know how to teach each class (as they all require something different) and then it’s the end of the semester and I will have a new class. So goes the life of a teacher I guess. I had a hard time at first figuring out how to add to the lessons in the book. Sometimes there is not tons of time for extra things because you need to get through all the material for the exam. There are crazy times of teaching but it’s all in the experience. It just makes it more frustrating to have such little control over the courses I teach. Instead of being able to test or grade my students I have to prepare them for an exam I never see. Then they take the exam, I see their scores but I still don’t know what the exam was like. There was lots of midterm frustration and I anticipate more after the final test. I have a hard time figuring out if I am teaching them well enough because there is no real way to gauge it.
As has been said before in reports, the faculty trusts me and the others as teachers and do not feel it’s necessary to check in on me. We have a great amount of responsibility but at the same time, we are teaching classes that are entirely based out of a book. That comes with its own frustration. I realize the books allow for 2,000 students to take the same course and then they need to have some standardized test. But when the standardized test is above their ability and then all the scores are curved it really makes you feel useless as a teacher. I’m still not sure what to do with that.
The student’s abilities are a huge frustration. Before I started teaching I expected a lot more from the students. Most have been taking English for 12 years but for many years they have been taking English most have never spoken English and never heard English spoken by a native English speaker. Seriously, the poor students who got me as an ajarn! No wonder they were terrified the first week. I had to stop thinking that they should know lots of the things I am teaching (which I am told I should just review grammar but I need to teach it for all my classes) because they just don’t. And I recently graded tests done by some primary and secondary school English teachers and then it was pretty evident why the student’s English language needs improvement-the English teachers need improvement too. It was a good lesson for me to learn!
There’s my negative rant and please, with anything, keep in mind that I enjoy teaching here with the faculty and the students. There are some things that I don’t like and other things I do. I would wholeheartedly recommend this post to anyone who really wants to get to know Thailand because I am definitely living in it.
LIVING
How have you been spending your free time? Are you studying the language?
My free time is occupied mostly by: reading, watching bad TV because it’s in English, watching DVD’s on our new PiA house DVD player, pilates, aerobics, hanging out with my roommates, staying in touch with people back home, and researching the next trip. Much more normal than I would have expected. I have a good amount of free time while still showing a lot of face at the office by emailing and blogging. I never had this amount of free time in college so it was hard to get used to but after a month or two I figured out my activities. This is a place where you can pursue all sorts of hobbies…just make sure you bring the right tools to do it.
I am taking Thai classes but I am a bad student and don’t usually choose to spend my free time studying. I have learned enough to get by and plan to do more. I now have lots of vocab I need but the biggest thing with Thai is practicing the tones and saying everything right.
Comments on the local language(s) and culture:
I think this is the hardest question as it’s hard to notice a place’s culture when you are living in it. One thing that is always said and I agree with is the friendliness of Thais. There is more of a community feel than individualistic. People go out of their way to help you (which I think is the way it should be!) even when there is a language barrier. There is a lot of laughing and not always about things that are funny. Laughing is the best way to make sure no one is losing face and I see people doing it to me a lot. If I try to speak Thai and they don’t understand they will just laugh. It has taken some getting used to to not be offended and to know they are not laughing AT me, they are just laughing at the discomfort of the situation.
The Thai language is hard but when you can understand something or are able to communicate with someone it is so exciting. I think it would be the best to start learning some Thai before you come and then continue lessons while you are here. I thought that I would learn Thai out of pure immersion but that is not the case! There are not that many instances where you need to whip out random phrases of Thai. I can navigate a bus station and find where there is vegetarian food but other things just don’t come up too often. Also, you are not immersed here. You will work in an office where people will (at least try) to speak English with you, you speak English all day, go home to your English speaking roommates...the immersion doesn’t really happen unless you make it happen.
One thing to keep in mind—Thai people are small. They have small body frames and weight is talked about. If you lose weight, gain weight, whatever, someone will say something. Women will also be asked if they are pregnant if you look a little round in the belly. It’s something that is a part of their culture and I truly don’t think it is meant in the same way as we would take it in the U.S.
Has there been anything that you wanted but have not been able to find?
Chips and salsa! Sandwiches! Cliff bars! Food is the biggest thing but not that big of a deal. You can get any food you want depending on your price limit…and Bangkok is only 6 hours away and Vientiene (French food) is closer. One thing I saw a lot before I came is the lack of non-OB tampons. I use a Diva Cup and it makes everything so much easier. I would recommend it to everyone because now I don’t have to worry.
What about your experience thus far has been most surprising/not surprising?
Most surprising-how much I am living a normal life. Ya, it’s crazy I’m in Thailand yet it’s not really. I have the Internet at work, transportation is accessible, there are people who speak English, I live in a nice apartment with everything (and more) than what I need. I mean really, this life is pretty nice. I thought it would be hard to keep in touch with people but it’s not. There’s plenty of time to write emails or letters or call people in the U.S. I have also been surprised by the people I meet here that speak English. I imagined (as I think most people do) that everyone who is teaching English in Thailand will have a similar mindset to me but this is not true at all. Even people the same age as me have very different reasons for coming here than I do. And I thought this experience would bond me with anyone else who is going through it but I do not find that to be true.
There are so many surprising things because I tried to come in with very little expectations. Since this question is based on expectations I could write a novel on all the surprising things! Ooo but one really surprising thing is that I feel more patriotic than EVER before. I would have never thought I’d feel that way.
Not surprising- That I miss people, food, many things about the U.S. Sometimes I just want to fly home for a day but all in all I am happy to be here. My taste buds are growing to find non-spicy food bland J. Oh Isaan.
MONEY & HOUSING
Base salary/month: 18,000
How often and by what method are you paid? Pay day is about the middle of each month, which means the first month you will not get paid for your first month and a half of teaching. We get paid in cash.
Is additional work necessary to meet expenses? Not at all. If you want to travel a great deal I think it is. I have easily been able to save B4000 a month even with trips to Bangkok. No matter what, it is not hard to get extra work and the pay is good (B300/hour).
Type of additional work: I tutor, grade exams when they come up, and teach extra classes.
Hours/week additional work: I do at least 1 hour a week but up to 10 hours...it all depends on what I say I can do.
Average pay/hour for additional work: B300/hour or B5/test
Your salary relative to other foreign teachers is: Unfair question as the other foreign teachers are contract teachers with a degree in TESOL/TEOFL or something! They all have their Master’s and are responsible for a lot more than we are. They get paid around B35,000 for about 20 teaching hours. Even the part-time Thai teachers are paid the same but they are overworked and therefore earn more money (as we are paid by the hour).
below average _____
average _____
above average _____
very generous _____
Please give a detailed description of your living arrangements:
I live with Joey (2nd year PiAer) and his wife Jordan in the PiA house. We all share a two bedroom town house that is on a quiet soi (little street) off of a main street. We have a TV, cable, DVD player, Internet, AC in our bedrooms, two bathrooms (one Thai toilet so it’s only used in emergency or sometimes to practice), a kitchen with a microwave and two refrigerators. Our living situation is pretty nice and I really like it. I feel like I am living in a neighborhood because there are children outside playing and friendly dogs and cats. It’s been a great fit for me.
We live next door to Karl who is one of the foreign Ajarn at KKU. Our landlord is Thai and is great. His English is good enough and he takes care of us really well. We live across the main street from the National Museum which includes a park, a path around a large pond and aerobics every night. It’s a nice break from the city traffic and it’s so convenient. We live very close to a vegetarian restaurant and other restaurants and of course lots of street stands where you can get food. It’s about a 10-15 minute motorbike drive to KKU or about 30 minutes on the songthaew. The songthaew that goes by our house gets to the main bus station (where you can connect to all songthaews) in 5 minutes or it goes to downtown Khon Kaen shortly after that. The city is very accessible to us.
Is housing provided by the institution? If not, how was it arranged?
Nope, I live in the PiA house that has been passed down each year to new comers. I emailed Joey to see if they wanted to live with me and thankfully they said yes.
Average monthly expenses (rent, utilities, food, transportation, etc.):
This does not account for any traveling! This is only my life in Khon Kaen.
Rent: B2750
Utilities: B500 (including Internet which is the most expensive)
Food: hard to estimate but maybe around B2400
It’s about B20-35 a meal but I splurge on imported breakfast cereal so that’s expensive
Transportation: B350
Have you been able to save money for vacations/travel?
Lots of it. I choose to live simply in Khon Kaen so I can travel more. It has not been hard and I do not feel like I turn down offers to do something because of money. For me, I can turn down a fruit drink or a snack here and there just to have more money to travel. It hasn’t been hard.
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