True Beauty

Saturday I met up with some people from OEG and it was off to hike the Erawan waterfalls. After an uncomfortable two hour bus ride (I was standing up in the aisle the whole way) we arrived at the park. Erawan is a seven tiered waterfall and we couldn’t wait to get started on the hike.  All of the levels of the waterfall were incredibly beautiful and it was a really enjoyable hike. I couldn’t get over how pretty the falls were. Some of my pictures seriously look fake. After climbing all the way to the 7^th tier (yay!) we headed back down to find a suitable place to swim. We stopped at the 5^th tier and jumped in the icy cold water. It felt so refreshing after about 2 hours of hiking. I got a little freaked out about the fish though, not going to lie. There were lots of fish that would literally come up and nibble on your feet. I can’t believe you can actually pay to get a fish pedicure (you stick your feet in a big tank of these fish and they supposedly eat all the dead skin off you feet). No thank you. So after a few minutes of frantically keeping our limbs moving to avoid the fish, we climbed up onto a waterfall for a photo-op. After that we hiked down to the 4^th tier where you can actually slide down the waterfall. I was hesitant at first because it looked a little scary, but I decided to do it (when in Thailand right?). I climbed up the huge rock and slid down. It was exhilarating. We continued our decent and caught the bus back to Kanchanburi (a much more comfortable ride). Such a fun day. Between the Erawan falls and Sangklaburi I would say this was one of my favorite weekends so far. Life is good.   

Oh yeah, there were also monkeys. Luckily they stuck to the tree tops and didn't come steal our stuff! 

The Time I Got Three Steps Into Burma

I had a four day weekend this week due to a boy scout/girl scout field trip. Olivia and I decided to head to Sangklaburi and then to the Erawan waterfalls in Kanchanaburi.

Our journey began at the crack of dawn. We decided to get up super early to ensure that we would have at least two half days to spend in Sangklaburi. The journey there was surprisingly uneventful. We were warned by some friends who had recently gone that the van ride was a bit terrifying. So I went prepared with some dramamine in my pocket and a car sick bag just in case. Luckily I didn’t need it. The last hour was a bit windy but our driver took it slow so it wasn’t so bad. 

We arrived in Sanklaburi at the wonderful P Guest House, a really cute place that overlooks a huge beautiful lake. The scenery was unbelievable. After checking in we decided to rent a canoe for the afternoon and explore a bit of the lake. This turned out to be a lot more work than we thought, but it was beautiful nonetheless and definitely worth the work out. We passed by a ton of floating houses.  Most of the locals there live on these houseboats that are literally built on bamboo rafts. So cool. We paddled all the way to the mysterious “underwater temple”. We were initially confused as we came up on what looked like the ruins of an ancient temple but it was not “underwater”. We came to the conclusion that since it is currently the dry season, the water level of the lake was probably low and perhaps in the rainy season, when the lake water is higher, the temple would indeed be underwater. We also paddled to check out the Saphan Mon bridge which is the longest wooden bridge in Thailand. Apparently you can walk across it but we weren’t feeling quite adventurous enough to try it as it looked a little rickety.

The next day we decided to go check out the Three Pagoda Pass, a monument on the Thai/Burma border. On the way there, I swear our driver was playing "how many people can you fit in a song-tau”. At one point I counted 21 people, including a kid riding on top of the car. A very interesting, and cramped, ride. We got to the Three Pagoda Pass, snapped some pictures and then walked over towards the Burma border. We saw tons of people walking back and forth what looked like the border. There was no one stopping them to check passports and no real signs, so Olivia and walked cautiously a little forward. We got about three steps in, what apparently was the “border”, before a young man wagged a finger at us and pointed back the other way. Ah well, guess i'll have to stay in Thailand. 

Sangklaburi was amazing and I was really sad to leave. It was so peaceful and the scenery was incredible. It was time to go to Kanchanburi to meet up with some fellow OEGers and hike the Erawan falls.      

Reflection

I have one month of teaching left. I can’t believe it. Is it really almost February? Wasn't it just Christmas? The semester has gone by extremely fast, but when I think back to my first few days of orientation in Bangkok, it feels like a lifetime ago. My trip has been incredible and I have seen so many amazing places and been able to do so many amazing things.  I am so grateful for that. I feel like I have really gotten used to living here. Now that I really only have a month left of “living” in Thailand, it is time to answer the dreaded question. “What’s next?” I can’t picture myself signing up for another semester. I absolutely LOVE living in Thailand; unfortunately, I am not in love with teaching. So the question is, where do I go from here?  I know that I want to travel for a while and I guess that is all I need to focus on for now.  I just need to push back the thoughts of “what am I doing with my life?” and focus on enjoying the rest of my time here in Thailand and exploring more of Southeast Asia. More amazing places and incredible adventures to come!   

Floating Market

Saturday I went to the Ampawa floating market. I know I said I was over the whole school field trip thing, but when the school announced they were taking a trip to the floating market, I couldn't pass it up. I have wanted to go to the market since I got here, but it is surprisingly difficult to get to from Bangkok.  I decided it would be easier to have a bus drive me directly there, even if it meant suffering through another bus ride with the students.

On the way to the market we stopped at the “Siam Cultural Park”. It was actually a really pretty park with lots of trees and vegetation. They had a museum, Buddha statues from various time periods, and a few old Thai style houses that you could walk through. We had a tour guide, but of course it was in Thai and I couldn’t understand anything they were saying. At one point in the museum they had these wax statues depicting the life of a man who was apparently famous and important to the history of Thailand. I asked one of my teachers to translate what the tour guide was saying. The translation went something like this:

“This man had many wife”

“He ask Buddha for help”

“Buddha give him the last children”

“He eat too much”

“Stomach blow up”

Needless to say, I have no idea who this man was, why he was famous, or even why his stomach blew up. Bad Karma? 

The floating market was pretty cool but not what I was expecting. I have seen so many colorful pictures of the floating markets but it didn’t really look anything like those pictures. The coolest part about the market is the food vendors. They actually cook the food on the boat and you sit on the steps at the edge of the water to eat. Other than that, I found it to be crowded and touristy. I did find a few neat souvenirs that I haven’t seen anywhere else.  Overall I am glad that I went.

Neung, Song, Saam...Cha Cha Cha

Salsa Dancing. One thing I definitely did not expect to do in Thailand.  Yet somehow I found myself learning the Cha Cha and various other Latin inspired dances from my Thai teachers at a two week late New Years party. Thailand continues to surprise me.

Our teacher friend Tu invited us to a party at her family restaurant to celebrate “New Year”. (I hope she realizes she was a little late!)  Tu had told us that there would be “dancing” and “singing”, which, if you have been reading my posts, could mean any number of things. So again, I went to the party not really knowing what I was getting myself into.

The evening started off with a delicious six course meal. There were a few teachers from U-Thong school and a bunch of Tu’s friends from Suphanburi and surrounding areas. Dinner was fun and there was of course a lot of karaoke.  

After dinner Tu dragged me to the dance floor as they started playing Thai music with a definite Latin flare. Suddenly I found myself attempting to learn how to salsa dance. I was seriously shocked to see how good the teachers were at dancing. My jaw literally dropped as I watched them cha cha cha their way around the dance floor. The teachers were trying to teach me how to dance and I could not help but smile and laugh when they started counting out the steps in Thai. “Neung, song, saam…cha cha cha..”   The night was a lot of fun and not at all what I was expecting. Definitely a unique experience.  

Happy Teacher Day!

Yesterday was “Teacher Day”, a day to recognize all the wonderful teachers in Thailand. We were told there was going to be a party for the teachers of U-Thong. I didn’t really know what to expect because, as always, I never know what is going on.

Turns out it was a huge banquet type dinner for all the teachers in U-Thong and surrounding areas. The banquet started off with a lot of speeches by people high up in the education system. Apparently the prime minister of education for central Thailand was present. This was followed by an eight course meal, music, dancing, a raffle and of course fireworks.

Dinner was a variety of dishes including fish, fried rice, chicken, tom yum with seafood etc. I even tried pig stomach (at least I think that was what they said it was….).  I will definitely never go hungry in Thailand. They are always trying to feed us as if we are starving. They just kept bringing out plates and plates of food.

The dancing was…umm… interesting. Kind of “Vegas show girl”. The costumes were very sparkly and flashy and they even wore those gigantic feather headdresses. One of the singers of the band wore a very promiscuous outfit, including a very short mini-skirt and a shirt that showed off her mid-driff. We were shocked that this was acceptable in a culture that is considerably conservative in the way that they dress. When we tried to ask the teachers about why this was ok and they explained that the woman was actually a man. Umm… could have fooled me.

Now I don’t know if any of you know anything about the “lady boy” culture in Thailand, but it is kind of fascinating. There are a lot of men who dress like women and act like women. Honestly, I have a hard time distinguishing them sometimes because they look so much like women. I was very surprised when I came to Thailand that the “lady boy” is so culturally accepted. I found out it has a lot to do with the Buddhist culture.  The Thai’s believe that a “lady boy” is someone who was a woman in a past life but was reincarnated as a man. They still have the “female spirit” however it represents itself in male form. Quite interesting.

(sorry for the random tangent) 

The dancing was followed by a raffle with prizes including rice cookers, toasters, irons, fans and other small home appliances.   Overall, a pretty interesting night.

 Happy Teacher day to all my follow teachers in Thailand! 

Only in Thailand

Things I have gotten used to:

-The unbelievable generosity of the Thai people.

-The familiar call of the geckos in my room in the middle of the night

-Laid back attitude. Even though the school can be extremely disorganized, (and I often find out 10 minutes before that my class is canceled for a random reason), I have discovered that you just have to roll with it sometimes.  Shrug it off. “Mai pen rai”

-Being stopped in the middle of the street and being asked “where you come from?” I always reply with “America”.  The stranger then nods or smiles and continues on with their day.

-My students shouting “hello teacher!” from across the way.

-My students calling me “beautiful teacher”

-Hearing the word “farang”

-Thai music. I have actually grown to like the music here. Although I am pretty tired of hearing the pop love songs. (Except for "1,2,3,4,5 I love you". That ones my favorite. 555)

-coconut milk on everything!

-The ants. I have made my peace with them

-Mosquitos. They seem to be leaving me alone. For now….

-Having a 7-11 on every corner. I don’t know what I would do without it!

-Random people yelling “hello” or “yoooo” as they whiz by on their motorcycle

-Our “regular” food stalls that we visit. We now have a “lunch lady”, a “coffee lady”, a “som tom lady” and a “fruit lady”. None of them speak English but are absolutely thrilled to see us on a regular basis. The highlight of my day is getting a huge smile as I pull up on my bike to order a cha yin.

Things I am still getting used to

-Squat toilets. I don’t think I will ever get used to them. I am thrilled when I find a restroom that has both a western toilet and offers toilet paper. A rare commodity!

-Being stared at. All the time.

-Being in a constant state of confusion. I never seem to know what is going on. Oh, another random festival? Ok, cool.  

-Motorbikes. Seriously. I can’t get over it when I see little babies perched on their parents lap as they drive through town.

-Lack of hand soap

-Lack of paper products. Using toilet paper as a napkin doesn’t really cut it

-Weird spicy sugar stuff they put on their fruit (and the weird stares I get when I don’t use it). 

-Stray dogs

-Communication barrier. It can still be really frustrating when you can’t get your point across no matter how much you gesture and how many different ways you try to say it (in English and Thai).

-The fact that Thai people wear sweaters and jackets when its 90 degrees. I am sweating in a tank top and shorts and they are wearing coats and scarves?

-My kids horse playing in class. They hit each other really hard!

True story: My coordinator's friend ran out of gas on the side of the road so we went to go help her. We pull up to a gas station but they didn't have any gas cans. So, they decided to give us a plastic bag full of gas and cut a water bottle in half to use as a funnel (no joke). My coordinator causally handed the bag of gasoline to Olivia who was lucky enough to be sitting in the front seat. She held the bag out the window as we drove because the fumes were so bad. I could not stop laughing in the backseat. Only in Thailand. 

Field Trip!

Saturday it was off to Kanchanaburi on a school field trip, “English on Tour”.  A group of my M2 students were selected to go on this field trip in order to practice their English skills. The bus ride started off with me and Olivia asking questions in English and students reading the history of the sites we were going to see. The students were supposed to complete an assignment at each of the stops on the trip.  First stop was the WWII cemetery containing soldiers and prisoners of war involved in building the “death railway”. After that it was on to the “Bridge over the River Kwae” (apparently pronounced kway not kwai.  Kwai means buffalo in Thai which the Thai teachers and students thought was hilarious) The bridge was part of the “death railway” built by the Japanese. The railway was intended to link Thailand and Burma and was used to transport labor and supplies to the Japanese army. After a morning filled with history it was off to the Soi Yok waterfall. The students had to complete an assignment where they had to have a conversation with a foreigner and ask them questions in English. The waterfall was pretty but it was very crowded and touristy. As for the kids, I don’t know if any of them completed this part of the assignment. I kept asking my kids if they needed help, but they just said “No teacher. Later”. I think they were too nervous about approaching a stranger and attempting to talk to them in English. Overall, a pretty interesting field trip.

Sunday it was time for another “field trip”. Although, I wouldn’t necessarily call a trip to the Chatachack weekend market in Bangkok a “field trip”. Doesn’t seem to me there is much educational value there….Nonetheless, 7 buses were loaded with probably about a thousand kids (all grade levels). And guess what?  The kids were literally dropped off and told to meet back at the buses. I was shocked as the M1 students (11-12 year olds) were simply let loose into the largest market in the world. I thought for sure someone was going to get lost. Heck, there have been a few times where I have felt the onset of a small panic attack because I could not find my out. But low and behold, after an afternoon of shopping, all the students seemed to have made it out alive. Whew.

It was a pretty fun weekend, however I think I am done with the school field trips for a while. I don’t know how many more bus rides filled with loud techno music and bad karaoke I can handle.     

Happy 2011!

Happy 2011!

Can I just say how incredibly lucky I am? I am getting PAID to LIVE in this BEAUTIFUL country. I seriously can’t get over it.

I also  have to say that I was a bit spoiled this weekend. I decided to go back to the island of Koh Chang. I met up with some friends and we stayed at the most amazing hotel. It was right on the beach and even had a roof top pool!!

On Friday, after spending the majority of the day lounging on the beach and swimming in the ocean, we decided to splurge on dinner. It’s New Years right? We found a Mexican restaurant and absolutely gorged ourselves on fajitas, burritos, nachos etc. It tasted SO good.  After dinner it was off to Lonely Beach for a gigantic New Years beach party. It was so much fun!

The next two days were spent being completely lazy. Lying on the beach and eating delicious food. Saturday night was Italian. I never knew pasta and pizza could taste so good.  On Sunday we went to Bang Bao which is a tiny fishing village at the southern tip of the island. It was such a cute town. We walked around, had lunch and then spent the rest of the afternoon at the pool.

Best. New Years. Ever.

If the first few days of the new year are any indication of how the rest of the year will go, I’d say its going to be a great year.  J   

Happy Very Much in New Year

On Thursday we did not have classes due to the school having a New Years party. (I only taught 1.5 days this week!) I was excited but I had no idea what the New Years party entailed. All I knew was that there was some sort of marathon and that each class would have its own classroom party. I had also heard that there would be dancing. I had no idea what a big deal it was going to be.

On Thursday I woke up and went out to join the rest of our school to run a “marathon”. The whole school, including teachers, lined up behind a big start gate. The race was to the temple and back. Olivia and I walked the race with a few of the other teachers. It was actually a lot of fun. After the race there was a big award ceremony where they gave out trophies to the winners (they had several different age categories).  This was followed by a gigantic raffle of gifts. All of the students had put their names into a drawing. They had so many prizes! Fans, rice cookers, DVD players, TV’s, and one lucky student won a motorbike! (It still freaks me out that 15 year olds (and even younger!) can drive those motorbikes….) It was a lot of fun and the students really enjoyed getting presents!

After the school wide raffle, the students all went to their “homeroom” for their own New Years Party.  I went to have lunch with our teacher friends in the commercial department. After a really delicious meal, there was another raffle for the commercial students where even more prizes were given out. I got to help draw names and hand out the gifts. It was really fun!

After all of the gifts were gone, we were told it was time for “dancing”. I was thinking “dancing” meant some sort of Thai traditional dancing with the students in costumes etc. Boy was I wrong. Turns out the school hired a pretty famous Thai pop/rock band to come give a concert at the school. Just imagine over 3,000 students, a sea of yellow and red uniforms, going crazy to their favorite pop songs. I am sad to say that I actually recognized a few of the songs and enjoyed dancing with my students. It was great to see the kids in a totally different context, dancing and having fun. What a crazy day!

After the concert was over I wished the Thai teachers a Happy New Year and headed off to Koh Chang for my own New Years celebration.