Good afternoon!
Well I am sad to announce that my stint at the Anuban Tapraya school is nearing it's end. I have enjoyed being a teacher here so much! It has had it's challenges for sure and tested me in all the ways that I knew it would. Some tests I didn't quite expect but have done my best to face them. This week with Kru Su gone I have been teaching the lower level classes that used to be hers! It is so much more fun! I get to sing the abc's on my ukulele and talk to them with hand puppets, mine is this big stuffed fluffy kitty puppet, named miss kitty. They get to talk back to me with a Garfield puppet, that they love! It's so much easier than the higher grade levels and the hour goes by so fast!
I've taken to arriving at school early I the morning so I can play uke with the kiddos and talk to them a bit. I taught them how to do the hokey pokey. Why did we ever stop doin th hokey pokey? I want someone to remind me to do the hokey pokey more often when I get home! Like patty cake I think it's a game that shouldn't stop being played just because were adults! What if the hokey pokey really is what it's all about? That's my deep wise ponderance for all of you out there!
After all, I am a guru! You didn't know? Well, I always said that you don't need to follow a guru that you are the guru! I didn't know how true it was until last week when Kru Thavee told me that the word Kru is actually derived from the Sanskrit word guru! So I am guru miaw! We were having a conversation about how respectful the students are here of the teachers. He said it is because to them they look at teachers as having all the answers. The respect that is displayed by students is awe inspiring, if the student has to approach the teacher, say to have them sign a paper, the student waits on their knees with their head bowed. Students here are so much better behaved than in the states. I love the idea that all teachers are gurus, not just spiritual teachers.
I've been going on bike rides through the countryside. Just chilling I the left side of the road and smiling at everyone who stares as I pass by. I rode a few kilometers to a smaller town near Tapraya, at random I turned down red dusty streets and caught dogs licking the insides of ice cream wrappers, houses on stilts, more chickens and roosters than human beings. I take a back road peddling furiously past electric green rice paddies, past the smelled irrigation channels, until I come to a Thai temple out in the middle of nowhere, the extravagance of it's red and gold spiked roof so appropriately out of place among the brown plowed up fields of powdery earth. I reached a cross roads to turn around and a man speeds by on his motorbike, he turns around to smile at me and I catch a glimpse of 2 fat piggies as clean and shiny as charlottes Wilbur ready for the state fair. They were crammed inside of a bamboo cage and speeding away in a motorbike, it was a sight that struck me and will stick with me. Old ladies sit on raised open air platforms, families gather around street vendors roasting skewers of everything imaginable. I love biking, it's faster than walking but you can still take in your surroundings.
Another reason I love Thailand: I FOUND MANGOSTEEN! Walking through the Sunday market my head picked the fruit out of the craze of abundance spread on the market tables! I filled a bag for about sixty cents! I went home to test them out and are the entire back in one swell foop! So I went back and bought another huge bag! In the states, if I could have found them at all, I would have paid around twenty bucks for them. Here? About two dollars! MANGOSTEEN HEAVEN! Well worth the thousand dollar plane ticket right? I think so!
Sorry I haven't written in a while it's been a pretty mellow week just , teaching and hanging with the students, and doing the routine life stuff.... In Thailand! I did have the Oys swing by the other night and they brought me dinner and took me to Kru berns house to watch her make popcorn. They have this Thai version if kettle corn that is a lot sweeter! It was fun to watch her make the batches with her little popcorn machine. It was a fun little unexpected venture. Guess where her popcorn comes from? The United States. I told her I'd be her popcorn broker!
Just so you know that my trip isn't always rainbows and sunshine, yesterday I felt awful! No real explanation, just Ina terribly crappy mood and went home straight after class and locked myself in my little room an spent all day reading this cheesy Nicholas sparks love story that anothe volunteer left behind. I didn't do anything but read and eat Thai popcorn and sit with my crappy mood knowing that I would feel better tomorrow. Kru Oy nimber two came by and. Brought me a tasty dinner Again and some tasty sweet roti treats. It perked me up a little! I discovered a bunch of enya on this iPod a dear friend gave to me. I haven't ever listened to enya, but as I lay drifting off to sleep it was awesome! Oh dear it feels strange admitting that. Okay most boring blog to date but I head off to Cambodia next week and want to keep you up to date!
Wednesday, January 29, 2014
Saturday, January 25, 2014
My heart dose go on ... And on!
Nope, it's not one of my usual iPhone auto correct induced typos, I really do hope the dose of love my heart has been receiving goes on and on and on.... So actually it's a bad English translation typo that was on the karaoke machine from last nights session. I thought it was pretty funny, but couldn't explain it to anyone so I chuckled to myself, another favorite from the same song was: you're here, there's nothing, I'm fear. Am I easily amused? Another great one that I forgot to mention was from a menu: pork shop with blown sauce. The last thing I want on my pork shop is blown sauce, let me tell you!
Well as seems to be pretty standard, life in Thailand is incredible! Friday was Kru Su's last day at school, it was bitter sweet. We arrived to school early and I played uke outside for the kiddos, I played my Jessie J, price tag song for them and there were a couple of student who knew it!Su teaches the lower levels, grades one two and three. I joined her for her last two level three classes. We played alphabet games and did some matching, Su handed out pencils as a goodbye present and I helped with the games. During lunch time, Kru us said goodbye to all of the students and she sang them " you are my sunshine" while I backed her up on uke. The students were so sad I see her go an they crowded around her and cried and hugged and asked her if she would come back. I was happy than it wasn't my turn to say good bye though unbelievably it is right around the corner, only ten days left at Anuban school. It will be a busy week and a half because I will take over Kru Su's classes.
After lunch we were invited to Kru Oy number ones classroom. I thought we were just going to watch ramwon(traditional Thai dancing) practice. We arrive and are introduced to Noom, who dresses us in traditional clothes and and proceeds to do our hair and makeup. He puts this yarn donut on my head and starts back combing and hairs praying and gelling and pinning my hair into this , big sleek beehive, bride of Frankenstein up do. The he tops it with a bright shiny gold, crown drizzled with dangling mirrors. Like a little temple just for my head. I have I admit that all of his was quite unexpected and amazing! I had been so curious about the ramwon costumes and secretly wished I could adorn mysel in such a way! Wish granted! Noom was efficient with my hair, and went right along pinning up Su's hair and topping it with a temple as well. Then the makeup, but first, he shaves my eyebrows! Thank god not completely off! I've always been lassaiz faire with my eyebrows, so I was a little worried when he started hacking at them with a straight razor, but he's an expert, and I'm in for the ride so, shave away Noom! Anyhow what could I do? I couldn't remembers Thai phrase for " please don't shave off my eyebrows". He expertly applied all of the makeup, an d another first for me, false eyelashes, equipped with bejeweled bling! I could hardly open my eyes to look in the mirror, and all I could do was laugh at this farang girl all thai'd up, staring back at me. I felt super silly in my get up but everyone insisted: suaui mahk mahk!" Or very very beautidul! Oh did I mention that after I opened my eyes all of my students were there! Ha nothing like sixty kids watching you get dolled up! The ramwon dancers came and surrounded me like bridesmaids and coated me with gold bracelets, armbands, the ear wings, and other shiny gold accoutrements. After Noom completed his " masterpieces" it was time for us to learn ramwon! It was fun, and I tried the best I could! The dancers are so graceful and precise! I felt like a big clomping vulture next to a bunch of sleek swans! They are so absolutely good to us and do their utmost to see that we are having an amazing experience! Which I am! This is definitely the experience of a lifetime! Learning to dance was great, but I enjoyed watching the girls practice their dances. We undressed and my flurry of handmaidens came to undress me and brush out my stifhair, I don't think I've ever been so delicately tended to in all of my life!
Su and I retired to the staff room where we proceeded to have the best Thai dance party ever, we watched Thai pop music videos and tried to copy their dance moves, such a workout! We were I. Hysterics dancing with the other teachers! I made a dancing fool of myself as is typical, just wait until I bring my new skills back to the U.S.! We enjoyed a quiet dinner with Kru Kung and Kru phun, mmm pad pak(fried veggies) and rice! We joked about new " Thai" women, who are independent an never get married and have lots of boyfriends.... Hey, I'm new Thai!
Saturday was our day off and Su's last day in thsiland. We headed to the market and bought ourselves some pineapple. Seriously I'm living on pineapple while I'm here. Anyhoo, we also browsed market stalls am I discovered where I can get fresh codonuts! Or doconuts, which pun is better? We headed to the school to get wifi and Kru Kung and O pull up on a motorbike to tell us we are coming with them to Aran to the rong kleua market. Okay, well there goes our day off, let's adventure! We wait and Kung comes back to fetch us with Her car. We listen to pop music on the way to Aran and I take on the usual sights of motorbikes and sugarcane fields. There's a big traffic jam on the way to the market but we make it and are greeted by three mascots in the street! The market is huge it's something like fifty football fields. Second hand everything, clothes, toys, stuffed animals stacked to the stall rafters, close wrinkled from being packed so right into plastic bags and shipped around from who knows where. Objects burst and spill from bags and shop stalls in every direction. We decide to look for puppets for the children so we paw through mountains of used stuffed animals. In the end we got a stuffed kitty puppet, a Minnie Mouse, a Garfield and a puppy. Giant wedges and stacks of salted dried fish. People wheeling around carts of food and simultaneously cooking it. Ramshackle carts made of logs and held together with anything are piles impossibly high with loot and being pushes and pulled around the market. It seems that these carts could collapse at any moment. And some have, abandoned with the weight of their load crushing them to a halt on the side streets. It is an amazing scene of people warching. Pots pans spoons woks kitchen implements of all shiny metal varieites glint I the hot sun. It's dusty and smells like petrol, everywhere people wear dusk masks. It's overwhelming and I'm happy to tuck into a restaurant for some fried rice with a ridiculous amount of chillies yum!
We head away from Aran and rong kleua and I'll be happy to skip it on my way out to Cambodia in a little over a week, oh yeah I'm going to csmbodia, did I tell you? Well you were bound to find out eventually. More countryside, we are heading to Kru O 'a school. Or so we think, due to the language barrier su and I often are unaware of what plans are acrually being made around us. After an hour of driving we arrive at a breathtaking reservoir with a mountain backdrop. The shore is spotted with thatched roof huts protecting diners at picnic tables from the sun. We are greeted by more teachers who join us at a table by the waters edge. The teaches all gab in Thai. I'm happy to look about over the waters rippling, children play and swim with inner tubes, boys fish from the shore and I smile. It's a supremely relaxing afternoon with a gorgeous setting. We driver more and I watch flooded rice paddies whiz by. At another reservoir I play the uke and watch fishermen paddle to shore. One of the teachers looks at me and says" dream dream dream" and I start singing, I don't know how this sing became so popular in Thailand, but I'm glad I know it.
At sunset they drive us far into the wilderness, trees are thick and covered in vines that explode into thick lilac colored flowers, Kung keeps pointing to them and telling me how much she loves them. The sun is just setting we arrive right on time. The clear water laps the shore and the sun deepens itself into orange. I've never seen a sunset where the sun actually has stripes of color, but this one did, it's beauty so new and appreciated. I sat in awe as I watched it slowly slowly duck it's head behind the mountains leaving us all I the remnants of it's light.
A sleepy dart ride back to Tapraya, and I informed when we arrive that we are having a karaoke party! Oh okay! The Thais surer know how to pack in a full day! The kids are so excited when we pull up and I munch odd snax, coated peanuts weird flavored chips, and just like in America we are all on our cellphones ignoring each other! We karaoke it up! They insist I sing I will survive, by Gloria gaynor. So I. Ibutcher it and you're just to good to be true! I receive someone Thai pop dance lessons . I play the little girls uke ! Ike's are wverywhere! And I retire home , I'm wired on coco cola and so I read my lonely planet, fantasing about my upcoming island adventures! Where shall I go? Any requests/ suggestions? Lovely loves to you all!
Gretchyn
Well as seems to be pretty standard, life in Thailand is incredible! Friday was Kru Su's last day at school, it was bitter sweet. We arrived to school early and I played uke outside for the kiddos, I played my Jessie J, price tag song for them and there were a couple of student who knew it!Su teaches the lower levels, grades one two and three. I joined her for her last two level three classes. We played alphabet games and did some matching, Su handed out pencils as a goodbye present and I helped with the games. During lunch time, Kru us said goodbye to all of the students and she sang them " you are my sunshine" while I backed her up on uke. The students were so sad I see her go an they crowded around her and cried and hugged and asked her if she would come back. I was happy than it wasn't my turn to say good bye though unbelievably it is right around the corner, only ten days left at Anuban school. It will be a busy week and a half because I will take over Kru Su's classes.
After lunch we were invited to Kru Oy number ones classroom. I thought we were just going to watch ramwon(traditional Thai dancing) practice. We arrive and are introduced to Noom, who dresses us in traditional clothes and and proceeds to do our hair and makeup. He puts this yarn donut on my head and starts back combing and hairs praying and gelling and pinning my hair into this , big sleek beehive, bride of Frankenstein up do. The he tops it with a bright shiny gold, crown drizzled with dangling mirrors. Like a little temple just for my head. I have I admit that all of his was quite unexpected and amazing! I had been so curious about the ramwon costumes and secretly wished I could adorn mysel in such a way! Wish granted! Noom was efficient with my hair, and went right along pinning up Su's hair and topping it with a temple as well. Then the makeup, but first, he shaves my eyebrows! Thank god not completely off! I've always been lassaiz faire with my eyebrows, so I was a little worried when he started hacking at them with a straight razor, but he's an expert, and I'm in for the ride so, shave away Noom! Anyhow what could I do? I couldn't remembers Thai phrase for " please don't shave off my eyebrows". He expertly applied all of the makeup, an d another first for me, false eyelashes, equipped with bejeweled bling! I could hardly open my eyes to look in the mirror, and all I could do was laugh at this farang girl all thai'd up, staring back at me. I felt super silly in my get up but everyone insisted: suaui mahk mahk!" Or very very beautidul! Oh did I mention that after I opened my eyes all of my students were there! Ha nothing like sixty kids watching you get dolled up! The ramwon dancers came and surrounded me like bridesmaids and coated me with gold bracelets, armbands, the ear wings, and other shiny gold accoutrements. After Noom completed his " masterpieces" it was time for us to learn ramwon! It was fun, and I tried the best I could! The dancers are so graceful and precise! I felt like a big clomping vulture next to a bunch of sleek swans! They are so absolutely good to us and do their utmost to see that we are having an amazing experience! Which I am! This is definitely the experience of a lifetime! Learning to dance was great, but I enjoyed watching the girls practice their dances. We undressed and my flurry of handmaidens came to undress me and brush out my stifhair, I don't think I've ever been so delicately tended to in all of my life!
Su and I retired to the staff room where we proceeded to have the best Thai dance party ever, we watched Thai pop music videos and tried to copy their dance moves, such a workout! We were I. Hysterics dancing with the other teachers! I made a dancing fool of myself as is typical, just wait until I bring my new skills back to the U.S.! We enjoyed a quiet dinner with Kru Kung and Kru phun, mmm pad pak(fried veggies) and rice! We joked about new " Thai" women, who are independent an never get married and have lots of boyfriends.... Hey, I'm new Thai!
Saturday was our day off and Su's last day in thsiland. We headed to the market and bought ourselves some pineapple. Seriously I'm living on pineapple while I'm here. Anyhoo, we also browsed market stalls am I discovered where I can get fresh codonuts! Or doconuts, which pun is better? We headed to the school to get wifi and Kru Kung and O pull up on a motorbike to tell us we are coming with them to Aran to the rong kleua market. Okay, well there goes our day off, let's adventure! We wait and Kung comes back to fetch us with Her car. We listen to pop music on the way to Aran and I take on the usual sights of motorbikes and sugarcane fields. There's a big traffic jam on the way to the market but we make it and are greeted by three mascots in the street! The market is huge it's something like fifty football fields. Second hand everything, clothes, toys, stuffed animals stacked to the stall rafters, close wrinkled from being packed so right into plastic bags and shipped around from who knows where. Objects burst and spill from bags and shop stalls in every direction. We decide to look for puppets for the children so we paw through mountains of used stuffed animals. In the end we got a stuffed kitty puppet, a Minnie Mouse, a Garfield and a puppy. Giant wedges and stacks of salted dried fish. People wheeling around carts of food and simultaneously cooking it. Ramshackle carts made of logs and held together with anything are piles impossibly high with loot and being pushes and pulled around the market. It seems that these carts could collapse at any moment. And some have, abandoned with the weight of their load crushing them to a halt on the side streets. It is an amazing scene of people warching. Pots pans spoons woks kitchen implements of all shiny metal varieites glint I the hot sun. It's dusty and smells like petrol, everywhere people wear dusk masks. It's overwhelming and I'm happy to tuck into a restaurant for some fried rice with a ridiculous amount of chillies yum!
We head away from Aran and rong kleua and I'll be happy to skip it on my way out to Cambodia in a little over a week, oh yeah I'm going to csmbodia, did I tell you? Well you were bound to find out eventually. More countryside, we are heading to Kru O 'a school. Or so we think, due to the language barrier su and I often are unaware of what plans are acrually being made around us. After an hour of driving we arrive at a breathtaking reservoir with a mountain backdrop. The shore is spotted with thatched roof huts protecting diners at picnic tables from the sun. We are greeted by more teachers who join us at a table by the waters edge. The teaches all gab in Thai. I'm happy to look about over the waters rippling, children play and swim with inner tubes, boys fish from the shore and I smile. It's a supremely relaxing afternoon with a gorgeous setting. We driver more and I watch flooded rice paddies whiz by. At another reservoir I play the uke and watch fishermen paddle to shore. One of the teachers looks at me and says" dream dream dream" and I start singing, I don't know how this sing became so popular in Thailand, but I'm glad I know it.
At sunset they drive us far into the wilderness, trees are thick and covered in vines that explode into thick lilac colored flowers, Kung keeps pointing to them and telling me how much she loves them. The sun is just setting we arrive right on time. The clear water laps the shore and the sun deepens itself into orange. I've never seen a sunset where the sun actually has stripes of color, but this one did, it's beauty so new and appreciated. I sat in awe as I watched it slowly slowly duck it's head behind the mountains leaving us all I the remnants of it's light.
A sleepy dart ride back to Tapraya, and I informed when we arrive that we are having a karaoke party! Oh okay! The Thais surer know how to pack in a full day! The kids are so excited when we pull up and I munch odd snax, coated peanuts weird flavored chips, and just like in America we are all on our cellphones ignoring each other! We karaoke it up! They insist I sing I will survive, by Gloria gaynor. So I. Ibutcher it and you're just to good to be true! I receive someone Thai pop dance lessons . I play the little girls uke ! Ike's are wverywhere! And I retire home , I'm wired on coco cola and so I read my lonely planet, fantasing about my upcoming island adventures! Where shall I go? Any requests/ suggestions? Lovely loves to you all!
Gretchyn
Thursday, January 23, 2014
It's the Wai that I live!
Good morning! Don chao!
Sa wat di khaaaa! Included with this greeting would be a fun little motion called a wai. The wai consists of bringing your hands together in prayer position(oops my yoga teacher is showing again) and bending slightly at the waist, Bowing your head. Depending on your age or social rank the wai will be more pronounced, longer, more bending. Yesterday I was sittin on my porch and my neighbors two year old toddled up my steps to watch me play uke, and there was nothing more precious than the wai he gave me. Except for maybe the cheezball grin he offered when I let him strum on my uke. If you thinks it cute to have a kid wave at you, you should see one wai! I often forget the wai and catch myself trying to wave at people. It works for my students, they embrace my customs! They love to shake my hand, high five and hug! Which I love because as I mentioned I have been a little short on my hug supply since arriving in Thailand! The wai is becoming second nature now, what can I say? It's the wai that I live!
In case any of you were wondering how I came to teach at this wonderful school in Thailand, I was placed here by a wonderful organization: ICCVTT, international center for coordinating volunteer teachers, Thailand. Here's the best part, it's FREE! I knew I wanted to commit a
significant portion of my time in Thailand to being of service. When I started searching for opportunities I was shocked at what I found: hundreds of " voluntourism" sites charging upwards of 1500 dollars to participate in a volunteer project. Seriously the most expensive one I found charged close to five g's for a two week program. In the words of my father: That's OBSCENE! One day I stumbled upon an appropriately named website: freevolunteerthailand.org. After finding so many sites that wanted to charge money, I was a bit concerned that they were some sort of scam. I researched the site a bit and they seemed legitimate so I applied. I was accepted in late November and I was ecstatic, though much of the information still remained up in the air. They are a small organization, and organize a host of wonderful causes. I am so happy to have found this organization because it has provided for me just the experience I was looking for. The only fee that I paid was a twenty dollar application fee and my travel expenses. The school provides my housing, and two meals a day during the week. They were always happy and quick to answer my questions and placed me in such a great school! I love Anuban Tapraya! They were very caring about making sure that I arrived to my school and that I was picked up an taken care of.
ICCVTT has just started a new project , besides coordinating volunteers, and running their own school! The new project is called Thai friends: compassion without borders. Their aim is to provide free English lessons to the impoverished Cambodians living in camps inside Thailand. Perhaps I sent you a Facebook invite to like their page? Please go to the freevolunteerthailand.org website and check in to ther new project. They are in serious need for funding and so little helps so much. You can sponsor a cambodian student with a recurring donation of just FIVE dollars a month! Five dollars a month! Will help a child receive school supplies adequate clothing and English lessons! You can also send a one time donation in any denomination. I don't often like to donate to things because it's hard to follow the money trail and know I it's really going to be put to good use by the organization. I can wholeheartedly say that the organizers are genuine about their cause. If they were In it for the money they could easily Be charging thousands for their volunteer experience. Okay please if you can donate something, infomercial over! I love you!
On to tales of life! I just finished another marvelous day at school! It concluded with a dance session with my new entourage: Mud ( formerly I thought her name was mat), Game, Beem, Fern, and daang mo( means watermelon). And of course a photo session mixed with English lesson, these gals surely love to take pictures! There enthusiasm and giggly liveliness is such a pleasure to be around and it's fun to practice our English and Thai together!
I taught two level four classes today and one level six, they did poorly on their exams and I just helped with pronunciation as they reviewed their errors. I think all the teachers are conspiring to make me fat! They brought so many treats today, and thse crazy donuts, one was stuffed with sweet fried coconut, what I need inside of a donut is sweetened fried coconut! Ooh it's a codonut! Ha ! The other variety had a thick sugar glaze and was filled with a salty garlic soybean paste, that was weird!
They also brought sweet breaded and fried banana and sweet potato, funny little cupcakes, and the usual delicious lunch! My oh my! I thought I would get skinny in Thailand eating veggies and rice noodles!
On Monday I helped the students review for their exams. On my walk home from school I decided to take a stroll down an unexplored road, I munched my sixty cent bag of pineapple and I hear someone say" where do you come from?" I thought I misheard him, as English is sparse in these parts. He repeats himself and I step up to talk to a gentlemen with white hair and the strangest eyes,
dark brown wih a blue grey ring around the perimeter. He says his name is Arut an that he is from
holland, but has been living here for years. He was an architect an has built his own home here. He has also rebuilt the shop we are in front of for his girlfriend. It's a cozy little massage business with three short Thai massage tables decorated in cute Thai patterned linens. We had a talk about his five children, and his wife and son that had both died of cancer. We talked about death and the feelings of helplessness, sorrow, anger, and everything that comes along with it. Which also led us to talking about how you can't stay in that despair, you have to leave the grief eventually. It was a personal and connective first meeting. I enjoy first conversations that delve deeper than just the surface. He tells me his oldest son is fifty eight, and I ask if he was twelve when he had him because he only looked seventy at the least! He's seventy eight! Well living the good life in Thailand has done wondrs for him. This led us into the topic of age just being a number and it's all about how you feel on the inside, agreed, I'm still twelve years old. After watching his girlfriend massage a client I inquired as to how mug a massage is, one hour for two hundred baht! That's about six dollars folks! I scheduled an appointment for the next day. I was glowing after the conversation! I walked to the supermarket and picked up some school supplies and snacks, then I casually drifted on to my Barbie dream house.
Tuesday we had no classes because of midterm exams. Su and I started off for school as usual and took in our breakfast and prepared lesson plans. During lunch we played impromptu number games with the kids. Time flies just helping them spell and figure out the numbers. Su is an excellent teacher and the kids really flock to her. I left for my massage after lunch and was greeted by Arut. I met his girlfriend Raat officially and she set to work givin my first official Thai massage ever! Oh it was incredible! I studies thai massage a little bit, boy does she know her stuff! I was just like a little baby in her hands. I felt guilty that it only cost six dollars, but Thailand is not a tipping culture. Though when I go back I will probably tip her!
Wednesday were midterm exams also, so another free day! Su and I made more games to play with the students during lunch. I broke out the yellow ukelele and played the abc song for the kindy kids. The older levels came around and we played games with them. I made a bunch of stickers to give away a prizes. The hour just flew by playing wih the kids. One boy knew how to play ukelele and he was very good! I found out that Kru Kung also has a ukelele, she brought it out and I tuned it
up and taught her a few chords! I teach yoga, English and ukelele! The kids passed the uke around and tried it out, I so enjoy watching all of those smiles! We stayed all day at school and plate more games with my entourage of level five students. I walked home, bought more pineapple and then took a bike ride. Exploring new directions i turned down random roads the sides powdered with mars red dust. I saw big a big oxette with a little one at her teets. I saw men wade in ponds fishing. I found really beautiful Thai style cabins in the middle of nowhere, I pedaled down a road that followed a pond back into the middle of nowhere and into a dusty road until I found myself back in civilization. I had a pleasant biking experience and hope I burned up some of the donuts that I put in today! Thanks for tuning in againand I hope you will consider donating to compassion without boders if you can! Lovely love to you all!
Sa wat di khaaaa! Included with this greeting would be a fun little motion called a wai. The wai consists of bringing your hands together in prayer position(oops my yoga teacher is showing again) and bending slightly at the waist, Bowing your head. Depending on your age or social rank the wai will be more pronounced, longer, more bending. Yesterday I was sittin on my porch and my neighbors two year old toddled up my steps to watch me play uke, and there was nothing more precious than the wai he gave me. Except for maybe the cheezball grin he offered when I let him strum on my uke. If you thinks it cute to have a kid wave at you, you should see one wai! I often forget the wai and catch myself trying to wave at people. It works for my students, they embrace my customs! They love to shake my hand, high five and hug! Which I love because as I mentioned I have been a little short on my hug supply since arriving in Thailand! The wai is becoming second nature now, what can I say? It's the wai that I live!
In case any of you were wondering how I came to teach at this wonderful school in Thailand, I was placed here by a wonderful organization: ICCVTT, international center for coordinating volunteer teachers, Thailand. Here's the best part, it's FREE! I knew I wanted to commit a
significant portion of my time in Thailand to being of service. When I started searching for opportunities I was shocked at what I found: hundreds of " voluntourism" sites charging upwards of 1500 dollars to participate in a volunteer project. Seriously the most expensive one I found charged close to five g's for a two week program. In the words of my father: That's OBSCENE! One day I stumbled upon an appropriately named website: freevolunteerthailand.org. After finding so many sites that wanted to charge money, I was a bit concerned that they were some sort of scam. I researched the site a bit and they seemed legitimate so I applied. I was accepted in late November and I was ecstatic, though much of the information still remained up in the air. They are a small organization, and organize a host of wonderful causes. I am so happy to have found this organization because it has provided for me just the experience I was looking for. The only fee that I paid was a twenty dollar application fee and my travel expenses. The school provides my housing, and two meals a day during the week. They were always happy and quick to answer my questions and placed me in such a great school! I love Anuban Tapraya! They were very caring about making sure that I arrived to my school and that I was picked up an taken care of.
ICCVTT has just started a new project , besides coordinating volunteers, and running their own school! The new project is called Thai friends: compassion without borders. Their aim is to provide free English lessons to the impoverished Cambodians living in camps inside Thailand. Perhaps I sent you a Facebook invite to like their page? Please go to the freevolunteerthailand.org website and check in to ther new project. They are in serious need for funding and so little helps so much. You can sponsor a cambodian student with a recurring donation of just FIVE dollars a month! Five dollars a month! Will help a child receive school supplies adequate clothing and English lessons! You can also send a one time donation in any denomination. I don't often like to donate to things because it's hard to follow the money trail and know I it's really going to be put to good use by the organization. I can wholeheartedly say that the organizers are genuine about their cause. If they were In it for the money they could easily Be charging thousands for their volunteer experience. Okay please if you can donate something, infomercial over! I love you!
On to tales of life! I just finished another marvelous day at school! It concluded with a dance session with my new entourage: Mud ( formerly I thought her name was mat), Game, Beem, Fern, and daang mo( means watermelon). And of course a photo session mixed with English lesson, these gals surely love to take pictures! There enthusiasm and giggly liveliness is such a pleasure to be around and it's fun to practice our English and Thai together!
I taught two level four classes today and one level six, they did poorly on their exams and I just helped with pronunciation as they reviewed their errors. I think all the teachers are conspiring to make me fat! They brought so many treats today, and thse crazy donuts, one was stuffed with sweet fried coconut, what I need inside of a donut is sweetened fried coconut! Ooh it's a codonut! Ha ! The other variety had a thick sugar glaze and was filled with a salty garlic soybean paste, that was weird!
They also brought sweet breaded and fried banana and sweet potato, funny little cupcakes, and the usual delicious lunch! My oh my! I thought I would get skinny in Thailand eating veggies and rice noodles!
On Monday I helped the students review for their exams. On my walk home from school I decided to take a stroll down an unexplored road, I munched my sixty cent bag of pineapple and I hear someone say" where do you come from?" I thought I misheard him, as English is sparse in these parts. He repeats himself and I step up to talk to a gentlemen with white hair and the strangest eyes,
dark brown wih a blue grey ring around the perimeter. He says his name is Arut an that he is from
holland, but has been living here for years. He was an architect an has built his own home here. He has also rebuilt the shop we are in front of for his girlfriend. It's a cozy little massage business with three short Thai massage tables decorated in cute Thai patterned linens. We had a talk about his five children, and his wife and son that had both died of cancer. We talked about death and the feelings of helplessness, sorrow, anger, and everything that comes along with it. Which also led us to talking about how you can't stay in that despair, you have to leave the grief eventually. It was a personal and connective first meeting. I enjoy first conversations that delve deeper than just the surface. He tells me his oldest son is fifty eight, and I ask if he was twelve when he had him because he only looked seventy at the least! He's seventy eight! Well living the good life in Thailand has done wondrs for him. This led us into the topic of age just being a number and it's all about how you feel on the inside, agreed, I'm still twelve years old. After watching his girlfriend massage a client I inquired as to how mug a massage is, one hour for two hundred baht! That's about six dollars folks! I scheduled an appointment for the next day. I was glowing after the conversation! I walked to the supermarket and picked up some school supplies and snacks, then I casually drifted on to my Barbie dream house.
Tuesday we had no classes because of midterm exams. Su and I started off for school as usual and took in our breakfast and prepared lesson plans. During lunch we played impromptu number games with the kids. Time flies just helping them spell and figure out the numbers. Su is an excellent teacher and the kids really flock to her. I left for my massage after lunch and was greeted by Arut. I met his girlfriend Raat officially and she set to work givin my first official Thai massage ever! Oh it was incredible! I studies thai massage a little bit, boy does she know her stuff! I was just like a little baby in her hands. I felt guilty that it only cost six dollars, but Thailand is not a tipping culture. Though when I go back I will probably tip her!
Wednesday were midterm exams also, so another free day! Su and I made more games to play with the students during lunch. I broke out the yellow ukelele and played the abc song for the kindy kids. The older levels came around and we played games with them. I made a bunch of stickers to give away a prizes. The hour just flew by playing wih the kids. One boy knew how to play ukelele and he was very good! I found out that Kru Kung also has a ukelele, she brought it out and I tuned it
up and taught her a few chords! I teach yoga, English and ukelele! The kids passed the uke around and tried it out, I so enjoy watching all of those smiles! We stayed all day at school and plate more games with my entourage of level five students. I walked home, bought more pineapple and then took a bike ride. Exploring new directions i turned down random roads the sides powdered with mars red dust. I saw big a big oxette with a little one at her teets. I saw men wade in ponds fishing. I found really beautiful Thai style cabins in the middle of nowhere, I pedaled down a road that followed a pond back into the middle of nowhere and into a dusty road until I found myself back in civilization. I had a pleasant biking experience and hope I burned up some of the donuts that I put in today! Thanks for tuning in againand I hope you will consider donating to compassion without boders if you can! Lovely love to you all!
Tuesday, January 21, 2014
Advantageous adventures in Aran, Lalu and Phnom Rung Temple
Now I sit listening to my new favorite Thai pop song, I wish i could tell you the name, but its something about giving you the phone number to my heart. Around me the teachers chattter in the staff room. I have no idea what they're saying, as usual. My belly is full of oyster mushrooms, green onions, and what i believe was seitan( wheat meat for those of you less than familiar). I officially left for Thailand 2 weeks ago, it's been such an incredible time and i just keep falling into these amazing adventures!
Last Friday after teachers day, my co teacher Kru Kung left to go to Camodia for the weekend. That left me to teach my friday afternoon class, all by myself, no thai interpretor! I was more than a little nervous! I stood in the room waiting for the students to arrive. I was reminded of my first few (hundred) yoga classes in which I would be so nervous before class, that i would hope that no one would show up. Just like all those classes, no such luck....all my students came happily to the classroom. At the beginning of classes all the students stand and say "Good Morning/Afternoon Teacher" and i am expected to reply: "Good Morning/Afternoon Students, How are you?" to which they respond "I am fine, and you?" I like to say, " I am very happy, thank you!" and then they all sit down. It's very formal and adorable and makes me grin ear to ear everytime it happens. Really everything went great and no nervousness needed. I reviewed their vocabulary over their emotions and then I somehow got them to divide into teams and taught them charades. It was fun, though towards the end of class the game had been going on a long time and I still had about 5 minutes left....ummmm...then Kru Su came in to the rescue and had them perform our favorite thai pop song for us. Then they just got carried away and performed a bunch of fun thai songs, and I played the yellow ukelele along with them. It was a ton o fun!
After class Kru Oy #1 and 2 offered to take us to Aranya Prathet (or Aran, say Alon). On the way Oy number one put in a cd called top twenty country hits, first song? John Denver, country roads.. Also included simon and garfunkels homeward bound, cotton fields, and a vunch of songs that seemed out of place here but reminded me of home. they took us by the Sdok Dok Tong ruins to view the temple. They weren't accepting visitors but the Oy's were able to talk our way in, they even convinced a fellow to lend us his motorbike for the ride, yay more motorbike! This time in classic thai style with 3 riders on the back. You'll see the best combinations of humans on motorscooters here. A baby in the handlebar basket, mom, toddler, dad and an another toddler or two thrown into that as well. It's amazing! Anyhooo....we had a fantastic time viewing the temple it was simply breathtaking! I love being in places that are ancient, we just dont have anything like that in the states! It was a hindu temple, later taken over by buddhists. The imagery had both a dancing Nataraj and the Sleeping Buddha.
Then on to Aran where we viewed the largest swapmeet/flea market in southeast asia called the Rong Kleaua market. Men pushed huge carts overloaded with goods. There were stalls and pickup trucks and food carts and bins and barrels full of every imaginable thing! Heaps of garlic and onions, stores ceiling high with packages of noodles, second hand clothes, bicycles, everything! Very chaotic and a dingy feast for the eyes. Our sweet teachers them took us to a " steak house" oh boy! Ha ha ha! Well they seemed very happy to go eat some American food, I got spaghetti with mushroom Alfredo sauce and boxed mashed potatoes with gravy. My favorite. It was a sweet gesture though. The best part of the meal was the street food they bought as an appetizer, a paratha like creation stuffed with fried banana and drowned with a goopy sweet sauce, it was scrumptious! We stopped by Kru Oy number twos house to water her plants and check out her beautiful new home. It was quite a lovely modern bungalow with three bedrooms and two bathrooms, only cost about: 1,700,000 baht, about$50,000! Our favorite part of the house we commented on we're all of the pictures of her son, Satang on the walls. When we commented on them, his mother told us there was also one in the bathroom. We go into look and there is a poster sized picture of him when he was three years old sitting naked on the toilet playing with the sprayer. Side note: most thai style toilets when not the infamous "squat" style toilet, are far superior to most western toilets in that they have a sprayer,
exactly like one you would find on your kitchen sink attached to the toilet. Whatever could this be for? It's for washing your butt! I'm a huge fan of this! We are one of the few countries that uses toilet paper as a sole method of cleaning ourselves. It's a pretty ineffective method, and most visitors in our country find it very difficult to get used to. Well that's a tangent I didn't plan to go into but these are
the subtleties of my travels that you were really after right?!
The next morning Kru Su and I were picked up by Kru Oy squared and Kru tat, Satang, and our driver mr. Thong. We stopped at the headmasters, Kru Thavee, for breakfast before we let out on our journey to the Lalu rock formations, or as Kru Tat called them, mini Grand Canyon! Kru Thavee a home was beautiful and decorated with really nice sculptures of elephants. They brought us and Idelicious pad sae ew, fried rice noodles with egg and a veggie that I love that's a lot like broccoli stems. have encountered a new veggie food substance here known as egg tofu, looks like little circles of tofu but is soft with a taste and texture like egg, I'm into it. Back in the car and we are on our way!
So much to absorb, I just soaked my eyeballs in my surroundings: fields newly cultivated with cracked dry plods of dirt, fields flooded with water and whole families camped under tarps in the midst of it sewing rice, fields of tapioca trees, their spindly y-ed notched branches creating new geometric shapes as they flew by at120 kilometers, a grandfather and grandson playing atop a mountain of yellow hay, toothlessly smiling to one another, mountains rising green and tree topped in the distance, scrappy towns and houses, a raven stands on the smooth arced shoulders of a white cow, animals I don't understand, they look like pigs and water buffalo mixed together, so many motorbikes, there's just so much y'all I try to take down the details as I go but I am overwhelmed by the amount of wonderful things to remember!
We pull up to the "cultural museum" and in the parking lot are three " e- taks". These are a comical looking vehicle that Su has been fascinated with. Hard to describe please see Facebook for pictures, they are like a very long nosed tractor with an odd turning radius, on the back Of these particular e taks are wagons and big rainbow umbrellas. We hop on board and start slowly choogling our ways through the now familiar scenery of a small Thai town, corrugated tin small stores selling chips and water and phone cards and small food vendors, scrawny cats, hammocks and clothes strung
from trees and tropical everything, clusters of bright red flowers pop at the top of long spiky cactus
like plants. We start heading out of town we cross a small bridge with deep dark water, a tall windmill fills a nearby water tank, we are all smiling and laughing as we bump on down the road, coverup our faces with fabric to avoid the diesel exhaust and red road dust. Put if nowhere we are surrounded by the rock formations, Satang and I jump off the etak and start clambering around on them, it's beautiful and yes just like a small Grand Canyon! Feeling very happy to get this unique experience. We climb aboard to make our rounds to he next stop and the driver lets ten year old Satang take the wheel, we are in absolute hysterics as he tried to maneuver the awkward etaks steering column. We arrive alive at the next formations and I venture far out on my own to climb and take in the panorama. Weeetak it back to the museum where we go in to see the relics, a three thousand year old mummified arm, lots of shards of ancient pottery, always gets me hopeful that my pieces of pottery will be unearthed by future civilizations. Nothing to spectacular when you don't have much of an explanation to go on.
Back on the road we stop at a precious restaurant for lunch, where I have the best Thai omelette of my life and my new staple Thai dish, pad pak, fried vegetables! A Roy mahk! Delicious! Stuffed in our bellies and back in the car. This time it's along haul to the Phnom Rung temple. We really start to head up into the mountains, my full tummy is gurgling in an unpleasant manner, but we arrive at the top with all the trappings of tourist attractions. We walk past the souvenir stands that are being parused by a small group of orange wrApped teen monks. The climb is quite steep to the final temple but Satang and I take it with speed! The sun is warm and the temple is even more massive and intricate than the one we saw the previous day. This one is also Hindu temple and most of the carvings depict scenes from the holy book the Mahabharata. And for Marin and elysse, yes there was a massive shiva lingham inside for puja rituals! Awwww yoga ville memories! I am lost in the maze of corridors and buildings and the thought that this was built housands of years ago! University students sit with huge art canvases taking drawings of the temple. They look just like your typical big city hipster art school students! After innumerable photographs we make the trek back and down and out of the temple. It's been a long amazing day, we are super tired. We watch an amazing sun set
behind the mountains. They insist on taking us out to dinner, and there is karaoke! They sing great Thai songs but there's a huge American selection that they sing along with, their favorites;? My heart will go on! My performances? CCR bad moon rising, everly bros, bye bye love, hey Jude, and runaway! Epic performances I'd say! It cracks me up what bits of American culture trickle into other countries, at some point in none of our drives kru Oy turns to me and says" dream, dream, dream," and I immediately sing" when I want you in my arms when I want you and all your charms whenever I want you all I have to do is dream dream dream dreaaaam" and she sang right along with me! Incredible day, it's taken me three days just to write about it! Love to you all thanks for staying with me on this trip!
Last Friday after teachers day, my co teacher Kru Kung left to go to Camodia for the weekend. That left me to teach my friday afternoon class, all by myself, no thai interpretor! I was more than a little nervous! I stood in the room waiting for the students to arrive. I was reminded of my first few (hundred) yoga classes in which I would be so nervous before class, that i would hope that no one would show up. Just like all those classes, no such luck....all my students came happily to the classroom. At the beginning of classes all the students stand and say "Good Morning/Afternoon Teacher" and i am expected to reply: "Good Morning/Afternoon Students, How are you?" to which they respond "I am fine, and you?" I like to say, " I am very happy, thank you!" and then they all sit down. It's very formal and adorable and makes me grin ear to ear everytime it happens. Really everything went great and no nervousness needed. I reviewed their vocabulary over their emotions and then I somehow got them to divide into teams and taught them charades. It was fun, though towards the end of class the game had been going on a long time and I still had about 5 minutes left....ummmm...then Kru Su came in to the rescue and had them perform our favorite thai pop song for us. Then they just got carried away and performed a bunch of fun thai songs, and I played the yellow ukelele along with them. It was a ton o fun!
After class Kru Oy #1 and 2 offered to take us to Aranya Prathet (or Aran, say Alon). On the way Oy number one put in a cd called top twenty country hits, first song? John Denver, country roads.. Also included simon and garfunkels homeward bound, cotton fields, and a vunch of songs that seemed out of place here but reminded me of home. they took us by the Sdok Dok Tong ruins to view the temple. They weren't accepting visitors but the Oy's were able to talk our way in, they even convinced a fellow to lend us his motorbike for the ride, yay more motorbike! This time in classic thai style with 3 riders on the back. You'll see the best combinations of humans on motorscooters here. A baby in the handlebar basket, mom, toddler, dad and an another toddler or two thrown into that as well. It's amazing! Anyhooo....we had a fantastic time viewing the temple it was simply breathtaking! I love being in places that are ancient, we just dont have anything like that in the states! It was a hindu temple, later taken over by buddhists. The imagery had both a dancing Nataraj and the Sleeping Buddha.
Then on to Aran where we viewed the largest swapmeet/flea market in southeast asia called the Rong Kleaua market. Men pushed huge carts overloaded with goods. There were stalls and pickup trucks and food carts and bins and barrels full of every imaginable thing! Heaps of garlic and onions, stores ceiling high with packages of noodles, second hand clothes, bicycles, everything! Very chaotic and a dingy feast for the eyes. Our sweet teachers them took us to a " steak house" oh boy! Ha ha ha! Well they seemed very happy to go eat some American food, I got spaghetti with mushroom Alfredo sauce and boxed mashed potatoes with gravy. My favorite. It was a sweet gesture though. The best part of the meal was the street food they bought as an appetizer, a paratha like creation stuffed with fried banana and drowned with a goopy sweet sauce, it was scrumptious! We stopped by Kru Oy number twos house to water her plants and check out her beautiful new home. It was quite a lovely modern bungalow with three bedrooms and two bathrooms, only cost about: 1,700,000 baht, about$50,000! Our favorite part of the house we commented on we're all of the pictures of her son, Satang on the walls. When we commented on them, his mother told us there was also one in the bathroom. We go into look and there is a poster sized picture of him when he was three years old sitting naked on the toilet playing with the sprayer. Side note: most thai style toilets when not the infamous "squat" style toilet, are far superior to most western toilets in that they have a sprayer,
exactly like one you would find on your kitchen sink attached to the toilet. Whatever could this be for? It's for washing your butt! I'm a huge fan of this! We are one of the few countries that uses toilet paper as a sole method of cleaning ourselves. It's a pretty ineffective method, and most visitors in our country find it very difficult to get used to. Well that's a tangent I didn't plan to go into but these are
the subtleties of my travels that you were really after right?!
The next morning Kru Su and I were picked up by Kru Oy squared and Kru tat, Satang, and our driver mr. Thong. We stopped at the headmasters, Kru Thavee, for breakfast before we let out on our journey to the Lalu rock formations, or as Kru Tat called them, mini Grand Canyon! Kru Thavee a home was beautiful and decorated with really nice sculptures of elephants. They brought us and Idelicious pad sae ew, fried rice noodles with egg and a veggie that I love that's a lot like broccoli stems. have encountered a new veggie food substance here known as egg tofu, looks like little circles of tofu but is soft with a taste and texture like egg, I'm into it. Back in the car and we are on our way!
So much to absorb, I just soaked my eyeballs in my surroundings: fields newly cultivated with cracked dry plods of dirt, fields flooded with water and whole families camped under tarps in the midst of it sewing rice, fields of tapioca trees, their spindly y-ed notched branches creating new geometric shapes as they flew by at120 kilometers, a grandfather and grandson playing atop a mountain of yellow hay, toothlessly smiling to one another, mountains rising green and tree topped in the distance, scrappy towns and houses, a raven stands on the smooth arced shoulders of a white cow, animals I don't understand, they look like pigs and water buffalo mixed together, so many motorbikes, there's just so much y'all I try to take down the details as I go but I am overwhelmed by the amount of wonderful things to remember!
We pull up to the "cultural museum" and in the parking lot are three " e- taks". These are a comical looking vehicle that Su has been fascinated with. Hard to describe please see Facebook for pictures, they are like a very long nosed tractor with an odd turning radius, on the back Of these particular e taks are wagons and big rainbow umbrellas. We hop on board and start slowly choogling our ways through the now familiar scenery of a small Thai town, corrugated tin small stores selling chips and water and phone cards and small food vendors, scrawny cats, hammocks and clothes strung
from trees and tropical everything, clusters of bright red flowers pop at the top of long spiky cactus
like plants. We start heading out of town we cross a small bridge with deep dark water, a tall windmill fills a nearby water tank, we are all smiling and laughing as we bump on down the road, coverup our faces with fabric to avoid the diesel exhaust and red road dust. Put if nowhere we are surrounded by the rock formations, Satang and I jump off the etak and start clambering around on them, it's beautiful and yes just like a small Grand Canyon! Feeling very happy to get this unique experience. We climb aboard to make our rounds to he next stop and the driver lets ten year old Satang take the wheel, we are in absolute hysterics as he tried to maneuver the awkward etaks steering column. We arrive alive at the next formations and I venture far out on my own to climb and take in the panorama. Weeetak it back to the museum where we go in to see the relics, a three thousand year old mummified arm, lots of shards of ancient pottery, always gets me hopeful that my pieces of pottery will be unearthed by future civilizations. Nothing to spectacular when you don't have much of an explanation to go on.
Back on the road we stop at a precious restaurant for lunch, where I have the best Thai omelette of my life and my new staple Thai dish, pad pak, fried vegetables! A Roy mahk! Delicious! Stuffed in our bellies and back in the car. This time it's along haul to the Phnom Rung temple. We really start to head up into the mountains, my full tummy is gurgling in an unpleasant manner, but we arrive at the top with all the trappings of tourist attractions. We walk past the souvenir stands that are being parused by a small group of orange wrApped teen monks. The climb is quite steep to the final temple but Satang and I take it with speed! The sun is warm and the temple is even more massive and intricate than the one we saw the previous day. This one is also Hindu temple and most of the carvings depict scenes from the holy book the Mahabharata. And for Marin and elysse, yes there was a massive shiva lingham inside for puja rituals! Awwww yoga ville memories! I am lost in the maze of corridors and buildings and the thought that this was built housands of years ago! University students sit with huge art canvases taking drawings of the temple. They look just like your typical big city hipster art school students! After innumerable photographs we make the trek back and down and out of the temple. It's been a long amazing day, we are super tired. We watch an amazing sun set
behind the mountains. They insist on taking us out to dinner, and there is karaoke! They sing great Thai songs but there's a huge American selection that they sing along with, their favorites;? My heart will go on! My performances? CCR bad moon rising, everly bros, bye bye love, hey Jude, and runaway! Epic performances I'd say! It cracks me up what bits of American culture trickle into other countries, at some point in none of our drives kru Oy turns to me and says" dream, dream, dream," and I immediately sing" when I want you in my arms when I want you and all your charms whenever I want you all I have to do is dream dream dream dreaaaam" and she sang right along with me! Incredible day, it's taken me three days just to write about it! Love to you all thanks for staying with me on this trip!
Saturday, January 18, 2014
Teachers day!
Well I am feeling particularly lucky because I happen to be a teacher in Thailand on teachers day! It is a major celebration here as they honor and respect their teachers a lot.
Last Wednesday night I receive a phone call from Kru Kung, I thought that she was calling to confirm picking me up for the teachers day celebration in the morning, but at the end I the call she says"okay see you in five minutes". I guess I got that wrong! I put some pants on and five minutes later there she is on her motorbike, its early evening there is pink blue glow in the sky and the full cancer moon is high overhead. I throw my head back to laugh at the splendor of the moment. Just the day before I had been thinking that I really wanted to ride on a motorbike, and here I am!
She takes me to school where we meet up with the other volunteer Kru Su and Kru Oy #1. Su is already dressed up in a fantstic Thai suit. They start trying to find something for me, but nothing fits, I'll try not to take that personally....I guess the outfits are mostly for the students. They find a beautiful wrap skirt with peacocks on it and this gawky gold lace blouse. I am not such a huge fan of gold, but they deck me with big gold bracelets, dangly earrings, necklace and belt! The Kru's seem quite pleased with themselves and send us to have tasty spring rolls and fried tofu with a delicious sweet chili peanut sauce! Thanks teachers!
The next morning we wake up and make up, we don our foreign finery and Kru Kung comes to take us to school. At school Kru Oy #1 reinspects us and makes adjustments. She's like this big sweet room mother, she pins flowers in my hair and paints my lips with bright pink gloss. She even draws on my eyebrows, which I don't think I've ever done in my life. She can't think of how to tell me to close my eyes and so she says," make sleep eye" and everyone laughs about that. The Thai language is so subtle there are all these different tones for the same word and they all mean something different. Like gao, for example, can mean turtle, breast, or oven, and five other various intonations that mean five different things. Things you don't want to confuse, " wow thats a cool turtle, how much is it?" " that's a cool breast, how much is it?" We were introduced to another teacher and the way we pronounced her name meant pubic hair... Kind of makes you nervous to say the wrong thing, especially because to me all there variations sound the same!
All fancied in our shiny Thai glory we head to the high school for the teachers day ceremony. It's a large open air gymnasium painted in pink blue and white. At the front of the room is a stage that has nine very ornate chairs that would later house nine monks in there various tones of orange robes. On either side of the stage are twenty foot tall pictures of the king and queen of Thailand. Su and I attract attention right away, we are a bit overdressed. I think they really wanted to show off their volunteers. We have about a fazillion pictures taken with everyone. The ceremony begins with the monks chanting, and then one monk comes around with a bamboo wand and sprinkle us with holy water. The rest of the ceremony included lots of people standing at a podium and saying things in Thai. Fascinating! Kru Kung explained to us that they are giving thanks to all teachers, not just themselves but all of their teachers and their teachers teachers. Without teachers we all would know nothing. She also explained that they renew an oath to be good teachers and to challenge their students. At some point a man comes and asks to have his picture taken with me, he is very excited, and I keep catching him staring at me.
Then they call up the winners for best dressed, Kru Su and I won and they gave us 1000 baht prize, so generous! I can't believe it, then againi did win best dressed In high school.... Lol.
After the ceremony we return to school and change into our sports uniforms. I have been suckered in to playing volleyball, and su will play baytond, a Thai game akin to bocchi ball. We gather up our balls and bags of bright tropical fruit and head back to high school. There are announcers commentating on the baytond games, and uniform shirted players milling about. We are lead to the pagodas where food is being served, ooh green curry! Awwww guess what? It's not vegetarian, go figs! But I suppose I'm used to that. I happily sit down on our straw mat picnic blanket and enjoy lots of pineapple, guava( in Thai it's called farang, which is also what they call foreigners), watermelon, and some tasty jicama like substance.
I watch baytond it's about as fun as watching golf. I doze and munch and the fellow who was so interested in me at the ceremony comes and has a conversation with me about how I can afford to volunteer, he asks me my age and tells me I'm really cute, gee thanks.... Anyway
There's a loud crash and I see someone has broken a beer, there's shouting and I assume that the breaker of beer has gone to get some grin to clean it up, nope he returns with another beer leaving the schrapnel of his accident to glitter in the sun and make the whole pagoda smell like a bar! The beer breaker is an older man wearing one of those circular mirror laden African caps to hide his bald head. He's tall an thin with a mustache and polarized goldrimmed raybans. Kru Oy #3 tells me that he is the big boss of another school. He is visibly intoxicated and calls me over for as conversation, he offers me beer, I don't drink, he offers me a sausage, I'm vegetarian, so he tries to get me to eat a Thai chili, I tell him to! He does! I watch my reflection in his mirrored lenses, I laugh at him as Kru Oy the third tries to translate, I jokingly call him an old man and he laughs and acts all hurt and says he is not talking to me anymore, good! But then he tries to get me to trade shirts with him, yeah right buddy!
Finally it's volleyball time, I luck out and don have to play. I get to be a cheerleader instead! I like the way they do cheering here. Thy set up conga drums and speakers. A microphone is passed around and people sing cheers and dance and play finger cymbals. So much fun and so lively! Thy wanted to see the American play, I told them that I was horrible and thy would lose, but they drug me out for two balls and I survived! But they did lose!
Happily we went home to rest before the big party. Kru Kung took us back to our school Anuban taphraya, she gave me a cute brown bowler hat with kitty ears molded into it, Kru meow! The field had been turned into a beautiful banquet to house five hundred teachers. They the tables were deessed with pink and white bows, ribbons and sashes. There was a large stage erected for music and big neon lights erected all around in a variety of colors. The sun sank and the full moon rose again, a big orange globe, blendin in with the street lights.
The party began and teachers arrived, all wearing different fun hats. One school wore hats that looked a bit like smurf hats, others had neon glowing kitty ears. I'm staring to think that life in Thailand might just be burningman everyday. The dancers tha were hired for th evening wore tututuesday short neon green tutus and sparkly leotards. Booty shorts included! They would dance and call up the different school districts to dance with the girls. I tried to imagine mr. Kellepouris dancing with scantily clad girls at a school function, but..... Different cultures. You know? There was lots of dancing and food, which I couldn't eat, but I wasn't that hungry so I was okay. The teachers were so sweet Kru tat went and bought me the best pad thai( unbelievably my first since arriving). Then they brought me fried tofu and watermelon, so thiughtful and I felt so taken care of and loved!
I danced a lot and when drunk guys tried to dance with me the women were all so protective and danced me away from them. What phenomenol day! It was the best! Until the next day.....
Last Wednesday night I receive a phone call from Kru Kung, I thought that she was calling to confirm picking me up for the teachers day celebration in the morning, but at the end I the call she says"okay see you in five minutes". I guess I got that wrong! I put some pants on and five minutes later there she is on her motorbike, its early evening there is pink blue glow in the sky and the full cancer moon is high overhead. I throw my head back to laugh at the splendor of the moment. Just the day before I had been thinking that I really wanted to ride on a motorbike, and here I am!
She takes me to school where we meet up with the other volunteer Kru Su and Kru Oy #1. Su is already dressed up in a fantstic Thai suit. They start trying to find something for me, but nothing fits, I'll try not to take that personally....I guess the outfits are mostly for the students. They find a beautiful wrap skirt with peacocks on it and this gawky gold lace blouse. I am not such a huge fan of gold, but they deck me with big gold bracelets, dangly earrings, necklace and belt! The Kru's seem quite pleased with themselves and send us to have tasty spring rolls and fried tofu with a delicious sweet chili peanut sauce! Thanks teachers!
The next morning we wake up and make up, we don our foreign finery and Kru Kung comes to take us to school. At school Kru Oy #1 reinspects us and makes adjustments. She's like this big sweet room mother, she pins flowers in my hair and paints my lips with bright pink gloss. She even draws on my eyebrows, which I don't think I've ever done in my life. She can't think of how to tell me to close my eyes and so she says," make sleep eye" and everyone laughs about that. The Thai language is so subtle there are all these different tones for the same word and they all mean something different. Like gao, for example, can mean turtle, breast, or oven, and five other various intonations that mean five different things. Things you don't want to confuse, " wow thats a cool turtle, how much is it?" " that's a cool breast, how much is it?" We were introduced to another teacher and the way we pronounced her name meant pubic hair... Kind of makes you nervous to say the wrong thing, especially because to me all there variations sound the same!
All fancied in our shiny Thai glory we head to the high school for the teachers day ceremony. It's a large open air gymnasium painted in pink blue and white. At the front of the room is a stage that has nine very ornate chairs that would later house nine monks in there various tones of orange robes. On either side of the stage are twenty foot tall pictures of the king and queen of Thailand. Su and I attract attention right away, we are a bit overdressed. I think they really wanted to show off their volunteers. We have about a fazillion pictures taken with everyone. The ceremony begins with the monks chanting, and then one monk comes around with a bamboo wand and sprinkle us with holy water. The rest of the ceremony included lots of people standing at a podium and saying things in Thai. Fascinating! Kru Kung explained to us that they are giving thanks to all teachers, not just themselves but all of their teachers and their teachers teachers. Without teachers we all would know nothing. She also explained that they renew an oath to be good teachers and to challenge their students. At some point a man comes and asks to have his picture taken with me, he is very excited, and I keep catching him staring at me.
Then they call up the winners for best dressed, Kru Su and I won and they gave us 1000 baht prize, so generous! I can't believe it, then againi did win best dressed In high school.... Lol.
After the ceremony we return to school and change into our sports uniforms. I have been suckered in to playing volleyball, and su will play baytond, a Thai game akin to bocchi ball. We gather up our balls and bags of bright tropical fruit and head back to high school. There are announcers commentating on the baytond games, and uniform shirted players milling about. We are lead to the pagodas where food is being served, ooh green curry! Awwww guess what? It's not vegetarian, go figs! But I suppose I'm used to that. I happily sit down on our straw mat picnic blanket and enjoy lots of pineapple, guava( in Thai it's called farang, which is also what they call foreigners), watermelon, and some tasty jicama like substance.
I watch baytond it's about as fun as watching golf. I doze and munch and the fellow who was so interested in me at the ceremony comes and has a conversation with me about how I can afford to volunteer, he asks me my age and tells me I'm really cute, gee thanks.... Anyway
There's a loud crash and I see someone has broken a beer, there's shouting and I assume that the breaker of beer has gone to get some grin to clean it up, nope he returns with another beer leaving the schrapnel of his accident to glitter in the sun and make the whole pagoda smell like a bar! The beer breaker is an older man wearing one of those circular mirror laden African caps to hide his bald head. He's tall an thin with a mustache and polarized goldrimmed raybans. Kru Oy #3 tells me that he is the big boss of another school. He is visibly intoxicated and calls me over for as conversation, he offers me beer, I don't drink, he offers me a sausage, I'm vegetarian, so he tries to get me to eat a Thai chili, I tell him to! He does! I watch my reflection in his mirrored lenses, I laugh at him as Kru Oy the third tries to translate, I jokingly call him an old man and he laughs and acts all hurt and says he is not talking to me anymore, good! But then he tries to get me to trade shirts with him, yeah right buddy!
Finally it's volleyball time, I luck out and don have to play. I get to be a cheerleader instead! I like the way they do cheering here. Thy set up conga drums and speakers. A microphone is passed around and people sing cheers and dance and play finger cymbals. So much fun and so lively! Thy wanted to see the American play, I told them that I was horrible and thy would lose, but they drug me out for two balls and I survived! But they did lose!
Happily we went home to rest before the big party. Kru Kung took us back to our school Anuban taphraya, she gave me a cute brown bowler hat with kitty ears molded into it, Kru meow! The field had been turned into a beautiful banquet to house five hundred teachers. They the tables were deessed with pink and white bows, ribbons and sashes. There was a large stage erected for music and big neon lights erected all around in a variety of colors. The sun sank and the full moon rose again, a big orange globe, blendin in with the street lights.
The party began and teachers arrived, all wearing different fun hats. One school wore hats that looked a bit like smurf hats, others had neon glowing kitty ears. I'm staring to think that life in Thailand might just be burningman everyday. The dancers tha were hired for th evening wore tututuesday short neon green tutus and sparkly leotards. Booty shorts included! They would dance and call up the different school districts to dance with the girls. I tried to imagine mr. Kellepouris dancing with scantily clad girls at a school function, but..... Different cultures. You know? There was lots of dancing and food, which I couldn't eat, but I wasn't that hungry so I was okay. The teachers were so sweet Kru tat went and bought me the best pad thai( unbelievably my first since arriving). Then they brought me fried tofu and watermelon, so thiughtful and I felt so taken care of and loved!
I danced a lot and when drunk guys tried to dance with me the women were all so protective and danced me away from them. What phenomenol day! It was the best! Until the next day.....
Monday, January 13, 2014
I always wanted to be a teacher.....
As a matter of truth, I even went to college for it (i didn't graduate, but i still went, right?) In highschool I was part of an organization called "Future Teachers of America"......I guess now i'm a "Current Teacher of Thailand!" The first day was amazing, and strange enough for me I wasn't really nervous. I guess I feel competent in my ability to speak English and do my absolute best!
Kru Su and I walked to school, pickups full of children waved to us from the road. We arrived early and spent time in the courtyard talking to students. They are so shy and our main objective is just getting them to practice the basic greetings that they've learned. I can't tell you how much i've said : Hello, Good morning, How are you? I am Fine, HOw are you? Nice to meet you. Nice to meet you, too! It is really fun, and there smiles are so worth it. I'm already falling in love with students! There are 3 girls in my level 5 class that are so sweet to me, little Maat, Baen, and Gaen. They follow me around a bit, and were so cute to ask for hugs from me. Kru Su takes the lower levels(grades) 1,2,3, and I take the upper levels 4,5,6. Yesterday I taught 2 level 5 classes and 1 level 6. Mostly we practice greetings, and go over vocabulary, play basic games, etc. There English isn't that great, but that's why I am here. It's so hard for me to pronounce their names, there are 2 girls whose names, im pretty sure, are shampoo....or sound like shampoo! I have one student her name is tang moi, which means watermelon!
They serve us breakfast and lunch at the school as part of our volunteer agreement. Yesterday morning I had Pad Sae Ew! One of my favorites! All the thai teachers are really sweet, most of the know a little english and we all sit around making small conversation in our partial broken understandings of each others languages. For lunch it was a soupy tofu veggie dish with a side of fresh watermelon. Kru Oy, is a plump and friendly teacher who bought me a snack, Thai kettle corn! They know i'm a vegetarian and seem confused by it especially because i told them that i am not religious. This morning breakfast was egg soup with rice. I"m pretty sure it was chicken broth, but....sigh...I knew i couldn't be as strict as a vegetarian here, but still.....it's weird for me. I mostly just ate the veggies and eggs out of the broth.
After Class yesterday I walked home, had a little dance party in my living room, looked up some uke scales and again text messaged ya'll out there. Today I don't have any classes, but i came to school anyway, just to talk to the students and do some lesson planning. Kru Su is teaching now, and I am grateful to have borrowed her laptop! Ahhhhh, a keyboad is so much better than typing on my phone, and I think i will be able to post some long awaited pictures! I also had the exquisite opportunity to visit the kindergarten classes today. I arrived and they were all snacking on little baby tangerines. A little girl came and handed me a bunch! They all laughed with me and we ate tangerines as i practiced English with them. I am in love with the fact that one phrase they knew was "I love you" and so they kept telling me "I love you" and it was so heart warming! The teacher took me in the classroom and i practiced the basics with them. They are more shy than the older children, but they did great! I said goodbye and walked out the door, they all rushed after me, taking me by the arms, laughing, and leading me to the next classroom, my heart just about burst, and I cackled along with them down the hall. Oh! what a special feeling and memory!
Well, I think I will start looking through the kids school books and trying to plan some games to play with them. I love you all and miss you all and thank you sooooo much for leaving comments on my bloggy blog!
Love you!
Gretchyn
Kru Su and I walked to school, pickups full of children waved to us from the road. We arrived early and spent time in the courtyard talking to students. They are so shy and our main objective is just getting them to practice the basic greetings that they've learned. I can't tell you how much i've said : Hello, Good morning, How are you? I am Fine, HOw are you? Nice to meet you. Nice to meet you, too! It is really fun, and there smiles are so worth it. I'm already falling in love with students! There are 3 girls in my level 5 class that are so sweet to me, little Maat, Baen, and Gaen. They follow me around a bit, and were so cute to ask for hugs from me. Kru Su takes the lower levels(grades) 1,2,3, and I take the upper levels 4,5,6. Yesterday I taught 2 level 5 classes and 1 level 6. Mostly we practice greetings, and go over vocabulary, play basic games, etc. There English isn't that great, but that's why I am here. It's so hard for me to pronounce their names, there are 2 girls whose names, im pretty sure, are shampoo....or sound like shampoo! I have one student her name is tang moi, which means watermelon!
They serve us breakfast and lunch at the school as part of our volunteer agreement. Yesterday morning I had Pad Sae Ew! One of my favorites! All the thai teachers are really sweet, most of the know a little english and we all sit around making small conversation in our partial broken understandings of each others languages. For lunch it was a soupy tofu veggie dish with a side of fresh watermelon. Kru Oy, is a plump and friendly teacher who bought me a snack, Thai kettle corn! They know i'm a vegetarian and seem confused by it especially because i told them that i am not religious. This morning breakfast was egg soup with rice. I"m pretty sure it was chicken broth, but....sigh...I knew i couldn't be as strict as a vegetarian here, but still.....it's weird for me. I mostly just ate the veggies and eggs out of the broth.
After Class yesterday I walked home, had a little dance party in my living room, looked up some uke scales and again text messaged ya'll out there. Today I don't have any classes, but i came to school anyway, just to talk to the students and do some lesson planning. Kru Su is teaching now, and I am grateful to have borrowed her laptop! Ahhhhh, a keyboad is so much better than typing on my phone, and I think i will be able to post some long awaited pictures! I also had the exquisite opportunity to visit the kindergarten classes today. I arrived and they were all snacking on little baby tangerines. A little girl came and handed me a bunch! They all laughed with me and we ate tangerines as i practiced English with them. I am in love with the fact that one phrase they knew was "I love you" and so they kept telling me "I love you" and it was so heart warming! The teacher took me in the classroom and i practiced the basics with them. They are more shy than the older children, but they did great! I said goodbye and walked out the door, they all rushed after me, taking me by the arms, laughing, and leading me to the next classroom, my heart just about burst, and I cackled along with them down the hall. Oh! what a special feeling and memory!
Well, I think I will start looking through the kids school books and trying to plan some games to play with them. I love you all and miss you all and thank you sooooo much for leaving comments on my bloggy blog!
Love you!
Gretchyn
Sunday, January 12, 2014
Children's day
Sa wat di kha! Hello!
Yesterday, which was Saturday for me, was international children's day! Kru Su and I walked from our little dollhouse along the road in the sunlight. Brahman cows munched grass and garbage along the roadside as we went. Children on the back of motorbikes turn to stare at the smiling white girl as they passed. We arrived at the celebration hall, a big tin roofed arc as big as a football field, filled with children in their school uniforms, parents ,clusters of balloons, and a big pink and yellow fabric swathed stage. Su and I found some seats near the stage and soon some traditional Thai dancers from out school came to sit near us. They were so beautiful! The costumes were so exquisite, so much attention to detail. The makeup, their hair, swept back so perfectly on their head and mounted with a gold crusted Buddhist temple with shiny dangling mirrors. The dancers took to the stage for photographs and Kru Su and I were invited up to pose with the dancers. It felt like such an honor to be there. Everyone was so kind to us!
The first group to dance were the kindergartners. They were very precious, there was also a Korean dance troupe. In between dances various officials came up to announce things and hand out awards to the children. The traditional Thai dancers were so incredibly graceful and beautiful I was in awe of their precise movements! A group of teen boys did some break dancing to American music which was hillarious! I think my favorite performance of the day was a dance troupe straight out of burningman! They had on bright colored Afro wigs, with huge kitty ears, feather eyelash extensions, glitter lipstick, neon floofy rainbow skirts and aqua leggings! They're dances were awesome booty popping ridiculousness! I laughed the whole time! At the end su leans over and says" those were all boys!" She was right! She said it's very accepted in Thailand. The whole scene was so fun to watch, Santa Claus came to distribute lunch to the children a mountain of snacks occupied stable near the stage. A man came to sing songs and play games with the kids. I was offered a tasty crepe that was stuffed with tamarind and egg, it was delicious! The kids were all so sweet and seemed to have a really fun time! I was grateful to have experienced it.
Su and I had a lunch of pad kao or fried rice. I spent he rest of th day texting friends and nursing a headache! I had the best dreams that night! I dream of being back home with friends, wandering downtown st Joseph it was summertime and felt great. The best part was when I realized I was dreaming because I knew I was in Thailand not Missouri! So as always when I have a lucid dream I decided to fly! I was inside so I tried flying through a stained glass window! I'm dreaming so I can't get hurt! Well it was really fun! Lucid dreams don't happen that often so I enjoyed it. Funny the last lucid dream I had was three or four months ago and was about coming to Thailand! Well, who really cares about other peoples dreams ? Though I have dreamt about spending time with so many of you all, my friends, I miss you!
Today, my Sunday, I finally had a decent sleep and felt normalish today! Su and I went on a fruit mission! We had great luck! 2 pineapples, a watermelon, a banana and a coconut for about three bucks! Yes! Back at the house we are a whole pineapple for breakfast! Anyone who knows me knows that pineapple is nearly my favorite thing ever! In my sweet house there is not actually a functioning shower, there is a trashcan full of water that I dip water out of and pour on myself, it's amazing! And I get to do my laundry by hand at the same time, so efficient and fun! After shower/ laundry I headed out on a bike adventure.
The afternoon sun greeted my pasty exterior! Children shouted hello from the backs of trucks, tangerines and lychees lined tables. I headed out of town appreciating the honks of passersby. There's a huge red archway that is gilded with ornate images of the royal thai family at the entrance of town. On the outskirts of town there's a very old wall across from a temple with a hundred thousand concrete roosters lining it's steps. I turn back to town cruising downhill and enjoying the breeze. The town is so small, by bike I've circled the whole place from outskirts to outskirts in about ten minutes. So much delights my eyes at every turn, but what words? It's just all so different and new it's hard to put it down in a way that's understandable! Ponds filled with a rainbow of water lilies. A father in son fishing I their underpants, men sleeping under thatched roof bus stops, the confusion of being passed by six white tourists on two motorbikes, how do I recount tales other than just listing splendor? On my way back from the bike ride I saw them setting up a market in the street so I went home to ditch the bike and come back on foot. The market was full of odd meats, whole deflated pigs, buckets of odd liquids with strange sea critter parts floating, smells I tried to ignore, sweets, fried grasshoppers and larvae, and any trinkets you can think of! Tshirts with ridiculous American slogans my favorite said" I just fucking rule" or maybe it was the one of bartman with a banner through his eyes that said unobservant. Well it was an experience I was happy to walk away with my sunbrella shade to the super market. Besides text messages to all of you and writing in my journal and lonely planet, that was my day, pretty average, no? It's great I am loving Thailand and I am stoked to start teaching tomorrow! Wish me luck? Love you!
Yesterday, which was Saturday for me, was international children's day! Kru Su and I walked from our little dollhouse along the road in the sunlight. Brahman cows munched grass and garbage along the roadside as we went. Children on the back of motorbikes turn to stare at the smiling white girl as they passed. We arrived at the celebration hall, a big tin roofed arc as big as a football field, filled with children in their school uniforms, parents ,clusters of balloons, and a big pink and yellow fabric swathed stage. Su and I found some seats near the stage and soon some traditional Thai dancers from out school came to sit near us. They were so beautiful! The costumes were so exquisite, so much attention to detail. The makeup, their hair, swept back so perfectly on their head and mounted with a gold crusted Buddhist temple with shiny dangling mirrors. The dancers took to the stage for photographs and Kru Su and I were invited up to pose with the dancers. It felt like such an honor to be there. Everyone was so kind to us!
The first group to dance were the kindergartners. They were very precious, there was also a Korean dance troupe. In between dances various officials came up to announce things and hand out awards to the children. The traditional Thai dancers were so incredibly graceful and beautiful I was in awe of their precise movements! A group of teen boys did some break dancing to American music which was hillarious! I think my favorite performance of the day was a dance troupe straight out of burningman! They had on bright colored Afro wigs, with huge kitty ears, feather eyelash extensions, glitter lipstick, neon floofy rainbow skirts and aqua leggings! They're dances were awesome booty popping ridiculousness! I laughed the whole time! At the end su leans over and says" those were all boys!" She was right! She said it's very accepted in Thailand. The whole scene was so fun to watch, Santa Claus came to distribute lunch to the children a mountain of snacks occupied stable near the stage. A man came to sing songs and play games with the kids. I was offered a tasty crepe that was stuffed with tamarind and egg, it was delicious! The kids were all so sweet and seemed to have a really fun time! I was grateful to have experienced it.
Su and I had a lunch of pad kao or fried rice. I spent he rest of th day texting friends and nursing a headache! I had the best dreams that night! I dream of being back home with friends, wandering downtown st Joseph it was summertime and felt great. The best part was when I realized I was dreaming because I knew I was in Thailand not Missouri! So as always when I have a lucid dream I decided to fly! I was inside so I tried flying through a stained glass window! I'm dreaming so I can't get hurt! Well it was really fun! Lucid dreams don't happen that often so I enjoyed it. Funny the last lucid dream I had was three or four months ago and was about coming to Thailand! Well, who really cares about other peoples dreams ? Though I have dreamt about spending time with so many of you all, my friends, I miss you!
Today, my Sunday, I finally had a decent sleep and felt normalish today! Su and I went on a fruit mission! We had great luck! 2 pineapples, a watermelon, a banana and a coconut for about three bucks! Yes! Back at the house we are a whole pineapple for breakfast! Anyone who knows me knows that pineapple is nearly my favorite thing ever! In my sweet house there is not actually a functioning shower, there is a trashcan full of water that I dip water out of and pour on myself, it's amazing! And I get to do my laundry by hand at the same time, so efficient and fun! After shower/ laundry I headed out on a bike adventure.
The afternoon sun greeted my pasty exterior! Children shouted hello from the backs of trucks, tangerines and lychees lined tables. I headed out of town appreciating the honks of passersby. There's a huge red archway that is gilded with ornate images of the royal thai family at the entrance of town. On the outskirts of town there's a very old wall across from a temple with a hundred thousand concrete roosters lining it's steps. I turn back to town cruising downhill and enjoying the breeze. The town is so small, by bike I've circled the whole place from outskirts to outskirts in about ten minutes. So much delights my eyes at every turn, but what words? It's just all so different and new it's hard to put it down in a way that's understandable! Ponds filled with a rainbow of water lilies. A father in son fishing I their underpants, men sleeping under thatched roof bus stops, the confusion of being passed by six white tourists on two motorbikes, how do I recount tales other than just listing splendor? On my way back from the bike ride I saw them setting up a market in the street so I went home to ditch the bike and come back on foot. The market was full of odd meats, whole deflated pigs, buckets of odd liquids with strange sea critter parts floating, smells I tried to ignore, sweets, fried grasshoppers and larvae, and any trinkets you can think of! Tshirts with ridiculous American slogans my favorite said" I just fucking rule" or maybe it was the one of bartman with a banner through his eyes that said unobservant. Well it was an experience I was happy to walk away with my sunbrella shade to the super market. Besides text messages to all of you and writing in my journal and lonely planet, that was my day, pretty average, no? It's great I am loving Thailand and I am stoked to start teaching tomorrow! Wish me luck? Love you!
Friday, January 10, 2014
Life is but a dream...
Oh crazy amazement! This is sooooooo good! But just to let you know that wasn't the tune I was singing yesterday! Yesterday I was nervous, very nervous, about traversing the big city, getting on the right bus, getting off the bus in theright place, finding my host teacher... And just about Anything else my mind could trick me into worrying about! And as usual I bought into those comforting fears and worries, wait.... Fears and worries aren't comforting.... But they sort of are aren't they? Or we would have stopped it by now!
So jet lag is weird, I went to bed at ten and woke up at three am. So by five I decided to start the day. There's something really good about being able to put all your possessions in a really small pack and be on your way. I played the yellow uke as I waited for the taxi. I mumbled odd Thai phrases to the taxi driver and watched the sun rise over Bangkok as we headed to mor chit two bus terminal . People shouted at me from ticket windows, but they weren't speaking my language! I found my magic window and bought my ticket to aranya prathet. I climbed aboard, and immediately realized how easy it all had been and how silly our own mind games get!
Now I could relax and enjoy the show. It's suddenly hitting me, hey I'm in Thailand! Roadside oddities amuse. Me : a giant pink wear house full of stuffed animals in the middle of nowhere , giant ceramic animals of all kinds , I was very fond of large roosters bedazzled with mirrors, a large grateful dead beatr sign, so many Buddhas and shrines and shiny things, trees with huge yellow flowers like giant marigolds I wanted to gather them up and string them into a garland to cast over the neck of the divine!.., oh sorry am I getting lofty here? It's been one of those days. So much to breathe in, pineapple from a roadside stand, six different languages all around me, playing my uke as we stopped for snax. It really does make instant friends , it's like having a puppy or something. Random police an military checkpoints, I made the cut but there were a couple souls escorted away, why I'll never know. The cities are thinning more country side, thatch huts, rustic furniture, farms, delapidation, signs that you're going somewhere good! I nearly miss my bus stop in Aran but get off just in time. I reharge at seven eleven with ice water and lays potato chips- basil flavored. I snack and wait for my host teacher to arrive. And here's Kru Thavee! My jovial English speaking escort! We head to the school and make conversation, it is quite nice to speak English to someone, even if we don't always understand one another.. Again the landscape has thinned and Thera less houses more trees and fields! Sooo nice to outta Bangkok!
The entrance to the town is adorable,! I will have to do some photo exploits later! We pull up to the school, all four hundred children are outside doing their Buddhist prayers. Kru Thavee tells me that they will all be very interested in me because I look so different! Of course I step out of the truck and they all stare at me! I meet Kru Krung which means lobster! She will bee my co teacher when I start in Monday. Kru Thavee tells me that tomorrow is a special children's day and hat all the children will play games and have a celebration, I've arrived just in time! He also gives me a nickname since my American name is impossible to say! I become Kru Meoung. Which means kitty, I am now miss kitty! Does it get any better than this?.... Yes..... I meet my fellow volunteer Kru su from Malaysia! And she gives me a big hug which is so nice because I haven't ha a hug since elysse dropped me at the airport!and still better, Kru Thavee drives me through the little town to my new home, Which is the most adorable thing I have ever seen! Check Facebook for pics sorry about incoherent thoughts and types o. S I am sooooo exhausted! And beyond caring! Love yalllllllllllll
So jet lag is weird, I went to bed at ten and woke up at three am. So by five I decided to start the day. There's something really good about being able to put all your possessions in a really small pack and be on your way. I played the yellow uke as I waited for the taxi. I mumbled odd Thai phrases to the taxi driver and watched the sun rise over Bangkok as we headed to mor chit two bus terminal . People shouted at me from ticket windows, but they weren't speaking my language! I found my magic window and bought my ticket to aranya prathet. I climbed aboard, and immediately realized how easy it all had been and how silly our own mind games get!
Now I could relax and enjoy the show. It's suddenly hitting me, hey I'm in Thailand! Roadside oddities amuse. Me : a giant pink wear house full of stuffed animals in the middle of nowhere , giant ceramic animals of all kinds , I was very fond of large roosters bedazzled with mirrors, a large grateful dead beatr sign, so many Buddhas and shrines and shiny things, trees with huge yellow flowers like giant marigolds I wanted to gather them up and string them into a garland to cast over the neck of the divine!.., oh sorry am I getting lofty here? It's been one of those days. So much to breathe in, pineapple from a roadside stand, six different languages all around me, playing my uke as we stopped for snax. It really does make instant friends , it's like having a puppy or something. Random police an military checkpoints, I made the cut but there were a couple souls escorted away, why I'll never know. The cities are thinning more country side, thatch huts, rustic furniture, farms, delapidation, signs that you're going somewhere good! I nearly miss my bus stop in Aran but get off just in time. I reharge at seven eleven with ice water and lays potato chips- basil flavored. I snack and wait for my host teacher to arrive. And here's Kru Thavee! My jovial English speaking escort! We head to the school and make conversation, it is quite nice to speak English to someone, even if we don't always understand one another.. Again the landscape has thinned and Thera less houses more trees and fields! Sooo nice to outta Bangkok!
The entrance to the town is adorable,! I will have to do some photo exploits later! We pull up to the school, all four hundred children are outside doing their Buddhist prayers. Kru Thavee tells me that they will all be very interested in me because I look so different! Of course I step out of the truck and they all stare at me! I meet Kru Krung which means lobster! She will bee my co teacher when I start in Monday. Kru Thavee tells me that tomorrow is a special children's day and hat all the children will play games and have a celebration, I've arrived just in time! He also gives me a nickname since my American name is impossible to say! I become Kru Meoung. Which means kitty, I am now miss kitty! Does it get any better than this?.... Yes..... I meet my fellow volunteer Kru su from Malaysia! And she gives me a big hug which is so nice because I haven't ha a hug since elysse dropped me at the airport!and still better, Kru Thavee drives me through the little town to my new home, Which is the most adorable thing I have ever seen! Check Facebook for pics sorry about incoherent thoughts and types o. S I am sooooo exhausted! And beyond caring! Love yalllllllllllll
Wednesday, January 8, 2014
Thailand is real!
Wow! Thailand actually exists ! I couldn't be sure before, but now I am here. So if anyone was wondering if Thailand was an illusion.... You can take my word that it's not.
I left my sweet Elysse's hobbit hole in Venice on Monday afternoon, she dropped me at LAX and with a big squeeze goodbye she was off. I stood like a child on the first day of kindergarten, waving as I watched her drive away. Into the big airport queue frenzy! Standing in line for security I spot a young back packer with a curious item strapped to it. I say" is that a ukelele?" He says, "yes." I turn to show him mine strapped to my pack. We laugh and the line shuffles us away. He was going to Oman, so I rested easy that I won't have too compete with him in thailand.
I'm getting nervous the line is moving slow, my flight is boarding and I'm not sure I'm going to make it on time. Just then a guy starts escorting a bunch of people through that are late so I take the opportunity to jump in with them. I make it through security, well nearly, they always have to confiscate some precious item from me. This time its my dangerous tube of Auromere Ayurvedic toothpaste. I get to my gate just in time to fill my camelpak on my baxkpack, and get in line to board. As I stand in line i realize that my new water bladder is leaking all over me, awesome! I empty the water into a trashcan and board the plane, my right side a little soggy.
I get to row 42, and find I'm seated next to two American boys. One of which is going to Bangkok, and also happens to be from Kansas City. It is such a small and miraculous world sometimes! We all chat and make fine single serving friends of each other. The other boy is heading back to his teaching position in china. I watch a Bollywood movie. Iblistento my iPod, I journal, I eat strange vegetarian airplane meals (surprisingly not that bad). I chat with boys, I drink little cups of water, I fall asleep watching avatar . Before I know it I am at the airport in Taipei Taiwan. It's cute and full of high end retail stores like coach and Cartier. Who shops in airports? Apparently people with more money than me. There's a wall made out of live plants with internet stations. So like any good American I stop and check my facebook! I eat an apple and board the next plane. This time I sit next to an obviously German couple who claim to be from boston. This flight is only three hours but seems longer than the 15 hour flight to Taipei. Mmmmmhmmmmm.... Touchdown Bangkok! Immigration, passport stamp, customs, new sim card and I'm feeling like I'm in another country. Woops I booked my hotel on the wrong day, so I got to be an airport hobo for seven hours curling up behind a bank of telephones while I sporadically napped and charged my cell phone. I breakfasted on sweet mango and sticky rice, I bought new toothpaste and people watched. Eventually I took the transfer over to my hotel. A classy purple room greeted me, finally I could be alone! I spent the rest of the day in my underpants sleeping. I woke up at nine pm, to the sound of my ukelele crashing to the floor.... I guess this happens when you try to snuggle a Uke. Luckily the uke was okay.
I slept more and more and more I dreamt of large rats and friends eight thousand miles away
. So now I am finally up and able to explore a bit. I took a walk this morning and saw a nice temple. I took in the sharp unfamiliar smells around me. New flowers, trees, scruffy dogs and Egyptian cats. So much to appreciate all so new and strange. I passed by a school building, I could hear the hustle, children singing, screaming , talking, got me thinking that's where I will be soon enough. Back in my room I refuge with my Ac, my iPhone, texting with my sister so I can pretend I'm not alone, tomorrow I will take a bus to my volunteer school, Anuban Tapaya near Aranya Prathet. I will post pictures to Facebook as I can't quite figure out how to do it on this blog from my iPhone. From Thailand with love,
Gretchyn
I left my sweet Elysse's hobbit hole in Venice on Monday afternoon, she dropped me at LAX and with a big squeeze goodbye she was off. I stood like a child on the first day of kindergarten, waving as I watched her drive away. Into the big airport queue frenzy! Standing in line for security I spot a young back packer with a curious item strapped to it. I say" is that a ukelele?" He says, "yes." I turn to show him mine strapped to my pack. We laugh and the line shuffles us away. He was going to Oman, so I rested easy that I won't have too compete with him in thailand.
I'm getting nervous the line is moving slow, my flight is boarding and I'm not sure I'm going to make it on time. Just then a guy starts escorting a bunch of people through that are late so I take the opportunity to jump in with them. I make it through security, well nearly, they always have to confiscate some precious item from me. This time its my dangerous tube of Auromere Ayurvedic toothpaste. I get to my gate just in time to fill my camelpak on my baxkpack, and get in line to board. As I stand in line i realize that my new water bladder is leaking all over me, awesome! I empty the water into a trashcan and board the plane, my right side a little soggy.
I get to row 42, and find I'm seated next to two American boys. One of which is going to Bangkok, and also happens to be from Kansas City. It is such a small and miraculous world sometimes! We all chat and make fine single serving friends of each other. The other boy is heading back to his teaching position in china. I watch a Bollywood movie. Iblistento my iPod, I journal, I eat strange vegetarian airplane meals (surprisingly not that bad). I chat with boys, I drink little cups of water, I fall asleep watching avatar . Before I know it I am at the airport in Taipei Taiwan. It's cute and full of high end retail stores like coach and Cartier. Who shops in airports? Apparently people with more money than me. There's a wall made out of live plants with internet stations. So like any good American I stop and check my facebook! I eat an apple and board the next plane. This time I sit next to an obviously German couple who claim to be from boston. This flight is only three hours but seems longer than the 15 hour flight to Taipei. Mmmmmhmmmmm.... Touchdown Bangkok! Immigration, passport stamp, customs, new sim card and I'm feeling like I'm in another country. Woops I booked my hotel on the wrong day, so I got to be an airport hobo for seven hours curling up behind a bank of telephones while I sporadically napped and charged my cell phone. I breakfasted on sweet mango and sticky rice, I bought new toothpaste and people watched. Eventually I took the transfer over to my hotel. A classy purple room greeted me, finally I could be alone! I spent the rest of the day in my underpants sleeping. I woke up at nine pm, to the sound of my ukelele crashing to the floor.... I guess this happens when you try to snuggle a Uke. Luckily the uke was okay.
I slept more and more and more I dreamt of large rats and friends eight thousand miles away
. So now I am finally up and able to explore a bit. I took a walk this morning and saw a nice temple. I took in the sharp unfamiliar smells around me. New flowers, trees, scruffy dogs and Egyptian cats. So much to appreciate all so new and strange. I passed by a school building, I could hear the hustle, children singing, screaming , talking, got me thinking that's where I will be soon enough. Back in my room I refuge with my Ac, my iPhone, texting with my sister so I can pretend I'm not alone, tomorrow I will take a bus to my volunteer school, Anuban Tapaya near Aranya Prathet. I will post pictures to Facebook as I can't quite figure out how to do it on this blog from my iPhone. From Thailand with love,
Gretchyn
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