Sa wa deet ka!
That is Thai for "hello" and "goodbye", which you must say while "wai-ing", or bowing and putting your hands together over your heart to literally, everyone. Thai's are all about hierarchy, so you have to do it to everyone you meet who is older than you, and everyone who meets you and is younger than you has to do it to you. I'm getting really good at it. The little tyrant in me loves having the younger kids do it to me, it's great for my inflated ego.
I am finally home after 2 long days at the school where I will be teaching. Of course, my schedule was wrong so it has taken 2 long, frustrating days to get it fixed. The first day, we showed up and were literally just pushed through the door into random 9th grade classes. 14 year olds-let me tell you. I am officially sending my children to boarding school between the ages of 12 and 18. They were a HANDFUL. So rowdy, talking non-stop, mocking me (awesome...) and refusing to answer any questions or listen to a word I said. After 3 hours with 3 different 9th grade classes, I was about to drop dead from exhaustion. Not to mention I was sweating more than I think I have ever sweat in my life. I know it's gross, but I was just dripping-I could feel all of the sweat rolling down my legs while I was standing in the classroom. So attractive. Ikkk.
Everyone at school stares, open-mouthed at Crystal and I. "Falang" means foreigner, so naturally everyone feels the need to shout "FA-LANG!" and point at us. Yes, I know. I'm white. It does happen. The 14 yr old boys are the absolute worst-they either scream " I LOVE YOU!", make cat-calling noises, or crude gestures. Sigh.
One of the head teachers is in charge of us, and she has been showing us around to- I'm pretty sure everyone she knows (thus the circus animal emotions). Today, she put us in her car, drove us to some random building, and made us introduce ourselves to a group of random people. Still not entirely sure who they were. I am so excited to start teaching, but having to trek around and meet a million random people is not really my style. Constantly smililng and agreeing to do everything is exhausting. Somehow-don't ask me how-we got signed up to teach at a random "English camp" this weekend in some town, somewhere in our province. It is so difficult to communicate, but before I knew it the teacher had my host mom on the phone and proceeded to tell me we would be spending the night at the camp and teaching. I must repeat my mantra ,"go with the flow", about every 5 seconds. Luckily, I am going to go hiking on Sunday afternoon with my host family, and Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday are off for some government holiday. That will give me plenty of time to plan some lessons, because...
I GOT A REAL SCHEDULE!
Can you believe it? I am pumped. It is a lot, but I will be teaching 7 different 11th grade classes, 3 times a week each. I teach 4 classes everyday, but luckily I can use the same lessons for each different class. I met a class of 11th grade (or Level 5 as they call it) today and they were SO much better than the 9th graders. They were attentive, mostly polite and their English was much better. I am excited about all of the stuff we can do with them. Their reading and writing is quite good, but their speaking needs a lot of work, so I am going to focus on listening and speaking as much as possible. It will be so much more fun than plain grammar-we can listen to songs, act out plays, give presentations (all on a very limited level, but still!).
In other news, I also attended my third aerobic dance session this evening. Still hilarious and a great workout-I'm serious about doing it all summer. Something to counter-act the wonderful food.
All for today,
xoxoxo
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Sunday, June 28, 2009
6/28, Aerobic Dancing
I have found my new true calling: Thai aerobic dancing. The government sponsors an outdoor exercise class 6 times a week, where a tiny little Thai lady gets up on a platform with HUGE speakers that blast obnoxious Thai pop music while over 100 little old Thai ladies do Thai-style jazzercize for an hour. The class is held right by the river in the middle of the town, and we went on Saturday night. SO. MUCH. FUN. It was actually a GREAT workout-I love classes and jazzercize stuff! It's cheesey, and if I was really "intense" I would run marathons and do hot yoga and all of that trendy crap, but I love to do geeky moves to fun music! Crystal and I, the other volunteer staying in Taphan hin, have vowed to go at least 3 times a week if we can! It was ridiculously fun, and I need a way to work off all of the rice, noodles, dumplings and sweets. Thai food is NOT low cal at all.
I am not at my host family, which I am infinitely happy about. Sharing a bathroom with 9 people and a bed with 3 others was fun for about 15 seconds, but I now have my own room, bathroom and huge bed all to myself. I am so spoiled and I love it. They keep pushing as much food as possible down my throat and I'm not complaining. I had been craving ice-cream and last night they opened up the freezer and voila! My host family is adorable, and their English is actually great! My host father works in Bangkok during the week, and my host brother who is 14, "Tee", goes to a private school in another province Monday through Friday, so it's just me and "Na Pet", or "Auntie Pet" during the week. We will be good roommates I'm sure :). They also have the holy grail of travelers in developing countries-Wireless internet! I am living the life that is for sure.
On another note, I think I have fleas. Or something. I am COVERED in large red welts. I can't believe they are all from mosquitos, I have been wearing bug spray and trying to stay covered. I literally have 43 (I counted) red bumps on my right leg. I am covering my body with itch cream every few hours...I'm hoping that maybe I'll develope an immunity, question mark? I feel like a junkie in withdrawal as I'm constantly clawing at myself. Very attractive.
Off to school for the first day! Unfortunately, my schedule needs to be re-done, so I am going to try to work with the Thai admins and teachers...wish me luck! Patience and smiles...must remember!
Miss you all thank you SO much for the emails!
I am not at my host family, which I am infinitely happy about. Sharing a bathroom with 9 people and a bed with 3 others was fun for about 15 seconds, but I now have my own room, bathroom and huge bed all to myself. I am so spoiled and I love it. They keep pushing as much food as possible down my throat and I'm not complaining. I had been craving ice-cream and last night they opened up the freezer and voila! My host family is adorable, and their English is actually great! My host father works in Bangkok during the week, and my host brother who is 14, "Tee", goes to a private school in another province Monday through Friday, so it's just me and "Na Pet", or "Auntie Pet" during the week. We will be good roommates I'm sure :). They also have the holy grail of travelers in developing countries-Wireless internet! I am living the life that is for sure.
On another note, I think I have fleas. Or something. I am COVERED in large red welts. I can't believe they are all from mosquitos, I have been wearing bug spray and trying to stay covered. I literally have 43 (I counted) red bumps on my right leg. I am covering my body with itch cream every few hours...I'm hoping that maybe I'll develope an immunity, question mark? I feel like a junkie in withdrawal as I'm constantly clawing at myself. Very attractive.
Off to school for the first day! Unfortunately, my schedule needs to be re-done, so I am going to try to work with the Thai admins and teachers...wish me luck! Patience and smiles...must remember!
Miss you all thank you SO much for the emails!
6/27 Orientation/Eating/Random Adventures
Our first day of “orientation” (term used loosely), we got up at 5:30 (Thai people wake up really early), and headed out to the market to hunt for breakfast. First stop-Thai iced coffee and tea. We went to Supa’s favorite stand, where they make fresh coffee and tea and put it over ice in plastic bags, which you hold and drink out of a straw. The coffee and tea are super sweet and usually have condensed milk in them. Everything in Thailand has a crazy amount of sugar-I worry about their teeth and cavities! I asked for “ooliang”, which means iced coffee without milk-which is really yummy. It’s almost like a strong espresso with TONS of sugar poured over ice. I love hanging the bag over my wrist and just sucking it through a straw-close enough to the coffee IV I so long for. Thai breakfast is just like other meals-rice, veggies and meat. We bought tons of fruit, again, and had rice porridge, dumplings and soup. Low-card is non-existant here.
After breakfast, we finally got our SIM cards (Supa had them delivered-I love life outside of America), and did some service planning and Thai language lessons. Afterwards, we cooked Thai food with Supa and made papaya salad (eat with caution! I think I permanently numbed a few tasted buds), rice, stir fried veggies and mushroom soup. I thought of my cousins Shelly and Brian when I went to the mushroom stand at the market-they had so many types of fresh mushrooms that looked so amazing, it made Dean and Deluca look like a cheap grocery store! We got pounds of fresh, exotic mushrooms for a couple of dollars that I’m sure you would spend over $30 for in the states.
After lunch we set off to the market, walking in the heat at 2 pm. Sweaty is just a way of life here I’ve decided. We went to the bank (there are plenty of ATMs, of course, thank you American capitalism), got some toiletries, and I bought some closed-toe shoes. They are awesome-black rubber croc-esque shoes that were 160 Baht, about $5. I plan to wear them at school and only at school and then will only wear them as a joke after this trip. After shopping we went to Supa’s friend’s mobile phone shop to use their internet (She knows everyone, everywhere it’s crazy). I went in the back to get on the computer and as I was pulling out the keyboard tray, found a miniature poodle stuck on the tray underneath the desk. What?! I saw something moving on the tray as I was pulling it out and was praying it wasn’t any sort of insect, but when I looked down I came face to face with a little mini-poodle who was surprised as I was. I didn’t get to write any emails-just read them, but thank you thank you for the emails I love them and they are my saving grace!
After the market and internet, we went to the town temple to go to the daily service. We sat in a huge, open air temple on our knees behind the monks as they chanted. The monks began their chant, which was monotonous but relaxing and for the first few minutes I felt very "zen" and all that crap…1 hour later, I was about to shoot myself. I have never felt so neurotic and Western in my entire life. An hour of chanting? An hour of sitting still and just closing your eyes and listening? Once was more than enough for me. I cannot meditate. I don’t enjoy it. Anytime I get the idea in my head that I need to be more “zen” or centered and think that maybe meditating would help me be less anal and try it, I go crazy. Immediately my brain goes to ok what do I need to do, I start making lists and planning. It’s instinctual! I can’t help it. So after an hour, I had run out of things to think about, I started watching the other people (one of the volunteers fell asleep) and counting down the minutes.
Apart from the Buddhist service, this entire experience has been a lesson in patience (which I recognize I sorely need). Planning and communicating is excruciating. According to Daniel, in Thai culture when you make a plan, everyone needs to be consulted and put in their own opinion. Not one person can make a decision and then have it implemented. No no no, it takes back and forth and discussion, add in translation and you have what is in my opinion one of the antechambers to my own personal hell. I really do want to work on that though-and this is clearly the correct environment to test my patience in. Maybe after this I’ll return to the states calm, easy-going and with the ability to “go with the flow”…
Don’t hold your breath.
After dinner, we ate noodle soup at a street vendor, and headed home for the evening. Sidenote: Supa’s mother is this crazy old Thai woman who is just always around and laughing and yelling things in Thai at us-it’s hilarious.
So, I start teaching in less than 2 days. Our orientation has been less of an actual orientation and more of hanging out and getting to know the area. I have yet to actually have a real lesson in how to teach, and I still don’t know what grades I’m teaching. My schedule that the school sent is in Thai, and only has a bunch of numbers in time slots so I have no idea where to go. Also, there doesn’t seem to be any one person at the school that I am supposed to report to, or talk to. Nobody is supposed to show me around or introduce me to the school. Literally I think I am going to show up randomly on Monday, ask someone where the classrooms are and just hope that somebody recognizes the lost-confused looking white girl and knows where to send me.
On a happy note, my host family is getting more ridiculous and awesome by the day. My host mother, who I call “Na Pet” (meaning Auntie Pet), is the most adorable person in the entire world. She has been by the house a few times helping with certain things, and she is ridiculously sweet. She is at her tallest 4’9, super bubbly and cannot stop smiling. Also, she keeps bringing me things and offering to get me whatever I need. The guilt is getting to me! I told her I needed to get a phone charger and today she showed up with 5 different phone chargers and snacks for my day. It’s like elementary school again ☺ Also, they do have maids so although I want to have the real Thai experience and go “rustic”, let’s be honest-I secretly cannot wait to get to her house and unpack and have someone clean my laundry and sleep in my own bed.
I seem to be constantly tired, and I have been sleeping at around 9 pm every day, seeing as we get up at 5:30. I am really missing my large black coffees in the morning, but I will have to survive :)
Off to bed, xoxox, EMAIL ME!
After breakfast, we finally got our SIM cards (Supa had them delivered-I love life outside of America), and did some service planning and Thai language lessons. Afterwards, we cooked Thai food with Supa and made papaya salad (eat with caution! I think I permanently numbed a few tasted buds), rice, stir fried veggies and mushroom soup. I thought of my cousins Shelly and Brian when I went to the mushroom stand at the market-they had so many types of fresh mushrooms that looked so amazing, it made Dean and Deluca look like a cheap grocery store! We got pounds of fresh, exotic mushrooms for a couple of dollars that I’m sure you would spend over $30 for in the states.
After lunch we set off to the market, walking in the heat at 2 pm. Sweaty is just a way of life here I’ve decided. We went to the bank (there are plenty of ATMs, of course, thank you American capitalism), got some toiletries, and I bought some closed-toe shoes. They are awesome-black rubber croc-esque shoes that were 160 Baht, about $5. I plan to wear them at school and only at school and then will only wear them as a joke after this trip. After shopping we went to Supa’s friend’s mobile phone shop to use their internet (She knows everyone, everywhere it’s crazy). I went in the back to get on the computer and as I was pulling out the keyboard tray, found a miniature poodle stuck on the tray underneath the desk. What?! I saw something moving on the tray as I was pulling it out and was praying it wasn’t any sort of insect, but when I looked down I came face to face with a little mini-poodle who was surprised as I was. I didn’t get to write any emails-just read them, but thank you thank you for the emails I love them and they are my saving grace!
After the market and internet, we went to the town temple to go to the daily service. We sat in a huge, open air temple on our knees behind the monks as they chanted. The monks began their chant, which was monotonous but relaxing and for the first few minutes I felt very "zen" and all that crap…1 hour later, I was about to shoot myself. I have never felt so neurotic and Western in my entire life. An hour of chanting? An hour of sitting still and just closing your eyes and listening? Once was more than enough for me. I cannot meditate. I don’t enjoy it. Anytime I get the idea in my head that I need to be more “zen” or centered and think that maybe meditating would help me be less anal and try it, I go crazy. Immediately my brain goes to ok what do I need to do, I start making lists and planning. It’s instinctual! I can’t help it. So after an hour, I had run out of things to think about, I started watching the other people (one of the volunteers fell asleep) and counting down the minutes.
Apart from the Buddhist service, this entire experience has been a lesson in patience (which I recognize I sorely need). Planning and communicating is excruciating. According to Daniel, in Thai culture when you make a plan, everyone needs to be consulted and put in their own opinion. Not one person can make a decision and then have it implemented. No no no, it takes back and forth and discussion, add in translation and you have what is in my opinion one of the antechambers to my own personal hell. I really do want to work on that though-and this is clearly the correct environment to test my patience in. Maybe after this I’ll return to the states calm, easy-going and with the ability to “go with the flow”…
Don’t hold your breath.
After dinner, we ate noodle soup at a street vendor, and headed home for the evening. Sidenote: Supa’s mother is this crazy old Thai woman who is just always around and laughing and yelling things in Thai at us-it’s hilarious.
So, I start teaching in less than 2 days. Our orientation has been less of an actual orientation and more of hanging out and getting to know the area. I have yet to actually have a real lesson in how to teach, and I still don’t know what grades I’m teaching. My schedule that the school sent is in Thai, and only has a bunch of numbers in time slots so I have no idea where to go. Also, there doesn’t seem to be any one person at the school that I am supposed to report to, or talk to. Nobody is supposed to show me around or introduce me to the school. Literally I think I am going to show up randomly on Monday, ask someone where the classrooms are and just hope that somebody recognizes the lost-confused looking white girl and knows where to send me.
On a happy note, my host family is getting more ridiculous and awesome by the day. My host mother, who I call “Na Pet” (meaning Auntie Pet), is the most adorable person in the entire world. She has been by the house a few times helping with certain things, and she is ridiculously sweet. She is at her tallest 4’9, super bubbly and cannot stop smiling. Also, she keeps bringing me things and offering to get me whatever I need. The guilt is getting to me! I told her I needed to get a phone charger and today she showed up with 5 different phone chargers and snacks for my day. It’s like elementary school again ☺ Also, they do have maids so although I want to have the real Thai experience and go “rustic”, let’s be honest-I secretly cannot wait to get to her house and unpack and have someone clean my laundry and sleep in my own bed.
I seem to be constantly tired, and I have been sleeping at around 9 pm every day, seeing as we get up at 5:30. I am really missing my large black coffees in the morning, but I will have to survive :)
Off to bed, xoxox, EMAIL ME!
6/26, Showering with a Bucket
Well, here I am! 2 days in Thailand has felt like an eternity already it has been so busy.
I arrived in Bangkok exhausted and disheveled, and found the rest of my group thanks to a large green sign entitled “LE THAI FAMILY”. Not easy to miss. The rest of the volunteers, Daniel (the program director) and myself hopped into a van and headed to Daniel’s grandparent’s house. Daniel’s stepmother is Thai and so that has been his connection in establishing this project. The van stopped on the side of the street, and we wheeled our rolling suitcases (I felt very awkward and girly) through an old market into a windy back alley where the house was. We all dropped our bags, completely exhausted and after showers (with buckets of course), slept on mats on the floor for a good 2 hours.
Showering with a bucket is the Thai version of a shower. Instead of a Western showerhead, tub and curtain, Thai bathrooms are typically one room, with a toilet, faucet, large tub of water and a small bucket-dipper-esque thing. Holding your breath and taking the plunge, you dump a dipper full of cold water over your head, soap up, and repeat. At first, it’s a little awkward, and frigid, but after 2 days of the heat and humidity it feels amazing to dump a cold bucket of water over your head first thing in the morning. Also-you have to shower before bed and when you wake up-if not, Thai people think you’re gross. Given the pit stains and sweatiness that is me in Thailand, they’re absolutely right. I am constantly damp. It's really unattractive.
Unbeknownst to me, we had to wake up at 5 am to get our first day started. After 2 hours of jet-lagged, dreary sleep, we drug ourselves out of bed to meet our van. On the way, we picked up fresh fruit off the street, and Thai iced tea and coffee, which they serve in plastic bags with straws instead of cups-so much fun. We bought an excessive amount of fruit, but it was the perfect van snack all day. We hopped into the van and headed off to the main temple in Bangkok-where the King apparently frequents, and saw the “Emerald Buddha” which a huge jade Buddha house in an intricate, ornate temple. My shorts were too short, so after renting a long Thai style skirt, we headed off into the temple. The temple was amazing, looking back I’m glad we went so early because it was still cool and not crowded.
After the temple, we headed out of Bangkok on the way to Taphanhin. After a few hours, we stopped at an open-air market on a riverbank and had lunch. Walking through the market our country coordinator, Supa, bought a ridiculous amount of fruit, insisting we try everything. For lunch we ate fresh steamed fish with basil and garlic, rice and stir-fried veggies. So delicious! After eating, we got back in the van, and after a few hours we started on a detour because Supa had a “surprise”. After 2 hours of sleep and already 9 hours in the van, I was so aggravated. I was exhausted, I just wanted to get to our final destination and I didn’t have the patience for a scavenger hunt/Thai adventure. When we pulled into a massage parlor, however, I started to feel incredibly guilty, because Supa had given us all full-body, 1-hour Thai massages. It was exactly what I needed after such a long trip. Thai massage isn’t the typical muscle rubbing, massage oil massage, but instead it focuses on pressure points and stretching-it’s very interactive (kind of like Kim ;) ) and involves lots of pulling and pushing. It’s not as relaxing as laying and having somebody rub you with aromatherapy oils (ah I’m pining for my time in the Maldives where I got massages while my family was adventurous and went scuba-diving like real people) but afterwards your body feels so much more “in place”. Supa also brought along her friend who was a chiropractor who practiced on all of us. I was little sketched out when he was pushing on my neck and making everything crack-but I’m still standing so I guess no harm done.
After the massages, back to the van! It felt almost like a Shelden family vacation with all of the van time ☺. Our next stop was the former capital of Thailand (hundreds and hundreds of years ago) that was burnt down in a war a long time ago (I’m very historically accurate in my descriptions). There were tons of ruins of old temples and buildings and it was really gorgeous. Inside the main temple there was an enormous gold Buddha-it was probably at least 30 feet tall. Of course, there was also a market where we bought the Thai version of cotton candy. They take sugar and spin it into these long ropes that they roll up into sweet crepe-like pancakes. So yummy! Essentially all we have been doing is eating constantly. It’s awesome. I have to keep reminding myself of how chubby I was after a summer in France and all of the pastries. Must not repeat that! Self-control! I wish…
After the ruins, we finally drove straight to Taphan hin, another 3 hours from where we were. I thought Taphan hin was going to be 4 hours north of Bangkok, but it’s actually about 6. We arrived at Supa’s house in Taphan hin, where we will be staying for orienation until Sunday, exhausted and starving. Of course there was more food-noodle soup. The noodle soup was the Thai version of fast food-Supa sent someone on a motorcycle to the market where they bought soup in plastic bags (one bag for the broth, another for the noodles-you combine in a bowl) from a street vendor. So much better than McDonalds.
After another bucket shower, finally, we headed to bed. Instead of typical beds, Thais have raised wooden platforms that they put mats on. All four girls are sleeping on one wooden platform in a room-it’s definitely cozy. Luckily, Supa’s house is sort of in an adobe style with lots of ventilation so even though we don’t have AC, it’s cool (at night at least).
I can’t believe all of that was one day!
I arrived in Bangkok exhausted and disheveled, and found the rest of my group thanks to a large green sign entitled “LE THAI FAMILY”. Not easy to miss. The rest of the volunteers, Daniel (the program director) and myself hopped into a van and headed to Daniel’s grandparent’s house. Daniel’s stepmother is Thai and so that has been his connection in establishing this project. The van stopped on the side of the street, and we wheeled our rolling suitcases (I felt very awkward and girly) through an old market into a windy back alley where the house was. We all dropped our bags, completely exhausted and after showers (with buckets of course), slept on mats on the floor for a good 2 hours.
Showering with a bucket is the Thai version of a shower. Instead of a Western showerhead, tub and curtain, Thai bathrooms are typically one room, with a toilet, faucet, large tub of water and a small bucket-dipper-esque thing. Holding your breath and taking the plunge, you dump a dipper full of cold water over your head, soap up, and repeat. At first, it’s a little awkward, and frigid, but after 2 days of the heat and humidity it feels amazing to dump a cold bucket of water over your head first thing in the morning. Also-you have to shower before bed and when you wake up-if not, Thai people think you’re gross. Given the pit stains and sweatiness that is me in Thailand, they’re absolutely right. I am constantly damp. It's really unattractive.
Unbeknownst to me, we had to wake up at 5 am to get our first day started. After 2 hours of jet-lagged, dreary sleep, we drug ourselves out of bed to meet our van. On the way, we picked up fresh fruit off the street, and Thai iced tea and coffee, which they serve in plastic bags with straws instead of cups-so much fun. We bought an excessive amount of fruit, but it was the perfect van snack all day. We hopped into the van and headed off to the main temple in Bangkok-where the King apparently frequents, and saw the “Emerald Buddha” which a huge jade Buddha house in an intricate, ornate temple. My shorts were too short, so after renting a long Thai style skirt, we headed off into the temple. The temple was amazing, looking back I’m glad we went so early because it was still cool and not crowded.
After the temple, we headed out of Bangkok on the way to Taphanhin. After a few hours, we stopped at an open-air market on a riverbank and had lunch. Walking through the market our country coordinator, Supa, bought a ridiculous amount of fruit, insisting we try everything. For lunch we ate fresh steamed fish with basil and garlic, rice and stir-fried veggies. So delicious! After eating, we got back in the van, and after a few hours we started on a detour because Supa had a “surprise”. After 2 hours of sleep and already 9 hours in the van, I was so aggravated. I was exhausted, I just wanted to get to our final destination and I didn’t have the patience for a scavenger hunt/Thai adventure. When we pulled into a massage parlor, however, I started to feel incredibly guilty, because Supa had given us all full-body, 1-hour Thai massages. It was exactly what I needed after such a long trip. Thai massage isn’t the typical muscle rubbing, massage oil massage, but instead it focuses on pressure points and stretching-it’s very interactive (kind of like Kim ;) ) and involves lots of pulling and pushing. It’s not as relaxing as laying and having somebody rub you with aromatherapy oils (ah I’m pining for my time in the Maldives where I got massages while my family was adventurous and went scuba-diving like real people) but afterwards your body feels so much more “in place”. Supa also brought along her friend who was a chiropractor who practiced on all of us. I was little sketched out when he was pushing on my neck and making everything crack-but I’m still standing so I guess no harm done.
After the massages, back to the van! It felt almost like a Shelden family vacation with all of the van time ☺. Our next stop was the former capital of Thailand (hundreds and hundreds of years ago) that was burnt down in a war a long time ago (I’m very historically accurate in my descriptions). There were tons of ruins of old temples and buildings and it was really gorgeous. Inside the main temple there was an enormous gold Buddha-it was probably at least 30 feet tall. Of course, there was also a market where we bought the Thai version of cotton candy. They take sugar and spin it into these long ropes that they roll up into sweet crepe-like pancakes. So yummy! Essentially all we have been doing is eating constantly. It’s awesome. I have to keep reminding myself of how chubby I was after a summer in France and all of the pastries. Must not repeat that! Self-control! I wish…
After the ruins, we finally drove straight to Taphan hin, another 3 hours from where we were. I thought Taphan hin was going to be 4 hours north of Bangkok, but it’s actually about 6. We arrived at Supa’s house in Taphan hin, where we will be staying for orienation until Sunday, exhausted and starving. Of course there was more food-noodle soup. The noodle soup was the Thai version of fast food-Supa sent someone on a motorcycle to the market where they bought soup in plastic bags (one bag for the broth, another for the noodles-you combine in a bowl) from a street vendor. So much better than McDonalds.
After another bucket shower, finally, we headed to bed. Instead of typical beds, Thais have raised wooden platforms that they put mats on. All four girls are sleeping on one wooden platform in a room-it’s definitely cozy. Luckily, Supa’s house is sort of in an adobe style with lots of ventilation so even though we don’t have AC, it’s cool (at night at least).
I can’t believe all of that was one day!
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
6/24 I wish I were Japanese
Hi from Tokyo!
I have always wanted to visit Japan and it is absolutely at the top of the list of places to visit next, but for now, 6 glorious hours in the Tokyo airport will have to suffice. Immediately once de-planing, I'm loving the extreme cleanliness of the airport, the easy to read signs, all of the terminal maps (color-coded, spaced at least every 20 feet), the efficiency of the workers and how friendly everyone is. To top it all off-SUSHI. I am officially in love and cannot wait to come and spend time here. Clean, organized, efficient-I must've been Japanese in another life. I hope I was super tiny and stylish.
My 14 hour flight was long, but ok. I watched 6 movies, including Marley & Me which I loudly sobbed to the entire time. It's a good thing I have no filter or shame in public. The worst part of the flight was the small child in the row in front of me who projectile vomitted during most of the flight. Smelled great. I just felt awful for the sweet flight attendent who ran to help and got sprayed from head to toe. Ik. Reminds me of food poisoning in the St. Louis airport (thanks Mom). I've said it once, I'll say it again. Parents take note! On long flights-please drug your children. You will be happier, they will be happier, and everyone around you will thank you. Just do it. I recommend codeine if possible.
After getting some exercise (kind of- question mark?) by walking up and down the entire terminal, I decided to brave the food court. I really wanted to get a bento box (I've only heard amazing things) or sushi, but I got into the food court and everything was in Japanese and I got super stressed out and felt a lot of pressure (all imaginary and self-imposed of course) so I quickly decided on some Chinese noodle soup by awkwardly pointing to a picture and communicating via smiles and head nods. Yummy, familiar, comfort food. I'll try to be much more authentic on my way back to the states.
I have also been in all of the little stores. There is a plethora of dried....stuff. Dried fruit, dried vegetables, dried fish...dried unidentifiable objects. Interesting. I need to put on my eating boots and get ready to try whatever comes my way. As long as my Thai host family actually feeds me, they'll have a step up on the Frogs (as my father would call them), so I'm not too worried.
All for now, I'm going to try to get a little bit of sleep so I'm not a complete zombie when I arrive. Hopefully I will be able to exchange money quickly and buy a sim card so I can be reachable :)
Lots of love,
Stace
I have always wanted to visit Japan and it is absolutely at the top of the list of places to visit next, but for now, 6 glorious hours in the Tokyo airport will have to suffice. Immediately once de-planing, I'm loving the extreme cleanliness of the airport, the easy to read signs, all of the terminal maps (color-coded, spaced at least every 20 feet), the efficiency of the workers and how friendly everyone is. To top it all off-SUSHI. I am officially in love and cannot wait to come and spend time here. Clean, organized, efficient-I must've been Japanese in another life. I hope I was super tiny and stylish.
My 14 hour flight was long, but ok. I watched 6 movies, including Marley & Me which I loudly sobbed to the entire time. It's a good thing I have no filter or shame in public. The worst part of the flight was the small child in the row in front of me who projectile vomitted during most of the flight. Smelled great. I just felt awful for the sweet flight attendent who ran to help and got sprayed from head to toe. Ik. Reminds me of food poisoning in the St. Louis airport (thanks Mom). I've said it once, I'll say it again. Parents take note! On long flights-please drug your children. You will be happier, they will be happier, and everyone around you will thank you. Just do it. I recommend codeine if possible.
After getting some exercise (kind of- question mark?) by walking up and down the entire terminal, I decided to brave the food court. I really wanted to get a bento box (I've only heard amazing things) or sushi, but I got into the food court and everything was in Japanese and I got super stressed out and felt a lot of pressure (all imaginary and self-imposed of course) so I quickly decided on some Chinese noodle soup by awkwardly pointing to a picture and communicating via smiles and head nods. Yummy, familiar, comfort food. I'll try to be much more authentic on my way back to the states.
I have also been in all of the little stores. There is a plethora of dried....stuff. Dried fruit, dried vegetables, dried fish...dried unidentifiable objects. Interesting. I need to put on my eating boots and get ready to try whatever comes my way. As long as my Thai host family actually feeds me, they'll have a step up on the Frogs (as my father would call them), so I'm not too worried.
All for now, I'm going to try to get a little bit of sleep so I'm not a complete zombie when I arrive. Hopefully I will be able to exchange money quickly and buy a sim card so I can be reachable :)
Lots of love,
Stace
Saturday, June 20, 2009
6/20 2 days left!
Well, here goes nothing!
After a wonderful week of tanning, boating, skiing, and most importantly, eating at my lake house in Missouri, I am starting to pack and get ready to leave. My mom, sister and I are driving to St. Louis tomorrow, and I'm flying out on Tuesday morning. Luckily, my amazing cousin Shelly has volunteered to drive me to the airport at 6 am. She's my hero :)
So packing has become an issue. Why do I have so much stuff? Why is it all so heavy? These are my questions. It stresses me out first of all, that at the end of this summer I will have belongings in Houston, Missouri, Thailand and DC. I should've put more stuff in storage...oh well. Packing for Thailand shouldn't be that difficult-I just need to cut back. Also, all of a sudden we are supposed to have closed-toe shoes (when the "playbook" said we should bring only sandals). Well-that's not going to happen. All of my closed-toe shoes are in storage in DC, or in a duffel bag in Houston. Not happening. I do have appropriate length skirts and dresses and conservative wear for teaching. Other than that I'm just bringing shorts and t-shirts and hoping for the best. I have printed out all of my documents, I have my passport, itinerary, and after a delightful trip to Target in St. Louis, I will be ready to go.
All of a sudden I'm realizing how long my flights are. 1.5 hours, 13 hours and then another 6.5 hours. Wow. I just need to keep telling myself it was the cheapeast flight and I can spend the extra money on new clothes once I get back to DC. I am praying for on-demand movies, I've learned after years and years of super long flights that that is the only way to survive them. That and red wine and tylenol PM.
More information came in on my host family. My living situation is now being described as the "lap of luxury". Apparently there is a lap pool, an exercise room with machines, and I have a huge room and bed to myself. During training a volunteer who had participated in the China program last year told us how he had to share a bed with 2 host siblings! I am definitely not going to be "roughing" it. Two of the other volunteers will be living in what I had imagined-a rural area, on a farm. Part of me is a little disappointed, this whole experience is after all about trying new things and pushing myself out of my comfort zone, while the other part of me remembers that I loathe camping (ikk) and will probably be much happier in the long run. I hate to admit it but I am totally dependent on my creature comforts. I am however, not bringing a blow-dryer (bring on the curls!), not planning on wearing any make up at all, and going au-naturale. Don't worry-this does not include hair removal (I remember my French host sisters-cringe).
No more planning has been done on our service program. I haven't gotten a single response from the professors I emailed at different universities, asking if they would help us with our mentorship program between high schoolers and college students. I'm pretty sure that very little of what we planned will actually work out, and that we will have to be super flexible once we arrive and tailor our program to what is actually feasible. I did receive a teaching schedule-so I know what times I'll be teaching, but wasn't able to decifer any other information from it. Sigh. I know I need to "go with the flow". I promise I'm trying.
I will probably not be able to write again until after I'm in Thailand! Wish me luck :) I miss you all, and I expect email updates about your summers! No excuses.
xoxo
After a wonderful week of tanning, boating, skiing, and most importantly, eating at my lake house in Missouri, I am starting to pack and get ready to leave. My mom, sister and I are driving to St. Louis tomorrow, and I'm flying out on Tuesday morning. Luckily, my amazing cousin Shelly has volunteered to drive me to the airport at 6 am. She's my hero :)
So packing has become an issue. Why do I have so much stuff? Why is it all so heavy? These are my questions. It stresses me out first of all, that at the end of this summer I will have belongings in Houston, Missouri, Thailand and DC. I should've put more stuff in storage...oh well. Packing for Thailand shouldn't be that difficult-I just need to cut back. Also, all of a sudden we are supposed to have closed-toe shoes (when the "playbook" said we should bring only sandals). Well-that's not going to happen. All of my closed-toe shoes are in storage in DC, or in a duffel bag in Houston. Not happening. I do have appropriate length skirts and dresses and conservative wear for teaching. Other than that I'm just bringing shorts and t-shirts and hoping for the best. I have printed out all of my documents, I have my passport, itinerary, and after a delightful trip to Target in St. Louis, I will be ready to go.
All of a sudden I'm realizing how long my flights are. 1.5 hours, 13 hours and then another 6.5 hours. Wow. I just need to keep telling myself it was the cheapeast flight and I can spend the extra money on new clothes once I get back to DC. I am praying for on-demand movies, I've learned after years and years of super long flights that that is the only way to survive them. That and red wine and tylenol PM.
More information came in on my host family. My living situation is now being described as the "lap of luxury". Apparently there is a lap pool, an exercise room with machines, and I have a huge room and bed to myself. During training a volunteer who had participated in the China program last year told us how he had to share a bed with 2 host siblings! I am definitely not going to be "roughing" it. Two of the other volunteers will be living in what I had imagined-a rural area, on a farm. Part of me is a little disappointed, this whole experience is after all about trying new things and pushing myself out of my comfort zone, while the other part of me remembers that I loathe camping (ikk) and will probably be much happier in the long run. I hate to admit it but I am totally dependent on my creature comforts. I am however, not bringing a blow-dryer (bring on the curls!), not planning on wearing any make up at all, and going au-naturale. Don't worry-this does not include hair removal (I remember my French host sisters-cringe).
No more planning has been done on our service program. I haven't gotten a single response from the professors I emailed at different universities, asking if they would help us with our mentorship program between high schoolers and college students. I'm pretty sure that very little of what we planned will actually work out, and that we will have to be super flexible once we arrive and tailor our program to what is actually feasible. I did receive a teaching schedule-so I know what times I'll be teaching, but wasn't able to decifer any other information from it. Sigh. I know I need to "go with the flow". I promise I'm trying.
I will probably not be able to write again until after I'm in Thailand! Wish me luck :) I miss you all, and I expect email updates about your summers! No excuses.
xoxo
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
6/11 T-minus 2 weeks!
Well, the final count-down has started!
Despite some logistical difficulties, everything is mostly set for the trip now. I fly out of St. Louis on the morning of the 23rd, and arrive in Bangkok late on the 24th. It's going to be a long trip-I'm flying STL, to Chicago, to Tokyo (I really want to eat a bento box), then Bangkok. The plan is that Daniel, the Program Director (PD) will pick us up at the airport, we'll spend the night in Bangkok, then head off to Taphanhin the next morning! We have orientation for a few days, then on the 28th at night, my host family is picking me up! Scary, but exciting.
So, for those of you who know me, I am (I admit!) a teensy bit OCD, anal-retentive, and I do like to have a plan. Ok so its more of an all consuming, incessant need to plan and organize-details, details. Unfortunately, the people in charge of this program don't seem to share these same tendencies. I can't fault them, it's a "pilot" program, meaning it's the first year they have done this program in Thailand, so it's really difficult to get all of the details hashed out beforehand. Also, Daniel, the PD, is relying on his contacts in Thailand to give him information, so a lot of it is out of his hands. I still do not know how many classes I will be teaching, when I will be teaching, how many students I'll be teaching, or what. I have no information about the school, the community. Needless to say, this has resulted in excessive teeth grinding on my part and some serious anxiety. I keep trying to tell myself to "go with the flow", which is obviously difficult being me, however-I'm going to try :). Or...I'll just try to snag some xanax. Joking...joking...
On a positive note, one of the volunteers, Crystal, who is a rising Junior at Georgetown, is going to be staying in the same community as me and teaching at the same school. Her host father is actually the brother in law-of my host mother. Very cool! She is super sweet, and I am excited that she is going to be working closely with me. Our personalities seem to mesh well-we are on the same page in terms of not wanting to hold hands and sing kumbayah all summer (damn tree-huggers), but work hard and try to do our best given our limited information and resources. The other volunteers are great too. I think (question mark) that they will be staying about 45 mins away from us, in a much more rural community, but my hope is that we will be able to get together often and help each other lesson plan, hang out and de-stress together.
I've received another letter from my host brother, Tee, who is very enthusiastic about meeting me! The family seems so great, and I know that this host family experience will make up for and replace the horrific memories of my French host family (haven't been back since!). I have already mentioned that I would love to learn how to cook Thai food, so look out for some Thai meals a la Stacy in August.
I am excited about Thailand, but at the same time I'm anxious to get back to DC and (imagine this) get everything organized and set up for September. Accenture should be calling sometime in July to tell me my specific start date in September. Once I get back to DC on the 10th, it will be crunch time to find an apartment, buy furniture, move in and everything! Luckily I'll have my madre to help for a few days, and then I get to stay with a Ms. Carolyn Kolb until we move in :) Looking forward to the aerobed and hopefully some trips to Tombs back in my old stomping grounds.
All for now, I will write again either before I leave or once I'm in Thailand!
Miss you all :)
Despite some logistical difficulties, everything is mostly set for the trip now. I fly out of St. Louis on the morning of the 23rd, and arrive in Bangkok late on the 24th. It's going to be a long trip-I'm flying STL, to Chicago, to Tokyo (I really want to eat a bento box), then Bangkok. The plan is that Daniel, the Program Director (PD) will pick us up at the airport, we'll spend the night in Bangkok, then head off to Taphanhin the next morning! We have orientation for a few days, then on the 28th at night, my host family is picking me up! Scary, but exciting.
So, for those of you who know me, I am (I admit!) a teensy bit OCD, anal-retentive, and I do like to have a plan. Ok so its more of an all consuming, incessant need to plan and organize-details, details. Unfortunately, the people in charge of this program don't seem to share these same tendencies. I can't fault them, it's a "pilot" program, meaning it's the first year they have done this program in Thailand, so it's really difficult to get all of the details hashed out beforehand. Also, Daniel, the PD, is relying on his contacts in Thailand to give him information, so a lot of it is out of his hands. I still do not know how many classes I will be teaching, when I will be teaching, how many students I'll be teaching, or what. I have no information about the school, the community. Needless to say, this has resulted in excessive teeth grinding on my part and some serious anxiety. I keep trying to tell myself to "go with the flow", which is obviously difficult being me, however-I'm going to try :). Or...I'll just try to snag some xanax. Joking...joking...
On a positive note, one of the volunteers, Crystal, who is a rising Junior at Georgetown, is going to be staying in the same community as me and teaching at the same school. Her host father is actually the brother in law-of my host mother. Very cool! She is super sweet, and I am excited that she is going to be working closely with me. Our personalities seem to mesh well-we are on the same page in terms of not wanting to hold hands and sing kumbayah all summer (damn tree-huggers), but work hard and try to do our best given our limited information and resources. The other volunteers are great too. I think (question mark) that they will be staying about 45 mins away from us, in a much more rural community, but my hope is that we will be able to get together often and help each other lesson plan, hang out and de-stress together.
I've received another letter from my host brother, Tee, who is very enthusiastic about meeting me! The family seems so great, and I know that this host family experience will make up for and replace the horrific memories of my French host family (haven't been back since!). I have already mentioned that I would love to learn how to cook Thai food, so look out for some Thai meals a la Stacy in August.
I am excited about Thailand, but at the same time I'm anxious to get back to DC and (imagine this) get everything organized and set up for September. Accenture should be calling sometime in July to tell me my specific start date in September. Once I get back to DC on the 10th, it will be crunch time to find an apartment, buy furniture, move in and everything! Luckily I'll have my madre to help for a few days, and then I get to stay with a Ms. Carolyn Kolb until we move in :) Looking forward to the aerobed and hopefully some trips to Tombs back in my old stomping grounds.
All for now, I will write again either before I leave or once I'm in Thailand!
Miss you all :)
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