Phi Phi was a Go-Go!

I was really torn about what to write about this week- a lot is happening in school, but my weekend in Phi Phi was quite lovely, so I feel like I just have to share a little bit about it and toss in a link to my pictures for you all. Then we will move on to the “school stuff”. J 

If, for any reason, you would not like to read all of this and just skip to the photos, you can click here. 

The three-day weekend started on Thursday, when Teacher Val, Teacher Meaghan, and I finished our classes and immediately grabbed a mini-bus to Krabi. From there, we would catch the ferry that would take us to Ko Phi Phi. We barely made it! I don’t know if I have mentioned this before, but the mini-buses here also serve as UPS trucks, stopping to pick up and drop off packages as well as people. And I don’t know what it is about the Thais, I love them and they are dear, dear people, but the our van will stop, and one person will get off, and then seriously, not even a block later, another passenger will ask for the van to stop so they can get out. Same with the song taos. Because heaven forbid you have to walk a hundred or so meters to your stop! But, that’s neither here nor there. The point I am trying to make is that, with many stops, our mini-bus put us in Krabi with only 20 minutes to buy our tickets and get to the ferry terminal, which is about a 7 minute drive or so from where we were let out. Immediately, we had motorbike taxis approach us. We made a deal, let them know we had to make the 3:00 ferry, and we were off. I mean OFF- I don’t think I’ve gone so fast on a motorbike since I’ve been here. It was funny, fun, and we made it to the terminal in time! The taxi driver told me I am very good at holding on while riding on the back of a bike. (Thanks, Meaghan, for all the practice!)

Phi-Phi is on the west side, in the Andaman Sea. Picturesque limestone cliffs jutting up sharply from beautiful, clear, placid, green-blue sea to a beautiful blue sky. Beaches with the softest, powdery sand I have ever set foot on… Just breathtaking. I’m not quite sure it beats Railay, which is the beach destination I went to when I  first came to Thailand, but still, beautiful.  The streets are narrow- no cars, only bicycles and feet are allowed, and they wind through the isthmus where all the bungalows, guesthouses, eateries, vendors, dive shops, etc. are located, between the two lush green hills on either side. Tourists are everywhere, mostly Asian and Swedish, but from all over the world, and everyone, both local and foreign, is happy to be there and in good moods.

We spent Thursday evening with just the three of us, eating DELICIOUS Italian food at Cosmic Pizza House- you don’t know what you’re missing until you don’t have it anymore, and I feel this way about Italian, especially calzones and pizza- and then we played Connect Four for the rest of the night with the bar staff at an Irish bar. Not exactly the most Thai experience, but it was definitely good!

Friday, a friend from my Southern California days came in on the morning ferry, turning our group of three into a foursome, and we spent the day on the beach, lounging and swimming. In the late afternoon, we went snorkeling, a new Australian friend bringing our group to a party of five. It was my first time getting into the water to see the fishes since I have been here, and while we didn’t see anything super spectacular (the sharks and mantas were AWOL), it was fun going to the different sites, getting familiar with my underwater camera, and seeing the sunset from the boat.  We also went to Ma Ya Beach, famous for being where the movie The Beach was filmed, which, by the way, I have never seen. Another to put on my list. 

And, we got to see the cave where they harvest the nests for bird’s nest soup, a delicacy in China. After hearing about this on our snorkel excursion, I of course had to Google what exactly made this soup, and what made it so special. Some of you may know about this already, but for those of you that don’t, bird’s nest soup is made when these special nests, located in very select limestone caves in Indonesia and this little cave off Phi Phi, are harvested and then dissolved in water. The saliva, yes, that’s correct,  the saliva, that the birds use to make the nest gives the broth a thicker gelatinous texture that make this soup unique. From looking online at the pictures, I would say it resembles Chinese hot and sour soup. And it’s a pretty hot commodity- just a bowl could cost between $20-100 (U.S.). And I know that we weren’t allowed to get to close to the caves- men with guns guarded the area, and it is patrolled 24/7.

When we got back from snorkeling, our group added two more members- a fellow teacher from a neighboring city and another lovely Aussie- and we all went out for dinner. Some delicious Indian cuisine! It was a Buddhist holiday, so it was a relatively quiet night on the island- many places had closed early, and there were just small groups of people, scattered on the beach. We chose a spot at a table, played games, and just chatted the night away, laughing almost too hard at times.

The following day, yet another member was added to our group, a lovely girl who’s in JAG with my friend from home, and we beached it on the other side of the isthmus. The tide was low- so low that we could walk incredibly far out, with the water barely at our knees- it was just stunning. I cannot get over the clarity and the color of the water against the the sky and the  island- lush greens and blues… just spectacular. In the late afternoon, we took a little hike up to the view point. And WHAT A VIEW! We sprawled out on the rocks there once we got to the top, drank water, ate ice cream, chatted… I think it’s safe to say we spent about 2 hours up there, which is a lot of time, considering there’s not a whole lot to do except be.

Our last night was… a memorable one. Our group of three had, by this time, expanded to a group of nine. Three American teachers from Nakhon, four American lawyers (all living abroad), and two traveling Australians. We went back to the restaurant from the first night, went back to play Connect Four, and sat at a table on the balcony. I cannot emphasize enough how wonderful the people I have met here- whether only in passing, only for a brief amount of time, or the people I get to be at school with every day- are. I think it all boils down to the fact that I am just in love with what I am doing right now, and that makes everything so much better.

My Photos

It's been almost 2 months!!

I begin week 7 of my Thai Teaching Adventure with, GASP!, an entry that has something to do with school! I am getting more and more comfortable teaching here, understanding the students when they have questions, comments, etc. We have somewhat of a routine down, they know what to expect, and they know what I expect from them… for the most part.  There are still times I have to call in a “translator”, i.e. another student who understands what the first one is trying to say or ask. Certain things about the school are still a struggle, but that is to be expected and I just try to make the best of it with the materials and time I have.

Today was simply adorable because during last period we celebrated Valentine’s Day. Students here also had a free-dress day, so they dressed in festive attire- pink and red, hearts, and a couple boys even wore ties in red and pink. Some of those same boys were quite bold and took this opportunity to bring GIANT bouquets of flowers, teddy bears, etc. for the girls they "like." One boy made a bouquet entirely out of Chupa Chups lollypops and tissue paper! So romantic! In my class last week, we discussed tradition and what the word means, how cultures, families, societies, etc. all have traditions. Then we used Valentine’s Day and various traditions that the holiday entails as an example in our discussion. Only briefly did I go over the history with them, but I wish we had talked about it longer (and had the time to) because they seemed genuinely interested. Then, in their Values class, they made cards and mailboxes for the big day. We told them that during last period, we would have a party, pass out our valentines, and also have a little birthday party (9 students out of 43 have birthdays this month!!).  In order to avoid hurt feelings/drama, we made sure to tell students that if they were choosing to participate and make valentines, that they couldn’t just make them for one or two people, they had to make them for everyone. Still, however, feelings managed to get hurt by the end of the day, girls were crying in corners, and we were fighting the urge to roll our eyes. Ah, to be a pre-teen. But, most of the celebration was a happy one, and some of the students even made valentines for us teachers.

Since today was a day I brought my camera, I also took lots of pictures. Thus, for those of you who are interested, you can look through them and get to know some of my students, see what the classrooms look like, etc.

I just looked through my own little mailbox and some of the students wrote really nice things. One was particularly sweet, and I took a photo of it to share with you. When you know you’re the strictest teacher (I’m sure that will come as no surprise to some of you) because your principal and the students have told you so, it’s nice to know you’re getting through to some of them… maybe. J

This week is a short week/long weekend, so I will be off on another tropical adventure come Thursday, when Meaghan, Valerie, and I head to Ko Phi Phi to meet up with a friend, maybe two!, from home. Pictures and commentary to follow, but to see the rest of the photos from V-day, click here

Photos from Penang....

To view the rest of my photos, click here.

A Difficult Few Days

Early last week I traveled to Malaysia on my own to make a visa run. The trip was actually a very good one filled with delicious Indian food, a trip to a temple, and new friends from around the globe. I will try to post pictures shortly. These past few days have been very difficult for many here in Nakhon. On February 5, a fellow teacher went missing. I know I have not updated in a while... here are a few journal entries cut and pasted...

February 5, 2011

A is missing. Today, a group of teachers went to the waterfalls in Nakhon. The trail, the sights, everything about the waterfalls is supposed to be just beautiful. There’s seven levels to hike up to. A was on the second. And he slipped. Over the edge. And now he is missing. We’ve been trying to piece everything together- who was with him, where exactly it was, what’s happening now. Has his family been contacted? Why aren’t we searching now, even though it’s dark?

My mind is reeling. I was just with him. Last night. We went to a fair at the south end of Nakhon. We talked about not being afraid, taking chances. It was about something as trivial as driving a motorbike. I am apprehensive about getting one. I told him there’s just so many ways to die in this country, why add one more to the list? He’s been in more crashes… well, he’s been in a few, to say the least. “You can’t not ride one!” he told me, “That’s what life is- you get scraped up, but you make it, you know? And you live to tell about it. And if you go on a motorbike- well, that’s a glorious way to go.” 

He just celebrated his 25^th birthday. He said it was the most amazing birthday he’d ever had in his whole life, honestly, he said.

There are many things about the universe and about life and existence in the world that I just don’t know, and refuse to make any kind of assumption about. But sometimes you meet people, and you know that all these questions you have, well, they seem to know the answers. I believe in old souls- that there are some people in this world… well, this life, it ain’t their first rodeo. They are wise beyond their years, and seem to have this demeanor about them, because these people, these old souls, they know. And there is a very real, very certain peacefulness about them. A, I think he is an old soul.

I hope, because although I have only known him for a month, I know that he is adored, loved, held dear to many, I hope God hasn’t taken him from this earth yet. But if He has, I think it was because A was ready. He seemed to know and understand way more at the age of 25 than I could ever contemplate wrapping my mind around now or maybe ever. 

Tomorrow, we search for him, comb the national park. I hope we find him, and that he is alive. But many of us know our hope is not as realistic as we want it to be. I imagine how it went down, what happened to him the moment he slipped. It makes me wince, it makes my stomach turn. Either he is still here on this earth, or he went in peace. No matter, he is still living on somewhere. Whatever happened, I know A is riding it out.

February 6, 2011

We went to the falls today; a big group of us foreigners, plus some Thai teachers and friends. Everyone was right- it is a beautiful place, one I wish I wasn't seeing for the first time in this way, searching for a missing friend. We split up into groups, searching left, right, upstream, downstream, across the river, and in the river. Eventually, we all ended up at the same part- where the Level 2 waterfall spills down. We had only been searching for about an hour. I came down the trail with the group I was searching with, and so many people, Thai and farang, were just standing there, at the edge of the water. I asked, and a fellow teacher turned around and told me: They had found him. For a brief moment, I was hopeful, that these men clustered in a circle on the edge of the rock were assessing A's injuries, that it was bad, but that he made it. 

I was wrong. We all stood there, without words, without sound. I swear, I know the river was rushing directly in front of me, but I heard nothing.

Since then, the day has seemed to drag on. All but about two of us went down to the trailhead to wait while Thai officials from the park, police, and I assume locals as well all tried to pull A’s body from the river. I didn't stay. Later I learned that the first rope they strung across the river to use to get him out snapped, and that no matter what they tried, they were not successful. So they strung a second rope, a much thinner one because it was all they had, and paid the river. Literally, they threw Thai baht into the river and then prayed to the river to let A go. And immediately after, his body came to the surface.

Down at the bottom, as we were all loading into cars and onto motorbikes, a Thai man began yelling. At everyone. Once we got to the church, a person told us what he had been saying. He was angry, because didn’t we know? Three people die there every year. Three people! What did we expect when we hiked up there, he wanted to know. I could feel him, disapproving so much of us farangs for not understanding, and he was talking to all of us, even those who hadn’t even been there before.

We went to the hospital after that, where a blessing was made over his body. There will be a service tonight at Bethlehem Church in Nakhon. His family was called yesterday evening, as soon as someone could find their number, to tell them that he was missing. Then they were called again today, when he was found. We aren’t sure what will happen next, whether his parents will be coming out here or if the U.S. Embassy will be handling “matters” from here. Everyone is just devastated.

I can only imagine what his family is feeling right now, his friends who have known him for years, his friends who have come to know him here. I have only known him a month myself, but in less time than that, I knew that even if you only met him just for a second, if he was only the smallest part of your life, well, then you were blessed. Blessed is he or she who has known A. A with the singing waffle with whipped cream eyes tattoo, A who believes with his whole self that there is something greater than you and me and this earth, A who genuinely cares for everyone, about everyone, and wants to know more about everyone. And hey, if the falls were a way to go, well, it was a glorious way. His family said they had only heard about how much he loved everyone here, and they knew how much he loved it here. They said that at least they know he went doing something he loved. A, I know your time here was done, and you have moved on to something greater. I am in awe of how many people you touched through your life here. You were blessed and so were we.

February 7, 2011

Today I went to school while the other teachers stayed home to be with each other. I did this for two reasons. One, I feel like they deserve this time to be together. They were all so close to A, and are all hurting so deeply. It makes me hurt to see my new friends and Nakhonian family hurting, and since I know they have each other, all of their memories with A, they should be together and take the time they feel they need. So I told them I would cover all their classes. Second, I just feel like I deal with death differently than most. It’s internal, for the most part, and I take time to reflect on this amazing person’s life, life in general, and my own life, bank it into my schema of belief and experience, and know that life goes on. Thus, I was with the students, covering two classes each period. It was busy, but it was good.

A beautiful, smart teacher I work with said it perfectly last night, as everyone gathered after services at Lifestyle:

A was constantly getting bumps and bruises, scrapes and injuries. When you think about it, his body was a kind of limit for him, one that he was constantly putting to the test, trying to get past. Now, his spirit is free from his body, and he is able to do all the things he wasn’t able to as a person here on this earth.

After school, I went to the church where A’s service was last night. In Thailand, funerals often last for about a week, in Buddhist tradition, so that family and loved ones can spend time with the deceased, pray for safe passage into the next life, and say their final goodbyes. One of our friends married a native Nakhonian, whose family is Thai Buddhist, and she described how beautiful it was when, upon the death of her husband's brother, the family slept beside him for two days at the temple. A’s funeral is a mix of Thai, Catholic, and Protestant tradition, West and East coming together to mourn the loss of this person on this earth. 

His casket, air-conditioned, cream with intricate gold designs swirling about the outside and a lovely pepto-bismol pink I know he would appreciate on the inside, makes up the center of the altar, lifted above the ground about three feet. It is surrounded by flowers. Flowers from his school, flowers from the church and the hospital, flowers from students and co-workers and friends. To the left is a large, blown-up picture of A as I have never seen him, apparently what he looked like when he first started working here in Nakhon. Gone is his pouf of loose brown curls in favor of a more conservative, short haircut, and he has no facial hair. He wears a red and white gingham button-down, all things foreign to the A I knew and adored, but his smile is still the same. Lining the floor are framed photos brought in by his friends- A in Haad Yuan at Full Moon parties and Guy’s Bar, both of which I have never been to. Someone, presumably a student, has drawn a picture of A and taped it to his coffin. In the middle of the altar, on the floor, is incense and a candle, a place to kneel and pray.

When I walked in this afternoon, around four-thirty or five o’clock, I don’t know exactly what I expected, but I did not expect so many of his students to be there. I think I supposed, because of the time of day, that no one would really be there around this time, but they were. Kneeling, praying, lighting incense, the smoke curling, to help usher A along. Four or five at a time, sometimes only one or two, quiet with heads bowed down. When I came in, I did the same, and then took a seat in the back. No one was crying. A few stayed after they lit the incense and prayed, taking seats in the chairs, staring ahead at A’s casket. For being here less than a year, I cannot believe the outpour of love I have seen for this soul. Actually, I think that’s wrong. I can believe it, he was such an amazing person, but seeing it is still overwhelming. Watching these young people come in, it was beautiful. It was refreshing. It made me love life and humanity. I’m not exactly sure I can articulate everything I am feeling right now- I think it was everything A would have wanted, probably more than he expected as well.

Tomorrow I will go to school again, tomorrow I will still continue to live, to explore, and to learn. I will try to always remember in my heart all the good that A gave and keep kindness in my heart. I will try to be the person who knows peace, as A did and does, and live my life to the fullest.

Into my fourth week...

 I ended my second week and began my third just north of the city of Nakhon in a little beach town called Khanom. A fellow teacher decided this was where she wanted to celebrate her birthday, so on Friday afternoon, Meghan and I piled into another van and set off. It was the perfect little getaway. The beach was just covered in the most beautiful shells! Originally intending to stay one night, I packed my bag accordingly. But one wonderful night turned into two- the beach was spectacular and so was the company and the weather. And I am so glad I stayed. Because on the second day, as we were all lounging about the “resort”, I spotted the elusive pink dolphin just offshore! I shouted it out and everyone ran down to the beach- it was just a couple dolphins swimming together lazily, but we got to watch them until they rounded the corner and our view was finally obstructed by the rocks. Apparently, pink dolphins are a very rare occurrence just offshore like that- people I was with who have been living here for 9 years hadn’t seen one single dolphin until this outing! Such a special sight!

This sent me back to the classroom excited and refreshed, ready to start a new week. Because we did a name card activity and a birthday/zodiac activity the first week, I now have every student’s name memorized- if they have to learn mine (Meaghan had to practice it with them- when they first heard it, they thought it was “Teacher Elephant” and went into hysterics), I should know all of theirs by the end of the first week at the latest! Thai people have their formal first names, such as Chontiya, Warakorn, and Worawut, and then they have their nicknames, which is what everyone calls them by. So I have students in my class whose nicknames are Thai-based, like Engprai and Sai, and then I have students with English ones, like Milk, Drive, Boat, and King. It’s been a lot of fun helping them explore their names- most haven’t really thought about their English meaning, or why their parents/grandparents might have named them these English words. As much as I would like to say it isn’t, these classes are very much like many American middle school classrooms I’ve been in- kids growing up, exploring their identity, testing boundaries with authority and with each other. Meaghan and I had to stop our after-school enrichment program at one point last week because about 6 of the girls were in tears and some of the boys were sitting sulkily with their arms crossed over their chests, and instead make the lesson about emotions and friendship and teenage angst (although obviously we didn’t call it that).

We have also been having fun learning from each other- cultural differences, funny words, expressions, and mannerisms. Here’s an excellent example of that: Students at the school call everyone, male or female, “Sir.” Well, today I decided I had enough of that, and taught them about the word “Ma’am”, saying this is what you call females. I watched as huge grins came over many of the boys’ faces, and had them practice saying it. There were some giggles, but I thought nothing of it, until after class, when one of the students was kind enough to tell me that “Ma’am” sounds exactly like a very inappropriate Thai word. Aha. Another one is every time I express my frustration, I say, “Ay, ay, ay [insert whatever is frustrating me here]” and look up at the ceiling. They get a huge kick out of this, and I now catch them saying it to each other, or when they catch another student being out of line, they’ll say “Teacher! Ay, ay, ay, ay, ay, ay! [insert name here] is making me ay, ay, ay, ay!” We’ve been learning about figurative language, and they think the expression, “Kick the bucket” is hilarious.

One thing I love is how excited they are to help me learn, too- we’ve started “Teach the teacher”, where they teach me one new Thai word/phrase they think is important for me to know every few days- not a lot is sticking to my brain, but it’s good practice for them to explain meanings in English, and a fun way for me to learn some Thai. Today, I asked one student to write down in Thai directions to give to the motorbike taxi so I could get home by myself, and then help me practice what to say to the driver. I ask them for help nearly every day, asking about food, what the Thai writing on my bottle of tea says, etc. They’re just such great kids, and I like them more and more every day.

My technology class seems to be going well enough. This week I started a unit on Wikis- I’m trying to teach them about the benefits of them by having the students create a class wiki of book reviews in Language Arts class for silent reading. Each student creates a page about the book they are reading, with the basics like the author, publishing date, setting, main characters, plot; and then they give the book a review, rating it with stars and commenting on why they would or would not recommend the book to others. The idea behind it is that when it comes time to pick out another book, they can use the wiki as a reference to help them select what they’d like to read next, add commentaries to existing reviews, edit other’s reviews, etc. And they’re getting to play around with wikis AND it crosses over into Language Arts! They actually seem really excited about it, so we’ll see how it goes. Here's a link if you want to check it out: NICS Book Reviews

The little, yet long and abundant wooden bridges.

Haad Yuan

This weekend will be my first weekend spent in my new home city- every weekend thus far has been spent away. I am pretty excited about it, even though I have been loving traveling around Southern Thailand. Last weekend was spent on the island of Phagnan, where I divided my time between two beaches: Haad Rin and Haad Yuan. Both were spectacular, but for different reasons. Haad Yuan was just a few little bungalow-style resorts, some along the beach and some along the rocks, with little wooden bridges connecting them and making them accessible. The water was excellent, and so was the weather, except on the day we left! THAT was definitely an adventure.

A journal entry from Haad Yuan

As we were eating at the little restaurant on the beach, Meaghan looked out at the high waves on the beach that was so calm the day before and said, “I’m scared of going out there." In order to get home, we HAD to go out there- catch a long tail to the main beach to get us to a song tao that would take us to the ferry that would take us to the van. I was naïve, thought about hopping over waves in a little boat, and said, “Not me! That’s going to be so much fun!” And so, with the wind picking up, the waves getting bigger, and the sky darkening, we loaded into the long-tail with about 6 other “ferongs” (foreigners). 

Let me tell you, I have NEVER contemplated my own mortality the way I did on that boat. The first few large waves were exciting, just as I had imagined- a roller coaster but free and nature-made!- but then, after about the fourth one, where our boat was literally PERPENDICULAR with the sea (friends who hadn’t left the beach yet said watching us inspired them to get a truck to the main beach instead, which is longer and quite treacherous itself), I began to think that a whole boat ride like that would kill me. Actually kill me. And I thought about this, about my life, and I pulled out a flimsy life jacket from a plastic garbage bag and strapped it around me like all the other terrified passengers were doing, knowing it probably wouldn’t keep me afloat, but that it might serve as padding against the rocks I could potentially be thrown up against in the rough sea. There were times when I clung to the unknown older gentleman next to me with every ounce of my being, completely and unconsciously, so that at the end of our journey on the boat, he patted my back and said, “I think you grew a little on this trek.” 

Haha, yes, Tom (his name, I found out once we disembarked and I thanked him for his services)- I think I did. 

And then I grew a little bit more when the monsoon hit the island, and we rode the song tao up and down windy, muddy and flooded one-lane roads at ridiculous speeds, clinging once again to something we had no control over as rain pelted our faces and backs. This ride, however, was still NOTHING compared to the boat.

The other night, as we recounted these events over drinks, one of our friends said, "You know, I think about how easy it is to die in this country and how many close calls I've had, and seriously, it's a miracle any foreigner ever makes it out of here alive!" And this is reason number 194 why I am not so sure a motorbike will come into my possession any time soon.

But it also made me stop and think about how much I work at "staying safe"- not getting hurt, not taking chances, and what opportunities I have missed at being able to FEEL and LEARN, or I create this padding around me, but I still fall down and get banged up anyway. Don't get me wrong- I like being safe (don't worry Mom and Dad!), I don't want to be unnecessarily frivolous always, but being made to let go... it's just made me think a little more about things is all. In the last month, I have taken more chances and let go so much more than I have in the past two years. And it just feels right.

My First Week

How I spent my first week... Railay Beach

I’m here! And I have just begun my second week in Thailand. I’m surviving! Actually, I think survive is the wrong word to use; it makes it sound like it’s been an ordeal, and that I have managed to sustain in spite of a difficult situation. Truth be told, while this IS a big event for me, it’s not like I am blazing any trails. I’m not the first person to have done this. And adjusting has been an adventure, but it hasn’t been difficult. Right now, I think I am in a state of constant awe. I am always developing and redeveloping my schemas each time I encounter something new or unfamiliar. And while I have been here only a short period of time, I already know… well, I think I know… that I am going to love it. I think I already do. 

Meaghan's butler. He greeted me at the door.

The day after arriving, we went to the school where I will be teaching in downtown Nakhon and met with the principal. Just to be clear, there were quite a few things that I either didn’t understand or failed to ask about what I will be doing and what the situation is. Sigh. Lessons learned! First, I thought I would begin teaching on January 6^th. However, school didn’t begin (they were on holiday) until January 10^th, so I ended up with almost a full week to prepare and get acquainted, which has been great. Also, I did not understand just how new the school is. I thought I would be teaching grades 7-12. However, NICS has been open less than a year, and because of this, 7^th grade is the only grade. There are only 43 students in the school, some who board here and some who live in the city with their families. In some ways, I am really excited about this, because I will get to be a part of the school’s formation. However, because it’s new for everyone, there are a lot of, er, kinks that need to be smoothed out. Next, this is a city school, and it is the mayor’s “pet project”, from what I understand, so he does the hiring and it’s really his vision that the school is being built from. His ultimate goal is to establish this as an international school that follows the International Baccalaureate Program, and hopes to do this in five years. I have a feeling, based on what I know about IB schools and what I have learned about the Thai culture with regards to time, that it may take a little bit longer.

Whatever the case may be, I am thrilled at this whole prospect. Monday I met with the mayor, who is a story on his own. I can’t get into it right now, but if we were talking movies/TV, think along the lines of “The Godfather”, “Sopranos”, etc. And for those of you that know me, you now know that because of this, I think my whole situation here is that much more intriguing! He likes to be involved in the hiring process and meet the new teachers before they actually begin teaching, so my meeting was with him, the principal, and the school director. It went very well.

So excited to receive my schedule, I had to take a photo!

So the next day, I began teaching! Right now, I’m just trying to set up a classroom community, get to know the students, and learn all of their names. So far, they just seem like a really great group of kids. This morning, my parents tried to Skype me while we were involved in a lesson, but since we were sharing about our families, I allowed the brief interruption, introduced my family to my students and vice versa. I think both sides got a kick out of it! In addition to my ELA classes, I am also teaching a technology class. At first, I was pretty lost- I know technology, I use technology, I incorporate it into my lessons, but how do I TEACH it??? And let’s be honest, I’m not the most technologically adept person on the planet. So what I have tentatively decided upon is a project, one per week, using some form of computer technology. It’s mainly groups and involves presentations as well… any thoughts? I could really use some input here. This week’s taken care of: a powerpoint presentation on a popular world sport- would you believe one of the choices was curling and nobody took it for their group!?! J From here, we’ll move to blogging, wikis, collecting and researching data, etc. But, any input would be stellar.

Just a herd of cattle in the middle of the city, crossing the street at night....

Outside of school, Meaghan has been showing me around the city on the back of her motorbike, whichwas scary at first but now it’s just fun!  Everyone I have met here tells me it’s the only way to get around, and that I should definitely get one, but I’m not completely sold on the idea just yet. We’ll see…

Safety First! Helmets are a must for us.

I have been brainstorming all the things I want to share with you in my blog, so be on the lookout for entries on the cuisine, social life, cultural norms, language barriers, teaching, travel and all my adventures/misadventures in those realms. Also, I'll be trying to get some pictures of the school, my classroom, etc. up on here sometime soon!