As I mentioned in a previous entry T. Oil made us an amazing video featuring our director, our students and the other teachers at Satit Bangna. It's a bit long, but it really gives you a look at the incredible people I spent the last year with. Thanks again Oil! Enjoy!!
Wednesday, November 24, 2010
Tuesday, November 23, 2010
Away We Go!
BKK-->Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia)-->Miri (Malaysian BORNEO!)
Oct 2, 2010
The morning found Josie, Emily and I a bit tired and groggy. Not only had we just been uprooted from our homes for the past year, but we'd just had quite a late night. We met up with our friends Jade, Pok, Panda, Tony, Alex, Sam and company and went for some dinner at a cool outdoor restaurant at the Suwanlua Night Bazaar. It was really fun to listen to some live music and unwind after all the goodbyes. After some delicious Thai food we made our way to BarBar where we watched Panda do what he does best, DJ. Next stop was our favorite club, Narz for some more tunes and we found ourselves dancing our way to Wong's which was a new place for all of us. It was a small little hole in the wall that you could easily walk right past, but when you walked in (and your eyes adjusted to the smoke) you found yourself in a seemingly war-era pub with photos and paraphanalia covering the walls and surrounded by a crowd of eclectic people who may or may not have come from said era as well!
Anyway we got ourselves in a cab and made our way to the airport to begin our journey to Borneo. You're thinking...Borneo?! What? Where? Why? Don't worry we were thinking the same thing. It's amazing how a cheap flight promotion can take you to a jungle island in middle of nowhere. I have to admit though I was pretty excited--gotta take advantage of the opportunities as they arise! We arrived to KL safe and sound and met up with our friends Josh and Neil who were teachers with some of our friends in NE Thailand and who were also heading on a Bornean journey. It was nice to have some more recognizable faces to hang out with as we waited for our next flight.
After a short flight delay we ended up in Miri in the Sarawak province of Borneo which, even though is a part of Malaysia, we still had to go through customs at. It's okay though--it just means more stamps for us! We were able to find some cabs to the city center and found some beds at Minda Guesthouse. The city of Miri was definitely more built up than I had expected, which wasn't much as I'd envisioned Borneo as only containing jungle. Famished, we made our way to get some street food: greasy, saucy sandwiches hot off the grill. We gorged ourselves and then headed to bed for Emily, Josie and I had a morning flight to the part of the trip I was most excited for: Mulu National Park. Yes, I think we were going to like Borneo.
Oct 2, 2010
The morning found Josie, Emily and I a bit tired and groggy. Not only had we just been uprooted from our homes for the past year, but we'd just had quite a late night. We met up with our friends Jade, Pok, Panda, Tony, Alex, Sam and company and went for some dinner at a cool outdoor restaurant at the Suwanlua Night Bazaar. It was really fun to listen to some live music and unwind after all the goodbyes. After some delicious Thai food we made our way to BarBar where we watched Panda do what he does best, DJ. Next stop was our favorite club, Narz for some more tunes and we found ourselves dancing our way to Wong's which was a new place for all of us. It was a small little hole in the wall that you could easily walk right past, but when you walked in (and your eyes adjusted to the smoke) you found yourself in a seemingly war-era pub with photos and paraphanalia covering the walls and surrounded by a crowd of eclectic people who may or may not have come from said era as well!
Anyway we got ourselves in a cab and made our way to the airport to begin our journey to Borneo. You're thinking...Borneo?! What? Where? Why? Don't worry we were thinking the same thing. It's amazing how a cheap flight promotion can take you to a jungle island in middle of nowhere. I have to admit though I was pretty excited--gotta take advantage of the opportunities as they arise! We arrived to KL safe and sound and met up with our friends Josh and Neil who were teachers with some of our friends in NE Thailand and who were also heading on a Bornean journey. It was nice to have some more recognizable faces to hang out with as we waited for our next flight.
After a short flight delay we ended up in Miri in the Sarawak province of Borneo which, even though is a part of Malaysia, we still had to go through customs at. It's okay though--it just means more stamps for us! We were able to find some cabs to the city center and found some beds at Minda Guesthouse. The city of Miri was definitely more built up than I had expected, which wasn't much as I'd envisioned Borneo as only containing jungle. Famished, we made our way to get some street food: greasy, saucy sandwiches hot off the grill. We gorged ourselves and then headed to bed for Emily, Josie and I had a morning flight to the part of the trip I was most excited for: Mulu National Park. Yes, I think we were going to like Borneo.
Full Circle
Last week at Satit Bagna
Sept. 27- Oct. 1 It's amazing to me that a year can seem so long yet so short at the same time. It's even more amazing to me that life has a way of coming full circle. We had one last hurrah with seemingly EVERYONE we knew in Thailand at our favorite island, Koh Samet. We said goodbye to Tom, our British friend in Bangphli. Then it was time for all of our last sleepover in Noble Park (Tom and Marc's house in Bangphli where we liked to frequent due to it's comfortable beds and a/c!) Then it was time to say bye to Marc, who was my #1 partner in crime and like a brother in the midst of the crazy Thai world.
It's hard to say goodbye, but I've come to find this year that a circle doesn't mean a definitive close to a chapter of life, but rather the completion of a link in an ongoing chain. I know that I will be able to relive these experiences forever and come across some person, situation, time when I can draw up on them. So yea, it is the end of an era at Satit, but not really an end.
After having a couple months to reflect and think about all that's happened I still can't quite wrap my head around it all! I did find though, in my final days at school, that I think I, along with Josie, Emily and the others, made a lasting impression on those we spent so much time with at and around Satit Bangna. I know too, that everyone and everything about the past year had the same impact on me: enter the last week of school.
The last week was one of ups and downs and the crazy rigamarole of the 'Tit. Tests were sc
ored, grades were entered and the moments came when I had to finally tell my kids that I wasn't going to be T. Nathan next semester. I never thought it'd be so hard to say goodbye to all the little ones, especially after having a few instances during the year when I thought they were going to drive me to absolute insanity. Seeing the confused looks on 25 first graders, who don't quite understand that the foreign teachers leave, 
brought a bit of a smile to my face. However, when I was able to tell them in Thai that "T. Natan mai glaap ma bii na laa mai dai bpen ajarn kuhn ik tee" [T. Nathan isn't coming back next year and isn't going to be your teacher again] I found myself getting choked up as their confusion turned to big doe eyes, some cries of "NO Teacha!" and then a massive bum rush as they tackled me to the floor with hugs and one final poke in the belly (and other places they think are funny, yet I still tell them are inappropriate!) Let's just say it got harder and harder with every class as the kids got progressively better at English and it became easier and easier for them to understand what I was saying.
I gotta say it felt a bit like we were abandoning them. All the times we were frustrated and felt
like we weren't getting through were wiped away as we all saw how much everyone was going to miss us. It was even difficult to say goodbye to the other teachers who we'd gotten to know more and more as time went on. I can't even describe how kind and sincere they were when saying their goodbyes through broken Thainglsh. We've come to learn that Thais aren't overly expressive in their emotions when it comes to sad things as 
demonstrated by many-a-crying student being patted on the back and laughed at by the adults. Tough skin, I say :) So you can understand how much it meant as we walked into say goodbye to T. Oil and she started crying. It's strange how goodbyes do that to people--we knew we would see each other again and stay in touch (with pretty much everybody) yet I guess it's the finality of it all. Oil made us the most amazing video in which she went around the school and got all of our classes to say "Goodbye Teacher, we will miss you, we love you!" and had clips of various teachers sending personal messages to us. Talk about an incredible way to go out.
When we weren't at school we were back home trying to pack up our lives into a few suitcases
and get everything cleaned. On the 30th, Dr. Absorn took us and the other foreign teachers to the Pizza Company at Big C for a farewell dinner. It seemed so fitting as that's the place we'd had our welcome dinner a year prior. Once nervous and shy we were now causing a scene with all our laughing and the entertainment provided by T. Beth's toddler daughter, Crystal (the most expressive small person you have ever met in 
your life--oh and she can speak 3 languages.) After dinner T. Golf and T. Num met us at Soi 18 for a farewell 'chon gao' [cheers!] or two just like our first weekend in Bang Phli. Another circle. It was so fun being able to just hang out and talk and laugh and share stories with our friends on the floor of Josie's bedroom. Yes floor, Num and 
Golf laughed at us when we asked if they wanted to sit on the beds; what can I say, we're Thai now!
Oct. 1st found us saying our final farewells to our rooms and to P. Pen who was so sad to see us go. What a wonderful woman who, as our second mom, helped us adjust and adapt throughout the year. We waited for an hour for the school wan to
come pick us up at Soi 18 (very typical :) ) and man was the driver surprised when he saw the mountain of luggage, etc. we had piled up to load. We all couldn't help laughing as every square inch was filled and we pulled up to school for a final lunch and goodbye. I think it was probably hardest saying bye to my P6 boys, who I'd 
struggled with at the beginning of 1st semester and who I ended up developing an incredible relationship with. After about 100 pictures with them and peeling Mon, Palm, Beam, Kie and Pang Pond off my sides and after another 1,000,000,000 pictures, hugs, smiles, tears, goodbyes and thank yous we finally made our way to a different Soi 18...my new home in Bangkok. I'm so lucky. In the past year I've been all over Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos, Nepal and Malaysia, seen some world wonders and had some lifechanging experiences, but I know I can always call a small, sleepy village named Raimon Park in Bangphli, Thailand...HOME.
Sept. 27- Oct. 1 It's amazing to me that a year can seem so long yet so short at the same time. It's even more amazing to me that life has a way of coming full circle. We had one last hurrah with seemingly EVERYONE we knew in Thailand at our favorite island, Koh Samet. We said goodbye to Tom, our British friend in Bangphli. Then it was time for all of our last sleepover in Noble Park (Tom and Marc's house in Bangphli where we liked to frequent due to it's comfortable beds and a/c!) Then it was time to say bye to Marc, who was my #1 partner in crime and like a brother in the midst of the crazy Thai world.
It's hard to say goodbye, but I've come to find this year that a circle doesn't mean a definitive close to a chapter of life, but rather the completion of a link in an ongoing chain. I know that I will be able to relive these experiences forever and come across some person, situation, time when I can draw up on them. So yea, it is the end of an era at Satit, but not really an end.
After having a couple months to reflect and think about all that's happened I still can't quite wrap my head around it all! I did find though, in my final days at school, that I think I, along with Josie, Emily and the others, made a lasting impression on those we spent so much time with at and around Satit Bangna. I know too, that everyone and everything about the past year had the same impact on me: enter the last week of school.The last week was one of ups and downs and the crazy rigamarole of the 'Tit. Tests were sc
ored, grades were entered and the moments came when I had to finally tell my kids that I wasn't going to be T. Nathan next semester. I never thought it'd be so hard to say goodbye to all the little ones, especially after having a few instances during the year when I thought they were going to drive me to absolute insanity. Seeing the confused looks on 25 first graders, who don't quite understand that the foreign teachers leave, 
brought a bit of a smile to my face. However, when I was able to tell them in Thai that "T. Natan mai glaap ma bii na laa mai dai bpen ajarn kuhn ik tee" [T. Nathan isn't coming back next year and isn't going to be your teacher again] I found myself getting choked up as their confusion turned to big doe eyes, some cries of "NO Teacha!" and then a massive bum rush as they tackled me to the floor with hugs and one final poke in the belly (and other places they think are funny, yet I still tell them are inappropriate!) Let's just say it got harder and harder with every class as the kids got progressively better at English and it became easier and easier for them to understand what I was saying.I gotta say it felt a bit like we were abandoning them. All the times we were frustrated and felt
like we weren't getting through were wiped away as we all saw how much everyone was going to miss us. It was even difficult to say goodbye to the other teachers who we'd gotten to know more and more as time went on. I can't even describe how kind and sincere they were when saying their goodbyes through broken Thainglsh. We've come to learn that Thais aren't overly expressive in their emotions when it comes to sad things as 
demonstrated by many-a-crying student being patted on the back and laughed at by the adults. Tough skin, I say :) So you can understand how much it meant as we walked into say goodbye to T. Oil and she started crying. It's strange how goodbyes do that to people--we knew we would see each other again and stay in touch (with pretty much everybody) yet I guess it's the finality of it all. Oil made us the most amazing video in which she went around the school and got all of our classes to say "Goodbye Teacher, we will miss you, we love you!" and had clips of various teachers sending personal messages to us. Talk about an incredible way to go out.When we weren't at school we were back home trying to pack up our lives into a few suitcases
and get everything cleaned. On the 30th, Dr. Absorn took us and the other foreign teachers to the Pizza Company at Big C for a farewell dinner. It seemed so fitting as that's the place we'd had our welcome dinner a year prior. Once nervous and shy we were now causing a scene with all our laughing and the entertainment provided by T. Beth's toddler daughter, Crystal (the most expressive small person you have ever met in 
your life--oh and she can speak 3 languages.) After dinner T. Golf and T. Num met us at Soi 18 for a farewell 'chon gao' [cheers!] or two just like our first weekend in Bang Phli. Another circle. It was so fun being able to just hang out and talk and laugh and share stories with our friends on the floor of Josie's bedroom. Yes floor, Num and 
Golf laughed at us when we asked if they wanted to sit on the beds; what can I say, we're Thai now! Oct. 1st found us saying our final farewells to our rooms and to P. Pen who was so sad to see us go. What a wonderful woman who, as our second mom, helped us adjust and adapt throughout the year. We waited for an hour for the school wan to
come pick us up at Soi 18 (very typical :) ) and man was the driver surprised when he saw the mountain of luggage, etc. we had piled up to load. We all couldn't help laughing as every square inch was filled and we pulled up to school for a final lunch and goodbye. I think it was probably hardest saying bye to my P6 boys, who I'd 
struggled with at the beginning of 1st semester and who I ended up developing an incredible relationship with. After about 100 pictures with them and peeling Mon, Palm, Beam, Kie and Pang Pond off my sides and after another 1,000,000,000 pictures, hugs, smiles, tears, goodbyes and thank yous we finally made our way to a different Soi 18...my new home in Bangkok. I'm so lucky. In the past year I've been all over Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos, Nepal and Malaysia, seen some world wonders and had some lifechanging experiences, but I know I can always call a small, sleepy village named Raimon Park in Bangphli, Thailand...HOME.
Tuesday, November 9, 2010
My 2nd Thai Family (part 2)
Ratchaburi
Sept. 18, 2010 Our Thai parents picked us up in the morning and brought us back to the house for, yes you guessed it, more food!
After another successful homecooked breakfast (including banana flower, fish, morning glory, etc.) P. Jop-Pa- put me, Josie, Oil and Emily into one of the family cars and drove us to the Ratchaburi morning market. This market is more geared toward tourists, so it doesn't have as great of stuff to look at, but it's still fun to walk around the canals and see what treasures you can dig up; plus we got to see a giant boa and an elephant. Thinking we were going to go straight home we were taken to another floating market that the local government is trying to promote as a destination to see. Okay now home? Mai Chai (nope!)
Sept. 18, 2010 Our Thai parents picked us up in the morning and brought us back to the house for, yes you guessed it, more food!
After another successful homecooked breakfast (including banana flower, fish, morning glory, etc.) P. Jop-Pa- put me, Josie, Oil and Emily into one of the family cars and drove us to the Ratchaburi morning market. This market is more geared toward tourists, so it doesn't have as great of stuff to look at, but it's still fun to walk around the canals and see what treasures you can dig up; plus we got to see a giant boa and an elephant. Thinking we were going to go straight home we were taken to another floating market that the local government is trying to promote as a destination to see. Okay now home? Mai Chai (nope!)Pa, being the stereotypical proud father, brought us across the countryside to his friend's house. He has a real passion for traditional Thai architecture and was 
really excited to show us this home that was being built by hand. In the driveway we spotted a turtle so, instead of driving around it, Pa stopped to pick it up and put on the floor in front of me. Apparently it's good luck to bring turtles back to the water, so we watched as Oil brought the little guy to the canal and release him to the wild. Well, it turned out that this turtle might not be found in the canals as we watched it sink out of sight. Oops! Hopefully he was a fast learner and was able to swim up to the surface later... 
The house really was beautiful. It was crafted out of a reddish wood and was massive and open and overlooked the canal. Pa's friend was so excited to have us there and we were told we, being white and all, brought good luck to her and her house. Well, I guess that was my good deed for the day :) After being invited to stay there anytime we wanted (so nice) we finally headed back home. Yes, we did eat again and no, it wasn't time to head back to Bang Phli, because it was time for the Siam Culture Park! On the way we had to make a pit stop to see the vineyard Pa's friend owns. It was pretty impressive to see the workers balancing on wooden planks stretched over the irrigation ditches picking endless amounts of grapes--plus it's always priceless to see P. Jop's smile when he gets to show off Ratchaburi. The Culture Park turned out to be a great time. We originally thought it was going to just be a wax museum (ooh ahh) but we were pleasantly surprised to see it had a lot more to offer. 
The wax figures were shockingly real and we had fun posing with the likes of Mao, Ho Chi Minh AND Mother Theresa, because why wouldn't she be included in a museum dedicated to famous Thais and other famous Asians? A path meandered through the grounds of the park which included some beautiful foliage, a waterfall and various reproductions of architecture over the centuries (replicas of family housing styles from regions across the country as well as those of regional monk's quarters.) A definite highlight was a walk through a fake cave with various displays depicting the final 
stages of the human life of the first Buddha. Thankfully we had Dr. Absorn there to explain to us what each scene meant or we would have been very confused seeing a crazy old man with slave children who later got a lot of money and then proceeded to eat so much food his stomach burst open spewing his guts everywhere. In reality the ol
d man asked human Buddha for his 2 children to help him. Buddha said yes as an act of merit. Then the old man turned them into slaves until human Buddha's dad bought them back from him and being greedy, the old man made himself a feast and eating so much burst open. Thinking about it I guess it was kind of how it looked to the untrained eye.
really excited to show us this home that was being built by hand. In the driveway we spotted a turtle so, instead of driving around it, Pa stopped to pick it up and put on the floor in front of me. Apparently it's good luck to bring turtles back to the water, so we watched as Oil brought the little guy to the canal and release him to the wild. Well, it turned out that this turtle might not be found in the canals as we watched it sink out of sight. Oops! Hopefully he was a fast learner and was able to swim up to the surface later... 
The house really was beautiful. It was crafted out of a reddish wood and was massive and open and overlooked the canal. Pa's friend was so excited to have us there and we were told we, being white and all, brought good luck to her and her house. Well, I guess that was my good deed for the day :) After being invited to stay there anytime we wanted (so nice) we finally headed back home. Yes, we did eat again and no, it wasn't time to head back to Bang Phli, because it was time for the Siam Culture Park! On the way we had to make a pit stop to see the vineyard Pa's friend owns. It was pretty impressive to see the workers balancing on wooden planks stretched over the irrigation ditches picking endless amounts of grapes--plus it's always priceless to see P. Jop's smile when he gets to show off Ratchaburi. The Culture Park turned out to be a great time. We originally thought it was going to just be a wax museum (ooh ahh) but we were pleasantly surprised to see it had a lot more to offer. 
The wax figures were shockingly real and we had fun posing with the likes of Mao, Ho Chi Minh AND Mother Theresa, because why wouldn't she be included in a museum dedicated to famous Thais and other famous Asians? A path meandered through the grounds of the park which included some beautiful foliage, a waterfall and various reproductions of architecture over the centuries (replicas of family housing styles from regions across the country as well as those of regional monk's quarters.) A definite highlight was a walk through a fake cave with various displays depicting the final 
stages of the human life of the first Buddha. Thankfully we had Dr. Absorn there to explain to us what each scene meant or we would have been very confused seeing a crazy old man with slave children who later got a lot of money and then proceeded to eat so much food his stomach burst open spewing his guts everywhere. In reality the ol
d man asked human Buddha for his 2 children to help him. Buddha said yes as an act of merit. Then the old man turned them into slaves until human Buddha's dad bought them back from him and being greedy, the old man made himself a feast and eating so much burst open. Thinking about it I guess it was kind of how it looked to the untrained eye.We had one last family dinner, which P. Jao had worked all day to make, in the gazebo which was AMAZING! Next came a family photo shoot 
complete with individual, partner and group shots. All of us just laughed and rolled our eyes as new cameras kept appearing and our cheeks were starting to shake from smiling so much. The time for goodbyes had come and we couldn't express enough how happy and lucky we were to have had met all of them. They couldn't stop saying how much they loved having us and that ANY time we were in Thailand we were required to visit them as we were family now. Love. 1,230,980,328 hugs, wais and 'sawatdee's later we made our way back to BKK and our last couple weeks of teaching. What a year.
complete with individual, partner and group shots. All of us just laughed and rolled our eyes as new cameras kept appearing and our cheeks were starting to shake from smiling so much. The time for goodbyes had come and we couldn't express enough how happy and lucky we were to have had met all of them. They couldn't stop saying how much they loved having us and that ANY time we were in Thailand we were required to visit them as we were family now. Love. 1,230,980,328 hugs, wais and 'sawatdee's later we made our way back to BKK and our last couple weeks of teaching. What a year.My 2nd Thai Family (part 1)
Ratchaburi, Thailand (Part 1)
September 18 Emily, Josie and I were lucky enough to get to go back to Dr. Absorn's sister's house in Ratchaburi. It seemed so perfect that our first weekend at Satit Bagna was spent there and now so was our last. We hopped in the wan nice and early and were brought to a bus which took us to the Sai Tai Mai bus station which then put us on another bus to Ratchaburi--never a dull trip in Thailand! We were greeted by the ever smiling P. Jao (Dr. A's brother-in-law's sister who also lives at the house) who brought us to a local restaurant for lunch. As the feast was brought out to us we all smiled at each other remembering how much we got fed last time we were there. 4 deep (the 3 of us and Oil) in the backseat we made our way to the house which, upon arrival, seemed so familiar and home-like. 
We were greeted by the most genuine toothless smile you could imagine as P. Jop's (Dr. A's brother-in-law) mother recognized us instantly. Last time we were in Ratchaburi we were basically unable to communicate verbally with her as our Thai was zilch; not this time though! Even though we had just eaten we were presented with endless snacks which we nibbled on in the gazebo that P. Jop so proudly built by the family pond. We laid out some pillows and blankets and the four of us spent the afternoon chatting, snoozing and reminiscing about everything that had happened over the past year. Aft
er many bouts of laughter we were greeted by P. Jop who corraled us into his pick up truck (I got the honorary front seat) and we made our way to our favorite market in Thailand: Ampawa Floating Market. First, though, we stopped at a couple small factories where they make hand-painted Chinese ceramics. We couldn't believe house detailed and precise it was as we stared at the artists in awe. Instead of being overwhelmed by all the sights and sounds like last time, we dove right into bargaining and sampling and joking with the vendors at the market. I think we all walked away with some souveniers and even 
more food in our stomachs; don't worry though, we were fed once again upon our return to the house :) I can't describe how gracious and welcoming these hosts are and how quickly they adopted us foreign strangers as part of the family. Wanting us to have an 'authentic' Thai experience, Emily, Josie and I were booked into a homestay nearby. We weren't really sure what was more authentic than the experience we were given by staying at their house, but we smiled and went along with it. It turned out to be a standard Thai production which made it worth every second. So, we arri
ved to this homestay which actually turned out to be more of a motel and were told to wait outside while the family went in to inspect the room. We weren't really sure what was going on but there was a lot of discussing and a lot of pounding going on inside. After about 20 minutes of this, with numerous workers going in and out of the room we were asked to come in. It turned out the pounding was P. Jop making sure the a/c worked as well as making sure the missing ceiling tile exposing the tin roof above wouldn't pose a potential threat for a burglar could climb through in the middle of the night. At this point there were 11 people in the room and the 3 of us were in hysterics over the whole situation. It was just like having parents there and from that moment on I started calling P. Jop, 'Pa'--which he thinks is hilarious! No traditional night would be complete without us finding the only English-speaking channel on the tv and having it be some large African American lady ranting and raving as her friends sat around a table shouting 'Amen' and 'I feel ya sista!' Oh wait, I mean it wouldn't be complete without screams erupting from the bathroom as the girls discovered the giant spider on the wall. Now we could sleep soundly.
We were greeted by the most genuine toothless smile you could imagine as P. Jop's (Dr. A's brother-in-law) mother recognized us instantly. Last time we were in Ratchaburi we were basically unable to communicate verbally with her as our Thai was zilch; not this time though! Even though we had just eaten we were presented with endless snacks which we nibbled on in the gazebo that P. Jop so proudly built by the family pond. We laid out some pillows and blankets and the four of us spent the afternoon chatting, snoozing and reminiscing about everything that had happened over the past year. Aft
er many bouts of laughter we were greeted by P. Jop who corraled us into his pick up truck (I got the honorary front seat) and we made our way to our favorite market in Thailand: Ampawa Floating Market. First, though, we stopped at a couple small factories where they make hand-painted Chinese ceramics. We couldn't believe house detailed and precise it was as we stared at the artists in awe. Instead of being overwhelmed by all the sights and sounds like last time, we dove right into bargaining and sampling and joking with the vendors at the market. I think we all walked away with some souveniers and even 
more food in our stomachs; don't worry though, we were fed once again upon our return to the house :) I can't describe how gracious and welcoming these hosts are and how quickly they adopted us foreign strangers as part of the family. Wanting us to have an 'authentic' Thai experience, Emily, Josie and I were booked into a homestay nearby. We weren't really sure what was more authentic than the experience we were given by staying at their house, but we smiled and went along with it. It turned out to be a standard Thai production which made it worth every second. So, we arri
ved to this homestay which actually turned out to be more of a motel and were told to wait outside while the family went in to inspect the room. We weren't really sure what was going on but there was a lot of discussing and a lot of pounding going on inside. After about 20 minutes of this, with numerous workers going in and out of the room we were asked to come in. It turned out the pounding was P. Jop making sure the a/c worked as well as making sure the missing ceiling tile exposing the tin roof above wouldn't pose a potential threat for a burglar could climb through in the middle of the night. At this point there were 11 people in the room and the 3 of us were in hysterics over the whole situation. It was just like having parents there and from that moment on I started calling P. Jop, 'Pa'--which he thinks is hilarious! No traditional night would be complete without us finding the only English-speaking channel on the tv and having it be some large African American lady ranting and raving as her friends sat around a table shouting 'Amen' and 'I feel ya sista!' Oh wait, I mean it wouldn't be complete without screams erupting from the bathroom as the girls discovered the giant spider on the wall. Now we could sleep soundly. Monday, November 1, 2010
Thailand Chapter 2: Life in the Big City
So I think I deserve the award for world's least active blogger. My apologies, but these last 2 months have been an utter whirlwind and everytime I sit down to write I find something else pops up! I've got a lot of catching up to do with this and hopefully I'll be able to find the time in the upcoming weeks to fill you all in on everything from the final days of my 2 month break to recent excursions to the end of school to borneo and back. I'm doing well though--happy and healthy--and in a completely different place than I was over a year ago when I first touched down in Thailand. Over a year. I can't believe it.
So for those of you who didn't know, I made the decision to extend my time over here and am currently in my 4th week of work at my new job. I'm currently working for the world's largest offshore financial consultancy called deVere Group. It's a British company and I'm finding the work to be challenging and good, although I can tell it's not my dream job. I guess I wasn't expecting it to be though and I'm okay with that. It's a stepping stone, a way to gain some great corporate experience while allowing me to further explore the Thai culture and this part of the world. My position is titled Business Consultant and my duties consist of marketing/sales within the company. Day to day I find myself on the phone talking to existing and potential clients, developing relationships, researching products, coordinating, etc. It was a bit unnerving to talk to so many people I didn't know on the phone at first, but I've pretty much gotten over that and find it to be pretty fun. Somedays you speak to a potential client who is livid at being called and doesn't want anything to do with me (even though his name was referred by another client we work with), but I'm finding these to be the best calls as I have nothing to lose and kind of get to play around. Anything to get through the day right?
I work at the Exchange Tower in downtown Bangkok (on the 20th floor with a window seat!) which is 2 BTS (sky train) stops away from where I live. I'm living on my own in a 2br apartment with a pool and gym. I really like my place (1 br was converted into a kitchen, so my main living space is roomier than some of the other units in the towers.) It's perfect for me and I'm happy with my choice. Never thought I'd have to go apartment shopping in BKK! The area I live in is called Thong Lor and is a really nice area with tons of shops and restaurants (and some really really nice cars--I have a Mercedes dealer at the end of my soi) and always something going on. I live alone, but don't worry I'm not actually alone. 3 of my friends (2 British girls--Alex and Kate-- and 1 Thai guy--Pok) live in the same building as I do and have made my transition much easier. We have a lot of fun and make an effort to do things together like cooking dinner one night a week or just hanging out. Have plans to go to the pool and actually use the gym once my routine is set.
I'm finding city life to be exciting and I'm having fun getting to know BKK more. I do, however, find myself missing teaching and the school, but am so lucky that I had the experiences I did and will always have those memories. I think I made the right decision changing 'careers' in that I'm getting to experience something wholly different and, I hope, beneficial for the resume in future endeavors! I am going to start tutoring in my old village on Saturdays, though, so it will be nice to be back in a familiar place and keep in touch with everyone in that neck of the woods! Not sure about the exact details, but I think I'm going to be teaching English conversation classes to younger kids at a learning center that some teachers from my school just opened up. Can't wait! I've been in touch with some of the teachers and students from Satit Bangna and am really looking forward to seeing them all again--what a great opportunity to have such amazing contacts over here!
Well, lunch break is up at work and I've got to get back to it, but I wanted to get this first entry off and running to try to reactivate my literary juices! I have so much more to say, but you will all just have to wait until I get there (hopefully it won't be another 2 months!)
So for those of you who didn't know, I made the decision to extend my time over here and am currently in my 4th week of work at my new job. I'm currently working for the world's largest offshore financial consultancy called deVere Group. It's a British company and I'm finding the work to be challenging and good, although I can tell it's not my dream job. I guess I wasn't expecting it to be though and I'm okay with that. It's a stepping stone, a way to gain some great corporate experience while allowing me to further explore the Thai culture and this part of the world. My position is titled Business Consultant and my duties consist of marketing/sales within the company. Day to day I find myself on the phone talking to existing and potential clients, developing relationships, researching products, coordinating, etc. It was a bit unnerving to talk to so many people I didn't know on the phone at first, but I've pretty much gotten over that and find it to be pretty fun. Somedays you speak to a potential client who is livid at being called and doesn't want anything to do with me (even though his name was referred by another client we work with), but I'm finding these to be the best calls as I have nothing to lose and kind of get to play around. Anything to get through the day right?
I work at the Exchange Tower in downtown Bangkok (on the 20th floor with a window seat!) which is 2 BTS (sky train) stops away from where I live. I'm living on my own in a 2br apartment with a pool and gym. I really like my place (1 br was converted into a kitchen, so my main living space is roomier than some of the other units in the towers.) It's perfect for me and I'm happy with my choice. Never thought I'd have to go apartment shopping in BKK! The area I live in is called Thong Lor and is a really nice area with tons of shops and restaurants (and some really really nice cars--I have a Mercedes dealer at the end of my soi) and always something going on. I live alone, but don't worry I'm not actually alone. 3 of my friends (2 British girls--Alex and Kate-- and 1 Thai guy--Pok) live in the same building as I do and have made my transition much easier. We have a lot of fun and make an effort to do things together like cooking dinner one night a week or just hanging out. Have plans to go to the pool and actually use the gym once my routine is set.
I'm finding city life to be exciting and I'm having fun getting to know BKK more. I do, however, find myself missing teaching and the school, but am so lucky that I had the experiences I did and will always have those memories. I think I made the right decision changing 'careers' in that I'm getting to experience something wholly different and, I hope, beneficial for the resume in future endeavors! I am going to start tutoring in my old village on Saturdays, though, so it will be nice to be back in a familiar place and keep in touch with everyone in that neck of the woods! Not sure about the exact details, but I think I'm going to be teaching English conversation classes to younger kids at a learning center that some teachers from my school just opened up. Can't wait! I've been in touch with some of the teachers and students from Satit Bangna and am really looking forward to seeing them all again--what a great opportunity to have such amazing contacts over here!
Well, lunch break is up at work and I've got to get back to it, but I wanted to get this first entry off and running to try to reactivate my literary juices! I have so much more to say, but you will all just have to wait until I get there (hopefully it won't be another 2 months!)
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