So another one of Satit Bagna's famous traits is their amazing drive for new and enriching programs coupled with their lack of seeing it through all the way. I think that's bound to happen when you come up with so many ideas, but nevertheless it makes for a great story:
So the school subscribes to Highlights High Five, a Thai-English version of the awesome magazine that I'm sure many of you read as kids. The one with the stories and games and activities. Anyway, they have been trying to institute this program all year in which teachers (both Thai and foreign) read aloud from the magazine a few times a week. I know some of the Thai teachers do it, but they never set up a schedule for us, so we're still waiting. Anyway, Highlights caught wind of this 'program' and sent in a video crew to film us white people reading their magazine to Thai kids. Since we had never actually done this before, Dr. A picked Josie, Michelle and me to read aloud some stories to different classrooms of kids to be taped. Easy enough, we did it and thought that was that.
Well, last week we were informed that the crew would be coming back and they needed all of us teachers to be 'trained' in how to read aloud. So, everyday after lunch two of us go into a conference room and practice our reading aloud...not to students, but to the Thai teachers. I can't think of a more uncomfortable situation than reading a story meant for a 5-10 year old to a group of teachers who can't speak English and are older than I. To make it better, we read it once then read it again slooooooooowwwwllly and have them echo us...and then read it again and have them echo us. Yes, that is 3 times we must read the same story in a row.
Ryan and I were picked to do it one day last week and couldn't have been given more awkward stories to read. I started the group off with a rousing rendition of Dance With Me. For about 15 minutes I was saying things like 'Dance, squirrel, Dance...but the squirrel ran away...will no one dance with me today?' and then ' Dance, fish, Dance (pause awkwardly while the teachers echo') but the fish (pause) swam away (pause). As I was reading I was trying to hard to hold back laughter which is even harder when Ryan is giggling next to me. It's okay though, because he had to read the Kitten's Mittens which featured the classic line "do you want to snuggle, my silly kitten?" I admit I should be more mature than that, but when he read that line we both lost it. I had tears rolling down my face and the Thai teachers were also laughing as they think this whole 'practice' thing is just as hilarious. Then he got us both going again during his reading of Marching Band which included saying things like 'toot toot toot' and 'clang clang clang' which I had to turn around for as I watched all of the teachers mouth 'KRang KRang KRang.'
I know I know I should be used to it by now, but it was just one of those inopportune times where you get started and you just can't stop. I wonder what I get to read next time?!
Thursday, January 28, 2010
So I'm Not Crazy
Who would have thought our savior would have been a grey-haired Canadian woman named Martha? Petite in frame, she packs a lot of bite and helped us foreign teachers snap back to reality at Satit Bagna. A friend of Dr. Aree (our school director), Martha came in to school all of last week to make some observations and give some advice on ways to improve our teaching. Little did Aree and Absorn know that Martha would actually be giving them the advice...not us.
We realized after her visit that we have all been sort of numbed to the goings on at this school and have just sort of bit the bullet and called it ordinary. Martha's presence helped us realize that our initial impressions of this place were in fact correct and that the way the school is run isn't exactly normal. Coming from a background education herself, Martha was actually horrified when she walked into some of the classrooms she visited: kids on their phones or listening to music on speakers (not even headphones) while teachers were teaching, kids showing up 30 minutes late to a 50 minute class or coming into a classroom that wasn't theirs and talking to their friends mid-lesson. She witnessed the chaos that is my P5 classroom and by the end of the week she was laying some serious smackdown on the kids. Her only real advice to us was that 'The problems in this school are so fundamental that there is nothing as teachers we can do. It needs to start with the administration and the discipline of these kids, so just keep your heads up and keep doing what you're doing.' A sigh of relief. It was really nice to have an outsider come in and see what goes on behind the gates and see that the kids have kind of taken over. It reminds me a lot of that cartoon 'Recess' where the kindergartners live behind the tall fence and wreak unknown amounts of havoc on school grounds.
Martha had some really great pointers on how to go more in depth in a lesson and was awesome to have in class to lend a disciplinary hand--she even yelled at kids for picking their noses which is totally acceptable in Thailand...I know-gross. I think the administration was a little taken aback by her methods, but it was really nice to see someone who actually seemed to care that chaos is a daily element of this school and that, while Thai schools aren't the same as Western schools, there is no reason it should be like this. It was also nice to have someone to voice our opinions to the uppers in the school who usually smile and nod when we bring something up and somehow manage to forget to help us with what we've asked. On the bright side, it's nice to know that I will probably be able to handle any sort of boss/manager/work environment I ever encounter after surviving a year of this! Even brighter, I'm not crazy!
We realized after her visit that we have all been sort of numbed to the goings on at this school and have just sort of bit the bullet and called it ordinary. Martha's presence helped us realize that our initial impressions of this place were in fact correct and that the way the school is run isn't exactly normal. Coming from a background education herself, Martha was actually horrified when she walked into some of the classrooms she visited: kids on their phones or listening to music on speakers (not even headphones) while teachers were teaching, kids showing up 30 minutes late to a 50 minute class or coming into a classroom that wasn't theirs and talking to their friends mid-lesson. She witnessed the chaos that is my P5 classroom and by the end of the week she was laying some serious smackdown on the kids. Her only real advice to us was that 'The problems in this school are so fundamental that there is nothing as teachers we can do. It needs to start with the administration and the discipline of these kids, so just keep your heads up and keep doing what you're doing.' A sigh of relief. It was really nice to have an outsider come in and see what goes on behind the gates and see that the kids have kind of taken over. It reminds me a lot of that cartoon 'Recess' where the kindergartners live behind the tall fence and wreak unknown amounts of havoc on school grounds.
Martha had some really great pointers on how to go more in depth in a lesson and was awesome to have in class to lend a disciplinary hand--she even yelled at kids for picking their noses which is totally acceptable in Thailand...I know-gross. I think the administration was a little taken aback by her methods, but it was really nice to see someone who actually seemed to care that chaos is a daily element of this school and that, while Thai schools aren't the same as Western schools, there is no reason it should be like this. It was also nice to have someone to voice our opinions to the uppers in the school who usually smile and nod when we bring something up and somehow manage to forget to help us with what we've asked. On the bright side, it's nice to know that I will probably be able to handle any sort of boss/manager/work environment I ever encounter after surviving a year of this! Even brighter, I'm not crazy!
Monday, January 18, 2010
Just Call Me Teacher Jacob
So there has been a pretty humorous Saga (no pun intended) of events that have been occurring at Satit Bagna over the past month or so--since whenever the latest Twilight movie came out.
It began with some simple giggles from a few of the girls on campus, which I just thought were normal because I'm white and well, I get giggled at all the time. Then it started happening more and girls were make little squeaking noises when I walked past, you know how middle school/high school girls are when they are embarassed. I still didn't think much of it until Teacher Oil told me all the girls thought I looked like Jacob, the werewolf from the Twilight movies. You know the one that everyone has been talking about with the superhumanly ripped body that I clearly possess
Anyway, so once I finally knew what the laughing was about I started hearing the name Jacob when I walked past and girls would even smile and wave to me in the hallway and say "Good Morning Teacher Jacob." Then Rally in my M3 brought here copy of Twilight to school and was sure to show me who I looked like (now, I'm gonna be honest about the only resembl
ance I see between us is that we aren't asian and have dark hair and eyes... but if I'm gonna be compared to someone I guess I'll take it) So I literally heard it everday before Christmas at least 2-3 times a day and of course I started to milk it. When girls would walk past and giggle or be staring at me across the courtyard I would wave or smile right at them and they would burst into hysterics. SO funny.
ance I see between us is that we aren't asian and have dark hair and eyes... but if I'm gonna be compared to someone I guess I'll take it) So I literally heard it everday before Christmas at least 2-3 times a day and of course I started to milk it. When girls would walk past and giggle or be staring at me across the courtyard I would wave or smile right at them and they would burst into hysterics. SO funny.For the few days leading up to Christmas break I had girls coming up to me and giving me presents who I had never met before (in Thailand it's okay to give/accept gifts from students) and well, let's be honest, I gladly accepted them :) The best from my throng of adoring Jacob fans was a huge box of Lindor truffles! There is no other way to describe this obsession with me looking like this person other than: it's just so Asian haha
Other gifts I received from students that I actually teach include: a pan of brownies from Bam, Pun and Minie (my favorite siblings), candy canes from Rally, a calculator from Pink, a bucket of cookies from Palm and a mini-buddha carved from stone from Ploi. It is so cool/nice/generous of these students to go out of their way to give me something and it helps me to think that I may actually be doing an okay job!
I thought the whole Jacob thing had kind of fizzled as I don't hear my name so often ( although I still get giggles), until this past Saturday. I kind of assumed that the Jacob-thing was just a school-wide event, but it appears to have leaked into the village. When I was walking home from teaching Saturday class a motorbike of 3 women (women not girls or students) started calling to me "Jacob, Jacob, Teacher Jacob." I smiled as they pulled up and then realized they actually stopped to say Hi. We sort of talked/mimed/nodded/laughed until they finally got up the courage to ask me for my picture. Thus ensued a photoshoot with my new friends (Tahn, Jiep and Chau) that consisted of photos with my arms around each of them indivually and one of me shaking each of their hands as though they had just met the real Jacob. It was hysterical! I also found out that one of the ladies works on the lunch staff at school, so that's not gonna be weird or embarassing come lunchtime on Monday!
I'll keep you posted on any new celebrity encounters. Until then, this is Jacob signing out.
Low Key Kinda Life
Life has been pretty low key since we got back from our big island week down south. To be honest, it's been kind of nice! It always surprises me how tiring travelling for a period of time can be.
Top events since break:
Friday, Jan. 8:
Ryan, Josie, Emiree and I made our way to a restaurant we have been wanting to go to by us. It's a Thai-style buffet and is really awesome. You sit down and they bring you this metal dome thing with a moat around it (that's the only way i can describe it.) Inside the dome there are hot coals which heat the dome, where you grill your own meat and in the moat you grab a bunch of herbs (which look like weeds from your lawn) and prawns and veggies and make your own soup. I realized were I a student at Hogwart's I would have aced Potions class--I make some good soup in a moat. After a couple of towers of San Miguel and a few rounds of grilling (I even grilled my own baby squid) we headed home for some much deserved sleep after our first week back.
Saturday, Jan. 9:
Today we went out in Bangkok to celebrate our friend O'Brien's birthday (sweet name right?). The day started with us heading to Siam Paragon which is an ENORMOUS mall downtown filled with stores like Gucci, Versace, Burberry, Ferrari/Lambo/Porsche/Maserati car showrooms, upscale restaurants, etc. Downstairs is a sprawling food court with many samples to be tried (we made sure to try them all) and there was also a Snack Convention going on, so the amount of temptations were sky high. I even tried some Cigarette flavored ice cream. Caution: Don't EVER try this flavor if it's presented to you. Needless to say we just kinda looked around before heading to the top floor to have our minds blown by Avatar 3-D. I don't usually see movies more than once in the theater, but this movie is incredible and seeing it once in 2-D and then in 3-D it makes you appreciate it all the more. That night we took some cabs to Rambutri road which is sort of an intimate side street with lanterns hangning in the trees and cool restaurants up and down. We indulged in some Thai food and made our way to Khao San for the infamous chaos that goes down there. After some Changs in the street, a rousing Happy Birthday to O'B in the streets and a bucket we went to the club known simply as THE CLUB. I mean it has to be good if that's it's name. That night, after some falafel from a street vendor, we slept 4 deep in Jenny's apartment and woke up the next morning to head to CentralWorld--another gigantic mall. I was ready to go home.
Saturday, Jan 15
Another week under the belt (can you believe it's been 13 weeks already!) Ryan went into BKK tonight, so the girls and I went to another restaurant we've been wanting to eat at. We got in the cab and the driver was like 'where you go' and since we didn't know the name we just go 'uhh tan ahaan' (restaurant). He looked at us like we were crazy, but we made it there somehow. Ahh, the power of a limited vocab and sign language. We got there and awkwardly waited to be sat as a packed restaurant of Thais stared at us (we found out a couple minutes later we were at a wedding reception). Thankfully some lady goes "you like enjoy the weedding? oh you need sahm foot" Yes, yes! Food would be great. It was better than great. We had Tom Kha Khai (a curry/coconut soup with chicken, thai mushrooms and lemon grass) and a Kao Ob Saparrot (a fried rice with chicken, cashews, raisins and pineapple) and sat for a while in the rather tropical ambience of the Bai Mai Station Restaurant.
The rest of the last couple weeks have been filled with midterms and teaching and of course a lot of movie watching. I also finished up my 4th book since I've been here (it's been nice to have time to just sit and read). I just got done with The Alchemist which was really good and related uncannily well to my life/situation right now. I've also read The Bell Jar (good--kinda depressing), The Island of Dr. Moreau (short, but kinda hard to get into) and Sarah's Key ( a mix of Holocaust and modern day--got kinda drawn out at the end, but great start). So there ya have it...the exciting life of a teacher in Thailand :) I think we have plans to travel this coming weekend, so more stories to come.
Top events since break:
Friday, Jan. 8:
Ryan, Josie, Emiree and I made our way to a restaurant we have been wanting to go to by us. It's a Thai-style buffet and is really awesome. You sit down and they bring you this metal dome thing with a moat around it (that's the only way i can describe it.) Inside the dome there are hot coals which heat the dome, where you grill your own meat and in the moat you grab a bunch of herbs (which look like weeds from your lawn) and prawns and veggies and make your own soup. I realized were I a student at Hogwart's I would have aced Potions class--I make some good soup in a moat. After a couple of towers of San Miguel and a few rounds of grilling (I even grilled my own baby squid) we headed home for some much deserved sleep after our first week back.
Saturday, Jan. 9:
Today we went out in Bangkok to celebrate our friend O'Brien's birthday (sweet name right?). The day started with us heading to Siam Paragon which is an ENORMOUS mall downtown filled with stores like Gucci, Versace, Burberry, Ferrari/Lambo/Porsche/Maserati car showrooms, upscale restaurants, etc. Downstairs is a sprawling food court with many samples to be tried (we made sure to try them all) and there was also a Snack Convention going on, so the amount of temptations were sky high. I even tried some Cigarette flavored ice cream. Caution: Don't EVER try this flavor if it's presented to you. Needless to say we just kinda looked around before heading to the top floor to have our minds blown by Avatar 3-D. I don't usually see movies more than once in the theater, but this movie is incredible and seeing it once in 2-D and then in 3-D it makes you appreciate it all the more. That night we took some cabs to Rambutri road which is sort of an intimate side street with lanterns hangning in the trees and cool restaurants up and down. We indulged in some Thai food and made our way to Khao San for the infamous chaos that goes down there. After some Changs in the street, a rousing Happy Birthday to O'B in the streets and a bucket we went to the club known simply as THE CLUB. I mean it has to be good if that's it's name. That night, after some falafel from a street vendor, we slept 4 deep in Jenny's apartment and woke up the next morning to head to CentralWorld--another gigantic mall. I was ready to go home.
Saturday, Jan 15
Another week under the belt (can you believe it's been 13 weeks already!) Ryan went into BKK tonight, so the girls and I went to another restaurant we've been wanting to eat at. We got in the cab and the driver was like 'where you go' and since we didn't know the name we just go 'uhh tan ahaan' (restaurant). He looked at us like we were crazy, but we made it there somehow. Ahh, the power of a limited vocab and sign language. We got there and awkwardly waited to be sat as a packed restaurant of Thais stared at us (we found out a couple minutes later we were at a wedding reception). Thankfully some lady goes "you like enjoy the weedding? oh you need sahm foot" Yes, yes! Food would be great. It was better than great. We had Tom Kha Khai (a curry/coconut soup with chicken, thai mushrooms and lemon grass) and a Kao Ob Saparrot (a fried rice with chicken, cashews, raisins and pineapple) and sat for a while in the rather tropical ambience of the Bai Mai Station Restaurant.
The rest of the last couple weeks have been filled with midterms and teaching and of course a lot of movie watching. I also finished up my 4th book since I've been here (it's been nice to have time to just sit and read). I just got done with The Alchemist which was really good and related uncannily well to my life/situation right now. I've also read The Bell Jar (good--kinda depressing), The Island of Dr. Moreau (short, but kinda hard to get into) and Sarah's Key ( a mix of Holocaust and modern day--got kinda drawn out at the end, but great start). So there ya have it...the exciting life of a teacher in Thailand :) I think we have plans to travel this coming weekend, so more stories to come.
Monday, January 11, 2010
Phi Phi: Phart II
After saying our farewells to Leora (we'll miss her a ton!) we met up with the group and began our all day snorkel/island hopping excursion. For about $15 we spent 9 hours on a nice boat (with lunch, snacks, water/coffee) visiting a number of different snorkelling spots and islands and getting to really experience what you read about in the books. 
Monkey Beach [above] was another beautiful setting: more green green vegetation on steep slopes jutting out of the water. The snorkelling here was really awesome despite the painful walk to shore as we tried dodging the coral (a few of us falling victim to its razor sharp edges). More time was spent lounging on the white sand whilst wild monkeys ran amuck. Next stop was Ko Phi Phi Ley, the famed island of The Beach starring Leo DiCaprio. Now I thought Phi Phi Don (where we stayed) was amazing, but when Phi Phi Ley comes into view it's breathtaking. It looks like a fairytale island that just magically floats upon the water with sheer limestone cliffs and hidden bays. We made our way around the island passing by Viking Cave where they 
harvest Swallow spit nests for a special soup (Planet Earth anyone?!) and finally to the destination we'd all been waiting for: Maya Bay. This is the bay the movie was filmed in and it's safe to say that movies/photos do not do this place justice. You come around the sides of the cliffs and enter an immense bay of deep green-blue water that leads to a stark white sand beach against a jungled backdrop--we spent a good amount of time here swimming with the fishes and the coral and got back on the boat in time to see the sunset beyond one horizon and the moon rise on the other.
New Year's Day we rented a long boat and headed back to Maya Bay for some R & R and had an amazing Italian dinner after watching the sunset from the viewpoint past our hostel (which was a strenuous uphill hike--well worth it though). We sat on the beach again and night and headed back early since we had a long day of travel ahead of us...
Oh and to make things better I was on the bus (2 seat, aisle 2 seat) alone in my 2 seat spot until suddenly appears a Thai woman and her baby who so nicely squeezed in next to me. To make it even better, besides taking up some of my seat she also thought it would be a great idea to rub baby powder everywhere and breast feed like we were in her own home. I had to laugh, because of course that would happen to me. And honestly I couldn't stay too upset when the baby was so cute and found me very interesting by 'talking' to me and grabbing my hands. Sigh, Thailand. Happy New Year 2010!
A highlight as far as snorkelling goes was at Shark Point when we jumped in the water and the 
guide/people on the boat started throwing bread into the water. Hundreds and Hundreds of fish began charging towards you nipping as they went and trying to catch a crumb. Some of them got a little too friendly, but I forgave them since they didn't know any better (even though they can chomp pretty hard). We spent a while at Bamboo Island [above] which is covered in tall evergreen trees and surrounded by incredible blue water. We snorkelled into shore and s
aw some wonderful
guide/people on the boat started throwing bread into the water. Hundreds and Hundreds of fish began charging towards you nipping as they went and trying to catch a crumb. Some of them got a little too friendly, but I forgave them since they didn't know any better (even though they can chomp pretty hard). We spent a while at Bamboo Island [above] which is covered in tall evergreen trees and surrounded by incredible blue water. We snorkelled into shore and s
aw some wonderful sites (blue coral, rainbow parrotfish, angelfish, etc.) and only got stung a few times by the little plankton in the water. You'll be flippering along and all of a sudden it feels like something just pinched you and they are these little microscopic plankton that don't like you swimming in their personal bubble. Ouch! On the island a few of us built a sand castle empire complete with moat before heading back for lunch (which we ate on the boat with Mosquito Island [below] as our backdrop)
Monkey Beach [above] was another beautiful setting: more green green vegetation on steep slopes jutting out of the water. The snorkelling here was really awesome despite the painful walk to shore as we tried dodging the coral (a few of us falling victim to its razor sharp edges). More time was spent lounging on the white sand whilst wild monkeys ran amuck. Next stop was Ko Phi Phi Ley, the famed island of The Beach starring Leo DiCaprio. Now I thought Phi Phi Don (where we stayed) was amazing, but when Phi Phi Ley comes into view it's breathtaking. It looks like a fairytale island that just magically floats upon the water with sheer limestone cliffs and hidden bays. We made our way around the island passing by Viking Cave where they 
harvest Swallow spit nests for a special soup (Planet Earth anyone?!) and finally to the destination we'd all been waiting for: Maya Bay. This is the bay the movie was filmed in and it's safe to say that movies/photos do not do this place justice. You come around the sides of the cliffs and enter an immense bay of deep green-blue water that leads to a stark white sand beach against a jungled backdrop--we spent a good amount of time here swimming with the fishes and the coral and got back on the boat in time to see the sunset beyond one horizon and the moon rise on the other. New Year's Eve night found us at the Irish Pub for a 3-for-1 buckets (think fishbowls, Thai style) and a free dinner buffet. Then we rushed to the 
beach to receive a free bucket at Apache and a free bucket at Ibiza and we were set for the night. It was filled with more fire, dancing, glow paint and spectacular fireworks displays over the water. Wow, who would have thunk that the end of 2009 would have been spent in such a way. (Probably the funniest event of the night was that when Jenny got back to her hostel room she leaned on the sink in the bathroom and it fell off the wall leading to a great flood and the maintenance man having to come shut off the water--but don't worry they superglued it back on the wall the next day!)
beach to receive a free bucket at Apache and a free bucket at Ibiza and we were set for the night. It was filled with more fire, dancing, glow paint and spectacular fireworks displays over the water. Wow, who would have thunk that the end of 2009 would have been spent in such a way. (Probably the funniest event of the night was that when Jenny got back to her hostel room she leaned on the sink in the bathroom and it fell off the wall leading to a great flood and the maintenance man having to come shut off the water--but don't worry they superglued it back on the wall the next day!)
New Year's Day we rented a long boat and headed back to Maya Bay for some R & R and had an amazing Italian dinner after watching the sunset from the viewpoint past our hostel (which was a strenuous uphill hike--well worth it though). We sat on the beach again and night and headed back early since we had a long day of travel ahead of us...After the ferry ride on Jan 2 we followed a cab driver to his taxi to take us to our overnight bus. Josie and I put our stuff in the trunk and go to get in, but the driver looks at us embarassed as he has carefully locked his keys in the car! No joke, we had a bus to catch in 40 minutes and our bags were in the trunk of a Toyota Corolla. He called his 'baby' to come bring us his spare set of keys, but when his son showed up he didn't have the keys--he was going to let his dad drive his car w/ us in it to the bus station. The driver had failed to tell his 'baby' that our bags were locked in as well. So, the son had to drive back home and get the keys...meanwhile we have like 15 minutes until the bus leaves. Thankfully Emily got to the bus station before us and we were able to have the driver talk to the bus company to stall the bus because we made it with literally seconds to spare after Nascarring it through Phuket Town.
Oh and to make things better I was on the bus (2 seat, aisle 2 seat) alone in my 2 seat spot until suddenly appears a Thai woman and her baby who so nicely squeezed in next to me. To make it even better, besides taking up some of my seat she also thought it would be a great idea to rub baby powder everywhere and breast feed like we were in her own home. I had to laugh, because of course that would happen to me. And honestly I couldn't stay too upset when the baby was so cute and found me very interesting by 'talking' to me and grabbing my hands. Sigh, Thailand. Happy New Year 2010!
Phi Phi: Island Phantasy
We got up early the 29th and headed for the pier in a private car (we ball hard) and made our way directly to the air conditioned center cabin of our ferry and with windows all the way around overlooking the water it wasn't too shabby! The ride was about 2 hrs--a perfect time for a nap and taking in the sites.
We stayed at a hostel on the viewpoint stairs (there are 3 viewpoints on Phi Phi overlooking the island that are accessible by this staircase) and while The Scenery as it was called wasn't the most luxurious of hostels, it had enough beds, private bathrooms and wasn't right on the main drag. After setting down our things Josie, Reuven and I met up with Emily and Katie (2 fellow Satit Bagna teachers) and about 15 other people for a private beach party. Now this party was supposed to be a boatride away for a day of fun in the sun but was actually one of the worst organized things ever! It started late to begin with, but then the driver of the boat disappeared for a while, so we threatened to mutiny unless we got our money back, but the 'director' of the operation was like no he'll be back don't worry.
As the ocean stretched to the horizon Ko Phi Phi Don came into view. It's exactly how you imagine coming upon paradise: a beautiful and richly lush island resting pristinely like an emerald against deep aquamarine water. The water is clear to the bottom and schools of fish darted back and forth as the boat made its way to shore-we had arrived!
We stayed at a hostel on the viewpoint stairs (there are 3 viewpoints on Phi Phi overlooking the island that are accessible by this staircase) and while The Scenery as it was called wasn't the most luxurious of hostels, it had enough beds, private bathrooms and wasn't right on the main drag. After setting down our things Josie, Reuven and I met up with Emily and Katie (2 fellow Satit Bagna teachers) and about 15 other people for a private beach party. Now this party was supposed to be a boatride away for a day of fun in the sun but was actually one of the worst organized things ever! It started late to begin with, but then the driver of the boat disappeared for a while, so we threatened to mutiny unless we got our money back, but the 'director' of the operation was like no he'll be back don't worry. So after a while we started getting restless and finally got him to give us the beverages he was going to try to make us pay for later--needless to say the driver came back, we found out the battery on the motor as dead, got a new battery, then they realized the boat was too heavy so they had to make two trips, so a group of us volunteered to take the 2nd trip (not before hoarding armfulls of Chang) and hung out in the bay soaking in our surroundings. The day turned out to be amazing despite the inital glitch--we hung out amongst the coral and Reuven and I won the Frisbeer tournament (beating the currently multi-year undefeated British mates).
Realizing 
we hadn't eaten much we got some hefty portions of Kao Pat Moo (Pork Fried Rice) before heading back to the hostel to get ready for the evening. We ended up meeting up with some more CIEE people who were on the island and joined forces with them for the rest of the trip. That night we went to Apache Club and Ibiza which were right on the beach and featured amazing fire dance shows. I even did fire limbo and fire jump rope--glad I did it, but don't know that I need to do it again (very scary)! Only two people in our group got hit b
y the rope and have some small reminders that it was indeed real fire. We spent the night socializing and dancing on the beach complete with glow in the dark orange body paint so we all looked like Na'vi Warriors (for all you Avatar fans). Before heading home we stopped at Stones down the beach where we were able to lay on mats/pillows and look at the moon/stars.
we hadn't eaten much we got some hefty portions of Kao Pat Moo (Pork Fried Rice) before heading back to the hostel to get ready for the evening. We ended up meeting up with some more CIEE people who were on the island and joined forces with them for the rest of the trip. That night we went to Apache Club and Ibiza which were right on the beach and featured amazing fire dance shows. I even did fire limbo and fire jump rope--glad I did it, but don't know that I need to do it again (very scary)! Only two people in our group got hit b
y the rope and have some small reminders that it was indeed real fire. We spent the night socializing and dancing on the beach complete with glow in the dark orange body paint so we all looked like Na'vi Warriors (for all you Avatar fans). Before heading home we stopped at Stones down the beach where we were able to lay on mats/pillows and look at the moon/stars.The next day found us on a journey across the 
island to Long Beach. We actually from one side to the other through the jungle, across deserted beaches, on dirt paths and boulder paths. It was well worth the trek for the beach was wonderful. It stretched on and on with soft white sand and sparkling water reflecting the sun. We spent the day there snorkelling, swimming, soaking up the rays and eating by the water. At night we laid low and just had some drinks by the water which, despite the pounding music from some of the clubs was extremely peaceful. We ran into Leora on the way home and found out that she was headed back to the U.S. the next day as her Grandmother was extremely sick. It really makes you realize how quickly things can happen and to really be thankful for everything you have!
island to Long Beach. We actually from one side to the other through the jungle, across deserted beaches, on dirt paths and boulder paths. It was well worth the trek for the beach was wonderful. It stretched on and on with soft white sand and sparkling water reflecting the sun. We spent the day there snorkelling, swimming, soaking up the rays and eating by the water. At night we laid low and just had some drinks by the water which, despite the pounding music from some of the clubs was extremely peaceful. We ran into Leora on the way home and found out that she was headed back to the U.S. the next day as her Grandmother was extremely sick. It really makes you realize how quickly things can happen and to really be thankful for everything you have!Friday, January 8, 2010
Just touched down in Phuket Town
So Christmas Day was a bit out of the ordinary with Sports Day, but even odder was the fact that we got on a 14 hour overnight bus in BKK to Phuket that night. The bus was pretty ghetto and not too comfortable, but I guess you can't complain when you pay $15. Well, maybe you can complain when the bus drivers are singing/playing music/talking all through the night...Potato Patato.
Dec. 26: We finally made it to Phuket Town the next morning where Jenny's dad picked us up from the bus station. We spent the 26-28 at Jenny's Dad's house on the island--talk about amazing. 
He picked us up and drove us through Phuket Town to Kahtu (the village where the house is). It's a beautiful home that is more like a walled in complex nestled in the verrrry green mountains. Inside the white walls is a long driveway leading to a guesthouse, infinity pool and main house that are all beautifully designed and have an amazing view of the village/surrounding hills. I can't tell you how incredible it felt to be at a home. A real house with couches and tvs and beds and separate rooms and a big fridge and tables to eat at and A/C! Jenny's dad and his Thai wife, Nat, are the most welcoming people and made us feel right at home. We claimed our beds in the upstairs guest room/loft and threw on our suits. We swam for a good part of the day after eating lunch and retreated into the A/C to watch a movie in the afternoon. We were really roughing it. We all piled in the car and went to a local noodle shop that made their own Baat Mii (egg noodles) and the food was amazing--we thought that was dinner but found out it was just a midday snack. That night we had a wonderful homecooked meal out on the patio (no mosquitos!) and afterward we had some drinks and played some cards. We were all pretty exhausted and headed up to our chilly, comfortable rooms!
He picked us up and drove us through Phuket Town to Kahtu (the village where the house is). It's a beautiful home that is more like a walled in complex nestled in the verrrry green mountains. Inside the white walls is a long driveway leading to a guesthouse, infinity pool and main house that are all beautifully designed and have an amazing view of the village/surrounding hills. I can't tell you how incredible it felt to be at a home. A real house with couches and tvs and beds and separate rooms and a big fridge and tables to eat at and A/C! Jenny's dad and his Thai wife, Nat, are the most welcoming people and made us feel right at home. We claimed our beds in the upstairs guest room/loft and threw on our suits. We swam for a good part of the day after eating lunch and retreated into the A/C to watch a movie in the afternoon. We were really roughing it. We all piled in the car and went to a local noodle shop that made their own Baat Mii (egg noodles) and the food was amazing--we thought that was dinner but found out it was just a midday snack. That night we had a wonderful homecooked meal out on the patio (no mosquitos!) and afterward we had some drinks and played some cards. We were all pretty exhausted and headed up to our chilly, comfortable rooms!Dec. 27-29: The next few days were filled with some much needed R & R. We went to the famed Patong Beach which is actually a seedy tourist trap filled with copious amounts of bars and umbrellas/beach chairs for rent for as far as the
eye could see. Granted we had fun bartering with the beach salesman who were shocked and amazed that some Farang (white people) could actually hold a conversation in Thai and that we weren't going to settle for the prices they usually offered people like us. To get to Patong we took a Songtow which comfortably holds about 20 people and there were more than 40 people on this thing. A few of us were on the floor, 2 of us sat on the roof and I literally was holding on a ladder on the back going up an 80 degree incline (I think that's steep--if not change the number so that it shows how steep it was!) There were so many people that we had to pull over a couple times as the Songtow stalled on the way up. Jenny's dad also took us to Nai Han beach which is a much less popular, more local beach that is SO beautiful. It was soft, fine sand surrounded by a pine tree forest. Thailand is really unique in that manner--not all the beaches are tropical/palm tree beaches, but a lot of times they are surrounded by mountains and lush forests. The water there is also a beautiful, clear blue that stretches out of the bay to the horizon. It's times like these 
that I realize why I'm here :)
eye could see. Granted we had fun bartering with the beach salesman who were shocked and amazed that some Farang (white people) could actually hold a conversation in Thai and that we weren't going to settle for the prices they usually offered people like us. To get to Patong we took a Songtow which comfortably holds about 20 people and there were more than 40 people on this thing. A few of us were on the floor, 2 of us sat on the roof and I literally was holding on a ladder on the back going up an 80 degree incline (I think that's steep--if not change the number so that it shows how steep it was!) There were so many people that we had to pull over a couple times as the Songtow stalled on the way up. Jenny's dad also took us to Nai Han beach which is a much less popular, more local beach that is SO beautiful. It was soft, fine sand surrounded by a pine tree forest. Thailand is really unique in that manner--not all the beaches are tropical/palm tree beaches, but a lot of times they are surrounded by mountains and lush forests. The water there is also a beautiful, clear blue that stretches out of the bay to the horizon. It's times like these 
that I realize why I'm here :)Our afternoons were usually filled with time in the pool playing volleyball or just looking out over the mountains (oh and great food). One night we went to a locally favorite restaurant--Raya-- in Phuket Town that has been there for over 100 years. We had some of the best Thai food I've ever had including a coconut milk/yellow curry crab dish that I could have eaten everyday for the rest of my life. The last night we were there we had a real American BBQ w/ grilled meat, baked potatoes and the works. One of the best things too, about 
being at Jenny's dad's was the wine! It's really hard to find good wine in Thailand as the cheap stuff is made from rice and tastes a little bit like vomit and the nice stuff is REALLY expensive...but her dad had real red/white wine that he graciouslyshared. We weren't sure if we actually wanted to leave! We didn't even go out on the town at night in Phuket because we were so content just hanging out in the confines of the complex: watching movies, relaxing, sitting on couches, sleeping on non-straw mattresses, spending time with friends, etc. The comforts of home right there in Phuket.
being at Jenny's dad's was the wine! It's really hard to find good wine in Thailand as the cheap stuff is made from rice and tastes a little bit like vomit and the nice stuff is REALLY expensive...but her dad had real red/white wine that he graciouslyshared. We weren't sure if we actually wanted to leave! We didn't even go out on the town at night in Phuket because we were so content just hanging out in the confines of the complex: watching movies, relaxing, sitting on couches, sleeping on non-straw mattresses, spending time with friends, etc. The comforts of home right there in Phuket.Sunday, January 3, 2010
Good 'Thai'dings to You
Christmas Week 2009:
So in the end Sathit Bangna came through in terms of celebrating Christmas. It's such a weird time to be away from home and family and all the traditions, but come Christmas week, our school was alive with holiday spirit (even though we're convinced they think that Christmas Eve is actually Christmas day)
A lot of class didn't happen this week as kids were getting ready for the Christmas Eve show and for Sports day on the 25th, but I spent pretty much every class of every day I had it doing various Christmas projects with my kids. We did everything from writing cards to Santa, to making 3D Christmas tree ornaments to origami elves to Christmas wordfinds/mazes. My best craft was with my science class: we've been learning about habitats and organisms, so we went outside and collected different types of leaves and flowers and glued them on paper circles to make Christmas wreath ornaments--AWESOME. I feel that at the end of it all the kids kind of get a little Christmased out considering all us foreingers teach about, but it's still fun and better than doing in class work.
December 23rd Dr. Absorn threw the foreign teachers a Christmas party at her house on Soi 35. It ended up being a pretty good time despite them being 2+ hours late. We had loads and loads of pizza (obviously a Christmas tradition) along with some Thai fruits and drinks. We ate fresh tamarind which I actually liked even though it looks like a small alien fetus when peeled from its shell. Teacher Beth (a Filipino teacher) was DJ which made for an interesting playlist--nsync, celine dion, filipino techno, Christmas tunes, etc. It was quite the diverse party as well with 2 thais, 3 filipinos, 7 americans, 2 chinese and 1 burmese...can't say I thought I'd ever experience that!
ad in santa costume/beard) began Ho Ho Ho-ing and throwing candy to the kids. I actually thought I was watching a pack of hyenas descend upon an injured gazelle--kids were screaming and clawing and pushing and shoving to get at the candy as we all watched in horror and humor. Assembly lead us to the football field where we watched the openi+034.jpg)
ng ceremony for Baby Games (a Sports Day extravaganza for the little ones) and then over to the stage to watch the Christmas show which was amazing. Different ages sang and danced to our holiday favorites including Jingrr Bewrrs (Jingle Bells), 12 days of Kistmas (Christmas), Ret it Sanow (Let it Snow) and Ding Dong Merrirry on High (Ding Dong Merrily on High). The two best were 4th grade doing a hand mime dance to Give Love On Christmas Day(I think by the Jackson 5) where they spelled out different words to the lyrics and 3rd grade who did an amaaaazing dance to Last Christmas by Wham. I don't think I've ever laughed so hard in my life--Ake was in the center and rocking out the whole time while Pooh, Oom and the others were following right along. Those two grades have Teacher Beth and she does the greatest things with them.
That night we all got dressed up and headed back to school for the staff Christmas party which turned out to be a blast! The entire night was in Thai and, even though we had no idea what was being said, the MCs were hysterical. We ate a 5 or 6 course meal and watched as different departments and staff members performed on the stage and/or did karaoke. Don't worry, even us foreign teachers got a chance to shine:
all of us got up on stage and performed a rousing dance routine to Last Christmas by Wham (don't worry we didn't steal all the moves from the 3rd graders.) I figured 'Go big or Go home' and the crowd loved it--during the dance 4 different Thai teachers ran up and gave me roses. I guess all that HUMO training paid off :) There was also a gift exchange which (after we opened our gifts) was pretty funny. Someone would draw a number and then get a gift from whoever had that number and so on until all the gifts were gone: now we were told to get thoughtful gifts that weren't cheap cuz last year some of the Thais were upset with the presents they got. So, I got a nice glass juice pitcher and glass set for breakfast and what did i get in return? A white and yellow plastic table clock (that has clearly been used before)with a cow on it who has a bell around it's neck that swings back and forth like a pendulum--oh and it doesn't have a battery so I don't know if it works yet. HAHA We were all just laughing at our presents as Josie opened up a tiny shrine to the king complete with miniature elephant tusks and Ryan got a bright green blender. It was one of those times when you just smile and shake your head: Oh Thailand.
December 25th The school has been preparing for this day for the last 2 months and it finally culminated in a glorious day known simply as Sports Day. Every Friday
afternoon (and some m-th) we didn't have class randomly so that kids could get in their sports teams, practice cheers, practice their events, etc. The school was divided into 3 colors-Orange, Blue, Pink- and each team had different outfits/themes (ie Pink Punky, Blue Chill, etc.) and there were sports competitions held for pretty much the entire day. These events included your standard race events (which almost all kids ran barefoot) and some new additions that I wouldn't have considered sports, but made for some grand spectating. For example there was a race in which 5-6 little kids all hopped on a pole (like riding a horse) and raced down the field holding the pole, relay race w/ 2 people holding a ball between their chests, a race where kids literally rolled a rubber tire down the field, around a cone and back and a 'cheer' event.
The cheer event was actually shocking to all of us foreigners as we watched the high schoolers parade around like little
prostitutes in front of parents/administrators. It sounds a bit intense, but there were literally 3 teams of 16 year old girls (and ladyboys) that had coreographed dance routines and cheer numbers dressed in very un-Thai outfits. The orange team was wearing fishnets, tall leather stiletto boots, tube tops and tight leather jackets as they rolled on the ground and did a chair dance while the pink team (w/ slightly less cleavage) danced on a stage to Britney and Lady Gaga and emulating many of their scandalous moves. Granted we all thought it was kind of humorous once the shock wore off, but we are still baffled that the parents were sitting their cheering and videotaping these girls when we are made to feel 'unpolite' if we walk around in shorts. I guess we'll never understand, but it sure made for an entertaining day. After lunch we waited around to get our HUGE Christmas bonus--well it was actually 2000 baht which is only like 60$ but it was a really big deal to all the staff and in Thai terms is a pretty good set of change to add on top of your salary.
After that we went home and packed for our big trip. Josie gave me a haircut which was an interesting experience considering it was her first one--it actually turned out pretty well until the very end when she was trimming the back and rather than following my existent hairline, she created her own jagged path up my cranium. Good thing hair grows fast and I really don't have anyone to impress over here :) Well free is free and I'll probably ask her to do it again.
So in the end Sathit Bangna came through in terms of celebrating Christmas. It's such a weird time to be away from home and family and all the traditions, but come Christmas week, our school was alive with holiday spirit (even though we're convinced they think that Christmas Eve is actually Christmas day)
A lot of class didn't happen this week as kids were getting ready for the Christmas Eve show and for Sports day on the 25th, but I spent pretty much every class of every day I had it doing various Christmas projects with my kids. We did everything from writing cards to Santa, to making 3D Christmas tree ornaments to origami elves to Christmas wordfinds/mazes. My best craft was with my science class: we've been learning about habitats and organisms, so we went outside and collected different types of leaves and flowers and glued them on paper circles to make Christmas wreath ornaments--AWESOME. I feel that at the end of it all the kids kind of get a little Christmased out considering all us foreingers teach about, but it's still fun and better than doing in class work.
December 23rd Dr. Absorn threw the foreign teachers a Christmas party at her house on Soi 35. It ended up being a pretty good time despite them being 2+ hours late. We had loads and loads of pizza (obviously a Christmas tradition) along with some Thai fruits and drinks. We ate fresh tamarind which I actually liked even though it looks like a small alien fetus when peeled from its shell. Teacher Beth (a Filipino teacher) was DJ which made for an interesting playlist--nsync, celine dion, filipino techno, Christmas tunes, etc. It was quite the diverse party as well with 2 thais, 3 filipinos, 7 americans, 2 chinese and 1 burmese...can't say I thought I'd ever experience that!
December 24th we all dressed in red or green to celebrate Christmas and the foreign teachers started up morning assembly with rousing renditions of Jingle Bell Rock and We Wish You a Merry Christmas complete with Santa hat costumes. Then Ryan F (fully cl
ad in santa costume/beard) began Ho Ho Ho-ing and throwing candy to the kids. I actually thought I was watching a pack of hyenas descend upon an injured gazelle--kids were screaming and clawing and pushing and shoving to get at the candy as we all watched in horror and humor. Assembly lead us to the football field where we watched the openi+034.jpg)
ng ceremony for Baby Games (a Sports Day extravaganza for the little ones) and then over to the stage to watch the Christmas show which was amazing. Different ages sang and danced to our holiday favorites including Jingrr Bewrrs (Jingle Bells), 12 days of Kistmas (Christmas), Ret it Sanow (Let it Snow) and Ding Dong Merrirry on High (Ding Dong Merrily on High). The two best were 4th grade doing a hand mime dance to Give Love On Christmas Day(I think by the Jackson 5) where they spelled out different words to the lyrics and 3rd grade who did an amaaaazing dance to Last Christmas by Wham. I don't think I've ever laughed so hard in my life--Ake was in the center and rocking out the whole time while Pooh, Oom and the others were following right along. Those two grades have Teacher Beth and she does the greatest things with them.That night we all got dressed up and headed back to school for the staff Christmas party which turned out to be a blast! The entire night was in Thai and, even though we had no idea what was being said, the MCs were hysterical. We ate a 5 or 6 course meal and watched as different departments and staff members performed on the stage and/or did karaoke. Don't worry, even us foreign teachers got a chance to shine:
all of us got up on stage and performed a rousing dance routine to Last Christmas by Wham (don't worry we didn't steal all the moves from the 3rd graders.) I figured 'Go big or Go home' and the crowd loved it--during the dance 4 different Thai teachers ran up and gave me roses. I guess all that HUMO training paid off :) There was also a gift exchange which (after we opened our gifts) was pretty funny. Someone would draw a number and then get a gift from whoever had that number and so on until all the gifts were gone: now we were told to get thoughtful gifts that weren't cheap cuz last year some of the Thais were upset with the presents they got. So, I got a nice glass juice pitcher and glass set for breakfast and what did i get in return? A white and yellow plastic table clock (that has clearly been used before)with a cow on it who has a bell around it's neck that swings back and forth like a pendulum--oh and it doesn't have a battery so I don't know if it works yet. HAHA We were all just laughing at our presents as Josie opened up a tiny shrine to the king complete with miniature elephant tusks and Ryan got a bright green blender. It was one of those times when you just smile and shake your head: Oh Thailand.December 25th The school has been preparing for this day for the last 2 months and it finally culminated in a glorious day known simply as Sports Day. Every Friday
afternoon (and some m-th) we didn't have class randomly so that kids could get in their sports teams, practice cheers, practice their events, etc. The school was divided into 3 colors-Orange, Blue, Pink- and each team had different outfits/themes (ie Pink Punky, Blue Chill, etc.) and there were sports competitions held for pretty much the entire day. These events included your standard race events (which almost all kids ran barefoot) and some new additions that I wouldn't have considered sports, but made for some grand spectating. For example there was a race in which 5-6 little kids all hopped on a pole (like riding a horse) and raced down the field holding the pole, relay race w/ 2 people holding a ball between their chests, a race where kids literally rolled a rubber tire down the field, around a cone and back and a 'cheer' event.The cheer event was actually shocking to all of us foreigners as we watched the high schoolers parade around like little
prostitutes in front of parents/administrators. It sounds a bit intense, but there were literally 3 teams of 16 year old girls (and ladyboys) that had coreographed dance routines and cheer numbers dressed in very un-Thai outfits. The orange team was wearing fishnets, tall leather stiletto boots, tube tops and tight leather jackets as they rolled on the ground and did a chair dance while the pink team (w/ slightly less cleavage) danced on a stage to Britney and Lady Gaga and emulating many of their scandalous moves. Granted we all thought it was kind of humorous once the shock wore off, but we are still baffled that the parents were sitting their cheering and videotaping these girls when we are made to feel 'unpolite' if we walk around in shorts. I guess we'll never understand, but it sure made for an entertaining day. After lunch we waited around to get our HUGE Christmas bonus--well it was actually 2000 baht which is only like 60$ but it was a really big deal to all the staff and in Thai terms is a pretty good set of change to add on top of your salary.
After that we went home and packed for our big trip. Josie gave me a haircut which was an interesting experience considering it was her first one--it actually turned out pretty well until the very end when she was trimming the back and rather than following my existent hairline, she created her own jagged path up my cranium. Good thing hair grows fast and I really don't have anyone to impress over here :) Well free is free and I'll probably ask her to do it again.
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