Back to School, Back to School ☺

I can’t believe I’m actually caught up on here! I almost feel accomplished, except for the fact that so much happened this week.

Early Monday morning, Mike left. I was exhausted and tired, and I had to make a lesson plan for Tuesday, because I had to go back to work. So I slept half of my day away, then figured out my lesson. I was soooo nervous to go back. It was like my first day all over again.

Come Tuesday, I was still nervous … until I saw the kids. Ann and Rin (my co-teachers) had explained I was on vacation and I would be back, so they didn’t think I abandoned them (which was something I worried about). I didn’t think I had been there long enough for them to miss me all that much, but they were really excited to see me, which of course, made me feel really good. My students went away to girl/boy scout camp for the rest of the week, so I got to prepare my lessons for next week, and relax a little. I got home, and remembered how alone I feel when I’m there. After 2 weeks of having a companion, the loneliness hit hard.

I had been planning on returning home in mid-January, or earlier should I need to get home and be with my family. However, on Wednesday morning, I made the decision to come home earlier. The fact of the matter is that I can always come back to Thailand, but I can’t always get more time with grandpa. I have accomplished everything I came here to accomplish, and I am proud of all I have done. I have been a teacher, a mentor, a farang, a traveler, a student, an observer, a friend, a baby, and an adventurer. I have no regrets … and I cannot wait to get home! I was able to get a flight back for the 22nd, which means I’ll get to spend Christmas with my family. I will miss so much about Thailand, but I’m ready to be home.

On Thursday, I went to a new school to meet with a Thai English teacher (Bua) who needs some help with her teaching style. I had been there before to meet with her and watch one of her classes, but Thursday was to discuss how I could help. Since I am now leaving so soon, it was decided that I would teach her classes on Friday and she would observe and take notes. So Thursday evening was spent preparing 4 lesson plans for 4 classes I don’t know … which is much more challenging than for my own students.

I got the other school early on Friday, just in time to see the students lining up for what looked like a protest. It wasn’t a protest, but a PARADE! So I got to in the “parade” with them around the block of their school. Apparently they were handing out flyers about a measure the area will be voting on soon … I was just excited to be in a mini parade ☺ When we got back, I started teaching. My first class was P1 (about 1st grade). There were only 9 of them, so I figured it would be the easiest lesson ever … HA! Boy was I wrong. Those 6 year olds controlled me. I barely did my lesson at all, I just stood there laughing, as they all screamed “teacher teacher teacher!!!” I couldn’t keep up. After class, I worried that I wouldn’t be able to help Bua at all, but she and the other Thai teacher said I did great (I think they were just being nice). Next was P2 (2nd grade-ish), and there are only 5 students (remember my classes at Wat Pathumwanaram are 30 to 40 students per class and grades 7 to 9-ish). This lesson went much more smoothly … as did the other two classes (both classes of 15, grades 4 and 5-ish), so I do feel as though I was able to help a little. All in all, it was a really fun and different day.

Today (Saturday), I intended to get out of the apartment and see Jim Thompson’s house, as well as go to the Jim Thompson store for their big sale, but I got stuck on the computer downloading pictures. Tomorrow I will at least get to the sale! Next week I am teaching my students Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer and getting ready to leave.

I will be staying with my parents in Eureka when I get back, probably substitute teaching until I have enough money to move and or when I figure out what exactly I should do next.

Mike's Trip To Thailand!

To make this easier for me, I made a list of some of the things Mike and I did during his trip here with some fun/interesting details that I think shouldn’t be left out. Otherwise, I will have carpal tunnel syndrome before I finish. Oh yeah … And I have added pictures to my “living in Bangkok” album as well as pictures Mike and I took while he was here.

Loy Krathong: Krathongs are like little boats made of banana leaves folded into many shapes with candles, incense and flowers. On Loy Krathong, they put their Krathongs in the river and they are supposed to carry their sins away. One of my students brought me everything I needed to make a Krathong, and my other students contributed flowers and whatnot, so I was able to make a Krathong for Mike and I to put in the river, as he arrived on the day of Loy Krathong.

Ban Phe: Had to show him the stomping ground … or at least the “restaurant across the street”, which has moved, but is still as yummy as ever. We rented a motorbike for the day, which worked out quite well, aside from me burning my leg on the muffler (I’m calling it my Thai tattoo). We went to the National Park, TEFL, the Chinese Temple and ate lots of my favorite food.

Kayaking in Krabi: Lots of monkeys … A lot less vigorous than last time (no rain, and we went with the current instead of against it).

Cooking Course in Krabi: mmmmmm ☺

Rock Climbing in Railay: I had never rock climbed before, and my instructor wasn’t doing much instructing, so aside from falling within the first 5 minutes, I really enjoyed it. Mike was like Spiderman, he might have been better than our instructor. I only did a half day, spent the other half at the beach, while Mike climbed all day (my feet would have killed me … point shoes didn’t hurt as much as the rock climbing shoes!)

Muay Thai in Koh Phi Phi: There were no 13 year old knock outs this time ☺

Scuba Diving: HA! I wish I scuba dived. I was going to, but freaked out (claustrophobia and scuba don’t work well together)! I ended up doing some snorkeling, while Mike scuba-d. He saw all sorts of cool fish, and he even saw a turtle!!!

Trekked around Koh Phi Phi: We walked up what seemed like a bazillion stairs to a really cool view point, where I held some one’s baby while they made us fruit shakes. We continued on our trek, and met a crazy old man with a guest house on a cliff with a view … but a lot of mosquitoes.

Cliff Jumping & Snorkeling: For my Birthday, we went cliff jumping (into the sea of course). The highest jump I did was 40ft, but Mike did a 60ft jump! It didn’t look that high, but then I just kept waiting to hear him hit the water … That’s when I decided it was too high for me! Afterwards, we did some snorkeling, and I got to see some awesome coral reefs and fish … It was like being in one of the videos Cahill made me watch in Marine Biology ☺

Massages on the Beach: Mike had never gotten a massage before he got to Thailand. Can you believe that? Anyway, on my Birthday, we had foot massages in cabanas on the beach just after sunset. It was phenomenal.

Krabi Market: Lot’s of tasty food to try.

Night Market/Bazaar in Chiang Mai: I’m broke, but it’s still fun to look ☺

Kings Bday; It was his 80th Birthday, and a celebration the country has been counting down to for the entire year. They love their King. It’s amazing to see a Nation love their leader so much. He is the longest serving current head of state and the longest serving monarch in Thai history. He has done many wonderful things for his people. Long Live the King!

Cooking Course in Chiang Mai: I can’t get enough cooking courses. This one was a bit different, because it is on an organic farm, so we got to pick some of our own ingredients. I plan on starting a garden when I get home. I can’t afford all the ingredients I need, so I’m just gonna grow them!

Lanterns in Chiang Mai: On the King’s Bday, a bunch of people were lighting lanterns (which are like mini hot air balloons), so the sky was filled with floating light. It was beautiful. Mike and I tried to do one; we let go too soon and the lantern almost fell on someone’s head … which could have meant lighting their head on fire! We tried again, and our lantern survived ☺ After that we walked to the celebration “center” and watched the Prime Minister give a public address. I love how much the Thai people love their culture, their country, their King, everything … and I love watching them in the thick of it, like that night, cheering and smiling and taking pictures. This is definitely in my Top 5 memories of being here.

Elephant Trekking, Hiking to Waterfalls, White Water Rafting and Bamboo Rafting in Chiang Mai: It was a busy day! It was a long, dusty songteau ride to the elephant camp. We rode elephants, hiked to a waterfall, did a short white water rafting trip and then jumped onto bamboo rafts. I was expecting the bamboo rafts to be a bit more exciting, but I guess I can’t get thrown into sewer water too many times while I’m here.

Doi Suthep in Chiang Mai: Great view, great people watching.

Democracy Monument in Bangkok: It was in full swing for the King’s Birthday. Lights, water shows, and a ton of people. Mike and I spent quite a bit of our two evenings in Bangkok just people watching, talking and taking pictures.

Chatuchak Market in Bangkok: Mike needed souvenirs … I brought him to the Market … I have never been so exhausted in my life (OK that’s an exaggeration … but I was really tired). We spent 4 grueling hours bargaining, looking and walking.

Grand Palace in Bangkok: I hadn’t been to the Grand Palace yet, because the last time I tried was when I first got to Thailand and I got taken advantage of by the “bird feeders” … Who I saw on the way there! It was a Palace ☺ And the infamous Emerald Buddha was green, but much smaller than I was expecting. Nothing too exciting, but I’m glad I can say I saw it.

Wat Pho in Bangkok: I just love this place. I don’t really know why. Maybe because I get to put coins into alms bowls and it makes a cool noise ☺

To sum it up … It was an action packed wonderful 2 weeks, and I was very sad to see him go.

November's Adventures in Teaching

The beginning of November, I left Ban Phe for Bangkok. The position that I mentioned in August working for the Princess came back up. After telling them I did not want to commit to a long term position, I thought that gig was out the window. However I received an email the last week of October, saying they really needed someone, even if only for a short while. So I met up with Su, the woman I had been communicating with about the position (who is wonderful). After a quick discussion about commitments, Su got her driver and he took us to the school ... which is not teaching monks, and it is the nicest school I have ever seen, in Thailand or the US. It is in the middle of Siam, which is an area flooded with high class, fancy, Vegas-ish malls (without the clubs), but the students are all from very low income families. Basically to cut to the chase … I took the job, after making sure they understood that my family comes first, and should I need to come home, I would leave, and I needed two weeks off for when Mike was here … Not a problem. They were awesome and understanding about everything. Here is a link to an article about the school telling about its history http://bangkokpost.net/education/site2007/cvnv0607.htm. One of the women they talk about, Adisai, is the head of the English department … A lovely lovely woman.

So I moved into the Princess’ Palace the next day (yup … the Palace). So what if I don’t actually live on the same side of the compound as Princess Sirindhorn? I live with the people who work on the grounds (and their kids … some of which are my students). The place is awesome. I have a separate living room, a kitchenette, a bedroom, a bathroom, a TV, a DVD player, a stereo, a couch, a dining room table, a balcony, a bed, extra blankets, a fridge, pots, pans, silverware, washing machine, dinner delivered to me nightly, a fruit basket delivered every other day ... need I go on? It does have its down sides … I have to wear a collared shirt and long pants or a skirt any time I leave my room, and in the beginning, the kids would come in and take over my apartment without much regard to the fact that I live here. I finally hung up posters for them so they would know how to ask for things and whatnot (that is some of my only décor, aside from the pictures they draw, of course). I also cannot have visitors past 8pm (although I don’t know who I would invite over anyway) … Which brings me to my biggest con … It’s lonely. I am the only westerner at the Palace and at the school and no one speaks English well enough to have a fluid conversation without any explanation, which is exhausting. In turn, I haven’t really met anyone but the kids, and my co-teachersin Bangkok. Some times I’m fine with it, and some times I’m bored and lonely.

The day after moving into my place, I started teaching. I am teaching 6 classes over the course of 10 hours every week. They are all M1 to M3 (which is the equivalent to about 7th grade to 9th grade). They are a blast. I am by far most happy when I’m at the school with them. I’m not sure what I was thinking when I second-guessed my desire for teaching after college. Unfortunately, I love it, and I know I’ll be overworked and underpaid, but I really don’t care.

My second week of teaching, I got to see Princess Sirindhorn. It was an amazing experience. I walked out with Rin (one of my co-teachers), wearing one of her XS purple suit jackets (I couldn’t move my upper body), to the temple in front of the school to see a red carpet that we could not walk on and floods of people. We had front row spots, because we are teachers at the school. Guards came around perfectly lined us up, and I was “taught” how to curtsy when she walked by. When she pulled up (she rode in an S500, in case any SBAG-ers are reading this ☺) the crowd roared with cheer. I have never seen anything like it. When she walked by, she made eye contact with me, which Rin thought was the really cool … And so did I, but I also I thought I stood out like a sore thumb. I stood about 3 inches taller than everyone around me and was wearing a bright yellow shirt with a really small, bright purple jacket. It was an amazing experience despite being hot, immobile, and looking out of place.

I was able to spend one weekend in Ban Phe with Jenny, and one night out with some of the TEFL-ers from one of the courses I observed in October … So it hasn’t been all work and no play.

Stay tuned … I haven’t even gotten to Mike’s 2 week visit yet!

October

I will try not to bore everyone with every detail of the month … considering it was over a month ago (sorry!) But if I know myself at all … it will still be a novel.

After a month of travels with Bean, it was time for me to settle down and make some money ☺ I went back to Ban Phe to work for and live at TEFL International. It started out as a small job, observing trainees and giving them feedback, however after a week, I a few more opportunities for work popped up, and I raised my hand. I started teaching English to two French men who came to Thailand to do an immersion program (yeah … they came to Thailand to be immersed in English … What a world!) I got to do some one on one teaching with one of them in the mornings, and then we would go out with another English teacher (Janet) and do an activity together in the afternoon (visiting temples, cooking classes, watch movies, etc.)

A few highlights from the month were:

Working with monks at a temple in Ban Phe. All of the teaching practices took place at a temple, teaching monks. It was so great to watch these little monks, who you expect to be enlightened perfect beings, turn into real teenage boys by the end of a long day at school. The monks were really fun to work with. They are anxious to learn English, so they were constantly wanting to sit with us and pick our brains, and in turn, we got to pick theirs a little. One monk I became particularly close to is named Sum. He is 17 and from India. I’m still not sure why he is in Thailand or how exactly he got there, but he misses his family like crazy. He knows very little Thai, in fact, he probably knows more English than Thai, which secludes him from the other monks a bit. One day he broke into tears talking about his family and being lonely. Since he is a monk, I cannot touch him in any way … I can’t even get too close to him … but all I wanted to do was hug him. Our last day there, he made us cards and made sure he had our email addresses. I can’t wait to hear where life takes him. With a heart like his, he’s sure to do big things.

Eating crocodile with some of the TEFL Staffers. Not sure if I like it. Tasted like chicken, but had the texture of fat. Meh.

Janet’s house warming party (Janet is another English teacher from the Philippines with the prettiest smile I’ve ever seen), featuring a whole roasted pig, the Macarena and endless karaoke.

The next weekend I went to Khao Cha Mao with my “Frenchies”, Janet, Ree (lovely, lovely Ree … He drives us where we need to go for these adventures … He’s truly wonderful), Joy (ahhh crazy Joy, anther Thai TEFL Staffer … She’s crazy, but that’s why we love her), Helen (she took the TEFL course and did observations with me. She and I have been through a lot together over the last few months … Not sure what I would’ve done without her) … So with all those intro’s, I got lost, which means you’re probably lost too, I’ll start over. The next weekend I went to Khao Cha Mao with my “Frenchies”, Janet, Ree, Joy and Helen. Khao Cha Mao is a beautiful National Park with many waterfalls. We just hiked and splashed around all day; it was great.

Later that night we went to Jenny’s Birthday party at Tia’s (Jenny is a brilliant Aussie English teacher … She’s been a great source of support for me while I’ve been here. Tia is the masseuse I have come to love for more than her massages … She is one of the funniest, loveliest people I have met here. Her place is across from the school, next to Spicy’s and Mama’s). We danced and karaoked the night away. I think everyone who is anyone in Ban Phe was there … including the mayor … that’s right, the mayor ☺

Later in the month, Ron (Mike’s dad) came to Bangkok. We met up with Dan (get ready for this one … Mike’s aunt’s co-worker’s son who lives in Tokyo, but was in Bangkok for the weekend) and went to the Chatuchak Market (the biggest weekend market in Thailand selling just about anything you can imagine … the trick is finding it), Wat Arun, Wat Pho and the Jim Thompson Store (my favorite store in all of Thailand … a silk shop with lots of pretty pretty silky things). It was so great to have a familiar face around. I soaked it all up. I felt so lucky to have him here.

And the last highlight for October: Halloween. TEFL Intl is also an English school, so on Halloween, I painted students’ faces and we went to the neighborhood where my bosses live and trick or treated. I haven’t gone trick or treating in years, and I certainly wasn’t expecting to trick or treat this year, but I came home with a ton of candy. It was a blast.

All in all, October was a great month. However, it wasn’t without it’s down days. In mid October we found out that Grandpa Ayers’ Merkel Cell Cancer has returned, and it does not look so good this time around. He has chosen not to take any treatment, and I can’t say I blame him. I still think he is Superman for his strength … both physically and emotionally.

So … It was a month of fun and learning … Now let’s see if I can get November up here … I do not know how I was so good at this blog thing, then suddenly became so terrible at it.

I'm Alive!

I've added some pictures, but obviously I haven't written in the last month and a half. While I don't have a good excuse for October (aside from being lazy), I haven't updated this month because my internet it incredibly slow, and it takes ages to type anything out. Which is why I'm not going to update much right now :)

A very quick update is that I am now living in Bangkok and teaching 10 hours a week at a school in the middle of Siam (which means it's in the middle of everything!) Things are going well, and Mike will be here in a week, which excites me to no end! I'll update soon, it's long overdue.

Cambodia

I have most of my pictures up on Flickr now, however I was using Bean's camera a lot in Cambodia, especially in Siem Reap, so I'll have to add those later.

Bean and I took a bus from Bangkok to Siem Reap ... It was a long day. We boarded the bus at 7AM, arriving at the border around 2 (I think), at which point we had to get our Visas settled and whatnot. This would have been an easy process had the rain not come out of nowhere, delaying our bus and preventing the immigration officers from wanting to leave shelter to go across the street to get the actual Visa.

Once we got on our bus in Cambodia, we drove through torrential rain on a terrible road. There are rumors that a Thai Airway is paying off the government so that they won't fix the road to encourage flying (I can now see why this might work). The road was like driving in a really bad, pot hole infested alley way for 5 hours. We didn't get much rest on this leg of the trip :)

When we got to Siem Reap, we found a guest house very quickly and went to bed. The next day (Thursday) we went to Angkor with a French girl we met on the bus, Charlotte. We started at Bayon, which is a temple with many faces "built in" to the temple. (Bean has all of these pictures, so I'll have to add them later.) All of a sudden, it started pouring rain again. So we found shelter and bright colored ponchos (since we all forgot our rain coats) and moved on to the next temple, which was Preah Khan. Preah Khan is less visited by tourists, and since it was raining, we basically had it all to ourselves. This temple was less well kept (aka it was kind of falling apart, and trees were growing through it). I really enjoyed this place, I think in due part because we felt alone there. We then went to Ta Keo, which is the tallest of the temples in Angkor. Charlotte and I decided to just walk around the temple since it was still pouring and the stairs were very steep, while Bean ran up and took pictures :) Next, we went to Ta Prohm, which is known for having been left for the "jungle to swallow" (in other words, it should have been in worse shape than Prah Khan). While it wasn't in good shape, and there were massive trees growing through it, it was being worked on, which was slightly disappointing. We ended our day at Angkor Wat. I can pretty much sum it up with one work: HUGE! It was truly amazing to see. All of the temples were incredible in one way or another, and if Angkor Wat wasn't flooded with tourists it would have been my favorite hands down, but I really couldn't decide at the end of the day which one I liked the most. I loved being able to go just about anywhere in the temples, there are few places that are off limits. I felt very free to explore :)

We went to dinner in Siem Reap that night. Bean brought a bunch of balloons to hand out to the kids when they tried to sell us stuff. I could not believe how much fun these kids could have with a balloon! These kids who we see nightly here working, always selling something, suddenly turned into a child who was their own true age. They were having fun, instead of tediously begging people to buy something. It was such a good feeling to know that something as simple as a balloon could still make someone's day. The next night, they all remembered us, and we were thrilled to be able to give them more balloons.

The next day, Bean and I just walked around Siem Reap. We got some Mexican food (a burrito for Natalie ... which didn't come close to comparing to Speedy Taco, but they gave it their best), massages and did a little shopping. It was a good relaxing day.

Come Saturday, we took a boat from Siem Reap to Battambang. We sat on the roof of the boat, in the direct sun (my nose was BRIGHT red), and dodged branches (the "path" was so narrow in places that we had to jump out of the way when tree branches and bushes came at us). We rode through a number of floating villages. It was incredible to see that people still live in places like this. They are huts on the water, many of which get flooded whenever a boat goes by ... But they don't seem phased. We felt like we were in a parade for a good hour or so, because as we rode by, we would hear all these kids helling and screaming "HELLO!!!!" and we'd look over to find dozens of naked children waving like their lives depended on it.

Upon arriving in Battambang, we got a bit to eat and went to bed early. On Sunday, we took a half day cooking class where we made 3 Kmerr dishes and visited the local market. After that we took a nap (food comas are the best), and then took a tuk tuk around for an hour to see the city. We ate dinner at the hotel, then set out to find a happening place to hang out for the night (which didn't happen).

Monday we took a bus to Pnom Penh. Besides the poor mother and son combo who were sick the whole bus ride, it wasn't too bad. We got in to Pnom Penh, ate and walked around. We saw Wat Phnom, which is on top of the only hill in Phnom Penh, listened to some music in the park, then watched movies on the lake at the guest house in hammocks the rest of the night. On our way to the guest house we were in our first fender bender of the trip (which is nothing less than a miracle considering the way they drive) ... A Land Rover-ish car scraped the side of our tuk tuk ... It was great, the driver looked back, said "Sorry 'bout that" and moved on ... No harm, no foul I guess.

Tuesday was a depressing day to say the least. We started out at Choeung Ek (also know as the Killing Fields), where we looked at mass graves, human skulls and "killing trees". Words can't describe how terrible it felt to be there. Not to say I didn't want to be there, but it's not exactly a place I'd like to go daily. Afterwards, we went to the Tuol Sleung Genocide Museum (the S21 Prison). This is where they were tortured before being taken to the Killing Fields. There are exhibits with pictures of prisoners that took my breath away. Some women had babies in their arms, some looked terrified, others looks as though they were doing everything in their power just to stay strong. While this made for a depressing day, if I'm going to be in Cambodia, I better see why they are where they are.

Yesterday we travelled back to Bangkok. All in all, Cambodia was more of an eye-opener to me than anything else. I am so lucky to have the things I have, in terms of material things and opportunity. It was a beautiful country that needed to be seen, and hopefully I'll get to go back again, but I am glad to be back in Thailand. We'll be staying in Bangkok until Saturday or Sunday, then Bean flies to Australia, and I go back to Ban Phe to start work. I'll be observing new teachers and giving feedback for the month of October with TEFL Intl ... Back in my little room with Leo Lizard :)

Koh Phangan, Krabi and Railay

It's been yet another fun filled week and now I am back in Bangkok en route to Cambodia (we don't really have a plan yet, but that will come with time). I posted a link to Kyle and Shannon's pictures from the trip, although it's with a different website than mine (it's called Snapfish). Don't be afraid to sign up for it, you might get a couple of emails from them, but it's a harmless website if you want to check the pictures out. The computer I'm using won't let me download my pictures, so I'll try to get to that another day.

Bean and I took another overnight bus to Surat Thani where we were to catch a ferry to Koh Phangan. We arrived around 4:30AM, completely exhausted, where we sat at a restaurant for 2 hours waiting for the songteau to pick us up and take us to the port. When we finally arrived at the port, I realized that in my zombie state, I forgot my purse with my credit card as well as Bean and I's passports. Ooops. I begged the driver to take me back straight away and he gladly helped me out. Luckily, it was sitting exactly where I left it, untouched. I was a lucky girl to say the least!

We finally boarded the ferry and started our 3 hour ride to Koh Phangan. It was beautiful, but I was so tired, I didn't really stay awake long enough to enjoy much of it. Kyle and Shannon were scheduled to come in a couple of hours after we arrived, so we sat at a small restaurant and waited ... Trying to gather our composure after virtually no sleep for 2 nights (we took the overnight bus from Chiang Mai to Bangkok the night before ... the day I wrote the last blog). When they got there, we quickly found a guest house and hit the beach ... Where I passed out (not a huge surprise!) The water was great, although there were a few little jelly fish that creeped me out, so I stayed on the beach for the most part (I'm a wuss, I know).

After the beach, we went to dinner and enjoyed some of the night life that Koh Phangan is known so well for ... Buckets on the beach :) They sell buckets with bottles of alcohol and mixers, you just pour it all together and enjoy a drink out of a bucket. It was a fun night with a lot of laughs. Bean entered an arm wrestling contest, claiming he was Canadian, until he kicked butt, then he was no longer afraid to be American. Most people didn't get it, the next day, we could hear people walking by saying "that was the Canadian". It was great fun. Shannon and I left around one in the morning, because I was ready to fall asleep standing up, but the boys didn't find their way back until almost 4AM. They apparently went the wrong direction when trying to get back and ended up in the jungle (I think it was on purpose ... they needed more jungle trekking!)

Tuesday, I woke up with a terrible earache. I knew I was getting an ear infection and picked up ear drops the day before, but this pain was nearly intolerable. I went to the pharmacy and picked up some ibuprofin and amoxicillin and prayed it would heal quickly. Luckily the ibuprofin helped out with the pain, but it was a damper nonetheless. Kyle and Bean rented motorbikes, while Shannon and I went to the beach and rented rafts to float around on. I didn't last long on the raft, I ended up in the shade fast asleep, avoiding any contact I could with my ear. When the boys returned, Shannon and I decided to brave the motorbikes and go for a ride with them to a quieter beach they had found. In order to get to this beach, we had to go up and down 20% grade hills ... Shannon and I walked part of the way back because we were afraid of sliding off the back of the bikes :)

Tuesday night there was a "Black Moon Party". Koh Phangan is also known for it's raging parties based on the moon cycles (most notably the full moon). What a black moon is, I'm still not sure, but with my ear in the condition it was, I (begrudgingly) went to bed while the others forged on.

We left Koh Phangan Wednesday, travelling (or waiting for a bus to start moving) most of the day. It started with a ferry that took off on time, then we loaded onto a full bus with poor A/C, then we sat and waited ... and waited ... and waited ... for our next bus to pull away from the station. We boarded the bus at 3:30, the bus did not leave until 5:30, and until there were about 10 more people than there were seats. The bus then proceeded to stop every 10 minutes to let someone off/on. This was tolerable, since we had seats .... Until they started BLARING Thai music so loud that we couldn't hear our music on our iPods. Not to mention, my ear infection was not feeling any better (hence the toilet paper in my ear!)

We were relieved to get off the bus in Krabi, until we were told there was possibly a tsunami heading our way ... Grrrrrrrreat. We quickly made sure we were on a hill or far enough inland to be safe, then found a guest house with the same requirements. We stayed at a great guest house with a really nice family who translated the public announcement that we were all going to be safe and sound.

We got up early on Wednesday and jumped onto a longtail (a boat with a Chevy engine block sitting on the back, and a 15 foot rod with a perpeller attached at the end .... kind of like a weedwacker ... the engine and propeller look like something that could be used quite effectively in a horror movie, while the boat itself looks like it is straight out of a travel magazine) to Railay. Railay is beautiful ... Absolutely stunning. Limestone cliffs everywhere and clear blue sea. We enjoyed another beach day with a better view than we could have imagined. Shannon and I got foot scrubs and foot massages on the beach while Kyle and Bean "explored" and that was about the extent of our day. It was great.

That night we went out and explored some of the night life, where Bean and I ran into 4 fellow Santa Barbarians. I recognized one of them and stopped them all dead in their tracks. I recognized her because a good friend of mine (Nikki Campbell) used to live with her ... Small small world.

We woke up Thursday to rain, lots of rain. Kyle and Bean decided to do some rock climbing (that's what Krabi is known for), while Shannon and I sat and waited for the rain to go away, hoping for another couple hours on the beach. Since the rain didn't subside, we took a longtail back to Krabi and hit up the Night Market where we indulged in all sorts of amazing food.

Friday morning we went kayaking. Which, to date, might be my favorite thing we've done this month. We did about 3 or 4 hours of sea kayaking through mangrove forests. We not only saw monkeys, but interacted with monkeys. The guides put pineapple on our kayaks and they would jump right on and munch away. I had one sharing my seat with me while he tried to get to the pineapple behind me ... It was awesome.

Somehow, after kayaking and a great lunch, we ended up at a catfish farm. Yes ... A catfish farm. We had no idea this was part of what we paid for, but apparently it was, and boy was it weird. There was a place where we could look at tarantulas and scorpions ... The guide lifted a pot to reveal a tarantula ... I nearly jumped out of my skin ... I wanted OUT! We made it out alive, and my ear was finally starting to feel better, so things were moving in the right direction. Kyle and Shannon flew back to Bangkok so they could make their flight on Saturday. I was sad to see them go, but I had so much fun having them here.

Bean and I slept in on Saturday. It was raining again, so we decided to put on our rain gear and take a walk in the rain. When we returned to the guest house I "played" Connect Four with a 4 year old ... He ended up spitting on my pants while laughing hysterically, I'm still not sure what that was about, but within 2 minutes of the incident, he decided he needed to pee right then and there, so I was just thankful I only had saliva on my pants.

Our intention was to leave yesterday (Sunday), but after checking out and packing our things, we were told about a BBQ at the guest house that we couldn't pass up ... So we got our room key back and decided to stay. I got a lot of reading in and a couple of naps, staying was a good decision. We even found super cheap flights from Krabi to Bangkok so we didn't have to take another overnight bus! The best part about buying our plane tickets ... We didn't enter a credit card to purchase, we went to 7 Eleven with a confirmation number and paid there. It was awesome.

The BBQ was well worth waiting for. The people we met at the guest house were great, guests and staff alike. We sat around eating more prawns than I've ever seen in my life and played some drinking games. It was a blast

This morning 6 of us woke up for the same flight, struggling to stay awake through breakfast, we made quite the impression at the airport, I'm sure. We were all asleep at the gate, completely lethargic.

Now we're in Bangkok, about to plan the next leg of the trip ... Cambodia.

I've got a minor case of homesickness that I'm hoping will pass soon. Not quite sure how that happens when I'm having so much fun, but I guess that's just life for ya.

Chiang Mai

On Monday evening, Bean and I boarded a bus and rode into Chiang Mai, arriving around 6 AM (yawn!) We were greeted by the lovely Nice Place Guest House staff, and fairly quickly persuaded into staying there. It was a good deal, clean and I was really excited about the hot showers. I had not taken a hot shower since leaving for Ban Phe ... So that was a kicker.

Kyle and Shannon arrived soon after, so Bean and I went to meet them. We quickly decided to grab something to eat and explore the town. We walked all day, looking at the different wats and taking pictures with Larry Bird. Larry is a Pirate Parrot that our group of friends has become very fond of. Since we got him, we have taken him anywhere we can. He recently went to Costa Rica and has made a number of trips to Las Vegas. So if you see any photos of a Pirate Parrot, or hear me mention Larry ... You know what I'm talking about. We concluded our day with setting up a 3 day 2 night jungle trek and going to the Night Bazaar.

At 9AM on Wednesday we loaded into a songteau with 4 others and were off to the jungle. We had driven about 3 hours before we arrived at the first hilltribe where we had lunch. After letting lunch settle, we started out on our first hike of the trek. We hiked about an hour and a half before arriving at the second hilltribe where we were to stay the night. Needless to say, after hiking for that long in the heat and humidity, we were all tired and in need of a shower ... But at a hilltribe, showers are hard to find. So we were dirty and stinky together :) They made us dinner and some of the children from the hilltribe did a dance for us. It was really neat, considering we walked up and saw nothing but 3 huts and a little pig pen. We went to sleep fairly early on our bamboo beds and tried to get a good nights sleep before starting the hike again in the morning. Unfortunately, the good nights sleep thing didn't happen for many of us, but the whole experience was well worth the exhaustion.

We ate breakfast around 9 and hit the trail again. We hiked in for about 2 hours before we arrived at the third hilltribe, which was even smaller than the second. Before having lunch we hiked up to a waterfall. Sadly, the sun wasn't out and only Bean, Kyle and Valentina (another trekker) got all the way in, because the sun wasn't out and we didn't want to hike in wet clothes. Of course as soon as we left the waterfall and started eating lunch the clouds broke apart and it was hotter than hot ... Such is life. After lunch we started on the second half of the hike. We got about an hour into the hike and it started pouring down rain. So we did the last half hour in the rain. The end of this hike took us the the elephant camp, where we got to load our things and ourselves onto the backs of elephants. It stopped raining, just enough for this to be very pleasurable ... Not too hot, not too wet.

I'm not completely sure how I felt about the elephant riding experience (morally speaking) ... although I did have a blast. There were two very young elephants with us, although we did not ride them, we were on their mama's! The younger of the two elephants would get stuck somewhere, or start sliding down the side of a hill in the mud and freak out, squealing and running towards his/her mom. It was great entertainment. The other young elephant was a trouble maker. He/she would run up the hillside and go exploring. The keepers would be yelling commands and get very little response. When it finally decided to re-join the group, it would nudge the keepers playfully, and the keepers would laugh and knock it on the head with a stick (not abusively, I mean we stepped on their heads ... so it couldn't have hurt it ... or so I'd like to believe). So after a lot of laughs, we got off and did another half hour hike the fourth and final hilltribe.

The fourth hilltribe was a bit bigger than all but the first (which was of considerable size in comparison to what we saw of the other three). It was the same sleeping arrangements, only this time we had mosquito nets ... with big holes ... hmmmm ... effective. So we wore a lot of bug spray and stayed covered. Kyle was the only one to get attacked too bad by mosquitoes ... They got his face, poor guy. Again, they made us dinner, and then we sat around playing games, where if you mess up, they rubbed the sut from the cooking pan on your face. We all had black faces by the end of the night. None of us slept well this night. I had a panic attack because I'm afraid of the dark and I couldn't find my head lamp or flash light, then someone else freaked out for some other reason (no one really knows), then Bean walked in his sleep and sat next to Emily 2 (there were two Emily's on the trek), who freaked out because Bean wasn't there before, then someone stepped on Kyle, then Kyle realized his face was getting eaten by mosquitoes and had to get under a mosquito net .... then .... I think we all just tried to sleep, but without a whole lot of success. So the exhaustion continues.

The next morning we had breakfast and did an easy hour and a half hike to the river where we hopped onto bamboo rafts, that none of though to check for durability. Bamboo rafting involved about 4 people standing on bamboos tied together with reeds. They all stand an equal distance apart to distribute the weight and the persons in front and back steer. The water is fairly calm, so it's not dangerous, unless you get stuck on a rock and the raft comes to a complete stop so you go flying forward onto your knees and hit about 4 rocks with the same knee as you slide down the river. Which is, of course, what happened to me about 5 minutes into the trip. I was fine, and thought it was hysterical ... But I definitely had some bumped up legs to prove it. Not long after we get the raft moving again, we realize that one of our bamboo sticks is loose ... AKA if you step on it, your leg will fall through and you have to get it out. That happened to all of us, even our driver (who we're convinced had never actually driven one before) at least twice. We got a good laugh to say the least. So after an hour and a half of "relaxing" rafting, we returned to shore and hopped back onto the songteau to Chiang Mai.

Later that night we went to see a Muay Thai match, which is Thai Boxing. It's a pretty brutal sport, and they start really young. I was not too keen on watching 7 year olds beat the cr&% out of each other, but the older boys were kinda fun (teenagers and such). We even saw a knock out (note the enthusiasm here). We were going to stay to watch the 1 or 2 adult matches, but really, we had had enough after 2 hours.

On Saturday (yesterday), Kyle and Shannon took a flight down to Koh Samui, and Bean and I stayed in Chiang Mai for the day to take a 7 hour Thai cooking class ... Which was awesome. We got to go to the market and make all sorts of yummy stuff, like shrimp in coconut milk, spring rolls, papaya salad, yellow curry paste, Chiang Mai noodles and deep fried banana. We needed to be rolled out of there.

At 6 we boarded another bus back to Bangkok, and arrived at 6AM. We've just been hanging out like zombies ... We're too tired to do anything crazy, and we catch yet another bus tonight at 6 to go down south to hit up the islands. We should be at Koh Pangan by 11AM tomorrow. I downloaded a ton of pictures, and I will have even more when I get Shannon and Bean's.

Ban Phe Week 4 (a little late)

I'm going to try to break this up a little, because I'm not sure I can stare at the computer screen long enough to get everything down in one sitting. I'm in Bangkok for the day, so I'll have plenty of time to come back and update everyone on this last week :)


The last week of the course was intense. 4 days of teaching practice and a lot of preparation, however all in all it went well and again, I had a blast teaching.


We spent Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday evening eating killer western food at Su's restaurant on the beach, and every day at lunch we savoured our dishes at the restaurant across the street. Come Thursday evening, TEFL International took us out for a farewell dinner. We went to a Thai BBQ sort of place where you go pick out your own raw meats, noodles and vegetables, then you cook it all in/on a funky little pan/pot at your table. It was a great night with most of us trainees and a lot of the TEFL Intl staff. Afterwards we found a pool hall and played/watched other play pool all night. We got to sleep in on Friday and were presented with our TESOL Certificates! All the hard work was finally over (until we get jobs and have to do it on our own for 5 classes a day instead of just one!)


On Friday a few of us caught the bus and headed back to Bangkok. Jess and I stayed with Kelli at her apartment just outside of Bangkok. Her place is on the 19th story and has a great view of Bangkok's skyline, as well as a river (not sure which one). After a 4 and a half hour bus ride, and 2 hours on the sky train/subway with my back pack on, I was exhausted ... We all went to bed quite early and enjoyed being able to sleep in.

On Saturday, Kelli, Jess and I went to Khao San Road, because Jess had never been there and I needed to get a place for Bean and I to stay, as he would be arriving much later that night. After walking around a little while we went back to Kelli's place to relax before going out, and just sat on her porch watching the cars drive by. Bean arrived around 12:30AM that night ... I almost knocked him over when I saw him. We ended up staying out until 4AM (his jet lag and my excitement was no match for sleep).

Sunday, Bean and I just hung out, walking around Bangkok, enjoying the food and the company. Shannon and Kyle arrived late Sunday night, but we didn't get to see them until Tuesday in Chiang Mai, which I will talk about in my next post, because my eyes are starting to burn :)

Last thing, for now, Dave, one of the trainers, presented me with another possible job opportunity that it looks like I might be taking up. It's not teaching English, but working at TEFL Intl to help train/observe the new trainees. It's a short term, part time thing, but it sounds perfect for me. It would give me some sort of income for the month of October and my accommodation would be taken care of for most of the month in a place I am comfortable and enjoy.

I am posting more pictures, although I'm not sure when I'll get them in order. There are a ton ... Enjoy!

Ban Phe Week 3

I guess I'll just start from where I left off ...

We spent Sunday exploring a bit more of Ban Phe. It's bigger than we gave it credit for, but we continue to hang out on our street and along the beach. It takes too much energy to walk that far in the hot humid weather. It would be nice for some variation, but again, we're all a bit too tired/lazy :)

Monday was spent in the classroom ... We all crashed pretty early ... It was a typical Monday, slow to start.

Tuesday was another day spent writing a lesson plan. My trainer put me in contact with a school in Bangkok that is sponsored by the princess. It would be teaching "little monks" ... The school has about 800 students, grades K through 9, who are mostly from low and middle income families. I am not sure where they need me, but they need native speakers, and my trainer, Dave, has recommended me, so my chances seem alright. The pro to this scenario is that I have safe housing in a "royal compound", and I'm working under the princess, which is quite the resume builder. The con is, it's in Bangkok, and the pay is less than stellar. So, I'll take the next month of traveling to soak it all in and try to decide what I want.

Wednesday we had teaching practice again ... We had to get up early and sit in a stuffy van for 40 minutes ... but it all paid off. I had a great group of students and it all went really well. When we got back to the school, it was back to lesson planning ... UGH!

Thursday was an awesome morning for teaching. I was really comfortable in front of the class and got through the lesson without feeling like I rushed it. The kids were laughing and having a good time from start to finish. It was a great feeling.

Since we did not have to teach on Friday, we were able to relax a little on Thursday evening. Helen and I went with one of our trainers (Ji) to get facials. It was great to just enjoy ourselves and not think about our next lesson. We ended the night at the night market for dinner ... It was an awesome day.

We had to observe a class on Friday morning, which isn't too bad, but we had to come back and start our lesson plans for Monday. We all left the classroom at 4:45 sharp to start our weekend. We headed to a small bar/restaurant on the beach and had a beach BBQ. The woman (Sus) made a huge bonfire and we roasted our own sausages on the beach. She even went out of her way to get potatoes to make us potato salad. She also has some kittens that I fell in love with. One is tabby, and he's really playful, his name is M because he has an "M" on his forehead. He was playing in the surf, it was hysterical to watch a kitten as small as he is chasing waves. The other two are much more calm. "Blacky" is ... you'd never guess ... black, and she's the sister, a jealous kitty who loved my lap :) I didn't catch the other's name, but it's a beautiful coffee color, and he took some real warming up before he would give you any attention. It was also Natalie's birthday, so I got to talk to her which was really nice. Mom and dad got back from Cabo, so I got to talk to them as well for the first time in a week ... I really can't believe how quickly this all is going by!!

Yesterday (Saturday), Helen and I were on a mission to get Jess to a doctor, because she's been ill for the majority of the class and nearly fainted on Friday. We got with the owner of the school and got her to the doctor, who gave her some anti-biotics and anti-bacterials and sent us on our way. Helen and I then headed to dinner with Jenny (a woman who works at the school), where I got 2 glasses of WINE!!! It was a pretty crummy merlot, but I really wanted red wine, and no one has it by the glass, so I took advantage.

Today I woke up late and came downstairs and Jess still wasn't feeling well. She didn't feel she described her symptoms properly and wanted to go to the hospital. So Helen and I took her to Rayong Hospital. It was a beautiful hospital, we were all quite impressed. It was a little on the pricey side, but only in Thai standards, certainly not U.S. standards. So Jess is feeling better emotionally and physically. However, she still seems pretty emotionally drained from being away from home and feeling so ill (and who can blame her?)


So now, I'm procrastinating. I've finished my lesson plan, made my materials and cheat sheet, but I really need to run through it a couple more times. We teach tomorrow, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday this week, so come Friday when it's all finished, I think I'll be drained and ready to start my vacation with Bean, Kyle and Shannon ... Only one more week!!!

Oh man! I almost forgot!!! For dinner tonight, we went to Sus' place again. She doesn't have a menu, you just go in and ask "can you make 'this' tonight?" and she tells you if she can or cannot, or you walk by and she says "I'm making spaghetti today, come over for dinner" and you just show up, pay one price and eat as much as you want. She doesn't do a whole lot of Thai food, but she is an excellent chef. Today was spaghetti with ... drum roll please ... REAL PARMESEAN CHEESE!!! I think I piled it a mile high. I have been dreaming about cheese, and I finally got it. Tomorrow she's making mustard chicken and pasta ... I just hope she has more cheese laying around for me to devour!

Ban Phe Week 2

I can't believe I am half way done with the class already. The last two weeks have flown by. I have a lot to write today ... brace yourselves.

Last Monday, Kelli (a friend from the course) and I went to the Ban Phe night market. On our way there we ran into some elephants on the street. It was exciting at first, but then it just looked so sad and unnatural for them to be on paved streets, eating the weeds growing out of the sidewalk. But, I can officially say I've seen elephants in Thailand now! And to top it all off, within minutes of seeing the elephants, we saw a monkey being held by some woman on a motorbike! We felt like we were at the circus, but we got a good laugh out of it to say the least ... I mean the monkey was just unreal. By the time we got to the night market, we felt like our quota of excitement for the night had been used up, but the market was really neat. The prices were great because they get so few tourists there (we saw one other westerner there ... it was awesome), so we didn't have to bargain much, which is always a plus for me. Tomorrow, one of our trainers is going to take us there again and show us where to get the really good stuff for super duper cheap.

School was nuts this week. Monday night and Tuesday night we had next to nothing to for homework, but on Wednesday it got crazy!!! Wednesday we had to do our lesson plans and prepare for our first teaching practice for Thursday. We had to create a bunch of materials and practice practice practice. We were all nervous wrecks, knowing we were going to have to get up early and teach our first hour long lesson! A bunch of us ended up drinking a few beers across the street at the restaurant just to get away from it all ... before we knew it, it was 11pm and we still needed to do one more run through, shower (because by the end of a humid day, the last thing you want to do is crawl into bed all sticky and gross) and go to bed!

Needless to say, we were tired and nervous as can be come Thursday morning. I had to start my lesson at 8:30, and I was freaking out (pacing around the room, nervously babbling, the whole bit). My class of ten 15 year olds walked in, and away I went. It was so exhilarating! It's good to note here that Thai students are very well behaved, but I was very lucky to have a class that was talkative and excited to be there. They made everything seem so easy, and since they were such good participants, I felt really good about it! So ... I survived day one of teaching practice with no scars!

We had to do teaching practice again on Friday, so we went through the whole process of lesson planning, practicing and creating materials again on Thursday, but most of us went to bed significantly earlier :) Friday's lesson did not go as smoothly, but that's why it's teaching practice. I couldn't get my language consistent, and when you're teaching a dialog, that's really important. So I learn and move on to the next lesson (which will be this Thursday).

Friday night a few of us decided we should hit up some of the karaoke bars that are scattered all over. Unfortunately, the first karaoke bar we went to didn't turn out to be karaoke. Apparently they also have bars for people who actually have talent. Oops. We requested that we sing Zombie, by the Cranberries, because Thais seem to REALLY like this song at karaoke bars. We know this because the one down the road can be heard from the school, and we hear this song played up to 4 times a night, and the Thai accent with it is priceless. Anyway, so they call us up on stage and we realize none of us really know the words. Since it isn't a karaoke bar, they only play the back music, which means we have no idea what the melody is ... So it was 3 farang (Thai word for foreigner, meaning something like alien when literally translated) up on a stage singing terribly and laughing hysterically. We were basically boo'd off the stage. So we paid our bill and got out of there. We then went to the karaoke bar down the road from school and accidentally ordered a large beer, that turned out to be humongous (we called it "literally large")! So we called everyone we knew (which isn't very many) to come help us drink our yard high beer, and retired by midnight. Someone got some good pictures from this evening, none of the karaoke mishap, but the beer mishap is there as well as some of us learning traditional Thai dance. When I can get them from her, I'll be sure to post them.

Yesterday (Saturday), Jess (another trainee) and I went into Rayong (a city near Ban Phe) to do some shopping. We took songteaus (covered flatbed trucks with benches in the bed of the truck) to the mall. Jess is a tiny thing ... smaller than a lot of Thais. So shopping in Thailand is not too hard for her, because she's their size. I on the other hand am bigger around and taller than most, so it's a bit of a struggle. Jess and I were in a shop, and like normal, the woman working at the shop starts bringing me clothes and saying "I have big sizes!", I thank her and start trying it on. Too small, or ugly ... nothing worked. Jess starts trying on things, and things are too big or ugly. She was a very nice and friendly woman, but she looked at the two of us and says to Jess "you need to get fat" then looks at me and says "you should give her some of your food"!!! I was warned that Thais are very honest and find humor in size, so I was waiting for a moment like this one. I almost keeled over in laughter when I saw that this nice Thai woman was giggling at her clever comment. Jess didn't know what to say, but luckily I was in a good mood, I thought it was hysterical.

After a long day at the mall, we came back to Ban Phe and had an Australian Roast at a restaurant owned by an Aussie. I had roast lamb and veggies and boy was it good. We were all in seventh heaven eating our western food. We love our Thai food, but there is something so comforting about eating something from home (even if the US doesn't do a "proper roast", it still tasted like home).

Today has been a lazy day. Lots of reading and a walk to Old Ban Phe to see if the Kodak store was open (in case you were wondering, it wasn't).

So things are good here, I'm having a blast and finally feel more at ease. Can't believe how fast it is going ... But it feels like forever since I've seen anyone. Weird how that works :)

I'm off to bed ... Goodnight!

Ban Phe Week 1

I am trying to download some pictures right now ... so check the picture link to the right, there might be something new!

Where to start!?!

Let's see ... Last Sunday was orientation, and while I was quite nervous before, I left feeling really exhilarated about taking the class. Come Monday, I was ready for a full day of school. They space things out quite nicely, so the days seem to go by pretty fast, but there has been a ton of homework every day. It hasn't been too bad, but there is a lot of work. We met with kids on Thursday and Friday which proved to be far more difficult than I was expecting, but I guess that's why I'm in school for it :)

Besides school, I have spent a lot of time at the bars on the beach to do homework, because they're actually quite quiet and it's nice to get out of the school since we live there and spend our entire days there (plus we can have a beer to cool off). The bars are really cool ... The waves come so far up you think you'll have to move your feet so that the waves won't get them, but that hasn't been a problem yet. There are quite a few pictures (if they're not up now, they'll be up soon ... I promise).

The weather has been crazy. There was a great thunder storm on Monday, and a short rain every day, except for Friday when it rained all day, and this weekend when it was beautiful.

I suppose I should dedicate some space to the lovely bugs of Ban Phe. The second night we were in our rooms, a girl found a 3" cockroach in her bed ... on the same night, another girl found a giant spider in her bedroom. We were all creeped out to say the least. Later in the week, the same girl who found the spider, found a cockroach in her bed. I have a pet lizard in my room. He is super small, but I have named him Leo and I like to believe that he eats all those creepy crawlies that I want out of my room (I have also invested in mosquito/flying insect killing spray and raid plug ins ... not to mention the scent of 25% DEET that I have sprayed all over me at all times). So we can all thank Leo for keeping me sane :) and the bugs away.

Let's see ... What else? The FOOD! I love Thai food. And I love Thai restaurants. The restaurant across from the school is the best. It is run by two related families , they have three daughters who are at school all day, and a 3 month old boy who they carry around all day while they work. It's awesome. I had to explain to them that I like watching them cook, because they thought I was being impatient waiting for my food, and now when they see me look, they tell me what they're making.

Ban Phe may be small, but I love that I've been here for only a week, and I feel like I'm part of a community already. Ok, so maybe I'm just part of the community on my street, but it's a community nonetheless. I'm also enjoying being alone more here than in Bangkok. Bangkok was just too much on my own (I know I keep saying that, but it's true!) I also think being alone here feels better, because I know I can always go back to the school and hang out with someone who wants to procrastinate doing his/her homework and visit with me.

I think I've only left out our trip to the Rayong Night Market, which was cut short due to rain, and yesterday's trip to Koh Samet ... which was beautiful. White sand beaches, and complete serenity. The pictures say it better than I can.

I apologize for the mumble jumble ... I'm in an internet cafe with five people playing five different computer games all at full volume (talk about a headache!)

Thank you for all the emails. Despite loving it here, I really miss everyone, and the comfort of being surrounded by people who know me. It's hard keeping your guard up all the time.

Bean, Kyle and Shannon ... get here quick! I miss you!

Ban Phe

Well, I'm finally out of Bangkok! After four days, I have decided that it was too much for me on my own. I was nervous about meeting up with my fellow TEFL classmates, but as soon as I sat down with them, I knew I'd be fine. Three of us met up at the airport to take a shuttle to Ban Phe. It took about two and a half hours to get here, and when we pulled up to the school/place we were staying, we weren't so sure what to think. Sure, you can look down the street and see the ocean, but there was nothing we could see on the short street but a laundry place and two restaurants. We got "set up" in our very basic rooms. It has a double bed, which is nice ... a bathroom, which is alright, despite the lack of hot water ... a bureau with one drawer and 5 hangers, which is so so, considering I had no "off button" when packing. But, it has AC and that's what really matters at this point :)

We quickly decided that we needed to put on our bathing suits and hit the beach. And as quickly as we decided to put on our suits, we decided that the beach wasn't quite as inviting up close as it was from the school :) Apparently the "nice beach" is down the road a bit, away from Ban Phe ... Which turned out to be a lot more than our little street (thank goodness). After exploring a bit, there seems to be quite a few restaurants and markets ... Although there isn't much in terms of nightlife ... which is why I'm sitting in an internet cafe at 9PM writing a blog :)

We are pretty sure there are only 10 to 12 of us enrolled in the 4 week course, and there aren't many westerners in the Ban Phe area, so it may be some close corridors by the end of the month, but hopefully well worth it. The 4 classmates I have met so far seem great, so I'm not worried ... But it may be a long month of card games and studying.

I'll be posting more photos soon of Ban Phe and my tiny little room :) The class starts Monday, and I had to sign something today recognizing that the class can be very stressful, so send good thoughts my way ... I haven't been to school for a while, and grammar is not my forte, so this could be interesting.

I'm Here :)

Alright ... I'm finally sitting down and doing this.

I'll start with the flight ... I basically slept the entire way, which is nothing less than a miracle. I actually sat next a guy who has been working at an international school in Thailand for 4 years, of course this information didn't come out until we were landing, as I was asleep most of the flight. In the Taiwan airport I was chatting with a man who was on his way to Thailand to teach at an international school as well. He then pointed out other people he had talked to who were going to be teaching as well, which was comforting.

When I arrived in Bangkok on Tuesday, I loaded my stuff into my shuttle. Despite not feeling jet lagged, per say, I was still feeling totally overwhelmed. So when I got to the hotel around 2:30pm, I walked down the street to the internet cafe to call home and check my emails. I then walked around a little, but quickly decided that I would resign early.

Before leaving the US, I had booked a tour for Wednesday morning. I thought I would be able to sleep until at least 7, but I woke up at 4:30 in the morning ... So while I wasn't feeling jet lagged the evening prior, I clearly wasn't quite so lucky. Fortunately I was able to turn on my iPod and watch the Office for a couple of hours, and met up with my tour guide at 8:30am. Cool thing about my tour: I was the only one on it .... Not-so-cool thing about my tour: I was the only one on it. I was really hoping that I would meet some people so that I wouldn't feel so alone in Bangkok, but hey, I got a private tour of three wats!

We went to Wat Pho first, home of the reclining Buddha. We then got onto our private shuttle and went to Wat Traimit, home of the golden Buddha (really cool story ... abridged version ... it was accidentally found about 50 years ago. The 3 meter tall Buddha had been covered in cement. When they tried to move it, the cement cracked and they found the 18k gold Buddha beneath.) Then we moved on to Wat Benchamabophit, which is a beautiful, newer temple made of marble. After that I was taken to a gem gallery ... ha ... beautiful, but I just wanted out.

When I was finished listening to how great Thai gems are, my tour guide was kind enough to take me to the MBK Mall to buy a phone. I was so overwhelmed with the chaos that I bought the first phone I was introduced to, and left as quickly as possible. I don't think I'm cut out for the whole "bargaining" thing, but I guess I'll just have to learn.

When I returned to my hotel, I decided that I really needed a 2 hour Thai massage :) So I got one. It's such a good deal it's impossible to resist (I'm not going to lie, I got another one this morning.) I went to dinner soon after my massage (I had Pad Thai, that rivaled Bean's ... But Bean, yours is still number one in my book, no joke. I had some for lunch today that didn't even come close to yours!)

Today, like I mentioned before, I got another 2 hour massage (I better not make a habit out of this), then walked to the Royal Palace. On my way there, a young girl stepped in my path and poured bird food into my hand ... I told her I didn't want any, but she just looked at me and said "In Thailand, it's free, it's good luck" ... I still tried to give it back to her, but she wouldn't take it. Before I knew it, there were two more people trying to give me bird feed ... I was surrounded!!! So I threw what was in my hand and tried to walk away. Then they all started telling me I needed to pay them (as if I didn't know that was coming ... I've been to TJ before, you can't fool me). So I caved and tried to give them 20 baht (about 60 cents) ... That wasn't enough ... At this point I'm getting fairly flustered and just want out of the situation, so stupid me gave each of them 100 baht, for a total of 300 baht surrendered (about 9 dollars). They kept harassing me, but I finally stood my ground and got away.

So I finally arrive at the Royal Palace, with only a 300 baht scar. It's 250 baht to go inside to see the palace and Wat Pra Kaeo, however I got there 5 minutes after they closed Wat Pra Kaeo for the day ... So I gave up and walked back. Perhaps tomorrow I will see the Royal Palace :) Just when I thought I was really fed up with Bangkok, I opened a map to make sure I was going the right way, and a man seemed to read my mind and say "Khao San Road is that way" and pointed me in the right direction.

The thing about Thailand so far, is that everyone (bird feed people aside) has been nothing but helpful and kind. I think I'm going to try to do another tour tomorrow to keep me busy ... Then Saturday it is off to Ban Phe. I definitely think I am ready to get out of Bangkok and meet some people. Everyone here seems to come in pairs, and it doesn't make for the most inviting atmosphere to just go introduce myself. I also think the crowds and smog might drive me crazy if I'm here too much longer ... Show me the beach!!!

Pictures!

Click on "Pictures from Bangkok" to see my ... pictures from Bangkok :)

Gotta run ... Will actually write something soon ... Promise!!!

FOUR DAYS!!!

Only four days left until I board the plane ... I'm getting more anxious (and antsy) to just get over there every day. I feel like I've been planning and preparing for so long, that now, I just want to be there doing it ... I can't plan or prepare anything else; what's done is done.

I leave Eureka for San Francisco on Friday. We'll do dinner and drinks with my friend Lina on Friday evening in SF (hopefully we can meet up with Lisa, Robin and Jill as well). Saturday's schedule is up in the air (the way I like things these days). Then Sunday Mike is flying up from Santa Barbara to spend the day with us and see me off.

The plan is to arrive around noon in Bangkok on the 31st (which is around 10 PM on the 30th in California). I will be staying in Bangkok until August 4th, when I take a shuttle down to Ban Phe to move into my place at the school. Orientation is on Sunday and I start classes on Monday.

There is supposed to be an internet cafe close to the school, so I'll be able to keep in touch. I will hopefully be buying a phone during my stay in Bangkok, but due to the crazy time difference I'm not sure how much calling to the U.S. I'll be able to do ... But I'll soon find out.

Ok ... I'm tired, and need to get a few more things packed so that I can go to bed without worrying about having forgotten something (I'm so OCD sometimes it's silly).

Mass Email

I apologize for the mass email (if you didn't already know, my family is large to say the very least), but I've realized that no matter how I do this, someone always gets inadvertently left out. So I am going to try this and add any names I may have missed, so please feel free to forward this along to anyone, and or let me know if someone needs to be added, as I will be sending updates until I figure out a better way (probably a blog or something). Anyway ... I apologize to those who have heard my plans over and over, but I'm really excited, so it probably won't be the last you'll hear about it either :)

Like I've said before, I'm flying by the seat of my pants, so this could all change drastically over the next year, but I will do my best to keep you all up to date on what's going on. So here's what I know now for sure: I have finally made my flight reservations and paid the deposit for my TEFL Course in Thailand (TEFL stands for Teaching English as a Foreign Language, and after the 4 week course I will be certified to teach English almost anywhere in the world). I fly out of San Fran at 1:35AM on July 30th ... And then I'll come back whenever I feel the need :) I'm going to be living in a tiny fishing village in the gulf (Ban Phe, pronounced Ban Pay). I'll be living at the school in a dorm type situation, but I'll have my own room, and there are only two showers with hot water in the building (eeek!) But the school is very close to the beach and a little island called Koh Samet (apparently a very hot vacation destination). After I finish the course, I'll probably move, because Ban Phe is so small, but I have no idea where yet. I'm hoping to make a friend (or many friends) during the course and we'll figure out a place to go together. I'm leaning towards Chiang Mai, because I've only gotten raving reviews from those who have been there, but it's in the North and no where near the ocean, and frankly, I don't know if I could live that far away from the beach (ugh, I'm so spoiled).

Love you all!
Emily

Here's a little about Ban Phe (copied and pasted from my TEFL Course website):

Location
Ban Phe is a sleepy and quaint fishing village 180 km south of Bangkok, and perfectly situated along the beautiful beaches of the Gulf of Thailand. This coastal village is a friendly one, and offers a direct view into the daily life of the local Thai people. Several excellent Thai and seafood restaurants and many great shopping venues can be found throughout Ban Phe.

The pier in Ban Phe is a gateway to the incredible island of Samet. This beautiful island is only a 30 minute ferry ride from town, and has something for everyone - from fun-filled beaches with jet skiing and live music, to tranquil, secluded spots where one can enjoy the sea, sand and sun in complete privacy. Ko Samet is also a great place to do some trekking and discover the wide variety of plant and animal life in Thailand.

This pine forest national park has a stretch of beach frequented mainly by Thais, the perfect escape from the many touristy beaches in the country.

Ban Phe is only an hour from the famous resort city of Pattaya, with regularly-scheduled and inexpensive van trips available. Pattaya has everything that one could possibly want, and maybe even more! Filled with open markets, shopping centers, clubs and go-go bars, Pattaya is one of the most exciting tourist destinations in the world.

And Ban Phe's close proximity to Bangkok allows for easy weekend trips for job interviews, apartment hunting, or simply a fun weekend in a thrilling city. Immerse yourself completely into the daily life of Thai culture, and begin your TEFL career in the beautiful village of Ban Phe, Thailand!

Ban Phe Climate
The climate in Ban Phe is very tropical-like, with three distinct seasons: Hot from March through May, Rainy from June through October, and Cool from November through February. Average daily temperatures throughout the year are around a warm and pleasant 27°C. Even in the rainy season, the rainfall is brief and the rest of the day is normally clear and sunny.

Ban Phe Costs – In USD
Ban Phe is a very inexpensive place to live!
Review these sample costs to see what we mean:
Hot meal 1.00
Bottle of beer 1.20
Bottle of water 0.20
20-minute motorbike taxi ride 0.50