Renewal Part 1

i am embarrassed at how awful i have been at keeping this up to date. i don't know that anyone is reading it, but since i haven't been writing in my regular journal either i figure i'll try to make the most of this venue for thoughts. it is terrible how not writing becomes a vicious cycle with me. i am absentminded enough to forget for a while, and then so much time has passed that i don't know where to start, and then as time continues to pass more things happen. next thing you know, it is almost two months later and i've written nothing. so to take the pressure off, i am just going to write about right now. i'll try to catch up with the past two months later.

just got back from my first visit to the bangkok hard rock cafe. one of the teachers from work was celebrating her birthday. it was a nice dinner out. hard rock cafe has held a special place in my heart throughout my travels. it is something of a safety blanket. i always know it is there when i need something familiar. and tonight it felt like a little piece of america. i also enjoyed some good company. there are some great people teaching with me at assumption. of course the topic of next year came up. my feelings concerning next year are currently mid pendulum swing. but i'll write those thoughts out later.

tomorrow will be the end of a long week. we are learning about fractions right now, and some of the boys are really struggling. since i am teaching one hundred boys, it is difficult to address all of their different levels. the usual challenge of differentiation in instruction is multiplied in this situation, especially as a new teacher. i get so frustrated with my own limitations and inexperience in this area. all i can do is learn from past mistakes and keep trying to get better. and i do think i am getting slowly better...but it's positive change.

well, good night, dear cyberverse. so much more to update soon.

Election Day

now for a very sketchy intro to Thai politics.

today is election day. on the personal "how does this affect me?" level, the country is dry from 6pm saturday until midnight tonight. in other words, no alcohol can be purchased (there are signs roping off the liquor section of my local market).

on the streets, i have been inundated with the upcoming election by a flood of campaign posters. they are displayed along the sidewalks, often one poster ever few feet. the posters themselves are very interesting. i am sure my reception of them is largely shaded by the fact that i cannot understand the words. they present the candidate's form prominently, almost life size. they remind me a great deal of real estate agent ads back home.

A very little taste of the campaign posters along the sidewalk.

in addition to the candidate, each poster has a party number. apparently, on the ballot you vote for a party by their number. so far i have seen numbers up to 33- wow.

my understanding of the actual political issues is much hazier than my observations of the advertising. these are the elections that were agreed upon at the end of the tensions between red shirts and yellow shirts last may. i know that Thaksin's sister is running for prime minister for party 1. Thaksin is the former prime minister living outside Thailand since being ousted in a bloodless coup in 2006 (he faces corruption charges here). despite the large number of parties on the ballot, the race is basically between two parties- the current ruling party and Thaksin's opposition party. well, i won't try to say anything else about that, since i am not confident enough in my own understanding of the situation. there is some concern as to the reaction of the election from the losing party. so, i'll try to update again soon.

*update: Thaksin's sister Yingluck Shinawatra won yesterday's election. now we just wait and see what happens next...*

School Takes Off

i am a little embarrassed to return to this blog- it has been so long since i last posted. i am in the middle of week 6 in the school year. that also means i am only one week away from the first exam period. they take their exams very seriously in thailand. even in primary school, they have four exams a year (one for each quarter). not only do they have to take exams in each subject, but there is more than one! for example, in math they have three different exams to take- they are different formats. one is a multiple choice exam, the second is short answer and the third is a problem solving exam. i feel bad for the stress and work these kids have to deal with- it is done in all grades!

but i need to backtrack some to fill in the blanks of the last six weeks. school got off to a running start with just one fairly significant snag: no math books. the publisher had sent the old edition of the math books, and of course this wasn't noticed until the day school started. this began several weeks of suspense. we sent the wrong books back, and struggled to move forward through lessons built around the three books (textbook, workbook, and homework book). in the end, it meant making a lot of copies- so much paper. we were told the correct books would arrive "early june". which is sufficiently vague to make every day full of hope, and eventual disappointment. i did end up getting the textbooks after a week. that saved very little paper though, as the workbooks and homework books are where the boys have all their practice. but we made it through and the books finally arrived week 4. and thus began the process of re-training the kids and myself to use the books instead of the pages of worksheets i had gotten used to.

enough of that, let me talk some about the kids. i am teaching 100 boys (it was 99, but last week we got a new boy so we are up to 100!). overall, they are a good group. each class has one or two boys with a disruptive lack of focus, but in the end they are good kids. there are many excellent boys that are a pleasure to teach. i really lucked out, because math is one of their favorite and best subjects here (fewer esl issues). there are also a fair number of supremely lazy boys, however. it is definitely different to be in an expensive private school. these boys are pampered and babied at home to a great extent. i really can't complain, though, we have a good grade. the team of teachers certainly helps. i am working with four other excellent teachers, and we have a good working dynamic. as i am teaching in level 2, which is run much the same as secondary school back home, we all teach all the boys. that makes for a great source of support or just a sounding board.

at week 6, i am starting to settle into a nice routine. aside from work, i have been going to yoga in the evenings three times a week, and then on saturday morning as well. i am totally hooked. i am going with one of my new friends, emma. cynthia also comes on a regular basis. on tuesdays, i am taking a DELF preparation course at the bangkok alliance francaise. my participation (and even attendance) has been somewhat half-hearted though. next week is the last session of this course, and i am looking forward to it ending. though i enjoy the course, after a long day of work i don't often feel like going to a 2 and a half hour course. if it was just an hour or so i would have no problem- but 150 min. just seems so long. the exam is in november- i still haven't decided if i will take it. we shall see.

unfortunately, my grade coordinator has gone back to australia for a couple weeks after the death of his mother. it is so very sad. in addition to not seeing him in the office, i am helping out by covering his homeroom responsibilities. this has upset my routine somewhat. hopefully things will calm down with his return next week and the exam period will give me some time to gather myself for the next quarter. we have a four day weekend (thanks to a couple buddhist holidays) between the exams and the next test period.

well, i'm going to go ahead and post this. i will try to write more school and life details soon.

"Summer"

well, summer vacation is coming to an end. the school year starts up in just a few days. i am both excited and anxious to be working again.

summer school was an interesting limbo period of time, and a great way to ease into work at a new school. everything went really well, and i'm really looking forward to spending the school year as part of this team. the english program operates like a school within a school. the entire primary school houses over 3,000 students. the english program includes about 600 of those students. there are about 30 faculty members in the english program. starting in Grade 4, they have different teachers for each subject, much like what happens in middle school back home. the main difference is that the students don't change classrooms, instead the teachers come to them. as the math teacher, i will be teaching math to the four Grade 4 classes and all 100 students. surprisingly, though summer school is optional, we had about half of the incoming Grade 4 students. the students were split into just two groups, so it was pretty much the same size of the classes during the school year. i was team teaching with gary. gary is also one of the few americans in the faculty. he teaches PE to grades 3, 4, and 5. he has a Grade 4 homeroom though, so he is officially part of the Grade 4 team. it was great to work with him during summer school. we spent the four weeks of summer school primarily using worksheets to review math topics covered in Grade 3.

the last few weeks of vacation went by in a blur. aside from a short trip down to koh tao, i spent the time settling into my life in bangkok. koh tao was wonderful- i enjoyed my first scuba diving experience. our scuba instructor was great and the dive was incredible. the underwater world was so beautiful and multivalent. it took a little while to get the hang of moving around underwater. i'm not going to lie, i did bump into a couple coral formations. oops, so not on purpose. i also need to work on not breathing through my nose- my mask kept getting fogged up, which kind of takes away from the vibrancy of the colors underwater. in addition to the diving, we found a restaurant with a delicious and cheap steak meal. it was a great, though short, trip with some good friends.

in bangkok, i used my new paycheck to register for a preparation course at the Alliance Française. it is preparation for the DELF exam, and meets once a week in the evening. i am glad to be using my french again- i am a little embarrassed how much of the official grammar i have forgotten in the years since i studied it formally in school. so much to review. i am also enjoying being a student again, even if it is only part time.

well, i better get some rest before i return to the daily grind of full time work. tomorrow is like at teacher work day for us to prepare our classrooms and get in some professional training. wednesday is when the kids return to school. one of the most exciting things to happen tomorrow, is i will finally get my schedule. the kids only have math four times a week, and i am teaching all four classes- so i'm not quite sure how that is going to break down to how much i teach each day. all that will become clear tomorrow.

Songkran

the biggest holiday of the year in thailand was celebrated recently. it is the thai new year, called songkran. the holiday officially lasts three days, april 13-15, but everyone gets the entire week as vacation from work. since summer school was closed for the week, the school celebration was held on friday. the holiday is celebrated with water. it was traditionally performed as a quiet ceremony in which water was poured over each other's hands as a symbol of washing away the old year in preparation of the new year start. it has since become a country-wide water fight. on friday, at school, there was a school wide assembly that began with the traditional enactment of thai dance and water poured over the school leaders' hands. it then devolved into a water fight. the students had brought their water guns- it was impressive display.

i took advantage of the holiday week to visit pam and co. down in krabi. pam, andy, and ali moved down there at the beginning of march. i took an overnight bus (it is a nice 12 hour ride) down on friday, arriving saturday morning. and after a short time at the bus office, i saw pam, andy and ali drive up on their motorbikes. krabi is a great little town. apparently, it was quieter than usual due to the holiday- also i think many people changed their plans to travel south after the recent floods. krabi town was not badly damaged from the rains. much of the damage and scary stories were focused on the eastern coast and islands. after dropping off my bags at pam's place we were back in town for breakfast.

pam and ali are renting apartments on the first floor of a house. there are three small rooms, and a bathroom- but they came unfurnished. as of now, only the bare minimum has been purchased- so just sleeping furniture. that meant an adorable chaise lounge/sofa for me in the front room. it is definitely different than what i have gotten accustomed to in bangkok. there is no air conditioner or kitchen/fridge (which means we ate out for every meal). but it is a nice, basic residence. the first day we just relaxed before going into town for a nice italian dinner and wandering through the night markets. sunday we went to the nearby tiger temple. the tiger temple is on top of a mountain, and one gets there after climbing over 1,200 steps. ali and i took our time walking up (which meant a liberal number of breaks), whereas pam and andy seemed to climb up nonstop. the view at the top is incredible and well worth the climb. i was not expecting the awe inspiring cliffs spread throughout the krabi area.

the next day, we were off to ton sai for some rock climbing. we first drove over to ao nang, where we were able to get a longtail boat to ton sai. though ton sai is on the mainland, because of the cliffs and general landscape the only way to get there is by boat. upon arrival, we went to the hotel that they have used in the past, called the forest. they have simple guesthouses, complete with mosquito nets over the beds. after lunch we took a little hike/climb over to the neighboring railay beach. after returning to ton sai beach, we had a nice swim.  we left the guesthouses for dinner, and within minutes of leaving the shelter it began raining. the rain soon turned to a torrent. we took refuge in a bar along the path. we stayed there for about an hour, having some drinks and playing jenga. soon enough the rain slowed and we finally made it through the mud to utopia, a delicious indian restaurant on the beach.

the next morning we were off for our rock climbing. our rock climbing instructor, porn, was wonderful. after setting up with harnesses and shoes, we made the walk over to railay where we were going to be climbing. it was fun and challenging. i did pretty well with the first climb, but quickly lost the momentum in the next two climbs. andy, pam, and ali all did very well- reaching the top of all four climbs.

after the climb, we waited for a bit before getting a longtail boat back to ao nang. unfortunately, upon returning to the motorbikes we found that two of our helmets had been stolen. oh well, we safely made it back to krabi and got more helmets.

the next day was the start of the official holiday. just riding into town for lunch, i got a bucket of water dumped on me. after a nice quiet lunch in krabi town, we decided to head off to ao nang for the big celebration. the drive was a bit nerve-wracking. to begin with, the roadside was lined with groups of people with tubs of water and buckets who would try to pour the buckets of water over passing motorbikes and drivers. much of the traffic was made of pick up trucks carrying groups of people with tubs of water and buckets. these were throwing water on other drivers while in motion. the entire spectacle was so unexpected. we made it safely to ao nang, and parked on the outskirts of town. upon walking into town we stopped to buy waterguns so we could participate. i should say, we were basically wet through by the time we parked. it was an exhilarating and absurd experience. we walked into town trading water shots with the pick up trucks caught in stop and go traffic and groups on the sidewalks. as we went along, we were also marked with powders or colored substances (of the consistency of paint) on our cheeks and foreheads. it was a lot of fun. i had not been in a water fight since i was a kid, and it was a very exciting and good natured fun. it was great to see the complete joy and friendliness. there was no kind of malice or mean-ness present as people dumped buckets of ice cold water over our heads. the ice cold water was particularly shocking. after going through town, we turned around and began the walk back to the bikes. at this point the traffic was even heavier, and the street had turned into a one way street. so once we started the drive back we were forced to go back through town. the drive out of town was done by weaving in and out amongst the cars. we were moving slowly enough that people would step out into the middle of the road to stop us and pour water over us or brush the powder on us. as we were leaving town, it began to rain and the temperature dropped. but the water fight continued. we eventually made it back to krabi and showers and dry clothes. unfortunately i don't have any pictures as i didn't want to risk my camera. but i took some pictures later of us with our water guns.

the next couple days we just relaxed and recovered. there wasn't much holiday celebration in krabi town over the next few days, though i have heard that it continued through friday in bangkok. pam and andy got a badminton set that we played, we also went to a nearby park tennis court. andy and pam started playing recently and they are getting good. having not played much ever, let alone in recent years, i was not so good. but it was fun. friday evening i got the bus back up to bangkok. i was back home by 5 am on saturday- and i rested from my great week in krabi.

Sneak Peek: Cambodia

last week i did my first, and hopefully my last, visa run. i had hoped for a cheap and quick hop over the border in a bus, but after some research i found out the only way to get the 30 day visa i needed was to fly into thailand. so i chose the cheapest tickets i could find, and planned my 2 day trip to phnom penh.

my flight out gave me an opportunity to try out the air rail link. it is a great public transport alternative to get to the airport. upon flying into cambodia, i got out my US dollars to pay the $20 fee for a visa. it was extremely amusing to be using my american money upon entering another southeast asian country. the price of the tuk tuk into the city was also paid in US dollars. it took me a few minutes to realize that i was back to riding on the right side of the road, just another little piece of home away from home. i spent a quiet evening in the hotel, planning and figuring out how to see as much as possible in my one full day in cambodia.

National Museum of Cambodia

the next morning started pretty early with breakfast, and a short walk to the national museum. it is an amazing museum.
it was a fascinating introduction to cambodian art. the information plaques are found in khmer, french and english. so the museum was also a great learning opportunity. i read about early cambodian history, and the cultural golden age of the angkor period in the 12th century. i was also able to learn a little about hindu and buddhist imagery, to better understand the figures displayed. as a longtime student and lover of art, it was interesting and challenging to come into contact with a tradition so foreign to my own experience. beyond drawing parallels in the treatment of the human form, i felt a little lost amidst the cambodian art.

Central Courtyard of the National Museum

the museum building itself was an adventure. the building was very open, with a breeze coming through the open windows and entryways into the central courtyard. there were several buddhist images treated as living shrines, with incense and offerings at their feet.






after the national museum, i walked over to the royal palace nearby. the royal palace complex in phnom penh is fairly similar to the bangkok royal palace. i was able to visit the throne room, which is a large room filled with intricate decoration and detailed murals.

the residence of the king is closed off, but visible from the porch of the royal palace open to visitors. much like the bangkok national palace complex, there is a temple of the emerald buddha. this temple is also known as the silver pagoda, as the floor is tiled with thousands of silver tiles. the majority of these tiles are now covered with rugs for protection, but a small portion are on view in a roped off area. even though you can't see the tiles, you can feel them as you walk around the large room touring the immense collection of buddha images on display. the "emerald" buddha is a small statue made of green baccarat crystal, and is atop a large gold pedestal or shrine. the complex is extensive, and also includes a small temple or shrine surrounded by a cultivated wilderness that creates a feeling of isolation.

The spire of the hidden temple just clears the tree tops.

upon leaving the royal palace complex, i began walking along the mekong river. the avenue that stretches along the river is a hub for tourists. the sidewalks are crowded with motorbike taxis and tuk tuks seeking fares. i was struck with the aggressive attitude of the drivers- they didn't wait to be asked, they constantly asked if i needed a ride as i was walking down the street. i also walked through a street market on the way back to my hotel. the stalls with fruit, vegetables and hanging meat were mixed amongst the tourist souvenirs. i was returning to my hotel, because the sites in phnom penh observe a kind of siesta between 12:00pm and 2:00pm. i enjoyed the rest out of the heat.

around 2:30pm, i got a tuk tuk to a landmark of modern cambodian history. i went to visit the tuol  sleng genocide museum, known as s-21 during the rule of the khmer rouge. it was a former high school, that became a security prison for the khmer rouge in 1975. the museum does an incredible job of presenting and teaching visitors about what happened at s-21. visiting the site of so much horror is made even more disturbing by the echoes of the buildings' original purpose as a school. in rooms that were divided into small cells of brick or wood, one can still see a blackboard on the wall. beyond the preservation of the building's prison arrangement, there are also exhibitions of photos of the victims and paintings of the torture.

                   

                    

well, i'm going to end this long post. my flight out of phnom penh was early in the morning. i got there just as the airport was opening, and i was back in bangkok to start the next day in thailand.

Relocating Again

i was reminded this evening, that it has been quite a while since i have blogged. it seems to me that tonight, my last night in my first temporary bangkok residence, is the perfect moment to write. the last month has flown by, as i learned to enjoy an extended vacation. it has been a strange kind of vacation though. much of it spent relaxing at the pool, reading and just spending time with friends a.k.a. roommates. it was nice to live with such a large group of energized and adventurous kids. that is how i thought of them. they are all around the age of 21 and this is their first time out on their own. that doesn't mean they have never traveled before, but they have never lived on their own before. and that is why i think of them as kids. but they were generally a good group of kids to share an apartment with.

though i was ready to get out of the crowd, i am now struck by the silence. tonight i am the only one in our spacious three bedroom apartment, and it feels empty and somewhat haunted. i will be glad to move to a smaller space tomorrow. i will be moving into temporary housing arranged by the school. i am not entirely sure what to expect. it is across the street from the school, though, so i will be centrally located to start work and find a more permanent residence. i will also be more centrally located to explore the city. i will be just a short walk from the skytrain that connects to much of the city. the skytrain is wonderful. both the skytrain and metro are very new, so they are extremely well run but not very extensive (there is one metro line and two skytrain lines). i like using the skytrain- i even like the name. it sounds so much more fanciful than the "el" of chicago, even though it is simply an elevated train.

well, all this talk of moving reminds me of how much packing i have left to do. but before i forget, i have confirmed the change of my plane tickets and i will be arriving in RDU on October 3. i consider this fair warning, so hopefully i will be able to make the most of my visit.

Bangkok and Beginnings

greetings from the vibrant city of bangkok, our new home! sorry for the delayed response. some big things have happened, and i wasn’t really sure how to talk about it here.

my life in thailand has taken a wonderful, and dramatic turn. i was offered an incredible opportunity to teach as a regular elementary school teacher. i was not expecting anything like this- hence the plan for a six month stay. but upon coming across this chance, i couldn’t in my right mind say no. the end result is this: i will start a one year contract on march 17. during this year i will be a 4th grade math teacher at an all boy private catholic school here in bangkok. which means i am settled in bangkok until march 2012. but that also means i will leave here with a year of real teaching experience under my belt. having visited the school, and observed several lessons, i am really excited to be a part of the english program team. it seems like a good group of teachers working to give the best to a great group of thai students. there seems to be a great deal of support for the teachers, and that sounds good to me. i am even a little excited about teaching only math.

but back to the present. we arrived in bangkok about two weeks ago. we went the cheaper route of taking a bus up. it was a VIP bus, so the ride wasn't bad at all- just long. the bus was outfitted with every comfort possible: air conditioner, reclining seats, bathroom. we arrived in bangkok around 5 am, and got a couple tuk tuks to our hotel, which was called the thai cozy house hotel. it was a wonderful little place to begin our exploration of bangkok. it was just around the corner from khao san road, the center for backpackers. khao san is a great area. there are stalls and carts selling anything and everything, including delicious pad thai (fried noodles) for less than a dollar a plate!

after a week at thai cozy and the khao san neighborhood, we found a place to rent an apartment for a month. it is a little out of the way, but it is a very nice situation. there are seven of us in a 3 bedroom apartment, but it doesn't feel too cramped- there is a lot of floor space. on the other hand, that is a lot of people to be sharing a living space, and i will be glad to get out on my own. everyone has been pretty great, though. despite the number of people, there hasn't been any big drama or fights.

**

well, since starting this post almost a month ago (i know, i know, i need to work on just posting things instead of waiting to finish writing everything i think it should include) i have visited my new school and met some great people. i spent a morning observing several lessons in different grade levels. and after that experience, i am really excited to be a part of their teaching team. everyone has been so helpful and welcoming.


i'm going to go ahead and post this now. i'll write more about the school and such later.


happy valentine's day!!

a bump in the road...

well, i had my first not excellent day in thailand yesterday. we decided to try renting motorbikes/scooters. and i crashed mine within 10 minutes of getting it. i don't want anyone to worry- i walked away just fine. just bruised in body and ego. of course that brought an end to my motoring adventure. i was sad to miss out on the fun of exploring the island, but i needed time to heal and rest.

everyone is getting really excited about the full moon party on the nearby island of koh phangan. it is tonight, and is rumored to be quite a wild experience. it is basically an all-night party on the beach. given my bruised body and non-partier mentality, i will be saving the money and hassle and just having a quiet night on our own lamai beach. but i'll hear all about it....and pass the news onto you.

in other news, i may have found an awesome teaching job. i don't want to jinx it by saying too much before i hear a final answer. it is a regular teaching job (teaching math) at a private all boys school in bangkok. it would be an incredible experience, and the money package isn't too shabby either. i had a phone interview yesterday morning (pre-crash). and i think it went pretty well. i should know for sure by the end of the week. the only thing is that is is a 12 month contract. we really weren't planning on staying that long...but i'm trying to take advantage of the opportunities that appear. it would be wonderful to get a year of real teaching under my belt. and though we haven't left the island yet, we are really loving thailand. the people are so warm and wonderful (it isn't called the land of smiles for nothing). and the food is pretty wonderful. pam is even more in love with thailand than i am, so this could really work out. and upon arriving, it does seem harder to find work if you're not willing to sign a year contract. well, i shouldn't make too many plans until i hear for sure. i'll let you know as soon as i know.

TEFL Certified!

shockingly enough, the course is over. the two weeks have flown by. our teaching practices went pretty well. we were at the local lamai school on tuesday and wednesday, teaching the equivalent to 5th graders. we moved onto a school in chaweng on thursday and friday, teaching the equivalent to 6th graders. at each school we had the students for two whole days. two hours of english lessons in the morning (it was scheduled so each of us taught three lessons over the four days), and two hours of crafts and games in the afternoon. it was a whirlwind of teaching, children and then long nights of planning and prepping. i had my last lesson on thursday, and pam finished up this morning (she rocked- the kids loved her!).

Pam and me with some of our students.

this afternoon, we got together for some food and drinks, and had our little "graduation ceremony" on the beach. we are officially certified to teach english as a foreign language. oh yeah.

Koh Samui TEFL class of Jan. 2011!!

and now for a night of fun before the work of job searching really begins. onward and upward!

Koh Samui Pt 1

well, life here has settled into a kind of routine, even if short lived. we finished week one of our course, and we are settled in our new beach huts.

Home, sweet Home

 the weekend was been a nice little break. i feel like we have been going nonstop pretty much since we got to the island. we first met everyone involved in the course at a sunday night dinner, and then had class all day monday through friday. it was kind of nice to be a student again. a little break from being on the other side of the process. of course, the class was all about being on the teaching side of things. it was a very useful course (so much information that would have been appreciated before i taught in france; c'est la vie).

friday night was our time to unwind from a full week of school. we had all kinds of fun. starting with chilling on the porch with some guitar music, moving on to drinking games and pop music. and finally we got to see a lady boy cabaret show. in thailand they have a third gender, called kathoey. these are male-to-female transgender or effeminate gay males. it is a fascinating phenomenon in the fairly conservative social structure of thailand. anyways, there is a cabaret show full of lip syncing kathoey all dolled up. they even called on some of the guys in the audience to undergo the transformation (including our own little andy- the one guy in our group). it was great fun. the rest of the night was filled with the usual fun of going out.

Andy a.k.a. Spicy

saturday the sun finally came out, so we finally got to enjoy the beach right outside our front door. saturday was the day of relaxation.

The beach outside our beach hut village.

 sunday we had to return to the real world and start prepping for our teaching practice this week. starting tomorrow we are teaching in the local elementary schools. they have divided up the time so each person gets three individual lessons. i am in the group that goes first tomorrow morning. on the one hand, having taught a fair amount, i am excited to meet the thai students and get back in the classroom. on the other hand, i am freaking out about all the unknown factors and how my lesson will go over. ahh!! well, i better get back to work so i am over-prepared and comfortable when i get in front of all those thai students tomorrow.

We arrived!

sorry for the delayed post. we actually arrived several days ago, but internet was not easily accessible.

after the longest flying experience ever (30 hrs from start to finish), we arrived alive if somewhat disoriented at our bangkok airport hotel. upon arrival we quickly found our beds and slept. the next afternoon we got up and explored. it was a wonderful hotel, and definitely worth the splurge for the convenience. as an airport hotel it is specifically tailored to traveling westerners. so it offered a nice and easy introduction to thailand for the weary westerner. we got some food in the hotel restaurant, our first thai food in thailand. it was delicious, though i was so hungry that i don't much remember the taste now. then we went outside and pam smoked her first cigarette in almost 48 hours!

then it was back to the room, for some intense rest and relaxation. the flights had all gone very smoothly, but neither of us slept much during the travel. we rang in the new year with our room service dinner, and the pattaya countdown on tv. our flight to koh samui was early the next morning.

after several short hours of sleep, we got back in the airport shuttle. everything went well with bangkok airways. they even gave us a little new years gift! so cute. the weather in koh samui was gray and rainy, but the airport was still impressive. it isn't a centered large building. it is more a collection of open pavilions collected together. we walked off the plane down to the tarmac, and boarded little trams which drove us to the baggage claim "building". we picked up our bags and found our driver. ali was already there. she is a sweet irish girl also in our program. the drive to the hotel was quite an experience. besides the fact that thai people drive on the left side of the road, they are also quite cavalier and aggressive in their approach to driving. after safely getting out at the hotel, we waited a while for check in time, and then settled into our rooms.

the rest of saturday, and sunday were spent exploring the town of lamai. we soon found the beach and enjoyed a delicious thai dinner at a restaurant on the beach. we tried for some beach time the next morning, and the high tide made that something of an experience. sunday evening we had a welcome dinner to meet the director, instructor, and other students in our TEFL training course. it is a nice, small class of nine altogether. our director, leon, is great. our instructor, damien, is pretty great too. victoria is an instructor-in-training, and only adds to the humor and pleasant atmosphere. after dinner we got a drink at the condom bar. that's right, we drank under the sign of a smiling condom. yeah, what more can i say about that?

monday began our class....but i'll talk about that in the next post. i still can't really believe that we are in thailand. it should sink in any day now....