Last weekend, Audrey and I traveled to the beach town of Ban Chang in the Rayong Province to meet up with our friends Alex and Katie, a British couple who we met on the island of Koh Samet.Katie is teaching English in Rayong at an International School, and the two of them have met other ex-pats in their area, establishing quite a fun crew.Friday night, we hit the town in Ban Chang, and two of their American friends, Chris and Neuman, joined us at the Taxi Bar and at The Drunk Pub (love it).We were quite a hit at both bars, which typically happens when you get a group of farangs (foreigners) in an all-Thai setting.Thai people are super nice and friendly, and want nothing more than to talk to you, help you out, and buy you alcohol.It’s not uncommon to be surrounded by a group of Thai people, all vying for your attention and wanting to take a picture with you.Being a local celebrity is fun!
Saturday morning, we headed towards Pattaya (scroll down for my previous post about Pattaya) after picking up Dan from Wales, his Thai girlfriend Tah, and Robin from Norway.Dan has a pretty nice boat that he keeps docked in the area, and after Shari made her way from Chantaburi, we set sail on an all-day excursion in the gulf with the intent of finding our own private island for a late day BBQ. Even though I couldn’t go swimming in the oh-so-inviting turquoise water because of my still-healing foot, I still had so much fun.We ended up staying on the island until after sunset, making our way back to Ban Chang later in the evening, where we hung out at Dan’s house until after midnight.What a great day/night!
The whole crew- gotta love camera self timers
Christmas card- girls using coral as reindeer antlers
On Sunday, after a sight-for-sore-eyes English breakfast at a pub in Ban Chang (eggs, toast, beans, sausage, french fries….yessssss), we headed to Silver Lake, which houses a winery, lake (obviously), and a Buddha carved on a huge rock wall.We also went to an elephant farm, and after leaving, saw an elephant in the wild a few miles down the road.Really cool stuff!
Check out the elephant behind me
The King’s Birthday is December 5th, which means a 3-day holiday weekend this weekend (woot)!Two interesting facts about the King: the King of Thailand was actually born in Massachusetts, and pink became Thailand’s unofficial favorite color after the King left a Bangkok hospital wearing a pink shirt and pink blazer (I have to wear pink to school on Friday).Friday is also Father’s Day, and my school has a 3 hour party planned in the afternoon; the kids have been working on cards and pictures all week.After school, Audrey, Alex, Katie and I (and I think a few others) are heading down to Hua Hin, a beach town which is still on the gulf, but in the other direction (west and heading south down the peninsula-type part of Thailand).There are at least 10 different day trips offered from Hua Hin; everything from kayaking and snorkeling to exploring temples and caves (and even exploring temples IN caves).Suk san wan gert (Happy Birthday) to you King Bhumibol Adulyadej, and thanks for the day off on Monday!Until next time….Sawatdee kah!
Ever since I arrived in Thailand, I’ve been keeping a running list in my head of all of the things that I find cool, strange, random, funny, and/or amazing.Here’s a short list of the most notable.
1. There are thousands of 7-11s in Thailand.They are everywhere; on the same block, across the street from one another....everywhere.They are pretty similar to 7-11s in the US in that they sell snacks, slurpees, and a few select grilled items, but all have a product section (shampoo, soap) and some even have a pharmacy.7-11 is pretty important because you have to go there to ‘top up’ your phone, a procedure popular in many countries except the US.Basically, it’s a declining balance system; you put money on your phone and each outgoing text/call costs you money.You get a text alert when your balance is low, so you head to 7-11 to ‘top up’.Pretty easy and no phone contract/commitment.
2. Not unlike 7-11s, pharmacies are everywhere and they have everything.One block from my apartment, there are two across the street from one another, and there are dozens more on my way to school.You can buy prescription drugs over the counter cheaply, and most pharmacists speak at least a little bit of English and can recommend something for your ailment.Again, a good system. One more thing you can find everywhere? Pictures of the King. Everywhere.
3. The women in Thailand are obsessed with their skin; the mall has several ‘skin clinics’ which offer procedures and products.More specifically, the women are obsessed with lightening their skin.Every skin product here (wash, cream, scrub, acne medicine) is ‘skin whitening’.Who doesn’t want to look like a porcelain doll?I’ve totally bought into this marketing scheme and invested in my own cream.
4. Probably the most frustrating thing about living here is the lack of paper products.It’s a crap shoot (no pun attended) whether there will be toilet paper or paper towels when you use any restroom other than your own.That’s odd, right?I don’t get it.Even the teachers' bathroom at my school is lacking toilet paper, and the same nearly-empty soap dispenser has been on the counter for a month.Ugh.Likewise, napkins are at a premium; I’ve never seen a heavy duty paper napkin here (or cloth napkin at all).Some tables at restaurants have dispensers, but the napkins are about ¼ the size of a tissue, see-through thin, and disintegrate in your hands.Again, I don’t get it.
5. This song is really popular right now; they play it at school over the loud speakers during lunch, and the other day, I saw the kindergarten kids dancing to it.Catchy.
6. Dogs line the streets here and they freak me out.I feel bad for them during the day, when I see them lying all over the place because it’s so hot, but then walking by a bunch of barking dogs later in the day is unnerving.So far, they’ve been all bark, no bite; fingers crossed that this behavior continues.
7. Thailand is known for its fabulous food, and the street vendors are cheap and good.However, pre-packaged food can be tricky.Half of the time I expect to eat something sweet and it turns out salty, and the reverse is also true.I tend to have a somewhat adventurous attitude with the food here because I usually don’t know what I’m buying, but there’s nothing like wanting a plain piece of bread only to discover that it tastes like sugar. Yuck.
8. The iced coffees and iced teas are amazing!It probably has something to do with the fact that a can of sweetened condensed milk and a ton of sugar goes into every cup. It’s my biggest vice. The fruit smoothies here are incredible also, and though a little more healthy, they also come with added sugar.
Green Tea. Yum!
9. I dry my clothes on racks on the roof of my building because we don't have a dryer (you’d be hard pressed to find one in Thailand), I take a somewhat cold shower every morning because I don’t have hot water (getting used to it), the shower is in the same room as the rest of the bathroom with no division (so the entire bathroom gets soaked when you take a shower), and I’ve yet to sleep in a comfortable bed here (my bed and pillow are hard as nails).Such is life.
10. Many Thai people have nicknames, and the ‘names’ are often random words picked from a dictionary or elsewhere.For example, I have a student named Milk, and the other day, I met a guy named Tah-dah (as in what a magician says after a magic trick). Too funny.
11. You can fill up your water bottle at any of these dispensers; this one is located one block from my house and I’ve seen them all over town.Put in a small coin, stick your bottle under the spout, and viola!A huge money saver and also good for the environment.
12. Chonburi is a pretty big place but I haven’t done too much exploring as far as nightlife is concerned.However, the American girl placed at my school before me told me about a place at the end of my street called The Babe.She said it’s one of the most popular places in Chonburi, and I’ve been there a few times; they have live music every night and a great atmosphere.
My neighbor from China (Grace) and me at The Babe; first ones there when they opened at 5:00.
The band comes on at 7:00pm nightly and they are really good
13. I live two blocks from the Chonburi Football Club stadium, which is pretty cool because football (soccer) is such a huge sport here.The stadium is beautiful and has a nice turf track that I’ll never get to use (imagine trying to use the field at Lincoln Financial Field- not happening).However, behind the stadium is a really pretty park, complete with a paved running path, coconut trees, a pond, and free outdoor equipment.I got a kick out of this scene.
I hope everyone has a fab Thanksgiving weekend!In honor of (but having nothing to do with) Thanksgiving, Audrey, Shari, and I are heading to visit Katie and Alex, our British friends that we met in Koh Samet.They live in Ban Chang, a beach town not too far from Chonburi.We’ve rented a boat for Saturday and are looking forward to sun and sports on the water!I still can’t go in the water because of my foot, but I’ll consider myself the official event photographer for the weekend.Until next time….Sawatdee kah!
It’s painful for me (both literally and figuratively) to be stuck in my apartment and writing a blog update on a beautiful Saturday afternoon.I should be on lying on a beach somewhere, or maybe riding an elephant, or perhaps frolicking in waterfalls.But being that I just spent three days in the hospital for a bacterial infection, I don’t really have a choice.An insect bite quickly went from being itchy to being infected, and Tuesday morning, I woke up with an extremely swollen, red, and sore foot, as well as a high fever.My school coordinator took me to the hospital, and they diagnosed me with a bacterial infection from an insect bite that had already reached my blood (!).They wanted me to stay overnight but didn’t have the room, so they hooked me up to an IV for an hour and gave me a bunch of antibiotics to take home.I was also instructed to come back each of the next three days for an hour-long IV treatment.All was good in my mind, until I woke up Wednesday morning and the insect bite had gotten bigger and turned into a white oozing crater (abscess- ugh)!Back to the hospital I went, and this time they admitted me.A surgeon drained and packed the abscess, and the nurses hooked me up to an IV (I think I received more antibiotics than one person should be allowed to receive in a lifetime).
My foot- Day 3 (no, I don't normally have cankles)!
During these three days, I was constantly told by the doctors, nurses, and staff at my school, “Don’t worry!". I’m not sure if they repeated this statement to me because I’m a farang (foreigner) or because I had a general look of fear on my face, but it definitely made me feel better.And let’s face it, I WAS worried!! Really, really worried. And you would have been too.Let me say, though, that I received excellent around-the-clock care at Aikchol Hospital; the nurses and doctors were extremely accommodating, and I always felt like I was in knowledgeable hands.They went above and beyond their call of duty for me.And hey, they even had an American menu which contained a cheeseburger and fries from McDonalds :-D
Now I’m back in my apartment with a healing foot, and I’m just thankful that the worst of this event is (hopefully) behind me.Before this happened, I was having a great time and had really started settling into life here.Last week, Thailand (and some parts of Myanmar and Laos) celebrated Loi (Loy) Krathong.'Loy' literally means 'to float,' while 'kratong' refers to a lotus-shaped receptacle which can float on the water.All across the country, people gathered beside canals and rivers, lit candles, put coins in their kratongs, and made a wish as they placed their kratongs in the water.The flame is said to signify longevity, fulfillment of wishes, and release from sins.Lanterns are also released into the air (Khom Loy- floating lanterns) as part of the celebration.We had a huge Loy Krathong celebration/talent show at our school; it was a fun afternoon.
Kindergarten kids putting their kratongs in the water
Kids getting ready for the festivities
That night, Pooja, Audrey, and I headed to Bang Saen beach for their LK celebration.Taking a picture of floating lanterns is kind of like taking a picture of fireworks; it doesn’t always turn out. We did manage to snap a few photos though.
These things are hard to get up in the air!
Getting ready to put our kratongs in the water
Not the best picture but you can see kratongs in the sky and the water
Running into my co-workers Bin and Pop on the beach!
We headed back to Bangkok over the weekend for Pooja’s farewell and got to do some things we didn’t do during orientation.
The biggest Buddha I’ve ever seen at Wat Intharawihan
The Golden Mount
Met him on the way down the mountain
Good times in Bangkok on Friday and Saturday nights with other friends from our program
I’ve been meaning to do a post about general life in Thailand, and I think I’ll do that later this week because I won’t have any good pictures to post from this weekend.I definitely plan to make up for lost time though and get out and about next weekend!Until next time….Sawatdee kah!
It’s Wednesday night in Thailand and like most people, I am already looking forward to the weekend.Though not an earth shattering conclusion, I’ve realized this week that working in {what many consider to be} a tourist destination is the same as working anywhere else; you wake up early, you put in your 8 hours, you head home, and then you do it all over again the next day, anxiously awaiting quitting time on Friday.I almost feel like I’m back in my summer routine, packing a bag most weekends and heading to the beach.The only difference is for the next four months, I’ll be heading out to explore a different part of Thailand instead of heading south on 95 and Rt. 1 to Dewey Beach.
How’ve you been old friend?
The school term is officially underway and I’ve spent the past ten days writing seven lesson plans.I am teaching three sections of three levels of high school, two sections of three levels of kindergarten, three special language classes, a teacher clinic, and I’m also helping a couple of students prepare for a competition.If that sounded confusing to you, imagine how I feel; I’m having a hard time keeping these classes straight, and I’ve pretty much given up on trying to learn anyone’s name (not that I can pronounce the names anyway).Did I mention that I have no experience writing lesson plans?
I am the only American English teacher in my school; there is another full-time teacher from the Philippines who also teaches English, and I noticed today that there are a few teachers from Ireland and Scotland who come in for a couple of hours a week on a contract basis.Everyone in the school is really nice, and I’m getting used to hearing, “Teacha, Teacha, Hello!!!” as I walk through the halls.It’s pretty cute actually.And such is my Monday-Friday life for the next four months.
A few of my classes:
The classrooms are not air conditioned and it's 100 degrees....
I noted last week that my high school kids were pretty difficult.Things have improved a little bit because I told the Academic Director that I needed some help, and she has since made sure that there is a Thai teacher in every class to help with discipline.Though not perfect, it has helped because the Thai teacher can speak to them in Thai when clearly they have no idea what I’m saying.In an effort to keep my sanity, I’ve decided that I’m just going to come to each class prepared and ‘hope for the best’ (my Thailand mantra); that’s really all that I can do anyway.
Last weekend, I went to the island of Koh Samet with Pooja and Audrey.What we expected to be a 3-3.5 hour trip ended up taking us 5.5 hours.Bru-tal!Besides being super slow and getting stuck in traffic, our bus broke down, so we had to wait for a new one in Random Town, Thailand (to be fair- we only lost about 10 minutes).After arriving in Rayong, we had to take a songthaew (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Songthaew) and then a ferry to reach the island.We left Chonburi at 5:30 on Friday and arrived in Koh Samet at 11:00; definitely a long ride for a weekend!We managed to stay out until 4:00 am though, so I think we made the most of it. On Saturday morning, Shari arrived from Chantaburi, and we met our fun neighbors in the bungalow next to us, Katie and Alex from the UK. Most of our day was spent chilling out on the beach and eating non-Thai food (needed.a.break); it was just what the doctor ordered.
Saturday night was much like Friday night, and we ended up jumping from beach bar to beach bar and running into other people from our program, as well as some Polish and American guys we met the night before.A good time was had by all.I’ll be back Koh Samet!
Tomorrow is Thursday and it’s a pretty big holiday in Thailand called Loi Krathong (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loi_Krathong).The biggest celebration happens in the north of Thailand in Chiang Mai, but it’s too far to go for the weekend (and we have to work on Friday), so we are heading to our local beach Bang Saen to check out their celebration.I copied this picture off of the internet; it may be the coolest thing you ever see on your computer
We had talked about heading to Chantaburi this weekend to go hiking and check out a waterfall park, but I just got news that Pooja has decided to go home to England :-( For her final blowout, we are headed up to Bangkok for the weekend to send her off properly. I am excited to see more of the city, as I think I only explored about 1/5 of it. Until next time….Sawatdee Kah!
It's coming up on the end of my first week of living in Chonburi and for the most part, things are going pretty well.It got off to a somewhat rocky start though; as I mentioned in my last post, I felt pretty alone the first half of my first weekend here.I had just spent a week in orientation with 140 people and now here I was, alone, in a place where nobody speaks English (unlike Bangkok or Pattaya) and living in a seemingly empty apartment building.It’s one thing to feel alone; it’s another to feel isolated, and when you don’t know the language in a town where you don’t know anybody, it’s, well, isolating. I was prepared for the former, but the latter really took me by surprise. Anyway, long story short, things are a lot better.On Sunday, I met up with Pooja and Audrey- two girls on my program who are also living in Chonburi but teaching at a different school.We went to Central Plaza (Chonburi’s four level mega-mall…it’s pretty nice) to catch up and commiserate about some of the difficulties we were facing in our new surroundings.It was great to see them and I instantly felt better, especially as we talked about traveling the next couple of weekends.Later in the week, I met a girl in my building who I think was happier to see me than I was her; she’s from China and is teaching at the university (okay, so there are two of us in this building, but she was out of town the weekend I moved in and I really thought I was completely alone).She speaks English pretty well and we’ve hung out a few times.Yay, I have friends!
As far as Chonburi itself, it’s a pretty big city and you can find whatever you need here, especially at the mall.It has a Fitness First gym, Auntie Anne’s Pretzels, Dairy Queen, Starbucks, a huge department store, a Big C (the Thai version of Target), countless clothing, accessory, and drug stores, and even a 7-theatre movie theatre.
I’m living in an okay spot too; I walk out the main door of my building and walk two blocks to a really busy road with tons of shops, restaurants and vendors, as well an amazing market, where I’ve bought my dinner most nights.
Sukhumvit Road- the main road in Chonburi and one of the longest roads in Thailand and the world
I have about a 20 minute walk to school, though I’ve started to catch a motorcycle taxi, simply because it’s cheap, easy, and I’m not in full sweat by the time I get there (and I’ve become a pro at riding on the back of one sideways because I wear a skirt to school). It's not unusual to see a family of 4 on ONE of these, so I figure if they can do it, so can I.
And…..now I’m a teacher!Supposedly anyway.School started on Monday and it’s been interesting.I was under the impression that I was only going to be teaching kindergarten and elementary school kids but they have me teaching high school kids too.I wasn’t prepared to teach older kids and I hate to say it but they are downright uncontrollable.I’ll just leave it at that for now.The little kids are adorable though and I’ve had so much fun teaching them so far; hoping things get better with the older kids soon (not getting my hopes up).I’ll talk more about my school and teaching when I get a little more into the process; it’s only been four days.
I’m off to the island of Koh Samet this weekend with some friends from the program; I think we’ve all had a challenging week and are looking forward to some fun in the sun!Koh Samet is supposed to have beautiful beaches, so hopefully I’ll have some good pictures to post.Until next time- Sawatdee kah!
