Nattyfish Adventures

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2009-12-15T15:29:00.003-06:00

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Welcome to Phanat Nikhom…. My home for the next 5 months

2009-06-10T06:59:00.004-05:00

Think small town USA, but in Thailand. 12,000 people – 99.9% of which are Thai – there are about 6 westerners in the whole town – including me. Its located about 50k southeast of Bangkok, making it convenient to travel to other parts on the weekends – just a semi-quick 2 hour bus ride away. The closest major town is Chonburi – about 20k away and a 40 min bus ride – everything around here is buses – NO car taxi’s or tuk tuk’s in the towns. Just motorcycle taxi’s which don’t help in the pouring rain – which is often the case seeing that we are in the “rainy” season. So, I mostly stay around here during the week or walk into our little main area of town – the big deal apparently is the KFC in the Tesco Lotus. It’s the only “chain” type fast food restaurant in town – fine by me! I’m excited that I just bought a bike yesterday – my new way to get around! We have a Monday night market which has a random smattering of goods and some great eats. There is also Ban Seng beach located just beyond Chonburi – fun place to go on the weekends – good getaway only about 1 hour away. And that about sums up the life around here – not a whole lot, but leaves plenty of free time to pursue new hobbies and self time! I’m getting back into Yoga and running, plan to buy a guitar and finally learn, study Thai so I can communicate with the locals (who speak NO English for the most part), lots of reading and playing with the puppy and wandering aimlessly.

So, the whole reason I ended up here is due to my new teaching job. I am 3 weeks into my 5 month contract to teach a semester at Anubanphanatsuksalai School – yes, that is the name! It has taken me this long to remember it all ;) I have a boisterous classroom of 30 Second graders – they are a fun handful of 7 & 8 year olds. Who would have thought I’d be spending my days surrounded by young children! What a change from my life back home – but I’m enjoying it. It has been an interesting adjustment period, but I’m getting the hang of it. I’m teaching in the English program, so I teach various subjects all in spoken English: English, math, science, social studies, art and computers. It is a challenge to teach another subject in English, their second language – it’s like teaching English while teaching math or science – constantly introducing new vocab. Many of the kids are pretty smart and are picking it up well – my greatest difficulty is keeping them in line and their attention! I didn’t know people so small could make so much noise! Between my new adorable, whiney, peeing puppy and rambunctious classroom of kids I could swear that my great lesson to be learned here is patience! Wow!

If you’d like my address: (everything sent to the school)
Natalie Burgard
Anubanphanatsuksalai School
10 M 6 T Kudnong
Phanat Nikhom, Chonburi 20140
Thailand

Technorati Tags: Phanat Nikhom,Thailand,Anubanphanatsuksalai,School,TEFL,teaching english

Putting Phanat Nikhom on the virutal "map"

2009-08-17T10:53:00.003-05:00

Want to know all that Phanat Nikhom has to offer? When I heard I was going to teach in a small town 50 km south east of Bkk, the image conjured up in my mind is not at all what I found when I got here. I did many google searches of this place only to come up practically empty handed. So I’m making it my personal project to give Phanat Nikhom an “on-line” presence. I wander the streets for hours sometimes and am always fascinated how there is nothing to do, yet so many things to do all at the same time. The pace of life in Thailand is slow and content, unlike the pace of my roots in the US. People just hang out – seemingly doing nothing for hours at a time – what on earth are they doing? Don’t you HAVE to be doing something to be happy? Ha ha - gosh I love that about this place – turns out you CAN be happy doing nothing. Just being.

I finally went to the see the proclaimed “Worlds largest Hand Woven Basket” today. It was pretty big. They are known for their hand-woven baskets around here – beautiful. Unfortunately for me, the portability is not so convenient, so I doubt many will make it home with me in the future.

On Monday nights and Thursday nights there are markets where you can find many treasures and ALL of phanat nikhom comes out of their hiding places. The food is amazing and cheap, I even found a popcorn vendor! Yum. I get to practice my negotiating skills – I love to bargain – wish I could do it at TJmax at home! Every day there is also an Old and New market selling all sort of food. No-one cooks in Thailand, so a venture to the market for breakfast or dinner is in line daily.

My two favorite coffee shops are Coffee Tree and Ying Ying. I have truly madly deeply fallen in love with Green Tea and Milk Frappe’s – delish. I love spending time at these places writing, thinking and playing with my computer.

I personally love it here. I don’t think I could permanently settle here, yet, my six month stay is a blessing.

The Chinese School - there is a large Chinese population here.

A Thai BBQ birthday party for our co-teacher Jann - one of the best evenings in PN!

I think about this little girl everyday. I watched her and her father drive around town and go through garbage can after garbage can. She had a smile on her face despite her tatty clothing and dirt stained skin. I just wonder what that must be like for anyone to start thier life out in these circumstances. Makes me so grateful for all that I have.

Ayutthaya - Thailand's Rich Past

2009-08-04T10:51:00.002-05:00

The pictures really speak for themselves. Ayutthaya is filled with historic ruins from Thailand’s days gone by. It is a city surrounded by a river – called an island yet I have a hard time thinking of it that way. After a day of touring around via tuk-tuk and then river boat – I was armed with about 300 pictures of glimpses into Thailand’s past. Truly beautiful. I can’t seem to wrap my mind around the passage of time – in my nearly 30 years, I have the ability to conceptualize back about 100 years, even 200. Yet, when I stood in front of the Roman Coliseum, or in the Egyptian Tombs, and now Buddhist Ruins – it really just blows my mind. 500, 1000, 5000 years – wow. What a privilege I’ve had a glimpse into that part of our human history.

I have a Special Visitor!

2009-07-19T10:49:00.000-05:00

My boyfriend Jeff ventured to the other side of the world to see me… literally the complete opposite side of the planet! A weekend in Bkk, a few days in Phanat Nikhom, then some major play time scheduled on the Islands of Koh Samui and Koh Tao!

I really can’t tell you much about Koh Samui except that I was beyond spoiled by accommodations and stuffed with some of the best food I’ve ever eaten. So this is what Thailand is like on a larger budget….. towels in your room, air-con, a mini-bar, private bath ha ha! Our resort room at Nora had an outdoor shower, private beach and swim up bar. Baan Bo Phut was an adorable boutique hotel with 8 rooms looking straight out onto the beach. Waking up to watch the sunrise, it seemed like our own little private beach at 5am! Except for the dog that came up and decided to pee on the chair we were sitting on – missed jeff by inches! Ha ah

Koh Tao is known for its diving – they certify more divers per year than anywhere else in the world. We stayed at Baan’s Dive Resort – a “Diving Factory” if you will. The grounds were nice, our room with a view fantastic and the diving set up great and convenient. It was crowded and the food was just okay, but if you venture a ways down the beach there are some amazing places to relax and eat delicious dinners. We got to dive 4 dive sites with Chumpon Pinnacle being my personal favorite. Though this dive was far from easy and peaceful, the coral and fish are amazing, bright, beautiful and plentiful. The other three were some of the easiest, most laid back, pleasant dives I’ve done. This was the first time since my Red Sea dives that anything compared to that beauty. Yes! This is what I was looking for ;)

I was spoiled for 9 days – both with the company and happenings – thank you babe :)

Meet Jezebel

2009-05-11T11:11:00.004-05:00

so, guess what! we have a puppy now! i got tempted into rescuing one of the puppies that was born at Olivers (the dude's bar by tefl) - one of the other puppies had just died and she desperately needed a good new home. so sunday night before we left evan and i were hanging around and i fell in love with the last one - they talked me into keeping her. impulse decision. Julie immediately agreed - so we picked her up in the morning on the way to our new home in Phanat Nikhom! We named her Jezebel (after the temptress in the bible story! haha) so there you have it - i kinda became a doggy mommy on mothers day!

She is adorable and fits in perfect in our thai house on sticks :) (that's a whole other story) there are about 20 other dogs around here also living on the grounds of the school - so it's no problem! I was a bit nervous they wouldn't let me keep here her at the school housing.

she's snuggled on my lap now - adorable.

here's a video of here at 12 weeks!:

From Jezebel

Meet my kids! Wai Kru - Teacher Day!

2009-06-17T08:32:00.000-05:00

I went from having no kids in my life to having 31 for many hours a day! Most are 7 or 8 years old, so they’re young enough to still have that innocent sparkle, but old enough to know better and still cause trouble! A fun handful! Thursday was Wai Kru (teacher’s) day here in Thailand – there was a huge ceremony where every child in the school presented flowers to all of the teachers. It was beautiful, though lengthy ;) Imagine a couple thousand kids from the ages of 4-13 parading across a stage presenting flowers in a surprisingly organized style – not being a Thai forte. It was a fun day for me; being a part of an official Thai ceremony and getting recognized by the kids – not to mention getting some great pictures and taking home some gorgeous flowers home!

Enjoy the slideshow!

Who wants to go trekking jungle style?

2009-05-10T06:55:00.001-05:00

3 days 2 nights… Julie and I head up to the northern Thailand hills/jungles to experience the elements and all there is to offer. Promises of elephant rides, waterfalls, hill tribes, hiking in jungles, white water and bamboo rafting allure us north. And it delivered. I had an incredible time sweating my ass off hiking through the jungles and mountains – certainly not for the weak at heart – it humbled my athletic ability at moments. We slept on mats surrounded by mosquito nets in huts, meandered into villages of locals and field workers. One day my shower was in a fresh stream, the next in a waterfall. I rode an elephant and got to climb on his head for a picture. I ate bananas and papaya fresh from the trees. I floated down the Mea Kong river on a bamboo raft and a white water raft (though I would barely call them “white” waters due to the season). All lead by “Tuk-Tuk”, our Thai guide, who had personality beyond his size, lead campfire sing alongs while playing his guitar, even showed us how ‘real’ men kill chickens with machete's and bbq them for dinner.

Want more pics? here you go:
http://picasaweb.google.com/nattyfish/TwoWeekTravelsThailand#

2 weeks let loose in thailand….

2009-04-29T06:53:00.001-05:00

I start teaching in 2.2 weeks….so we decide to meander around the country. Kick it off Island style in Koh Chang – a fabulous jungle island with beaches and night life – not taken over with too many tourists….yet. Bungalows on the beach are the standard, Lonely beach is a fun place to hang with other backpackers, and there’s even tasty Mexican food! Not to mention opportunities to play pool and dance with lady boys :)

Sala Keo Kou – Nong Kai Sculpture Park

2009-06-14T05:03:00.005-05:00

Truely one of the more amazing parks I've been to. Many times i find statues boring after the 3rd or 4th one… like in Paris’s Luv – get me outta there! However, this guy (Luang Pu Bunleua Sulilat) has quite the imagination and brings it to life in form – concrete form. On my visa trip to Laos, i spent the weekend in Nong Kai – a northeastern Thai/Laos border town – home of the Thai/Laos Friendship bridge – a common area to cross from one country to the other. Anyhow the park came highly recommended by the people at Mut Mee (one of the best hostels I've stayed at! great place, great food, great people!) – so I rented a bike and headed out to see what it was all about. Agreed, the best part about the place was this sculpture park – sculptures hundreds of feet in the sky, many towering over others, new ones in every direction, a mixture of many different countries and religious influences. Bunleua Sulilat and his band of followers, a community of over 100 men and women who lived on the grounds and gave their labor for free and created this masterpiece. More here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sala_Keoku
My conclusion – he is the salvador dali of thailand – and oh how i enjoy both of their work! Intriguing, fantastical, obnoxious, creative, and surreal.

It’s Monkey Time!

2009-04-19T17:48:00.003-05:00

Just 20 minuets out of town in an old abandoned temple, you can go visit and feed monkey’s! We were told to bring a ton of banana’s, show up and they would come take the banana’s from our hands. Well, after about 40 minutes of wandering around, tossing bananas and attempting monkey calls – we’re all frustrated and are left wondering where these darn monkeys actually are! Luckily on our trek down the road, we flag down a local who seems to understand what we’re looking for – he takes a bunch of banana’s and disappears on his motor bike…… hmmm… next thing we know he’s racing back down the hill telling us to come and hurry! (that’s what we think he was saying) so we run back up the hill in 95 degree heat and lone behold monkeys appear! Wow – there are about 40 or so hanging out in the trees and about 10-15 coming up to us at any given time. They were so cute!

The baby’s were precious, even grandpa Yoda monkey made an appearance. Some of them were braver than others and would kindly take the banana’s from our hand! Others would run up, grab a banana off the ground and skitter back a ways to gorge themselves. Certainly worth the wait…. How cool is that?

See more Monkey's!

Chiang Mai – Northern Thailand – Charm and Tradition all wrapped in one

2009-05-04T07:03:00.002-05:00

Would you believe the 16 hour overnight train could be the best sleep I’ve had in a month? A moving hotel room – you wake up where you want to be! Chiang Mai is northern thailand’s gem –a big city full of culture, markets, tons to do/see and Julie’s Guest house – a neat backpacker haven with cheap rooms and great food. The night markets are some of the best I’ve been to – especially the Saturday/Sunday night Bazaars. Too many cheap eats to even attempt to try, lots of handy crafts, local artists, and top it off with a massage in the street – for about $3. I had 3 massages in 4 days – can I say pampered?
So, I’ve seen my share of Wat’s (temples) and golden buddah’s, but Chiang Mai has some of the best. On a walking tour of the “said best”, I came across some old, some new, but they certainly had the most personality and old world charm I’ve experienced. Dragon heads, elephants, ruins, golden everything galore…. Even a wax monk that looked so real I couldn’t tell if he was staring at me pissed that I was in his holy house or that indeed he was dead…. Very weird.
I saw my first “dancing” elephant at the chiang mai zoo! This zoo was incredible – first time I got to see a non-concrete zoo. The habitat for most animals was created with the existing jungle terrain – this made the afternoon quite the work out – walking up and down hills, wandering paths from site to site. IT was nice to see the animals at a much closer distance, unlike the US mandatory jail cell, 150 foot separations enforced etc. gorgeous.

Here is a slideshow of my two week travels!

Technorati Tags: Chiang Mai,Zoo,wat,thailand,temple,massage

For real… petting tigers…. Rarrhhh!

2009-05-05T06:52:00.000-05:00

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Blend intrigue, amazement, a bit of craziness and you can sum up the experience of laying your head and snuggling upon the back of a tiger. Just another one of the many things Thailand has to offer. It was 15 minutes of uneasiness but well worth the pictures! I’m glad I’ve done it – in fact it wasn’t nearly as spooky as you would assume. In fact, i’m of the opinion that theses tigers are not only well fed, but probably doped up. What wild animal just lays there like a sleepy slug while multiple humans gather around to snuggle up on them only to self indulge and snap the perfect picture? (guilty) An occasional self-lick or gaze around was about all they mustered. Hmmm suspect. For that reason, I can say I’ll never do it again – its just not fair. but…Here are my fabulously guilty pics :)

Tiger Temple

2009-05-05T09:57:00.000-05:00

STP Special Thai Project – TEFL International

2009-06-02T20:56:00.003-05:00

So, this post is strictly a summary of MY opinion thus far of the program I’m involved with via TEFL Int’l called the Special Thai Project. This post is for those random’s out there looking for info to make up their mind whether to head out here or not. I could find barely anything and just took a leap of faith – I’ll try to give a quick summary to maybe help – email me if you have any other specifics! I’m about 3 months in of working with TEFL Int’l (1 month in US and 2 here) – here goes nothing: I have a lot of pluses and negatives – as do many others around here. The positives – I’m in Thailand. Plain and simple this country is amazing and offers a wonderful opportunity to live in Asia, learn a new culture, work, live comfortably on much less than you could elsewhere, shop (don’t bother bringing anything – you can buy it here cheaper), easily travel about the country and Laos/Cambodia/Vietnam/Malaysia/etc. So all of this is not a bonus of STP – just Thailand. The TEFL 3 week course is slightly intensive but a lot of fun. You live in the Condo chain – which is somewhat like a 2 star Miami slightly run down hotel – easily livable and directly across from the beach! The best part is going to class everyday at a local Monastery/Temple/School which houses and schools about 200 young monks that come from poor/orphaned families. You also get to do all your teaching practice with them – absolutely the BEST part of the program! (see my pics on this blog) The course is good, the teacher Ji is great and it seems to be a decent overview of teaching English at basic levels. There was a break between the end of classes and when we started teaching, so TEFL let us stay for free at their school – nice bonus. I have no complaints about that part of the program. The negatives – 1. the organization/communication is very poor leading up to the program, logistics/details/etc. are just NOT this co’s forte. Emails/calls were rarely returned before I got to Thailand and much of my participation was a leap of faith – turns out this was the feeling of everyone in my program. The CEO Bruce says the admin has been moved “in house” so this shouldn't happen anymore – we’ll see. Example - My Visa was not correct b/c I didn’t get my “invite” letter until 5 days before I left the US and had to scramble to get a visa in general – from there they had my visa over 7 weeks to help me/inform me of the problem (wrong status) and even after getting here and asking tons of times I was told it was ok, yada yada – just visit the border in 90 days. Then the day before I start working I’m told I have to go to Laos immediately to change my visa so my school can apply for my work permit. Anyhow – just got back from my costly extra trip ( I was up north 2 weeks ago and it would have cost much less) – a frustration and a costly oversight – so, just be sure to figure as much out as you can yourself – they say they will take care of it, but it just won’t happen. I thought I asked all the right questions many many times, but oh well – I got a quickie trip to Laos out of it (on my own dime of course). 2. They say you can request where you will teach but it isn’t guaranteed – I would have preferred them not even ask – most didn’t get anywhere close to what their preferences were. It is all up to the school’s they all ready have relationships with and what teacher they want. I understand it from their business point of view – but why bother asking us if they don’t even take it into consideration? We didn’t find out where we were going until the end of the course – not in the beginning as they claim. 3. Once placed they help you move (if nearby – which is nice). My situation might be a bit different than most but 2 of us got placed in a small town 50k south of Bkk – the “house on sticks” we were given to live in was talked up as a nice place to live, with Internet/Air-con/washer etc. Come to find out it was quite the sh*t hole and most of the teachers placed there have left over the past 4 years. Luckily we have worked with the school and moved into a great new place. I just don’t understand why tefl would keep placing new teachers here full well knowing that many have left for similar reasons year after year – and talk it up even???? Honesty is the best policy. Our ending is so far a happy one (3 weeks into teaching) – TEFL did call to check up on us and called the vice principle for us to translate and make sure we were moving etc. It was nice they made the effort to help. Again – I know business and commissions are involved – but why not be clear on the situations so that teachers know what to expect and stay their contract through! They only make their commissions if we stay and teach! Duh. (your are paid B30,000 – the school’s pay B35,000 for you and TEFL takes B5,000 – this is how they charge less for the course – I’m fine with this – all business make their money some how)
FYI – I’ve heard from many here working that you don’t need a TEFL to get a decent job and it’s not hard to find one – so if you want to just show up – that’s another option.
So – I say this – if your willing to go with the flow and not be attached to any expectations – this is a great opportunity. Maybe STP isn’t for you if need a big say in where you teach, what grades, where you live, need lots of details to be comfortable etc. I’m glad I’m here and the appeal of having a company work out the majority of the details for me has been nice – just don’t assume they have them all worked out for you. Thailand’s way is not the way of the USA. Flexibility is key – come here (whatever way you want), you’ll see, and you won’t regret it!

Wat Kao Sab - 3 weeks of amazing...

2009-04-24T19:32:00.003-05:00

What can I say.... I feel that my pictures will have to do most of the talking. The past three weeks training and teaching at Wat Kao Sab have been so rewarding - all around amazing. Certainly more than I'd ever hoped for! These young boys are astounding and it's an understatement to say that we are leaving a piece of ourselves behind with them.

My first day teaching - Thumbs up is universal!

A Monk making bricks - they sell these to earn money for the school.

Their smiles are so genuine.

The boys are all great friends.

I swear these are the smartest, most attentive 14/15 year old boys I've ever met!

Robe Ceremony Sunday - We got to donate money and robes to novice monks and participate in the ceremony - beautiful! Amazing opportunity to give back after graciously opening the school for our use.

Pond - my favorite student! He is so ridiculously smart and precious!
The magnificent drawings of Nina and I done by Pond, Ben & Piel - it was so touching! Us girls and Pond, Ben & Piel - our little Artists!

Our last day, they made us all drawings! We gave them art supplies!

Songkran – Happy New Year Thailand

2009-04-16T22:17:00.000-05:00

The week of April 12-16th is the various festivals to celebrate Thailand’s New Year. For a week straight, you could be splashed with water at a moment or have your face smeared in powder. Though it seems to have begun as a ritualistic holiday where you get blessed and give Buddha a water offering while making amends and well wishes for the coming year – it has turned into an all out water fight in the streets! We started the week with an actual ceremony at the temple we are studying at – it was done special for us to experience the actual historical rituals surrounding the event. Adorned with flowers around our neck, we participated in the ceremony and were blessed by the head Monk. Very neat to be a part of this aspect of the celebration. A few days at lunch, the main beach street of Ban Phe had a parade and local thai’s reveled in the opportunity to douse any bystander with as much water as possible. Many trucks passed by filled with people armed with buckets and water guns. They also like to put white powder (baby powder or chalk) on your cheeks – it is a symbol of something, but for what I just haven’t figured out!

All the towns celebrate on different days throughout the week - Ban Phe’s celebration was on Thursday. So, we were told we’d get wet… sure, no problem. Bring a water gun for fun, and expect to have fun. OK! Sounds great. Well, were we in for a surprise. Getting “wet” doesn’t even begin to describe the day. As our van drives into town trying to get as close as possible to the main street, we are getting blasted by hoses, other trucks, buckets… you name it! We all make a mad dash out of the van into the streets…. A large group of Farang’s – wide open targets! We mine as well have jumped in a swimming pool of street water – ha ha. The next 10 hours were spent in pure sopping wet bliss. Super soaker fights with 7 year olds, thousands playing in the streets, faces covered in a white mess, getting dunked in buckets the size of jacuzzi’s in the street, blasted by freezing cold water from who knows which direction, dancing on top of pick up trucks with locals, being a prized target due to our “western” looks, and hundreds of people wandering the streets young and old all having an amazing time – smiles everywhere you look. It was certainly up there with the best street festivals I’ve experienced in my 29 years!

Off to the island…..

2009-04-11T20:55:00.000-05:00

Immediately after classes on Friday we head into Ban Phe to catch a ferry to Ko Samet – an island about a 30 minute ride away. It is a touristy backpacking island with cheap bungalows and gorgeous beaches. Nine of us decide to go for the night and celebrate our first week of completion. The island does not disappoint. Its not nearly as touristy or crowded as expected. Actually rather quaint and extremely chill. Our bungalow’s at Seabreeze Bungalow were nice enough and about a block off of Silver Sands beach (at $8 each per night – who’s complaining). We grabbed drinks at a bar on the beach that had little tables on the ground that you gathered around. A vendor came by with fire balloons, so we took advantage of that opportunity! Neat! Next, off to dinner – a place with an international menu and amazing food – many took advantage of the opportunity to not eat thai and got burgers – I got Indian – yum. Even Thailand has heard of Bob Marley, the reggae bar was a blast – a thai band singing bob Marley over and over (kinda funny), hooka’s, karaoke, meeting new international friends etc. The night continued well into the morning, topped off by a fully clothed swim in the ocean about 5am – fantastic. The water is so warm here it is like having a bath before bed – but more fun. Needless to say none of us felt to great the next day, so lounging on the beach was perfect. I’ve never seen such white, powdery, soft sand before – it was like walking in pixy stick dust! The last ferry back to Ban Phe is at six so we meander our mile walk back to the pier to take in the sights of the island, get fruit shakes and I take pictures along the way. The fisherman’s boats at the pier were so fantastic to look at – like a vibrantly painted carnival on water. Even the ferry ride back is pleasurable and relaxing – photo op’s everywhere – but I think that’s just what I bring to the table :)

First week of classes complete….

2009-04-10T20:22:00.003-05:00

Nat Tubes

I nearly have to pinch myself on a daily basis. I’m continuously amazed at my life here. For example, our typical days: Up 7am, off to classes by 9, sunny/90ish/humid/balmy nearly all of the time. Classes from 9-12 and then 1:30 – 4:45, there are ample breaks to drink coffee and time is just not that important around here so those times are purely estimates. (turns out Thai’s are on “natalie” time!) Turns out we have a great group – everyone gets along and we have a lot of fun together. I’m sure it helps to put 10+ like-minded/outgoing people together – you’re bound to end up with some great times! This is reminding me a lot of studying abroad in spain in college…. I’m just 9 years older – ha ha Every day for lunch we eat down at the beach!!!!! Most days there are elephants waltzing along that we can pay about 50 cents to feed and take pics with. Most evenings after class we’ve headed into the nearby towns of Ban Phe & Rayong to go to the night markets, supermarkets and shopping malls. Being that we’ll be here a while, grocery shopping and essentials like towels, TP & coffee were necessary. The night markets are fantastic – its like going to a flea market outdoors where everything is ½ off ;) the food stalls are incredible – I don’t know what the majority of it is, but with the little thai I now know, I ask! Thais are SO friendly, if you smile and ask nicely they do whatever they can to help. Even a free sample here and there! At night we relax, eat dinners down by the beach, grab a beer etc. About a block down from our condo building is a guy that has wireless internet - Yeah! We’ve all been going through internet withdrawal since our arrival – our building & school doesn’t have it and there are no “café’s” in the area - so we’re super happy to have found him – the past 3-4 nights since discovering him you can find 7-9 of us huddled around our laptops communicating with the outside world. I’m sure he’s happy to have us too – we happily pay the 20 baht (57 cents) per use to hang out there – and he makes even more money when we buy beers/drinks and snacks from him – win-win! Also, thanks to my BF Jeff – I have a phone! We’re still figuring out the best ways to call for cheap – and have found that Jajah.com is working quite well! (updates via email to come).

TEFL classes: Learning is fun – much of it is interactive, modeling the teacher, drawing , educational games and involves time with the Monks - either we head out and speak to them in the little thai we know and they teach us more (to experience learning a 2nd language) or we have a structured One-on-One time where we teach them a simple English lesson plan that we created. That was so enjoyable – I got to teach Tanapon – a 13 year old that loves the Liverpool football team! We had fun, he learned quickly and by the end of the 2nd session I was sad to say goodbye – as a female we can’t touch the monks so unfortunately a hug was not in order. So I took a picture & video of him instead – he liked looking at those ;) I really think I will like teaching here – I haven’t gotten my location assignment yet, but it looks like I’ll be somewhere down south and teaching Jr High or High School level kids. To my relief, all of the focus of my teaching will be around conversation and comprehension – NOT grammer/structure etc. – they already have thai teachers to do that. So, lots of talking (I’m good at that), games (fun), and encouraging student participation and speaking.

Best Moments of the week:
Realizing that we’re teaching at a monk temple/school.
Meeting our group and teachers. Below pics of us at the welcome dinner / Ji showing us our "live" dinner! Laughing hysterically at the “Engrish” translations of the menu during lunch the first day….. 2 ppl ordered the “crab cooks whore dust” - turns out its good!
Feeding elephants on the beach and having my sunglasses fly off my head when the elephants big flapping ear whacked me in the head!
Meeting Tanapon and successfully doing the one-on-one teaching after learning the “how-to’s” all week – it worked! I taught! Yeah!
Night market shopping – my downfall.

Off to the races... Get Ready, Get Set, SHOP

2009-04-07T22:52:00.003-05:00

Day 2 started just about like day 1, bright and early - surprisingly I’m not jet lagged. Concocted during breakfast, I have a whole itinerary planned for the day – quite an advantageous agenda taking me all over bkk. My plans are soon foiled when I’m told that the temples/palace I want to go to are closed right now, not sure if that is true or not, but change up the line-up and head to Chinatown. Certainly the best china town I’ve ever been; huge, bustling wholesale markets/shops that go on for blocks and blocks, treats I can’t even consider eating, and a different variety of Buddhist temples. I can’t get over the deals…it’s like the candy land of markets. Hours of shopping & wandering later, I decide to scrap the original itinerary – I’ll be back in Bkk sooner or later and the Royal Palace and Giant laying Buddha aren’t going anywhere. Being that I’m on a shopping kick, I get on the Metra and head outside of the city to Chatuchak Park – home of the largest open air market in Thailand. This part is insane – I can’t even being to explain the size of this market – there are 1000’s of vendors and even more shoppers – it’s like a never ending labyrinth of stalls selling everything you could ever imagine selling. Chinatown was peanuts in comparison. I was in a euphoric state the majority of the afternoon as wander from stall to stall negotiating prices for my new teacher’s wardrobe, a few gifts, a bag or two, and the best Pineapple I’ve ever had. All in all, I spend less on about 12 items than I would spend on a pair of reasonable shoes. Dang! On my way out of the maze, I decide to brave a street vendor and sit down with the local thai’s inhaling some sort of “yummy goodness” in a bowl. I have no idea what it is, so I point and they figure out I want whatever they’re having… I peer around sneakily to see what the locals are doing – there are about 6 large bowls of condiments,4 hot sauces, spices, fish sauces, sugar etc. sitting in front of me – so I start mixing.... wow, it’s amazing! So tasty and filling – glad I took the chance – worth every penny (exactly 88 pennies)… then a huge cockroach crawls onto my leg – I jump in surprise/disgust and all the thai’s look at me like I just had a seizure - guess I should get used to stuff like this.

The train doesn’t get me back to my hotel area (Bkk is HUGE), so I get off as close as possible at Siam Center – which happens to be home of the biggest shopping mall I’ve ever seen in my life. MBK is the Mall of all Malls – puts Mall of America to shame. 7 floors. 100’s of stores ( probably 400+). Its mind blowing. Every knock-off imaginable is here – and good ones. After 2 hours here, my head is spinning and I’m actually finally sick of shopping. It’s after 9pm – 12 hours after take off – impressive. I flag down a tuk-tuk and head home – my feet hurt so bad I can’t talk myself into walking anywhere to get dinner. So I skip it and drink a huge Chang beer instead in my room while catching up on my blog, emails, pictures etc.

I’ve now had the biggest shopping day of my life… I’m kinda glad I’m leaving Bkk tomorrow – this could easily turn into an addiction ;)

And the Program begins…

2009-04-09T22:51:00.000-05:00

I meet my new friends and fellow teachers at the airport to head down to Ban Phe where we will be taking our TEFL course for the next 3 weeks. Everyone is friendly, like minded, and since there is only 12 of us total – perfect size to get to know each other and learn a lot. The 2.5 hour drive to Ban Phe is uneventful until we stop in town for an ATM and there is an Elephant in the parking lot! Wow. It’s a beautiful little beach town and our new home is in a condo/extended stay building – much nicer than expected! There are street vendors selling food along the beach at nearly all times and quaint outdoor restaurants to eat dinner and have a few beers at night.
Bright and early Monday morning we hop in the van for our first day of classes – we come to find out that we will be having all our classes at a local Temple that is mainly a Monk school for about 200 boys – most of which came from poor families or were orphaned. I’m speechless! What a cool place to have classes and then practice teaching to classrooms of novice monks! The grounds are beautiful and serene, there is an aura of calm when there. The classroom in indoors, but open windows surrounding 3 sides – breezy and comfortable all day long. Our main teacher is a Thai woman named Ji. She is very personable and a wonderful teacher – she is finishing her masters in English and teaching. The coolest part in the classroom these past couple days is she is teaching us the Thai language via the methods we will be teaching English to our students! Double learning, and perfect to be able to relate to what our students will be going through when teaching them another language. I’m feeling very fortunate to have found this opportunity – I can’t imagine being in a better place right now.

2 Smokin' Hot days in Bangkok

2009-04-03T22:49:00.002-05:00

Considering I show up in Bangkok in the wee hours of the night/morning, the welcome was perfect. I landed a room at the Thai Cozy Hotel, in the Banglamphu district - known for its backpacker/hippie/tourist allure. 3 nights including breakfast and wireless was $55 - really? I feel lucky - i booked this place via the Internet while sitting in Narita airport just hours earlier.

Turns out the free breakfast is good! I'm actually up by 7am, rested, full belly of fresh fruit & yogurt, coffee and toast. Hmmmm.... where to wander in this HUGE city. Since I look like mega tourist with my huge camera slung around my neck and lonely planet book in hand, I am constantly stopped by friendly thai's telling me what to do/where to go/best price/go this way/stop at tailor/tuk-tuk real cheap/lucky Buddha/big Buddha/gold Buddha/etc..... So i set out on my wandering journey in search of the "big Buddha" - supposedly a 45 meter tall Buddha - hard to miss right? well, 3 hours of walking later, i think i'm on a wild goose chase. however, i've observed all sorts of fabulous things while in a smoggy, muggy, sweltering hot mess of a city! fascinating! eventually, friendly thai #8 points me in the right direction and i meet "big Buddha", aka Wat Intharawihan. impressive and very gold. finally! on my way out i give in to a "tuk-tuk" driver and let him take me to the next couple sites - this city is much bigger than the map makes it look! Lucky Buddha is beautiful, but only because I meet a friendly old Thai man that explains how they pray/wish at this shrine - he comes here daily - i'm not surprised - he has a welcoming aura about him and kind way with me. very special moment. off to the "Golden Mount", which is literally a golden temple on the top of a mini-mountain - shocking. a bit of a hike up, but nice views of the smoggy city - the rumors are true.... the traffic/heat/smog combo of this city is horrifying - BUT... the big BUT is that there are so many redeeming qualities! Like the shopping! and the prices of just about everything! and the smiling faces! and the tasty food! the list goes on. fun fun fun! before i head home i stop at Khao San Market - a very long street filled with street vendors in Banglamphu devoted to entertaining/tempting the tourist... clarification - this is the PG street. not the X-rated ones you've heard of. strictly food, bars, clothes, dreadlocks/braids, tattoo's, misc. - items that would make any hippie at heart back-packing fool happy. my first day in bangkok a success as i walk back happy, belly full of 60 cent tasty pad thai, a couple purchases in hand, pictures to prove it happened and puffy blister on my big toe!

I head straight for the shower, i need clean. wow this place is hot.

The Adventure Begins.... Stop #1 - Japan

2009-04-02T03:09:00.004-05:00

The last few days have been, well, stressful and a bit anxious. Packing for 6.5 mos and saying goodbye to those you care about isn't a walk in the park. What will I want to wear in 3 months in a country I've never been? hmmm... easier to figure out than the "goodbye" part. However, sitting here in Narita Airport in Japan, I am calm, happy, and excited. The 13 hour flight here was actually a cake walk. The food was sparse and tasteless and the kid behind me squealed more often than i would have liked, but i actually was able to sleep a bit, read a ton of my "Lonely Planet Thailand" book, ate an entire bag of candy and the ride was ultra smooth - almost forgot i was on a plane! The last hour of the flight i was getting excited about being in Japan again - if even for just a 3 hour lay over. Immediately after i get off the plane and turn the corner i am happily assaulted by the bright neon vending machines... if you've ever been here, you know this is a signature Japanese sight. I was having fantasies of eating some Curry Udon Noodles... but alas I can't find any in the airport. Japanese snacks are quite different than ours, not to mention i have NO IDEA what 95% of them are.... this is how i end up w/ a Banana drink - I think it's Minute Maid Banana juice based on the label - sounds interesting right? Turns out its some sort of chunky banana flavored gelatin type drink - feels weird going in my mouth. Good thing I also got the ritz crackers and Green Tea flavored Kit Kat (green tea?!?!?! - worth a shot). I found my way onto the interwebs via my best friend the laptop and was able to let some VIP's know that i'm alive and book a place to stay in Bangkok tonight - something i hadn't gotten around to doing before I left - I figure at midnight I might want a place to crash after about 24 hours of traveling across the globe. sounds reasonable. now i'm all set! they just announced boarding..... gotta go!

Feeling pretty good about whats to come!

Bonus Days in Cabo

2008-08-04T05:54:00.002-05:00

My extra days in Cabo were wonderful, much appreciated down time to reflect back on the amazing, humbling, life-changing week. My little hacienda-ish hotel, the Cabo Inn, was cheap and nice (minus the cockroach roomie in my first moments there). I wandered the streets of cabo for hours both fri/sat, meeting people, people watching, contemplating, eating (i can never get sick of mexican food), reflecting, fantasizing about moving there, etc. Saturday I got to scuba dive right off pelican rock and the finger rock ... i saw a huge Manta Ray!!! gorgeous! The highlight of my weekend was going to the cabo english church sunday to see all the new friends I've made and spending the day at the beach w/ a couple local families (the kids were our translators during the week).

Jessica & I on the beach - we spent the afternoon there with her family swimming, eating, waverunning, and being dragged around behind the waverunner on one of those banana type things that beat the heck out of my body!

5:30 am sunrise sunday morning - can you believe i made it up in time to catch this! Magical!

My last hoorah was sunday night, getting my permanent souvenir... 2 tattoos on my feet of the words i want to live by "gracias & amor" - thankfulness & love. I didn't want to leave this experience in mexico, now every step i take i can be reminded. Also, coincidentally, i got them on the "arches" of my feet.... it just so happens cabo is known for their arch - ha ha.

Bruno my tattoo artist.

Kids Games - Cabo San Lucas - Where Smiles Come from :)

2008-08-01T05:16:00.007-05:00

I headed to Cabo San Lucas, Mexico from July 26th to August 4 to work with KidsGames. KidsGames is a world-wide movement connecting children and the communities in which they live. This was an amazing opportunity to spend a week working with about 150 underprivileged children from ages 5-14. We did Sports, Relays, Games, Bible Teachings... all integrated with FUN!!!

I saw this as an opportunity to show Love, Compassion, Fun, & Support to the kids in this world. The children here are precious. i have gotten and given more kisses & hugs this week than i have all year long. i know they loved every minute and felt loved/special/appreciated by all of us. wow. one of the themes this week was expressing to them that "they are special, important, unique, they have a place and there is no one else like them" - in fact the song we sang is still repeating over and over in my head!! i can only hope we've left them with this impression in their minds and hearts. we didn't want to say goodbye to them, and they didn't want to say goodbye to us.

Site of the Kids Games day camp: El Centro de Fe - Church in the outskirts of Cabo that reaches out to the community.

Casandra, Michelle, Ximena - My favorite Chicas!! Look at those smiles!!!

Classroom time - not easy to keep the attention of 60-70 5-7 yr olds!!

Pass the sponge relay - a group favorite! However, the water never made it back to the bucket and always on the heads of the kids! What can you expect when its 90 degrees!?!!? too funny!

Keeping the kiddies in the correct age group was always a task.... hence the green bracelets. "All green bracelets raise your hand!!!"

I was surrounded at all times by these lovely ladies - we couldn't get enough of each other! Muchos Besos y Abrazos!

The Harvest Group at the end of a Long Rewarding week!

Cabo is know for it's famous Arch formation - a gorgeous setting for an amazing week.

I love it here - words can't express the past week i've had! i swear i'm part latina - at least in my heart ;) my spanish has come back somewhat which has been fun - but also reminds me of how much i have to learn! i am so blessed! after seeing what these kids have (next to nothing, dirt floors in shack-like homes, poor, etc.) and the joy, happiness & pride they still have on their faces/in their hearts - i am reminded to be thankful for what i have, be generous, and love without limits. i have gotten more from them than i could possibly give back.