Alive and Teaching in Bangkok

It's been about a week and half since I've arrived at Bangkok. I am living in the greater Bangkok area, which is good for me so that I am away from the hustle and bustle ( and crazy traffic - L.A. and S.F. pale in comparison) of central Bangkok. But when I do want to check out central Bangkok - it could be a bit of a production. It can take as much as 2 hours during peak traffic times to get into central Bangkok, but I've been told that at 2 am ( and other traffic free times - it can be as quick as 15 minutes if you have a heavy footed taxi driver! There are a few modes of transportation in Bangkok. There's the motorcycle taxi, a tuk tuk ( a carriage carried by a motorcycle - My friend & fellow teacher, Jessica are pictured in one to the left), a regular car taxi, buses, song taws (trucks with 2 long benches in the truck bed), the subway, the skytrain, water taxis, and the old trusty foot. I am sure there are a few that I've missed, but you get the point :)

I am teaching at a Catholic school - in the English learning program, where the students have half of their classes taught in English.It's a bit different teaching at a catholic school - because there are MANY religious references, but as Thailand is a predominately Buddhist country, they are open to different beliefs at the school. We have to have wear HIDEOUS uniforms. They are polyester and not flattering in the least bit. The material isn't the best for the climate - but luckily we have Air Con in the classrooms (which is nonexistent for my other fellow teacher trainees in their teaching placement schools). The bright side, is that I don't have to worry about what to wear everyday! At the school, we have to address every teacher as "Miss so-and-so or Mr. Blah-Blah." It takes some adjusting to, when I call my friends Ms. Rachel or Ms. Jessica - but I've gotten the hang of it.

I am teaching 2nd graders, so it has been an adjustment as I was trained to focus more so on Middle and High school level students. Everyday before class starts, we have to attend the flag ceremony - which is ALL in Thai. We have to stand with our students for 30 minutes outside in the sun ( luckily its the cooler season now but its still hot and humid) and we have to"WI" (which is a respectful greeting in Thai culture. You put your hands together as if you are praying) ( Ronald Mc Donald to the left - doing his "WI") during the allegiance to the country and stand perfectly still during the duration of the ceremony. I think I'm having a more difficult time to stand still than some of my students! lol. On the first day of school, Rachel, Jessica and I were given a welcome ceremony.It was really heart warming that all students in the program sang a song " Welcome to the Family" and gave us each a jasmine flower bracelet. Every morning the students in my class greet me with a 'WI" and after each class, the students all say, "Thank you Miss Monica" all together. It was uncomfortable at first, but very cute.

I have taught 2 days now and I am still getting to know the students. They are all adorable and enjoy learning English. They are also VERY energetic. I need to learn some classroom management skills! Its hard for me to remember each student's name. They all have REALLY LONG Thai names - and then they have nicknames. All Thai's have nicknames that are short and fun. The nicknames are a bit cheeky and some are just downright hilarious. Some examples of my student's nicknames are: Ploy, Poom, France, Mochew, Namo - the more unique ones are Balloon, Web, etc . So it's been quite the task of getting the names, nicknames, and the faces of the students. Hopefully I learn in the next week or so!