Off to the Beach..Again!

This previous weekend I headed to Hua Hin (which is about 3-4 hours from Bangkok) with Taryn. It was a great getaway and it had been about 2 weeks since I put my toes in the sand! I prefer Hua Hin to Pattaya any day. The area is much better (it’s the other beach close to Bangkok); the atmosphere is just pure beach, none of the high energy clusters of crowds seeking hedonistic entertainment that plague Pattaya. My friend Taryn and I arrived in Hua Hin really late at night because it was so painful to get to the southern bus terminal. It was Bangkok’s rush hour and the southern bus terminal is the farthest bus terminal for me and it was simply difficult for my friend coming from nearby due to the relentless traffic. It took just as long to get to the bus station as it did to get to Hua Hin! So, on Friday my friend Taryn and I grabbed a night cap and hit the sack after arriving at about 11:30 p.m.

The next morning we grabbed some breakfast and walked across the beach. As we walked across the beach, we noticed there was an amazing variety of shells across the ground .There were so many! I had never seen a higher concentration of shells on one beach in my life! My friend Taryn went crazy and picked up at least 100 uniquely beautiful shells and I being the amateur shell collector figured 5 that would suffice. After picking up shells, we strolled to the next beach over. We saw a HUGE golden Buddha seated on the side of the cliff that separated our beach from the next. It was breathtaking. We also heard that there are monkeys that live in the hillside cliff.

When we entered the other beach, it wasn’t packed at all. There were only a handful of people compared to other beaches I have been to in the past in Thailand. It was a calming and trancelike walk that Taryn and I went on. It was like this never-ending space of beach, the sun was shining, the waves were crashing gently over our feet, and the breeze was strong but relaxing. So after our walk, we spotted this incredible resort along the beach and decided to see if we could grab a pina colada inside. The resort was gorgeous and food and drinks hit the spot! The staff was kind enough to let us lounge around the pool and utilize the “swim up” bar. We spent a good 4-5 hours just lounging around. It was a truly relaxing day at the pool, an infinity pool to boot! After we left the Wora Bora resort, we got massages on the beach, because after you’ve been reading my blog entries you’d know that I consider it a crime not to get a massage at least once a week when in Thailand  After our amazing massages, we then headed to a wonderful restaurant at the Veranda lodge right on the beach. We again, gorged ourselves with all the delectable entrees and appetizers and post dinner, decided to treat ourselves to yet another massage! Ha Ha Ha - life is just too tough over here!!

The next day, Taryn and I decided to walk the other direction of the beach – which again, it was 7km, so It appeared to be never ending! After about 3 hours of walking ( we took breaks to enjoy the scenery, snack, and swim) we reached the end and were pleasantly surprised by yet another large golden Buddha and a quaint fishing village. W inquired with the locals as to where we could get a bite to eat, (we were looking to get a bite from a casual Thai restaurant) but they referred us to a lovely Swede run resort. There, we enjoyed another EPIC meal – complete with quite a few fruit shakes and wine! It was gluttonous activity at its best! After our meal, we figured it was best to head home since it was getting late. We took a shuttle minivan and got back into Bangkok at about 9 p.m. on Sunday. The weekend was relaxing and just what I needed…it’s funny to mention this, but over the course of the weekend, Taryn and I spent about 5 times more on Food, Drink, and Massages than we did on our accommodation – and it was a backpacker bungalow, it was a decent hotel. But that’s how it can be in Thailand – especially in touristy areas 

I Stepped in Elephant Poo

Who'd think I’d want a little break away from the city and the beach? This weekend I went to Khao Yai, which is a National Park in Thailand. It was a fantastic time – and get this, I actually needed a jacket (a light jacket, but a jacket nonetheless) while I was there. My friends and I went on an organized day tour since we figured its best to go with experienced guides and it just made sense. We did a 4 hour trek through the jungle – and on that trek, I stepped in Elephant Poo!! I was the only one who did. Just my luck. I always seem the one to experience an unfortunate event such as that. Thank God it wasn't fresh!

Throughout the day at the national park, we spotted many animals. Our guides are on this network, they are so connected with other animal spotters. They'd call each other on their cells and race in our songtaews to the area of the park where the animals were. They also had these hi powered binoculars and telescopes so we could all get a really good look at the animals. We spotted wild elephants and got hear them call to each other. It was exciting because the elephants that I usually see around Thailand are domesticated and used for entertainment purposes or labor. It really hits you to the core listening to the elephants call to each other. I am sure they were scared when they hear the engines of our trucks coming and all of us trying to get a shot.

We saw gibbons (a species of monkeys with white faces), other monkeys, hornbills (toucan looking birds) wild deer, and others. This tour was pretty legit as far as animal watching goes – there were a few guys from California who had just came to Thailand to check out Khao Yai and they were serious outdoors guys. They were complete with their bird watching books, where they documented the many animals and bird species we had spotted throughout the day. So this tour was great in that arena. We then went to Hew Suwat waterfall – which was the waterfall from “The Beach.” As with everything in the movies, it was different than I had imagined. The waterfall was smaller than the film made it out to be, but it was still such a beautiful sight. Then we went to the highest point of Khao Yai and watched the beautiful sunset while enjoying fresh slices of watermelon. (By the way, all the fruit in Thailand is amazing – I haven't tasted better fruit anywhere else in the world, the have fresh fruit shakes with no sugar added or power – just the pure stuff. That is one of the many things I'll miss about Thailand.)

The next day my friends and I went to a heavenly winery in the Khao Yai valley. The landscape and the climate reminded me of home, near the Napa Valley. There were rolling hills and rows upon rows of grapes. It was absolutely gorgeous. It made me a little homesick, but I again shook the sickness away and reminded myself that I am incredibly lucky to be here. We arrived at the winery and were pleasantly surprised. If you have ever heard about how wine was in Thailand, then you'd know that it's not a common beverage enjoyed amongst the Thais unless you're in a metropolitan or touristy area. My wine experiences of Thailand (when I could get it) weren’t too impressive, and I wouldn't consider myself a connoisseur by any means. But the wine my friends and I enjoyed on that Sunday was divine.

we arrived at the winery, we just had missed the scheduled tour by 10 minutes so we had an hour to kill. My bpen lai (no worries) as the Thai's say. There was wine and appetizers, heaps of amazing travel magazines (that only further ignite the travel bug I have), killer views from the acclaimed restaurant, The Great Hornbill Grill, and great company. We also got an unexpected free 10 minute massage to kick off the relaxing vibe of the property.

Post massage my friends and I went on and enjoyed a few glasses of vino and no sooner were informed that our tour was waiting with a few extra people. They asked us if it'd be alright if we did the tour with a television crew for channel 11 – we all looked at each other and shrugged and said it was fine. The tour was nice and informative. We got to taste the different varieties of grapes on the property and were filmed throughout each stage of the tour. Wish I could have seen the footage! Funny, we weren’t even asked to sign a waiver...a little different from the states! The winery and the National Park tour at Khao Yai made for a great weekend, I’d definitely do it again, especially since I feel like I only scratched the surface of the massive park.

Short Trip To Pattaya

A short trip (again) to Pattaya. After going to Pattaya with my sister only for a day, I figured it would be a good place to go again to stay the night and spend the day. We had teachers day as a holiday on January 13th – so Jessica and I headed to Pattaya. We had the best burritos for dinner you can possibly get in Thailand at an awesome restaurant “Tequila Reef.” It was so good that we went there both days! Something I definitely miss about California, is the amazing Mexican food!

We stayed the night at a guesthouse and in the morning took a ferry to Ko Larn, A small island just about 7 km off the coast. It was so worth going there as there is quite the presense of Pink Lit Bars and bar girls in Pattaya. Ko Larn was beautiful and exactly what I needed for my midweek escape! The wind was blowing and it was just so refreshing and energizing to feel the gusts of wind against my skin. The ocean air is just so invigorating in comparison to the overbearing congestion and humidity I experience most of the time in Bangkok.

Ayutthaya and Lopburi

I am a weekend warrior!! This weekend I along with friends, headed to Thailand's original Capital and cultural megaplex, Ayutthaya, and then went to Thailand's Monkey Town, Lopburi. I took about a 2 hour bus ride into Ayutthaya and wondered the streets at about 9 p.m. for about an hour with Jessica searching for our guest house. Once we found the much recommended guest house, Tony's Place, we enjoyed dinner and drinks and had an early night. Tony's place was awesome; it was like sleeping in a huge tree house mansion! The next morning we woke up and had an amazing breakfast and proceeded to rent bicycles for the day. Ayutthaya has over 20 temples in such a small area. Ayutthaya is basically a small island surrounded by rivers – it's so unique. As we biked around the town, it was so cool to see all the ruins of a Thailand's former powerhouse and be able to navigate around the city without being at the mercy of bargaining with Tuk Tuk drivers or taxis. Seeing the ruins of the many temples was amazing! You could see and feel the history all around you! A shutter bug's paradise! Too bad all I had was my point and shoot camera!

More on Ayutthaya: http://wikitravel.org/en/Ayutthaya

After temple touring on our bikes, we met up with my friend Taryn who has her teaching placement about 1 hour from Ayutthaya. We handled transportation Thai style; I biked around a bit with Taryn on the back of my bike – which was no easy feat since the bike I was using wasn’t made for such a trip. We all got massages after checking out the only temple not ruined by the Burmese and meandered our way to grab dinner on the river. It was delicious and reasonable. We ate like queens for roughly $20 for the 3 of us!

The restaurant was beautiful; we ate right on a traditional boat on the river along the island of Ayutthaya. It was the perfect ending for our time in Ayutthaya! After dinner, Jessica and I said our good byes to Taryn and jumped our Lopburi bound train, in just the nick of time.

The particular train we jumped on was ok, it did the trick, but it was no “Euro Star,” that's for sure! After about an Hour, we arrived at Lopburi where our friends who teach there greeted us at the train station. We started out the night with plenty of Thai whiskey and exchanged our teaching stories and experiences in general. It was so neat to hear how each of our experiences vary so much! Some people have a completely different dynamic with their administrative staff or Thai teachers than Jessica and I. Let's just say we have to deal with a much more, dramatic and conservative administrative powers that be than others! We then all headed to the local club and danced the night away.

More on Lopburi : http://wikitravel.org/en/Lopburi

The next morning our Lopburi friends showed us around the town, which was so pleasant since the town is really easy to walk around. The town is known for its residents - more specifically its monkeys who roam about. They swing from telephone and electric wires and live in the center of town. It was surreal to see these monkeys just hanging out – no fences or bars, they live in the city! What's more crazy is that these monkey's are pretty aggressive if you get near them, which I chose not to! The stories I've heard was that the monkeys steal from you and put quite a few people in the hospital if you try to resist them taking your things or look at them wrong. The monkeys will seriously hurt you and could possibly give you rabies if they bite you- so you can understand why I chose to just enjoy the sight from afar!( Aplogies for no Lopburi photos but my camera battery died) All in the all, I enjoyed the weekend of seeing sights and meeting up with friends. That's what is so great about going through my TEFL program; I have a network of 60 people whom I trained with and can call up and visit through the many diverse regions of Thailand!

Holidays in Thailand

So the holidays have come and gone – so fast! It was a great time to spend time with special people. One advantage of being at a Catholic school was the fact that they observe Christmas and I got Christmas off. Even though it didn't feel like Christmas in most parts of Thailand, it definitely felt like Christmas at my school. Every classroom in our program was decorated to the nines! It was awesome and the students loved it. I helped my students prepare for their big Christmas performance – they sang “Rudolf the red nose reindeer.” They really enjoyed the performance aspect of the song since its fun to sing and dance to. One of the more “Santa like” students, Poom, acted as Santa and was adorable. He had his own solo when singing to Rudolf, who was played by Jeffrey.... You'll never guess what happened to me though, while I was doing all the students makeup before their performance – my sensitive stomach kicked in and I had to leave early and go to the hospital. Darn my sensitive stomach!

The next few days a few of my students gave me Christmas gifts – it was so sweet and unexpected. Some of their gifts were above and beyond a typical gift from a student! It's funny; it’s like getting schwag from my previous job – minus the logos of companies. The ideas are still the same though :)

After the Christmas celebrations at my school, I along with a few friends took off to Ko Sumui! It was a wonderful time considering it was one of the most unorthodox Christmases I've ever had. I spent a lot of time on the beach, basking in the sun where I saw Christmas trees every so often in lobbies of hotels and restaurants. I again, also took full advantage of the amazing massages right on the beach every day. On Christmas Eve, we did the most unchristmas like thing and went to the “full moon party” on Ko Phangan. It felt so wrong, but also right since - we’re in Thailand where majority of the population doesn’t celebrate Christmas and it's one day, one year..Why not!? It was a good time, lots of Santa hats were worn and good times were had. It's basically dancing on the beach to great music. One Christmas eve I won’t forget, that's for sure!

After Christmas, I returned to Bangkok and relaxed there for a bit, and then met up with my family up north near Khon Kaen. My mother, sister, and uncle flew from the U.S. And went back to my mother's hometown or village rather. My mother's village is small, about 200 residents and it's in an extremely rural part of Thailand. It was peaceful, but not a whole lot to do there. The air was so clean in comparison to big cities in Thailand, that’s for sure. It was so good to see my family again, and to spend time with my Thai side of my family. Mind you again, my Thai is that of 4 year olds at best and very little of Thai family can speak English. But smiles go a long way, and my body language is pretty darn good if I do say so myself! I'd rock it in Charades from teaching English here! :)

But, I tell you, my mother is a much more relaxed person in Thailand, she's always on the go and always busy

in the states, but when she is here in Thailand, she's got this huge smile and is a lot more easy going. It's great to see her so happy. Another thing about my mother is she's not one for details when she tells me things; this has always caused a little strife with our communication through out my life. Here's a little example of that when I recently visited her village. So, I am napping with my sister and we're awoken by mother who says, “Come on, get up, we're going to go for a walk.” I'm thinking, why is it so important to go for a walk. She then continues us to hurry up; “Lieu, Lieu!” ( Hurry in Thai she says) , Some of our family members will be joining as well as friends.” Well, when my sister and I tumbled outside in a quasi sleepily stupor, we noticed it was the WHOLE village and everyone was Thai Dancing in the streets to blasting Upcountry Thai music provided by a stereo system with two gigantic speakers being toted in the back of a pick up truck. What a sight – and guess what. My camera's batteries were dead – so you'll have to wait a few more months for the pictures since they’re on my mom’s camera...

But it was a quite a sight! Oh yes, everyone was out having a grand time, candy was being tossed for the kids and the adults were enjoying libations being passed around. Also, there was a family sitting in the pickup truck's back on chairs. People from the village were giving them gifts – which of course prompted me to inquire why, my mother shortly responded, “They’re father died, so the villagers are giving them gifts and condolences.” My mother also told me this parade like village walk is for good luck. I've noticed that there are a lot of things that are for good luck here. I had a blast. But my stomach wasn't cooperating with my visual paradise. My sensitive stomach was not letting me get away with the traditional Isan ( Northeaster region of Thailand, where my mother is from) food I had cautiously consumed mere hours ago. My stomach killed me, but I kept on trucking with the aid of Gatorade, Soda water, and bland food. Hey, after playing the food poisoning game for a while – I know what helps :) Also, Susan, a fellow teacher and former Peace Corp member, told me about the B.R.A.T. Diet. This is also one that I've used often after getting sick here – it consists of Bananas, Rice, Apple Juice, and toast. It helps! Also, Rachel, another fellow teacher endorses it as well...so it works :)

In addition to the BRAT diet, thankfully, my mother being the woman is always prepared for anything – (she is the original Mary Poppins) brought some good' ol American snacks that would be kind enough to our stomach. She kept my sister and I going with the timeless concoction of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. I love my mom for that, but boy did I get over the snacks after consuming them for 3 days!

So most of my time spent in my mother’s village was spent spending time with family members I didn't know or didn't remember who remembered me. (I feel like a jerk for that) People in the Northeastern part of Thailand aren't exposed for Farang (foreigners) like Thais in touristy parts of Thailand, so my sister and I tend to stick out and be remembered. There's many of them and 2 of of us :)

On New years Eve, there was a huge party held my uncles house. Tables, Chairs, Tents, Karaoke System, were set up at my Uncle's place. Also, from wee hours of that morning my aunt and other family members were cooking up heaps of amazing food! It was a busy day filled with plenty of friends and family celebrating the New Year. My Uncle also got his house blessed by monks, so there was a lot of commotion on New Years Eve. It was a trip, I walk upstairs and there are like 6 monks sitting “Indian Style” at the front of the room all lined up, beginning to do
their chants to bless the house. The day was really cool because everyone came to celebrate New Years with us

– for my mom (New Years is her birthday) since Thai New Years is different from U.S.'s New Years. On New Years day, I packed my things and headed back to Bangkok. I was sad to say goodbye to my Thai side of my family, but I looked forward to spending more time with my mom and sister in Bangkok. My mother and sister later joined me in Bangkok for the weekend before they returned to the states, which was nice to be able to show them

my place and have them meet a few of the people that I spend a lot of time with. . I got the chance to take my sister to check out the beach of Pattaya – it is the closest beach to Bangkok, so it was a nice day trip. Looking back on my Christmas Holiday, I felt very thankful to be able to spend it with my family and great company. Like everything enjoyable, it went by so quick!

Ko Samet Part II

On the weekend of the 7th and 8th – I went back to Ko Samet to meet up with some of my fellow teacher trainees. It was Ashley's birthday weekend and we definitly celebrated – with these really cruel concoctions of Thai Whiskey and Coke- but they put it in a bucket so you can share with friends. It was a lovely weekend but there a few things that made it drastically different from the first I had gone there. One being that it's peak tourist season in Thailand now, so all the beautiful bungalows that I stayed in previously were booked up and as much as double the price – now, this is still better than most island get-aways,( something that wouldn't phase me with my U.S. Salary) but on my humble Thai salary, it wasn't easy to take, seeing how I'd like to travel as much as possible yet still be able to afford it!
So, not only were the rooms double the price – a lot of the perferred places to stay were booked up! Not unless I wanted to pay more than what I budgeted for! There was a private house on the southern tip of Ko Samet that was available that came with it's own private swimming pool, full bar, private beach, any amenity you want - including a butler for only 5,000 Baht ( low season ) – which is the equivalent to a little less than $200 U.S. Not bad, but not affordable with my Thai salary. So those of you who want to experience the good life with your western salary, I can give you the name of the rental :)
So you're wondering what I went with? I ended up sharing a bungalow with my friend Tammy – who too was trying to be budget conscious and got a bungalow for 1,500 Baht – which was about double what I paid for my bungalow last time I was there – and for a sub par room in comparison to the beautiful room I had last time...But, when I speaking to my other teacher trainees, who are professional backpackers – our accomadations were plush in comparison. Somehow they managed to squeeze 7 people in a teeny, tiny bamboo bungalow – that was a 3rd of the size that Tammy and I had..So, I shouldn't complain too much. This is an experience! Saturday night was good, we had dinner with our huge group and ended up dancing at the club that had a wonderful cover band – they sung all the hit songs so perfectly.
The next day, our group spent eating breakfast and basking in the sun. We all went swimming in the ocean and enjoyed the fact that we were on the more secluded part of Koh Samet – so we were away from the high energy of other vacationers which was nice, considering we wanted to take it easy. Tammy and I indulged and got massages for 350 Baht which is about $11-13 U.S. Our group split up and Tammy and I were about to leave to head back to Bangkok – we were actually on the back of a taxi truck that was headed toward the ferry when we bumped into our friends, Simon and Ashley, the birthday boy. They then talked us into staying and within 15 seconds Tammy and I hopped off the truck and stayed another night with no place to stay – we then became nomads with our backpacks....you'll never guess it, but Ashley invited us to stay with our group that had the 7 people in a teeny tiny hut...I knew that wasn't gonna fly completely with me – but I figured, something will work out...and it did, Tammy and I ended up staying in less crowded quarters with other friends, but the only thing was I didnt get a good nights rest. Why you ask? First, I was about to use the restroom to wash up and such, but there was this HUGE spider – the legs were about 5 Inches and the body was decent size. I just couldn't bring myself to enter the restroom – so I took care of things outside as if I were camping. And Well, before Tammy and I were about to go to bed, our friends conveniently decided to say, “Hey, you see all these red bites ( which they showed us their arms and there was at least 100, I am not even exagerateing!) this is what happens to you when you sleep in these beds.” So with that warning, I began to DEET myself like crazy – and covered myself as much as possible with the little beach clothing I had, since I didnt have my backpack with me. Needless to say I didn't have sweetdreams – only nightmares which included bed bugs or bugs of any sort attacking me. I already had my fair share of bug bites, and again anyone who knows me well, knows that mosquitos and bugs love me. I kept waking up every hour or so. But hey, it was better than sleeping on the beach! All in all, I am glad I went, it was an experience I wont seek out in the future, but I am glad that I was a true nomadic backpacker for a few days :) It's a beautiful Island and it's only a 4 hour journey from Bangkok – you just can't beat that.

1 Month Bangkok Update

So its been about a month since I began teaching. It has been a positive yet exhausting month! I am proud to report that I learned all of the students names by the 2nd week and that some of the shyer students have finally opened up to me. I teach my student a variety of subjects in English. I teach them Reading and Comprehension, Spelling and Phonics, Grammar and Writing, Health and Art. I also have to prepare my students for the many events the schools participates in.
November 5th was my birthday and I had a mellow celebration. On my birthday weekend I went to a few Thai clubs with friends and listened to Thai rock bands – I didn't understand the lyrics, but it was a lot of fun. Then we went to lounge where they play western music so that was enjoyable. On Monday, my actual birthday, the students gave my flowers and told me 3 nice things. It was really cute – so in English they said “1. We're glad you're teaching us English 2. You're nice 3. We love you.” It was hilariously adorable. Then my fellow teachers got me a decadent chocolate birthday cake and a lovely card in which Rachel, an awesome artist and former art teacher in the U.S. Made me. It was a surprise and very much appreciated. All in all my birthday in Thailand was a lovely one :) Wish you all could have been here! ....On the following Sunday I met up with a few teacher trainees from my program and went to the Linkin Park concert. I was surprised to see how many Thai's are really into the band. It was good time to meet up with the other trainees (one of them being Taryn with whom I roomed with in Ko Samet) who aren't in Bangkok and swap teaching stories!Oh and somehow I ended up crowd surfing for 5 seconds, a rocking time indeed :)
This previous week, on the 21st, the students had U.N. Day – in which the various classes in our department (ELPC – English Learning Program Center) grades 1-6 focuses on 2 countries and do reports, songs, dances, decorate their classes accordingly, etc. The whole school outside of ELPC ( My school is huge and has children from Pre school to High School in one campus but different buildings) visited ELPC to check it all out so the kids were excited to show their stuff. Unfortunately I missed the actual event, I was traveled down to southern Thailand where I went to Phuket and Ko Phi Phi. It was soooo nice to get out of Bangkok and be on the beach...Funny thing is I actually went to where they filmed “The Beach” featuring Leonardo Di Caprio (Pictured on the left) – of course it was crawling with many other tourist who were also hoping to capture that never-never land of escape, but ended up meeting with hundreds of other tourist who had the same idea - alas, it was beautiful all the same. On Thanksgiving, friends and I tried our very best to have a traditional Thanksgiving feast – so we went to a restaurant in an expatriate part of Bangkok and had TURKEY in Thailand – with all of the fixings. It didnt beat my mom's Turkey and stuffing but I was so thankful to be able to have something resembling Thanksgiving food so I can't complain. To make the meal uniquely in Asia – I decided to grab a few sushi rolls, why not!? I had such a wonderful week, one that I'll never forget!!!
Also, on Friday the 23rd the school celebrated Loy Krathom – which was on the 24th. Loy Krathom is one of Thailand's most aesthetically pleasing holidays. Thai's make Krathoms – which are little boats that are made of banana leaves. They decorate them beautifully with flowers, candles, and place coin on the little Krathoms. Thai's light the candles on the krathoms and float them down the many waterways of Thailand at night which is absolutely a sight to see. They pray to the water goddess and float away their regrets and anger in the krathoms and whole process symbolizes a fresh start. Pictured my friend and fellow teacher at my school, Jessica, with our Krathoms. A young boy ( of many young boys) actually did the dirty work of setting our Krathoms afloat for us in the river, the boys do this so people dont fall in the slippery sides along the Chao Praya river! I watched a few people take a fall, so Jessica and I opted to utlize the boys' services - as we didnt want to risk getting wet. The boys actually get in the river- they have boogie boards and all. Its funny, because I think they also make money from taking the coins off the Krathoms ...even though those coins and krathoms are suppose to stay in the water. I saw a few boys retrieving the Kathoms from the river and putting them all in a huge basket - so they dont go too far. Perhaps this is for environmental reasons?? Anyways, After we set our Krathoms free, there was fireworks AND an awesome boat parade on the river. It was like Disney's Main Street Electrical Parade! All the boats had these elaborate light decorations in honor of the king and Loy Krathom. It was such a visual Feast! For another event and school event for that matter( Father's Day) I worked with some students with reciting a poem for father's day and had them make gifts for their dads. On the father's day event, the children sang songs and it was special day for the children to talk about how much they love and respect their fathers through songs and poems. After the performances, all the parents from each grade were called to sit on stage. The students then got on their knees ( diffrent from the U.S. but to be lower than an elder is a show of respect - even when students walk by us, they're suppose to lower their heads as a show of respect.) and told their parents how much they loved them. It was really cute to watch! All the parents were really please with the performance and the activities.Father's day in Thailand is also the King's Birthday – since Thai's consider him to be the father of their country, so it isn't in June like it is in the states. So there is no school ( Yippee!) on December 5th . There's festivities going on all around the country celebrating his majesties 80th birthday. On every Monday, most Thai's wear King Shirts. At my school, we are required to but the students do not. They are yellow, which is the color for Monday. So on Father's day we'll also wear king shirts - as well as the students to honor king.

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!

Layover In Tai Pei

I am now on a layover in Tai Pai.. Free Wi-FI... you gotta love it! My flight from SFO was good, a little delayed but good. However, I was disappointed that each seat did not come with a personal monitor so that I could control my entertainments choices; which was what I was accustomed to when flying China Airlines, but I slept majority of the 13 hour flight anyway.

I have a few more hours until I board my flight to Bangkok. I am anxious to set up shop there and get to know the city, the school, and new people. I got a heads up from Jessica, a girl whom I trained with in TEFL and will be teaching with, that the accommodations are dorm style with a heavy dash of Catholicism... Great, the college experience I've always wanted! :) She also mentioned that we are not to have any male guest visit us, not even enter the building...Ok, I guess this comes with the territory of having housing arranged for you by a Catholic School. But come on, even if my father or cousin was in town and wanted to see how I was living? That's a little too much for me. But alas, its only 4 months.

A Short Return to the U.S. 10/11

While some of my fellow teacher trainees are doing further travelling around Thailand and or settling in their new homes for the next 4 months - I returned home. I got some unfortunate news that my uncle passed away, due to cancer. I was fortunate enough to be able to make the services.

I did my very last Teaching Practice ( of 4) at the temple and jumped into a Taxi from Rayong to Bangkok - a normally 3 hour drive - but with my Taxi Cab driver's skills was a swift 2 hours and 15 minutes. There were times where I must admit that I double checked the strength of my seat belt. Once I got the airport, it began my 25 hour journey back home. I flew from Bangkok to Phuket where I had a 4 hour layover. I then flew 6 hours to Seoul, where I had 5 hour layover. I rewarded myself an hour massage and shower at the beautiful airport! Best money I've spent! Then from Seoul I flew about 10 hours.

Once I arrived back at SFO, my kind friend Kyle picked me up and took me back to Vacaville. There I learned from my mother ( who isn't so keen with details that I had 45 minutes to make the funeral) I quickly got ready and made it - just in the nick of time. The funeral was beautiful - my good friend ( practically my brother, Jermaine) did an amazing job orchestrating everything - all things considered that he just lost his beloved father.

The next day, I got sick..really sick. Sick in bed for the next 5 days sick. So that took away a weekend that I was hoping to enjoy back home. So this leaves me mere days to scramble my things together again!

I'll be returning to Thailand this Saturday, the 20th and will arrive in Bangkok on Sunday at midnight- and will have the joyful task of finding my apartment that I've never been to in a city that I don't know...this should be interesting

A Hike With Friends 10/7

A Few of the teacher trainees got invited by some of the monks to do a little hike over the weekend. About a group of 10 Fellow Teacher Trainees did the hike to the top of a hill behind the temple. It was lovely to get a chance to get a deeper look at the temple and the surrounding grounds. While we are training, we tend to stay near the main building and the classrooms. Joe, a young monk, was kind of enough to invite us all. He along with about 10 other monks acted as hospitable guides of the temple and the surrounding grounds. They showed us the library, housing near the temple, and a few other buildings. The monks as well as the Thai Teachers live near the temple.

After we got a little tour, we began our hike up. The hike wasn't a long hike, but it was beautiful. We hiked through lush greenery and walked over moss ( very slippery) covered stones. I was spraying myself like crazy since mosquitoes love me! After about 10-15 minutes, we reached the top. What a View! We had a view of the ocean and could hear the waves crashing. On the top, there were 2 additional temple buildings or shrines. One housed a Buddha where people can pray or meditate. The other housed an extremely old piece of inscribed stone that was brought all the way from Myanmar by Boat a few hundred years ago. It was hard to get more information since there was a language barrier that prevents articulation of detail within our conversations with the younger monks. I'll have to find out more from others that can explain more.We all spent much of the time conversing and enjoying the lovely Sunday afternoon. I am so grateful to have had the opportunity to do the hike with a wonderful group!

The Beginning 9/26

As many of you know, I am now in Thailand. I am training to be an English teacher for about a month and will then move on to my 4 month teaching assignment. ( To the left is an elephant that just happened to be hanging out at a Night Market in Rayong with it's owners. I, along with a few friends got to feed it sugar canes!)


My experience in Thailand has been great so far. I arrived to Thailand with no delays and was picked up at the Bangkok airport by my Aunt and Cousin. ( Who speaks little English - This was quite a task to communicate, but a great way to learn Thai!) I stayed in Bangkok for 2 days with my Aunt and Cousin.

Unfortunately, I got food poisoning my 2nd night, but was rushed to a great Thai hospital.( the best hospital experience I've had, minus the fact that I don't speak Thai - but the doctors do speak English)


Now, Mind you, I don't want this to deter you from visiting me in Thailand. Most of you know that I have a sensitive stomach! I was actually in Thailand for a month when I was 18 and never got sick - and was eating EVERYTHING but tap water. Thailand has the best Street Vendor food - all 65 of my fellow teaching trainees are from the U.K. , Australia, U.S. and other English Speaking Countries - and haven't gotten sick at all and have been eating EVERYTHING and are loving it!


Back to my update, I am now staying on a Beach in between the cities of Rayong and Ban Phe. We are right ON THE BEACH..and it's amazing. It's great to be near a beach and to have the water be about 70 degrees! The water is so warm and the beach is beautiful. It's so warm that many people go swimming at the wee hours of the night. The location is great, and we are near a pier where we can travel to the most world renowned Thai Islands with White Sand Beaches.

About 90% of my fellow teacher trainees and I went to Koh Samet on our 1st weekend. It was a blast. The Island is so beautiful and pristine - in most areas. I spent a lot of the time on the beach with my new friends Chelsea and Taryn.We did an amazing trek along the coast line and enjoyed refreshing beverages with orchids as garnishes! The highlight of the Island trip was getting invited to share a bottle of whiskey & Snacks by a group of 4 Thai sisters( Group shot with the 4 Sisters and one of the sister's son child in 5th Picture down). They were so kind and welcoming, Taryn and I will always remember how sweet they were...oh, and the 4 a.m. swim in the ocean that they encouraged us to do! When in Rome :)


As far as the Teacher training, it is intense but not as difficult as it sounds. There are a large portion of trainees that have NO teaching experience and there are a handful that do. The training is from 9 - 430 with breaks. We have our teacher training at a Buddhist Temple, so it's an interesting place to have class. We see all the monks in their orange robes and hear them chant every so often. A lot of the monks ( trainees) are young, some as young as 5. They're all either elementary, middle school, high school age. And the actual monks are older. Monks cannot eat after noon, cannot touch women ( not even a handshake) and have many other strict rules of life to abide by. We have to dress a certain way ( cover up, no showing our shoulders and no pants or skirts above our knees. It definitely gets hot in the Temple as Thailand has a humid climate, but it's just awesome to be able to train here so I cant complain too much! There are many other Thai cultural rules and faux paus that we must respect, so its a learning a process.