happy holidays!!

"We can always be happier; no person experiences perfect bliss at all times and has nothing more to which he can aspire. Therefore, rather than asking myself whether I am happy or not, a more helpful question is, 'How can I become happier?' This question acknowledges the nature of happiness and the fact that its pursuit is an ongoing process best represented by an infinite continuum, not by a finite point. I am happier today than I was five years ago, and I hope to be happier five years from now than I am today.

Rather than feeling despondent because we have not yet reached the point of perfect happiness, rather than squandering our energies trying to gauge how happy we are, we need to recognize that happiness is an unlimited resource and then focus on ways in which we can attain more of it. Becoming happier is a lifelong pursuit."

-Tal Ben-Shahar, Ph.D. HAPPIER (my latest "fun" reading selection)

life has been very kind to me, if i really consider it. what have i truly got to complain about? i am so grateful for all of you in my life. i learn from you constantly. i appreciate all that you have done and will do for me and allow me to do for you. i feel very blessed this holiday, even being so far away. i don't forget how great i really have it.

what an impactful year for me and many around me. stay warm and safe, those of you with the snowswirls going on outside. (and before christmas this year. i'm astonished!)

i will update the blog from the last post until this one. until then, MERRY CHRISTMAS!!! I love you and miss you tremendously! if you see my cat, by chance, squeeze, cuddle, shove, twirl, dance, and chat with her. she will eat it all up.

thailand is gaining degrees... slowly but surely the air con is wistling back into action. can't wait for barb, sarah d. and katie to get here!!! yippy!!

mom is visiting!

hello from chiang mai, north of bangkok. my mom is visiting me! she's been here since october 1st (wow, it's october! it's stillll summer, though!) and we've kept ourselves quite busy. i met her at the airport at midnight on sept. 30... so techincally the 1st, and we spent the first two days of her visit seeing some sights in bangkok and doing some mild shopping. thailand is a lot to take in at first... the heat, the smells, the heat, the culture... but mom took it in stride. she's a trooper.
after two days in bangkok, we took a (public) bus and shuttle ferry to an amazing resort on koh samet (Samet Island), which is a bit southeast from bkk. we spent three days there and really enjoyed the pool, the beach, the food, the service, and the room. everything is very nice there. it's called Samed Club, great place. highly recommend it.
koh samet is a smaller island than the ones i've been to before, so renting motorbikes proved to be a bit boring. we were able to scoot into the little town and a bigger beach, though, so they were nice to have. we had fun! i love motorbiking!

after koh samet, we headed back to bangkok and hung out for two days to recoup and figure out our next move. mom was able to meet my friend anelda and we had fun. mom and i went to the grand palace which is SO hot but so worth it, an amazing place. it's definitely good to be king! (even though he doesn't live there anymore. he lives in a different palace somewhere else in the city.)

we're in chiang mai, now, for three days. the place we're staying isn't quite as nice as koh samet, but it's a good place near plenty of interesting things to do... there's SO much to do and see here! it's amazing! we just wandered around a little bit (to be honest, we were looking for starbucks. i know, i know.) and then headed back to the guesthouse because i was too tired from all that sitting and sleeping on our fourteen hour train ride (which was overnight... but very LONG!). funny, we'll fly home and it will only take an hour and a half. hmpt.
anyway, after my nap, we had a fantastic dinner at a place called art cafe. we ate breakfast there this morning. it's awesome! great food and very clean!
that leaves us here, at the internet cafe. i hope to meet up with my friend angela, who is doing fantastic mission work here, but we'll see... i was ill-prepared with the "hey, we're coming!" email.

next, we're off to the markets!! ha! never fear, father, things are "like, like totally a dollar or something. like it's like so awesome!" (we had the pleasure to be in the presence of some very valley-esque american girls, in their tight shirts, short shorts and giant sunglasses, in the cafe this morning. geez, it had been a while. i had forgotten. and how?)

off we go! more soon....

photos and food

i have a LOT of photos to add to flickr and it's more than i thought. it will take a couple of hours... so stay tuned and be patient, sorry.
photos i'll add:
futon,
grand palace, (some were added but i had to stop)
gwen stefani show,
boys
maybe something else...?

my apologies.
sat. sept. 15.

have a little taste of life in thailand: Pizza Company
turn on your volume and have a look around and what constitutes pizza in thailand.
it isn't too bad. i eat cheese only, of course.

alright alright alright

i gotta let it out. i'm sorry not to have written. i've been sadly full of sorrow lately. with the passing of a friend's parent, i was reminded how precious and short life is and how our loved ones, that we cherish so much, will not be with us forever, nor we with them. it was a troubling time and i am grateful to have gone through it whilst here in thailand. the idea that parents and friends won't be around forever to share laughs and meals and movies and joy with is almost literally earth-shattering to ponder. a precious little break of the heart each time i put myself through it.

times have been tough. and times have been good. school moves along here and school just started there! we're mid-year for 2007 - 2008 school year and yet america's has only just begun. it's strange to think that the season hasn't really changed from summer to fall or summer to anything. it's just been summer! we went from extremely hot and humid summer to very hot and rainy and humid summer. i giggle at the thought of you back home possibly taking out the sweaters and fall jackets, shoes and socks. (one thing i don't miss is socks. fun fact, beth hates wearing socks.) it feels almost as if time hasn't passed by as my mind is stretching and reaching for that cool fall breeze out the window. i don't think such a breeze will find me here. maybe you could jar it up and send it to me, that's as close as i can get to that wonderful air of change. fall is a great time.

46 days until i turn 30. it is a birthday of the golden kind, turning 30 on the 30th. is there some sort of ceremony where i wear a gold crown and gold bracelets and temporary gold teeth? there really should be. if only. so i guess i'll decide to skip 30 and go right to 31. we can celebrate 30 next year when i'm (possibly) closer to home on that date.

boss man says we have to have a 51% decision about staying another year or... not by nov. 1st. i've been asked many times, again and again, how i lean. and today, i lean towards 51% not staying. maybe another country... i'm not sure i'm done "being away" yet. i miss the kittle bit (my cat) tremendously. i miss my family and friends heart-achingly. all of this i planned for yet all of it is a lot. somehow i want to be in both places. so i try.

i didn't get the best sleep last night. i'm very tired today. some woman kept waking me up. i don't know who she was but i'd see her just as i was opening my eyes to wake up and it was HER who was waking me in my dreams. she did it three times. she was wearing bright fuscia. she's in DEEP trouble when i figure out who she is. Miss Beth is crabby today and i'm sure there are several people who'd ALSO like to have a word with her when i figure out who she is. haha.

this has made my day today: Exploding Dog
what a great sentence: "i will not should on myself today." wish i could claim it as my own. i cannot. (sorry, mccoy, i just like it so much i had to share)

looking at the last post being august 15th there's a lot to catch up on. gwen stefani was fun! super fun! we weren't close but we weren't TOO far. she was about a centimeter tall. she has designed her show so that she comes off stage to greet the fans sitting waaaaAaay back. she didn't see us with our BANANAS shirts and we didn't go backstage. it was sort of a whirlwind show. quick, energetic and fun. i bought a t-shirt to commemorate the event. the tickets to get in were in the form of a plastic card, like a gift card or credit card. interesting souvenior!

very shortly after the gwen concert my friend had to go back home to south africa for her father's funeral. i miss her dearly as she's my partner in crime. she arrives back to bangkok on sunday morning! i look forward to having her back in town.

in my friend's absense, i've gotten to know some of the others on staff better and have enjoyed going out to clubs for music and dancing, having fun dinners and wandering streets i haven't wandered before.

the boys have been doing swimming in gym class and it cracks me up to such an extent that i feel guilty. to start, they all wear matching "swimmers" (speedos), goggles, swim caps, robes, and flip flops. some of the boys are like fish, a couple of the boys are scared but still try, and a couple are terrified and cry at the mention of "come to miss beth. i won't let you get hurt." once in my arms it's a death grip hold until they are safely back on the edge of the pool. i guess one of the boys fell into some water as a toddler and was found by his mother... the other two just sink and can't even hold their breath... who wouldn't be terrified if that happened!??!! so i get the daily report: Miss Beth I cannot swim. I don't swimming.
it's really adorable and such a great memory to have. see pictures here if you log in.

another "fun" event we were required to attend last saturday (yes, saturday and we were expected to be across town by 7:30 am and stayed all day in the heat, not to complain because it was "fine") is called AC Sports Day. it involved the grade 4 - 6 boys doing a mass cheer on the field as the opening ceremony, a marching band playing such classics as the olympic song and that one song they play when people run in slow motion on movies... don't know the name. it was classic. one event to make note of was the one-boy race. one boy raced... himself? i wonder who won...?
funny stuff. our presence seemed unnecessary but it was an interesting experience to have. the thai staff spent the entire day cheering their GUTS out with their "section". it was noisy and hot, but fun and funny. it definitely puts me on the 51% not stay next year. haha, i'm joking. it wasn't that bad.

i received a massive box from my beloved Book Club and i want to say thank you again!!! i ate all of the cheetos and dots and hot tamales and am enjoying the other fun stuff you sent! thank you all so much! (I KNOW rach, no worries, mate!! i still love ya!)

otherwise... just gearing up for exams in two weeks and a nice three week "holiday" (we say vacation) from school. Mom will be visiting and i cannot waIT!!! it will be so good to have MOM here and to get out of town! anyone wishing to send me things like gold bracelets and gold teeth can get in touch with her here-->. just kidding.

congratulations to my cousin who had a baby and to my cousin who got married! how exciting!! so sad i couldn't be there, but i am there in spirit. i love seeing pictures of what i'm missing, everyone!
dad finally snapped some "candids" of my cat posing and rolling around like a fat supermodel. she is TOO much! i miss her cuddles and squawks when i've "hugged and loved" her too tightly. heheheheeeee. the kit. little monster. mommy's coming home SOME day! you would hate thailand anyway! it's too hot for all that fur.

OOOooOOOOoooOOO! cockroach story? are you ready?? *shiver* the other night, i shut my windows (which requires that i open the screens and reach my hand out to pull the window in) and put on the air (it's been humid... too humid some days when there aren't clouds or rain) (i use commas and parentheses a LOT!).
cut to an hour later and i'm sitting at my computer, basking in the glory of cool air and chatting online with my friend anelda. i hear this noise and there's been talk of ghosts in our building... so i'm looking around and thinking... someone is SCRATCHING the screen! is it a ghost?? because i can see nothing causing this racket. upon closer inspection and a slight jump in my heart i discover that it's a *gag* fourteen inch cockroach (okay, four inch) flailing itself around BETWEEN the screen and the window that i had closed earlier. (how had I missed such a creature's presence?!)
i panicked. WHAT TO DO?! leave it? no, that sucker was causing SUCH a fuss (drama queen!) kill it!?!? yea! kill it! ... how? stick my hand in there? it might touch me!! pffft. right, no. then my tree-hugging vegetarian side spoke to me and told me to muster up the courage to open (yes OPEN) the screen and unLOCK the window and release this monster back into the wild kingdom of thailand. *shiver again and a BIG one*... i jumped around a bit singing "ooOOOoo that is so gross!!! OOooOOOo it is so NAAAASTy!!" then i did my blubber face shaky thing to get rid of the ewwy gewwies i was suffering at the mere sight of this nasty brown creature with 500 legs and WINGS!? who'd've thunk it?! ISH!
pan back to ms. cockroach, and her drama queen self, flying around banging herself again and again... on the screen... no the window... no the screen... the screen again... then the window. ... UUUGggh, she is SO noisy!
i turned the locks on the screen and opened it when she was "resting" on the upper part of the window (away from my hand) and got my hand in maybe four inches to unlock the window, turned it and WHAM! she flew RIGHT AT MY HAND !!!!! i SLAMMED that screen shut and sCreamed really, embarrassingly loud. (my next immediate thought "what a NINNY! i hope the neighbors don't think i'm being robbed or beaten or kidnapped. no, it's just stupid me and drama queen cockroach flier thing." haha. *SHIVER*. (it should be noted that i went to my purse to find my camera because i know no one will believe the atrocity of this creature. but i left my camera at school. dang! still no evidence of thailand drama.)
cut back to cockroach. she's REALLY upset now. i teased her with the opening of that screen and an escape INTO my apt! she was crazy to think i'd let her IN my apt to fly around and take my sleep away from me. HHHHeck no!
she flew around like a mad cow and i eventually figured out the silent, movement-free maneuvers to release/push-quickly the window to free her. the second time she flew at my hand again and i had only gotten the window open an inch before slamming the screen on her again. even with me flicking her off the screen 20 times, she wouldn't go OUT through that small of an opening. she was probably dizzy and blind from me slamming her around that window. eventually she went back to the top of the window and i opened the window farther and she flew out, back to the sewer or garbage pile that she lives on. bottom line: SHE WAS MASSIVE! i bet a rat would hesitate in eating her and my own cat might rip her into seven smaller pieces before consumption is possible. I-I-ICK! however, lesson learned Ms. Cockroach, Beth rules apt. 404 yet again.
did you EVER imagine that they would FLY into my apt?!!? wwOOOOooo. let's hope it was a first AND a last. MOM: prepare yourself.

guess i'll leave you with that little tidbit of Life and Times in Thailand.
hope to hear good news from you soon and MISS you dearly! keep in TOUCH!

happy mother's day in thailand!

this week has been a wonderful, restful week at home in bangkok. we had three days off of school this week for the mother's day holiday (Happy Mother's Day, MOm!), we're back to school tomorrow. i hemmed and hawed about going somewhere for the five-day break, but decided to stay in town and see some sights. i saw a lot of the malls (free air con!), i saw a movie (Bourne Ultimatum... the second one was better), i got a one-cup COFFEE MAKER for my apt (score!!), bought an external hard drive, saw the gym several times, saw an awesome band called Futon (and made friends with them, they're SWEET!), made some new thai friends, and finally (finally) went to the Grand Palace (it was really hot and hugely beautiful)... not too shabby! i messed with my sleep schedule so much that i'm giving myself a bed time tonight. 11 pm. i'm firm on this because i stayed up until 3 am the other nights. RiDICulous! i had to peel myself out of bed three times this morning... and ended up going back for "another half hour"... made it to the gym by noon... not too bad. i'm pumping, like, 180 at the gym these days... you won't even recognize me when i get back to MN. kidding. they have an awesome training staff that keeps us all in tune with a good program and i'm no longer afraid of the weights/machines... but still get weirded out by the huge weightlifter guys (they make the STRANGest noises when they Pump Iron. *shiver*)

i'm really looking forward to all the visits from various friends and family over the next six months. mom comes first and i'm beaming with joy! i can't WAIT!

this coming weekend i will attend the Gwen Stefani show with some friends/collegues!!! i'm so pumped! we went and had shirts made... one letter each to spell BANANAS. (refers to one of her songs). she's an old favorite of mine from the days of No Doubt, so i'm excited to see her live again (for the fourth time!!)... this will be the first time i've seen her solo act. i'll have a full report of costume and set changes. she's so cool. i should figure out how to get backstage! *yea, put that on the to-do list!*

still praying for everyone at home. it makes me feel more and more relieved with every body and vehicle removed from the river. bless you all!! did you see that a bridge collapsed in china and another one somewhere else prior to mpls collapse?? seems a little strange to me. somethings not right there....

much love. enjoy the day!

thoughts of gratitude and comfort

what a shock to receive news of "a bridge collapsed in minneapolis, beth. you're from minnesota right? you might want to check that out." my american friend, mike, told me on (our) wednesday morning as i entered the teacher's room. he'd seen the story online and let me know as soon as he saw me. he was then kind enough to stay with me while i panicked as my mobile phone claimed every one of my family and friend's phone numbers were busy. luckily i caught my best friend online, thank god for skype ANd nicolle! she was kind enough to phone my parents and my anxiety was dimly relieved. there were still so many questions and just the general shock, which remained with me for days. how? why? wHA-?
i still haven't heard from all of my friends and family to know if anyone was hurt... but i can rest assured that they are accounted for from the news stories and videos that i obsessively watch to catch the names of the perished. it is beyond the scope of my mind to understand what all of the most important people in my world are dealing with... my mind has trouble wrapping around what happened. like the rest of you, i'm sure. however, other than the internet news that i read, it effects my life not at all. my commute to work is uneffected. my trip to that cozy restaurant over the river is uninterrupted. i love being here, but all week what i wanted (and still would like) is to be there to share hugs and show support. so instead, i send out an imaginary hug to every one who reads this and i am so grateful you are safe. please send me a little message if you haven't already, just so i will know you're okay. i love you! can't say it enough!

let's lighten things up a bit! thailand is good. i'm still in 'holiday' mode... choosing to remain in a state of bliss about the ease of my days. the work week was short, as you know, and i enjoyed seeing the boys again. we have so much fun. i love work! it is utternly enjoyable to witness the boys gaining confidence in their English abilities. their personalities are coming out ten-fold and i enjoy every moment. i have to announce that i have a teacher's pet... or more like a wannabe. he's the second smallest boy in the class and the most precise child i have ever met. he is SURE to let me know, at 7 in the morning in my office, if i have forgotten even the slightest detail of his day... whether it be to change the schedule or that we didn't do the calendar and the date is wrong... he will let me know of any part of his routine that i have interrupted or forgotten. he is darling and it always makes me chuckle to see the top of his little head trying to peer into the teacher's room window to find me. he is the same boy who spends a chunk of his worktime "informing" me of the other boys' misbehaviors... "miss beth, green group is talking. talking a little loud. should be quiet workers. green group," with discrete hand gestures towards poor green group who's just helping each other with their assignment.
he is the same boy, i may have told you about, whose father told me, on parent day, that his son "talks like you at home. he stands at our whiteboard and says 'orange group? are you ready orange group? okay, they're ready, good job, one point for orange group. oh, yellow group is talking. they're not ready. green group, good boys! green group is ready, they get a point!'" i had such a laugh with his dad because that IS how i talk to the boys, it was so accurate! he also told me that his son "makes his grandfather sit in front of the whiteboard and do math problems, so i know how you teach math, too." i asked his father if T.P., we'll call him, wants to be a teacher and he answered, "i don't know but it seems like it!"
the same boy declared to me on friday that he is only interested in speaking English all day, at school and home. "no thai for me speaking. i only speak English. only thai for thai class and chinese in chinese class. i speak English." it is extremely difficult not to take him into my grips and squeeze the breath out of him with a hug. he's just so darling and so excited about what i'm selling! i've had to nip the bossy thing in the bud, though. I... I Miss Beth am the teacher and will decide when green group is talking too loudly. i did go to college, T.P., and that degree in my desk was rightly earned, thank you very much. haha. it's nice to have a protege. i would give my kidney for a video of him in action at home... hey, i should request such a video... hmmm.

next, my fellow americans. next. have i got a treat for you! i have discovered australian football (footie as those silly aussies call it) and i am ALL about it! mmm hmm, it's AWESome! it's not american football, it's not soccer, it's not rugby, not basketball, not dodgeball... but seems to be all of them in one. it's almost, at some points, like watching the four year old boys on the soccer field all chasing the ball when you know they have positions (but they don't)... and they're just following that ball around. it's action-packed, fast paced.. and these fellas tackle.. withOUT pads.
since we're now on the topic of their uniforms i must admit (i can admit it) that the uniform is what motivates me to watch in the first and last place. it is decidedly the best uniform in any sport, on any planet. it's HOT. sleeveless shirts and short shorts. no helmet, no pads. it's delightful! see for yourself. . . merely because you are interested in this game and how could it exist without your knowledge? (because i don't know any american who knows anything about aussie football... and if you did already know about it and were keeping it from me, it's best not to admit it.) joking aside, it's a fast-paced game that is really interesting to watch... they have a circular field with odd rules. what's not to love? really>!?

i'm currently reading bill bryson's (hysterical) book about australia (one of the top ten best authors ever). i've come to the assumption that i purchased the aussie or british translation of the book because he keeps spelling words with the british ou... like harboUr, neighboUrhood, and coloUr... and there are phrases here and there that just aren't quite right. (i tried to find them, but it seems impossibly too much re-reading). anyhow, i'm learning so much about australia's history (they were founded by the british who used australia (the world's largest island) to dump their criminals so they would be rid of them. so historically, austrailians are criminals. put that one in the memory bank for mr DAVE! the aborigines were there first and i learned that they now "own sydney", i just heard from a collegue on friday.)
i'm not on a quest to "sell" australia, not by any means, but i thought i should educate myself about them since they claim to "know" so much about us americans. pff. they've got another thing coming! (did you know that they lost a prime minister??! he "vanished" into the water one night walking along the beach... in 1967. they LOST their president!? huh. i wonder how we could do that...? kidding.)

i hope that you are all well and good. off to another great week in thailand!

calling in sick, again...

sawatdee kah and kor toht kah (i'm sorry)!

i had been meaning to blog but then we had review week which was busy. the next week was exam week, which was also very busy, and now it's almost august and i just returned from three days in Hua Hin, just southwest of bangkok.

i have much to report. i'll do it in sections, so find a topic you like and read away!

Asian Cup 2007... my first professional, international soccer (football for anyone outside of north america) game!

in mid-july i attended the thailand vs. australia soccer match for the asian cup, hosted by bangkok this year. it was a very adventurous evening and i had a lot of fun. i went with many aussies, a couple thais and a brit... and anelda (did i even need to say it? she's my partner in crime, though no crimes are actually committed.) anyway, the aussies voted for australia while the rest of us (brit, american, south african, and thais) all voted for thailand. our adventure started with a motorbike ride to the MRT (subway). then a subway ride to the river, where we took a CRAZILY overpacked boat-bus to ... uh, the campus of....??? i don't know... and we walked from the river to the stadium. *pause* (since it is monsoon season, it began the daily raining during our wait on the dock for the boat-bus and didn't stop until the game was at halftime, then began raining when the game was finished, again. SOOOOGGGGY!) *unpause* once on campus the air was filled with (rain, of course and...) lots and lots of excitement and festivities! life in the rainy season just moves along with umbrellas to keep hairdos intact and looking cool. on our walk to the staduim, we stopped to have a beverage of choice and then at the gates we were able to purchase all the thailand fangear that we needed. i bought a THAILAND! scarf, a thai flag ribbon (for my hair), and an awesome sweat armband, in thai colors, of course. i was feeling wicked supportive in all my gear and we had a great time cheering the team on to an unfortunate loss, four-nothing. the game was very exciting, at one time the crowd passed an enormous thai flag across the stands (i took photos.) and they even did the WAVE! nuh-uh!? YEP! it was awesome being a thailand fan from america. after the game we were asked many times to be in photos. it was my celebrity moment, i guess. it was fun. i'll never forget it. we took the bangkok bus home for 8 baht each (32 baht to the dollar makes it... cheap!) then, two nights later.....

Dinner with the Brothers

the Brothers are like the principals of the school (where I work) and they wanted to take the foreign staff out for dinner. we went to a beautiful, classy restaurant right on the river and ate all the thai food we could manage. i tried several new dishes (all spicy and the names of which i have lost) and was able to talk, though briefly, to the Brothers that i hadn't met before. i also had the opportunity to chat and joke with many of my collegues that i don't see outside of work. they're such a fun bunch! there's an american teacher, mr. mike, that i just can't help but make fun of... and he's so good at taking it and giving it right back. a little piece of home right in the office. (for the record, he has one of THE most beautiful children i have and will ever see AND he's just my friend.) mike is also the guy that, though he doesn't know it, got me through a couple of nasty bouts of homesickness just with his giant smile.
anyway, the dinner with the Brothers was very special and i felt, once again, so spoiled and treated with such kindness and gratitude. i love this place!

The Boys and School

the past two weeks have been, first, revision week, and second, exam week. the thais take their mid and final semester exams very seriously (yes, you remembered correctly, i'm still teaching grade ONE), so the week before exams is spent reviewing all material covered in the previous nine weeks and then exam week is exactly like midterms or finals week at college... except stricter and much more organized. yes, all grades are heavily tested every ten weeks. they do not take learning lightly. it's a serious business here. (AMERICA COULD LEARN A THING OR TWO. eh-hem. okay.)
revision week went splendidly. we touched briefly on all the topics i had covered over the previous weeks. to my surprise they actually remembered it all! yippy! i prepared them for their exams as best i could and felt confident, for them, that they would be successful. the week ended with anelda and i taking down information off bulletin boards and covering other things on the wall with newspaper (as not to give away answers on the test). yep, it's SERIOUS.
on monday, the following week: exam week (dun-dun-duuuuun), grades one, three, and five show up to school and line up in a completely different location than the rest of the school year to sing the national anthem and say the school prayer. on a quick breeze-by of my classroom i noted some coded signs on the door and the desks had been rearranged into perfectly spaced rows, 5 X 5. (i have only 20 students, but grade two does their testing in the grade one classrooms... and they have 25 per class) *back to lines* my thai co-teacher and i walked the boys to the classroom where they took out their supplies (pencils, ruler, rubber (eraser, don't laugh), and colored pencils ONLY) and lined their bags up on the benches outside our classroom (YEs, it's SERious) in numerical order... also the order in which they were arranged in lines. (normally they are in height order for lines. fun fact.) then we went in (shoes on this time) and they sat in numerical order and i said "good luck and make sure you LOOOOK at the wOOORRds. read the words. don't forget! and good luck!!!" then my co-teacher wished them well, we gave them smiles and left them with another thai teacher who conducted all their tests for the two days they took them.
the boys took exams the full day on monday and half day on wednesday, and didn't come to school on tuesday and thursday (grades two, four, and six come then). school resumed it's normal schedule on friday. while the boys were testing, we had a long list of tasks to accomplish including planning, documenting things, organizing, and correcting the exams. (which are triple-checked. mmm hmmm.) my boys, i can proudly say, all did very very well. they LEARNED!!!! a good feeling to have the kids not only pass the test but exceed. now i know what it feels like! (and i didn't do it alone, trust me.)
amidst the fun of correcting exams, cleaning off my desk, organizing and filing things away and doing planning, i fell very, very, grotesquely ill. caught the stomach-rager. nastilicious! here's the stats for those who are mathematically inclined: 12 vomiting episodes (accompanied by the ever-favorite Dry Heave), 3 trips for the squirts (sorry... details....*shoulder shrug*) and 2 multi-tasking adventures involving both of the aforementioned tasks at the SAME TIME! 3 am to 8 am NONstop. i'd heard rumors but never expected to experience it myself. i hope to never be that sick ever ever again. missed work thursday and went to hospital after teaching half-day on friday.
THE HOSPITAL. i bet you're all wondering about that adventure!
not so bad! really. we checked in, showed the good ole insurance card, went to the nurses station (where they check your blood pressure and temperature and ask your symptoms right there in the lobby), and waited our turn. (forgot to mention that partner in crime was also struck down by the gastrointestinal bathroom party. sorry friend! and she had taken such good care of me on thursday. so, there were two sickies taking a trip to hospital.) once i saw the doctor, who spoke english just okay, i was sent to the 'cashier' window where i didn't pay a baht, was checked out and sent to the medicine pick-up window where i received my SEVEN prescriptions, only one of which i was instructed to take until finished. i can check that off my list now... get really, really sick and go to the hospital, CHECK. (maybe a big check will mean it won't happen again.)

Hua Hin aka. Let's Get a Breath of Fresh Air NOW!

i had just enough time to feel better while packing for a long weekend in hua hin with an american friend, evelyn. she's the librarian at school and comes from utah. she's something of an anomaly because she speaks english, thai, laotian, and vietnamese (and has quite a skill with ebonics, which is endlessly entertaining). on saturday morning, we left for hua hin, a favorite vacation spot of the thais (and the king, i might add), which is just down the "elephant trunk" of thailand, or about three hours southwest of BKK. we took a 180 baht van with all thai locals, no buses and no backpackers, directly to hua hin, minus a pitstop about halfway to re-fuel and get a snack. the van dropped us at a very shady location, in rubble underneath an overpass, hidden away from the street... which was fine because it's the station for these private vans.
we wandered past the tuk-tuks and mini-trucks/taxis that kept offering us a ride "where you go? pai nai?" nobody we asked really knew where our guesthouse was located so we called the owner who kindly offered to pick us up on his motorbike. he took us separately to the guesthouse, Jing's Guesthouse (highly recommended. very clean, very kind people. peter (brit) and jing (thai) are lovely people as are their staff members. price was great: cheap cheap!)
once settled into our lovely dark brown room, we ventured out on the town to find a bite to eat and enjoyed lunch at an irish pub that had air conditioning. the temperatures in hua hin were much higher than they have been in bangkok in the last month. it was like summer/hot season all over again! after lunch we had a wonderful foot massage from the gals at the guesthouse and then checked out the beach, showered, had dinner, and called it an early night. (did i mention that we met at 6 am to catch the van and arrived in hua hin by 9:45 am?)
the next two days were spent wandering the shops, streets, and beach of hua hin, meeting and making various friends along the way. evelyn eavesdropping on everyone's thai commentary all along the way (it's FUUUn to hear what they're actually saying!). we didn't see rain until our last night (which was last night) there... and it was a much appreciated break in the heat we had been experiencing. it was a relaxing, rejuvenating time... and mom, i'll take you there. you'll like it. :-) the car/van ride home was a wonderful look at the thai counrtyside... though it's at an incredibly fast speed. hehe. i love thailand!

now i'm just preparing for eight days of teaching before our next three days off from school for Mother's Day. (with twelve weeks straight without a break, these days off are much deserved, let me tell you.)

Transformers is the coolest movie EVER

i am so "high" on the movie Transformers since i saw it last night. it was, truly, the most incredible movie for special effects EVER ever!! i highly recommend it and plan to see it again at least twice more in the theater. unbelievable! check it out... it's a must-see in-theatre. call me a nerd or whatever, i don't mind. i have fond memories of trying in earnest to play Transformers with my dear brother. i don't remember being aloud to actually touch his toy heroes, but i really wanted to. i know he had the semi truck guy. anyhow. i felt a little piece of home last night and am loving the feeling!

what's new lately in bangkok you might be wondering... why haven't you written lately? i see only ONE post for June! wellll, i've been really busy being really sick. it was long-time coming, three weeks, with the third week being pretty full-on. i took a half day off work to go home and rest. i "lost" all of my interior digestions (if i can say it politely) and was on empty for a couple days. i had that terrible metallic feeling where your skin feels tingly. i was in fear to eat because it was so painful to digest and this bug is a dairy-loving bacteria. i had spent plenty of baht and time eating all the pizza i could manage. turns out the bacteria must have been sending "daaaaiiirrrryyyyy, dairy!!!" messages to my brain or something because ALL i craved was dairy this or dairy that. i'm off pizza (it's really expensive anyway) for as long as possible. (i should mention that it's the best way to fill my cravings and cheese is my favorite food. it's been said, to me directly actually, that the thai don't care for dairy... and it's true. their milk is sweetened condensed or coconut. cheese here is processed AND disgusting. pizza hut has "real" mozzarella at least... explaining the pizza phenomena in mine life.)
so, the dairy bug was pummeled with my Traveler's Diarrhea pills and now i'm back in working condition! seems that i must have caught it from a student as many boys were sick in the room, as well as my thai co-teacher. she was gone that same day i went home early. EEK! i guess i can check it off my to-do list: get sick, check. get better, check. EXcellent!

amongst the sickness was planning for Parent Day at school. it's similar to Open House only more structured and less personal to each child. i had to give a 20 minute presentation to my boys' parents and BOY was i nervous. i tend to get nervous about things that i've not done before and don't know what to expect. it was all in vain and turned out better than normal. i really enjoyed meeting the parents (as i always do) because you can see their child in them... looks, personality, facial and body expressions. it's a lot of fun. they were, of course, very interested in meeting me because it was the first time for most of them to talk with me. they are a serious group when it comes to education, so we had a nice chat in fairly good English. after i spoke, my thai co-teacher did her own presentation about various things and set-up a PTA for our class. it was a wonderful Saturday at school!

besides working and being sick (just that few weeks), i've been lounging at home to rest, working out at the club and seeing a movie here and there. a couple friends and i went bowling last weekend and i pretty much kicked their you-know-whats. apparently they (aussies and s.africans) didn't have Bowling taught in gym class like i did in middle school. my experience as the bowling coach must have really brought out my skills. PFF. yeah right. i barely bowl over 100. still... i'll roll with it, i WAS the winner. haha. (i can quote anelda here: oh get over yourself, beth.)

Mom is coming to visit me!! i'm so excited! she'll come during my school break and i'll play tour guide a bit and then we'll discover some new ground together! i can't wait! i have some planning to get done!! Dad will stay home and keep close tabs on my cat. they're old friends by now and i am so glad. i just want to put it on record that he said he might not give her back because I've raised such a nice feline. haha, just try it. (can you tell i'm missing home these days?! how silly when i'm really not away that long! oh well.) i just can't wait to see photos of the cat with goggles and a little helmet riding Dad's motorcycle with him. hehehe. jokes and laughs dad, jokes and laughs.

anyway. it's a quiet saturday in the office. i have it all to myself. aaaahhhh, just how i like it! school... the boys are busy learning about weather, adding numbers up to 50, including carrying. they've just learned about our three main meals and the names of foods. i think it's their favorite unit so far. we finished our short unit on the calendar (days, months, year, etc.) and our 5 senses. we've gotten through most of the 42 sounds in jolly phonics (their reading curriculum) and they're reading new words each day. also, every day it seems like someone new is approaching me cautiously but excitedly to tell me something in English. they are always very pleased with themselves when i can understand their words and respond with joy. they are learning so much so quickly. i am really proud of them. i've posted some new photos of them in their too cute for words Boy Scouts uniforms. they even have a little hat... it's really cute. of course, remember that you have to sign in to see the private photos and the school photos are private.

as is customary here, i receive gifts from the students and their families from time to time. it's almost always something sweet to eat. on Wai Kru Day (Teacher Respect Day) i received a beautiful flower arrangement. mostly, though, it's cake or nuts or some form of sugared something-or-other. i decided if i write a book about this adventure i'll title it : My Year in Sugar. the thais love their sugar and it's in EVERYTHING. in bread, in milk, in vegetables, in all their main dishes... i'd be surprised to find out it's not in the water. . . and i don't believe it is, but i wouldn't be surprised. all this sweet stuff must be what keeps them such a happy and kind people! toothpaste and flouride rinse are a definite must!

this weekend i'm having some alone time and catching up on rest. the week went quickly last week and i feel so good about working here. teaching here is just very different and i love it. every day i come here very excited and leave here very satisfied. no stress.

i realized last night at the movies just how organized this society keeps themselves. for almost every job it seems they have and wear a specific fansy uniform... as you've seen mine (i'm not super fancy.). i should start a photo-log of all the uniforms of thailand. everyone seems to have one. the kids, the teachers, the brothers (like principles... they wear long white robes.), the movie theater workers, the doorman at each building, the police (the police wear a very nice-looking uniform if i may say so), the nurses (they wear the traditional white uniform with the white nurse hats that we don't see anymore in america), the motorbike drivers, the grocery store clerks... everyone. that's the first thing. the second thing is, now this is serious, when you go to the movie theater you buy your ticket for the seat you chose specifically. the back is more exspensive than the middle or the front. your seat is assigned by lettered row and numbered seat and you must sit in it. if you don't, they will ask you to move... it's happened to me before. it's just customary to them. i've adjusted and it doesn't bother me. even their insane traffic is organized. people cut each other off constantly but no one gets enraged because they all do it at some time or another so no one bothers to get upset. they are organized in more ways... maybe i'll add a part two to the next blog for those interested. i find it really nice. others may not. i like the order.

the side of thailand that i do not often see is the touristy side. i don't visit the tourist area much anymore and don't see foreigners much either. my collegues, of course, but mostly just see the thais. my life seems much calmer and more stable. it's good. i am glad.

well, since i've had my coffee and haven't blogged in quite a while this is getting too long. i'll duck out and let you ponder all my thoughts. i always really really love getting emails and especially photos from you all. . . of your children or your backyard or my CAT (DAD!! :->) or your new house or condo you're buying or new bicycle or new outfit or awesome meal you just cooked or your camping adventure or just you sitting watching tv. i love it all! so thank you, in advance, for sending me some lovely messages.

i love you all and miss you!!!!!!!!!

i hope they're alright!

it's sunday afternoon (2pm) here. that's makes it sunday early morning in MN (2am). i wonder what you're all dreaming right now. what a thought! i can't remember my own dream from last night. that's strange.

on my way here to school, i saw the aftermath of the first vehicle accident i've seen thus far here in thailand. i reached the main road from my alley and noticed, immediately, everyone (in the entire neighborhood) at a stand-still looking at a tuk-tuk which held a little girl (maybe 7 or 8 years old)... and a bunch of fruit spilled over the road that seemed to have come from a blue motorbike that was parked near the curb. i stopped to scan the scene and noticed two men helping a woman into the same tuk-tuk with the little girl. i'm against gawking (i'm that person who wails on my horn at everyone else who's slown traffic to a crawl just to see blood and guts at the scene of any flashing lights or cars pulled over. it's a top three pet peeve of mine.), so i tried to keep walking while i looked back and forth between the sidewalk ahead of me and the scene of the accident. everyone else was just standing, hushed, and watching. as the women was helped into the tuk-tuk i noticed she looked very out-of-it. once she was in the tuk-tuk she hugged her daughter tightly and they drove off. i noticed then that her daughter was crying very hard. as they were about to turn the corner i saw the woman holding the crown of her own head. off they went while the rest of us were obviously sobered and very quiet. i immediately thought, 'wow, no ambulance, no police, no reports, no nothing but a TUK TUK?! huh.' there is a hospital on the other side of the school so i'm sure that's where they were taken. the bike (with its contents... the fruit) were left at the scene of the accident.

as i walked on i ran into anelda and she asked if i saw what happened and the told me she had been walking right next to the place where it happened but she only heard a falling-bodies type noise. when she looked she saw and heard the little girl screaming from under the bike. everyone was just staring at first, probably in shock. the women was slumped over and had a helmet on. people rescued the girl and the mother. when they lifted the mother and put her on the curb she just slumped backward, probably unconscious... and that made the daughter scream louder. i asked anelda if she knows who hit them and she said she thinks that they just fell, no one hit them. i hope they're okay. i'm glad to know the woman had a helmet. i don't know about the daughter. both were conscious when they left. hopefully they'll be just fine. three months and that's my first accident to report.

the coming week will be our fifth week of school. that's halfway through the first quarter. 20-week terms. 10-week quarters. 2 terms. 4 quarters. (right, my star mathletes!? you know who you are...) the routines at school are constantly practiced and will be perfected soon enough. the boys are still in need of work on their walking-in-line abilities. it's gotta be straight, school standards.
i was on timeout duty for grades 2 and 3 last week. that means i go fifteen minutes after lunch and 'handle' the boys who've been sent to timeout for their 'bad boy' behavior. there are such offenses as: 'talking while others were talking,' 'fighting' (which is play-fighting here), 'unfinished work,' 'playing,' 'talking in lines,' and my favorite: 'late to timeout yesterday.' there was a crackdown on the grade 2 - 6 boys because their behavior in morning lines was an embarrassment to the program. timeout consists of the boys standing outside the classrom in two lines while i inspect their uniform status (tuck in shirts and tie shoes), then we go into the classroom and they fill out a timeout form, then they 'sit properly' and wait with their arms folded on their desk, mouths closed. once everyone is finished they each stand behind their chair and share what they had done to 'earn' timeout, then tell what they should have been doing, and what they'll do next time. it was intense and the boys were very nervous. many i'm-sorrys and thank-yous and a lot of wai-ing (bowing with prayer hands). the only repeat offenders i saw were the ones who were late the day prior... and no one was late twice in a row. they miss out on play time after lunch and it is not fun. it works well for our boys here.

what else is there to report? hmmm... school's out in MN. that is so WEIRD! it's perpetual summer here so i don't even know the difference. what's everyone doing for the summer and what's in store for LLCS (my old school in mpls) next year? i'm eager to hear!!!

the boys have been busy learning more letter sounds (and not in alphabetical order. nor do we introduce the name of the letter, just its sound), they learned the names of our body parts (but not all), we did more practice with color names, sang some new songs, 'head, shoulders, knees, and toes' is their favorite because i can be quite dramatic when doing it 'vveee-rrrrr-yyy slllloooowwwwwwwwwllllly.' they become quite the giggle-monsters. we're still working on settling down after fun activities like songs and games. they're getting better, as is their English and confidence with using it. my little mathletes learned horizontal and veritcal addition last week, no carrying yet, that's next week. i'm not sure what they're learning in the classes with their thai teachers (careers, resources, thai, chinese, boy scouts, music, art, and social studies) but i did have one of their thai teachers approach me to report that 'they are so cute, your class.' i agreed (of course) and then she said, 'they are so polite. more polite than other classes.' i said, 'awww, that's wonderful, thanks for sharing!' that was nice, huh?! i'm so proud! *smiling*
everything is a competition here and we've only won the weekly contest for Tidy Classroom once. there's a 'shield' (award) for Best Lines and Best Assembly (behavior) as well. we have a grade one assembly every week. it works really well for motivation and is a lot of fun for the boys. we sing happy birthday to anyone who's had a birthday, give merit awards (two boys per class each week), sing another song, give out shields, do announcements about big events, and say the prayer in English (the school prayer is said at the end of each day school-wide and at assemblies).

other than school, just practicing yoga and running on the mouse-machine (treadmill). i've also been heavy into reading and am loving our latest book club (my girlie book club from mpls... miss you ladies!!!) pick: eat, pray, love by elizabeth gilbert. i highly recommend it to anyone. it's a memior and i've really connected with her story. i'm hoping to finish by our meeting day so i can put in my baht's worth. i've got a lot to say on this one... i've never dog-earred and underlined so much in a book ever before. definitely recommend it.

no new bugs to report... but now that i said that i'm bound to have the biggest cockroach in thailand become my roommate until its cleaning-solution death. anelda really hates cockroaches and does the sweetest little dance whenever one approaches her path on the sidewalk... it's so funny i wish i could videotape it... but i asked her, 'if they were purple and glittery would you still hate them?' she said she hates purple and yeah she'd hate them. so i asked if they were yellow (her favorite color) would she still hate them... she pondered and then said, 'YEAH! it's not because they're ugly, it's because they eat and live in rubbish (trash)and they're dirty.' i tried to ease her mind, but the dance continues and so does my daily entertainment. haha. (hey, she laughed at me about the GINORMOUS spiders that were out for my blood in the bungalows. and i don't even hate them.)

better sign off, there's work to be done and i'm sure i've been wordy enough already.

hope all is well with you. i always love hearing from you!!! send me a message.

what an amazing view!

this friday was payday, and you know what that means... the girls are going out! so some of the girls from work (and one lucky man, richard) took motorbike taxis (my FIRST TIME! it was awesome!) to the state tower and went to the top and took in the view at the sky bar. what a sight! we arrived just in the nick of time for the sunset. breathtaking and amazing are the words i use to describe it. whomever makes it to thailand will be escorted there by yours truly. i did the best i could with taking photos. there really isn't any way to capture what you experience up there... i'll post the photos when i have some free time among all the work.

my friend anelda and i have been frequenting our local 5-star gym. we joined last month. it's our entertainment now. i've enjoyed the yoga classes and actually got myself on the treadmill for a normal run last night. the steam room and sauna always cap off a good day. the pool is beautiful and a great place to read and relax. it's been a wonderful investment. i even save money on shampoo and deodorant. they provide everything you might want. hairbrushes, water, blow dryer, the whole lot.

back to the motorbike taxi. WOO! what a ride! they take you through (meaning between) the traffic at fairly high speeds. my dad would kill me if he really knew what it involves. oops. i guess he knows now. NooOOoo, it's safe. they and their riders must wear helmets. it was a really exciting ride. i was nervous (since i've been here) about riding one because i see how they dodge cars and dart around traffic, but it was really nice because we arrived at our destination at least ten to fifteen minutes sooner than a car could have. i highly recommend it!

if you've seen the newly posted photos, then you see i've 'moved in' or unpacked myself in my apt. it feels very cozy and i even bought a fan this weekend. i'm pretty disappointed because it's not what i expected. i'll have to put it full blast and pointed directly at me tonight to see if that's better. at least i can lay off the air cond. for a while.

we've been getting regular rain lately. i think we've entered the rainy season. each day at work i look out the window in the afternoon to see the dark, dark clouds rolling, or sometimes rumbling, in. it's beautiful, fun, and a hassle all at once. i love storms and thailand's are INTENSE! the temperature hasn't gone down at all since the summer. the islands and south were much, much cooler, but the city is STEAMY and humid.

school... the boys are busy learning all sorts of things like the letter sounds for s, i, p... the ideas behind the words, 'under', 'on', 'in front of', (prepositions for those teachers out there! ;-)) we've covered colors, numbers up to 20 and addition and subtraction up to 10. science has covered living and non-living things (living things need food, water, and air. just as a reminder. hehe). it's been a lot of fun through all the trial and error i'm going through. the boys are doing better with English each day and becoming more and more brave to speak the words they know. it's great to see them making progress already! smiles abound and they are SO proud to show off their work. i have a couple VERY talented artists in the class. one boy can draw dinosaurs with extreme detail. maybe i'll take a photo of some of his work and post it ... we'll see.

i have a meeting to attend but before i go ... one more thing. CONGRATULATIONS to LLCS (my previous school) on their first year (almost) completed as a new school! it's such a wonderful place and i'm so proud of everyone who works and attends the school. WAY TO GO!!!! i miss you all very much! tell me all about how school ends and what's new and exciting for next year!

off i go...

school has begun and times they are a'changin!

sorry for the lapse in posts! i've been so busy getting prepared for school and the first week was hectic as well as fun. now that i made it through the first week it seems like it'll be smooth sailing from here forward. the boys are getting used to tackling the subjects all day long, they have amazing classes! i can't believe their schedule! they have a careers class... and weekly meditation class. it's so interesting! thai teachers are very tough on the students, which helps and hinders when i have them. it's something of a sigh of relief to see me and then again, i can't let things get crazy in class even if i'm not as strict as the thai teachers. i'm always warm-hearted when i hear, "i love you miss beth" or get a big hug. they continue to melt my heart. they're at the age where they're very big on getting the approval of adults, so i constantly have a boy proudly showing me his work, even after i've asked them to "stay at your desk, please." all in all, it's going well and i'm glad to be with them each day, even on the 'long' day... thursday. oh, and i've finally gotten my uniforms... they're nice to have. it takes away the morning, 'what should i wear' decision. they're not that bad. i'll post a photo soon.

i should fill you in on our holiday to koh phangan and koh tao. my friend anelda and i travelled south with her friend, matt, and another colleague, tom. the four of us stayed at the same bungalows as luke and i had two weeks before. the guys shared and the girls shared since the bungalows were full. on our first evening at nantakran, i went to our bungalow to use the toilet and on the way in the door a thought crossed my mind, "there's a lizard in the bathroom... look for him" because our floor had frequent and large, green lizard poo since we arrived, though i hadn't spotted the culprit and wanted to see who had created such large treasures. i opened the door to the bathroom, switched on the lights, stepped down halfway into the bathroom and looked to the very spot where our frequent 'gifts' were left only to see the LARGEST black spider i have ever personally encountered *SHIVER*. it took my breath away and i immediately panicked. WHAT is that thing doing in MY living quarters!?!? get it out! get it out!! is all i could keep thinking. i promptly closed the door (so it wouldn't get into my bedroom and ON ME, of course) and tromped out to the restaurant/common area, retrieved the bungalow 'tour guide' and asked him to kindly REMOVE the bloodsucker from our home. after a lot of squealing from yours truly and the comment, 'just kill it, i don't mind'... it died a brutal broom-swatting death which i feel ever guilty about to this day. anelda laughed and laughed at me standing on the bed declaring, 'i just canNOT sleep with that thing in my bungalow.' in the end: we slept with the lights on until daylight and i awoke almost every half hour to inspect the bungalow for any new "rain spiders." apparently, according to anelda, they're rain spiders that come indoors out of the rain. unfortunately, it was not the last rain spider that we had to 'deal with.' (death to all of them, sadly). each one of our 3 bungalows had a rain spider, each of equal human-devouring size. ah, i digress, the third one, who stalked me from the ceiling of our grass bungalow, was shooed out instead of brutally smashed with a broom. by then i guess the guilt had gotten to me. let me tell you one more fun fact: those things can COMPLETELY flatten themselves to look the size of a popsicle stick. their legs flatten sideways and their bodies somehow deflate. it's incredible. i'd have taken a picture but i was too crippled with fear. for the record: i'm not AFRAID of spiders, i just REALLY don't like LARGE ones that vacate the same living quarters as i do. that's all. looking back, it was no big deal. really. (and i thought the cockroaches were bad. pff, they're NOThing!)

other than the spiders, the weather was very rainy, every day. we spent five long, slow days on koh phangan. we rented motorbikes and i overcame my fear of being the driver. i'm now addicted and can't wait to meet my new hog next visit to the islands. i named my motorbike on koh phangan Sally. she was a lot of fun and we covered many miles together. not to brag, but we broke 40 SEVeral times. (that's 40 KILOMETERS PER HOUR. mm hmm) when we got to koh tao i had a leaner, meaner, sportier bike and decided the name Larry would suit him. koh phangan has MUCH better, smoother roads for buzzing around than koh tao has. we went to koh tao for another five days, which flew by. i miss koh tao, i really liked it there. it's different than koh phangan because it's an island for getting your deep sea diving certificates, so there are many foreigners sitting in classes and studying on the beach. it's a different atmosphere and i liked it. the thai people all spoke pretty good english and the menus are mostly western food. it was a wonderful, relaxing stay and i can't wait to go back. it was just anelda and i on koh tao, the boys went their separate ways in search of adventure. we had fun just beaching, hammocking, reading, eating, and dancing at night. somehow, we both ended up with colds... i returned to bangkok with laryngitis and anelda's best friend was her box of tissues. it turns out that something was going around the country because nearly everyone showed up to work with some sickness or another. strange.

there really isn't much more to the story of our holiday. see the photos if you're interested. just a lot of relaxing and biking. we tackled some pretty crazy dirt roads on koh tao since we quickly bored of the ONE paved road that they have on the island.

i think i'm headed off to a book store to try and purchase some of our recent book club selections... or something to read after i'm finished with "i know this much is true," by wally lamb. any recommendations? i'd be glad to have them!!

hope you are well and i'd love to hear from you soon!!!

motoring the islands

sawatdee from koh tao. just a quick update for my faithful readers. . . i've been six days on koh phangan and now have dedicated a couple days to koh tao before heading home to BKK. my friends and i have each rented a motorbike to get ourselves around. it's been fun... my hog here on koh tao is SWEET! you'll get full photos once i return to BKK. i had to say goodbye to my bike Sally this morning. i haven't decided what to name my new beast. it's a bit more rugged so i must find a boy name. maybe andy?? no. i'll consider Larry for the time being. Larry has BIG wheels to yield my way through the sandy-slash-muddy-slash-washed out roads of koh tao.

this island is popular for divers (deep sea diving) and that made it difficult to find a reasonable location that would offer us a place to relax and be lazy which is our mission for travel. tonight we dine with new friends made minutes after our arrival to the new bungalow. don't even know their names yet. should be good...

until bangkok.. have a great day! stay tuned....

the third cockroach was the biggest

last night anelda and i returned to my "flat" (as she calls it) to find a cockroach quietly sneaking in from my balcony door. (i'm not scared of bugs. i'm grossed out by two-inch cockroaches crawling in my living space). apparently the crack under the door must be sizeable enough for the nasty buggers to make it in comfortably because this guy was enormous. he froze upon discovery and played along with our game of trying to get him into a bag for removal. that didn't work, so anelda used her patented method of dousing the poor guy with bathroom cleaning liquid and letting him wander, dying all the while, through the apt. until flipping over, wiggling legs to the final excrutiating moment. BLECH!!! he died after taking his last steps under my couch and then anelda (my brave hero) scooped him into a bag and deposited it all into the alternate garbage at the very end of my hall. i couldn't watch the actual last moments of life slip away, nor the bagging and removal, so i'm not exactly sure if the thing was dead. i assume and trust anelda's diagnosis, but for all i know he could reappear for some revenge tonight.

let me tell you, he was not the first and he will most likely not be the last. he was the third and not the worst. the absolute worst was the first. she (she's a she because she was a touch smaller *cringe*) was CRAWLING on ME in MY BED one night as i slept. i woke up to brush 'something' off of me (my arms and neck) THREE times. on the third i finally realized it was a crawling something-or-other and not the tassles of my blanket. i wiped 'it' off for the third time while snapping awake and flipping the lights on, all in one motion. the first thing i saw was Her at the very corner of my bed, near my feet. i ran to turn the extra lights on by the door and by the time i returned, she'd slipped into the night. i scoured the bed, sheets, pillows, floor, furniture, everything for a few minutes and decided the couch was the safest place to sleep, but definitely NOT with the lights off. roaches love the dark and i loathe roaches... so lights it was until dawn. it was restless 'sleep' until i absolutely had to give up hope of spotting the critter again (to throw her out the window, of course). luke slept through the whole ordeal and was uncooperative when i want to lift the mattress and hunt that thing down. i think he's the one who planted it in the bed in the first place. maybe they're friends and co-conspirators.

i've got to find a way to secure my living space from the inevitable Roach of Thailand. though one (of the three) died, thailand has trillions more. they barely escape the step of my feet each and every night on the sidewalks. one might suggest a roach killing type product purchased from a store. pff. try to read the bottles, people! i've been searching for a Goo Gone type product since the first day i stepped into my classroom. the former teacher was in love with the EXTRA sticky tape and it has left unremovable stains of goo on my whiteboard.

eh. enough of that. cockroaches were here before i was. maybe the three cockroaches were indeed one and i have rid my life of this problem. for some reason i highly doubt it.

the saga continues, i'm sure. beth vs. the city roach. my life's important to me, right? don't ya think they're lives are important to them? anelda doesn't think so. next time i'll get photos of the action so you have a healthy visual.

holiday, shootings, and contests

a week ago i returned from a week's holiday (vacation) to the south island, koh phangan (i went again). it was an extremely lazy, relaxing adventure which included: swimming in the salty, warm, greenish-teal ocean (repeatedly), motorbiking, losing in connect four to lucas (also repeatedly. he is the Lion of the game), lucas (of course), bungalows on a different side of the island, lots of eggs with onions, tomatoes, and cheese (mmmmmm), a lot of walking, long-boat ride to an amazing hidden beach, reading (finished one book), aaaaand lazing in the bungalow hammock for countless hours. it was a true holiday in which distinct events are difficult to remember because of the incredible amount of laziness. after the hustle and bustle of the city for a few weeks, i was ready for a vacation. i took full advantage of the clear air and beautiful beachy views. see photos for visual.

upon return, lucas and i spent several days (me grumpy from laziness ending) wandering the city to dine, shop, and entertain ourselves (mr. bean's holiday is hysterical in old mr. bean fashion). anelda returned from her holiday to chiang mai and we had a third partner in crime, though no crimes were actually committed. not much to note, accept that when lucas finally departed the land of thailandia i was quite sad and a touch homesick. (feeling better now.)

amidst the last few days with luke, there was a devastating shooting, again. you all know about it. i was deeply sad and prayers were necessary. extreme rage and saddness to lose a loved one to a sad human being. i cannot imagine. i still struggle with the idea of placing blame on the school, though it is natural to feel. the blame only goes to the shooter. there were, unfortunately, no heroes this time. my last comment about the madman: please stop playing his videos and showing his photos. THERE ARE IMPRESSIONABLE YOUNG PEOPLE WHO WATCH TV. talk about irresponsible.

just to note: Dad is doing well and healing fast. the only problem... you can't hug him as tight as i like to. thanks for your many comments of well-wishes.

songkran festival = thai new year. i am still confused about what year they are now in... they understand and recognize the year 2007, but they have their own year... which is either 2550 or 2551. i thought it was 2550 when i arrived, which would make it 2551. i'm not sure. it's very interesting, though.

songkran festivities were pretty dull in our neighborhood upon arrival home to BKK. there were maybe two or three groups of children that were stalking each other through the neighborhood with their giant water machine guns. the water fighting is a thai tradition to cool off during these excrutiatingly hot weeks of the summer. they also concoct a paste solution from powder and water. the solution is spread over other people's exposed body parts (face, shoulders, arms). it's a contraversial act since buddhists believe the head is the most sacred part of the body and one is never to touch another on the head (feet are the dirtiest and are not to be pointed or touched to others). in effect, some thais believe that paste to the face is an extreme sign of disrespect.

we had an all-school water fight. several, or most?, of the EP staff members participated. it was more fun than i could've imagined. soaked to the bone and battling for over an hour, i was happily exhausted at the end. very fun. private photos are available. send me your email address if you'd like to be invited to the private sector.

just in to school this weekend to finalize some lesson plans for term one and use internet. not much to note about the weekend. hot, sunny, and low-key.

there is a contest to note for those of you who like movies and music. see: www.ourstage.com/go/plug to vote for signed and unsigned musicians, moviemakers, and artists. check it out if you're interested.

hope you're all well and enjoying the flip-flop weather traditional to MN. what a great place! the state fair is coming? please make early arrangements to send me cheese curds and something-on-a-sticks. thank you.

sawatdee kah. (goodbye in this case)

tough news from home...

i received an email today, from my dad, saying he had been in a motorcycle accident and has four broken ribs and lots of scrapes and bruises. so, if you know him, take care of him for me! i know he'll hate me saying that but i love him and he needs to know others do as well. i wish i could be there and i know i couldn't do much but i'm missing a year of time with him and that's bad enough. i wonder when he'll be back in the saddle and scaring the guts out of me again... grrrrrrrr.
GET WELL DAD!!!! SO grateful that you're still with us!

enough before i start crying. school is good. the short week is almost over. tomorrow we take the boys to the ZOO! they are as excited as am i. i guess i hadn't considered that bangkok would have a zoo. wouldn't it be funny if they have "exotic" animals only found in America? what would they be? bunnies? wolves? dairy cows? squirrels? whitetail deer? grizzly bears? moose/meese? buffalo? i'll let you know what i see.

still working hard to teach the boys discipline and commands in english. they are a squirmy bunch. THANKS to angela for the suggestion (in the comments of the last blog post), you know i'm going to use it!!! i'll confirm the pronunciation with my thai language teacher (pee dao, her name is dao and she is my elder, so i must call her "pee" dao). we've learned all kinds of useful words and phrases to help us in every day life. we learned all about their money and how to say "how much" yesterday. it's coming in handy!!!

i guess we have a meeting about our bank accounts... so i better get going.

much love!! MISS YOU ALL! take care of DAD !!!!! :-(

more soon :-)

finally catching up!

sawatdee kah!

i am finally caught up on posting the photos i've taken so far here in thailand. check them out: Flickr Photos.

i am currently at school getting some planning done. my classroom is coming along, slowly but surely. i will be taking more photos of the students and classroom tomorrow.

week one of summer school was fairly uneventful. the boys were with their thai teachers and the students from the regular program (as opposed to the english program) for the entire week. i only saw them in the mornings for the school song and prayer and one day i was able to teach a lesson and had some time to try to learn their names, which are tough to pronounce.

they are very small and adorable. they are very respectful, though the language barrier is difficult. when i say, "please sit down" and there are blank stares, i know i have my work cut out for me! it will be challenging and rewarding. for grade one students it is the beginning of the school year. they are all required to attend summer school. i have the students now that i will have the entire year. we spend summer learning commands (sit down, stand up, form two lines, make a circle, write, draw, stop, look, listen, legs crossed, hands on knees...etc.), colors, numbers, and a few sentences: 'what's your name?' 'how are you?' 'what class are you in?'... etc, and class discipline policies and procedures. the boys speak little english (if any), so it's slow and steady with games, songs, activities, and plenty of repetition.

regarding my uniform, i haven't been given the fabric to have it (them) made yet, so i don't have a uniform yet. i have dress requirements (which are a little beyond standard) but no uniform until term 1. i will post photos of me in the good ole uniform when i actually have it to wear. (i'm excited to not have to worry about what to wear! the uniform will be easy!) we participate in wearing yellow shirts and dark pants on mondays in honor of the king. i'll get a photo of that posted for you soon.

this week is a short week at school with an "excursion" (field trip) on thursday and no school on friday for a thai holiday and the beginning of songkran festival, thai new year (they're in 2551)! it's the water fight week!!! i am traveling to the same island in the south that i visited before to spend time with lucas, who's been down south for a week and a half now. i hear he's antsy to have some company as the relaxation is getting boring. haha. it will be nice to be out of the city as the festivities get very crazy... that's what i hear constantly, "it's CRAZY." supposedly, the party will be a little tamer on the island.

as for the past week : a friend and i are trying to find separate apartments in the same building, so we're apt. shopping. it's been tough as most places are too expensive or too far from school. we have spent every evening after school on our hunt to no avail. hopefully we'll find something soon! cross your fingers for us!

a friend's mother has asked me a couple questions that i'll share with you all...

Do you like the people that you work with? i like the people i work with very much. they are all different kinds of people and everyone is very friendly and nice. i am constantly being asked to join for dinner or a movie or shopping... all kinds of things! everyone seems to work well together and i enjoy my time with them all.

Are you the only new teacher that started at the time that you did - and the only American? there are 21 new teachers (of 31) this year, including me. i am one of five americans on staff. myself and one other guy are new americans to the staff. most of the others are australian, as are my two main bosses. my blog post previous to this one explains that a little bit more...

Did you and Luke do any interesting things when he was in Bangkok? Luke and i were very busy with seeing bangkok... we went to khao san road a couple days (the backpacker area that he knows well), we did a long boat ride up the river and through some canals in bangkok, we ate at a lot of different places, including several indian restaurants (aw, that sounds good for tonight!), went out with the teachers for pool and wandering the city, did some shopping here and there, saw a movie (called '300'), did some email... we did a lot. there are some photos from our adventures around the city. i've only seen the massive grand palace from a distance and would like to visit it soon. there are several art galleries that are calling my name as well. i'll be busy with school work but hope to make it soon!

i hope you are all well and good in your prospective cities! i miss you all and love hearing from you if you have the chance!

sawatdee kah!

ps. my thai classes have started and i'm learning new thai phrases and words every day, it's very fun! thai people always smile or giggle when i practice. they are delighted when someone tries their language... off to eat!

first day at school

today was the first day of orientation at my new school in bangkok. it is wonderful! the staff is big (31 people) and most (21) are new, like me. it is a good group and i am excited to get started with summer school. i can't wait to meet the boys on monday! most thai people wear yellow shirts on mondays to honor the king's 60th year of reign (that's a LOT!)... and we are allowed to do so, as well. i don't have a yellow shirt yet, but will get one some day. it's a neat thing to see most thai people honoring someone they find so important. he is a very humble and kind man, i've heard. they are very loyal to him and the royal family. it's really neat.

on monday i will meet the boys that i will have all year. as grade one students, they are required to attend summer school. the other grades are not required to attend, but many boys come to summer anyway. we were given the (many) keys to our classroom and all the cabinets and things. it is a nice room that i will have to rearrange and become comfortable with. my teacher's desk is actually in the teacher's room, where all the teachers have desks along with materials and computers. it will be interesting to work so closely with my collegues. i'm very excited!

i received an email from one of my 8th graders who had more questions for me. i told her that i would answer them on the blog, again...

I have a lot of things to ask you.
how do you like it there? i like bangkok and i really love thailand. the people are very kind and helpful. some are afraid of having to talk to me if they don't know english, but i am getting better at speaking slowly in Tenglish (thai english)... it just takes practice. i really like getting out of the city and to the beaches for some relaxation. bangkok is a very busy and dirty place but it is much more comfortable living than the smaller cities and islands.

what do you do in your spare time? i have had visitors from mn staying with me, so i haven't had much spare time. when they aren't here, i catch up on sleep, read, check email, organize things... pretty boring!

how do you like your students? i think i will like them, but i haven't met them yet!

do you like your co-workers? i do like my co-teachers. most of them are from australia and speak very quickly with a strong accent. i am trying to get used to it, but they have to repeat themselves a lot. some of the others are from England, South Africa, New Zealand, and America.

did you make any new friends? yes! i've made some friends who i teach with and some friends from my travels who i've mentioned in past blogs.

how do you like the food? i get tired of thai food once in a while and need some pancakes and eggs... or pizza... but thai food is very healthy and tasty. you can try thai food at Sawatdee or King and I Thai or True Thai in Minneapolis. check it out and let me know what you think!

do you feel homesick sometimes? yes, especially in the first two weeks. i'm doing better now that i know my way around. i miss CHEESE!!! this isn't a big Dairy country, so good cheese is very expensive and i haven't had much since i've been here. the pizza helps sometimes... but i just loooove cheese. i miss it every day! i miss my family, friends, and students. i try not to focus on that because it would make my time here more miserable. so, i like to think that they're all doing good at home and i especially like getting little notes from people to hear about things happening back home.

are you ever going to come back? i will be back before you know it! this next year is going to go very fast... i think.

thanks for the email, najma! it's great to hear school is going good!!!

stay tuned for more photos, coming soon!

luke to the south...

after a night out with nang and tom to see some sights... luke and i headed to khao san road this morning, ate an early dinner and i saw him off on a bus to southern thailand. i will join him there in about two weeks.

Precious, Emily... girls, i know this is hard to understand at your age, but luke is my friend. i have known him for a long, long time. the answer to your question is "no, i am not." okay? i'm glad to hear from you! thanks for writing. does it always have to involve boys with you two?!?! boy craaaazy girls!! ;-) how's Rex doing these days? my class never writes to me!!!! i'm starting to think they forgot me. *BIG frown* that miss nicole fell off the face of the planet, too! she must be too busy with hitch...

i will begin orientation tomorrow!! next week i will meet my students, finally!!! i look forward to every day that is coming! i feel like my time here will go by faster than i have time to live it!

i am trying to sell my 2001 nissan altima gxe at home, in minnesota. it has 68,000 miles and is in great condition. if you know anyone who is interested in more details, please send an email to: extrabeth@gmail.com.

i will be posting more photos soon. when i have visitors it is difficult to steal away for time to get things accomplished. life will settle into it's routine now that i am flying solo again.

much love! send me a message!! i miss you!

i feel free!!!

it's amazing how free i feel over something so... silly. i have found a place with free wi-fi and i'm connected to power and uploading photos like crazy! i feel just a bit more at home here now. i know how to get around to anywhere ... in the country, even... i know where i live in relation to anything in the city. i know the names of the sky train stops. i know where i can get a killer tuna panini (here, with the free wi-fi!!) life is great!

this morning, my phone rang. the very phone that sits next to my bed, and has been next to my bed since i moved in to my apt. i have only touched it to see if there is a dial tone (there is). so, when it rang this morning i didn't know what to do. i was informed that if i use the phone i will be charged for it... and i don't want that... so i literally let it ring a few times and then asked luke, "what should i do?? it's ringing." he laughed and said, "well answer it. it's ringing." i paused wondering who it could be and answered it, praying that there would be English on the other end... and there WAS!

it turns out that several of the other new teachers have moved in to the same building just the day before... and were having a party. they pleaded for me to join them, so i agreed. i put down my book (Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close... THANKS, sami! the book keeps me coming back for more!), hopped in the shower and headed up one floor to meet my new friends. they are ALL australian, my boss is also and he was there as well... altogether, three gals and three guys. and me. (lucas went to eat breakfast)

i am so glad to have met them finally! there are more to meet and they won't all be australian... but i'm so glad to have other teachers in the building! we chatted a while... i had to concentrate a bit since their accents were heavy... then checked out each others' apartments and made plans to meet for dinner this evening. it should be a great time! i think lucas looks forward to it as well.

more photos are posted and i'm going to get back to posting the rest. thanks for reading this! i appreciate all your love and support. i miss you!!!

check out the photos!

i have finally figured out how to post photos... you'll have to link to a different website, sorry! i only had enough time, in my one hour of wi-fi at starbucks, and battery power (i forgot my adaptor!) to upload what you see. 11 pictures. they are from our flights and first night's hotel in bangkok.

i have over 200 more photos to share, but it takes quite a while to upload them and i'm doing my best... if i find out something else that will be better i will let you know as soon as possible!

for now:

www.flickr.com/photos/extrabeth

i will be posting more tomorrow... so check back soon!!!

also note, the photos post themselves backwards, so either click on the "set" that says "flights"... it's on the right side of the page... or view the photos from bottom to top.

more to come about koh phangan and what's been happening lately... sorry about the delay! my friend, lucas, is visiting and we've been busy busy busy!

sorry for the delay!!!

i should pick up where i left off telling about barb and my travels in the south. i believe i left off at the description of the filthy ferry ride. . .
once we arrived on koh phangan we were immediately bombarded by people who had cardboard with maps taped on them asking us "where you go madam?", as is the thai way. i did my best to evade them by walking away. it doesn't really matter, though, once they've said something to you, you're "theirs" and they follow you repeating their questions until you either give in or walk all the way out of the location.

on the ferry, we had made a friend named stephan, who is from munich, germany, who suggested that we try a place with bungalows and a private beach called coral bay. he said he had stayed there a month prior and really liked the owners. we decided to take his advice and the three of us shared a pickup truck taxi (where we hold on for dear life in the back) to a nearby city where we were dropped at a 7 (7 eleven, remember?). the owner of coral bay then picked us up from there and we, again, held on for dear life on the very rocky, bumpy, steep ride up and down the mountainside until we reached the resort. it was a SPECTACULAR view from the top of the driveway into their property. stunning mini-islands off the shore, sea-blue and sea-green water moving calmly as far as the eye could see... green, lush mountains all around. it was a big, deep sigh of relief to enter such a beautiful place.

upon arrival we were escorted to our cheap (300 baht!!) a night bungalow just ten steps from the beach. we were lucky enough to be given the bungalow closest to the beach, just what we had hoped for!! the bungalow was much more rustic (as can be expected for such a price!) than our prior stays. it was all wood, had a double bed raised from the floor. from the middle of the ceiling a mosquito net hung down over the bed. we were fortunate to have our own bathroom with toilet, sink, and shower but we noticed right away that the electricity didn't work. we later found out that it was only turned on between 6 pm and midnight.

since we were feeling a little scummy from the ferry ride we decided to take showers, barb went first and i unpacked my things a little. when she was done i opened the door and was very startled to see a large lizard had placed himself on our screen... luckily on the outdoor part. after calming myself down i just went on my business. this lizard was our pal for that first day and left after dark. barb thinks he probably liked the moisture from our showers... and an escape from the heat!

after showering we went back to the lodge which is a wonderful place to hang out, eat, make friends, and relax. we had some food and then beached it for a while. after showering, again, we decided to walk to the nearby town and check things out.
we surveyed the routes, we had two options. one, follow the shoreline (a little rocky!) or take the road. after walking to the bottom of the driveway and assessing the steep climb out and considering the heat, we decided to go along the shoreline. at least we could cool our feet that way... we could see the town the entire way, as well.

all went well along the shoreline (so beautiful!) until we reached a little river inlet that we could not cross without getting drenched, so we stopped in to a resort to ask how to go around. we ended up on the road, oh well! we spent more time on the shoreline and out of the beating sun... with sunburns ensuing, we made the right choice!

we finally made it to town, bought some soap, did email and tried to find a long boat to take us back. when we approached them i was prepared to haggle. we ended up meeting two fellows, both of whom took the boat with us to check out where we were staying. john is from england and bruno is from switzerland. we all made it safe and sound, right to the very beach 10 feet from our bungalow! it was fun! i took some pictures... you'll see them soon.

we were tired from the heat and walking, and lack of sleep on the ferry, so we ate some food and returned to the bungalow to "take a nap". unfortunately, we slept through to the next morning. our first night under the bug net went gloriously!!

the next morning we woke up early (again!!) and made it to the common area before they were even open for breakfast! we spent our time examining the menu. we ate some breakfast and were joined by our friend from the ferry and later the swiss fellow who had gotten himself a bungalow!

more to come....

i hope my two precious friends do not mind to see their email here. i want to answer all the questions so that everyone can see them!! thanks so much to Quinton, Omeed, Ivan, and Precious for giving me such big smiles in thailand! I miss you sooo much!!! HI miss nicole!! miss you tooooo!!!

Dear Miss Beth,
Did you try any new foods? Did you try the cockroaches yet? Did you buy any souvenirs? Can you bring any key chains back? We had a big blizzard here. The 7th and 8th graders were very excited from their trip! Do you like it over there? Do you think you will stay, or come back next year? Did you learn any new words? How do you say "better not talk?" Is it hot over there? Are the people nice to you? Is the grass greener there? Is your class behaving? Are they hyper active knuckle heads? Can you understand the other people when they talk to you and can you talk back to them? Do you miss us? We miss you! Did you make any new friends? Do you have a house or an apartment? Do they have as much technology as here? Hope to hear from you soon and we hope you are having fun!
Sincerely,
Quinton and Omeed

Here ya go:
Did you try any new foods? yes, some new vegetables and fruits, but i don't know what their names are. they are foods from thailand. sorry! i've been eating a lot of noodle and rice dishes including phad thai and fried rice and curries.

Did you try the cockroaches yet? NO! we saw the bug seller man last night on a walk in my neighborhood! i took some pictures that i will post for you soon. HAVE YOU EATEN A COCKROACH YET?! he was selling grasshoppers, too!! and worms!!! eeeew!

Did you buy any souvenirs? i have purchased some souveniors, yes.
Can you bring any key chains back? i will do my best to bring back keychains, okay!?

We had a big blizzard here. The 7th and 8th graders were very excited from their trip! i'm so glad they had fun! are you excited, too!? i heard about all the snow, was it fun to play in??! i wish i could have gone sledding with you!!

Do you like it over there? i like it here, yes. it is very hot... around 100 degrees every day. luckily, my new apartment has air conditioning! when we were on koh phangan (island) there wasn't any air conditioning in our room, only a fan and they only had electricity turned on between 6 pm and midnight. we kept cool by jumping in for a swim in the salty ocean every few hours. it was so relaxing.

Do you think you will stay, or come back next year? i don't know what i think yet! i haven't had to work here yet! i've been doing the traveling that i told you about... to the islands in southern thailand. miss nicole can show you on a map.

Did you learn any new words? i did! (but not very many yet. my thai language classes haven't started yet.) i learned how to say thank you... it sounds like this... girls say: korp kun kah... boys say: korp kun kup. (remember, boys say "kup" to be polite and girls say "kah" to be polite?) I learned how to say "i don't want anymore" it sounds like this: me'ow kah (for girls) and me'ow kup (for boys). that phrase comes in handy when the street venders and shop people are insisting that you "buy for you, madam. for you i give 200 baht. just for you, madam." i have actually been called "money" like it is my name. the man said, "hello money! hello! what you buy? discount for you, money?" everyone is trying to make some money here in thailand. it's the way it is. i am used to it now. "me'ow kah" really helps me.
i also know yes: chai. and no: mai.

How do you say "better not talk?" i don't know yet. ask me again in one month and i will know then.

Is it hot over there? YES! 100 degrees (at least), everyday!

Are the people nice to you? yes, very nice. thais are happy, kind people.

Is the grass greener there? literally?? yes, the grass is not brown and covered in snow. that is for sure! i don't see much grass in the city, but the islands and the land outside of the city is very, very green with grass and trees. it is the most beautiful thing i have ever seen. i love it! you will see in my pictures when i can get them on my blog.

Is your class behaving? Are they hyper active knuckle heads? ha ha ha! you make me laugh so hard! i miss you!!!!! i haven't started summer school yet, so i don't KNOW if they are hyperactive knuckle heads!! ha ha. the children i have seen and talked to so far are perfectly well behaved and follow all the rules. you can see that they really respect their culture and their parents. they do not cause any problems for their families. just like you, right!?!? :-)

Can you understand the other people when they talk to you and can you talk back to them? no, i cannot understand them unless they speak slow and say the things i know how to say (hello, thank you, yes, no) or unless they speak english. i have to speak what's called broken english when i talk to them. like this, "how much this?" or "you english?" to ask how much somethings costs or if someone speaks english. weird, huh?!

Do you miss us? We miss you! YEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS! i need hugs!!!

Did you make any new friends? i did! i made some friends who come from germany, some friends from france, some friends from canada,some friends from australia, some friends from england, a friend from switzerland, and friends who live here in thailand. it is fun! we haven't met many americans yet... we'll have to see!

Do you have a house or an apartment? i have an apartment that is perfect for one person. i even have room for two or three friends to stay comfortably. get some money together and have a field trip to thailand!! i'm kidding, but it would be fun! you might not like how stinky it can be here in thailand. their garbages smell like the worst smelling throw up EVER. peeeeeyuuuu! i'm used to it, though. it's how it is, i can't be mean! i am their guest!! thais frown upon people who complain, so it is best to smile and move on with life, just like in america!! keep that smile on!

Do they have as much technology as here? they have the exact same technology as you do in america. their keyboards have extra letters that are thai letters, too... that is different. then they can type on their computer in their own language.

PHEW!! that was a lot, but i'm so glad you asked me those questions!! let me know if you have any more. i am so glad to hear from you!!! i miss you! it is late here (22:17, ask miss nicole what time that is... that is how they keep time here, it's called military time)

love you! miss you! write again soon!!!

miss beth

oh so much to tell

sawatdee kah from bangkok! i haven't written because we were without internet access during our four-day stay on koh phangan.

we have successfully made it to southern thailand and back, safe and sound. the trip down and back was extremely eventful. i will do my best to keep it brief, but give enough details to convey what it was really like. i am working on publishing my photos, there are many.

in ao nang, we had our first official thai massage (very nice), took long boats to and from railay bay (around a cliff from ao nang), relaxed on the beach, did some shopping, and ate our first thai curry (not that hot). we stayed two nights at the guesthouse in ao nang, then decided to travel to koh phangan (phangan island) by bus, then overnight ferry (boat). we rested up and were ready and waiting for the shuttle to a bus station, which ended up being a shambled rest stop run by a thai family... nothing at all official-looking. we were picked up by a LARGE bus that brought us to another official bus station in krabi where we waited without communication of what would happen next.

eventually, we boarded another large tour bus that took us on a very rocky (side to side) and thailand-fast ride to a random restaurant in the middle of what seemed like nowhere. no one told us what to do next, again. we just sat at an outdoor table in the dark and waited. we figured out, later, that it's a ploy to get you to buy things from a business. it's always a scam. we bought nothing and waited patiently.

maybe and hour later, a pickup truck loaded those of us going to the pier in surat thani. after a ten minute ride to the pier, the ferry was ready and waiting, and we boarded the ship and found our numbered "slot" of where we were to sleep. i cannot convey to you the filth and discust that was this boat. imagine the inside of a large boat, without anything except a long sheeted matress that spans both sides of the ship. there was a pillow under each number on the wall. there was no separation of space, just the number with the pillow, on the matress. i immediately noted that the sheets were either sandy or salty, or both, from repeated use and lack of cleansing. it was gross. luckily, though, barb and i both purchased a beach mat and laid those down to make a barrier between our skin and those sheets. ick!

we had made some friends on the short bus ride to the pier and played games and talked with them until they turned the lights out on the ferry and we were forced to sleep or sit in the dark. since it was night anyway, we slept. i woke up many times, though the ride was smooth and slow. it took between six and seven hours to get to koh phangan. barb and i were awake much earlier than the ferry arrived, so we just laid there and watched everyone sleep. i must mention the bathrooms on this ferry. they were the worst to date. we, the farang (tourists), were on the upper deck and the thai travelers and shiphands were on the lower deck, with smaller, but similar sleeping arrangements. the bathrooms were three steps lower than their deck. these bathrooms were our first experience with squatters... a toilet with no seat, just a hole that you have to squat over. a sprayer was also absent, as was toilet paper. next to the hole was a large bucket of water... that looked clean, and had a large cup to pour into the toilet... or something. when i entered the bathroom a man was coming out and had just bathed in the bathroom, with the bucket of water, so the floor was full of ... some sort of water and i didn't have shoes on. there were several thai men that were already laughing at me because i didn't know where to go and they didn't know what i was saying, so i just went in and did my best not to touch anything or fall in... or fall over. remember, i was squatting on a moving boat. i think i'll just leave it there. it was discusting.

i hate to leave you on a low note, but i will write more later. we're saying goodbye to a friend who has been staying with us in bangkok.