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.
Wednesday, April 25, 2007
Sunday, April 22, 2007
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)
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)
Wednesday, April 4, 2007
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 :-)
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 :-)
Sunday, April 1, 2007
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!
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!
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