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.
Saturday, September 15, 2007
Friday, September 14, 2007
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!
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!
Wednesday, August 15, 2007
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!
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!
Sunday, August 5, 2007
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!
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!
Tuesday, July 31, 2007
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.)
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.)
Saturday, July 7, 2007
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!!!!!!!!!
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!!!!!!!!!
Sunday, June 10, 2007
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.
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.
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