TEACHAAAA

Teachaaa Teachaaa you booty full! Thai kids, like most, cute but insane. They will never disrespect you but they constantly chatter in your class and you have to come up with creative ways to bring them back. Oh yeah, it can also be especially tricky to maintain control when you don't speak their language and there are 60 of them per classroom. Another point, these kids don't know a lick of English. Most just look at me with blank stairs when i ask them how old they are or where they are from... and they have supposedly been studying English since kindergarden. Lame and frustrating. Overall though my first week of classes went pretty well. I like the kiddies a lot! Again, the lack of English knowledge is hard to deal with... and no wonder the kids can't speak English because the Thai teachers who teach English can't speak it either.

Still on curfew through this whole weekend. Going to play with Sarah Ann Barr and get some sun in! That's pretty much it. Another week of classes, off on Friday for some Buddhist holiday, then Koh Samed!!

Bangkok Chaos

It is our last night in Bangkok with the orientation group and everyone was planning on going out and having a crazyyyy night BUT, thanks to a couple of angry people in red shirts, we were advised not to partake in the party scene in Bangkok... boooo... but most people made it out to the bar around the corner from our hotel and we made due with a number of towers (large towers filled with yummy thai beer, Chang!), some sweet miley cyrus and lady gaga tunes, and of course the ever tricky thai whiskey Hong Thong (delicious.. as Emily knows better than anyone after 12 shots). Dance parties and more squat toilets really made for a great night overall.

The next morning we left for Kachanaburi, a province northwest of Bangkok (about a 3.5 hr drive). We stayed in this beautiful spa resort that had lots of little lizards and was right on the river Kwai (remember the movie from the 1950s??). Anyway, it was pretty great. We rode elephants and went bamboo rafting, although most of us jumped off the raft pretty much as soon as it left the shore and just floated down the river. We were basically in a tropical jungle so it was amazingggly pretty with the water and trees and mountains in the background. A piece of elephant poo decided to follow me down the river so that was a cause for concern at times. Also, note to self: do not ever straddle an elephant again for an extended period of time. Between the largeness of them and the feeling like i was going to fall off every step it took I was clinging on for dear life with my legs (elephants do not come with reins). Anyway, my inner thighs were sore for like 3 days after.

The weekend was terrific, I have had a lot of fun getting to know the people in the orientation group. Unfortunately, none of them will be coming with me to my town or my school but I am sure we will meet up in Bangkok once the protests stop or while traveling elsewhere. Just getting anxious about being Kru Lizzie (teacher) and actually having to be responsible for someone else's future with the English language. On to the next adventure!

555 Orientation to The Land of Smiles

Leaving the US was both amazing and terrifying. I knew that I needed to do something different with my life; being in the US with no real job or prospects after a year of graduating was really wearing on me. Although I will desperately miss the family and friends that I have left behind I know that this is the right thing to do right now in my life.

Let's start off with basic human needs. I have not peed in like 2 days because i sweat out every ounce of liquid that I take in (mostly Chang or Signha or Leo beer). And when I have peed it's usually been in a porcelain hole in the ground. Not my best moment. Took awhile to decide whether to aim backwards or forwards or whatever but i have figured it out. As with most Thais' and foreigners alike, my favorite new saying is 'mai pen rai'... don't worry. In Thailand, you just have to go with it.

I would like to thank my mother for always introducing me to new foods, cultures, etc because it has become immensely important in Thailand. The food here is unbearably spicy, even for me. prik nik noi (a little spicy) is my other go-to Thai phrase. But the food is delicious and RIDICULOUSLY cheap. 20 baht... aka 60 cents... is what i pay for lunch everyday. Today is the last day of orientation with a great group of people but I am just so excited to get to my town and unpack. 100s of 7th 8th and 9th grade little Thai kids await....