Traveling Fears

My biggest fear when I'm traveling isn't missing my plane (though that wasn't fun), breaking my legs after grounding during a big climbing fall, running out of money, going to Thai prison for gambling, or suffer from the bends after an emergency ascent while scuba diving, though all of those things probably should be concerns, my biggest (realistic) fear is insulting someone who is trying to be nice to me. 

I had to face that fear tonight. I have no idea of I was insulting or not, but just the idea that someone might have gone out of their way to be welcoming and nice to me and then through some sort of miscommunication I end up being a total asshole is mortifying.

When I was younger, and even more happily naive then I am now, I had to get a passport extension for my stay in Egypt. I didn't have a guidebook and in all honesty I have no idea how I ended up in the right building to get the visa extension, but I did. It was a big building complex. It had a Cairo feel to it -- dusty marble, obviously something that had built in a more glorious age. Along the hallway were mats, leaving only a thin strip of actual floor to walk on. I had no idea what the deal was with the mats, so me and my big size 12 american shoes went stomping down the middle of the hallway until someone stopped me from trampling over any more prayer mats. I had no idea. I was oblivious.

Tonight, wasn't as bad as stomping on pray mats, I don't think. Jackie and I had just gotten back from dinner and I was locking the gate. I felt a little weird locking the gate, because there was a group of men and women on the other side of the street under some prawn farm lights that I hadn't ever seen lit before. I felt like I was locking them out of my home, as if closing the gate was not a general safety measure, but an action being done to specifically keep those particular people out -- it felt wrong.

One of them said hi in Thai, one of the few things I could understand. I smiled. I try to always smile when I'm not going to be able to communicate anything meaningful, in hopes that at least my base intentions are understood. A dog that was with them stood up, barked and started growling. The hair on his back was up like a porcupine's quills. They called to him, but he didn't really pay them any attention. I thought about stepping back and just slamming the gate shut, but that would have seen to Farang like -- I don't want to lend myself to the idea that foreigners are or should be afraid of locals (or their dogs). I don't want to be part of that sort of expat mindset. So I bent down and called out to the dog. It relaxed a little. It's tale gave a halfhearted wag, but it's hair stood up and it closed in cautiously. Crouched down, I gently called to it and waited, aware that the group was watching me, perhaps hyper-aware of it.

One of the members stood up and came towards me talking. I had no idea what he was saying, though he carried a shot glass of liquor and was presenting it to me with his right hand, his left hand gently touching his elbow. Still crouched I took the glass, waied  to him, and said thank you in Thai.

I down the shot. It was an herbal liquor that reminded me a little of Fernet.

He started talking again.

I had no idea what to say. I had used up the entirety of my Thai vocabulary outside of pad Thai, rice, fried, and a variety of numbers, but none of those seemed appropriate for the situation.

I started mumbling words that he said back to him -- that's what I end up doing when I'm dealing with a foreign language and panic.

There was a long awkward silence, I was filled with the feeling that I was either supposed to give him something or that I had just said something really offensive. I had no idea. An hour later and I can't remember how things ended. He must have just walked away.

I still have no idea if I was rude or horrible or just obviously ignorant. Coming off as either of the first two when someone has gone out of their way to be nice still and always will mortify me.

Ton Sai: My paradise! (Jackie)

Last week was one of the best vacations of my life. It wasn’t my typical type of ‘vacation’, where I take a break from one activity and replace it with many more. I love delving into new cultures, testing my problem solving skills and creativity, challenging my tongue to wrap around new languages, and trying to adapt to a variety of lifestyles, but sometimes the constant exploration, new and often stressful situations, and trying to fit everything in to an allotted amount of time can be quite wearing. Especially since that’s what I’ve been doing non-stop for the last 2 months. For once, instead of going somewhere foreign, I went somewhere comforting.

After partially ‘planning’ 2 trips I ended up just tossing some random clothes into a bag and taking off with scribbled directions from a co-worker that involved getting off a bus and finding an unmarked white pickup truck that would take me to a dock, which would take me pretty close to a beach he recommended. I never even questioned the accuracy of the directions until I started looking for a bus stop with a white truck near it. I got there though! My destination was Ton Sai, a beach near Krabi. I figured that I would get bored after a couple of days and would meander further north towards Malaysia but after 24 hrs in Ton Sai it was pretty evident that I wasn’t going to go anywhere else. I would love to describe all of the incredible adventures and friends I met there but everyday seemed to hold at least 3 days worth of activity and phases that it would be insane to try. Instead, I’m just going to talk about the first day and post some pics from the others.

(Part of the crossing from Rai lay to Ton Sai- over slippery rocks of course!)

To begin with, Ton Sai is only a 100m from Rai Lai, a very expensive, touristy beach that was apparently the set for some famous movie that I haven’t seen.  The good part about this is that tons of boats go to Rai Lay from every local port, every hour. The best part is that even though Ton Sai is so close, there is no easy way to get there without clamoring over sharp rocks in the ocean for 15 mins (during low tide only), hiking a steep jungle path, or paying an outrageous sum of money to take a boat across. This lovely aspect of nature works as a natural sieve for the type of person who stays on Ton Sai. The people there tended to be young, fit climbers, because it’s hard to cross over without getting splashed by a wave or sweating outrageously in the jungle.  There is also only electricity a few hours a day so it’s impossible to get a cold water or beer before 7pm and it is also hard to find hot showers. These factors seem to be major deterrents for most travelers, leaving everyone on the beach to be of similar dispositions, lifestyle, and instant friends.

After watching the sun set behind towering limestone cliffs from a comfy body sized pillow on the deck of a bar, watching a group of monkeys scamper up the rocks and terrorize two guys doing a stage climb, and watching in awe as a vacationing base jumper flew over the side of one of the mountains only to land perfectly on the beach a few yards away, I was already feeling like I was in paradise.  This is definitely the place for me.

              




















 The beach is surrounded by sharp towering cliffs that are streaked with shades of white, black, orange, and grey. Lush jungle flora pours over the top of the cliffs and floods the spaces behind the beach with palm trees, flowers, and dense greenery. With this backdrop, I prepared to have my first restaurant dinner alone (at the last minute Michelle had ended up in the hospital with a minor malady and wouldn’t join me until the next night.) I was honestly a little nervous at first, feeling sort of silly for being by myself, but as I got accustomed to the idea the thought of dining alone and just savoring the food and the listening to the crashing ocean became quite appealing.  Of course, when someone asked to sit with me as I was flipping through the menu I acquiesced with more than a little relief. Solo dinner is temporarily still off the books.

            After chatting with Misheal, an Israeli rock climber, we decided to climb in the morning- he knew someone I could borrow a harness from and the best places to climb. He showed up at 9am the next morning and told me to grab my shoes, a headlamp, and a swim suit. Ingredients for adventure, but what kind?  We hiked 40 mins to Taiwan wall, set a local plant smoking to keep mosquitos away and started climbing. The routes were gorgeous, some of the best I’ve been on, with great limestone holds and a spectacular view of pristine blue-green ocean rimmed with white cliffs and green jungle whenever I took a moment to look behind me.

                                                                          ( View from the route)

I should mention however that I haven’t been in the gym for 6 months and it’s been more than a year since I’ve climbed outdoors. We climbed two 90 ft routes at the 10b/c level and I thought my arms were going to fall off. My arms, fingers, and shoulders burned badly and my footwork was atrocious. I would have given up near the top of the second route except that Misheal’s gear was still there and I didn’t want to make him re-climb the entire route (he had hurt his wrist the day before, which is why he was taking ‘a day off climbing’ with me.) After pretty much dragging myself in agonizing inches to the top I was exhausted but happy. The view from the top was worth the agony, especially paired with the feeling that I had pushed myself beyond my perceived ability and succeeded. I was proud of that moment (though embarrassed about how terrible of a climber I had become) and was ready to hit the beach. no real choice anyway, I was totally pumped out! 

Still pouring with sweat, I chatted with some other climbers as Misheal packed up the equipment.  Turns out the way to the best beach is through a cave 40 ft up the cliff. And Mishael wasn’t packing up equipment, he was setting it up so that I could belay him while he climbed and so he could up- belay from the cave as I climbed after. The adventure never ends. After climbing half way up, my backpack full of RC equipment unzipped and cascaded random bits down at my friends below. Back down, 8 carabineers and some creativity later, I’m climbing again. Easy route but I’m exhausted. I finally reach the top, enjoy an incredible view, catch my breath and we start caving. 

The cave was unexpectedly cavernous considering it was inside a cliff face, with large echoing spaces, vast arrays of stalagmites and stalactites, and bizarre rock formations. Thankfully, it was also the first dry cave I’ve ever been in which came as a welcome relief as I was hiking in flip flops. There were 5 long bamboo ladders spaced throughout the cave with massive gaps between each rung that made me feel as if I was a little kid, making me slowly lower myself until one knee was bent to my chest, then stretching and wiggling my toes downward, feeling for the next rung in the darkness. Bright light and sea breezes flow through at the exit, allowing green mosses to grow on stalactites, making for a beautiful picture with the ocean and beach below.

   (My pictures of the green part of the cave were too blurry to post so this is somewhere in the middle)

Ok, I’m getting tired of writing already but to summarize the rest of day 1, we ended up on a beautiful beach, swam to a free standing cliff where a lot of people deep water solo and hiked home to wait for Michelle and meet up with some other friends at Sunset bar, watch the sunset and relax. Side note: I was sore for 2 days after this adventure and did not climb the rest of the trip (though Michelle and I were supposed to go deep water soloing on our last day). The rest of the trip we did a lot of kayaking, hiked a nearly vertical muddy trail relying on heavy ropes draped over the trail, swam, snorkeled, made friends, and ate delicious food.  We are planning to go back our next 3 day weekend to deep water solo- and this time I’m bringing my rock climbing gear!

(Kayaking and snorkling on Michelle's birthday!)

(Our parking job)

                        (On our 2 hour hike to the lagoon, incomplete because this was the easy part!)

(Roy, Michelle, and I taking a kayak break)

                          (Sunset bar. Chill, relaxed, and where I spent my first couple of evenings)

                (Monkeys are everywhere in Ton Sai, this one was eating the meat out of a coconut)
                                               
                                      (Michelle! My best friend in Thailand, always up foran adventure!)

                     (Roy and Valentin, on an all day kayak trip. We tried to race the rain and failed!)

Tide Pool Tidings

It was the Saturday that Jackie was coming home from her week long trip.

I had already grown used to the solitude of living alone. I had my routine and it didn’t feel lonely, though a fishing pole I could have taken down to Rawai pier would have been clutch.

I cleaned the house: made her bed, swept all the rooms, cleaned the kitchen, scrubbed the bathroom (which gets disgusting fast), and swept the leaves out of our driveway.

To combat the occasional funky smells that sneak into the house from time to time I had been planning on picking up some incense. After a quick trip to a flower shop, which is really a place for buying things to “make merit,” such as candles, incense sticks, flowers, and fireworks I had my incense sticks, but no where to burn them without creating a mess.

I struck on the idea of filling one of the giant clam shells that I had been collecting with sand and sticking the incense sticks in the sand – it was something that I had seen on the online when I had been trying to figure out what to do with the shells ages ago. The shell, freshly filled with beach sand, now sits on a small shelf above the door to the bedroom. The shell had looked odd and out of place by itself, so I went ahead and used some of my favorite shells Jackie and I had found so far and made a little sea-shell shrine.

With the house in order and ready for Jackie’s arrival I went out to explore Yai Nui. Yai Nui is a small beach flanked by bare bedrock that slopes into the ocean. Dividing the beach is a tiny rock outcropping jutting out in to the ocean. Just off shore, within swimming distance is a small island – I think Jackie and I will make the swim out too it sooner or later.

(Awesome fishing lure I found . . . Now only if I had the money for a fishing pole)

(My very first starfish, despite having 56 dives under my belt)

With a camera in hand I explored the rocky slops surrounding the beach. I found a fishing lure that brought me back to my childhood, when I would walk the red clay lake front of the Fairfax beach peninsula searching for lost fishing gear. The lure I found is actually probably worth between 200-500 baht! It was quite a find. Also during my explorations I found my first starfish. It seems ridiculous to me that after 56 dives I’ve not seen one single legitimate starfish and here two feet offshore and three feet underwater was my fist starfish sighting. (Jackie on the other hand has seen all sorts of enormous star fish!)

The whole time I spent out exploring new areas I kept thinking about how much fun it would be to get to show the place to Jackie. I think I’m just set on getting to share things with people, it makes the whole experience more worthwhile.

(Crabs in general are camera-shy, but I was able to get a couple pictures before this one jumped)

Jackie and I returned to Yai Nui the next day! We failed the swim to the island, (I have been dealing with an ear infection and had to do a sidestroke to keep my bad ear out of the water) because something was stinging us. It wasn’t jelly fish, but whatever was sting or biting us wouldn’t let up so we turned around. We’ll give it a shot another time.

(Jackie holds up our find before releasing it back into the "wild.")

We did see both of our first blue starfish! It was a spectacular day at the tide pools and beach of Yai Nui for us!

On my way home . . . .

I wasn't able to make it directly home after a long day of work yesterday - up at 6 or 7am and home by 7ish, is a long day no matter how you through the dice. Having said that, I suddenly imagine being blackened with coal and slaving away100 meters underground with lord-knows-how-many miles of coal tunnels between me and fresh air. I'll taking joking around in an air-conditioned office and editing news stories over that any day. (It's probably important to keep my perspective about these things.)

However, transferring from the life of a marginally profitable and totally self sustaining online poker player to working a 9-6 with a 40 minute commute each way isn’t the easiest change in lifestyle.

15 – 30 minutes early to work and leaving at least 15 -30 minutes late is already pretty standard at the moment and all I wanted last night was to go home, shower, eat my pad Thai at Halal, and call it a day. As I was passing Jackie’s school (about halfway home) I noticed emergency vehicles on the other side of the road – behind a thick wall of tall grass were the flickers of flames. Fuck. I just wanted to go home.

I pulled the moped over and slowly crossed the street – rule of traffic here in Phuket is: if you do anything slow enough it’s fair game.

There was a dirt and grass path that had oviously been created as an emergency vehical tried to push out towards the field fire. The flames, no more than 10 – 15 feet tall were spreading through the chest high grass. I tried to make my way to the fire, but a trashy creek, the dark and the desire to just go home turned me back.

I asked if anyone in a small group of people by the road, one with a radio, spoke English – nope. Well, it didn’t seem like it was a big deal, but then again I could be wrong. I tried to snap some pictures with the camera, but in the dark it seemed like it was impossible to get a newspaper worthy photo. B,ehind the fire there was the flashing lights of a firetruck. There had to be another way to get were the action actually was. On our side of the fire there was only one man with a “flapper” trying to keep the fire at bay.

I mounted my moped, and after a great deal of guilt tripping I talked myself into turning around and trying to find how the fire truck got to the other side of the field. It was my “responsibility” as a “journalist” that kept guilt tripping me. I tried to remind myself that news doesn’t necessarily wait for the working day . . .

There wasn’t a single road that would go in the right direction as I looped back and looked for a left hand turn. No left hand turn, even at the first stop light I hit. I kept moving farther and farther from the fire. Finally, I found a left and took it. The small section of back alleys I had just found were all dead ends, which is typical of Phuket streets and also why I wont be spending more than two years here – can’t spend too much of my life living in a place where all the roads seem to be dead ends.

Back out on the main road I started looking for a new left (after a little more guilt tripping), by the time I found the next left I realized there was no way I would find my way back to the fire, so I turned back around.

Guilt hit me as I passed the school for the second time that night. I drove past, then I turned around. I got off the bike, grabbed the camera, a pen and a notebook and headed back out to the brush. The fire had burned out on the other side of the nasty creek. I hoped over and started making my way through the burnt grass, using my phone "torch" function.

The grass had burned down to the hard stiff stems, about shin high. There was a delicious malted grain smell to the fire, like freshly toasted barely.

A fire truck stood alone in the field as the firefighters put out a trickle of flames that were still alive. In it’s entirety the fire had probably consumed no more than 4 or 5 acres of uninhabited land. After being guided towards the fire by a firefighter, I was mostly ignored as a clicked away with my camera. (A very nice camera has made it’s way up on my list of things to buy when I stop being so “poor.”)

One man, braced by two others held the fire hose and sprayed the retreating flames. Others wandered around calling out what I assumed to be directions for the stream of water. With the last flames out I tried to find someone who spoke English with no success. Eventually I was able to get one of the younger men to write down his name and the name of the man holding the hose (in Thai). Trudging back through the burnt field I was felt good about following up, even if there wasn’t really a story at all (after reviewing the photos, there wasn’t really anything for the paper).

Finally, I made it home. Jackie and I ran a couple errands, visited Joe (tongue dog was oddly missing), and watched two episodes of Modern Family, all before I passed out and started the “grind” anew.

Coming home

After four gorgeous sunny days I found myself racing from the office to an empty house under a dark sky, flashing with silent lightening. (I haven't officially started working. You can't work unless you have a work permit, which is still hiding in the bureaucratic woodwork of Thailand -- it is illegal to even be doing volunteer work without a work permit.) It was dark and the traffic was more squirrely than normal; I try to remind myself the question isn't when will I get into a crash, but how bad will it be.

Jackie is off on her trip her stunning trip, which is starting in the climbers paradise of Krabi, but I'll let her write about that when she returns. With Jackie gone my social life outside of the people at the Gazette has diminished to "Joe" and tongue-dog.

The house was dark and silent as I pulled into the freshly swept tile drive way. Lights on and the laptop up I smiled when the second half of Avril Lavigne "My Happy Ending" came on, which was quickly followed by Backstreet Boys, Hoobastank, and Shania Twain (http://8tracks.com/blondesouth/you-know-all-the-words-part-two). After a quick shower I grabbed dinner and then stopped in to "hangout" with Joe and tongue-dog. Joe's real name is Jackie Chan, he is a mobile-deep-fried-food vendor that parks his moped and attached food stand in front of "Jackie's and my" 7/11. It's so easy to claim things that you have no claim to. Joe started his business about the same time Jackie and I moved into the house. I actually remember visiting the 7/11 before he arrived. Now his wide smile and delicious skewered food is a daily staple for us. Tongue-dog is a long haired black and white dog that spends its evenings and nights at 7/11. Tongue-dog is a tired looking animal that is usually sprawled out asleep or half asleep on the white tile patio. Tongue-dog's tongue is always unadroitly peaking out of his mouth, a sliver of pink against his black and white muzzle.

Home after making my social rounds I  listen to the storm picking up force. The change in air pressure has put me at ill-ease as it opens and closes doors in the mostly unoccupied house. I find myself checking the locks and locking doors that don't usually get locked (bedroom door).

Though I'm not allowed to legally start work I have signed my contract. My job title is Contributing Editor, though in the official paperwork I am a "language adviser." I will be getting paid 30,000 baht a month during my probation period (3 months), after that I can receive a raise of up to 5,000 baht. I will get public holidays off and will get two weeks paid vacation. I will also get a contract completion bonus, which is a months pay!

The job itself will be "translating" Thai-English into an bastardized American/British English (we have a style guide that dictates when to use British English, such as the use of "mum" instead of "mom" and "learnt" instead of "learned.") I will also be doing layout for the paper and writing articles when needed. Though I am part of the news team we are encouraged to occasionally write features -- just doing news will fuck up your perspective of the world when you get headlines like this on a daily bases: Burmese crew's mutiny-murder run ends in Phuket, Dutch tourist slashed by deranged vagrant in Krabi, Phuket woman takes life by hanging, Phuket Prison warden hangs himself. All of those headlines have hit the website after I signed my contract about a week and half ago. So, to keep me cheery I'm going to be writing a diving column!

A real vacation is not planned (Jackie)

At last! Vacation time! Michelle and I somehow miraculously shuffled together two complete workbooks 30 minutes before the end of the week. After a few drinks and a visit to the bus station to trade in tickets and get new ones, relaxation has finally set in.  The bus leaves in 30 mins so i'm throwing a few things in my bag  leaving with no plan, return ticket, or guidebook.

I had initially planned a trip to Chiang Mai in the north but its been hit with massive flooding for the last few weeks to the point that the airport was shut down temporarily. I decided to skip it this time and was still pretty happy that for once I was in a position to wait for a better time of the year. I bought a ticket for Bangkok so I could explore the capitol and hike Khao Yai NP instead. Bangkok is due to flood tomorrow when water is expected to break through at least 3 of the 7 dams in the capitol. Major businesses have been given the last 3 days off to prepare for the flood. Another strike for trip destination and another mildly planned trip deserted. I thought briefly about moving winter plans for Bali up since it's already in dry season, but before I had even really given it any thought a 6.0 earthquake hit the city. Now i'm catching a bus to Krabi (just a few hours away) to do some climbing and hiking. I was contemplating visiting another national park and heading north from there to end up in Myanmar for a visa run but now Michelle and I are going together so I think we'll just meld our plans and those of a few other people together and play it by ear.  Yippeeee!!!

Link to pics Isaac found of flooding in Chiang Mai and Bangkok: http://www.stumbleupon.com/su/1D7t0y/www.theatlantic.com/infocus/2011/10/worst-flooding-in-decades-swamps-thailand/100168/

How to Cope with a Lack of Textbooks...make your own?

Hmmmm, so what am I doing today at KKJ? Frantically trying to create student science workbooks from scratch. This week it is my and Michelle’s job to make up student workbooks for two separate ESC courses that span an entire semester’s worth of material in four days.  All we were handed were course outlines of 4 random points consisting of subjects such as Local ecosystems, the Earth, Chemistry,Weather, and Scientific Vocabulary. Incredibly vague and very unhelpful when faced with trying to create a comprehensive workbook in a week.

Of course, it's a complete disaster. There’s no way we can actually get this done by Thursday because we were cramped for time before this came up. We have to plan lessons for our other classes, for these classes, write up all the material request lists for every experiment we want to do in every class (lots more planning), help the two new teachers settle in and assist with their lesson plans, teach an hour of kindergarten, math, egg painting (i'm just as confused, no worries),  plus whatever else random stuff we will definitely be required to do, and probably do most of this without internet. 

Why? No real explanation, as usual. Just do it and do it fast. The really unfortunate part of the situation though is that there is no textbook for any of the ESC classes, even though these are the kids that struggle with basic English and would benefit the most from pictures, illustrations, and written explanations.  I will be teaching these classes almost exclusively next semester so I'm taking this issue very personally as it will make both learning and teaching extremely difficult, especially when not given anything really specific to teach.

ESC (limited English) science is notorious for being hard to teach and usually the classes are spread out among the teachers for their sanity. However, my coordinator seems to think that I work especially well with the ESC kids because I’m patient and I like teaching mainly through activities and games anyway.  So next semester I’ll have my hands full teaching 3 very large ESC classes (plus an advanced class and health courses). Surprisingly, I don’t really mind taking all the ESC courses. Even though the classes are huge and teaching is painstakingly slow, I actually like ESC because the kids aren't as spoiled as a lot of the BC and TC program kids. Oh, the joys of working at a private school.

Either way, by Thursday I will turn in 2 somethings to be copied and bound for the students. And then I go on vacation!! Yea! (Gotta plan that this week too ;)

The teaching one

Alight, alright, here’s the long awaited teaching blog. The reason I have not written about teaching  in Thailand yet is because of two main reasons: the first is that the 1^st term ended 3 weeks ago so I’ve just been grading, teaching random summer school courses, and preparing for the next semester. The second reason is that the school employs some of the most dramatic and incompetent people that I have ever met so a great deal of my time is spent tangled up in endless school drama that is reminiscent of being in high school (and not the good part).  I don’t want to sound too harsh here, there are some incredible people at the school who I absolutely love being around and who are admirable and manage to rise above the barrage of gossip, name calling, and tattle tailing that seem to pervade most basic communications at the school. More on this later, it frustrates me just thinking about it.

Since this is my first real teaching post I’ll give you some background info on the school. I teach at a private bilingual international school that is regarded as the most prestigious school in Phuket and comes with a price tag to match.  There are about 2,200 students crammed into 2 buildings even though we are at capacity for 3 buildings.  The third building was supposed to be finished in May so the school accepted enough students to fill it. However, either because of bad weather or because the building’s circular design confused the construction workers it still is far from being finished.  Instead of sending the new kids elsewhere there are now classes held quietly in the library, in rooms without air con and some classes with similar material are just taught together regardless of levels and ages.  The school brags of power point capabilities, interactive white boards, and top if the line educatory devices. It’s a complete joke. At one point they may have worked, but long ago the set ups either broke, had pieces stolen, or otherwise disappeared.  We have a proper lab and lab technician and access to supplies but we need to put in material requests at least 6 weeks in advance and the some parts of the request might be rejected, leaving teachers unable to complete experiments. This is pretty impossible anyway because teachers are switched around between classes constantly and we just found out what we will be teaching in two weeks.  

However! Teaching itself has been a great experience and I learn more about teaching everyday as things work out or crash and burn. Some of the things I’ve learned seem pretty obvious in retrospect but hey, this is all new to me! Here are the top 3 things that I stumbled upon but should have been obvious


 1.  Make friends with the troublemakers: they’re not bad kids, they are just interested in something besides your class. Find out what they like to do and incorporate it into lesson plans.

( I watched a kid that is notorious for disrupting class, picking fights, and never doing homework preforming in a play after school and he was great (nice to see that loud voice in its proper place!)Now we do more skits in class and I’ve put him in charge of getting the class quiet ;)

       2. Instead of yelling over 30 screaming kids to get them to be quiet (why does that ever make sense?!) just make them put their heads down on their desks for the first 30 seconds of class. It works like magic- chills them out with no effort and they actually seem to like it.  

            3.  If you’re bored, they’re bored.

 (I was supposed to spend 2 hrs talking about lever classifications! Yeah right!)

Simple! Probably could have figured those out with a 10 second internet search but it sticks so much better when you figure it out for yourself

I also was never given detention slips or anything comparable (they were being re-formatted) so I had to come up with alternative punishments like having disruptive kids stand in the front of the classroom by me or having sleepy kids doing jumping jacks.  Both work surprisingly well and the kids like watching their classmates do jumping jacks so much they have the sleepers jumping before I even realize they’ve drifted off!

Side note: the kids here are fantastic at art and the posters they make look professional, I have a bunch of anatomy ones at home that I just can’t get rid of.  

While teaching’s probably not my calling, I love the kids and spend a lot of time laughing (or trying not to laugh) at their antics and wise ass responses to every question. It’s only been 6 weeks but I still look forward to going to school every day. 

The End of the Festival

The last night of the Vegetarian Festival was upon us. The finale of this 10 day event focuses on showing respect to the Jade Emperor and to the ruler of heaven, the world of man and hell. I was warned ahead of time to wear a bandanna and ear plugs - I didn't. I'm sure my lungs now look like I've been chain smoking for a year, hopefully they'll recover by next time. The last day of Veg Fest was one of the most intense experiences of my life.

The night started like many nights we've had at the festival - with food. After picking up silver dollar pancake rolls filled with pistachio custard we make our way towards the Jui Tui Shrine. It was still early, maybe 9:00 and the festivities weren't supposed to kick off until 10:00. The shrine though was alive with people preparing for the parade. I was again mesmerized by the children and their fireworks. A pack of little boys pendulated between throwing tiny fire crackers at each other and working as a team to load up the "fire house" with thousands of fire crackers and setting them all off at once. The floor in front of the "fire house" is ankle deep in red firecracker paper.

(Sorry, I couldn't figure out how to rotate the video - advice is welcome)

People are burning Joss Paper on the other side of the shrine, somberly lighting candles and holding burnt in incense as offerings to the gods, all indifferent to the armature and professional photographers hovering around them.

The constant noise and smoke begins to wear on us, so we decide to quit the shrine and go look for other festivities. All of the shrines are supposedly meeting up and following the same parade route, so we go out in search of that - having no idea what we were getting ourselves into.

There was an emptieness on the main street of the festival as food vendors are packing up their display cases, deep fryers, and woks for the year. Down the road large fireworks are exploding.

Making our way down the street we felt like we were heading in the right direction. Intermittently their would be round after round of bursting firecrackers. In the distance there was  the main circle and crowds of white clothed people wearing the stereotypical Asian face masks. If I had known I would of found one of those masks immediately, as it was, it was until we were leaving that someone gave both Jackie and I a face mask.

From a distance it seems as if the crowd ss veiled by a cloak of fog. As we approach, we realize that the streets, the crowd and even the buildings less than a block away are disappearing into firecracker smoke. Grownups and children alike stand at the edge of the street with white grocery bags full of packs of fire crackers. As the procession of shrine members pass by they are bombarded packs of fire crackers thrown by the crowd. It is as close to being in a riot as I have ever been. The density of the crowd, the severity of the smoke and the chaos of entire packs of fire crackers blowing up everywhere was thrilling. Breathing through our shirt collars Jackie and I watch the procession. Packs of firecrackers rained down on the people carrying the gods on their shoulders. And even Jackie and I know weren't not entirely safe from having firecrackers blowing up next to us.

 ("The three best friends that anybody could have . . .")

( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Op-4iqRCDV4 )

 Mai Songs, members of the shrines that have been possessed by the gods, stop at places of offering to bless people and accept offerings of food and drink. While they stand still, long bamboo rods wrapped in fire crackers are lit and and shook above them, dripping thousands of tiny explosives onto their heads and shoulders. The stoic Mai Songs never flinch as fireworks explode on their bare skin. They seeme unaware of the chaos attributed to them.

There are ton of other awesome pictures here:
https://picasaweb.google.com/101782615335640844329/LastDayOfVegFest?authkey=Gv1sRgCObItL-kte7gCQ

How to do a Visa Run by Land From Phuket to KL

Helpful things to know:

Over View of the Process:

http://www.mfa.go.th/fealac/images/ThailandUpdateDoc29.pdf

Where are you going to do your Visa Run?

1)      Penang

a.       http://www.phuket-visarun.com/visa_run_ranong.html

2)      Ranong

a.       http://www.phuket-visarun.com/visa_run_ranong.html

3)      Kula Lempar, better known as KL

Where to check requirements:

1)      http://www.thaiembassy.org/

2)      http://www.mfa.go.th/web/1387.php?&id=2878

What you have to worry about brining for Nin-Immigrant B Visa (based off of KL experience):

1)      Passport that is valid for at least 6 months

2)      Copy of your passport

3)      1 (4x6) photo taken within the last 6 months

a.       You can pay to have a set of these photos taken at Kodak photo shop for about 100 baht.

b.      While you are at the Kodak shop get 3 (5x6) photos for your work permit for about 100 baht.

4)      Visa application form, which can either be printed out online (make sure you get the right one based on your nationality) http://www.mfa.go.th/internet/consular/Visaapplicationform.pdf or you can use the visa application form that you receive when entering the embassy.

5)      You will also need a letter of request, which should be provided by your future employer

6)      You will also need a packet of company information, which should also be provided by your future employer.

7)      220 ringitt cash

How will you be getting where you are going:

1)      For KL you have two options: fly to KL and then take a bus to the city center or go by land.

a.       If going by land, book either the 6am or 8am local bus leaving from the Phuket Town bus Terminal to Hat Yai (350 baht). From Hat Yai you can either book the 4:00 pm train to KL (only if you take the 6am local bus) or you can book a ticket with KKKL. Tickets with KKKL can be found across the street (590 baht).

http://wikimapia.org/300658/Phuket-Bus-Terminal

b.      If you take the bus from Hat Yai to KL you will arrive near China town (central KL) at 5:00 am. Walk towards China Town (2 blocks West) and book a hostel. Red Dragon hostel is not a nice hostel, but it’s cheap (18 ringitt), does the trick and only ½ a block down on your left hand side.
http://www.hostelworld.com/hosteldetails.php/Hostel-Red-Dragon/Kuala-Lumpur/14630?search_keywords=Hostel%20Red%20Dragon,%20Kuala%20Lumpur,%20Malaysia&country=Malaysia&city=Hostel%20Red%20Dragon&propNum=14630

c.       The Thai Embassy is open  for the submission of Visa applications between 9:30am and 11:30 am. Ask at the Red Dragon counter for directions to Kelana Jaya Line (2 min walking from hostel) You will get on at Pasar Seni and be heading towards Gombak. Get off at Ampang Park.

http://klsentral.org/

d.      At Ampang Park cross the street and walk east (towards the sun). You will arrive at the Thai Embassy in about five minutes.

e.      You will not be able to pick up your passport with your visa until after 2:30 pm the next day. (If they accept your application you probably don’t have anything to worry about, so have fun.)

2)      Work Permit

a.       Get a medical certificate. Make sure that the certificate you get will satisfy the requirements of the Department of Employment. You can get these forms at any clinic for about 100 baht. They might charge an extra 300 baht for a “syphilis test.”

b.      You will need to supply your future employer with the following:

                                                               i.      Passport

                                                             ii.      Copy of passport

                                                            iii.      3(5x6) photos, which you should have already taken

                                                           iv.      Medical certificate

                                                             v.      Proof of educational background

1.       Diploma

2.       Transcript

c.       This is pretty straight forward. Once you have your permit you will be able to start working. Though getting caught working without your work permit is very unlikely it will result in you being deported.

3)      Make 3 copies of everything of your most recent visa, your passport, the page with your entrance stamp, and your work permit. Keep one at your home, one at work, and one on file at work.

4)      Mark your calendar for all important dates involving your visa and make sure you make note of public holidays both in Thailand and the country you will be traveling in – plan accordingly

a.       Mark when you need to get your 1 year visa extension

b.      Mark the every 90 day period, which marks when you will have to go on your next visa run.

c.       Mark 90 days before your contract is finished so you can consider signing another 1 year contract

d.      Mark 60 days before your contract has ended so you can notify your future employer of your plans and get your bonus.