Day 25/School/Buddha Day

This week I got a new roommate. Her name is Thea and she is from Vermont. She is only 16 years old! She also was placed at the same school I work at so we got to work together quite a bit.

So this week I taught on Tuesday and Wednesday. Just normal stuff; lots of games like Simon Says and Duck, Duck, Goose and Red light, Green light. We also taught some of the more advanced children about vowels and how to put sentences together and we taught them about writing letters. Check out my pictures! It was all a ton of fun and Thea was a huge help coming up with things to teach them. I also got to teach the older kids another dance…the Macarena! They loved it of course. We have kids named Boom, Jenny, Oat, Boat, Ya, Pa, Fa, Da, Few, Cake, Mickey, Natasha, Q , Fast, and other funny names I cant remember. I have so much fun trying figure out all their names.

The main focus of this post is to tell about the holiday that happened on Thursday. It was Buddha day. Apparently at this time of year the monks all retreat into the temples and do not come out for three months because it is the rainy season. This special day is for the children to bring the monks candles and food to last them through this long period of time. We were asked to participate in this and we of course said yes.

We had to arrive this morning at the school at 6:30 am to prepare. We got our makeup done and then got dressed up in traditional Thai outfits. At first they put me in this Sumo wrestler/diaper thing but then they found another skirt for me to wear (thank God!...or thank Buddha…) We got our hair done by the girls and then they covered our buns with flowers. There was a crazy lady helping us get dressed and every time I went to adjust something on my body she would slap my hand away and say “wait a minute!” When we were finally done we got our pictures taken and then we rushed outside to join the rest of the children and the parade. The young kids wore adorable little pants and tops and there were a bunch of little girls dressed similar to us. Apparently we were the Thai dancers! The other girls not dressed up carried food and candles for the monks and the boys all carried large drums or other instruments. One of the older girls was really dressed up and she walked in front carrying a sign. We set off on our way to the temple and we watched the other dancers in front of us to know the dance moves we were expected to do. The boys played the instruments and some of the teachers rode motorbikes to block traffic for our procession. We danced the entire way and by the time we got there…about a mile later…I was sweating to death in my outfit. Once we arrived we were given fans and water and we got a lot of picture taken. Next we went into the temple and kneeled in front of the monks while the children recited…prayers. Once that was over we basically just got into cars and went back to the school. The little girls helped us undress and undo our hair, I said my goodbyes to all the children and the teachers (SO SAD!) and walked home with Thea. We stopped on our way and got ginormous frappacinos for $1 and then went home to nap.

I don’t think I mentioned this yet…I am leaving the program a week early to travel because my mom and my cousin are coming and I want to spend time with them. Its sad and a little selfish but I think it will really be worth it for me. They arrive tomorrow night, we will spend Saturday in Bangkok and then we will be off the Chiang Mai in the north for a few days…more later (probably when I get home!)

BYE!

I HEART PHI PHI

I’m not sure where I left off in my travels but I guess I will start with my trip to Koh Phi Phi.

If I have learned anything since being in Thailand it is that nothing is ever easy and it is always an adventure. This proves true for my trip to Phi Phi. Phoebe was going to be gone for Thursday and Friday so we planned to meet in Bangkok at 5:30 on Friday. Of course my train was 2 hours late arriving so I was late meeting with Phoebe. By the time I got there we had already missed the first bus to Phi Phi then we were told that ALL the buses for the later time were full and that it was simply impossible for us to get to the island with paying a ton of money for a plane ticket. We of course would not take no for an answer and wandered all around looking for someone to get us there. Eventually a woman sent us to the south end bus station. We got there and ran all around the station searching for the place to buy tickets. When we finally found the booth it was 7:50 pm. The bus left at 8:00 so then we were on a mad dash for gate 34. We made it with a few minutes to spare. We were both starving so I sprinted off the bus to 7 eleven and bought instant noodles, a bag of chips and two waters. Not two minutes after I returned to the bus a man started walking around bringing sandwiches, nuts, juice and water to each passenger. It was one of the “duh” moments when I was just like…if I had been patient for two more seconds. We were soooo excited to have made a bus that we were laughing and goofing off. I may have kicked the seat in front of me profusely, prompting the man sitting in the seat to turn and glare at me, get up and change seats. Eventually everyone moved away from us. They just couldn’t handle us, lol.

There were a few more funny moments/adventures but I doubt they will be as funny or entertaining to you as they were to Phoebe and I, but you get the basic drift. It is always just one thing after another. When we finally got to Krabi (where we would take the ferry to the island) twelve hours later, we sat in the bus station and waited to be taken, by bus, to the pier. The bus turned out to be a pickup truck and we were made to ride in the bed of it lol. We got on the boat and arrived two hours later in Phi Phi where we were instantly hassled about hotel rooms/resorts. We ended up bartering with a guy getting the price of a bungalow down from 700 baht to 500 baht a night which ends up being about $8 a night per person. It was great (the beds ended up being super comfortable, the shower water not too cold although it was extremely hot, the floor was about to cave in and the room was infested with cockroaches and various other insects.) We walked around the island (a very limited amount of space) and met up with Conor at around 3:30 pm. The three of us had dinner that night on the water and we went out to the beach that night where they have parties.

The beach was actually really fun at night. There are a number of bars lining the water and each one is a different scene. The first one we sat at had a bunch of lawn chairs where you could watch Thai men doing tricks with fire and later there was limbo to watch. The next you sat on the beach on little cushions and watched more fire. The third was a hookah bar and the fourth was more of a dance floor. After we bored of this we noticed that the water (the ocean) had receded so where there was normally a foot of water you could walk on the sand. You could actually walk out pretty far. There was a nice breeze out there and this was the first time that I have seen stars in Thailand. The rowdier crowd enjoyed dancing/other activities out there but for me it was just a “wow, I'm really in Thailand right now” moment.

The next morning we woke up and walked around the island some more. At 2:00 we left the island to go on an excursion with five different stops (this all cost us about $6.) The first stop was Monkey Bay…which literally is covered with monkeys. Check out my pics to see them. It was really cool. Then we motored past the Viking Cave where people were mining birds’ nests. Apparently they somehow make a dessert out of these nests. Sounds gross to me. Next stop was a little cove where we were able to jump out and snorkel. The coral was plain colored but there were a bunch of cool fish (rainbow, black and yellow (MOM: A WIZ KHALIFA FISH!), an eel and a bunch of small ones.) We climbed back into our little boat and set off for an even smaller cove where we were able to get out and swim. It was absolutely gorgeous everywhere we went. There were tall cliffs surrounding us and the water was soooo clear and blue. We got back in the boat and set off for the main attraction: Maya Bay. The water was really rough at this point and I was kind of nervous being in such a small boat. The couple next to me (whom we ended up meeting and eating dinner with later) even put on their life jackets. When we got there the man driving the boat told us that there was a storm coming and that the current was too strong for us to take the boats into the bay so instead we were going to anchor on the other side, jump out of the boat into massive waves and swim a ways until we reached this like net/spider web thing which we and about 30 to 40 other people would have to climb to reach Maya Bay. Actually, no, he did not say this, he just told us to jump off and swim. The rest we had to figure out on our own. Lol. So we swam and when we got to the net we held on and waited. Everyone was screaming because the waves were strong and were crashing into us. Then a little Thai man grabbed my arm and told me to come under the rope. He was apparently taking me a faster route…so I went. The waves were so strong crashing against the rock and they kept slamming me into the rocks. I followed him and he lead me through/up through a little hole in the rock and I emerged on the other side shaking in my bikini and thanking God I was alive. I met Phoebe and Conor on the other side…all three of us like “wtf just happened” and we followed the crowd towards Maya Bay. It was gorgeous when we got there and we immediately had to dive into the water because the wind was whipping the sand at us. Once we were in the water the waves were crazy but it was really nice. Getting back to the boats was an even larger adventure. We had to climb back down the spider web/net and jump into the water. The waves were nuts and we had to time it as the water was receding so we wouldn’t get tossed against the waves. Then we had to swim for our lives, quite literally. By the time we got to the boat we were exhausted. The tour guides rewarded us with fresh cut pineapple for the island (seriously wtf!) All I kept thinking the whole time (besides the fact that I might die) was that the stuff we do in Thailand would NEVER be allowed in the states…hence the name of my third Thailand album “We’re not in the states anymore, Todo!”

When we arrived on land we basically kissed the ground and headed out to dinner. We treated ourselves to more expensive Mexican food and the couple we met on the boat joined us. It was by far my favorite meal since I arrived in Thailand aside from Cartoon’s mom’s birthday dinner. It was really nice.

The next day was our last day on the island and it was super sad to say goodbye (although Phoebe and I were glad to be getting out of our bug infested room.) We had breakfast that morning and then just kind of walked around looking at the little shops for the billionth time. I bought a grilled corn on the cob and Phoebe got a Thai pancake (both delicious) then we set off to find somewhere to sit down. We found these extremely comfortable chairs, sat for about 3 seconds, and then were informed we had to rent them. Phoebe was having some reaction to something in her eye so she went to the clinic and Conor and I found a bench to sit on. Big mistake…the bench was covered in water! There was literally nowhere to sit. Blah blah blah…sorry if this is boring.

Then it was goodbye time…Phoebe left for Korea and Conor and I took a boat an hour later to Krabi and then parted ways as I headed back to Bangkok and eventually Ayutthaya. SOOOO SAD L

Day 18

Okay first I want to apologize that I havent been posting regularly like I used to...Ive been soo busy :)

So I switched schools this week. I felt kind of useless at the other school because I was only teaching like one or two classes a day. I was sad to leave the children but I really want to be of help while Im here so it was worth it. The new school Im at is soooo different and to be honest so much more fun. I teach a class every period and I am basically on my own to do it...that means no one is translating to Thai for me. Its a challenge but soooo fun! I love every minute of it! I also get to work with all age groups which is fun too...from 3-16 :) In the morning I get to play with the little kids. This morning was song/dance time. We sang/did the chicken dance, B-I-N-G-O, and something about animals in a pool where the kids act out the animals. It was hysterical. One little boy was doing the Michael Jackson crotch grab every five minutes...I was dying. After that I got to go one grade up and work with 5 year olds. I had a box and the kids could stick their arm inside and pull out an animal. Then I would say the animal name in english and we would count the legs and talk about the color and the sound it makes. Loads of fun. Then I got to go and work with a little bit older. We talked about body parts...legs, arms, toes, fingers, head etc, and then we played head shoulders knees and toes and Simon Says so they could practice identifying the body parts (yes I did come up with this lesson plan by myself!) Then I got to have lunch with the children which is also lots of fun. We wait in line to get our food (curry noodles and coconut joice today) and then we eat, then wash our dishes and go and "play." At one I had another class...and this was my favorite. They were 16 year olds and the teacher told me to teach them a song and dance. Of course they dont want to learn "Im a little teapot" or something so I really had to rack my brain for something they would be interested in. What I came up with? The Cha Cha Slide...and yes...I did teach it to a bunch of Thai high schoolers. They were super excited to learn something that almost every American teen knows by heart! :) So i started off teaching them right and left, the hopping, the cha cha, and sliding...and the rest of the dance. They loved it. We practiced a few times then I let them do it in groups of five. It was hysterical! Ill have to get the pics from the teacher and post them! After that class I had another...like 12 year olds I think and I taught them about family...mom, dad, sister, brother, pets and had them make family trees. Fun stuff. After that I went home. Tomorrow is half day so I just get to play with the little ones in the morning, go home and pack to leave for Koh Phi Phi :)

(ohhh as a sidenote...this school is also only a five minute bike ride from the hostel so thats a plus!)

thats all for now...idk when Ill write again because I am going away for the weekend again but I cant wait to update you all!
<3 to everyone!

more of Koh Tao

Okay so Im not really sure where I left off and I dont really want to spend forever talking about Koh Tao...if you look at my pictures you can pretty much see all that we did was spend time on the beach. The high light of the trip was definitely or 6 mile kayak trip from Koh Tao to Koh Ngung Yuen which was another close by island. It was amazing to be that far out of the coast of Thailand...I just kept saying "do you realize we are in the gulf of thailand right now...??" lol. It was beautiful. Other than that we enjoyed the heat and the sun and the wonderful food at our resort. We explored the island a bit but mostly just relaxed which was great. It is also great that everything is sooo cheap...$25 each way (a 12 hour trip by bus/boat) and $8 a night for our hostel/the private beach. It was just wonderful. Sooo wonderful that I am headed south again this coming weekend to Koh Phi Phi...another gorgeous island. CANT WAIT!

Day...something...

Wellllllll sawadee everyone.

I just got back from Ko Tao a few hours ago. I am exhaustedd and have sooo much to tell. I may have to do this is portions because its an awful lot to write. Also, if you are also following my photos, I will post those later since I am not on my own computer right now.

Okayyy to start with I went with Elena (american) and Stienne and Svava (iceland) and Allie (Ecuador) to Bangkok on Thursday to spend the night and all day Friday there. We took a train which costs the equivelent of fifty cents and then took a taxi to Lub*D, apparently one of the nicest hostels in Bangkok (hot water, ac rooms AND internet), dropped our things off and set off to get dinner at the mall. There was this restaurant type thing called fifth avenue. They have all types of food from greek to arabic and thai to american. It was insane. You get a card and swipe it according to the food you get. This turned out to be a bit pricey but it wouldnt stop us from going there in the morning as well lol. It was pretty much a feast. We then took a cab to Ko Sahn road which is pretty much backpackers/shoppers heaven and walked around even though it was raining a little. I bought my first sack dress which I pretty much didnt take off all weekend. Then we took a cab back to the hostel and showered with warm water for the first and only time since Ive been here. It was glorious until I got out and realized the bathroom did not have AC and was dying trying to get dressed and do my makeup (for the first time since Ive been here.) Then we went back to Ko Sahn to check out the nightlife there...Ill spare you the details for now. We got back to the hostel late and slept in, went to breakfast, checked out of the hostel and headed to be tourists for the day even though it was pretty much a monsoon outside. We went to Chinatown where we bought much needed umbrellas and trekked through the ginormous puddles, stopping at shops along the way. The funny thing is that most of the things were sold only wholesale...for example: if you wanted to buy a pair of shoes you would have to buy a minimum of six pairs in the same size, style and color. RIDICULOUS. I did, however, buy 12 bracelets for souvenirs for friends or whoever lol. Next I took a tuk tuk back to Ko Sahn to wait for the german girls and Phoebe to arrive there so that we could set off on our way to Ko Tao...this is where things got a bit frustrating.

First of all it was pouring. I mean like a monsoon. I was standing on Ko Sahn for three hours waiting for the others to arrive. They were late arriving because traffic in Bangkok was so bad. When they finally did arrive they had separated from half of the group and apparently the phones were not working meaning we had no way to communicate. Somehow we managed to get a bus/boat to take us to Ko Tao at 8. As we were waiting til it was 8 we ordered some food. Not five minutes later a little boy...Im not kidding, I think he was twelve, walked over to us and told us he would escort us to where the bus would pick us up. Of course the restaurant freaked out but bagged up our food for us, we paid the bill and dashed out into the rain, following the 12 year old boy. Along the way we made several stops, each time picking up more people. A few times we lost sight of the little boy around corners or whatever and we would all pause for a minute til someone caught sight of him again. He led us down an alley way where there was a little tiny sidewalk (this is super hard to explain, I wish I had pics of it) to a Thai bar where Thai men were sitting drinking. It must have been strange to see a large group of white people standing in the middle of the bar waiting for a 12 year old. We finally arrived at the bus station where we were told to wait for over an hour, standing. It was miserable and still raining. We made the best of it however and met a new friend who would accompany us on the rest of our trip to Ko Tao. Conor is from England and is traveling alone through out Thailand and India.

moreeee later...

Day 10

Sawadee, sorry I was so lame yesterday, I was feeling a bit down. Back to my normal self today though and I had a superb day so far.

Im back at Wiangfe's with the Iceland girls and Elena. We went to the Elephant market and then came here...whoa whoa whoa. I better start from this morning.

Well, yesterday was extremely hot and on my long bike ride home my bike started acting up and nearly broke. I literally had to use all the strength I could muster just to keep the bike moving and by the time I got home I literally thought I was going to vomit from being so tired. I showered and laid in bed for a while reading. The positive about this was that it meant that I did not have to bike to school this morning. Elena's bike broke yesterday too, she had a flat tire so she had already arranged for Awsawin to take us to school. I arrived at school nice and clean...what a change from yesterday lol.

I had my first class at 9:30. The teacher gave me a workbook and told me I was to read the story and have the children repeat me line for line. (I am really frustrated with the way they teach because the children arent learning) I looked at her and said..."do you really think that will help them to learn?" She looked at me, shocked (I had shocked myself too) and she said shook her head no. Instead I decided to teach them vocab words...check out my pictures. It was successful..I hope. I got to play outside with the kids a long time too which was great fun. Jump rope, Thai jacks and badminton. :) One of the the teachers..Oats..drove me home which was absolutely glorious.

I got back and read for a while then Elena got home and we went with the Iceland girls to the Elephant market. I of course bought more sack pants...I couldnt resist. GIANT SIDENOTE: I RIPPED THREE HOLES IN MY BLACK SACK PANTS THIS MORNING WHEN I STOOD UP AFTER BREAKFAST. A FREAKING NAIL SNAGGED THEM! I also bought some little necklaces for my sisters. So cute. The big purchase of the day, however, was my soda in a bag. Yes, soda in a bag. Its cheaper than cups so they literally pour the soda into a small bag and give you a straw. Quite the experience. Check out the pics.

This market was a lot smaller than the one in BKK but it was just as interesting. There were literally some of the grossest sights and smells ever. All sorts of weird..vegetables or fruit or who knows what. There was all sorts of raw or dried meats. And smoke. But there were also lots of sweets so there were some places that smelled good...their version of cotton candy and also like praline thingys with nuts. Dogs were everywhere as well as chickens and a goose and some cats. Overall its just really an interesting place to be. I always feel bad taking pictures at the market though because it is people's workplaces, its not a tourist attraction. People actually go there to shop so it seems weird for me to take pictures. I already draw enough attention to myself just being white.

Tonight is Elena's last night (shes the only other American here) so we are going to Swensen's for "dinner" aka ice cream sundaes or waffles. I havent decided yet. So much for losing weight lol.

Much happier today thank goodness. Oh, and I am going to Ko Tao this weekend which is like a beach. Tari: I promise Ill wear sunscreen! :)

Day 9

nothing new to say today...not really in a great mood :/

Oh! P.S...

THERE ARE DOGS EVERYWHERE. STRAY DOGS EVERYWHERE! DISGUSTING.

Day 8

Sawadeeeee. I hate to break it to everyone but today was a pretty boring day so I dont have much to say.

I woke up this morning and it was raining. It was truly one of those days where you just want to lay in bed with a good book. Btw...I finished the book I was reading and I am quite sad. I have started another book, one of Elena's. Elena and I called Awsawin so that he could give us a ride to school since it was raining and he made me over an hour late for school. When I arrived I immediately had to teach. Just vocab today. We played a version of tic tac toe where I put words on a tic tac toe board. There were two teams and the kids had to chose a word and give the past tense version of it. For example...see to seen. If they did this their team got an x or an o and they had to get three in a row. It worked really well. We played this for an hour or so then I went to talk to Punch...the male teacher who speaks english. At 11:30 we had lunch and it was extremely spicy. After lunch I got to wander around and play with the children. I learned a lot of names today...like Bus, Ping Pong, Tongue, Keem, Bim, Deem Sayoh (mom, this is pronounced how Nick says Nathaniel...thats how I remember it!), Some, Tone, Earth, Watine and others. It was a lot of fun. The kids also think its the most fun in the world to ask me places where I have been. They say "have you ever been to..." because that is one of the phrases I taught them and they all cheer when I say yes. They also find it hysterical when I say Phuket for some reason and die laughing whenever I speak it.

The other interesting part of my day was that I had to teach an art class. They just expect me to do whatever...its so strange. It was funny though. I had the kids draw nature and animals and I also kind of taught them how to say certain animals in english. I have learned so much about thinking on the spot and coming up with things to do.

Now I am back Tony's place for dinner and to use the internet...with all the girls from the hostel.

Thats all for now...told you it was going to be short. I hope all is well at home!

Day 7

Im back at my little coffee shop in Ayuttaya with Elena :)

Today I got to sleep in, sleep in. I mean til like 11 oclock! Toon was still asleep when I got up so I got out my book (the girl who played with fire) I am almost done with it and will be ready for a new book soon...maybe I will be able to find the sequel somewhere! When she woke up we went and got juice from the little mart down the hall and got ready. We decided we would go and see a movie since thats one of the things I was told I have to do while in Thailand.

So we took a cab to the mall and walked to buy a ticket. We chose to see Green Lantern. It only cost 320 baht for both of us to see the movie which is like $10 and then we got a big popcorn and two big sodas for 159 baht or about $5. It was insanely cheap compared to American movie theaters. When we got inside we sat in our assigned seats and watched the previews. Those were in Thai. Then all of a sudden everyone stood up and we all listened to the 'royal song' and watched a little slide show of the king. It was funny. Then we all had to bow to the screen. Then the movie started. It was soooooo loud!!! Toon said all theaters are like that. The movie plays in english with thai subtitles. At some parts I was the only one laughing and I think it is because a lot of the jokes dont transfer well to Thai. The movie was good and the experience was good too. Next, I want to see a thai movie with english subtitles...Im thinking a love story.

After that we went to the 'food court' check out my pics to see what it was like. Then I took a van back to Ayuttaya for 40 baht or just over $1.

Im gonna head back to the hostel in a little bit. p.s. its pouring here right now for the first time since Ive been here. Like torrential downpour. Wish me luck getting back!

Day 6

Good morning everyone.
Yesterday was a full day of adventure. I woke up in the morning and packed my things and Julia and I set off for Bangkok. We rode a tuk tuk to the train station the took a train for fifteen baht (50 cents!) and rode for two hours to BKK. It was hot on the train because there is no air conditioning but I read the whole way and it went by quickly. Then when I got to the train station I messaged Toon and told her I was there. There were a few complications...her friend who was driving her to Bangkok got into a car accident on the way. That meant that she wouldnt be there to pick me up. So I had to take a subway alone to the market and her mom would pick me up when I got off there. That was quite interesting...lol. But it all worked out and her mother greeted me when I exitted the station.

The market was huge! It was like nothing I had ever seen before. There were so many people. Her mom told me to make sure to hold onto my bag because people might cut it off of me and steal it! We arrived...

im gonna pause for now...im in bangkok for heaven's sake...im going out to enjoy the day!

just kidding. Toon just went to get into the shower. We are going to go and see a movie and get lunch before I head back to Ayuttaya.

Okay so where was I...oh yeah, we arrived at her mother's shop and I set down my bags. Her mother ordered me lunch...noodles and chicken and I got to eat it with chopsticks. Oh so asian. It was delicious. Then I got to kind of talk with Toon's mom and the woman who was like her nanny growing up. I think her name is Wed. Then her mom told me I could pick out bags to bring to my sisters lol so I was doing that and Toon and her boyfriend, Nong showed up. After that we went to walk around the ginormous market...this is the exciting part.

We first stopped at this little stand because Toon wanted me to try milk tea. There is like this little man with two pitchers and he dances around and splashes the tea from one to the other. Its hard to explain but I took pics and there will also be a video eventually. The tea was interesting tasting but I was more interested in the stand next door where they were making homemade coconut milk ice cream so that was our next stop. I got to eat it right out of the coconut shell and boy was it delicious.

For the next few hours we weaved in and out of rows and rows of clothes and jewelry and food and just about anything you can imagine being at a market. I bought some of my first souvenirs for my friends and some of my cousins...stuff I just could not resist. I bought more baggy Aladdin pants because I am pretty sure they are the best thing ever invented :) I will not be allowed to where them in public once I am home Im sure...lol. It is really cool to shop here but kind of annoying too because when I ask how much something is they tell me one price but as soon as Toon asks for me they give her a much cheaper price...apparently I am just a stupid farong (falong, or foreigner.)

After shopping for quite some time we emerged back on the main road of the market. I was told they sell pets at this market so we set off to find the animals. It took us a while to find the animals but there was no mistaking the smell once we did. There was everything from turtles to puppies...snakes to hedgehogs. Im not kidding...you could buy hedgehogs. You could buy chipmunks and squirrels...I ALMOST BOUGHT ONE FOR OUR ROOM CAP AND SAN. There were trays and trays of worms and maggots and other insects. There were cats and kittens and puppies of all breeds and birds and bunnies and ducks and chickens. Pretty much any animal you could possibly own as a pet was there. Check out my pictures if you dont believe me. It was insane.


Oh, I almost forgot to mention...before we went and saw all the pets we passed this man who was selling fried bugs and...baby birds. Dead. Fried. Baby. Freaking. Birds. I couldnt believe it. I was thoroughly appalled. He wanted me to eat them. I was so freaked out that I just walked away. I still wonder where he gets said baby birds. Disgusting...

So anyyyway. Back to my adventure. We were done shopping/walking around at like 7 oclock. We got back to Toon's mom's shop and we all set off to get a cab to Toon's aunt's restaurant to have a birthday dinner for Kitiya...Toon's mom. Once we got there I got to meet all sorts of Toon's family including her aunts, uncles and cousins. Some of her mom's friends came to join the celebration, too. At first I just ordered what I wanted to eat but then Toon told me that you basically order something that you really want to eat but then when it comes everyone just shares. Its like family style. I actually loved this because I never would have known what thai food to order and this way I got to try everyone else's. Plus, everyone else's food always looks better than mine does lol. I ordered italian food and so did Nong and I also ordered a salad...the first salad I have seen here that didnt come with mayonaise on top of it lol. But I also got to try a bunch of other food like pork and chicken and rice and soup and even...cow tongue. Yes, I ate cow tongue. Had they not told me what it was I would have eaten more of it because it just tasted like meat. However, the eat idea of putting tongue in my mouth appalled me. There was sooo much food on the table and I got to try portions of all of it. A little bit later on Toon's brother and his girlfriend came. It was really great to meet her brother. Toon told me he wanted to talk to me, but he didnt say much. I had a great time at the birthday party. There were a couple of live bands at the restaurant playing american songs lol and it was kind of funny to listen to them. We took lots of pictures and stayed until about 11:30 then we took a cab back to Toon's school. I was so tired that I fell asleep on the way there and passed out in her bed as soon as I got inside.

Day 5

Sawaddeeeeee!

Fridays I dont go to work so Ive just been hanging around for the day, therefore, I dont have much to write today.

Last night we had pad thai for dinner. Its like noodles and bean sprouts and tofu and other vegetables except they put a lot of sugar in it so I wasnt really a fan. Plus, after the lunch that I had I wasnt at all hungry. After dinner we walked to Tony's place which is like a restaurant, internet cafe, bar, hotel and you can also get massages there as well. I ordered a watermelon, pineapple and banana 'fruit shake' and it was delicious. Then we walked home after a few hours.

I actually slept decent for the first time since Ive been here and since I didnt have school I was able to sleep in. At 8:45 I woke up (yes mom, this is when I naturally woke up and was ready to get up and also what I call sleeping in a little.) I went outside and had papaya and granola for breakfast. The rest of the people staying at the hostel went to different places for the weekend so it was just me and Julia from Germany there. We sat and talked and Sukanya came and talked for a little bit. After a while we decided since it was such a beautiful day that we would bike to one of the local hotels and ask to use the pool. It was actually super close to Tony's place so like a ten minute bike ride. We had to pay 80 baht each to use the pool or like...just over $2. lol. And it was absolutely gorgeous...check out my pictures! We swam and laid out in the sun for like 3 hours...I used sunscreen on my arms and chest but neglected my face and legs. Big mistake. Im baked and sooooo sore. It was wonderful to swim though...so relaxing. I was really happy. The sky started to get extra cloudy so we left the pool and biked to Swennsen's which is like a Friendlys and had the most delicious sundae ever. So much for losing weight while Im here! Then we biked home and I laid in bed and read for a while.

Now I am back at Tony's place with Elena. She is from Washington. I will probably spend most of the evening here since there are a lot of fans and internet lol. They also serve American food...cheeseburgers and fries so I might have to treat myself. Again, so much for losing weight!

Tomorrow I will take a train in the morning with Julia to Bangkok or BKK to spend the rest of the weekend with Cartoon. We will go to the market and since its her mother's birthday we will have a party at some restaurant. Im sooo looking forward to that. :)

Sorry I dont have any interesting stories today...it was a pretty mellow day. I will be gone for the weekend so I dont know how much Ill post but Ill at least update it when I return!

<3 to all!

Day 4

Sawadee :)
Im back in the coffee shop, drinking cantaloupe soda (its...okayy..)

Lots has happened since I wrote yesterday. I left school and biked back to the hostel. I had to shower as soon as I got back because I was so sweaty. Its really hot to bike in. I sat around for a little while then a group of us who are staying at the hostel decided to bike to the floating market. Its pretty scary to bike since its all like mini highways and in Thailand they drive on the opposite side of the road as us but we made it and locked up our bikes. We decided not to rent a boat but to just walk around the market instead. There were like a hundred little shops for clothes and trinkets and food and jewelry; pretty much anything you can think of. It was really fun to just wander around. I bought a pair of pants...you should really see these things. They are like royal blue Aladdin pants but soooo comfortable and only 200 baht which I think is like 6 or 7 dollars. I bought them because its super hard to bike in skirts all the time but because my school is Buddhist I have to wear things below my knee AT LEAST. I also tried a few free samples of snacks that were being sold. The t-shirts there were sooo funny and random. I cant wait to buy all my girlfriends and sisters a tee haha.

I forgot to mention the floating market is right next to an elephant zoo thing...there were a million of them just walking in the streets. I got to touch one of them but sadly didnt get a picture. There was also a man riding a bike with a side car in it. I was riding my bike behind him as we were leaving and out popped a baby tiger. A REAL baby tiger...just chilling in the side cart. It was insane.

When we got home I wasnt feeling very well so I organized my things a little bit and lay down to rest and read. Im still sick though...I woke in sweats several times in the night despite the AC being on 20 degrees C. :(

Today I biked to school wearing my new pants lol. It was teacher day today so there were no classes, just a ceremony. I sat down and waited for about 30 minutes for the ceremony to begin. There is younger guy...probably 25 years old...that speaks english so he was explaining things to me. There was another guy...a huge guy...who kept saying things about me in thai to this english speaking teacher. He told me he was saying that I was very beautiful. lol. Then the children started singing, well practicing singing, as song that they would sing later in the ceremony. Most of them only knew the chorus of the song but when it came to that part boy did they belt it out. I was laughing so hard at this lol. It was so cute. They sang this over and over again. Then, all of a sudden everyone stood. In walked two men and they mustve been very important. Thats when the ceremony began. There were six girls elaborately dress that came forward and danced. Then two girls sang and then the whole group sang. Then they offered gifts to the teachers, two by two. They had to kneel and bow in order to do this. All of the students had flowers for the teachers. Next, a monk came in and again everyone stood. He sat in a special chair and gave envelopes to certain children and money to others and to certain teachers and to the headmaster...I didnt understand this part. After this the teacher came over to me and told me that I could go sit outside for an hour until it was time for lunch so I went outside. Then a bunch of kids came over to talk to me. Check out the pics I just posted...they loved my camera!

Then I went back inside and had to go into a room and listen to the monks for like an hour. Then people brought them in food and we watched them eat. Then finally it was time for us to eat. They took me to the lunch room and brought me a feast...check out my pics to see what I ate. It was all really good and I was stuffed afterwards! Then I got to bike it all off on the way home haha.

Thats all for now...Im really gettting sleepy even though its only almost four here. I may go take a nap. Talk to you all soon!

just a side note...

1. Sorry for all the typos


2. I forgot...last night one of the girls ordered alfredo and she made me taste it to see if it tasted American/Italian...surprisingly it did.


3. Just had to give a speech to the whole school about myself, where Im from and what I like about Thailand...then someone translated it for me. Can you say awwkward? They applauded...almost a standing ovation hahaha.

Last Night/Day 3

Sawadee!

I have to be brief ish...idk how long I have to be in the computer room. I am at school and already taught me first class and had lunch!

Last night proved to be verrrry interesting. Toon surprised me and picked me up to spend the night with her soo I quickly packed a bag and we were on our way. Her friends Ploy and Ai were in the car (not sure how to spell Ai) and we drover for a while then stopped at this little side stand. There they sold filled breads. It was like American dinner rolls filled with basically anything you wanted from chocolate to fruit to meat. I got blueberry. Ploy chose 'sausage' which turned out to be hotdog. I then had to explain the difference between hotdogs and sausages...it was actually really hard. They thot hotdog meant sausage in a roll. lol.

Then we got to Toon's dorm...which was super nice btw...and I got to try tons more food. I first tried mangosteen and fell in love. Then I tried lots of different dishes...like a seafood, curry dish and some soup and what they call cellophane noodles (google it) It was spicy but I liked it. They also bought me Thai snacks to try and I had some disgusting corn puff thing and a gross homemade banana candy and some koala thing that tasted like chocolate dunakroos lol. It was fun. There were like ten people here by now...I cant remember all their names...there was an Effy, Golf, Joe...I dont remember the rest...

Thennnnnn we all went to the club. It was soooo funny! I feel bad saying it but it was. It was similar to clubs in the US but...I guess Thai style. There was a sign out front that said 'PHAT' : pretty highly attractive' lol I died laughing. Thai dancing is obviously way different too but its really hard to explain. I tried to show them how Americans dance and they were all like "wahhhhhh!!!!' I think its too....sultry...for them hahaha. They played a lot of popular American songs though so I was able to sing along. It was fun. We left around 12:30 and went home and went to bed.

This morning we took a taxi then a van to get back to Ayuttaya. Then I had to bike 6 km to work. MISERABLE. I was dying by the time I got here and Im pretty sure I have massive bruises on my rear end from the seat. It was soooo hot. As soon as I arrived I was ushered to my classroom. I was DISGUSTINGLY sweaty but the children mustve thought I was a queen lol. It is their custom to rise to greet the teacher so they did and performed wai and said 'good. morning. teacher. how. are. you. today." slowly but in unison. lol it was soooo cute! Then they all rushed forward to shake my hand and compare skin tones. Then I taught..

They know some english thank god. I was given a workbook and told what to teach them. First we had to practice 'whats his name? his name is..." and we role played it after they repeated after me. Then we sat in a circle and passed a ball while we sang 'happy birthday' since its the only American song they know and when the song stopped I would ask the person holding 'whats his name?' and point to a student. It was fun. Then I taught them the words baby, boy, boat, rubber and job and had to draw a picture of each but it was really hard to draw a picture for rubber and job...I hope they got it. Then we played hangman with these words and others that I knew they know. I think it went well...

I just want to note that I have never seen so many children so...excited...or fascinated to see me. Everywhere I go they follow me and say hello and smile and stare. Its so cute lol. There is currently a large group of boys standing behind me watching me type even though they have no idea what I am writing. They keep touching my hair and saying hello.

Lunch was good. It was like..soup and then rice with this vegetable...maybe chopped green beans with chili to make it spicy and pork possiibly...? I dont ask, I just eat. I also got to try rambutan, a fruit, for the first time. Google it. There was a little, little girl in there and she kept bringing them to me and whispering something in Thai. Her mom said that the she was saying I was beautiful. SO CUTE! They all laughed at me as I tried to open it...its hard to do!

I guess thats all for now. Its just really amazing how every moment I learn something new. Everything is just amazing.

bye!

Day 2

Sawadee everyone! Thats hello in Thai :) I am back in the coffee shop...Wiangfe's drinking a blueberry soda (sooo much better than the strawberry!) I know I was supposed to be working today but if there is one thing Ive learned in the past three days its that plans change and I have just got to learn how to roll with it.

>>>SIDE NOTE: I posted some pics on Facebook. Be sure to check them out!


I woke up this morning like I was supposed to and was ready to go by 8 am but Awswin (not sure how to spell it Thai style but thats how you say it) was late arriving to take me to work. I sat outside on the patio just relaxing. I dont know if Ive mentioned him before but there is this little old man that kind of hangs around our hostel. We call him either the gatekeeper or the shirtless man. He is really old and ridiculously wrinkling and we always emerges from the alley. He has a tendency of 'borrowing' shoes from the people living here. The only english word he knows is 'morning' and that is how he greets us no matter the time of day. Hes pretty cool. The reason I mention him is because as I was sitting there he approached me holding a shaft of bamboo. He said morning and began to motion for something to write with. I handed him a pen and said 'pen.' He repeated me. Then he took and used it to cut open the bamboo. Inside it kind of looked like sushi...it was like purple rice wrapped in like...thin thin paper. He ripped off a piece and ate it. Then he shoved it at me to eat. Its impossible to say no to an elder here so I accepted, took a piece and ate it. It tasted like...sweet rice...and felt like over cooked, sticky oatmeal. I said 'mmmm good' he looked and me, overjoyed and said 'mmmm good.' Pretty sure I made his day haha.

Finally Awswin arrived to take me school. We left the hostel and set on our way to his car. He realized he forgot something so he sat me down on a bench to wait for him to get back. Seated next to me was an older man who was holding a baby (SO CUTE!) He was selling roosters. Awswin later explained that they are sacred or something. The man kept telling me...'50 baht! 50 baht!' He wanted me to buy a rooster...what the heck was I going to do with a rooster??? I kept trying to refuse until finally Awswin rescued me and we were on our way. He showed me the route that I will have to bike tomorrow morning to get to work...I dont know how he expect me to remember it. Wish me luck!

>>>SIDE NOTE: all the people staying at the hostel are with different organizations and we all work at different school. on thursday another girl with be arriving and she will be at the same school as me.

So we arrived at the school and we had to take our shoes off before entering. Then we went into an office so that I could be interviewed. In Thailand when you meet someone you must 'wai.' This means that you put your hands together like you are praying, raise your hands to the bridge of your nose, bow and say Sawadee. I greeted the headmaster like this and we proceeded with the interview. It was weird to sit there and listen to them talk about me but have no idea what they were saying. Every now and then they would look at me and smile and I would smile too but I have no idea why. I guess she liked me because I start tomorrow. The school is for 5-12 year olds and I will be working with 10-12 year olds. I died when I saw a long line of tiny little girls in uniform waving at me and smiling when I went to leave. Maybe I will get to play with them though! I work from 8-2 everyday and I am in charge of three different classrooms at different times. I have no idea what they expect me to do...Ive never taught english before. I was supposed to be feeding and playing with little children, not teaching 12 year olds english! Oh well, everything happens for a reason.

Awswin took me back to the hostel and Sukanya…that’s the woman that lead me around yesterday told me I am basically on my own for the day. So I packed my bag and walked here to update this thing. When I am done I will walk back and then take my bike to the market and see what that’s like. Maybe Ill try some fruit or something, who knows? I may even be back here later.

So I start work tomorrow and then Cartoon is going to pick me up at the hostel around 3 and I will go and spend the evening with her and her friends. I think she wants to go dancing so Ill be going clubbing Thai style! She is going to bring me a phone too so I will be able to call and receive calls from home and Iraq!

I hope everyone is welllllll! I miss you all but I am having the time of my life and Ive only been here for two days!