Friday, May 13, 2011
Hua Hin (with video)
The night markets in Hua Hin are amazing. You can buy anything from toys to music to clothes to ice cream shaped like eggs and you can haggle on the prices of anything that is not already marked. I finally found postcards for 5 Baht each. I hope I bought enough. I didn't do a thorough job of counting. I can always go back and get more another night. I also bought a pair of fisherman's pants to wear to the temples and a turtle shaped bag for the beach and for hiking to Monkey Mountain... I have also heard it called Monkey Island, which is hilarious.
My plan was to hike to Monkey Mountain tomorrow. There is supposed to be a Buddhist Shrine and also a place that gives wonderful massages. And there are lots of monkeys. However, perhaps that is a plan for Sunday because a group of us is headed elephant riding tomorrow! We are getting up bright and early and busing to the riding location. More details to follow!
This morning I oriented myself with the town. It is relatively small but busy and touristy. The beach was decent. My understanding is you need to watch out for jellyfish. I did not swim today because I had not brought my swimsuit down to the beach. There are also horses to rent, which might be fun. I spent the midday heat indoors, gecko-watching and lazed around by the pool until dinner. We went to a small restaurant called Bam Bam. It doesn't look like much but the seafood is superb.
Wednesday, May 11, 2011
Mai Pben Rai
There is an expression in Thai, "Mai Pben Rai" meaning "It's all good" or "It's okay." This expression can be frustrating to foreigners because it becomes more than an expression, but a lifestyle. It was explained to me as follows: In Thailand there is an abundance of everything. People do not have to work hard to get food or water or any necessities. As a result there is little need for schedules and things are quite flexible. Plans change unexpectedly and people adapt easily to any situation. Westerners get frustrated when plans continuously fall through but there is no use being angry because Thai people do not know how to act if you get angry and it will not get you any results. If you get angry with a Thai person they will probably laugh it off. It will be a nervous laugh, but you will get nothing for your efforts except more frustration. When a Thai person laughs like this it means they have lost face and they are trying to come to terms with it so they will be embarrassed and beyond that not respond to your criticism. There is no reason for them to change a system that has worked well for them up until when you came along.
Don't be offended. Thai people are some of the nicest and most friendly people you can meet anywhere. I have had no trouble at all here. They are wonderful and gracious hosts. But you need to work like you are on vacation all the time. Things take longer than expected. Plans change like the weather. Mai Pben Rai.
Don't be offended. Thai people are some of the nicest and most friendly people you can meet anywhere. I have had no trouble at all here. They are wonderful and gracious hosts. But you need to work like you are on vacation all the time. Things take longer than expected. Plans change like the weather. Mai Pben Rai.
Life in the Marketplace
Last night I could not go on the water-taxis because the person who was taking us had his turn with the jet-lag fever. Instead I went to Carrefour, the department store to get laundry soap, a little trash can, and some sandals. In order to get to Carrefour I had to cross the Petkasem Road, the busy highway in front of the apartment complex with 3 lane traffic in each direction. Now by North American standards this might not seem hard... but once you see how these people drive you would understand. I kept to the sidewalk until I came to the footbridge over the road. I must point out that during this 10 minute walk to the footbridge I almost got ran over by a car that decided to drive on the sidewalk. Motorcycle traffic on the sidewalk is common and possibly legal but cars not so much.
In Carrefour I got a taste for what it would be like for an immigrant in Canada. I felt completely disoriented. I could not tell laundry detergent from fabric softener. I walked around aimlessly and almost bumped into a few people.
On the way home from Carrefour I stopped at the outdoor market for dinner. I saw a woman frying fish on a grill so I bought a bag of fish and mixed vegetables. One of the vegetables was a white, round root that tasted rather starchy. It was interesting. The fish was very spicy because it was mixed with chili peppers. I also bought a package I speculated was rice but it turned out to be raw meat mixed with onions. I think it is either pork or dog, but no way of knowing since I can't read Thai. Finally, I bought the rambutans that turned out to be quite tasty... just as well because I have to eat the whole bag before going to Hua Hin tonight.
Hua Hin is famous because it is the site of one of the King's favorite beach houses. It is not the most spectacular beach in Thailand but it is one of the safest. We spend 5 days there over the Coronation Day weekend as there is also a Buddhist holiday this weekend.
What you don't know is that the apartments where I live are smack dab in the middle of a market. Also there is the morning market and the night market. In the morning I can buy coffee, fresh fruit, and waffles. In the evening I can buy meat skewers, and slushees, and fried plaintain. (Among other things.)
Here are a few pictures of the classrooms in the school. It is truly amazing!
In Carrefour I got a taste for what it would be like for an immigrant in Canada. I felt completely disoriented. I could not tell laundry detergent from fabric softener. I walked around aimlessly and almost bumped into a few people.
On the way home from Carrefour I stopped at the outdoor market for dinner. I saw a woman frying fish on a grill so I bought a bag of fish and mixed vegetables. One of the vegetables was a white, round root that tasted rather starchy. It was interesting. The fish was very spicy because it was mixed with chili peppers. I also bought a package I speculated was rice but it turned out to be raw meat mixed with onions. I think it is either pork or dog, but no way of knowing since I can't read Thai. Finally, I bought the rambutans that turned out to be quite tasty... just as well because I have to eat the whole bag before going to Hua Hin tonight.
Hua Hin is famous because it is the site of one of the King's favorite beach houses. It is not the most spectacular beach in Thailand but it is one of the safest. We spend 5 days there over the Coronation Day weekend as there is also a Buddhist holiday this weekend.
What you don't know is that the apartments where I live are smack dab in the middle of a market. Also there is the morning market and the night market. In the morning I can buy coffee, fresh fruit, and waffles. In the evening I can buy meat skewers, and slushees, and fried plaintain. (Among other things.)
Here are a few pictures of the classrooms in the school. It is truly amazing!
May 10, 2011
Nothing much new to report for today. I had intended to take many pictures and buy some sandals. My jet-lag had other plans. I managed to sit through the morning with a headache so bad I couldn’t see straight. I must have wrote all of 3 sentences and managed somehow to sit through a meeting on Thai culture. The rambutan was out of the question. I went home at lunchtime and slept away the afternoon and right until 11:00pm. It was too late to hit the markets so I have confined myself to my room. I will go back to bed after I finish unpacking and writing a shopping list. Tomorrow after school we are going into the downtown and taking a water-taxi up the river to take in the view.
I did learn some new things. First of all, everyone here knows about the flooding back home. Most of the Canadian teachers are from Winnipeg and read Winnipeg FreePress online. I was hit with many questions about that at breakfast. Second, often Thai people don’t want you to speak Thai. (Probably because we butcher it.) Third, Buddhist monks are not allowed to touch a woman. There is a story about a monk long ago who watched a woman drowning because he was not allowed to touch her. Other things include it being inappropriate to rest leaning against a desk, there are bathrooms adjoining every classroom because we should never leave during the day, and shoes are not to be worn in classrooms. This is the hot season and it is the coldest hot season on record for 35 years and that it rained yesterday bothers locals. It does NOT rain during the dry season.
I did learn some new things. First of all, everyone here knows about the flooding back home. Most of the Canadian teachers are from Winnipeg and read Winnipeg FreePress online. I was hit with many questions about that at breakfast. Second, often Thai people don’t want you to speak Thai. (Probably because we butcher it.) Third, Buddhist monks are not allowed to touch a woman. There is a story about a monk long ago who watched a woman drowning because he was not allowed to touch her. Other things include it being inappropriate to rest leaning against a desk, there are bathrooms adjoining every classroom because we should never leave during the day, and shoes are not to be worn in classrooms. This is the hot season and it is the coldest hot season on record for 35 years and that it rained yesterday bothers locals. It does NOT rain during the dry season.
Monday, May 9, 2011
Thailand, an Intro
First of all, Thailand is amazing! I have never made a better choice than coming here. Not all of my group is as adventurous and me and honestly they are missing out. as a result the people I am becoming friends with are mostly the Canadian teachers who have come over here to teach for a year or more and are really into the Thai lifestyle.
Yesterday morning when I woke up I was very confused as to what to do. No one was in sight. As it turns out the 3 others at Campus 1 slept in, perhaps jet-lagged. I found a student from the University of Manitoba who had been here a week. He showed me the quickest way to walk to the school. 10 minutes later, having navigated the street-side vendors, and detoured around a Buddhist shrine we arrived at the copper-coloured school building. I think it is 7 or 8 floors high. The numbering is a bit strange. The staffroom is on the 5th floor and it looks like something out of a police show. It has whitewashed walls and a desk with a computer for each teacher to work individually. Interactions are usually only with those in your general vicinity. To offset this police station feel guests sit on plastic lawn chairs as they are much cheaper than office chairs. This first week is for planning. The students will arrive next week but I will not start teaching them seriously until the 23rd. This weekend is a long weekend due to Coronation Day and a Buddhist holiday. The first week of class the students go to Ethics camp to learn the correct way to behave in school. I will see them only for introductions during this period.
My class consists of 4 grade 6 students and during English and Social Studies we join with the grade 5s, making 16. The students in the program which I teach are paying extra for 85% English immersion rather that only 50% English immersion. This results in smaller class sizes. Everyday I must be at school from 8am until 4:30pm. Class starts at 8:40am and goes to about 3:30pm. After this, students who pay extra go to Homework Club where they have help with the mandatory 30 minute daily homework. the day starts out with Candle Ceremony, which I will describe more once it is explained to me. I teach core subjects from Manitoba curriculum: English, Math, Science, and Social Studies. Students do not have recess apart from lunch recess. As a result they have time for extra classes. They take Thai language, Ethics, Music, Gym, Swimming, Computers, and Scouts. They have to learn Canadian history but also Thai history. They celebrate Canada Day. There are two pools inside the school for swimming but they don't swim past October because it is "too cold."
Teachers are greatly respected here because of the hierarchy. It goes Buddha, then the King, then parents, then teachers.
The teachers here hardly ever cook. We can buy food at the street vendors, usually for less than 30 Baht (~$1 Canadian). For breakfast I had scrambled eggs and toast for 30 Baht. For lunch I had Thai Chicken Curry for 30 Baht and a big glass bottle of Pepsi for 14 Baht. Dinner consisted of fried plantains in Carnation milk caramel sauce for 20 Baht. Once school actually starts I will have the option of free lunches. Tap water is not safe to drink but a 2 litre bottle of water costs 14 to 20 Baht and there is free filtered water at the school. I drank 3 litres and a 1 litre Pepsi yesterday.
Most streets here are narrow and lined with street vendors. People drive motorcycles mostly and even drive them on the sidewalk. Children as young as ten can be seen driving motorcycles and sometimes whole families sit on one motorcycle. Other people drive cars and public transport consists of buses, trains, and taxis.
Oh and it is safe! Women can walk alone at night here, although groups are still suggested. My apartment has 24 hour security. To walk into my apartment it goes as follows. First you enter through a big metal gate guarded by a security guard. Next you find the correct building, to get in it requires a fingerprint scan and password. Providing you are able to complete this there are high quality locks on both my apartment door and bathroom door. (By the time you figure them out I will have escaped out the window!) No stalkers, please!
Yesterday morning when I woke up I was very confused as to what to do. No one was in sight. As it turns out the 3 others at Campus 1 slept in, perhaps jet-lagged. I found a student from the University of Manitoba who had been here a week. He showed me the quickest way to walk to the school. 10 minutes later, having navigated the street-side vendors, and detoured around a Buddhist shrine we arrived at the copper-coloured school building. I think it is 7 or 8 floors high. The numbering is a bit strange. The staffroom is on the 5th floor and it looks like something out of a police show. It has whitewashed walls and a desk with a computer for each teacher to work individually. Interactions are usually only with those in your general vicinity. To offset this police station feel guests sit on plastic lawn chairs as they are much cheaper than office chairs. This first week is for planning. The students will arrive next week but I will not start teaching them seriously until the 23rd. This weekend is a long weekend due to Coronation Day and a Buddhist holiday. The first week of class the students go to Ethics camp to learn the correct way to behave in school. I will see them only for introductions during this period.
My class consists of 4 grade 6 students and during English and Social Studies we join with the grade 5s, making 16. The students in the program which I teach are paying extra for 85% English immersion rather that only 50% English immersion. This results in smaller class sizes. Everyday I must be at school from 8am until 4:30pm. Class starts at 8:40am and goes to about 3:30pm. After this, students who pay extra go to Homework Club where they have help with the mandatory 30 minute daily homework. the day starts out with Candle Ceremony, which I will describe more once it is explained to me. I teach core subjects from Manitoba curriculum: English, Math, Science, and Social Studies. Students do not have recess apart from lunch recess. As a result they have time for extra classes. They take Thai language, Ethics, Music, Gym, Swimming, Computers, and Scouts. They have to learn Canadian history but also Thai history. They celebrate Canada Day. There are two pools inside the school for swimming but they don't swim past October because it is "too cold."
Teachers are greatly respected here because of the hierarchy. It goes Buddha, then the King, then parents, then teachers.
The teachers here hardly ever cook. We can buy food at the street vendors, usually for less than 30 Baht (~$1 Canadian). For breakfast I had scrambled eggs and toast for 30 Baht. For lunch I had Thai Chicken Curry for 30 Baht and a big glass bottle of Pepsi for 14 Baht. Dinner consisted of fried plantains in Carnation milk caramel sauce for 20 Baht. Once school actually starts I will have the option of free lunches. Tap water is not safe to drink but a 2 litre bottle of water costs 14 to 20 Baht and there is free filtered water at the school. I drank 3 litres and a 1 litre Pepsi yesterday.
Most streets here are narrow and lined with street vendors. People drive motorcycles mostly and even drive them on the sidewalk. Children as young as ten can be seen driving motorcycles and sometimes whole families sit on one motorcycle. Other people drive cars and public transport consists of buses, trains, and taxis.
Oh and it is safe! Women can walk alone at night here, although groups are still suggested. My apartment has 24 hour security. To walk into my apartment it goes as follows. First you enter through a big metal gate guarded by a security guard. Next you find the correct building, to get in it requires a fingerprint scan and password. Providing you are able to complete this there are high quality locks on both my apartment door and bathroom door. (By the time you figure them out I will have escaped out the window!) No stalkers, please!
Sunday, April 17, 2011
10 Things I Hope To Do in Thailand
Things I want to do in Thailand May/June 2011.
1. Teach some wonderful students.
2. Spend some time relaxing on the beaches.
3. Hold a tiger.
4. Ride an elephant.
5. See the Grand Palace.
6. Eat some delicious bugs.
7. Go to an open-air market.
8. See some Buddhist Temples.
9. Take in the Natural Beauty.
10. Visit Bangkok Museums and Gardens.
1. Teach some wonderful students.
2. Spend some time relaxing on the beaches.
3. Hold a tiger.
4. Ride an elephant.
5. See the Grand Palace.
6. Eat some delicious bugs.
7. Go to an open-air market.
8. See some Buddhist Temples.
9. Take in the Natural Beauty.
10. Visit Bangkok Museums and Gardens.
Sunday, April 10, 2011
No Internet
I am currently at the library because I have no internet. I moved into a new apartment (again) at the beginning of April. Because my roommate and I agreed it would be silly to get internet when he doesn't use it and I will be going to Thailand in a month for now I will just have to do without. Hopefully I will have internet at my apartment in Thailand and then definitely when I get back for the summer! Updates then!
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