Elephant Sighting

As we approached the entrance of our hotel, we saw a very crazy scene - elephants walking down the side of the road! It's easy to forget there are elephants here in Thailand until you actually see them.

Surprise Trip!

I knew that Joe and I were taking a trip yesterday - a part of my birthday present. But I just assumed it was a day trip up the mountain - which I was still very excited about! For the past week, we have been practicing riding the scooter together, with me on the back.

**(Just as a quick disclaimer: Joe rented a motorbike --an automatic scooter-- as a means of getting to school and back. This is basically the main form of transportation in Thailand and as there is a lot of traffic in Chiang Mai, no one ever goes very fast at all. But two days ago we bought some heavy duty helmets that we ALWAYS wear. And we never drive at night!)**

With that said, I was excited about getting out of the city for a bit. What I didn't know was that Joe had planned a night at an awesome resort up in the mountains!! It only took about an hour to get there by bike, but it was an amazing ride! We kept ascending higher in the mountains...a breezy ride, palm trees, rice paddies, water buffalos -- and elephants! Needless to say, it was amazing. Because it is the low tourist season, it was basically just us at the resort -- and we were upgraded to a deluxe room! We ate a meal in the early evening, enveloped in a hazy heat, a flock of birds fluttering overhead, the din of the insects rising...and an elephant practicing his polo swing nearby.* Here's a quick pic from the terrace...




*I also rounded a corner and saw an elephant lazily painting a picture, paintbrush in trunk, canvas and easel. Still not quite sure how I feel about this anthropormorphizing of elephants--but I'll admit, it was kind of adorable.

Mountain Trip

On Saturday I surprised Sarah with a trip to the mountains surrounding Chiang Mai as a bday present. We stayed at this really awesome mountain resort about an hour from the city. We were seriously in the jungle!


at the bottom of the mountain



in the jungle!



elephant!

Update

Hi everyone! I know it's been a while since you've heard from me. Teaching full time has been really really tiring but I think I'm finally getting used to it. So just an update - I"m nearing the end of my temporary assignment filling in for a teacher who's been out from back surgery. The teacher's coming back this week. We'll be co-teaching for a little while as he gets used to being back in the classroom again.

But the good news is that my school asked me to work there permanently for the academic year! I'll be transitioning into the new job this week. I'll be teaching 'Pratom,' which is elementary (I've been teaching 'Matayom' which is high school/middle school). It's great because I'll get a one year work permit, along with a bunch of other benefits I wasn't getting before, and I won't have to deal with moody teenagers all day.

So....Sarah and I actually just got back from a weekend trip. We're a little sunburned but we took a bunch of photos that we'll be posting all week.

My Birthday!

My 25th birthday was this past Tuesday and we spent the whole weekend prior partying it up. We had a BBQ at our friends house (who live just around the corner) which, over the course of the night, eventually led to a live music bar, buying a bottle of Thai whiskey...and the rest is history. It was fun! And now I'm 25!

Here are a few pictures of the night...not all of them, because I'm not sure how many people want their pictures splashed across a public forum. Particularly when in compromising situations involving lethal whiskey. But Joe and I are fair game -- WE DO IT FOR YOU, FOLKS.


Happy Birthday to Me!


Me and Joe...whiskey kicking in...


A few fellow teachers at the BBQ...


They made me a cake!! (end of the night blurriness setting in...)

We will write more soon!!

Wai Khru Day

Today was Wai Khru day at my school. Basically, this is Teacher Appreciation Day, but like you've never seen before. It was a bit insane. Mathayom 1 and 2 (7th and 8th grade) had their ceremony at the same time. So me and three other English teachers went to the "auditorium" (an open air stage surrounded by thousands of folding chairs). We had to sit on the stage, front and center. It was 8am, about 100 degrees, and there were about 1000 students in front of us. IT WAS SO HOT. Barely a breeze and the first 30 minutes was a speech given in Thai. It was a bit grueling. Everytime I wiped sweat off my forehead, I knew that 1000 students were watching me. That's 2000 eyes. And I couldn't stop sweating.

After the speech, we all sang a hymn, except the hymnbooks are in Thai and so, us English teachers, had to hold the books open and just stand there. It was awkward. 2000 eyes. But now is the good (amazing/crazy/bizarre/disorienting) part. For the past week the students have been working on these elaborate "bouquets" of flowers to present the teachers. They are truly incredible. Really ornate flowers (in some cases, the petals folded down into intricate designs), candles, incense, etc. in a silver vase/dish. There were about 50 of these in total that were presented to us. But it's all about the presentation.

So 50 special students were chosen, and 25 at a time, they approached the side of the stage. They then proceeded to walk on their knees/crawl across the stage holding these bouquets until they were all in front of a teacher. There is nothing stranger/more amazing than seeing 25 students slowly crawling towards you with bouquets of flowers. They stopped, faced us (on their knees), and presented the flowers. Then, they prostrated themselves until they were laying face-down in front of us. The reason they crawl and stay on their knees is a sign of respect. After they prostrated themselves, we (the teachers) "wai"-ed them (hands in prayer position, then bow). As if this wasn't enough, then 25 more students did the same thing. Shuffling down the stage, on their knees, in their skirts or shorts (I actually noticed some of them had put Band-Aids on their knees -- no rugburn for them). As ridiculous as it was, it was amazing and humbling and beautiful. I really felt honored. After they all crawled offstage (they had to keep crawling until they reached the stairs again), each row of students in the auditorium came to the front and placed a bouquet of flowers at our feet. There were several hundred students and this took some time. But I think it's the closest I will ever come to feeling like a king. It was pretty amazing. Despite the heat and the length of time...I think I love Wai Khru Day.

Post TEFL

Things have changed a lot since my TEFL class ended on Thursday. On Wednesday morning, the language school I was taking the course at asked me if I could start teaching there THAT DAY. I agreed, thinking it would be good experience. So I taught that Wednesday and Thursday, and I'd also be picking up an additional class the following week. Most of my TEFL classmates were taking at least a week off after the course to recover from the stress, but I thought it would be good to jump into teaching right away, especially since Sarah had already been working the past few weeks.

However, the night my class ended (and right before I left to meet my TEFL classmates for a celebration drink), I found out about another teaching opportunity from one of our friends in our apartment complex. One of the teachers our friend worked with had sudden back surgery and needed a teacher replacement for at least six weeks.

So on Friday I stopped by the school (which is actually one of the best in Chiang Mai) to get more info about the job. I had an interview on the spot, and they asked me to come back on Monday to do a demo lesson. SO..., after a great weekend, I did a demo lesson, teaching 14 year olds the family tree.

Directly after the demo they asked me if I could start THE NEXT DAY!!! I said yes, and now I'm currently working full time!!! I'm teaching 'Mateom', which is middle school though high school.

Today I taught three classes, basically 7th grade, 9th grade, and 12th grade. Tomorrow I'm teaching 5 CLASSES!!!!!!!!

At this point I'm not really sure if I'll get through the week, so there might be a couple less blog posts. I don't know what I got myself into.

WISH ME LUCK!!!

Rainy Season

The rainy season has begun here in Chiang Mai. The weather's usually normal during the day but then we'll get a huge thunderstorm in the late afternoon. It all happens pretty suddenly. Within 20 minutes, the rain is over and it's sunny again. I'm pretty sure it'll get more rainy than right now though.

I took this picture just a few minutes before a huge storm came through. Click for larger.

Bassett Sighting!!!

Sarah and I never thought we'd see one of these guys in Thailand. Click for larger.

TEFL crew

Today is the last day of my TEFL course. I'm going to miss my crew!



From left to right: me, Fenton, Katie, and Brooklyn. There's also Rachel, who took the photo.

Our Place

After a long delay, here are some photos of our apartment!

















Inside:


Yes, that's a pink wall...











(click for larger)

I couldn't really get a good photo of our outside balcony, but that's where the 'kitchen' area is - basically a counter top with sink and a combination coffee maker/toaster oven.

Teacher Joe

One of my TEFL classmates snapped these photos of me teaching a class of 2nd graders 'Likes & Dislikes.'



Teaching little kids who don't know English is pretty rough...



Overall, it was a pretty fun teaching practice!

Special Wishes for Mama Waldron!

For those of you who don't know, my mom was involved in a riding accident last week. She was in the hospital for a few days and needless to say, it was a stressful time to be in Thailand. I felt so far away. The good news is that she will recover 100% and is back home at the farm. The following is a special message from my class in Thailand!




That picture and the next one are of "my" class. This is the class that I see everyday and we have already formed a special bond. They are awesome. If you're wondering, they have to wear these 'scout' uniforms every Monday, though I'm not sure why. I'm pretty lucky though because some schools in Thailand require their English teachers to wear them as well!

Click on any of the pictures to see a bigger size...



This next picture is but one of many of my other classes (about 10 more total). There are over fifty students in each class and no A/C! They're still awesome...



Again, click on them to see close up. .

I love you Mom! Feel better!!