First day and week of Teaching In Anuban Phaisali School! 17/07/13 - 19/07/13

WEDNESDAY 17TH JULY
Omg woke 2 minutes later to the worst dream ever last night, I was in this house but it was slightly different, I could see into the other bedroom and there was a bed in it and a dead Asian girl was on it, like something from the grudge, think I woke myself up screaming. DA FUCKKK.
Was a mixture of hot and cold all night turning the air con on and off RON & YEN got up and ready. Saw some of the students and got introduced to some of the others when I met jong at the front of the pitch. One of the teachers looks so young “watt” he’s doing a masters in math to become a director., he’s 25 and looked the same age as Ryan, Bla is 26.
The flag ceremony was nice, jong explained the different things going on. However I had to give a intro speech. SCUNDERED. Kept saying/ doing sawat dii ka wrong too. They all laughed as I spoke in English too. Kept is following me around and all though, classes begin half 8 and are hourly until half 11 for lunch. I had 1st free and then helped jong with a double period by doing phonetics. For lunch the kids surrounded us sat with chong wat and bla, I got rice and stir fry veg, when I was done I went to my flat for a bit before returning at half one and going on the internet. For the next lesson jong gave me a backy on her bicycle, I sat side-saddle, scary! I did it on her bike earlier this morn as I had to put on a cardigan to cover my shoulders. For her next class I did the majority of the lesson, was really good trying to get the kids to pronounce their “r’s” afterwards I sorted out Cambodia, its like £104 to get there and back and robin and tom are defs up for heading. Excited.  Jong has arranged to teach me to ride the scooter at 5. I got the hang of it pretty quick and I gave wat a backed round the outside of the school. Had a helmet though. Then we all went for a ride. Bla took jong on the back. Got shown the hospital and then taken to the reservoir. Its very dry this year hence why my taps wont work. Was lovely just wished I had my camera but bla took lots of pics on the school cam, im sure I can borrow it :D after this serene break we got some food from a stall which they had reordered and brought it back to jong’s and we all had dinner I had some noodles and rice, spicy bamboo and SOM TAM spicy papaya salad lovely. When everyone left jong and I chatted for a while and then I went home. Attempted my first “shower” my bucket wash, it was awkward but it was good to get a wash. I shall adapt. Malik rang he got bit by a dog. He’s not the happiest. And Liam, the other guy near me is actually leaving next week he’s that unhappy. I am sooo so lucky :)

"I feel like Fagin from Oliver twist, the students love me, teaching was so fun, even got them to pronounce their "r's" a bit  great day, couldn’t have a nicer mentor and all the other teachers are lovely. I’m even getting taught to drive a scooter tonight!! my mentor is in fact a legend, loving my Thai mummy haha. roll on the weekend though, CAMBODIA! excited to the MAX — in Nakhon Sawan, Thailand."

THURSDAY 18TH JULY

Knackered this morning fuck's sake!  And it was roasting for the flag ceremony! Felt like I was going to melt, least il get a half hour of sun today lol. Had first period free so went over some Thai words: RUTBRATJAMTNG bus SATANI station CHEUN BY BROOM KREUNG TEP I am going to Bangkok

For my first class I was with Bla for 2 classes of PRATOM 3..p3, they were learning the body parts so I taught them using myself then taught them head shoulders knees and toes, they fully loved it. The 2nd class I had to do the phonetics for it, they weren’t as impressed, did the game again though and it cheered 

Them up. One girl had a wee twitch… aww <3 then it was lunch. One of the teachers brought me CANOM CROAT an eggy thai dessert, had a couple of them and then I had a mushroom dish and some rice and tried TOOT LEE AN durian fruit, was really different, but very nice, love trying new food, Asian food is sooo much better! Jean showed me the GLONG YAOW and the Thai dancing practice, a wee boy was doing it….enough said. They were decorating the car for the temple procession tomorrow and jong came up with the great idea that I should sit on it with the candle and the parrot (don’t even know what that’s about) in traditional costume. After that I had prathom 2 to teach. Their ABC’S. it was ok, so young and they didn’t want to do it, but they caught on quick when I taught them the ABC song. Literally thinking of my childhood to come up with things to help teach them lol.

 After this I got to dress up, a hoard of kids came into watch and bla took loads of pics, I love dressing up, ha-ha I'm such a big kid. Will be wearing a skirt and top of draped cloth and loads of golden jewelry. Excited!! You know me, any excuse to dress up ha-ha.  I got to go home early after this and was able to Skype mum and dad, they seem happy for me, though terrified at the same time with this Cambodia talk and the scooter lol. Apparently its very hot at home, late 20s…of all times for me to go…. Went on a wee bike ride to try and scope out the town and go to the 7/11 to get a top up, went a wrong route and saw a temple. got to the store eventually and got a slush puppy, yummers. Went for a dander, kept being told I was beautiful SOY MA. And two guys even took my pictures lol. Left though, as I thought it was going to rain.. I meet jong, bla and wat at half 5. We went by motorbike to the temple, wat on the back again, I think I did worse this time, maybe because I had no helmet and was nervous, finding it hard to start and head off and to turn…but then again the bike is a lot heavier than me. We went to the local Buddha shrine in which jong instructed me what to do, i.e. Shoes off, light incense and ask/talk to Buddha, then place on holder and place garland at Buddha, there were little white pieces of paper and inside were foil gold cubes to put on Buddha for luck for money. Some of the local kids appeared and we went to feed the fish beside the shrine as it is lucky to fed animals at a temple. The things were scary and vicious, maybe reconsidering this cage diving lark lol. 

After I was introduced to some English speaking Thai’s and then we went to the market to have dinner, we had  PAT THAI spicy fried noodle with egg and nut in it, beaut. Got a real lemon slush puppy and jong got me soy milk hot for the house. Stayed for a while at gong’s after and watched some soaps and the news while gong and I compared some customs, she’s great, she got me to try some mixed mango (mixed mango flattened out and sun dried in a banana skin) which was beaut I gave me some to keep and forced grapes to me for the house, coming down with food, she told me she wants me to get fat ha-ha. The news here was very different from any i've ever seen before, it seemed to only regard the king and his royal family. His son has 3 wives  =/  he is a soldier and his eldest sister is a teacher whilst the youngest is a doctor but she is very sick,  but it is not aids as J told me REPEATEDLY. i googled it at home and it came up that the son had aids but couldn't find anything on her? Apparently the King is the longest reigning monarch EVER. Impressive. Lol later on at home Batoway came with a "smallish" melon for me, adding to my growing collection I could literally open up my own fruit market lol. Booked Cambodia, its just robin tom and I, less than £2 a night for 3 nights!! Got speaking to mark on the phone, he got doubled up with a guy Luke who was miserable from N.I.

 need to be at the school for 7am to dress up.. The joys lol

FRIDAY 19th JULY

Got up at 6.40 today, stomach’s killing me, they make me eat way to much, just feel grim!  They feed me so much, like they’re scared I’ll waste away if they don’t offer me food constantly lol. Today is Thai Buddhist festival, “HAVA” or "Nakhon Ratchasima" were the people decorate candles and have a parade to the temple for a ceremony. Yesterday Chongrak asked me to dress up in Thai costume for it and go on a float (as all white girls in Thailand must)  this time I wore pink on top, not blue, C chum poo, then got a side saddle backie in full Thai costume to the parade beginning, as one does Ofc lol! Got loads of pics/, there were many other kids in the traditional thai costume too, and the Phaisali school band from the high school were there too. 

It started to get hotter by 8am, was knackered and with the added sun glare I was squinting the whole time, least I looked the Asian part… kept being told to smile and must have got like a million pics, face hurt, felt like and was told, I was like a doll.. The procession was slow and my head had began to hurt with the weight of the large head ornament, im sure the ancient old gold ones were a million times worse, this was all plastic and only some metal! Got pics with the Buddhist monks and the director, was kind of being treated as something in between an invalid and a movie star. Was near falling asleep too, the heat and incense did NOT help! Haha thankfully the ceremony wasn’t too long, and was given some more honey lemon tea, yummy! Was fun overall but honestly couldn’t wait for the relief I would get once the head ornament was taken off!! Went for a half hour nap before coming back for lunch. Had melon and a mushroom & mushroom meatball soup with noodle “tai” was beaut and easy on the tum. Had some fried bananas too which were quite define. They do love they’re sweetness and fried stuff. Rebecca would have a field day im sure. I was also given a lotus flower seed to try…I didn’t even know you could eat any part of a lotus…lets just say it wasn’t the most appetising. Had a meeting with the director of Phaisali district, apparently he’s the youngest there’s ever been at like 45. Sort of like a president I guess, like JFK being a president in his 40s, and also the main education woman, she was nice, reminded me of a thai Nannies with her fancy clothes and well set hair. Heard about the others from her, Wan is sick, Malik got bit by a dog and Liam went home, least im having fun lol.  Did a bit of a class after, did phonetics, to help them with their pronunciation, but it was a bottom class, hopefully I helped a bit. Chilled at mine then back for assembly sort of thing, told them about myself briefly and asked them questions about it.  Jongrak asked a girl if my sister was called Rebecca or Julie, funny eh? Apparently when she does English camp the English name she chooses is Julie, obvs why she’s the perfect Thai surrogate for me haha.  Chongrak leant me a backpack for my trip so gathered some things together and went for a bike ride out of the town, actually saw a snake slithering across the road! And some heron like creature in a rice field, na coaw went to the 7/11 and had a wee nosey at the surrounding shops, nothing exciting really to be honest, spotted a fucking dead decomposing cat beside my house, BOKEE!!

 Skyped the parentals then afterwards Dang, Bla and Chongrak and I all went to Nakhon Sawan in Chongrak's car, we even stopped at Nakhon Sawan park, even though they don’t speak the best English and I don’t speak any Thai really, im starting to love them :D turns out Dang is Chongrak’s sis! And they live beside each other along with they’re younger brother how strange! All teachers too! Had tofu and rice with veg, so full, cant wait to be able to relax the food intake over the next couple days without feeling like I may explode as my stomach is killing me! Their sister came up from Bangkok too for the holiday, it seems everyone does this sort of this which I think is lovely! Chatted away to her they’re all so nice and was even able to speak to Chongrak’s hubby, he loves golf so was talking about Rory McIlroy from back home haha. The house is weird, open plan, “kitchen” is outside between the houses and her living room has garden furniture in it, must just be what they do in Thailand. Up for 7am for Bangkok in the morning then CAMBODIA!!