Week 4 Mary....THE TARANTULA! 7/8/13 - 8/8/13

WEDNESDAY 7TH AUGUST
Pure exhausted when my alarm went off! I just don’t seem to be allowed a proper sleep or lie-in in this country! Had some fried banana, my food took a while coming as they hadn’t expected me back so early, some tomato fried rice and some soup, used the soup as extra vegetables just, plain and easy on a stomach that hates me,  Had a class with Bla, she had to leave, and I was only having to do an hour as it was a double but they knew I was knackered, so kind of just abandoned them, they didn’t seem to understand me or could be bothered too much at the start but after Bla left I kind of took reins of it myself and get the meaning through, seemed to work, they seemed ok after that. Hadn’t taught that group before apparently, year 4. Tidied and chilled at mine, the stupid beer Lao t-shirt I got for myself is for a fucking kid! I kind of can squeeze into it, guess I can cut it…bricolage y’know! Made a Thai facebook finally. So the kids will be able to add me.
Had my after school class, the wee 3rd years came again. This time I recapped everything orally and then I had them write out the questions and answers, they’re to go over them for Tuesday as I'll set a test. They were quite full of chat. Getting comfortable round me, sort of messing about. Asking me if I was going to the space convention and getting really excited in case I’d be with them for the bus (turns out I am) they asked me lots of questions and started teaching me some Thai phrases and asking me some words in English, such as tip-ex. I think I will really miss them, I told them how I’d see if I could come back next year, though I wouldn’t be teaching them as they’re p6. One girl, who’s nickname is now Nikki, said she didn’t want me back….she wants me to live in Phaisali permanently! Aww. Kids can be so great some times, really makes me wonder if I should do this? Maybe just TEFL? I will have to look into it.
Went for a bike ride. Then BANG,  TORRENTIAL RAIN, was soaked through like a drowned rat! Tidied some more and made the house more my own with what I got over the weekend, the rain had got heavier and it was starting to flood! Felt like I had to near swim to Jongrak’s that like 10 metres away haha. She’d made 2 meat dishes so I took the veg out, a red curry with lots of mushrooms, delicious, and a peppered soup with some omelette and green veg, cauliflower too, it was divine, the soup in particular, through her use of chilli and pepper, I've asked if she’ll show me how to make it! With ofc some mixed rice steamed. The cooking is so good and there’s always so much flavour…long as it isn’t wayyy too spicy haha. Got a lift to the school as the weather was so horrendous,. The cows had started up but Jongrak says the aren’t actually cows, it’s a Thai animal and she’ll tell me what it is…it’s a frigging cow like! Haha she says it’s a frog like creature…way to loud to be that tbh! Got speaking to the family on skype, brought my headset this time. Fucking electrocuted myself again with the plug in the classroom, this one was a lot worse ffs! Asia… always trying to kill us white bitches some way! Haha
They’re all away to Espana tomorrow,  I miss them. Becks (my sister) is fully up for a “gap yarh summer” next year, having seen all that I've been doing and hearing about it and then she looked up where I was on the maps and saw how close Thailand is to everything and agrees that she’d be ok if we went seeing as I'm able to organise to grown up boys to go lol. It’d be great craic. and Ofc the Thai kids and the ones on the course should I need to contact them, feel better for it already. Knackered again as usual! No sign of ol’ Mary though haha (What my sister named the tarantula to humanise it so its not as scary.. Had the TV on for a bit, another weird soap…this one had a guy who was speaking to his “imaginary” golden Buddha kid…wtf haha. Asian TV always craics me up. Wonder what they think of ours. Dull in comparison by far I'm sure

THURSDAY 8TH AUGUST
 Absolutely shattered when I woke, to the point were pressing snooze again was a tantalising ordeal that I had to overcome. Turns out the Glong Yaow thing today was to begin at 7, Chongrak forgot to tell me, Wat gave me a lift to a place nearby the school that had been set up, lots of people were there and lots of ceremonial sacrificial food and floral/plant designs mainly in dragon shape were up, lots of full pig heads and trotters and full chickens, eek!

 Amazing dragon made form flowers and plants, such skill!

 pigs head, nom nom

The Directors father was there, he just looks like him, the white hair doesn’t help! Then I was shown to a nearby house to meet his mother who was nice but spoke no English an was very very old an immobile but she was obviously proud of her son as she quickly instructed us that the show was about to start, she seemed to have a count down, how sweet! The skills those kids have, are as always amazing. The rhythm is great as is the tempo but with added dance it makes it exciting, especially when they correlate a high trapeze style act whilst playing and dancing! Noticed that one of the students that does the dancing and drums was a boy, must be the gay one, he was definitely caked with the lippy, I really don’t understand how such a prim and respectful culture is so sexually free with men being women, but not the other way around? There was food Ofc, then went back to the school. Had 2 lessons with Bla, drawing food and drink, I drew my “favourite food is pizza” and “favourite drink is lemonade” and went over it and the question and asked some of them individually, Bla disappeared so I had to set the activity of them drawing it myself, they seemed to catch on quick enough. Same again for the lower class. The girl with the ticks tries so hard with me, she's needy, in much need of attention, always calling me, I don’t want favouritism or being treated like an equal, so when they are too chummy I sort of ignore them…is that bad, or is that what teacher/student relationships need to be about?
One of the boys was not paying attention at all, he’d even manage to cut out part of his book…wtf, so I made him state a good few times that his favourite food was pizza…kids! Boys in particular! Same in every country I'm sure, the bad boys and kids acting up/not trying does get to me, things like that make me feel that it wouldn’t be a good career choice, but then I think that getting the ones who muck around to try harder through forced examples and exercises means that through their dislike of me, further down the line the stuff I made them do repeatedly as a sort of punishment if you will has stuck with them, I think dad said that happened to him once…or maybe some one else…so I do know it works? But it can be an utter failure too? For lunch we moved to the first blue building as they had lots of teacher food, I had some noodles and curry sauce with my veg and mushroom meat, absolutely define, plus J gave me extra full head mushrooms, was heavenly!! Tried a rambutan, the red and green class looking spiky fruits was nice but the fruit stuck to the nut and it came off with it making it crunchy…had lots of a wee dessert, sugary dough, with a sugary buttery spiced nut gooey centre and then roll it in some more nuts and spices. HEAVEN IN MY MOUTH!! So bad but sooo good!! Soft and gooey goodness throughout!

 Glong Yaow, spot the little boy

 how different cows are from home. they have humps!

 No more class and no Thai dancing due to the preparations for tomorrow so went for a bike ride, ended up quite far, the crossroads for the towns, think it was called Dak fa? There was a police road stop at it too, tried to go to a temple as there was a sign for it, but I didn’t find it, fuck sakeeee, stupid lying Asian signs, getting my wee temple whore hopes up haha! Looked at a sign, apparently I was 10km out from Phaisali, didn’t feel like it! But boy did it on my way back! My bum felt dead, all but crawled into the classroom to go on the computer and die haha. Looked up such for Bangkok and contacted the guys, turns out neither Robin or Tom will be there until Saturday so there really isn’t much point me going on the Friday as I’d either be alone of stuck with people I cant really be bothered with lol.
Chilled at mine for a while, then borrows Wat’s scooter, felt so alive! So free! Need to get one for home. Went to the reservoir from the 1st week but wasn’t in the mood to way the forest bit so continued on, found a sign for a temple to followed it, came into what appeared to be a dingy village, dirt track road, continued to follow the signs and even start of go up a large hill/forest area,  obviously a temple on the hill…nope, was convinced it was just a house. On a dead end on a cliff!! Fs! With a better look I spotted a statue…hardly a temple if its just a house with a statue for the locals, but I spotted a monk, it was a fucking house. Not a temple. Liars! Near died again on my way down from it too! Stopped at the 7/11 for a drink and gave Watt his bike back. Went to Chongrak’s and near enough passed out having done some crochet. All the others teachers were eating in the hall as Chongrak had used the food given to them from earlier to make a pig soup and meat dish, she made me some vegetables and I went up with them. The older really skinny teachers had sugary crepes with string candy floss like sugar, is there no end to the candy sugar filled Thai madness?
No, there isn’t.
I had about four along with my food, was sort of strange but was yummy and then some kid turned up with more of the dough things from earlier, one of the teachers with poor English was saying if I kept at it my teeth would fall out and go black haha. Wouldn’t be surprised! But it's sooo sooo good! Chilled at mine for a while and got a “bath” i.e. a bowl and a rag, or as they’d say in The Simpson’s “I wash myself with a rag on a stick” did feel better for it though. Raining again :( Chongrak bla and the other teachers all went to Tesco’s, they’ve to get things for the monks, as you do and I needed more water,got a little banana milk cartoon, it was actually quite cute.
These monks seem to have an easy life, peaceful, bright coloured, well educated, free stuff, great respect and reverence from all, and everyone loves each other and they have loads of holidays, they have a great life, and yet Christianity is the true religion of eternal happiness….everyone hates each other and kill each other…yeah the true religion….people really make me question my life and faith in general, my country is a great example of religious tolerance…not. Got speaking to Nan and gag when I went on the computer, got him to go on facebook chat as the skype was actually much better! Apparently there’s still lots of trouble back home in Northern Ireland, more to be expected tomorrow and extra police being brought in for some parade, ffs!
On Skype I was being honest with Nan and gag after a while about how I was so nervous and scared at the start but how happy and alive I feel now and how great everyone is, think that really set them at ease, I'm glad, okay they can err me at times but they mean well, they’re so good to me, honestly the spoil me too much, I don’t deserve their kindness and love at times, so hopefully more skyping over the next week would be good, I miss them and they’re strange ways haha!
Came back to “Mary” being on the prowl, was able to get pics and a vid, one of them she has glowing eyes, hopefully I can tweak the video to edit out my squawks when she moves rapidly haha! Up early tomorrow, celebrations start at half 7. Not going to Bangkok until Saturday now andddd Chongrak is going to take me to Lop buri in the afternoon, excited! I said I didn’t want to be a hindrance and she told me I was silly, they’re all so kind to me :D oh and according to Jongrak we are both right about the “cow” noises, they’re called Cow frogs

 there she is...

evil glowing eyes!!

 "she's coming for you Barbara...!!!!!!"