My First Trip to the Hospital

Don't worry!!!!! Nothing bad happened to me! I had to go to the hospital to get blood work done for my work permit because I am only allowed to stay in the country longer than 90 days if I got checked for tuberculosis and syphilis. Two weird things to make sure I don't have but I'm all good and can stay! I hate needles as many of you know, so when my coordinator told me she planned a ride to drop me off at the hospital and to take a cab back I started to panic! I wasn't ready for this! I usually need a couple days to prep my mind and make sure I have juice if I start to feel faint and this was all too soon! When I arrived at the hospital I was nervous to approach the help desk because I wasn't sure if they would understand me, or if I would just start to cry right there. Well, they were super helpful and took all my information and asked me about allergies and showed me in the right direction. This hospital was huge and very clean and one of the nicest I have ever seen! It was easy to navigate and signs were also in English. When I got to the check-up area they took my slip to see what they were checking and asked me to sit and wait. As I waited they offered me water and were all very kind. The ladies who were working behind the desk all looked so clean and nicely dressed, it was such a big difference from my local doctor back at home. When a nurse came and directed me to a room I started to shake. How can I be so afraid of one little needle. I have tattoos and want many more. I've endured pain so much worse than one little needle. I even came across the world by myself, how can I be scared of this. I kept repeating encouraging thoughts to myself in my head and when she finally pricked me with the needle to draw blood.... I cried like a baby..... ughhhh. I suck lol. I don't think I will ever get rid of my fear of the doctors office and needles. The poor nurse thought she hurt me and felt so bad, which made me feel bad, but I was quickly out of there and they told me my blood results would be ready in an hour. In the meantime I dried my tears and watched the Tv that was in the waiting room. Then they doctor had to do a physical exam which just required her to check my breathing, weight, heart rate, and ask some questions. She did ask if my family tells me I'm fat.... thank lady lol. Fat in Thailand is almost used as a shape instead of an insult. I was told this during my orientation and to not take it personally. Even my friend Mary who is half my size has been called fat by people in her town. It still hurts though lol. When we were done on my way out they gave me a hospital card with all my information and told me if I ever need to com again just show this card and they can pull up my file instantly. I thought that was pretty neat! It also made me feel assured I would be okay if I ever came in an emergency I would be okay.

Go Pro Pictures!

Mary's Visit to Bangkok!

Finally spent a weekend in Bangkok which was nice to do some exploring in my own city! Mary came to visit because she was doing the half marathon on the Sunday. She arrived on Friday early evening and after catching up we went to Ekkamai gateway mall to grab some dinner. Mary teaches in a small town so she was excited to get some westernized food. We got pretzels, pizza and ice cream! Was very delicious :) Then we got invited out by my new friend Jenna to a pub style restaurant/bar called Sway. This was the first place I had seen draft beer so that excited me! This place was very expensive though so I only had a couple drinks! Then after Sway we took a taxi to Soi 11 which is a popular street with many bars. First we went to Aussie Bar which had a live band doing covers in English. It was really fun and the bar was full of both tourists and locals. After this bar we went to another called Levels. This was a rooftop bar and really cool! Once again very expensive because it is a tourist street so they can jack up the prices. This bar was also full of both tourists and locals. We had fun dancing all night, and I mean all night. I don't think Mary and I got back to my apartment until 3am!!! Before we got home we had to stop at the 7 Eleven and get a toasty for the ride home. They are so delicious and I'm addicted! It's a croissant with ham and cheese and they warm it up in a toaster at the 7 Eleven... to die for :) We had a little bit of a sleep in then we travelled more into downtown Bangkok to the Rama 8 bridge. This is the area that Mary's half marathon race was taking place. Mary got a hotel room in the area because the race started at 5 am and it was about half hour from my apartment, and she invited me to come along and take advantage of the pool and comfy beds! We had a nice afternoon swim and laid by the pool! I got really into my book, The Luckiest Girl Alive! Highly recommend it... sooo good! Then we went to register Mary and get her shirt. On our way back we got dinner at this cute little restaurant! I had Pad Thai! Still one of my favourite dishes here to eat, as well as Pad See Ew (which I had for lunch). We went to bed early because Mary had to be up so early! When Mary's alarm went off she got ready and I wished her luck! She predicted it would take around 2 hours to finish so I planned to go down and watch her cross the finish line. I went back to bed for a bit and then on my way to the finish line I went and saw the largest Buddha I have seen here in Thailand so far. It was so beautiful and nice to see so early in the morning. The gold Buddha glowed in the morning sun, it was amazing. When I finally met up with Mary she had found some other people in our program that signed up for the race as well and we all planned to meet for lunch later in the afternoon! We went back to the hotel and Mary had a nap and shower. I read more of my book! Then we got ready to sign out and our mission to find the Mexican restaurant began! The streets are very confusing in Bangkok, but after some help we found the restaurant. Mary and I got nachos to share and then I had some tacos. It was truly amazing after living on a diet of rice and noodles throughout my stay for far. I mean I love rice and noodles but it's nice to get a taste of food I would have at home as a treat! Then we all parted our separate ways as Mary's bus was the opposite direction of my apartment. It is always nice to see Mary. We have become very good friends and I know after I return from Thailand I will be making a visit to Boston to see her.

Best Weekend Ever! Kanchanaburi !!!!!

So this has been my favourite weekend so far in Thailand and one of the best in my life! I have heard many great things from everyone that has already visited Kanchanaburi, but I was finally excited to experience it myself, and on a long weekend so I got one extra day! Friday night after school a group of us met up at the Victory Monument van/minibus station and got our tickets! Vans are an okay way to travel. I would prefer a bus even though they take longer, but that's because the van drivers are crazy! And the pack the vans so full, it can get uncomfortable. They can usually fit around 10 people, so they sell 10 tickets.... but there is no truck so your bags must stay on your lap or go in the small walkway. Well we all had our big travelling backpacks so we were squished in. This however, was not the worst part. This driver I swear needs his license to be taken away. This is a summary of his driving. Gas, break, gas, break, gas, break, speed swerving through traffic, make own lane on shoulder lane, break, gas, break, drive on the wrong side of the road (yes he did this because there was no traffic on that side of the road, then cut back in), u-turn, gas, break, u-turn, break. Also the music was so loud you couldn't talk to the person next to you, and it was club music. The look on all of our faces was priceless. It was a mixture of I'm going to throw up, WTF is going on, and I have a migraine. I had to laugh because I mean what else do you do. We got in pretty late, so we went to bed that night right away! The guesthouse we stayed at was really nice! Right on the water the beds were comfier than most so that was a plus! When we woke up I got to see the view and it was nice being on the water with the sunrise! We got up nice and early to beat the tourists at Erawan National Park. This is where the Erawan Falls are and because it was the King's birthday on that day we knew it would have foreigners and locals just celebrating. The National Park opened at 7, so we planned on going for around then. We didn't realize it took about an hour to get there, but we arrived around 8. We got a songtao (pickup truck with seats in the back) to drive us there and he gave us a good price and waited at the park until we were done to drive us back! Erawan isn't just one waterfall, it is a hike with 7 main waterfalls and other small ones along the way up! The hike wasn't as bad as Khao Yai National Park and not as many steps, but it was still tough. At the waterfalls here though you could stop and swim! The water was so blue and beautiful it felt magical. We got there at the perfect time and no one else was really swimming, but then that just meant we were the only white people for the Thai's to look at. They all swim with their clothes on and we didn't want to do that, so we gave them something to whisper about lol. The water was a little chilly but very refreshing about climbing. At one of the waterfalls there was a rock slide, and man was that fun! This was probably one of the busier waterfalls. Even with all the people swimming around, all these fish would surround you! They would actually nibble on your feet and eat the dead skin off! At first I would scream every time I felt a fish but then you embraced it, and it felt kind of cool! I got some great pictures of this beautiful places, but they still do not do justice! It was one of the most beautiful sights I have ever seen! On the way back down we bumped into Jessie, Annie and Bailey (there bus was late). We went back to the guesthouse to shower and have a nap then out to dinner! We ended up at this pizza place, which was amazing!!! Mary and I shared a pizza and salad and I was in heaven! You don't see salads too often, so it's nice to have a good salad! Then we called it a night because we wanted to be refreshed for the elephants the next day!!!!!! We had breakfast at the guesthouse which was good! Eggs and toast with bacon :) The songtao came and got us at 9... but there was a larger group than I think the driver expected and we all wouldn't fit... we tried but they called another guy to come and get those who didn't fit. It was about a 45 min drive to elephant world as the first thing we see when we pull in is elephants! They had some eating from the trees right at the front and I was in love. Elephants are so beautiful. We signed in and then out day began! As soon as we got there they gave us some information about elephants and how to be safe around them. Then they told us to grab a basket and directed us towards the elephants! The basket included pumpkins, mangos, bananas, watermelons and corn. It was sooo cool giving the food to the elephants. How they grab it with their truck then throw it into their mouth was actually really cool to watch! Then off we were to start making sticky rice balls for the older elephants. During an elephants life they lose their teeth about 5 times when they are 20,30,40,50 and 60. So after 60 most elephants don't have any teeth. In the wild the most common way to die for an elephant is starvation because they can't eat much without teeth. So we cut up pumpkin into very small pieces and cooked some sticky rice, we then went to have lunch ourselves while the rice cooled. We came back and mixed the rice, pumpkin with pellets filled with nutrients and calcium to help them get the good stuff they need. Then we got to feed them :) this time sticking the rice balls right into their mouth. Omg... their tongues felt sooooo weird but so cool lol Then we got to watch the elephants give themselves a mud bath. It helps keep them cool and avoid getting a sunburn because Asian elephants have very sensitive skin and even though their skin is 2 inches thick they can still get a sunburn! It was so cute watching them all throw dirt and mud on their backs. The two babies were playing around with each other and their adoptive mother following close by. It was again so magical watching them interact with each other. They are such smart animals. We also got to see a mahout (people who work with the elephants) work with the blind elephant. It was so neat to watch her help guide this huge elephant that could crush here through the water and to food, because he can not do that anymore. All of the elephants at elephant world are rescued and come because they have been abused or hurt and they bought them from the people who mistreated them. They really do great things for the elephants. Makes me want to go back and volunteer some more. Then we went and cut down some corn stalks and bana grass for the elephants to eat... yes more food. Elephants need a lot of it! Look how big they are! So we cut it down put it on a truck and then dumped it off for the elephants to eat! After that was bath time! We got to get into the water and help bath the elephants. I was lucky enough to get to sit on an elephant. When done correctly it doesn't hurt the elephant. You should never sit on an elephants back. It is the weakest point on their body. They should have a hump but many don't from being used as a tourist attraction and people sitting on their backs and hurting them. Sitting on their neck is okay, this is the strongest place on their body! We also did it in the water so it takes off even more pressure. I was the first to get on and the mahout asked me if I could swim, I said yes and told me to hold on and all of a sudden the elephant was rolling over and dunking us in the water!!!! I was not expecting that but wow was that fun! The elephant did it a couple more times in between me rubbing the dirt off his head and ears. It was so cool. Something I will never forget. Once the elephants were clean we went back to where we started this morning and grabbed more baskets to feed them again. This time I was feeding an elephant named Malee. She used to work the streets of Bangkok and beg for money for her owner. Then one day a truck hit her leg, leaving her badly wounded. She is an older elephant and still to this day and does not use that leg a lot. While we were feeding her, you could see her leg lifting and she would only stand on three. This visit to see the elephants inspired me to educate people on how they are treated at Zoo's and trekking camps and please do not support this. After this we all headed back to the guesthouse, napped, showered and got ready for the night! We went out for dinner at this vegan restaurant, and hands down the best food I have ever had in my life. omg so goooooood. Soo good we went back for lunch the next day and got takeout to take home. Then we hit the town! There is a bar stand on the corner of a street and you can get 10 baht shots!!!! (a dollar is about 30 baht).... yea so we stayed there for a while! Then we just wondered from bar to bar having a really good time :) I was so happy to be surrounded by my new friends who are awesome, and just dancing like fools. As silly as it is I felt really happy in that moment and free. Like I was meant to be here with these people, who will now be life long friends. Everything in thing in this town closes at midnight, but the guesthouse next to us was having an after party, but we mainly just went for the puppies because they had the cutest dogs ever!!!! The next morning we had breakfast did a little shopping on the street and then headed home in a nice squishy van again! Best weekend ever :)

Father's Day (King's Birthday)

So in Thailand Father's Day is the same day as the King's birthday because they see him as the father of their country. He has been king for 69 years, so it has always been this way. Decorations around the city and all throughout Thailand began weeks before to prepare for the day! We got an extra day off because of this celebration giving me a long weekend! On Thursday at school, we had our own celebration for the King and everyone was told to wear yellow. This means that the King was born on a Monday. All the days of the week have corresponding colours and this than becomes "your" colour. I found this very interesting because I have always loved the colour green and turns out Wednesday's colour is green (the day I was born on). So I wore a nice bright almost neon yellow shirt... well I stuck out more than usually because apparently there is only one shade of yellow in Thailand and everyone else was wearing that colour and almost the same shirt, and next to them my shirt looked green and I was so embarrassed but they gave me an A+ for effort. We had a monk come to our school and accept offerings, this is something that is very common for schools to do around the King's birthday. I was not told about this, so I was the only one without an offering, but the monk did come and put blessed water on my head and wished me good luck with my time in Thailand. It was very cool to experience this and makes me want to look into a temple visit where I can meet some more monks and ask them some questions about Buddhism and their lifestyle because I find it very interesting. Then on Friday we had a Father's Day celebration! The theme of the party was superheroes because all Dad's are heroes! Invitations were sent out the week before inviting all of the Dad's to come in for the party and accept a gift, play games, and eat food! I never really know what is going on, they give me little bits of information to keep me in the loop, but when I arrived the next day... WOW! The decorations they set up were amazing! I would have loved to have helped but I didn't know they were doing this! Next time there is a party, I know to come early even if they don't ask to set up lol! I was told to wear all black that day and when I arrived I was giving a green cape! I felt just like a superhero! Chairs were set up all in the yard for the parents to sit on, superhero symbols were hanging from strings and there was even a superman cut out! I was amazed and excited to take this idea and use it for myself in my own classroom one day :) Slowly parents and students began to arrive and when everyone was settled we began the day! First we had the Dads sit on chairs and their kid would come up to them thank them for being the best Dad ever and give them a superhero card and a pin that said my hero! Then we set up different stations with games and they had to successfully complete the challenge to go to the next station and when you finished you would win a prize (everyone won something). The school had a station set up with coffee, chocolate milk, and this red drink I see everyone drinking but still don't know what it's called. It is very sweet and nothing I have ever tasted before. They also had buns with either custard or ham and cheese in the middle, which are also very popular in Thailand I have noticed. The party was over around noon, and most parents took their kids home, but some had to go to work so for the rest of the day we just played games with the kids. This day was so fun, but also very hard. Made me miss my Dad very much. A few tears might have been shed, and a parent caught me... it was embarrassing (something I do frequently to myself lol).

Koh Samet Island!

Koh Samet was a trip I have wanted to do since I arrived in Thailand! It is one of the islands that is closer to Bangkok and most areas have not gotten too touristy yet, so it is a nice beach to lay on because there are not too many crowds. I left after school on Friday like I do for all my weekend trips! Becky was meeting me at the Southern Bangkok Bus Terminal which was only a 10 min motorbike ride from my apartment. We got a ticket for a minibus, which in Thailand is a larger minivan that can hold approx. 10 people. If the van is full your bag usually rests on your lap on in the small middle aisle so they can get really crowded if everyone has a larger backpack. The van ride was one of the best I have had so far. It was a smooth drive and we arrived at the docks in around 2 and a half hours. We got in later so the ferry was not running again until the morning. This meant that we had to take a speedboat. We were told the waves were too big to take us right to our beach where our bungalow was but they could take us to the nearest dock and then we would have to take a songtao (pick-up truck with seats in the back) to our place. This was fine because we already booked the bungalow for that night and didn't want to wait until morning. It was a little expensive, but I understand why. It was about midnight, the sea black and the waves big. I'm okay in boats, but man was I scared!! I could not see the waves but my guess was we were going over about 10 foot waves. The boat would slow down a bit, we would go up and come down with a thump! I was laughing because all I could think about was my mom not approving of this boat ride, but Becky was holding on for dear life and looked like she might either cry or throw up, or possibly both. Once we got to safety... I mean land, it was a short 5 min songtoa ride and we had arrived! We were also meeting my new friend Jenna there with 3 of her friends. Jenna greeted us at the beach showed us to our room and the night had only begun! First, I was starving so this little restaurant on the beach was serving burgers, perfect! Then Jenna was sharing her large, cheap bucket of booze with us before we headed to the bar! Naga bar on Koh Samet island is famous. If you ever go there you have to go to this bar! Its a glow paint bar where the walls are covered in paint that glows and you get paint to cover yourself in! They play Western music so I was jamming out to Justin Bieber while sipping on my incredibly strong whiskey bucket of booze that cost next to nothing! It was a really fun night! When we woke up our bungalow we stayed in was more beautiful than I had imagined. It was right on the beach and you could hear the crashing waves from bed. Highly recommend Padosa Bunglows! It is close enough to the night life that you can walk but then also right on a quiet beach that had hardly no one on it! The restaurants in the area were also amazing! For breakfast I had an omelet and the best iced coffee I have had yet in Thailand! Lunch was Pad Tai because I love it sooo much! The day was spent on the beautiful beach soaking up the sun and swimming in the perfect temperature water! I was in heaven! Then I got a massage on the beach for around $10 for one hour! Sooooo good. The massages here are too die for! Then that night we went up to the busier beach and had seafood feast with Jenna's Thai teacher friend! It's always so fun and nice to have Thai people with you that speak English and Thai because they can communicate things to our server easily and know of cool places to go, like this restaurant! We had scallops, shrimp, squid, rice, yummy spicy soup! It was amazing. The we got to watch a fire show, which I still can't believe! I was sweating standing 20 feet away from these guys and they were swinging poles of fire right in front of their faces! Very entertaining! Then we walked down the beach some more when dinner was over and sat on cushions on the beach drinking beer and buckets of vodka and redbull! Becky went back to the room because she wasn't feeling the best and the rest of us went back to Naga to spend the rest of the night! Once again we painted ourselves to glow and had a great night :) The next morning before hitting up the beach I got another massage. This one a real Thai massage. They are a little rough and put a lot of pressure on your muscles, but man does it feel good after! Then some beach time was a must again. Jenna and her friends rented motorbikes for the day, but I haven't built up enough courage yet to ride one myself, but it will happen soon....sorry mom :) I promise to be safe and wear a helmet! We caught the ferry around 3:00pm. It took around 45 minutes to get back to the main land. From there it was a 3 hour van ride to Bangkok, 20 min skytrain ride to my stop, and a 10 minute motorbike ride to my apartment :) One of the most relaxing and fun weekends, definitely want to go back to Koh Samet and all of the other islands!

Loi Krathong!

Loi Krathong was celebrated at my school and in the country of Thailand on November 25. Loi Krathong is a festival where people making floating baskets (Krathong's) of natural materials that are then floated on a river. When you put your Krathong in the river you make a wish as you release it. The Krathong's are all different but everyone I saw was very beautiful. The celebration at my school took place in the morning and the students were sent home a letter asking them to bring in a Krathong and dress in traditional Thai clothing. The kids looked sooooo cute! I have some pictures on my facebook of this celebration if you want to take a look at some pictures :) We filled a kiddie pool with water to imitate a river, and each student got a chance to release their Krathong into the pool. It was really fun to see the kids wearing their traditional clothing and partaking in a Thai tradition that I was unfamiliar with. This job has taught me so much about the thai culture, their lifestyle and values. Thailand is a place of freedom and peace because the people are brought up with traditions and values that teach them this lifestyle. They give thanks for everything they have in their life and this festival is another way to show their thanks. I knew there was going to be events all over the city but I was unsure about the proper one to go too, and I didn't want to offend anyone by doing something wrong. Teacher Boom at my school asked me what I was doing and I told her nothing. She asked if I wanted to join her and another teacher to go with them to release a Krathong. I was very excited because I would get a very authentic experience of this tradition. Boom bought me a beautiful Krathong for the night and I was very excited. Boom or any of the teachers speak much English so I was still unsure of how the night would go, or what our plans were exactly. I was trying to ask what was appropriate to wear, what they were wearing, what time we were going out and received very unclear answers, but when in Thailand you go with the flow. I did not understand the time they were trying to tell me we were going at so I told them I would wait at the school until they finished work. On a usual work day I leave around 4:30pm. The first day they told me to leave at this time and I wait every day for them to tell me when to leave so it usually ranges between 4:30-5:00. Well they finish around 6:30pm everyday. They have to wait at the school until the last parent comes and picks up their kid. So finally when Ploy got picked up we headed towards my apartment. They told me to change and I put on an outfit they liked so I stuck with that. Then they asked if I wanted to sleep at their house because it was in the city close to the festival. I packed a change of clothes and a toothbrush and off we went! I was excited for my first sleep over with my Thai friends! We jumped on the back of motorbikes to make our way downtown because they are much quicker than a taxi. Once downtown it began to rain so we stopped for some dinner first! Then off to a temple we went. There was so many people in this temple it was difficult to move. They had food stalls and music and a long line to get to the river. We waited until our turn came and we lit our candles and incense on the Krathong and then said a wish and placed the Krathong in the river. It was very special to be apart of that experience with them because I saw how important it is to them. They held those Krathong's to their heads and prayed before they made their wish. After, we got a snack and headed back to their home. I was excited for this as well because I had not yet been into a Thai home. I was curious how similar and different it would be compared to my home.We walked down an alley and it looked like the one I walk down to school. it contained the same boarded up areas, which I assumed were run down business. But these gates on the front are the lock system for the homes that people live in. We we walked in and right away they had a living room space then a restaurant. Then you walked up some stairs and there was some rooms and a bathroom which was on the patio with a bucket shower. That was interesting when I took one! Saves water though which is really good for the environment! They have a lower tap and you fill the bucket scrub yourself and then dump water on yourself. This is very common in Thailand. Then another set of stairs and some more rooms. The three of us slept in one bed and woke up at the crack of 5:00 am. Boom asked for my uniform so she could iron it for school, we showered and off to school we went. Everyday I arrive at 8:00am, they arrive at 6:30am and clean the school while the students begin to arrive around 6:45. I was amazed at the hours they work and how hard they work. It made me feel bad, but my coordinator assured me my hours were fine, but for my one day being there early I helped sweep the school and rake all the leaves off the playground area. It was tiring, but made me feel apart of the school community. The teachers have really made me feel welcomed by always inviting me along and making sure I am okay and comfortable while I'm with them.

The Beautiful Khon Kaen

This trip was two weekends ago and one I was very excited about! I was finally reuniting with the sisters! Two sisters came here to teach with each other at the same school and they rock. Bailey is just as obsessed with Taylor Swift as me, so obviously we became friends instantly and her sister Jessie is also on board with Tay. We bonded over the week at orientation and I have not seen them since so I was super excited! Mary was also making the long journey to Khon Kaen with me which rocked because she is awesome and I also got to see her the previous weekend at Khao Yai. Our plan was to take the bus there and a plane back so we could get some more time with the sisters because the bus ride was 7 hours. We figured we would get there late Friday anyway so why not just sleep on the bus, and it was the price difference of about $7 for the bus and $70 for the plane ticket so why not save money one way...... IT WAS A HORRIBLE IDEA!!! Maybe if we would have went with a nice bus company, but my god. When we arrive at the bus terminal a bus was leaving around 11 pm, so sweet we will arrive around 6 maybe get a couple hours of sleep on a bed and can start our day. Well it didn't go like that. When we got on the bus we asked to keep our bags with us, which was a pain because they are travelling backpacks but we had snacks and sweaters if we got cold and what not so the annoyed bus driver made people move so we could have the extra leg room to put our bags on the floor at the very back of the bus. Sweet, these seats are nice, we get the whole back row with 5 seats. Well now the bus looks full but people keep coming on.... Now our 5 seater row is fitting 6 and my butt is being invaded buy a seat belt buckle... lovely. Whatever it's fine i'll position it right and fall asleep and these y hours will fly. Oh no wait 8 more people walk on the bus and now the bus driver is pulling out plastic stools with no back to sit on in my extra leg room. So now people are also sitting on my legs. After everyone got settled we left an hour late. I was dozing on and off during the bus ride, but it was hard because I didn't want to fall sleep on the guy beside me and every bump pushed that seat belt buckle a little further and yea lets leave it at that... So it wasn't the best spent $7 of my life but it got us to Khon Kaen by 7:00am. We asked the gentleman beside us wearing an official uniform if he knew what building or Tuk Tuk we should take to get to our friends condo and he told us to follow him got in the back of a pick up truck with us and then rode with us to our stop and paid our fee. Soooo nice. I will stop saying it until they prove me wrong, but Thai people are the nicest I have ever met. Once we got to the condo and had our hello's, our day started right away! Bailey and Jessie's coordinator was taking us at 8:00am to go to Cobra Village! So we grabbed some coffee and breakfast at the 7eleven and jumped in the car. Once we got to the village we walked around before the show started. There were cages everywhere with so many different types and sizes and lizards. The whole time I kept thinking about how much my mom and grandma would be hating their life if they were here lol. When the show started they had a women who would dance with a python around her neck, then some guys who would fight the cobras, and even some young children maybe 9 years old, who would fight and dodge smaller snakes. It was crazy, then we got a chance to hold the python.... So many thoughts running through my head, like yes do it Melissa when will you ever get a chance to do something like this again.... wait Melissa you hate snakes don't do it are you crazy... I don't think my mom will ever hug me again knowing there was a snake around my neck lol. In the end I did it and the snake actually felt so cool! I was scared and had my picture taken and told them to take it off right after but glad I did it. After that we stopped at this one temple and got our fortunes told. You would take a container of sticks and shake it until one fell out. this stick would have a number and then you would go to a box with that number and grab a paper from that box. If you did not like your fortune you can get rid of it by placing it in one of the elephant statues at the temple, but if you liked it then you have to hold on to it. I loved them. It really felt meant for me and spoke to how my life is playing out right now. I will post a picture on my blog of it, but it really spoke to me and made me feel secure in the decisions I have made in my life thus far. Then we stopped at the Khon Kaen University because Jick (Coordiantor) has her cow living there. Yes her cow. She had him as a pet but he got to big so now the University keeps him at the farm. He was huge!!!!!! And also super cute. We had lunch at the University which was delicious and then off to our massages we went! This would be my first Thai massage and I was super excited. Well it was awesome and my body felt great after but man do they get into your muscles. I had bruises all over my thighs and lower back lol but I felt like I could take on the world after! We went back and showered and got ready for the evening. We took a Tuk Tuk to the lake and sat and watched the sunset, it was stunning. It was a moment that truly made me grateful for everything and everyone in my life. Then we went for dinner and I got some Pad Thai. It was yummy!!!! It is so much better here, I will never eat Thai food back home again because it will suck. We got our pre-game on at their room and played Canadian cards against humanity. The best thing I brought lol they Americans think it is so funny and that all the cards are super Canadian when I still don't see it. They didn't even know what Tim Hortons was..... I've been teaching them a lot lol. Then we hit the town. The area that they live in is filled with foreigners which was nice for a change to talk to multiple people that speak English! I met a guy too that lives in Burlington and went to school at Guelph! So that was cool to talk about home home :) We went to a pub first then a dance bar. It was all so fun and all the Thai people there took so many pictures with us. It was a fun night! The next morning was rough, but I got a nice breakfast with bacon finally!! Ahhhh it was the best ever. It also came with pancakes, eggs, toast, sausage and orange juice. It was called the American breakfast lol. Then to the Airport we went. The plane ride was well worth the money because it was only 40 min and I was so much more comfortable! This was I got home by a reasonable time to go to bed and have another eventful week at school! Can't wait to go back and visit again!

Trip to Khao Yai National Park!

This past weekend I finally had the chance to meet up with some of my friends from the CIEE program! We planned our trip to Khao Yai National Park which is located near the city of Pak Chong. My trip started after school on Friday, and I had to rush home to quickly finish packing and hurry to the BTS station (Sky Train). I had never been on the BTS yet so I was super nervous and was really hoping I had gotten my locations of when to get off correct. The cab ride took longer than expected and what should have been a 10 min cab ride, took about 45 min. Bangkok traffic is insane!!! I was getting nervous because I had read online that the last bus to Pak Chong was at 7:00pm and it was now 5:30pm. Once I got my ticket for the BTS I jumped on a subway looking car with hundreds of people. I think it was air conditioned but I couldn't feel it because there was so many hot, sweaty people all up in my business. Well the sky train wasn't moving. A message kept repeating, "Sorry for the delay increase traffic has caused delay". So I stood like a sardine in this thing for 20 min before it started to move. After that things looked good! I was almost at my stop to get off and according to my map, the next bus station I needed to get on was right at the same station. Well I was wrong.... It was now 6:45pm and I was standing on a busy street with no idea where I was going. I started to talk to a man in uniform because I assume he could maybe speak English, well he didn't. A nice lady heard my concern and told me that I had to get on a cit bus to get to the next bus station. She told me what bus number and off I went. The city buses here are different. All open windows, crammed full of people and there is someone who works on the bus who walks around and collects your toll. So I was concerned I didn't have correct change, but then no one came around.. cool a free ride :) I was on the bus for a long time and began panicking. It was now 7:05pm and in my mind I missed my bus and now had no idea where I was going. I tried talking to the people around me and again, no one knew what I was trying to ask. I wanted to cry so bad, even with a bus full of Thai people. I was already the odd man out why not add some more attention to myself. The bus stopped and most people got off. It looked as if we were in the middle of nowhere, when a lady from the front of the bus grabbed my arm and said follow me. She spoke broken English but it was the best I had heard all day. She asked where my final destination was helped me get to the right place. We had some conversation on our walk and it turned out she was a teacher too! She kept looking at her watch, which made me think she was going to miss her next bus so when I thought I could find my own way I told her I was okay, but nope.. she wanted to make sure I got on my bus. She took me to the counter, helped me get my ticket and walked me all the way to my greyhound looking bus. The people here are so nice, I have never been more grateful. Once I got on my bus I felt a lot better. I would just ride the bus until we got to Pak Chong... well wrong again. The bus kept making stops along the way and I had no idea when I needed to get off! I was okay, I had GPS in my phone and could figure out a general time to get off... nope my phone is at 10%. Well, Mai pen rai. I'll get somewhere. The people on the bus kept to themselves. I had a younger guy sitting next to me and he ended up falling asleep on my shoulder, until his friend across the aisle slapped him awake. It was funny, we both laughed. When I had thought I was getting close I turned my phone back on to make sure this is the right city, and then the bus attendant came and told me this was my stop, again super nice people. He directed me to the location of the hotel I wanted to stay in and it took me about a 7 min walk. It was now 1:30 am. Once I got to my hotel, it seemed a bit sketchy but I just wanted a shower and a bed. The bed was harder than the floor but I was tired so I passed out quickly. In the morning I finally met up with Becky and Mary! It felt so nice to see them!! We had our complementary breakfast, which was actually good, and then our shuttle bus came to pick us up and take us to our guesthouse. When we got there they directed us to a room to leave our bags for the day as we went trekking in the park because we didn't have a room yet. Pretty sure this room didn't eve have doors and it was meters from the street, but I have had no reason to doubt Thailand yet, so I left my bag of belongings and hoped for the best. There was a group of about 40 people who were all on the guided tour. We were in the back of a truck with some other ladies who were in Thailand working at an Elephant camp. They were super nice and two were Canadians! They made us laugh all day long! We picked the right truck to get on! When we got to the National Park we were told we could see elephants, but unfortunately we did not. However, we did get to stop and get out of the truck to see monkeys, snakes and beautiful waterfalls! I would say in total we hiked about 10km. I counted the stairs to the largest waterfall and it was 200 steps down, and then back up. I have never sweat more in my life. I have avoided all stairs since. The hike was okay, not too intense and we got some breaks to check out the falls and explore. We got so close to some of the falls and got amazing pictures! It was nice too because it wasn't too crowded and we separated into out truck groups so we only had 8 of us and our guide Charlie! He was so knowledgable about the area and the animals it was interesting to listen to him talk about all of it! We had to wear leech socks during our hike because they like the wet season and we just finished the rainy season here. We thought it was a joke and we wouldn't see any.... well I saw them alright! At first I was expecting huge blood sucking looking leeches, but these ones looked like inch worms and were soooo tiny! That didn't stop them from biting. A girl in my group, Jen, got on the truck and didn't even notice we was bleeding from a bite! It was small but would not stop bleeding. Then we all panicked and were checking our clothes the whole ride home! We found a couple, but no one else was harmed, except some ear drums when one was found close to my leg :) I got scared lol That night we had dinner at the place where we stayed and it was the best pad thai I have ever eaten in my life, I almost ordered a second helping after my first bite! We went to bed pretty early because we were so tired from all the hiking. In the morning we had breakfast, eggs and toast and coffee! I love the coffee here, its so strong and when you get it iced, it's nice and sweet! We took a train home which was really cheap (about a dollar) for a 5 hour ride. People walk up and down the aisles selling pop in a bag and fruit, and so much more! It was cool, but this one Thai guy would not leave us alone and kept wanting to take pictures with me and then asked for my number. I told him I didn't know it.. which is half true lol It was an amazing weekend away and I got to see some of the beautiful sites in Thailand. I can't wait till next weekend for my next adventure!

My School!

I have never experienced a school like Dararat Kindergarten. My day starts around 7:45 am when I arrive at the school. Some kids and most teachers area already there. The school is smaller than others, and is spilt up into classrooms according to age. There is a nursery class with children from the age of 1-2. I only spend 30 minutes with the 2 year olds (only about 6 kids), usually just singing songs or teaching them simple words such as numbers or colours. K-1 is a class of about 20, and they are all around the age of 3. I spend 45 minutes in this class. Again we sing some songs and I will do a worksheet with them. The worksheet usually has them tracing letters or numbers, and colouring after! Then I move to K-2 and they are 4 years old. I spend an hour with them usually starting the class with songs. They love to sing 'The Wheels on the Bus', 'ABC', and 'Head,Shoulders, Knees, and Toes'.  They also have their own stupid songs they love to sing.... sorry did I say stupid I mean lovely songs!!! (I'm still adjusting to the young kids :) hopefully I will love to sing kids songs by the end of the year, but right now it drives me a little crazy lol). I also do a worksheet with the K-2's and end with a story. The class only has 4 English books and I'm already sick of them so I will probably have to buy some in the near future! Then they eat lunch! The school feds the students breakfast, lunch and a few of them dinner. The meals all usually consist of rice and either eggs or mystery meat. Then is it free time for the kids to play with the blocks or toys in their classroom. Each teacher eats lunch in their room to watch the kids while they play. I go and sit in the one air conditioned room with the K-1 teacher and watch the kids as they nap (only the nursery and K-1 kids nap). The one teacher A (yes that is her name) goes out everyday and gets us lunch. It's always a mystery to me what I am eating. I always get rice, and then some sort of soup or chicken on top of the rice. Sometimes we have a buffet style lunch where everyone just uses their spoons to eat out of the same dish. Only a couple of times I have tried something and wanted to instantly throw up, but for the most part it is great! Today I had Thai style fried chicken and rice. It was my favourite thing so far, but they gave it to me in a bag and I had to eat it with my fingers. They eat with their fingers a lot. Or with a spoon. I rarely get a fork, and I never get a knife. I don't think I have seen a knife while I've been here. Then I go to the K-3 class and these are my oldest (5 years old) and my naughtiest. This class is only about 12 kids, but a total of 9 boys that love to wrestle and say the word 'poop'. I laughed the first time, but after the 100th time I cant take it anymore. I tried to teach them the clapping method (when I clap a pattern, they clap it after me and then be quiet), except that all just started clapping and wouldn't stop lol I had a good laugh and then started to say, "thank-you, thank-you" and did a curtsy. They laughed and understood that, but I never clapped again. With this class I can have more conversation because they understand the most English (even more than the teachers). I have started teaching them new songs and tomorrow we will make props and then perform the song to the teacher. The schools theme this week is seasons, so I have taught them 'Oh Mr. Sun', and  'Rain, Rain Go Away'. Then at around 2:30 they get free time and the toys come out again until 4:30. Parents start to pick up the kids around 3:00pm. During the free time some of their favourite games to play include making guns out of blocks and shoot Teacher Melissa (yes this is allowed, and would never be okay in a school back home), they also love pretend cooking me food and watching me eat it. My favourite is fried eggs with ice cream on top (they have pretend food toys), and it is yummy every time. As hard as it is adjusting to the new age of kids, and the language barrier they are so cute. Hearing them say, "Good morning Teacher Melissa" puts an instant smile on my face, and even though they have snotty noses and don't cover their mouth when they cough, their hugs are worth it.

Hua Hin Pictures :)

My First Weekend Getaway in Hua Hin!

The weekend started with 7 other teachers and myself getting into a van that was rented for the weekend. I thought Dao was coming with us, that was initially why I said yes because I knew she could speak English. Dao was no where in sight. As the van began to drive away from the school I was having thoughts of regret because none of the teachers could speak much English. The teachers were all having the best time, telling jokes (I think..), laughing, and taking pictures with each other and so many selfies. Occasionally one would yell teacher take a picture with me and they would all laugh. I felt like such an outsider, but I was determined to make the most of the weekend and try to connect with the teachers that I will be seeing 5 days a week for the rest of the year. Before we left they told us the drive should take around 3 hours. In Thailand when you are told 3 hours, you should expect 5 or more hours to get there. After the first hour we stopped at a 7-Eleven. 7-Eleven's are the Tim Hortons of Thailand, they are everywhere! I didn't know what we were stopping for, so I got out with everyone else. They grabbed breakfast.. I think. Most just grabbed a package of deli meatish type things... again I don't know. They kept telling me to grab something, but I had already eaten and it was still only 8:30 am. Then next we stopped at a Temple. Thank goodness I was wearing longer pants and a t-shirt because it is disrespectful to enter a temple if your knees or shoulders are showing. It was beautiful and I sat and observed them. One hour later we stopped again. Washroom break! Which was nice because I had to go so bad, but didn't know the procedures of washroom breaks on a road trip lol. Then 30 minutes we stopped again. I never knew when we were stopping, why we were stopping I always just got out and observed what everyone else was doing. This stop was for lunch and we went to a hole in the wall type restaurant. The menu was on the wall in big lettering in Thai. One of the Thai teachers, in broken English asked if I was hungry and at this point I was starving, so I said yes. I think she then asked me in Thai what I wanted. I said whatever your having is fine. I don't think anyone knew what I said. She then asked pork or beef. I shrugged and said pork. When the lady came to take our order she spoke some more English and asked pork or beef and then asked spicy or not (which is nice because I can handle spice... but the food here is SPICY!) I asked for a little spice. Not to sure what I just ordered, but hoped for the best. When it came out it was soup with noodles and pork. They have spoons and chop sticks on the table. The spoon is okay for the broth but it can't pick up the long skinny noodles and everyone else is using the chopsticks, so again I follow what everyone is doing. Now I thought my chopstick skills were good, I mean I can handle sushi with chopsticks like a pro... not so much with thin noodles. I couldn't do it and quickly became embarrassed. They noticed and try to help me, but I still couldn't get the hang of it. Finally, they yelled to the lady that took our order and she came over with a fork. I guess they keep a hidden supply of them for white people :) Then back on the bus we went. I instantly took some Imodium just incase, because I didn't know the next time we would have a bathroom break and I didn't want any problems. We drove for another 2 hours and kept taking U-turns and going up and down streets, I assumed we were lost. We stopped again and it looked like a bathroom break but everyone was grabbing their bags. Om told me swimming, so I assumed everyone was putting on their bathing suits and we were going to the beach. I grabbed my bathing suit (a bikini) and Om started saying, "no no no no". She then said, "Fine" as she touched my leggings and shirt I was wearing and motioned for me to get back in the van, so I did. Everyone got back in and it looked like they had just changed out of their jeans into shorts, so I thought maybe they were just getting hot. Well we did arrive at a beach and I was a little confused, but as we walked down the beach everyone was covered up. Shorts or pants were worn by everyone and t-shirts. I was the most scandalous in my tank top. Then some of the girls went running into the water. The water was so warm and everyone was splashing around. It was a lot of fun. Then like typical girls we took jumping pics in the water. It was the perfect afternoon. Not all beaches are like the one we visited, but it seemed to be in a protected area, so maybe it was in an area of significance, but the signs were in Thai and I did not know exactly the name of the beach we were on. Then we finally went to our pool villa. It was a cute little resort with a bigger pool in the main area, then each villa had its own small pool. It looked like a place that people rent out for a couple months at a time, because it came with a kitchen and BBQ, cooking supplies and such. There were only two rooms and two beds for the 8 of us. They shuffled me into a room with the two younger teachers who are also 23. We all went swimming in our little pool, showered and then went to the market. This market was huge and they bought way too much food to cook when we got back but I was excited to try it all! A lot of seafood which excited me, but if I didn't like seafood, then I would have been in trouble. They also stopped and got beer and whiskey for the night. This was the only time they had asked me for money during the whole trip. I gave them the equivalent of $10 in baht and they came back with two 26ers of whiskey and a whole bunch of beer. When we got back they started to cook and made some drinks. They drink their whiskey with a splash of coke and the rest soda water. It was really good. The beer Leo tasted like the standard Bud. We ate our fest on the floor crossed legged. My butt was numb and my ankles felt bruised, but this is how they sat all night. I couldn't believe how fast and much they drank! I was taking it easy because I wanted to be okay for the van ride home, but even if my drink got half way done and I put it down they would be topping it up. So I started holding on to my drink. We got into the music and the other 23 year old teacher got wasted and was singing Taylor Swift and Justin Bieber with me.  It was so much fun! She then got to drunk and the others put her to bed because she was falling over and started to cry. I thought it would be a good time to sleep too. I went up to the roof and they were all howling at the moon lol (it was Halloween and they were being werewolves from what I took from the conversation. I snuck down around 2 am to sleep. At 5 am I woken up to go swimming. I don't think the 5  of them went to bed or stopped drinking. And they continued to drink until 11 am when we had to get back on the van. They finished all the beer and both bottles of whiskey. I was impressed. The drive home was the same as the drive there. Took forever and the traffic was horrible so I took some gravel to help me sleep. We had to stop for more bathroom breaks for the few that were probably still drunk. We then stopped at at this place that seemed to be a heritage village that showed Thailand through the ages. It was cute with little shops and we ate lunch here. There was old telephones and liquor bottles. We walked around for a bit then continued our ride home. I don't think I have ever spent a weekend in so much silence, because I would just listen to their conversations that I didn't understand but laughed along. Even with the language barrier we sang, danced, drank, and ate amazing food. We were a bunch of girls away for the weekend who just wanted to have fun. And we did. They made me feel so welcomed and incorporated me in everything, even if I had no idea what was going on. They made me feel like family.

First Week on my Own!

Once I got myself all settled and unpacked in my apartment, I had a couple days to relax before starting at school. Dao told me to come in on Thursday to help set up decorations for the Halloween party on Friday! I love Halloween so this made me very excited! The days leading up to the Halloween party were mostly spent in my apartment. I had enough food from my market run with Dao to last me a couple days and honestly I was scared. I have never lived in a busy city before, especially where they don't speak English and I was nervous about getting lost, not being able to communicate with people and I was nervous about doing something offensive or wearing something that was too revealing. When the day came that I decided to explore my new home I wore a skirt to the ground and a high necked t-shirt. I don't think I have ever sweat more in my life. I was glad I did dress like this though and did not wear shorts. My city is just outside of Bangkok and known as a residential location, but the roads are just as busy as Toronto. I did not see any other foreigners and everyone was wearing longer pants or skirts and shirts that were more reserved. I guess I will keep my shorts for travelling, the beach and my apartment. At orientation we were told that teachers are well respected here and we should always be dressed appropriately. I don't mind covering up, I'm just glad I played it safe and observed what everyone else was wearing first. My first outing alone wasn't as scary as I thought... people were smiling at me, the smells of street food filled the air, however I still did manage to get lost. After passing my street a couple times (all the street names are the same with just different numbers) I finally noticed something that looked familiar and ran home :) Thursday came and I was ready to go help set up some decorations. I googled the school address and thought it was on my street because it had the same name... but again that was not the case and I checked the number and thought I knew the area it was in from my brief visit when Dao drove me there on Monday. Of course I went down the wrong street got lost again.... so I called Dao and asked her how to get there with her response being oh sorry I got caught up with some new parents wanting to register their kid into the kindergarten program. We were also told at orientation that people in Thailand do not communicate well. The school might be having a holiday and you won't find out until that day when you get to school. Again their life motto, "Mai pen rai" (no worries). So I shrugged it off and went back to my apartment. The next day was the Halloween party and I was told to wear all black! I got a witch hate when I arrived at the school which made me excited because I had not found anything to wear. The decorations looked amazing and I could not have helped make it look as good as it did! When the kids began to arrive I got butterflies because I have never worked with kids so young before. They are exactly what I expected... full of energy running around screaming, some tears and obviously fighting over the best toys. It was a nice first day to have and adjust to my new school. I have never been more worn out though!!! Kindergarten is going to be tough, but I can already tell very rewarding. At the end of the day I was ready for bed and possibly sleeping throughout the whole weekend, but then Dao invited me on a weekend getaway they had set up for the teachers because they had an extra spot. My body ached, my head was pounding but that was an opportunity I could not pass up on!!! We planned to meet at 7 the next morning, so home to bed I went.

Some Photos!