#6 "Good Morning Teacher"

Walking into a room with 30-40 16 year olds staring at you, smiling and then all standing up and saying in unison, "Good Morning Teacher, how are you?" was extremely daunting at first. Now, it's second nature. I love all my classes from the cheeky boy in M2/3 nicknamed Toa who without a doubt tells me it's snowing everyday in Thailand to the stars in M4/1 who actually understand when I ask them, "What is your favourite sport?" and manage to reply, in unison, "My favourite sport is..." Even in a class of high capability their English can vary drastically; one student managed a 59/60 in my test whereas one scraped a 4/60. I'm not going to pretend this isn't frustrating, thinking this student clearly didn't try, until I hand him back his test and he looks completely disheartened and then proceeds to try really hard in the lesson with his friends helping him. It's easy to forget that learning a language is a difficult task, my level of German still only goes as far as knowing 1-99 (I've just forgotten what 100 is...)

There are still those mornings where the alarm goes off at 7am and you know your first lesson isn't until 10 but there's an assembly (which is all in Thai) that you're expected to attend and you can't help but moan and groan and pull the covers over your head for another half hour and then have to rush getting ready and miss breakfast just to make it in time. There are still those moments where you're sitting in the English office surrounded by mountains of books to mark and a class in 10 minutes to teach that you know are the 'naughty class' and will test you to the max. Still I manage to make it to assembly where the Thai national anthem is becoming a really catchy tune that sticks in my head all day and to that class where the cheeky boy in the back has to be told to stand up for the whole lesson so he finally listens. It's not all exotic fruits, mouthwatering thai food
and angelic students, but it's definitely all worth it.

Three months in and my Thai life feels so natural I can't even imagine going home now. England is and will always be my home but the layering of coats and scarves and thick tights and boots and gloves just doesn't sound appealing right now. I'm getting used to the 32 degree heat and when it does drop to as low at 21 degrees I have to pull on my jumper and huddle in my covers at night. We now have our favourite classes and our favourite places to eat Kow Man Gai or Pappreowan Gai and our favourite places to buy cheap iced coffees or the expensive place for chocolate frappes if we're having a bad day. We've even got our weekends full, staying at our favourite Thai family's house, helping the mother with her weekend English tutoring and playing with the 6 year old girl beautifully named Orchid and her older brother and even the 8 month old baby no longer cries at the sight of me. He even likes to play with us - those of you who know how much babies dislike me will understand how shocking this is! 

Our house is slowly feeling more like a home. We've finally acquired a kettle and now have tea in the evenings or a hot chocolate if we're feeling gluttonous with squares of my cadbury's chocolate mum sent in the post. We also have a working wok so we can fry eggs and onion and other vegetables we find in the market and a fridge full of fruit (okay not full but we have bananas!) We have our weekday evening routines of cleaning, napping, going to the gym and sometimes settling down with a film. Although we're still desperately struggling with all the hand washing, I currently have about 4 clean items of clothing... but today is a day off work because it's the King of Thailand's birthday so I have plenty of time to catch up on my washing and finally time to write this blog which is well overdue.

I miss you all back home and I try not to even think of Lizzy because the thought of her all lonely in the rescue home in Southend is heartbreaking, but I cannot imagine not being in Thailand right now and going home feels like an alien idea which is so far in the future. With the Christmas period looming and Thailand being so depressingly un-christmassy it is a struggle but the thought of spending New Years on a beach in Koh Samui compared to in a crowded expensive club or pub back home reminds me how lucky I am to be here right now and there are many more Christmas's to come in my life where I can moan about the endless adverts and christmas music playing in every store. 

One quarter on my Thai life complete, this year is going far too quickly for my liking and I have no doubt in saying I will see you all before I know it. Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year - think of me lying on a beach in Koh Samui whilst you huddle by your fires with your thick christmas socks ;)

At Loi Krathong Festival: Sally, Me, Nicole, Kevin, Cammy

Staff party anyone?

At an English Camp in Phana

First night out in Ubon at U Bar

#5 Chiang Mai was cray cray

Chiang Mai was possibly the best 3 weeks of my life so far. The time just seems to have gone by as one massive blur of fresh fruit smoothies, phut lens (jokes) and chin chin law’s (reallllllly?) with our adorable Thai teacher and crazy nights out in ‘Zooooeeeeeeeey baaaaaar.’ 

Nicole, Cissy, Cammy, Kevin, Cissy, Tom, Jelle and I all arrived looking and feeling not so great after an 18 hour over night bus journey from Ubon Ratchathani to Chiang Mai - the bus itself was not so bad, we had real reclining seats and free biscuits and crisps! We all bundled into the first Song Thaew we saw and after pointing at this one map we had between the 7 of us, we finally got to our guest house where the other 12 volunteers already were. Reuniting with the other volunteers, after a difficult first month in Thailand, was probably the best part about the trip. We immediately (by immediately I mean after showers and fresh clothes) went out to explore Chiang Mai and get some fooooooooood! The food in Chiang Mai was the best - real Thai food, not Isaan Thai food and being able to order Thai food with menu's translated into English was a treat too. Next adventure: Chiang Mai Markets! It was a sunday which meant the Sunday Evening market was out in full swing with hundreds and thousands of bags, clothes, trinkets - you name it, they had it - to discover. It's safe to say Chiang Mai ate a lot of my money... oops. That first night all 19 of us decided to hit the tourist night life and discovered zoeeeeeeeeey bar and the reggae bar full of tourists with travelling stories and Thai university students eyeing up some 'farang' (foreigners). That first night was one of many messy nights to follow during the 3 weeks we had in Chiang Mai.

Our class with Ajaan Joy!

Monday morning resulted in minor hangovers we had to suffer through as we had our first Thai language lesson and met our teachers for the course. Ajaan Joy was the cutest and funniest teacher we could have wished for; she had perfect English so we could chat in English as well as attempting Thai. Over the 3 weeks she became more like a friend as our class of me, Nicole, Cissy, Cammy, Kevin, Sally, Ocean, Annaliese and Hollie shared an array of inside jokes with her. The other class apparently had intense lessons whilst ours were more informal chats, "Sa bai dee mai ka?" She'd ask us every morning and we'd reply with whoever was off ill that day as being "mai sa bai." Apart from the first and last day, I think there was one person off 'ill' (hungover) every day - hashtag best class ever? A less intense class was definitely preferred though and I definitely feel like I've learnt a lot, and a lot about Thai culture as well. 

The weekdays in Chiang Mai were mainly filled with our morning fresh fruit smoothies from the smoothie guy across the road from the language course, "smoothie glooeye gap saparot gap ma muang ka?" (banana, pineapple and mango smoothie please?), our chillaxed lessons with Joy and lunches at Nun's. Nun is the owner of a very small, cute little restaurant near to the language course who became our dear friend as we went their almost every day. He is the owner, waiter and chef and always chatted to us about our time in Chiang Mai and made the most delicious food and large portions and was sooo cheap. He even started giving us free water because we became such regulars! Massaman curry became a dear favourite, along side pad thai and chicken with cashew nuts - I must learn how to make all of these for uni next year. The nights were mostly filled with Zoeeeeeey bar, the rooftop bar (before we learned it had a sign outside banning Thai people from entering!), reggae bar and 3am drunken 7/11 runs for the blue crisps! 

Adoring the baby tiger!

The weekends were an entirely different story however. The first weekend Nicole, Annaliese, Beth, Sally, Hollie, Ellie and I all went to watch Sally, Hollie and Ellie bungee jump Saturday morning. I am far too scared of heights to even consider such a thing, even though it did look so thrilling that afterwards I wished I'd had the guts to do it myself. (I still definitely do not though.) After such a thrill, we were then taken by our tour guide for the day to Tiger Kingdom where we got to play with baby tigers, small tigers and big adult tigers! The babies were adorable whereas the adults were kinda scary but it was incredible. Before I had always thought these tigers were drugged and treated horrendously, but they weren't drugged, the only sad part was how they were held captive but I suppose it's the best of a bad situation for them. After a thrilling and busy day we were taken back to our guest house where we got ready for another night out at the rooftop bar and you guessed it - zoeeeeeeeeey bar! We did go to zoey's so often that we learnt their soundtrack off by heart, but it was still such fun. The following Sunday was, ahem, a day in bed feeling the toll of the night before. I don't think we even surfaced until at least 2pm. 

Feeling fearless!

Feeling fresh Sunday morning!

The second weekend was even more intense than the first, but an experience 100% worth having. Nicole, Cammy, Kevin, Sally, Annaliese, Hollie, Beth, Ellie and I had all booked into a 2 day Jungle trek. Saturday early morning we were picked up by a tour guide we grew to love over the weekend and picked up two Argentinian doctors who we shared the weekend with and driven out to the mountains. We we given some not so nice fried rice and then started our 5 hour trek in the heat up and down some mountain to get to a hill tribe village where we stayed the night. This was... an experience. The trek was definitely one of those, 'I'm glad I did it but I would not like to go back in time and do it all over again,' moments. After 5 hours of intense hill climbing and jungle trekking we eventually arrived at a ermm... few huts in the middle of the jungle. We slept on roll mats under mosquito nets in one big hut and had a bonfire that night with our tour guide who made us some curry and rice for dinner. It was a real bonding moment for the group - including the 2 Argentinians who enjoyed our humour. Sunday morning we awoke stiff and grouchy at 7am and were given a random western meal of (slightly stale) bread and cold scrambled eggs before a half hour trek to the main road where we picked up by a song thaew and taken to see the elephants!!!!! We then proceeded to ride some elephants, zip wire across a river, bathe a baby elephant, bamboo raft down the river, visit a long neck tribe and white water raft. All in one day, you ask? Yes, I did say it was intense! After arriving home at 5ish that evening, saying goodbye to our trusty tour guide and having longggggg hot showers we then decided to visit the previously discovered Irish Pub to have well deserved English food! Bean and lentil burger with onion rings, chips and side salad? Yes pleeeeease. We also could not say goodbye to our Argentinian friends just yet and so planned to meet them in Zoey's that evening to continue the seemingly never ending, exhausting yet insanely fun and slightly surreal weekend. 

Fun with the elephants!

Group shot!

I think it's safe to say that Chiang Mai was indeed an experience, an adventure and a lifelong memory. Our last night out in Zoeeeeeeeeeeey bar with our Project Trust Rep, Lucie, definitely ended the 3 weeks on a high! Saying goodbye to the other volunteers was difficult as there has been friendships made and cemented for life here, but coming home (to Muang Sam Sip) with Sally as Nicole and I's new partner is just the cherry on the cake! I am already not looking forward to returning home to coldy and rainy England as I enjoy (and sometimes still moan about) the 30 degree heat here. 

Love and hugs from sunny Thailand as I relax in my no longer cockroach infested home with my partners and lifelong friends, Sally and Nicole.

Just chilling on our elephant trek!

#4 "I love youuu, I love youuu, I love youuuuuuuuu"

It's been a while, I know. The last couple of weeks have been a blur to be honest. With school still on holiday we had plenty of free time to explore and decided to visit Sally and Ocean at Kutchum. This meant travelling almost 4 hours, taking 3 different buses/song thaews and costing all of £3... Travel is so cheap it's ridiculous. We then got to see their project and meet their hosts which was so fun. Also... we tried the long awaited and desired strawberry fanta and vodka. It was lush. Visiting other volunteers has been getting us through these few weeks where school has been on holiday and we haven't met many locals yet.

School then started and we were thrown into our first lesson with 2 minutes warning. We were leaving for Chiang Mai 3 days later so we weren't given our own classes, just filling in for other teachers so we got to teach as a 3. We ended up asking 16 year old to say 'My name is' because we were completely at a loss for what to do but that was fine. They like colouring too and they're so talented so we get them to draw a lot. Thai classrooms are so different from English ones, the students all start off well behaved saying in unison "Good morning teacher, how are you today?" but then they sit down and start talking over you... It's very stereotypical the girls are well behaved and listen and the boys well... don't. At all. They try to take advantage over our lack of Thai a lot but on the whole they end up doing the work. Well they do the work when we stand next to them and point and say work 50 times... it'll get better I hope.

Mr Subdirector wanted a photo!

The next night we had our welcoming ceremony with all the teachers. We were really intrigued about this but it turned out to be one of the best nights! Firstly, we sat down whilst teachers came up to us with string and tied to our wrists saying, "for good luck," "Thai tradition," "you so beautiful," "i love youuuuuu!" Then we had some food, and then we stood on the stage with several other new student teachers and whilst Mr. Director spoke in Thai, a lot. There were several photos taken. There are always several photos taken. We were given some presents and there were more photos. We were then told to come off the stage.. and then back on the stage. Then there were more photos. Then there was more Thai speaking........ we weren't sure what was going on. To be honest, we never are sure. But then the real fun began, we were asked to go dance and because all the other teachers were drinking (we're not allowed too) they were full on dancing... like 3 teachers at the front whilst everyone else were sat at their tables eating and drinking. We just went with it and copied their dance moves (they were so stereotypical 16 year old dance moves). Mr Subdirector is our new favourite person. His dancing was so funny and then he wanted so many photos with us and was so drunk and so happy. He came up to us at several times and just said "I love you, I love you, I love you, do you love me tooooo?" I think it's safe to say we have all fallen in love with Mr. Subdirector! Later that night we just heard outside our house "I LOVE YOUUUUUUUUU" hahaha. What. A. Man.

Dancing with the teachers!

There is still so much more to write but this post is getting long so I'll write another post soon with the rest ! I'll be more punctual with my blog posts when I get my own laptop back.... whenever in the world that will be. #prayforappley

Smile everyone!

#'3 equals a successful war against cockroaches

After 3 weeks here, we have finally won the war against the cockroaches.

We started out living in our house by refusing to go downstairs past 6/7pm as the cockroaches came out around then and turned out living room into their social space. Living with cockroaches with a pain but they never ventured into our room upstairs so we coped. My mum then told me to buy spray and spray the downstairs and it will scare them off, so we did that... That night turned into a war - 50+ cockroaches against 3 scared girls.

We had sprayed all the exits/entrances thinking it will stop them coming in, instead it trapped them in. One deadly bugger even flew at my leg and I screamed so loud the girls came running down thinking I'd seen a snake. I wish it was a snake. We then tried to ward off the cockroaches with a broom and the spray. It didn't work, it just aggravated the buggers. So we ran up to our room to seek safety.

Then, whilst we were all minding our own business, one little bugger came crawling through the top gap in our bedroom door and my God did we scream. We sat there staring at it for a while not knowing what to do and then we realised we left the spray and the broom downstairs... dun dun DUN. We attempted to open the door and the cockroach ran into Nicole's bed whilst I then ran downstairs to grab the spray and broom and well it all ended in a puff of smoke. By that I mean, tons and tons of spray to kill the cockroach.

The whole night then followed with not much sleep and when I did fall asleep, scary cockroach nightmares! The next morning we all huddled together to go view the devastation downstairs... there were, and I am not exaggerating, over 50 dead cockroaches lying on their backs all over the living room and bathroom. It's safe to say cleaning that was not a fun morning. We even showered at the boy's house in Phana as we couldn't face even more dead cockroaches in the bathroom. The day followed with sweet and sour chicken rice and crushed oreo milkshakes in Phana! We treated ourselves for surviving the cockroach war.

#2 consists of bad luck with technology!

So far, so much bad luck with technology. Firstly, the insanely clever part of me decided to kneel on my kindle breaking the screen meaning I was now bookless. I could cope with this for a while knowing I had a kindle app on my mac though. Then, Monday afternoon decided to hand me a plate full of more bad luck - my laptop just turned off and wouldn't turn on. After several phone calls home trying to explain that this time it wasn't my fault - "no mum I did not drop it, no mum I didn't step on it either, I also did not spill anything on it or let it overheat. No mum... mum seriously...?" It's now the following Monday night and as far as I know, my laptop is in the hands of some computer tech man who speaks barely any English "I fix for you, leave here, 2-3000 baht, I call when fixed" God knows the fate of my poor Apple Mac which has been a trusty reliable friend for about 6 years now.

At the Temple with the teachers

So with the evenings dragging without my laptop to watch films (and Suits, omg I was in the middle of an episode where Donna was sleeping with the new fancy pants guy!) it has been a loooooong week. However, the days have only gotten better! One day we drove a two hour drive to the Mekong River where we could see Laos and we went to one the biggest temples in Thailand with all the teachers at the school parading around with us, we had no idea what was going on but we did get to bang the big gong at the end! The next day we drove a similar drive with the two guy volunteers from Phana and their hosts to a National Park where we saw many cool rocks (kinda like Thailands equivalent of Stone Henge - interesting for a moment or two and then you realise that it really is just a rock) but we also saw a famous rock painting which was actually really cool! Afterwards we walked down to a waterfall and us 5 volunteers all jumped in the water and swam under the waterfall which in the blistering heat was insanely refreshing and fun! Then on the drive home our host bought us ice creams, soya milk and fried chicken and chips - she really really doesn't think we can handle Thai food! 

After two busy days we were then left to ourselves on Friday to have a lie in, relax, attempt to order our lunch from a local restaurant where they speak no English and we speak no Thai... we eventually managed to say chicken rice in Thai - kow man gai (that could be spelled totally wrong)! We also got to ride our bikes more - we love our daily bike rides down to the 7/11 where we buy chocolate milk and cakes for the morning. Ok, so we are trying to immerse ourselves into Thai culture but we have found that we just simply love the chocolate milk and banana/milk cakes from 7/11 and of course the strawberry fanta! 

Saturday we arranged with the other volunteers close by to all meet in Ubon Ratchathani for some real fun! We had all managed to find our various ways in via Song Thaew's or lifts from hosts if you were lucky and had met everyone by 12ish in Sunee Tower where we ate lunch from the food court. This mainly consists of pointing at pictures which look fairly edible and not having a clue what is in it - not eating beef or pork means this is very difficult so I have learnt the Thai for chicken to try and suss out what I am eating. We then decided to go bowling as the only English films on were ones we had never heard of. Bowling was so much fun - we ordered some alcoholic slushy type drinks from the bar and were given a form of shot glass and jugs of alcoholic slush. They tasted pretttty daaaamn good (especially after 2 weeks of no alcohol which I'm sure many of you are shocked that I am still standing after 2 weeks with no alcohol). Seeing other volunteers was a nice reminder that all of us out here are going through similar versions of culture shock and are adapting slowly, most of them have been quite ill which I have not yet suffered so I'm counting my blessings. Even if I can't manage to save my electronics at least my body is saved from illness (fingers crossed).

All in all, the second week at Muang Samsip has brought ups and downs but my lovely partners have been letting me use their laptops and kindles - I'm now reading some strange WWI book that has actually gotten quite interesting, clearly not the end of the world then. Today is my birthday and I've had a lovely card signed by the other volunteers and cute little cake from Nicole and Cissy and a purple bag that our host had me knitted as purple is my favourite colour - how cute! It's weird to think that although my birthday is almost over here in Thailand, it still has half a day left in England! Also, Cissy's mum has sent Les Mis bracelets in the post as she found out I love Les Mis, I cannot even explain how excited I am for this!!! 

Loving and missing you all back home and thank you for the lovely birthday messages! I'm going to properly celebrate once we get to Chiang Mai with vodka mixed with strawberry fanta (So excited to try this!)

(Also photos will be added when and if I am reunited with my baby appley - come back to mummy soon laptop, I'm praying for you)

Amy xxx

Week One in Thailand!

This last week has felt like an entire month but I’m here, I’ve made it! I finally have time to relax as I listen to my Les Miserables 10^th Anniversary Concert album with the two fans we have on full and covered in mosquito spray. The day before leaving Essex, I found out that I’ll be spending this year with a girl called Cissy as well as Nicole as her project has fallen through - this can only mean more fun! All us 19 volunteers arrived in Bangkok at 7am on Friday 30^th and were met by Lucie, the PT rep, and taken in mini buses to Hotel Malaysia where we enjoyed iced drinks and a quick chat with Lucie before we were left to sleep! Leaving home at 5am on Thursday morning and arriving at what would be 1am English time, we were exhausted and Nicole and I slept the whole afternoon. After that we enjoyed a massive spread of delicious (and some not so...) dishes at a restaurant near by and then were taken to a bar, Cloud 47, on the 47^th floor which overlooked the sights of Bangkok - and what a sight it was! 

The next day we were left to do as we please in Bangkok and Nicole, Cissy and I decided to brace the tube in Bangkok and attempt to make it to MBK shopping center - I think making it across Bangkok speaking no Thai was a definite achievement! We also managed to use the Sky Train to make it to the weekend market which was filled with so so many stalls selling everything from fruit to flip flops to pets even! That evening we then boarded our 10 hour night bus to Ubon Ratchathani. I was lucky and managed to sleep for over half of this, but others did not share my fortune and found the journey knackering especially as we arrived at 6.30am the next day and did not have a single rest! 

On arriving at Ubon our Host, Adjarn Prayang, met us and took us to our first traditional Thai breakfast... MCDONALDS! (It’s not the same as in the UK though) I don’t think Prayang thinks we can handle ‘Isaan food, very spicy food’ so since we have lots of western food. Mother, you said I wouldn’t be getting good Italian food well we had Pizza’s at Spago in Ubon tonight!

Since arriving we have been shown around the Buddhist Temples - they are so so beautiful and were even taken to a food offering service with the other teachers at school once! We have been welcomed with such enthusiasm by the teachers at Amphawan Wittaya Secondary School, and have had so so so many photo’s taken of us! All the time someone new will just point us into a space and put their arms around us and there will be a photo taken - there is absolutely no time to adjust our hair!!! The students at the school are nicer than any students back in England without a doubt, two students even showed us the way into Ubon from Muang Samsip on the Song Thaew (the public ‘bus’) and have taken us on many tours of the school and to the market and showed us Isaan dancing as well - I think it’s safe to say we were awful! 

As well as the upsides to my new life here in Thailand, there have been a few err... Mishaps. Our first night in our temporary room here in Ubon where innocent Nicole went to our beautiful squat toilet and was met by the unsightly view of a gecko lying in front of the hole (I mean toilet). Not only was poor Nicole met by a gecko, it was a DEAD GECKO lying on its back with its legs in the air! We are still not far into our investigation of the mysterious Gecko killer! 

Our house we move into this weekend was also not a pleasant first visit... To be met with Ben and David’s (last years volunteers) socks and boxers was a shock to say the least! Thanks Ben and David for your kind gifts!

All in all it’s been a crazy busy week with lots of things to get used to! Even just the way if someone says they’ll meet us at 8 they always mean 9, but be ready for 8 just incase they decide to be on time. Time is not so much of an issue here so everything is done slowly which kind of makes me miss the London Underground at rush hour - kind of!

I can only imagine the next 3 weeks will bring even more adventures and surprises and then we’re headed off to Chiang Mai for our 3 week language course with all the other volunteers! Endless fun! 

I’ll be in touch soon,

Lots of love,

Amy

Home from Training!

These are the wonderful 20 other volunteers I will be spending a year overseas in Thailand with, including my partner who I will be living with for the entire year... hopefully adapting to living with another teenager will not take too long! Nicole, my partner, is Scottish which I'm sure can only bring more excitement to the experiences we'll have together - she'll come back speaking slightly 'Essex' and I'll come back mixing Scottish slang with Thai 'fageeze ka.'

Overall, going back to the Isle of Coll for training was another exciting, tiring and intense experience of my preparation for Thailand. I had not remembered much from Selection back in October 2012 so returning was another massive shock to the system - 'Island Syndrome' other volunteers called it. After the 11 hour train journey from Essex to Oban, followed by a 5 hour journey the next day, we arrived on Coll feeling thoroughly exhausted. (Going to the pub in Oban to get to know other volunteers the night before did not help with our tiredness I must admit!) We were then immersed fully into an intense training course put together by the Staff at Project Trust and as well as extremely exciting - learning about Thai customs (never touch a Monk on the head!) - it was also eye-opening and a massive learning curve. There was just so much to take in!

Since returning home from training, I am even more excited to leave for Thailand, if that is even possible! When saying goodbye to the other Thai volunteers after training, "See you in a month," it all suddenly became extremely real. All 20 of us fly from Heathrow at 9.30am on the 29th August. I can only imagine how loud and excitable we will all be at the airport! I have also bought my 75Litre rucksack, my smaller backpack and my money bag which, when I'm wearing it all, completely suffocates me. Now I just need to buy the last few items - insect repellents to ward off those mozzies - and start the enormous task of packing lightly! I have never been an organised or light packer so this will be an adventure in itself I'm sure.