#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