Rice Fields & Other Wonders

Hit up those good 'ol rice fields last weekend and they inspired once again. The green is unfathomable to the human eye, I am convinced. It is a color unlike any other, seriously, and cannot be fully captured on the camera. Simply breathtaking - minus the simply.


This is the part of Thailand that I had hoped for last year and the kind that I had been craving since returning. What kind of Thailand is this? Well, the simple beauty of Thailand. The place where I stick out like a sore thumb but no one seems bothered of phased by it at all. The Thailand that is away from the crowds, the hustle of a city and the rumbles of a tuktuk. I recognized that I was indeed in a different world but somehow felt so at home.

Part of the weekend, beyond the short jaunt in the fields, was a tour of a free school. This moment encouraged and inspired me so so so much. Wow! After visiting the school, I became so proud of what I do and felt so blessed to be part of the profession that I have chosen to pursue. This particular school began as a simple vision for 30 underprivileged children and is now a budding, and a truly successful, community of over 100 children where people only hope to be chosen for the next school year.


I am quickly realizing this year in Thailand will be completely different than last year. At times this makes me a little sad, but at other times it makes me really excited. I feel as though last year was time for adventure and exploration while this year is leading me towards growth and different types of discovery. What I do know for certain is that I love my job, I love my kids and I can't imagine the year any other way.

Busy

Back in Bangkok, with a momentary jaunt through Vietnam, and busy as ever - or as a beaver to truly represent my Canadian coolness. I am teaching grade 2 once again, subbing as well and overseeing the grade 1 to 3 teachers. I LOVE my job and have decided that it will definitely be the hardest thing to leave in the spring... that's right... leave... (still a far away idea to hit up). I am enjoying the Thai life once again although it all feels so different from last year - yet must admit, so darn familiar at the same time. I have been in the city for the past 6 weeks so I'm desperately awaiting the coming weekend as I'm heading west for the rice fields. Looking forward to the 7 hour van ride, the company and the simple chill... already anticipating the freshness of it all. I have my month quite planned out, all leading up to October 3rd, when I jump on a jet plane and head further west... India... oh boy. Two weeks exploring that colorful and hopefully super tasty world. Excited, nervous, eager and anxious all at the same time. I thought Vietnam was a culture shock, so I know that I'm in for a gooder of a time.

I do have a cute story of the day to share:
I have a mini-obsession with flowers that I can put in my hair. Started with a lil boy named Nick who would pick them for me last year and has carried on from there. Well the flowers are out in full bloom as the monsoon season is filling the trees with nutrients galore. There is a tree right outside of the school with the prettiest, brightest fuchsia flowers I have ever seen! Yesterday when I left school I took one from the grass and put it in my hair, no biggy, but witnessed by one of the security guards. This old guy greets us morning, noon and night. Today I left for lunch with Ms. Andrea and tried to find myself another flower, but no such luck as they were all rather droopy. Upon returning from lunch, the dear old security guard pointed to his desk and sitting in a little bowl of water were 3 fresh, beautiful flowers. What a sweetheart! I quickly put them in my hair and have now found an adorable connection with my security guard friend. Love love.

That's it for now. Mini, simple updates better than none at all I say!
Sawadeka.

Back

I'm back. It's been just over 24 hours and I feel as though I never left. Two and a half months in Thompson didn't fly by at all, so rather surprised at how same same it is over here for me. It feels as though I was gone for a weekend.

Haven't Blogged In Forever But Ya Can't Say Never

I have received a few messages, emails and notes in regards to this very blog, which I have seemed to throw to the curb. In all honesty, it just hasn't been a priority BUT makes my heart sing to know that people are trying to keep on the up with me, hence this entry.

Life has been BUSY!!! I haven't left Bangkok in months and by the time the weekends hit I am usually more excited about my bed then the adventures down the road. School has been nuts, which we were all warned and told to expect. Since my last blog, I have completed two University courses and went through final exams with my little munchkins. I was also a part of Lertlah's Sports Day which was beyond exciting and will backtrack and blog about another day.

Today, in 3 hours actually, I am jumping on a plane and heading north... CHINA!!! I am SO SO SO excited. We all have 2 weeks holidays, divided up throughout October and I'm in the first batch. The plan is to hit up Beijing and the Great Wall first, working our way down through the Terracotta Warriors, rice fields and Hong Kong. I really am SO SO SO EXCITED!!!

This entry is short indeed, but figured that a quick catch-up is better than none at all. I will be sure to post pictures and stories about my China adventures once I get back!

Till then!

Ms. Karyn as a teacher... enough content for a double feature!

It's been 3 months in Thai Thai and about 2.5 months in the classroom with the kiddos. I have finally found my groove and am taking ownership of what goes down in Ms. Karyn's class. Quite an exciting feeling to get to this point but baby steps are still necessary. I feel as though my kids, almost all 52 of them (who am I kidding, definitely not all, but an ok chunk) get me and we can even offer out silly laughs, for the same reasons, from time to time. My acting skills are also drastically improving. I will totally be able to kick some major patootie at charades when I'm finished here.

Here is an idea of what my day at Lertlah looks like:

6:20 am - Alarm rings, snooze is hit.

7:00 am - En route to find a hopefully decent taxi to get us to school... us consisting of Sarah, Anthony, Ramon (my blog designer) and myself. Taxi rides are never uneventful and always worth a spot on Reality TV. We have made cars bottom out, have had conversations with the drivers, as they speak Thai and we speak English and have also been in an accident. Adventure always begins in the morning.

7:30 ish am - Arrive on the side of the road near the school, telling the driver to pull over, or at least we think that's what we're telling the driver, walking past the same old construction crew who is used to us by now and doesn't point as frequently, avoiding soi dogs (dirty street dogs), making the occasional stop at the fruit man for guava and signing in with the fingerprint scan.

8:30 am - The anthem is heard throughout the school which signals the time for us to make our way up the stairs to our classes.

8:30 - 11:10 am - Classes. I am either teaching English, Science or Math to 2 different grade 2 classes, of course the occaisional prep thrown in there. I do a lot of "please stop talking!" and attempted pictionary on the board to somehow explain "the natural environment of an organism" to children who cannot spell "frog". Responses consist of crumpled foreheads, tilted heads and the ever-expected "what it is Ms. Karyn, what it is?"

11:10 - 12:00- lunch. Lunch varies from a can of chicken noodle soup, to cashew chicken from the soi (street by the school) to mystery meat and rice at the cafeteria. Seems as though the caf is either a semi-hit or mega-miss.

12:00 - 3:30 - back to classes. By afternoon the kids are chatty-er than ever, longing for a break and finished with their attempts to understand my purpose in their little lives. It is getting better, or I am at least getting used to it, but the afternoons are not as dreaded as they once were.

3:30 - 4:30 - Some suckers, I mean fellow teachers, are sent off to teach homework classes. Because I have a full schedule this becomes my down time as I attempt to finish marking, plan for the next day or simply recoop. My desk is a heap of unmarked work, drawings, projects and to-do lists, but I've accepted it all as part of the decor.

4:30 - The hopeful sign out by fingerprint scan. Hopeful as there are days when it's necessary to stay for a little bit longer. I don't make a habbit out of staying late but when marks are due, exams are on the way or books have overtaken more than my own workspace, it's time to come up with an action plan and get it done.


The evenings usually involve the eventful taxi ride home, dinner at Mem's (our favorite little place by the apartment... she makes great chicken fried rice and pad thai), laundry, watching an episode of "House" online, a little bit of marking and checking the apartment for roaches. There are also the occaisional University courses, like now, which take up the entire evening and totally add a drag to the day... But, can't complain... I did make this choice afterall.

All in all, seems rather routine when I write it out this way and quite ordinary. I guess it's the random comments from the kids, the bets made over the dish at lunch, the office drama and occaisional elephants on the side of the road that take the ordinary right out of it.

I'm enjoying my days, I love being a true-blue teacher and as for right now, I really wouldn't change it for the world.

What a Score, Heard the Real Roar!

A weekend unlike any other that I have yet to experience in my mere 27 years... I was off to Kanchanaburi this past weekend, which is a two hour ride north of Bangkok. The adventure began immediately as we missed the bus, waited for a few hours on the side of the road for bus #2, which never arrived, and ended up taking a taxi with two guys who were unwilling to wait and got themselves a little "tipsy" along the way. Of course, the taxi driver had no idea where he was supposed to take us, which did add to the drama. But of course, as most things do work out, we got there just fine and dandy in the end.

Saturday morning was all about chilling with some animals. Among the masses included an ostrich, elephants, crocodiles, birds, zebras, tigers, lions, camels and giraffes. The giraffes were the definite highlight and were not all about playing shy. They literally put their heads right into our bus for some bananas and such that we had saved for them. It was so fun and I really could have stuck around with them all afternoon. What animals! So gentle yet so determined! After the giraffes we hung out with the elephants and held the tail of a crocodile. This Park was very unlike North American parks... you don't just look, you touch!

From the Safari Park we were then headed to the Tiger Temple. Here we walked around with the animals once again. What's the excitement in these branch-eating animals... we headed for the ones with fangs and ended up sitting beside tigers. I had two rather "interesting" moments. I touched a smaller tiger on the belly. The previous tigers really ignored my little pats, but this tiger turned right around, paw first, followed by a little growl and teeth. I froze, the people around me said, in somewhat panicked voices, "don't move! don't move!" I left unharmed and stopped by a few more tigers for some pics, so I wasn't really that traumatized. The next moment was with a little 4 month old cub who did graze me with his teeth. Again, no skin tore, no blood shed. But I'm tempted to create the story as I did in fact get bitten by a tiger... that is kinda cool.. no?


I left later that evening and didn't even rest the eyes on the van ride home. It was an adventure and I'm excited for the others to come!

She Sang Soprano While I Played Piano

A cute story! I'm so excited to have stumbled upon a cute story!

I miss my piano, any piano in fact. I miss being able to relax with the ivories and just zone out in the key of D. Today I had to go to the doctor's for a "medical" in order to finalize some paperwork for my permanent work VISA. I heard a few interesting things about this doctor, so I wasn't quite excited to go. I arrived, the doctor's husband greeted me, I think their daughter was behind the desk and their son was in the back doing homework. Quite the family affair. This little office was all-inclusive, your business being everyones business. I then noticed something off to the side.

"Is that a piano?" A piano indeed! (Well, an Electron to be exact). They had me play a few songs, then pulling out Thai songs, the doctor singing in her best singing voice right beside me. Her son then played a few songs for me. A family heirloom, violin, was pulled into the mix, exam requirements for this instrument shown to me, music galore and the history of certain songs. I was in my glory! The doctor made me promise to return, insisting that I could visit and play anytime, any day and they would never ask me to leave.

Forty minutes later I left the office, the ability to play the piano apparently sufficing as a healthy medical check, only to return the following afternoon for the next show. I love these moments!