these amazing mountains were the backdrop to our entire weekend, pretty incredible!
Wednesday, January 31, 2007
Just another day. . .
Today was another fabulous day of teaching. We find that each day tends to present it's own challenges, gifts and 'ah ha' moments. At school today, there was a Review Board committee from the School District; they were observing classes, meeting with the teachers and reviewing documents, so things weren't business as usual. For example, we walked into our 4th grade class (normally our most challenging and chaotic class) and they were silent and seated. . . we were in awe. I was in the middle of teaching a lesson about numbers (still trying to get the counting down) when the Director walked in, I politely 'wai' (the proper greeting where you put your hands in prayer form) and said "sawadee ka". He then proceeded to walk right past me and over to Ryan and says "Teacher, I want you to join me and the Committee for lunch in the Directors room". . . as if I wasn't a teacher as well!! Of course, Ryan graciously accepted (for both of us, I think!)and the Director promptly walked out. Ryan looked at me and said, "babe, I think you are invited too." [insert Ryan's comment: to be honest, I wasn't quite sure!]. It has now become our running joke and daily laugh how much attention the Director pays to Ryan.
As many of you know Ryan, there are few moments, if ever that you see him frustrated or upset. . . today I was witness to a classic moment of discipline. One of the students who is consistently talking, out of his seat, or just not paying attention was at it again when Ryan called him up to the front of the class. I wondered what he was going to do, a new lesson, perhaps make him sing a song by himself. At this point, Ryan draws a circle on the board and turns the boy to face the board and points to it and says "stare at the circle". A bit confused at this new form of discipline, the boy points, stares, puts his ear to the circle then turns around and laughs. At this point, I couldn't do anything more but laugh out loud myself. Unfortunately, I think this defeated Ryan's purpose but it was a classic moment. [insert Ryan's comment: once the class saw Julie laugh, they started laughing too and all hope for further study was lost].
Then there was our 5th grade class who upon our arrival were silent and seated again (not business as usual). . . we quickly notice that one of our most challenging students is outside the class but talking to a student through the open window...we tell him to come in and he ignores us...and the class chimes in that he is sick and cannot come inside the class. It seemed odd that he was sick, yet physically present on school premises and not allowed inside the classroom.
Now it's time for lunch with the Director, the teachers, and the Committee. We walk in and the Director says, "Ryan please sit here", pointing to the head of the table where the head Committee members are seated. I look at the Director (now keen to his ways) and ask him in my most friendly voice, "where would you like me to sit?" and he nonchalantly gestures to the seat next to Ryan and walks past me. One of the Committee members spoke English very well and told us about his 'friend' in Montana "Joe Smith" which he repeated numerous times to us as if we might know "Joe Smith" from Montana, USA. He was very kind and interesting to talk to during lunch, I think I got a few words in! Of course, it wouldn't be lunch without the Director calling Ryan "genius" and "handsome" at which point I just must agree and chime in! [insert Ryan's comment: actually the Director used the word smart and Julie yelled "Genius", presumably in jest, however the Director snapped back, "Yes! Genius!!"]
We laughed the whole way home thinking about all the crazy things that happen to us on a daily basis. We are winding down our stay in Nong Khai and share a deep appreciation for Travel to Teach and this experience. We have two more days of teaching (still trying to get those ABC's and 123's down) and then we are off to Chiang Mai (Northern Thailand) for a few days. We decided to get the Director a bottle of Gold Label Johnny Walker Scotch Whiskey as our departing gift, I am going to give it to him. . . I can't wait!!! I just hope he'll let Ryan go with me to Chiang Mai!
As many of you know Ryan, there are few moments, if ever that you see him frustrated or upset. . . today I was witness to a classic moment of discipline. One of the students who is consistently talking, out of his seat, or just not paying attention was at it again when Ryan called him up to the front of the class. I wondered what he was going to do, a new lesson, perhaps make him sing a song by himself. At this point, Ryan draws a circle on the board and turns the boy to face the board and points to it and says "stare at the circle". A bit confused at this new form of discipline, the boy points, stares, puts his ear to the circle then turns around and laughs. At this point, I couldn't do anything more but laugh out loud myself. Unfortunately, I think this defeated Ryan's purpose but it was a classic moment. [insert Ryan's comment: once the class saw Julie laugh, they started laughing too and all hope for further study was lost].
Then there was our 5th grade class who upon our arrival were silent and seated again (not business as usual). . . we quickly notice that one of our most challenging students is outside the class but talking to a student through the open window...we tell him to come in and he ignores us...and the class chimes in that he is sick and cannot come inside the class. It seemed odd that he was sick, yet physically present on school premises and not allowed inside the classroom.
Now it's time for lunch with the Director, the teachers, and the Committee. We walk in and the Director says, "Ryan please sit here", pointing to the head of the table where the head Committee members are seated. I look at the Director (now keen to his ways) and ask him in my most friendly voice, "where would you like me to sit?" and he nonchalantly gestures to the seat next to Ryan and walks past me. One of the Committee members spoke English very well and told us about his 'friend' in Montana "Joe Smith" which he repeated numerous times to us as if we might know "Joe Smith" from Montana, USA. He was very kind and interesting to talk to during lunch, I think I got a few words in! Of course, it wouldn't be lunch without the Director calling Ryan "genius" and "handsome" at which point I just must agree and chime in! [insert Ryan's comment: actually the Director used the word smart and Julie yelled "Genius", presumably in jest, however the Director snapped back, "Yes! Genius!!"]
We laughed the whole way home thinking about all the crazy things that happen to us on a daily basis. We are winding down our stay in Nong Khai and share a deep appreciation for Travel to Teach and this experience. We have two more days of teaching (still trying to get those ABC's and 123's down) and then we are off to Chiang Mai (Northern Thailand) for a few days. We decided to get the Director a bottle of Gold Label Johnny Walker Scotch Whiskey as our departing gift, I am going to give it to him. . . I can't wait!!! I just hope he'll let Ryan go with me to Chiang Mai!
Monday, January 29, 2007
Who Let the Dogs Out!
****please see the added link on the right hand side for our trip photos***
I think we mentioned in an earlier post that in the town of Nong Khai there seem to be more dogs than people. Upon our arrival to Nong Khai, we were warned that we would probably be chased by dogs while riding our bikes at some point during our tenure at Travel to Teach. We were also told just to ignore them and they stop chasing you, since you have left their "territory" and they lose interest. I listened intently to this warning and took copious mental notes...Julie on the other hand, well she had a different idea...which leads into our most recent adventure.
Julie, myself and our Belgian buddies were coming home one night from the local watering hole, which serves great food. It was around 11 p.m., which is the "danger zone" for Dogwatch 2007...you know, like those times they say not to swim in the water because it is more likely that sharks will be present, i.e. blood/chum in the water, dead fish around you, etc.?, well 11 p.m. in Nong Khai is prime time for dog chasing. Although to be honest you don't really think about it, even though every dog looks like it is a wild dog or wolf or even some that look like hyenas with big teeth...anyway, I digress. So there we are, all biking back together talking with each other about the evening, Julie and I in front, biking side by side and Lotta and Kattrain (Belgians) biking behind us. All of the sudden we hear this loud bark and growl that came from our right, I glance over and see this large black dog coming towards Julie. Julie takes one look at the dog and instead of remaining calm (as instructed) and continue pedaling at a normal speed, Julie pushes everyone out of her way and takes off like a rocket! I am being serious when I say that it was like a Road Runner cartoon were Wily Coyote straps on the rocket to his back to catch the Road Runner. I see the dog take off after Julie...apparently provoked by Julie's response because the CHASE WAS ON!! [Insert Julie's comment: I know this story sounds crazy but you have to realize that we are biking down a road with minimal street light and all I kept thinking was "I'm going to get bit by a dog and get some crazy disease", hence the quick pedal to get out of the dog's 'territory'.] After about 50 yards the dog gave up as Julie almost pedaled out of Thailand! I caught up to Julie at our house, that is where she "waited" for me. [Insert Julie's comment: Ryan and our buddies where just a few pedals behind me.] I have learned my lesson and when Julie and I ride home together at night, she rides in front so if she needs to use rocket fuel, she can take off!! [Insert Julie's comment: actually now everyone is well aware of my fear of dogs (scary dogs, not like "Dusty" Aunt Bethy!) and they tend to create a shield around me if we see the dogs out late at night, it seems to be a good system . . . until the next chase!!!]
I think we mentioned in an earlier post that in the town of Nong Khai there seem to be more dogs than people. Upon our arrival to Nong Khai, we were warned that we would probably be chased by dogs while riding our bikes at some point during our tenure at Travel to Teach. We were also told just to ignore them and they stop chasing you, since you have left their "territory" and they lose interest. I listened intently to this warning and took copious mental notes...Julie on the other hand, well she had a different idea...which leads into our most recent adventure.
Julie, myself and our Belgian buddies were coming home one night from the local watering hole, which serves great food. It was around 11 p.m., which is the "danger zone" for Dogwatch 2007...you know, like those times they say not to swim in the water because it is more likely that sharks will be present, i.e. blood/chum in the water, dead fish around you, etc.?, well 11 p.m. in Nong Khai is prime time for dog chasing. Although to be honest you don't really think about it, even though every dog looks like it is a wild dog or wolf or even some that look like hyenas with big teeth...anyway, I digress. So there we are, all biking back together talking with each other about the evening, Julie and I in front, biking side by side and Lotta and Kattrain (Belgians) biking behind us. All of the sudden we hear this loud bark and growl that came from our right, I glance over and see this large black dog coming towards Julie. Julie takes one look at the dog and instead of remaining calm (as instructed) and continue pedaling at a normal speed, Julie pushes everyone out of her way and takes off like a rocket! I am being serious when I say that it was like a Road Runner cartoon were Wily Coyote straps on the rocket to his back to catch the Road Runner. I see the dog take off after Julie...apparently provoked by Julie's response because the CHASE WAS ON!! [Insert Julie's comment: I know this story sounds crazy but you have to realize that we are biking down a road with minimal street light and all I kept thinking was "I'm going to get bit by a dog and get some crazy disease", hence the quick pedal to get out of the dog's 'territory'.] After about 50 yards the dog gave up as Julie almost pedaled out of Thailand! I caught up to Julie at our house, that is where she "waited" for me. [Insert Julie's comment: Ryan and our buddies where just a few pedals behind me.] I have learned my lesson and when Julie and I ride home together at night, she rides in front so if she needs to use rocket fuel, she can take off!! [Insert Julie's comment: actually now everyone is well aware of my fear of dogs (scary dogs, not like "Dusty" Aunt Bethy!) and they tend to create a shield around me if we see the dogs out late at night, it seems to be a good system . . . until the next chase!!!]
Sunday, January 28, 2007
Mr. Toad's Wild Ride
Ok, so you all have been on Mr. Toad's Wild Ride in Disneyland, right? Well, picture that ride, without the safety features and that was the 3.5 hour VIP bus ride we took from Vientiene to Vangviang in Laos (Why they call this "bus" a VIP, we have no idea because it was anything but...) Yes, we had bumps in the road, dodged animals (actually hitting a pig) and a driver who was appropriately nicknamed "Ricky Bobby" ala Talledega Nights. We were passing cars on the left and right (on a what was barely a two lane "road") and Ricky Bobby thought it a good idea to search out and run over every pothole in the road so that our heads hit the top of the mini-van we rode in with 8 other people.
Needless to say, we made it to Vangviang, a small sleepy town made up of Western backpackers and the local Lao population. Although we had been forewarned that this village was a stop over for backpackers on their way to Luang Prubang from Vientiene, we couldn't get over just how many Westerners there were and how the restaurants had a choice selection of Western food. We stayed in a bungalow ($18 a night) off the Nam Song River and really enjoyed the place (we were informed by the proprietor that Kylie Monigue stayed there in 2002 - claim to fame). The first night we ate at the "resort" restaurant because we got in late and met some Brits who were traveling through Southeast Asia. Two older couples who were very friendly and talkative, we enjoyed their company. The next morning we woke up and located a kayaking and caving tour...yes you heard me correctly, Ryan and Julie sought out a kayaking and caving tour. Locating a tour is quite simple, the hard part is choosing one...Vangviang is sort of the Southeast Asia Interlaken (Switzerland)...with many outdoor activities and extreme sports to take part in. So we signed up and in a few hours were in a tuk-tuk heading out of town with our kayaks strapped to the roof and our Lao guide, "Tee", sitting next to us.
We arrived at our departure point on the Nam Song River and our initial thought was "How hard can this be?" Well, after the first 5 minutes we realized that we may be in over our heads - literally. You see, Julie and I were in the same kayak, Julie in front and I in back and for those of you who haven't been kayaking-for-two, there is a great deal of communication that needs to take place - AND COMMUNICATE WE DID!! We were yelling "Forward paddle" "Back Paddle" "Left Side" "Right Side" ... and we usually ended up going down the river backwards...we know that Tee was thinking to himself, "I do not get paid enough for this." After about 2 hours of joy on the river, and only a few "are we there yets" from Julie, Tee said we were headed to shore for some caving...what a welcome relief, we both thought. So, we got out of our kayaks (soaking wet!) and met a man who provided us with headlamps...I thought this was a bit much, I mean, we've all been in caves in the US that are well-lit, usually with a staircase and lots of people AND really those caves aren't too deep, right? Well, another reminder we weren't in America. We get to the entrance of this very large cave and see a few people rock climbing, we smile and wave and head into the cave, which doesn't look all that deep from the entrance and I don't even bother to turn on the headlamp. Then our guide points to a black hole, which I thought was a wall, and says we will go in there. Julie and I look at each other with a look of trepidation, but excitement and the "we can't turn back now" nod. So we followed our guide into the darkness, think Disneyland Matterhorn-like. I should mention that we were the only 3 people in the cave once we left the rock climbers at the entrance. The cave is pitch black, until our eyesight becomes accustomed to the darkness and gradually we can make out the contours of the cave wall, of course once we figure out how to turn on the headlamp, the cave reveals itself opening up to a very large area with high walls on either side. We both were taken aback at the enormity of our surroundings, as our guide was telling us that this cave was used by the Vietnamese soldiers during the Vietnam War. Our guide pushed on further into the cave, which revealed passageway after passageway and huge "rooms" with crystallized rock walls. [Insert Julie's comment: this is when I start to freak out. . . I mean we are in LAOS, deep inside a mountain with a little battery powered headlight and no one else can hear us. . . with a Lao guide who doesn't say much.] After we walked another 10 minutes further into the cave our guide turns to us and says, "we can head one direction towards the exit (a different one then we came in) or we can head further into the cave." At this point, Julie and I thought this was something out of a Jules Verne novel. I look at Julie and she says "I am ready to leave, NOW." Frankly, so was I. We felt as if we were so deep inside the mountain, the air was stale and the walls seemed to close in on us. So, we asked our guide to head towards the exit. He skips away saying "Follow me." Julie and I run after him, trying to keep up. Finally we reach a rock wall and he turns to us and says, "Ok, we have to go under the rock, watch what I do." And he lowers himself through the tiniest of cracks between two rocks. Julie turns to me and says, "I don't know if you are going to fit, Ry." And then she takes off through the crack. [Insert Julie's comment: of course my comment began with a "LOVE"]. I was standing there wondering if I could squeeze myself through, when I suddenly realized that I either do it, or go all the way back the way we came, which by this point, was a very long, dark walk. So, after much huffing and puffing I squeezed my way to the other side and saw the light of day.
We made it out of the cave, but we weren't out of the woods yet...we still had another hour of kayaking to get back to our pick-up point. Julie and I worked on our commands again, "Right, Left!!" "No not backwards!" [Insert Julie's comment: of course all of these 'commands' are followed by LOVE"]. Then we hopped back in the water-logged kayak and were off. At many times during our trip down the river we saw foreigners taking a leisure motor boat ride up the river...Julie looked back at me, with her hair and face wet with river water, sitting in a pool of water and said "Those people are genius!" (ala our school director). And I had to agree. We finally made it to our destination (Tee took us right to our resort), got out of the kayak, thanked our guide, and headed to the resort bar. . .bought two BeerLao and sat on our porch overlooking the river, feeling like a job well done.
That night we went to a local restaurant. However the local restaurants really cater to Westerners and at every place their are couches and television. Each restaurant plays different movies or television shows and your dining spot is not so much chosen based upon the menu as it is based upon the movie playing at the restaurant. It seemed a bit strange to be watching American movies (and Friends episodes) in a remote, small village in a Communist country...but 'when in Rome.'
The next morning we woke up early and caught the bus back to Vientiene. True to form, it was just as bumpy as the ride up to Vangviang and our driver was just as crazy as the first. Anyway, we made it back to Vientiene, then caught a bus across the Friendship Bridge back into Thailand. We are relieved to be back in our 'home away from home' and are looking forward to a good night's sleep.
Needless to say, we made it to Vangviang, a small sleepy town made up of Western backpackers and the local Lao population. Although we had been forewarned that this village was a stop over for backpackers on their way to Luang Prubang from Vientiene, we couldn't get over just how many Westerners there were and how the restaurants had a choice selection of Western food. We stayed in a bungalow ($18 a night) off the Nam Song River and really enjoyed the place (we were informed by the proprietor that Kylie Monigue stayed there in 2002 - claim to fame). The first night we ate at the "resort" restaurant because we got in late and met some Brits who were traveling through Southeast Asia. Two older couples who were very friendly and talkative, we enjoyed their company. The next morning we woke up and located a kayaking and caving tour...yes you heard me correctly, Ryan and Julie sought out a kayaking and caving tour. Locating a tour is quite simple, the hard part is choosing one...Vangviang is sort of the Southeast Asia Interlaken (Switzerland)...with many outdoor activities and extreme sports to take part in. So we signed up and in a few hours were in a tuk-tuk heading out of town with our kayaks strapped to the roof and our Lao guide, "Tee", sitting next to us.
We arrived at our departure point on the Nam Song River and our initial thought was "How hard can this be?" Well, after the first 5 minutes we realized that we may be in over our heads - literally. You see, Julie and I were in the same kayak, Julie in front and I in back and for those of you who haven't been kayaking-for-two, there is a great deal of communication that needs to take place - AND COMMUNICATE WE DID!! We were yelling "Forward paddle" "Back Paddle" "Left Side" "Right Side" ... and we usually ended up going down the river backwards...we know that Tee was thinking to himself, "I do not get paid enough for this." After about 2 hours of joy on the river, and only a few "are we there yets" from Julie, Tee said we were headed to shore for some caving...what a welcome relief, we both thought. So, we got out of our kayaks (soaking wet!) and met a man who provided us with headlamps...I thought this was a bit much, I mean, we've all been in caves in the US that are well-lit, usually with a staircase and lots of people AND really those caves aren't too deep, right? Well, another reminder we weren't in America. We get to the entrance of this very large cave and see a few people rock climbing, we smile and wave and head into the cave, which doesn't look all that deep from the entrance and I don't even bother to turn on the headlamp. Then our guide points to a black hole, which I thought was a wall, and says we will go in there. Julie and I look at each other with a look of trepidation, but excitement and the "we can't turn back now" nod. So we followed our guide into the darkness, think Disneyland Matterhorn-like. I should mention that we were the only 3 people in the cave once we left the rock climbers at the entrance. The cave is pitch black, until our eyesight becomes accustomed to the darkness and gradually we can make out the contours of the cave wall, of course once we figure out how to turn on the headlamp, the cave reveals itself opening up to a very large area with high walls on either side. We both were taken aback at the enormity of our surroundings, as our guide was telling us that this cave was used by the Vietnamese soldiers during the Vietnam War. Our guide pushed on further into the cave, which revealed passageway after passageway and huge "rooms" with crystallized rock walls. [Insert Julie's comment: this is when I start to freak out. . . I mean we are in LAOS, deep inside a mountain with a little battery powered headlight and no one else can hear us. . . with a Lao guide who doesn't say much.] After we walked another 10 minutes further into the cave our guide turns to us and says, "we can head one direction towards the exit (a different one then we came in) or we can head further into the cave." At this point, Julie and I thought this was something out of a Jules Verne novel. I look at Julie and she says "I am ready to leave, NOW." Frankly, so was I. We felt as if we were so deep inside the mountain, the air was stale and the walls seemed to close in on us. So, we asked our guide to head towards the exit. He skips away saying "Follow me." Julie and I run after him, trying to keep up. Finally we reach a rock wall and he turns to us and says, "Ok, we have to go under the rock, watch what I do." And he lowers himself through the tiniest of cracks between two rocks. Julie turns to me and says, "I don't know if you are going to fit, Ry." And then she takes off through the crack. [Insert Julie's comment: of course my comment began with a "LOVE"]. I was standing there wondering if I could squeeze myself through, when I suddenly realized that I either do it, or go all the way back the way we came, which by this point, was a very long, dark walk. So, after much huffing and puffing I squeezed my way to the other side and saw the light of day.
We made it out of the cave, but we weren't out of the woods yet...we still had another hour of kayaking to get back to our pick-up point. Julie and I worked on our commands again, "Right, Left!!" "No not backwards!" [Insert Julie's comment: of course all of these 'commands' are followed by LOVE"]. Then we hopped back in the water-logged kayak and were off. At many times during our trip down the river we saw foreigners taking a leisure motor boat ride up the river...Julie looked back at me, with her hair and face wet with river water, sitting in a pool of water and said "Those people are genius!" (ala our school director). And I had to agree. We finally made it to our destination (Tee took us right to our resort), got out of the kayak, thanked our guide, and headed to the resort bar. . .bought two BeerLao and sat on our porch overlooking the river, feeling like a job well done.
That night we went to a local restaurant. However the local restaurants really cater to Westerners and at every place their are couches and television. Each restaurant plays different movies or television shows and your dining spot is not so much chosen based upon the menu as it is based upon the movie playing at the restaurant. It seemed a bit strange to be watching American movies (and Friends episodes) in a remote, small village in a Communist country...but 'when in Rome.'
The next morning we woke up early and caught the bus back to Vientiene. True to form, it was just as bumpy as the ride up to Vangviang and our driver was just as crazy as the first. Anyway, we made it back to Vientiene, then caught a bus across the Friendship Bridge back into Thailand. We are relieved to be back in our 'home away from home' and are looking forward to a good night's sleep.
Tuesday, January 23, 2007
Monks
Last night we taught the monks at the temple. There were about 8 of them, all under 23 years old (I believe the youngest was 14 years old). To our delight, two of the monks were from Laos (and just our luck, they spoke English very well) so we asked them many questions about Laos, since we are headed there this weekend! The monks were very helpful. Some of the younger monks asked us about American movies, we were told they like James Bond and Lord of the Rings...one of the monks told us his favorite type of music is hip-hop and that Linkin' Park is one of his favorite bands. After leaving the temple, we met our Belgian friends at a local restaurant to get some green curry and some Leos (local beer, not Papa).
Teaching at school was fun today and lunch with the director was entertaining as usual...I asked him how his weekend was and he said (in broken English) "I get drunk." Yesterday he said, "Ryan you are a very cheerful man" and I responded by saying it was because of my wife that I was so cheerful (because it is true and I felt Julie's frustration mounting), he looked at Julie and made a sound like "Hummmmph" and then walked away...I have no idea what that meant, but it obviously signaled the end of our communication that day. [Insert Julie's comment: the Director LOVES Ryan and when talking to 'us' only looks at Ryan, compliments Ryan and starts conversation with Ryan. . . so now you know why I get a little frustrated as I try to be a part of the conversation as well! His favorite thing to say is "Ryan, you are GENIUS!!!!"] So we got on our bikes and drove out the long driveway, and each time we do so, we get bombarded by our students who yell "Bye-Bye!" and try and slap you high-5!! It makes us feel like mini-celebrities.
After we have tried so many times to upload our photos we have created a Flickr account, please cut and paste this link into your browser to see our photos:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/ryanandjuliedunn/
Sawadee Krap ("Hello" in Thai)
Teaching at school was fun today and lunch with the director was entertaining as usual...I asked him how his weekend was and he said (in broken English) "I get drunk." Yesterday he said, "Ryan you are a very cheerful man" and I responded by saying it was because of my wife that I was so cheerful (because it is true and I felt Julie's frustration mounting), he looked at Julie and made a sound like "Hummmmph" and then walked away...I have no idea what that meant, but it obviously signaled the end of our communication that day. [Insert Julie's comment: the Director LOVES Ryan and when talking to 'us' only looks at Ryan, compliments Ryan and starts conversation with Ryan. . . so now you know why I get a little frustrated as I try to be a part of the conversation as well! His favorite thing to say is "Ryan, you are GENIUS!!!!"] So we got on our bikes and drove out the long driveway, and each time we do so, we get bombarded by our students who yell "Bye-Bye!" and try and slap you high-5!! It makes us feel like mini-celebrities.
After we have tried so many times to upload our photos we have created a Flickr account, please cut and paste this link into your browser to see our photos:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/ryanandjuliedunn/
Sawadee Krap ("Hello" in Thai)
Thai Cooking
Below are some photos from our English Camp. Yes, pink polo shirts were the color of choice (Julie was thrilled) and we wore them through and through!
Last night we had a cooking class. We learned how to make coconut soup. We have become real Martha Stewarts over here - Thai style! We now have 3 new recipes in our repertoire: coconut soup, red curry and noodle salad. everything over here is spicy and our Thai chef instructor always says "not spicy", which means it is spicy for us Westerners, but not for Thais.
Today we are going to teach at the Wat. The monks are always a pleasure to visit with and we enjoy our time there very much. Tonight, Julie and I are taking two rookies (yes, after two weeks here we have reached semi-veteran status!), so that will be fun. [Insert Julie's comment: we look forward to the Monks tonight as we had a challenging day at school. . . Ryan disciplined one of the students by having him stand outside. We are teaching them the song, "You are my Sunshine" and Ryan told the misbehaving student to sing the song in front of the class by himself. . . talk about tough punishment!! I was giggling in my head the whole time but had to maintain my teacher demeanor, as did Ryan!!!]
We have been searching for planes, trains and automobiles in an effort to figure out how we are getting around Vietnam and Cambodia...complicating the situation is upcoming Chinese New Year, making booking travel and accommodations semi-difficult. But it always is an adventure and we are enjoying every minute of it.
Last night we had a cooking class. We learned how to make coconut soup. We have become real Martha Stewarts over here - Thai style! We now have 3 new recipes in our repertoire: coconut soup, red curry and noodle salad. everything over here is spicy and our Thai chef instructor always says "not spicy", which means it is spicy for us Westerners, but not for Thais.
Today we are going to teach at the Wat. The monks are always a pleasure to visit with and we enjoy our time there very much. Tonight, Julie and I are taking two rookies (yes, after two weeks here we have reached semi-veteran status!), so that will be fun. [Insert Julie's comment: we look forward to the Monks tonight as we had a challenging day at school. . . Ryan disciplined one of the students by having him stand outside. We are teaching them the song, "You are my Sunshine" and Ryan told the misbehaving student to sing the song in front of the class by himself. . . talk about tough punishment!! I was giggling in my head the whole time but had to maintain my teacher demeanor, as did Ryan!!!]
We have been searching for planes, trains and automobiles in an effort to figure out how we are getting around Vietnam and Cambodia...complicating the situation is upcoming Chinese New Year, making booking travel and accommodations semi-difficult. But it always is an adventure and we are enjoying every minute of it.
Monday, January 22, 2007
Mastering Clothes
My group of students, mastering clothes. Notice the models with all the clothes on, each team had to 'dress' them when I called out a clothing item.
Saturday, January 20, 2007
Camping. . .in Thailand???
As many of you know, I am not a big fan of camping and Ryan and I rarely camp at home, I mean NEVER camp. [insert Ryan's comment: actually there was that one time we almost got swept down the river, but that's another story...]. So, how we found ourselves in a two-person tent in Northern Thailand remains a mystery to me!
We were asked by Travel to Teach to assist with an English Camp from Friday to Saturday for high school students in Udon Thani (about 45 minutes away). We were picked up on Friday morning at 7 a.m. and taken to the school (beautiful and big) then up to the mountains to the camp site. We were then told to take the students on a 'hike' (again, we are wondering what are we doing???). Envision Ryan and I, soaked with sweat, sunscreen and mosquito repellent, with 7 other 'native English speakers', 150 kids and about 15 Thai teachers all hiking in the heat of the day when the sun is at it's strongest from noon to 2:00...classic. I'm sure you can all see the crazy looks we were giving each other as we were sweating and huffing and puffing our way through the 'forest'. The first day we were a bit confused as it seemed like they only spoke to the students in Thai...we thought this odd since this was called "English Camp" !! After an adult beverage and some good laughs with our Belgian friends (Lotta and Katrain) we were ready to make this the best we could. Ryan and Katrain were asked to the be MC's for the campfire and welcome the director of the school and the camp. After introductions, each group of schoolchildren performed in English for the entire camp (8 performances in all!). There were a group of students (all young boys) that they call openly 'lady boys', basically they are openly gay and feminine young boys. We were pleasantly surprised at the support and openness that the Thai culture provides them. They taught me some great dance moves to an English hip hop song [insert Ryan's comment: Julie taught them the Britney Spears' "Oops, I did it again" dance]. Ryan taught the students 'the wave' and asked each one of them 'what is your name' to which they respond with a long-hard-to-pronounce Thai name and then they say 'my nickname is. . .'. He had them all laughing all night long. Being the 'married couple' we got our own little tent. .. right next to all the kids and woke up to a whistle blowing for exercises at 5:30 a.m. :)
The second day of camp was really fun and encouraging. They broke the students into 5 groups and then rotated to different stations. I had the 'dressing' station to which I taught the students 'shirt', 'shorts', 'flip flops' etc. I really worked on their pronunciation as the 'sh' and 'fl' sounds aren't in their language and seem to be very challenging. Ryan was in charge of a scavenger hunt which was fun for the first 2 rounds and then he was running in an all out sweat around camp (again in the heat and high sun) the winners all got ice-creams as their reward! The director of the camp cried when we said good bye, she was so thrilled to have us help and she was so warm. We learned alot this weekend and laughed so much, we were glad that we went and felt like we made a difference. [insert Ryan's comment: Julie has maintained her cover as a 'vegetarian' quite well and despite my occasional slip up, people believe she has been one for years].
We were asked by Travel to Teach to assist with an English Camp from Friday to Saturday for high school students in Udon Thani (about 45 minutes away). We were picked up on Friday morning at 7 a.m. and taken to the school (beautiful and big) then up to the mountains to the camp site. We were then told to take the students on a 'hike' (again, we are wondering what are we doing???). Envision Ryan and I, soaked with sweat, sunscreen and mosquito repellent, with 7 other 'native English speakers', 150 kids and about 15 Thai teachers all hiking in the heat of the day when the sun is at it's strongest from noon to 2:00...classic. I'm sure you can all see the crazy looks we were giving each other as we were sweating and huffing and puffing our way through the 'forest'. The first day we were a bit confused as it seemed like they only spoke to the students in Thai...we thought this odd since this was called "English Camp" !! After an adult beverage and some good laughs with our Belgian friends (Lotta and Katrain) we were ready to make this the best we could. Ryan and Katrain were asked to the be MC's for the campfire and welcome the director of the school and the camp. After introductions, each group of schoolchildren performed in English for the entire camp (8 performances in all!). There were a group of students (all young boys) that they call openly 'lady boys', basically they are openly gay and feminine young boys. We were pleasantly surprised at the support and openness that the Thai culture provides them. They taught me some great dance moves to an English hip hop song [insert Ryan's comment: Julie taught them the Britney Spears' "Oops, I did it again" dance]. Ryan taught the students 'the wave' and asked each one of them 'what is your name' to which they respond with a long-hard-to-pronounce Thai name and then they say 'my nickname is. . .'. He had them all laughing all night long. Being the 'married couple' we got our own little tent. .. right next to all the kids and woke up to a whistle blowing for exercises at 5:30 a.m. :)
The second day of camp was really fun and encouraging. They broke the students into 5 groups and then rotated to different stations. I had the 'dressing' station to which I taught the students 'shirt', 'shorts', 'flip flops' etc. I really worked on their pronunciation as the 'sh' and 'fl' sounds aren't in their language and seem to be very challenging. Ryan was in charge of a scavenger hunt which was fun for the first 2 rounds and then he was running in an all out sweat around camp (again in the heat and high sun) the winners all got ice-creams as their reward! The director of the camp cried when we said good bye, she was so thrilled to have us help and she was so warm. We learned alot this weekend and laughed so much, we were glad that we went and felt like we made a difference. [insert Ryan's comment: Julie has maintained her cover as a 'vegetarian' quite well and despite my occasional slip up, people believe she has been one for years].
Thursday, January 18, 2007
The Children of Thailand. . .
Travel to Teach offers a variety of service outlets during our time here; one of which is helping at an orphanage. Yesterday was our turn to help out. . . or rather play with the children. We were thinking of all the little ones in our family (Jackson, Hudson, Madison and Mia) as these children were all so little (the youngest was 12 months and the oldest 2 years) and so needy. We walked into a small room and were immediately greeted by 12 children who were all looking at us as if we were from another planet...we quickly brought out their toys and they were off to the races...playing, fighting, yelling and screaming. After a while it was time to feed them. The four volunteers were handed cups with a rice pudding like substance in it and a spoon; instead of feeding them in an orderly fashion, it was first come first serve type of operation. No high chairs, no bibs, just a bowl of rice pudding and a spoon. Initally, we were concerned that not all of the children got food...however we were reassured once we looked at each face and saw traces of rice pudding on each one!! Side note: they do not hold the children to feed him/her (which seemed rare) the adult sits indian style and places the baby's head upside down on the adults knees...very awkward, but it seems to work for them.
Last night we were teaching the monks again. We really enjoy our time at the Wat ("temple"). There were only 5 monks last night and only 2 of them spoke English well, but it is always entertaining. They are so curious and inquisitive and always seem to ask intelligent, thoughtful questions. The oldest monk last night was 18 years old, the youngest was 14 years old. We were told that the older monks were "in the forest, doing some meditation."
Last night Julie and I had date night...because we just don't get enough time to ourselves :). We were reflecting on our two weeks in Nong Khai saying that it felt longer, and yet when we leave it will be too soon. We really enjoy the people we have met and the places we have seen thus far. More volunteers arrive this week and a few are leaving so it is a constant welcoming/good bye party. Hello!! to all of you back home. keep your comments and emails coming, we love to read them!!
Last night we were teaching the monks again. We really enjoy our time at the Wat ("temple"). There were only 5 monks last night and only 2 of them spoke English well, but it is always entertaining. They are so curious and inquisitive and always seem to ask intelligent, thoughtful questions. The oldest monk last night was 18 years old, the youngest was 14 years old. We were told that the older monks were "in the forest, doing some meditation."
Last night Julie and I had date night...because we just don't get enough time to ourselves :). We were reflecting on our two weeks in Nong Khai saying that it felt longer, and yet when we leave it will be too soon. We really enjoy the people we have met and the places we have seen thus far. More volunteers arrive this week and a few are leaving so it is a constant welcoming/good bye party. Hello!! to all of you back home. keep your comments and emails coming, we love to read them!!
Tuesday, January 16, 2007
7 Strangers Picked to Live in a House. . .
If you scroll down to the beginning of our blog you will see a photo of the outside of our dorm/house. We will try to post some photos of the inside of the house as well. We do live with 7 strangers. . . all volunteers with Travel to Teach. We are at the Meechai dorm which as we have learned is a little bigger, a little nicer and a little quieter than the other dorm. Ryan and I both like our dorm and the fact that we have our own room is HUGE!!! We also have the internet/computer room here so we like that too! Our roomies include: 2 women (23 and 24 years old) from Belgium, one is a speach therapist and the other works with at-risk youth, 1 Canadian guy (19 years old) who is here in between studies and trying to 'find out what he wants to do', 1 Swedish guy (20 years old) who has been here for several months and 1 Austrialian guy (20 years old) who is studing Buddism and is now traveling during the week to another city to teach. . . then there is the 'married American couple'. . . us! We have a very good mix of cultures and backgrounds and try to learn from each other. We tend to spend a lot of time getting to know the 2 Belgian women as they came together as well. The other dorm has a mix of Germans, Austrailians, Dutch, Brits, and Canadians. . . a very diverse group.
We have come to learn to expect the unexpected in Thailand and always bring your camera. On Sunday, we went to pick up our laundry at the house 2 doors down (laundrymat of sorts) where they wash them, hang them and iron the clothes for us for under $1 for 3 loads (many of you know how often we tend to do laundry so this is a huge treat to drop it off and have someone else do it so inexpensively!). We are walking out with our bundles of clothes when the owner stops us and asks us to stay. . . we are soon whisked into action behind a table that is crowded with the neighborhood children. We soon figure out that this is their local 'Children's Day' celebration and they wanted the 'farangs' (foreigners) to hand out the cookies to the children. We smile (not sure what we have gotten ourselves into) and hand each child a bag of cookies and chips after they polietly wai (the hello in Thai, made by bringing your two hands in a prayer position up to your mouth with a bow of the head). . . it was so cute and touching. After this BIG community celebration (there were probably 30 kids) we picked up our bags of folded laundry and walked home with smiles on our faces. We were sad that we didn't bring our camera to pick up our laundry as it would have made for some great pictures... now we know. . . always bring the camera!
Note: Scroll down to see new photos on old posts!
We have come to learn to expect the unexpected in Thailand and always bring your camera. On Sunday, we went to pick up our laundry at the house 2 doors down (laundrymat of sorts) where they wash them, hang them and iron the clothes for us for under $1 for 3 loads (many of you know how often we tend to do laundry so this is a huge treat to drop it off and have someone else do it so inexpensively!). We are walking out with our bundles of clothes when the owner stops us and asks us to stay. . . we are soon whisked into action behind a table that is crowded with the neighborhood children. We soon figure out that this is their local 'Children's Day' celebration and they wanted the 'farangs' (foreigners) to hand out the cookies to the children. We smile (not sure what we have gotten ourselves into) and hand each child a bag of cookies and chips after they polietly wai (the hello in Thai, made by bringing your two hands in a prayer position up to your mouth with a bow of the head). . . it was so cute and touching. After this BIG community celebration (there were probably 30 kids) we picked up our bags of folded laundry and walked home with smiles on our faces. We were sad that we didn't bring our camera to pick up our laundry as it would have made for some great pictures... now we know. . . always bring the camera!
Note: Scroll down to see new photos on old posts!
Sunday, January 14, 2007
Pictures from Thailand
Hi this is Eileen - just doing a quick post for Jules & Ryan. I posted some pictures below and some in this post. We just spoke to them via Skype and they sound GREAT! It is so fun to hear all about their adventures and experiences! We love you two.
The picture with Ryan and the two Thai men was from our lunch on our first day of school. The man on the right is the 'director' the one that calls Ryan "genius" and his friend who wants to learn English.
Then there is me with all the kids on Children's day, so much fun!
Friday, January 12, 2007
SPEAKER CITY
We woke up today at 7am to a gentleman yelling into a microphone which was attached to speakers right outside our window...very pleasant, indeed. Yes, all over Nong Khai people are yelling into microphones and singing songs to celebrate the children (apparently the actual holiday is today, but we observed it yesterday at school.) So at 7:01am we look out the window to see about 5 people sitting in chairs about 15 feet away from the individual with the microphone...why they need speakers which could be used at a U2 concert, we do not know.
We went to our local coffeeshop, run by an Austrian man, for breakfast and on the television was FOX NEWS and Bill O'Reilly talking with Angela Alioto...very funny, half a world away and this is the impartial "American News" they receive.
We biked over to a Wat ("temple") in our town today (we will post pictures when we get to a computer that is able to do so.) It was beautifully decorated. Julie gave some offerings to the Buddha and looked like a regular.
We are off to a birthday party for a Thai coordinator for Travel to Teach. The party is at his parent's house, so it will be nice to have a home cooked meal...just like home with Pad Thai, right mom? ok, over and out.
Pics: This is a photo of Julie during our Thai cooking class on our balcony (no stove or oven in the dorm kitchen we use a gas burner, think camping!). She was making Red Thai Curry, really good but very spicy. Then there is Julie biking down the MeKong River. A photo of us doing our best at Karoke, a Thai favorite past time at one of our Thai coordinators parent's house! And the last photo is of me with Lotta and Katrain our two Belgium friends drinking cokes out of a bag and straw (they keep the bottles for the rebates!).
Thursday, January 11, 2007
NO PDA!
It is not entirely acceptable in the Thai culture to display any public affection towards each other. As many of you know Ryan and I, this is hard for us to handle. . . no hand holding, no touching and no kissing in public. We are taking this seriously as we don't want to offend the Thai people, but gosh it is a change for us. 93% of the Thai culture is Buddhist and therefore they believe in modest lifestyles. They have several sayings that exhibit their perspective in life, "Mai ben lai" means 'no worries or never mind', "Keyet" means saving face and never having a confrontation in public (no one honks their horns here or raises their voice in public). . . maybe some San Francisco taxi drivers could learn a thing from the Thais!
Today was Children's DAY at school so we got to sit and watch a talent show of all the children. They were so excited and they had Ryan and I get up on stage with them to give them their awards (candy or cookies). I was hoping they weren't going to make us dance and sing with them on stage! (Ryan tried to get me on stage singing Britney Spears!!) It was a fun day and interesting to see how their culture celebrates children on this special day. Next Tuesday is Teacher's DAY!!! So more celebrating and another national holiday for all Thai people, including us!
I think we are off to get our Thai massages as it is Friday and we are ready for the weekend!!! Tonight we are teaching University students and then headed to the local hangout, Surreal Bar. This place feels like your living room and is about that size too!
Today was Children's DAY at school so we got to sit and watch a talent show of all the children. They were so excited and they had Ryan and I get up on stage with them to give them their awards (candy or cookies). I was hoping they weren't going to make us dance and sing with them on stage! (Ryan tried to get me on stage singing Britney Spears!!) It was a fun day and interesting to see how their culture celebrates children on this special day. Next Tuesday is Teacher's DAY!!! So more celebrating and another national holiday for all Thai people, including us!
I think we are off to get our Thai massages as it is Friday and we are ready for the weekend!!! Tonight we are teaching University students and then headed to the local hangout, Surreal Bar. This place feels like your living room and is about that size too!
Wednesday, January 10, 2007
A Day in the Life
Well today we just came back from lunch with our director ("principal"). The school provides lunch for us, but sometimes the director takes us to the local restuarant, instead of the cafeteria. Today we went to the local restuarant and the director brought his other director-friends. We speak English only with our director, since the other ones don't know English. They serve up lunch and then order beer and whiskey. Of course, we were told it would be rude to refuse, so we try everything...and they finish the bottle of whiskey at lunch and then go back to school.
A couple of days ago, we went to the wat ("temple") and taught English to the monks. It was very interesting. Women cannot touch the monks, nor can they even hand anything to them...if a woman wants to hand something to a monk, she must put it on the floor or table first, then the monk can pick it up (Julie kept her hands in her pockets, so as not to accidentally touch one of them). The monks were great. They were fairly young. Every male has to be a monk for some time, it is a "right of passage" for them; therefore you see old and young alike. During class the monks asked many questions about America, wanting to know alot about the Native Americans and where they live now. After learning we were from California they asked if we liked the song, "Hotel California." We laughed and told them we would bring in our iPod and play the song next week. It was enlightening and we look forward to going back.
There are dogs everywhere in Nong Khai . They bark constantly and chase you on your bike at night. They wake us up every morning with their barking at 6am.
Tomorrow is Children's Day, a holiday for children...much like we have Father's Day and Mother's Day. Thailand has more holidays than any other country in the world. We are going to the local supermarket - Tesco - like a large TARGET/WAL-MART and going to buy cookies and candy for the kids. Since it is Children's Day we will not teach English, but will be playing games all day; it should be fun.
A couple of days ago, we went to the wat ("temple") and taught English to the monks. It was very interesting. Women cannot touch the monks, nor can they even hand anything to them...if a woman wants to hand something to a monk, she must put it on the floor or table first, then the monk can pick it up (Julie kept her hands in her pockets, so as not to accidentally touch one of them). The monks were great. They were fairly young. Every male has to be a monk for some time, it is a "right of passage" for them; therefore you see old and young alike. During class the monks asked many questions about America, wanting to know alot about the Native Americans and where they live now. After learning we were from California they asked if we liked the song, "Hotel California." We laughed and told them we would bring in our iPod and play the song next week. It was enlightening and we look forward to going back.
There are dogs everywhere in Nong Khai . They bark constantly and chase you on your bike at night. They wake us up every morning with their barking at 6am.
Tomorrow is Children's Day, a holiday for children...much like we have Father's Day and Mother's Day. Thailand has more holidays than any other country in the world. We are going to the local supermarket - Tesco - like a large TARGET/WAL-MART and going to buy cookies and candy for the kids. Since it is Children's Day we will not teach English, but will be playing games all day; it should be fun.
Monday, January 8, 2007
Attention Class!
Ryan and I have survived our first two days of teaching!!! We are teaching 4th, 5th and 6th graders at a primary school in Nong Khai. The children are simply adorable and come running and waving to us each morning as we bike up the path to the school. They know a little English and many are eager to learn more. The first day we were told we were simply going to be introduced to the class. . . next thing I know. . . we are teaching and the Thai teacher has left the room. Ryan did an amazing job entertaining the kids and singing to them. I was a bit overwhelmed but today we arrived more prepared and we had three good classes. The favorite song of the director (principal of the school) is "If you're going to San Francisco, be sure to wear some flowers in your hair. . . ." so he has asked us to teach the students that song. I think we might need to practice ourselves! The Director and another teacher friend took us out to lunch on our first day, very kind people. Then we had a Thai culture class where we learned the "Do's and Dont's" of the culture and people. After that we had a Thai language class and Thai cooking class (very spicy) so needless to say we were exhausted last night.
A little about the other volunteers. . . as we expected we are the second oldest of the group. The oldest volunteers are two women from Sydney. We don't feel completely old but at the same time we are still getting used to the time so we tend to go to bed early!!! (shocker!) It is a large international group who are here for various lengths of time and for many different reasons. Some on holiday, some a break from school, other are expanding their studies it's fun to learn more about all the different people and where they come from.
A few funny things. . . Ryan was offered a job as a master teacher after his first day on the job by the Director!!! The Thai toilets are exactly what you expect, thank goodness our dorm has western toilets and warm water! I have become a vegetarian! We are becoming Lance Armstrongs on our bikes as this is our ONLY means of transportation other than our two legs! We had no electricity last night in our house. . . looks like they forgot to pay the bill on time. Many, many more to come.
Any teaching ideas or American songs we can teach them, send them our way!!! Also, we are having a hard time uploading photos to our site. We hope to get some up here soon~
A little about the other volunteers. . . as we expected we are the second oldest of the group. The oldest volunteers are two women from Sydney. We don't feel completely old but at the same time we are still getting used to the time so we tend to go to bed early!!! (shocker!) It is a large international group who are here for various lengths of time and for many different reasons. Some on holiday, some a break from school, other are expanding their studies it's fun to learn more about all the different people and where they come from.
A few funny things. . . Ryan was offered a job as a master teacher after his first day on the job by the Director!!! The Thai toilets are exactly what you expect, thank goodness our dorm has western toilets and warm water! I have become a vegetarian! We are becoming Lance Armstrongs on our bikes as this is our ONLY means of transportation other than our two legs! We had no electricity last night in our house. . . looks like they forgot to pay the bill on time. Many, many more to come.
Any teaching ideas or American songs we can teach them, send them our way!!! Also, we are having a hard time uploading photos to our site. We hope to get some up here soon~
Saturday, January 6, 2007
Nong Khai, Travel to Teach
Today we woke up well rested and ready to head to our volunteer dorm. We flew about an hour northeast of Bangkok to Udon Thani. We then took an interesting cab ride (with 8 other people) to Nong Khai. The taxi dropped us off at the 'Green Dorm' of Travel to Teach where Rick and our other coordinators were there to greet us. The Green Dorm is located in the heart of Nong Khai. We, however, are in the Meechai Dorm about a 10 minute bike ride from the Green Dorm...and what a bike ride it was!! We were dodging traffic and looking over our shoulders so as not to be run down by the occasional toyota truck with 13 people packed in the cab. After reaching the dorm, we were introduced to 2 of our housemates; two women from Belgium. We saw our room, yes, OUR room...with a full bed and were happy to know that no one else was staying in our room!! (We also have internet access at our dorm). We have unpacked and are getting settled. 2 of our housemates, guys from Australia are in Laos for the weekend, so we will meet them later. We are off to dinner tonight with the rest of the crew...we are the only Americans, so I am instilling them with some Republican values...just kidding Fishers...ok, signing off.
Friday, January 5, 2007
We Made It!!
Well, after 20+ hours of travel time (slight detour to Alaska in order to refuel), we finally arrived in Bangkok. What a beautiful airport! This airport was completed 3 months ago and it is 45 minutes away from our hotel. After a precarious taxicab ride to our hotel, we were pleasantly surprised when we were upgraded and are staying in a suite at the Marriott! We both want to stay longer, but must leave tomorrow to take a flight to Udon Thani and then a 45 minute taxicab ride to Nong Khai, where we will meet our roomies and hunker down for the next month! We are both spent and on the ropes with jet lag, but filled with excitement that after months of planning and anticipation, we have arrived.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
