Exam Day

Well today I gave an exam in each of my classes.  I made the exams based on the unit that we've just finished and after almost a week of reviewing exactly what was going to be on the exams I expect that most students will do well.  Of course, I've started grading my P4's and I'm starting to think that I didn't go over it as well as I thought.  Some of the easiest parts are proving problematic for the whole class which worries me.  Of course, I am starting with the kids who finished last, so I'm hoping that things will start to look up as I get to the kids who finished first.  My P3s and P5s finished overall much faster than the P4s and a cursory glance is giving me hope that I only made the P4 test too hard.  I'm not allowed to fail anybody, so the grades will all be adjusted accordingly, so at least there's no worries on that front.

I do want to share a few fun things the kids have written so far (I'm not making fun of them, I just think its creative/cute).  For example, they had to write out the number 911 (nine hundred eleven) but some of them have not grasped the numbers 10-20 because I'm getting a lot of either nine hundred one one or, my favorite, nine hundred onety-one.  Like I said, creative.  Oh, and I know they aren't grasping 10-20 because they don't have a problem with 645 or 558 but they can't get 416, 119, or 911 and its only the sixteen, nineteen, and eleven that's tripping them up.  So that's something I'll have to go over.

One other interesting thing about giving out the tests was the helping that happened (or tried to happen - I was wary of it from the beginning, so you better believe I pounced on that) towards the end of my P4 and P3 classes.  So as background, in case I haven't mentioned this before, when I give out assignments the kids pretty much work together to figure out the answers.  Sometimes this means they are actually collaborating, but more often it means that the smart kids are figuring it out and the other kids are copying.  This is, as it turns out, totally cultural.  Its not perceived as cheating, its just helping each other out.  Since I can't fail any of them this usually means I'm trying to come up with different strategies to make sure everyone is getting something out of the lesson even if they are copying down the sentences from one another.  However, I draw the line with exams and based on their behavior during the test the kids understood that helping each other during exams is not OK.  However, towards the end of my P4 and P3 classes I still had some kids working when class was over.  So I dismissed the students who were done with their tests and as they were leaving, some of them would stop by their friend's desk and start giving them the answers that they hadn't figured out yet.  I put a stop to it, but it did make me think about how that would rarely if ever happen in the U.S.  My memories of people cheating were people sneakily trying to look off someone else's paper - not freely giving away answers to a test!  Part of it stems from the fact that the U.S. just has a generally more competitive attitude towards school.  There are no standardized tests here that the kids have to take every year and I think that makes a huge difference between my job as a teacher here and teachers in the U.S.  Also, tests in general just aren't as big of a deal.  Last week I was reminding them every day that they had a test today and each day they were relaxed and acting like today would be any other day.  They get more anxious about me giving them a star for completeness on classwork (which I'm not grading - just giving them a star to work towards finishing) than they did about this test.  I think part of it must be that they know they're going to pass but its something for me to get used to just the same.  Just some interesting observations about the differences between the attitude towards tests in the U.S. and in Thailand.  

Other than that the day has been uneventful.  I did get to have a chat with my sister and her roommates and her boyfriend which was really good.  They reminded me that I took some pictures of the school, but haven't posted them yet.  So here are some pictures of the school - I don't think I actually remembered to take pictures of my classroom so you'll just have to wait for those.  But know that my classroom does look different from the other classrooms.

These are the kids lined up for assembly - some of my kids are actually in this picture, in the darker blue shirts on the left side. 

Here is a Thai classroom - they all have the same backpack provided by the school.  The desks in my classroom are the same but I have a white board, technology, and my room is closed off because of the air conditioning.  This room stays open like this and when you walk down the hall, all of the doors are open.

This is a staircase with some books at the bottom.  I took a picture of it because its different from the staircase I use and I thought it was prettier going up in a circle and being so clean and bright.  

I think that's about it for today - I'm having trouble thinking of other things to write right now.  Its OK though since you got such an epic post yesterday, right?  ;) (also, I just saw this and realized how weird that "wink" looks in this font.  I apologize.  It is supposed to be a *wink*)

House Hunters International - Chaiyaphum Edition

At long last... the apartment search!  I want to just preface this by saying that this was not really what I expected when I was told I was going to be getting an apartment.  All of the places I saw were a bedroom with a bathroom attached.  That's it.  No living room, no kitchen, just a bedroom with a bathroom.  I'm happy with the place I've chosen, but yeah, just warning you.  Also, I am going to list the prices of the apartments I looked at - I know talking about money makes some people uncomfortable but that's why I'm giving you this preface.

Also, for those who are actually interested in how one finds an apartment in a foreign country I can't be of much help.  But I will tell you how I came by these places.  Option 1 G helped me find.  We just walked into the office and asked the woman there if there were any available rooms and she gave us a break down of the different room availabilities and when I could move in.  Options 2 and 3 my TA found for me and she, the other TA, and the other TA's boyfriend took me to see them.  Option 4 G's coffee shop friend found and took us to see.  So basically I used the connections I have here (and G has) to find a place.  If I were on my own I'm pretty sure my strategy would have been to walk around and every time I found a place I would have gone in and asked about availability which means I never would have found Options 2 and 3 (read below)!

So, Option 1.

Option 1 is the closest to the school.  In fact, its on the same street!  Remember that photo I showed you of the dry road to school, well the edge of that picture is the apartment building!  Here's the picture again, in case you forgot.

The school is that white sign in the distance and the building is the one right in front

The pros of this apartment include:

• location (near to the school though that meant farther to the markets and Tesco compared to my hotel)
• price (this was the cheapest at just 2000 baht per month)
• air conditioning
• some furniture included (armoire thing, bed frame, what looked like a couch type thing)
• second floor room

The cons of this apartment were:

• I didn't get to actually look inside - just at pictures
• Mattress was not included
• No hot water
• ? on internet access
• No refrigerator included

Here's some more pictures of the outside just so you get a better idea of what it looked like.

Option 2:

This time we'll start with the pictures...

bathroom

bedroom with refrigerator

armoire thing + desk!  fancy...

the outside

 The pros of Option 2:

• air conditioning
• hot water
• furniture (including mattress!)
• pretty courtyard in the building
• very clean
• price (3500 baht per month)
• internet included

The cons of Option 2:

• location - we drove about 20 minutes away from town to get to the neighborhood and then spent another 5 minutes just getting through the neighborhood and to the building.  It also was on the far side of this large pond which I am convinced would have taken me 5 minutes just to walk around.  Now, you might be thinking "Oh, a pond?  In a nice, quiet, secluded area?  What's not to like?"  Well, I'll tell you.  Mosquitoes.  That's whats not to like.  The pond did not appear to have a fountain which means that it is a mosquito breeding ground heaven which means I don't want to be anywhere near it.  Oops, am I giving it away?  Well, while I'm giving it away I might as well also say that being 20 minutes by car means being at least 30 minutes away by samlaw (tuk-tuk) and that was just from the school.  The markets and Tesco and town in general are even farther and I felt like that would negatively impact my social life.  Was it possible to walk?  Yes.  Would I have ever wanted to walk?  Probably not.
• Happily, location was the only con on this place.  Unhappily, location is a major issue for me.  For those who know my parents and where they moved last year this fact should not surprise you.  The apple does not fall far from the tree...

Option 3:

Again, we'll start with the pictures...

shower - I couldn't get a good picture of the bathroom because when you opened the door it hit the end of the toilet.  So this is the view from the doorway.

bedroom/main room - note the TV console, desk/mirror area and there is also a fridge, just not in the picture

armoire (you can see the TV console in the mirror)

The pros of Option 3:

• air conditioning
• hot water
• furniture (including mattress!)
• very clean
• price (3000 baht per month)
• internet included
• closer to the main road than Option 2

The cons of Option 3:

• location - Despite being slightly better than Option 2, Option 3 is still in the same general neighborhood and so still has many of the location problems that Option 2 has.
• the bathroom layout - First of all, did you see that bathroom tile?!  Not my style.  Also, the whole door hitting toilet issue was weird.  Now, before you go thinking I am totally shallow, I just want to say that these bathrooms issues were not actually serious problems.  This place is totally a contender because it is not by mosquito pond and is a better price than Option 2.  I just wanted to say that in my perfect situation that bathroom tile would not be there and the layout would make sense.

Option 4:

Unfortunately, I only got this picture so you'll just have to bear with my descriptions.  You should know that the bathroom was comparable to Option 2 and on the opposite wall there is a desk and a medium sized refrigerator (bigger than any of the others).

The pros of Option 4:

• air conditioning
• hot water
• furniture (including mattress!)
• very clean
• internet included
• location
• the landlady

The cons of Option 4:

• the price/situation - the price is 4000 baht per month, but unfortunately she doesn't have any of those rooms available right now.  If I wanted this place I would have to stay in a room for 6000 baht per month until a 4000 baht per month room became available.  
• location relative to school - this place is a little bit farther when it comes to getting to school.  Probably far enough that I would take a samlaw in the morning but walk home in the afternoons (it will probably take about 30 minutes to walk home)

So... Which option did I choose?!?!?!?!?! *Drumroll*

Option 4!!!!!!!!!!!!!

While obviously the price/situation isn't ideal this was the only option with that extra special pro.  Did you catch it?  The landlady at this last place was so friendly and nice that its hard for me to imagine living anywhere else.  She is definitely going to become my surrogate family while I'm here - I don't know what it was about me, but she took an instant liking to me and I think she is going to make living in that apartment feel like I'm coming home every day.  She also really wants me to teach her English and since she's a former teacher herself I'm pretty sure I can finagle some Thai lessons out of the deal.  Also, in terms of location, I think this was the best of the 4 options.  While it is a little bit farther from the school than I would like, it is really close to the Tuesday market and not significantly farther from the Old Market/Tesco than my current hotel is.  It is also really close to the hospital.  And to put the price situation in more relative terms, 6000 baht per month is about 200 dollars per month.  So even though it is twice as much as some of the other options, it is still only a fraction of my monthly paycheck (~30,000 baht per month) and it isn't a permanent price.

Just to break down the other options a little more, let me say this.  Option 1 was a good option.  Obviously, it was the cheapest option and that also showed in what was included.  In the end, probably the main reason I didn't want Option 1 was not because of the internet situation but the hot water situation.  The more I thought about it, the more I thought that paying the extra money for a place with hot water was really worth it to me.  Option 2 was out almost from the get-go because of that pond.  It was a beautiful apartment - definitely the nicest of all of them - but there is no way I'm living on the far side of a mosquito pond.  It just isn't me.  Option 3 I considered because I thought I could get a bike (not a motor bike, just a good old-fashioned bicycle) and bike to school/town.  The road out to that place was pretty empty when we drove by and there is definitely enough of a shoulder and the road is wide enough that I would have felt totally comfortable on a bike.  However, the more I thought about it, the more I realized that even though I wouldn't mind biking to school I wouldn't want to bike to the market or Tesco.  I also like being able to go home after school to drop my stuff off (since I bring my laptop and things) and if I were to make plans with G or anyone else I probably wouldn't want to bike all the way home just to go back into town.  So yeah, it definitely would have put a major dent in my social life.

Unfortunately, I have not moved in yet.  Hopefully that will happen this week - I'm probably going to go check with her tonight about when I can move in.  When I do, I promise to post more pictures!  

And all we got were these cream puffs...

Yes, yes, I know I've been away.  I have been apartment searching, which I'll tell you about in another post, but until then here's an update from the last few days.

So Wed night, G called me saying that she was really craving some carrot cake and would I be interested in an adventure to go find some?  Being up for an adventure of any sort I said yes and off we went!  We decided that our best bet would be to walk in the direction of Tesco (a Thai version of Wal-Mart? I think that's the best way to describe it) and hopefully we'd find some at a bakery on the way.  Well, we stopped in 3 bakeries before getting to Tesco but none of them had carrot cake.  The last bakery we went into did have some yummy looking things though... But anyway, we made our way to Tesco but despite having more variety in their baked goods than the bakeries we still didn't find any carrot cake :(  Now, I think the coolest thing about Tesco is that instead of a normal escalator it has like a ramp escalator thing.  Every time I go on it I think "Weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!" (even though it isn't going that fast).  So on our way down the ramp escalator thing (because the grocery part of the store is on the lower level) we saw some cushion/pillows that G thought would work really well in the new apartment she's getting.  So after our disappointment with the carrot cake we went over to take a closer look at the cushions and they were on sale!  The sign said 2 "something in Thai" 1 so we thought they might be two for the price of one so we picked up several pillows and went to check out.  At the check-out the woman said they weren't on sale but had another sales associate go down to check.  When she came back she said that the sale was buy 2 get 1 free so we went down to get one more pillow and then went to check out again.  As we're finishing checking out, G notices that the bill is more than she had calculated in her head (and at 200 B each, its not hard to calculate the price for 6 pillows) so she asks why its more money.  After much futzing around the sales people (cause I think there were like 3 ladies helping us at this point) figured out that the orange pillows were not on sale despite being identical to the others in shape, size, and design and being on the sale shelves.  Anyway, some more futzing later (language differences + Thai people trying to please you = futzing) we left Tesco sans carrot cake and cushions.  "But what about the cream puffs?!?!?!" you ask?  Well we went back to that third bakery and found ourselves buying dinner (a chicken thing) and as we were paying we saw some cream puffs and decided to indulge.  Plus, by talking about the cream puffs there's alliteration!

School went well both Thursday and Friday.  I'm giving my first test on Tuesday so I played a review game in all of my classes which was fun for them and I told them I was using questions from the test so they were pretty attentive.  We played the game both days because I had so many review questions that we didn't get through all of them in one day.  The game also helped me pinpoint the areas that I really need to go over on Monday, so that was helpful.

Thursday night, G and I were supposed to go to a birthday party for one of her students but unfortunately because of some miss communication we didn't get to go :(  I was kind of sad about it, but, on the upside we did go see an apartment for me.  Actually, it was courtesy of the coffee shop owner who we saw on Tuesday!  He not only found me this place but picked us up so that we could go look at it and then translated for us (well, more me than G, but still).  It was so nice of him!  We offered to take him out to dinner as a thank you but he was busy so it'll have to wait until next week.

Friday morning it rained.  This is only an exciting story because when I looked out my window, I saw that it was raining, but it wasn't pouring so I thought I'd be fine walking to school with an umbrella.  Well, I was fine until I got to the road which the school is on which was completely flooded.  But hey, a little water never hurt anyone.  So I started walking through the flood which at most points was mid-shin level but whenever a car went by the water would rush up to my knees.  So I'm trying to hold my skirt and my umbrella and all of these cars are passing me by and of course they have kids in them!  I know it was entertaining for the kids to see the farang (foreign) teacher walking through the flood like I was and while I wish I could have looked a little more dignified it was all ok in the end.  Here are some pictures of the street on a normal day and what it looked like with the flood.

Road on a normal day

Road Flooded

No-Rain Tuesday

Wednesday, half way through the week.  Last night I had a great night.  It was Tuesday and * drum-roll please* It Didn't Rain!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (I guess I might have given that away in the title of this post, oops)  In case that doesn't make a whole lot of sense as to why that would be such a big deal, Tuesday is the only day of the week that the "new" market is open and despite trying to make plans to go there the last two Tuesdays its been raining!  So last night G and I got to go the new market which was fun.  This market is in the opposite direction from the old market, right near the cinema (which only plays movies in Thai and it seems like a lot of them are dubbed American movies).  There seemed to be a lot more clothes and other non-food items at this market than the other market but there were different food items which I was happy about.  I had chicken for dinner and a pork sausage thing stuffed with rice (G got it for me and it was yummy!!!) and G had something - I think it was like a breaded meat covered in a sauce.  We ended up eating at a coffee shop which G and the guy who was here before me found at the edge of the market.  The owner and his family was so nice!  He speaks English so while we were eating outside on his deck-type area he came out and chatted with us.  He even offered to drive us home!  It was really nice feeling so welcomed - it reminded me a lot of one of the friends I made in India - just so happy and nice and wanting to help you out and be your friend.  So yeah, dinner last night was really nice.

Before dinner G and I went and got massages at a place near our hotel!  We opted for the "expensive" (less than $12) oil massage.  I was totally satisfied with mine - possibly because I have the experience of one other massage.  My only other massage was in India and I have to say I definitely preferred the one I got last night.  Just to break it down for you... Both were "oil" massages however in India the oil was really oil.  It was nice but also made every part of me feel slippery and gross and it took a long time in the shower after the massage to feel clean again.  The Thai oil was more lotion-like so it didn't really have those problems.  The Thai massage was also more modest which I appreciated.  It didn't really bother me about the Indian one, but at the same time I personally prefer being partially covered by a sheet rather than sitting on a metal stool butt-naked (only for the head massage, but still).  The only thing I didn't really like about last night's massage was that G and I were in rooms next to each other but the wall between us didn't go all the way to the ceiling and as a result it was easy to talk between the rooms, which, our ladies took full advantage of.  It wouldn't really have been problematic (because I couldn't understand what they were saying anyway) except occasionally my woman would want to talk to me and I'm not really a talker when I don't speak the language and I'm getting a massage.  But it wasn't a big deal and overall I had a really good experience.

Today has gone well.  Kids were a little chatty in some of my classes but overall good.  Lunch was interesting though.  We had noodles but it was kind of make your own.  So they layed out all the different things, 2 types of noodles, 2 meat-type things, and then a bunch of different green things (yeah, I know I sound smart) and then we could put them either straight into our bowls or into this slotted cup thing which we then dumped in boiling stock water and then put into our bowls.  And then after you had "cooked" the things that needed cooking you took a spoon and spooned some of the stock into your bowl.  I was a little intimidated by the whole process because I wasn't sure if I was doing it "right" but of course the beauty of something like that is that its hard to do it "wrong."  It was also nice because I chose not to make mine too spicy because I was excited about the prospect of eating a lunch where my mouth wouldn't be on fire.  Don't get me wrong, I like spicy food and I am excited that I am building up a tolerance (or at least I hope I am) but sometimes its nice to eat without either a) the orifices on my face leaking (and by that I mean nose running, eyes tearing up) or b) my mouth actually feeling like I'm just chewing on chilies (even when there's not chilies in sight).  Tomorrow though, I look forward to whatever spice they want to throw my way!

I also have some apartment updates but I think I'll save them for a House Hunters International style post so that you get all the pros and cons as well as the full reality of apartment hunting in Chaiyaphum!  

Life at School

So far, today has been nothing exciting.  The director of the school stopped by my classroom during my P3 class but seemed happy with what I was doing and moved on quickly.  Both my morning classes were well behaved and I'm afraid that nothing I did with them was so genius it deserves to be written about.  My P5 class I have a new game planned - its a team game which I'm a little worried about because I'm afraid they'll get too rowdy, but hopefully they'll have fun without getting out of control.  I'll let you know how it goes.

Until then I thought I'd just talk about a few general experiences.  I feel like I've talked a lot about teaching, some eating, and not much else.  So I'll start by saying I walk to school from my hotel each day.  I usually try to leave around 7:50 so I can be here by 8, but if I don't leave till 8:10 (like this morning) then it isn't a big deal.  When I get to school all the kids are at Assembly which happens outside unless it is raining and then it happens in the hallways.  Assembly in the hallways is pretty awkward because sometimes I have to find a path around the children and I don't want to interrupt while they are standing so quiet and attentive.  Most of the Thai teachers are standing with their classes during this time and if I catch their eye then we "wai" each other (put our hands together and bow our heads).  I love the wai (pronounced "way").  It is so respectful and so peaceful.  It also makes me feel like I'm part of a community of teachers here despite the many differences in our teaching experiences.  The Thai teachers wear uniforms, a different outfit for each day of the week, and teach in open air classrooms with the chalkboard as their only classroom resource.  I, on the other hand, follow a dress code but do not wear a uniform and I teach in my own air-conditioned classroom outfitted with a projector, sound system, white board, and general technology.  So yeah, differences.  Also, despite having my own classroom, I spend most of my time in our company's office (also air conditioned).  My classroom, G's classroom, and the ICEP office are the only three air conditioned rooms in the whole school.  I really like our office atmosphere.  Its very relaxed (see time I arrive above) and as long as our work is getting done (read: my lesson plans for the next day) then I'm free to futz around a little, leave a little early, or arrive a little late.  For example, my lesson plans for tomorrow are done and I haven't even had my last class yet.  Speaking of though, I need to go prep the classroom for this game.  I'll finish the post after class!

Ok, so the game was wildly successful!  It was a review game - kind of like minefield where there were certain surprises hidden and they had to just choose squares randomly without knowing what kind of question it would be.  I had set up a "board" on the white board 6 x 6 and labeled the axes with numbers and letters and then the kids would choose a box (i.e. A6).  Then I had made myself a board and labeled each box with either an easy question, medium question, or difficult question.  Also, and this is where the minefield part comes in, some boxes were labeled either T (typhoon), H (hurricane), or V (vacation).  A Typhoon would wipe out all your team's points, an H would allow your team to take 3 points away from another team, and a V would give you 5 free points.  Unlike minefield, there was absolutely no strategy because I made up the "field" and I used no rhyme or reason.  But they seemed to have a lot of fun with it.

Also, I just found out my October break schedule!  I finish teaching on October 5 but I have to come into school the next week to do stuff for the company (make PowerPoint presentations to use in the future and stuff) and then I have 1 official week of vacation and a week of unofficial vacation!  I get the extra week of unofficial vacation because my school doesn't start up again until November 1st but other schools that the company contracts with might start earlier.  So now that I know what time I have off, I just need to decide what to do with it!  Hmmm...   

Catching-up!

Alright, So I know I know I've taken a bit of a hiatus...  Usually, I write my blog posts after my last class when my lesson planning for the next day is done and I'm essentially just waiting to go home.  The last few days though I had to finish creating the final exams which meant I was behind on my lesson planning and we ended up closing the office early on Thursday and Friday so now I'm playing catch-up on the blog!

Thursday went well as far as classes go.  My last class went especially well.  I'll preface this by saying that I have a difficult time coming up with interesting ways to teach grammar concepts (suggestions welcome!) so it is especially gratifying when I do a grammar lesson and they grasp the concepts.  Yesterday was just one of those gratifying days!  At the beginning of the lesson (which was on If...then... statements) they had no idea how to construct the sentences and by the end they were telling me before I even asked!  I also went through the difference between "will" and "might" and again, at first I could tell they were just guessing (we were filling in the blank) but by the end it seemed to make sense to all of them!  So yeah, that felt good.

Friday, most of my classes went well.  My P4s are a dream - always.  No matter what I do with them they are cooperative and lovely and they are definitely rewarded for it because I'm more willing to do funner activities/games because I know they can handle it.  So, for example, on Friday I decided to play a variation on the "Hokey Pokey" and they stood up and danced and sang and it was fun!  However, when I tried doing the same song with my P3s they went absolutely crazy!  They weren't doing the moves at all (despite me going over it with them and standing up at the front of the room showing them) and before we got half way through the song, some of them decided to get up on their chairs!  After shutting the song down and trying to move on to the lesson they were still misbehaving and in the end I took away their Friday cartoon.  My last class, my P5s, are always hit or miss in terms of behavior.  On Friday I was playing hangman with them and they were having so much fun with it that I ran to the end of class without showing them their well-deserved cartoon!  So I promised that I'd show it on Monday and they said "but Teacher we still have 3 minutes - Song! Song! Song!" So I played that "I am the Music Man" song that I posted here last week and they know all the words and were just having so much fun with it that we ended up playing it 3 times!  I'm excited that I've found a song that they can learn but also really like.  Especially because I was told that in December there is an Open House and I have to prepare skits and songs with all of my classes to perform on stage.  I am definitely using this song as one of my songs for my P5s!

This weekend, unfortunately, it was really rainy so I didn't get out to really do anything.  I did, on Saturday night, go over to the Old Night Market which is much more active on the weekends than the weekdays.  There are more clothes and accessories vendors on the weekends whereas on the weekdays its mostly food.  When I was there I also saw an aerobics class going on!  They had a big stage set up in a parking lot and it looked like anyone could just join in and do a little cardio.  Kind of like what was going on on Saturday mornings at Millennium Park this summer.  Needless to say, I wasn't really dressed for the occasion, but I definitely plan on going back next Saturday.  I have really missed doing zumba and even though this isn't zumba, it looked similar enough that I think it will be fun!

Yesterday (Monday), all my classes went well.  In fact, I can think of nothing that really stands out in my mind as worth telling about.  If I hadn't written so much already, I'd write more about what the school is like and things other than my classes, but I'll save that for another time.

I do have an apartment search update though.  Yesterday, my TA told me that there is a place I can move into in 10 days, but I won't be able to see it until then.  It is definitely not ideal and I'm going to see if I can get more information out of her about what the apartment is like.  I think one of the reasons its been such a struggle is that she wants to find me a place within walking distance of the school which is something I also really want.  She asked if I would be willing to buy or rent a motorbike while I lived here and I said absolutely not - so yeah, that's kind of where that stands.  At this point my main concern is getting a place before my October break because I would really like to travel and I would really like to have a place to leave my stuff if I travel.  G has said that if I need to I can leave my suitcase at her place in Bangkok since its likely I'll have to travel out from there anyway.  And while I really appreciate the offer I would really prefer not to have to do that.

Ok, well its almost time for my first class.  I'll try to get back on schedule with the blog - Thank you to all of you who read it!  

Big Bass Drum

Not much to report from today... Yesterday, it rained.  It reminded me of India - that's how much it rained.  So at the end of school there was just a deluge of rain so we stayed kind of stuck until it slowed down.  Of course at that point we were pretty much on an island as everywhere around us was completely flooded.  The water at its most shallow was above my ankles and at its deepest it probably hit mid-shin.  So I was walking with the guy teacher, T, and we were trying to figure out how to get off school property when he suggested we just hop in the back of a pick-up truck (after asking, of course).  I have since noticed a surprising amount of pick-up trucks in this town!  But anyway, so we asked someone if we could just jump in and they were very nice about it so that's how we got off our little island!  He actually ended up going pretty close (half a block) to my hotel so that worked out really well.  After that, T and I walked around town for a bit and at one point got stuck and actually had to walk through part of the flood.  It was ok though and eventually we ended up eating dinner pretty close to where I'm staying.  Dinner was simple - just a noodle bowl with different kinds of meat in it.  So yeah, that was pretty much my night.

Today's classes have gone well.  I spent a lot of time making activity worksheets for each class and it worked well taking up the whole class time.  I think the highlight of each class was the songs we sang at the beginning.  My first two classes, we sang "The Wheels on the Bus" and "Old MacDonald" which I do not feel the need to share videos for.  For my last class, I've been struggling because they're older so it feels inappropriate for them to sing songs like "Old MacDonald" but at the same time I want something easy enough that they can learn it.  Well, I finally stumbled on a great youtube channel which has sing along songs for a variety of ages.  So this is what I settled on for my oldest kids today and they got shockingly good at it and loved it!  I was shocked because I definitely thought it was going to be too fast for them.  I was thinking they'd get the instruments but not the repeating phrase.  I also loved it because it was in a lower range and my voice has dropped into a much lower register since having a cold. ;)

I should also add, about the videos and songs, most of the time I'm trying to find something related to the lesson.  Some days that is easier than others.  So today is an example of a day where I'm mostly using the music to get the kids to gain confidence in using English.  They are way more willing to sing silly songs than anything else and right after we sing the songs I get way more participation for whatever else we're doing!

You speak Thai good Teacher!

I'm sick.  Not like intestinal issues but like stuffy nose, sore throat/I'm losing my voice, my head feels like its in a bubble sick.  I'm ok, but it does make some of my lesson plans for today difficult.  For example, today was the day I decided I was going to start every class with a song.  Which the kids loved.  But my voice/throat didn't.  Also, in my first class we were playing Bingo with the vocab words from the current unit.  Again, the kids loved it!  Actually, they loved Bingo so much that I'm doing it for one of my other classes later in the week.  Also, Bingo was a lot of work for me because I was making 35 different Bingo boards, but I was telling some of the other teachers this at lunch and they told me about a Bingo generator on the interwebs!  I had tried finding one, but was obviously unsuccessful so I'm really happy they gave me a specific website.

I've also tried learning some Thai more specific to my needs in the classroom.  For example, today I mastered the phrase "Do you understand?" It is a question I ask a lot because I'm often unsure if they actually understand my instructions - even after I write them on the board.  Asking them in Thai was a huge success!  It was another day of huge class participation because every time I asked (Kow jy my) I got a response!  My last class, my oldest students, even complimented me on my Thai!  Haha.  I'm not sure if they were joking or not but they definitely understood me and appreciated the gesture on my part so I gave them a huge and enthusiastic THANK YOU!  And then we all laughed together :)

Other than that the day has been uneventful.  Last night the sky opened up and it poured all night so dinner wasn't exciting.  Plus, I went to bed really early because I was so sleepy and feeling sick.  Tonight though, we are planning on going to the new market (as opposed to the old market) because its only open on Tuesdays.  Last week our plan to go was foiled by rain so I'm hoping that the weather gods got the rain out of their system last night so that we can go out tonight.  :)


**** Update!  It is currently raining cats and dogs.  Stuck at work because I don't want to be drenched.  I hope it doesn't ruin our dinner plans!

Manic Monday

So many things to tell!  I'm having the worst time deciding on a title for this post!

So let's back up.  The weekend.  Unfortunately, I have very little to tell about my weekend.  I spent a lot of time just walking around Chaiyaphum getting a sense for where things are and having a leisurely time.  I found the post office!  That and the food I ate are probably the most exciting things to happen.  And the food was delicious!  Last night in particular I stumbled upon this restaurant which fed me an excellent Panang curry.  It was spicy but I think they definitely toned it down for me and it had these great sweet notes in the aftertaste.  And the kaffir leaves had this slightly bitter taste.  Truly amazing.  I ordered the pork Panang because pork is the only food word I know.  Pork is "moo" in Thai.  Now you understand why I can remember it, right?  Anyway, while we're talking about food, I love getting lunch at the school.  While some days have definitely been better than others, I love how it gets me to try things I wouldn't even know how to order otherwise.  Today's lunch was a pork dish with greens (not kaffir leaves, but not exactly sure what they were other than cooked) and then a glass noodle dish with chicken (?).  Both were really good and very mild in terms of spice.  Not going to lie - while I really like spicy food, sometimes its nice not to cry during lunch :)  Of course, the day wouldn't be complete without some watery eyes.  This afternoon our TAs brought back a som tom salad which was very sweet and very spicy.  I think it had pineapple, papaya, and cucumber.  Can't be sure though.  Especially because typically I only like cucumber in that trio (but I thought the salad was really yummy).  Ok, but enough about food.

Today went well in terms of classes.  My morning started early because I had to go to their morning assembly and lead a game which my P5 students were presenting.  They each had a poster with something on it (i.e. a soccer ball) and one by one they would go down the line and say, "If you like football stand up.  If you don't like football sit down."  They would say it first in English and then in Thai and since no one reacted to anything I was saying in English or anything they said in English, I'm thinking the English was really just for the benefit of them practicing. ;)  That being said, I think the funniest part for me was when I was introducing myself and asking everyone to start the game by standing up, and then I motioned, and then (since no one had moved) I asked my students how to say "stand up in Thai" and I repeated that and everyone laughed (myself included) and stood up.  Never hurt anyone to laugh at themselves and I think my students really appreciated being able to teach me something.

After assembly I went and met the director of the school.  He was definitely shocked at how young I am and our meeting was kept brief because I had to go to class!

My classes went well for the most part.  I bribed my students to answer questions with stars and once they understood what I was doing class participation was at an all time high.  I'm hoping my sticker reward system (where they'll actually be able to keep track) will go into effect later this week.  I'm just waiting to get their pictures all printed out and taped up in the classroom.  That being said, my last class was kind of a mess.  To be fair, the lesson was kind of hard - some of them could handle it.  Others definitely struggled the whole time.  Tomorrow though we're supposed to be learning reflexive pronouns and I have a plan!  We're going to learn a song - more of a diddy really - to learn what the reflexive pronouns are!  Want to hear it?

I mean, who doesn't love Pooh Bear characters teaching you pronouns?  Actually, Winnie the Pooh is a really big deal here (he's on everything!  like the water jugs in my office!) so I think the video will be a hit.  Plus, I'm actually going to make them learn the song so that should be fun.

OK, so I've covered food, school, what else?  Oh!  So, in my office (the ICEP office) there is me, G (the woman from the Philippines), and the two TAs (one for each of us).  Then, in the office next door there are two rotating(?) teachers.  One is the Czech woman (who I don't remember if I mentioned) and the other was a man but he left and now he's been replaced by another guy.  Why is this such a big deal?  This is the 6th person in this town who I've met who speaks English and the 2nd who is from Chicago!  No joke.  The guy who I took over for was from Chi-town and now there is another person from Chicago!  Who knew Chicagoans loved Thailand so much?  Especially since the Thais seem to be obsessed with San Francisco (no lies, I can't count how many Thais I've met who have asked if I've been to San Fran and expressed a desire to go there themselves.  It comes up almost every time I say I'm from the U.S.).  So that was fun for us to discover.

Well, I'm not sure I can think of anything else for today.  The apartment search, well, let's just say you'll know when I know.  Which is not today unfortunately.  Sigh.