Thursday, October 11, 2012

Birthdays and Travels and Exams, Oh My!

The night before I leave on a trip I always find myself rushing to do last minute tasks.  These things aren't important to the big picture, which is probably why they're getting done last minute.  Tonight, such things included trying to add new music to my itunes (because given that this is the 3rd weekend in a row I will be making the 6 hour bus ride to Bangkok I needed some new tunes), adding books to my kindle (because the new Ken Follet is out and I can't think of a better book to take with me on a beach vacation), writing this blog post (yes, I know you think this is really important Mom), and cleaning my room.  So where am I going?  I'm spending the next two weeks in the south of Thailand.  After some very confusing research (sometimes the internet has too much information and too many opinions) I've decided to go to Ko Tao, Ko Samui, Surat Thani, and Phuket.  The first three all came highly recommended to me either through the internet or friends here in Chaiyaphum.  Phuket is the only place I knew by name in the south of Thailand and being probably the most famous island in the south I figured I should probably go.  I am really excited about this trip - I'm keeping my plans really flexible which is unusual for me and quite liberating.  Unfortunately for you this does mean that it is unlikely that I'll be posting anything in the next two weeks.  I'm not bringing my computer and it is unlikely that I'll be spending so much time in internet cafes that I'll be posting.

So before I get bogged down by the next two week's adventures, let me fill you in on what has happened the last week!  So last week G and I gave our final exams and I am happy to say that with much hand-holding my kids did very well.  I also gave out make-up tests for the kids who didn't do so well on all the unit exams.   I felt really bad about this because a lot of the grading and administering of these make-up exams fell on my TA so it meant a lot of work for her the last few days.  Next term I definitely plan on giving make-up exams before the following unit test so we don't get so backed up!  The last day of my classes I threw a party in each class.  The kids and I had a lot of fun and it was nice to do something fun with them after giving them 3 exams in 2 weeks!  So that's my school update.  After school on Friday, G and I got on the bus to Bangkok (G opened my eyes to a smaller bus company that goes to Bangkok and it was so much nicer!  The other company is always full up but I had an empty seat next to me the whole time.  Plus there was way more leg room and better food!) because Saturday was G's birthday!!!!  She and her boyfriend were throwing her a birthday party and she invited me so of course I said yes.  She and her boyfriend just moved into a new apartment and it is really nice.  Also, her boyfriend is an excellent cook and made us a delicious dinner.  It was nice to have a little break from Thai food and its something I definitely took advantage of while I was in Bangkok.  After stuffing our faces we played bananagrams (which no one had ever played before but everyone loved) and 20 questions.  G's friends are all really friendly and it was fun to hang out with a group of people.

The rest of the weekend I just wandered around Bangkok.  I went and found a bookstore and a market and a park - basically just walking around a lot.  I was staying at G's old apartment and it's right near a whole bunch of Indian restaurants.  It was very exciting for me to eat dosa for the first time in 2 years!  Funny story about eating in an Indian restaurant in Thailand though is that I got all twisted up in which language and local habits to use!  I ended up speaking Thai, English, and Hindi while doing both the Indian head nod and the Thai wai (not simultaneously - I'm not sure that's possible).  It was very confusing for me but in a really good way.

It is really different being in Bangkok versus being in Chaiyaphum.  In Chaiyaphum people recognize me as that farang who walks around a lot (my landlord told me this the other day) but in Bangkok I'm one of many travelers/expats.  Its a very different sort of "special attention" but I have to say that as much as I love being in a city I also really like that there are people in Chaiyaphum who know me as a neighbor and a teacher and someone who lives there.  It's a really good feeling to know that when I'm done travelling I have someplace to come home to.

Thursday, October 4, 2012

Exam Day Round 2

I am too tired to even think about what I should blog about.  Today was the day I gave out everyone's final exams and I foolishly thought that it would be an easy breezy day.  Nope.  I was trying so hard to make sure they did well so when they were done I went around and checked them and marked what they got wrong and had them change their answers.  I don't know why that was so exhausting but it was.  Thankfully I have just finished grading them and they actually did quite well.  No one failed which is excellent and makes me very happy.

Tomorrow we are having a class party in each of my classes and hopefully that will be very fun.  I need to decide what games we will play.  When G had a class party they played pin the tail on the donkey relay race which I think I might borrow since it isn't nearly as violent as musical chairs.

In any case I am excited to go home so I am sorry for the short post but it is that time of day.  

Wednesday, October 3, 2012

I am a Busy Bee

I realize that it has been two weeks (!) since I've last updated the blog.  Things have been crazy the past week with moving to a new apartment, getting sick (again), and the end of term coming up which means a lot of grading and final tests and projects and all those things.

School the past two weeks has been good.  The end of the term scheduling snuck up on me a little bit.  I forgot that I had to give a Unit 5 exam before the Final exam and I was also told that I needed to give a general knowledge post test.  3 tests in 2 weeks is no mean feat, especially because after grading the Unit 4 tests I felt like I made the P4 and P5 tests too difficult and I didn't want to make that mistake again.



But enough about school.  So as I mentioned in the first paragraph I have moved into a new apartment.  And maybe you remember that long post (which I may or may not be really proud of) about finding an apartment and how I finally found *The One.*  Well, surprise!  I didn't move into that apartment.  Long story short, after finding the apartment I thought I was going to move into I was waiting on a call from the landlady letting me know when I could move in.  Then, when our coffee shop friend called G and told her he had another place for us to look at we went and since I still hadn't heard from the other woman (this is probably 4 or 5 days later) and this new place was nice, not too much farther, and willing to let me move in the next day I took it!
Bathroom - Before you worry that I am taking Bucket Showers, I am not - the hose is just in the bucket in the picture.
Bed and Fridge and Patio area
Armoire and Dressing Mirror and TV (which I haven't turned on once)

Just to give you a quick break down of the pros and cons of this place -

Pros:
air conditioning
Internet
hot water
furniture (including mattress)
also included broom, towel, and sheets!
able to move in right away
1 minute away from Tuesday night market
Street also has a lot of restaurants
About 5 minutes from one of the bus stations
Other expats/foreigners staying here

Cons:
about 30-45 minute walk from school
most expensive of the apartments at 4500 B per month but since that is still totally affordable its only a con on paper

Anyway, I've been living here for about a week and a half I think and I really like it.  The Internet is kind of slow but that hasn't been too much of a problem and the distance from school hasn't been a problem either.  I've been taking a tuk-tuk to school but I usually walk home.  So, that's update number one.

Update number two is that this past weekend I was in Bangkok and I am happy to say that two wonderful things came out of that trip.  First is that I am good to stay here another three months!  And by that I mean I successfully switched my visa.  I have to give props to BFITS (my company) because last week some people from the company came to visit us here in Chaiyaphum at which time they let me know that the 15 days before my visa expired was coming up and if I couldn't get a visa switch I would need to pay an extra 1200 baht to extend my then-current visa for 30 days.  So in order to save me that 1200 baht they really worked on their end and had me come into the office on Monday so that they could get me all squared away.  And they did!  It was totally painless for me (other than the 6 hour bus ride both ways - but even that was painless, just long) and I really appreciated the fact that I didn't really have to do anything except get them the documents I could and show up!  So yeah, props.

The other happy thing that came out of that trip is that I finally have my diploma in hand.  Yes, 4 months after I graduated I got my diploma.  For that I'd also like to give props to my parents who shipped it to the BFITS office and to the Bryn Mawr Registrar who is pretty awesome.

I feel a little bit like the last part of this blog has sounded like I'm accepting an award.  Sorry about that - just wanting to give credit where it is due!

Anyway, I'm hoping to get back on track with this blog.  So, until tomorrow.

P.S. Shout out to Madeline who is leaving for Ghana today!  Yay for adventures in foreign lands!