Monday, 30 August 2004
Today is a special Chinese holiday, the mid year celebration, so many students were absent from school. (This town happens to be mainly a Chinese-Thai community.) We did not have the usual band playing in the morning, skipped our exercise routine, and had a more informal morning ceremony due to over half of the students being absent. Only two of our students in the English program were absent, so we had five students today.
Jill showed Christy around on her last day as she prepared to leave this afternoon. She also observed me and worked with the kids a bit to get to know them and the school routines. After school, Phu's mother offered to drive us to the night market nearby where we could get fresh vegetables and fruits. We walked along the street vendors and pointed and grabbed apples, bananas, cucumbers, tomatoes, garlic, rambutan (a yummy, red skinned fruit with green spiky hairlike things, looks and tastes like lychee on the inside), etc., enough to last us a week, all for a couple of dollars. This old woman found entertainment in the fact that we couldn't understand what she was saying to us, and after we bought some bananas from her, we passed by her again, and she forced an extra bag of 3 more bunches of bananas into my hand with a big smile and didn't ask for any money. She was the sweetest thing. Christy wanted to get some pad thai, but I wasn't sure which vendor had noodles (My next venture will be to learn how to read some of these Thai signs, as nothing is in English here.). So, we found some meat on skewers, which are 5 baht each. We pointed to some that looked yummy and bought a few each and planned to just cook rice at home. It was pouring out, and we really didn't feel like walking to Soi Sawng to get more food. When we got home, cooked the rice, got ready to sit down to eat, Christy took a bite of the skewer and asked, "Uh, is this liver?". I looked at mine, and smelled it, and all of a sudden it didn't look like the yummy chicken or pork I thought it was. I took a bite and realized from the consistency that yup, sure enough it was liver. I haven't quite developed a liking for liver, even if it is good for me. So, I ended up eating spicy hot instant noodles, rice, and our pseudo-salad. Even after Jun's mother tried to teach us some Thai so we could get food, this is just more motivation to learn Thai.
This weekend, Phu's mother offered to take us to see the pagoda and other historical sites in town. The parents are so nice and generous. It's great.
Monday, August 30, 2004
A Day Trip to Bangkok
Sunday, 29 August 2004
Christy and I went to church this morning, and then we decided to go into Bangkok. We called her friend Janelle, who is preparing to move from Bangkok to Laos to homeschool a family of five boys. We got tips from Jill on riding the bus to Bangkok, then we both jumped on a moto (both of us with skirts, so I had to hike mine up, and I was smashed between her and the driver, which was almost too close for comfort). We figured out what bus to catch, where to stand on the street, and rode for about an hour to the Southern bus station. Then, we caught a taxi to the BTS subway, and called Janelle to arrange to meet her at Ekkamai Major, a shopping mall nearby. We found books for the classroom at a bookstore, then waited by McDonald's for half an hour for her friend. I noticed the Ronald McDonald wai-ing, so decided to take a picture of Christy, but that was a no-no as we got scolded by the security guard.
Finally, as I was beginning to get enticed by 19 baht french fries, two women came up to us and asked if we were waiting for Janelle. Amy and Patteya were her friends who led us upstairs to the karaoke room/bowling center. We started singing these American tunes with two complete strangers we had just met, over sausages and french fries. We talked about our jobs (Amy has been living and teaching at an international school in Bangkok for three years now, and Patteya has lived in Thailand her whole life, but is not of Thai background.) It was fun getting to know them and other friends who joined later. We now have a place to stay in Bangkok if we ever want to, and know people who can speak Thai and English well. After going to her friend's apartment, we headed back to the southern bus terminal by taxi.
The cab driver started talking to me in Thai, but I told him I didn't speak Thai. He said, "Highway 40 baht". We were unclear of what he was trying to say. We had a long distance to go, and we weren't sure if he was trying to bargain with us, give us an extra charge or what. With no cell phones, and little knowledge of Thai, with just our Lonely Planet phrase books, it being dark out at 8 pm, we were a little hesitant. But, he was insistent, and then we decided, well, it would be quicker I suppose to go on the highway, and we soon realized that what he meant was we had to pay an additional toll for 40 baht to access the highway. All in all, our whole taxi ride cost about $3.50. Then, we figured out how to buy tickets the bus station, and headed back on the 40 minute bus ride to Nakhon Pathom (the bus is 34 baht each way, less than a dollar). Once I saw the fire station by Soi Sawng, I knew we could take a shortcut, and asked to get off the bus.
As we walked into the school grounds at around 9:45 pm, my friendly neighbor/teacher friend Tik yelled out my name. Jill said she was beginning to wonder about us. But, we traveled safely. It was nice to make new friends and have some contacts in Bangkok. Christy and I talked travel plans for the future, to Laos, Cambodia, among other countries, this year. We are both glad to be living away from the city, so we can learn the language better and be able to learn more about Thai people and culture. We can still catch a 40 minute bus ride and travel around the city for a few dollars to watch a movie, shop, or hang out with English speaking friends in Bangkok for the more "Seattle" city feel.
Christy and I went to church this morning, and then we decided to go into Bangkok. We called her friend Janelle, who is preparing to move from Bangkok to Laos to homeschool a family of five boys. We got tips from Jill on riding the bus to Bangkok, then we both jumped on a moto (both of us with skirts, so I had to hike mine up, and I was smashed between her and the driver, which was almost too close for comfort). We figured out what bus to catch, where to stand on the street, and rode for about an hour to the Southern bus station. Then, we caught a taxi to the BTS subway, and called Janelle to arrange to meet her at Ekkamai Major, a shopping mall nearby. We found books for the classroom at a bookstore, then waited by McDonald's for half an hour for her friend. I noticed the Ronald McDonald wai-ing, so decided to take a picture of Christy, but that was a no-no as we got scolded by the security guard.
Finally, as I was beginning to get enticed by 19 baht french fries, two women came up to us and asked if we were waiting for Janelle. Amy and Patteya were her friends who led us upstairs to the karaoke room/bowling center. We started singing these American tunes with two complete strangers we had just met, over sausages and french fries. We talked about our jobs (Amy has been living and teaching at an international school in Bangkok for three years now, and Patteya has lived in Thailand her whole life, but is not of Thai background.) It was fun getting to know them and other friends who joined later. We now have a place to stay in Bangkok if we ever want to, and know people who can speak Thai and English well. After going to her friend's apartment, we headed back to the southern bus terminal by taxi.
The cab driver started talking to me in Thai, but I told him I didn't speak Thai. He said, "Highway 40 baht". We were unclear of what he was trying to say. We had a long distance to go, and we weren't sure if he was trying to bargain with us, give us an extra charge or what. With no cell phones, and little knowledge of Thai, with just our Lonely Planet phrase books, it being dark out at 8 pm, we were a little hesitant. But, he was insistent, and then we decided, well, it would be quicker I suppose to go on the highway, and we soon realized that what he meant was we had to pay an additional toll for 40 baht to access the highway. All in all, our whole taxi ride cost about $3.50. Then, we figured out how to buy tickets the bus station, and headed back on the 40 minute bus ride to Nakhon Pathom (the bus is 34 baht each way, less than a dollar). Once I saw the fire station by Soi Sawng, I knew we could take a shortcut, and asked to get off the bus.
As we walked into the school grounds at around 9:45 pm, my friendly neighbor/teacher friend Tik yelled out my name. Jill said she was beginning to wonder about us. But, we traveled safely. It was nice to make new friends and have some contacts in Bangkok. Christy and I talked travel plans for the future, to Laos, Cambodia, among other countries, this year. We are both glad to be living away from the city, so we can learn the language better and be able to learn more about Thai people and culture. We can still catch a 40 minute bus ride and travel around the city for a few dollars to watch a movie, shop, or hang out with English speaking friends in Bangkok for the more "Seattle" city feel.
Now I am the tour guide...
Saturday, 28 August 2004
Now that Christy is here, and Jill is trying to pack up, visit with friends, and preparing to depart for Arizona, I have become the tour guide. Christy and I caught the shuttle from the "bus station" to Big C. It cost 7 baht to travel each way. We spent time grocery shopping for household things, then we caught the crowded bus back, sweating through our clothes and really feeling the Nakhon Pathom heat (this town apparently is one of the hottest towns in Thailand). We could have caught a moto for 20 baht straight to and from our place, but we wanted to try the bus, and it was good to walk, if only not for the heat. It was interesting to hear "farang" called out, as Christy definitely sticks out, as she is the only farang looking person in town.
So, now I become the translator, and I joked with a teacher that it is the blind leading the blind. We walked back with our heavy bag of groceries, and on our way back I took a wrong turn so we ended up walking by the post office, heading back in a circle back to school, dying in the heat.
After getting home and talking to Jill’s friends a bit, we watched the Olympics and I practiced my Thai, as I figured I would need to get dinner for me and Christy. We walked to Soi Sawng, where the street vendors are. I got her khao men gai, chicken with rice, since Christy is not so keen on noodles and seafood. I also got her chao manao, a lemon iced tea, roti with bananas, and a bag of fresh pineapple with the chili pepper sugar. I wanted noodles, but it was either not available or I didn’t really understand what the woman was saying to me, so I ended up getting khao men gai as well. We also bought chicken skewers, which were yummy.
On our way back, Tik and Pi Lek were getting Som Tum, so we waited with them, chatted, and walked back home together. I feel so safe walking around late at night down the streets and alleyways, but it was nice to chat with others. We had them over to eat, as we watched the Olympics, and they gave us a hard time about Argentina beating the U.S. in basketball. We talked about muay thai, thai boxing, and they taught Christy thai numbers. I was proud (and so was Tik – Thai people are impressed when you can speak Thai) that I managed to get us dinner, dessert, and appetizers.
Christy is still adjusting from jet lag, the everyday noises (I have grown accustomed to the wild dogs that hang out on campus and yelp in the middle of the night, the train that goes right by our school every half hour throughout the day and night, and the janitors and neighbors who start sweeping and chatting at six o’clock in the morning.), and the heat. We talked about ideas for the classroom, education, and how she will watch me teach these next couple of weeks so she can become more familiar with routines and the school and students.
Christy and I will see if we can join a language tutor on Friday afternoons, led by a graduate student of Linda’s (the Master’s in Education TEFL professor at Silpakorn University, also the English program advisor for our school). Christy is beginning to realize after a day and a half here that you really can’t get by here in Nakhon Pathom without speaking Thai.
While watching the Olympics, I couldn’t stand the pitter patter of the big brown cockroaches having little seizures while being seized by poison (from traps I set, because I was tired of seeing long antennas sticking out from under the door). There is a colony of cockroaches that are living in the kitchen door and come out at night in search for food. Pi Lek stomped on one barefoot, and I threw away about five when we got home, but I was determined to catch at least five more before I went to sleep. As I chased them around with a wad of paper and a magazine, I splatted one good, with guts splurting everywhere, though I only managed to kill two. Oh well, good enough. The geckos I figure can stay the night, since they eat a lot of bugs. As I prepared to go to bed tonight, I vividly recalled the cockroach that I just smashed closely resembled the insect I ate last week. Ah, yes, how lovely.
Now that Christy is here, and Jill is trying to pack up, visit with friends, and preparing to depart for Arizona, I have become the tour guide. Christy and I caught the shuttle from the "bus station" to Big C. It cost 7 baht to travel each way. We spent time grocery shopping for household things, then we caught the crowded bus back, sweating through our clothes and really feeling the Nakhon Pathom heat (this town apparently is one of the hottest towns in Thailand). We could have caught a moto for 20 baht straight to and from our place, but we wanted to try the bus, and it was good to walk, if only not for the heat. It was interesting to hear "farang" called out, as Christy definitely sticks out, as she is the only farang looking person in town.
So, now I become the translator, and I joked with a teacher that it is the blind leading the blind. We walked back with our heavy bag of groceries, and on our way back I took a wrong turn so we ended up walking by the post office, heading back in a circle back to school, dying in the heat.
After getting home and talking to Jill’s friends a bit, we watched the Olympics and I practiced my Thai, as I figured I would need to get dinner for me and Christy. We walked to Soi Sawng, where the street vendors are. I got her khao men gai, chicken with rice, since Christy is not so keen on noodles and seafood. I also got her chao manao, a lemon iced tea, roti with bananas, and a bag of fresh pineapple with the chili pepper sugar. I wanted noodles, but it was either not available or I didn’t really understand what the woman was saying to me, so I ended up getting khao men gai as well. We also bought chicken skewers, which were yummy.
On our way back, Tik and Pi Lek were getting Som Tum, so we waited with them, chatted, and walked back home together. I feel so safe walking around late at night down the streets and alleyways, but it was nice to chat with others. We had them over to eat, as we watched the Olympics, and they gave us a hard time about Argentina beating the U.S. in basketball. We talked about muay thai, thai boxing, and they taught Christy thai numbers. I was proud (and so was Tik – Thai people are impressed when you can speak Thai) that I managed to get us dinner, dessert, and appetizers.
Christy is still adjusting from jet lag, the everyday noises (I have grown accustomed to the wild dogs that hang out on campus and yelp in the middle of the night, the train that goes right by our school every half hour throughout the day and night, and the janitors and neighbors who start sweeping and chatting at six o’clock in the morning.), and the heat. We talked about ideas for the classroom, education, and how she will watch me teach these next couple of weeks so she can become more familiar with routines and the school and students.
Christy and I will see if we can join a language tutor on Friday afternoons, led by a graduate student of Linda’s (the Master’s in Education TEFL professor at Silpakorn University, also the English program advisor for our school). Christy is beginning to realize after a day and a half here that you really can’t get by here in Nakhon Pathom without speaking Thai.
While watching the Olympics, I couldn’t stand the pitter patter of the big brown cockroaches having little seizures while being seized by poison (from traps I set, because I was tired of seeing long antennas sticking out from under the door). There is a colony of cockroaches that are living in the kitchen door and come out at night in search for food. Pi Lek stomped on one barefoot, and I threw away about five when we got home, but I was determined to catch at least five more before I went to sleep. As I chased them around with a wad of paper and a magazine, I splatted one good, with guts splurting everywhere, though I only managed to kill two. Oh well, good enough. The geckos I figure can stay the night, since they eat a lot of bugs. As I prepared to go to bed tonight, I vividly recalled the cockroach that I just smashed closely resembled the insect I ate last week. Ah, yes, how lovely.
Sunday, August 29, 2004
Christy Arrives
Friday, 27 August 2004
Christy arrived last night, but we went to pick her up in Bangkok this afternoon. Of course, we left Thai time, about a half hour before we were to pick her up, we were still in Nakhon Pathom and decided to stop to have lunch in Nakhon Cheisi because Pi Charn was hungry. I finally asked what the brown gelatin-like cubes were in the pork soup, and I was told it was pig blood. They really do use all of the pig here in Nakhon Pathom.
After driving through traffic in the city of Bangkok, we found her friend's place, got her luggage, and off we went back to Nakhon Pathom. We got back in time to visit the few students still at school, and for her to see the classroom, then Ku Ai and Pi Pau took us out to dinner. I should have known that when Pi Pau was leading us, she would take us again to the fancy German restaurant in Pratthamonthon. Christy laughed at the same English music and German garb that I laughed at when I first came here. Plus, to make matters worse, there was a very inappropriately dressed farang (foreigner - but more specifically, white person) in a sexy backless shirt, which everyone commented on. How disrespectful! Christy let me know that she hasn't eaten much seafood in the past, and I informed her that she better get used to it living here in Thailand!
When we got home, Tik and Au were coming over for a sleepover with Jill. We watched the movie "Sixth Sense" in Thai. It was fun watching a movie in Thai, although it helped that I already knew what the movie was about.
Christy arrived last night, but we went to pick her up in Bangkok this afternoon. Of course, we left Thai time, about a half hour before we were to pick her up, we were still in Nakhon Pathom and decided to stop to have lunch in Nakhon Cheisi because Pi Charn was hungry. I finally asked what the brown gelatin-like cubes were in the pork soup, and I was told it was pig blood. They really do use all of the pig here in Nakhon Pathom.
After driving through traffic in the city of Bangkok, we found her friend's place, got her luggage, and off we went back to Nakhon Pathom. We got back in time to visit the few students still at school, and for her to see the classroom, then Ku Ai and Pi Pau took us out to dinner. I should have known that when Pi Pau was leading us, she would take us again to the fancy German restaurant in Pratthamonthon. Christy laughed at the same English music and German garb that I laughed at when I first came here. Plus, to make matters worse, there was a very inappropriately dressed farang (foreigner - but more specifically, white person) in a sexy backless shirt, which everyone commented on. How disrespectful! Christy let me know that she hasn't eaten much seafood in the past, and I informed her that she better get used to it living here in Thailand!
When we got home, Tik and Au were coming over for a sleepover with Jill. We watched the movie "Sixth Sense" in Thai. It was fun watching a movie in Thai, although it helped that I already knew what the movie was about.
Thursday, August 26, 2004
Dinner, Floating Ice Cream, and Beetles
Wednesday, 25 August 2004
Tonight, Ku Ai took us out to dinner, along with Wondee and Pi Utt. We went to the street market vendors near the chedi. We had a variety of dishes from squid, shrimp, and liver (which I have not yet acquired taste for), the popular Thai favorite, Tom Yum soup (hot and sour soup), as well a vegetable dish with salty red egg, and a chicken stir fry with vegetables. The soup was very hot, with about a dozen big red hot chili peppers. I had to pace myself on that one. Since the soup goes on your whole plate of food, it made everything spicy, so we cooled off with ice cream afterwards. A couple vendors away is a popular stand with a guy that serves "floating" ice cream, as Ku Ai put it. But, what he really meant was "flying" ice cream, for the man throws the ice cream scoop about fifty feet into the air before catching it in the bowl. It was quite entertaining.
But, if you think that was entertaining, my next feat was perhaps even better. Yes, I ate a beetle. While walking around visiting the food booths and clothing vendors, Wondee stopped at the one with all sorts of insects, and they asked, "You try?". I responded, "What do you eat?" and they said it's delicious. She picked about a dozen beetles. They looked like three times the size of a big brown flying cockaroach in Hawai'i. She would squeeze the body to check out the eggs. Then, she peeled the skin back, broke the body in half, and squeezed out the eggs with her teeth like she was eating edamame. I took a tiny bit, and it tasted and looked like salty sticky white rice. Then, she broke off the legs and ate the meat inside, and that tasted a little better, like crab meat. Very interesting I must say. It's not my favorite dish so far.
Tonight, Ku Ai took us out to dinner, along with Wondee and Pi Utt. We went to the street market vendors near the chedi. We had a variety of dishes from squid, shrimp, and liver (which I have not yet acquired taste for), the popular Thai favorite, Tom Yum soup (hot and sour soup), as well a vegetable dish with salty red egg, and a chicken stir fry with vegetables. The soup was very hot, with about a dozen big red hot chili peppers. I had to pace myself on that one. Since the soup goes on your whole plate of food, it made everything spicy, so we cooled off with ice cream afterwards. A couple vendors away is a popular stand with a guy that serves "floating" ice cream, as Ku Ai put it. But, what he really meant was "flying" ice cream, for the man throws the ice cream scoop about fifty feet into the air before catching it in the bowl. It was quite entertaining.
But, if you think that was entertaining, my next feat was perhaps even better. Yes, I ate a beetle. While walking around visiting the food booths and clothing vendors, Wondee stopped at the one with all sorts of insects, and they asked, "You try?". I responded, "What do you eat?" and they said it's delicious. She picked about a dozen beetles. They looked like three times the size of a big brown flying cockaroach in Hawai'i. She would squeeze the body to check out the eggs. Then, she peeled the skin back, broke the body in half, and squeezed out the eggs with her teeth like she was eating edamame. I took a tiny bit, and it tasted and looked like salty sticky white rice. Then, she broke off the legs and ate the meat inside, and that tasted a little better, like crab meat. Very interesting I must say. It's not my favorite dish so far.
Definitely gaining a few pounds...
Thursday, 26 August 2004
When the skirt, that I had altered for me by a teacher at school, is still tight, I know that I'm gaining a few by eating so much. Let's see, there is occasionally a little treat for breakfast (a sandwich, breakfast roll thing with probably pork inside) with a cup of warm ovaltine. Plus, Jun's mother, who works at a bakery, usually gives us brownies, or muffins each day. Then, for lunch, we have four different Thai dishes (and they're different each day!), which includes usually a soup, noodle dish, curry, meat dish, vegetables, and rice. Sometimes, the cook even makes dessert (and if you've ever had a Thai dessert before, boy do they like things sweet!). Today, I had this bread (and Cathy Thompson, if you're reading this, yes I thought of your distaste for wet bread, and frankly, I couldn't eat very much of it!) ripped up with crushed ice and gelatin, and a fuschia syrup and condensed milk poured on top of it. Then, for dinner, someone from school took us out again (This time, we ate in the middle of a roadway grass strip, with traffic on one side, and a train passing by every half hour on the other side.), and we had fish, tom yum soup, a seaweed pork soup (which was delicious!), fried egg omelette, vegetables, etc. "Im" I say, "Im!" ("I'm full!")
At least I may not need too many clothes here. They just announced today that we must wear our blue collared shirts (that we wore to the Queen's birthday celebration) with black pants every Friday for the rest of the school year. That means, Monday is usually white blouse/red skirt day (which I haven't been wearing because I don't have a bright red skirt yet), Tuesday I teach PE, so I can wear casual wear with athletic pants and tennis shoes, Wednesday is free dress day (which means long sleeved pressed collared blouse and long skirt), and Thursday is Boyscouts day (in which all the teachers wear a Brownies/Girl Scouts-like uniform, which I don't own either and am not expected to wear). Makes life easier not having to decide which outfit I'm going to sweat through each day.
When the skirt, that I had altered for me by a teacher at school, is still tight, I know that I'm gaining a few by eating so much. Let's see, there is occasionally a little treat for breakfast (a sandwich, breakfast roll thing with probably pork inside) with a cup of warm ovaltine. Plus, Jun's mother, who works at a bakery, usually gives us brownies, or muffins each day. Then, for lunch, we have four different Thai dishes (and they're different each day!), which includes usually a soup, noodle dish, curry, meat dish, vegetables, and rice. Sometimes, the cook even makes dessert (and if you've ever had a Thai dessert before, boy do they like things sweet!). Today, I had this bread (and Cathy Thompson, if you're reading this, yes I thought of your distaste for wet bread, and frankly, I couldn't eat very much of it!) ripped up with crushed ice and gelatin, and a fuschia syrup and condensed milk poured on top of it. Then, for dinner, someone from school took us out again (This time, we ate in the middle of a roadway grass strip, with traffic on one side, and a train passing by every half hour on the other side.), and we had fish, tom yum soup, a seaweed pork soup (which was delicious!), fried egg omelette, vegetables, etc. "Im" I say, "Im!" ("I'm full!")
At least I may not need too many clothes here. They just announced today that we must wear our blue collared shirts (that we wore to the Queen's birthday celebration) with black pants every Friday for the rest of the school year. That means, Monday is usually white blouse/red skirt day (which I haven't been wearing because I don't have a bright red skirt yet), Tuesday I teach PE, so I can wear casual wear with athletic pants and tennis shoes, Wednesday is free dress day (which means long sleeved pressed collared blouse and long skirt), and Thursday is Boyscouts day (in which all the teachers wear a Brownies/Girl Scouts-like uniform, which I don't own either and am not expected to wear). Makes life easier not having to decide which outfit I'm going to sweat through each day.
Tuesday, August 24, 2004
Why I Make Sure I Wash My Hands
Wednesday, 25 August 2004
Okay, so each time a child needs to go to the bathroom, he/she politely asks, "Toilet please?", and an adult must escort him/her to the bathroom on the other side of the building. I always wondered why Phu always wasted so much class time in the bathroom. Now I know why. Phu, who just turned 6 years old, is the youngest and most immature in the class. He barely knows any English, and he is still learning how to be a student in school. So, I go with Phu to the bathroom, and as soon as we get to the main door, he proceeds to take off his belt, throw it on the sink counter, then drop his pants, take off his shoes, leave his pants and undies on the floor at the door, put his shoes back on, then go into the stall, and sit down on the squatty potty. Now, usually people squat on the "squatty potty", as there are places to put your feet (For those of you not familiar with the squatty potty, it is basically a toilet bowl on the ground, no flush, but there is often a bucket of water and sometimes a faucet, which you can use to clean yourself and the bowl when you are finished). But, Phu (whose name is pronounced "Poo", very appropriate for this story) simply plops himself on the bowl and proceeds to drop the kids off at the pool.
Upon seeing this I realize he may not have toilet paper, as hardly any bathrooms in Thailand do. So, I go back to the classroom to get tissue, figuring he may be awhile so he won't go anywhere. In my bad Thai, called very good English, I peer my head around the corner and ask, "Are you done?". But, no response. I ask again in a few minutes, "Are you done?" I ask a third time, and figure okay, this is one phrase in Thai I should probably learn next. So, I figure I better go in and inspect the situation. With a grunting face, I see Phu still hard at work. I hand him the toilet paper, and now he has turned on the water faucet and has taken proper squatting position. After wiping a couple times, I leave and figure he should be dumping the water in the hole now, but I still hear the water going. So, I ask, "Phu, what are you doing?" He is now putting his hand under the faucet to get water and wiping his behind with his fingers. I ask Phu where the tissue is, and I see that he has used it but is now dumping it in the bucket, and wringing it out. Let me remind you that this is the communal water bucket everyone must use to "flush".
So, I tell Phu to throw the toilet paper away in the garbage can, and he begins to hold the little bucket full of water with one hand, pull up his shirt away from his behind, and splash the water on himself with the other hand. He does this several times, spilling buckets of water all over the floor in the process. Finally, I tell him he's done, and then he needs to put on his clothes. He struggles to put on his undies and his shorts (which he has now discovered that the ants have found his pants at this point), and then his belt, so he holds onto me as I help him get dressed. Finally, I tell him to wash his hands WITH SOAP.
That's why I make sure, if I have to use the squatty potty, I also wash my hands with soap (and don't forget the toilet paper), for you never know what happened in there before you!
Okay, so each time a child needs to go to the bathroom, he/she politely asks, "Toilet please?", and an adult must escort him/her to the bathroom on the other side of the building. I always wondered why Phu always wasted so much class time in the bathroom. Now I know why. Phu, who just turned 6 years old, is the youngest and most immature in the class. He barely knows any English, and he is still learning how to be a student in school. So, I go with Phu to the bathroom, and as soon as we get to the main door, he proceeds to take off his belt, throw it on the sink counter, then drop his pants, take off his shoes, leave his pants and undies on the floor at the door, put his shoes back on, then go into the stall, and sit down on the squatty potty. Now, usually people squat on the "squatty potty", as there are places to put your feet (For those of you not familiar with the squatty potty, it is basically a toilet bowl on the ground, no flush, but there is often a bucket of water and sometimes a faucet, which you can use to clean yourself and the bowl when you are finished). But, Phu (whose name is pronounced "Poo", very appropriate for this story) simply plops himself on the bowl and proceeds to drop the kids off at the pool.
Upon seeing this I realize he may not have toilet paper, as hardly any bathrooms in Thailand do. So, I go back to the classroom to get tissue, figuring he may be awhile so he won't go anywhere. In my bad Thai, called very good English, I peer my head around the corner and ask, "Are you done?". But, no response. I ask again in a few minutes, "Are you done?" I ask a third time, and figure okay, this is one phrase in Thai I should probably learn next. So, I figure I better go in and inspect the situation. With a grunting face, I see Phu still hard at work. I hand him the toilet paper, and now he has turned on the water faucet and has taken proper squatting position. After wiping a couple times, I leave and figure he should be dumping the water in the hole now, but I still hear the water going. So, I ask, "Phu, what are you doing?" He is now putting his hand under the faucet to get water and wiping his behind with his fingers. I ask Phu where the tissue is, and I see that he has used it but is now dumping it in the bucket, and wringing it out. Let me remind you that this is the communal water bucket everyone must use to "flush".
So, I tell Phu to throw the toilet paper away in the garbage can, and he begins to hold the little bucket full of water with one hand, pull up his shirt away from his behind, and splash the water on himself with the other hand. He does this several times, spilling buckets of water all over the floor in the process. Finally, I tell him he's done, and then he needs to put on his clothes. He struggles to put on his undies and his shorts (which he has now discovered that the ants have found his pants at this point), and then his belt, so he holds onto me as I help him get dressed. Finally, I tell him to wash his hands WITH SOAP.
That's why I make sure, if I have to use the squatty potty, I also wash my hands with soap (and don't forget the toilet paper), for you never know what happened in there before you!
Dinner with Jun's Parents
Tuesday, 24 August 2004
My three boxes of teaching materials (Thanks so much Nate for sending these. I owe you big time!) FINALLY arrived today. What a pain on this end! They have been in Bangkok airport since over a week ago, and they charged for duty tax, storage fees (for each day the box sat there), and delivery taxes (even though it was sent Fed Ex and they kept pushing back the delivery date!). I had to send my passport, visa, and talk to them about every other day to figure out what the deal was. All the while they were charging more taxes! Sometimes, being a farang (foreigner) works against you because they'll take advantage of it. What a headache! But it was because the boxes were so big and heavy, they probably didn't want me to be importing some suspect things. Normal size care packages won't have such a problem. Wink, wink! (=
Tonight Jun's mother invited us to dinner as a goodbye and thanks to Jill. Miss Matt (Our Thai teaching assistant), Jill, and I met Jun and his parents at a restaurant near the river. We ate seafood, lamb, fried fish (and when I asked what kind of fish it was, Jun's mother said "the kind that comes from the river", as she pointed to the river next to us.), tom yum (hot and sour soup, a favorite of Thais), and som tum talay (the popular spicy papaya salad). We finished our meal off with coffee ice cream and fresh watermelon and pineapple. I love the yummy chili pepper sugar that everyone dips their fruit in. One of my favorite little snacks to get are the green mango (which is more the consistency of a cucumber) that you dip in the chili pepper mixed with sugar. Aloy! (Delicious!)
We laughed about Thai superstitions, as they asked Jill and I if we ate frogs (since we saw one hopping by our table), because they believe that if you eat frog, you will have beautiful skin. Yeah, I think I'll stick with Oil of Olay...Also, they made me eat the last piece of food on every plate (little did they know, that is very easy for me to do!), as Thai people also believe that if you eat the last morsel of food left on the plate, that means you will find a very handsome boyfriend! (=
Jun entertained us throughout our dinner by singing Thai love ballads. This little six year old knows every word of every popular song and was definitely not shy to belt out those tunes! He sang in the car ride home, and it was a Kodak moment for sure...
My three boxes of teaching materials (Thanks so much Nate for sending these. I owe you big time!) FINALLY arrived today. What a pain on this end! They have been in Bangkok airport since over a week ago, and they charged for duty tax, storage fees (for each day the box sat there), and delivery taxes (even though it was sent Fed Ex and they kept pushing back the delivery date!). I had to send my passport, visa, and talk to them about every other day to figure out what the deal was. All the while they were charging more taxes! Sometimes, being a farang (foreigner) works against you because they'll take advantage of it. What a headache! But it was because the boxes were so big and heavy, they probably didn't want me to be importing some suspect things. Normal size care packages won't have such a problem. Wink, wink! (=
Tonight Jun's mother invited us to dinner as a goodbye and thanks to Jill. Miss Matt (Our Thai teaching assistant), Jill, and I met Jun and his parents at a restaurant near the river. We ate seafood, lamb, fried fish (and when I asked what kind of fish it was, Jun's mother said "the kind that comes from the river", as she pointed to the river next to us.), tom yum (hot and sour soup, a favorite of Thais), and som tum talay (the popular spicy papaya salad). We finished our meal off with coffee ice cream and fresh watermelon and pineapple. I love the yummy chili pepper sugar that everyone dips their fruit in. One of my favorite little snacks to get are the green mango (which is more the consistency of a cucumber) that you dip in the chili pepper mixed with sugar. Aloy! (Delicious!)
We laughed about Thai superstitions, as they asked Jill and I if we ate frogs (since we saw one hopping by our table), because they believe that if you eat frog, you will have beautiful skin. Yeah, I think I'll stick with Oil of Olay...Also, they made me eat the last piece of food on every plate (little did they know, that is very easy for me to do!), as Thai people also believe that if you eat the last morsel of food left on the plate, that means you will find a very handsome boyfriend! (=
Jun entertained us throughout our dinner by singing Thai love ballads. This little six year old knows every word of every popular song and was definitely not shy to belt out those tunes! He sang in the car ride home, and it was a Kodak moment for sure...
Monday, August 23, 2004
Sunday, August 22, 2004
Shopping Spree
Sunday, 22nd August 2004
I worked in the classroom a bit this morning, and then at 10:30 am, Jill and I went to church. We went to the chapel on the other part of our school campus down the street. The church was packed with Christian University students (most of whom are not actually Christian, but this is the only private university in Nakhon Pathom, and if students do not get into the public government universities in Bangkok, this is where they go.) who had to come to service and interview members of the congregation and write a 5 page paper.
Although the entire service was in Thai, and I tried to use my battery operated little fan I bought yesterday at the temples to keep cool, it was interesting and hot. At the end of the hour and a half service, the pastor introduced me as the new English teacher, and then we all had lunch. It is customary that they serve lunch to the members of the congregation. We spoke to Linda Sukarat, the English advisor, a bit about American politics and Farenheit 9/11. Then Jill and I left to run errands. I bought my first Thai music cd. Much of the music people listen to is too pop-like for my listening pleasure, but I decided to try a cd of dance tunes out. All of the cd's here are regularly priced for about $3 anyway, so I figured I could at least try it out.
Later in the afternoon, Ku Ai and Won Dee picked us up to take a tour of Christian University and then we met about ten others for dinner at another cook-it yourself place. I'm loving these all you can eat places. I stayed away from the meat that looked like gray pasta tubes hopping off the pan (I found out they were pig colon.)
After dinner, we walked out of the outdoor restaurant to find an elephant there, and you could buy sugar cane to feed it. I had to take a picture of Pi Boom's daughter Peem feeding the elephant. The best part about the elephant was that they even tie a reflector to the back of its tail. After all, it was pretty dark out, and we were in the middle of a parking lot.
We then went to Tesco Lotus, a huge department store like Big C. I went on a shopping spree and bought some work clothes (a couple blouses and three skirts) and 2 wallets (because I couldn't decide on one, and I haven't had one since I've been here), all for about $18.
We headed home, and now I have to do some prep work for tomorrow. There is a band practicing music in our auditorium right now, so at least I have some entertainment to keep me busy.
I worked in the classroom a bit this morning, and then at 10:30 am, Jill and I went to church. We went to the chapel on the other part of our school campus down the street. The church was packed with Christian University students (most of whom are not actually Christian, but this is the only private university in Nakhon Pathom, and if students do not get into the public government universities in Bangkok, this is where they go.) who had to come to service and interview members of the congregation and write a 5 page paper.
Although the entire service was in Thai, and I tried to use my battery operated little fan I bought yesterday at the temples to keep cool, it was interesting and hot. At the end of the hour and a half service, the pastor introduced me as the new English teacher, and then we all had lunch. It is customary that they serve lunch to the members of the congregation. We spoke to Linda Sukarat, the English advisor, a bit about American politics and Farenheit 9/11. Then Jill and I left to run errands. I bought my first Thai music cd. Much of the music people listen to is too pop-like for my listening pleasure, but I decided to try a cd of dance tunes out. All of the cd's here are regularly priced for about $3 anyway, so I figured I could at least try it out.
Later in the afternoon, Ku Ai and Won Dee picked us up to take a tour of Christian University and then we met about ten others for dinner at another cook-it yourself place. I'm loving these all you can eat places. I stayed away from the meat that looked like gray pasta tubes hopping off the pan (I found out they were pig colon.)
After dinner, we walked out of the outdoor restaurant to find an elephant there, and you could buy sugar cane to feed it. I had to take a picture of Pi Boom's daughter Peem feeding the elephant. The best part about the elephant was that they even tie a reflector to the back of its tail. After all, it was pretty dark out, and we were in the middle of a parking lot.
We then went to Tesco Lotus, a huge department store like Big C. I went on a shopping spree and bought some work clothes (a couple blouses and three skirts) and 2 wallets (because I couldn't decide on one, and I haven't had one since I've been here), all for about $18.
We headed home, and now I have to do some prep work for tomorrow. There is a band practicing music in our auditorium right now, so at least I have some entertainment to keep me busy.
Saturday, August 21, 2004
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