THAILAND BOUND!!!

Goodbye Thailand.

2010-03-30T01:04:00.007+07:00

I am so unbelievably and extremely sad right now. This sadness can not be explained with words. I am at a complete loss to try to explain how utterly depressed I am at the moment. I just can't believe that I am leaving Thailand. The last year and a half of my life has been so wonderful...why would one want to leave a place that brings them complete, all encompassing, fulfilling joy and happiness? How or where do I even begin to explain what Thailand has shown me, taught me, given me, provided me? I can't. It's damn near impossible. Simply put is that Thailand was the best decision I have ever made. Now I know there are great things ahead for me in my life but I just want to grieve for a moment or two or five.
It feels like yesterday I was packing up my personal belongings and moving to the other side of the world. As I sit here crying I am flooded with lessons learned, opportunities and experiences I have had in Thailand. I am confident to say one lesson learned while living here was patience. Dealing with a culture very unfamiliar to my own and not speaking the language requires a great deal of patience. Dealing with various offices within ABAC involves a lot of patience. Traveling throughout Thailand calls for patience. I have had hundreds of opportunities here...traveling has been a big one. Living here I was able to travel to some AMAZING countries...Japan, Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia, Malaysia, Indonesia and I am leaving tonight for Hong Kong, then China, and South Korea. As for experiences...thousands upon thousands. I...I...I...need a minute. Okay okay...I am okay. So while living in Thailand I had a plethora of visitors. I am so happy that so many people were able to come and experience a little bit of Thailand with me. I will cherish those moments.
And the people I have met here. The friendships I have made. Some I will be leaving here in Thailand, some I will be going to visit in a few short weeks, some will be scattered around the USA and thankfully some will be returning to Chicago as well. There have been a lot of people (fellow teachers) that without them here my experience would not be the same... Shannon, Jenn, Ladky, Marani, Jorge, and Brenda...to name a few. Together we have laughed, we have grown, we have traveled, we have comforted, we have danced, we have lived. Thank you all for the best time of my life. You have challenged me, made me think, aided me in re-evaluating things in my life, listened to me, and been there for me. And for this I thank you. I am glad you are a part of my life. And of course I can't forget Em, Nui, Ae, New, and Boom my lovely lovely friends that I have made in Thailand...I truly wish I could fit you in my backpack and take you home with me. I will miss the times we have shared. Please come to Chicago soon! I feel so lucky to have lived here in this beautiful country. I am so thankful I took that giant leap and completely went outside my comfort zone. I will always have fond memories of my time here. I love you Thailand.

What will and won't be missed...

2010-03-29T18:43:00.001+07:00

Here's a short short list of what I'll miss:
The Thai people, the culture, the ruins, street food everywhere, the respect for the King, the smiles, the genuineness, the islands, chang beer, motorbike taxis, songtails, the klong, the 20baht earrings, the language barrier, fresh fruit, Ekamaii, monks, somtom, sticky rice, the warm weather all year round, the cost of living, Red Fan, Grandma's, Jim Jum, Tuk Tuks, Buddhism, Wats, massages, tom yum, the rural landscape, chai nom yen.

What I won't miss:
The Thai brooms, lesson planning, the pollution, the language barrier, my clothes smelling like fried chicken, always sweating, firing range across the street, BangNa, the horrible plywood mattresses, cold showers, the monsoon rain, the shameless public nose picking, cockroaches, rancid smells, dried squid, squatter toilets, having to carry toilet paper all the time.

Oh Thailand. What a great ride its been.

Farewell my Koh Samet

2010-03-28T23:18:00.001+07:00

Brenda, Jorge, Shannon and myself headed for our final weekend getaway to the beloved Koh Samet. We arrived Friday and didn't even make it to the beach before stopping for sum tom, sticky rice, and some beer. One beer turned into 12 beers which turned into a fun and fabulous night of awesomeness. First bingo, then random bottle games including a game of ring toss, and finally a sing along song...good times...and the fun had only just begun. The next two days, lets just say, were well spent resting on the beach. Fast forward to Sunday afternoon...having to say goodbye to Koh Samet (literally my 2nd home in Thailand) was quite difficult. More so than I had anticipated. A tear here a tear there. My heart is sad. I can't believe I am leaving. Where did the time go?

Sukhothai

2010-03-25T22:54:00.008+07:00

Earlier in the week I ventured north to Sukhothai...which literally translates to 'Dawn of Happiness' and had a wonderful time. I took a morning train (for 6 hours) to Phitsanulok where I wandered around aimlessly for a few hours not knowing where I was or what I was doing before jumping on a motorbike taxi to the bus station and catching an early evening bus to Sukhothai. Here I found the cutest little family run guesthouse, had some delicious dinner then went for an evening stroll around town.
In the morning I headed to Old Sukhothai Historical Park. A brief history lesson for you... Sukhothai was established as Thailand's capital from 1238-1448. After this time the capital was moved to Ayutthaya until 1767 when it fell to the Burmese. Then moved for 15 years to Thonburi and then Bangkok, the current capital. The Sukhothai Historical Park covers the ruins of the ancient glorious Sukhothai Kingdom. UNESCO declared it a World Heritage Site in December 1991. Here I rented a bicycle and went exploring. It sure was a hot day but still I managed to bike around for about 4 hours. As I rode around I was all smiles. I was quite content biking through all the ruins. Such a lovely place. Wish I had more time there. But alas I had to head back to Bangkok on an overnight train to finish up some loose ends before I start my traveling.

2010 Visitors: Final Round

2010-03-21T13:50:00.003+07:00

My last crew of visitors came and went. Paige, Joe, and Diana were here for the last 10 days and it was all sorts of silliness. First night we chilled at an outdoor "bar" and had ourselves a few Chang beers. Day two was filled with wats, temples, the heat, Khao San Road, pad thai, eating grasshoppers, fish massages, and video interviews for the Thailand Tourism Website (link to my awkward, fidgety, repeating self interview video at the end of this blog post).
After Bangkok for a few days we jumped on an overnight train and headed south to Suart Thani where we then grabbed a bus to take us further south to Krabi. Total travel time: 17 hours...yeah wont be doing that again...oh wait I am...I will...two more times...in China. Ha. Anyways Krabi...AKA Beautifulness. 6 days of beach, beach, and more beach. Joe and Diana went rock climbing, Paige and Diana rode elephants, and we all hiked up to this amazing viewpoint. Paige, Diana and I celebrated St. Paddy's day at the beach drinking Changs and playing drinking games. Needless to say, day drinking at the beach makes an early night in but entirely worth it. What a great day!
After the beach we flew back to Bangkok and went shopping at Suan Luam Night Bazaar. Afterwards, Paige, Diana, and myself met up with some of my friends here at an outdoor club and had a night full of deep down belly laughs.
And finally their last day in Thailand...we found ourselves in the middle of a Red Shirt March down Ramkhamhaeng Road. "Since the 2006 ousting of Thaksin Shinawatra, Thailand's former prime minister, the country has been gripped by waves of political protest. Ten of thousands of opposition supporters paraded across Bangkok in an attempt to encourage the city's residents to support their calls for the government to step down. They moved across Bangkok in an 13km-long convoy of motorcycles and pickup trucks" (taken from a news source online). It sure was a wild sight to see. Afterwards, we had a packing party trying to stuff suitcases full of Thailand goodies. And finally off the airport to say our goodbyes...however it was more like c-ya laters as I will be seeing them and you in 6 weeks when I arrive back to Chitown!!!
Thailand Tourism video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ns8GeAy7kI&feature=player_embedded

Round 2 of 2010 visitors...

2010-03-08T00:45:00.007+07:00

Another visitor has come and gone...Suzanne spent 8 days here in wonderful Thailand. As with all my visitors, we had a lot on our plate. First up, we headed over to the Bangkok Art and Culture Center to see a few exhibits and one in particular I had been wanting to see (Wall Art)...which was awesome. We also headed to Khao San Road (backpackers central) and met up with a few friends. Here we were invited to temple with Nui for the following day for Macha Bucha Day (a Buddhist holy day, marking a point in history when 1,250 of Buddha's followers gathered to hear his sermon. It's a day when worshippers walk three times around temples in a bid to make merit). So the next day we spent touristing it up...Grand Palace, Wat Arun, and Wat Pho.
Then rushed home to change into our all white attire to head to temple with Nui, his family, and Shannon.*Sidenote...Several months ago I headed to this same temple to watch Nui become a monk (absolutely one of the most beautiful, magnificent, touching, and astonishing things I have ever witnessed in my life). When we arrived to this complex, I saw just what we were in for...another amazing experience! Amongst the sea of white were monks in a sea of orange all sitting around the gigantic gold temple. And there were a million or so (okay not really) 4 feet lanterns placed in the ground with a person sitting behind each one. To start the festivities was an hour of meditation...Nui gave us the play by play, step by step instructions on how to meditate and to concentrate to find a crystal ball in the center of our stomach...needless to say, I couldn't see it, but for that hour I was in a world all of my own...listening contently to the thousands of Thai Buddhists around me chanting and meditating...a smile was firmly planted on my face and in my heart the entire time. Simply a joyous occasion. The next day we headed north to Ayutthaya to see some ruins. Then off to Ko Chang island for a few days of sun, sea, beach, and tattoo. Yup, I got a new tattoo. สุขใจ = Suk Jai...means 'happy heart, mind, and spirit'. I love love love it. After 4 glorious days at the beach we were back in BKK. We met up with friends and danced the night away at Ekamaii and had ridiculous amounts of fun. And finally Suzanne's last day...we went to JJ market to buy lots of souvenirs and goodies. And so last night I took her to the airport and today I was back running around the city preparing things for the next set of visitors that get here on Thursday! And I just spent the last 6 hours finishing all my grading to turn in tomorrow morning. Finally, at 12:30am I have finished grading! Woosh. Only a few more requirements (proctoring) and I am done done done!

Adjarn Heidi over and out

2010-02-19T20:42:00.001+07:00

Today was my last and final day playing teacher in Thailand. I am mixed with sadness, fear, excitement and happiness...what a combination! I am sad that my time in Thailand is ending, fear of the unknown, excited about my visitors from home and to start traveling again, and happy cause I am happy! Today my students had to present posters they created about what they learned in my English I Conversation classes. Not only were some of these posters amazing...the speeches they gave were so genuine, heartfelt, and adorable. Who knew I taught them anything besides how to play games like Cheers Governor, Jeopardy, and the Telephone game???

I also had a group of students present me with two Thai Flower Garlands ("Phuang Malai" in Thai). These are skillfully hand-woven fresh flower garlands. They are traditionally hung in front of Buddha statues, pictures of monks, on spirit houses, and on the rear view mirror in cars. Garlands are presented at many festive and happy occasions, such as graduations, birthdays and weddings, for good luck. Thais use them for virtually every occasion – to say everything from “I'm sorry” to “Thank you”. Typically they are made from jasmine flowers and have the most intoxicating smell. Currently, I am basking in the lovely aroma that has filled my room...what a heavenly smell.
I can't believe that I am done....yahooooooo....no more lesson planning EVER, thank God. No more dictation, no more pronunciation, no more grammar, no more telling my students to PLEASE SPEAK ENGLISH!!! No more grading, oh wait...finals...I still have to do that. Oh and I still have to proctor 7 exams over the next 3 weeks...okay okay THEN I am done for good! Wooooohoooo!
Below are some pictures of my classes and some of the posters they created.

Sharing the love.

2010-02-14T20:47:00.004+07:00

This morning Shannon and I made our way to Camillian Home Orphanage to share some love and smiles...this wonderful place cares for orphans living with HIV/AIDS and disabilities. We were greeted with a quick tour of the facility and then off to playtime with some amazing kiddos. Here I spent some time playing with a 15 year old kid, Pan. We couldn't talk to each but we could play together. Then, before I knew it it was lunchtime....a pizza party. Right before lunch, an adorable child nick-named, Rat, played a few songs on his guitar. After lunch, it was busier than an airport with all the paper planes we were flying in the air. Zoom Zoom. This 3 year old cutie-pie to the left, Mos, was all over it...his giggles were loud and genuine...it was great. Here is their website, if you want to learn more about this fabulous place. www.camillianhomelatkrabang.org/
After the orphanage, Shannon and I headed to Chinatown for some Chinese New Year Celebrations. 2010 is the year of the Tiger...which is a sign of courage and bravery. So if you were born in 1950, 1962, 1974, 1986, or 1998 this is your Chinese Zodiac animal. My Chinese Zodiac sign is the Horse...people born in the year of the Horse believe that their aim in life is "to seek individual freedom and happiness." Yeah? I dig. Anyways, we set out on foot and walked around aimlessly for a while taking in the sights, sounds, and smells. Oh, what a good day...good day indeed!

Happy Valentine's Day ♥

Travels booked, I'm heading home!!!

2010-02-13T14:03:00.002+07:00

Finally, all my travels plans have been set! YAY! I am soooo excited however extremely sad at the same time. How am I going to say goodbye to Thailand? The sheer thought of it makes me ill. As for my travels...first up HONG KONG for 5 days by myself. Then I meet up a travel group of 8 people and we set forth into CHINA for 3 weeks. We end in BEIJING where I will stay an extra day or two. Then I will be heading to SOUTH KOREA via ferryboat. I will be in SEOUL for 4 days before boarding a plane to PORTLAND, OREGON, USA where I will meet up with my dear friend Jenn for 5 days. Then, finally, its Heidi's long awaited arrival back to CHICAGO. May 3rd people May 3rd!

This last year and half of my life has been nothing short of amazing. The experiences here have been very rewarding in so many ways. I have seen and done some unbelievable things. I have also learned alot....most importantly about myself. I truly wonder how I am going to say goodbye to Thailand, a place where I found what I was looking for...pure, undeniable, all-consuming and fulfilling happiness...I may just weep like a baby. But, let's not cry yet...I still have another 6 weeks to enjoy. And bonus, I still have 4 visitors making their way over to the Land of Smiles...starting with Suzanne who will be here in less than 2 weeks!!!

I do question what things will be like at home. It will definitely be different, I am different. Moving back in with my mom and into my childhood room is going to be interesting and trying to find a job that I adore may be troublesome, but I know its out there! And there are sooo many things I am looking forward to....numeral uno...meeting my new nieces/nephews! First baby (Adrianne and Matt's) is arriving in 4 weeks! Mid-march!!! Baby two (Sean and Megan's) end of March/beginning of April!!! YAHOOOOO! Can't wait to meet the munchkins when I get home in May!

1st round of visitors 2010...

2010-01-28T20:28:00.002+07:00

Last week through the beginning of this week I was lucky to have Matt, Jeremy, and Nate come to Thailand for a visit. I was excited about this visit and was looking forward to their arrival. They had one week here and we managed to do a lot in a short amount of time. On the night of their arrival I took them to Khao San Road, the infamous backpackers row...where they ate street pad thai and drank a tower of Chang beer. The next day we headed to see wats/temples...Grand Palace and Wat Pho. The two places are must sees in Thailand. After exploring the temples we went out for an evening above the skyline. We went to Skybar- an outdoor al fresco bar at the 64th floor of the Lebu State Tower...right along the river....it was absolutely beautiful. The next day it was see yah later Bangkok and off to Phuket we went. After settling in, it was time to head to the beach...and we took in a few of the warm Thailand sun rays. The next day we parked it on the beach the entire day...what a great and relaxing day. On Saturday we went on a snorkeling day trip which was awesome...we went to a little island (Raya island) about 30 minutes from Phuket where we saw some cool looking fish and some pretty clear waters. Now, I have been snorkeling a handful of times but there was one spot here where the waters were so clear you could see about 15 feet down, it was breathtaking. Sunday it was back to Bangkok and we went to Suan Luam Night Bazaar and they did some Thailand souvenir shopping. Monday was a busy day...we headed to Wat Arun, had two hour Thai massages, ate sashimi, the boys got fitted for custom made suits and then went to see Muay Thai fights at night....where we got to see a knock-out occur. It was crazy. And Tuesday, we went Asian style and took the transportation the locals take...the klong. It was a long boat ride sitting on wooden benches on a hot Bangkok day....probably not the smartest move on my part...but at least they got to see where I teach and a Thai neighborhood. Finally, it was time for them to leave. I took them to the airport, we said our farewells and goodbyes and off they went. It was a lot of fun. I had a great time and from what I could tell they did too.

Merit Making

2010-01-16T21:32:00.001+07:00

This morning, Boom took Shannon and I to temple. Going to temple in Thailand is like going to church in America. When one goes to temple you go to make merit. Making merit is a way of life for most Thai people. There are a few ways of making merit that I have found. One way is to give alms (which is where you give offerings to monks when they walk down your street). Another way is to buy a basket or bucket filled with water, candles, incense, toilet paper, and other things the monks need. These baskets are given to the monks at temple (this is what I did today). Donating to the temple is another way to make merit. Being generous to those less fortunate is also a staple in the merit making process. One more way of making merit is through prayer, usually done at the local temple. Opening ones mind to the spiritual side will gain individual merit. Making merit is a way to gain happiness in this life and a better position in the next life. Monks usually give a blessing to people that have been to temple to make merit. Thais believe that this merit-making will bring them good fortune. Today after we bought our bucket, Boom asked us to write names of deceased family members we wanted to remember on a sheet of paper (I wrote Deda). This was then later given to the monk to read aloud, along with a chant and then burned. After a few minutes of chanting. The paper was burned and held over a small brass bowl which collected the ashes. Boom took the bowl along with a little kraft of water and brought back to where we were kneeling. Here while the monk said a prayer chant in Thai, we (Shannon and I) placed a hand on Boom as she poured the water into the bowl. Afterwards Boom took the bowl of water and ashes to a tree outside, and poured the water over roots of a tree and was to make a wish to the spirits. And now the ceremony was over. When Boom came back inside, the three of us went closer to the monk and he placed a white sheet over us and said a Thai prayer wishing us good luck. He then handed Boom several white string bracelets to be tied on our wrists. I now have two white strings on my left wrist. The strings are blessed by the monks before they are handed out. This thread/string is called sai sin and putting them on the wrist helps in the form of safety, good health/wealth and protection from evil spirits. Now, I have heard two different rules about how long to keep the string on... 1. Some Thais say you can remove the strings after three days (if you remove it you must untie the knots and not cut it off) 2. Or you wear them until they fall off which in some cases can be years...I have not decided which to do yet. I think I am going to ask around...perhaps I'll ask my students on Monday what they do.

A whole new world...Samet.

2010-01-12T23:48:00.002+07:00

Samet...as you know is one of my favorite places in Thailand. But this time, Shannon and I decided to explore some unfamiliar ground. Instead of turning left, as we have every single time, we turned right when we got off the boat. We walked a bit and stopped at this cute little German guesthouse (Baan-Pra-Kai-Kaew) and got a room right on the water. After sunning ourselves at the beach we decided to go for a walk and explore this new area. We walked past kiddos laughing and playing in the road, past homemade surfboard boats, walked along piers, watched a game of volleyball, and climbed some rocks.
Along our walk, Shannon mentioned she wanted wine. I decided to accept that challenge and so we set off to find wine. Low and behold we purchased two bottles of Thailands finest (uh-huh) wine from 7/11...yes you heard me 7/11. HA. These were little mini bottles but they did the job....not to mention the few other glasses I had after dinner. But who's counting? I was in a fit of giggles the rest of the night. We were playing cards and at times I had tears in my eyes laughing so hard at who knows what. Its moments like these that I live for. So happy. And on my last day there (Shannon had left the day before), as I headed to the pier to head back to Bangkok, a woman stopped me and asked if I wanted a ride...in her little side-car...ummm sure why not...I have always wanted to. I felt like a 7 year old kid laughing as we went up and down the hills and hit bumps and took sharp turns. When she dropped me off I thanked her and she said "Mai Pen Rai, ka" (No worries). How unbelievably nice of that woman. She wanted nothing in return. I was so lucky to receive this random act of kindness. I am happy that people like this exist in our world....makes me want to do some random acts of kindness too.

Thank you.

2010-01-07T10:16:00.003+07:00

Last night I was thinking about my life - who I am, how I got here, where I have been, where I want to go, what I have done, what I am going to do, who I know, and who I have yet to meet...and I am so very thankful. I feel so lucky. Sometimes I pinch myself to see if its all real, is this really my life? I know I didn't get to this place alone and I have an absolutely amazing support system behind me. I am so very grateful and appreciative. One person, in particular, has always helped me get to where I want to be and continually encourages me to do my best...thank you for believing in me, thank you for helping me grow, thank you for listening to me, thank you for pushing me, thank you for being you...mom!

What a fabulous year it has been!

2009-12-31T15:23:00.004+07:00

Today I have been reflecting on all that I have done this past year...what a memorable year it has been for me. I may even say that 2009 has been my best yet. A few of the memorable moments include...Scuba Diving off Koh Phi Phi, snorkeling around the most beautiful islands I have ever seen (Similian islands), Emmett and Liz coming to Thailand, traveling southeast Asia-especially Angkor Wat in Cambodia, climbing Mount Batur for the sunrise in Bali, Indonesia, and the Cameron Highlands in Malaysia, rock-climbing in Krabi, seeing the Buddhist Monk walk down my street every morning doing his daily alms, Theresa in Thailand, Erawan waterfalls, being at Pra Nui's monk ceremony where I was told 'my heart is open', camping, rafting, and planting trees in Khao Yai National Park, a wonderful and perfect visit home, Koh Tao and Koh Naang Yuan, and most of all teaching kiddos English.
Not only do I feel I have grown so much as a person this year, I am in a different mind frame than before. I have found true happiness and joy in the little things and feel so lucky to be where I am at. I have also found that I smile constantly and appreciate those little things in life. I am in such a happy place and moving here was the best decision I have ever made. I am certainly not done growing and there are many things I wish to accomplish this upcoming year...such as 1. Climb a part of the great wall of China (oh yeah this is happening in April...who's with me??) 2. Get a school counseling job (oye resumes, applications, interviews...dear lord help me) 3. Complete a triathlon (looking at doing Chicago's tri in Aug.) and 4. Remain positive (its all a state of mind). I look forward to what the year 2010 brings for me...I hope its filled with lots of adventure, love, smiles and travel.

Sawdee Bee Mai!

Christmas classes!

2009-12-21T23:08:00.002+07:00

This week I am only having two days of classes (YIPPIE!) so last week I told my students to prepare presentations about Christmas. I gave them A-LOT of flexibility on the presentations and pretty much told them they can do whatever they wanted as long as they 1. Spoke English and 2. It was Christmas related. WOW. My students rock! One group taught us how to make Christmas trees- which I later wore as earrings...haha. I swear my students probably think I am a nut case.

Some students sang Christmas songs, some talked about the history of Christmas, we also played some games...we played Christmas bingo, a Christmas picture memory game, and a Christmas trivia game...Can you name all 9 reindeers??? **Answer will be at the bottom of this post** One group of girls even got to class a half hour early (kicked me out as I was prepping for the next class) and locked the door...they hid 25 red pieces of paper around the classroom and each paper had a gift associated to it. The more papers you found the more gifts you received...AWESOME! How thoughtful.
And then one kid, Tae, went up to the front of the class and read a little speech. "I have this chocolate as a representative of a Christmas gift to the teacher. The reason I choose chocolate is because it represents the love and care from me to the person I give. It might not be anything very special or expensive but I am very sincere. Finally, I think Christmas presents do not matter about the price, but it matters about how sincere you are." Awe. What a nice kid. MMMM I love chocolate.
Also worth a mention is that there are several Christmas trees around campus and I took a picture of my favorite (now I am defiantly not a white Christmas tree person but this year apparently I am). One of the reasons it may be my favorite is because I added a personal Chicago touch to the tree...Can you see it?

Ha Ha yup its a Chicago Cubs Christmas Ornament!

I hope you all have a very Merry Christmas!

**The 9 reindeers are: dasher, dancer, prancer, vixen, comet, cupid, donner, blitzen, and rudolf**

Ko Tao

2009-12-14T12:14:00.003+07:00

Beautiful! This is definitely one of the most gorgeous islands in Thailand and I didn't even explore all that much. I headed to Ko Tao (Turtle Island) for a 5 day vacation with me, myself, and I. I loved loved loved every minute of it. I did absolutely nothing and had the time of my life. I took an overnight bus to Chumporn and then a 1.5 hour ferry to the island. While on the ferry it was raining and I was bummed but upon arriving the sun was peaking through the clouds. I quickly disembarked the boat and headed for the hills. I bypassed all the "taxi drivers" and hiked it on foot. I had no idea where I was going so I couldn't really get lost. I walked around aimlessly for a good 30 minutes before finding a cute little place to call home for the next 5 days. I immediately changed into my beachwear and strolled along the beach with a smile on my face. I found a cozy spot and literally laid on the beach for the next 4-5 hours. It was perfect in every sense....I got to people watch, swim, listen to music, read my book...not all at once or in that order. Later in the day I found a seaside resort to have dinner and watch the glorious sunset. An FYI, if you don't already know this about me but I think sunsets over water is one of the most beautiful things on this earth. I love them.

After sundown there was a movie playing on the beach so I stuck around and watched. After the chick flick movie I headed to my room. Lame I know but I was worn out...a long day on the beach is really tiring. I was in bed by 10pm and miraculously I slept 12 hours ...until 10am the next day. WHAT? Wild. I can't remember the last time I slept 12 hours. Holy crap batman. Perhaps I needed it? WOW. At any rate, in the morning, I hightailed it to the beach for more hours and hours of doing nothing. Man, this is the life. I finally had to give in to my hunger pains and chose a cutesy Thai place for my meal and low and behold there was a TV on...and it was playing one of my all-time favorite movies growing up...WILDCATS with Goldie Hawn. Well you know I had to sit there for 2 hours and watch it. haha. The next day I forced myself not to be a slug on the beach and took a longtail boat over to the next set of islands, Koh Naang Yuan. I went to the top of one of the islands for a stunning view. I stayed up there longer than necessary just staring at this beautiful sight. I got lost in my thoughts. I mean how could you not with such a backdrop?
Finally I headed down and parked my behind --yup, you guessed it...on the beach! The next day I was determined to explore more of the island but when I woke up the sun was shining and I wanted nothing more than to swim in the ocean and lay on the beach and that is just what I did...with a smile on my face nonetheless. I'll explore the next time I go...which will be in early January- during midterms! YAY!

Thanksgiving and the Monkey Party

2009-11-30T17:38:00.006+07:00

This year for Thanksgiving a group of us headed to Siam City Hotel for their thanksgiving buffet. It was a plethora of international foods including TURKEY!!! I was a happy little camper...even though there were no mashed potatoes...ho hummm it was okay though, there was plenty of other food. Good food, good friends, decent wine...sounds like a great holiday to me. I was tempted to get another plate of turkey to stuff in my bag for Friday (for a sandwich)...but opted not to...foolish foolish girl! Going to work on Friday was tough as I was still in a food and wine coma but alas I pulled through. I tried to teach my students about the Thanksgiving holiday and we went around the room saying what we were thankful for. I said I was thankful for Thailand as it has opened my eyes to appreciate the little things in life. I hope you had a fabulous Thanksgiving and ate your weight in turkey.

On Sunday, Brenda and I took a train north to Lopburi (about 150 km from Bangkok) for the annual Monkey Party. Lopburi is also known as "Monkey Town". It was quite the comical event to witness. Hundreds of monkeys eating food and running around looking for more. There was a monkey pulling on a woman's skirt as she had some chips and the monkey wanted them...there was also a monkey trying to take an old woman's hat. In the past, I have heard some of these creatures could get violent for food but I think on this day they were so fulfilled with food that they seemed content...kinda like me on thanksgiving.

BKK Film Festival

2009-11-16T22:24:00.002+07:00

Last night Shannon and I headed back to Siam Center for the closing ceremonies of the BKK Film Festival. Last year we saw Shine a Light (Martin Scorsese film about The Rolling Stones). This year we saw the film Rocksteady: Roots of Reggae. Same like last year the movie was outdoors for all too see and was free. As if that is not cool enough there was free beer! Yep, free Singha beer! Nice! Needless to say Shannon and I felt good after the movie. Today on the other hand I wasn't. And in one of my classes this morning a student had a bag on her lap and as I went to help her out on her assignment I noticed a box with holes in the bag...I questioned if there was an animal in there and indeed there was. Well that's a first for me, an animal in my class. Oye. What kind of animal you ask? A baby squirrel. A teeny tiny...size of the palm of my hand, baby squirrel. I asked if I could hold it. She obliged. I held it and stared at it intently wondering why in the world someone would want this as a pet. I walked around the room with it and tried to start a conversation with my students about exotic animals and asked the class if they could be an animal what would they be...I first got some wide eyed stares and no one talked but they finally came around and they told me they would be lions, eagles, fish, and even a pig! What a mixture. It was an interesting class to say the least! Its these kinds of classes that bring a smile to my face and make me happy to be right here right now...its these out of the ordinary, not the same run of the mill, day to day shenanigans that I love!

New and Ae

2009-11-08T15:12:00.001+07:00

New and Ae are two of my close Thai friends. We have a custom of heading out to to the Ekamaii clubs together and last night was no different. We decided to check out a new club called Demo. It was perfect. I was able to drink my whiskey and dance my butt off. Sounds great for a Saturday night in Thailand! I am going to miss these girls when I leave...I wonder if I can fit them in my luggage?

1 week down, 14 to go.

2009-11-02T20:21:00.000+07:00

The first week was a success! I don't want to jinx myself but so far my schedule has not changed once! Perfection. Still have Wednesdays off. Right now I am teaching one academic class (English I) and 7 conversation classes. I dig. However after the 4th conversation class I get tired of repeating the same stuff. And by the 7th class I am delirious with giggles as I have memorized everything we are going to be doing. I am under the assumption that my 6th and 7th classes think I'm nuts....which I am totally okay with...actually I think all my classes think I am crazy. What?!? After my first week of not so hard work I thought it best to head to the beach...I am feeling alittle pale...oh yeah...Ko Samet! Gawd, I love that place.

Pictures from HOME

2009-10-28T10:41:00.002+07:00

For those that have not seen my pictures from home...

Adjarn Heidi... third time's a charm.

2009-10-26T20:16:00.002+07:00

Today was the first day of school. Oye. And guess who had an 8am class?? Pick me pick me!!! You guessed it. Aren't I lucky? Its okay, I don't mind. At least this semester I am not teaching any 3 hour classes. Thank God! This time around I am teaching English One and English One Conversation. As it stands I have a pretty awesome schedule! I teach Mon/Tues and Thur/Fri SWEET...WEDNESDAYS OFF!! I'll take it. As my friend Shannon said "I'll pay someone a hundred dollars to keep this schedule". But as we all know the first two weeks of classes are insane. Last semester my schedule changed 4 times in the first week. So I'll let you know how it all pans out later. OOOOH oooh and I forgot the most important thing...the best part...wait for it....I am teaching in HUAMAK! I mentioned to some of you how I was going to be teaching at the suburban campus (BangNa) but somehow luck was on my side and I once again got to teach at the city campus! YAY three cheers for whoever made my schedule!!! Rah Rah Rah! Finally I get to live and teach at the same campus!

My wonderful visit home...time to bid adieu.

2009-10-22T07:25:00.001+07:00

These three weeks have gone by waaaay too fast for my liking. I do not like to or want to say goodbye. However, I remind myself that I will only be gone for 6...tops 7 months. My contract ends March 31st and then I plan on traveling a bit (Hong Kong, China, and South Korea) before I venture home for good. And when I return home, I will be greeted with 2 new members of my family...my sister is pregnant with her 2nd baby... due in March...AND my sis-n-law is pregnant with her 3rd child...due in April. WOOHOO!

While I have been home visiting with family and friends I have been able to do a lot. I went to the last Cubs game of the season, two Hawks games, Euchre, Bon Iver concert in Wisconsin, Karaoke party, Thanksgiving dinner, went to the movies and much much more. I have had nothing but an amazing time while home. I have missed you all so very much. I can't believe I spent a whole year without you but I am so glad that it seemed like a day never went by. These next 6 months will go by so fast, I promise.

Thank you to everyone who bought me a meal, a beer, or a glass of wine. It has been much appreciated. I ate well while home because of you! God only knows how I would have afforded all those delicious meals and drinks. And thank you mom for cooking some ever so decadent meals.

I wish I would have traveled the world sooner as I may have come to the realization that there is no better place than home. Leaving this second time has been harder than the first. I don't know if I will ever be able to leave again. I wish I had more time to spend with you but school starts on Monday. Big hugs and kisses! I'll see you soon.

Home

2009-10-09T04:13:00.003+07:00

Can you believe its been a year? I flew back to Chicago on October 1st and surprised my family....they all thought I was coming home on Oct. 7th. And over the course of 4 days I got to surprise my entire family. Every single one of them shocked to see me standing at their front door. My mom was speechless, my sister tearful, my brother baffled, my aunt surprised, my dad overrjoyed and my little sister screamed!
Not only did I get to surprise my family but I surprised some friends. One in particular was my dear friend Sandra. I knew she was running a race on Sunday morning and I made a "way to go"/"surprise" poster for her and when she crossed the finish line I was there holding the poster. She saw the poster and her eyes bugged out of her head shocked that I was standing there. She hugged me and was elated. I was so happy to be there with her. It was priceless.
I am home for another 2 weeks and trying to see everyone. I will make time for everyone. So if you want to see me...you know how to get in touch!

Krabi Birthday

2009-09-29T18:12:00.008+07:00

After classes ended I was on a plane outta Bangkok...headed south to paradise...Krabi! While there I went on a sunset snorkeling trip...which was how do I say??? Absolutely heavenly. I swear sunsets over water never get old for me. I love them. This particular night we were sitting on a sandbar as the tide was low and the sunset was amazing shades of pink. Then I got to swim with phosphorescence...this beautiful greenish light organism that glows when you splash the water around. I now know with 100% certainty what my heaven is going to include...a glorious sunset over water, a million stars out at night and swimming with phosphorescence. I also celebrated my birthday while in Krabi...we climbed up to a viewpoint, we layed on the beach, we drank whiskey, we ate Indian food, we chilled at a Reggae bar and Jenn and Shannon were sneaky little monsters and surprised me with a birthday cake. It was a wonderful day! I am one lucky gal, I've made some great friends out here.

Second semester coming to a close...

2009-09-25T16:20:00.007+07:00

I finished my second semester teaching!!! This past semester was a rough one in comparison to the first semester. Not only was I teaching an Academic Grammar English course that I disliked very much but I was also teaching overtime. Last semester if you recall, I was only teaching 2 days a week! These last 3 months I was worn out day after day. And for about 6 weeks I had some serious stomach issues that even brought about an overnight stay in the hospital. I am finally feeling better and back at 100%. And now my classes are over and its playtime (Krabi), proctoring, grading, moving (cross your fingers to the city campus), and then HOME to CHICAGO for 2 weeks!!!
So here are some pictures of my kiddos from this semester. I taught 2 academic classes and 5 sections of conversation. I had some good kids and some not so nice monsters that I could have done without but its all a learning process right??? I can say though that I sure learned my threshold and tolerance for immaturity, laziness, and rudeness this semester. But overall it was a good semester.

Camping, Planting, Rafting...oh my.

2009-09-16T07:42:00.001+07:00

A few of us joined www.plant-a-tree-today.org for a weekend camping trip to Khao Yai National Park. We spent the first day rafting on a not so rapid river but fun and entertaining none-the-less especially with Clare and her jazz hands. In the evening we had grilled mmmmm meat by a campfire and drank the night away with our bottles of whiskey. Early the next morning we headed out to the nursery to learn about the trees we were going to be planting. Then we (a total of 30 volunteers and several plant-a-tree staff) headed to the planting site...atop a gorgeous hill with stunning views. During the 3 hours in the hot blazing sun we planted 800 trees! That's about a 30 trees each! It was fun, hot, muddy, spectacular, tiring, difficult and important. Did you know that every minute of the day the earth loses about a football field of trees?

Pra Nui

2009-08-31T22:22:00.001+07:00

At 6:30 in the morning 10 of us (not so awake) crammed into 3 taxis to head to what we envisioned a small, quaint, ceremony at Wat Dhamakaya but unbeknownst to us it turned out to be a grand affair...12,000 men getting ordained as monks. A friend of the group was being ordained. As we walked lost among the million of Thais dressed in white, I felt uncomfortable in my bright blue skirt and gray sweater. We found Nui's family and quickly got settled in. Of course all the people around us stared at the 10"farangs" (Thai for foreigners) not only cause we were there but we clearly were wearing an array of colors and not the required head to toe white that every other person was wearing. Nui's mother passed the bright orange robe around for each of us to say a prayer and bless it. As it passed my friends hands I anxiously awaited my turn. When I was handed the robe, I closed my eyes, said a little prayer and my first tear of the day was shed. Then the procession began...in walked the monks, two by two, dressed in all white. When Nui stopped in front of us, his 3 year old nephew (Bing) immediately started calling out Nui's name...begging for him to turn to us...Bing could not understand why Nui was not paying attention to him. Next, in unison all the monks sat in front of their family and friends and chanted a prayer. After that, Nui's family placed his new monk robe in his arms, then in a flash he stood up, and all the monks filed out. As they walked away I looked at some of their faces...some were happy, some were sad, some where lost in thought, and some were crying...and tears once again streamed down my face. Next there was a 5 hour break while the new Monks changed and meditated. All the visitors were provided free food, coffee, and water. Food at temples are considered the best food as people only donate the best food to the monks. As 8 members of our group decided to leave Lauren and I decided to stick it out and stay. And I can not even begin to explain to you how utterly happy I am that I chose to stay. Nui's mother invited us to her home to rest. There she gladly provided Lauren and I some white attire. At 4pm we made our way back to Wat Dhamakaya to watch the remainder of the ceremony. Immediately I saw a sea of orange and for the third time, I teared up (Yet another one of those breathtaking sites of Thailand). Then the procession of the monks began again...they walked two by two again and stood before their family and friends and then they sat before us and started chanting. I closed my eyes and listened to the world around me. I understood not one word of the chant but I was very much in the moment and a feeling of calmness washed over me and you guessed it...I cried again. At this moment I knew I was a part of the most amazing, beautiful, peaceful, thought provoking, and selfless ceremony I had ever seen. After the chant, the monks were able to talk with their family and friends for a few minutes. Lauren turned super shy (the very opposite of her personality) and I sat there quiet as a mouse trying to take it all in. We agreed on meeting Nui after the ceremony at a designated area to talk in more detail about the monkhood. And before we knew it, it was time for the monks to head back. After the ceremony we indeed met Nui and one of his monk friends to learn more about the Buddhist religion. As a newly ordained monk and us as lay people we must be lower than the monk, so Nui and his friend sat on chairs as we sat with our feet pointing away from him on the ground. As we relaxed, the questions started coming...how to focus while meditating, daily alms, the 227 monk rules, etc. We sat there for hours asking question after question. When we mentioned how emotional we had been throughout the day, Nui simply smiled and said that "our hearts are open". Most foreigners who witness such an event, watches from a distance and walk away unscathed but we were so fortunate to have an up close and personal front row seat to it all, we were able to let it all soak in. We finally said our goodbyes and well wishes to Nui and his friend. Looking at the time it was 9:30pm as we stepped into the taxi (where did the time go?). Lauren and I started a discussion about the days event and a flood of emotion overtook me and I started sobbing. I could not believe what a magical, serene, tranquil ceremony I just attended. In the end, when we returned home, Lauren instantly sat at her computer and started typing her thoughts of the day as I laid in bed pondering life. Lauren asked me if she could read me what she wrote and I closed my eyes I listened to the words she so eloquently wrote and since my emotions were already on overtime the tears naturally came. I was so happy to be party of such a spiritual, uplifting, and glorious day.

One year Smoke Free!

2009-08-25T10:52:00.001+07:00

How exciting is today? 365 days ago I finally gave up the destructive, deadly habit that was SMOKING! However, it feels like only yesterday I would get up...go walk Allie and have my first cigarette of the day. And that one cigarette would lead to several more throughout the day...and don't even get me started about the weekends and nights out...oye! Now I don't ever, ever think about smoking....ha ha what a joke! I think about it alot...but I haven't messed up once. YAY ME!

Statistics tell us that only 7% of those who quit are still smoke free at the end of their first year (about.com). Help me celebrate this awesome milestone! GOOOOO ME!!!

And if YOU want to quit check out this website:
http://quitsmoking.about.com/od/preparetoquit/u/quitting.htm

If that website doesn't interest you...learn how to quit smoking from my students...they had to write a 'how to' paragraph using sequence adverbs...(typed exactly as they wrote it).

First, you have to reduce quantity of cigarettes. Second, you have to think about your parents because they care about you very much. Then, try to do other activities like sports, reading books, etc. Next, removing all of your tobacco in your house. Then, don't stay with friends who are smokers. After that, forgetting that you've ever smoked. Then, use lemon juice because it can make you don't want to smoke. After that, trying to think that smoking can destroy your health, the environment, and people around you. Next, do not buy any tobacco again. Finally, keep living your life without smoking!

Queen's Birthday aka Mother's Day

2009-08-16T19:19:00.004+07:00

Last Wednesday was the Queen's birthday here in Thailand (Her Majesty Queen Sirikit’s 77th birthday) which is also known as Mother's Day....which is also known as a public holiday! YAY, no work on a Wednesday! So I was going to head to a Wat that I have been wanting to see....for oh I don't know about 10 months now...but on my way I saw hundreds and I mean hundreds of people wearing blue. Perplexed, I got off the bus to check it out...Ah a parade in the Queen's honor. Cool. So why the blue? In Thai tradition, there is an astrological rule that assigns color for each day of the week. The color is assigned based on the color of the God who protects the day or Navagraha. For example, King Bhumibol was born on Monday, so on his birthday throughout Thailand will be decorated with yellow color (Wikipedia). And the Queen was born on a Friday...hence the blue.
Anyways I hung around the area walking up and down waiting for the parade to start...and when it did...it was amazing.

Then as nighttime drew near ropes of lights (think Christmas tree lights) turned on...it was beautiful. As I was heading back to find my bus stop to return home fireworks lit up the sky! What a great day.

Kanchanaburi

2009-08-12T21:40:00.006+07:00

Kanchanaburi, about 150 miles northwest of Bangkok, offers a fascinating mix of nature, history and adventure. Kanchanaburi is an important historical town as this is where the famous Bridge over the Rver Kwai sits. Kanchanaburi is best known for it's history during World War II... the Japanese Army began construction of the infamous "Death Railway" which included the Bridge Over The River Kwai. In total, over 100,000 POW's lost their lives building the railway, tunnels and the famous bridge between 1942-1943.

About 40 kilometers outside of Kanchanaburi is the Erawan National Park. Here is the most glorious waterfall...7 levels. This stunning waterfall drops 1,500 m. down steep-sided cliffs. It is surrounded by a beautiful forest. There is a trail as far as the 6th level and from there you have to scramble up the cliff to reach the 7th level. The climb was worth the effort...the sight of tumbling water, spraying off the boulders into the deep pool below...beautiful.

P.S. The last few pictures are of Jenn and I bored on the bus...

A girl named Heidi...

2009-08-01T15:06:00.003+07:00

I had my students write stories during one of my classes. I recieved various topics such as...Dracula, Chiang Mai, China, The Hunters Adventure, and this one...my personal favorite...typed exactly as they wrote it...

"A girl named Heidi, was about to complete her Masters in Arts. But after completing the graduation she came to Thailand. Now she is doing her job over here. She is now a teacher of ABAC. She wanted to have an experience at teaching outside of USA. Among the English teachers, we've got the best teacher. Because during her period of teaching, she wanted the students to learn something, to be punctual in the class, and to be honest. She is against dishonesty and indiscipline. She teaches us through a well process. She teaches us with great sincerity. She is like an angel to us. We think that without her presence in our student life our student life shouldn't be completed. We love her very much."

Too cute!

Theresa in Thailand!

2009-07-27T18:12:00.005+07:00

I had soooo much fun with Theresa. The week went by waaay too fast but we did a lot in a very short amount of time. We jam packed as much as we could in...not only did we sight see in Bangkok but we went to Chiang Mai, Ko Samet, and Ayutthaya. It was absolutely amazing to have her here...it was great traveling with someone who was seeing Thailand for the first time...it was cool to see things again in this perspective.
After I picked her up at the airport at midnight we headed to the bar...yes we may have had a few drinks and woooohoooo we played Euchre with Clare and Russell! YES! The next day we went to Chatachuk market (the world's largest outdoor market) and after went to Khao San Road. Very early the next morning we flew to Chiang Mai (northern Thailand). We did the usual touristy stuff...temples, massages, ate Kao Soy, night bazar, trekking, elephant riding, and white water rafting...On Wednesday, back in Bangkok, we went to the Grand Palace, Wat Pho (Reclining Buddha), and went to the Liverpool vs Thailand Football game! Once again, very early the next morning we jumped in a van to Ko Samet Island for two days. Lots of food, fire dancers, coin flipping, and fun was had. And Saturday we took a train and went to Ayutthaya for a morning of visiting the ancient capital which now is in ruins. When we came back we headed to Lumpini for last minute shopping. Lastly, I told Theresa she was not allowed to leave this country until she had a Thai massage...and so whats better than an hour massage??? A two hour Thai Massage!!!

Smiling

2009-07-16T18:36:00.002+07:00

Today I was on my way to work and noticed that I was smiling....smiling yet again. I had no reason for this smile planted on my face, it was just there. And I believe that when you are a happy teacher your students are happy...and that is just what happened. I had an amazing class. I played a really fun game with them. Now yes it may have been a drinking game but shhhhh I neglected to tell them that. Now instead of drinking when they messed up I had them tell a story. After explaining the directions only a few times they got the hang of it. And we had an entire hour full of laughter. After the game, I was wishing them all good luck on their midterms and that I will see them in two weeks. And almost in unison the class waiied me. Remember that waiing is a sign of respect. It was a very touching moment for me. And I still have this smile on my face!

It's official!!

2009-07-10T16:56:00.001+07:00

I am staying in Thailand longer. I have extended my contract and staying until March 2010. I just signed my new contract! I am so excited, relieved, and happy! Best of all...I get to miss another Chicago winter!

So this gives you more time to save your pennies and get your butt over here! Come visit me! Southeast Asia awaits you!

If you can't make it over here that's okay...I will venture home in October for a week or two. So make sure you play hookie one day and spend a day with me. Scheduling will begin soon. HAHA.

My roomie and I at the FREE wine night atop the Millennium Hilton- the views were spectacular...too bad my camera sucks.

Burger and beers!

2009-07-04T23:42:00.002+07:00

Fourth of July in Bangkok?!? Hey its just another day here...that was until I walked into the American School of Bangkok...and Wooosh, yup, I feel like I am back home! WOW. I have not seen so many farang (Thai for "foreigners") since I left the USA. And hello red white and blue! I tagged along with the Loyola Marymount teachers/students as I was the only Depaul teacher who went to the picnic. So I bought my coupon book of food/beer tickets and immediately headed for the beer stand...American beer please...hello MGD oooh how I have missed thee...I'll take 3. hahaha. I ordered a burger and sat down with my all American meal...beer and Burger for the fourth of July...can it get any better than this? Now only if there were fireworks I would have been happier than a pig in mud!!!

And the kick ass band that played lots of oldies but goodies!! Including one of my all time favs...Mustang Sally! Where are my maracas????

A good place...

2009-07-01T20:40:00.001+07:00

I am in a good place in my life. Thailand has been good to me. I enjoy the fact that I walk down the street and see something so simple and insignificant and it makes me smile. This makes me so happy.

However, I do have my homesick days. For instance, the other day I was having a serious missing home day! All I really wanted was time with my nieces....I wanted to make silly faces with Mary Clare, I wanted little miss Nora to tackle me like Urlacher, and as for Emerson all I wanted was to pinch her little chubby cheeks. And well once I started thinking of the munchkins and home... I started thinking about how much I really really wanted a turkey sandwich...a beer at a Cubs game...a Euchre night...a night dancing with my girls...a Carols adventure...a homemade dinner cooked by ME...a walk with my dog...and the 4th of July fireworks (MY FAVORITE HOLIDAY).

Last year I remember biking it to the Lakefront along with the million of other fools just to watch the fireworks...I swear I act my shoe size when fireworks are going off. I am going to miss that this year. At any rate, HAPPY FOURTH OF JULY! Be safe and enjoy the holiday!

Stop. Look around. Appreciate the little things.

2009-06-25T20:49:00.002+07:00

Every morning as I walk to work I see a Buddhist Monk doing his daily alms. Most days I am running late and rushing down the street to get to class ontime...however this day was different. First of all, daily alms is giving and receiving ritual. This is often perceived as giving laypeople the opportunity to make merit. Most Buddhist people donate food to the monks to gain merit and improve their karma.

Oh karama!

The monk is always dressed in the trademark bright orange saffron robe. You can see him coming a mile away. So the other morning as I am walking past I see a little girl (about 6 or 7 years old), placing an envelope in his bowl. She bends down to wai him and pray to him. I overhear him say something in Thai to her. This whole exchanged lasted only moments but it stopped me in my tracks and took my breath away. I smiled at the simplicity of it, the meaning of it, the importance it has in peoples lives.

I have been noticing a chance in myself lately. I have noticed I have a smile on my face a lot and its those little things that are making me smile. It took me a while to get here but I am happy.

Wai Kru Ceremony

2009-06-18T18:30:00.005+07:00

Wai Kru Ceremony is a Thai ritual in which students pay respect to their teachers in order to express their gratitude and formalize the student–teacher relationship. The ceremony is usually held shortly after the beginning of the first term, on a Thursday, as Thursday is traditionally the day of Bhaspati, Vedic god of wisdom and teachers. The students recite the wai khru chant, which expresses respect for and gratitude to the teachers, and asks for the teachers' blessing of their studies. Following this, a select number of students, usually the representatives of each class, will present the teachers with offerings of flowers, candles and joss sticks (Wikipedia). I saw one of my students, Bomb, before the ceremony and he was a class representative for his major/faculty (Bio-technology). He is one of the students in the video below! Watch it!

I snuck in the picture of me, so you can see my pretty smiling face! Ha Ha! I know how all of you love it when I take those kinds of pictures.

Balagan

2009-06-13T10:58:00.000+07:00

Saturday night I headed out to the Impact Arena to watch the World Acrobats Show, Balagan!!! It was everything I was hoping for and more. I am a big fan of these kinds of shows...Cirque de Soleil-esque. It had a variety of acrobatic movements, athleticism, comedial choreography and rhythmic dance. I am so glad I went. And there was a little girl sitting in front of me that made my night! She could not have been more than 2 years old. And at one point, she was asking for something and when she did she waied (I know I told you about waiing before, its when you put your hands together in prayer like and bow your head, in a sign of respect). She had this little innocent angelic face which was so precious. I would sneak a look at her from time to time during the show and every time I did...you could see the happiness and excitement in her eyes. She would light up, giggle, and laugh...it was so beautiful and genuine. It really made me miss my nieces ever so much more than I already do.

Today I met up with a former student I tutored and we went to the movies. We saw a Thai film, Roommates. Now generally Thai movies have English subtitles ahhhh but not this one. Haha. Yup all in Thai. It was an interesting two hours. But I am one smart cookie and was able to figure out what was going on.

Which reminds me, last week I saw an independent Thai film, Wonderful Town. Sponsored by the Foreign Correspondents Club of Thailand. It was decent. Nothing spectacular. What was spectacular was the wine that they were serving up...mmmmm wine from a Thai winery. I dig.

Tomorrow starts week three of the semester. Let's just hope that it goes better than the last two crazy weeks. I am looking forward to Thursday though...its the Wai Cru Ceremony...I'll tell you more about that later.

Patience Heidi Patience.

2009-06-09T18:07:00.003+07:00

I told you last week that my schedule changed four times, right?! Let me tell you it has already changed twice this week and its only TUESDAY!!! Can we say... frustrating?! UGH. I start teaching a class, start learning names, read over the syallbus, create classroom rules, start building a rapport with students, etc... just to find out the class has been cancelled or I have been switched to teach another section.

Patience Heidi Patience.

If I had to name something I have learned here it is... be flexible!

On another note, I am heading to a screening of a Thai film "Wonderful Town" on Thursday night. That should be exciting! I'll let you know how it goes. I am hoping it is as good as the other Thai film I saw "A Moment In June" which reminds me I need to buy a few copies and send home...it really was a beauitful movie and I am sure some of you would enjoy it!

Reporting to duty...Ajarn Heidi Part Duex

2009-06-06T14:30:00.002+07:00

The first week back is over! YAY! What a week. Okay so my schedule is not that bad...except for Fridays (teach 8am-5pm). They changed our schedules about 4 times this week...it was quite chaotic. I am teaching more classes this semester including one English grammar course. Oh if Ms. Smith (6th grade English teacher) could see me now. I spent better part of the week re-learning subject-verb agreement in order to teach it to my students. I may know the stuff but when it comes to explaining it...I can't. Great. Its going to be an interesting semester. Next up, determiners...

Back to School

2009-05-31T17:02:00.001+07:00

I start the next semester tomorrow! AAAAH!! But in all honesty...I am ready. WHAT? Ready?!? Yes...the summer was amazing and couldn't have asked for a better one...but I am ready for what the new semester brings...new bosses, new lessons, new courses, new teachers, new students, new changes, etc.
And today I moved into a new apartment in the city. If you recall I was renting a townhome in the city with 3 other girls and our lease was up so my friend Lauren and I moved into a smaller apt. I still have my dorm in BangNa and will be there occasionally...because YES YES YES I am teaching in the city campus again (Huamak)!!!! So happy! I will get my final schedule tomorrow so not sure of what I'll be teaching or when I'll be teaching. Nothing like waiting until the last minute...and I thought I was a procrastinator.
Also Theresa booked her ticket to Thailand and I can't be more excited! I am looking forward to seeing her and hanging with one of my hometown buddies!

Cameron Highlands and Malacca, Malaysia

2009-05-19T22:21:00.006+07:00

We stayed at this remarkable little guesthouse on top of a serene hill (overlooking Tanah Rata town) in the Cameron Highlands. The mountains, the greenery, the trails, the waterfalls, the hikes, aaaah the cool weather, the couches, the TVs, the strawberry fields, the rose gardens, the tea plantations...it was just the place to relax. On our first day there we dove right in...we took the 3 minute walk into town and ate some delicious Indian food and then went for a walk. Cool crisp cloudy overcast weather...perfect! That night, there was a chill in the air...and I was actually how do you say...COLD! Man am I going to be in for a rude awakening come winter...Anyways...the next day we set out for our hike. We chose trail 10 however missed the marker and ended up on trail 9...which spit us out at a tea plantation...okay cool...but the only way back to town was either back up trail 9 or on the main road...we decided since the trail was trying enough lets take the main road...yup 3 hours later we finally arrived back into town...and found ourselves back at the yummy Indian restaurant. Yes, I'll admit it, the remainder of the day I stretched out on one of the 8 couches and watched 2 back to back movies! It was fantastic! The next day was a wash...the tea plantations were closed so it was either another hike or lounge at the guesthouse on the couches watching movies and drinking tea...we opted for being slugs. I enjoyed it thoroughly! The next day we headed for the rose garden, the butterfly garden, a Chinese temple, a strawberry field, and the BOH tea plantation! All very beautiful!

After some well needed rest in the highlands we headed south to Malacca (Meleka)...snoooooze. We should never have left the highlands! Boring. Not sure what put this little town on the map. It is a UNESCO world heritage site but nothing spectacular about it...it was a blah town. Eh. In the midst of our udder boredom walk we spotted a movie theater...what better way to waste some time! We sought out the only English speaking Malaysian movie (movie name: Sell Out) and bought two tickets. Gawd, I just wasted 2 hours of my life I will never get back. Horrible! Eh, needless to say Jenn and I were more than ready to head back to KL to catch our flight back to BKK!

Cameron Highlands

Malacca (Meleka)

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

2009-05-18T19:04:00.002+07:00

First stop in Malaysia was Kuala Lumpur. Right off the bat I headed to Central Market to see some Doctor Fish...yup that's right...I had some fishies suck off the dead skin of my feet...hee hee it tickled!

Jenn and I took a city bus to visit 'the must see' Batu Caves...which houses a Hindu shrine. eh. We did walk up all 272 stairs and saw lots of monkeys monkeying around. The next day we walked all over the city from Merderka Square to the KL Tower. And of course we headed to their prize twin towers, Petronas towers. We even got there early morning to score free tickets to the 41st floor skybridge.

Asia Poem by Jenn and Shannon

2009-05-18T18:08:00.002+07:00

If its not diarrhea its constipation
Headaches and ear infections
Bed bugs and mosquito bites
Heat Rash and gastrointestinal infections
Motorbike accidents and shitty hospitals
Toiletpaperless bathrooms and squatter toilets
Cold showers and rock hard beds
Flesh eating diseases and shitty smelling streets
Mystery meats and fish balls
Chicken tendons as appetizers and rancid fly ridden markets
---your choice
Tuk-tuk driver scams and general transportation chaos
Logiclessness.
Elephants in downtown city streets and runaway monkey thieves
ASIA’S NOT FOR EVERYONE….

Bali Indonesia Pictures

2009-05-18T18:06:00.000+07:00

Kuta beach and Ubud

Mount Batur

Bali, Indonesia

2009-05-09T11:22:00.000+07:00

Bali was very beautiful and amazing....Don't I say that alot? I am not lying when I say that southeast Asia really is a sight to see!! So Jenn, Shannon and I flew to Indonesia from Bkk and immediately headed for the beach. We then met some friends (Lauren and Carly) for dinner in Jimbaran Bay. It was our last southeast adventure with Lauren, as she headed back to the states.
The next day, Shannon and I took surfing lessons. HA HA HA HA My instrustor Ari was a hoot. "Okay standby....GOOOOOO!!!!!" I fell over more than I stood up...but had a blast...and only minor bruising. Surfing apparently is NOT going to be my new hobby.
Anyway, the next day we headed to Kintamani/Danau Buyan area. The scenery was absolutely stunning - mountains, greenery, volcanoes, rice paddies... Jenn and I decided to trek up Mount Batur (1717 meters = 5633 feet OR in simple terms I climbed about up about 4 Sears towers or wait whats it called now Willis tower?) at 4:00am to see the sunrise. The hike took about 2 hours-in the dark, and I had no flashlight but thank goodness for our guide, Newman, who took my hand periodically to help lead me up the mountain. The top of the mountain was cold and our sunrise was a bit cloudy. We ate hard boiled eggs and banana sandwiches that were cooked in the volcano. MMMMM. We then hiked over to see some craters and then down. Back to our guesthouse by 10:00am. Six good hours of hiking!!!
Next up was this cute little town Ubud. Which is known for their artistry, wood products and their babi guling (Balinese suckling pig dish). Jenn and I stayed a few days and probably ate the best Indonesian food ever. We then ventured back to the beach, this time away for the chaotic Kuta and towards a more low key place, Seminyak. This beach had some rough currents and we weren't aloud to swim...booo....so therefore we moved back to Kuta beach as we wanted to play in the waves before we headed up to Malaysia.

I will post pictures when I get back to Bangkok.

Krabi, Thailand

2009-04-26T10:56:00.004+07:00

After several weeks of traveling Southeast Asia, I decided what better way to relax then go to the beach. I headed south to Krabi, Thailand. Ah, yet another absolutely beautiful place. You must simply come for a visit!

The first night there, there was a rock climbing and fire contest. Which was pretty cool. There were live bands and Job 2 Do performed. What? You don't know who Job 2 Do is??? He is only like the top Thai Reggae performer. HA. It was pretty sweet.

The next day consisted of lounging at the beach, getting sunburn (not on purpose) and watching the sun go down over the water (It never gets old, I love sunsets).
So the next day I ventured over to the rocks. Yay, rock climbing. WOW. Now why have I never done that before? It was a lot of fun. I attempted 5 climbs and completed 3 (meaning I got to the top of 3). Hey not bad for my first time out there! So that's me, all the way to the right. There are lots more pictures in the slideshow below.

And well after that I pretty much relaxed on the beach for the rest of the my days. Lazy bum! On the last day me and a few people I had met took a longtail boat to a couple islands and went snorkeling. Then I headed back to Bangkok. So now I am here, packing up for another trip...I am heading to Bali, Indonesia and then Malaysia for a few weeks! Yahoo!

Angkor Wat

2009-04-22T17:40:00.004+07:00

We started at 5:30am to watch the sunrise over Angkor Wat. The sun was suppose to come up from behind the temple, and reflect itself in the ponds below but it was a bit cloudy and rainy...so no glorious sunrise for us. It was breathtaking regardless. And standing there was pretty tranquil. Oh man what a sight. So amazing. So beautiful!!! Angkor was built in the 12th century as Cambodia's ancient capital, one of the man-made wonders of the world.

Since we were up so early we ventured to several other wats. We had a tuk-tuk driver for the day and Mr Thou took us wherever we wanted to go. We headed to Angkor Thom, the faces of Bayon. There are 54 towers with four faces each, totaling 216 faces. Can you see the faces in the stones? You should be able to see two of them---one right above me and one side profile. Look straight above where I am standing...you should see a nose. Can you see it?

Ta Prohm is where we ended our day...it is best known as the temple where huge trees have been left intertwined with stonework. Another gorgeous site!

Siem Reap, Cambodia

2009-04-19T10:24:00.012+07:00

The day we got into Siem Reap was the Khmer New Year. We attempted to ask around to find out what the holiday entailed (fireworks? waterguns? dancing?)...we asked three different people...needless to say we didn't find out much...oh Asia! At 1am there was dancing and throwing of baby powder....that I missed as I was sleeping in bed.
The next day we headed to the floating village (not to be mistaken for the floating market in Thailand- this is completely different). The floating village is on the Tonle Sap Lake (Great Lake) and there are about 200-300 houses built out of wooden platform and old boats. During the Monsoon months, this is the largest lake in Southeast Asia. There are several thousand people who live on the lake. The village is completely self sufficient and has its own floating school, grocery store, clinic, place to play basketball (imagine a big cage), and police station. What was interesting was that going to the bathroom, drinking, bathing, washing dishes, and fishing were all from the same source- the lake. It is definitely one of those places you question the way we live when there are so many others that live their peaceful little happy lives like this.

That evening we headed for the hills...Bakheng Hill. We set out to see the sunset, however it was a bust...it was rainy and cloudy. Typically you can see Angkor Wat from the hill but it was too overcast for us. The steep stairs we had to climb to the top were a trip....remember that ole saying...what goes up must come down! OYE!

Hmmm what else...oh yes, I tasted frog legs...coated in curry...everyone says they taste like chicken...now I love me some chicken and no, nope I don't see the correlation.

Phonm Penh, Cambodia

2009-04-18T12:35:00.002+07:00

I will be honest I didn't know anything about the Khmer Rouge, Pol Pot, Tuol Sleng (S-21), The Killing Fields and such before I arrived in Cambodia....Oh wow did I get a history lesson. I want to know more. I look forward to borrowing books from the library...oh good lord really??? Excited about learning??? history??? borrowing books...who am I??? But really if you don't know anything about Tuol Sleng (S-21), and/or The Killing Fields I highly suggest you do a quick google search. There is too much to even try to explain.
We went to the Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum (S-21 prison camp). It was formerly Tuol Svay Prey High School before it was taken over by Pol Pot's forces. Here is where Cambodians were detained and tortured before being marched 15 kilometers away to Choeung Ek (The Killing Fields). At Toul Sleng Genocide Museum we got a tour guide for the afternoon so we could learn more about what exactly we were seeing (there were torture devices, photos of hundreds of victims, and the small little jail cells).

The next day we ventured to The Killing Fields. This was one of the hardest things for me to see. There was a stupa filled with over 8000 skulls of the victims they dug up from the mass graves. Not only that but seeing clothes littered around and our guide informed us that there are still bones below us and if we looked closely we could see some. Did you know that during the Khmer Rouge from 1975-1979 Cambodia lost about 1/3 of their population?

Afterwards we headed to the largest clock in all of Cambodia, Wat Phonm (in which the city was named after) and saw a bunch of monkeys!!!

Ho Chi Minh City (Siagon)

2009-04-17T15:03:00.001+07:00

Ho Chi Minh City is the largest city in Vietnam. First order of business upon our arrival was to find some good Pho. We didn't have to go far, our guesthouse had a great little pho stand. Mmmm. After our bellies were full we headed off to the War Remnants Museum. The museum had several exhibits...including graphic photographs, effects of Agent Orange, and the use of napalm and phosphorus bombs.

The next day we took a day tour of the Cu Chi tunnels. The tunnels were used by Viet Cong guerrillas as hiding spots during combat. There were trap doors leading to the tunnels that were camouflaged and undetectable and they were tiny. TINY. There were also booby traps with bamboo spikes and several bomb craters.

On our way to the airport to catch a flight to Cambodia we had the worlds worst (or angriest) driver. I seriously thought we were going to crash. Not only did he have some serious road rage with another car he never took his finger off the horn...Honk honk honk...honk honk honk. I felt my stomach in my throat a couple of times. I couldn't tell if me wincing at the near collisions was a thrill for him or what? May I remind you that traffic in Vietnam is INSANE. Insane!!!

Ha Long Bay, Vietnam

2009-04-12T15:25:00.007+07:00

After of few days of hectic Hanoi we decided to escape the city and head for the bay...Ha Long Bay to be exact. Ha Long Bay is a UNESCO World Heritage site. It is a bay full of beautiful limestone islands. We took a 3 hour bus ride east to the bay and got on a cute boat for our overnight tour.

Several of the islands are hollow, with enormous caves. We got to go wandering through one. We also got to kayak around for a short period however it was a bit scary with these huge ships so close around us. We also docked and went up the to the top of one of the islands to get a better view. What a site! Finally we anchored and was nestled in between several islands for the night.

Hanoi, Vietnam

2009-04-10T20:41:00.003+07:00

Goooooooooooooooooood Morning Vietnam!!! I have been waiting a looong time to do that! HA ;)

What a BIG difference than Laos. Hanoi (the capital of Vietnam) is jam packed full of people and motorbikes (about 4 million bikes)! Hello big city!!! Hanoi is known for the sights, sounds, and smells. And Pho (beef noodle soup) mmmmm.

Our first night in we wandered a bit trying to find the place to eat the hotel recommended to us. Little did we know it would give Lauren gastroenteritis(???). That hindered our sightseeing abilities a bit. We did get a chance to walk to Hoan Kiem Lake in the center of the old quarter...which was a nice calm place in the middle of a crazy insane city. When I say crazy and insane I am mostly speaking of the traffic. I once again can not begin to explain the horn blaring sounds or the near collision accidents I heard and saw. I had some serious anxiety crossing the streets. I had to dodge motorbikes all the time.

The next day we headed for the Temple of Literature (Vietnam's first university). This ancient Confucian sanctuary is now considered one of Hanoi's finest historical sites (Wikipedia).

That night, we still had not become too familiar with the area so we walked around a bit and found what we thought was a little cafe for dinner. Little did we know how awful this place would be. I ordered vegetable fried rice. Harmless right? WRONG. First bite in, I felt something crunchy, I took it out and saw a fingernail...no nope not a human fingernail...a bird of sorts and it was still attached to something. Completely grossed out (EWE) we paid our bill and walked out the door. We came to the conclusion it was a chicken's nail based on our second dinner of the night...when we ordered "chicken swings" and the nails were still attached. GROSS I KNOW! I should have known better, seeing that this is a country that eats dog.

Vientiane, Laos

2009-04-05T14:49:00.001+07:00

The capital city of Laos has a population of about 300,000 Vientianne is not full of must see sights but it has a few. First up we went to Patuxai which is Vientianne's Arc de Triomphe...it was built to commemorate the Lao people that died in previous wars.

The next day we headed out of the city to Buddha park. In order to head the 25km southeast we had to take a local bus. The bus was 5000 kip (mind you its 8500 kip to one US dollar) so we got there cheap cheap. Buddha park is as the name suggests a park full of Buddha sculptures. This one (below) was massive and we got to snake inside it to the top...see me and Lauren up there?

And finally we made it to the most important national monument in Laos. Pha That Luang. Legend has it that enclosed there is a bone of the beloved Buddha.

Besides the sights there was Lao beer dark that was deliciously drank, there were fish eyes eaten (not by me), and massages had...ah vacation!

Vang Vieng, Laos

2009-04-03T19:35:00.002+07:00

I can not even begin to describe the beauty that I saw on my way to Vang Vieng from Luang Prabang. The 6 hour bus ride was stunning, gorgeous, breathtaking, and absolutely nothing I have ever seen before. The landscape and scenery were unbelievable. The small little villages we drove through were indescribable!

Vang Vieng on the other hand was just a little pop-up backpackers stopover town. Every bar, restaurant, and such was either playing an episode of Friends, Family Guy or a movie...odd I say. One of the main attractions of the town is to go innertubing down the river...I did not partake. We ended up only staying the night and headed out early afternoon for the capital city, Vientiane.

Laung Prabang, Laos

2009-03-28T22:13:00.010+07:00

Laos is apparently one of Southeast Asia's most relaxing destinations. I can see it! Lauren and I got to Luang Prabang the other afternoon and immediately I fell in love with this place. I don't know how to describe it but its a place I very much like.

So we found a guesthouse for 50,000kip...equivalent to about $6.00 USD. SICK I know. We decided to wonder a bit and stumbled upon the night market. DANGEROUS. I may or may not have bought quite a bit. I got a pretty decent Khmu massage (which combines palm strokes and thumb pressure to relieve muscle tension). I dig!

We went to Wat Xieng Thong which is Luang Prabang's most magnificent temple. There is this tree-of-life mosaic that was stunning. We took at slow boat down the Mekong River to a cave full of Buddha's. We also walked up the "unmissable landmark" Phu Si, climbing 248 stairs to the steep top we got to see panoramic views of the little town.

Also my vegetarianism didn't last very long. What 2-3 days. HA. Also I had to try the beer in Laos...even though I gave it up for Lent I absolutely had to try Beer LAO Dark. It was a must have. I mean I probably will not be in Laos again. So I had to try the beer...MMMM good.

Pai

2009-03-27T11:26:00.001+07:00

Pai is a small remote town in the middle of nowhere - about 3 hours northeast of Chiang Mai. There are 762 curves through the mountains to get to Pai (no I didn't count...its like their trademark thing). Can we say winding road?? For a person who does not get motion sickness...lets just say thank goodness Lauren had some Dramamine! Pai is full of cheap bungalows, serene views, and hippies.
One day I rented a motorbike and set out for the hills. Yup, that's me on the bike!

The next day Jenn and I took a long walk around and out of town. Breathtaking sights.

After four days of relaxation and rest I figured it was time to start my 'out of Thailand' traveling. So I came back to Chiang Mai and today I am heading to Laos.

Oooh last night I looked out my guesthouse window to see a disturbing sight...a chicken killing farm. It was not a pretty sight...I saw the whole thing...alive chickens to defeathering. It was like a car crash, I didn't want to look but couldn't stop. I think I am going vegetarian for a while.

Offline...Summer Vacation

2009-03-22T21:46:00.001+07:00

Here we go...the time has finally come...SUMMER VACATION and I am traveling Southeast Asia!!! Not like this entire time here in Thailand has not been one extended vacation or anything...

Right now I am in Chiang Mai (Northern Thailand)- I took a flight here at 6:30 this morning. I spent the day at a Thai cooking school learning to make some of my favorite dishes...Tom Yum Chicken Soup, Green Curry Soup, Pad Thai, Chicken with Cashews, Spring Rolls, Paypaya Salad, and Sticky Rice with Mangos. All delicious by the way....I am a very good cook!

Tomorrow I am heading to Pai, a small remote town northwest of Chiang Mai. It is known for its mountainous views and natural beauty. After relaxing and spending a few days there I am heading to Laos, Vietnam, and Cambodia.

I have an entire month to travel. I just have to be back in Bangkok by April 27th (as that is when I am flying to Bali). But I plan on returning a day or two early so I can rest...just enough time to do some laundry and sleep in my own bed. Then I am off to Bali, Indonesia (WOOT, first time south of the equator). From Bali, heading to Singapore then Malaysia and finally some of the southern Thailand beaches. I have to be back in Bangkok on May 19th for a meeting. School starts June 1st.

These travel plans are really all tentative... as nothing with the exception of the Bali trip has been planned. We have a skeleton outline and thats about the extent of it...I, along with 3 other girls are winging it...if we like a place we stay longer if we are not impressed we leave. Simple as that!

Oh my goodness, I can not believe this is my life. How did I get so lucky? I am living a dream. Someone pinch me!

I promise to check in once in a while but probably wont be able to do much emailing, chatting, skyping, blog updating until I get back.

Miss you all!

OOooh and chances are when I get back in May I will be moving to the other campus. Once that all goes through I will give you the new mailing address.

Em and Liz

2009-03-22T21:09:00.000+07:00

Having Emmett and Liz visit me in Thailand was amazing. We had some really good times together. We did so much in a very short amount of time. We got massages, met up with Emmett's friend Celeste, shopped at the worlds largest outdoor market, we took an overnight bus to Trat and took a ferry to Ko Chang island. We went elephant trekking (and bathed the elephants), snorkeled, and drank buckets. We celebrated St. Paddy's day -drinking buckets -no beer for me- I gave it up for Lent. Back in Bangkok we went to the Grand Palace and Wat Pho. Liz and I went to the movies. We went to see ruins in Ayutthaya (the ancient capital). We went to the clubs and danced the night away. We did more shopping and sightseeing. We did a lot. Together we packed -them for home and me for my five weeks of traveling. We took a taxi together to the airport at 4am and said our goodbyes. The week went by too fast. I am so grateful they had the opportunity to come here (thanks Auntie Eileen and Uncle Michael). I hope they enjoyed the experience.

The night without a camera.

2009-03-14T15:38:00.001+07:00

1. Dinner - me trying some sort of catfish and have a table of 10 laughing in fits with my facial expressions as I take a bite.
2. Nana Hotel - Disco bar, Go Go Dancers ... Need I say more?
3. Silom - Um, did I make a wrong turn? I don't think we are in Kansas anymore.
4. Cabaret show - Picture the Baton Club (in Chicago) but more dancing, funny songs, and back-up dancers.
5. Tunnel - 2:00am undercover afterbar. Looked like a cross between something out of the Flinstones movie and the Meatloaf video, I'd Do Anything For Love (But I Won't Do That).

If only I had my camera.

Tree Top Adventure

2009-03-11T18:03:00.005+07:00

After finals I took a quick trip east to Ko Chang island. AAAAH gorgeous! I had been there once before back in early December. I decided to travel solo for a change however I was going to meet up with my friend Josh from the HSC program (DePaul grad program we both just graduated from). And on the bus I met Walter (from South Africa) and Sveuja (from Germany) and together we headed straight to the beach for some late afternoon sun. When the time came we saw a beautiful sunset.
The next day we spent the day at the beach doing absolutely nothing. In the evening, we met up with Josh, Mango, and Naa and had a blast drinking buckets and dancing like fools...okay maybe that was just me. Then the next day, I headed for Tree Top Adventures while everyone else went snorkeling. Tree top adventures is a ropes/zip line/swinging from the trees course. It was 3 hours of sweaty fun. I completed the two courses with only one fall (thankfully I was harnessed in and only fell about 5 feet and not the 25 feet down to the ground). I had soooo much fun. One thing I learned about myself while acting a fool was that I have no upper body strength. I need to work on that. My arms are still sore 3 days later.

The rest of my time there I spent on the beach just chillin. AH! Up next EMMETT AND LIZ ARRIVE!!!!

Random Randomness

2009-03-03T17:37:00.001+07:00

The past few days have been rather uneventful but somewhat interesting nonetheless. I went to the movies the other night. I have been to numerous shows before (they were American films in English with Thai subtitles) but this time Shannon, Jorge and I went to a Thai film...we saw 'A Moment in June' (http://amomentinjune.com/) GREAT FILM. I thoroughly enjoyed it. It was all in Thai with English subtitles. Once again it was a great movie. I probably will buy it so don't you worry you can borrow it when I get home.

Besides the movies I finally went to the outdoor running track in HuaMak with Shannon. En route to the track the other day it started to rain (Oh yeah, the rain has begun- I'll get back to that in a second)...so since we were already getting wet on the walk there we decided to run in the rain. I liked it. After running a few laps I started having memories of high school track practice and meets...thoughts I have not had in years...I thought of our pathetic little gravel track behind school, I thought of Sylene and her looking like she was always praying when she ran, I thought of Ms. Micellii making us run stairs or run to the beach and do sprints in the sand...It was nice to reminisce.

Ok back to the rain...the other morning, I woke up early to the sounds of rain drumming against a metal awning. It hasn't rained in about 4 months, is this the start of a new season??? Yep, I bet..the cool season is officially over. I should have mentioned that the temperature has been rising...it is usually around 90 degrees and ridiculously humid. UGH. I am one sweaty hot mess 24/7 these days. Its quite the site and its only going to get HOTTER!!! April is the hottest month in Thailand (thank goodness I will be traveling).

So today after proctoring, Shannon and I decided we needed to go to the pool...several of our friends had ventured to the hotel down the block and have cooled off at the rooftop pool...so today we made our way to the hotel...we strolled in as if we were guests and headed straight for the roof. Perfect. What a nice way to cool off!

Not much going on right now, I am proctoring finals for about 3-6 hours a day and then the rest of the time trying not to be bored. Yup, I said it...bored. I know there is so much to do in the city BUT I am trying to save my money for my summer travel plans...so its been a lot of reading, sweating, movie watching, working out, sweating some more and computer surfing.

Khao Yai National Park

2009-02-24T18:04:00.001+07:00

Welcome to the Jungle! Lions, Tigers, and Bears OH MY! Jenn, Kate, Shannon, and I headed off to Khao Yai National Park for yet another quick getaway. Khao Yai is the 2nd largest National Park in Thailand. It is the oldest park in Thailand and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. We booked two tours with the guesthouse we stayed at and both were awesome. The first was 'the bat tour'. On our way to the cave our guides found an interesting little snake and spotted an owl. When we arrived at the bat cave, we climbed down to see the bats in their natural habitat (sleeping and pooping). After exploring for a while we ventured out and at dusk we traveled near an open field to see a million bats fly out. They were flying out for feeding time (mmmm yummy). Ha Ha. For ten minutes there was a steady stream of bats flying out of the cave and into the forest to find food. Remarkable!

Day Two: Hiking in the Jungle. We started our trip with the first of many sightings of the hornbill tropical bird.
Throughout our hike we saw various animals...hornbills, gibbons (small apes), deer, and even a bearcat. We hiked in the jungle for about 4 or 5 hours. We were hoping for a sighting of elephants but we were not one of the lucky ones. After our hike we headed to Haew Suwat Waterfall (best known from the movie The Beach).
You absolutely have to look at the pictures below to see the beauty of this park. There are some great pictures of various animals. Not to mention a very funny picture of a monkey picking through a trash can.

P.S. I have been SMOKE-FREE for 6 months now!!!

Last day of classes!!!

2009-02-20T12:48:00.011+07:00

It is over! My first semester as a teacher has been completed! This semester went by so fast. I can hardly believe it is really done. I finished the six week intensive course with the seniors Monday night (we went out to celebrate) and I said goodbye to my freshman students yesterday. I had mixed emotions while saying goodbye to them, it was sad but fun.

So being the awesome teacher that I am, I typed out a little note to all my students. It was a short and sweet little message about how much improvment I've seen, how proud I am of them, I will miss them, to keep in touch, etc... It was well recieved. Not only my little note, but I gave all my students little cheap notebooks. I told them that they had to use these notebooks for English writing purposes only and they all loved that idea.

In one of my classes a student gave me a gift. He gave me a wooden boat.Cool, I thought and thanked him. It was not until later in the day when one of the office staff told me what giving a boat as a present to a teacher means. Apparently in the Thai culture when you get a boat from a student it means you are highly respected by them. It symbolizes getting students from one side to another safely. If there are waves or danger, the teacher steers the boat back on the right direction. What one side to another means literally is getting students from one level in their education and teaching them and giving the knowledge to move up a level. AWESOME! So cool!

Dusit Zoo

2009-02-20T12:46:00.000+07:00

The other day I ventured out in the heat for a day at the zoo. The zoo was like any other, with the exception of ostriches and zebras in the same pen and the elephants being held back by a little metal fence. All the animals at the zoo were adorable. I was particularly fond of the various types of monkeys. The picture below is of two monkeys sleeping.

Baiyoke Tower and Lumpini Park

2009-02-15T10:06:00.006+07:00

Wednesday night a few of us finally made our way to Baiyoke Tower. Baiyoke Tower is the country's tallest building. We were able to see the night sky of Bangkok from the 84th floor -outdoor observation deck. It was pretty sweet.

And yesterday, Jenn and I took a cheap Khlong (canal) boat to the NANA stop to go get some yummy Kabobs. We got off at the wrong stop and had to walk a bit out of our way but that was okay...its not like its 90 degrees and humid or anything! GOOD LORD ITS HOT! After our middle eastern cuisine we continued our walking crusade and headed south to Lumpini Park. Lumpini Park is nestled in the middle of the city. Once you walk in the gates you forget your are in Bangkok. So peaceful and serene.

After lounging in the park for a bit we decided to walk to Siam Paragon (one of the malls) but about 1/3 of the way into our walk, and two bottles of water later, we decided to jump on an air conditioned train and enjoy some cool air. When we got to the mall we are immediately surrounded by hundreds if not thousands of people. Insane. Jenn was looking for something specific so we were in and out of there as soon as possible. From the mall we found our way to another Khlong stop and took the boat back home.

Macha Bucha Day

2009-02-10T22:44:00.002+07:00

Monday the ninth was Macha Bucha Day. It is one of the most important Buddhist celebrations. It falls on the full moon day of the third lunar month. Macha Bucha is a Buddhist holy day and marks a point in history when 1,250 followers gathered to see the Buddha, apparently totally spontaneously.

So in honor of this holiday I made my way back to Koh Samet (shocking). But before I get into that...lets back track as I have not written in a while.

Last week Monday (2nd), Sam from the International office found us another free wine night. This time we had to dress up in our fancy black dresses and black trousers for the guys. Drinking on a Monday night is always fun and never a good idea! HA. From free wine to dancing the night away at a packed club (seriously packed on a Monday night- Thai's love to party). Then having to get up early for a day of teaching. Good times!

Thursday we had meetings with Dr. Supa about our next semester teaching assignments. I tell you meetings with her are never good. You would think that next semester would be similar to this one, right??? That I could use my lesson plans for next semester, right???? One would think! So our department (Center for English Development) is now officially merging with the English Department...what does that mean??? Well we don't exactly know...ha ha ha...But I am not qualified to teach grammar, prepositions, adverbs, adjectives, past continuous tense, subject pronouns...etc. I am not an English Teacher, I just play one in Thailand...I believe that I am actually getting stupider being here...is that possible??? Whatever. Yes, I may have gotten riled up but nothing that a few cocktails couldn't take care of...so some of us ended up partying on Khoa San Road at this Reggae and Ska bar (Brick House) until the weeeeeee hours of Friday morning. Now how I miraculously set my alarm and woke up early Friday morning to travel to Koh Samet is still a wonder to me.

Which brings me to my glorious weekend island vacation. Friday I traveled solo to the island and chilled on the beach and in all honesty passed out by 10pm. Saturday however Lauren, Shannon and their friend Becky made their way to the island, as well as some of the other teachers. We ended up sunning it up on the beach, getting massages, and playing card games before dancing the night away at the gay club at the end of the beach. Sunday we went snorkeling and went back to our Cambodia bar that we fell in love with. And let me tell you - we only went once -back in November but as we walked up the beach one of the bar tenders remembered us and he got sooo excited to see Lauren that he ran up to hug her. It was precious! Monday we soaked up our last bit of rays before heading back to Bangkok.

Today (Tuesday) I had a busy busy day with teaching and student meetings. This is my last week with my senior students (6 weeks sure has flown by) and they are starting to take the BIG COT TEST!!! So, lets see if cramming English down their throats for the last 6 weeks did any good. AAAAH. I am so nervous for them.

Next week is finals and my last class for my freshman students...then a few proctoring exams for the university ... and finally my 2 month VACATION!!! WOOT WOOT!!!

A good day.

2009-01-29T23:04:00.006+07:00

Often times we bitch about the crappy days we have but rarely discuss the good days! Today was a good day for me. Why? I am not exactly sure...it was the same ole same ole, run of the mill, average kind of day. Actually, Thursdays are typically my WORST day of the week...I teach from 9:30am until 12:30pm then have a half hour lunch break then tutor a girl from 1:00pm to 2:00pm then teach again from 2:00pm-6:00pm. Long exhausting day, I tell you. But today my students were chippery little things which lighten my mood. In my OPE level one class we were all sitting in a circle and pretty much just chit chatted girl talk all class (it's a class of 8 girls). And they all spoke English majority of the time, which is a rarity. At one point we were talking about Thai dancing and one girl said she could dance. She got up and starting dancing and the rest of the girls starting singing a Thai song as she was gracefully dancing. Beautiful. Unexpected. Priceless.
Then in one of my basic level classes I have been teaching students how to say 'r' sounding words- rock, right, rate, red, rice (the 'r' and the 'l' sounds are extremely difficult for Thai students, along with the 'sh' and 'ch' sounds, and the 'th' sound too) and one of my lower level students said rock perfectly. I was so happy. When I said 'yes, you got it' she started jumping up and down and hugged me. She was so happy. I was so proud of her. She said she had been practicing. I told her I could tell. It was a great feeling.
Then there is my conversational class of seniors...you know the class I was sooo not happy to teach...oh wow how things have changed. I adore my group of seniors. Some still dont give a shit but then I got a great couple of kids that make up for the slackers. I teach this class four nights a week, 2 hours a night...tonight was the end of week four...I only have two more weeks with them. This week we just had the bomb of classes...from playing psychiatrist on Monday, telling ghost stories on Tuesday, listening to music on Wednesday and today storytelling all class. Those two hours a night have been flying by. I am starting to get nervous at the fact that I have to rank my students from 1 (the best) to 8 (the worst)...I am not looking forward to that part of the job. The grading for the conversational students suck. Its not the regular pass/fail or even A, B, C kind of grading. I have to rate my students from best to worst. More on that later.

Overall today was a good day. I like these kind of days!

Weekend getaway!

2009-01-28T18:33:00.001+07:00

The usual suspects (Jenn, Lauren M., Shannon) and I headed to Koh Samet for the weekend. We just wanted to escape the city and chill out on the beach. We left early morning Friday and arrived at the beach by 1pm. Lovely. What can beat a 3 hour van ride for $6.00 that gets you to this...

We didn't do anything out of the ordinary, with the exception of Jenn getting her eyebrow pierced. We just lounged on the beach and read. I should have been lesson planning but you know just as well as I do that that was never going to happen. That was the last thing on my mind. I did start and finish a book that weekend. Ah now this is the life!

Floating Market

2009-01-21T12:45:00.001+07:00

Early (6am) Saturday morning Jenn, Lauren M., Shannon and I headed to one of the infamous Thailand Floating Markets. We chose Damnoensaduak Floating Market (about 2 hours southwest of Bangkok). After our long ride to the Market, we unload off the bus and are told in order to get to the market we need to take a boat. Okay okay okay. Fine. We ride the boat in the throngs of the floating market. Cool Cool Cool. Snap some pics, get out of the boat, eat, walk around, buy some AMAZING art. Then head back to Bangkok. Yay another 2 hour bus ride back. We then headed to Khao San Road for some dinner and back home. Long day. I was exhausted.

You know all the books say the floating markets are something not to be missed when visiting Thailand but I felt I could have done without it. Not sure if that is because it was purely "for show" for all the tourists...there were no Thai people there except for the workers. I guess you could say I had higher expectations for the floating market.

Besides that I have been busy with all my lesson planning, teaching, awaiting for Emmett and Liz's arrival, and vacation planning. Actually right at this moment...Shannon is trying to purchase our tickets to the Philippines. YAHOO! In about 5 weeks time, I will have 8 weeks of uninterrupted VACATION TIME! (Yes, now this is the real reason I came to Thailand!!!) The rough plan is head to northern Thailand, then over to Laos, Vietnam, Philippines, Singapore, Malaysia and then finally up from the south of Thailand. (All subject to change) Fun fun! Now hmmmf how does one pay for all these trips on this scrawny teaching salary??? Thank goodness for CREDIT CARDS!!! HA.

Are you serious?

2009-01-13T19:31:00.001+07:00

I have been here for three months, right? Yes. And now...NOW you want to tell me that YOU f*cked up my VISA. ARE YOU SERIOUS??? Ha. Yes. OOOOH and it expires next week....ooooooh shit. So apparently all 15 of us teachers were only given 3 month visa's instead of a one year visa? How is that possible? All of us went at different times and to different Thai Consulates in the States...ooooh they don't offer one year visa's oooooh...you liar! Now what? Pay again..WHAT? PAY AGAIN???? I paid $175 for my multiple entry visa and it is now invalid. A waste of money. Are you serious?
Anyways, end result is that today me, several of the other teachers, and a human resources representative spent our entire morning and better part of the afternoon at immigration dealing with this mess. So I had to fork over more money than I would like to even mention. I was Fuming. Mad. Annoyed. Upset. Aggravated. Pissed off. Infuriated. Whatever...there is absolutely nothing I can do about it. Its fixed and done, hopefully there will be no more surprises.

New subject please!

Last week I started teaching the Conversational English course for seniors (you remember the one I was soooo not happy about having to teach). Still not happy about it, shocking! At any rate, it is a six week intensive English course focused on helping students pass their proficieny test. Mind you, all my students have already failed this test once before. So in essence I am cramming a whole lot of English down their throats. Now do you think since all these kids failed once they have any motivation to be there now? NOOOOOO. I swear its like beating a dead horse. TALK PEOPLE TALK!!!

What am I doing here?

Scuba Pictures

2009-01-07T01:12:00.002+07:00

Here are the underwater pictures from Scuba Diving at Phi Phi Island.

Swadaee Bee Mai

2009-01-05T20:13:00.000+07:00

Happy New Year! 2009 - Wow! I was so lucky to have celebrated this new year at Phuket Island (the largest island in Thailand). Shannon, Lauren M. and I took a 16 plus hour overnight bus ride down to Phuket. Our original plan was to camp at the Similan Islands but once we arrived and started talking with Nong (the dive shop rep) we quickly realized that dream was vanishing. So since we couldn't camp we planned a few day trips. But first today is New Years Eve. What to do? We hopped around to this bar and that one and they were all kind of lame. So we decided 20 minutes to midnight to grab a couple "roadies" and head out to the beach. I am so happy we did. The sky was illuminated with Katongs and fireworks galore at midnight. A beautiful sight!
So the next day (Jan 1st) we took a speedboat tour to the Similan Islands to go snorkeling (what a way to start of the new year). Gorgeous. The water was a this shade of aqua that I can not even explain. Simply stunning. We had lunch on island number 4 and once again I tried fish- okay seriously when am I going to start liking this stuff? Then Shannon and I went for a swim. The waves were huge (they reminded me of some memories from clearwater beach where my brother, sister and I would try to jump over the waves or swim through them). I quickly reverted to my childhood and started to try to jump over the waves, I tried to keep my back to the waves and try to stand still (there were a few times I was knocked down and swept to shore). So fun. I had a huge grin on my face the whole time, well minus the times I had a mouthful of saltwater and sand.
On the 2nd of January we chilled at Karon Beach in Phuket. It was a relaxing day of book reading, wave jumping, snoozing, and laughing.
The next day we were off to Phi Phi Islands (there are six islands in total). One of the islands was the backdrop set for the movie "The Beach". Many of the islands are not more than large limestone rocks jutting out of the sea. The Phi Phi islands were also one of the worst hit in the 2004 Tsunami. Here we went Scuba Diving! My first time! I went on two dives. (Scuba underwater pictures coming soon...)
It took 3 hours via ferry to get to the islands so I had a lot of time to freak out about what I was doing. Once I read all the directions, talked with the dive instructor, and had Shannon telling me it will be fine...we suited up and jumped in. Um....okay...descent...um what am I doing? AAAAHHH I am completely breathing out of a tank on my back underwater. Ok relax Heidi you will be fine! And I was. The first dive was fun. I got this breathing thing down, I can actually enjoy the marine life around me. Alright I am looking forward to the second dive. We had lunch and relaxed a few moments and then time for dive number two. This one didn't go so well. There was a point I wanted to come up but I stuck it out. 20 minutes later I was back at the surface and thankful I stayed down (we saw a turtle and we went as far as 14 meters). I don't know if this is something I will do again but I am glad I did it.
And finally, the next day it was time to head home. Another 16 hour plus uncomfortable bus ride and we safely arrived in Bangkok.

Christmas in Paradise???

2008-12-28T23:02:00.014+07:00

Um, not so much. Island beauty, okay yes but resort, no! The resort I booked was to say the least not what I expected or where I expected. When I was there (Ko Samet Island) in November I thought I saw what was going to be our resort...Samet Villa Resort...but when we got to the island the other day I was informed that our resort Samet Ville Resort was on the waaaay south part of the island and the south part of the island is waaaaay secluded. So lets say hello to all the couples, lovers, and gag me with public display of affectioners. In order to get to our resort we have to take a taxi...let me see if I can explain this one road and taxi business to you...hmmf for starters its a dirt road, hilly, bumpy, a bunch of rocks EVERYWHERE, lots of holes and ruts in the ground, and you better hold on for your life or you will fall off the back of the pick up truck taxi.
When we arrived (all dusty and with our stomachs in our throats) immediately you could see my moms dislike. Great. Well we don't have a choice as I prepaid for the room weeks ago, on my credit card. Fine, we will deal with it and make the best of the place...it is after all our Christmas holiday. So we freshen up and go grab a bite to eat. Where oh where shall we go? Oh that's right the resort only has one restaurant...simply fabulous...not! Lets watch TV...oh 3 channels and all in Thai, lets go online...oh no Internet...ok, well then lets just call it a night. Tomorrow should be better.
Wake up Christmas morning. Awe my mom has some gifts for me. Lets go to the beach...oh boo its cloudy. (So sad I know, I know I know most of you woke up on Christmas morning to below zero weather and snow on the ground- fine I will quit my complaining about some clouds). We lounged on the beach for the better part of the day. Then we took the ever so wonderful pickup taxi to the main beach for our Christmas dinner. Now it just so happens that my friend Phil, from grammar school, was on the island for Christmas as well. So we met up and had Christmas dinner together.

The next day...instead of staying at our secluded beach with its one not so good restaurant and lovers lane resort we opted to go back to the main beach...AAH yes people, AAAH yes an oil massage, AAAH yes a nice beach, AAAH yes good food.

Okay fast forward to today. We get up early for breakfast and I have a momentary lapse in reason and I leave my wallet in the room (I'll get to that in a minute). After breakfast we ask if there is an earlier boat back to the mainland as we were scheduled to leave at 11:30am. Yes, 8:45am. YAY its 8:30am now. Great, we'll be right back with our belongings. Okay 8:42am ready for the boat. 8:57am where is the boat? 9:13 still waiting...9:28 finally! We get to the pier, now where is the bus station? We are trying to catch the 10:00am bus. Nope bus is full. 11:00am is available...yes I'll take two please. I grab my wallet, open it up to find 2000 baht stolen. MOM- DID YOU TAKE MONEY OUT OF MY WALLET??? No...OMG OMG OMG. When did that happen? Oh yah, my momentary lapse in reason when I forgot my wallet in the room this morning. Fuckers (sorry for the foul language) And I know exactly who did it too...the little weasel who was sweeping out front of the next bungalow. He saw us leave with no belongings. Bastard. My mom kept trying to put a positive spin on it by saying that things must have been so bad for the person that they had to resort to stealing. Chances are they must have really needed it. BUT STILL!!! BASTARD!
Needless to say, I am glad I am back in Bangkok and done with that resort. I had a great time regardless as I got to spend the Christmas holiday with my mom! We are currently packing up her belongings and getting things ready for her departure in a few days. I hope you all had a very Merry Christmas!

Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai and a whole lot more.

2008-12-22T00:53:00.014+07:00

We had a Wat filled weekend...well just the first day. First up, Wat Chiang Man. Here is where I learned about the 8 different Buddha poses...one for each day of the week (2 for Wednesday). Next, was Wat Chedi Luang, which at one time had the tallest padago in the northern region. Now its in ruins.

Wat Phra Singh, was next, it is one of the towns oldest temples. And finally, we went to what is probably Chiang Mai's most famous landmark: Wat Prathat Doi Suthep. I climbed the 304 steps to the top while my mom took a funicular up. Here we saw panoramic views of Chiang Mai.
After all the wats we headed to San Kamphaeng Hot Springs. Here was saw the "boilegg" hot spring...which literally had dozens of people boiling baskets of eggs in a pool of naturally boiling hot water (softboil 3 minutes, half done 9 minutes, welldone 15 minutes). There was a stream of the water for people to soak their feet in. Closest to the "boilegg" pool was the hottest but as you walked downstream the water cooled off. My mom and I soaked our poor puppy dog feet in the hot spring stream. Then had a half hour foot massage. Afterwards, we headed to a Chiang Mai's Night Bazaar (and bought lots of goodies).
The next day we started out early as we were heading 3 hours north to Chiang Rai. First stop was for some coffee at Cabbages and Condoms resort and restaurant (what? yeah...). Officially the first stop of the day was Wat Rung Kun (an all white temple). This is a relatively new Wat (additional buildings are still being built). We then headed for The Golden Triangle. The golden triangle is where Burma, Thailand and Laos meet.

*An important message for those that get car sick easily...don't do it.
Next we headed to a border town, Mae Sai and visited a Jade factory. This is also the northern most part of Thailand.

On Sunday, we took a scenic drive to Doi Mae Salong where there are various hilltribes. We were able to see the Akha and Padaung tribe women. The Padaung women are also known as the "longneck tribe". They wear these heavy brass rings around their necks. Legend says they wear the rings for protection from tigers. I was in complete awe of these women. At around the age of 5, girls start to wear the rings.

And finally we took a local longtail boat up the Maekok River before driving back to Chiang Mai for our flight back to Bangkok.

The Grand Palace & Wat Phra Kaeo

2008-12-17T20:32:00.008+07:00

My momma has safely arrived!! Yahoo!!!

On Monday, my mom, her friend Kumi and I headed to the Grand Palace and Wat Phra Kaeo in Bangkok. The Grand Palace was gorgeous..so detailed and intrinsic. The Grand Palace was kings official residence from 1782-1946.

Wat Phra Kaeo is considered the holiest temple in Thailand as it is the Temple of the Emerald Buddha. The legend behind the Emerald Buddha is quite interesting...it is actually made out of green jade and not Emerald as the name suggests. It was for many many years just a simple stucco image in a temple in Chiang Rai until one day lightening struck part of the temple revealing the beautitful green image. Patrons visiting Wat Phra Kaeo are not allowed to take pictures inside the Temple, however there is a door open to allow patrons to take photos from outside (hence the pic being abit blurry).

After our day adventure my mom and I headed for massages. One hour long foot massages for less than $10 -absolute heaven, I must admit.
On Tuesday, I had to teach but was able to meet my mom up for dinner in Chinatown. Yum. And today (Wednesday) she was doing her own thing as I had to administer midterm exams...and tomorrow I have more midterm exams but then in the late afternoon we are headed to the airport for a quick weekend trip north to Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai. YAY!

Momma!

2008-12-13T16:07:00.001+07:00

My mom arrives tonight! Woohoo! We have 2 and half weeks of jam packed fun and traveling...Yeah I get to spend Christmas with my mom!!! The only downfall is that I still have to work a few days. But its only a few days. We have plans to travel to Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai next weekend and Ko Samet for Christmas. Sweet!!!

The Great Tuk Tuk Scam and Wat Pho

2008-12-11T22:04:00.011+07:00

Wednesday was another holiday in Thailand- Constitution Day! YAY, another day off work! So the gals and I headed to Wat Pho- The Temple of the Reclining Buddha. But before we got inside... we got suckered into "the great Tuk-Tuk scam"

...we were trying to figure out what was the gimmick but couldn't figure it out right away... the tuk tuk drivers prey on tourists and tell all sorts of lies to get you to take a ride on their tuk tuk. And since we were playing "tourists" for the day we decided why not...so they say they will take you to several Wats but what they don't say is that they will also be taking you to a jewelry factory and a tailor shop (ah there it is). Two hours and two wats later (the Lucky Buddha and Golden Mount) we finally made it to Wat Pho (our original destination for the day).
Wat Pho is the one of the largest and oldest wats in Bangkok. The Reclining Buddha is one of the largest Buddha images and is forty-six metres long and fifteen metres high, decorated with gold plating on his body and mother of pearl on his eyes and the soles of his feet. These pictures can not even portray the size of this Buddha.

P.S. Happy Birthday Sean.

Koh Chang

2008-12-08T10:39:00.000+07:00

Aaaah, island paradise....Shannon, Lauren M., Jenn and I headed to Koh Chang for a quick weekend get-away. Friday December 5th was the King's Birthday which was a holiday here in Thailand!. Sweet, no work! So we decided to head to Koh Chang (the 2nd largest island in Thailand). We took an 11:30pm bus Thursday night from Bangkok to Trat (about a 4 hour trip) from there we hopped on a 6:30am ferry to the island. Enroute to the island we were able to see an absolutely stunning sunrise. Heaven I say.

Once off the boat we took a 'Sawngthaew' (pronounced song-tail). A Sawngthaew is a pick-up truck with two benches in the back where people ride. The ride is bumpy but fun and you have a great view of your surroundings. And what a view! The blue-green water and the forest from the top of the island was gorgeous. 75% of this island remains untouched rain forest, not only that but the island has some breathtaking waterfalls.
So we found a bungalow to stay at, grabbed a bite to eat and played cards (Euchre) for a bit (all this before noon). We then got ready for a day at the beach. While chilling at the beach we decided to go kayaking. We rented two kayaks (for a 100 baht an hour = equal to about $3 usd) and headed to a close by little undeveloped island. Later that day/night we saw the sunset over the water.

Aaah man, a glorious sunrise and beautiful sunset in the same day...wow! I am one lucky gal. After dinner, we all were pretty exhausted so we decided on massages near the beach and calling it a night. Damn near perfect day, if you ask me!
Saturday we headed to Koh Chang Marine National Park to hike up to the Klon Plu Waterfall.

Afterwards, we ventured to the beach for an afternoon/evening of relaxation.
Sunday morning we got up and seriously had about 5 minutes of water time as we needed to be on the noon ferry to catch our 2:20pm bus back to Bangkok. Boo, time to get back to reality. But that's okay as Wednesday is another holiday (Thai Constitutions Day) and we have the day off. And then, and then, and then....this coming weekend my momma comes to THAILAND!!! YAHOO!

Thanksgiving and the weekend.

2008-12-01T17:56:00.000+07:00

Celebrating a holiday in a country where no one knows what you are talking about was quite hilarious. Fortunately there is Sam from the International Programs office who is taking us under her wing (she feels so bad at the way we have been treated with our director)...She found a place in the city that was serving Thanksgiving dinner. YAHOO. Pass me the mashed potatoes...oh no there was none...but there was turkey! HECK YEAH TURKEY! It was delicious.

After we headed to RCA (Royal City Avenue) which is the hub of Bangkok nightlife. I may have had a little too much to drink but I had "an angel" Shannon who made sure I was okay. Friday as you can imagine I spent the day in bed. And in the evening six of us went to the movies, we saw Twilight. Saturday President Emeritus, Rev. Brother Martin scheduled a little long boat trip for us. We were told that Thailand used to be known as Venice of the East using their waterways as a means of transportation. Thailand's traditional life in rural settings has always been linked to the "Krongs" or waterways. On our excursion we stopped at a 100-year old market known as Klong Suan.

After the boat trip majority of the group headed into Bangkok to go to a Wine tasting. This was another event found by Sam. For about $9 American dollars we had 3 hours of unlimited wine...dangerous. Later we headed to a club and danced the night away. There was one point, on the dance floor, where I really missed some of my friends...I got some dance party friends at home and I wanted you here to shake your groove thing with me. Sunday a few of us went to Chatachuk Weekend Market. It is the world's largest weekend market, they sell everything under the sun...from antiques to animals. We were there for about 4 hours and only got through about 1/4th of the market. HUGE, I tell you. I bought a knockoff Gucci workbag for about $6 american dollars! Sweet.

On an unrelated side note, due to the unnecessary drama with housing, classes, etc. A group of four of us have decided to rent a townhome in Bangkok, right around the corner from the HuaMak campus. Sam (from International Programs office) went apartment hunting with us a few weekends ago. We are still keeping our rooms (dorms) on the BangNa campus but have this apartment for when we have to teach our conversational courses from 6pm to 8pm at the HuaMak campus. Have I mentioned, I am not happy with having to create yet another new set of lesson plans??? Not happy at all.

Anyways this place is somewhat furnished and we have been busy buying sheets, toiletries, cleaning supplies, etc. for our new pad. Over the weekend (Saturday night) we stayed at our place instead of having to commute an hour to BangNa from the city. I will be heading there tonight with one of the other gals as I teach tomorrow at 9 am over there and it is so convenient. Right now we don't have internet access but Sam is looking into it for us. And I am not even going to tell you how much my rent is...its sick...okay okay I will...my share is less than $100 American dollars....nice! More pics of the townhome are in the slideshow below.

Ko Samet

2008-11-23T23:46:00.001+07:00

Early Friday morning half of our group set out for a weekend getaway trip. We headed to a little island by the name of 'Ko Samet'. The island is about 80% forest and is a national park. It was only about a three hour van ride with an additional 30 minute ferry ride to the island. BEAUTIFUL!

Thailand beaches have finally redeemed themselves, this was absolutely gorgeous! Perhaps one of the most breathtaking views I have ever seen (and this island is supposedly not even one of the best, I have to travel further south for those). Friday night Shannon, Lauren, Jenn, and myself wandered around and found this cute place to eat on the beach...literally on the beach...mats on the sand, lanterns on the table, cushions as seats...adorable. After dinner we walked along the beach and heard a bar playing some good tunes and we gravitated towards it. It was a low key place where we befriended the two bartenders. We played Jenga with them as well as connect four. They gave us control of the music selection and taught us some bar tricks (how to get money from two bottles without touching the two bottles, etc). Here I flew my first 'khom loi' a.k.a. candle powered paper balloon lantern. It was awesome. We rounded off the evening with some sparklers, writing names in the sand, and a late night dip in the ocean...

Saturday, the rest of our group came to the island and we all went snorkeling. We got the entire boat to ourselves, sweet! On our 4 hour tour, we went to a fish farm, snorkeled the rocky uninhabited west side of the island, fished (many ate what was caught-I tasted), jumped from the top deck of the boat, and watched a glorious sunset. Lets just say that this day was near perfect. We continued on well into the night, starting with a group dinner then heading out to a couple beach bars where we spent majority of the night dancing. Fun Fun!

This morning was a rough one for some (me included...what?) but we sucked it up...got some grub and hit the beach before having to leave and come back to campus. I am telling you this place was wonderful! I am so excited to go back ...my mom and I are heading there for Christmas, YES!!!

drama drama drama

2008-11-19T23:57:00.002+07:00

Unnecessary drama if you ask me...I have failed to mention some of the bs that has been going on over here (here meaning the university I am at). I had orginally planned on not saying anything as I wanted you to all believe I am living this grand life where its all sunny days and glorious. But I want this blog to be an accurate account of my year here. Let me assure you the drama has subsided and things are starting to get back to normal. Now what is this drama I speak of???????
Housing and 2 hour conversational courses!
I know petty little shit, right! WRONG! We live in the sticks, timbuktu, outskirts of any point of civilization...we have been fighting to move to the city campus since before we got here and its just gotten worse when we saw how far removed from society we are...before we came we were told we would be able to move 2nd semester but we have since found out how big of a fabrication that was...and now we are being told repeatedly that its not going to happen.
Then Monday ...poof... now 8 of us (oh but there are 15 of us) can move only if we teach this additional course. Some people are okay with it ... others like myself are not. I am not going to teach this 2 hour conversational class that is not part of my contract. Oh yah and it meets 6pm to 8pm, 5 days a week. UGH.
So I plan on making my voice heard but before I can....a meeting is called and now all of a sudden ALL of us HAVE to teach this conversational class. WHAT? YEAH! WHAT? YEAH!
Okay so I have been stressed with my two levels of lesson planning (thankfully I have a team of teachers here to bounce ideas off of and get ideas from and an amazing mom who continously sends me website resources) but now I get to throw a whole new lesson planning in the mix. ARGH! I am just not going to think about it right now. No, not right now.
It will be okay I have calmed down considerably. Today I went and worked out twice (once in the morning and once in the evening) to help bring my stress level down and really what else is there to do here???? I just need to remain positive and absorb all this...for christs sake I am in Thailand! I am living in Thailand! Yeah that's the spirit...and right now all I am thinking about is our weekend get-away trip to Koh Samet Island. I plan on forgetting all about this so called drama. Drama? What drama? Once again the infamous thai phrase comes so in handy here...Mai Pen Rai (no worries).

Loi Krathong

2008-11-14T21:53:00.001+07:00

The other evening was the full moon night of the twelfth lunar month here in Thailand. Which is also called "Loi Krathong". In Thai "Loi" means "to float" and "Krathong" is a raft. People usually make little banana-leaf boats to float onto the river. They are decorated with elaborately-folded banana leaves, flowers, candles, and incense sticks. They are intended to float away ill fortune as well as to express apologies to the River Goddess. One Tuesday the university had a Loi Krathong celebration and on Wednesday three of us went into the city to view the festivities.
I was so lucky that some of my students were performing at the celebration and I was able to take some pictures with them before they performed. Afterwards I headed to our little pond to view some of the students Krathongs.

On Wednesday night I bought a Krathong to float in the Chao Phraya River. I can use all the help I can get of letting go of some things in my life. If a little candle raft is going to help me get rid of some anger and grudges, so that I can start afresh and on a better foot then so be it!

At one point we were walking along a main street trying to find a way to the river and found a little alleyway that had a sign with a picture of a boat and a pier so we decided to walk down it. Good thing we did. We got to the pier right as the fireworks were starting and we had a front row view. It was beautiful. On our way back to the main road we stopped in this little restaurant for a drink and to stare at this weird looking fish (yes it's a real fish).

P.S. I have been in Southeast Asia a month now! Can you believe it?

My Top Ten Lists

2008-11-11T22:41:00.001+07:00

My Top 10 list of things I wish I would have thought of or done BEFORE heading to Thailand!
10. Learn the basics of the Thai language.
9. Bought a pocket Thai/English dictionary.
8. Diversified my packing wardrobe.
7. Bought Keen Waterfront shoes.
6. Bought a better camera.
5. Researched where in the world is Bang Na Thailand.
4. Tutored ESL adults.
3. Map Quest & Google Map the heck out of Bangkok. Nothing worse than being lost in a city where no one speaks the English language and you have no idea how to get back to where you need to be.
2. Lost 20 pounds because all I am eating here is rice and noodles and inevitably going to gain 50 pounds!
1. Done research on ESL games and activities to help ease my now constant frustration of lesson planning!

My Top 10 things I have learned SINCE being in Thailand!
10. I live 45 minutes outside of Bangkok :(
9. Don’t drink the water.
8. Only get into taxi’s where the driver will start the meter.
7. The beach is not that far away.
6. I really don’t like seafood.
5. There is no rhyme or reason to half the stuff that is done here. Some things are done so ass backwards. I quit trying to figure it out.
4. If you ask 3 different Thai people the exact same question (directions for example) you will get three very different answers.
3. Everything is “Mai Pen Rai” <--- no big deal, never mind, no worries.
2. Skype is my best friend.
1. Carry toilet paper and hand sanitizer with you EVERYWHERE!!!

Cheap Cheap Happy Hour

2008-11-09T23:52:00.000+07:00

This past weekend a group of us headed south to a little place called 'Hua Hin'. Why? Cause we needed it! My first week of teaching was pretty crazy. I am not a trained teacher...I just play one in Thailand. Its all a learning process...right? I suck at lesson planning though. Thankfully I have teamed up with some teachers and we bounce ideas off each other! You know the teaching part is not bad, these kids are so much fun...all we do is laugh. Hey I am getting them talking and seeing that I am teaching Conversational English I think I am doing a good job. So far so good! This semester I am only teaching 3 classes. All of which are on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Which is a pretty sweet deal if I say so myself. The other days I am in the office and working on lesson plans. I don't like lesson planning. Blech!!
So Friday afternoon a group of us headed for a little beach get-away! We took a van to Bangkok where we hopped on another van headed for Hua Hin. After our two hour van ride we arrived to Hua Hin...

We found our guesthouse and quickly freshened up and headed out for some grub. And street pad thai was had. mmmmm mmmmm mmmmm. Following eating we walked the streets and bounced in and out of bars. It was fun. Saturday morning we headed for the beach. It was overcast and hazy but relaxing and just what I needed. We were there for a few hours before the storm clouds came barreling through.

We successfully made it to a bar before the rain hit. YAY! When the rain cleared we headed back the guesthouse to "shit, shower, and shave" (as my dad would say) before taking the town by storm again! While waiting for some of our group a few of us noticed an artist working across the street. We approached him and talked with him for a bit. He was working on this portrait and my picture does not show the many intrinsic details he had on it. He said he started this picture three weeks ago and would not be done for another four. Wow is all I can say! He let us look at some of his pencil sketches as well and oh wow they were so beautiful! So detailed. This guy was adorable, nice, and so genuine. He laughed and was all smiles! It was wonderful.

Saturday night we once again pranced through Hua Hin having a few drinks before calling it a night. Today (Sunday) we stopped off at the beach for a bit but it was windy, cloudy, and a slight bit chilly. We decided to take a leisurely stroll and window shop on the way back to the guesthouse before taking the van back to Bangkok. And then a cab back to Bang Na. Home sweet home.

P.S. The title of this post is dedicated to all the Thai beach venders who would come up to us and say "cheap cheap happy hour" to try to get us to buy the goodies they were selling.

Reporting to duty...Ajarn Heidi

2008-11-04T22:42:00.000+07:00

I got my class schedule!!! I teach Tuesday and Thursdays at the Hua Mak Campus....which is about 45 minutes away from where I live. Remember I told you I live at the BangNa campus? I volunteered to commute to the other campus as did 2 other teachers. I'll admit, I volunteered for selfish reasons more than anything. I wanted to be in the city more and the Hua Mak campus is waaaaaaaay closer to the train station, downtown, and civilization.

Today was my first day! Today I officially became Ajarn (Thai for teacher/professor) Heidi. Thankfully yesterday I took the university van service to the campus for a dry run (as I have never taken the van service before and never seen the campus of where I was going to be teaching). Thank goodness I did. What a mess! I teach at 9:30 am and apparently there is no van service to the other campus until 11am. So what does that mean for Ajarn Heidi??? That means she has to either flag down a van and beg them to take her to Hua Mak campus (can you imagine the language barrier here?) or find this one specific Thai woman in a yellow shirt who will flag down a van for me. I chose the latter this morning (I also met up with a seasoned veteran teacher who has been here for 6 years, he was super helpful this morning, thank goodness for Clayton)! Anyways back to teaching...today I taught 3 classes. Two basic classes and one level one. My basic students just starred at me, I have a feeling they had no idea what I was saying...even though I repeated myself and simplified the language. Oh man this is going to be hilarious! My level one students were so awesome that the lesson I planned for today and Thursdays class they breezed straight through them...oh crap now I need to create new lesson plans for them for Thursday. Oh the joys of being an unepxierenced teacher trying to create lesson plans and activities. HA ha ha ha. Mai Pen Rai! Mai Pen Rai!

"One night in Bangkok and the world's your oyster..."

2008-11-03T21:14:00.002+07:00

It was more like two nights in Bangkok...but this was sung throughout the entire weekend! Friday night- Halloween!!! Okay so we had to work with what we had right?? So that limited our costumes a bit. Three of us were ajarn pirates, Griffin was a vampire, and Lauren L was a cocaine addict supermodel. Hilarious!

We ended up heading to a tex mex place for dinner...cause we all needed something different. MMMM Sangria. Anyways we befriended the manager there who told us about a dive bar with cheap drinks and a costume party. YAY! We immediately headed there. We sat in the bar drinking our two for one beers and playing a drinking game only to realize 2 hours later that the party was upstairs. HA. We head up there to find out the free beer just ended. Oh bummer. But we made friends and had a great time.

Saturday we sleep in (aaaah) and Shannon, Lauren M. and I plan on heading out for a bike riding tour. We get to the meeting spot only to find out we needed to make reservations. We put in our names for Sunday. Instead of cabbing it back to our awesome hostel we decide to walk. After about 45 minutes of walking we are all sweaty and gross we stop in a little tea house to relax and get a drink. We sit down and grab some English papers and start flipping through them. I found an advertisement for the 6th Annual World Film Festival and notice there was a free showing of Martin Scorsese's film 'Shine the Light' (about the Rolling Stones) at an outside area by one of the malls (Siam Paragon). So we agree to head there. We got there early enough to get seats. I was envisioning movie in the park but not at all, this was pretty sweet...we got free popcorn, several free beers, and a free movie! As well as a free laugh or two at the expense of the drunk guy dancing and singing along with the stones.

Sunday we along with Jenn and Lauren L head to take the bike ride. We start off at the southern tip of the city and took a boat across the river into what they called the Jungle. Lets just say it was beautiful, green, and breathtaking. For 70% of our ride we were on these narrow little paths above water. I thought I was going to bite it on the turns. Thankfully no one from our group fell...Jenn almost did but didn't. We stopped at the Bangnamphung Floating Market. Where I bought a coconut tree plant/seedling. YAY! After a quick stroll through the market we hopped back on the bikes and rode to Sri Nakhon Khuankun Park where we fed the fishes. Then we rode back into the city. It was so much fun and we found out that this company does several overnight biking trips too! YAY!

After our afternoon of biking we went to Tesco (the Thailand version of Walmart) bought some necessities and headed back to campus! Time to get ready for our first days of teaching!

Mai Pen Rai

2008-10-30T21:29:00.000+07:00

It is taking some time to adjust to the different way of life here. And by saying 'here' I mean the compound, plantation, out in the boonies, Timbuktu, the sticks also known as the Bang Na campus. I feel so far removed from civilization. I am a city girl born and bred and have never lived outside of Chicago. I even went to college in the city. And now I have completely transplanted myself to a place where I am surrounded by rice fields and completely out of my element. In some ways I feel like I am an 18 year old kid and away at a small college town for the year. There is no public transportation anywhere near me with the exception of taxis. And I am not that brave to take one by myself. Even though this is a relatively safe country, you never know...especially when the driver has to take 3 back roads just to get on or off campus. Its a bit ridiculous. I am not liking the fact that I feel as though I am losing some of my independence, shouldn't this experience be the other way around? I guess I am just learning to deal with all this...mai pen rai...a common thai saying...which translates to no big deal, no worries, its okay, never mind, its cool. I must say that not for one moment have I ever thought twice about the decision I made by coming here. I am still very much happy that I am here and experiencing everything around me. But I will be honest I am sooooo excited and thankful that majority of us are heading to the city for the weekend. Tomorrow afternoon can not get here soon enough. Shannon was amazing and scored a hostel for some of us. She also found a 25 kilometer bike riding tour that I am going to do on Saturday. I look forward to wandering aimlessly around the city...oh and I have this sneaking suspicion that I am going to feel right at home! Until then...

Pattaya

2008-10-27T21:56:00.000+07:00

Our group was so excited for our first trip to the beach on Sunday...well lets just say it was a bit of a disappointment. First of all the buses were an hour late picking us up, it was raining non stop, and we spent majority of the day at a tropical garden. The garden wasn't that bad. We did see an elephant paint a picture with its trunk, saw a tiger up close, and I saw these amazing statues throughout the garden.

We finally made it to the beach at 3:30pm. It was overcast, cloudy and the water was murky and not beautiful. I had very high expectations for the beaches of Thailand. I was quite bummed. But it was Pattaya...I have heard not so good things about the place. I heard it was seedy so I guess I just set my expectations too high for my first beach experience. That is totally fine as I am here for a year and I just need to do a little traveling and visit the islands and I guarantee Thailand will redeem itself. I have the faith.

So you know how I said that last week was our first week of 'work' and that this week would be our first week of classes....well I lied...apparently this is still the registration week and next week we will finally start teaching! Here at Assumption University I will be working in the Center for English Language Development. This is a brand new start up program (our group of teachers are the guinea pigs). First year students can take our basic or level 1 conversational English classes and by-pass the required verbal exit exam at the end of their 4th year, which from what we hear is pretty intense.
Their marketing for these classes didn't go over too well. They interviewed 6,000 of the incoming freshman and they were anticipating at the very least 2,000 to sign up and as of now there are only a few hundred. What that means is there are too many teachers and not enough students. So this week we are going into all the English classes to promote our program as well as setting up several tables around campus. Should be fun, good times.

KhaoSan Road

2008-10-25T22:25:00.001+07:00

Yesterday morning we had to have our University required health exam (blood work, urine sample, chest xrays...the whole shabang). I received a clean bill of health for those inquiring minds. I felt like I was on Grey's Anatomy in this get-up.
Since the hospital was in Bangkok, we decided to spend the remainder of the day in the city. We ended up splitting up into two groups. One went venturing into the city as the other group (the one I was in) went to get a traditional Thai Massage....aaaaaaah. For 250 baht (equivalent to about $8.00usd) I received a one hour beating of a lifetime. This is not your typical calm, serene, just lay there and relax massage...no no no you are an active participant in this game. This petite woman used her hands, forearms, elbows, and feet to stretch me sideways. At one point she was completely on top of me kneading her elbows and putting pressure on certain points on my back...it was great!
Afterwards we trekked it up to KhaoSan Road to meet up with our other group. In order to get there we had to take a subway, the skytrain and a river ferry. The KhoaSan Road area is known for the cheap hostels and the place where international backpackers hangout. We met up with our group and were asked if we wanted to try the ants they purchased. Um, um, um...okay sure why not. They are a delicacy here you know. Those little creatures were flavored with lemon and onion and completely DISGUSTING!. I will never eat them again.
We ended up staying at this bar for quite some time and had full reign of the upstairs. The beer was flowing and the dancing was hilarious. It was a lot of fun. When a group of us were calling it a night we had to walk to the main road to catch a cab. And of course there were street vendors everywhere and I got what was probably the best pad thai I have ever eaten. What once was pizza or burritos at 1am has now officially been replaced by pad thai!

P.S. Its been 8 weeks and 5 days since I quit smoking. YAY ME!

Chulalongkorn Day/Ayutthaya

2008-10-25T11:45:00.003+07:00

October 23rd was the anniversary of the death of King Chulalongkorn (Rama V) and is a public holiday here in Thailand. So what better thing to do than go to the Ancient City of Ayutthaya and see the ruins. We had a busy day... we went to Bang Pa In Palace, ate lunch along a river, rode elephants, and went to Wat Maha That.
Bang Pa In Palace was stunning. Beautiful greenery everywhere. Since it was this particular holiday there were wreaths of flowers and pictures of the former King placed in his honor. Here our group of "teachers" finally took a group shot! All 15 of us. Aren't we cute? As you can see some of us had to wear scarves, wraps, sweaters, or jackets that would be because here in Thailand you have to cover your shoulders while in palaces and Wats/temples.

Outside of the Palace there were, of course, street vendors(they are everywhere)...they had the most amazing fried bananas. mmmmm. After a very filling lunch (not the bananas but lunch along the river) we went to ride the elephants. You would have thought I was a 5 year old kid, I was sooooo excited. I rode with my friend Jorge. From atop the elephant we had some beautiful views of various ruins. I was on cloud nine, I was so happy.
So before I left Chicago I wrote down to made it a priority to see a particular Buddha image and I knew it was Ayutthaya but not sure where. Since we were a large group I figured it would be hard to venture out to the various Wats to find it. When we entered Wat Maha That, my friend Lauren L. came up to me and told me that the image was here! I almost cried, I was soooooo excited! I immediately left the group and starting roaming the ruins to find it....and I found it!!! Oh how pretty. It's a sandstone Buddha image (head) entangled with a tree. The body is gone, and the sandstone head is entrapped in the roots and lies beneath a Bodhi tree. Amazing!
As I have mentioned before Ayutthaya has some spectacular ruins and these pictures do not do them justice. This was by far my favorite day thus far. I got to do the one thing in Thailand I really wanted to do (ride an elephant) and see the one Buddha image I really wanted to see! YAY!

P.S. I changed the website for pictures, I am now using Google Picasa...it has a pause button...I think this should work better for you. Let me know!

First couple of days

2008-10-22T21:14:00.000+07:00

After our walk around campus on Saturday, a few of us were feeling adventurous. We wanted to venture off campus. Thankfully we stopped and spoke with some students who had told us a place to go...Central Bang Na. Central Bang Na is a mall. It is 9 floors of everything one can ask for in a mall...it even had a mini roller coaster, movie theater, grocery store and a bowling ally. Fun stuff for a Saturday in Thailand!
On Sunday we made it to Bangkok. Our student guides decided to take us to Mah Boon Krong (MBK), Siam Discovery, and Siam Paragon...guess what those are??? MALLS!!! I guess they thought we loved to shop! Anyways our group wanted to branch out and see some of the city. First of all, Bangkok traffic is nuts...and I have not even seen it during rush hour yet. I can't even imagine.
As I am sure most of you know, Thailand is famous for shrines and Buddhism. And I finally got to see a minuscule bit of it. Our first turn out of the mall we see a 4 faced Buddha statue, known as the Erawan Shrine or 'Thao Maha Brahma'. At this shrine people pray for good fortune.

At 6pm I had my first experience with the playing of The Royal Anthem (often called the King's song). This song is played everyday at 8am and 6pm (on the radio, at train stations and all state buildings). Aaaah so that explains the 2 minute bell clock tower fiasco I hear every morning...
We found an awesome beer garden and sat down for several drinks. And mustered up enough courage to try the street food. I played it safe and went with some fried chicken wings with some amazing sweet, sour, and spicy sauce.
On Monday morning I was anxious to start my day and I was up super early...so I thought it would be the perfect time to go out for a run. Bad idea! Have I mentioned how hot and humid it is here? Even at 6am it was quite gross out. But I ran anyways. After about 20 minutes I had to stop as my clothes were soaked through and sweat was pouring down my face. Sight to be seen, let me tell you. Anyways this was our 1st day of our 3 day orientation. Officially this was considered our first day of work. We got our cubicles and I took my my first day of school/work picture!
At our orientation we received our syllabus for the classes we will be teaching. We will be teaching 5 classes that meet twice a week for 90 minutes. We received a ton of information and paperwork...don't get me started on the paperwork. It was a very overwhelming day. And we got 'homework' (what? I thought I was done with school...argh) we had to create two lesson plans. How easy right? WRONG. Especially if your lesson planning training consisted all of a 20 minute lecture that day! Thankfully the other teachers here are amazing and some of us got together and brainstormed and bounced ideas off each other.
Tuesday morning I woke up and had my first minor 'work' freak-out moment....ha ha ha its only the second day and I have not even stepped foot into the classroom yet!!! "I am not a teacher" "I don't know how to create lesson plans" "I know nothing about ESL" "I don't know what I am doing" these were my thoughts...Thankfully my aunt was on skype and successfully calmed my nerves a bit.
Today (wednesday) was the wrap up of our orientation. Overall it was three intense days of sitting, note taking, activities and learning new information. Hopefully I will retain some of these ideas and use them in my classroom. Afterwards I seriously needed to get active. I couldn't even imagine running outside at 4pm so I went to the pool for a bit, that was a nice. I need to buy a bike!
Oh so check this out...the ketchup and hot sauce bottles. No ketchup and mustard on the tables...its ketchup and hot sauce. I am in heaven!

And this has to be my favorite sign here...4th one down...can you read it? It says "some kind of food/curry" lol

Pictures

2008-10-21T07:54:00.001+07:00

A few people have mentioned not being able to view the pictures. I have posted all of them at http://heidibrusek.myphotoalbum.com/

The living quarters

2008-10-20T18:58:00.008+07:00

My room is a tiny, cozy, and comfy place. I am on the 3rd floor. When you walk in you can see the huge clock tower out my screen door (I have a mini balcony) it really is a picturesque view I must admit! Immediately on my right is the bathroom. Everything in there is normal (I was worried I would have a squat toilet-most of the university bathroom stalls are those darn toilets in the ground like Japan, maybe its an Asia thing?) Continuing on, I have a shoe rack, various cubbie holes, drawers, a closet, full length mirror, TV, mini fridge, bed, desk, and a coffee table...you know all the standards...and yes, that my dear is a twin bed!
So take a look again and notice all those bare walls, I need some color...I need something that's for sure...perhaps you can send me some homemade drawings, sketches, postcards, pictures, and or posters...ah but that would entail you needing my mailing address...ok ok...I know I know...once I get it I will email it to you!

Bang Na Campus

2008-10-20T18:22:00.004+07:00

Saturday (18.10.08) a few of us decided to take a walk and explore this beautiful campus. WOW! It is stunning. What do you think? The first three pictures are the view from my room. Nice, huh?
There are some pictures that were taken today (20.10.08) from our office on the 20th floor from the Cathedral of Learning Building. Can you see the rice fields?

Tokyo Town backtrack

2008-10-18T22:43:00.013+07:00

After a very long flight we (Lauren, Shannon and I) arrived in Narita International Airport in Japan. We took an express train to Itshburka where we proceeded to get lost trying to find our hotel. Why would we think that anything would be in English? We were looking for Sunshine Street, how difficult is that? Apparently for three American woman, very! We finally found our street and then our hotel. Talk about small. There were three twin size beds crammed in a small little cube of a room and the bathroom was compact to say the least - I wish I would have taken pictures to show.

Anyways we got settled, refreshed and decided to venture out and find some dinner. Ah dinner...starvation has set in, airplane food not so good. We wander from place to place staring at plastic pieces of food and finally decide on a small little corner joint that looked halfway decent. We walk in an are immediately greeted by this petite older woman saying "Konnichiwa". We get seated and are given these hot wet washcloth towels to clean our hands with followed by menus (which are all in Japanese). HA! The hostess woman speaks all of 5 English words none of which helped us order our dinner. Please take a moment and just imagine three American women miming what we would like to eat...and one of them making charades of "NO SEAFOOD" <---guess who that one was? We ended up with some egg dish (in one of the pictures)...oh and as you can see we had no problem ordering beer! And I somehow lucked out by getting some chicken noodle soup (in another picture). But the best part of the night was when we were leaving and the entire staff screams out "oyasumi nasai" meaning goodnight. It was at that moment when it hit me, Heidi you are not in Chicago anymore...you my dear are in Tokyo Japan...how fun!

The next morning since we are jet legged and awake at 5am we decide to head out to the Tsukiji fish market. This fish market is the largest in the world and in the '1000 places to see before you die book'. In order to get there we have to take the Tokyo subway system...lets just say "OYE"!!!! Fine we get there with minimal headaches. We weave in and out of the vendors and try to stay out of the way. Lauren and Shannon try free samples of fish. At one point they stopped and starred at this huge piece of tuna....from where I was standing it looked like a red raw piece of bloody fish. They both take bites and immediately tell me I have to try it. HA HA HA -guess they don't know me? Then Shannon has to say to me that "we are in the world's most famous fish market where this is the freshest fish in the world" dang you got me there. But um no. Just a tiny piece they protest and I cave. YES I gave in. I took the moment and seized it. Now it was a minuscule piece but it was raw tuna nonetheless...you can see from the picture how nervous I was to eat it. I thought I was going to gag! Perhaps its all mental and I will never eat it again but at least I tried raw tuna at the Tsukiji fish market in Tokyo Japan! 2 gold stars and a pat on the back for me!

From there we walk to the Hamarikyu Gardens...where you stroll through beautiful greenery and a sense of tranquility comes over you...that is until you go to the bathroom...umm it was a toilet in the ground. Now I would vote that I am an expert squatter from all those port-a-potty visits at festivals and my squatting during camping trips but this was just weird. But then back to the gorgeous scenery and the hole in the ground...what hole in the ground?

We continue on subway and all to Asakusa. A popular tourist spot. Where we walk through the Kaminari Gate, enter the Sensoji Temple, see the 5 story Pagoda, and walk the Nakamise shopping street. And guess what??? Its not even 1pm yet!!! We need a beer or two!

We make our way to a part of town called Shibuya and are in awe of the tide of people at 2 in the afternoon. This intersection has to be the busiest in the world, it was insane. We stand in amazement for a while watching the ebb and flow of this massive amount of people...where do they all come from? From Shibuya we head to Shinjuku for more walking, beer, sake and dinner. We walk, we drink, we ate...then we needed to sleep. We called it a night!

The next day we once again get up way too early and decide to walk around some more. We head back to Shinjuku and walk around during the daylight. We sneak up top of one of the "skyscrapers" to get an overview picture of Tokyo. I am not going to lie...I wanted to know if we could see Mt. Fuji from a tall building. But on this day the weather was too foggy and alas there was no sighting.

We head back to our hotel gather our belongings as we need to hightail it to the airport for our 2nd leg of this venture...the real reason we are out here...BANGKOK THAILAND!!! We get to the airport with time to spare. Lauren and Shannon want to head to a sushi restaurant one more time before we leave Tokyo...They order several kinds of sushi and once again try to convince me to try a piece. HA HA HA... okay fine the Narita rolls (conveniently named after the airport) has cucumber, wasabi, seaweed wrap, rice, little orange fish eggs, and shrimp. I agree to try it if they take out the shrimp...I dunk in soy sauce and eat. Once again I am not liking what I am eating. Look at that, twice in two days I tried raw something or another. And still I don't like it! But go me, A for effort!

Oh...p.s. Did you know that Tokyo is a candidate city for the 2016 Olympics just like Chicago?

Bang Na Thailand

2008-10-18T11:48:00.004+07:00

Just letting you know I got to Assumption University safe and sound! Got in late last night. I currently dont have internet access in my room but once I do I will go back and tell you all the juicy details about Tokyo. Once I upload the pictures I will send them your way! Until then....peace!!!

P.S. IT'S HOT!!!

Tokyo

2008-10-16T04:34:00.000+07:00

Konichiwa-

I am here!!! We got here last night.

Flight was loooong but okay. We stored our luggage at the airport, took a train to Tokyo. It took us a few minutes (more like 20) of walking around but we finally found our hotel (nothing is in english why would I think it would be???). Its 6:30am here now and we are showering and heading to the Tsukiji Fish Market.