Photos Photos Photos

So here are some pictures from English Camp. As I predicted, there was very little English going on at the resort. It was actually a lot of fun (until the last day when it took about 7 hours to make a 3 hour bus drive back to Bangkok). I got to see my students as actual people, just regular teenagers who want to hang out and drink and have fun. And let's face it, I am not much older than a lot of these kids. I'd say the average age of my students is 17-18, so I have more in common with them than is noticeable when we are in the classroom.

Most of the pictures are from the last night of Camp, "Fancy Night" as the kids coined it. They all dressed up nice, and we had a talent show for the kids to get up on stage, and mostly just dance to bad pop music. But they had a great time. Other than that we went a waterfall, had some activities (loosely based around the English language) and just relaxed for three days without having to go to class. It was a fun time, though, I am happy I don't have to do it again.

Even though most of them are just lazy lazy students, a lot of them are good kids.

This is one of my students. One of my boy students.

Students and teacher.

Yes. They misspelled the word "School" for the banner at English Camp. I love my school.

The girl on the right has a total crush on me. It's sort of cute. Sort of.

Joel and Jill!

More students.

My coworker Jill and I played a song for the kids at English Camp. Video Available upon request.

Yup. Some of them dressed as cowgirls.

This is Orapin, one of my favorite students. She jammed tambourine during our song.

Supanida. Don't tell anyone, but she is my favorite student. You wouldn't believe it if I told you, but she is 21. She is one year younger than me.

This is a coworker, Cat. She looks like Sun Kwon if you ask my opinion.

IEP students. They are the highest level I teach. Do they look like good kids? I don't even know anymore.

We certainly have not been drinking. Certainly.

Roger being Roger. Oh Roger.

Ploy and Liu, preparing for the teacher skit presented at English Camp.

A Farang's Gotta Do What a Farang's Gotta Do

I don't remember how I described time as feeling in my first blog, but regardless, I am almost in shock that I am already into my fifth week of teaching. When I think about it, all the days and weeks just sort of meld together. But it's good. Classes are going, life is happening, ya know, sabet sabet (which I believe is like the thai equivalent to c'est la vie).

Lots of stuff is actually going on with the school right now. I didn't know it until recently, but the end of November and pretty much the ENTIRE month of December is riddled and crawling with....HOLIDAYS! During the last week of November, Thursday and Friday were Sports Day. It's sort of like field day (if you ever had that in Elementary school). There are no classes, and there are different activities and, you guessed it, sports to play. Each day starts off with some choreographed dancing and singing and routines and it's all very....thai. It's all really super thai. The kids had fun, though. And I was happy to have two days off from teaching, of course. But it doesn't stop there.

In December I don't think there is a single full week in the entire month. This week, the first week of December, is the week awaiting the King's Birthday. It's really interesting to me how much everyone here loves the king. It's not like in America where you have Fox News screaming at Obama, and everyone everywhere is arguing and fighting and slandering everyone in office (not that I blame it really, I hate every politician too. Oops). But because of his birthday we are not going to have classes on Friday, but instead have different activities as a school that I'm sure in some way honor him. And because his birthday is on a Saturday, we get Monday off. So there's that. Tuesday, class. Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday, no class, because of English Camp.

What is English Camp? What are these kids doing going to something called English Camp? To be honest I am still a little in the dark myself. English Camp is when all the IEP and LVT levels 1 and 3 get on busses and drive about two hours away to camping ground with lodges and housing. There will be different activities incorporating English, and some fun time to socialize and hang out. Basically, I was told by my British coworker that it's a chance to get the students out of their parents' hair for a couple days. The kids pay about 13 hundred bhat for the three day trip. Not only do the parents get a break from their kids, the school will make a pretty penny for taking all the kids away. And the teachers are there to do what we do every day in class: babysit.

Apparently quite a bit of drinking goes down at this thing, from both teachers and students. I don't know how much of the talk from the teachers is real and how much is joking, but I do know that the students are "allowed" to drink on this trip, even though I think we are supposed to discourage it. It'll be nothing less of exhausting, I can guarantee that much.

So next week only has one class. Then the week after that we finally have a full week of class. Which is lucky, because the week after that is for Midterm Exams. Now all these sports days, and birthdays, and english camps would be nothing but a pleasant break from having to always be in class, but then, of course, the fates make it a difficult bitch. After not having regular scheduled class for almost a month, I have to give these kids a midterm exam that is worth a decent part of their grade. Now I am already not expecting them to do well on it (well, they probably will because they will copy the one smart kid's test), but now I have to cram half the semester's lessons into a very small amount of time. My level one classes only meet once a week, and one of the classes, 1/7 E Group 1, only meets with me on Friday. Now if you've been counting, that's three fridays in a row I won't see them. I still have to give them the FIRST quiz that the other level one classes got almost two weeks ago. It's sort of a big mess. Having all these days off would be more relaxing and rewarding if it didn't screw up the entire work schedule for these kids. But hey, everyone here tells me to relax and not to worry about small stuff, so I'm going to put this in that category, and just not worry about it so much. I'll make the midterms easy so that they all have a fair shot. Although, that doesn't really matter because they will all copy the two or three smart kids in the class anyway. So in the end, everyone will pass, and everyone will be happy.

I just recently found this out, but the reason that the private schools (which is what I teach at) are not as prestigious as public government schools is because, unlike in America, private schools in Bangkok are for the students who dropped out of regular public school. So you drop out of regular school because you either didn't work hard enough, or were kicked out, so to finish your schooling, you go to a private vocational school (like a business school) to learn a specific trade (like English, or tourism, or computers) that will hopefully help you get a job. It's not like in America where the wealthier population pay for private schools because they're more specialized and prestigious. Here they pay for the private schools because they have to. Once I learned this my entire school made a lot more sense. And it also made perfect sense why these students pass at the end of every semester. Because, let's face it, they're the customers, and the customers are always right.

I am excited for English Camp though. I think it will be some great silly fun. The students know I play guitar, and my fellow teachers have asked me to bring it to play a song or two during our nighttime activities. I just found out the girls like a few Oasis songs. Considering the Western music they know, Oasis is like a godsend. I'd much rather play them some Oasis songs on guitar than Jason Mraz or...Michael Jackson or something.

Rock and roll music is not so big in Bangkok. Now I know there are a lot of places I have yet to see, and I have been told about a small underground music scene that exists, but for the most part it's just Eagles cover bands. Yeesh. Everyone here just wants to hear the old safe songs that they know and can sing along to. That, I do not dig. I want to start a band and play in bars, but I don't want to have to play covers to do it.

So what else what else what else. I had my first Thanksgiving away from home. While I missed my family terribly (awwwww) I still had a very nice night. I went to a pub on Sukhumvit 33, which is a slightly pricey and very western part of the city. Lots of English pubs that are just as expensive as the pubs in America. There I had a delicious Thanksgiving Buffet with my friend Andy and his girlfriend Bo. The food was great, and there was everything I could have wanted for the meal. Stuffing, ham, turkey, mashed potatoes, crispy potatoes, noodle salad, regular salad, chicken terrine, broccoli and cheese, more potatoes, ah, I am getting hungry just writing about it. I ate and ate and ate until I hated myself, like a true American. We went to a part of town I had never been to after dinner, Nana, to get some drinks and play pool. Nana is a fun part of town, and I'm glad I know how to get there now.

I have been using the BTS (skytrain) to get around more often. It's great, simple, and easy to use. The trains here are definitely nicer than the CTA. God, trains everywhere are nicer than the ones in Chicago. For as much as I like that city, it sure has the absolute worst public transportation ever. The only problem with using the BTS is that there are no stations within walking distance from my house, and no bus line appears to go to a nearby station, so the only way to use the skytrain is to take a taxi to a station. The whole idea for me to use the skytrain is to eliminate the charges a taxi brings, but it isn't quite that simple, huh.

Last weekend we went to a big bar/show/dinner/concert for a duel birthday celebration of two coworkers at the school. I took about two hundred and fifty thousand pictures from the night, and will load them for perhaps my next blog. It will be proof that I actually have friends! It was a fun night. It's just the tiniest bit hazy in my memory, but that's just more proof that it was a fun time.

I also went over to a wedding party at my Roger's apartment (my British coworker). It was fun because there were plenty of farangs. A farang is a slang term for a white person. I was called a farang before and didn't really know what it meant, but now i do. Farang actaully means guava fruit (guava seeds!). Since the inside of the fruit is white, they call us farangs. Hilarious right? It sort of makes sense...but the party was a lot of fun, I just ate more and more, and talked with plenty of brits and aussies who have traveled all over the world. I got some good advice on where to go when I travel to India. Roger is one of the coolest people I've met at the school.

Last week I hung out with another coworker, Jill, who also plays guitar. We hung out in her tiny little apartment and learned some old songs together that we plan on playing at English Camp. I guess she used to be in a cover band that would play at different bars around the city, and actually made some good money doing it. Like I said earlier, I don't really want to be in a cover band, but I'd still do it just for an excuse to play music. And if I can make money from doing it, well then, ya know, shit. Why not? Jill is another really cool coworker I am lucky to have. She's from the Philippines.

So this blog is getting a bit too long, isn't it? Maybe I should have broken it up, or written one last week so that this week's wouldn't be so long. Oh well.

Oh! I did yoga for the first time at California Wow. It was intense. I was more sore after that work out than I have been in a long time. It felt really good, even though it was ridiculously difficult. I plan on making it a weekly thing, because I really liked the way I felt when I finished. Well that will conclude this very long post. Hope everyone who's reading is doing well.

Further Bangkok-ing

So what has been happening in Bangkok.

I signed up for a gym yesterday, at California Wow! Pretty awesome name, huh? I've never been to California so I can't tell you how accurate the name really is, but it's a nice gym. I think working out will be great. Gives me something to do after class, keeps me in shape, boosts my self-confidence, all that crap. They even have a swimming pool on the roof. I mean, I'd pay the monthly fee for that alone. Also, all the classes you could want to take are included in the monthly, so I think I am going to try some pilates, maybe yoga. I could definitely use a little more flexibility in these old bones.

School has been definitely getting better. The kids aren't exactly better behaved, and I wasn't really given any further instructions how to actually educate them, but each week it gets a little simpler. I know how to deal with the kids a little better, and know how to keep them occupied for the full 2 hours (although, I don't think I've ever had a class actually last 2 hours. I am one of those 'cool' teachers that lets their students go just a little bit early each class. Hey, let's face it, I'm cool). I am not scared to go to class any more like I was two weeks ago. Some of the classes are even, dare I say, fun? I also finally got the textbook for my IEP (Intensive English Program) class, and I am about to use it for the first time in about 40 minutes. It has those exercises with an audio CD, and all the people speaking have the funniest fake accents from Europe or Australia. "Voeecaaano, Reeva, Mawntains!" It will be a riot I think (as long as it eats up time, I'm happy).

Last weekend I went all the way across the city (and got a little lost along the way, thanks cabbie) to watch the Old Bangkok Bangers play against the Japanese team. I think I understood rugby a lot better watching it up close, and in a much slower fashion than the professionals. Some of the guys asked me if I was going to be joining them next weekend for practice. I think I told them yes, but the entire time I was thinking about the guy who just had to be carried off the field with a broken elbow. So, I don't think I was lying, but, I might have been? Hey, at least I'll be better shape from pilates.

Also, side not, Bistro 33 catered the game with a buffet of burgers, pizza, and beer. I don't think I had ever been so full in my life. I would have loved to have another beer or two, but I had eaten so damn much that I think my stomach was about to explode. Probably a good idea I got that gym membership.

Teaching in Thailand: Holy (Expletive Deleted)

I think it's been about a week since I'd written my last blog. It feels like it's been ten years. My first week and weekend here seemed to stretch on forever. Every day in Bangkok feels like a month. With it being my first week as a teacher, I felt completely overwhelmed at different times for different reasons. At the start of the week, I thought I was screwed. "There is no way I can teach these brats, I'm not a teacher, I was never trained as a teacher, I have no idea what the (expletive deleted) I am doing in this (expletive deleted) school. HELP!"

However, like I said, that was already six or seven years ago (in Thai time). The rest of this blog posting won't be so hopeless, I promise.

So the first day of classes started. One of my coworkers walked me around to different classes and introduced me, where I ran through a gamut of Thai teenagers, staring and gawking at me, like I was a new American toy for them to play with--it's sort of broken and doesn't understand a word they're saying, but it's funny for them anyway. Then I started teaching my first class, a level 3 English class for Japanese majors.

About twenty minutes into class it struck me: I have never been trained to be a teacher before, and even worse than that, I always assumed if I WAS to teach...hmm...maybe they'd speak the same language as me. It's not that these kids don't know any English, but I suppose my expectations were a little too high before classes started. But I barely managed to make it through the class, teaching them the simplest of introductions, and then transitioning into what hobbies we like. Difficult stuff, huh?

Then my level 1 started. Before I started teaching, I had been told by every teacher, coworker, and Thai citizen that the kids are bad. Like, really bad. Like, screeching, annoying monkeys with the attention span of a goldfish and a relentless love for talking on their cell phones. Oh, they were completely right.

Not all the kids are just terrible, but for the most part, I am more of a babysitter than I am a teacher to these level 1 bastards. I'd say half of the first class was spent just waiting for them to shut up just enough for me to say a few words. I mean, I could start cursing to describe how flustered and overwhelmed I was, but then this blog would just be too long.

My biggest concern, however, wasn't that the kids were misbehaved little monsters. It was, "what the HELL am I going to do to fill two hours worth of class time every day?" I mean, seriously, what am I going to do? I don't really know how to make lesson plans (nor do I want to) and for a while that Monday, I was pretty much depressed. I just had no idea how I was going to do this job, even though it was pretty much how everyone had described it to me. How do you really prepare for that kind of thing anyway? It's one thing to hear about it, but it's another thing to be screaming over twenty 16-year-old girls who all speak a different language than you.

So how did things get better? Why haven't I moved back to America or David Carradine'd myself in my closet? I've had a lot of help from some of my fellow foreign language teachers in my department. Joel and Roger in particular, fellow English teachers, assured me that my feelings of desperation at the beginning of a semester are completely normal. Joel told me that he always starts class 15 minutes late and ends 15 minutes early. Play lots of games.

Little things like that have really helped me get acclimated to teaching in such a different environment. Also, when I am not teaching my little level 1 monkeys, the kids aren't really too bad. My highest level class, IEP (Intensive English Program) are actually eager to learn, and not too dumb either.

So things are slowly getting better. I still feel like I'm going to explode when I am in my Level 1 classes, but everyone just says to relax, and don't take it too seriously. All I know is that teaching here is a LOT different than it is back in the states. I'm continually amazed by how relaxed everything has been from the school. No one has even checked in on my classes to make sure that I am...ya know...teaching. I feel like I could be some degenerate drug addict who barely got his bachelor's, and now they're trusting the education of their youth in my hands. I mean, luckily my drug problem isn't that serious, so that's not the case.

Ok, phew, on to more fun things. The weekend. I had a really good time this weekend. Unlike during the week, where I spent most of my time alone and in the neighborhood (because let's face it I still don't know how to get around), I went out Friday and Saturday night to some different bars. I met up with Andy, the guy who had the same job I have now, and who lived in the same apartment that I live in now. We had emailed before I got to the Thailand, and this weekend he showed me around and took me to some pretty groovy little places. And yes, there was alcohol.

Andy is big into rugby, so I met all of his rugby mates (I say mates because most of them are British), played pool, watched a rugby game (Australia beat England, bullocks!) and had some beers. They were all really great guys, and the rugby team they play on is like one big social network for meeting new people. I may join them for a practice or two and see how I like it. Now I don't know if anyone reading this has any experience with rugby, but it looks like it hurts. A lot. Like, a whole lot. But hey, a little pain might not be bad. At least it'll be good exercise.

Yesterday I actually jammed with a fellow expat I met through a coworker, David. He plays drums, and was eager to jam with someone else, since he hadn't done it in a while. We went to a small studio that comes fully equipped for musicians to just come in and start playing. And for the low low price of 150 bhat (4.50) per hour, it was a great little deal. I got to play bass, and even jam on some Multicoloured Mirrors tunes. He was a pretty good drummer. He's a bit older than me, and maybe we won't become best friends, but it's always fun to jam. Always.

Well that's all I can think to write about for now. I just got out of teaching a level 1 and I am exhausted, contemplating changing all the stuff I wrote earlier about how things are getting better (just kidding...sort of). I am slowly starting to figure my way around the city, and the more I learn the more I enjoy it here. I'll just make sure I keep relaxing at work, and not take anything too seriously (sounds great right), and I think things will continue to be smoother.

Oh, one more thing I wanted to mention: THAI FOOD IS THE BEST. There is nothing more satisfying than getting a big delicious plate of rice and pork and veggies for 25 bhat (about 80 cents). I guess it's just cheapskate in me, but it makes me so happy. Street food is absolutely delicious as well. It's so fresh and spicy and exciting. Wow, I just reread this paragraph and I sound like a food-worshipping fat-ass. Oh well, a spade's a spade, right.

Home and Neighborhood Photographs

balcony

my school

my neighborhood

ooooh pretty

house across the street from me

more balcony

when i was out at a bar, i had to ask my friend liu how to use one of these toilets. i was very confused, and i still hate using them. we're civilized people. we can't use toilet paper, and ya know...flush? yeesh.

kitchen which i never use.

downstairs

bedroom shot 1

bedroom shot 2

these are just a few. there are more to come. i have some pictures of loi kratong, which is like a big festival carnival that they have once a year. it was very fun.

Tomorrow is my last day of my first week as an English teacher. I will write a long rant-induced blog about all of that at the end of the weekend. It started out rough, but has gotten much better in a short amount of time. So I am half glass full about my abilities as an English teacher in a foreign world.

The First Four Days: A Stranger in a Strange Land

I wanted to make sure I wrote one blog before I started teaching (which is in less than twelve hours now). I know that once I become a full-fledged employed resident of Bangkok, a lot of things are going to change. I don't think for the worse, but it will still be nice to look back and remember the few days I didn't have any responsibilities.

The flight here was was long, cramped, and filled with bad action movie sequels (Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen is AWESOME). Once I got to Thailand, though, things got much better. I was picked up from the airport by several of my CSB (Charansanitwong School of Business) co-workers. They graciously bought me some of the most delicious Thai food I've had since I've been here, and showed me to my apartment. My bedroom is almost twice as big as any I had in my college apartments, and for the first time in my life I have my own queen size bed to sleep in. I feel like royalty. My apartment only has air conditioning in the bedrooms, so needless to say, I have spent most of my time in my place in my bedroom, basking in the freezing cold air.

It's hot in Bangkok. I mean, duh, it's hot. But it is like, really actually very hot. The ten minute walk to the CSB puts those annoying spots of sweat underneath your chest and on your back. Also, Thailand is rampant with homeless dogs. There are dozens on every street. I was told about this before I got to Bangkok, but there are even more than I imagined. They're all so calm. They just laze around outside, and sleep under cars during the day when it is too hot. Sometimes when I see a group of five or six walking together I get a little nervous, like they're all going to synchronize and tear me to shreds, but they don't. They just mind their business. I haven't pet any yet though, because I don't know how they'll react. Sorry Thai dogs.

Liu and Ploy, two of my coworkers, have been wonderful in that they are showing me around, taking me to markets, and bringing me out so I can socialize like a normal person. The first day I was here they took me to the music shops where I found a left-handed acoustic guitar. Having that in my bedroom feels good, comforting. I'm learning how to play some of my favorite Kinks songs.

Most everyone here speaks at least a little English. Since I've been here I've learned how to say a few things in Thai. Mostly "thank you" and "good afternoon," but I made sure to learn how to say "very beautiful" so I can make sure the Thai girls I will be hitting on understand me.

Each day I have had some activity or something planned out for me. I've gone to some very big markets and done some shopping, went out to a bar and met plenty of Ploy's friends, where I happily taught them some important swear words that every English speaker should know.

On Halloween Liu and I went to Koushan Road, a famous Thai bar scene filled with foreigners and westerners. There were thousands of people walking through the street, laughing, drinking, listening to bad American rap music. Many people dressed up, which I did not expect them to do, but it was great. It reminded me of America. It was also nice to see that Halloween is just an excuse to go out and get smashed in other countries too, and not just America. It's an important Holiday I think.

I start teaching pretty soon, and as of right now, I'm a little nervous. I haven't really been told very much on how to actually teach these kids. Mostly what I have heard is that they are all pretty badly behaved and don't really care about learning English. That's good. I was once that the best way to succeed in this job is learn from your mistakes, so I am going to start making a whole bunch of them and just see what happens. I have a vague idea of what I am going to talk about tomorrow (greetings, introductions, learning about yourself) but nothing absolute. Perhaps it's not the best way to approach teaching, but I am just going to play it by ear. Hey, if the school isn't worried about my abilities as an educator, why should I be?

The most difficult part about being here so far, for me, is that I just don't know where anything is. If I want to go to a bar, or to a particular part of town, I have no idea how to get there. Of course I can take a taxi, but what if he doesn't speak English well enough to know what I am talking about? And I am not really sure what my address is, so how am I going to tell him how to get back to my place? Any of the going out I have done has been with someone who knows these things. Of course, it's only been four days and I didn't expect to know the entire map of Bangkok or anything like that. Today I walked around for a few hours just looking around at stuff. It felt good getting a chance to just experience things as I saw them. It took my much longer than it should have, but I found the Central Shopping Mall that is pretty close to my house. I was proud of myself for finding it by myself, without needing the help of a taxi or experienced Thai resident. The rest will come with time, and soon I won't need Liu to go get drunk in Koushan road (even though it would be more fun if he was there, because he is a super nice, cute little Chinese guy).

I really guess things are going as well as they possibly can be. I have some really nice friends, a good apartment (with a nice, but scarcely present roommate), eaten some great food, seen some awesome places in the city, and haven't gotten sold into sex slavery (yet). Of course, everything is going to change once I become Adjarn Nick, and the responsibility starts for real. I'm not too worried though, I think these Thai kids will like me. I'm pretty laid back and plan on playing them some Beatles tunes the first day. I mean, who the hell wouldn't like a teacher who did that?