Never did I think I would call Bangkok home, but in less than one week I will be!
Yesterday I accepted the job offer I received from Ascot International School. The school is located in the eastern suburbs of Bangkok - thankfully away from all the hustle and bustle of this HUGE city.
Last week while passing through Bangkok on my way north I stopped into the school for a quick interview. I nearly canceled last minute, but boy am I glad I didn't! Everything went really well despite the fact I started crying in the interview. I was not crying because I was telling an emotional story about my love for children, but instead tears were pouring down my face as this was my first day with pink eye and they were uncontrollable. It was ridiculous, but may have been what landed me the job! Who knew pink eye would be a blessing in disguise?
It was comforting to know I had the job if I wanted it, but I still wanted to see what may lie ahead in the Chiang Mai area. Like I mentioned in my last entry, I fell in love with many schools in the northern region, but unfortunately none of them were hiring as school started a week or two ago. After countless hours stressing about finding a job here, I decided I'd be dumb to pass up the offer in Bangkok.
Ascot has a real sense of community about it which I love. Looking over the school calendar I noticed events like book week, international fun day, sports day, charity bake sale...seriously, how could I go wrong? These are some of my favorite things!
The school itself looks very put together. It is located in a really nice residential area with gated houses all around - pretty sure only rich Thai and international kids may go here, not sure if that's true or not. The school is run by a British woman who instantly made me feel at home, she was very welcoming!
As for details about what I will be doing...essentially I will be signing two contracts. The first one is from November 9th - December 16th where I will be working with preschoolers. After Christmas break (December 17th - January 5th) I will start my position as the head Kindergarten teacher! My second contract will be from January 6th - July 9th. At first I wasn't keen about working with the preschoolers, but lets be honest they are probably the cutest things I have ever seen (aside from my nephews of course) and this will give me an idea of how the school is run before diving in head first to teach.
I almost forgot to mention I will be making more than double of what I would be making if I stayed in the Chiang Mai area - definitely a perk, but I'm not here for the money. Not gonna lie it is nice to know I won't need to worry about financial issues while in a foreign country - plus I should have a little extra money to go on amazing beach trips to the south or to see my cousins in Australia - life is rough!
I cannot tell you how excited I am to get settled! Over the past month I have stayed in 5 different locations and I have yet to unpack my suitcase. I am excited to get my own place and make it my home away from home.
Another thing I forgot to mention - after accepting the job at Ascot, about 4 hours later I got a job offer in Chiang Mai. What are the odds? I feel I made the right decision though - Bangkok here I come!
Now that I have a job lined up I can relax and enjoy the rest of my time in Chiang Mai. A huge festival kicks off this weekend called Loy Krathong which I am very excited about! It also happens to be Halloween so I have a very busy weekend ahead of me! Time for a little fun before work starts up.
For those who are interested check out Ascot's website: http://www.ascot.ac.th/
Take a look at the school calendar to see my breaks so you can start planning your trip to visit me :)
Friday, October 30, 2009
Sunday, October 25, 2009
And The Adventure Continues
Sorry this has taken me so long to post, but here is an update of the past few days/week.
Saturday morning Travis, Ben, Leah and I made our way out of Pattaya and into Bangkok.
I was more than ready to leave the sick, nasty, overweight, white "farangs" behind and start my adventure north! I must admit I was very sad to leave my luxurious room at The Greenvale though. Little did I know how much I would miss it once I got to Bangkok.
Since none of us have jobs and have been out of the states for over a month, our budgets are at an all time low, therefore we had to find the cheapest place possible.
And that we did...for just under $4 each a night we definitely got what we paid(or didn't pay for). A tiny room w/ a double bed (no sheets or blankets in sight), no a/c, a bathroom w/o a toilet seat(not to mention no handle to flush - you have to take a bowl and pour water into the toilet to push everything down) and something somewhat resembling a shower. I almost forgot to mention we happened to be on the street known as "backpackers row" which basically is an all night block party that even ear plugs could not block out the loud music. Needless to say this weekend was yet another adventure to add to my story!
A few days in Bangkok left me eager to continue north to the peaceful Chiang Mai area (hopefully soon to be where I call home).
I started this program a month ago with 25 other people which broke into a group of 9 in Pattaya, then split into a group of 4 in Bangkok and finally down to 2 heading north (Leah and myself).
We boarded the night train to Chiang Mai Monday evening. This was by far the best way I have traveled yet! Although the train was over an hour late departing we had a very peaceful ride. I am so glad we spent the extra few dollars for a sleeper - we each had a seat that converted to a bed and with the help of some Tylenol PM I had a very relaxing, much needed sleep.
Unfortunately, while in Bangkok I came down with pink eye - great timing huh (right before I set out to go job hunting and interviewing - awesome!). Being sick in a foreign country is anything but fun. All I wanted was my mom and she was half way across the world :( Thankfully with some antibiotics this is slowly going away. I no longer look like I was hit by a truck with popped blood vessels in both eyes. Seriously, I was unrecognizable - my friends told me I looked miserable and boy did I feel it.
Despite the trails I have faced the past few days, I am LOVING Chiang Mai! Leah and I got in around noon and instantly felt at home. It feels like a tropical Seattle with a mix of Bellingham - my dream place really. Being exhausted after a 14 hour train ride we made our way to our guesthouse and took a cold shower (yay!). Chiang Mai is much cooler than the other places I have been, it feels good to not walk outside and have a stream of sweat run down my face. We got settled in our room and decided we would start the job search the following day (Wednesday). I got a call from a friend of a friend back home who offered to take Leah and I out to dinner - we went to a place called Dukes and it was seriously the BEST dinner I have ever had - nachos, Chicago style pizza, carrot cake, and apple pie - my mouth is watering just reminiscing about it. Jim, a local here now for 8 years and his wife May (who is Thai) are the most amazing people EVER! Jim has taken me under his wing and I cannot thank him enough. He calls me every day/night to check in on me and give me updates/contacts of potential jobs in the area. It's very comforting to have someone here looking after me!
Job hunting has been anything but fun or successful. When I signed up w/ Bridge TEFL/LanguageCorps I was told when I completed my course I would be at the start of the best time for schools to be hiring teachers - definitely not the case. I was also told I would have help with job placement...again false information, it's been all up to me. I've decided this is actually the worse time to be looking for a job as schools started up LAST week and all the teaching positions have been filled. I have been to some amazing schools and been told "if you were here a month ago, with your qualifications and bubbly personality, we would have hired you on the spot" - great...if only I actually did my program in August (which by the way I was going to but was specifically told to wait a month by Bridge TEFL/LanguageCorps). I have not given up, but I am definitely having second thoughts on where to go and what to do. Why can't I just be here on vacation like everyone else ;) I'm putting myself out there again today, we'll see what happens!
Saturday morning Travis, Ben, Leah and I made our way out of Pattaya and into Bangkok.
I was more than ready to leave the sick, nasty, overweight, white "farangs" behind and start my adventure north! I must admit I was very sad to leave my luxurious room at The Greenvale though. Little did I know how much I would miss it once I got to Bangkok.
Since none of us have jobs and have been out of the states for over a month, our budgets are at an all time low, therefore we had to find the cheapest place possible.
And that we did...for just under $4 each a night we definitely got what we paid(or didn't pay for). A tiny room w/ a double bed (no sheets or blankets in sight), no a/c, a bathroom w/o a toilet seat(not to mention no handle to flush - you have to take a bowl and pour water into the toilet to push everything down) and something somewhat resembling a shower. I almost forgot to mention we happened to be on the street known as "backpackers row" which basically is an all night block party that even ear plugs could not block out the loud music. Needless to say this weekend was yet another adventure to add to my story!
A few days in Bangkok left me eager to continue north to the peaceful Chiang Mai area (hopefully soon to be where I call home).
I started this program a month ago with 25 other people which broke into a group of 9 in Pattaya, then split into a group of 4 in Bangkok and finally down to 2 heading north (Leah and myself).
We boarded the night train to Chiang Mai Monday evening. This was by far the best way I have traveled yet! Although the train was over an hour late departing we had a very peaceful ride. I am so glad we spent the extra few dollars for a sleeper - we each had a seat that converted to a bed and with the help of some Tylenol PM I had a very relaxing, much needed sleep.
Unfortunately, while in Bangkok I came down with pink eye - great timing huh (right before I set out to go job hunting and interviewing - awesome!). Being sick in a foreign country is anything but fun. All I wanted was my mom and she was half way across the world :( Thankfully with some antibiotics this is slowly going away. I no longer look like I was hit by a truck with popped blood vessels in both eyes. Seriously, I was unrecognizable - my friends told me I looked miserable and boy did I feel it.
Despite the trails I have faced the past few days, I am LOVING Chiang Mai! Leah and I got in around noon and instantly felt at home. It feels like a tropical Seattle with a mix of Bellingham - my dream place really. Being exhausted after a 14 hour train ride we made our way to our guesthouse and took a cold shower (yay!). Chiang Mai is much cooler than the other places I have been, it feels good to not walk outside and have a stream of sweat run down my face. We got settled in our room and decided we would start the job search the following day (Wednesday). I got a call from a friend of a friend back home who offered to take Leah and I out to dinner - we went to a place called Dukes and it was seriously the BEST dinner I have ever had - nachos, Chicago style pizza, carrot cake, and apple pie - my mouth is watering just reminiscing about it. Jim, a local here now for 8 years and his wife May (who is Thai) are the most amazing people EVER! Jim has taken me under his wing and I cannot thank him enough. He calls me every day/night to check in on me and give me updates/contacts of potential jobs in the area. It's very comforting to have someone here looking after me!
Job hunting has been anything but fun or successful. When I signed up w/ Bridge TEFL/LanguageCorps I was told when I completed my course I would be at the start of the best time for schools to be hiring teachers - definitely not the case. I was also told I would have help with job placement...again false information, it's been all up to me. I've decided this is actually the worse time to be looking for a job as schools started up LAST week and all the teaching positions have been filled. I have been to some amazing schools and been told "if you were here a month ago, with your qualifications and bubbly personality, we would have hired you on the spot" - great...if only I actually did my program in August (which by the way I was going to but was specifically told to wait a month by Bridge TEFL/LanguageCorps). I have not given up, but I am definitely having second thoughts on where to go and what to do. Why can't I just be here on vacation like everyone else ;) I'm putting myself out there again today, we'll see what happens!
Friday, October 23, 2009
The Past 30 Days
I can hardly believe I have been out of the States for a month! Sometimes it feels as though I left only yesterday and other times it feels like I have been gone for an eternity!
Looking back on the past 30 days I have already learned so much about traveling, teaching and myself. I can only imagine what else is in store as my journey continues.
In just a few short hours I will be "graduating" from the LanguageCorps TEFL program. The course was a total of 144 hours with the addition of 20 hours of Thai cultural and language training, as well as 20 hours of observed teaching. Overall, the program was okay. I'll admit it was nothing like I anticipated and found myself frustrated many times, but it is what it is and I'm almost done - yay!
I'm proud to admit I've come a long way from my first week of classes. In the beginning I was scared to stand in front of my peers to read aloud a dialogue - that seems so simple now! These past two weeks I have been making lesson plans and creating silly games/crafts/songs to teach to my cute little kindergartners. The first day of teaching went anything but smooth; however by the end of the week I had it down. I looked forward to going to Renu Kindergarten everyday as the children's faces lit up when I walked into the room - it was a great feeling! I grew to love the kids there and I am going to miss them dearly.
With the ending of the program comes a lot of new changes and challenges. I no longer have a group to rely on and be part of nor do I have a set schedule - it's all up to me now. Quite frankly I hate change - I don't do well with it and it freaks me out. This is one thing I am really working hard to conquer - I am slowly making process, but find that every time I get comfortable somewhere it's time to pack up and move on. I will learn to adapt to this lifestyle at some point right?
Now that I have completed the training and hold a TEFL certificate, I have been told I will have no problem finding a job (apparently the guaranteed job placement I thought came with my Bridge TEFL program does not exist - awesome). I have spent hours looking on websites, calling around and searching classifieds trying to find a teaching job. There seem to be a lot in Bangkok, but really I'd like to settle in the Chiang Mai area, so I am not giving up just yet.
Tomorrow morning myself and a few others are headed to Bangkok for the weekend to do a little exploring. From there I, as well as my friend Leah, will be catching a night train Sunday evening to Chiang Mai in hopes of finding a place to live and work. Come Monday afternoon/Tuesday morning I will be going on a mad hunt to find a school that will hire me. Technically this is one of the best times for hiring, so I hope its a cinch...we'll see.
I have no idea what the next few days/weeks will be like, but I am hoping for the best. Stay tuned to find out if (or should I say where) I end up landing a job!
PS Here are a few pictures of the school I have been working at - to see more check out my facebook account.
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
Looking back on the past 30 days I have already learned so much about traveling, teaching and myself. I can only imagine what else is in store as my journey continues.
In just a few short hours I will be "graduating" from the LanguageCorps TEFL program. The course was a total of 144 hours with the addition of 20 hours of Thai cultural and language training, as well as 20 hours of observed teaching. Overall, the program was okay. I'll admit it was nothing like I anticipated and found myself frustrated many times, but it is what it is and I'm almost done - yay!
I'm proud to admit I've come a long way from my first week of classes. In the beginning I was scared to stand in front of my peers to read aloud a dialogue - that seems so simple now! These past two weeks I have been making lesson plans and creating silly games/crafts/songs to teach to my cute little kindergartners. The first day of teaching went anything but smooth; however by the end of the week I had it down. I looked forward to going to Renu Kindergarten everyday as the children's faces lit up when I walked into the room - it was a great feeling! I grew to love the kids there and I am going to miss them dearly.
With the ending of the program comes a lot of new changes and challenges. I no longer have a group to rely on and be part of nor do I have a set schedule - it's all up to me now. Quite frankly I hate change - I don't do well with it and it freaks me out. This is one thing I am really working hard to conquer - I am slowly making process, but find that every time I get comfortable somewhere it's time to pack up and move on. I will learn to adapt to this lifestyle at some point right?
Now that I have completed the training and hold a TEFL certificate, I have been told I will have no problem finding a job (apparently the guaranteed job placement I thought came with my Bridge TEFL program does not exist - awesome). I have spent hours looking on websites, calling around and searching classifieds trying to find a teaching job. There seem to be a lot in Bangkok, but really I'd like to settle in the Chiang Mai area, so I am not giving up just yet.
Tomorrow morning myself and a few others are headed to Bangkok for the weekend to do a little exploring. From there I, as well as my friend Leah, will be catching a night train Sunday evening to Chiang Mai in hopes of finding a place to live and work. Come Monday afternoon/Tuesday morning I will be going on a mad hunt to find a school that will hire me. Technically this is one of the best times for hiring, so I hope its a cinch...we'll see.
I have no idea what the next few days/weeks will be like, but I am hoping for the best. Stay tuned to find out if (or should I say where) I end up landing a job!
PS Here are a few pictures of the school I have been working at - to see more check out my facebook account.
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
Monday, October 19, 2009
Thai Language and Cultural Learning
As part of my program with LanguageCorps, I am participating in 20 hours of Thai language and cultural training. After playing teacher at Renu Kindergarten, it is my turn to be the student. My Thai class is taught by a local lady named Jam and takes place Monday - Friday from 2:30 - 4:30.
In the beginning I felt completely overwhelmed! However, Jam’s quiet demeanor and ability to laugh at/with us, quickly helped calm me down. Our teacher presents the material in a simple layout with lots of pictures which helps me comprehend what she was saying. So far we have focused on greetings (gaan tak taai), numbers (jamnuan), things at the market (dta laad), and things in a restaurant (raan aah haan).
The language itself is much different than my native language. The pronunciation, grammar, vocabulary and written script are all significantly different than English, with a few exceptions of course. Thai is a tonal language and you must really be careful with how you say a word – someone might think they are saying “my name is”, but instead are saying “pee”. I’ve never had to speak a tonal language before and I find it to be very difficult.
To see Thai written fascinates me. I truly believe the writing to be an art, it is simply beautiful. Although I am not even close to being able to read it, I still love looking at it. Maybe someday I will be able to translate a word or two (baby steps right?).
I am slowly, I repeat slowly, learning to speak and understand Thai. So far I can ask/say simple conversational pieces such as, Hello/Goodbye - "Sa wad dee ka (krup for males)", Thank you - "Khop kun ka", What's your name - "Khun cheu a rai ka?", How much does this cost - "Tao rai ka?". I can also count 0-100, though I am very slow and usually have to start at one to remember anything that comes after.
Another focus of the class is to teach proper body language and mannerisms. Many of the things we do at home are seen as rude here. For example, one does not cross their legs in Thailand because when you do so your foot (which is seen as the lowest part of the body both physically and spiritually) is pointing either at someone or something. It is especially bad to point your foot at a Buddha or to have your foot come anywhere near money (on all pieces of money is a printed picture of the king). This is going to be a hard one for me - when a bill or coin falls to the ground out of habit I step on it to keep it from rolling/blowing away - this is seen as highly disrespectful because of the picture of the king and someone can be deported from the country if caught doing so.
The head on the other hand is the highest and most sacred part of the body and therefore should not be touched (even things associated with the head: a pillow, a water bottle, etc) should never be stepped on or put on the ground.
There are several other simple mannerisms we have learned such as don't have food hanging from your spoon when going to take a bite (the spoon is the main utensil here, rarely do I use a fork other then to push food onto my spoon); if someone asks you to go out to dinner - they pay, do not offer to take the bill (same goes for you, if you ask someone to dinner know you are expected to pay) - I am sure there are many other mannerisms I am forgetting, but at the moment my brain is fried!
In the short amount of time I have been here I have already taken a lot away from these lessons. One thing I know for sure is that Thai is a hard language to learn! I look forward to doing my best to attempt to learn it while being in this amazing country.
In the beginning I felt completely overwhelmed! However, Jam’s quiet demeanor and ability to laugh at/with us, quickly helped calm me down. Our teacher presents the material in a simple layout with lots of pictures which helps me comprehend what she was saying. So far we have focused on greetings (gaan tak taai), numbers (jamnuan), things at the market (dta laad), and things in a restaurant (raan aah haan).
The language itself is much different than my native language. The pronunciation, grammar, vocabulary and written script are all significantly different than English, with a few exceptions of course. Thai is a tonal language and you must really be careful with how you say a word – someone might think they are saying “my name is”, but instead are saying “pee”. I’ve never had to speak a tonal language before and I find it to be very difficult.
To see Thai written fascinates me. I truly believe the writing to be an art, it is simply beautiful. Although I am not even close to being able to read it, I still love looking at it. Maybe someday I will be able to translate a word or two (baby steps right?).
I am slowly, I repeat slowly, learning to speak and understand Thai. So far I can ask/say simple conversational pieces such as, Hello/Goodbye - "Sa wad dee ka (krup for males)", Thank you - "Khop kun ka", What's your name - "Khun cheu a rai ka?", How much does this cost - "Tao rai ka?". I can also count 0-100, though I am very slow and usually have to start at one to remember anything that comes after.
Another focus of the class is to teach proper body language and mannerisms. Many of the things we do at home are seen as rude here. For example, one does not cross their legs in Thailand because when you do so your foot (which is seen as the lowest part of the body both physically and spiritually) is pointing either at someone or something. It is especially bad to point your foot at a Buddha or to have your foot come anywhere near money (on all pieces of money is a printed picture of the king). This is going to be a hard one for me - when a bill or coin falls to the ground out of habit I step on it to keep it from rolling/blowing away - this is seen as highly disrespectful because of the picture of the king and someone can be deported from the country if caught doing so.
The head on the other hand is the highest and most sacred part of the body and therefore should not be touched (even things associated with the head: a pillow, a water bottle, etc) should never be stepped on or put on the ground.
There are several other simple mannerisms we have learned such as don't have food hanging from your spoon when going to take a bite (the spoon is the main utensil here, rarely do I use a fork other then to push food onto my spoon); if someone asks you to go out to dinner - they pay, do not offer to take the bill (same goes for you, if you ask someone to dinner know you are expected to pay) - I am sure there are many other mannerisms I am forgetting, but at the moment my brain is fried!
In the short amount of time I have been here I have already taken a lot away from these lessons. One thing I know for sure is that Thai is a hard language to learn! I look forward to doing my best to attempt to learn it while being in this amazing country.
Friday, October 16, 2009
I'm FINALLY here!
5 different modes of transportation and 14 hours later, I FINALLY arrived in THAILAND!!!
Since my arrival, I've been crazy busy, so busy, it has taken me over a week to find more than 3 spare minutes to sit down and write a blog entry (sorry).
Lets see here...a week ago myself and 8 other LanguageCorps students branched off from the group of 26 and headed to Pattaya where our last two weeks of training would take place.
We were picked up bright and early from the Okay Guesthouse Friday morning by a tuk tuk, then were brought to a large snazzy bus. After we crossed the boarder into Thailand, we were then transported to a smaller van ... just when we got comfortable in that ride, we were again transferred to a teensy weensy little van which did not even fit all of our luggage (we had it stacked below our feet, on our laps and in front of our faces - needless to say this was the worse leg of our trip as it was 5 hours long). Just when we thought they couldn't transfer us another time, they did - we were dropped off at a "bus station" and put on a baht bus (this is Thailand's main taxi service in the area) which eventually took us to our destination.
After 14 loooonnng hours of traveling I was more than ready for a shower and a nice place to lay my head. All 9 of us could not stay in the same hotel and were divided amongst 3 different ones. Myself and 2 others (Cammie and Mylinh) were taken to the Greenvale Hotel and my mouth nearly dropped when I walked into my room. It was a gigantic step up from my last accommodations! I have a huge bed (with actual sheets-yay!), nice furniture, a large bathroom where I do not need to sit/stand on the toilet to shower, and a flat screen TV - no complaints from this girl, that's for sure!
I slept the best I had since my departure from the States. Sadly, this was not the case for some of my fellow classmates. A few people really got the shaft and its not fair because they paid the same amount of money to the program as myself and the others did. One guy didn't even have a place to stay for the first two nights so he slept on a couch and another girl is staying in a room that is anything but satisfactory (she has no light, her bed and pillow smell of mildew and her AC broke). Atleast for those staying in the not so amazing accommodations, they have something to look forward to: an upgrade. However, myself and the others staying here are most likely going to have to take a downgrade. We'll wait and see I guess.
After a hot shower and a good nights sleep, myself and a few others decided to explore the area the next day. We walked along the beach, went through markets, shopping malls, and ate authentic Thai food - yum yum! The following day (Sunday) our group went for an outing to Koh Larn - a beach about 45 minutes away by boat from where we're staying. White sandy beaches and gorgeous blue/green water - ahhh, this is the life! We enjoyed a delicious lunch then spent the afternoon basking in the sun. I cannot imagine how much hotter it's going to be here in a few months, I was sweating bad enough then and it's only the rainy season. Speaking of rain, it hit us hard while we were out there!! One minute it was beautiful, then out of no where a horrific thunder/lightning/rain storm hit us. We all ran for cover and waited it out for TWO HOURS! Seriously, I've never seen anything like it. It was incredibly loud (and close!) and flooded the area within seconds. I'd post a video, but I just looked at it and the video doesn't give it justice.
Upon safely retuning home, we all retired to our rooms as we had a big day ahead of us. Now that we have completed our 1st two weeks of training, we are moving into the teaching part. My friend Cammie and I were assigned to Renu Kindergarten where we would be teaching both the students and the teachers. At first we were very intimidated to be teaching the teachers, however after our first day we found out we were not teaching the them grammar, sentence structure, vocabulary expansion etc. Instead, we were simply teaching them songs (If you're happy and you know it clap your hands; the ants go marching; head, shoulders, knees and toes and other various kid songs) for them to then teach to the students so the kids can go home and sing them to their parents.
Week 3 is over and done with and I'm left exhausted. Teaching kindergarten is a lot more work then I thought it would be...it doesn't help that the school I'm at has very little resources (those that are there I'm not sure if I can use b/c I cannot understand the Thai teachers - they speak very minimal English). Although I have spent countless hours preparing lesson plans, hand making tracing paper, cutting out shapes, binding story books etc I can honestly say I am happy where I'm at, doing what I'm doing.
It's finally starting to sink in that I'm not just here for vacation - schools start up again in November and I need a job ASAP! Wish me luck!
Thursday, October 8, 2009
I'm An Auntie Again!!!
I received news today my nephew Kaden Andrew Schwenke was born at 12:43pm October 7th weighing in at 7 lbs 11 ounces, 20 inches long.
It breaks my heart I am half way across the world, but am so excited to watch my newest little man grow via facebook and Skype. Isn't technology amazing?
Congradulations Troy, Christy and Kyle. I am so excited for you guys!
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
Traditional Massage
After a long day of class, my friend Ben and I decided we'd go for a traditional massage...sounds relaxing right? WRONG! It was anything but relaxing. Not sure how to explain it, but I'll try.
From the get go we knew we were in for it. We tried explaining to the Khmer ladies we wanted the 60 minute traditional massage (whatever that meant) and preferred to be in the same room. Not sure if they didn't understand what we were asking or if it was not customary to have a guy and girl in the same room, but after lots gesturing and trying to explain ourselves, we were finally led to this super sketch room with two nasty looking mats on the floor. They asked us to change into these pajama like pants and oversized t-shirts. Ben went to another room to change and came back where I was awkwardly sitting on my massage "table" waiting for directions. I wasn't sure if I was suppose to take off my bra or not, but Ben told me probably since they'll be massaging my back. I did so and there we sat waiting for this amazing experience to begin.
The ladies came in and told us to lay down. We did so and immediately had the case of the giggles. Seriously, we couldn't stop laughing. These poor ladies probably thought we were nuts! Let me tell you, they don't mess around. They started with one leg and moved up and down the entire body. At one point my lady placed her hands over my hips/pelvic bone area and was face to face with me applying a crazy amount of pressure - I knew what was coming next for Ben and burst out laughing.
We were both finally able to stop laughing, but knew if we opened our eyes and looked at one another we'd lose it again.
We had our feet, legs, hands, back, butt, arms, head and neck massaged. It would have been relaxing, but it was so intense we couldn't really enjoy it. They massaged with their hands, elbows, knees and feet, it was crazy. When massaging my head/neck/face area all I kept thinking was what in the world am I going to look like after this - my hair gel to make my hair curly must have been rubbed out by now and they kept going over my eyebrows which we all know aren't fully there and I felt for sure they would have been rubbed completely off. Oh geez, what an experience.
Our 60 minute massage turned out to only be a 30 minute - maybe this was a blessing in disguise. We got redressed and headed downstairs to pay. Since it was 1/2 the time, we only paid 4 dollars (so cheap!). All I had was a $10 bill which they refused to take b/c it had the slightest tear in it (this is something we are always running into - they believe the money is damaged and not worth anything when there is any visible rip or tear in it). I quickly ran back to my hostel in the pouring down rain to grab four crisp, clean bills.
The massage was yet again another interesting experience to add to the trip. Lets just say I hope they're better in Thailand!!!
From the get go we knew we were in for it. We tried explaining to the Khmer ladies we wanted the 60 minute traditional massage (whatever that meant) and preferred to be in the same room. Not sure if they didn't understand what we were asking or if it was not customary to have a guy and girl in the same room, but after lots gesturing and trying to explain ourselves, we were finally led to this super sketch room with two nasty looking mats on the floor. They asked us to change into these pajama like pants and oversized t-shirts. Ben went to another room to change and came back where I was awkwardly sitting on my massage "table" waiting for directions. I wasn't sure if I was suppose to take off my bra or not, but Ben told me probably since they'll be massaging my back. I did so and there we sat waiting for this amazing experience to begin.
The ladies came in and told us to lay down. We did so and immediately had the case of the giggles. Seriously, we couldn't stop laughing. These poor ladies probably thought we were nuts! Let me tell you, they don't mess around. They started with one leg and moved up and down the entire body. At one point my lady placed her hands over my hips/pelvic bone area and was face to face with me applying a crazy amount of pressure - I knew what was coming next for Ben and burst out laughing.
We were both finally able to stop laughing, but knew if we opened our eyes and looked at one another we'd lose it again.
We had our feet, legs, hands, back, butt, arms, head and neck massaged. It would have been relaxing, but it was so intense we couldn't really enjoy it. They massaged with their hands, elbows, knees and feet, it was crazy. When massaging my head/neck/face area all I kept thinking was what in the world am I going to look like after this - my hair gel to make my hair curly must have been rubbed out by now and they kept going over my eyebrows which we all know aren't fully there and I felt for sure they would have been rubbed completely off. Oh geez, what an experience.
Our 60 minute massage turned out to only be a 30 minute - maybe this was a blessing in disguise. We got redressed and headed downstairs to pay. Since it was 1/2 the time, we only paid 4 dollars (so cheap!). All I had was a $10 bill which they refused to take b/c it had the slightest tear in it (this is something we are always running into - they believe the money is damaged and not worth anything when there is any visible rip or tear in it). I quickly ran back to my hostel in the pouring down rain to grab four crisp, clean bills.
The massage was yet again another interesting experience to add to the trip. Lets just say I hope they're better in Thailand!!!
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
Weekend Trip To Siem Reap
Can you find the hidden faces?
Feeding the elephant - this one is for you Kyle :)
Language Corp 2009 (minus a few)Along the way, we stopped at a few “rest areas”. One thing I am mastering is the squat. Cambodians do not have sit down toilets, so my thighs are getting a great work out. Another thing Cambodians do not have is toilet paper. They have what we have started calling “bum guns”. These guns look like the squirty thing on the back of your sink at home, but here they are in every bathroom stall, located next to the toilet. Sorry Southeast Asia, but I will not be using these while I am here. I will stock up on TP instead.
At these rest stops were various types of food and bugs to eat. The weirdest/grossest ones I’ve seen so far were fried snake on a stick and huge fried tarantulas. I stuck to what I knew…an imitation of Pringles.
After our forever long bus ride, we finally arrived at our hotel in Siem Reap. Here we had roommates and I got to room with my friend Leah. Little did we know the fun we would be having in our very own rooms (explanation to come later in this post). Once we got settled, we branched off to find real food, no more fried buggies for this girl. A group of 8 of us decided to take our chances and head down the street, away from the hotel and rest of the group. There was one minor problem…the streets were flooded. We’re not just talking ankle deep water, try knee deep. A few had sandals, others tennis shoes - do we wear them and get them soaking wet and risk them not drying in this humidity thus causing them to smell like vomit or do we take them off and carry them? Since I already have one pair of shoes smelling like sewer, I decided to go barefoot. Smart choice? I don’t know. All I know is, I NEVER thought I’d walk barefoot in knee high water in a foreign country. We didn’t just walk a block or two either, it was probably atleast a mile or so. Every step I secretly prayed I was not stepping on broken glass, needles, dog crap, etc. It was rather entertaining. We finally made it to a place called Temple Bar where all 8 of us ordered pizza - very American and so good! I needed a break from noodles for a meal.
We finished dinner and trekked back to our hotel. My feet were nasty and my legs itched so a good hot shower was in order…easy enough right? Wrong…I somehow managed to flood the bathroom. Don’t worry though, remember those bum guns I told you about? Well the water from those need to go somewhere, so luckily the overflow from my shower simply drained down the bum gun drains. After Leah and I both managed to flood the bathroom, we went to bed where we were greeted with a few other surprises: the smell of sweaty gym socks on our pillows that felt like mountain ranges when you laid down on them and gritty sand in the sheets - ahhh the life of a traveler! It’s great isn’t it?
The next day we spent 8 hours exploring various temples around Siem Reap. Honestly, I don’t think I can put their beauty into words. Some of the temples we visited were: Bayon Temple, Tomb Raider (by far my favorite) and Angkor Wat. All were simply breathtaking. As soon as facebook allows me to upload pictures I will!
Overall the weekend was great! I am so glad I was able to see another part of Cambodia. This country is beautiful and wish I had more time outside exploring than in the classroom learning…isn’t that always the case?
PS Congrats to Jessie, Kelsey, Leah and Courtney (and soon my sister!) for becoming mommies! I cannot wait to meet your little ones!!!
xoxo
One Week Down, Three More To Go
I cannot believe I have been here for over a week already. - time has really flown by! Not sure if its b/c I’m in class all day or the fact we’re kept busy with homework and activities non stop. Every night I am left exhausted, so tired I haven’t even the energy to update my blog (lack of internet poses as a problem as well) - I promise to make a better attempt at updating - hence my double entry today.
Well…I am officially a student again. We are in class from 9am - 5:30pm Monday - Friday.
Thankfully there are many breaks and we are divided into two groups to help manage time - this is the biggest class Language Corps has ever taught (thank you economic crisis). Basically my day consists of breakfast, note taking, warmers/role playing/dialogues, lunch, classroom presentations, more note taking, dinner, homework and bed - it makes for a long day. Not sure how these youngings manage to go out every night (they must be use to this lifestyle as most of them are fresh out of college). They probably think I am the lamest 26 year old there is, but I am okay with it J
Classes, although long and sometimes rather boring, have been informative and I believe they are truly helping me gain a better idea of what it will be like to teach English as a foreign language. After our first full day of class we were told we would be presenting our own warmers and dialogues to our classmates the following day. For those of you who know me and remember my most embarrassing moment, you know speaking in front of people is one of my biggest fears (aside from clowns of course). To my surprise, this task was fairly easy for me - yay! Now that I have presented 4 or 5 times, its no big deal anymore. Just wait until my interview or first day of teaching though - yikes!
Unfortunately classes don’t end with note taking and presentations. There are tests…go figure. I may dislike speaking in front of people, but I HATE, I repeat, HATE taking tests even more. I don’t know what it is, but even when it’s an open book test, I freak out and feel as though I know nothing! We had two tests this past Friday. I talked to my teacher and told him about my insanely crazy test anxiety and he assured me “I’d be fine, it’s really easy” (great, now if I don‘t pass, I‘m REALLY stupid), “plus there’s no time limit” (except there was b/c the bus left for Siem Reap - our weekend destination, at 1pm). The first test was easy (I got a 98%) and the other…well, not so sure about that one. Honestly, I think I failed. I don’t find out until I’m in Thailand, so I have to wait out this anxiety even longer - ugh! If I did fail, I get another chance to pass, if I don’t pass that one, then I’m screwed. The pressure is on.
This week in class we are learning about classroom management, early childhood development, lesson planning and teaching with songs and dance - should be a good week.
Well…I am officially a student again. We are in class from 9am - 5:30pm Monday - Friday.
Thankfully there are many breaks and we are divided into two groups to help manage time - this is the biggest class Language Corps has ever taught (thank you economic crisis). Basically my day consists of breakfast, note taking, warmers/role playing/dialogues, lunch, classroom presentations, more note taking, dinner, homework and bed - it makes for a long day. Not sure how these youngings manage to go out every night (they must be use to this lifestyle as most of them are fresh out of college). They probably think I am the lamest 26 year old there is, but I am okay with it J
Classes, although long and sometimes rather boring, have been informative and I believe they are truly helping me gain a better idea of what it will be like to teach English as a foreign language. After our first full day of class we were told we would be presenting our own warmers and dialogues to our classmates the following day. For those of you who know me and remember my most embarrassing moment, you know speaking in front of people is one of my biggest fears (aside from clowns of course). To my surprise, this task was fairly easy for me - yay! Now that I have presented 4 or 5 times, its no big deal anymore. Just wait until my interview or first day of teaching though - yikes!
Unfortunately classes don’t end with note taking and presentations. There are tests…go figure. I may dislike speaking in front of people, but I HATE, I repeat, HATE taking tests even more. I don’t know what it is, but even when it’s an open book test, I freak out and feel as though I know nothing! We had two tests this past Friday. I talked to my teacher and told him about my insanely crazy test anxiety and he assured me “I’d be fine, it’s really easy” (great, now if I don‘t pass, I‘m REALLY stupid), “plus there’s no time limit” (except there was b/c the bus left for Siem Reap - our weekend destination, at 1pm). The first test was easy (I got a 98%) and the other…well, not so sure about that one. Honestly, I think I failed. I don’t find out until I’m in Thailand, so I have to wait out this anxiety even longer - ugh! If I did fail, I get another chance to pass, if I don’t pass that one, then I’m screwed. The pressure is on.
This week in class we are learning about classroom management, early childhood development, lesson planning and teaching with songs and dance - should be a good week.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
