The uniqueness of Thailand...

This entry might be a bit of scatteredness and randomness....but for those who know me best....this is just my style! When we came back from break I noticed that one of my students, March, had shaved his head. The director of our English Program overheard me saying something to him and she told me that in Thai culture when you have a parent or grandparent die, the kids or grandkids become a monk for a short period of time, like maybe 3-14 days. All over in Laos, Vietnam and in Thailand I have noticed that when I am in a store (it doesn't matter what type of store), that I get followed around by the workers. I'm not sure if they don't trust me and think I will steal something or if they are just trying to be helpful!
I was standing inside our house one afternoon and I heard this sound and I immediately got dejavu. I ran outside and looked to the field right across from where we live to find a swather! It looked a bit homemade, with lots of different colors gadgets, but it looked like it still did it's job!

While I was in Laos for my border run I decided to get a massage to help me relax! This was the first time I've had a massage where they started with washing my feet. It is a very humbling experience to have someone wash your feet. I'm not sure if I have mentioned how kids grades K-6 here have to have their hair cut short; boys and girls. They also wear uniforms. I know this would never fly in America because we are too individualistic and about personal freedoms but I think it's a good idea because it would solve the problem of is kids making fun of each other and judging others because of their clothes or hair style.

After two incidences at school, I now stick my head in the bathrooms before I go in! As I was walking in one day I saw a lizard (not a nice small little gecko!), that was about a foot long, scurry across the floor! Then about 3 days later I saw a lizard in the waste basket. I was not pleased!

Lunchtime at the school is a bit with 2000 kids at the school. The set up for lunch time at school is a bit different than what I was used to back home. Right outside the classroom there are 2 or 3 big tubs of food, a stack of plates and a container with silverware. The teachers dish up for the kids and then they go and sit at their desks in the classroom to eat. After they are finished they go and wash their own silverware and plates.

I had to go to the hospital to get a check up for my work permit. While James and I were waiting, I noticed that there was a live "band" playing some music. I asked James if this is a common occurance and he said that they are there to help with the mental health or wellness of the patients. I thought that was an interesting concept because I am a firm believer that music can help soothe the soul!  While riding home from school later that day, I pulled up next to a guy on a motorbike who I happened to notice was carrying a live chicken under his arm! Didn't know if he had just bought it or was on his way to sell it!

We finally made our way to the Singburi weekend market. It was insane! There were masses of people everywhere. Also, there was a plethora or people set up with little stands lining street after street selling anything you can imagine. Most of it looked second hand but I do like and believe in the statement that one man's trash is another mans treasure! The people here use things, parts, anything and everything until they have absolutely exhausted every use! I believe we can learn from that.
The Thais eat alot of their fruit with this mixture of sugar, salt and crushed red pepper. It's an interesting combination but it is quite tasty because it gives all of your taste buds a treat!  I saw a few interesting things at this market. I always catch myself feeling bad sometimes for taking pictures. I don't ever want to offend someone. The things I take picture of are very normal, everyday things for the people here and I would hope that they don't think I am judging them by taking pictures. I found a stand that had some delicious insect treats! (And NO, I didn't have the guts to try any!)

I couldn't help but take a picture of this next couple things! I'm sure I have said this before but I just cannot bring myself to eat something that still looks like what it is!

While walking through the market I saw a mother and a very small child/baby laying in the middle of the road/walk way asking for money. I also passed by a man that was laying down in a very busy part of the market in the middle of the walk way and he had a little jar for money.  These situations always make me uncomfortable because I never know what to do and I feel like giving them a little money isn't making a difference at all. It reminded me of this workshop I went to at the Mennonite World Conference where a man from Africa was saying that they don't like to just receive money from people because it doesn't teach them anything; it teaches them to be dependent.  He said that it makes more of a difference if you help those people become self sufficient, independent and give them life skills. I believe there is a statement that goes "Don't just give a man a fish; teach him to fish." It's not just about the giving of our money...it should be more about giving of our time, effort and talents.

Trouble with a capital T and that rhymes with V and that stands for VISA!

While we were on our travels we heard about a bit of political unrest in Bangkok...we weren't too worried until we got back and things started getting worse. The riots were getting more intense, more people were getting injured and dying....and I was getting nervous about my safety! For a minute I contemplated coming home...because I didn't want to be around if things DID get really bad. I was assured we were safe in Singburi, but I still felt that I needed to make some emergency evacuation plan just in case. I got a bit nervous when I started seeing policeman everywhere. I realize that you should feel safe with policemen around...but I was more concerned with the fact that I hadn't seen one the whole time since I had been in Singburi so why were there so many around now! Following are some pictures from what was going on in Bangkok...and what made us nervous about the stability of Thailand and the situation.

Admist all of this I realized something terrible....that my visa was expired! Not okay! I immediately panicked and did some surfing online to see what would happen and what I needed to do. Everything I was reading was NOT helping my anxiety! I read, you have to leave Thailand pay a fine and you can't come back in for 3 months...or....you will get arrested and jailed...neither of those sounded good! One of the nights that I lay awake panicking...I woke up early in the morning and I looked at my clock....and found a bit of comfort because it said 6:06!  I made a plan with James and Pat at school and supposedly had everything figured out. I would have to do a visa border run to Laos! It was just going to be a quick trip so I wouldn't miss much school. I was quite nervous to do this adventure on my own...but....off I went! James was also nervous for me because he decided to make me these huge note cards to get me exactly where I needed to go! Thank goodness I only had to use a few of them!

I was most nervous when I got to the Thai border. The whole way there when I had to get on a mini bus, to the train to a bus...there were policemen everywhere! I had a nice couple help me along the way. When I got to the border this Thai lady who spoke English went with me to talk to the man about my expired visa. RELIEF!! I only had to pay a fine and I was on my way! I would come to realize that this was the least of my problems! I had checked and double checked to make sure I had all the paperwork and documents I needed to get my working visa. When I got to the front I was told I was missing one document. They only accept applications until noon so by the time I would be able to get it from the school it would be too late...and then I was told it takes one day to get your visa (not the 2 hours like James and Pat told me!)...because it was Thursday that meant I wouldn't be able to get my application in until Friday and then have to wait until Monday for my visa! Initially I wasn't even planning on staying one night and now would be staying 4! I had been to Vientiane, Laos before and knew there wasn't alot to do. There was a great storm one afternoon and I happened to catch this guy taking a shower with the rain water coming off the roof!

So I waited patiently and enjoyed some alone time and on Monday at 1pm I was finally able to get my visa! Oh happy day! I then hopped on the night train and headed home!

I met a lady on my travels who I found out lives and works in one town and her husband and kids live in a different town. Ann, one of my thai translators at school is in the same situation. She lives and teaches in Singburi, but her husband and 2 year old child live in Lopburi. I have heard of this a few times before so it must not be uncommon here. I don't think I could do it. I don't understand how you could be away from your family like that but it seems that they do it here to make things work. Maybe good jobs are few and far between and so this is a sacrifice they make in order to be able to provide for their families. I don't think that is a sacrifice I could make. That has to be hard. Family means everything here and I have come to realize that the Thai people go to great lengths for their families. I think that is a quality to be sought after.

Our 2 thai translator teachers and one other thai girl, moved into our house with Cailin and me. I was excited about this because I thought they could help me learn some Thai and maybe teach me to cook a bit! I soon came to find out that once they got home from school they went in their rooms and didn't come out! The 3 girls shared 1 room and I felt guilty when I saw in their room that all they had were these little mats on the floor for beds! Maybe that is what they are used to but I couldn't imagine sleeping like that! It's the simple things in life like a good bed and a good toilet that I have come to realize that I take for granted!

Back to school and back to work!

Our first week back was crazy, hectic and really busy and long! I think we put in about 60 hours! Not what I was hoping for our first week back from our travels! We worked on lesson plans, decorating our classrooms and getting last minute things ready before the first day of school! I have never boasted or claimed to be creative (which should maybe be a criteria for being a teacher), but I was given a task of decorating one of the  boards in the classroom. The end result is the picture that follows....and yes, that's about as far as my creative talent will go!

Our MEP students came back a week before the other students as kind of an introduction week and for the Pratom (grade) 2 kids to show the new Pratom 1 kids the ropes. The first week was quite crazy and unorganized...as if I thought that when I returned from our travels things would all of a sudden flow smoothly! It was great to see our old students and meet the new ones. I felt bad because already I didn't like our new class as much as the old one! I'm not sure why! Our old students would come running up to us and start rambling off something in Thai....so they also had memory problems....because they forgot that we don't speak much Thai! Even though our Pratom 2 kids don't know that much English, the difference between them and the new students was significant. The language barrier was even greater. It was very frustrating and overwhelming. I sometimes feel I would give my right hand just to be able to communicate fully with these kids! The next picture shows.....it's OFFICIAL!!

Being back in Singburi it still amused me that wherever we went, we heard, "farang, farang!," while kids and adults, pointed, laughed and stared! I was even riding my bike on this service road next to the main road (that's maybe 50 meters apart), and I could hear someone from the road proclaiming "FARANG!"  One thing that I have realized on this journey (if i haven't mentioned it before), is that I now know that elementary is not for me! I will take care smelly punk middle school kids any day!  The first couple weeks of school were quite frustrating trying to get the schedule and everything figured out. How it worked out was that I would teach Math for both grade and Cailin would teach Science and English, because they added up to the same hours. And we would teach computer and health together. Also during the first week we had the kids draw a picture of something they did over their holiday break...so I thought I'd do the same....I think I had more fun than the kids!

I was wondering through a market one day and stumbled upon this next picture. It's just a little eerie to me that the pigs have a sort of creepy smile on their faces! What do they do with a pig head? Throw it in a big pot to cook up? I'm still working on the answer!

I've witnessed some great sunsets since I've been here. It's still strange to me to see palm trees in the sunsets!

Cailin and I ran into some locals at the store one evening...and I just had to get a picture with this guy because I loved his shirt! If I would have been able to communiate with him I could have found out where he got this shirt!

Our first 4 weekends back we were excited to have company every weekend! It was all people we had met on our travels that were doing some travels around Thailand and stopped in to see us! The first weekend we had our friend Cody from Canada, the 2nd Ben from South Africa, the 3rd our friend Chelsea from Holland and the 4th weekend our friend George and Tash from the UK. One of the weekends we took them to Lopburi, to monkey town. I love this next picture...I had never seen a monkey with a beard...it must have been grandpa monkey checking things out!

Here a little baby is nursing....and notice in the water there is a flash drive and a lighter....you have to watch out because those monkeys will grab stuff off you!

There is a nice place on the lake to relax, soak in the peacefulness and scenery and enjoy life.

We watched this local man boat out and collect some of his traps in the water...he brought a few back with him and we were very interested as to what he had caught!

SUCCESS!!! From the looks of it we assumed it was a crab or two...but later after move investigating we found out they were humungous shrimps! I have never seen such big shrimp before in my life and I didn't know that shrimp could have big claws like that! He was very proud of his catch!

We ended our evening there enjoying a magnificent sunset!

Reflections....

It was a strange feeling to be back in Singburi. It was almost as if none of our travels even happened! That feeling happened to me alot in college as well. When I was in Kansas it's like home didn't exist...but the minute I left Kansas for home, it's as if Kansas didn't exist and was just a dream. I felt refreshed being back in Singburi...in this small, quiet, friendly place. I was excited to have time to just sit...and listen....and think and reflect again.  We were just going, going, going on our travels because we had to squeeze in so much in such a short time, it was quite exhausting. The one big draw back, which I missed the most, was the lack of farangs in Singburi! On my travels I was constantly meeting great people from all over the world. Now, we were back in a place where there were 3 of us foreigners....besides very random middle-aged white males that were living here that found a Thai wife. But again, I was very happy to be back. I felt refreshed, recharged, ready and excited about the new school year, our new 1st grade class, and to see our old 1st graders. I was also very excited and ready to get back into learning more Thai so that I might be able to communicate with the locals! I knew it wasn't going to be easy but I knew it would be pertinent for me to experience this culture to the fullest. I feel learning a countries language is the best way to delve into and learn about a culture. James had also told us that they had 2 new Thai teachers that would be our translators, so we were in great anticipation of meeting them and connecting with them.
Numerous times on my travels I would get this strange feeling that would come over me. It was like I felt that I was at the tower of Babel...because I was constantly surrounded by so many different languages and sometimes I felt like I couldn't understand anything around me! I was quite surprised by the lack of Americans that I met on our travels. I was told by sooo many travelers that only 20-40% of Americans have their passport; a number that shocked me. I know some people aren't able to get out and traveling isn't meant for or necessary for everyone but I got the feeling that maybe Americans think that there is everything that they need right in front of them and that there is no need to go and explore the rest of the world around them and that there is nothing that they need to learn from anyone else. As I mentioned before I felt that alot of people I met had a sour taste in their mouth when it came to Americans...or felt that Americans think they are so much better than everyone else and think that Americans don't know alot about the rest of the world because they are too self-centered and consumed in our own little world.  I was told that America's educational system ranks 76th in the world...which isn't very high. This person thought that we aren't taught enough and don't know enough about the rest of the world and people's cultures. I said that I do care about the rest of the world and want to know more and as a teacher I not only want to teach some book knowledge but also instill a sense of community and a desire to be a global citizen and help those around you and learn from those around you. We must be able to appreciate and value the differences and diversity of varying cultures.
Throughout all of our travels it was so great and interesting to see how different people live over here. They live so amazingly different and so simple compared to back in America. Laos was by far the least advanced country and I saw the biggest differences there. Vietnam seemed to be quite ahead of Laos and I assumed it was because of a possible American influence from the war. Even how people interact and treat each other seems different from America, from what I observed. I really don't know what to say as my favorite place or favorite country, but I will say that Vietnam has a bit of everything; it has beautiful countryside, mountainous landscape, coasts and beaches, big cities, small and rural cities, etc.  In my ripe old age of 27, I think that these 7 weeks that I spent traveling around Southeast Asia have been the best of my life and the most rewarding and enlightening experience thus far in my life!

I am now a..............certified scuba diver!

From Koh Lanta we stopped for a night in Railay. This is a very small place also where we could walk from one side of the island to the other within 5 minutes. I like Railay because it was very quiet, there weren't too many people and it was pleasing on the eyes. There were beautiful karsts all around like the one in the next picture.

They had some cool caves around the island as well.

While walking from one side of the island to the other we passed by this man who had this little pet monkey on a leash. His name was Harry Potter and he was quite the energetic little character!

I had fun with Harry at first, but then I got a little nervous when he was crawling down my back! Cailin didn't get to have as much fun with him after me. I think she got him a little too excited because he ended up biting her! He didn't even break the skin so we weren't too worried. 

I stumbled upon a strange sight as we were roaming around the island....JOHN DEERE! I couldn't believe that they had John Deere there! So I quickly looked both ways and then hopped on for a minute! 5203....is that a good one dad?

Since we had got to southern Thailand we were constantly entertained with heat lightening every night. It was a fantastic sight. We had some plans of taking a long tail boat ride around the area and to some other islands or doing kayking or rock climbing...but time again was not on our side! Our next adventure started taking a long tail boat over to Krabi, where we stayed for a few hours and then caught a bus to Surat Thani, where we were then going to take a night boat to Koh Tao. We found out this night boat was actually a cargo boat, that crams people in like sardines, to kill 2 birds with one stone! From the following picture you should be able to see how small your space or number was. I basically didn't sleep at all because it was so crowded and I was so hot!

At 7am we arrived in Koh Tao and went straight to a dive shop to see about signing up for a scuba diving class. We went with BAN'S because we were referred there. We were told that Koh Tao is the cheapest place in the world to get certified. Because it was so early we had to wait for people to check out of their rooms before we could get in. I have trouble sleeping alot of places, but I was obviously exhausted because I laid down on the couch in the office and was out for almost 2 hours! I discovered a new favorite food at our first meal there. It's called Gang Massaman. It's kind of a peanutty/coconutty/curry sort of dish that has potatoes and some other veggies in it. YUM!

I thought the sight of all the boats on the water was very lovely.

At 5pm we had our first dive class. We met our instructor, Rich, who is from Northern Ireland and watched a couple hours of video. We had big textbooks and we were given the first 3 chapters to read (about 175 pages) and be knowledgeable about before class the next day. I was up until about midnight reading and studying. The next day we had class for a few hours, did some review of our material and then took 2 tests. (I passed with flying colors!).  That afternoon we had our shallow water training in the swimming pool. I will admit that I was quite nervous and panicked at first and freaked out a few times when I was under water. It is a very strange concept and idea to be able to breathe under water. It's not natural. I kind of got yelled at by my instructor because I came up out of the water a few times when I wasn't supposed to! We did some basic tests like taking our masks on and off, practicing like we were out of air and having to use our buddy's 2nd air source, and then we had to fill our mask with water and breathe properly to get it out. I didn't like ANY of these tests! I was getting quite frustrated with myself. I was actually nervous that I wouldn't be able to do it. And I feel I am one who doesn't give up easily.

This next picture is of all of our gear. You have your BCD vest (bouyancy control device), your flippers, your air tank, your weight belt and your mask. The most important rule in diving is to always remain calm and to always breathe slowly and deeply and NEVER hold your breath!  Our instructor Rich referred to Cailin and I the whole time as Cagney and Lacey. I have heard of it, but had to admit I didn't know too much about it!  We had more studying to do that night and I started getting very nervous and apprehensive about our first real dive the next day.

We were up bright and early the next day at 6am for our 1st dive. I was really hoping I wouldn't freak out under the water...especially when we would be down 14 meters and you can't just pop up quickly to the top because your lungs will explode! I remember when we first went down the rope from the boat to the ocean bottom, I was panicking quite a bit, but then I remembered to breathe slowly and deeply....and then I was fine and able to enjoy myself. We had to do more under water tests, which I hated. It is absolutely stunning under water. There is a whole other world down there. It makes you feel very small and insignificant. I got a battle wound from our first two dives. My BCD vest was rubbing on my love handle and left a huge abrasion. I was in tears in the shower. I ventured out and got some supplied to bandage it up and nurse Cailin took care of me! I had to sit very erect with good posture all night for it to not hurt.

The next day we had another classroom session, had our last two tests, and filled out our paperwork for our certification. We also had our final exam and I only got one wrong! That afternoon we went on our final 2 dives. Our deepest dive was to 18 meters. I was finally over my fears and it was a great feeling! I felt so free and careless under the water and could truly enjoy myself and soak in all the life around me. God's creation is truly amazing and continues to amaze me with the different places I travel to. On our last dive I cut myself on some coral which was actually really neat because that far under water your blood looks green (because light rays loose color the further under water you get)! There was a lady there videotaping us all afternoon to make a video we would watch that night.

The next picture is of my normal sized flipper and then Cailin's baby flipper!

Before we went down for our last dive Rich said, the next time I talk to you, you will be certified! We did a few final tests and we were done! Each one of our 4 dives was about 45 minutes long. When we got back, we sat and enjoyed a beautiful sunset to celebrate us passing! That evening we got to watch the video of us from that day. It was pretty neat to see us all under water, doing our different tests and then seeing all of the creatures down there as well.

I made really good friends with Jen who is from the UK. This is her and I with our instructor Rich during our last classroom session.

The next two pictures are pictures that one of the people on our dive took. The 2nd one shows just how many fish were swimming around you at some points. Again, it made your feel quite insignificant and small.

Cailin and I also made really good friends with George and Tash, who are from the UK. We had many good times and many laughs over our diving experience!

It wasn't my idea but some of the people I was with wanted to go to a lady boy show! I wasn't sure about it but I decided to tag along. It was something else.....I'm not really sure how else to describe it! Some of them actually looked like feminine ladies....some it was quite obvious that they used to be men! I still don't understand why Thailand has such a huge population of lady boys or why it is so popular there.

All throughout Thailand they LOVE fire! There were constantly fire throwers, people doing tricks, they had big jump ropes of fire, and then this big sign, welcoming you!

I was very sad to have to say goodbye to all our new friends....but looked forward to the possibility of meeting up with them again sometimes in the future! We took a 4-5 hour boat ride back to the mainland and then an overnight 12 hour bus ride to Bangkok and then the 2 hour bus back to Singburi. We arrived back at about 7:30am and were greeting by the big smiling face of James....and I knew.....it was good to be back!

Hot, hot, hot....

We flew from Saigon to Phuket, one of Thailands southern islands. The hotel we stayed at in Phuket City was the hotel where part of "The Beach" was filmed. We actually could have stayed in room number 38, the same room from the movie, but decided against it! We didn't get to spend too much time in Phuket and moved on to Ko Phi Phi island. We decided to make the trek up to this famous view point....and it was quite the trek let me tell you! I don't suggest trekking when it is 100 degrees outside! I do have to say that the view were worth it though! Absolutely stunning.

This picture is just the beginning of what this trek entailed!

The crisp, clear color of the water continued to amaze me.

This is a picture that was taken right after the tsunami from the point we were standing at. It's hard to see but the damage is incredible. The whole trek up you could see spots that were the remains of or caused because  of the tsunami.

In Ko Phi Phi we did a little overnight boat trip/camping excursion. We made a stop and got to get out and do some snorkeling. I had never snorkled before so it was pretty neat. I was surrounded by these little fish and the locals who were in charge of the boat kept throwing pieces of bread near me to hear me squeal because all the fish were attcking me! The water was so clear and stunning and it was neat to see this under water world.

They stopped the boat and told us that we had to jump off the boat and swim in between these karsts and then climb up and that would lead us to the beach we would be staying at. Once you got in more shallow water, there were sharps rocks beneath you and you had a rope to hold on to and pull yourself up. It was quite challenging because there were huge waves beating at you.

The beach that we spent the night on was the beach from the movie "The Beach!"

We got to witness an amazing sunset and then at around 10:30 that night they told us to go into the water to see all of the glowing plankton. It was pretty neat. There was the most beautiful clear sky that night that was jam packed with stars. The only downfall of the evening was when we heard and saw big rats scurrying about on the beach. Needless to say we didn't get much sleep that night!

This sign was quite comforting if you can imagine!

After an early morning and a quick breakfast, we loaded our stuff on the long tail boats and they took us back to the island. From there we got on a boat and headed to another island; Koh Lanta. Again we didn't have too much time to spend here, but it was still a lovely place.

Koh Lanta is an extremely small island. Cailin and I rented motorbikes to drive down the coast. To drive the whole length of the island only takes about an hour. It was a gorgeous ride. I had to look twice when I passed a couple on a motorbike and I noticed that the woman in the back was breastfeeding her baby! Now that is multi-tasking! I have seen some absolutely insane things that these people do with motorbikes. You see 3 to 4 people on one motorbike all the time. You also see very small, young children being held on to by one hand, with no helmut.

This next picture shows their quaint little gas stations for motorbikes!

Again....it was so comforting to see these signs all over!

I had to stop to refuel!

Cailin and I became quite comfortable on a motorbike.  I now have a small obsession for them and wish that it would make sense for me to have one back in South Dakota....but I just don't think the weather would permit it!