Well it has been a couple weeks since my last update and I would like to apologize for not updating. Unfortunately sometimes you have other priorities then writing and other things require your productive attention rather than blogging, as sad as that is. The past few weeks have been full of interesting events, a Thai Styled Sports day full with Parade, a Week off Thai Island Hopping from Ko Samet, Pattaya and Ko Chang, 3 Hospital Visits, and few days of illness and bruised bones and way too much work on Grad Applications and Lesson Planning.
I am hoping to have some updates posted this weekend but I cannot faithfully spend hours working on my blog when I have other responsibilities, mainly grad applications that have deadlines and need my attention. So let this act as an excuse and an apology, until mid January, I will most likely not be updating too much.
As for the next few weeks, I will be spending Christmas and Christmas Eve (Working..grr) in Bangkok, and New Years Eve I am trying to go to Ko Panang for a world famous full moon party. Then for a few more weeks in Bangkok working like crazy to get my applications all done. I will update accordingly. Happy Holidays to those who celebrate them, and I hope you all think of me on these cold winter days back stateside as I am in tropical thailand.
Friday, December 18, 2009
Thursday, December 3, 2009
Reactions - Part 4: Don't get caught in a Tsunami
I am bringing back a series that I started before coming to Thailand - Entitled Reactions. These are based off the reactions that my beloved Friends and family had before my arrival.
My grandmother's reaction was one of my Favorites, "Oh Adam, make sure you don't end up in a Tsunami, you should try to get a high apartment just in case.”
My grandmother's reaction was one of my Favorites, "Oh Adam, make sure you don't end up in a Tsunami, you should try to get a high apartment just in case.”
Well, there are several things wrong with that statement. Much to her joy, I currently live on the 4th floor of my apartment building(about 1 km from the sea so that won't help much). But this is my great depression/world war II surviving grandmother who warned me about living in DC due to an inevitable nuclear attack against America
The Indian Ocean Earthquake of 2004 was however a tragic natural disaster that effected millions of people and dozens of countries. The repercussions are still being felt in many nations across the world, and I know a few people that lost family and lovers in the tsunami. One of my fellow teachers lost his girlfriend in the Tsunami and I personally think it's one of the reason's he's a bit cracked out.
The 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami was caused by an undersea megathrust earthquake that occurred on December 26, 2004, with an epicentre off the west coast of Sumatra, Indonesia. The earthquake was caused by subduction and triggered a series of devastating tsunami along the coasts of most landmasses bordering the Indian Ocean, killing nearly 230,000 people in eleven countries, making it the third most deadly earthquake in recorded history. Tsunamis inundating coastal communities with waves up to 30 meters (100 feet) high and with a magnitude of between 9.1 and 9.3, it is the second largest earthquake ever recorded on a seismograph. It was one of the deadliest natural disasters in recorded history with Indonesia, Sri Lanka, India, and Thailand being the hardest hit.
The 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami was caused by an undersea megathrust earthquake that occurred on December 26, 2004, with an epicentre off the west coast of Sumatra, Indonesia. The earthquake was caused by subduction and triggered a series of devastating tsunami along the coasts of most landmasses bordering the Indian Ocean, killing nearly 230,000 people in eleven countries, making it the third most deadly earthquake in recorded history. Tsunamis inundating coastal communities with waves up to 30 meters (100 feet) high and with a magnitude of between 9.1 and 9.3, it is the second largest earthquake ever recorded on a seismograph. It was one of the deadliest natural disasters in recorded history with Indonesia, Sri Lanka, India, and Thailand being the hardest hit.
Thailand itself actually had a relatively smaller casualty rate then the other top 4 countries, with an estimated 8,000 casualties. Still twice the damage of 9/11, but not nearly as devastating as Indonesia's causilties of over 160,000 people. It is a bit morbid but it is important to put this in scale, for a proves an important point. Several factors besides the location of the actual earthquake factored into the damage done. Mangroves, sand dunes and coral reefs all played a role in helping slow down the forces of a Tsunami off the coast and buffer the effects inland. The fact that Thailand has a much better record protecting these environments then Indonesia and India is an important factor to those coastal towns, and was seen in the much lower casualty rate. Granted the only populated area that was hit in Thailand was Phuket, but of an island where 300,000 people live and thousands more tourist reside only 5,000 people lost their lives, this could have been much worse. Most of the largest tourist beaches were destroyed and it wasn't until late 2005/ early 2006 after major investment most of the damage was repaired.
Thailand was actually one of the most fortunate countries of all that were effected. It benefited from it's own natural preservation efforts in giving some protection to coastal villages, most of the areas hardest hit were not heavily populated, and its financial resources aloud it to rebuild quite quickly. While it was business as usually in Phuket after only a year, many communities in other Asian nations are still devastated and may never recover.
One of the most important aspects to helping save lives in a potential crisis is an early warning system to give people enough time to evacuate to higher ground. No system in 2004 was in place for such a disaster, however in the beginning of December 2006, Thailand launched the first of 22 U.S.-made tsunami-detection buoys to be positioned around the Indian Ocean as part of a regional warning system against giant waves caused by earthquakes under the sea. The satellite-linked deep-sea buoy will float 1,000 km (620 miles) offshore, roughly midway between Thailand and Sri Lanka. Hopefully this will provide minutes to hours of warning time to notify populaces and evacuate them inland. But the last time an earthquake (before 2004) was recorded in the Indian ocean is about 700 years ago, and the 2004 one was only the fourth in the last 2,800 years, In other words, I don't think anyone has much to worry.
This system ofcourse is not in place in the Gulf of Thailand, where most of the Thai population (including myself) live off of, but my apartment on the 4th floor should come in handy if a something ever happens. And i'll remember the warning signs if I happen to be on a beach resort and I see receding water, I will "RUN for them there hills."
Monday, November 30, 2009
My Placement - Samut Sakhon Wittayalai School
Well it has almost been a month of working at my new Job and I most certainly have some reflections to share.
First of all, My school is about a 15 minute walk or a 5 minute motorcycle taxi away from my apartment which is a wonderful commute. Samut Sakhon Wittayalai is the largest government school in this province and has about 3000 students and only about 180 teachers to cover them all. The age range is from 13 years old to 18 and are categorized into 6 levels; M.1 - M.6, with each level is according to age and academic skill. 1's being the youngest and lowest level with 6 being the highest and oldest. I have been tasked to teach conversation English classes (for M2's and M4's), having each individual class only once a week. But I have 24 separate classes a week of an average of 45 - 50 students in each class leaving me to individually teach over 1000 students each week. The school itself is quite large with about 8 buildings on a fairly large amount of real estate. The classrooms and offices all have air con (THANK GOD) and out of the 3 rooms I teach in, 2 have working microphones so my voice is not gone by the end of the week. The fellow teachers are very polite and nice, and overall have been helpful.
Now that you know the overall backstory, let's delve into what I am calling my 9 Amusing Anecdotes on the Thai Education system.
1. Assembly
Every Morning starts with the Obligatory Thai Assembly. For 25 minutes children all sit in front of a school and listen to a man drone on about something in Thai with a speech so boring the teachers are even passing out. This man is not just the principal or headmaster, but one of the senior teachers that basically runs through the rules of school and recites a bunch of fun Buddhist teachings about how; children who run will fall down and scrape there knees, to leave the stray dogs alone and a bunch of other crap that makes no sense even when translated. The worst part is this man someone talks in a monotone voice in a freaking tonal language, really? Come on. Then we have 5 minutes to stand for the raising of the flag and the singing of the National and school anthem and a good Buddhist prayer to the shrine. For the prayer, a woman recites the Buddhist mantra and sounding like her lips are sewn together with the pitch of a dying crow, why? Why not.
2. Different Uniforms or Infatuation with Neckerchiefs
As with all Thai Schools, SSW (Samut Sakhon Wittayalai) has a dress code and requires a uniform every day. Our school is a bit more liberal then most and has 4 different uniforms that you can wear on their own perspective days. My personal favorite is Tuesday which is Boy Scout/Army/Navy day. Boy scouts and Military service are somewhat (yet not essentially) mandatory for all Thai citizens and on Tuesday they get to show their short short wearing jamboree planning selves and have Scout activities all afternoon. Which means not only a half day for me but a day full of amusement. Because what screams Manly more then boy scouts? You got me.
3. Schedule...What Schedule?
Well to be fair, the entire country is on Thai Time so why should a government school be any different. Truth be told though I think they actually designed their schedules to not work. The day is split into nine 50 minute periods, with no breaks. Specific periods are designated as Homeroom or Lunch, but with no break in between class time, students feel no pressure to be on time for class since, they will have to be late. How are they supposed to walk from Building 1 across campus to Building 8 in less then a minute. Yah not happening. So the good classes are usually 5 - 10 minutes late and the bad ones are 10-20 mins late.
Good News: I have less class time and even with my lateness I am always early. But you have to wonder, if they had just designed periods with breaks automatically, wouldn't that make things run so much smoother.
4. I'm sorry, you're an english teacher? Doesn't that require you to speak it?
Some of the English teachers do have an admirable hold of the language and can hold a grammatically correct conversation for extended periods of time. However about half of the Teachers can't speak English. Like at all. They use text books, pre-manufactured lesson plans and the lack of oversight to their advantage to actually stay employed, but have awful language skills. It does make me wonder what would posses you to try to teach a Language you don't speak. Like who wakes up one day and says, "You know I don't speak Swahili, and I've never been to a country that speaks Swahili but East Africa sounds like a cool place so I'm going to teach children Swahili.
Thai people, thats who.
5. 15 Baht Buffet
Now for my favorite part of the day - Lunch. I don't know who's idea it was but Thai school lunches are awesome. You must first buy this 15 baht (50 cents) coupon to redeem for your food. Then you can select from about 20 some stalls and get a big plate of whatever you want. Squid Spicy Noodle Soup, Sure. Fried Chicken with Rice and Cucumber go ahead. Glass noodles, Egg, Chicken feet and fish balls, go for it. While some of the choices are a bit revolting for the unready westerners, it still freaking rocks. Then outside of the canteena they basically have an onsite 7/11 store, bottled water stall, hot dog stand, ice cream stand and other treats open all day and for dirt cheap. No wonder Thai kids (and know myself) are getting fatter by the day.
6. Ineffective Classroom Management Techniques: A though D
There is a lot to get in on this subject, so I will save more for a later post. However through the past month I have seen 4 major classroom management styles used by Thai Teachers; Shame, Yelling, Hitting and Ignore/Indifference. All of which basically have the same effect of not doing anything to help control the class. Granted behavior modification is more of an art form than anything else but the Traditional ways to control a classroom in Thailand go under the old assumption that the Khun Krew (Teacher) is a holy figure to be respected only less then Buddha, Monks and the King himself. In contemporary westernerized Thailand, that's just not true and Thai discipline needs to get with the program cause controlling 60 kids at once can be hard.
What I do with my bad kids is I make them stand up, come to the front of the class and make them stand with their nose to the blackboard for the rest of class. Primitive but works like a charm.
7. I mean we could have class, but we chould have Sports day instead.
Let's be frank, Class is boring. You know it, the Teacher's know it, the kids certainly know it. And really who needs some good olde fashioned edumacation anyway. Since Thailand is the Land of Smiles and not the Land of boredom, the Thai government schools all have a varied amount of days dedicated to different sporting events that impede upon class time. For instance, this upcoming weekend we have "Sports day" for 3 full days, and last week my afternoon classes just weren't nearly as important as watching a Muay Thai fight. And how could you blaime them?
8. Calendar, I'm sorry we don't have a calendar we just all know what days we will have off.
Another fun part of working for a Government School is dealing with a Government School Bureaucracy. Can we have a F.U.N. for FUN! For instance the first week of school I kindly asked the main office ff I could have a schedule for the holidays, testing dates and etc. I was told at first "Calendar, we don't have a calendar". So I asked: "So how do teachers know when they have days off?" Response: "Oh, we just all know. " "Well could you write them down for me" "Oh, I don't remember them all...come back later this afternoon."
So I came back later that afternoon, which turned to tomorrow which turned to later that week, which turned to next week. Until I finally came in and asked for a Calendar or a List of days off. Response: "Oh a list of day's off? Yes we have that. It's in Thai but here you go."
..........FUN
9. Lesson Plans are due every Friday. Ok, but who do I hand them into? Oh I don't know that, they'll just come to you.
Lesson planning is the baine of any Teacher's existance. So much so that we spend hours finding new ways to teach the same old topics. There is this wierd stigma for Teachers in America that all should re-invent the wheel and create their own LP's even though there are professionals who have been doing this for decades. Well in Thailand, no such thing exists, Teachers have a full catalogue of lesson plans they can use from. However foreign Teachers may not, they have to make their own. Thanks. So our manufactured Lesson Plans are due every Friday. And by every Friday I do them, my head teacher asks me to hand them in and then still after a month has no idea who I should hand them into. After peddling my papers to every English teacher in the Department, no one has any idea who I need to hand them into. Well I'm keeping up my end of the bargain so I guess Mai Pen Rai (No Worries)
These are only some of the interesting reflections I have on being a Teacher in Thailand and more will certainly follow. But I do want to say regardless of the less pleasant and sometimes annoying things I can't control, about 75% of my classes are Ok to Good, and even though I do have hard days the good days more then make up for it.
First of all, My school is about a 15 minute walk or a 5 minute motorcycle taxi away from my apartment which is a wonderful commute. Samut Sakhon Wittayalai is the largest government school in this province and has about 3000 students and only about 180 teachers to cover them all. The age range is from 13 years old to 18 and are categorized into 6 levels; M.1 - M.6, with each level is according to age and academic skill. 1's being the youngest and lowest level with 6 being the highest and oldest. I have been tasked to teach conversation English classes (for M2's and M4's), having each individual class only once a week. But I have 24 separate classes a week of an average of 45 - 50 students in each class leaving me to individually teach over 1000 students each week. The school itself is quite large with about 8 buildings on a fairly large amount of real estate. The classrooms and offices all have air con (THANK GOD) and out of the 3 rooms I teach in, 2 have working microphones so my voice is not gone by the end of the week. The fellow teachers are very polite and nice, and overall have been helpful.
Now that you know the overall backstory, let's delve into what I am calling my 9 Amusing Anecdotes on the Thai Education system.
1. Assembly
Every Morning starts with the Obligatory Thai Assembly. For 25 minutes children all sit in front of a school and listen to a man drone on about something in Thai with a speech so boring the teachers are even passing out. This man is not just the principal or headmaster, but one of the senior teachers that basically runs through the rules of school and recites a bunch of fun Buddhist teachings about how; children who run will fall down and scrape there knees, to leave the stray dogs alone and a bunch of other crap that makes no sense even when translated. The worst part is this man someone talks in a monotone voice in a freaking tonal language, really? Come on. Then we have 5 minutes to stand for the raising of the flag and the singing of the National and school anthem and a good Buddhist prayer to the shrine. For the prayer, a woman recites the Buddhist mantra and sounding like her lips are sewn together with the pitch of a dying crow, why? Why not.
Let's Line up for Assembly, YAY
2. Different Uniforms or Infatuation with Neckerchiefs
As with all Thai Schools, SSW (Samut Sakhon Wittayalai) has a dress code and requires a uniform every day. Our school is a bit more liberal then most and has 4 different uniforms that you can wear on their own perspective days. My personal favorite is Tuesday which is Boy Scout/Army/Navy day. Boy scouts and Military service are somewhat (yet not essentially) mandatory for all Thai citizens and on Tuesday they get to show their short short wearing jamboree planning selves and have Scout activities all afternoon. Which means not only a half day for me but a day full of amusement. Because what screams Manly more then boy scouts? You got me.
Get Your Scout On
3. Schedule...What Schedule?
Well to be fair, the entire country is on Thai Time so why should a government school be any different. Truth be told though I think they actually designed their schedules to not work. The day is split into nine 50 minute periods, with no breaks. Specific periods are designated as Homeroom or Lunch, but with no break in between class time, students feel no pressure to be on time for class since, they will have to be late. How are they supposed to walk from Building 1 across campus to Building 8 in less then a minute. Yah not happening. So the good classes are usually 5 - 10 minutes late and the bad ones are 10-20 mins late.
Good News: I have less class time and even with my lateness I am always early. But you have to wonder, if they had just designed periods with breaks automatically, wouldn't that make things run so much smoother.
4. I'm sorry, you're an english teacher? Doesn't that require you to speak it?
Some of the English teachers do have an admirable hold of the language and can hold a grammatically correct conversation for extended periods of time. However about half of the Teachers can't speak English. Like at all. They use text books, pre-manufactured lesson plans and the lack of oversight to their advantage to actually stay employed, but have awful language skills. It does make me wonder what would posses you to try to teach a Language you don't speak. Like who wakes up one day and says, "You know I don't speak Swahili, and I've never been to a country that speaks Swahili but East Africa sounds like a cool place so I'm going to teach children Swahili.
Thai people, thats who.
5. 15 Baht Buffet
Now for my favorite part of the day - Lunch. I don't know who's idea it was but Thai school lunches are awesome. You must first buy this 15 baht (50 cents) coupon to redeem for your food. Then you can select from about 20 some stalls and get a big plate of whatever you want. Squid Spicy Noodle Soup, Sure. Fried Chicken with Rice and Cucumber go ahead. Glass noodles, Egg, Chicken feet and fish balls, go for it. While some of the choices are a bit revolting for the unready westerners, it still freaking rocks. Then outside of the canteena they basically have an onsite 7/11 store, bottled water stall, hot dog stand, ice cream stand and other treats open all day and for dirt cheap. No wonder Thai kids (and know myself) are getting fatter by the day.
6. Ineffective Classroom Management Techniques: A though D
There is a lot to get in on this subject, so I will save more for a later post. However through the past month I have seen 4 major classroom management styles used by Thai Teachers; Shame, Yelling, Hitting and Ignore/Indifference. All of which basically have the same effect of not doing anything to help control the class. Granted behavior modification is more of an art form than anything else but the Traditional ways to control a classroom in Thailand go under the old assumption that the Khun Krew (Teacher) is a holy figure to be respected only less then Buddha, Monks and the King himself. In contemporary westernerized Thailand, that's just not true and Thai discipline needs to get with the program cause controlling 60 kids at once can be hard.
What I do with my bad kids is I make them stand up, come to the front of the class and make them stand with their nose to the blackboard for the rest of class. Primitive but works like a charm.
Class Control, that's right.
7. I mean we could have class, but we chould have Sports day instead.
Let's be frank, Class is boring. You know it, the Teacher's know it, the kids certainly know it. And really who needs some good olde fashioned edumacation anyway. Since Thailand is the Land of Smiles and not the Land of boredom, the Thai government schools all have a varied amount of days dedicated to different sporting events that impede upon class time. For instance, this upcoming weekend we have "Sports day" for 3 full days, and last week my afternoon classes just weren't nearly as important as watching a Muay Thai fight. And how could you blaime them?
If a boxing ring in the Middle of the School lot doesn't scream education I don't know what does.
Notice how they are all attentive and quiet, wish they would do that for class....
8. Calendar, I'm sorry we don't have a calendar we just all know what days we will have off.
Another fun part of working for a Government School is dealing with a Government School Bureaucracy. Can we have a F.U.N. for FUN! For instance the first week of school I kindly asked the main office ff I could have a schedule for the holidays, testing dates and etc. I was told at first "Calendar, we don't have a calendar". So I asked: "So how do teachers know when they have days off?" Response: "Oh, we just all know. " "Well could you write them down for me" "Oh, I don't remember them all...come back later this afternoon."
So I came back later that afternoon, which turned to tomorrow which turned to later that week, which turned to next week. Until I finally came in and asked for a Calendar or a List of days off. Response: "Oh a list of day's off? Yes we have that. It's in Thai but here you go."
..........FUN
9. Lesson Plans are due every Friday. Ok, but who do I hand them into? Oh I don't know that, they'll just come to you.
Lesson planning is the baine of any Teacher's existance. So much so that we spend hours finding new ways to teach the same old topics. There is this wierd stigma for Teachers in America that all should re-invent the wheel and create their own LP's even though there are professionals who have been doing this for decades. Well in Thailand, no such thing exists, Teachers have a full catalogue of lesson plans they can use from. However foreign Teachers may not, they have to make their own. Thanks. So our manufactured Lesson Plans are due every Friday. And by every Friday I do them, my head teacher asks me to hand them in and then still after a month has no idea who I should hand them into. After peddling my papers to every English teacher in the Department, no one has any idea who I need to hand them into. Well I'm keeping up my end of the bargain so I guess Mai Pen Rai (No Worries)
These are only some of the interesting reflections I have on being a Teacher in Thailand and more will certainly follow. But I do want to say regardless of the less pleasant and sometimes annoying things I can't control, about 75% of my classes are Ok to Good, and even though I do have hard days the good days more then make up for it.
Saturday, November 28, 2009
Thanksgiving: Thai Style
Well I am more then a few blog posts behind (but doesn't that always happen?) and more will be coming but the past week or so has been a little tough. It is always hard being away from Home during the Holidays, especially one as American and completely unknown outside of North America as Thanksgiving. So being away from home has put me in a bit of a slump in the pre-Turkey days where I had no motivation to complete a post.
However I do have many things to be thankful for, Besides my adoring Family, Wonderful friends back home and somewhat good health. I am also very thankful for my new Thai Family which collected itself from all edges of central Thailand to make it to a somewhat expensive but awe inspiring Thanksgiving Buffet here in Bangkok. At of all things a Cajun Restaurant called Bourbon St (If for whatever reason you find yourself in Bangkok for Thanksgiving, it comes Highly recommended just come early)
However the past few days have been full of expat dinners, night out celebrating america and good old fashioned confused Thai people trying to keep up. Have you ever tried to explain Thanksgiving to a foreigner? Let me just say, explaining Pilgrims, Indians and the helping hand of Squanto, the only reaction I got was. "But you killed all the Indians right after you made dinner with them?" Yes, Yes we did. And isn't that the most american thing of all?
However I do have many things to be thankful for, Besides my adoring Family, Wonderful friends back home and somewhat good health. I am also very thankful for my new Thai Family which collected itself from all edges of central Thailand to make it to a somewhat expensive but awe inspiring Thanksgiving Buffet here in Bangkok. At of all things a Cajun Restaurant called Bourbon St (If for whatever reason you find yourself in Bangkok for Thanksgiving, it comes Highly recommended just come early)
Thai Family breaking Bread at Thanksgiving.
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
Thai Contact Info 3: The Great Fall
In an event that happened this past weekend that will be known as The Great Fall, my cell phone was lost and I would like to repost my new one so that my fellow thai side contacts can have my number.
New Cell Phone Number: +66 - 0870175246
To make up for the fact that I am an idiot I, thought you all could see the view out my window as I post this update.
My Backyard - Industrial yet Serene
Samut Sakhon aka The Arm Pit of Thailand
When I first found out my placement city, I had zero internet so I called one of my expat acquaintances in Thailand to ask him what he knew about the city of Samut Sakhon. He responded with a chuckle and the line "Samut Sahkon?? Hmm, that's the Arm Pit of Thailand - Literally and Figuratively. It's Like Jersey and if you look at a map its right in the pit of the nation."
Well that was the eaxct opposite of what I wanted to hear, so I did the first thing any Generation Y'er would do in my position. I immediately ran to the closest internet cafe and conducted a huge Google search to find out, where/what the Hell is Samut Sakhon!
(Does it look Arm Pitty to you?)
Well after some frustration and tribulations (Like for instance English Speakers spell Sakhon like Sahkon, Sakuhn and Sahkhon - all of which make it phonetically correct) i found out some fun facts about Samut Sahkon or S.S. as I like to call it.
S.S. was for a period of time the main fishing port for Bangkok and still today acts as a important port city linking to Bangkok. Traffic specifically early in the morning is filled with trucks big and small packed up with crates and crates of newly caught fish every morning and is shipped up to the city. Even the roadway loops off the highway straight to the dock and loops right back up - leaving the impression the constructors of the highway really saw no reason why someone would drive to S.S. and stay.
Besides the large Fishing Market, S.S. is also known for a market in a Railway track that recedes as the trains pass through daily. The Train itself goes straight from Samut Sahkon (or Mahachai as it was once called) and straight to Wong Wian Yai Railway station which is right next to the end of the skytrian. The train itself is very Thai, and passes through some nice country side which is a change from the Industrial view coming to S.S. from the highway. Unfortunately it is not nearly as quick as driving and taking a van to Victory Monument (Central Bangkok) takes about 25 minutes with no traffic and about 45 with.
Overall the pictures I saw made it seem like a quaint town and I was mildly optimistic about S.S. as a place to live. I mean 30 mins from the center of bangkok and teaching in a coastal town by the sea, what could be bad about that?
(Samut Sakhon Capital Arc Way)
S.S. was for a period of time the main fishing port for Bangkok and still today acts as a important port city linking to Bangkok. Traffic specifically early in the morning is filled with trucks big and small packed up with crates and crates of newly caught fish every morning and is shipped up to the city. Even the roadway loops off the highway straight to the dock and loops right back up - leaving the impression the constructors of the highway really saw no reason why someone would drive to S.S. and stay.
(Just some of Fish and Seafood for Sale)
(I mean doesn't those look yummy... so why are the blue exactly?)
Besides the large Fishing Market, S.S. is also known for a market in a Railway track that recedes as the trains pass through daily. The Train itself goes straight from Samut Sahkon (or Mahachai as it was once called) and straight to Wong Wian Yai Railway station which is right next to the end of the skytrian. The train itself is very Thai, and passes through some nice country side which is a change from the Industrial view coming to S.S. from the highway. Unfortunately it is not nearly as quick as driving and taking a van to Victory Monument (Central Bangkok) takes about 25 minutes with no traffic and about 45 with.
(Now you see a Marketplace)
(And now you see a Train coming)
(The 'Great' View from the Port)
And so far I have come to mildly appreciate the town. First of all door to door I'm only like a 30 min ride into the heart of the City, which is better then some of my friends who live in the city limits. Second, while the town itself is kinda dull, it is really cheap and has a huge market that I keep exploring and finding new things. I am also very close to my school (about a 10 min walk or 2 minute Motorcycle taxi ride) and my rent is relatively cheap for my nice accommodations. I also am near a gorgeous Wat and cute park where I sit to read and relax.
The Aforementioned Cute Park
The Aforementioned Gorgeous Wat
More of the Aforementioned Gorgeous Wat
But that is not to say their are not some drawbacks to the Pit. First and most importantly, the food.
The food of S.S. is not too good. I have struggled to find street food that are even Thai staples such as spring rolls or Pad Thai (Yes, I live in Thailand and can't find Pad Thai). There is an over abundance of fish and seafood and since I don't eat anything that didn't live on the land that does me no good. Besides the seafood they do have is kinda gross. They have this one very popular dish where they take squid, fish and shrimp bits, mix it with egg and make a seafood omelet. I am sure some of you find that appetizing, I do not.
Besides the Food, it is rude to say but some of the People are really awful. First let me say that most of the people I have met have been in true Thai fashion, very sweet and understanding of my Farang ways. But sometimes I find that being a Foreigner in a Town that has next to none (even though we are so close to Bangkok) is a bit hard.
The task of just walking down the street leads to stares, calls of hello, whats my name, you are beautiful, can I have your number..etc. At first it was understandable, and semi-flaterring but after a month, its gotten Old. I now recognize the same people that hassle me over and over and while it apparently doesn't get old for them to try to grab my ass and ask my phone number, it does for me. It was so bad the other day in the local mall, I almost got into an altercation with a woman when she groped me and asked for my number. I promptly told her to fuck off in Thai which caused a big scene. But i've been in Thailand long enough to know what is appropriate and what is not, and confirmed with some Thai Teachers today that this was not respectful. One of them wanted to come with me back to that mall to find her and tell her off themselves, which I thought was very sweet but completely unnecessary.
And the last thing, and this is a biggy. There is NO PLACE to do laundry. I mean none, zero, zilch, zapinsky, nadda, finito. Why? I have no idea, because apparently I live in the only city in Thailand where everyone has a washer. But there are two options I have found out from all of the people I have asked in Town. The first, buy a washer. Ok, that's not happening. The next, take your pants and shirts to the Steam Cleaners and do your undies and socks in the Sink. More like it, but also not gonna happen. So I schlep my stuff into the City every weekend and drop them off at a Laundry place.... lame but it works.
Overall I have come to tolerate S.S., and I am fortunate enough to be in a Cheap place in the outskirts of Bangkok. For many in my program, their placements were far worse. I think after my contract is over in March, I will either find a different place to stay and commute in from the city or more likely, find a new school in a more desirable location.
Loy Loy Krathong Part 2: A Mysictical Night in Amphawa
Well the last time I left you with this segment I described the first part of Loy Krathong, Yi Peng. Well because the Thai's love celebrating holidays, here is the end festival of the Loy Krathong Festival.
Fate has somewhat played a role in my experiences here in Thailand so far. As it does with all life and travelling, but both of these Festivals have been extreme examples how a quick idea can turn into a wonderful experience. After my first day of Teaching my new co-patriot and I were casually instructed by the Teachers at our school that Amphawa was the place to be in the area to witness Loy Krathong. Amphawa is a small canal village about an hour and half away from Bangkok, that is famous for it's floating markets and for birthing Rama II, the second king of the Modern Thai State.
The trek its self to Amphawa was an adventure on all it's own. Alli and I needed to take a motorcycle taxi to a bus, a bus to Samut Songkram, and another bus to Amphawa. The whole trip only really took an hour or so, but it was interesting for sure to travel thai style. Oh and in total it cost about 25 Baht or 75 cents.
When we arrived to Amphawa we found a large night market and a large canal system with the floating market going in full force. The food was delicious and there was lots of different type of seafood and strange squid and fish I have never seen before.
We were probably 2 of maybe 6 farang (foriegners) that we saw, so we were fortunate enough to have a Tour guide. The coordinator of our placement agency contracted to us from the American Tesol Institute, Pat, decided to come and guide us through Loy Krathong in her home town. Pat works for a teacher contractor company that organizes the Thai side of the American Tesol Institute's operations. Pat has been a tremendous help and if it wasn't for her and a few others at Innovative Solutions (her companies' name), I am sure I would be lost.
Pat was at the Festival with her mother and was nice enough to take Alli and I through Amphawa. We made our way through this large park that had festival performances, the King's residence all light up and a premier view of the river for the Loy krathong floats.
I wasn't expecting to have anything to compete with Yi-Peng, but this was definitely a contender. There were not many Lanna Sky laterns but thousands and thousands of water floats, with boats all lit up and sending off fireworks. We found out later that the Governor of the Provence was at the festival, so it was made extra spectacular just for him. Once again my camera does not do the best at night but I was able to get some choice photos.
Night Floating Market through the Channels in Amphawa
The trek its self to Amphawa was an adventure on all it's own. Alli and I needed to take a motorcycle taxi to a bus, a bus to Samut Songkram, and another bus to Amphawa. The whole trip only really took an hour or so, but it was interesting for sure to travel thai style. Oh and in total it cost about 25 Baht or 75 cents.
When we arrived to Amphawa we found a large night market and a large canal system with the floating market going in full force. The food was delicious and there was lots of different type of seafood and strange squid and fish I have never seen before.
We were probably 2 of maybe 6 farang (foriegners) that we saw, so we were fortunate enough to have a Tour guide. The coordinator of our placement agency contracted to us from the American Tesol Institute, Pat, decided to come and guide us through Loy Krathong in her home town. Pat works for a teacher contractor company that organizes the Thai side of the American Tesol Institute's operations. Pat has been a tremendous help and if it wasn't for her and a few others at Innovative Solutions (her companies' name), I am sure I would be lost.
Pat was at the Festival with her mother and was nice enough to take Alli and I through Amphawa. We made our way through this large park that had festival performances, the King's residence all light up and a premier view of the river for the Loy krathong floats.
Alli, Pat, Pat's Mom and I at Loy Krathong
I wasn't expecting to have anything to compete with Yi-Peng, but this was definitely a contender. There were not many Lanna Sky laterns but thousands and thousands of water floats, with boats all lit up and sending off fireworks. We found out later that the Governor of the Provence was at the festival, so it was made extra spectacular just for him. Once again my camera does not do the best at night but I was able to get some choice photos.
Thousands of Floats in the River (Apologies for Poor Quality)
Alli and I with our floats
Floats away!
Overall it was another wonderful Experience and once again Pictures cannot fully depict the festival in it's glory. After the festival Alli and I tried to catch a Bus back to Samut Sahkon but for some reason the Bus that Pat had pointed out to us said he wasn't going to S.S. and after a long ordeal of waiting for transportation, Pat was nice enough to drive an hour out of her way in both directions to get us home.
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Thai Contact Info 2: My New Home - Samut Sakhon
Well All,
As some you you may know, I have received my Placement and I am currently Living and Teaching in the Outskirts of Bangkok (20-30 min van ride). The name of my town is Samut Sakhon and I am teaching at the Samut Sahkon Wittayalai School.
As some you you may know, I have received my Placement and I am currently Living and Teaching in the Outskirts of Bangkok (20-30 min van ride). The name of my town is Samut Sakhon and I am teaching at the Samut Sahkon Wittayalai School.
I have moved into my apartment (PA -Apartments) provided my my Employer and it is very nice even by Western Standards. For those that wish to know my address to send cards or gifts here is my apartment.
Apartment 405
English:
923/14 Ekkachai Rd
923/14 Ekkachai Rd
M. Mahachai, Samut Sahkon
Thailand 74000
Thai:
923/14 ถนนเอกชัย ตำบลมหาชัย
อำเภอเมือง
จังหวัดสมุทรสาคร
74000
I will be sure to update you all If/ When I end up moving.
Now I Know Why Thai's Cannot Tell Time
There is an ever present Phrase that many westerners use to describe the Pace of Life that occurs here in this part of the Siam Kingdom. It is known as Thai time. Know, many cultures to the Italians, Spaniards, to the Southerners and to the DC Tourist walking up the escalator in the subway (STAND ON THE RIGHT- WE EVEN HAVE SIGNS) are slow to a East Coast Boy.
However Thai Time is something of a misnomer as Thai's are very hard working and do their jobs well, it just takes them forever to do it. For instance, I have been teaching at my School for 3 weeks, it was only today that I was given a student workbook so I could lesson plan. Why did it take them 3 weeks to go to the storage closet and get me a book - Thai Time.
Well I have found the elusive answer to this conundrum. Thai's cannot tell time because they can say each individual hour in 4 to 5 different ways. Yes that is right. It is actually very Thai, I mean to have a system so confusing to tell time you have to be late, it's quite a classy way to go.
First there is the Informal way to tell time. For the AM's they have an early half way and late half way.
Early AM's
1 AM. Dee Nong
4 AM. Dee Si
5 AM. Dee Ha
Late AM's
6 AM. Hok Mong Chow (hok = six)
7 AM. Nong Mong Chow (Nong = one.. what?)
8 AM. Song Mong Chow (Song is two..)
9 AM. Sam Mong Chow
10 AM. Si Mong Chow
11 AM. Ha Mong Chow
12 - Noon - Thii Ang Wan
Early PM's
1 PM. Bai Nong Mong
2 PM. Bai Song Mong
3 PM. Bai Sam Mong
4 PM. Bai Si Mong (If it is Light out)
Mid PM's
4 PM. Si Mong Yen (If it is Dark out)
5 PM. Ha Mong Yen (Regardless of illumination)
6 PM. Hok Mong Yen
Late PM's
7 PM. Nong Thum
8 PM. Song Thum
9 PM. Sam Thum
10 PM. Si Thum
11 PM. Ha Thum
12 PM - Midnight - Hok Thum or Thiang Khuan
Confused? Yah, thats 7 endings to tell the time compared to the western 2 (4 if you include Noon and Midnight) and this is just one way to tell time.
There are four more. The Official/ Government way which works like military time. Say 1 - 24 and then Nalika ( Means Watch) so Nong Nalika - 2:00 or 2 am or Yi-Sip Nalika - 20:00 or 8 pm. WAY easier. Luckily everyone understands this way, so that is what I resort too.
However there are also 3 other ways to tell time. a Northern Way and Southern Way and a Northeastern way. God forbid the Central Bangkokian Way be used everywhere, cuase it's just so easy.
So if you ever wanted to know why Thai's take forever to do something, Its because you probably told them you wanted it by tomorrow at 3 am when you meant today at 5 pm.
However Thai Time is something of a misnomer as Thai's are very hard working and do their jobs well, it just takes them forever to do it. For instance, I have been teaching at my School for 3 weeks, it was only today that I was given a student workbook so I could lesson plan. Why did it take them 3 weeks to go to the storage closet and get me a book - Thai Time.
Well I have found the elusive answer to this conundrum. Thai's cannot tell time because they can say each individual hour in 4 to 5 different ways. Yes that is right. It is actually very Thai, I mean to have a system so confusing to tell time you have to be late, it's quite a classy way to go.
First there is the Informal way to tell time. For the AM's they have an early half way and late half way.
Early AM's
1 AM. Dee Nong
2 AM. Dee Song
3 AM. Dee Sam4 AM. Dee Si
5 AM. Dee Ha
Late AM's
6 AM. Hok Mong Chow (hok = six)
7 AM. Nong Mong Chow (Nong = one.. what?)
8 AM. Song Mong Chow (Song is two..)
9 AM. Sam Mong Chow
10 AM. Si Mong Chow
11 AM. Ha Mong Chow
12 - Noon - Thii Ang Wan
Early PM's
1 PM. Bai Nong Mong
2 PM. Bai Song Mong
3 PM. Bai Sam Mong
4 PM. Bai Si Mong (If it is Light out)
Mid PM's
4 PM. Si Mong Yen (If it is Dark out)
5 PM. Ha Mong Yen (Regardless of illumination)
6 PM. Hok Mong Yen
Late PM's
7 PM. Nong Thum
8 PM. Song Thum
9 PM. Sam Thum
10 PM. Si Thum
11 PM. Ha Thum
12 PM - Midnight - Hok Thum or Thiang Khuan
Confused? Yah, thats 7 endings to tell the time compared to the western 2 (4 if you include Noon and Midnight) and this is just one way to tell time.
There are four more. The Official/ Government way which works like military time. Say 1 - 24 and then Nalika ( Means Watch) so Nong Nalika - 2:00 or 2 am or Yi-Sip Nalika - 20:00 or 8 pm. WAY easier. Luckily everyone understands this way, so that is what I resort too.
However there are also 3 other ways to tell time. a Northern Way and Southern Way and a Northeastern way. God forbid the Central Bangkokian Way be used everywhere, cuase it's just so easy.
So if you ever wanted to know why Thai's take forever to do something, Its because you probably told them you wanted it by tomorrow at 3 am when you meant today at 5 pm.
Teaching HIV + Orphans and Monks; Just another day on the Job in Chiang Mai
My last week of training in Chiang Mai was one full of lesson planning, teacher practices and saying good bye to my friends at the Program and in the city. For ATI's last week on the program, they had us conduct five 30 minute teacher practice classes, using the various lesson plans we had accumulated over the program. Each day had its own challenges, lessons and rewards.
On Monday, we were fortunate enough to go to a Mission, known as the Agabe Home. The Agabe Home is an orphanage and school that was established by Western missionaries for children that are HIV+ and children orphaned by HIV/ AIDS. The facility itself was on the outskirts of Chiang Mai and had a very beautiful and well funded compound. While I was very honored and excited to have this opportunity, I was still completely freaking out.
I unlike many of my friends at the program actually have experience dealing with children of many ages. In High School I was a Teacher's Aide and a camp counselor of various age groups for 3 years in a row, and I spent my freshmen year working in AmeriCorps teaching underprivileged students English and Math in the inner-city DC public school system. After all that, and my very natural temperament with Children (Some may laugh but I tell you kids love me - It's the big ears) I was still absolutely freaking out. I was the fourth person to go that morning and the first two teachers kind of bombed. We only had about 15 kids, but they were not listening, had very low English levels and were kind of a mess. However after some guidance from our wonderful Instructor, Sangeeta, we re-arranged the class setup and the person before me was a ROCKSTAR and calmed them all down. So I was able to bring in the reigns and had a fantastic class; the kids were attentive, responsive, controlled and they flew through the lesson. It was quite exhilarating and was a great first class. If only the rest of my week went by so smoothly.
On Tuesday we all loaded up in a song-tao (big red trucks) and headed off to a small government school. This day I was second to go and my co-patriot who was first was very ill so his class was over quickly and somewhat uneventfully. My class, didn't go much better. First I only had about 6 students, 2 boys 4 girls, none over the age of 9. My lesson plan was superheroes but it was a bit advanced for them to say, and after the first 5 mins of my class the only marker pen in the entire room broke, and it took another 5 mins to find one in the school - which led to failed attempt to play an impromptu game, FUN. Then halfway through my lesson a older woman and two babies just came into class, sat down and started participating and answering all the questions I wanted the kids to answer. I asked her to leave and she just sat there. Her phone kept ringing and in the Middle of class she started having a phone conversation. I'm sure it went something like this.
"Hey Gurlfriend, Yah I totes crashed this Farang (Foreigner's) English class... Yah he is tall and very white, but still he's asking all these funny questions about superman and batman, I sooooo knew the answer, These kids are big kwai (Water buffalo - meaning stupid). Yah anyways these two babies I’m watching are crying so I should prob go feed them or drop them on their head or something, LATTTA gurlfriend, chup chup (kiss, kiss)."
Needless to say, I bombed.
The last three days of the week we were assigned to teach at a monks school. Now I'm not sure about you but I think that's freaking awesome. On Wednesday when we arrived to the school, all the monks were taking a morning assembly in front of their school and the site of 300 monk children all praying in their orange robes was very intimidating. So off we went to teach. I still think that this was the most stereotypical Thai school I have seen yet. Shoes were to be removed from before entering classes, there were only fans and open windows (which worked better then you think - granted we were in the mountains) and very well behaved children. Although the kids were extremely well behaved and respectful there were a few problems with our class.
First and most importantly, some of the children and by some, I mean 19 out of 22 had no English skills. I mean zero. This was not true for some of the other classes but many of the Monks in then School we were teaching were from the hill tribes and did not even speak Thai that well. Meaning for many of the students, this was their third language and they were 13. Yah, Ok. Next I was doing a reading exercise. And my students couldn’t read English. I mean, at all. To be fair, it was not the easiest reading and some could recognize words, but besides the two older students in my class, no one had the language for the lesson plan. Lesson plans are the building blocks of any teaching experience. Even after a few weeks in the job I can tell you how they can make or break any class. But we were required by the program to make it work ala mode Tim Gunn, which was frustrating. Wednesday was by far the worst day so far, and after school I got a bit depressed. I had done so well where others hadn't and from Monday I had consistently gone downhill.
On Thursday I was blessed in changing rooms and kids, and with a Listening exercise which is much easier for low level learners. It went considerably better and I was able to go before Lunch, which any teacher can tell you makes a huge difference with concentration. Then for Friday we were able to do any lesson plan we wanted, I picked animals and colors and was a rock star. Finishing my program was both exhilarating and somewhat abrupt. I guess you can never learn enough before being a teacher and just have to do it. But my last week in Chiang Mai was very successful from a professional standpoint and most certainly helped me in my nerve in Teaching Children. I learned a lot of valuable lessons dealing with a large range of learners and students from all different types of teaching styles; Western, Thai, and Buddhist.
Still to this day I get a little nervous before class, but it all melts away the first smile you see, the first light in the eyes of child who understands or learns something new, and that makes it all worth it.
For Additional Information on the Agabe Home, or to make a Donation please visit http://www.nikkisplace.org/ .
On Monday, we were fortunate enough to go to a Mission, known as the Agabe Home. The Agabe Home is an orphanage and school that was established by Western missionaries for children that are HIV+ and children orphaned by HIV/ AIDS. The facility itself was on the outskirts of Chiang Mai and had a very beautiful and well funded compound. While I was very honored and excited to have this opportunity, I was still completely freaking out.
I unlike many of my friends at the program actually have experience dealing with children of many ages. In High School I was a Teacher's Aide and a camp counselor of various age groups for 3 years in a row, and I spent my freshmen year working in AmeriCorps teaching underprivileged students English and Math in the inner-city DC public school system. After all that, and my very natural temperament with Children (Some may laugh but I tell you kids love me - It's the big ears) I was still absolutely freaking out. I was the fourth person to go that morning and the first two teachers kind of bombed. We only had about 15 kids, but they were not listening, had very low English levels and were kind of a mess. However after some guidance from our wonderful Instructor, Sangeeta, we re-arranged the class setup and the person before me was a ROCKSTAR and calmed them all down. So I was able to bring in the reigns and had a fantastic class; the kids were attentive, responsive, controlled and they flew through the lesson. It was quite exhilarating and was a great first class. If only the rest of my week went by so smoothly.
On Tuesday we all loaded up in a song-tao (big red trucks) and headed off to a small government school. This day I was second to go and my co-patriot who was first was very ill so his class was over quickly and somewhat uneventfully. My class, didn't go much better. First I only had about 6 students, 2 boys 4 girls, none over the age of 9. My lesson plan was superheroes but it was a bit advanced for them to say, and after the first 5 mins of my class the only marker pen in the entire room broke, and it took another 5 mins to find one in the school - which led to failed attempt to play an impromptu game, FUN. Then halfway through my lesson a older woman and two babies just came into class, sat down and started participating and answering all the questions I wanted the kids to answer. I asked her to leave and she just sat there. Her phone kept ringing and in the Middle of class she started having a phone conversation. I'm sure it went something like this.
"Hey Gurlfriend, Yah I totes crashed this Farang (Foreigner's) English class... Yah he is tall and very white, but still he's asking all these funny questions about superman and batman, I sooooo knew the answer, These kids are big kwai (Water buffalo - meaning stupid). Yah anyways these two babies I’m watching are crying so I should prob go feed them or drop them on their head or something, LATTTA gurlfriend, chup chup (kiss, kiss)."
Needless to say, I bombed.
The last three days of the week we were assigned to teach at a monks school. Now I'm not sure about you but I think that's freaking awesome. On Wednesday when we arrived to the school, all the monks were taking a morning assembly in front of their school and the site of 300 monk children all praying in their orange robes was very intimidating. So off we went to teach. I still think that this was the most stereotypical Thai school I have seen yet. Shoes were to be removed from before entering classes, there were only fans and open windows (which worked better then you think - granted we were in the mountains) and very well behaved children. Although the kids were extremely well behaved and respectful there were a few problems with our class.
First and most importantly, some of the children and by some, I mean 19 out of 22 had no English skills. I mean zero. This was not true for some of the other classes but many of the Monks in then School we were teaching were from the hill tribes and did not even speak Thai that well. Meaning for many of the students, this was their third language and they were 13. Yah, Ok. Next I was doing a reading exercise. And my students couldn’t read English. I mean, at all. To be fair, it was not the easiest reading and some could recognize words, but besides the two older students in my class, no one had the language for the lesson plan. Lesson plans are the building blocks of any teaching experience. Even after a few weeks in the job I can tell you how they can make or break any class. But we were required by the program to make it work ala mode Tim Gunn, which was frustrating. Wednesday was by far the worst day so far, and after school I got a bit depressed. I had done so well where others hadn't and from Monday I had consistently gone downhill.
On Thursday I was blessed in changing rooms and kids, and with a Listening exercise which is much easier for low level learners. It went considerably better and I was able to go before Lunch, which any teacher can tell you makes a huge difference with concentration. Then for Friday we were able to do any lesson plan we wanted, I picked animals and colors and was a rock star. Finishing my program was both exhilarating and somewhat abrupt. I guess you can never learn enough before being a teacher and just have to do it. But my last week in Chiang Mai was very successful from a professional standpoint and most certainly helped me in my nerve in Teaching Children. I learned a lot of valuable lessons dealing with a large range of learners and students from all different types of teaching styles; Western, Thai, and Buddhist.
Monk School ... Ok, its just the Chiedi, but still I want that at My High School
Getting my Teach on with Monks
Playing Zoo - An Animal Musical Chairs Spin Off
Still to this day I get a little nervous before class, but it all melts away the first smile you see, the first light in the eyes of child who understands or learns something new, and that makes it all worth it.
For Additional Information on the Agabe Home, or to make a Donation please visit http://www.nikkisplace.org/ .
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