Welcome Home

This is the last posting meant for an immediate audience. After this one, I'll continue to write, but I'll take you off the emailing list and won't get anymore notices. You're free to visit the site whenever you want, but I'm I'll be writing less frequent.

Noah and I are sitting in the local coffeehouse of Columbus. He's grading papers, I'm looking busy. I'm trying to write things these days. I'm trying to think back on the past few months and find a coherent way to sum them up without being too. . . trite.

I feel many things when I think back on Thailand. One word doesn't come to mind, of course. It's all to grand for just one word. I can't even grasp one emotion that dealt with that event. It's too monumental for me to trivialize into a neat package.

How was Thailand? People ask me and and I still don't know what to say. There's that pause, punctuated with me thinking for a tactful way to respond. Good?

How was your trip? People ask me and I get a little angry. I did not take a trip, I want to say. I sacrificed time, I left my husband after a month of being married. I gave to children who didn't mind taking all of my energy. I cried and I was scared. I cried and I was lonely. I did not take a trip, for that would imply I went on a week long vacation to the nice parts of Bangkok, stepped into the seedy places, for sport and came home with the rest of the tourists.

How was Thailand? Good? Awful? Trying?A key player in saving my soul? It was all of those things and many more. There were wonderful times that I can recount, filled with a lot of happiness and excitement. I had friends who helped keep the loneliness and anxiety at bay. I had a solid group of friends from back home that kept steady contact with me and who always had time for me. My husband and his parents, my sister, Evan and Evelyn, were blessings on the days I didn't feel like leaving my house and I needed someone to talk to.

The small experiences that I had that showed me a new way of thinking, made me loosen up, pulled me out of myself--- those were blessings as well. Interactions, food, odd Thai quirks will always make me remember the wonderful culture that I was fortunate enough to experience. I will always look back on my time with happiness and pride. I hope to tell my children about my bravery, how I stepped outside of what I once deemed comfortable, normal and became a citizen of the world. I want to encourage them to do the same.

On Communism

This is really a posting on what I've learned as a new teacher and not so much the socioeconomic ideas of Marx. Jokingly, Noah and I would say that we are the socialists of our respective families. "Let's all work together and share the wealth!" But we work the best we can in the society that we've been born into and I think that I'm a pretty decent capitalist kid. When one of my students called me a communist on Friday, it made me think differently.

This sudden anger arose from my terribly "high-pressured" attendance policy, one that I've recently enforced. "15 minutes late to class and you're marked absent." This was an attempt to stop the strolling into class thirty minutes late and expecting to be counted present. As we all know, that kind of tardiness is distracting for me and the rest of the students. I had to put a end to the madness and set some boundaries.

This new rule rubbed students the wrong way. Their interpretation of it was me being unyielding. "Are you saying that because I'm one minute late, you're marking me absent?!"

What they really meant to say was: Are you saying that because I'm sixteen minutes late, you're marking me absent, you dirty commie?!"

I've gotten a lot of angry students protesting it; I've gotten a lot of confused Thai teachers who think it might be too strict. And now I've got one student who thinks I'm enforcing Mother Russia's Stalinist rule upon her.

It's through my experience with the students and talking with fellow teachers, that I've learned t it wasn't a good idea to come into teaching wanting to be the student's friend. I imagine every teacher that starts off, has huge ideas. One idea being that their youth and creativity will make the children see and obey. And I imagine all students know this and take advantage of it.

Is it terribly regrettable? No not really, I don't regret the valuable lessons that I've learn from all the mistakes I've made. The time and energy lost however, is a hard pill to swallow. If I had started the semester with my attendance rule, I would have save myself some headache and I would have trained the students. As it is, most of the students take the "15 minute law" pretty seriously. I've got them running through the halls and checking their watches.

Firm is the way to start out. According to my friend and veteran teacher, Cindy, there's a saying that goes amongst teachers: "Don't let them see you smile until after Thanksgiving." It makes sense to me. I've done things in the reverse, which confused the kids, and left some feeling a little like they may have lost their pal.

I'm okay with that I suppose. I came here to do a job, not to be anyone's buddy. And with one full week of teaching left, I'm stickin' to my guns. I would suggest that the new teacher, Nick, do the same. Although he'll certainly have his own unique experience with teaching, he'll most likely have the same start. The same inner conflict of picking what kind of relationship he will want with his students.

I would invoke the words of imperialistic President Teddy Roosevelt. "Walk softly and carry a big stick."

Then he should start rationing out their meat supplies.

Charish and Dave's Last Session

All in a Day's Shopping

I just got back from my own solo Sunday Session. It was a lot less educational than Charish and Dave's Sunday Session, but still fun and relaxing all the same. I've been shopping the local markets just outside the mall and I found some great deals.

I've learned that you should never shop in the mall. Everything is as overpriced as you think and there's really no such thing as a "sale." Outside the mall is a huge market called The Pin klao Market, a tent with a thousand little stalls selling everything a woman would need to stock her walk-in closet.

*WALK-IN CLOSET* I'm talking to you Noah *WALK-IN CLOSET*

Purses, shoes, jewelry, sunglasses, underwear, dresses, school uniforms. . . like I said, everything. While shopping in Pin Klao, I've become a lot more savvy in negotiating prices.

One thing I recommend in Thailand is learning key phrases in the language before shopping. Duh. It might be an obvious one, but I've seen westerners forget this and they end up talking louder, getting frustrated, and sometimes getting scammed.

I amble. I try not to walk as fast as I would on the street. I take my time, stop every other two feet and thoughtfully touch something. I give a "hmm." That's all it takes to attract a salesperson, sometimes a lot less. They greet me and I always smile and say "sawadee kaa." They will pitch their sale to me as if I understand. I have no idea what they are saying. I nod, always thoughtfully, furrow my brow, and say "hmm" some more. When I've spotted something I think I might like, I ask, "Tow rai?" How much? When they give me their price, I nod again. By now I sound like a Campbell Soup commercial. "Hmm. . ." Right now, is their chance to talk up this product some more:

"It's hand-made!"
"It's made of genuine leather!"
"It's from Paris!"
"We have it in extra large!"

I hear that last one often. If their price isn't doing it for me, I'll slowly back away with a pensive, losing interest expression. At this point, they might start talking faster.

"Maybe discount for you!"

Oh yeah?

Sometimes there's something I really want and I have to take a more offensive approach. That's where my knowledge of Thai numbers comes in handy. They are impressed that I know that much Thai in the first place. They don't expect it. Little do they know that's all the Thai I can speak. Once I saw a shirt for 280 baht. I inspected it in front of the saleswoman and put it back on the wall. "hmm."

"240," I told her.
She frowned and shook her head. A lesser woman would back down. I looked through the other tops and saw that the one I wanted was the only grey one. "No more grey," I told her. "Plus, it's medium! 240."

She pauses and I know I've got her. "270."
We keep this up until we've reached a compromise with 250. We both feel like winners.

Then there are just magically moments that occur without my doing anything. Like today. I was able to get discounts off of two items because. . . well I don't know. Maybe it's because I'm just a nice gal. When those happen, I just smile, thank them, and make a mental note to bring my business back.

Whew, I'm a little tired from all that walking and looking and spending money. I want a caramel latte. I'm getting spoiled :(

Brown Like Me

On my last Sunday Session with Dave, we were accosted by a Thai man who wanted to know why Dave was "so white."

While minding our own business at a riverside park, a not so subtle but very witty Thai man came strolling up to us. He stopped, with his hands held behind his back, he stared at Dave in amusement. "You are you so white," he said. "Why?"

Dave was more than a little perplexed. I watched in amazement. Could one just state the obvious like that? The Thai can. Things like race, sexuality, and often at times, weight are not at all taboo to discuss directly. I suppose we shouldn't have been too surprised that a stranger would just point that out.

Dave shrugged. "I'm English."

The man pointed at my leg. "She is brown." He pointed to his arm. "I am brown." Then he finished the circle. "You are white." Before Dave could reply, the man directed his attention to me. "Are you Thai?"

"No."

"Why are you brown?"

"I'm. . ." I was confused, that's what I was. "African American. I'm black."

And now he was confused or suspicious. I have had many Thais question my ethnicity, just like some Americans do. They know that I'm not Thai, but I'm not just black either and it must be verified.

Another color related issue took place in my classroom. The girls of my level two class are usually a rowdy bunch, but mostly cute and precocious. It was after one lesson that I was packing up my things and about to exit the room, when one of my students pointed out how brown I was. Mai compared me to another one of my students, a cute brown Thai girl named Bell.

"Mother and daughter," Mai said to us and pointed to our arms. The other students giggled about it and I cringed inwardly. They may not have realized it, but I felt like we had walked into something that was potentially awkward. I looked at Bell who gave me an unusually strained smile.

What I already know about Bell made me think twice about my response. She's the darkest in a group of light-skinned Thai girlfriends and I think she's quite aware of it. It might be the reason, she seems to identify with me. She marvels at my fashion sense (truthfully, I hate wearing my teacher's uniform. I'm glad someone appreciates it) and is always telling me how beautiful I am. I return the favor, not because I feel sorry for her, but because she really is. She's got lovely burnt sienna skin, dark expressive eyes, and such an inviting smile.

One day, I asked her if she was looking forward to our field trip to the beach (to see those sea turtles), she was not happy. "Too much sun."

"Yeah? So?"

She pointed to her arm and frowned. I didn't like hearing that.

I also didn't like it when her and her friends came to my class, with so much powder, they looked like a gaggle of geishas. It was more obvious on Bell with her being so much darker than the other girls. I don't understand how she could think she looked better with a pound of powder hiding the skin she was born with.

So as I faced the girls and Bell, I chose my words carefully. "Not mother and daughter, I'm too young for kids," I told them. "We're more like sisters."

They nodded in recognition and Bell flashed me that beautiful smile of hers. Crisis averted.

Race isn't an issue here in Thailand, but color is. There are no dark skinned models or actresses representing in the media. This isn't unusual though, many countries and cultures share this idea of beauty. I find it interesting that my experiences here have been eerily similar to the one's I've had as a kid in America. When I was younger, my mother told my sister and I not to play in the sun. She wasn't as concerned about our safety as she was our appearance.

"Do you want to get black?"
Before I could reply, "Duh, mom, I already am," I just put on a hat to her appease her.

I wonder what Bell's mom has told her.

A Familiar Friend

Bright colors yellow, red, orange, swirl around me as I step through the automatic door and into a paradise full of fried potatoes and "all beef patties."

McDonalds in Bangkok is such a delight! There's a general feeling of privilege as you dine there. It is actually the most expensive meal the average Thai will eat. At a hundred and thirty baht, I could be eating eight omelets and a couple meats on sticks. I wouldn't. That's just an illustration. Potatoes might be a expensive but beef and cheese are gold!

Take just a moment to think about your local American McDonalds. Pimply sixteen year olds spitting in the quarter pounders, massive amounts of health violations. Weekly e. coli scares. "We forgot your apple pie? Okay, what about it?"
"This isn't your order? Well, can you eat it anyway? You like chicken nuggets, right?"
"You ordered twenty minutes ago? I guess we lost it. . ."

Okay, now ready yourself for this:

I walked into the restaurant and I was met with a chipper teen girl with a flouncy red apron who may or may not have said: " Sa wa dee ka, ma ha na. . . something. . . kaa!" I take it that meant: "Welcome to McDonalds, we have a promotion on the new chicken burger!" I smiled and nodded. This young woman walks around like a bird of paradise, her makeup and hair immaculate and her uniform is trendy. Her job is to greet customers, clear off tables and direct people to a table! Can you believe that? A hostess!

The bright lights and signs were begging me to shoot myself with some beefy dopamine goodness. What do I want? What do I want? I want it all! I'll have a large fry, a large nugget, a Big Mac, a large, coke and two apple pies. Simmer down, girl. We're going to get through this trip without making a fool of ourselves.

"Sa wa dee KAA!" said an equally chipper counter girl.
"KAA!" I replied, excited that I was being welcomed in a McDonald's for the first time in my life. No one looked bored or angry that I had interrupted their food fight or prank intercom shenanigans to request food!

"Can I have a double cheeseburger set, please?" Instead calling things "Big Mac Meals," they call them sets. Perhaps they think it's a little presumptuous to call a burger and fries a "meal."
The counter girl was all over it. She shouted to someone and things were happening so rapidly, I couldn't keep up. My meal was out on the counter before I could stick my hand in my pocket for money. I looked at the girl dumbly. "Is that mine?"

Her head bobbed up and down. "One hundred thirty nine baht."

My paid and noticed that my drink was a coke, I also noticed that they didn't ask me if I'd wanted a coke. Apparently it's a default drink. As I looked around the dining area for a place to sit, I found I didn't have to look long. The hostess, who had obviously been keeping an eye on me, ushered me to a table without much preamble. "Thank you," I murmured, still amazed by this treatment.

How was the meal? The fries were hot and crispy, the burger was hot and cheesy with a ton of ketchup and pickles that I'd removed no matter what country I'm in. It was calming to sit amongst the calamity of being in a new location but with an old familiar friend. Until the old familiar feeling of guilt came back. "What the hell am I doing eating this? I stopped eating this stuff when I was in America!"

When I was finished, I quickly left, pretending that I was never in there.

P.S. Some other things I found really interesting about Bangkok McDonalds:

1. The ketchup doesn't taste the same. Something about this kind is slightly sweeter and thinner consistency. Next to ketchup dispensers there are "chili sauce" dispensers. I don't dig that sauce at all.

2. There are no apple pies. Only corn and pineapple pies. I don't think I'm about that either. Corn pies?

3. I saw at least three other foreigners eating there last night. We all pretended we didn't see one another. I imagine we didn't want admit to the others that we'd sunk that low. WE ARE NOT TOURISTS!

Weighing in With My Opinion

This is a scale from my school. The population of students is roughly four girls to one boy. All of the girls have some sort of body image issue. There are nose jobs, hair extentions, and stuffed bras abound! Ahh, to be sixteen again. I just find it curious that these scales are situated in three places around the school. This one is right before you get on the elevator, another is right before you get to the cafeteria and the last is right as you get on school grounds. Perfect places where there's bound to be some heavy foot traffic. I personally think it's the last thing the young women here need.

For one baht, you can see how much you weight in kilos! Before I filmed this today, I tried this once before and got 77 kilos. But one of my students caught me, she blabbed to nearly the entire school that I was fat. Sigh.

I know I'm not fat. For a woman my height, I'm right where I ought to be. When I'm not lazy, I might do sit ups or dance around in the evenings. That obviously constitutes a tough work-out. So what's the issue? Thailand, of course, since I've been here, all the foreign women I've come into contact with have complained about shopping for clothes or being referred to the "fat corner,"

And I am a chief complainer. Ever since I first came out here and went to the local Tesco to buy some work clothes, I noticed something was terribly wrong. According to the Thai, I'm morbidly obese. Okay, maybe not so much. And keep in mind, Asians are generally small people. So to find out that a size medium shirt you'd wear in the states is actually a size extra extra large here, is a little frustrating. And let me tell you, there are limited XXLs to go around.

And don't get me started about shoes.

Or long enough pants with enough room in the butt and hips.

Or about bras.

Or about fitting inside tuk tuks and most buses.

I'm a giant in so many ways. If I throw in the afro as well, I'll bet I'm an overwhelming sight for little children. They love to stare and I just wish I knew what they were thinking. I think they might be afraid. Well that's okay, kids are allowed some awe-inspiring sights every once in awhile. Hey! Maybe one of these days, I can get mistaken for WNBA superstar Lisa Leslie and get asked for an autograph! : )

Down to the Wire

All right then, today is the end of the August and that means I've got one more month left in the country. Or as Noah says, four weeks. Apparently we're not counting that last week due to our hectic schedules. So there we are, four weeks.

I have to admit that August was a pretty dry month. I didn't write quite as much as I should have and I placated you all with media. I hope you didn't notice. This month, however, things will change. I will have to write something nearly everyday if I want to come away from this experience totally satisfied. That means some of you will get more emails from me. That's okay, I'm assuming you read these posts and that you won't mind the clutter.

I'll get started now.

Today was payday and nothing makes teachers more giddy and more tolerant than getting their monthly salary. Students aren't quite as loud, co-workers aren't quite as annoying and there's somewhat of a bounce to your step when you walk to the ATM. The first thing I spent my hard earned money on today was a massage. The ones I like run a little expensive, about 850 baht for an hour and a half for the full body oil. I can only do a couple a month and then I have to chill. But today it was nice to lay out and have someone erase my stresses away with hands trained at Buddhist temples. Nothin' like it.

Once I left the spa, my world slowed down considerably. I walked like a local. Usually, I walk at a break neck speed, angling around pedestrians, hopping off the sidewalk to avoid running into old ladies. This evening, however, I just strolled. I grabbed a bite to eat, met up with my friend Cindy and chatted with her over a cheese danish, and then shopped.

I'd like to say that I'm roughing it out here. It's far from the truth. Living in Bangkok has it's frustrations, but very rarely could I go to the spa in America, and eat, and shop, just because I could or had the money. I'm really going to miss this part of living out here.

Okay then, I'm going to prepare for bed and tomorrow, I will continue the week as best as I can. I've got four more to go!

Weekend in photos

Here's the plan:





Sunday Session four, featuring our friend Larissa.



Fish feeding frenzy at the pier!



Toilet stall sign that needed to be captured

outside of Rama 5's palace

Hanging out at the Marble Temple

Marble Temple bridge

Bangin' the drum.



A quiet moment to meditate

No class!

Dear Miss Susannah Roderick (part II)

How are you doing these days? Well, I hope. Are you taking in a lot sun and fun this summer? Things are going well on this end of the globe. It's hot, there's a lost gecko in my bathroom; but I'm fine nonetheless.

I wanted you to know that I had wonderfully accidental luck on the elephant tracking. I nearly walked into one on my way home last night. It was a very cute baby elephant being cared for by a couple of trainers. It looked healthy and pretty happy. I wanted to stop it and talk about you: "Susannah Roderick wants to know more about Thai elephants; can you tell me what it's like to be a baby elephant? Do you really like eating peanuts? Are you really afraid of mice?" I didn't get a chance though. It looked like it was in a hurry. But I did take a couple pictures for you:

No Sea Turtles Were Actually Released Today.

But that's okay. I don't think the military men who stood by watching, were too trusting of us to do the right thing. And they were right to have their suspicions, because I was awfully close to pocketing one of those baby turtles. They were sooooo cute! Just splashing around, totally unaware of the arduous journey that lay before them in the cruel sea.

Sigh. Noah, I now want a rabbit and a turtle when I get home.

Here's what they look like:



I can't say that the whole trip was full of frills. The bus ride there was a little dangerous, what with the driver taking chances on a two lane highway in a double decker bus. I feel like the tip over rate in those things is incredibly high. If it wasn't the driving, it was the students and their horrible club music pumped through the buses speakers. I can't believe the driver would allow The Blackeyed Peas to be blasted in his ear while he drove. This lasted for about two hours. I got an incredible headache, the kind that seems unfathomable.

When we got to the Naval Base, we stopped to look a ship. But that's all us foreigners could do, was look. On the outside. Apparently, the military has a rule about farange being on the ship. That's okay though, I didn't come all the way to Chom-Buri to see a ship. Here are pictures and video though:








After that we saw the turtles:

That's someone's mom!

This might be why the navy men were eyeing us so suspiciously, we're not really supposed to be handling the turtles, but look at them! They're soooooo cute! I was quick.

After all the turtle watching, we went to the beach where I took a lot of pictures and chilled. It was probably the best part of the trip.

Those are the girls of 2/8 and they are having a bit of a free day today. The truth is, I don't have much planned for them and they're up for a field trip on Friday. They're not in the mood to learn anything. Anyway, I thought they could be introduced to you.




So hot in. . . so hot in huurr.

Finding Music in Thailand

It's a pitiful substitute, a beer and D'angelo singing a cover of Smokey. Serving me the oldest line known,
music is made for love
It really is and I imagine music driving us, two forces with reckless steering.
I should have kissed you. . .
I've switched to something more somber
and for good reason,
it's a pitiful substitute, this song and these memories.

It's a first in a while,
listening to Bread. Of course, everything
they say is familiar and sensible
D'angelo and his gravitas is for another warm evening

I've created a useless and incredible jumbled
soundtrack to accompany this lonely night.
How hard is it to justify the placement of
Rogers and Zapp?
Damn hard. But like I said, it's a lonely night,
no need to explain it to anyone.

Other Videos

Eating with Tip



That infamous trip to Pattaya.



Sliding around the subways

Weekend in Videos

Shoes!



Park!

You Can Lead a Horse to the Water. . .

I yelled at my kids today, I felt terrible for it. I think it might have something to do with my air conditioning and PMS. This was the last time I'd meet with them before their midterm, so I gave them a study guide to go over in class. They begged for something to study, but then changed their minds and decided to do other things like talk, go to the toilet, start doing their make up and hair. . .

And then I yelled at them. I'm not proud of it, but I have to say that once I did it, I was on a roll. The berating took at least five minutes. I told them things like: "This isn't my test, it's your test!" "I'm not the one trying to get a job in tourism!" "You're all going to fail if you don't listen!" "Help me help you!" "I don't want to see you end up in the sex industry taking orders from a snaggle toothed pimp!"
Okay maybe not the last one, but you know where my heart was.
The room got sullen and they were quiet. To add to my point and to prevent myself from hitting one of them, I left the room. I didn't want to shout anymore and I didn't need to do anything silly. I had a headache of epic proportions and I needed a "time out."

Is this what parenting is like?

I felt like a monster for letting my temper get the best of me. When I got back the classroom, they acted a little more civilized and wanted to cooperate. In the end, I got what I wanted, but I felt terrible in the process. But these kids. . .
The majority of the students in my school are girls who are incredibly beautiful, but incredibly dumb or unmotivated or self-absorbed. I blame this on a lot of things: for one, it's their age, of course. I can't say I was all that motivated when I was sixteen, but I at least did my work. Another thing, is the commercialized pop culture that they live in, where everything revolves around clothes, makeup, hair, music, and boys. Not necessarily in that order.

The sad things is, if they don't make it in this vocational school, there's no way they are headed to college. For many this is the last stop in school anyway. Maybe I wasn't too far off when I said I didn't want them to end up in the sex industry. Because if they don't get their shit together, that is certainly where their beauty is going to lead them.

If I had it my way, they'd all become flight attendants, bankers, tour guides, hotel managers, and restaurant hostesses. That's what I'd like to see from them. But the reality is, and believe it or not, it just came to me: Students have to want it for themselves. That's the most disheartening part. I could shout at them til I'm blue in the face, but it won't help. Those who just aren't into school, just aren't. I have to remind myself to focus on the ones that are. That's just one more control issue, I have to let go of. Not everyone wants to be here; not all of them can be saved. I have to give my all to those who can be.

In the Heat of the Night

I'm so angry right now and I only have the heat of my bedroom fueling my rage. My air conditioning quit on me two nights ago and I'm stuck with another hot night in Bangkok. It wouldn't be so bad if my bedroom weren't on the top floor and it wasn't facing the sun everyday. I probably wouldn't be so angry if I weren't dealing with the laid back "get it done later" attitude of my school.

Mai pen rai.

I'm so past the point of "no worries" right now, I don't know what to do.

The technician that works for the school, came to my house to look at it and the conclusion was that I would need a whole new unit. There's no telling how long that will take. "Maybe tomorrow." Both of us, sweating, stare at the broken air conditioner. Him thinking that he needed to get out here, it was far too hot. Me thinking that I'm going to pull the thing out of my wall and cast it over my balcony. I might toss him right behind it.

After he broke the news to me, I calmly walked him out of my house, saying thank you as I did it, because I'm not that rude. I shut the door behind him, calmly walked back upstairs, closing the bedroom door behind me. . . and let out a blood curling scream about three times before I collapsed to the bed sobbing for relief and mercy.

Okay, so maybe I'm over reacting. But this is one those things that I'm still having a hard time with. The language barrier, yeah, of course, but there's also a conflict of attitude here. I have an attitude of "get it done YESTERDAY!" that clashes with the Thai. In the end, I always leave the table unsatisfied and frustrated. At school, the British teacher, Roger, jokes, "Did you fill out a request form for a request form yet?" Yes, it's almost that redundant.

The issue I have is that this shouldn't have happened in the first place. The air con was old as hell and everyone on the block knew it. It literally was the loudest machine on the street! Every time I turned it on, people knew I was home. It should have been replaced long ago. In fact, a technician did come out my first week here to look at it before I realized there was a problem, before I realized that it shouldn't sound like a lawn mower every time I turn it on. Why wasn't it replaced then? The same thing happened to Andy, the last American resident of this house. Only he had it worst, it was his water that got cut off and the school didn't get around to fixing until three or four days later!

Sigh. Mai pen rai.
mai pen rai
mai pen rai
mai pen. . . rai.

I think I'm okay now. I think I'll be okay. I will wait for tomorrow and see what comes. Thank you for listening to that rant. Sorry I've tainted the blog with such negativity, but I think this counts for one of those Thai experiences to remember, eh?

Before I go, I shouldn't let another moment pass without giving a shot out to my husband, newly doctored and all. I know I told him a million times that I'm super proud of him, but I don't really think it can be said quite enough. "I'm proud of you, Dr. Babe."

Roadside Dining

She was his ward but
his attention was on a chess game
As she peppered the boy's back
with tiny fists,
he ignored her
focusing on being a little man
They slammed pieces roughly,
traded insults and talked of honor
He was only twelve or so but
laughed at the jokes that
should have gone over his head

The scene was the past
and I was the boy
and it was my younger sister
that fussed
that pushed and prodded me,
wanting me to return the favor
Our ages cursed us.
In the beginning, I tried to lose her
and couldn't---she made me tired
She resented my desire for privacy
and her instant maturity
Years later, it became apparent
that she no longer needed me
I resented her privacy and her maturity
and how she acquired them so early

I returned to watch a brother
turn his back on a girl
starved for attention
I silently begged him to turn back
before it was too late
I soon lost my appetite.

Birthday Weekend July 24-26

Sorry for the limited posts this month. Even though I only had about fourteen real teaching days, I still managed to be super busy. But today is Sunday, a wind down kind of day. I just finished doing a massive load of laundry and now I'm listening to Hall and Oates in a really hot bedroom. If I turn on the air con, though, I might wear it out before night time comes. That's when I really need it. Hall and Oates are complaining about a woman that's gone and I realize that I need to get out of the house. So, I'm leaving after I write this.

This year's birthday was so awesome because I spent it in a pretty awesome city, abroad. Also, it landed on a Friday. Celebration bled well into Saturday and today too, I guess. Who's going to stop me from making it a three day festival? Here are some photos:

My 3/6 Tourism students surprised me with a cake and sang "Happy Birthday" to me. It was the best English I'd ever heard out of them. Their thoughtfulness made me a little tearful. They were upset by this. "Teacha! Don't cry!" The students had reports due that day. They didn't do them. Mmh.


That's my badminton friend Nut sitting next to me. He's got the responsibility of teaching all of these new Chinese students Thai. They're all really lovely and enthusiastic about learning though. They also sang "Happy Birthday" This led to believe that this song was obviously universally know. Friday was also my scheduled cooking lesson with Nut in the cafeteria. We learned how to green curry. The girls and I sampled more than we took notes.



Friday night! These are Dave's three friends(Sarah, Lauren, and Jenny), who just flew in from England that day. They were lovely enough to come out to help celebrate. My other friends Grace and Lynda joined in as well a little later. Our first stop was Mulligans' Irish Pub.

Grace and Lynda impressed? Maybe.

That was an extremely long night and it will be a long time before I have another. But it was really enjoyable and something to remember forever.

The next day, Saturday, was more mellow but equally fun. I met my friend Cindy at the largest and most elegant mall in the world. One could go to a Coach store, walk out of that and into a Prada store, and then into a Gucci store. Would that person buy anything? Maybe not, but this is where the more affluent Thai and rich tourists shop. On one floor you can buy a Lamborghini!

Cindy introduced me to the biggest English bookstore I'd seen in Bangkok so far. It was so exciting to sit and browse things in English! I'm definitely going back because there was a coffee shop to sit at and read too. It really reminded me sitting at Borders with Noah.

After that, we went to our friend Bo's place where he and Pak had a lovely lunch waiting for us. It was just supposed to be a birthday tea time, but when I wasn't paying attention, Pak came out of the kitchen with a cake! It was sooo nice! Here's a look at it, it says Happy Birthday Miss Gra-tai, Thailand 2009, I think.

So that was the weekend. It has started raining right now and the clothes I just hung out to dry are getting a bit wet. I'm going to have to let you all go rescue my underwear before it flys off my balconey and then go get something to eat. But I will try to get back with you regularly, okay?