6/29/09 and 6/30/09
Well, so much for teaching on Day 1. The entire town literally threw us a party. It was absolutely ridiculous. Nhaca and I arrived at school fully prepped and ready to teach. The teachers shuffled us into an extended tour and kept waiting around for Supa and Daniel, who agreed to come translate scheduling and watch us teach. The school has two buildings, one for Patom (my kids! Younger ones ) and one for Mataum(grades around 6-9 in the US). It’s rural with no doors and kinda dirty floors but everyone takes their shoes off anyway at the door-a Thai courtesy. The teachers were so friendly but most only know a few words of English. The kids are ADORABLE…they “sawatdee” us and call us “Teacher”. Anyway we continued to wander around until we sat in under this outdoor podium with about 100 parents finishing up a parent meeting to discuss (get this) Hawaiian shirts for Friday uniforms. All of the sudden we were in front of the stage, handed microphones to introduce ourselves and people smiled, but all but maybe 4 of the parents do not speak English and it was kind of awkward. Then we were presented with flower leis by the town mayor, policemen, other officials, teachers, etc…I was so flattered and my neck felt like it was going to fall off. Then Thai students danced for us, we feasted, and all was merry...but I really wanted to teach!
Then scandal arose over the host family issue. The non-English speaking host dad farmer I was supposed to stay with was really upset and thus Nhaca’s family (host dad is Nhaca’s brother) was really upset and thought I was leaving because of the tree…it is really hard to explain to someone that it isn’t personal, but LE standards weren’t being met, etc. I ended up being placed with a teacher at the school, whom I affectionately call Maream She is so sweet and is trying very hard to speak English and calls me DEB after I said that DEB-AN could be easier to say as Dev. My new host family is incredibly compassionate and I love them all. Like most Thai families, they live around extended family, so in addition to my “Pa” and two sisters, Fun (16) and Film (15) I’ve met aunts and uncles. Aunt O is really overprotective of me (actually they all are) and insists on running or biking with me because I’m too “sawaai” or “beautiful” to be alone. I eat and hang out in MaReam’s house but sleep in her now North Carolinian uncle’s house which is really westernized. It’s definitely not as authentic as the 1 room farmhouse with no bathroom!, but this has an AUTOMATIC TOLIET, AIR-CONDITIONING!!!!!, and a huge comfy bed and CLOSET. WOW I am so lucky!
Today, 6/30/09, was my first day of teaching and it was overwhelming. I had Buu there (she skipped school to help me and Nhaca!) to help translate, but it is very difficult with little kids who are chatting and I can only “shhh” without knowing words in Thai to make them behave. Nonetheless, all is going well and I think once they concentrate, we can learn a lot. The older kids (8) know the alphabet song, but cannot write the alphabet or do anything out of sequence. I caught kids cheating multiple times under their desks when quizzing them on writing the alphabet. Most of them have NO clue. The kids greet me standing with “good morning teacher” even if it’s afternoon and say “thank you teacher” when I signal to sit down. In other words, they’re well-trained. And SO CUTE. I really want to put up pictures, but it may take a while. All in all, I’m really busy and tired, waking up at 5 and crashing at 10 with lesson-planning and lots of pilot stuff for LE. Hope all is well in the States!
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Over the top farewell...
6/29/09
Yesterday was the most ridiculous display of Thai culture! After a long teaching 101 session (our last day at Supa’s house in Taphan Hin) on how to instruct and construct the classroom, we the volunteers dressed in Thai clothing and tested out our dance moves from yesterday which was really fun. The women sewed our Western frames into tiny Thai corsets in which I could not a) breathe or b) sit down in.
INDIAN SIDE NOTE: Thai dance is very interesting and most of it derives from India. The wai (or greeting that you use to say hello to EVERYONE) also comes from India. Interestingly, of all the people I’ve met in Thailand, 3 have asked if I’m Indian. Apparently I look South Asian to them? I am so proud haha!
Dancing outside under a protective tent with live instrumentalists, little girls were so enthusiastic to hold my hand and hug me, saying “Naaa-raat” which means cute or beautiful. I met my host dad, “Looom” which means uncle in Thai and his granddaughter “Oom” but they were really anxious and did not speak any English so I felt uncomfortable. After the party I was supposed to move with them into my rural farmhouse in Bangkratum, Phitanulok but I went in the car with Nhaca and her host family which is supposed to live just down the dirt road. I was told by Buu, Nhaca’s host sister aka the 16 year old English-speaking goddess!, that I couldn’t go with my host family because of the rain and that I’d be staying with them tonight. I was confused as to why the rain prevented by move-in, but a phone call to Daniel/Supa in Taphanhin clarified that the mud road I live on was flooded and impossible to walk on with suitcases. So the 4 year old granddaughter Oom and Looom trekked the 2 miles back sans moi. Supa called me last night and told me that they were likely going to try and find another host family for me because Nisa, my host mom is the only English speaker, but she is going to be in Bangkok Friday through Sunday and works every other day 6am-6pm, so it’s not ideal for communication AND I have no internet and in the case of emergency could be left without information. So right now I’m in limbo and feeling kinda uncomfortable.
Nhaca’s host family is lovely but we find ourselves so confused with this language barrier. It’s a lot of us being silent or saying “Mai kow jaie” which means “I don’t understand”. Bangkratum is so rural compared to Taphanhin. I went running this morning at 5 because the temple next to our house blasts this broadcast news show bright and early. It was okay but the people aren’t as smilely as in Taphanhin(probably more surprised to see Westerners) and the dogs are so scary. I was chased and scratched by about 3, but at least they didn’t bite! I don’t want to run in fear, but I also don’t want to stop running because I need it for peace of mind and because Thais shove food down my throat! Too bad there is no aerobic dancing in Bangkratum.
The power and water also shut off this morning at Nhaca’s house where I spent the night….
I am about to leave for school! First day of class yields nervousness, but I am so excited for these 6-9 year olds! Lesson plan consists of a lot of introduction material. I plan to borrow one of my favorite things from elementary school called “meeting” in which all the children sit on the floor in a circle and I go over the agenda. Then I’ll give my introduction and pass around a few pictures of family, snow, and my house. Next we’ll play a name game with yarn that I brought to create a web as each kid says his name and age. After that I’ll give a brief talk about the web and our interconnectedness in learning (really playing into the Buddhist thoughts here!). Next the students will make name cards that I brought and I’ll take a picture of them to memorize the names and faces tonight! Then I’ll go over class rules, which besides all the basic ones about respect, will include a smiling rule…ie :”I want to see nothing but smiles because learning English is fun!”. If time allows we’ll do the ABC’s.
Yesterday was the most ridiculous display of Thai culture! After a long teaching 101 session (our last day at Supa’s house in Taphan Hin) on how to instruct and construct the classroom, we the volunteers dressed in Thai clothing and tested out our dance moves from yesterday which was really fun. The women sewed our Western frames into tiny Thai corsets in which I could not a) breathe or b) sit down in.
INDIAN SIDE NOTE: Thai dance is very interesting and most of it derives from India. The wai (or greeting that you use to say hello to EVERYONE) also comes from India. Interestingly, of all the people I’ve met in Thailand, 3 have asked if I’m Indian. Apparently I look South Asian to them? I am so proud haha!
Dancing outside under a protective tent with live instrumentalists, little girls were so enthusiastic to hold my hand and hug me, saying “Naaa-raat” which means cute or beautiful. I met my host dad, “Looom” which means uncle in Thai and his granddaughter “Oom” but they were really anxious and did not speak any English so I felt uncomfortable. After the party I was supposed to move with them into my rural farmhouse in Bangkratum, Phitanulok but I went in the car with Nhaca and her host family which is supposed to live just down the dirt road. I was told by Buu, Nhaca’s host sister aka the 16 year old English-speaking goddess!, that I couldn’t go with my host family because of the rain and that I’d be staying with them tonight. I was confused as to why the rain prevented by move-in, but a phone call to Daniel/Supa in Taphanhin clarified that the mud road I live on was flooded and impossible to walk on with suitcases. So the 4 year old granddaughter Oom and Looom trekked the 2 miles back sans moi. Supa called me last night and told me that they were likely going to try and find another host family for me because Nisa, my host mom is the only English speaker, but she is going to be in Bangkok Friday through Sunday and works every other day 6am-6pm, so it’s not ideal for communication AND I have no internet and in the case of emergency could be left without information. So right now I’m in limbo and feeling kinda uncomfortable.
Nhaca’s host family is lovely but we find ourselves so confused with this language barrier. It’s a lot of us being silent or saying “Mai kow jaie” which means “I don’t understand”. Bangkratum is so rural compared to Taphanhin. I went running this morning at 5 because the temple next to our house blasts this broadcast news show bright and early. It was okay but the people aren’t as smilely as in Taphanhin(probably more surprised to see Westerners) and the dogs are so scary. I was chased and scratched by about 3, but at least they didn’t bite! I don’t want to run in fear, but I also don’t want to stop running because I need it for peace of mind and because Thais shove food down my throat! Too bad there is no aerobic dancing in Bangkratum.
The power and water also shut off this morning at Nhaca’s house where I spent the night….
I am about to leave for school! First day of class yields nervousness, but I am so excited for these 6-9 year olds! Lesson plan consists of a lot of introduction material. I plan to borrow one of my favorite things from elementary school called “meeting” in which all the children sit on the floor in a circle and I go over the agenda. Then I’ll give my introduction and pass around a few pictures of family, snow, and my house. Next we’ll play a name game with yarn that I brought to create a web as each kid says his name and age. After that I’ll give a brief talk about the web and our interconnectedness in learning (really playing into the Buddhist thoughts here!). Next the students will make name cards that I brought and I’ll take a picture of them to memorize the names and faces tonight! Then I’ll go over class rules, which besides all the basic ones about respect, will include a smiling rule…ie :”I want to see nothing but smiles because learning English is fun!”. If time allows we’ll do the ABC’s.
Thailand is a land of FOOD 6/27/09
6/27/09
Oh wow. Thailand is not too great for the waistline. I feel like all we do is eat and/or prepare food for eating. I can’t wait to start teaching on Monday so that my day will be broken up with more structured breaks of eating. Even if we have organized meals, there’s always something to “try” when walking through a market, driving and stopping for some pad thai from a street vendor.
My day started at 5:30 when I got up to run. I traipsed through rice fields, lanes of metal shacks along the Nan river, through the bustles of downtown Taphanhin. I had one memorable encounter with a Thai man down a dirt road on the way back to Supa’s house when he first stared, than smiled widely and as I ran by, exclaimed, “Hello!” and after a pause…”Good morning!”. It’s really astounding when people speak English because it is so rare for most, even in a smaller town like this. When I move to the village Phitsanulok on Sunday, I can expect even less English to be spoken and farms rather than stores and banks.
After a quick shower, it was time for breakfast which Supa was already preparing…a scrumptious brown rice with an oatmeal-y consistency which we topped with stir-fried thai veggies, fried egg with onion, and the best mushrooms with fried garlic I have ever tasted. This was (of course )accompanied by chai yen (Thai iced tea), fresh pineapple and durian. I love eating huge meals at 7 am!
Around 9 AM some of Supa’s friends came to pick us up and we went to visit some subsistence farms and local artisans. It was just nice to sit in air-conditioned cars and watch the Thai countryside fly by. It seems like there are no speed limits and/or driving rules in Thailand. It’s enough for me to get used to the wrong side of the road, but these near head-on collisions while passing are enough to throw me into cardiac arrest! We visited a farm growing fresh coconuts, jackfruit, and …frogs! Apparently Thais harvest frogs. They were HUGE. Next we went to a different farm that had more rice patties and mushroom plots. After that, we visited a local pottery studio and I bought two lovely originals for mom…well, there goes the surprise. The painting work is so intricate and even though they were painted with real gold, the Baat makes everything inexpensive.
We stopped for pad thai and other specialties on the way back. We literally unloaded on the side of the street, sat on picnic tables, and ate ourselves into oblivion…a normal occurrence! I got to help the outdoor cook hydrate the noodles in the wok! The pad thai was really good…the crushed peanuts and lime add so much flavor! Next we had spicy pad se ew with basil (it has delicious WIDE noodles) and then the infamous cleans-your-sinuses-and-makes-you-cry papaya salad. Although I need to be armed with tissues and cold beverages and a sweat rag, this is quickly becoming one of my favorites. In the car we snacked on the interesting flavors of Lays…including sweet basil, thai chile paste, extra barbeque, and nori seaweed!
Then Supa needed to get a few things at the market so I got to go with her on the motorcycle. It’s really exhilarating and freeing, though there were a few close calls in the bustle of cars, people, and other motorbikes. Learning to ride myself is a definite goal this summer! I am realizing more and more what an astounding person Supa is and how valuable a resource she is to our program. Not only is the woman willing to drop everything and cook (ha!) she is well connected and completely committed to connecting us the volunteers with the greater community and exposing us to culture. For example, we went to a Thai dress shop and watched little girls finishing up a dance class. The Thais smile with all their teeth and the little girls were so cute and graceful. We are renting Thai clothing for tomorrow, Sunday, for the farewell party and meeting of our host families.
Fun and laughs radiate from these people, honestly! At 6pm I went to a daily occurring aerobic dancing session on the docks of the Nan River. Myself, Daniel, Nhaca, Crystal, and Stacy (the LE volunteers) sweated groovy 80’s dance moves along with about 60 other Thai women of all ages. The dance was energizing and slightly ridiculous. The docks appear normal until 6 when a spandex-ed woman appears on a small wooden platform and HUGE speakers are brought out to blast Thai techno as followers bumble along the tricky routine. It was a very refreshing workout.
We hitched a motorcycle ride with some friendly townsfolk back to Supa’s house, where we had Thai coconut ice cream and learned traditional Thai dance!
This is orientation for LE, so in addition to al the fun and culture was a 5 hour planning session on the goals and mission of our trip. Because Thailand is a pilot program, much of what we do and shapes the coming year for volunteers. We see this as more than a volunteer tourism endeavor and aim to create lasting change through a sustainable service project. We want to connect these kids both locally (Taphanhin (the town, higher socioeconomics) and where I’m teaching in Phitsanulok (village and much poorer)) and also to college students from Thailand. We want kids to realize their options after high school as well as practice their English on a regular basis. Thus we are implementing letter writing campaigns from elementary kids in Phitsanulok to middle schoolers in Taphanhin and college mentors to all age groups…I’m too tired to write more on this now, but expect a lot more about teaching and service commentary I’m glad I’m here. The 7 week effects will hopefully ripple into a year long endeavor as we grow LE Thailand for next year with more volunteers and contacts!
Oh wow. Thailand is not too great for the waistline. I feel like all we do is eat and/or prepare food for eating. I can’t wait to start teaching on Monday so that my day will be broken up with more structured breaks of eating. Even if we have organized meals, there’s always something to “try” when walking through a market, driving and stopping for some pad thai from a street vendor.
My day started at 5:30 when I got up to run. I traipsed through rice fields, lanes of metal shacks along the Nan river, through the bustles of downtown Taphanhin. I had one memorable encounter with a Thai man down a dirt road on the way back to Supa’s house when he first stared, than smiled widely and as I ran by, exclaimed, “Hello!” and after a pause…”Good morning!”. It’s really astounding when people speak English because it is so rare for most, even in a smaller town like this. When I move to the village Phitsanulok on Sunday, I can expect even less English to be spoken and farms rather than stores and banks.
After a quick shower, it was time for breakfast which Supa was already preparing…a scrumptious brown rice with an oatmeal-y consistency which we topped with stir-fried thai veggies, fried egg with onion, and the best mushrooms with fried garlic I have ever tasted. This was (of course )accompanied by chai yen (Thai iced tea), fresh pineapple and durian. I love eating huge meals at 7 am!
Around 9 AM some of Supa’s friends came to pick us up and we went to visit some subsistence farms and local artisans. It was just nice to sit in air-conditioned cars and watch the Thai countryside fly by. It seems like there are no speed limits and/or driving rules in Thailand. It’s enough for me to get used to the wrong side of the road, but these near head-on collisions while passing are enough to throw me into cardiac arrest! We visited a farm growing fresh coconuts, jackfruit, and …frogs! Apparently Thais harvest frogs. They were HUGE. Next we went to a different farm that had more rice patties and mushroom plots. After that, we visited a local pottery studio and I bought two lovely originals for mom…well, there goes the surprise. The painting work is so intricate and even though they were painted with real gold, the Baat makes everything inexpensive.
We stopped for pad thai and other specialties on the way back. We literally unloaded on the side of the street, sat on picnic tables, and ate ourselves into oblivion…a normal occurrence! I got to help the outdoor cook hydrate the noodles in the wok! The pad thai was really good…the crushed peanuts and lime add so much flavor! Next we had spicy pad se ew with basil (it has delicious WIDE noodles) and then the infamous cleans-your-sinuses-and-makes-you-cry papaya salad. Although I need to be armed with tissues and cold beverages and a sweat rag, this is quickly becoming one of my favorites. In the car we snacked on the interesting flavors of Lays…including sweet basil, thai chile paste, extra barbeque, and nori seaweed!
Then Supa needed to get a few things at the market so I got to go with her on the motorcycle. It’s really exhilarating and freeing, though there were a few close calls in the bustle of cars, people, and other motorbikes. Learning to ride myself is a definite goal this summer! I am realizing more and more what an astounding person Supa is and how valuable a resource she is to our program. Not only is the woman willing to drop everything and cook (ha!) she is well connected and completely committed to connecting us the volunteers with the greater community and exposing us to culture. For example, we went to a Thai dress shop and watched little girls finishing up a dance class. The Thais smile with all their teeth and the little girls were so cute and graceful. We are renting Thai clothing for tomorrow, Sunday, for the farewell party and meeting of our host families.
Fun and laughs radiate from these people, honestly! At 6pm I went to a daily occurring aerobic dancing session on the docks of the Nan River. Myself, Daniel, Nhaca, Crystal, and Stacy (the LE volunteers) sweated groovy 80’s dance moves along with about 60 other Thai women of all ages. The dance was energizing and slightly ridiculous. The docks appear normal until 6 when a spandex-ed woman appears on a small wooden platform and HUGE speakers are brought out to blast Thai techno as followers bumble along the tricky routine. It was a very refreshing workout.
We hitched a motorcycle ride with some friendly townsfolk back to Supa’s house, where we had Thai coconut ice cream and learned traditional Thai dance!
This is orientation for LE, so in addition to al the fun and culture was a 5 hour planning session on the goals and mission of our trip. Because Thailand is a pilot program, much of what we do and shapes the coming year for volunteers. We see this as more than a volunteer tourism endeavor and aim to create lasting change through a sustainable service project. We want to connect these kids both locally (Taphanhin (the town, higher socioeconomics) and where I’m teaching in Phitsanulok (village and much poorer)) and also to college students from Thailand. We want kids to realize their options after high school as well as practice their English on a regular basis. Thus we are implementing letter writing campaigns from elementary kids in Phitsanulok to middle schoolers in Taphanhin and college mentors to all age groups…I’m too tired to write more on this now, but expect a lot more about teaching and service commentary I’m glad I’m here. The 7 week effects will hopefully ripple into a year long endeavor as we grow LE Thailand for next year with more volunteers and contacts!
Friday, June 26, 2009
Travels and Arrival!
Well, well, well. I made it! I survived 24 hours of cramped legs, crying babies, and about 6 warnings/notifications about the dangers of swine and bird flus. Right now it is the 26th and around 11 pm here, meaning it is about noon in D.C. I first flew to Seoul and discovered the culinary delights of Korean Air. What a fantastic airline! I was outfitted with “spa socks”, a mini toothbrush and toothpaste, a blanket, an eye mask, water, wine (!) , and constant food. The fare was beyond your normal honey roasted peanuts (although those were the first thing we ate!). The fantastically neat compartmentalized food (with warmed towels for afterwards) woke me up from my daze of reading He’s Just Not That Into You, studying Thai phrases, and watching silly movies. I really need to include photos for you to get the full affect, but they are not uploading! Look at the facebook album!
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2019317&id=1083750203&l=d271f518ed
I had a really hurried time window of 15 minutes from landing in Seoul to get on my next boarding call to Bangkok. Luckily the plane arrived early and I had exactly 5 minutes to upload pictures to facebook and to include Kim Jong-il in my status!
I arrived in Bangkok around 9:30pm pretty tired after over 24 hours in transit. I couldn’t find Daniel where he was supposed to be meeting me! I kept being hounded by taxi drivers and frantically walked up and down the terminal looking for the waify kid who was supposed to lead me for the next 7 weeks. Daniel nowhere to be found, and I managed to get security to allow me to borrow a phone! Daniel came quickly with a beautiful lei of orchids! We waited for two more volunteers, Crystal and Stacy, exchanged our dollars for Baat, and drove to Yuppa (Daniel’s stepmom) ‘s house in Bangkok.
By this time (around 12:30 AM) I was shocked to `see lots of people milling around in the street outside a local 7-11. Vendors were already setting up for the morning rush at 5 am, a time when the Thai sun isn’t super sweltering and the produce is fresh and lush. The stares started as soon as I got off the plane. In fact, the today we rode to the market in the back of a pick-up truck and a little kid riding on his dad’s lap in the front of a motorcycle (dangerous?) pointed at his nose when he looked at us and giggled “Farang! Farang!” which translates to foreigner.
This morning I woke up at 5 to go running before it got too hot. I first fell into a fish pond in front of Supa’s house, then got chased by a pack of dogs. The run improved as it went on, however. I ran through a poorer neighborhood with metal shacks as houses and tried to run-and-wai (a respectful greeting/bow) and got mostly smiles and stares from the passerby. I later found out that it’s REALLY weird to wai while moving and it would be better for me to simply smile and say “Sawatdee ka” rather than try a full on bow. I’m trying though! There are a lot of Thai rules that one must keep track of. All shoes are left at the door. One must be careful not to point one’s feet, ever! And walking over food is an absolute no-no! Before I came to Thailand I didn’t think that was too much of an issue, but we eat all of our meals on the floor.
The food has been absolutely fantastic. I can’t get over the sweet Thai iced tea and coffee that sure is a zinger at 6 am! I love the fresh fruits and noodles. Everything is soo good. My favorites so far are the rolled coconut flour tortillas with spun sugar inside. The Thai watermelon and pineapple are so much sweeter than in the States and the exotic fruits which I don’t even know the names of are truly amazing!
Today is Friday and we did a lot of Thai culture activities today. Tonight we are going to a monastery to see monks chant! I move in on Sunday with my host family! Here's to cold bucket showers outside and lots of adventure with 1 partial English speaker in a family of seven! I hope to make another post by Monday, but internet is pretty shotty. Right now I write from one of Supa's friend's cell-phone shop that has the only wireless in town!
Highlights:
Got a thai cooking lesson courtesy of Supa...papaya salad and lemongrass soup!
running in muddy ricefield!
street.food.
beautiful temples.
RON RON RON (hot hot hot in Thai).
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2019317&id=1083750203&l=d271f518ed
I had a really hurried time window of 15 minutes from landing in Seoul to get on my next boarding call to Bangkok. Luckily the plane arrived early and I had exactly 5 minutes to upload pictures to facebook and to include Kim Jong-il in my status!
I arrived in Bangkok around 9:30pm pretty tired after over 24 hours in transit. I couldn’t find Daniel where he was supposed to be meeting me! I kept being hounded by taxi drivers and frantically walked up and down the terminal looking for the waify kid who was supposed to lead me for the next 7 weeks. Daniel nowhere to be found, and I managed to get security to allow me to borrow a phone! Daniel came quickly with a beautiful lei of orchids! We waited for two more volunteers, Crystal and Stacy, exchanged our dollars for Baat, and drove to Yuppa (Daniel’s stepmom) ‘s house in Bangkok.
By this time (around 12:30 AM) I was shocked to `see lots of people milling around in the street outside a local 7-11. Vendors were already setting up for the morning rush at 5 am, a time when the Thai sun isn’t super sweltering and the produce is fresh and lush. The stares started as soon as I got off the plane. In fact, the today we rode to the market in the back of a pick-up truck and a little kid riding on his dad’s lap in the front of a motorcycle (dangerous?) pointed at his nose when he looked at us and giggled “Farang! Farang!” which translates to foreigner.
This morning I woke up at 5 to go running before it got too hot. I first fell into a fish pond in front of Supa’s house, then got chased by a pack of dogs. The run improved as it went on, however. I ran through a poorer neighborhood with metal shacks as houses and tried to run-and-wai (a respectful greeting/bow) and got mostly smiles and stares from the passerby. I later found out that it’s REALLY weird to wai while moving and it would be better for me to simply smile and say “Sawatdee ka” rather than try a full on bow. I’m trying though! There are a lot of Thai rules that one must keep track of. All shoes are left at the door. One must be careful not to point one’s feet, ever! And walking over food is an absolute no-no! Before I came to Thailand I didn’t think that was too much of an issue, but we eat all of our meals on the floor.
The food has been absolutely fantastic. I can’t get over the sweet Thai iced tea and coffee that sure is a zinger at 6 am! I love the fresh fruits and noodles. Everything is soo good. My favorites so far are the rolled coconut flour tortillas with spun sugar inside. The Thai watermelon and pineapple are so much sweeter than in the States and the exotic fruits which I don’t even know the names of are truly amazing!
Today is Friday and we did a lot of Thai culture activities today. Tonight we are going to a monastery to see monks chant! I move in on Sunday with my host family! Here's to cold bucket showers outside and lots of adventure with 1 partial English speaker in a family of seven! I hope to make another post by Monday, but internet is pretty shotty. Right now I write from one of Supa's friend's cell-phone shop that has the only wireless in town!
Highlights:
Got a thai cooking lesson courtesy of Supa...papaya salad and lemongrass soup!
running in muddy ricefield!
street.food.
beautiful temples.
RON RON RON (hot hot hot in Thai).
Saturday, June 20, 2009
My address?
Here's how I'm feeling in my rush of econ and packing frenzy:
Here's an address...not sure how the mail exactly works or how much postage it requires, but here goes:
Deven Comen c/o Chalaw Sinchit
33/3 Moo 6 Sanamklee
Bangkratum, Phitsanulok, 6500 Thailand
Here's an address...not sure how the mail exactly works or how much postage it requires, but here goes:
Deven Comen c/o Chalaw Sinchit
33/3 Moo 6 Sanamklee
Bangkratum, Phitsanulok, 6500 Thailand
Friday, June 19, 2009
Starting freakout....NOW
Oh goodness.
Just recieved an email with a lot more information on my living situation! I'm roughing it more than I thought!
Here's an email from Daniel, our coordinator who is already in Thailand.
Dear Girls,
Today Supa, Pakapol, and I went to visit all of the schools and host families! I am so happy and grateful that Supa and Pakapol were able to score you such AMAZING people to work with for the next 6 or so weeks. I thought you find it useful to have a breakdown of who's going where and with whom.
Thapanhin-- Crystal and Stacy
So, your host parents are siblings (actually, just like Deven's and Nhaca's)! They are super excited and super happy to have you with them. I took a tour of your rooms (to make sure they were what LE guarantees our volunteers-- no surprises, you know) and there were a few surprises.
Crystal, and especially Stacy, You will be living in what I have interpreted to be the lap of luxury. Your rooms are huge. Stacy, you actually have a TV, a swimming pool (lap pool), workout machines, etc at your disposal. Crystal, your room is like an appartment, which is a part of the house. You both have huge beds. blah blah blah-- What I am trying to say is that it is not exactly the "underprivilaged" cribb that you two will be staying in. I don't know how you feel about that-- Supa and I have decided that next year we will find host families who have a bigger need/would benefit more from having volunteers stay with them. Since this is the first year, and Supa has already spent the past three months or so cultivating these wonderful people's interest in LE and community service, we have decided that it would be best to go with the flow of things.
Phitsanulok- Deven and Nhaca
Nhaca and Deven, you will be living on a farm in the middle of nowhere, which is precisesly 35 minutes away from Crystal and Stacy. Your host familie are equally amazing with untarnishable smiles and huge, wholesome hearts to sweet you away. Nhaca, your room has a nice sized bed on the top floor of the house, which is exceptionall nice (but not luxurious). You also have KITTENS. Deven, you have the most what I like to euphamize as "rustic" of all of the stays. The house is undergoing reconstructino so its all bare! It is two stories and you feel like you are in a treehouse when you are on the second one. You're room is the only room in the house-- i.e. you walk into a huge living room and you see a door that leads to your room. There you will find a mattress.... Things may change if YOU see fit-- we can figure something out if this is too spartan for you. A great note is that there is a long straight road that runs through the rice fields from the main road to your house that you will find the most perfect place to run.
On schools-- the schools also show a discrepancy in socioeconomic class. The Thapanhin School is the quintessential Thai school. It seems to be well maintained, well trimmed, and generally well ran. The Phits School is our quintessential notion of a village school. Accordingly, during my visit today, there was no electricity for some unknown reason. The teachers you will be working with are super nice and ready to help. I see this as an awesome opportunity for you two groups not only to bridge a gap of physical distance and educational distance, but also class and socioeconomical distance as you seek to establish your mentorship programs.
UNIFORMS/DRESSCODE for School:
close-toed shoes
blouse/polo-- i.e. NO T-SHIRTS
Skirt/Dress below the knees, Pants
So yeah...I'm super pumped. I'm really glad that I get to have an authentic experience and live frugally. I hope I can shower though. I really like showering...especially after running...
SO MUCH PLANNING. Why didn't I do this before??
Just recieved an email with a lot more information on my living situation! I'm roughing it more than I thought!
Here's an email from Daniel, our coordinator who is already in Thailand.
Dear Girls,
Today Supa, Pakapol, and I went to visit all of the schools and host families! I am so happy and grateful that Supa and Pakapol were able to score you such AMAZING people to work with for the next 6 or so weeks. I thought you find it useful to have a breakdown of who's going where and with whom.
Thapanhin-- Crystal and Stacy
So, your host parents are siblings (actually, just like Deven's and Nhaca's)! They are super excited and super happy to have you with them. I took a tour of your rooms (to make sure they were what LE guarantees our volunteers-- no surprises, you know) and there were a few surprises.
Crystal, and especially Stacy, You will be living in what I have interpreted to be the lap of luxury. Your rooms are huge. Stacy, you actually have a TV, a swimming pool (lap pool), workout machines, etc at your disposal. Crystal, your room is like an appartment, which is a part of the house. You both have huge beds. blah blah blah-- What I am trying to say is that it is not exactly the "underprivilaged" cribb that you two will be staying in. I don't know how you feel about that-- Supa and I have decided that next year we will find host families who have a bigger need/would benefit more from having volunteers stay with them. Since this is the first year, and Supa has already spent the past three months or so cultivating these wonderful people's interest in LE and community service, we have decided that it would be best to go with the flow of things.
Phitsanulok- Deven and Nhaca
Nhaca and Deven, you will be living on a farm in the middle of nowhere, which is precisesly 35 minutes away from Crystal and Stacy. Your host familie are equally amazing with untarnishable smiles and huge, wholesome hearts to sweet you away. Nhaca, your room has a nice sized bed on the top floor of the house, which is exceptionall nice (but not luxurious). You also have KITTENS. Deven, you have the most what I like to euphamize as "rustic" of all of the stays. The house is undergoing reconstructino so its all bare! It is two stories and you feel like you are in a treehouse when you are on the second one. You're room is the only room in the house-- i.e. you walk into a huge living room and you see a door that leads to your room. There you will find a mattress.... Things may change if YOU see fit-- we can figure something out if this is too spartan for you. A great note is that there is a long straight road that runs through the rice fields from the main road to your house that you will find the most perfect place to run.
On schools-- the schools also show a discrepancy in socioeconomic class. The Thapanhin School is the quintessential Thai school. It seems to be well maintained, well trimmed, and generally well ran. The Phits School is our quintessential notion of a village school. Accordingly, during my visit today, there was no electricity for some unknown reason. The teachers you will be working with are super nice and ready to help. I see this as an awesome opportunity for you two groups not only to bridge a gap of physical distance and educational distance, but also class and socioeconomical distance as you seek to establish your mentorship programs.
UNIFORMS/DRESSCODE for School:
close-toed shoes
blouse/polo-- i.e. NO T-SHIRTS
Skirt/Dress below the knees, Pants
So yeah...I'm super pumped. I'm really glad that I get to have an authentic experience and live frugally. I hope I can shower though. I really like showering...especially after running...
SO MUCH PLANNING. Why didn't I do this before??
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
More about prep-work!
I literally will be almost to Bangkok this time next week.
Logistics:
I must: finish a microeconomics class 2 weeks early..yes, this means final paper and final exam before I've actually finished the class.
Finishing up this week at the Berkley Center for Peace, Religion, and World Affairs where I am a research assistant on the intersection of faith and global development under Professor Katherine Marshall. I will be sad to leave my office of warm co-workers, interesting research, and delightful discussions. Yet, Thailand calls! And I still get to enjoy my last week with a birthday celebration for our wonderful program assistant Abby and a B Center Tea Party(just because). I love the Berkley Center, and my work here on religion makes me even more excited to experience the effects of Buddhism in Thailand on culture and society. I was intrigued by Thich Nhat Hahn after reading "Living Buddha, Living Christ" last summer. Perhaps I'll get some ideas for a thesis or something. Here is the shameless website plug for the Berkley Center. It has really great projects from religion in international politics to american politics to international development and global health issues. It's worth a browse: www.berkleycenter.georgetown.edu
Also, my parents are coming to D.C. on Sunday! They will probably watch me pack/freak out/pack/freak out (you get the picture). Then I stay at Dulles airport the night before to appease my parents (they're convinced that I'll miss my 1pm flight to Seoul otherwise). Then after a LONG flight, I have a 3 hour lay-over and then fly into Bangkok and say Sawatdee to Thailand!
Logistics:
I must: finish a microeconomics class 2 weeks early..yes, this means final paper and final exam before I've actually finished the class.
Finishing up this week at the Berkley Center for Peace, Religion, and World Affairs where I am a research assistant on the intersection of faith and global development under Professor Katherine Marshall. I will be sad to leave my office of warm co-workers, interesting research, and delightful discussions. Yet, Thailand calls! And I still get to enjoy my last week with a birthday celebration for our wonderful program assistant Abby and a B Center Tea Party(just because). I love the Berkley Center, and my work here on religion makes me even more excited to experience the effects of Buddhism in Thailand on culture and society. I was intrigued by Thich Nhat Hahn after reading "Living Buddha, Living Christ" last summer. Perhaps I'll get some ideas for a thesis or something. Here is the shameless website plug for the Berkley Center. It has really great projects from religion in international politics to american politics to international development and global health issues. It's worth a browse: www.berkleycenter.georgetown.edu
Also, my parents are coming to D.C. on Sunday! They will probably watch me pack/freak out/pack/freak out (you get the picture). Then I stay at Dulles airport the night before to appease my parents (they're convinced that I'll miss my 1pm flight to Seoul otherwise). Then after a LONG flight, I have a 3 hour lay-over and then fly into Bangkok and say Sawatdee to Thailand!
Another way to follow me and the rest of the Learning Enterprises Thailand family
This is more for friends and family than anyone else. I want you guys to see Thailand and watch me be my usual klutzy, happy-go-lucky self. Thus, I apologize in advance for the inevitable grammar mistakes and typical-Deven-use-dashes-to-create-illegal-sentence-structure. But unfortunately, I don' t have my wonderfully thorough proof-reader/roommate Clio to make me sound better. So folks, this is going to be pretty informal, and I hope to write as regularly as I can.
I also have another blog that is for LE Thailand. Since this is a pilot program, we are writing about every aspect of our pre, during, and post teaching experiences-including critiques and suggestions for improvement. We will post about our program director, Daniel (who I am in awe of already...), our country coordinator Supa( a wonderfully warm Thai woman), the service project we hope to establish(conversational English mentorship), and the process of teaching.
Here's a sample of what I wrote about me and LE Thailand for the main page at: http://lethailandpilot.wordpress.com/
I also have another blog that is for LE Thailand. Since this is a pilot program, we are writing about every aspect of our pre, during, and post teaching experiences-including critiques and suggestions for improvement. We will post about our program director, Daniel (who I am in awe of already...), our country coordinator Supa( a wonderfully warm Thai woman), the service project we hope to establish(conversational English mentorship), and the process of teaching.
Here's a sample of what I wrote about me and LE Thailand for the main page at: http://lethailandpilot.wordpress.com/
Deven is a nineteen year old worshipper of Nick Kristof and Endangered Species Dark Chocolate. She's a government major at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., with a probable minor in African studies...or something else. Deven likes running, baking peanut butter brownies, volunteering, and reading-especially about international development and religion and Africa. She thinks she is mildly South Asian and knows how to dance Giddha (a Punjabi dance) and loves Indian desserts, especially Kheer.
- Drinking Thai-iced tea in the United States
Learning Enterprises aims to establish connections and relationships beyond the classroom with complete submersion into the rich culture of Thailand through homestay, teaching, and service work. Deven and the rest of the LE Family are dedicated to not only the improvement of English speaking ablities of the Thai people, but also to establishing a love of service in our students. We hope to engage with this beautiful society and tighten Buddha's interconnectedness between ourselves, Thailand, and the world.
Friday, June 12, 2009
Getting Anxious with 11 days to GO!
This is going to be the classic, here's-what-I'm doing introductory post. I'm sure the exciting escapades of riding elephants with my beloved "We are Georgetown" basketball shirt and experimental eating of extremely spicy cuisine as well as adventures in the classroom will soon follow.
So what am I doing this summer?
I have the unique opportunity to join with Learning Enterprises as it sends four Georgetown students to two areas in Thailand – Taphanhin and Phitsanulok – to work with public school students. Many of these students have very little access to higher education due to barriers such as a lack of information, access to financial aid, or motivation.
I found out about Learning Enterprises after seeing a flyer on campus and attending an info session. It's a really innovative and unique organization founded in 1992 by college students to fill a niche-teaching English to non-English speakers all over the world. Learning Enterprises sent 120 volunteers to teach English in fourteen developing countries, expanding the horizons of nearly 5,000 students last year! Here's a video about LE: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PD1bX3_tz7M
Nhaca, another rising sophmore at Georgetown will also be in Bangkratum with me (in Phitsanulok province), just down the road from me..more on the host family situation later. Here's a photo with our friend Lana, the Foreign Minister of Thailand (thank goodness for Georgetown booking amazing speakers, right?) and myself and Nhaca in April 2009.
Beyond teaching conversation-based English language classes, we are networking to create and maintain a mentorship program that will connect college students in Thailand with the young students in our schools. We are contacting Thai university students and hope to intiate a once-a-week letter writing campaign. We hope to also create a bond between the two areas where Learning Enterprises (LE) is sending volunteers. Nhaca and I are teaching elementary students and Crystal and Stacy (the other Georgetown folks) will be in Taphanhin with high-schoolers. The mentorship program can be adapted to have high school mentors for the elementary students. Mostly, we want this to be a Thais-helping-Thais program that allows for English practice and community bonding. The service project is sure to be a frequent topic of my blog, so get excited..or dtèun dtên ! The Thai script is ตื่นเต้น --> isn't it an intriguing language? Thai derives from Sanskrit and is like nothing I've ever seen before.
More to come....11 days and counting
So what am I doing this summer?
I have the unique opportunity to join with Learning Enterprises as it sends four Georgetown students to two areas in Thailand – Taphanhin and Phitsanulok – to work with public school students. Many of these students have very little access to higher education due to barriers such as a lack of information, access to financial aid, or motivation.
I found out about Learning Enterprises after seeing a flyer on campus and attending an info session. It's a really innovative and unique organization founded in 1992 by college students to fill a niche-teaching English to non-English speakers all over the world. Learning Enterprises sent 120 volunteers to teach English in fourteen developing countries, expanding the horizons of nearly 5,000 students last year! Here's a video about LE: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PD1bX3_tz7M
Nhaca, another rising sophmore at Georgetown will also be in Bangkratum with me (in Phitsanulok province), just down the road from me..more on the host family situation later. Here's a photo with our friend Lana, the Foreign Minister of Thailand (thank goodness for Georgetown booking amazing speakers, right?) and myself and Nhaca in April 2009.
Beyond teaching conversation-based English language classes, we are networking to create and maintain a mentorship program that will connect college students in Thailand with the young students in our schools. We are contacting Thai university students and hope to intiate a once-a-week letter writing campaign. We hope to also create a bond between the two areas where Learning Enterprises (LE) is sending volunteers. Nhaca and I are teaching elementary students and Crystal and Stacy (the other Georgetown folks) will be in Taphanhin with high-schoolers. The mentorship program can be adapted to have high school mentors for the elementary students. Mostly, we want this to be a Thais-helping-Thais program that allows for English practice and community bonding. The service project is sure to be a frequent topic of my blog, so get excited..or dtèun dtên ! The Thai script is ตื่นเต้น --> isn't it an intriguing language? Thai derives from Sanskrit and is like nothing I've ever seen before.
More to come....11 days and counting
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