Thai Aerobics and Jungle Spiders

Sunday July 13, 2008 Chiang Mai, Thailand 5:45 pm

Halftime

Testimony

Learning English?

Learning the Industry

Surviving a night with the Jungle Spiders

So today marks exactly 2 weeks that I have been in Chiang Mai.  We are halfway done with the course, and can see the light at the end of the proverbial tunnel.  I feel as though I am slowly getting the hang of this teaching thing: teaching itself really I find quite natural, it’s just the planning that is annoying.  But it gets better and quicker every time.  My comfortableness in the classroom increases and my anxiety beforehand decreases every class.  On Tuesday we had the opportunity to go to the British Counsel School to observe some experienced teachers.  I was quite comforted because I felt that I could be as good a teacher as they were.  Also, I learned that jobs at British Counsel schools pay well and have decent benefits. 

         Along those lines I have had countless invaluable conversations with our tutors and other trainees here who have taught in various types of schools in several countries.  The information gleaned from these conversations will certainly prove useful in the event I end up teaching for more than one year.  For example, I have learned what schools/countries have the most enticing salaries, that private lessons are a great way to make lots of money per hour, that some schools offer ‘part time’ teaching contracts, which means a teacher can teach full working hours for a few months, then just take off a few months whenever they feel the urge to relax or travel.  (This is certainly the most appealing thing I have learned, and this was from an American guy who does this.  He only works between 6 and 8 months a year: a few on a few off!)  I can certainly see myself in that kind of a job!  This is just one of the unforeseen benefits of doing this CELTA course that I have found.

         One strange thing that has given me much laughter and thought is the wide mix of demographics of the trainees, and the varying types of spoken English that this represents.  I have learned dozens of knew words, in ENGLISH!  The Brits and Aussies and Irish and Kiwis all have very strange yet funny sayings.  I have attempted to catalogue the ones I can remember, but certainly have missed a few.  I learned that after a stonkingly good time, one might end up locked and knackered, and spent time on the dunny until half 4. Translation: After a fantastic good time, one might end up drunk and tired, and spend lots of time on the toilet until 4:30.  There have been tons of other words, and I will continue my attempt to learn the ‘new’ language of English.

 

Two nights ago, I had an adventure.  As I turned on my lamp in preparation for going to bed, I saw two HUGE spiders (and this is not an exaggeration, they were probably 6 inches in diameter) crawl out from between my suitcase and the wall.  They were the largest spiders I had ever seen!  I retreated awestruck for a moment, then quickly gathered my wits and my shoe and set about attacking the smaller one.  I quickly demolished him and deposited him in the ‘rubbish bin’ then chased the second larger one.  Unfortunately he retreated into a hole somewhere and I lost him.  The thought of turning off the lights and crawling into bed with a ginormous spider lurking around my room was not appealing.  So I elicited help in the Search for the Deadly Jungle Spider.  Ironically two girls came to offer assistance, no males.  But they proved to be more than adequate, as one of them brought in a giant bottle of bug spray and began aggressively spraying away to flush the big fella out.  Once she had a clear shot at him she proceeded to pound him violently to a pulp of dozens of spider pieces on my floor.  I just watched in awe!  It sure made for a good story among the other trainees.  I fell asleep with dreams of hundreds of spiders overtaking my bed, but survived the night with the Jungle Spiders unscathed.

 

So July 4^th was definitely nostalgic for me, mostly because I missed the fireworks, boats and BBQ back home.  I wracked my brain for something “American” to do to celebrate, but with our limited resources here, we just ended up going out for a few beers.  We happened upon an alley with a few bars, and no kidding, at the end of the alley was a small boxing ring with free Thai boxing shows going on all night.  Although this was incredibly tourist-ized (I think I just created that word, and am keeping it from the British) and fake, it was interesting.  A few guys would get up there and play fight for a while, then come around asking for tips.  It was funny too because these aren’t the type of guys you would typically find in a boxing ring, as they were barely 5 feet tall and probably 120 lbs at the most.  When they came by to ask us for tips, one little guy asked me if I would like to fight him.  I laughed, but I think he was serious.  I’m sure he relished the idea of kicking himself some tourist butt.  I considered the story/memory value of taking his offer, but declined because I couldn’t decide if he would play nice or extra mean because I was a foreigner.  I didn’t want to take that risk and end up in a Thai hospital.  But I did get a cool picture with him.

         Speaking of hospitals, two of the girls here have made trips to the local medical facilities here this weekend with stomach problems.  Apparently one was E coli poisoning and one Dyspepsia.  They were quite impressed with the Thai hospital, and I have heard form several people that the medical facilities here are not only cheap (as might be expected) but good quality.  Go figure.  Anyway, so far I have avoided any sickness other than some slight GI discomfort.  (everyone please knock on wood now)

         Last weekend, we went into town and Clarabelle and I went to the zoo.  It was actually quite fun, with an extensive animal selection.  We saw monkeys, dozens of birds - many up close, giraffes, ostriches, emus, lions, tapirs, capybara, tigers, leopards, a white tiger and white lion, and even koala bears.

         That night we miraculously all met up in town and went to eat some good western food.  I had a juicy bacon cheeseburger which was heavenly.  It was so good to not eat rice.  Then we went in to the famous Chiang Mai night market, which was huge.  We walked through it for over an hour and never go to the end.  It was pretty interesting, though it got repetitive.  I got some Thai silk boxers and a Thai soccer jersey.  A few of us got bored so we went in search for ice cream, which turned into ice cream bars from 7/11.  We ate the peacefully down by the river which was quite enjoyable.  When we tried to meet up to return home, 2 girls met at the wrong end of the street, and it was a miracle that we found them.

         On Sunday I walked to Hang Dong with Lizzie and Leila and just as we got about a mile out it started raining.  It was actually pretty fun, and some kind Western guy pulled over and offered us a ride in the back of his truck.  At the Hang Dong market, I found a miniature kolache drizzled in syrup, which would have been great if it had been warmed, but for $0.20, I guess you cant really complain.  In the market we found grilled frogs for sale on the street, not frog legs, but the entire frog just lying there covered in flies.  Next to the frogs were fried chicken feet.  I didn’t try any, but we did find a pizza place and ordered pizza for dinner and watched a movie.

 

 

Saturday July 19, 2008

Thai aerobics

Testimony

 

So the ‘new’ English words keep coming.  “Taking the piss” and “bits and bobs” are the current ones I just learned.  Even worse though, is having to explain what our biscuits are, and explaining cornbread and chicken fried steak and sweet tea!  Oh how these Westerners have missed out!  It’s sad.

         So a few days ago one of the tutors was making conversation and asked me point blank if I had a religion.  So I got to share my testimony with her and two other of the trainees!  That was really cool.  Most of them are atheist or agnostic, so it was really cool to get to share with them my beliefs.  Also, I had a long conversation with another one of the trainees here who is an atheist.  We started out discussing politics and economics, and ended up on religion, so I also got to share my testimony with her.  It was great because she shared what she believed and I shared what I believed and we discussed it civilly and openly.  I think she is searching, cuz she admitted that sometimes she feels a ‘leading’ from something outside of herself.  During another long conversation with another one of the trainees, I was able to share my testimony with her as well.  Praise God!  Pray that it will take root and God will touch their hearts.

         Last Sunday we walked to Hang Dong for another pizza dinner.  As we were walking, we came upon a large house with a dozen Thai women doing aerobics to a video in their front yard.  So naturally, we asked if we could join and they were quite friendly and invited us in.  So Lizzie, Leila and I danced and did a Thai aerobics routine for a few minutes, trying as best we could to follow all the moves.  We took pictures and video of course.  It was a great time and a good memory.  Thai people are so friendly.  On the way home we eventually found a taxi and as he didn’t know the place where we are staying, I sat in the front and gave him directions.  He was teaching me the Thai words for left – ‘sai’, right – ‘kwa’, and straight – ‘dong’.  It’s amazing how much you can communicate with someone even when you don’t speak a word of the same language.

         The rest of this week has been teaching and working.  I have enjoyed the teaching though, and I feel like I am improving. 

         This afternoon I am headed out with Pracha to preach to some of the jungle tribes in this area.  Apparently we are going to spend the night in a sleeping bag with a mosquito net, and return tomorrow afternoon.  I am excited and anxious. 

         One week left!

First Thoughts - English Accents, Mystery Meat, iPhones?

Friday June 27, 2008 8:45 am   Bangkok, Thailand

 

I got in late last night and took a taxi to the Alliance Guest House.  Only thing was, upon arrival I saw that my name was not on the list of reservations, and then I realized that I had mistakenly booked my reservation for JULY 26-29 instead of June.  Flashes of spending the night on the streets of Bangkok flashed through my head, but the Lord was watching over me and they had room for me to stay all 3 nights.  I have already met some very interesting people.  This morning at breakfast a guy walked in wearing a Texas A&M t-shirt!  You can imagine my excitement, but it turns out he was a guy from Indonesia who got it as a present.  He is trying to get a visa to go to help the refugees in Burma, and then at the other end of the table was a woman who was from Fredericksburg, TX and a t-sip.  She was married to an Aussie and had lost her Texas accent after 28 years of living in the land Down Under, which is why I didn’t immediately pick up that she was from Texas.  On the flight from Tokyo to Bangkok I was sitting next to a Thai girl who had an iPhone, which she claimed she bought in Thailand, but as Apple doesn’t sell them outside the US, it must be a black market one.  My first thought was that she was quite wealthy, seeing as she knew decent English, had an iPhone and was flying from Japan.   On my flight from Houston to Tokyo, I was sitting next to a Southern girl from Alabama and her Cuban mother.  Vivian goes to Auburn, and I hardly slept at all because we talked most of the flight.  She was actually quite interesting to talk to and I told her that it was the most intellectually stimulating conversation I have had with a female in a long time.  (Jace your luck finally rubbed off on me: she was cute too)  It turns out that her Father works in Beijing, so they are going to connect me with him.  Another great contact!  Dad I remember talking with you about how each person I come across would be someone brought into my life specifically for a reason, and even the first person I met on the plane turned out to be so!  I got a local SIM card at the airport for $6 with which I could call home and my missionary contacts.  It was a long journey but fun and safe. 

 

Sunday June 29, 2008   Bangkok, Thailand  (on flight to Chiang Mai)

 

Wow, so much to say.  I just finished running through the Bangkok airport trying to make my flight.  I met some Thai ladies in line who spoke great English and they were very helpful.  In fact one of them worked for a Waco based company, and another had a good friend in Austin.  Small world eh?  Never ceases to amaze me.

 

So Friday morning Kirk Person, who is a Wycliffe translator in Thailand, and whose wife Suzy went to the same church as my Uncle Ken, picked me up and showed me around the Wycliffe office.  I asked as many questions as I could think of and we discussed languages and what is like working for Wycliffe.   I really enjoyed him, and was fascinated with his knowledge of linguistics, and with stories of working with Wycliffe translating the Bible for a Thai jungle tribe called the Bisu.  He moved in among them, the first Westerner they had seen, and lived there for years.  He created a written language for them, then began translating the Bible into it.  They hope to finish in the next 5 years or so.  We went to have lunch for my first official Thai meal, which was great, and around a dollar US!  He also gave me maps of Bangkok and told me how to get around the town, and helped me reload my local SIM card, then I went off to explore Bangkok.  I started off heading to the large shopping center where I bought a shot glass with an elephant on it.  Then I went to the Grand Palace of the King and the Temple of the Emerald Buddha.  It was pretty cool, but nothing that spectacular.  Very ornate, almost to the point of appearing gaudy.  While I was trying to get a ticket for the ferry to take me upriver to the palace, I asked some Western looking people if I was in the right place.  Turns out they were very helpful and quite friendly.  The man was Irish and named Shields, and his Greek wife was named Lea.  We became fast friends, as foreigners in a strange land often do.  I found out she also had a good friend in Texas, and spent a few weeks in San Antonio and Austin.  Small world again eh?  She was a big fan of Texas, naturally, and commented more than once on the quality of Texas food.  It made me smile, and my stomach grimace. J   I ended up hanging out with them the whole day.  And took them to Siam Paragon, the large (7 story) shopping mall district.  The basement floor is a giant aquarium where you can scuba dive with sharks, which I would like to after my course when I am back in Bangkok.  The food court in the bottom is the most amazing food court I have ever seen.  It was elegant, and full of legit restaurants with nice and eclectic décor.  An amazing mixture of all types of Asian food, plus Italian food, the usual American standbys of BK, McDonald’s, KFC, and even Dairy Queen, and believe it or not, a Mexican food restaurant, that appeared to be decent.  I want to check it out when I get back to Bangkok.  Lea decided she wanted some Italian food, and we met the chef there, who recognized Shield’s accent because the chef was also from London.  His name was Colin, and he was quite a character.  An animated, natural storyteller and talkative fellow, he sat down and told us stories and answered our questions about Thailand for almost 2 hours.  He is from London, but had been here for 4 years as a head chef of the Tawana, a 4 star hotel/restaurant in Bangkok.  I thoroughly enjoyed the conversation.  Eventually I had to leave to go over to the Person’s house for dinner.  This again I thoroughly enjoyed.  His family is awesome.  It was so soothing to hear his wife’s native Texan English, including the use of “ya’ll”.  They had 3 kids:  Andrew – 10, Emily – 7, and Austin – 3 or 4, who not only were extremely well behaved but were talkative and friendly and a joy to be around.  We ate local Thai food, which consisted of sticky rice eaten by hand with pieces of pork kebab, and some type of cole slaw-esqe salad.  It was quite good.  Then for dessert we had a variety of local Thai fruit, the names of which escape me at the moment.  One was about the size of a kiwi, but was red and had green ‘tentacles’ all over it.  I believe the kids called them ‘hairy eyeballs’.  They were juicy, but not my favorite.  The one I liked best was black and looked almost like a large walnut.  The inside was white and sweet and yummy.  The last one was green and quite awkward looking.  I believe the name included the word ‘apple’ in it somewhere.  It wasn’t my favorite.  After dinner we chatted for a bit about Wycliffe and languages and my upcoming year in China, then the kids gave me a concert of piano and singing.  We finished up by viewing the lights of Bangkok from the roof of their apartment building, then Kirk took me home.  An informative and pleasant evening.

 

Saturday morning I slept a little late, then took care of some email and talked to my parents using the WiFi in my room at the Alliance Guest House.  Because of this I got a somewhat late start, but I headed to the Weekend Market, which is supposedly one of the largest in Southeast Asia, which after wandering in if for several hours, I definitely believe.  It was an absolute smorgasbord of tastes, sounds, smells and sights.  Quite a sensory overload, and it would be impossible to relate everything I saw and smelled, but here is my feeble attempt to remember as much as possible.  On the way there I saw a man wearing a 2006 Oklahoma Sooners Big 12 Champions t-shirt.  Should I say it again?  (small world) This market definitely put Wal-Mart to shame, not only for cheaper prices, but it far exceeded even Wal-Mart’s seemingly limitless selection.  I saw everything from leather furniture to $5 and $15 fake and real name brand clothing such as Lacoste, Abercrombie, Polo, American Eagle etc., to crystal figurines to lamps and household items to cowboy boots (yes….see picture) to stall with internet access to exotic foods to t-shirts with vulgar English phrases on them to cheap electronics including somewhat nice cell phones for pennies to hardware like drills and saws to car parts to stereo equipment to candles and perfumes to even many species of adorable pets including puppies, guinea pigs, cats, birds, even odd ones like baby squirrels with a leash, and creepy ones including several breeds of tarantulas and snakes to hundreds of English books including textbooks that I recognized and had used! (see picture...Jace recognize the History book?).  I purchased a nice dress shirt for $12 (390 baht) and a Lacoste ‘polo’ (real or fake who knows) for $10.  I bought a Pepsi popsicle for about $0.10 (4 baht) and I had a rice and egg dish for lunch, which was quite tasty for about $0.85 (25 baht).  Not only were there numerous things to see, but I think my olfactory nerves were stimulated to their maximum capacity by all the new smells, pleasant and unpleasant.  As a likely tourist trap, there were a fair amount of foreigners, from the West, Middle East, India, and even Africa.  Needless to say, the market was quite an experience.  In fact, it was so large and crowded, that after about an hour of wandering aimlessly, literally following my nose, I wandered to how I would find my way back home.  Thank God just about the time I was tired of walking and wondering which way was the exit, I ran right into a metro station.  I went back to the Siam Paragon, the main shopping center and decided to see a movie, which I was surprised to find out were the same movies that were currently out in the States.  However, the theaters are priced differentially depending on where you sit, like a sporting event.  And, for like $15 (600 baht) one can get a theater with recliner Lazy Boy style chairs and food served.  (Somewhat similar to our Alamo Draft House)  Afterwards I went back to visit our British friend who was the chef at the Italian restaurant for dinner, and headed home.  And surprise to surprise, as I was walking home, I turned a corner and there was an elephant walking down the busy street, with someone riding his back and trying to sell me something to feed it.  (also see picture)  I couldn’t help but laugh at the pun, because it had the only authentic tail lights I have ever seen: red blinking lights attached to its tail.  Only in Thailand I guess.

 

Sunday June 29, 2008  9:53 pm  Chiang Mai, Thailand

English Accents

Mystery Meat

Today was quite an interesting and full day.  The Lord has been soo good.  I was running very late for my flight, and ran up to the gate right as they were closing.  Fortunately, I met 3 Thai ladies who were in line to check in with me (Air Asia unfortunately does not have online check in, note to self: make sure to always book airlines with online check in whenever possible.)  They were quite helpful in translating and being friendly, as well as waiting for me even though it was endangering their own chance of making the flight.  So despite checking my bags in merely 20 minutes before takeoff, miraculously my bags made it on the flight – God is good.  Upon landing, there was a taxi waiting for me and I got here and got checked in.  I felt like the information was somewhat lacking, as all they said was here is your room, enjoy your stay.  I did not meet the teachers until dinner this evening.   So I unpacked, then went for a run as it appeared I was one of the first students to arrive, at least there was no one else stirring.  Upon returning I met a few of the other students and we went for a walk into town.  Dinner was local Thai food, which to be honest, was not nearly as good as the meal I had with Kirk in Bangkok.  It was some kind of soup with at least half a dozen vegetables or pieces of something that I had never seen before and had no idea what they were.  The rest was rice and potatoes and meat in a spicy sauce.  The rice, sauce, and potatoes were good, but the meat well, there really is no other way to say it: it was bad.  I have no idea what animal it was from and I didn’t ask, but it was chewy and full of bones and fatty.  It made me realize how spoiled we are in Texas about the quality of our meat, and also made my stomach miss home.  I am hoping I will get used to it and not be craving a big juicy burger the whole time I am here or in China.

 

So the people are quite interesting.  So far by my count there are 4 Americans, 3 British, 1 Irish, 1 South African, 1 Kiwi, 1 Canadian, and 1 Taiwanese.  The instructors are 1 Aussie and 1 from New York.  I was struck by the very wide range of English accents; it kind of confused my mouth and brain sometimes.  Surprisingly, many of them have already been teaching in various countries (mostly Asian), and are getting this as a means to moving up or changing locales.  Two of the British girls are typical English beauties, with bright blue eyes and light skin.  The Kiwi is quite talkative and opinionated, and I can see myself getting annoyed with her after not a long while.  However, she is quite knowledgeable and friendly.  One American girl has already been teaching in China, so I have been learning a ton from her and I’m sure I will continue to do so.  All in all, as it stands now, I can see myself befriending Emma, Allie, Lizzy, and Kelly: the two British girls and two other American girls as well as the Irish guy Colin and one other American Aaron.  I am excited; it should be a good time.  Apparently it is not recommended to swim in the lake here due to the large and perhaps vicious catfish.

 

Notes on Thailand

I have seen a surprising number of iPhones, at least half a dozen in my 3 days here.  I asked one lady eventually, and they cost about the same as in the States, so it must be the relatively wealthy Thai.  Although there certainly isn’t poverty here like there is in Africa; I think starvation here is quite low.  The Thai people have been quite friendly ad helpful, although they generally seem somewhat reserved.  They do smile a lot in the ‘Land of Smiles’.

 

Monday June 30, 2008   Chiang Mai, Thailand   11 pm

Today was our first day of the CELTA course.  It was interesting, if only mildly intellectually stimulating.  Tomorrow I have to teach a 40 minute class.  It will be my first time in the classroom ever.  I am slightly nervous, but not too bad.  They gave us quite detailed suggestions so it seems pretty simple.  The food has been ok I guess, but I find myself constantly hungry and lightheaded.  I am sure I am losing a pound a day.  I am craving a big juicy burger already.  Or at least some decent meat.  It’s painful to even write those words, and it’s only been 2 days!