Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas! I took these pictures three weeks ago in anticipation of today! The first two pictures were taken at Central World in Bangkok, home of a mini Christmas village. No egg nog or Santa Claus, but they did have a man making wooden shoes, people in costume weighing cheese, a windmill, and larger-than-life sized photo ops. My friend Peach is featured alongside me in the ornament picture. Finally, the last snapshot is of my Christmas tree in my apartment with the many presents I get to open this evening after school! This is certainly a different Christmas (and I wish I could spend it with my family), but I feel very remembered across the many miles. :)

My holiday season? Summer.

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas! Actually, it's not. At all. Instead of chestnuts roasting on an open fire, I'm roasting with an open window. However, with the help of Christmas tunes streaming through my iPod (thank you, Michael Martin Murphey and the Carpenters ), holiday decorations and candy (thank you, Sarah and Mom), pictures of snow (thank you, Dad for demonstrating shoveling for my students), a few emails and cards (thank you, friends!) and a family blog (thank you, Sam), it's beginning to FEEL a lot like Christmas!

On Friday I returned to Sarasit (the all-boys Catholic school in Ban pong) for their Christmas festival. I enjoyed the holiday decorations (see the cave manger scene instead of a stable setting), musical performances, and lots of carnival-type games like bingo, the ring toss, and guess-which-hole-the-rat-will-run-into-first. The teachers and students at Sarasit are extremely nice and generous people!

I spent Saturday and Sunday with my friend Peach and her family. We went to Bangkok, watched National Treasure, and even went bowling. Sunday was election day in Thailand, so that was very interesting to see. This week I'll be teaching about New Year's Resolutions. Last week I taught about Christmas using the song "Do You Hear What I Hear?" The picture is taken at English Club after I handed out candy canes (thanks, Sarah- they LOVED them!). I'll post another Christmas message, but in the meantime, MERRY CHRISTMAS EVE!

English Camp

Over the weekend, I attended an English Camp put on by the Sarasit School, a private, all-boys Catholic school about 45 minutes away from where I normally teach. My host teacher at Pattarayan connected the director of the English Camp with me. Prasit picked me up after I finished teaching on Thursday and brought me to his school. The camp was a great opportunity for 90 select students to practice their English in a fun environment of 'music, sports, and performances' (the weekend's motto). The students practiced interviewing tourists in Hua Hin before we arrived at the campground in Ao Manao ('Lemon Bay'). The beach setting was beautiful. We enjoyed playing tug-of-war on the beach, risking our lives on a terrifying speed boat ride, performing skits, singing camp songs, eating spicy foods, and body surfing during free time. We also went to a very cool aquarium that was about 15 kilometers from the Myanmar border (don't worry, Mom, no border hops). I was treated like a guest of honor, which was very nice and flattering.

Beach Bum (in December?)

Because Monday was a holiday (Constitution Day), I took advantage of the three-day weekend by heading to Koh Samet with fellow Fulbrighter Kiyomi, who teaches in Rayong. We took a boat to the small island and had a blast on the beach soaking up the sun, watching a couple fire shows (young boys twirling flaming batons), and getting sand everywhere. I especially enjoyed watching the sunsets and a sunrise over this picturesque piece of paradise.

Long Live the King!

Tomorrow (December 5) will be a holiday in honor of the King's 80th birthday. To say King Rama IX is loved is an understatement for the reverence, respect, and admiration Thai people have for the world's longest-serving head of state (60+ years). This morning the celebrations began at school with a ceremonial offering of food to the monks in the morning. Then everyone gathered in the assembly hall for chanting, praying for the King, performances, and handing out awards.

Ballroom Bootcamp

On Wednesday I went to a ballroom dancing lesson with my host teacher and the two Philippina teachers at my school. Ajahn Nattamon's friend was in need of female companions for her students at the police academy. When we arrived, I felt like a mail order bride- an awkward outsider thrown into a sea of suitors. A group of guys in uniform crowded around me and barraged me with an array of questions. At one point, a guy asked me how old I was and the date of my birthday. He said something about his birthday and how I should get him a gift. I asked him what he wanted, and he said my telephone number. Talk about a pick-up line! Haha. Anyway, I danced the night away (with a different cadet who was too short to spin me properly), and it was loads of fun. I'll be taking a two-hour lesson every Wednesday and Thursday for the next six weeks.

I suppose I should offer an update on the classroom front: my students are both the most polite and disruptive high schoolers I have ever seen. They greet me at the beginning of class by standing in unison and saying, "Good morning teacher Becky." Class begins and they talk amongst themselves in Thai, while only five or six students pay attention in the class of 40+. At the end of class they stand again and say, "Thank you teacher Becky. See you next time." It would be so cute if they weren't so chatty with each other and silent when I ask them questions. Also, the classes are supposed to be 50 minutes long, but I'm lucky if I have 30 minutes of solid teaching time. There are no passing periods, so the time it takes for students to get from one classroom to another cuts into the period. One time, a math teacher held a class of students for 25 minutes after his class before they came to mine! Also, sometimes students just don't show up. One day only 14 students came to class while the other 21 were off doing who knows what. Did I mention the bell is the tune to "My Favorite Things" from the Sound of Music? I walk around thinking, "Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens..." everyday... every 50 minutes...

Despite this mini rant, I love it here. I've learned to go with the flow, and I'm trying to create opportunities to interact with students outside the classroom. I recently started hosting an English table at lunch. After about 5-10 minutes of sitting by myself at a table like the smelly kid who picks his nose, I am joined by a group of students who come up and ask me questions about the US, my nonexistent boyfriend, my eating preferences, etc. I'm looking forward to developing some after-school activities as well!

Lights, Candles, Action!

I feel like I have been celebrating for the past week! On Wednesday, I went to Bangkok for a meeting with the other Fulbright ETAs. On Thursday, we all went to the Rose Garden in Nakhon Pathom where we saw beautiful flowers, ate at a fabulous buffet, watched an elephant show, attended a traditional cultural show, interacted with animals (note the parrots), and experienced firsthand some crafts and handiwork by sculpting clay, weaving banana leaves, and cutting vegetables into flowers. Then we came back to Bangkok and had Thanksgiving dinner at the Banyan Tree, a fancy restaurant where the amazing buffet featured turkey and pumpkin pie! I ate so much I felt ill. But it was so, so good.

After a day of Fulbright meetings on Friday, I bought a train ticket to Phitsanulok to meet up with fellow ETA Brittny. My stay there was brief because I ended up in Sukhothai with McCaila (my roommate from Bangkok) for the Loy Krathong festivities. During the annual festival, Thai people put little banana leaf boats with candles (krathongs) into the water to thank the river for what it provides and to seek forgiveness for polluting it. Sukhothai is the place to be for the festival because the festivities are especially festive. We arrived at the 650+ year old ruins and walked around for a bit. In the afternoon students from around the province performed in a colorful parade that was the longest and slowest parade I have ever seen (but that's the Thai way of doing things).


In the evening as the sun went down, lights illuminated the ruins. People lit krathongs and cast them into the water. Large paper lanterns (like mini hot air balloons) were lit and set off into the night sky. I think they were better than fireworks because you could watch them float away until they looked like stars in the sky. Soon, the sky was filled with dozens of these floating orbs of light. McCaila and I watched the 'Lights and Sounds' show, which told the story of Sukhothai's history. The costumes and lighting effects were beautiful. It was crazy to see Thai people running all over the ancient buildings... I liked how visitors had such intimate access to the structures. In the US, they'd probably be roped off and behind plexi-glass or something. All in all, it was a wonderful experience and a very memorable night.

Traveling home on Sunday was another memorable experience, though not nearly as pleasant. Let's just say the 14-hour journey involved two rides from strangers, a non-air-conditioned train, and two bus rides (one of which involved standing next to the open door underneath a man with some serious B.O. while the toothless bus driver laughed like a madman as he swerved through traffic). My rock-hard bed never felt so good!

A Day in the Life

6:00am Wake Up and watch 'Channel News Asia' to get up-to-date on world news (in English!)
7:20am Walk to school (a truly death-defying feat considering motorists here)
7:30am Arrive at Pattarayan Wittaya School and sign in
8:30am-5:00pm Teach at various times throughout the day, lesson plan, study Thai language with Ajahn Penny
6:30pm-7:15pm Aerobics, Thai-style
7:30pm Dinner at the market or from street vendors
9:00pm Watch Heroes (in English on the Chinese channel!)
10:00pm Write in journal, study Thai, prepare for tomorrow, read

My new address:
Rebecca Thilo
Pattarayan Wittaya School
Nakhon Chaisi
Nakhon Pathom 73120
THAILAND

This past weekend, I bonded with some people who were my own age! I met up with a teacher's son (Joe- 21, engineering student) and daughter (Peach- 22, computer science student). We spent the weekend together exchanging travel stories, riding bikes, going to markets, eating, and having a great time!

Tarot and Taro

Teaching has been going well, though the students' English level is quite low. Figuring out the way things work around here (i.e. making copies, opening a locked classroom, knowing where I am supposed to be, knowing when I am supposed to be there, etc.) has become my latest challenge. Thankfully, no major catastrophes, but, don't worry, I have still found myself in plenty of embarrassing and confusing situations.

This past weekend was laid-back and fun. I went to a market on Saturday morning with Ajahn Nattamon- the woman who shows me the ropes around here (except for the first two weeks when she was in Vietnam and then sick). After breakfast, she brought out her Tarot cards and offered to read my fortune. She told me to shuffle the deck with my left hand while thinking of my future, money, love, business, traveling, education, or whatever. Because I am me, I found myself curious about the future doom and misfortune of my love life. When the deck was cut and the 10 cards were revealed to forecast my romantic future, the results were quite surprising (and, dare I say, promising?). The 10th card, the most important indicator of future failure or success, was 'The Lovers' card! Maybe there's hope for me yet. Haha.

In the evening I went over to Ajahn Watana's house and had a feast with the other foreign teachers (see the picture of the leftover food). The two Philippina teachers (Bella and Liza), the two Chinese teachers (Zhoubo and Chai), and I stuffed ourselves until our belts wouldn't loosen anymore. Did I mention that my favorite song (Nothin's Gonna Stop Us)was playing when I went in the dining room? I was so excited, I busted a move right there and frightened everyone around me. Well, after dinner, people had grown accustomed to my insanity and we had a bit of a dance party, which consisted of listening to English songs while I made a spectacle of myself with my awesome skills in the art of awkward dancing. How else was I going to burn off all those calories?

Finally, on Sunday I made my triumphant return to Bangkok with the two male Chinese teachers. We shopped in Siam Square all day (their choice, not mine). Now, I'm ready for another week of attempting to break through the language barrier with my students!

Over the river and through the woods...

On Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday of last week, the 7th, 8th, and 9th graders went camping at a huge complex in Saraburi with Girl Scouts, Boy Scouts, and Red Cross! The 10th, 11th, and 12th graders stayed at school for a Buddhist camp. I tagged along with the younger folks and had a blast! We had an opening ceremony with candlelight, challenge/adventure course activities like a zip line into the water, and group skits. I even got to show off my sweet dance moves during one of the group assemblies. I led half of the group while Boy, a "ladyboy" Boy Scout leader, led the other half. As always, I was the tall, awkward white girl trying to bust a move and everyone got a good laugh.

One afternoon, some of the teachers left camp to go on our own adventure. We rode around an ATV course. It was very user-friendly and fun for a first time rider like myself. Despite what the posed picture above may lead you to believe (Mom), I was wearing a helmet. :) One of the teachers said we may return in January for a longer, more intense ride. We also went to a vineyard run by a former Miss Thailand-turned actress. I had some delicious grape ice cream. Everyone went to "Nam Dtok Jet Sow Noy," Seven Young Girls Waterfall. Quite beautiful!

Finally, I had my first Thai version of the American breakfast (see the photo below). I got a huge kick out of having fried chicken drumsticks, scrambled eggs, and artfully prepared hot dogs before 8am. Just in case that wasn't enough food, there was rice and pork ball soup followed by papaya and watermelon for dessert.

Now I am officially teaching. Unfortunately, I only see each of my 517 students once a week. I have lots of lessons to plan for each of my 14 classes (or 17- they haven't decided yet). For my first class, I found out 20 minutes before it began that I would be teaching, so I am definitely kept on my toes here!

Chicken Soup for the Sole?

This past weekend I went to a meditation retreat at a monastery in Kanchanaburi with three other teachers from Patarayan (the school where I teach). On the way there, we stopped at a restaurant and at chicken feet soup... I tried it and liked the flavor, but I don't think I'll eat it again... a bit too bony and, well, it was chicken feet! When we arrived at the temple compound in the misty mountains, it was after 10pm, but the night was still young. We stayed up until after 3am listening to anecdotes from monks, meditating, chanting, and chatting around the vat of coffee.

In the morning, we woke up at 6:30am and ate. Dozens of booths were set up in a buffet-like row with dozens of delicious dishes like kao lam (sticky rice and honey in bamboo), fried rice/noodles, tasty teas, rice pudding, ice cream, meat on a stick, fish balls/pork balls soup, pastries, and so much more. Needless to say, I feel fatter than ever! :) At 11am the monks lined up with silver bowls to receive food offerings from the community.

On the way home on Saturday afternoon, we stopped in Ratchaburi at the bridge over the River Kwai. I was walking around on the bridge enjoying the views when a train started coming down the tracks! The bridge was such a tourist attraction; I figured that the tracks were no longer in use. Thankfully, the bridge had several platforms for trapped tourists (like myself) to scurry to the side and avoid being hit by an oncoming train. For dinner we had lots of food (again) including frog- the whole thing, just fried or baked or something with its warty, froggy skin bubbling up on the plate. I tried some of the back, eating around what looked like the spine and being reminded of dissecting frogs in high school biology.

A New Home

I have arrived in Nakhon Chaisi (Chai-see), which will be my new home for the next five months. It's a much smaller town than I thought it would be. Nakhon Pathom (a bigger town) is about 12 km away. I have my own apartment. Though I don't have a cooking area, I have a bedroom and bathroom to myself. I explored all day yesterday and had a few interesting adventures. In a store near my apartment, ladies were handing out samples at the entrance. I tried the top ramen and waited to try the milk. The woman was like, "You want to try? Are you sure?" I said yes, not thinking anything of it. Later on, I realized from the packaging that the milk was in fact some sort of children's formula or pedialyte. Great, just great.

Also,I am not very good at picking up subtle Thai hints. For example, my host teacher Nattamon (P'Natt) said she would be busy Tuesday morning. I said, "Ok, I'll see you on Wednesday." She was disappointed because she thought maybe we could get together Tuesday afternoon and I rejected her. I totally missed the hint that busy "in the morning" does not mean busy all day. But anyway, everything is going well otherwise. I even made a new friend! (see the photo above)

My New Title: Snake Charmer

On Tuesday afternoon I went to the world's second oldest snake farm. Check out my new skill: snake wrangling.

Tasty treats & rainy river rides

After teaching on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday, the weekend began with a trip to a dinner theater on Silom Road. We ate scrumptious Thai food like cashew chicken, honey-glazed duck, crab meat sausage dipped in plum sauce, and veggies. I had a coconut frosty in a hollowed-out coconut and taro in coconut milk for dessert. Needless to say, I'm eating well. Also, six vignettes of traditional Thai dance and martial arts were performed right in front of our table (it pays to have reservations). The picture below gives you a sample.

On Sunday, I took a guided boat trip up the Chao Phraya River to Kho Kret- Bangkok's largest, car-free island. Along the way, the boat stopped at a monastery with a couple neat wats and a huge, gorgeous garden that provided a nice escape from the city streets of Bangkok. We also stopped at a dessert-making village along the water for lunch (my heaven!). On the island of Kho Kret, I enjoyed looking at the handcrafted items for sale, especially the beautiful and ridiculously inexpensive pottery. On the way back to the pier I treated myself to the tasty treat pictured above: rich and creamy coconut ice cream drizzled with coconut milk over a bed of sticky rice in a banana leaf bowl accented with a vibrant purple orchid. Quite a nice adventure, even when it started pouring on the boat ride back. Naturally, I was sitting on the edge in prime territory to be drenched by the monsoon outside the boat. Thankfully, the boat had large plastic covers for the windows, which provided sufficient protection from the elements once they were secured.

Now, I'm in the last week of orientation. I'll go to my province on October 22nd, which is where I'll be teaching for the semester and living for the next five months.

Football and Flowers

On Monday night I went to a soccer match in the National Stadium, which is located at the end of my street (literally, a 30-second walk). The Thailand National Football team handily defeated Macau 6-1 in a very exciting but not-so-suspenseful game. Every time Thailand scored, a huge Thai flag was passed up an entire section of the crowd and occasionally fireworks exploded overhead. Thankfully, I happened to be wearing yellow (the team's color) because it was a Monday (when everyone wears yellow to show their love for the King). Unfortunately, one of our crew was caught in green (Macau's color), and she suffered more stares (near glares) than the usual you're-out-of-place looks.

After the game, a few of us went to a 24-hour flower market in Chinatown. B-E-A-U-T-I-F-U-L! Naturally, my camera ran out of batteries shortly after our arrival, so you will just have to trust me that the colorful display was breathtaking. I don't know where all of those flowers could possibly come from, nor where all of the people were to buy the hundreds of thousands of roses, orchids, etc.

A large vegetarian festival is currently underway in the streets of Chinatown and random neighborhoods. I've enjoyed some very delicious dishes featuring faux duck, tofu, mushrooms, Chinese vegetables, and more! I'm a particularly big fan of fried taro pancakes, coconut milk concoctions, and anything with ripe mangoes.

As for the business side of things- we are three days into our five-day teaching stint at a Bangkok middle school. The two-hour lessons give us a great chance to prepare for what is to come when the semester officially starts in a couple weeks. I'm convinced that I will come out of the bathroom with my skirt tucked into my underwear or something like that, but thankfully, my only experience with "losing face" involved smearing blue whiteboard marker across my face. I only wonder how long it was there before I figured it out...

Good times, good times

After a week of Thai language instruction and lesson planning, a group of us unwound by going to the movie theater. Unfortunately, everyone wanted to see the one movie I saw before I left: Stardust. I saw it again because I really wanted to see the King's anthem at the beginning. Sure enough, we stood to show our respect for the King before the movie started and saw many images of the King in action.

On Saturday, I did some solo exploring. I started off hoping to see the Royal Barges Museum. The taxi driver dropped me off and I had to walk my way through a narrow maze of rather depressed looking homes. Just when I was convinced I was going the wrong way, I found the 'museum,' which was really just a warehouse of empty docks. Apparently, the museum is closed September 1- November 18. You'd think someone would say something! I also saw my first auto-pedestrian accident. Technically, it was a motorcycle-feline encounter, but it was quite traumatic. After being flattened by the bike, the cat let out a blood-curdling REEAARRR and shot away (undoubtedly injured). Yikes!

Then I went to the museum at Siriraj Hospital, which was amazingly fascinating. Highlights included:

- four mummified bodies (including Si Quey, a serial killer who ate his victims)

- dozens and dozens of abnormal fetuses preserved in formaldehyde (including conjoined twins and conditions I had learned about in my short time in med school!)

- the autopsy tools used after the 'assassination' of King Rama VIII

- an exhibit on the aftermath of the tsunami

- an iron lung and other neat medical instruments

- a skeleton of someone who was over 7 feet tall

In the evening, I went with a group to Khao San Road, the very happening backpacker part of town that boasted too many farangs (foreigners) for my taste. When we grabbed dinner at a hole-in-the-wall roti place, we saw some sort of a motorcycle promo/expo. A stage was set up in the center and two Thai pop singers (Golf & Mike) performed before a crowd of screaming girls. Very entertaining.

Today, five of us ate lunch on Sukhumwit Road at a place called Crepes, & Co. Very pricey by Bangkok standards, but also very delicious. This week, we will pair up and teach a class for five days (Wed.-Tues.). I'm excited to get the practice in before heading to the school where I'll be teaching for the semester!

COOL FACT: In Thailand, cadavers are called 'ajahn yai,' which is Thai for 'principal' or 'great teacher.'

Homestay Heaven

This past weekend I enjoyed a two-night homestay with a kind and generous Thai family (pictured above with Berta). The father cooked a delicious spicy seafood meal for the first night, which I enjoyed with the mother (a Thai teacher), the daughter (who had great English, phew!), and the grandmother. The next morning, we (sans grandma) loaded into a van with a few other teachers, a 16-year old son, and a German exchange student, Berta.

The weekend of traveling began! We went to many wats (Buddhist temples), several markets (a couple were floating- see below), a garden, a museum, and a bed and breakfast. When we arrived at the bed and breakfast, two beautiful rainbows (ruung) stretched over the canal. We then crowded into a long boat and took a tour of the canal. Once night fell, the fireflies and the stars came out, and it was so breathtaking and magical! Yet, when I tried to pronounce firefly (hing hoi), I used the wrong tone and wound up saying something a bit dirty. Apparently, hoi can also mean shell, which is slang for... maybe somethings are best left unsaid.

We also ate. And ate. And ate. I tried seaworms (which really just looked like worms), duck with liver, fish with the head still attached, and lots more! I've tried about three times as many different kinds of fruits as I've had in my entire life. We also stopped at the birthplace of the original Siamese twins. I never made the connection Siamese=Siam=Thailand. At one wat, monk tied a sacred bracelet around my wrist and handed me a coin made out of sacred wood. I presented him with an orange robe that was blessed with chanting before the altar. I enjoyed being able to experience Buddhist customs like placing incense before a shrine, affixing bits of gold leaf to statues, and lifting a heavy metal elephant with my right ring finger for good luck and a fulfilled wish. All in all, it was an awesome weekend!

Tennis, anyone?

Last night I went to the Bangkok Open to watch a couple games of tennis. Unfortunately, Andy Roddick withdrew from the tournament, so the first game wasn't very exciting and his opponent handily beat the alternate standing in for Mandy Moore's ex-beau. The second game was much more exciting: Tommy Haas (Germany) vs. Vincent Spadea (USA). The crowd definitely favored Haas, who won 4-6, 6-4, 6-1. This was my first experience watching pro tennis!

Today was another first- my first experience in a Thai classroom. Our group of ten English teachers taught the seventh graders about Thanksgiving and Kwanzaa (as seen in the picture above). This brief experience made me even more excited to head to my school and start teaching my own class with my own students at the end of October! This weekend, I will experience a homestay on Friday and Saturday night. I think my Thai host mom teaches English, so hopefully, she will share some teaching tips! By the way, here's a glimpse of what is in store for me (from a contact at the school where I'll teach):

The only thing I'd like to warn you is our students are very weak in English. Most of them lack self disciplines while many others are quite ignorance. I don't mean to frighten you, but to warn you so that you can prepare to face these "monsters".

And a few pictures from last weekend:

A Weekend Tourist

After orientation ended on Friday, the weekend of sightseeing began! I couldn't believe that I had been in Thailand a week without seeing much more than my dorm and its surrounding sois (streets), Chulalongkorn University (Chula, for short), and the JJ or Chatachuk Market. So, everyone went out to dinner at a hole in the wall place where we were the only white faces around. I was having a great time until (at the end of the meal) I caught a glimpse of the dishwashing facilities... large rubber trash cans overflowing with murky water, bits of food, and our dishes. Ew. On the positive side, I am still alive.

After the death-defying dining came to a close, we piled into cabs- literally five of us on top of each other to save a bit of cab fare. An international friend from our dorm, Daisuke, directed us to the clubbing section of town. I felt horribly under-dressed and over-clothed (probably a new word, but hopefully it gets the message across). Apparently, I am more fashion-challenged than in the US. It's official. Anyway, we went to a super-swanky club called Route 66 and danced the night away... until we (not me exactly, but part of our group) sort of got kicked out, but that's a different story.

Saturday involved taking the BTS skytrain down to a bridge where we hopped on a water taxi and headed to the Grand Palace area.

• First stop: Wat Pho, home of the giant Reclining Buddha. Impressive, but the entire wat (aka temple) compound was either under renovation or in need of better upkeep. I'll post some pictures when I have a chance.
• Second stop: street hawkers for fresh pineapple, fried bananas, and vanilla ice cream with sticky rice and coconut milk. YUM.
• Third stop: Wat Phra Kaew, home of the Emerald Buddha inside the Grand Palace complex. Everything was colorful and shiny and gold... lots of gold. I got a kick out of the Emerald Buddha's three seasonal costumes- hot, rainy, and cold. It's like the King plays dress up three times a year. Okay, technically, it's the Crown Prince who changes the Buddha's headdress these days (someone else changes the rest of the costume) because nobody wants to risk the 80-year-old-longest-reigning-living-ruler's life on a climb up to the top of the ornate, three-tiered platform on which the jade Buddha meditates.
• Fourth stop: a couple palace museums.
• Fifth stop: Wat Aruna, the Temple of the Dawn. My favorite wat so far! The wat's exterior is concrete covered in broken pieces of china, giving it a colorful, trashy-chic look. I climbed the steeeeeep stairs up the wat's facade and indulged in amazing views of Bangkok while little bells on the surrounding spires tinkled around me. Ahhhh...

After the long day of sightseeing, I had (yes, had) to treat myself to a Thai massage. Because my feet were so sore, I plunked down my 159 baht ($5 ish) for an hour-long, amazing, relaxing, sole-soothing rub down. I can't wait to try a full-body massage soon. :)

Finally, today I went to the Evangelical Church of Bangkok with a couple female Fulbrighter friends. I miss my Lutheran churches in Coeur d'Alene and Houston. The three of us went to the Vimanmek Mansion after church; a jaunt I really enjoyed despite my exhaustion. Speaking of exhaustion, I'm off to rest up for another week of orientation, Thai language classes, and lesson planning 101!

Some Background Info

2007-2008 Thaliand ETAs:

For those who don't know, I suppose I should explain why I am not in medical school anymore. I received a phone call from the Fulbright office 3 weeks into med school informing me that a spot had opened up for me (I was an alternate). After a very stressful weekend of thoughtful deliberation, I decided to accept the scholarship and go on leave of absence until next July when I'll start all over again.

Until October 20, mail can be sent to the TUSEF office:

Rebecca Thilo, ETA

Thailand-U.S. educational Foundation

Thai Wah Tower 1, 3rd Floor

21/5 South Sathorn Road

Bangkok 10120

Thailand

My school assignment (October 22, 2007 - March 2008):

Patarayarn Wittaya School

Location- Nakorn Chaisri District, Nakorn Pathom Province)

The school's website (in Thai)- www.py.ac.th

The Thailand adventure begins!

Sawatdee Ka from Thailand! Unfortunately, I have just exhausted nearly all of my Thai language vocab in the first sentence, but I hope to be a bit more proficient by the end of this next six months.

I left Houston on Thursday, September 13, 2007, and arrived in Bangkok, Thailand, around midnight on Friday (making Saturday my first real day in Thailand). I have moved in what little belongings I brought with me. I think I should have brought more clothes because I am much too big for even their XL size. I feel like such a sumo. I spent about $10 on two unflattering polo shirts that will get me through some of the dress requirements to come. Even though they would not be formal by US standards, they bear the King's seal, which makes them acceptable when accompanied by a skirt and close-toed shoes. Perhaps I need to try harder looking for sizes that fit. In themeantime, I find myself looking for fat Thai women so I can ask themwhere they shop...

I am also taking in Thai sight and smells. Though, in my opinion,they're not entirely appetizing- from pollution to stray dogs. Rats scurry around the streets at night, which nearly scares the pee out of me. Yikes stripes. I have yet to encouter a true Thai toilet. I should probably invest in a sugical mask since I'll be in Bangkok for 5 weeks, and the pollution at street-level is intense. I've been to a HUGE weekend market, out to eat,the university (Chula, for short), and to the Peninsula for Ross's (afellow ETA) birthday. I spent an entire page in my journal describing the delicious desserts- from dragon fruit to pineapple rum shots tocreme brulee and more! Though the dinner buffet was 1500 baht (~$50US), I sprang for just desserts, which was all-you-can eat for only300 baht (~$10 US). Everyone else bought a dinner meal a la carte, sonow I am known as the dessert girl. Ugh. I think this was really a one-time dietary splurge. Otherwise, I have been sticking to fried rice and soups, and (yes, mom) bottled water.

I've made friends with my roommate McCaila. She's from Vermont (the state of my dreams) and has said I can come visit her... I am SO excited. :) Also, three architecture students from the University of Idaho are in my dorm and studying at Chula for the semester. Two are from Portland, and one is from South Dakota, but seeing one girl's Idaho shirt made me positively giddy.

I am going to try to figure out this blog thing more. Perhaps I'll even post pictures sometime. I miss my family and friends and wish I had more internet/phone time to keep in touch with people personally. If you'd like to shoot me an email, I'd love it: bthilo@gmail.com.

Until next time... Becky