home sweet home

well...as is my style...i have problems concluding my journals. i don't think i've ever "finished" a travel journal of mine properly. and now that i am home, i don't really feel like going into any grand detail.

what can i say...the it was fun. the last days of school before we left for pattaya were interesting. the students and i were treated like celebrities and were showered with gifts. i am still amazed and the amount of gratitude and appreciation shown by everyone. i kept telling my canadian students how lucky they were.

as it often happens in teaching, i started coming down with a cold. i think i may have mentioned that ealier? jessica got it first. and so during our saturday bankok adventure, i was quite under the weather. nothing like being congested in 40 degree temperatures! we went on a river boat tour. and i suppose it did remind me of venice, just a lit bit more run down i suppose.

the houses on the water ranged from being huge mansions to little shacks made of anything the owner could find to put a shelter over his or her head. and perhaps the most culturally shocking event of that ride was the dead dog floating in the water near other boats and the locals going about everything as usual. i mentioned this to my homestay family later that night, about how different that sort of thing is for me to see, as we don't have wild dogs in vancouver. they understood. i'm just glad that jessica didn't see it. she had been earlier talking about how much she missed her dogs back home, and i don't think she would have handled that all to well.

the rest of the day was spent going to the national treasury museam, the grand palace and temple of the emerald buddha, and the teak mansion.


all very extraordinary. no royalty lives in the grand palace these days, not since king VIII died there i believe. the royal family lives in a different palace now, and this one is mostly for tourism.

sunday was very relaxed, as i wanted to nurse myself somewhat before taking off for our beach trip. i spent the day packing and watching movies. then it was a farewell dinner with my homestay family and friends. i thanked them for their amazing generosity. they thanked me for adding "colour" to their home!

monday morning we headed to our hotel at the beach, a three hour drive away. we spent the afternoon being lazy on the sand. our hotel was a little bit away from the centre of town and the central beach. it had its own private beach, which was nice. that night we went into town to watch a transvestite show. an all male cast. i think the students were both shocked and entertained. needless to say it was an interesting experience. pattaya, by the way, is one of the more "las vegasy" towns of thailand. it has beautiful beaches, yes, but it also has the highest number of street workers anywhere in thailand. also quite an experience. with each passing day in pattaya, the canadian students and i became more and more aware of the number of older foreign men spending the day with young thai women. a sight that, unfortunately, many people around the world equate thailand with in general, but that is not the case. this was our first experience of this.


but i digress. the following day (tuesday), we spent the entire day and the central beach. we sat under a few of the thousands of umbrellas that line the miles of beach front and ate fruit and bought trinkets. somebody would pass every few minutes selling something or another. a couple students got henna tatoos, others got thai massages and pedicures. jessica got her nails done while having her hair braided. i saved my money to buy souvenirs. we alternated between playing in the water and relaxing in the shade.

a man from hawaii and his wife (who both now live in thailand) were sitting near us and we chatted with them a bit. a couple of us were concerned about the jelly fish in the water, and so i decided to ask them about the situation. his wife explained that it was not the time of year for the huge dangerous breed (the japanese something or other with long tentacles), and that the ones we were seeing should be harmless. they were white and small like the ones i've seen here over in deep cove, but their purple tips scared me a bit. needless to say i steered clear. i started feeling a bit itchy, and i initially decided that it was just me being the delicate flower that i am. but the guy from hawaii started feeling it too and said, "there's some sort of creature out there." hmmm.

so why i thought i would be a good idea to join chris, taj and brendan on the banana boat, i don't know. i suppose it's because i didn't really realise that with banana boat rides you spend half your time hanging on for dear life and the other half being thrown off the boat into the water by a half-mad thai man driving the speed boat that's towing you. i still have two healing scars on my knuckles from the hanging on for dear life part. i was in the front and no one would trade! we were thrown off four or five times. each time more difficult to get back on the darn thing. we were finally tossed near shore. both chris and i were stung by jelly fish. and all four of us were itchy itchy itchy. we ran back to our umbrellas and quickly found a place to shower for 10 baht. it still didn't stop my itching. by the time i had finished and walked back to the beach, my body had broken out in a splotchy rash. it lasted for two hours. needless to say, i did not venture back into the water, not even the next day. the others were feeling as itchy as i was, but i was the only one fortunate enough to get a rash. the only thing we could figure is that the jelly fish were secreting something in the water and that it was worse further out where we were banana boating. that's my story and i am sticking to it.

we went back to the hotel a while later and rested and cleaned up for dinner. that night we went into town and did a bit of shopping. nothing too exciting. the following day was spent relaxing at the beach again, no water this time. and in the night we went to "walking street" a very...hmmm...interesting stretch of stores, bars and stuff. we were all just trying to spend every last baht we had. and we actually got to see some thai boxing as there was a ring on walking street. there were also go-go dancers in glass boxes, but whatever.

and that was it. we got up early the next day and started the trip back home. i won't bore you with details of how i almost spent a night in japan because of my cold and the reaction my ear was having to air travel. i don't care to relive the pain. ha. but i did make it back and i am happy to be sitting here comfortably, not sweating, as i type this!

final thoughts...well...it was great. it was such an experience to be able to live with a family and teach in the school. will i do it again next year? i don't know. i'm sort of wondering if there's a different country i could go to and do the same sort of thing. it really was just nice to travel again. another place checked off my world map! i hope you enjoyed this little blog thingy. that'll be all. until next time...

beach bum

well...you'll have to wait to hear this epic's conclusion. i'm currently in pattaya and don't wish to take long as i have to pay for internet time. it's 10:25 in the morning and all the students are down the street at the beach. i just had to send out an emergancy email regarding my pick up at the airport. that is all.

so two full days here and then it is off to home. i will talk about my last weekend in bangkok then. not all that exciting considering i had a cold the whole time. but i am feeling better and am looking forward to two days of nothing. today was the first time i was able to sleep in the entire trip. but because my body is so used to it...i awoke at 8:15 (much better than my usual 5:30 though!). we just sat on the beach all day yesterday and then went to see "tiffany's" last night. a world renowned transvestite show. yup. the students thought it was...um...interesting.

on that note, i think there is a banana boat waiting for me...

the continuation...

if you don't know what the title means, then read the blog below first.

so...kwang says, "they're cats, they're my grandmas. come here, i'll show you." and she took me over to a fence at the back of the carport. i will mention at this point in time that pinoi's grandma lives in a smaller house on the same property. in fact, it is just on the other side of the car port (which...have i mentioned...house six cars at any given time). i could walk to her front door in under ten seconds. yet, i have yet to meet this mysterious grandma. i find that most peculiar. when i asked kwang about it a week ago, she simply told me that her grandma doesn't like to go outside. i am determined to meet this woman before i leave. but i digress.

so i walk over to the fence and peer in. "can you see?" says kwang. "yes." and yes i could. there in front of me, behind the yappy dog in the back yard of her grandmother's house, were four cats in a cage the size of a large dog travel kennel. i'm not lying. and they live that way. i pursued this further with kwang, as being a cat lover my heart cried out. i asked her why they are in the cage. she said, " i think because my grandmother does not want them to run away." and they stay in the cage? "yes." why not in the house? "i don't know." but cats need to walk around. "they can't walk" well...that's because they are kept in a cage. cats are just like dogs, they need to run around. why does she keep them like that. "because my grandmother, she loves animals" HUH??? i then tried to convince her to have a talk with grandmother, and even though she said she would i somehow doubt it. now i am wondering if that is the reason that there aren't more stray cats out and about. but to think that one could keep them in such a tiny cage!! part of me wants to set them free before i go, but i don't know what is more cruel, to leave them there, or to leave them to their own devices. i can't imagine they would get far, their muscles seized up and all. jeepers. and somehow i don't think there is any kind of animal welfare control. maybe i can approach the teacher who was collecting for the handicap dogs???

fish. we eat a lot of fish. in fact, there is fish for breakfast here. i have never eaten so much seafood in my life and actually wouldn't mind a steak as the first meal when i get home. i suppose because it's sooo plentiful here. every meal is so elaborate too. i have settled for just having yogurt for breakfast (they kindly bought some for me) because somehow a full fish (with eyes a poppin of course) and sweet and sour vegetables don't do it for me in the morning. don't forget the rice of course!

my homestay even has a pond in their yard. actually the pond is the size of an entire lot. i had just thought it was some crummy sewage place until i saw pijai feed them one day. it's actually enclosed by another fence, which is why i didn't realise it was part of their property. they have tons of fish and even a turtle and a few coi.

fish are a big part of this culture, as i mentioned, and feeding the river fish seems to be even more important. every temple has it's own pond where people can go feed the fish. the first time i did this (during my first weekend here) i was impressed. these fish were huge, and tons of them would swarm to the surface, flapping water everywhere to get at the food you toss their way. kwang says it has to do with luck and respect for the temple. and it really was interesting the first time. it lost pizazz after a few. so i was a little puzzled when yesterday in the car on the way home from school, kwang asked me if i wanted to feed the fish. i am coming down with a cold, and wasn't feeling all that perky yesterday, and thought, here we go again. we went to the temple by their house and walked out on the docks on the river. we could see the market where we had been last week. and you know what??? i actually found the whole thing very relaxing. maybe that's why they do it. friends would sit on the dock and chat and get splashed. i wandered around, just enjoying it and actually felt better.

no that i feel fantastic today though. i had to buy some vitamin c. the boy in my homestay, git, and also a boy we drive to and from school every day, are both currently fighting a cold. it was only a matter of time.

but i a cold doesn't kill me, perhaps malaria or the west nile virus will (wow, what a segway!!! ha). but seriously. i must get anywhere from 5-15 bites a day. i got two just in the shower this morning. they seem to camp out and wait. i got another while i was on the computer in the morning. and another on the way to school, even though i had put lotion on. i got two more at school!! i really hate the buggers. and though i was trying not to kill them before (because buddhists respect all life), they are on the top of my hitlist now. even so, i refrain from swating them in front of the family, because i think they may find it barbaric. today in the car, one was flying around and kwang simply opened her window and tried to shoo it out. when that didn't work, she simply shut the window! acckkk!

a note on some other insects. there were ants in my sugar this morning. which only phased me the first time it happened. however, when i saw how "familiar" the thing seemed to everyone else, i quickly acted like it was not a big deal. and i suppose it isn't. that is until i find one in my coffee. and at dinner the other day, there was a huge fire ant crawling on my table. my first instinct, of course, was to smash it with my hand. but i held back and calmly pointed it out to pi noi with a smile on my face. with lightening reflexes he grabbed the culprit by one leg and called the maid over. she cupped it in her hands and set it free outside. hmmm...if they didn't have the cats locked in cages, maybe there would be less insects. then again. i don't think it matters. it's just...interesting.

well...i'm off to go bowling...

dogs, cats, fish and mosquitoes

hey there. i know i just left a massive messege two day ago, but this one will be quick.

although i have seen a similar case of wild dog culture in other places (especially turkey), i think i get to notice all sorts of things because of my unique situation teaching over here. as an animal lover, it really is hard to not wince, just ever so slightly, when you see dogs walking around all tattered and carrying one leg dead limp in the air because it has either been brutally attacked by another dog or, more likely, hit by a car. it's really a different attitude here. which is why i could not resist cracking a bit of a smile, or maybe even a smirk, when while teaching class the other day, a teacher came around with students collecting money for something. i asked one of my students what it was and she explained that it was to help handicap dogs, dogs that have been hurt and left to die so to speak. things that make you go hmmmm...perhaps a fundraiser for spaying and nuetering might work? i actually can't quite figure that one out. kwang once said that there are so many because people would give dogs to the temple as a show of respect. was it that or was it because they needed someone to take care of them? i know that in turkey spaying and neutering are very expensive, and can only imagine it is so here. it's just that if they were revered as temple dogs, i don't imagine i would see the ill treatment i see. i just don't know. but i won't ponder this any longer. i just, always, take it for what it is. interesting.

it's not all bad though. my family has two very wonderful dogs. they've had them since they were only weeks old. one of them is trained to perform the "wai" (the placing together of hands in front of you while saying the hello) for treats. it's cute. they are a special sort of thai dog. can't repeat the name to tell you the truth, but they have an extra toe on each foot and a different sort of pronounced spine than most dogs.

every morning i woke up a would hear these strange wails. i thought to myself that they sounded like cats. but there was something odd about them and i settled on figuring that it was some sort of morning bird. i started to hear them in the evening as well. one day, when we arrived home from school, i heard them quite loud and i asked kwang what that was...

opps. cliff hanger. i've got to finished getting ready for school!

another week and one night in bangkok

soo...i've been busy. teaching in this heat is more exhausting than usual. and for those who know...teaching can be exhausting. last week i didn't do much in the evenings. not by choice either, just becuase we are so far out from town there really isn't much to do in the evenings!

needless to say by wednesday night i was a little restless. i was ever looking forward to thursday when i knew that i would be taking a trip into bangkok to see the temple of the golden buddha! we left from school. brendon (one of the canadian students from STB) came with kwang and pijai and i (pijai, if you remember, is what i call my homestay mom). after talking to brendon and getting the sense that he was as restless as i, i invited him along. checking it with pijai of course. we went to the temple and then wandered around china town. then we went for chinese food. after dinner, we wandered around a bit more. crowded streets, markets everywhere. back in the car, pijai then took us for a bit of a night tour of bangkok. we drove by the grand palace and then the democracy monument. kwang was having trouble explaining to me what is was and when i returned to the car from taking my photo, kwang was on the phone with teacher bo. kwang's mom had called her so she could explain it to me. i could only smile. they are so overly thoughful. and all the time too! anyway, i discovered that it commemorates the passing over of control to the government and people. the king gave up his absolute power. before that there had been much bloodshed, and so it serves to remember those who lost their lives in the fight for democracy as well.

onward to the market. we drove through the night flower market. flowers and food only. the night bazaar takes up blocks elsewhere and i had yet to discover that! but this one was pretty darn formidable! after that it was to the monument to king V (don't recall his name, sorry). around the monument about 150 people or so were gathered and scattered. it was after eight and dark (it gets dark around seven here). people were lighting candles, bringing flowers and wreaths to show respect. others were camped out on blankets with tables of food. somewhere music was playing. cars would park and more people would show, others, finished showing their respect, would leave. there were even dancers and drums, though they were taking a rest on their blanket at that point. i asked kwang if something special was going on. she said "no" and that people gather there like that EVERY NIGHT. she told me i should see the place when there is a festival. how devout. how cool. king V was very important in establishing the laws of thailand for the people and they wish to always show their respect.

by another wat (temple) with a giant swing outside. and i mean giant. it must rise about 75 to 100 feet. it's not used today, but years ago, during festivals, people would swing on it as part of a tradition. apparently too many people died though. hmmm..

friday. after school kwang and two school friends of hers and i went to the colourful little market by her house here on the river. i didn't buy anything. but winding and weaving my way through the stalls was quite the experience. back at home, pi noi had company and we awardly worked our way through a conversation.

saturday it was off on a tour with rene to kantanaburi. we visited the POW museum, where many many canadian, australian, us and british forces perished. not to mention local thais who were taken over by the japanese and forced to labour building the bridge over river kwai. an eery place. we visited the cemetary and the bridge and also mananged to fit in an elephant ride, which i think was jessica's highlight thus far.

that night i stayed in bangkok while the rest of the students went back to their homestays. i just needed to get away for a bit. kwang had wanted me to attend a birthday party with her on sunday, but i maintained beforehand that i "had to check with rene". going to a 15year old's b-day was not something i wanted to do. i love the family, but i didn't want to insult them. they don't really understand the concept of wanting "space" and they can easily take it the wrong way. originally i was going to stay at a hotel, but tik offered for me to stay at her place. i went to her house and me her mom and dad and cousin and cousin's husband (the latter two who were visiting from california...they had met when the husband was here teaching english many moons ago...and he speaks thai very well!). tik and i had hit if off. we had both lived in cambridge and had much fun reminising. she and i went to the night bazaar and she helped me bargain for a "thai price" rather than a falang price (falang=foreigner). i picked up a lot of stuff. she told me some friends were going to have some drinks at sukimvit road so we headed there. she hadn't been able to get ahold of her friend, but we went anyway. poor tik didn't really know where she was going, and we ended up smack dab in the middle of the red light district (don't worry...it was safe...just really interesting). in fact, we walked into a bar that i later noticed was called "bush garden" i won't say much more.

the next day i went with tik to her coffee shop, to the catholic church and then to central bangkok mall. while tik went off to do some errands, i hopped on the skytrain and subway on my own. i went to a park and wandered around and then it was time to head back to tik's to meet their family for dinner. such hospitality, really. they treated me like family and i am forever grateful. it was a great time and it really was just what i needed. it was nice to have someone my own age to talk to for a while.

and back to the work week. here i sit at home. i'm trying to convince kwang to go to a movie with me tomorrow and bowling with the other canadians on wednesday. we'll see what happens...

so...a bit about the school. the students stand to greet you when you get to class. "good morning teacher" "good morning class. how are you today?" "fine thank you and you?" (always raising their voices so that the YOU is very high pitched in tone!). and they stand to say goodbye when you leave. however, some classes have become a bit slack. i think it is for two reasons. one, we are foreigners and so therefore are not necessarily given the same status as a thai teacher (who, by the way, are VERY respected) and two, well, what we do in the class is soooo different, particularly because we are working in groups and not rows, that i think they lose some of their otherwise quiet and subdued behaviour! i have managed to accumulate some gifts, though not as many as the boys! they keep giving out their emails and such. i actually just discovered that they have been chatting it up on msn with girls from the school. hmmm...i might have to talk to them about that one. can't that wait until we are finished teaching? no wonder they are actuing like goofs. but they are really enjoying the fame. so much so that i think they too are losing some focus. i had to have a bit of a pep talk with them today. we'll see what tomorrow brings.

the politics at the school are crazy. i won't go into detail, but gossip is big. i can't count the number of times i've been approached by a teacher asking, "is this true?" they are very swayed by outside families and very careful about speaking their mind in front of the principal.

on the way to school every morning, we stop for a minute at pijai's parents place so that either kwang or git can run in and get some money. i find this quality time somewhat amusing. as neither of them wants to be the one to go up to the house. and all they do is "take the money and run."

my neighbourhood is a concret jungle of sorts. it's hard to describe the housing, but for the most part, they are three or four story narrow apartment blocks. the bottom floors are all garage doors, and that is about as wide as the apartment is. for the most part, families choose to run a business, a market of sorts, in this garage space. did i mention there are markets everywhere! then the family lives in the floor above the garage. some are actually used for cars, though not many. i asked kwang about this, because these apartments really are everywhere and i was curious. she said for the most part there will be many family members living together, extended family and such. also, children stay at home until they are married pretty much. tik still lives at home. that's why i think she loved living in cambridge so much when she was there.

there really is no middle class here. there are poor and rich it seems. you have or don't have. every morning i see the monks making their rounds and think that everyone should become a monk, b/c then they are taken care of! but this is not to say that they are not happy. they seem to know how to be happy with very little. in fact, on our way to chang mai i saw something that made me chuckle. along the side of the road, there was shack after shack built along farm land. all of a sudden i see this guy standing out in front of his 60inch plasma screen tv. it was outside but covered. it made me smile. becuase behind him stood a very simply house.

also, there is very little free space here. on all the road trips i have noticed that there is not a lot of unused space. little houses dot the landscape continuously. i mentioned this to rene and it really is simple. there are a lot of people in thailand! so it's not like road trips in canada, where you drive for miles with nothing but natural scenery.

and..well..i'm going to go now. it's almost dinner. hope you enjoyed my dribble.