Okay... I think I'm all caught up here... Vlog numero uno.

Start with Part 1.

Make sure you start with Part 1.

This is way out of order, but here is Vlog 2 in two parts. It's basically a summary of my first few days here. I'll comment as needed on them... in part 2, the brown crunchy things are slugs. They taste good, but the thought of them being those slimy things crawling on the ground... meh. I'd have to have the dish a coupla more times to convince myself that it's okay to eat them.

If I may be perfectly honest, I had a hard time last week being here in Thailand. Don’t get me wrong. I love it here.

However, I am a creature of habit. My mind works systematically. I hate it because it causes me to love being in a comfortable spot.

I’ll be totally honest, starting with college. Ever since I graduated in December, I’ve had a hard time being motivated to do anything. College was great. I had a schedule to follow. Same classes every week in, week out, same church, same work schedule. But college ended, and so did my routine. My parents might have taken it for laziness when I was home for a few weeks. Okay, so maybe I was a little lazy… but hey, I just made it through four and a half years of school. I think I deserved a little break. Truth is, I didn’t have anything to consume my time. Nothing to keep my hands busy. No schedule to govern how I use my time… so what do I do then? I became listless, almost lifeless, it felt to me. (I did fill the time by watching seasons 3-6 of NCIS on DVD.)

I think the only thing that kept me going in the summers were my working at the computer labs and the community center. I hated the summer in between the spring and fall semester, to tell the truth. I never lived in the same place for two summers in a row. I moved home for a few weeks and then moved back to Terre Haute. I felt like a nomad. Always packing and unpacking boxes, packing and unpacking my car, moving my belongings here and there. I greatly appreciate those people who graciously opened their homes to me, don’t get me wrong. I was just tired of moving. I cried about it one night while visiting my grandma during one summer.

Moving away from home to go to school was such a good thing for me. I was forced to take responsibility for myself. I’m just so tired of MOVING everywhere.

The night before commencement, I sat in Joe’s apartment with Tara, talking about this very subject. “I’m so tired of moving. I want to find a job and stay there for a while,” I told Joe. I hope that whatever job I get, wherever I end up, is a job that I like. I don’t want to take a job for a year as a means for getting something else the next year, or even the year after that. I hate that feeling. My (future) students deserve something better than that. I can’t stand doing something halfway.

So what does this have to do with Thailand?

Last week I had a hard time, like I said. Here I am, in an exotic, foreign place, without even the OPTION of going back home, not for a few months at least. I can’t go to Applebee’s and get the BBQ pulled pork sliders with the amazing garlic mashed potatoes and raspberry iced tea. Every day is filled with new culinary wonders--you would think that I would love it. And I do. I hope that is evident from the food vlogs and pictures. Please don’t misunderstand. I guess that the thing I am missing is consistency, a constant. And I’m not just talking about the food. I don’t have a set schedule for every day, so it’s easy to just sit around and be lazy.

Luckily, another professor from ISU is here. Besty, from the College of Nursing. I’ve talked about her before. It’s nice to see a face from home. We frequent a restaurant that is across the street from us in the alley (as well as the hotel’s restaurant). Rai’s place, we call it. It’s a quaint little place with white tables and walls. She serves specialty coffees and ice cream, as well as some great dishes. The other night I had fish and chips (what can I say? Close to home! And come on, I try something new just about every day… so I think I can afford to have a dish from home). The thing is just that: we go quite often. Thus far, about twice a week.

Tonight (Tuesday) I didn’t know what I was going to do for dinner. I don’t want to get into a “consistency rut” and go the same places all the time. Believe me, I am fighting this complacency thing. Thing is, I just don’t know where else to go, and what places are good to eat at by myself—mostly due to the language barrier. So… I decided I would just go to Rai’s. Betsy is out for the week in another part of the country, and those fish and chips were calling my name.

Rai knows me by name now. I walked in, and it was like she was looking for me. As much as I don’t want to get stuck going to the same places all the time, I’m glad I went. I knew she would take care of me. As I waited for my food, she chatted with me a little bit. Then she brought out some fruit that had been boiled in sugar. It was sort of like a cross between a cherry and cranberry—sweet and with a small pit. I didn’t get the fish and chips, though. Don’t worry. I had stir-fried chicken with basil and rice. After I paid the bill, Rai gave me a small bag filled with the candy-like fruit. How kind! I can’t get over the hospitality of the Thai people.

After I left the restaurant, I did go to a street vendor and order an ear of corn. The corn here is, like, 10 times better than fair corn.

I must say, I am growing accustomed to the spiciness of the food. I don’t mind it as much. A non-spiced dish almost tastes bland without even a little bit of flare to it.

This week seems to be better for me. I feel a little more adjusted. It might have helped that I rode a bus on Saturday—by myself—to MBK, the HUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUGE shopping mall downtown. I walked around the mall by myself. I’ve never had a problem doing something by myself. But when it came to getting back to campus, I ran into some difficulties. I thought I could take a certain bus back to campus, and the bus attendant, who could only speak very little English, told me that that bus didn’t go back to campus (but it picked me up at the bus stop right outside the gate??? That doesn’t add up!). So I got off the bus. I started to freak out, so I walked around for a bit to try to figure something out. Because the bus attendant couldn’t speak English, he didn’t bother to try to tell me what bus I should take. I’m sure you can imagine how I felt—a young woman by herself on the streets of Bangkok. Eventually I thought that surely the mall has information about busses, so I asked, and they were able to direct me to the correct number.

Being thrust out of my comfort zone of consistency, while it is extremely comfortable, is a good experience, I know. All of this discomfort will be worth it on the other side.

By the way, I finally had some fresh coconut. They cut a hole in the top, give you a straw, and you drink the milk on the inside. Well, it’s more like water that is coconut flavored. Then, after you drink the juice, you get a spoon and carve out the flesh. VERY good. It’s very different from going to the store and buying a bag of shredded coconut (which is also very good). And any dessert with coconut milk is absolutely to DIE for. I definitely recommend it.

I uploaded my photos to flickr. Check 'em out!!

On the way home to Bangkok, we stopped at Sam Chuk market. It's been around for 100 years.

Several of the male students walked around with me. They mostly wanted to practice their English. We had a good time.

I've see these students and professors around campus in the last few days. So funny... I walk by, and the students yell out, "Teacher! Teacher!!" :D Good to see them.

Day 2 of English Camp in Suphan Buri:

This morning I drank two cups of coffee. My stomach doesn't take too kindly to it!

I feel like waxing profound this morning. I am slowly learning "Thai time" -- late. I was told about it, but to experience it is quite different. Last night, Chaiwot told me to be ready at 7:30 this morning. So I left my room -- by the way, they let me have a room t myself - at 7:30ish and waited. I walked by the other rooms. No sign of life. For whatever reason, I feared that that they had left me. Breakfast was to be at 8. 7:45 -- still nothing. After 8, one of the professors came around the corner of my car port. "Teresa, come drink some coffee with us. Are the others awake?" I wasn't sure. We chatted as I sipped down two cups of coffee (mistake! Today, for the first time since I've been here, my digestive system is out of sorts, which might have had to do with the coffee).

Finally, Chaiwot drove by at about 8:15. :)

"This side is about 300 baht, and your room is 330 baht. Do you know why?" the professor asked. I didn't know. "The toilet seat. My side has a traditional Thai toilet."

At that moment, I was so humbled. They let me have a room to myself, which cost more because of the toilet seat, while the female students slept four to a room, and these two had a "lesser" toilet. This isn't about the toilet seat, though. These people have done nothing but been hospitable, accommodating, kind. They ahve welcomed me into their world, a foreigner, a farong, gave me a room to myself, and I have the nerve to complain about their lack of promptness or the fact tht they answer their cell phones in class, mind you, or that they don't flush toilet paper, or even don't have some readily available sometimes, or that there are ants in my room.

I think, for the Thai people, it's more about enjoying others' company rather than being on time. (Later note -- I kind of addressed this in a previous blog in regards to class time...) At home, tardiness is severely discouraged. To me, being late communicates that one doesn't care enough about commitments to honor them. I know this is not their intent (the Thais, that is), but it is very easy to rub me the wrong way.

It's not that I didn't appreciate before. I just didn't realize. Maybe now I will appreciate with greater awareness.

This morning's breakfast was quite delightful. I drank a sweet, warm, soy milk, with some sort of jelly seed thing. I also had a Chinese doughnut. It's kind of like ours, but maybe more like a French Beignet. We discussed the differences in how our cultures regard teachers. Amy (one of the professors who teaches English) explained that today is Teacher's Day and gave me a beautiful, little floral zipper bag.

Currently I am sitting on a balcony, enjoying some Chrysanthemum tea in the cool breeze beneath a palm tree.

This evening we went to a nearby dam. Quite majestic. So beautiful. And it smelled great... nearby they burn sugar cane to make sugar, and you could smell it. There are these mysterious black ashes around Suphan Buri, and I couldn't figure out what they were or where they were coming from. That answered my question.

The students also worked on a few dramas in English, and I had to judge their performances that evening. I was thoroughly impressed with what they could do in three hours. Drama and dance are very important in this culture.

Day 1 of the English camp in Suphan Buri:

I arrived at camp shortly after it started. The students were working at different stations, which covered different aspects of the English language, such as vocabulary, actions, and asking others to do something. At one station, the teacher said, “In English, you say Autumn, and in American you say Fall.” Interesting distinction I’ve never thought about before. It makes sense, though, considering that Thailand belonged to the British for a while.

After dinner, we moved to activities that included line dancing (great for learning right, left, and directions), fashion, and Karaoke. What a blast! I sat at the fashion station for the first rotation, but then I moved the Karaoke station when I started hearing music. Couldn’t resist. Eventually I started being goofy and let loose. The students and I had a great time singing “You Are Not Alone” (Michael Jackson) and “When You Say Nothing At All” together.

That evening I judged the fashion show and Karaoke competition. What a BLAST!! Video to come soon…

I will post about Suphan Buri soon.

I would like to blog about something, though, while it is fresh in my mind.

At the English camp, I taught the Hokey Pokey. What a genius song for English learners! They learn right, left, in, out, front, back, hand, foot, head, shake, turn... so many good things to teach with this song! Plus, they get a kick out of how silly it is. I also taught this to the English for Music class today. What a HOOT! Haha... I tell them that it's a party song, and we sing it whenever we roller skate. XD It's true, though! I will post a video of the English camp in a few days when I have more free time (after Tuesday, because I taught all afternoon and I have choir tomorrow morning). I may teach it to the choir tomorrow just as an ice breaker. The students seem to like it a lot.

The English for Music class went very well. The students are shy, but eager to learn. You'll see in my upcoming Suphan Buri blogs about my concern for the... lack of punctuality. To my surprise, the students were reprimanded for being tardy. They were made to stand up in front of the class and give me a reason for being late. If they were late because of lunch, I just laughed and said, "Eat earlier!" Mostly what I did for the class was read a paper on Mozart. Their teacher, Tor, speaks English very well, but he wants them to hear a native speaker. So I read each word and they repeated it. The sounds which give them the most trouble are 'ch,' 'v' and 'r.' They also have a problem with ending consonants. It's just not a part of their language. I had a hard time learning how to sing in German, so I definitely remember what they are going through.

Today, after the English class, I left with Fon to go to a nearby university. I will be a guest conductor for their upcoming choir concert. I must say, I am so impressed with the responsiveness of these students. You give them an instruction, and they immediately implement it. On top of that, I was able to layer instructions... meaning, I would tell them to work on something, and then I was able to add something else to it, and they were able to perform both tasks, and then I could add a third, and they could retain it all. Wow! That's a very hard thing for American students to accomplish! What a dream for any choral director to have.

Afterward, a few of the students and Fon took me to the night market. Picture junk food alley, only 10 times healthier and 10 times more food. My first dish of pad thai... very good! Pictures to come soon!

That's it for now. I'm very tired! Must get sleep!

This weekend I was invited to go to an English camp in Suphan Buri. I will just be enjoying the time there, participating with the students, and sightseeing. I am very excited! Oil came to the hotel last night with some other professors, and this was all set up within 15 minutes. That's how the Thais do things, I'm told. :)

On Tuesday, I met John, Fon, and Pranote and Pasahn and they showed me around the music floor. Then we went for a delightful lunch at a restaurant on the river (its name means literally “On the river”). They dishes we ate were all quite delicious. The pineapple is quite heavenly. Much sweeter than what we have in America! “Maybe this won’t be so bad after all!” I remember thinking. The music professors are also very delightful. They are very close, like brothers. John likes to drink beer with every meal. They told me that they want this to be like my home. I have enjoyed it so far, that’s for sure!

After that, Fon took me to exchange my money. They had taught me how to say thank you (kob-kun ), and I said that to the nice man who exchanged my money. He told Fon that I have very good diction and I am very polite. Fon took me to buy a cell phone and a bilingual map so I can find my way around. He had to change the settings on my phone to English because everything was in Thai. Then he took me to the Ministry of Health (a district within the city) because his mother had to go to the hospital and she needed her ID card. After that I came back to my hotel to sleep for the night.

On Wednesday, I went to my office to talk about my assignment with Fon. I LOVE it! On Mondays, I will teach an English for Music class from 13:00-15:30 (1 – 3:30 PM). On Tuesday mornings I will teach a chorus from 8:30-11 AM. I will also be responsible for meeting with students to “advise” them if they have any problems and scheduling rehearsals for the choir outside of class time to prepare for a concert in March. Eventually I will create a workshop for the choral directors in the area. Fon wants me to sing for another concert of his, and possibly conduct his choir.

I met some of the students. They don’t seem all that different from American students in that they like to hang out together and make jokes. More on them later!

I went to lunch with the music professors again. We went to Mr. Yao’s, which happens to be Dr. Kilp’s favorite restaurant. It’s not hard to see why it’s his favorite. The food was delicious! I even tried some of the spicy dishes. One thing that I’m learning about Thai food is that you dip everything in something. :)

In the evening I went with Betsy Frank (who teaching in the College of Nursing at ISU) to a small café-type restaurant and had stirfry chicken with garlic. VERY good! I even tried some of her stirfry beef with basil, and accidentally ate one of the chili peppers. SPICY!!!! Then I had some coconut ice cream. It tastes very different from our concept of coconut. Rai, the shop owner, was very polite. She likes to practice her English with her patrons. As we walked down the alley, the smell from the food carts was very overwhelming. Betsy bought me some popcorn.

I have some videos from these days, but I am having difficulty uploading them. I will work on getting those up. :)

Thursday:

So…. I think if there were an award for the “Best Farong,” I would totally win it.



Today I met some of the students. While I was waiting to meet with one of the professors, one girl recognized me from yesterday. She and I conversed for about an hour. She is very shy, but eager to practice her English. Other students stopped to meet me, and I talked with them as well.

Betsy and I went to the market to buy some groceries for me to keep in my room, and then we ate dinner at the hotel. I had a very delicious desert:

As I am writing, I am sitting in a hotel in Detroit, MI. Somehow, I still haven't gotten that I will be leaving the country for a few months.

I will admit, I am kind of freaked out by the idea of teaching at the university level. I would feel very differently if I had two or three years' experience, but as of right now, I have zilch. However, I am continually being told that SSRU is very excited to have me as a guest. I probably worry a lot more than I should.

The next time you hear from me, I will be in Thailand. Here it goes!!

By the way, I took some footage today for a video, so look for that soon. :)