Lights out!

Close your eyes…(now open them again or you can't read this..),imagine this…you are in a foreign country, you stay in a building with only people of the same gender, you get a room with 4 beds, 4 desks, 2 fans (only of 1 of them actually works), a shower with nothing but cold water, a toilet with ants and cockroaches crawling all over, a mattress which could serve as the foundation of a football stadium, a porch with iron bars and industrial lights. Where are you? Prison? Guess again! You are at the Rajamangala University in Isan!

And do you know what the worst part is? We are stuck here for 30 days with nothing to do whatsoever.  Oh sure, we were given a timetable, 9 days of teaching… and most of those days we only have to teach in the morning or afternoon. I can hear you thinking: “Oh, so you have a lot of free time to explore the campus and relax a bit, right?!” Wrong... Dead wrong…

Since April is part of the Summer Holiday in Thailand, most of the students are at home, leaving the shops and footstalls deserted. Meaning we have to go out and look for a restaurant thrice a day. We were given a bike (a mountain bike with a basket in the front, quite hilarious) that is custom made for Thai people…meaning after three days of riding this monstrosity, my knees are ruined. Luckily we were able to find a bus to take us to a supermarket where we bought (and I’m not kidding) a plastic ball to play some sports and ping pong rackets. We felt like three little kids in a candy store.

 I know this sounds like a lot of complaining, but picture this: the only thing you look forward to when going to your room at night is checking your e-mails, watch a movie on your laptop and then peacefully falling asleep with the fan blowing cool wind in your face. This is possible for most of the evenings, but earlier this week, the weather gods decided to test us and made the electricity fall out due to heavy rain showers and lightning. I can tell you this, lying in your bed when it is 33 degrees with no cold, running water or a fan is not fun at all.

More about the teachers, lessons, and our future plans is coming your way in the next entry.

English Camp

After we said goodbye to the busy city of Bangkok, we welcomed the sight of almost abandoned roads, palm trees, rice fields and the buffalos grazing upon them. We were back in Isan. And now the time had come to focus on our ‘IP’, guiding pupils through two weeks of English Camp.

During these two weeks we stayed at P’Boom’s house. She is a 26 year old mother with an 8 month year old boy, Fork. She lives in a big and quite modern house so we had no difficulties adapting ourselves to our new host family. In the evenings we sometimes went for a walk in the neighborhood to witness the beautiful sun setting on the deserted rice fields.

When we arrived at school, the first thing I thought was that this school isn’t really that different from the school we taught at in the beginning of our journey. Low buildings with no doors or windows, a lot of trees and grassy perks and of course, everywhere you look you see friendly and enthusiastic pupils greeting you.

Since we didn’t know the level the pupils it was difficult to create fun and challenging activities while preparing our ‘IP’ in Belgium. We quickly came to realize that our games and lessons were far too advanced for the pupils. So we spent night after night adapting our activities until we were sure the pupils would think it fun and interesting.

At the start of the English Camp we were a bit let down because only 14 pupils turned up. Then again, the next day this number was reduced to four...This was because the school was organizing an open house for pupils of the elementary schools who could come and check out their future school. The first week went very smoothly and as the week progressed we noticed some big changes in some pupils’ attitude and level. We played a lot of games, had some lessons about telling the time, taught the pupils how to conjugate some new and difficult verbs, drilled on the fact that they have to pronounce the final sounds of words and much more. We also gave the assignment of creating a booklet in which students could make a mind-map about English Camp. Our top three would get a prize at the end of the week. We were looking forward to receiving these booklets because in general, Thai pupils are very creative and tend to put a lot of work in arts and crafts.

 In the weekend we kept ourselves busy preparing for the upcoming week op English Camp and we didn’t really do anything noteworthy except taking a few walks in the rural part of “town”.

During the second week we noticed the pupils were progressing quite ‘fast’ (for Thai standards that is) and we, being the ones who made this possible, felt proud. It was also in this week that we decided to have reading session. Each of us handled a different book each day and we worked with set groups so we could deal with the problems of 6 or 7 pupils instead of an entire group. As the reading sessions advanced we noticed the pupils were gaining a lot more confidence and actually started to enjoy the stories they were reading. Mission accomplished for that matter.

On Thursday we told the pupils that they would be acting in a movie on Friday. They were all very excited and were therefore very enthusiastic while playing the acting games we provided them with. After these games we did a couple of teambuilding exercises which they really enjoyed.

Our last day of English Camp was a busy one. First, we shot the movies in which the pupils needed to act (we choose to let them play ‘The Smurfs so we could show them some Belgian Heritage), we played a couple more games, we watched the movies (which were now edited and put together in three big films), we awarded prizes and we gave each pupil a certificate of attending English Camp. Afterwards, we bought the students some soft drinks and crisps and sadly that was the end of our first English Camp. We will always remember the way some pupils hugged us on the verge of tears when Camp was over…

Mark my words: it’ll be hard once we are back in Belgium, where pupils prefer to run away from you than greeting you and acknowledging your existence outside the school’s premises.

Now that the English Camps are over, we move on to a new chapter of our trip: the University of Rajamangala in Surin. What we will be doing there? No idea. Exciting isn’t it?

This is it! Bangkok!... is this it?

Bangkok. Gateway to south-east Asia. Good time-city. Where you can buy everything for every price. Where you can have a good time with a girl, boy or something in between. Where you can trade Thai Baht for counterfeit watches and goodies. Where there are at least a hundred foul reeking odors intruding your nostrils and exhaust fumes assaulting your longs. A city with 10 million people who don’t know the verb ‘to carpool’, resulting in huge traffic jams, men and women on motorcycles driving like crazy and Tuk-Tuks (local taxis) squirming themselves between cars. Welcome to the bright and busy capital of Thailand!

Our first impressions were not at all positive. We checked in a very clean and cozy hotel and then we hit the streets. The most prominent thing in Bangkok is the traffic. You see cars, motorcycles and Tuk-Tuks everywhere you look. Because of the fact that traffic lights often don’t work and a pedestrian has fewer rights than a driver, it is difficult to cross a road most of the time. It took us a couple of days to work up the nerves to zigzag trough the traffic without taking too much a risk. Even though the taxi fares are quite cheap (by day, at night the prices skyrocket) we wanted to have the experience of riding along in a converted scooter that can transport up to 5 people. In other words: ride a Tuk-Tuk. There is one thing you need to know before you board one: make sure you have a life insurance. They drive like crazy, squeeze their vehicles trough the tiniest of openings and change lanes as often as you normally blink your eyelids. A cheap rollercoaster ride if you will.

On our first night we went for a walk. Because we didn’t really have a clue where we were going, we let our instincts guide us. Turned out they failed us quite badly. We ended up in a sort of slums under a bridge. Not really the nicest place you want to be as a western tourist.  We didn’t encounter any particular trouble but we were glad when we spotted our hotel in the distance.

The following day we went on an arranged trip to ‘The Undefeatable City’ Ayutthaya. This used to be the capital of Bangkok until it was…well, defeated. A van came to pick us up in the wee hours of the morning only to let us wait for an entire hour for another van. When we finally left we dozed off because it was a 2-hour ride from Bangkok to Ayutthaya. Ayutthaya is actually a collection of several temples and monuments spread over an entire city. Therefore, we saw the inside of our van more often than the inside of the temples we were visiting. But at the end of the day, we were glad we booked this trip because of the many beautiful structures, temples and statues we were able to see. 

After a trip to the hospital to get my stitches cleaned up, we decided to take a stroll in the shopping district of Bangkok, Siam Square. Imagine ‘Het Waasland Shopping Center’. Now add six floors, luxurious boutiques, an entire floor dedicated to still a man’s hunger, a car vendor, and other outrageous things and you have Siam Paragon. The most beautiful shopping center I have ever laid eyes on.

When we woke the following morning we wanted to take a cab to the National Museum of Bangkok. But since there wasn’t a single taxi driver who wanted to take us there (in Bangkok, the cab driver chooses his customers, not vice versa) we took the subway to Lumphini Park. We thought we’d encounter a nice little park but it turned out to be a huge one with streets dividing the trees and grass. After lunch we tried once more to find a friendly cabdriver and luckily, we succeeded. The National Museum was nowhere as impressive as say ‘The British Museum’ or ‘The Louvre’ but it held some interesting pieces concerning Thai history and religion.

In the evening we put on our fancy clothes, pulled over a cab and asked him to take us to the State Tower, the second but biggest tower in Bangkok. 64 floors of luxurious rooms, two restaurants and Sirocco, a bar at the upper level of the building with a view that would blow your socks off. We had a (rather expensive) drink and enjoyed the beautiful skyline of Bangkok by night. After this, we went for a walk in the business quarter of Bangkok, Silom Road. After a couple of minutes we spotted something strange. It was a bar in the cellar of an Irish pub. It was called the ‘-5°C’ bar and because we have to miss the cold days and nights in Belgium, we decided to have drink in there. Even though we were the only guest there, it was a cool experience to sit on a bench of made of ice when the outside temperature almost reaches 40 degrees.

The following morning we went on another arranged trip. This time, we went to see the floating markets and the Erawan Waterfalls. This was a 4-hour trip so we got back together with our former friend: the mini-van. When we arrived at the floating market we were kind of disappointed. Instead of seeing locals trading their wares in their long tail boats, we saw too many tourists browsing for souvenirs from their little speedboats. After a very nice lunch, we drove to the Erawan Waterfalls. These are situated in a National Park and consist of 7 waterfalls. Because time was not on our side, we were only able to reach the fifth waterfall in which we had a refreshing swim. 5 hours later we were back in our hotel rooms and slept like logs.

Bangkok doesn’t have that much to offer but we had a good time exploring the nooks and crannies of its vast grounds. Ignoring the rodents, odors and Thai men spitting as they see fit, it’s a city you have to see, even if it’s only to say: “I’m never coming back again!” And don’t get me wrong, it’s not all that bad, but as you could derive from this entry’s title, we expected a bit more than this.

A Golden Gun amidst a Mangrove Forest

After a refreshing three days on Koh Phi Phi, we booked a hotel room in Phang Nga. We stumbled upon a cheap bungalow in the middle of a National Park. We didn’t hesitate for even a split second and we were glad we didn’t. When we arrived at our bungalow we saw it was surrounded by a mangrove forest and it looked like a lumberjack’s house, it was that authentic. When we unloaded our luggage we went for a walk in the National Park. The first thing we noticed was the inhabitants of the mangrove forest weren’t shy at all. We saw mud crabs, mud lobsters, a couple of beautiful blue birds and even a wild snake!

When we came to a side road, we spotted a road entirely made out of wood. On the side o the road were houses build in the same fashion. Under the wooden road and bridges we saw a concrete path which lay now demolished on the muddy shore of the bay. And then we knew that what we were seeing were the results of the tsunami which reached Thailand all those years ago. The people here managed to survive (if you can call it like that) and were now busy rebuilding their former houses. Sadly, most of the Thai people are poor and can’t afford to rebuild a house made out of concrete and bricks. These people live of catching fish (and tourists for their expensive boat excursions) and that is often all they do. We were glad to be a part of these tourist traps because without the local fishermen and women, we wouldn’t have been able to see what we saw. Starting with a golden Buddha which lay in a cave filled with monkeys.

The day after the same fisherman took us to see James Bond Island. Obviously this island was named such because it was the setting for the famous movie: ‘James Bond and the man with the golden gun’. After we visited the island (which we did quite early to avoid the many tourists (which of course, we aren’t)) we went to Koh Panyee, a Muslim village build entirely on stilts with a huge monolith protecting the backside of the village. Too bad all the village had to offer were souvenir shops and grumpy Thai people.

After three days of rest and quiet we left Phang Nga and signed up for a beach vacation. Three more days of relaxing on a beach, renting bikes and riding around in the Northern part of Phuket really did the trick. The stress had completely left our bodies after a few scrumptious meals in a restaurant on the beach and we were ready to enter the busy life and nightlife of Bangkok.

From Hellish bars to Heavenly hospitals

Our two week holiday has started and since I don’t want you all to miss out on a single thing, here it comes.

Round 1: Hell

After two hours of flying we safely arrived at Phuket Airport. Here we had a drink while looking for hotel on the internet. This proved to be a very difficult and tedious task but we were finally able to make a reservation for a hotel in Patong. If you like crowdy and ugly beaches, many tourists who have no (self)respect, one night stands and massages with ‘something extra’; Patong is the place to be. We on the other hand wanted to get out of this Hellhole as fast as possible. We stayed the night in a nice hotel room but when morning came we bolted. We booked a boat to Koh Phi Phi, an island not far from Phuket.

Round 2: Heaven

When the island made itself visible for us, we were in awe. We knew it was considered a very beautiful place on earth but we never even dreamed of this view. Lush green mountains with a crystal clear sea, lagoons and beaches with palm trees and last but not least: wild monkeys!

On our first day we decided to explore the island and ended up swimming, eating and having a cocktail in a cozy beach bar.

When morning came we were feeling quite energetic and went for a 5 hour kayak trip. The thing is: that’s just way too long. With the blistering sun on your bare skin it’s hard to manage physical labor. We first disembarked on Monkey Beach. That’s right, a beach where wild monkeys live!

After a tiresome trip we managed to return to our beach, but not without harm. The three of us looked like lobsters (Could it be that we forgot to put on suntan lotion?) and were in quite a lot of pain due to our burned skins. I even got something extra to take care of. While I was kayaking in a small grove, I thought I would be able to climb a couple of rocks and then jump back in my kayak. Result: three stitches in my right hand + a two day swimming prohibition issued by the local doctor.

The next day we decided to take it a bit easier because of our (and especially my) “wounds”. We rented a long tail boat and a groovy Rasta captain took us too many beautiful places around the island. We went snorkeling, fed fishes, visited Maya Beach (known form the movie: The Beach) and visited Viking Cave. This is a cave where a couple of gypsy Thai actually live. For dinner we had a very nice Mexican platter in a rooftop bar overlooking the two beautiful bays of the island.

Festivities and farewells

Our last week before our holiday was one of many gatherings, one happier than the other.

On Monday we did two quite remarkable things. In the morning we went to the hospital to finally address the issue of our work permit. One thing that immediately caught our attention: the biggest part of the hospital was out in the open. And then: the great number of people sitting on plastic chairs like they were waiting for a bus that would never arrive here. There were some wooden benches but they were reserved for the monks. When it was our turn, they checked our weight, height, blood pressure and alcohol usage (We’re in perfect shape by the way). After that we were ushered to the X-ray room where we, obviously, had to take an X-ray. After all of this was finally over we paid and left.

When we get back to school we saw the fifth year getting ready for the parade. This parade was held in honor of Buddha’s last reincarnation. Every local school made a parade float and then they all went to the local temple (the one where we were blessed by the Head Monk). We followed the procession and the funny thing was the locals were taking more pictures of us foreigners than checking out the parade itself.  It was really hot while we were walking and we gladly accepted the cups of water the local onlookers offered us. Not to mention the ice-cream on the way there was Godlike.

On Tuesday we were invited for lunch at a Khmer wedding. The bride is a teacher at our school and she wanted to have the foreign teachers to eat at the wedding as well. The food was very nice and the people we had lunch with as well. The strange thing: when you go to a Thai wedding you receive a gift instead of giving one. Of course we declined the bag of food and soft drinks but the other partygoers eagerly took the bag home.

The rest of the week was strange enough very confusing. We were of course very excited for our holiday was creeping closer and closer but on the other hand, we had to say goodbye to so many lovely pupils. Some of them are going to a different school next year so it really a definite farewell and that made it even harder. I know it sounds ridiculous but the bond we have created with these pupils in the last three weeks is really strong.

We also said goodbye to a fellow foreign teacher: Mercedes. She has lived here for over 1 year now and she will soon go to an elementary school where they have an English program. Our fellow teachers wished us the best of luck on our trip and asked us to take as many pictures as possible. Because most teachers are not very rich, pictures are there only way of seeing the beautiful coastlines we are going to witness in the South of Thailand. Bring it on!

To eat or not to eat...

Now that our second week and weekend are over I would like to take you with me on a tour of the wonderful place that is Isaan. Fasten your seatbelts; it’s going to be bumpy ride.

You can’t even begin to compare the Thai school system with the overall Belgian one. Since you have probably read my former posts, you already know that the lessons in which the teachers teach ‘English’ are horrible. This + the lack of communication between the teachers make this a very frustrating undertaking. With some teachers we have the understanding that we each teach a part of the lesson, so the pupils are exposed to at least 25 minutes of ‘good’ English by the volunteers and 25 minutes of ‘very bad’ English by most of the teachers. When I gave my first part of my lesson about introducing yourself in a fifth year the teacher just copied my lesson and made the pupils write it all down again.  If such things happen I wonder why I am still here. But nevertheless, we strive to look past those flaws and indulge ourselves in the fact that this entire trip is probably a once in a lifetime thing. And therefore we have to make the best out of it and don’t let a silly thing like stress get in our way (spoken/written like a real Thai).

The pupils really make our day, every day. Whenever and wherever we go, there are always children greeting us and shouting “Good Morning Teacher!” When you respond they start to giggle like crazy just because you said something in English. On Thursday it was so hot I was sweating really hard and I was having trouble to stand up straight because of the heat. A pupil immediately arranged a fan, plugged it in, offered to write down my lesson on the blackboard and asked if she could get me drink. I refused the drink and the writing on the blackboard but I was happy for the fan blowing cool wind in my face. Imagine this happened in Belgium. Do you think the pupils would react as such? I hardly think so.

Enough about school, you all want to know how we live now don’t you? To be honest, we can hardly complain. We have a western toilet, a nice bedroom (although the mattress is worse than sleeping on concrete), a shower which we can use multiple times a day and a fan which is in the ON position for the main part of the day and night. But we have to be careful. On a given morning I was putting on a shoe and I felt something crawling in it. A big toad had decided to stay the night in my shoe and was not very happy when he had to leave. On the same morning we saw millions (not kidding) of ants moving from one part of the garden to another, more sheltered, part. And when we have dinner, we almost always have a guest or two, be it a toad, a gecko or a giant flying bug, we love our new pet collection (except when they sting, then we hate them).

On Friday night an English teacher (one with whom we can have a decent conversation) invited us for dinner at her place. She has a sister who just loves to speak English and that is why she has to invite every volunteer for dinner. We gladly accepted the invitation of what was to be a very lovely night. We bought a pineapple and dragon fruit (Flashy pink exterior with a white with black speckles interior) as presents and they were immediately sliced and put upon the table. After we helped with the cooking we had a very interesting dinner. We ate flies (which are carefully bred in special farms) and drank a fish soup which housed ants. The flies were really good to be honest, especially with the dip sauce. After dinner we went for a walk with the teacher’s sister and were invited for soymilk with her brother. Every time we meet new people, we tend up eating and drinking.

On Saturday we went back to Surin to book our flights for our upcoming holiday. We are going to Phuket, Phi Phi Island and other small islands. Afterwards we fly to Bangkok and to Lob Buri, a monkey Temple. A temple full of monkeys, be honest, how exciting does that sound?

On Sunday we went for a walk to a nearby Temple (30 minutes flat) in the excruciating heat and decided to call it a day. We read a book in our room with the fan blowing at approximately 50km/h and just lay on our beds to relax and fill up our energy bars for the upcoming week.

One last thing: I have made it my personal quest to try every kind of Lays Chips Thai people eat. So far on my list:

Nori Seaweed
Pecking Duck with sauce
Lobster hot plate
Hot and spicy crab
Baked bacon cheese with seaweed
Extra BBQ
Chicken BBQ
Sausage and cheese
Cheese and Jam