My Morning Fix

Since coming back, I've started a new ritual to keep myself from being overtaken by mosquitos throughout the day. Basically, I take a deet shower. Since deet is really bad for you when inhaled, it's become quite a process.

The first morning I sprayed myself down in my apartment (fool!), and then slipped on the stuff for the next couple of days. No can do. So, I now retreat to the balcony to do the job.

I imagine it's quite a scene for my neighbors. At school, we have to wear skirts everyday, and those mosquitos are certainly not embarrassed to fly right up them and sting anywhere and everywhere you could imagine. To avoid this situation, a full-body spray down is necessary.

To achieve this on the balcony is somewhat of a feat at 7:30 in the am, lifting up skirt and shirt to spray in all the right places (aka all places) while maintaining a certain level of modesty for the potential neighborhood onlookers and simultaneously drooping my head out the side every 20 seconds to catch a clean breath of air in between potentially lethal puffs is an art I have now come to master. 

Those mosquitos don't stand a fighting chance with this newfound fool-proof routine. Suckas.

Leonid Meteor Shower, Asia Style

Soooo, I was informed yesterday of the supposedly kick-A meteor shower that would be blasting its way through our night sky, and Thailand was prime position. We read anywhere from 150-300 meteors falling an hour visibility, and we were psyched. 

My fellow Americans and I (hahaha), set our alarms at the lovely hour of 4:15 a.m., dragged our exhausted butts outside, and strained our necks for almost an hour attempting to catch a glimpse of what we expected to be prime time meteor sighting. 

Between the three of us, I think we caught 5 shooting stars. Not sure if we were too early or too late, but we certainly missed the boat.

I did, however, look at some pictures like the ones below, and have a very convincing dream that I got to see them later in the morning. When I woke up, I was pretty excited that it had all worked out. It took at least 10 minutes for me to realize that, in fact, I had not seen them. That was a bit of a bummer..

AP photo from 2001.

This was taken in Tucson last night. If they saw it, I know we could have. Just not sure when..

Boo. Hiss. So Much for My Vacation.

Just as I was basking in the glory of my successful attempt to swindle my way into a vacation, it was taken right out from under me. Boo. Hiss. 

Today, I was informed that the budget does not have sufficient funds to provide for the scout camp (the reason behind not have school for three days), so it's been called off. Shut it down. 

One more time. Boo. Hiss.

Should We Come With You or Meet You There?

Yes.

... just a little insight to some of my daily interactions with co-workers and superiors. Us native speakers have learned that OR questions will never get us anywhere, and are slowly mastering the art of carefully selective phrasing. 

For example, we have a few days off from school in December when the kids will be at scout camp. We were all told they were happy to have us join them. That information could have led to a number of different outcomes, and we immediately knew we had to choose our words wisely. Instead of questioning the situation as we learned about it, I waited days and thought about the best approach. This is what I came up with:

Hi [English Department Head]. Are the days of the camp Dec 2-5? Okay great. I just wanted to confirm before purchasing my ticket. Thanks for clearing everything up. 

This way I have ever so cleverly not left her with a choice. If I were to have said something along the lines of, Do you need our help with the scout camp? If not, would it be alright if I went out of town during that time? Her response would have been to wait and ponder the idea, only to decide it would be best to speak with our director, who would ultimately have us participate in some form or fashion. Luckily for me, past mistakes in this department have paid off and I am going to have an entire week free from school. Not too shabby...

Weekend Pi Mai

The weekend's biggest accomplishment was without a doubt finding a bus to transport my little farang body directly from Si Racha to anywhere other than Bangkok. I'm approaching my sixth month in this country, and truly never expected that day to come. I didn't even inquire about it, after doing so numerous times last semester left me with nothing more than I don't knows and I don't think so responses.

Instead I asked about the possibility of neighboring cities. This, apparently, was their cue to inform me that not only is it possible in Si Racha, I have a plethora of options. AirBus, VIP, local, or city. And two new bus stations I have never heard of from which to catch a ride. After months of questioning my wonderful but flighty Thai/English teachers, the information comes when I'm not looking for it. Sounds about right for Thailand. This is exceptional news, as I no longer have to transfer busses in the cluster-F that is MohChit Bus Terminal.

Here's the weekend in short: Arrive in Korat 12:30 a.m. after 5 and a half hours on an airbus. 257 baht. Go to Bar Nana; have a drink outside and people eat spicy soup. Sleep at Tokyo Mansion. 105 baht. Wake up 9 am, soup for breakfast. A little over hour no aircon bus ride to Pi Mai, location of Long Tail Boat Races and weekend festival. 50 baht. Check into dorm-like guest house. 18 people in one room, about 11 beds. 150 baht per person. No A/C. Sounds like trouble. Turns out it was; I snagged a bed. Sweet. Check out boat races. Use our western mugs to bypass regular seating and relax in the shade with the press. Way up close. Lots of fun. Excruciating heat. Shower. Nap. Read. Laser Show in the Ruins. Amazing ruins. Great cultural show and interpretive dance. Fireworks. No lasers. Hmm. Excellent fried noodles and a few drinks. Back early to claim my sleeping space. A few hours of chaos trying to defend my space. Delicious red curry breakfast. Waiting for the bus. Standing on the bus for over an hour. No A/C, blowing hot air. My hair got tangled in the vent. Ouch. Another 50 baht. Four and a half hour VIP bus to Si Racha. 310 baht. Home by 7.

One of Rachel's photos from the cultural show that took place inside the ruins. 

Keep Austin Weird

Today, I saw a Thai man on the side of the street in a Hula Hut Keep Austin Weird shirt, similar to the one below. It was pretty exciting and inspired me to wear my very own tie-dyed Keep Austin Weird shirt out Friday night. Go Texas.

Checkin' Off That To-Do List

Today was a great success in the Thailand Book of Jacqueline. I finally, after a lot of debating and 2 previous attempts, have shiny new pages in my passport. This comes as a huge relief, as I was completely out, and could not leave the country again until I fixed this little issue. Fixed. 

And, it was actually very simple. I would highly recommend making an appointment if you were to find yourself in need of new visa pages from the US Embassy. This entitled me to skip in front of the 30 some-odd people forced to take a number and wait their turn, and hand over my information as I walked in the door. The process of reserving the timeslot was no trouble at all, and saved me at least a half hour today. 

The Embassy is, to my great annoyance, open very rarely to begin with, offering hours of 7:30 a.m - 11 am and 1 - 2 pm. That didn't alot much time for my normal Thailand margin of error when it comes to this country's faulty bus system. Luckily, all was smooth sailing and I made it without a hitch, arriving just after 10:50. I would suggest staying the night before in Bangkok if that's possible, to make things easier on you in the morning. And definitely make sure it will be open on the day you choose, as it is so often not.

Second thing I accomplished in the big city was starting the process of fixing my camera. I should have it back in about week, which is excellent news. I could not, however, pay the people at the repair center directly, something I found rather irritating. I have to instead deposit money into an account once I have confirmation of the repair, then scan and email my receipt. Is this common procedure? I find it to be quite the unnecessary hassle.

Si Estás Interesado

I don't feel comfortable discussing anything in detail while I am living and working in Thailand, but if you are interested in the current political situation, I recommend looking into it.

Competitions, Anniversaries and Miscellaneous Shenanigans

Our second week back to school and we already have two days of no teaching. I dig it. The first, Wednesday, Si Racha School hosted competitions for everything under the sun and invited several local schools to attend. In the English department, we had to judge the events. I felt much too important, but it was great fun. 

The students in each class had their own booths that acted as individual fundraisers. Many of them prepared and sold food, some provided entertainment, while others sold trinkets, etc. I appreciated it because they did all the work themselves. Organized, prepared, cooked, etc etc. I enjoy seeing them rewarded for their hard work, and this was such a fun way to do it.

The second day was our school's 58th Anniversary Celebration. This day I skipped town and had my passport updated in BKK, but I heard the market continued, and a number of plays/concerts were performed by the students

Here are several of the other teachers' photos from the first day. My camera is officially fixed and should be back in my possession by the end of the week, so hopefully I will be able to provide some myself soon enough.

Here are some kiddies at our English booth! Yeah!!! We were given no concrete information about the day or what was expected of us, so we were really excited when our table turned out successfully. We all found it adorable that students would stop like this to do some fun English worksheets when they could have been off playing basketball with their friends. Sooo cute!!!

These students turned our school's campus into a lucrative market for 48 hours.

Some of the kids gathering in the morning.

Yes, that's Michael Jackson. They are obsessed. This poster and computer went up right by the English booth, and they played his speeches and concerts the entire day. True story.

Some of my students hanging out and playing music. They had quite a following, and they were able to sucker me into singing karaoke..

Rachel and I competed in another school's science competition. I won a sweet jersey for putting those shapes into a box the fastest. 

Oh my god. Shoes.

They work so hard and they just almost get there with the English, but not quite..

With our English Department Head after the awards ceremony.

All the Si Racha winners. Woo Hoo!

Yummmmm. Delicious pancakes on a stick.

Some girls in the traditional attire. It's so beautiful. Thailand is so rich in culture, I love it.

Charades

Instead of keeping this with all the other activities from the day, I felt it deserved its own special posting and attention. Charades. You know the drill. Acting out some word or action for others to guess. Well, it was one of the many things our students competed in against other schools. 

Meet Madam. This incredibly cute, funny, and slightly quirky 59-year-old Thai/English teacher. She is one of the many reasons our office environment is so amusing. And she just happened to be judging charades.

After the conclusion of the competitions, we all gathered to rest and discuss the day in our office. Madam and some of the other teachers began to show us their amazing and original action moves. 

I need you to get a visual with me here. First, she points to her breasts and her nipples. Okay, we're confused, but she is already snickering. Then, she pretends to squeeze them and shimmies up and down shakin' it for all it's worth, and by this time she has taken to full-blown laughter. Any guesses? 

MILKSHAKE.

Genius. We were all in hysterics, practically tearing up with laughter. Her next word: COCKTAIL. We were surprised with milkshake and so not prepared for what we thought was about to happen with cocktail. It didn't, but I'm not sure if it was because she wouldn't have or simply because she doesn't know the reference. Either way, this game remained at a PG-13 level, and we loved every second of it.

Sweet Mask

Yeah, that's right. Pretty sweet mask, huh? Next week my eighth graders and I are making/labeling masks, and this will be their example. One of the other teachers, Rachel, drew and colored the face, but I was pretty impressed with myself for adding those awesome ears and white-out whiskers. Don't even pretend like you're not jealous.

I Doubt You Wanna' See This, But I'm So Showing You Anyways...

Today was a day full of fun at school, and some of our students suckered us into singing karaoke while they played their instruments. They are quite a talented bunch. Me, not so much, but when Lia and Rachel agreed to sing I figured what the hay. Their song choice for us was not the best, but they seemed to enjoy it. Who knows, maybe you will too (hah, yea right...)! 

In the background you hear some of my kids talking, saying "adjarn, adjarn", which means teacher in Thai.

The Life of Luxury in the Most Unexpected of Places

A Thai Hospital. 

Unfortunately, Lia was very sick. Pneumonia + bacterial infection and a 3-day stint in the hospital isn't fun for anyone. And let me say before I go any further that she is doing much better and back to her normal routine. Okay, back to the goods. If you have to be sick, this is the place to be. It is the nicest, cleanest, most modern hospital I have ever been inside, and I feel like I have room to judge on this one. So much nicer than our apartments in every way, which aren't too shabby themselves. It had a full entertainment center, including internet access that popped up on the flat screen, a large refrigerator, a corner couch and love seat (more comfortable than my bed), desk and two chairs, a balcony more than twice the size of ours, and a perfect ocean-mixed-with-mountain view. Not to mention the 24 hour service for Lia in the food and health departments. The nurses even made sure I was comfortable, bringing me bedding to help me sleep.

They did all this taking care of in what most resembles a mix between a sailor's and flight attendant's uniform.  These ladies (yes, 100% of the nurses I saw were women) sported white heels and skin colored hose, a matching skirt and jacket, with a little sailor-esque cap on their heads to top-off the outfit. As far as I could tell, the get-up served no function other than appearance. I don't see how heels and hose facilitate patient wellness, but who am I to judge. 

Lia asked to be placed in a standard room, and we were both having trouble wrapping our minds around what the luxury must look like. Once she had some Thai visitors (our teachers), they informed her she was in the VIP section. Figures. Not sure why they did it, probably because she is an American.

Here are a few pics. I have to constantly remind myself it's a hospital room, not someone's plush hotel. This is not the norm for Thailand, however. We are lucky to have a private hotel run by wealthy Si Rachans at our fingertips. Their English was phenomenal, as was the quality and service.

Yeah, This Really Was My Flight...

I made a little infographic to help you wrap your head around this flight. You can click it to enlarge. But just in case you still don't quite get it:

3 HOURS! + 13 HOURS!!! + 6 HOURS!! = 22 HOURS IN THE AIR!!!!!

Plus and extra 6ish waiting around in airports. GROSS. 

By far the longest travel time and actual flying time I have had to date. The only thing that saved me from the panic attack that was most definitely going to occur was the Zanax prescription my doctor gave to me the day before I took off. Bless her. I don't know how I could have gotten on the plane without it. What a lifesaver. 

It was easy flying until my AirChina flight from Beijing on which my knees and belly were touching the seat in front of me when I was standing. NOT OKAY. That 6 hour leg was the worst; luckily it was the last, for now at least.

CH CH CH Changes

The main purpose for this entry was to describe the amazing new and improved weather in Si Racha. My first week at school I couldn't believe it; it was cool. People were wearing sweaters and I didn't turn my air conditioning on for over 48 hours. It was unbelievable and totally blew my mind. 

Well, that's because it was, in fact, unbelievable. And now we're all not so happily back to hot as hell. So hot in fact, that I passed out today at school, twice. Even with all my water, vitamins, and a healthy breakfast. I think it's a combination the jet-lag and the heat catching me off guard. I'm much better now, but pshh. Cool weather, you are such a tease.

Other changes include, but aren't limited to the following:

1) my tolerance to spicy foods. Seriously, before I came here I was pretty much an all out wimp when it came to the spice. Now I'm tossin' back those peppers like a pro.  They have some peppers here that make me cough just to be in the same room with them. Can you imagine? When I was back home I ate raw jalapeños like they were candy. Beat that, Dad ;).

2) how much easier school has been thus far (partly because of the cool weather, but mostly because they know us and are excited to have us back), and... 

3) things are more expensive due to the change of season. Luckily, at least as far as my new motorbike goes, I was able to swing an excellent deal. Oh yeah, that's #4.

Blurry Loi KhraThong

This weekend when I arrived back in Sri Racha the city was bumpin and I had no idea why. Come to find out this week is Loi KhraThong Festival. Every year on the night of the full moon in November, the Thais send off flowers into the water and mini hot air balloons (for lack of a better word; if you've got one let me know. pictures below.) into the night sky as an offering to the goddess of the water. It's the first full moon after the rainy season, and festival-goers pray for prosperity and happiness, among other things.

Here's my landlady and her daughter making baskets for the festival. 

If I had to guess, I would say a minimum of 90% of the population of Sri Racha came out for the festival. Everyone was on one bridge and a small island. Needless to say it was chaos. In most ways it was just like a fair or festival in the states. They had small games set up similar to bottle caps and horseshoes, lots of food stands, and a ferris wheel. It differed when it came to live (poisonous?) snakes out in the open and the participants setting things on fire and sending them into the sky. 

We never saw much more than this and weren't able to figure out exactly what was going on. We could tell, however, that there was nothing between that snake and us other than the people standing in between. We didn't stick around too long...

Where the people gathered to present their offerings was very peaceful, and a nice change from the frenzy on the other side of the island. I could feel the calming vibe as we walked up, and it instantly changed from loud noises and bright lights to beauty and tranquility. It was by far my favorite part, except for when we stood down wind of the balloons and almost caught ourselves on fire. Way to go us.

From what I gather, people start after sunset and continue on until midnight. We stayed only an hour and left around 8:30, and by that time the group had doubled in size. What took us probably 10 minutes to walk before took nearly half an hour coming back. I can't even imagine what it would have been like at midnight.

I realize I should probably edit these photos down a bit, but for now, here's way too many. Some are Lia's and some are mine. Almost all are blurry. 

Here we are walking along the bridge on our way to the island. Like I said, it was twice as packed when we were leaving.

Some festival activities on the bridge. This part of it was very familiar for us; or at least for me, having just been at the Renaissance Festival and State Fair. 

There was something jarring about seeing these floating mannequin feet with no legs. It would have been better had I shot them from below, but I didn't want to risk getting trampled by squatting down in such a busy area!

These three are of festival-goers shooting off the hot-air-balloon-esque contraptions. In the third one you can see a group of them in the distant sky. It was great to watch, but they weren't the easiest things to get in the air. It looked sort of like the holder had to coax the balloon into the sky, following it with his hands until the wind caught it. Sometimes this took several attempts and almost set a few people on fire in the process. From what we saw, everyone made it out safely, even us. There were however, several police officers and EMTs waiting on the mainland in case of emergency. I'm not too sure how easily they would have been able to get to anyone with all the crowds..

We sat up on the wat (temple) for awhile and took in the view from the top while enjoying the cool breeze. One thing for sure that has changed since last semester is the weather. It is much much cooler now. I've really been enjoying it. 

This cat is a wat cat that befriended Lia and Rachel; there are so many animals abandoned at the temples.

These last three photos are different views from the top of the wat. The first is of the dock where many people were sending off their balloons. The second area is where people had offered their KhraThong (floating baskets usually made of banana leaves, filled with flowers, a candle and incense) to the goddess of the water. Everything black in the picture is the Gulf of Thailand, and it was covered in these small baskets. And the third is looking back on the jetty where all of the games, festival food and rides were taking place.