The Young and the Old

I didn't think the heat would become more unbearable than when we first arrived, but lo and behold, winter passed on and summer snuck in. The days are slowly getting longer and hotter while the nights become ever more humid. Lucky for us, today was the first day we could turn on the air conditioner during the day. We weren't sure it would do much good, but let me be the first to say hallelujah for cold air!!!

Though we've been to this stand more than a dozen times I don't have much documentation of it, which is sad because we've spent so much time drinking smoothies in front of this family's home and shop. It doesn't look like much, but trust me when I say it's the best. Truly. These awesome smoothy makers have sparked more than a few spontaneous trips to town despite the killer heat.





Last Saturday my group and I took a day trip to Sukhothai, a historical site with ancient Buddhist temple ruins. We rented a van to drive us the 2 hours, which definitely beat the bus or train. Here in Thailand bikes and motorcycles far outnumber the cars on the road, and it makes sense, too. Parking is insane! All the drivers have mad parallel parking skills. I would fail. I can't parallel park to save my life... well, I could, but it might take a day or two ;) Anyhow, it's common to see 2 and even 3 people riding on a motorbike or scooter together, but every once in awhile we see a family of 4. Trouble is, pulling out your
camera and snapping a photo before they zip away is usually pretty difficult (especially if you're driving). This picture isn't the best, but it accurately depicts the life of a typical Thai family. See? You've got the mom on the back holding an infant while a young boy sits in front of his dad. I have yet to see 5 people riding on a bike, but it honestly wouldn't surprise me.

Sukhothai was something else. It's one thing to see all the beautifully designed and gold-plated temples that are in use, but to walk among temples that have stood solidly throughout time is completely different. They've still got some of the original architecture and design, like the pillars, the Buddhas, and even some of the gold plating, but there's a different feeling. People walk with more reverence in the ruins than they do in the current temples. The hustle and bustle of tourists, natives, and monks is absent. 

I can't speak for everyone, but anytime I visit ruins I'm left with a feeling of admiration. Given time, most buildings fall, but there are some structures that refuse to crumble despite all the people and time that pass through it's doors. The ruins around this temple were impressive and I can only imagine the elegance and beauty that surrounded it back in the day. I bet all sorts of people went there to pray and get counsel. But something must've happened that made less people go there and so it became run down. Eventually, after many many years, this is what we're left with, but you know what? It's not the end. Natives and tourists alike are still able to admire and take solace in the bones that remain. I think people are the same. Whether by lasting friendships or quick encounters we leave our mark on the lives of countless others.

And because I'm me, I just had to climb one of the tall pillars. Don't worry though, we weren't in an area where the "Do Not Climb" signs kept popping up. This was just us on a tiny little island. But really... who else can say they've climbed an ancient Buddhist ruin? I don't have the photos yet, but I'll also mention that we had some pretty awesome "Hear no evil, see no evil and speak no evil" pillar poses going on. 

Our day trip was pretty fantastic, but I gotta say, I think having a journal and a blog to write everything down in afterwards (even if a week or two passes before I get to it) is the best. Taking the time to reflect not only helps me remember small details, it also gives me a chance to make connections and give my experiences a deeper meaning. When I can do that I know that I'm actually gaining something from my experience, which makes it that much more valuable.

Speaking of which. Quote of the week:

"Ah! It's a teampiratnur!" -MeMe

"Ummm... What?" -Teachers Samantha, Kelbi and I

"A teampirioitnur.." -MeMe

*Confused looks*

"It's English.." -MeMe

It was a treasure chest. Haha, but oh my heck, the way she reassured us her word was English and not Thai was so dang cute! It's the moments like those that need to be recorded and cherished :)

English Camp

Last week we were recruited to help out at a neighboring school's English Camp because the English teacher bailed. Without hearing the details, we all agreed. It'd be a great chance to see what the normal public school is like, plus we'd get to see more of the country. And to top it off we'd actually be helping another school out. It sounds good, right? 

Then the details came in.

They would come get us at 7:30, we would be split into 3 groups, 2 teachers per group, teaching one of three things: directions, conversation, and ASEAN, and we would be in charge of songs and games for an hour and a half. The enthusiasm dropped significantly, but we decided to stick with it. We had already agreed to help out and I was sure it couldn't really be that bad. Sure, we would be teaching for an extra 9 hours on our day off... but that's what this experience is for, right?? The adventure of the unknown. 

Yeah.. that was all good and dandy until we got there. We knew we'd be teaching in groups of about 30 kids, but nobody said anything about the 'kids' being high school students.

Once everyone was ready to start the coordinator walked over to us and asked us to teach the students a song. We all shared a look of panic before trying to explain that we teach small children and didn't have any age-appropriate songs ready to teach them. She insisted that it was fine, so...

 we taught 240 Thai high schoolers Princess Pat. Actions and everything!! 

It was actually pretty great :)

Oh, and Tang made us these green Imperial Phichit Bilingual School shirts to wear as walking advertisements while we were there. It was awesome :)

But anywho. Teaching was weird. 

I'm officially and forever converted to the ILP method. I was paired up with Shae and we were supposed to teach them directions based on a few vocab words and some signs to match them with (Go straight and a straight arrow, Turn left with a turn left road sign). Our first rotation was the most difficult, but once we made a maze with the chairs and found a blindfold things went so much better. One kid would have to direct the other through the maze using only English. The kids really enjoyed it and I think it helped them understand the words a lot more. 

Someone at that school tried to tell me that language is an equation that needs to be memorized.. I think it was the principal. But no. No no no no. You can't simply memorize phrases and expect to fluently learn the language.. you have to practice it. Teaching at Imperial has taught me that truly learning a language comes through speaking the language. If you don't practice, you can't learn.

We finished the camp by teaching the kids the Human Knot and singing Tiny Turtle with them, after which the coordinator drove us home and thanked us by taking us to dinner that night at a restaurant on our street. The food was spicy, but so good! 

I can't explain it, but Thai people have a thing with serving their fish looking like fish. As odd as it is, I loved it. A few more dishes were served after this one, but this was the fanciest. I'm pretty sure I ate this one by myself... But don't worry, there were 2 fish. 

Oh, so if you ever find  yourself in Thailand and see a red pepper in your meal... don't eat it. It's death. Just take my word for it, Jes's too, we know. 

Overall, it was an interesting opportunity and I'm glad I took the time from my Saturday to help out. Spending the day with older students made me miss my kids so much, though. I think teaching the older age group raised my confidence in my ability with my younger students. Sure, I may not be the best teacher out there, but I do my best and I love them. 

Chiang Mai

Guys, I'm slacking big time.
2 weeks ago we had our first vacation to Chiang Mai where we played with tigers, rode elephants, and spent way too much money at the night markets. Since then I've been trying to get back into the swing of the important things, like preparing lessons and waking up early, but let's be honest. Time always slows down after a vacation.


We rode the bus (which was much nicer than I expected) 7 hours from Phichit to Chiang Mai and arrived at the hostel just after 2 in the morning. Luckily, we had a 7 person room to ourselves and the beds were comfy. Oddly enough, I've had some of the best nights' sleep while here in Thailand. Chiang Mai was no different.

Friday morning we arrived at Tiger Kingdom just as it was opening, and what a morning it was! Since we got there so early there wasn't much of a wait and most of the tigers were still pretty playful. The tiny cubs were by far the most fun. The trainers let us get down on the floor and cuddle up next to the spirited little cats. Up til this point I've never cared for cats

much, but oh my heck, I want a pet tiger. All I could think about was how cute and irresistible those things were!
Also, even though playing with the tigers was on my list of must-do's while in Thailand, I'd never actually thought of what that moment would be like. But I guess that's good, because it was so much better than anything I could've ever imagined.

The small cubs were next on our hit list, but holy dang, those cats were big! I thought we had gotten mixed up and somehow ended up in the medium tiger cage. Apparently not, though. Big as they were, I kept forgetting that tigers are natural predators and the trainers had to remind me a few times to stay with the group and only walk toward them from behind because, and I quote:

"Stay in your group or else the tiger can grab you with his teeth and we no can help you."
So there was that, haha :D

The big tigers were massive. By the time we got to them they were mostly asleep, but we managed to snap some pretty sweet shots and lay next to them for quite awhile, so that was cool. All throughout this experience I couldn't help but think how insanely amazing my life is right now. It looks like great things do come to those who jump out of their comfort zones!



Believe it or not, this shot was taken just seconds before the tiger lunged for a quick snack. Luckily, the trainer was standing by and nobody got hurt. But talk about a close call!!

Even tigers get tired of photographs :P












My advice?
See everything. Stop everywhere you can possibly imagine, because there is nothing like being in a foreign country and realizing that you should've done something but didn't.

I remember learning about the villages where long necks are beautiful. One of these villages are right around the corner from Tiger Kingdom and, knowing this could be a once in a lifetime opportunity, we decided to stop and take a look around the village. In front of all the homes the people were trying to sell all sorts of knick knacks and fabrics. It was very cool to see, but also quite humbling.

We stopped at so many random markets on our way to the Wat Phrathat Doi Suthep Rajvoravihara (the temple at the top of the secret peak). At one of them I gave this guy my shirt and he painted on it!! Yeah. It was already one of my favorite shirts, but now I love it even more!! I was so scared to wash it, but after a quick panic attack, I realized that the paint had conquered the washing machine. Hallelujah!

The view as we were driving up the mountain was absolutely breathtaking!! The temple was pretty amazing, too. The gold-plated centerpiece was in the middle of the square, and there was a temple at both the front and back. Everything in the square was intricately designed and plated in gold. Chanting monks and fortune shakers sounded all throughout the square. 

As we were driving to the Baan Chang Elephant Park Saturday morning I was sure that nothing could top the tigers.. but boy was I wrong!! Aof (pronounced 'off') was our top-notch guide for the day and started by showing us all of the elephants living in the park. The name says park, but really this place was more like an elephant rescue. As Aof told it, many elephants are abused in Thailand and the surrounding countries. Not many people care, so it goes on; but he has made it his life's work to be the giants' protector. See, each elephant has one keeper and together they learn how to trust one another. After time and if treated properly (these ones were), an unbreakable bond forms. They become each other's best friends. It wasn't long before I could see the trust and friendship between the keepers and their elephants.

Anyhow. First, we fed the 30-odd elephants bananas and sugarcane from our hand. We could either hold it out and the elephants would grab it with their trunk, or we could hold the food up and they'd open their mouths so we could feed them directly. It wasn't intimidating at all .... until you walked up to the elephant with food. I let the first few elephants take the food with their trunk and oh my heck. Those things are strong!!! I bet you've never thought about how strong an elephant's trunk is, have you? I know I never had. But dang! Once I worked up the courage I started feeding the elephants directly.

Next, Aof taught us the riding commands with the help of a few other keepers. Watching the keepers interact with their elephants was probably one of my favorite things of the day. They were climbing all over the elephants!! One guy just chilled on his elephant's head and another one literally sat on his elephant's trunk while the trunk was completely horizontal. It was insane! Learning the commands was easy, but saying them in the right tone so the elephant would listen was a bit of a joke. Haha, it was pretty hilarious actually :) One at a time, as we sat atop one of the training elephants, we had a chance to command the elephant to lay down, but they wouldn't listen to any of us. One word from their trainer did the trick though.

After an amazing lunch it was finally time to ride the giants! It was a bit more uncomfortable than I had anticipated (Elephant hair is super prickly and irritating on bare skin).. but it was fun nonetheless. I doubled up with Laura and I kid you not, about every 5 to 10 minutes I'd turn to her and say

"Dude. We're riding elephants. In Thailand."

My mind was pretty much blown.





At the end we got to wash our elephants off in the water. An inevitable water fight broke out, but that just ingrained the moment deeper into my memory.

 Dreaming is great.. but living those dreams is even better. :D