SPILLAGE
so all i wanted to do was to break my 1000 baht bill. it is hard to get change for large bills at street vendors, so i was like, this is the perfect opporotunity for me to go to an american place, au bon pain, and get my favorite breakfast treat--muesli and yogurt.
i order it, and sit down with my delight and smile. ahh... i try to mix the layers of pink strawberry yogurt in with the layers of museli, so i can get the full effect in every bite. but then i suppose i got a little too excited because my spoon went in the air, and about one-fourth of the strawberry goo-ness flies out of the container to land on my black skirt.
i quickly glanced around to see if anyone noticed, thankfully all the thai businessmen were still focused on their newspapers and coffee. i used the two measley napkins i was given to try to wipe it up, then i tried to use my spoon, to scoop it off. yet i was still left with a prominent stain on the front of my lovely skirt.
so i went up to the counter and asked the server for a napkin. she pointed me over to the side counter. i looked and all i saw was a water pitcher. i got some water, to help the whole removing stain process--but still had no napkin. i asked her again, napkin? thinking maybe i didnt see the napkins. she nodded not understanding, and got the other lady. and i told her, napkin? she said, napkin!!
yes! i felt so excited that someone understood. she then took my cup of water out of my hand, put some ice in it, and handed it to me, smiling merrily. alas, napkin and ice must sound the same in thai or something. at least i helped her feel pleased with herself for thinking she understood me. i just had to sit down and laugh for a lil while after that...
then i got to ECC and was working away in the teacher room. as i reached over to get my page from the printer, i knocked over a water bottle, and it spilled on the floor. ahhhh! no way! and of course there are no readily available paper towels to clean it up.
so then i had to go and find one of the sweet thai office girls to tell her i spilled water. then she and i went to find the sweet thai cook lady, who wouldn't allow me to take the rag and clean it up, but went all the way to the room, and got down and cleaned up my mess.
wow, one of my classmates, after telling him my mornings happenings said my life sounds like a john cleese movie. hahaha..dont you wish you lived my life?? no, he said, not really.
Monday, August 27, 2007
Sunday, August 26, 2007
nothing new
YOU TEACH?
yeah, so the other morning i was walking out my apartment building, and as usual the friendly thai doorman was trying to make conversation with me. he said, "where are you going? to school?" i said, "yeah, im a teacher." he stared at me for a second, then he burst out laughing!!
i was miffed and frowned at him (probably with my hand on my hip) and said, "why is that so funny??" he said, "you're a teacher! you are so young! you should be a student!" thanks a lot buddy.
then the other day when i came home he opened the door and said, "hello teacher!" with a slight giggle.
i will show him!
ONE MORE WEEK!
one of my classmates, a fun irish man, was describing how CELTA had taken over his life this month, but...he said, "there are three things CELTA cant deny me, food, sleep and alcohol."
ha! well, CELTA has taken over my life too, to the extent that it has denied me anything worthy to blog about.
CHECK MY BLOG FRIDAY
i will let you know if i survived.
until then--pray...
yeah, so the other morning i was walking out my apartment building, and as usual the friendly thai doorman was trying to make conversation with me. he said, "where are you going? to school?" i said, "yeah, im a teacher." he stared at me for a second, then he burst out laughing!!
i was miffed and frowned at him (probably with my hand on my hip) and said, "why is that so funny??" he said, "you're a teacher! you are so young! you should be a student!" thanks a lot buddy.
then the other day when i came home he opened the door and said, "hello teacher!" with a slight giggle.
i will show him!
ONE MORE WEEK!
one of my classmates, a fun irish man, was describing how CELTA had taken over his life this month, but...he said, "there are three things CELTA cant deny me, food, sleep and alcohol."
ha! well, CELTA has taken over my life too, to the extent that it has denied me anything worthy to blog about.
CHECK MY BLOG FRIDAY
i will let you know if i survived.
until then--pray...
Sunday, August 19, 2007
Far far away
WISH I WAS THERE
so i think when you travel to other countries something happens to time. it warps in such odd ways. i know i have only been here three weeks, but all that i have experienced in the last three weeks is enough to fill a few lifetimes it seems. well maybe not that much, maybe only one and a half, but you know what i mean.
a little over a week ago my dad emailed me to tell me my aunt beth was in a major car accident. my aunt beth is an amazing woman..she is the care-giver for my grandmother and my aunt rachel, she also has a full-time job. i have always been in awe of her faith in God, and how she is constantly serving and helping others. i have always wanted to be like her in that way.
so it turns out she drifted into the other lane when she was driving to work, and her car was hit. and then her car was hit again. she was stuck in it for 40 minutes. then she almost died as she was airlifted to the hospital.
she is still in a coma right now, and the doctors arent sure why. if i was there i would be at my grandmother's helping her and my aunt as much as i could, but obviously i cant be there. i dont like to think about it much because i feel so helpless and like i cant do anything. but i know im suppose to be here for some reason, even though im not sure why...so if you pray, please pray for my aunt and family. they need it, more than they need me to be there to help..
GO CELTA GO!
on a lighter note..
so my classmates have decided that i must have been a cheerleader in a former life. whenever i teach enthusiasm gushes out of me. the first week i would jump up and down and do a sort of dance whenever i would drill the student on different words, i didnt really notice this. then i would also swing my arms around to make them shout the words louder. one day we were doing a game, and it was one team against the other. i kept yelling, go team A!! whenever my team got a point. i guess most people dont get that into such things. heehee..now my classmates tease me all the time about my "like-you-can-do-it" spirit.
one of the things my tutor told me i needed to work on, which must come from my former cheerleading life i never knew existed, is grading my praise. he says it is lovely how im always praising the students. but apparently i tell the students GREAT JOB!! WOW!! at everything they do. the example he gave is once i was showing the students a picture of a car, and asked them what it was. they said, car. i was like YEAH!!! YOU GOT IT! WOW!
but these students are pretty smart, it isnt that hard for them to point out what a car is. so apparently if they had told me that the sentence i wrote on the board was in past perfect progressive, that would be the perfect time for such an elicitation of excitment. so i have tried to work on that..its hard though! i like to be excited about everything i suppose.
on monday i did a lesson, which i didnt think went that great. i was like, oh well, hopefully i will get to standard. you can either get not to standard, standard (which is what everyone usually gets) or above standard. it turns out my tutor thought my lesson was good! no way! i got an above standard on it! mainly cuz i just used all the ideas he told me to do. so that made me oh so glad...it also resulted in my other classmates high-fiving me, and then one of them even bought me my new favorite delight. an irish creme blizzard with kit kat from dairy queen! they are quite amazing, and just the right size. the large ones here are the size of the small ones in america. ahhh...it was an amazing day.
but then my other two lessons were at standard. but they both went better than i thought they would..i just hope i survive these next two weeks. im learning so much though! that is what i keep telling myself...
MOTHERS DAY PIGGY
my friend ja invited me to have dinner with her family on mother's day! which was the day after the queen's birthday this past sunday. we went to this amazing chinese restaurant. i had never been to such a place. they had this lazy susan sort of thing in the center and kept bringing plates and plates and plates of food. one plate consisted of a pig which still looked exactly like a pig. they were bringing it to the table and i was like, what is that? and then when they placed it down they were like, pig..and as they placed it on the table, i saw the lil snout, eyes and ears, and was like, yup, it sure is. so we picked off the pig skin and dipped it in some sauce. i actually didnt mind it! you can look at the pics of the friendly pig feast here:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/55907373@N00/
MOTO BIKE BABE
this weekend i got to tour the new place where i will be working--elite prep. my director called to give me directions, and said i had to take the sky train, then the motorbike taxi. i was like what? no way! i have seen these motorbikes zipping around pedestrians, whizzing in and out of stopped traffic and squeezing between huge buses, and i would get to ride on one! i was excited, cuz it seemed so life-threatening.
once i got the right station, i found a man sitting on a motorbike wearing an orange vest and assumed that he might be a taxi man. i told him asoke tower, he nodded and i got on. i didnt know what to hold on to so i just touched his back the whole time. it was such a rush, i felt like i was in the chase scene of some action movie. then when i got to my stop he was smiling so big at me, i gave him some baht and smiled back, wondering why he seemed so pleased.
i told someone about my adventure, and it turns out you arent really suppose to hold on to the motor man, but the handle behind the seat...oopps! so i guess he thought i enjoyed the ride a lot..haha!
anyways! i love the people i met at my new work. they are all very welcoming. i will be working with thais and americans, most of them are in their 20's. then today i went to observe a class i will eventually be teaching-- SAT writing-- and wow, it is intense! the material is so in-depth, and there is so much to cover in an 1 hour and 30 minute class. the kids are super smart though, and seem to catch on quick. they ask hard questions, like about grammar rules and such.. so i will prepare my best, but i think i might be employing the, "im not sure of the answer, but i will get back to you" line a bunch. oh well! im eager to see what it will be like...
HELLO GOODBYE
my new roomie from germany was here. for a week, with her boyfriend from australia. he was searching for a place to stay while he is here until decemeber, and didnt find one until yesterday. so he was staying at our place the past few nights. yeah, interesting times! but my roomie is super sweet. she is 26 and just finished an internship in bangkok, and will now be studying at the university.
but last night i came home to an empty room and a note that said she moved to her boyfriend's place and will stay here sometimes but not often. but she will still pay for her part of the rent. ok with me! i have my own room now. how fun...
so i have to teach two lessons this week, one of them will be 55 minutes, and then one more next week. i also have two assignments due, and i will go to my new work twice this week to get trained. ahhh! i need some strength.. step by step. =)
Saturday, August 11, 2007
1/4 of the way through! woo!
DROPPING LIKE FLIES
it turns out the CELTA course really is a reality show. im not sure what station it's on, they are rather secretive about it.
one day we wander into class, and one of the 12 isn't there. he was a newbie like me, he had never taught before. we all ponder what could have happened, my tutor says he hopes he isnt lying under a car somewhere. this was said in his british accent, so it sounded even more dreadful. or could it be...the pressure was too intense? could he not handle it?
the day goes on..he was incessantly emailed..and called, still no reply. we all imagine him under the car, or someone else thinks he could have fallen in a man hole. hmm...
but then after much anticipation, and a day later, he responds. the course was too much for him, he just couldnt handle it. wow, who will be next...
then two days later one of the 11 comes in the morning, and then leaves early because he was ""sick". is he really? he left his locker key on his shelf, insinuating he won't be coming back. wow...will i be next? ahhhhhh
OH DEAR ME
ok, so i went to UNC, so i should be able to handle any intense hardcore schoolage after that pressure-filled land right? right..
that is what i keep trying to remind myself in my daily you-can-do-it-sherri pep talks. as well as this course is only four weeks of my life and there is another world that exists outside of CELTA, and i will somehow find that world again when august ends. at least i hope so.
i have taught three days so far, and each time i leave feeling like i ruined these innocent people. they seem so happy and merry when i teach them, some even say, you good teacher. yet, they dont know the truth. they dont hear what my tutor says after they walk out the door, and how they will forever never know the english language properly because of me. it's not the greatest feeling ever.
well, it's not really that bad of course. my tutor is quite encouraging, regardless of the fact that i did call him fat and old. plus, his criticism is needed to make us better teachers. (yeah yeah..) but we all get praise and then dished out, it isnt just me thankfully. and it could be so much worse.
so after this week of feeling like i didnt do that great, my tutor says, oh, and dont forget i was easy on you all this week. most of the lessons that passed this week would likely not pass if you had done them on week two. but dont worry, you will do great. yeah, thanks..
but it has been really fun to get to know the other people. we are all struggling together and hang out all the time. it is nice to have people to support you and let you know it's going to be ok. i just hope more people dont drop out.
CULTS MAKE YOU PRETTY
one of our assignments was we had to interview one of our students and assess them to learn about their English language background and how it affects them now, and then find out activities to help them.
so i chose to do this sweet Chinese lady. she doesnt speak English very well at all. it took me forever to get anything out of her. i forever was trying to get her to answer the question, why do you want to learn English. finally after twisting and turning it into another form she smiled so big and was so eager to tell me. "world people dont know falun gong, i must tell them. 80 nationalities know. i must tell them."
i had no idea what his falun gong thing was so i asked her to tell me about it, plus it would help me to see what her other speaking problems might be. she goes on to tell me, "falun gong will make you beautiful." i said, "oh so i need that to make me beautiful?" "Yes."
so it turns out, after asking my classmates, that falun gong is a cult in China. the woman in our class escaped from China because she was a member, but wasnt allowed to practice it. so now she is here, trying her best to learn English so she can get some world people to join. the next day she brought fliers for us all, and little paper roses with falun gong bookmarks tailing off the end of it.
but talk about blow to the self esteem, i have to join a cult to become beautiful. thats just great.
THAILAND WANTS TO KNOW IF IM ALIVE
so i had to get my medical permit for my work visa today. i was all concerned cuz i didnt know how to find the hospital, and yeah, lets not discuss again sherri's sense of direction problem. so i was standing on the street near the hospital with my map, looking quite helpless i assume, and a sweet british man comes over and says are you lost? he helped me find my way, and i didnt get lost. i was proud.
i was a little nervous about what the thais would do to me at the hospital. i mean, i dont speak thai, so they could really just take me and do what they want since i wouldnt understand. but once i told the nurse, "medical permit for work visa," i was directed past the hello kitty merchandise booth (in a hospital? only in asia..) to a physical exam room. the nurses were wearing all pastels--blue pants, purple coats, and pink and green shirts--i decided they looked like Easter bunnies. they weighed me, i waited. they took my blood pressure. i waited. they took me into the room with the doctor. she took my blood pressure again, and checked my heart beat. then she signed a paper, i paid 140 baht, which is like 5 dollars and was done. so i guess as long as you know someone has blood going through their veins and a heart beat, they can work in thailand. good to know.
ROOMIES?!
finally one of my roomies has arrived. i came home tonight and the power was already on. its weird, in thailand they are all about saving power, so you have to drop your keycard in this slot on the wall everytime you come in to turn on the power. it is really cool, cuz you are saving so much energy and also you never forget where your key is. those brillant thais.
so the key was already in when i got back. then i peeked in the other room and saw bags on the floor and a body under the covers sleeping.
wow, she just wandered out! she is from portland, oregon. so far she seems outgoing with a strong, open personality. i think she will be fun to live with. the other girls, one from germany and one from canada should be arriving tomorrow. im excited to meet them..i just hope we all get along and it is drama free ya know.
ok, so tomorrow i have to work on my assignment about my chinese cult friend, and finish my lesson plan for monday. so i suppose i should sleep now. sorry this entry isnt terribly exciting. CELTA has drained me of any creative-ness. thanks for reading, it makes me happy to know peeps care.. =)
it turns out the CELTA course really is a reality show. im not sure what station it's on, they are rather secretive about it.
one day we wander into class, and one of the 12 isn't there. he was a newbie like me, he had never taught before. we all ponder what could have happened, my tutor says he hopes he isnt lying under a car somewhere. this was said in his british accent, so it sounded even more dreadful. or could it be...the pressure was too intense? could he not handle it?
the day goes on..he was incessantly emailed..and called, still no reply. we all imagine him under the car, or someone else thinks he could have fallen in a man hole. hmm...
but then after much anticipation, and a day later, he responds. the course was too much for him, he just couldnt handle it. wow, who will be next...
then two days later one of the 11 comes in the morning, and then leaves early because he was ""sick". is he really? he left his locker key on his shelf, insinuating he won't be coming back. wow...will i be next? ahhhhhh
OH DEAR ME
ok, so i went to UNC, so i should be able to handle any intense hardcore schoolage after that pressure-filled land right? right..
that is what i keep trying to remind myself in my daily you-can-do-it-sherri pep talks. as well as this course is only four weeks of my life and there is another world that exists outside of CELTA, and i will somehow find that world again when august ends. at least i hope so.
i have taught three days so far, and each time i leave feeling like i ruined these innocent people. they seem so happy and merry when i teach them, some even say, you good teacher. yet, they dont know the truth. they dont hear what my tutor says after they walk out the door, and how they will forever never know the english language properly because of me. it's not the greatest feeling ever.
well, it's not really that bad of course. my tutor is quite encouraging, regardless of the fact that i did call him fat and old. plus, his criticism is needed to make us better teachers. (yeah yeah..) but we all get praise and then dished out, it isnt just me thankfully. and it could be so much worse.
so after this week of feeling like i didnt do that great, my tutor says, oh, and dont forget i was easy on you all this week. most of the lessons that passed this week would likely not pass if you had done them on week two. but dont worry, you will do great. yeah, thanks..
but it has been really fun to get to know the other people. we are all struggling together and hang out all the time. it is nice to have people to support you and let you know it's going to be ok. i just hope more people dont drop out.
CULTS MAKE YOU PRETTY
one of our assignments was we had to interview one of our students and assess them to learn about their English language background and how it affects them now, and then find out activities to help them.
so i chose to do this sweet Chinese lady. she doesnt speak English very well at all. it took me forever to get anything out of her. i forever was trying to get her to answer the question, why do you want to learn English. finally after twisting and turning it into another form she smiled so big and was so eager to tell me. "world people dont know falun gong, i must tell them. 80 nationalities know. i must tell them."
i had no idea what his falun gong thing was so i asked her to tell me about it, plus it would help me to see what her other speaking problems might be. she goes on to tell me, "falun gong will make you beautiful." i said, "oh so i need that to make me beautiful?" "Yes."
so it turns out, after asking my classmates, that falun gong is a cult in China. the woman in our class escaped from China because she was a member, but wasnt allowed to practice it. so now she is here, trying her best to learn English so she can get some world people to join. the next day she brought fliers for us all, and little paper roses with falun gong bookmarks tailing off the end of it.
but talk about blow to the self esteem, i have to join a cult to become beautiful. thats just great.
THAILAND WANTS TO KNOW IF IM ALIVE
so i had to get my medical permit for my work visa today. i was all concerned cuz i didnt know how to find the hospital, and yeah, lets not discuss again sherri's sense of direction problem. so i was standing on the street near the hospital with my map, looking quite helpless i assume, and a sweet british man comes over and says are you lost? he helped me find my way, and i didnt get lost. i was proud.
i was a little nervous about what the thais would do to me at the hospital. i mean, i dont speak thai, so they could really just take me and do what they want since i wouldnt understand. but once i told the nurse, "medical permit for work visa," i was directed past the hello kitty merchandise booth (in a hospital? only in asia..) to a physical exam room. the nurses were wearing all pastels--blue pants, purple coats, and pink and green shirts--i decided they looked like Easter bunnies. they weighed me, i waited. they took my blood pressure. i waited. they took me into the room with the doctor. she took my blood pressure again, and checked my heart beat. then she signed a paper, i paid 140 baht, which is like 5 dollars and was done. so i guess as long as you know someone has blood going through their veins and a heart beat, they can work in thailand. good to know.
ROOMIES?!
finally one of my roomies has arrived. i came home tonight and the power was already on. its weird, in thailand they are all about saving power, so you have to drop your keycard in this slot on the wall everytime you come in to turn on the power. it is really cool, cuz you are saving so much energy and also you never forget where your key is. those brillant thais.
so the key was already in when i got back. then i peeked in the other room and saw bags on the floor and a body under the covers sleeping.
wow, she just wandered out! she is from portland, oregon. so far she seems outgoing with a strong, open personality. i think she will be fun to live with. the other girls, one from germany and one from canada should be arriving tomorrow. im excited to meet them..i just hope we all get along and it is drama free ya know.
ok, so tomorrow i have to work on my assignment about my chinese cult friend, and finish my lesson plan for monday. so i suppose i should sleep now. sorry this entry isnt terribly exciting. CELTA has drained me of any creative-ness. thanks for reading, it makes me happy to know peeps care.. =)
Monday, August 6, 2007
SHERRI A TEACHER?!?!
CELTA SURVIVOR SEASON PREMIERE
i had been wondering for awhile whether i should really do this whole CELTA course thing after i signed up for it. i have heard how INTENSE it is, how it takes over your life for four weeks, how you are so engulfed in learning how to teach english that you forget another world exists outside grammar and lexicon. yeah, pretty frightening. well the terror began yesterday, and im still alive at the moment to share. so that's a good sign!
THE CAST
yesterday it was so fun walking into the classroom for orientation cuz it was full of such a variety of people. i am am the youngest, then the next oldest is like 25 i think. the oldest is probably in their late 50s. there are five Americans, two Irish, two Londoners, a Trinidad and Tobagoian, a middle easterner, and an Argentine. they are all so fun and such funny, unique characters who make me smile. it makes me feel like im on a reality TV show. like all these quirky people are placed together to struggle for 4 weeks to see who will survive. it's so exciting!
the first person i met and bonded with right away was a lady who grew up in Georgia! she is in her 50s-ish, and such a sweet, outgoing lady. she was so excited to meet another southerner! she taught home economics for 30 years, then she and her husband decided to move to china and work for a non-profit there and now they live in laos. she has taught english in both places. it seems like out of our class of 12 people that half of them have had at least a few years of experience teaching english, or teaching, and wanted to take the course to brush up. im trying not to let that intimidate me though cuz the tutors keep saying how they won't compare us. they are just seeing how we improve as an individual. nice to know, but it is hard to remember..
SHERRI'S INSULT SESSION
but the first thing we did was we had to write our name backwards on a name tag with three numbers that related to us. then we had to go around the room and meet people and figure out their names and what the numbers signified. i went up to this one guy who had 44 on his tag. first i guessed it to be his age, but then right away, i thought ooops, he doesnt look 44 at all. he was like, NOOO! then i said, hmm..is it your waist size? not knowing that is a really large waist size...and he was like NO! wow, you just keep the compliments coming dont you? it turns out it was his shoe size in thai. i was so embarassed though, and my face turned bright red.
then later i discovered he is my tutor!! one of the two tutors who will be grading us to see if we do well enough to pass the course. yeah, so i will have to work extra hard now, to get over telling my teacher he is old and fat. go sherri!
HAPPY LEARNERS MAKE HAPPY TEACHERS
so the people we will be teaching are so great. they are from laos, china, thailand and sri lanka. some of them are refugees, others just don't have the money to pay for a normal course. after a morning of learning about teaching methods, we had to do our first 15 minute lesson!
the students were so eager to participate and want to learn, so that helped things. yet, i didnt feel that i did very well. i was so nervous at first, but then i gained more confidence as the minutes went on. apparently i did really well drilling them, so thats cool. but i didnt feel like the class time flowed very smoothly. hopefully i can improve on that tomorrow during my 35 mintue lesson im teaching..ahhhh! i never realized how hard it is to be a teacher. i now have a new respect for you all wise teachers...please send along some advice soon.
RANDOM!?
so two days ago im standing in this photo store to get a passport size photo for my work visa. as im waiting for it to print out, i see this south asian tourist sitting at a chair speaking french while waiting for whoever he was with to finish printing their photos. i sort of saw that he was eyeing me. i didnt think much about it as i was flipping through some post cards. then i see him get up, meander to the security guard who was standing near me, and give him his camera. THEN he comes right next to me, puts his arm around me and gets the security guard to take a picture. then he smlles at me, and sits down.
so this random south asian man is forever going to have a picture with me in a photo store in bangkok. i have NO idea why he wanted a pic with me. had he never seen a girl with curly brown hair before? i was bewildered and wanted to laugh sooo hard after it happened, but i had to keep waiting and pretend like that happens all the time. wow...so weird! i just keep asking, why would he do such a thing??
im off to bed so i can be fresh for my next lesson...stay tuned..email me about how you are..i miss hearing from the home land..jesengel@gmail.com
i had been wondering for awhile whether i should really do this whole CELTA course thing after i signed up for it. i have heard how INTENSE it is, how it takes over your life for four weeks, how you are so engulfed in learning how to teach english that you forget another world exists outside grammar and lexicon. yeah, pretty frightening. well the terror began yesterday, and im still alive at the moment to share. so that's a good sign!
THE CAST
yesterday it was so fun walking into the classroom for orientation cuz it was full of such a variety of people. i am am the youngest, then the next oldest is like 25 i think. the oldest is probably in their late 50s. there are five Americans, two Irish, two Londoners, a Trinidad and Tobagoian, a middle easterner, and an Argentine. they are all so fun and such funny, unique characters who make me smile. it makes me feel like im on a reality TV show. like all these quirky people are placed together to struggle for 4 weeks to see who will survive. it's so exciting!
the first person i met and bonded with right away was a lady who grew up in Georgia! she is in her 50s-ish, and such a sweet, outgoing lady. she was so excited to meet another southerner! she taught home economics for 30 years, then she and her husband decided to move to china and work for a non-profit there and now they live in laos. she has taught english in both places. it seems like out of our class of 12 people that half of them have had at least a few years of experience teaching english, or teaching, and wanted to take the course to brush up. im trying not to let that intimidate me though cuz the tutors keep saying how they won't compare us. they are just seeing how we improve as an individual. nice to know, but it is hard to remember..
SHERRI'S INSULT SESSION
but the first thing we did was we had to write our name backwards on a name tag with three numbers that related to us. then we had to go around the room and meet people and figure out their names and what the numbers signified. i went up to this one guy who had 44 on his tag. first i guessed it to be his age, but then right away, i thought ooops, he doesnt look 44 at all. he was like, NOOO! then i said, hmm..is it your waist size? not knowing that is a really large waist size...and he was like NO! wow, you just keep the compliments coming dont you? it turns out it was his shoe size in thai. i was so embarassed though, and my face turned bright red.
then later i discovered he is my tutor!! one of the two tutors who will be grading us to see if we do well enough to pass the course. yeah, so i will have to work extra hard now, to get over telling my teacher he is old and fat. go sherri!
HAPPY LEARNERS MAKE HAPPY TEACHERS
so the people we will be teaching are so great. they are from laos, china, thailand and sri lanka. some of them are refugees, others just don't have the money to pay for a normal course. after a morning of learning about teaching methods, we had to do our first 15 minute lesson!
the students were so eager to participate and want to learn, so that helped things. yet, i didnt feel that i did very well. i was so nervous at first, but then i gained more confidence as the minutes went on. apparently i did really well drilling them, so thats cool. but i didnt feel like the class time flowed very smoothly. hopefully i can improve on that tomorrow during my 35 mintue lesson im teaching..ahhhh! i never realized how hard it is to be a teacher. i now have a new respect for you all wise teachers...please send along some advice soon.
RANDOM!?
so two days ago im standing in this photo store to get a passport size photo for my work visa. as im waiting for it to print out, i see this south asian tourist sitting at a chair speaking french while waiting for whoever he was with to finish printing their photos. i sort of saw that he was eyeing me. i didnt think much about it as i was flipping through some post cards. then i see him get up, meander to the security guard who was standing near me, and give him his camera. THEN he comes right next to me, puts his arm around me and gets the security guard to take a picture. then he smlles at me, and sits down.
so this random south asian man is forever going to have a picture with me in a photo store in bangkok. i have NO idea why he wanted a pic with me. had he never seen a girl with curly brown hair before? i was bewildered and wanted to laugh sooo hard after it happened, but i had to keep waiting and pretend like that happens all the time. wow...so weird! i just keep asking, why would he do such a thing??
im off to bed so i can be fresh for my next lesson...stay tuned..email me about how you are..i miss hearing from the home land..jesengel@gmail.com
Friday, August 3, 2007
whirlwind of thailand
few more of these pics...http://www.flickr.com/photos/55907373@N00/
UNC THAI TALK
soooo i am seeing the value of UNC more everyday-- it can give you friends all over the world. my awesome friend ja invited me to have dinner with her and the people she studied abroad at UNC with last semester. they were so welcoming and excited that im going to be here for year...i still cant believe that myself.
i had my first dinner in a nice thai restaurant called, good evening..heehee.. we ordered tons of different dishes and all picked off of them to mix with our rice, just like you do at a chinese place. i really like the thai omelet, shrimp in tamarind sauce, and red curry. so goood! it sort of freaked me out a little to see the fish they ordered look like they had just plucked it from the ocean and placed on the plate. but i tried some! im trying to try everything. i always feel bad if i dont like it though. im trying to be more honest about saying, hm...im not a big fan of that, instead of saying, yeah it's ok...and my friends reading my feelings on my face and saying, just say you dont like it sherri..heehee..
TOUR THE LAND
i then got to spend the night at ja's. it was my first time meeting a thai family. her mom is the cutest thing ever created, and sat on the couch smiling at me quietly the whole time. she speaks english, but apparently is very shy around farangs. her dad was sweet and chatted with me about how much thai's enjoy keeping their kids at home with them even when they have grown up. ja sort of half smiled at that comment. heehee..
the next day we had green curry with chicken and rice for breakfast. apparently in thailand they eat the same things for most meals. ja thought it was weird when she was in the states and had only toast for breakfast. its not enough to fill you up until noon, she said. i didnt mind the curry for bfast, it was really good, but i perfer my yogurt and granola..
ja was my tour guide the whole day, i was so blessed! she took me first to her university. we had to take the river boat there, which is a common form of public transport. we went on the tourist boat full of europeans. she said she takes sometimes if she is running late, so she was already telling me about every site before the tour guide with a muffled accented voice could try to talk about it.
her school, tamasat university, was our first stop. it was sweet cuz it was right next to the river. they had all these announcements painted on boards, like we had at UNC, and one of them was announcing stage play auditions. ja told me that she did a stage play a few semeters ago. i asked her if it took a lot of her time, and she said it did. i thought she would say because she had to practice her lines and such. but instead she said it was because she had to run all these laps everyday, do push-ups and sit-ups and get in really good shape. i was like, what? for a play? she said that it was important for them to get their energy up so that the audience sitting in the back could feel the same amount of energy coming from them as the people in the front. wow, i dont think we do that in the states do we? high-energy performance?
then we meandered to the grand palace! sadly, my camera ran out of battery, so i couldnt take any pics. but ja was generous enough to take lots of pics for me which she said she will send soon...it was sooooo HOT when we were there. so we tried to go quickly before the sun sapped us of all our energy.
the grand palace is where the king lives sometimes, and used to live all the time. so the first thing i thought, to be honest, was gaudy. there was gold everywhere and shiny gems plastered all over that. they also had a temple there where there were some young buddhist monks doing a ceremony so we couldnt go in. ja told me to stay away from them because they arent allowed to touch women. i kept wondering what would happen if i tripped and fell into one accidently. could be interesting.
then we went to another temple called wat po where they have the largest reclining buddha in thailand. it was sort of intimidating because it was so big and its half slanted eyes would just stare at you. then at the temple ja did her buddhist rituals of bowing, and i sat and watched. then when we were leaving she gave money for them to make renovations to the roof. she wrote her name on a roof tile and added it to the stack already there. she said they do that so in their next life they will live in a nice house.
then we shopped and shopped in the markets. ja helped me baragain with people for my things, or i guess she baragained for me really. im pretty bad at it. i even got a king shirt! its a yellow polo shirt with the king's emblem on it. everyone wears them on monday. so i wanted to be prepared. im excited to wear it..
6 BUCKS FOR A MASSAGE...
two days ago i got my first thai massage! thailand is famous for their massage skills, so i wanted to test it out. i was headed to a higher class place i found online, but then as i was walking to the skytrain i saw one right next to the station advertising massages for 200 baht, which is only 6 dollars. my friend Praew had told me earlier that was a good price to pay. so even though it didn't look very classy, i decided to go for it.
i was led to a room upstairs and given a huge button-up shirt to change into in this curtained off area with two mattresses on the ground. i put it on and was just standing there with only the shirt on feeling awkward. then the masseuse came up and she was like, "oh!" and grabbed these gigantic brown pants that were lying on the bed and gestured for me to put them on. i think they could have fit a sumo wrestler, but i felt better after i tied the drawstring and had them on.
my masseuse was a little lady who probably knew five complete sentences of English plus a few random words. the first part of the hour though all she did was try to speak in English to me. i would try to speak back and ask questions, but she would just respond in thai and look confused. so i kept laughing while she massaged cuz she didnt understand me, and i didnt understand her, but we kept trying to understand each other.
i had never had a real massage before, so i cant compare it to anything, but this one was pretty sweet. im not sure how the thai massage is really different, but it was weird cuz she was so small, but still could make me feel so relaxed. so it was a fun time, i think i might try out different places too. ja told me that people get addicted to massages though, so i shall have to watch myself...
tonight im going to a church service here in bangkok. i hope i dont get lost! im leaving an hour early just to make sure i find it. my sense of direction still hasnt improved over the past week. oh well, always makes things an adventure...
Wednesday, August 1, 2007
change of scene
MOVING ON UP
so i was able to flee the back alleyway life! i called the place where i will be living until decemeber, the evergreen, to see if i could move in sooner than august 9th, and they said i could. i called my director and told her that i had the chance to move in early, and she was just like, "ok." so it wasnt a big deal at all. well, the bigger ordeal was bringing all my bags down the four flights of stairs again, but the superwoman powers came back, and the mission was accomplished.
when i arrived at the front desk they told me i was going to have to pay extra since i moved in early. i expected this, and was like ok..but then it turns out they didnt have a one-bedroom available for me to stay in, only a two-bedroom. then on sunday when the one-bedroom opens i could switch to that so i wouldnt have to pay for a two-bedroom until august 9th. i had no other option at that point. i had my 200 pounds of luggage surrounding me, and the thought of lugging it all to a cheaper place for 9 days and then back here, all for the sake of saving money, sort of didint look like a bright and happy option.
so i settled for spending an extraordinary amount of money to stay in a gigantic apartment....but i LOVE it and feel like i have arrived at a thai resort. i have my own lil kitchen, a king size bed, two choices of bathrooms, one with a huge tub as well as a separate shower. i have a DVD player and a balcony with a view of bustling bangkok. no way! and there are no freaky noises at night! cant get any better..
there is also a workout room which i used this morning. yeah, i opted for not taking the sky train to lumpini park and lifting weights with the sweaty old men..while i worked out i looked out on the outdoor pool, which i might have to jump in later when it stops raining. WOW! i feel crazy blessed to be here.
plus i feel safe, which is probably one of the best factors. im on the 15th floor and you need a keycard to even get to that floor on the elevator. and i just noticed on TV that there is a channel to watch the front desk and see who comes in. how freaky! someone could be watching me whenever i come or go...or i can watch them. could be fun times.
TOURING THE HOME OF A THAI LOVER
jim thompson is a very popular guy here in thailand. i heard from some people before i came to thailand that i should tour his house. its pretty close to the evergreen, so i meandered there yesterday. as i was walking down the little road, this motor bike taxi man shouts, "oh, you are beautiful! where you from?" yeah, im sure he shouts that to every white girl he sees. but i was like, "north carolina!" he and his pals were like, oh, "tar heels!" then another one said, "carolina panthers!" i just laughed..i mean people should know about the tar heels, obviously, but the panthers?
when i got there i signed up for the english tour, there were like five different language tours. i thought, oh, there might be an american on this tour, cool. but whenever the lady would say in monotone english, "now you are free to look around the room," the fifteen other people around me would start chatting to the people they were with in all these different languages. so weird! i guess i was the only one who really knew JUST english. oh well, guess im just an ignorant american.
so what i learned from the lovely tour guide was that good ol' jim from delaware came to thailand during world war II. then after he was done with the army he decided he was so in love with thailand and that he had to return and live here forever. he was an architect and made his house by combing six traditional thai homes. the houses were found around thailand, and dismantled and reconstructed here. pretty crazy! so he is also famous cuz he was into thai silk, and helped bring them fame around the globe for it. he also had a sweet jungle garden around his house. BUT...then he dissappeared in 1967 and no one knows what happened to him...sort of creepy.
SLEEPY SHOPPING SHERRI
i got to hang out with ja again last night. it was so nice to be with a friend after not really hanging out with anyone but myself for two days. i get sort of boring after awhile. we went shopping together! i was half asleep the whole time though, jet lag wont let go of me. while i was waiting for her to arrive i was sitting on a bench and started to doze off. then i jerked myself awake as i started falling sideways. the security guards at the mall probably enjoyed watching that. anyways, tonight im going to get dinner with her and her friends, then i think i will spend the night at her place. we might go tour the grand palace tomorrow. what fun!
OH! and i got to go to a thai grocery store. it was on the bottom floor of the fancy mall, called gourmet market. it was huge, and had everything. i love grocery stores, its so sweet to wander the aisles and look at all the different food. there was a good amount of american stuff, but what made me most excited was seeing that it even had tim-tams, my favorite cookie from new zealand! discovrering that assured me that i will be very happy here.
right now im watching the maid make my bed with fresh sheets. wow, i wonder if she is going to do this everyday i live at this place? fine with me...
some new pics... http://www.flickr.com/photos/55907373@N00/
so i was able to flee the back alleyway life! i called the place where i will be living until decemeber, the evergreen, to see if i could move in sooner than august 9th, and they said i could. i called my director and told her that i had the chance to move in early, and she was just like, "ok." so it wasnt a big deal at all. well, the bigger ordeal was bringing all my bags down the four flights of stairs again, but the superwoman powers came back, and the mission was accomplished.
when i arrived at the front desk they told me i was going to have to pay extra since i moved in early. i expected this, and was like ok..but then it turns out they didnt have a one-bedroom available for me to stay in, only a two-bedroom. then on sunday when the one-bedroom opens i could switch to that so i wouldnt have to pay for a two-bedroom until august 9th. i had no other option at that point. i had my 200 pounds of luggage surrounding me, and the thought of lugging it all to a cheaper place for 9 days and then back here, all for the sake of saving money, sort of didint look like a bright and happy option.
so i settled for spending an extraordinary amount of money to stay in a gigantic apartment....but i LOVE it and feel like i have arrived at a thai resort. i have my own lil kitchen, a king size bed, two choices of bathrooms, one with a huge tub as well as a separate shower. i have a DVD player and a balcony with a view of bustling bangkok. no way! and there are no freaky noises at night! cant get any better..
there is also a workout room which i used this morning. yeah, i opted for not taking the sky train to lumpini park and lifting weights with the sweaty old men..while i worked out i looked out on the outdoor pool, which i might have to jump in later when it stops raining. WOW! i feel crazy blessed to be here.
plus i feel safe, which is probably one of the best factors. im on the 15th floor and you need a keycard to even get to that floor on the elevator. and i just noticed on TV that there is a channel to watch the front desk and see who comes in. how freaky! someone could be watching me whenever i come or go...or i can watch them. could be fun times.
TOURING THE HOME OF A THAI LOVER
jim thompson is a very popular guy here in thailand. i heard from some people before i came to thailand that i should tour his house. its pretty close to the evergreen, so i meandered there yesterday. as i was walking down the little road, this motor bike taxi man shouts, "oh, you are beautiful! where you from?" yeah, im sure he shouts that to every white girl he sees. but i was like, "north carolina!" he and his pals were like, oh, "tar heels!" then another one said, "carolina panthers!" i just laughed..i mean people should know about the tar heels, obviously, but the panthers?
when i got there i signed up for the english tour, there were like five different language tours. i thought, oh, there might be an american on this tour, cool. but whenever the lady would say in monotone english, "now you are free to look around the room," the fifteen other people around me would start chatting to the people they were with in all these different languages. so weird! i guess i was the only one who really knew JUST english. oh well, guess im just an ignorant american.
so what i learned from the lovely tour guide was that good ol' jim from delaware came to thailand during world war II. then after he was done with the army he decided he was so in love with thailand and that he had to return and live here forever. he was an architect and made his house by combing six traditional thai homes. the houses were found around thailand, and dismantled and reconstructed here. pretty crazy! so he is also famous cuz he was into thai silk, and helped bring them fame around the globe for it. he also had a sweet jungle garden around his house. BUT...then he dissappeared in 1967 and no one knows what happened to him...sort of creepy.
SLEEPY SHOPPING SHERRI
i got to hang out with ja again last night. it was so nice to be with a friend after not really hanging out with anyone but myself for two days. i get sort of boring after awhile. we went shopping together! i was half asleep the whole time though, jet lag wont let go of me. while i was waiting for her to arrive i was sitting on a bench and started to doze off. then i jerked myself awake as i started falling sideways. the security guards at the mall probably enjoyed watching that. anyways, tonight im going to get dinner with her and her friends, then i think i will spend the night at her place. we might go tour the grand palace tomorrow. what fun!
OH! and i got to go to a thai grocery store. it was on the bottom floor of the fancy mall, called gourmet market. it was huge, and had everything. i love grocery stores, its so sweet to wander the aisles and look at all the different food. there was a good amount of american stuff, but what made me most excited was seeing that it even had tim-tams, my favorite cookie from new zealand! discovrering that assured me that i will be very happy here.
right now im watching the maid make my bed with fresh sheets. wow, i wonder if she is going to do this everyday i live at this place? fine with me...
some new pics... http://www.flickr.com/photos/55907373@N00/
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