This American (Thai) Life

Bob Slydell: You see, what we’re actually trying to do here is, we’re trying to get a feel for how people spend their day at work…so, if you would, would you walk use through a typical day, for you?

Peter Gibbons: Yeah.

Bob Slydell: Great.

Peter Gibbons: Well, I generally come in at least fifteen minutes late, ah, I use the side door – that way Lumbergh can’t see me, heh heh – and, uh, after that I just sorta space out for about an hour.

Bob Slydell: Huh? Space out?

Peter Gibbons: Yeah, I just stare at my desk; but it looks like I’m working. I do that for probably another hour after lunch, too. I’d say in a given week I probably only do about fifteen minutes of real, actual, work.

-        - Office Space

Right now I’ve been in Thailand for just over six weeks. I’ve kind of got a groove down for how daily life goes. Here’s a few things that’s been happening with me around the ‘Nakhon.

Started Listening to Jazz

I think I was watching a movie that has jazz and it really clicked with me recently. Josh Phillips called jazz “Mathematical Music.” Cool. I already feel myself becoming more sophisticated.

Learning Thai

I’ve been trying to learn a little bit day by day. It’s a little tricky since Thai is such a tonal language. Nearly every day I have to take a cab home because the bus can take hours to come. As it happens, I have to tell the taxi driver how to get to my apartment on a street called Bang Toey. I had problems getting home initially because I’d say BANG TOE-EE. They’d look at me like I was crazy. I had to call a teacher once and tell the driver where to go.

I can now say it correctly – BANG TUH-EE. It makes getting home a lot easier.

Crushing it at Work

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=no6uSdvBlCI

Weight Watchers

I was putting a shirt on Saturday night before going out and looked in the mirror. I looked stupid in it. I put on another shirt. Still looked stupid. I cycled through a few shirts before I realized- they were big on me. I think I’ve probably dropped at least five pounds since I’ve been here. This sort of makes sense though.

Thais serve smaller portions for meals, so I’ve just been eating less at meals and snacking more. Cosmo Men’s Health tells me that’s good for you. Also with teaching I’m just walking around all the time, burnin' those cals'. Some of my guy friends here said that they’ve had the same thing happen. The girls seem to be gaining weight though. 555.

Watching TV

I love a good show. Wi-Fi works in my room. It was match made in heaven.

End of the Mourning Period

The mourning period for the death of the Supreme Patriarch ended as of Saturday. For the last month, everyone has had to wear black, white, or grey in recognition of his passing. Since I packed approximately zero white or black shirts, I went out a couple weeks ago and bought a white and a black shirt. Since then I’ve been alternating between the two every other day. Luckily my students see me once a week so I don’t think they’ve caught on.

Today I found out that I shouldn’t wear red or yellow shirts, as they align with two combating political parties right now. I just can’t win with colors here.

Becoming a Thai Pop Star

At each morning assembly with the entire school, there is a short segment called “English on Stage.” Two English teachers will read a brief conversation to the rest of the school. A Thai teacher will then translate the phrase to the students. At the end of the month, they hold a short competition during the assembly. They ask questions about those conversations and reward correct answers with prizes.

Before that happens, the students need to be gripped with fun of the English language. Last Wednesday I was told that I needed to help sing a pop song on stage. I would need to memorize it and sing it with a few other young Thai teachers on stage. It was an Australian pop song from 2008, “The Show” by Lenka. I still don’t know how certain songs get popular here.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=elsh3J5lJ6g

So I memorized the song and was ready to nail it the next day. As we’re about to head on stage, I’m handed bunny ears to wear. All the other teachers are wearing bunny ears too. I put them on. I’ve given up asking questions at this point.

My defining moment as a teacher

We start singing and the other Thai teachers begin doing this choreographed dance. Again, missed the memo on the dance. I tried to copy what they were doing but I looked pretty terrible. Then we stood on stage for ten minutes while the students answered questions. The bunny ears were surprisingly comfy. 

I seem to have made a lasting impression though. Later that day three students asked me to take individual photos with them. I’ve got skillz.

Well, that’s Thailand for now. Happy thanksgiving to everyone back in the States!

Mark

I don't see nothing wrong with a little Loi Krathong

“Shine bright like a diamond. Shine bright like a diamond. Shine bright like a diamond.”- Rihanna, “Diamonds”

This weekend was Loi Krathong which is one of the largest festivals in Thailand. I made plans to meet up with some friends in Sukhothai, where legend says the festival began. Actually the legend was debunked and it started somewhere else. But their festival was supposed to be huge.

I left work Friday and headed to the bus station. After getting one of the four tickets left, I embarked on the 8-hour bus ride to Sukhothai. Thai buses are essentially like a Greyhound/Megabus. There are more amenities if you pay for the nicer ones (Free food, less stops, etc.). They usually show movies as well. This was my second time taking a bus and they played Fast and Furious 6 again. Apparently Thais love the Fast and the Furious movies. When you consider how crazy Thai traffic is, the irony is too much.

Anyway I got in a little after two in the morning. My friends Eli and Nicole live only about an hour and half away by motorbike; so they had the night to explore the city a bit. They picked me up by motorbike and we crashed at the hotel. Also, this was my first time on a motorbike. It was awesome. They’re essentially mopeds that are common everywhere in Thailand. Motorbikes are usually used for local transportation but can go up to 60 mph as well. I’m tempted to buy one if I can get it for cheap. Ignore that last sentence mom.

The next day we got up and visited the “old city” of Sukhothai. As you may guess, this was the older part of the city that had ancient ruins preserved within its walls. It was full of green fields, rivers, old statues, and monuments. Vendors and food stalls lined the roads that were surprisingly cheap. The area was also decorated with lanterns, wreaths, and other ornaments. We wandered around the ruins and soaked in the atmosphere. Also, for some reason, music from The Lion King was blasting throughout the place. It was the music that plays when Mufasa dies. Really random.

Later in the afternoon, we stopped by a free Muay Thai fight and martial arts show. Muay Thai boxing is basically boxing except you can use your legs and grapple more. I was a little shocked when I saw that kids would be doing the boxing and martial arts. However, it was just a show and the all the hits were staged. I guess a Thai version of the Hunger Games on a national holiday wouldn’t go well for anyone.

May the odds be forever in your favor.

That being said, it was really cool to see the kids fight with wooden swords and rods. They were very talented and it was well choreographed. Some even blew fire. I wish I could blow fire.

After walking around for a while, we decided to sit down and get some dinner. As we’re sitting down I see a large group of white people. I don’t usually see a lot of white people these days. As I look closer, I realize that it’s Andy (my friend from Dayton) with his Fulbright friends. Neither of us had talked about our plans that weekend, so it was a really crazy coincidence we ran into each other here. Like really crazy. There were hundreds of food stalls and thousands of people. I’m still sort of weirded out by it. But it was fun to catch up with him briefly and say hi to the other Fulbright crowd I had met before. 

We decided to stop by a bar outside the city until the fireworks began in two hours. It was fairly mellow but we did see an elephant pass by.

In typical Thai fashion, we realized that the fireworks happened about a half hour earlier than they were supposed to start. But the main reason for coming back was for the lantern release. Thais light lanterns and send them into the sky. The purpose is to let go of one’s misfortunes and pray for good things to come. It was beautiful to see all these glowing orbs drifting through the sky.

We got some more food after that (we’re becoming true Thais, always eating) and then went back to the hotel. The bus ride back the next day was another long 8 hours. Luckily they played Fast and Furious 6 AGAIN to keep me occupied. When the bus stopped, I realized that the final stop was not the bus station I was at before. No big, I was planning on taking a taxi back anyway. I got to the taxi line and realized that there were no less than 60 people in front of me. Cabs seemed to come once every few minutes. Great.

I stood there in a line only a few minutes before a Thai man started talking to me. He asked me where I was going and I tried to explain the landmarks near my apartment. He smiled and motioned for me to follow him. He called over a cab driver who wasn’t in the queue and told me to head off with him. The cab driver was great and got me home in less than a half hour. Such a nice act of kindness to end the weekend on a great note.

The one thing I missed this weekend was seeing the actual Krathongs. The Krathongs are little ornaments with candles that float down the river at night. This is to celebrate the end of the rainy season. I got back a little too late Sunday night to see it but the trip was worth it.

Here are a few other random things this week:

-         I realized that everyone carries white-out with them. Everyone.

-        Since all the classrooms are open air with no screens, birds sometimes fly into the classroom. It’s OK because they usually just fly out the other side.

-        I’ve started drinking coffee a little bit. If I drink it black it’s not bad for you right?

-        Tried doing yoga every day in the morning. Got two mornings in. I like sleep.

This week I’m trying to find an actual Muay Thai fight to go to. I’m also searching for a place that will serve Thanksgiving food- I need stuffing to make it through December.

Mark

P.S. No post from Davis for a while. He must have stumbled upon a new number.

The Ills

“If you like your plan, you can keep it.” – President Barack Obama

Well, I finally got sick here in Thailand.

I wasn’t sure if I was going to write about it but I think it’s an interesting look at the Thai health system. You might say some of it has “too much information.” You also might say that it’s a deep look in to the soul of a conflicted man wrestling with disease in a foreign country. Take your pick.

Last week I was afflicted by rapid bowel movements. There, I said it. Let’s be adults about this.

Last Friday night I met up with some friends on Khao San Road in downtown Bangkok. We had a fun night catching up and enjoying the nightlife. The peak of the night was going to “The Club.” Sean Klamm, when you visit, I’m taking you there. It’s everything you’ve ever wanted.

The last time I was on Khao San Road I had the best Pad Thai I had ever eaten. So good I ate two plates. We tried to find the vendor on the street but no luck. I settled for some Pad Thai from another guy down the road. It was alright.

The next day was terrible. I was running to the bathroom every hour or two. I was trying to think of what could have caused it. Then it hit me - the Pad Thai. This is what I get for settling for crappy Pad Thai. Don’t ever settle kids. You’ll end up like me.

Sunday was even worse. I was getting chills and a fever as well. That afternoon I threw in the towel and called up one of my co-workers and asked what medicine I should get. In Thailand, pharmacies sell antibiotics over the counter without a prescription. Luckily there is a pharmacy in the mall 5 minutes down the road. When I got there, I put my friend’s wife on the phone (she speaks Thai) and gave it to the cashier. They were able to set me up with antibiotics and some electrolyte packets. All for the cost of….90 Baht ($3.00). Not bad.

By Tuesday, word had spread around the office that I was still feeling sick. All the teachers kept telling me to go the hospital. I kept trying to explain that I really wasn’t sick enough for the hospital but to no avail. Midday, two teachers grabbed me and said we were going to the hospital right across the street during my break. Onward!

Hospitals in Thailand are very different than in the US. It’s essentially a combination of an ER, medical clinic, and pharmacy. The Thai teachers were able to translate and I filled out some paperwork when I arrived. After that I waited around until I saw a nurse. Same as in the US, I got my weight and blood pressure taken, explained my problems, etc. I saw the doctor pretty quickly after that. She knew English and prescribed me a different medication. Went down to the pharmacy and grabbed the meds for 80 Baht. It took an hour and half to see the doctor on a drop-in, get my medicine, and get out. That’s what I call a one-stop-shop. Again during all of this I was overwhelmed by the gracious help of the other Thai teachers. They really are incredible people.

In my head I started calling trips to the bathroom in my head, “Incidents.” I had just seen “The Incredible Hulk” and that’s what they call it the Hulk transforms. Bruce Banner turns into a giant green monster and breaks stuff; I prevent nuclear fallout in my pants. Same thing.

The rest of the week went fairly well until Thursday, when I felt an “Incident” coming with a few minutes left in class. I had about 45 seconds to take action. I had two options:

1.      Pop a Pepto Bismo. Waddle around for a few minutes until the feeling goes away. This usually buys me an hour or two.

2.      Begin a comfortable jog to the restroom.

I jammed my hands into my pockets. Cell pohone, house keys, and 20 baht in coins. No Pepto Bismo. Guess we’re going with option 2.

“You all did a great job today!” I yelled, dancing around. “I will see you all next week! Class dismissed!”

I hastily threw my books into my briefcase. A couple students tried talking to me but I brushed them off as gracefully as I could. I then began a full sprint to the downstairs bathroom with, “THANK YOU TEACHHHAAAAA,” echoing in the background. I made it. The world was happy and as it should be.

A week later I’m pretty much back to normal. Quite an interesting experience. I’ll be watching street food with a closer eye from now on.

This weekend I’ve pretty much just been hanging out around my apartment. I’m saving my money for next weekend, which is Loi Krathong. Loi  Krathong is a large Thai festival that occurs every year in November. Thais make tiny raft decorations to float down the river and hang lanterns to celebrate the end of the rainy season. Apparently it’s very beautiful.

Next weekend I’m heading to Sukhothai, where legend says the festival began. I’m meeting up with about 10 other CIEE people, so it should be a fun time. The downside? 7 hour bus ride to get there. Ouch.

Before I end this post, here's a few random Thai things I don't think I've mentioned.

Eating with Spoons and Forks

Thais use fork and spoons, except there’s a big spoon used in the right hand and the fork in the left hand. The fork is used how westerners use a knife. When I was first here I was chided often by servers for using a fork to eat most of my food. Knives don’t exist.

Chopsticks

They only really seem to be used for more formal dinners. I haven't managed to completely embarrass myself using them yet. I can use chopsticks better than I can golf, which isn't saying a lot.

555

555 is the Thai equivalent of LOL. Why? In Thai, the number “5” is “haa.” So if you laugh like, “ha ha ha,” it sounds like you are saying “5” over and over again. Thus, 555=LOL.

Next post will probably be a little delayed as the weekend travels will keep me busy. I also came up with a goal for next week. I’m going to wake up every day before work and do yoga. When in Rome right?

Actually I don’t know anyone here who does that. I’m just giving it a whirl.

Mark

P.S. Nice post Davis. I don't have anything witty to say. It was a good post.

  

In and Around Cambridge

"I love deadlines.  I love the whooshing noise they make as they go by." - Douglas Adams

Okay Mark, I know you have some sort of degree that makes you qualified to string words together, but all your blogging is making me look bad.  Don’t you have like 49728132 students to teach?  At least wait until my Self-Writing Quill comes in the mail before you post again.

Anyway, I should explain why it’s taken me so long to post (again).  Unbeknownst to me, my accommodation changed at the start of the year and so I've been busy dealing with that.  Don’t worry – my mailing address is still the same, it’s just that I now pretty much live here:

Home sweet home

It’s probably safe to say that I’m doing more homework now than I ever have in the past.  The mathematics course is structured in a way that requires one assignment per subject to be submitted every two weeks.  Since I’m studying six subjects, that evens out to about 3 assignments per week.  Each assignment takes about 10-20 hours to do, so when you calculate the average number of hours I should work each day…I try to think about something more cheery.  Thankfully, I love the stuff I’m learning and the lectures given are very interesting, so there’s only a small probability that I’ll go crazy before Christmas holiday!

Still, in the time not spent scribbling indecipherably I've managed to:

·         Buy and read a few chapters of Wolf Hall, which seems to be my parents’ absolute favorite book ever which “You just have to read because it’s so well written and parts of it reference Cambridge and you’ll be living in England and oh it’s just such a great book” (sorry Mom and Dad, couldn’t resist).

o   It actually is a great book by the way.  You should definitely read it if you haven’t already.

·         Get a “Loyalty Card” from the coffee shop for all the time I’ve been there.

·         Try black pudding (and immediately regret it).

·         Realize I’ve inadvertently been stealing juice from the dining hall for three weeks (I thought it was free, I swear).

·         Stake out a permanent spot in the library, complete with this imposing stack of books:

I've only opened three of them

• And finally, do a bit sightseeing:

To London!

Last Monday, I went to London!  For about 90 minutes.  I had to go into London to pick up a bag of clothes that was waiting for me there (thanks Aunt Julie, you’re the best), so after lectures ended that Monday I set out.  Getting out of class at 1:00, I grabbed a sandwich from the dining hall and walked to the train station, where I took a train into Liverpool St. station, transferred to the Metropolitan tube line for a few stops, and then walked a block to the building to pick up my bag.  I had a little extra time before I had to leave, so I walked around a little more and found this place on Baker Street:

….which was conspicuously sandwiched in between 237 Baker St. and 241 Baker St.  I’m no Sherlock Holmes, but if I had to guess I would say it’s probably not original. 

Unfortunately, at this point I had to catch my train back to Cambridge, so I did the whole thing again backwards and made it back in time for dinner!  Not a bad afternoon.

To Formal Hall!

This past Wednesday I also had a chance attend a “Formal Hall” which is a weekly dinner put on by King’s College where every dresses up and the food served is especially nice.  However, there are only 138 seats (for 430 students), so you have to buy a ticket in advance – which doesn’t sound so bad until you realize that everyone is trying to buy a ticket at the same time.  The ticketing process is absolutely mad.  Tickets are bought online and released at a specified time, but about five minutes beforehand the internet starts to slow down or grind to a halt due to the huge load of students refreshing the page.  By 2:30 (when they go on sale), the website is all but broken and it’s simply luck as to whether your page will load. 

Acceptable behavior when buying a formal ticket

Now that I think about it, this must seem peculiar to a tourist visiting the college.  From about 2:25-2:35 every Thursday, they will see the usually busy campus becomes devoid of students.  Then after this period all of the students will return to whatever they were doing – some buoyant, others clearly frustrated.

Fortunately, I was able to secure a ticket during this electronic free-for-all and attend the formal.  I would say what was on the menu, but the name of each dish was so complicated that I’m sure what they were (even though each was delicious)!  However, after a starter, main course, dessert, coffee, and plenty of wine, our group left the dining room full and happy.  I’m sure I will be going back for many more formals in the future – that is, if I can get the ticket.

To [Assorted Cambridge Destinations]!

One of the most amazing things about living in Cambridge is that there are so many unique and historic sites in such a small geographic area.  I mentioned two pubs in my last post about some famous pubs in Cambridge.  I’ve had a chance to stop by both so here’s a bit about them!

About a week ago, I stopped into a pub after getting dinner with a group of maths students and was surprised to see a plaque on the wall stating that the pub had been around for over 400 years!  This place, the Pickerel Inn, also claims to have been a favorite of CS Lewis (when he worked at Cambridge at the end of his career) as well as JRR Tolkien (in his visits to the university).  Although packed on the Friday night of my first visit, I’ve gone back during the week since then and found it to have quite the cozy atmosphere, with an interior sporting low ceilings, heavy wooden beams, and old tables that (in the words of one online reviewer) “have soaked up centuries of history and beer.”

The Eagle Pub's "RAF Bar"

On the topic of historic pubs, I need to also mention “The Eagle,” which is on the same block as my building.  Opened in 1667 and located across the road from the university’s physics laboratory, The Eagle’s claim to fame comes from the discovery of the structure of DNA in 1953.  At that time, The Eagle was frequented by many university scientists, due to its proximity to the lab.  For this reason, when Watson and Crick discovered the famous “double-helix” shape of DNA, they announced the findings to their colleagues by standing on a table and claiming that they had “discovered the secret of life.”  Their work on the shape and structure of DNA has led to the development of modern genetics, and to this day the pub serves an ale called Eagle’s DNA (which unfortunately doesn’t taste all that great).  

Another cool historical fact about the Eagle is its heavily graffiti-ed ceiling.  During the second world war, the pub was home to air force regiments that came and went through Cambridge.  During this time, many airmen burned their name and short messages into the ceiling knowing that there was a good chance that they may never come back.  These scorched messages exist to this day and can be easily read in the part of the building now known as the RAF Bar.

Finally, I just want to make a quick note about the previously mentioned physics laboratory.  Cavendish Laboratory (now known as Old Cavendish, since the lab was reestablished at a new, modern site in the 1970’s), is a compound of buildings adjacent to King’s College and is home to hundreds of world-changing discoveries.  Although most research activity now occurs in the new site, Old Cavendish is still in use and is where I go three times a week to attend lecture.  Being the science nerd I am, it’s still somewhat awe-inspiring to walk among the maze of old buildings, loading docks, and exquisitely carved archways, knowing that some of the most brilliant scientists in history did the same. 

On the first day of class, the lecturer began his overview by stating that the aim of the course was to understand how electricity and magnetism were interrelated by understanding and applying Maxwell’s Equations, which are the cornerstone of the subject.  This lecturer was speaking in a building housed in Cavendish Laboratory, which was founded by the very same James Clerk Maxwell.  Numerous plaques pepper the compound, reminding students that many of the theories and methods they study today were discovered in the very place they trudge to, half-asleep, each morning. (Check the end of this post for some famous discoveries made in the lab).  Although Cambridge has battered me with schoolwork since my arrival, it’s reminders like these that keep me so appreciative and grateful for the opportunity to work in such a unique place.

I’d love to write more about my studies right now, but I’ve got to return to the library and get back to work!  There’s really no way around it – studying at Cambridge demands a huge time commitment.  I just hope that after doing math exclusively for a year, I don’t forget how to read and write.  So let me no if I dont right very good!

Cheers,

David

___________________________________________________________________

P.S.  Here’s a list of some people who have worked in Cavendish, along with one of their well-known discoveries:

• Lord Rayleigh (discovered why the sky is blue)
• JJ Thomson (discovered the electron)
• Ernest Rutherford (discovered that atoms have a nucleus)
• William Bragg (Bragg’s Law of Diffraction)
• Arthur Compton (Compton Effect, directed portions of the Manhattan Project)
• James Chadwick (discovered the neutron)
• John Cockcroft (First researcher to “split the atom”) [Also, my class is held in the Cockcroft Lecture Theatre]
• James Watson, Francis Crick (discovered the structure of DNA)
• Dorothy Hodgkin (discovered the structure of penicillin and vitamin B12)
• And many, many others

Gametime.

“Allow me to re-introduce myself. My Name is HOV! OH, H-to-the O-V. I used to move snowflakes by the O-Z. I guess even back then you can call me CEO of the R-O-C, HOV!” 

– Jay-Z, "Public Service Announcement"

Wouldn’t it be great if I opened with that on my first day of teaching? I envisioned 45 shell-shocked Thai students looking back at me, trying to figure out if this white guy with glasses really just rapped Jay-Z. Hopefully there would be one kid in the back who throws up the dynasty sign and yells “HOV!”

But alas, words like “professionalism” and “learning objectives and “I don’t want to get fired on my first day” jumped around in my head. I decided against it. But I did come up with a few other creative ideas for my first day of teaching that unfortunately didn’t make the cut:

1.      Take a field trip to McDonalds.

2.      Recite the speech from Miracle that was used before the 1980 Olympic semi-final hockey game. Spend the rest of the period complaining about the Soviets. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dvJ4fqaYFq0

3.      Teach the students how to shotgun a monster. ASP skills transfer over to everything right?

4.      Play “Born in the USA” on repeat the whole class.

5.      Twerk.

Anyway, I onto my first real day.

I live about 15 minutes away from school by cab or bus. Since the bus comes every 15 minutes or 2 hours, I was advised to take a taxi. It’s not so bad because one of the other teachers lives down the hall from me so we can split it. I arrived around 7:45 AM. Each day begins with an assembly at 8 AM for all the teachers and all students – about 3,100 people total. They recite the national anthem and say some announcements. My coordinator tells me that I will be introduced to the school the next day or Friday. About 10 minutes later, another Thai teacher grabs me and says that I need to go on stage now and introduce myself in front of the whole school. My speech went a little something like this:

“Good morning!”

“GOOOOOOOOD MORRRRRRNING.”

“My name is Mark Lenz. I will be teaching Mathayom 4 and 5 for the rest of the term. I am from America and look forward to teaching here.”

(Ferocious Applause)

Not really the most eloquent speech but whatever. I also didn’t have my teaching schedule for the day. A few other teachers and I scrambled around the office looking for the schedule of the teacher I replaced.  We finally found it and saw that I had two classes back to back, starting now. I ran to the room and got there around 8:33 AM. The room looks like a classic old American classroom. There is a chalkboard, about 50 desks, a projector, and computer. There were maybe six students in the class. Students slowly trickled in until about 8:40 AM. 

Out of nowhere, they all simultaneously stand and say,

“GOOOOOOODDDDD MORRRNNNNIIIIIING TEEEEEACHHHHHAAAAA”

“Uh, good morning. Nice to meet you. Uh, you can all sit down.”

“THAAAAANKKKKK YOOUUUUUU TEACCHHHHHHAAAAAA”

This ritual happens at every class. It’s triggered by most students being there, if I say, “Good morning class,” or for seemingly no reason at all. Once I say that they I am doing well and that they can sit, they sit.

For the first ten minutes it seemed like I was talking to brick wall. I tried going over rules (don’t talk while others are talking, don’t text, etc.) but just got blank stares. I decided to just jump into the lesson, which was introducing me. I had terms on the board that were related to me and I guided them into making sentences and questions. The purpose of the lesson was just to get an idea of what they know.

For example, I wrote “Justin Bieber” on the board. Thai kids love Justin Bieber. I said that it was my favorite musician and made a sentence out of it. After that we came up with, “Who is your favorite musician?” and I asked that to a handful of students. Michael Jackson, Lady Gaga, and One Direction were all pretty big.

I did this with a couple more terms and closed the lesson with Hangman. Thai teachers tell me that students love games and at least one should be played per lesson. At orientation they told us that Hangman is the most popular game to play in Thai schools. They said that Thai kids grow up with it like American kids learn tic-tac toe. So of course none of my 12 classes have recognized Hangman at all. Once they caught onto how the game was played they really liked it though.

After that I hung out in the office. Since all classes are in different classrooms, all paperwork gets done in the English department office. Everyone has their own desk and there’s a lunch table, refrigerator, coffee table, etc. I spent most of my first day there meeting the other teachers in the department. Everyone was super friendly and helpful. There are five teachers fluent in English (including me) who teach conversational English. The other Thai teachers focus primarily on English grammar.  I already get the vibe that the teachers really look out for each other when they need help with work. Very nice.

Other quirks about the office:

-        The AC IS SO DAMN COLD. It’s probably about 55 degrees Fahrenheit and no one knows how to change it. Everyone wears jackets in the office. Also, they call it “Aircon” and not AC.

-        I can access the wi-fi on my iphone but not my computer.

-        One of the computers there has a virus. If you plug a jump drive in, you have about 10 seconds to open a document before it deletes all documents on the drive. Luckily someone told me this before I tried using it.

-        I found a coffee packet from 2009.

I had lunch at the canteen, the school cafeteria. There are probably 15 different booths that have all types of Thai food. A meal of chicken, tofu, and rice will run me 20 Baht (about 67 cents). This is great for my budget. I’ve also turned off my “everything is so cheap!” thought conversion. I feel like I’m getting ripped off if I pay more than 50 baht for a meal ($1.67).

I taught one more class and then had some more time off before my last class of the day. I get to the room and wait for about 15 minutes and realize that no one is coming. I grabbed my coordinator as he walked by and asked them if he knows where they are. “Oh yes….they had a meeting today. You can go.” First day- done!

Okay, a little bit about the school now.

Like I said, the school has about 3,000 students. There are six Mathayoms (M), or grade levels. All my students or Mathayom 4, or 10^th graders. Students take a test when they arrive at the school that designates them into sections based on their performance. So the most advanced section is M 4-1, then M 4-2, all the way down M 4-12. I teach M 4-1 through M 4-12 for “Listening and Speaking” and M 4-7 through M 4-12 again for “Conversational English.” That brings it to 18 classes a week total. The Mathayom stays together throughout the day and has all their class together. A mother who hates tracking would be in hell here.

What’s interesting is that there are no passing periods. Each period just flows into the next. So second period “starts” at 9:25 AM but it doesn’t really start until 9:30-35 AM. Sometimes students will come into class 20 minutes late and it’s totally normal. Sometimes teachers will come into class 20 minutes late and it’s totally normal. There’s a very laid-back atmosphere when it comes to school.

Discipline has been the most difficult thing to enforce. The students aren’t crazy and yell and fight each other. Some just text, sleep, and talk constantly. I guess American kids do those too. The more advanced students aren’t as bad but these issues are present in every section. If a student is acting out I have a couple options to get them to settle down.

1.      Stare at them until they be quiet. This actually works pretty well.

2.      Stop talking until they stop talking.

3.      Walk by them.

4.      Move their seat.

What I can’t do:

1.      Hit them. Not that I would but other Thai teachers are allowed to hit students. Western teachers are not allowed.

2.      Talk to them about respect, the importance of their education, yada yada yada. They won’t understand if I’m trying to motivate them.

3.      Fail them. Yup, you read that right, fail them. In the Thai education system, teachers are not allowed to fail students. They can get a “needs improvement” at the end of term and will move on to the next Mathayom. Punishing them by lowering their grade is pointless because they’re going to pass anyway.

So basically I just try to keep them engaged constantly. I have them repeat words and phrases loudly, draw bad pictures of what we’re talking about on the chalkboard, and play games. While there are some discipline issues, the students are fun. They laugh often and think I'm funny when I pretty much do charades trying to explain a word. "Teachaaa! Teachaa!" The laughing is easily the best part of class.

Overall my first week of teaching went well. Students stare at me as I walk by and yell “Hello!” and “How are you?” Then they laugh and run away. It’s sort of like I’m a celebrity as they haven’t had an American teacher in several years. Kind of cool but also weird as well.

The classes I taught twice during the week were livelier the second time around. I think it’s going to take some time for them to get used to my accent and teaching style. Next week I’m on a panel of Thai teachers judging a speech competition between a couple other schools in the area. Should be pretty neat.

Thanks for everyone’s support back in the States! Love and miss you all!

Mark

P.S. Davis what’s the Chamber of Secrets look like?