Kindergarten is FUN! :)

It's been almost a month since I started my job as a Kindergarten teacher. I am LOVING it!!! It's quite a challenge but it's so much fun. The downfall to teaching in Bangkok is centered mainly around the VERY early mornings. I am NOT a morning person in the least bit so waking up at 6 am on a daily basis is a little difficult. However, when I get to school I am ready! I enjoy my days and they really fly by.

Some of the main challenges with my classroom are two of the newest students at my school who speak no English whatsoever. It is so difficult trying to keep an eye on the other 5 while they're doing their work and trying to explain to the other two what is going on with visual aids or hand gestures. It can be very frustrating at times but when they give me those sweet little smiles it's completely worth it. They are all so cute.

My classroom is finally coming together. I have a class jobs board, a very dirty white board, and a couple of bulletin boards that I've covered in dark green. We have an animal/safari theme in my room. Elephant borders all over the boards, zebra striped class jobs and class job sticks with animal heads - very fun! I'm really loving it so far! :)

Flooding in Thailand

There's a severe flood going on in Thailand right now (please be sure to keep the Thai people that live in these areas in your prayers). Due to this, we changed our plans from Lopburi and Chiang Mai to Cha-Am beach. Trust me though, I'm not complaining - I love any excuse to visit the beach!!! We departed from Bangkok around 10:30 A.M. on a full minibus at Victory Monument. It was an interesting experience to say the least and we were the only Westerners on the minibus. We stopped for gas after probably an hour and a half and then when we got back on the bus we saw the sign for "Cha-Am Beach" but we kept going. We thought that was odd. Then we started to see road signs for Hua Hin which is PAST Cha-Am...so we started to worry a little bit. When the bus finally stopped, we got out and find a nice young couple that spoke a little English and they were able to help tell the bus employees what had happened and they told us to wait and we'd get on another bus free of charge to Cha-Am. Well, it was time to load our bus so we got up front with the driver, stowed our bags, and got comfy. After about 20 minutes, we were told to get off because it was full. Really people?? It was definitely frustrating, but what can you do when you don't speak the language?

So we found a Taxi driver who brought us from Hua Hin to Cha-Am for 350 baht (this was AFTER we haggled with him. I really tried for 300.). 30 minutes later we were driving down the main beach road here in Cha-Am and looking for our hotel. Our hotel is a small one here in Cha-Am so it was an adventure in itself finding it, but luckily I spotted it and the Taxi drivers let us out and we were helped with our bags. Of course when we got to the hotel room it wasn't ready yet so we decided to go for lunch. After that we were able to check in, and get suited up for the beach! I put my bikini on with shorts and a tank top and headed down to the water. Only problem was I was the only one in a bikini! I was too paranoid to even take off my clothes, except my shorts, I didn't want to draw more attention than we already do for having blonde hair in Asia. We hung out there for a while just people watching and enjoying the scenery. It was crazy. Vendors are all over the beach. They sell beach toys, fruit, and even squid!

After that we decided we were hungry and got ready for a nice seafood dinner on the beach. We walked quite a while just to get to the fishing pier and eat on the beach. It was really nice though, although the food was only mediocre. We even made a few homeless animal friends that we were able to give our leftover food to. The restaurants were really neat though. All along the pier there are seafood restaurants with tubs of fresh seafood that you can pick out yourself and have cooked right there. Talk about fresh! Can't get any better than that.

Then on the walk back to the room, we stumbled upon this little park area with a big, fat buddha inside. It was amazing!!! Before entering the park however, we got the evil eye from some cows that live there apparently. I'm still not sure what the buddha means or what the park was for but I have full intentions of doing research. Here are a few pictures...I'll have lots more stories from the Cha-Am beach soon.

change is inevitable.

I have survived one full week of my job! I love it! It was so much fun! I shadowed the other Kindergarten teacher all week and then she was out on Friday so I had both of our classes combined. It was about 16 students total and I was so incredibly nervous but it ended up being so much fun!!!! How could anyone not want to teach those sweet little things? (Ok so maybe I got spit on but still..) It's a blast sitting in a circle with them and have their undivided attention because they actually WANT to learn. It's a great feeling. This week is a break so I have my own classroom of 8 students starting a week from today. I plan on getting a lot of decorations done this week (I'm making a lot of them) and working on my first 3 days of getting to know you activities with them.

For an actual vacation I'm getting on a train tomorrow at 8 am and heading to Lopburi (monkey town!) and then going on to Chiang Mai for a night. I'm so excited. I don't have much money so I'm being frugal and only going for one night but I still think it will be fun - especially since we arrive at 5 am! :) This will be my first overnight train ride. I will be sure to post lots of pictures of all of the insanity, especially with the monkeys!

I also just moved yesterday. I'm on the complete opposite side of Bangkok and it's awesome. The apartment feels like an actual home since it isn't one giant room like I had before. It's great! Still unpacking and getting things done today! It's starting to feel like home though :) !

Also, be sure to check out my new videos on my YouTube channel.

Day 1 of teaching:

Well, it is finally here. I finished my TEFL certificate last week and start my first teaching job here in Bangkok tomorrow!!! I'll be teaching kindergarten at a school that I really like (I won't disclose where but it's a good school and the kids are too cute!). I can't wait for tomorrow! I am nervous and excited, but in a good way. The only negative is I'm basically on the other side of BKK until I move this weekend, so I'll be leaving here around 6:00 AM!!! That is SO early!

I'm shadowing the other kindergarten teacher for a few days to get a feel for things and then I'll be let loose with my teaching assistant. I am not sure what to expect...AT ALL! I have the class schedule per week but haven't received books or materials to begin my lesson plans. It will all work out though, I'm sure of it! Wish me luck!

chinatown.

Today, after putting the deposit on my new apartment, I hopped on the MRT and went to Hua Lampong to visit Chinatown! I had visited with my dad last November but we didn't see much of it and after hearing about the Execution Chamber I realized I desperately needed a trip back! After a tuk tuk driver attempting to haggle us, we decided to simply follow the signs and take a nice afternoon stroll to Chiantown. Passing areas that I distinctly remembered from my dad and I's father daughter trip was bizarre but made me feel even closer to Bangkok. One of the first things we saw down the road we went was this giant temple. It was gorgeous, but was a little pricey so we just took a gander at the remarkable wat from the outside. It's design reminded me of a smaller version of the Grand Palace. The details were similar although the Grand Palace is HUGE, especially compared to this little wat.

It's so weird knowing that I'm in Bangkok (especially after having been here for 2 months now) and then all of a sudden seeing Chinese writing and architecture everywhere! It's crazy. Some parts reminded me a lot of my trip to Hong Kong, especially the herbal medicine shops that we saw. It's also a vegetarian festival here in Bangkok so a lot of the dishes we saw were vegetarian. I saw lots of salads and of course, fruits everywhere. Lots of different smells. But don't get me wrong, you can smell fish (and durian) from miles away. I think that basically goes for any part of Bangkok though, even China Town.

We were planning on following this walking tour that is in this Thailand book I have but once we got to Chinatown there was just so much to do that we ended up seeing nothing on our list...but it didn't matter! We put the map and the book away and just explored. I love Chinatown and will definitely be back. To take it all in we stopped at this little bar on the street and people watched for an hour (and enjoyed a nice cold Chang). It was some of the best people watching I've ever done in Bangkok. I set up my tripod and bloggie while we were there and did a quick time lapse video, so check out our view from the bar at: www.youtube.com/cotimicheleasia. I'm sure I'll be back and maybe this time we will even make it to the Execution Chamber and I'll post some pictures of that. Either way it will be another Bangkok adventure! :)

TEFL school...all work and a little play!

Well, I'm reaching the end of TEFL school to get my official teaching certificate. It's come and gone so quickly. I actually enjoyed it for the most part, although the amount I have actually learned is yet to be determined. I have definitely changed over the course of the 4 weeks, I get up in front of the class for presentations with little to no nervousness which is a HUGE step from the beginning. My very first presentation my teacher said that he was scared because I wasn't even breathing in between sentences. I definitely am breathing now! I've also slowed down my rate of speech drastically. It's amazing to see how each of us has changed, it's really a great thing to watch. Everyone has improved and I think we're all going to make great teachers. Here are some pictures from our class. We do work, but we also find time to play. All photos are courtesy of a classmate, Art Brondo. Thanks Art! :)

I ♥ Tuk Tuks and KSR!

Last weekend, we had one crazy night on Khaosan Road! As I've mentioned, it is one of my favorite places in all of Bangkok. Since I moved here I've noticed the reasons people don't seem to like it: it's overpriced since it's a tourist area, it's always crowded, food doesn't seem to be up to par (my falafel last night was pretty good but didn't feel so good after I ate it and it seems the pad thai on the street sits there for months before it's cooked), pickpockets, and the fact that you can't walk a foot without being asked for a rip off tuk tuk, taxi with no meter, tailored suits, or a sex show. Besides all of that, I do love it. It's nice seeing Westerners in one area. We met a group of guys last time we went out that were from all over the world: Ireland, America, and England. They had just randomly each other and allowed us to ride free of charge in their taxi. Nice guys. And unlike America, guys that talk to you here aren't hitting on you. In fact, they're probably not interested in American women (lucky for me).

But, I'll go back to the beginning. Right when we got to Khaosan Road it started to pour. I mean severe rain! So what do you do when it's raining in Bangkok? Stop somewhere for a beer. We finally picked one of the many bars alongside the road and decided to stop for a couple of drinks and some appetizers. I hadn't eaten so anything on the menu looked quite appealing to me. My friend with me didn't drink beer but I ordered my Tiger beer (I try to have a different beer each time I'm out) and enjoyed the scenery while she dwelled over the menu, only to decide on a Long Island Iced Tea. How American of her. :) Nice to know they're international though.

One other drawback to KSR (Khaosan Road) is the fact that you are always being bugged by people to buy things! Even when you are sitting down peacefully at a restaurant! That's something that would NEVER be allowed in America. It's all part of the atmosphere here though, and I've actually gotten used to it. One set of people that walk around are these women with this crazy hats on that carry these little frog things that make ribbit noises. You can't walk far down KSR without hearing "ribbit, ribbit" everywhere. They are cute, although completely useless. The women also sell bracelets, wallets, you name it - they probably sell it! Well, as my friend and I are sitting down to enjoy our drinks this woman walks up with her headdress on and starts asking us to buy the frog (one can only assume that's what she is asking, neither of us speak Thai). She then takes her crazy headdress off of her and puts it on my head!

Entertaining, right? Kind of gross at the same time but seeing as my head isn't itching a week later I think we are in the clear! Another common sight on KSR are little adorable beggar children. One of them was this sweet little (scam artist) boy that came to our table asking us to buy his roses for 100 baht (rip off!). We didn't buy anything but he still stood at our table for a good 20 minutes so finally my friend decided she'd give him 20 baht to leave us alone. 20 baht later, he is still staring at us.

Cute though, right?? You're probably thinking..."how is this girl going to be a teacher when she can't even deal with kids?"...but I assure you this beggars are quite skilled and don't know how to take no for an answer. It can be quite annoying especially when you are just trying to take cover from the rain on KSR and enjoy a nice cold beer and some spring rolls. (Sorry for the blurry picture, no flash on my camera). After we left KSR we took a tuk tuk ride and I got a great video of it that I loaded onto my YouTube page! You can look at it here: http://www.youtube.com/cotimicheleASIA. Thanks for reading! I'll write soon but be patient as I'm finishing these last 3 weeks of school and (hopefully) finding a job not long after! Soon enough I'll be a certified TEFL teacher! :)

Bell Ringing at Wat Saket and Golden Mount in Bangkok!

Today I went to Wat Saket and Golden Mount here in Bangkok. It's a free Wat and overlook near Khao San Road. We bravely took a boat on the pier to the Wat and enjoyed a lovely day. I have lots of great pictures that are on my facebook page and I will be uploading them on here very soon. I haven't had as much time to update my blog lately with school, teaching this week, and a job interview! No complaints though, just busy! This picture here is at the overlook at Golden Mount. It was a rainy, hazy day but still an amazing view of the city. I highly recommend it to anyone. I also took a cool video of my friend ringing the bells at the Golden Mount. You walk along and ring all of the bells and at the end you bang this gong. You can check out the video here, on my YouTube account! Incredible day. Enjoy the video and here are a few pictures.... :)

Asian Sizzler

I've been trying to go out and try new foods as often as I possibly can. Some of them are quite adventurous foods, some aren't so adventurous. I try and eat real Thai street food every day I'm in class because it's cheap and usually there's someone there to lead me the way to something delicious. One night after class, a classmate and I decided to try the Sizzler here in Thailand for the first time. I don't have a good opinion of Sizzler in America but was assured Bangkok's Sizzler is different and delicious. So we opted for the salad bar, she's a vegetarian and I just love salad so it was right up both our alleys. I started with a basic salad, complete with PARMESAN CHEESE!!! I get really excited about cheese here in Bangkok as I've mentioned because it's quite hard to come by so finding this made me quite happy. I chose a Caesar dressing and found it wasn't too far off from American Caesar, I was pleased (I had tried a Caesar recently that was really sweet and not good at all so this was a definite step up). Also notice the one quail egg on the top right. I got brave later with those quail eggs...

Next on the menu was soup! I had heard great things about this pumpkin soup that Sizzler sometimes has so I decided I'd try it, even though I don't really care for pumpkin. It was great! I found some Ritz crackers to put in it. MMM....very tasty!

Then I went back up for some basic vegetables. I say basic but when would I have most of these on one plate in America?

There was edamame (cold and disgusting, I barely touched it), baby corn (also cold, but good), celery, "asian potato" which was basically just really thin asparagus, some type of Asian veggie salad thing, and quail eggs. Complete with more Caesar dressing for dipping. The quail eggs were probably my favorite thing on this plate! I loved them! And then a couple of nights ago I told some friends how I went to Sizzler and had several quail eggs after falling in love with them and I found out they are not good for you at all and have LOTS of calories. Oh well, they were quite tasty.

Next I went up for a plate of just fruit. I absolutely loveeee fruit here in Thailand, I've made it a habit to get watermelon and pineapple from fruit stalls on the street on my way home. It's amazing and I think it's probably because of this gorgeous tropical climate we have here. On this plate you'll see watermelon, pineapple bits, something that appears to be apple, and my personal favorite - dragon fruit (the white stuff with the black dots). The fruit that looks like apple turned out to not be apple at all but something not sweet and not very good. Papaya maybe? I'm not a fan of papaya, not even in Bangkok! The dragon fruit was awesome, I love it all the time and have learned how to cut my own (impressive, right?). Clearly I was getting my money worth at the all-you-can-eat Sizzler salad bar...but how could I leave without....

DESSERT???!!!??? I couldn't decide between the 3 possible desserts so, of course, I got all 3! The green one is a green tea mousse with some type of chocolate stuff on top. The red one is "jelly" with whipped cream (jell-o). The brown one is chocolate mousse topped with "jelly" (jell-0) shaped like a heart. I tried the green tea one first and liked it, until I got this horrid after taste. Green tea mousse is not for me, but I ate the chocolate on top! The jell-o was amazing, just like American jell-o, except for their whipped cream that has no taste. Thing #2343 I miss about America: COOL WHIP!!!! The chocolate mousse was a great way to end dinner though, it was absolutely superb. I contemplated getting 3 more of that one but then realized I was so full I may to unbutton my pants, so I passed on the extra mousse.

All in all, my experience at Sizzler in Bangkok was a pleasant one. Good prices for all this food and I enjoyed 99% of it, and enjoyed trying the things I didn't! I will definitely be going back to eat much, much more! :)

TEFL School: Week One

Well, I finally started school to get my TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language) certificate this week. I was very reluctant to start school, didn't want to at all but knew that I had to. I was dreading it because it's 90% public speaking which makes my stomach turn. However, I had to suck it up and go to class on Monday.

I decided to try and change myself completely for this situation. I mean, I'm in Thailand. What do I have to lose? So when our teacher asked about 5 minutes into class for a volunteer for some unknown assignment, I raised my hand. Something I'd NEVER EVER EVER do in America. It ended up being really easy and was a nice way to break the ice. We did that and then did some basic school work that day, but we also got our first assignment that was due on Wednesday: a 10 minute presentation on anything. I chose SEC football, the love of my life. I actually contemplated not going to class on Wednesday because I was so nauseous about it. Even though I was terrified, I went to class and volunteered second. My teacher told me that I speak entirely too fast, which I already knew, and that he was scared because I never took any breaths. Typical me. Basically the rest of the week after that presentation made me feel better. It was all downhill from there.

My class is amazing though. I really love the people in it! There were 18 of us to start (although one guy dropped out). There are only 3 females, which is interesting. This is probably because men tend to come to Thailand for the women so I guess I should expect to be outnumbered. We have SO many different countries represented, it is absurd! There is an English guy that was born in Africa, an Australian, a guy from New Zealand, a few Americans (one is a Florida Gators fan, don't get me started), a girl from Scotland, a guy from Wales, a guy from India, a couple of guys from Singapore, a guy originally from the Ukraine who has been living in the US, two French guys, and I believe that is all, although I've probably forgotten a country. It is amazing being in a room for the same reason with all those different people. I LOVE IT! Our teacher is also from South Africa, and his accent reminds me of Matt Damon from Invictus! It's amazing though and I love every minute of learning from all these different cultures and backgrounds. Everyone is generally pretty hilarious too. Being in a room with all that testosterone brings up talk of prostitutes, ladyboys, drugs, and alcohol but it is all generally in good fun and gets us all laughing.

Well, unfortunately, I have less time for blog writing since we have weekly presentations and tests and I have one tomorrow. I have no idea what it is over so I'm hoping I do well. I will try to update about school and the fun things I get to do on the weekends as much as I can, but I promise I won't neglect my blog too much! :) After all, just going to class every day with so many different people is an adventure.

(Note: the picture is just a woman walking down my soi. I thought she was pretty cool.)

JJ Part 2!

I went to JJ (Chatuchak Market) on Sunday since I didn't have much to do. I had woken up at 7 AM Bangkok time to watch the LSU game via Skype (Geaux Tigers!). I went and had victory pancakes at JJ (they taste better when they are after a sweet, sweet victory) - the same ones I blogged about a few weeks ago. They were the yummy banana pancakes and an iced mocha. Talk about a good brunch after a good win!

I'm still constantly amazed about prices here in Bangkok. I was able to purchase that breakfast, 2 bottles of water, a bag for my school books (basically an oversized purse), a nice purple ceramic coffee mug, and 13 pairs for earrings for around $10.50 American dollars!!! How amazing is that??? I added a picture of all my beautiful earrings because it was such a great deal and they are good quality earrings. It never fails that I can find a good deal on something really awesome at JJ! One of my favorite places in Bangkok.

Also, today marks ONE MONTH that I've been a Bangkok resident! :)

Sunsets and Carnivals

Well I've finally buckled down and bought some necessities for my apartment: a mattress topper, a blow-dryer (it's PINK! and also a piece of crap but it was only $10 so I guess you get what you pay for), a bucket to wash my laundry in (washer & dryer, I miss you), and some notebooks so I can start school successfully on Monday! That means I've been doing less fun and more work which I guess was bound to happen eventually.

I'm dreading the beginning of school on Monday, it equals lots of public speaking which makes me nauseous. I hope I don't throw up on anyone! I'm also working on my resume and getting that ready to send out to schools to hopefully find a job! I found one school I really like but who knows if they will even be hiring...I can't get my hopes up but I'm really leaning towards being a teacher of little ones. We all know I love the kiddies (Thai kids are the cutest).

I did get the chance to get out last night for some Fuji (the Japanese restaurant I am now obsessed with). I had a LOT to eat for around $10. I had sushi and chicken and miso soup and tofu and fried cream cheese things and it was all amazing! I love that place. I tried some raw fish for the first time. The actual fish fish I really didn't enjoy at all (I almost gagged but was brave about it), the raw shrimp I did like though. It was just as good as cooked shrimp! Before dinner we went to this little obscure bar called Carnival where I had an alcoholic drink called Punch. It was amazing! I didn't taste any alcohol at all, it was more like a very sweet pineapple-y punch drink. At the bottom there was some jelly! SURPRISE! I kept feeling something at the bottom with my straw and we assumed it was just some type of fruit but it was definitely jelly. I ended up just sucking it down with the rest of the drink so I didn't even really realize it was an unknown substance. Oh well, it was good!

I've been shopping for necessities today, groceries, and getting some resume advice from my Bangkok mentor. She's so great, I can't wait to start applying for jobs! She's made me feel very confident. I am being productive tonight, writing blogs, uploading new pictures, editing videos, and creating my YouTube channel so I can keep you all updated through video. I'm also waking up very early tomorrow to watch the LSU game via Skype (thanks mom & dad!), so it will be an early night in Bangkok for me! Night night everyone!

Also, do you see that gorgeous sunset?? I see that daily here. It amazes me each time! :)

I'm on YouTube!

I just created my new YouTube channel so you can see all the footage I'm taking with my bloggie camera (thanks mom!) while I'm in Bangkok! I'm uploading my first video right now...

Apparently some of the videos I created got deleted when my hard drive failed a week ago but I still have a few videos and promise I'll be taking lots more so be sure to check it out and subscribe to my videos.

My first video is one I took in the Siam area of the Thai guy singing. Remember me mentioning a show similar to American Idol here in Bangkok? Well, I got some footage of a couple of the contestants. The guy is really talented!

Check out my first video of the guy from "Bangkok Idol" here: Bangkok Idol.

Thanks! :)

Food, Food, Food!

Another thing on my list of things I wanted to try while in Bangkok was one of these little mini coconuts you see everywhere. They chop the top off, rip some of the meat back and stick a straw in it! (I'd seen them on numerous travel shows before coming and only heard great things about them) One of my friends was sweet enough to treat me to one of these little coconuts one day while we were walking around. It was pretty good, definitely different than a regular coconut - much more flavorful. I was disappointed, having heard how amazing they were, but it was still pretty good. I will definitely be having one again. My friend is an expert at eating the meat but I don't really like the texture of rubber so after trying a few bites, I decided the meat wasn't for me.

Next stop was shopping, she was looking for a watch and I got to see a mall I hadn't seen before but then it was off to dinner (my favorite time of the day). We went to a little restaurant that I'm not even sure how to describe...maybe Thai American? Anyways, it was really good. Our appetizer was hummus with pita bread and a couple of other dippings. Only thing was when she brought our pita and two other dippings there was no hummus. She failed to tell us when we ordered that they were out so this was our appetizer: pita bread, some white sauce stuff that I can't pronounce the name of but LOVED, and crushed up eggplants with seasonings...It was really good despite not having what we ordered. Typical Thailand.

For my meal, I ordered this deliciousness, a doner kebab. It had that same white sauce we used to dip the pita bread in and had chicken that was cooked on a kebab prior to being put in my sandwich, lettuce, and tomatoes and was inside the pita bread. It was sooo good...and so messy. But I loved every bite of it!

One thing that made it ok that my food was so insanely messy? We got ONE actual Western napkin! How glorious is that? Now that might not seem like such a big deal to those of you using your paper towel rolls in America but here in Thailand we get one measly thing that compares to one small square of paper towel. Thus, this was a giant improvement and actually pretty exciting for us. We even took a picture!

It's a beautiful thing. After this we walked around some more and ended up at an Australian bar that was pretty fun. We watched rugby and (gasp!) the Green Bay Packers game came on so I got to see Mr. Matt Flynn play QB. I was quite content. We were also hungry again so we ordered some food. This time I had crocodile. I'd love to show you the picture of the crocodile that made me incredibly sick but it didn't turn out very well. It came on a plate with peppers on a kebab, and with lots of bbq type sauce covering it. The sauce itself was very spicy and had a great flavor! The crocodile? Very tough (similar to alligator I suppose). It was an interesting night full of delicious FOOD!

Bangkok Tattoo for Clean, Safe Tattooing

I just wrote an article for Associated Content on the great, very safe job done by Bangkok Tattoo on my new ink. Please check it out here. Thanks!

Fish Massages!

I've been doing far less lately, focusing on schoolwork to be able to finish a week early and finding it difficult to get out sometimes. When I'm not doing schoolwork, it's hard to find someone to actually get out with since I only know three people here in Bangkok. I am thankful for them though, and when I do get out it never ceases to be a good time. Last week, my Chattanooga friend and I went to dinner at 8 (my second time there) and I opted to not get the octopus balls this time but instead to eat the dumplings (basically pork gyoza). I made a meal out of them ordering 12 and a delicious Coca-Cola. Then we were on the hunt for a place to grab a quick beer or just generally something to do. Well, what do we find but a fish massage stall! She had never had a fish massage before...I was lucky enough to have had one on my visit last November. It was amazing. No pedicure can ever compare. The guys working went to a nearby store and got us each a Singha and we jumped right in.

She made the most hilarious faces as she tried it for the first time! It's quite the experience. I'm very ticklish so for the first several minutes I giggle. She was more brave than I. I got in the same tank with her but all of the fish preferred her so I got in the other (very large!) tank. ALONE! This meant that thousands of little fish were attacking me and only me during this fish massage. Some of the fish were pretty huge, about the size of my hand, and when the bit - it was obvious! There were many times when I would let out a little yelp and jump in the tank because quite honestly, it stung a little bit. We payed 150 baht for 15 minutes and once we got out my feet were definitely soft. Not as soft as the last one since that time was unlimited but I am certainly going to return for another fish massage here in Bangkok, very soon! :)

How to beat the rainy season in Bangkok?

I've been here in Bangkok almost two weeks and, of course, I arrived during rainy season's peak. It rains pretty much every day. Some days it pours and pours and pours, which causes the roads to flood (Those days I stay indoors). Other days it just sprinkles for hours at a time. Sunday was a combination of the two. I was meeting a fellow Tennessean at JJ (Chatuchak market) for some shopping followed by dinner when it started to pour. Luckily, I had my pink Gap umbrella that I love. Take that Bangkok rainy season! She, on the other hand, wasn't so lucky. 45 minutes of rain passed and we finally were able to meet each other! Trying to find someone in JJ is absolutely ridiculous and nearly impossible. We decided to take cover under some awnings. We sat down and realized the DJ for this little bar was right behind us. He played some hilarious American music - including "Sexual Healing" (while the French guys behind us danced with their Thai girlfriends, very funny). So how do we beat the rainy season here in Bangkok while attempting to shop at JJ? SINGHA of course! :)

Octopus Balls and Ice Cream

I went to a mall close to my apartment with a friend for some lunch the other day. We decided on a restaurant that is a combination of both Thai and Japanese. I was having a picky day but wanted to try something new as an appetizer (although the gyoza was calling my name). I found octopus balls on the menu! I like octopus and this appetizer was octopus bits fried up in a ball (my dad compared them to conch fritters when I described them if that helps give you an idea). They had this delicious sauce drizzled over them that was some sort of Japanese sesame sauce or something. It was so good!! I didn't even use the soy sauce for dipping since it had that creamy sauce on them. I loved it! I could literally drink that sauce...or use it as a salad dressing. YUM!

For my meal, I went with fried rice because I can't seem to get used to the unusual broth that comes with Thai noodles and that was primarily the whole menu. The fried rice was good - better than in America and I loaded it up with soy sauce which made it even more tasty. They served it with ginger on the side, I'm not sure what I was supposed to do with this but on my plate it served as decoration primarily.

Then the fat American kid that lives inside of me was calling out as we walked past Swensen's, an ice cream shop. After we walked around a bit longer we decided to stop in for one scoop of ice cream.
Well, needless to say, I went in for one scoop and ended up ordering this...

A two-tone brownie sundae. It was AMAZING! I have no idea how many scoops of ice cream they put in there or even what kind it was but there were pieces of heavenly brownies that were half vanilla, half chocolate, chocolate chips, chocolate syrup and two hidden banana chunks at the bottom! No idea how many calories it was, nor do I want to know, but it was the perfect ending to a perfect day of FOOD!

Chicken & Rice. Chicken? & Rice.

Food courts in Bangkok are so bizarre. Unlike in America where you would pick the food you want, stand in line, get your food, and pay - all at that one stall - here in Bangkok you go to a kiosk, pay them, get a card with money on it, pick out your food, get your food, have them swipe your food, eat your food, and get the remaining money back at that same kiosk. It's something I'm having to get used to. The food is really cheap though, which is always a bonus (especially when you're unemployed). At the first mall I went to in one day, I ordered chicken yakitori and rice. It was quite good and simple. Some days I crave Western food so bad that I have to have something plain and simple like this.

(note the yummy authentic iced Thai coffee to drink. It was delicious!)

The next mall I went to that day I pointed to something on a picture that looked like chicken and rice but the texture did not seem like chicken when I got it. It also came with soup that they call water soup. Let's just say, it definitely tasted like soup water. It was not good and realllly plain. At least I tried it though!

(in the picture it looks like roast beef, maybe that's what it was?)

Every meal is an adventure to say the least. I branch out during certain meals and go for something simple when Western food seems like the only thing that will suffice. I'm hoping to get more accustomed to the food soon.

Bon Marche: "Good Market" in Bangkok

Yesterday, I had the privilege of touring a traditional Thai bilingual school. I really loved it! I would love to work there if they end up having an opening. The staff was all very friendly and, of course, the children were just adorable. I learned that the students take their shoes off before entering the classroom as well as the library. The teacher doesn't have to in the classroom but the students do. It was really enjoyable and good for me to see what they're like. It also made me feel like I really want to teach children instead of adults. I love kids and feel like I'm meant to be a kindergarten teacher!

After that we went to Bon Marche in Bangkok, literally translated into Good Market, and I loved it there. We stopped at a little sandwich shop for lunch and I had a ham & cheese sandwich - the cheese did taste a little funny. The view was great and it was really cheap! We got to overlook some water as we ate on these big, black, plush couches.

We then walked around the shops in the Bangkok market and saw the cheap bags and shoes as well as the neat Thai handicrafts. The shops there are really spectacular, some more expensive than others. We stopped for yogurt too which was really delicious. They serve you plain yogurt with fresh fruits. None of it has sugar so it's actually really good for you. Different than American yogurt but I could tell it was decently healthy and I loved the fruit with it. I had cranberry, strawberry, and banana on mine. YUM!

We then walked through the actual market area which had all kinds of fresh food! There were fresh chickens, rice, sauces, fruits, and veggies. Bangkok is known for having food in the markets that was just alive yesterday. Sort of a depressing thought for an animal lover like myself but at least you know it's healthy and hasn't been stuck in a freezer for several months like America! Nothing like McDonald's or horrid American fast food.

Needless to say if you live in Bangkok or plan on visiting Bangkok and want a neat market to walk around and have some good food, Bon Marche is worth it!