Songkran: Thai New Year

Songkran at Khao San Road in Bangkok, April 2011

Which city do you think holds the record for the craziest party? New York City for New Years? Las Vegas during, well, anytime of year? New Orleans during Mardi Gras? Let’s take a trip miles away for what I think is the world’s craziest party….Songkran in Thailand!

Songkran, or the Thai New Year, takes place during the hottest time of year in Thailand and is the perfect time for a country-wide waterfight!

Although it is also a party, the Thai people also use this time to pay respects to Buddha, as well as elders, clean their homes and even cleanse themselves spiritually for the new year. Women, children, grandparents, and maybe even some monks bring their best waterguns and crowd the streets of Thailand. The Thai people aren’t only armed with ice cold water guns but also a thick paste that they use to rub on your face. This is the same paste used by monks to make blessings.  

Scented water filled with flowers for blessings.

If you’re looking for a crazy party try travelling to Thailand and experiencing the world’s largest water fight – don’t forget your waterguns!

Loy Krathong Celebration (In Pictures)

This belated blog (Loy Krathong was months ago...) is dedicated to the Loy Krathong festivities in Thailand. We celebrated Loy Krathong through activities at my school and followed that up with the festival at the river. Loy in Thai means "float" and the Krathong is what we put in the river and let float away. We took the Chao Praya river boat for around $2 ands stopped right in front of the beautiful lit-up Wat Arun. One of my favorite Thai celebrations thus far :)

Krathongs similar to the ones we bought (about $2 USD).

Some of the more interesting Krathongs for sale, made of ice cream cones!

Putting my Krathong into the water for good luck!

In front of Wat Arun after floating my Krathong away and hoping for good luck! Too bad when I put it in the water it immediately tipped over. You could hear the people on our boat collectively "awww" when it happened. 

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.... :)