Monday, October 28, 2013

Ohhhh Nichole - Chapter 1

Before I start this section of my blog I feel it is necessary to introduce the MUSE.

 

Nichole Baldino is one of my new "roomies" - well we live in Amata Mansion together and she often sleeps in Alex's room because Alex doesn't have a cockroach problem. We all started teaching at Kaset at the same time together but she has a lot more high school classes so we are not in the same office. Sad. Nichole grew up in West Hempstead, New York. She had never had a Long Island Iced Tea until Koh Samet - shocking as she is from there right? She loves to sing even though she isn't very good at it and her favorite song is Don't Think Twice It's All Right by Bob Dylan. No need to go into detail about what she looks like because Nichole is (and will be) featured a lot on my blog because she travels with me and this "Ohhhh Nichole" section will not die out.

 

So over the last few weeks Nichole has said some really great things. Alex and I are often dying with laughter but don't worry we are allowed to laugh because if we didn't then Nichole would be worried. Only friends can laugh like we do. I wanted to start a s*i* Nichole says part of my blog but her friends from home have started a book named that already so I thought it best to stick with "Ohhhh Nichole" because after she says such funny, and random, things I often find myself saying that to her. I am not sure if some of these are "you had to be there moments" so sorry if you don't laugh - I am posting these so I never forget.

 

During our first week at work -

Alex: Did you get straight a's in college?

Nichole: I got a b once.

She is full of information!

 

Finding out a little more about each other -

Nichole: My dream when I was a kid was to work in a pizzeria. I gave up in 6th grade.

 

Glad we got this one (now if Nichole says no we say how upset JB would be) -

Nichole: My Thailand motto is never say NO... like Justin Beiber says, "NEVER SAY NEVER!!!"

 

I am not even sure how this one came about -

Nichole: I played basketball until they realized I wasn't growing anymore. I used to be good.

 

When Alex made a LeBron James reference -

Nichole: I thought you said Ron James. Guys I know who LeBron James is - hello - I used to play basketball!

 

Pretty self explanatory -

Me: I'm going be a hippy for Halloween.

Alex: You can wear your moo moo dress!

Nichole: I was always a hippy. One year someone said I looked like Janice Joiplin. I aspire to be her. It made my day.

 

On the topic of mopeds right before we had to get on one in Rayong without a helmet, never say never Nichole -

Alex: Nichole wants to invest in a helmet for when she has to take a motor bike.

Nichole: 1 - I would never get on one of those things without a helmet AND 2 - I would never put that one they give you on my head. Hello - precious cargo!!!

Another picture proof that Nichole really did say "Never Say Never!!!" :)

 

Sunday, October 27, 2013

Our first weekend getaway - Koh Samet!

After a week of "work" we (Alex, Nichole, and I) decided that we really needed a weekend away on a beach. A lot of other OEG people were already posting pictures of blue waters and buckets, and it was making us extremely jealous!

 

A quick blurb about where we picked for our weekend getaway -

Koh Samet (or Koh Samed) is about 4 hours away from us and it is our closest Island getaway. From Amata you have to take a mini bus to Rayong, then find your way to the Ban Phe Pier, and then you take a speedboat or a ferry to the island. Koh Samet is one of many National Parks in Thailand and upon arrival you have to pay an entrance fee. It is one of the Eastern Islands and is located in The Gulf of Thailand. Basically it is a nice island paradise south of us and isn't polluted like our local beach.

 

So here is how our weekend went -

 

We escaped "work" (I am putting work in quotations this week because we really haven't been doing much... a lot of sitting around on our phones and computers googling all the places to added to our travel lists) a little earlier because school is not in session and we headed down to the main road to catch a mini bus. We were all a little confused about this because P.Pom (our amazing coordinator) told us something our mothers told us never to do - "walk to the end of the road, wave at a white van, and jump on!" Upon arrival at the main road the moped taxi men jumped up to help us flag down a mini bus headed to Rayong. After a short wait we jumped on a very full bus where we were squashed into the back. This bus took the LONGEST way to Rayong and it stopped SO MANY times. However, when it stopped it barely stopped as people jumped off and then on. The bus driver also was on some sort of speed mission. He was going so fast sometimes that I honestly do not know how he did not wreck. Sitting in the back of the bus meant we saw nothing so Alex started to feel car sick and when space finally freed up she moved forward only to sit where a child had been throwing up - yeh that happened. We finally got to Rayong only to find out that the bus station is 30 minutes away from the pier. This was a major problem as all the taxi cabs were no longer running. Our only option was a moped taxi or some sketch man who was trying to get us into his van. So really our only option was the motorbike taxi guys and this only happened after a. we told them we would not pay that much and lowered the price, and b. we convinced Nichole she would live (please see my Ohhhh Nichole - Chapter 1 blog post).

 

After the rather scary and fast motorbike ride to the pier, it wasn't that complicated to get to Koh Samet. We had missed the ferry so we waited around for enough people to get on a speedboat taxi and it dropped us off right at Tok's Huts (luckily no one charged us the National Park fee because the journey to koh Samet had already dented our wallets). I am pretty sure we got the last room at Tuk's because we were in #33 and it was a very steep walk up to our hut. The place was nice and despite the reviews we got the guy to laugh when we told him Nichole would sleep at the end of our bed at our feet like a dog.

 

With only 2 nights, and a day and half, in Koh Samet no time was going to be wasted. We put our stuff away and got ready to have dinner and drinks! We then stopped by to say hello to some fellow OEG people who told us which places to go for drinks and some more helpful tips for Koh Samet. The major one being - don't leave your stuff alone on the beach because people will steal stuff from you. Dinner was at Jep's - expensive but good because a. we finally found Pad Thai outside of Bangkok and b. it has a lot of Western Food on the menu. I love Thai food and the spice might kill me but after eating it for so many days in a row it was nice to have a break and eat things like an English Breakfast. Yay for a rice free weekend!

 

Koh Samet night life was sort of tame (as in not many people crowding the bars like Bangkok) but it was fun! We had a great time and we laughed a lot. Dancing was a must and laughter only increased as we all hit the dance floor - Nichole you need to teach me your moves! We laughed until Nichole locked us out of our hut and after an hour of trying to break in, and Alex hunting down someone to unlock the door, I finally found the manager and he let us back in before the bugs could take me away. The bar man was not happy I woke him up and the next day he did not let Nichole live it down. I believe he killed an ant and threw it at her at one point of the day.

 

Saturday was the best day. The beach. All day. The ocean. All day. The sun. All day. I don't think you could really ask for more, I mean I wasn't complaining. Sun-downers on the beach. A dribble castle. Sun burn because I forgot to reapply after one of my swims! It was nice to just relax on the beach all day Saturday and Sunday morning. Sunday we left around 2ish. Took the ferry to the pier to save some money, hopped on a songthaew (pronounced song tow) to the bus station where we thankfully got the quick bus back to Amata! I loved Koh Samet and can't wait to go back for more beach weekends. We need to do the snorkeling tour next time - there was just didn't have time to do it all! A beach getaway was the perfect way to spend our first weekend away before work offcially starts tomorrow... Well Alex and Nichole start tomorrow. I will be planning for the next week because primary doesn't start until November 4th!

Taught Nichole how to make a dribble castle. It got a lot of photos taken by other tourists.
Fresh fruit in the beach - oh yes!
The ferry home :(
GOODBYE Koh Samet!

 

Friday, October 25, 2013

I need to learn Thai!

I tried to improve my horrible Arabic in Doha and I failed. I would say I am just really good at all the different additions to inshallah now. Oh and sometimes I can pick up on what people are chatting about - used to freak my students out when I would speak in English about the topic they were chatting about.

 

Now that I am in Thailand, and no one speaks English, communication has become a big problem. I have never been on this side of things. Normally, while traveling, English is a common denominator but here in Thailand it is not. Trying to order food has been entertaining. I think I'm saying it right but then I get something I didn't order. This morning I met one of the 1st grade teachers and she said she would help me with my Thai as she is a Thai teacher. Pretty excited for some lessons and for someone to teach me some basic Thai phrases, numbers, and food!

 
So far I have the first two phrases down -
 
 
P.Pom, one of the coordinators, took us for lunch and wrote down the things we liked. We have tried to order by ourselves and sometimes we get what we wanted but sometimes they bring us a meal like friend rice. Maybe they think we will like the fried rice better or maybe they didn't understand so they just bring us something simple - who knows? It's a guessing came when we go out to eat here in Thailand!
 

 

Thursday, October 24, 2013

My cleaning lady loves me - we'll at least I think so!

So over the past few days I have gotten to know some of the staff at Amata Mansion a bit better through random broken Thai/English, mosquito nets, and questions about stray dogs.

 

Meow - she works at the front desk and is lovely. Yes her name is like what a cat says and that is how she explained how we pronounce it. Her English is good and she can answer anything you really want to know. She also informed us after our run with wild dogs that they "only sometimes bite you" - comforting I know. This was right after we tried to do go for a run the other day and got a little scared because apparently the wild dogs do not like it when you run here. She was quick to ask with a very concerned look on her face, "why they bite you??"

 

The two cleaning ladies on my floor Pae (I am guessing on the spelling her name) and Sang Chan - helped me put up my mosquito net the other day. Mosquitos love me. They bite me and no one else I swear. Laughing at my worries of mosquitoes they informed me that eating them is the best way to control them. No they didn't say this because their English is limited, it was all a mime filled with laughter.

 

Sang Chan - is my cleaning lady and I came home from work the other day while she as still in my room. I'm not sure why she was in my room as they told me while they put up my net that Mondays were cleaning days. So I walk in and she starts laughing at me - this is common for Thai people to laugh when they see you or when you attempt to speak Thai or ask about food. She walks over to my wall and starts pointing at the pictures Pip printed out for me. Then points at me in all of them and laughs even more. Then she points at one of me dancing and is basically on the floor with laughter. So I go to my iPod and turn on some music on my fancy new disco speaks (15 dollars - heck yes) and I start to dance and point at her. She gives me a huge smile and thumbs up, and then starts to dance as she finishes mopping my floor. Let's just say it was an extremely entertaining way to come home from work even if the joke was on me. Oh and I will bringing her home with me, along with a baby elephant.

 

Wednesday, October 23, 2013

Amata Mansion, Thai food, and Kasetsart University School - getting to know the area!

So we have been in Amata for a few days now... it has been interesting that is for sure. By no means are we in the worst location but our location is very limited. It looks like we will be traveling a lot. We are about a 15 to 20 minute from Tesco Lotus (Thailand's Walmart), a 5 minute walk from our school, and a 15 minute walk to a road with street food, laundry, several 7-11s, and two bars.

One of the bars - The Drunk Corner
Fresh fruit street vendors :)
Around Amata

 

Now that I have broken down the area I will explain my new apartment. It is a long term stay motel and when I first entered it I was not impressed with how dirty it was. It is called Amata Mansion and clearly photos have been photo shopped on the information we were sent with our placement (or we just don't get the fancier rooms). Friday night we got in and on Saturday morning we headed straight to Tesco Lotus to stock up on cleaning supplies, dishes, sheets, and all that jazz. After leaving Tesco Lotus Alex, Nichole, and I realized that we had bought way too much stuff to carry back and the bags would most likely break on us if we even tried to walk home. I smiled at a woman walking past and asked - taxi? She then points to the moped taxi men across the way then points at all my stuff and laughs. Yeh - there was no way a moped was getting me and all my Tesco Lotus bags home. After a few minutes her husband and daughter come up and they all chat and laugh in Thai while pointing at us and our bags. Not long after this they tell us to - follow - and thankfully they drove us home. I gave them some money for their trouble and they laughed at our attempts to say thank you. One thing is for sure. The stories are true, Thai people really are lovely!

Amata Mansion
Our pool at Amata Mansion wit the school behind!

 

My room looks 100% better now and more homie with my new sheets and mosquito net. Nichole seems to have gotten the crap room. She has a cockroach problem and they have already had to come in and sort out her leaking sink.

Primary section of my new school.
My new office and part classroom.

 

We have been hanging out with Pee Pom for the last few days. She takes us to lunch and laughs at us when a "mai pet" aka none spicy meal is still spicy. She has been writing down the things we like and making us try things. Work so far has been quick days and a lot of this it that and that is this. It seems like a really nice school. It is a little overwhelming finally being here because it feels like I have been waiting a long time for my Thailand adventure and my new job to start! I have my schedule, they are working on our work visas, and now we have a random day off midweek for a Thai holiday. The other English teachers come back tomorrow and we have "full planning days" and then we are heading to Koh Samet for the weekend. A weekend on an island is just what I need.

Nichole and Alex!
Pee Pom!
Testing out our local bar!

 

Sunday, October 20, 2013

Elephant crossing ahead!

I've gone from camel crossing signs to elephant crossing signs. I've seen plenty of camels so I hope I get to see a few elephants roaming the streets of Chonburi!

Friday, October 18, 2013

"Depends on your school!"

This past week has been emotional, overwhelming, crazy, amazing, funny, informational, heartwarming, and long! 5 days in Bangkok and a night in Kanchanaburi. During this week I met some truly amazing people and I can't wait to get to know them more over the next five months as we meet up to go on traveling adventures.

I arrived in Bangkok about midday on Saturday 12th and caught the OEG shuttle to The Louis Tavern Hotel. We were not in the center of Bangkok but it wasn't a long or an expensive taxi the night nights we went out. Bangkok is a dirty and beautiful place. It is full of character, smells, people, tuk tuks, bikes, pink taxi cars, lady boys, fun bars, great and not so great food, shopping (hello hareem pants), and friendly people. I will definitely be returning to Bangkok but I will say this - was happy to say goodbye for now! I think one of my favorite parts of Bangkok was going out with two girls and the taxi man taking us to the wrong road. The road of ping pong shows and strip clubs. After walking up and down it in complete shock with nervous laughs we found a ferang (foreigner) who told us how to get to the correct street where we met up with the rest of the crew. We started that night at the hotel pool chatting and getting to know one another, and we finished the night on a the stage of the dance floor. It started to rain so much that when we left to go home the streets were flooded - people looked at me weird when I freaked out about rain. Everyone will take away great memories from Bangkok and that night was a good one.

 

A few pictures from around Bangkok -

Another high point of Bangkok was the Grand Palace. It is amazing. The stories - thanks to our tour guide Lucky - are unreal. There are some buildings that are decorated with broken ceramic plates and I overheard another tour guide explain to his group that they have been "recycling for years" - glad I was listening because that made me laugh as Bangkok is a very dirty place and I have yet to see anything to do with recycling...

Kanchanaburi came at the end of the week. We rode elephants and floated down the river Kwae. After my elephant experience in Sri Lanka and my great little ride in the rain with Pame I wasn't as excited as the others but it was cool and the little show before was the best part. Watching a baby elephant play the harmonica and give someone a back massage will bring a smile to your face. I just hope they treat them well when is tourists are not around. I bought the elephant Lexi and I rode bananas because that is how you say thank you in elephant right?

Orientation itself had some hits and some misses. Overall the lessons with Paul were great. He helped with lesson planning for young age groups which is something I really needed. The line "it depends on your school" got a little old real fast and I am looking forward to my school hopefully answering some of the unanswered questions from orientation.

Just arrived at my new Thai pad and I shall update about it in the next couple of days. They coordinators from the high school picked us up and took us to dinner near our place (pork steak at the "mall" - my Dad will be jealous). They seem really nice and super helpful so far. Nichole and Alex are with me and I can't wait to explore our area with them and get to know them more over the next 5 months. I am happy to be with such awesome girls!