Golf anyone?

When you have one of the best golf courses in your back yard and their is a major competition going on it is a given that you must go...

A break down of the costs -

Final day ticket - 16 dollars
A large beer - 3 dollars

This day of golf would have never been this cheap in America. It is a beautiful golf course and we had a really, really, really fun day.

Yeh that happened.

Christmas ornaments and lots of dancing - Satit Kaset School Fair!

Today was our SCHOOL FAIR. I spent the morning making Christmas ornaments at the "English Booth." After the games were over and the booths were closed up the big show happened. These kids have been practicing their dances from the moment I started teaching here. Over the past weeks I have seen them dancing all over the school. Each grade had their own dance after the opening dance and they were pretty entertaining. Some kids really getting into it while others rolling their eyes and barely moving. 

The fair was not like a fair we would have in America, or even Qatar. The food was the best part - pancakes on a stick? I know, weird right? 

Enjoy... watch the video at the end! 

Opening dance.

Christmas Booth!

P2 - all dressed up as superheros and Disney.

Opening dance.

P1 - watch the video below of my P2 class! 

P3

And this video will make you smile - 

An early Christmas present and my other parents!

I've sad this before and I'll say it again. My Mommy is wonderful. My best friend's parents passed though Thailand on their way to Australia and they ended up staying about an hour away from me in Pattaya at the beautiful Sheraton Resort. I told my Mommy that I didn't want to just spend a day with them so I was going to splurge and stay at their hotel for the night and she said - "Merry Christmas! I'll treat you to a night away from Amata Nakorn!"

It was so lovely to see friendly faces, eat delicious food, drink wine, laugh, and catch up with two people who mean a lot to me. I've known them since I was two. They are not just my best friend's parents but more like a second set of parents.

The hotel was amazing and I managed to get their all by my self - no travel buddies. I battled the minibus task and faced my fears in a moped taxi and it was 100 percent worth it. The bed was so big and comfy. The shower was one of those huge waterfall ones - glorious! The resort itself is a little piece of paradise in a not so nice Pattaya. Pattaya isn't one of the loveliest places to visit in Thailand but at this hotel you don't even know you are in Pattaya.

I told my Mommy how great the hotel was and she has already book me, Alex, and Nichole a room for Christmas Eve since we get the 24th and the 25th off work. Can't wait to go back for a relaxing night away in probably the best hotel I'll stay in during my travels in Thailand as it's normally hostels, mattresses on the floor, or a bed with the three of us in it. We will relax by the pool where they play Christmas music and have Christmas Eve drinks at a rooftop bar!

1 of 3 pools.

View from my room.

Travelers palms.

View from the lobby.

"Don't go chasing waterfalls" - had to!

After a long week off and one day of teaching we caught a mini bus to Bangkok and then another mini bus to Kanchanaburi. We went to Kanchanaburi over orientation week to ride elephants, float down the River Kwai, and see the the bridge over the river which is part of the famous Death Railway. I was told by former OEG teachers that I must go back to Kanchanaburi to see Erawan National Park and climb all seven levels of the waterfalls, and to also stay on the Main Street in Kanchanaburi because where we were during orientation was no where close to this and it is a lot of fun.

The mini bus ride from BKK to Kanchanaburi was not ideal. Once again I was stuck in the worst seat in the very back right corner with no leg room because the tiny Thai man in front of me had his chair back. I had my legs tucked up, my bags on top of me, and Nichole right next to me. We were squished. I panicked for the first 30 minutes because I get slightly claustrophobic when I am in a small van crammed with people and Alex had to tell me many times if I just stop talking and complaining the ride will get better. It eventually did and people eventually got off along the way which meant we could space out. When we got to the bus station in Kanchanaburi a song thaew kindly took us to the hostel we had googled during the week. Got there. It was full. So we stayed next door. 3 in a queen bed. On a boat house. Yeh that happened.

After settling in we went for a bite to eat and witnessed a woman getting hit by a moped. She just walked right out in front of him. It was pretty crazy. Some cops came to direct traffic on a moped and they were about 12 years old. Then the paramedics came cleaned the woman up and put a bandaid on her nose. It was quite a scene and all from our dinner table. After dinner we wandered up and down the street and it is clear that Kanchanaburi is a biker town. There we nice bikes and not just moped up and down this street, more restaurants, and some odd bars. I'm not sure how to describe the place we stopped for a few beers but it was interesting for sure. The lady was a bit crazy and Nichole has a new best friend, the DJ.

We woke up early on Saturday. Melissa joined us early because she could only get a bus from Bangkok at 7 am after missing the last bus the night before. So when she arrived I checked into a room, on the river boat, with her and then we all went to fuel ourselves for our day of waterfall chasing. We caught a taxi tour guys attention and he was the same price as the song thaews but a lot faster and he drove us to Erawan National Park. It was a great deal bc we paid him 300 baht each and he waited for us the whole day while we explored the park. The waterfall has 7 different levels and the first 5 are not that bad to walk up. There is a trail you follow, you can stop and swim at each level - that is if you don't mind the fish that nibble on you. Then the last two levels get a little tricky and at one point you don't really know how you are suppose to move on. Some people walking down laughed and told us - just go it's worth it. And it was worth it. The top level is by far the best.

We spent about 4 hours in the park and by the time we got home we were all exhausted but we had to show Melissa what it was like at night so we got dressed and went for dinner. Like a normal weekend away we ran into some other OEG people and chatted about our schools, all the "oh Thailand" moments we have had, and requested songs all night.

I am happy we decide to go back to Kanchanaburi because now I can say I have seen the place and explored it without orientation rules and sechdules. I love getting to see slices of Thailand on these weekend adventures and I am looking forward to all my future ones. Got some great weekends and holidays planned!

Posing for pictures became a theme of the day.

The little ones nibble on you.

Waiting for the monkey to come down.

What about the dogs that chase the monkeys?

Level seven!

Our room the first night... Bed for three.

River boat rooms.

Happy Birthday to the King and Happy Father's Day!

So today was The King's Birthday so naturally we got yet another day off this week. His birthday is also Father's Day here in Thailand. Last week as one of their projects for this term we made Father's Day cards in all four of my classes. It was a frustrating activity for some but many got super creative or really careful with their coloring. I made examples and some kids followed mine and in some of my classes the students got really into what they should write on the back - "You are best DAD in the whole wide world!" and "Thanks for keeping me safe!" Of course spelling was interesting even though I wrote everything they wanted on the board for them to copy. Enjoy!

My examples for each grade.

P1/1

P1/1

P1/1

P2/3

P2/3

P2/3

P2/3

P2/3

 

Oh Christmas Tree!

Got a tree for 2 dollars from Tesco Lotus and boy is it depressing. My ornaments from my mommy are just a little too big but mai pen rai at least I have some Christmas spirit in my room. Just wish it was real! I am going to miss how our house in SC looks this time of year!

 

3 days off work due to political reasons...

So we came back from BKK Sunday knowing that the protests, which have been going on for a few weeks, now had become violent the night before. Sunday night we were informed that class for Monday would be cancelled because many of our students come from Bangkok and we follow the main campus there when it comes to days off and so on.

 

It is now Wednesday night and we have had three days off because of the unrest. People say that it will calm down because tomorrow is the a holiday for the king, and it would be really disrespectful if they had any protests on his birthday. The protestors have taken over government buildings in hope that the prime minister will step down as she is the sister of the ex prime minister who was exiled from Thailand. Currently, she would like to bring her brother back and this is why people in Thailand are protesting. Apparently from what I have heard, and read, he was a horrible man and had many Thai people killed. It is unfortunate that all their peaceful protests have gotten larger and people have lost their lives. This is a sad time for many Thai people and I hope that they work it all out soon so they can go back to the peaceful lives they usually live.

 

We do not have school tomorrow because it was already a holiday for The King's Birthday and our coordinator says that school will open again on Friday. I know this sounds silly to say but I really wish Monday through Wednesday had not been canceled because now I am going to be so behind in my lesson plans - oh how times have changed! I would have killed for days off and now as a teacher I'm actually worried and not happy.

 

Amata has been extremely boring these past few days off. It was nice at first to be lazy but then being lazy got frustrating and dull. There isn't much to do in this small "city" and my tutoring was cancelled last minute so it wasn't like I could plan on going somewhere for these unexpected days off. I cannot wait until Friday at 3.45 when we can escape to go climb waterfalls!

The truth.

 

BKK - Catching Fire, Mexican, and Margs!

As I have mentioned before Bangkok is not that far away from Amata Nakorn so it is a great get away even if it is just for a night. We got lucky this time because Alex's Mom was visiting her for a night (she got a day off from the cruise ship she is a nurse on) and she let us ride in her taxi!

 

We had three goals for the weekend and successfully accomplished them all - watch The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, indulge in Mexican food and margaritas, and go out for a fun night! After sitting very close to the screen for the movie we headed back to our hostel. Tried somewhere different this time on Soi 4. CheQinn hostel is modern and clean - a great place to stay if you want to be in BKK for a few nights in a pretty interesting location. We had dinner at Charlie Browns, a mexican place on Soi 11, and drinks at Cheap Charlies. Always a fun night on Soi 11!

 

It is so nice to bee able to treat yourself to a night away from your local area! The girls stayed later than me on Sunday to go to a huge market but with the lack of sleep and the margaritas from the night before I knew I couldn't handle it, so I returned home early to do some laundry! Boring I know but I didn't want to get cranky while wandering around a market. I'll save that task for a day when I have more energy!

 

 

End note - I aways laugh when I walk by this on the way home... The Perfect City? The worn down look and the dirty paint should explain it all.

 

 

BEAT BAMA & WAR EAGLE - they are getting better!