Gobble Gobble Weekend

Classes Canceled for all English courses taught by American Ajahns Friday after Thanksgiving!!!

What a Thanksgiving. Turkey, stuffing, cranberries, pumpkin pie, fresh rolls, veggies and wine. Just like home. I even called my mom...sniff sniff...I found someone with an international phone to do this....I guess that what being in Thailand away from your family on Thanksgiving for the 1st time in 24 years and a bottle of wine later does...drunk dialing America. Who would have thought.....................

Friday was sleep day. ALL DAY.  We put on 3 movies and I woke up at the credits for every one. The turkey must be more powerful out here so instead of sleeping after dinner, you actually get put in food coma for 24 hours. Those tricky Thai Turkeys.

Saturday we had new teacher meetings all morning followed by a shopping trip to another mall....huge mall. I mean you can actually bargain with people at the mall. I got a dress and a watch for cheaper then the original price. We call that going native...just bargaining like I have been doing it my whole life. In the states its called como parkin' it.   :)

Saturday night we went back to Khaosarn Road and went to this great bar called Brick Bar.Two words.

 Dance Party

Sunday we went to this lovely little place called JJ market. By little I mean the biggest open air market in Asia. You name it they have it. I could list things..but just think of anything you could buy from anywhere....it was there. I almost left with a Husky and was intrigued by the pet squirrels. Just as I was about to pass out from exhaustion and heat. Heaven parted the clouds...I heard music...I saw an open table right on the side of the road. Little roses in the middle people all around sipping brewskies. I sat myself down at this cute little table in the middle of this gigantic market. Ordered a draft beer and water. They brought me a cold wet cloth that I pretty much took a shower with. Then I people watched. Met the guys next to me and talked about traveling. I was alone because I got separated from the rest of the group. It is to hard to be in that large and that crowded of a place and expect to catch up or be on the same page as other people. So I just wandered around.  Sure enough the boys spotted me making new friends and just hangin out market side...I could tell they were jealous I had stumbled onto this great little place much sooner then they did. Once again I use the word BEST. Best atmosphere for people watching...great music, great people, cold beer, and cold sweat rags. Does life get any better??

It does......

Thursday I am going on a weekend vacation to....drum roll please...............the Philippines!!! My friend Jon is stationed there as a Green Beret and heads back to the states in January. So it was now or never. We are going to explore Manila, go to a midget bar....strictly run, owned and operated by midgets, post up at the pool and relax. This is a solo mission but Jon is meeting me as soon as I get off the plane.  There are rumours of us being on a game show this weekend....so the stories I will have Sunday night I am sure are going to be fantastic!!!!!!!!!! I can not wait! I never thought that I would one day be able to say...oh yeah this weekend...I am going to the Philippines. Manila watch out here we come!!



Happy Thanksgiving!! Thai Flavor...

I love and miss you Papa Bear, Mother, Amy and Lukey!  Happy Thanksgiving!!!!! I also miss the rest of the Dietsch Clan...I LOVE THANKSGIVING!!!!  We always have so much fun! However...I will not miss dish duty...sorry...

I thought I as going to feel more homesick today more then any other day...Christmas will be hard....but Thanksgiving is going smooth...I am running out the door to our Thanksgiving dinner down in the city so here is the short and sweet version of how I spent my Thanksgiving Day in Thailand.

-1st Turkey day my head is not in the toilet from being at Plums the night before......
-The kids brought in food for Every SINGLE one of my classes...I told them Tuesday it was a big American Holiday. I was the only teacher who did this so I had my friends floating in and out of my rooms all day! Anna, another teacher and friend, even brought her last class into mine we played Thanksgiving Trivia games and went around and all said what we were thankful for. Great Day. Great Food. Thanksgiving Thai Style.....

Just Like Mom Used to Make

I am walking to school today and I am thinking....gosh I just want a piece of toast, and I want it toasted. Most of the bread here has a sweet after taste, it is very hard to find bland things unless it is plain noodles. I walk into the main part of campus and sure enough there is lots of activity going on. Students always have booths and stands set up selling different things or food.  Today I think most of it was fundraising for the floods. I am just walking around checking it all out seeing what the students are selling. What do I see?! A toaster. A loaf of bread. Skippy Peanut Butter. You better believe I got a piece of peanut butter toast! Better yet the bread tasted just like bread from home!!!!!!!!!! Good old white bread! I made it last so long acting like I would never eat again............

No more then 5 minutes later I am front and center at the booth ordering one of the best inventions my mother taught me in the kitchen. A peanut butter and banana sandwich. I was almost in tears it was so good. I am trying not to walk by that booth for the rest of the day because I will continue to eat those little devils until they have to close down shop and I have to go shopping for bigger clothes.

RIPTIDE PICTURES. PART 2

They told me to strike a pose. Clearly I have a hard time doing that. I don't like posing for pictures...at all.....

My coach. He looks pissed. But really he is telling everyone I am a born natural.

 Above: My new favorite outfit

Below: Showing off sweet skills....riding double

"This is So fuuuuuuuuuuuuuunnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn.Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh"

"Are there snakes in here? For real? Are there snakes in here...like am I going to get attacked by a wild animal that lives in the Thai waters?!?!"

RIPTIDE PICTURES. PART 1

 Wake boarders! Oh yeah!!

Just enjoying the sweet jumps and tricks

We got painted!!! You can't see my arm but its got some sick flowers painted all up on it.

I got to go around the course three times!! Ah hahaahaa!!!!!!  I am borrowing one of the boarders helmets and vest!

look there I am..... ha..not....

Loy Krathong Festival not once...but twice

Giving thanks to the river for water and saying sorry for polluting the water. Also asking for good luck in the coming year.

 They also send lanterns up to the moon. It was the coolest sight to see. All these lanterns floating up toward the moon. Lighting up the clear sky. Sooooo flipping cool.

BKK

Not only did we get to celebrate Loy Krathong down in BKK last night(where pics are from) but ABAC also put a celebration together tonight. It was great! Beauty Pageants, talent contests, dance shows, students selling food (like the street vendors down in the city...they were so excited and it was all pretty good!) There is a beautiful pond on campus with palm trees, big rocks, a gorgeous temple, swans and fish. So that scene with a full moon and clear sky, tiki lights flickering around the trees, and the lit up Krathongs floating around the pond is pretty unbelievable. The exact quote tonight was. "Hey guys. I have to tell you something..don't be mad. We are living in a postcard. We live in postcard at this very moment."

It was great to see the students in "casual wear"  and not in their uniforms. I saw about a dozen of my students and even bought some chicken and rice from them tonight. We are going to play an evil little joke on them tomorrow. I will set up the scene for you. We have a Gala dinner we have to be ready for at 4:30 tomorrow. I teach until 4..do you see the problem with that? I will not have time to put my face on. So my friend Brian has the whole day off so I am going to buy a few beers for him on Thanksgiving and he is going to get all ready for the Gala...then go teach my last class so I can go make myself presentable. The kids in my last class are funny and also it is all boys who are little goofballs. They are the ones who sold me the chicken and rice. So Brian is going to tell them he is teaching my class because I got sick from the food. Muhahahahaaa I wish I could see their faces. He of course will tell them he is joking so we don't cause a major full campus freakout...but it will be a nice little prank pulled by the Ajarns

Gala dinner tomorrow should be fun.....we are getting all dressed up and I get to drink free wine(which is very expensive over here)  So I hope the Trolls leave me alone the rest of tonight and tomorrow. Maybe alcohol will kill the trolls??

The Trolls attacked 3 times during my 1st class today.

"Sorry guys. Hold on a second. My stomach...It. is. killing. me."
- Rachel....with her face twisted hunched over

"Ahhhh Teeeeecheeer. If you die. Can I still pass this class???!!!!!!!!!!!!"
-Yam

The trolls and the lizard

I survived, Sort of.  I have what I first called episodes....but now I say THE TROLLS!!! The trolls are hanging out in the intestines area and stomach region.  They just hang out and plan their attack. Then they say ready....set....go! THE TROLLS then attack with knives and ropes. Stabbing and knotting my insides. I cringe over in pain. No walking or talking just whimpers. Do you all think I am over reacting a little? I am not. I swear. It is the WORST pain I have ever felt. ever.

The good news is I found tights to wear for ABACs 40th Anniversary Gala dinner, got to see a cool festival, eat more coconut ice cream, and bought sparklers to play with tomorrow.

SOOOOOOOOOOOO then...........................

I walked into my room ready for bed tonight. I saw something hiding behind my curtains. A lizard. A lizard has broke into my room. Then as I turn around to take a deep breath a spider is dangling above my computer. What is this? Rachel's Wildlife Inn? I don't think so. LIZARDS OUT! SPIDERS OUT! TROLLS OUT! COME ON!!!!!

Loy Krathong Festival

Despite my physical condition and fever....I am going to go to the Loy Krathong Festival...I don't like missing out on things like this so I am going to try really hard to be a big girl and make sure I am in bed early.

One of the most beautiful festivals that takes place in Thailand is the one for Loy Krathong. This is celebrated on the full moon in November. The word loy means to float, and a krathong is a banana leaf cup. People place a candle and incense sticks in their krathongs and then float them on a local river or pond. As they push away their krathong, they ask for forgiveness in polluting the waterways and also for good luck in the coming months

Sponge Bob Square Pants

I have a Sponge Bob Square Pants thermometer.  It told me last night that I had a temp of 101.7  so a fever combined sharp pains in my stomach is not fun. Not fun at all. My stomach feels like it is getting stabbed every 5 to 10 minutes with knives. So its been a rough night and morning.  According to my symptoms my friend Al diagnosed me with  "this thing many people get when they 1st move to Thailand" I guess it is some sort of infection.....and its not pretty kids.  Of course the Infirmary is closed today because it is a Holiday here so I have to hold off until tomorrow to get medicine....uhuhh

Last night we went to a wake board competition. I will tell the story through pictures in my next post. I will tell you this though.... We went to watch. We watched, we clapped, cheered, painted ourselves with body paint.  Whooooo do you think ended up with a life vest on and helmet...waving to the people on shore zipping around the wake board course?????????????

Best Idea I Ever Had

Friday afternoon I have my highest level of English Convo class so I thought...lets go to lunch and have conversation class around the table. They took me to this great place and just ordered a bunch of different things. They were so excited to see if I liked some of their favorite Thai dishes. The 1st thing they put down in front of me. A WHOLE BLACK AND CRISPY CATFISH with its eyes and fins still in tact. I put a smile on  face as they started pulling it apart and putting it on my plate. I will tell you the truth...it was very tasty. We also had sticky rice, spicy shrimp soup, pork dishes, grilled chicken, a mushroom dish.....they even made perfect bites for me on my spoon and told me to eat with my hands!!! What a fabulous Friday afternoon lunch with my students! 

Trivia Night/Harry Potter

What a week! We had a pretty low key Monday and Tuesday and by Wednesday I was starting to get a little antsy. I got my new debit card and went the safe route and got a cash advance!  Avoid the ATM fee and avoid over reacting in case the machine wanted to jack my card again.

Wednesday night a few of us went to Bangkok to play some Trivia . The bar, Brunswick, that we like to start most evening off at let us host a 1^st ever Brunswick trivia night.  All the older teachers (teachers that have taught at ABAC for a semester or more...) made teams and showed up around 7.  There was about 7 teams and the beer and whiskey were flowing.  Griffin was the trivia master this week and he was not playing around!  He had some hard questions. He even got some music and name that TV dad questions on the board. It was a big hit and we hope to be able to do it once a month...I can’t say my team won but we did not come in last place...

Thursday night was a big night. Don’t worry Harry Potter fans I will not spoil the movie...but I will tell you it was good! Going to a movie in Thailand is an event. They let you into the theater about 5 minutes before it is supposed to start. We all file in and find our assigned seats. Thats right...you don’t pick your own seat in Thailand. You get what you pay for....after most everyone was filed in and sat at the IMAX theater (they do this in the regular theater too)....we all stood up and the Kings song was played with a movie montage.

Friday was rough. I was very tired. Not to be confused with hungover.  Harry Potter ended pretty late so we did not get home till 2 and I had a bus pick me up at 730AM to take me to work... not to mention A hot skype date at 7AM. So I was up early, bright eyes and bushytailed..more like bags under eyes and exhausted...at 6:30

“It’s the possibility of having a dream come true that makes life interesting.”
-Paulo Coelho

Samut Songkhram: Mae Klong Market and Amphawa Floating Market

My friend Rich has an eye for capturing some of wonderful moments of people, places and things.  I have to give him credit for the pictures below. Thanks Richie!

machine gun

Well I have had my 1st, very Funday Sunday....Sunday Funday in Thailand!

Started off with waking up way to early...I got laundry done, got some sun, worked out, had some cocktails, played ultimate Frisbee, and had a great dinner! Two great days in a row!  I also got to skype with my lovely ladies Rach, Brit, Jen and Erin.  I even got some Amy(not the sister..speaking of...Famous...where ya been all my life??)  time late Saturday night. 

Ultimate Frisbee was the best...barefoot and sweaty...we had to play half court/field cause I think we were all having troubles breathing.... it was hot out today!

But this post is not about Sunday Funday, it is about a story I heard today.

At lunch Erin and I were finishing up and our 2 pals came in to hang with us Zach and Bernardo....Zach starts telling me that he plays flag football and I guess he plays with some of my students.  So he asked how they liked me.

"Well, she is nice. But she talks SO FAST.  Like a machine gun!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

So I guess I will be talking a little slower tomorrow....and this came from one of my high classes!!!!!!!!!
oops.

AFTER....Samut Songkhram

BACK OF A PICK UP BABY

 After the market we decided to find a floating market. According to the map we were walking distance but we quickly found that was not the case. After asking a few different people for directions a man offered us a ride in his truck. What a nice guy. So all six of us climbed into the back of his pickup(it has benches for moments like this) and he gave us a ride to the floating market. We tipped him and got to the market safe. However, we should have thought of how were were going to get back to the train station.We were to busy living in the moment I guess. Because we left ourselves with 15 minutes to find a ride to get back to the last train of the day to start our way back to Bangkok.  We found a Tuk Tuck that we piled 6 of us in and made the last train! Best part...we got to take the train through Samut Songkhram Market. AMAZING!

Floating Market. Kitchen and cook all in one boat. I mean.....so neat!

 Little girl selling what her mom? aunt? sister? grandma? cooked up for the afternoons market goers. On a boat.

 View from bridge. This was a smaller floating market but it was still really neat.  We even got to go on a boat ride...the water looks nasty and I am sure it is but it was not smelly and it was a beautiful day. We rented a boat and they took us on a boat ride as we drank a beer. Just the six of us. Danny, Erin, Mike, Will, Rich, and me! If we would have been there at night we would have gotten to go on a firefly cruise. It is supposed to be beautiful so we put it on our list for next time.

 Will and I just telling jokes, having heart to hearts, talking about our wonderful English 1 students and if we will have the energy to party like it is 1999 later tonight. I will tell you how that worked out..... he partied with the rest of the boys while the girls went back to the burbs, got in to PJs and fell asleep early. At this point in the day we still had not gotten to the tuk tuk ride, train ride, ferry ride, cab#2 ride, BTS (like the CTA) ride, and then the final cab ride.....so...we got called weak sauce last night.

 Train that goes through the market..we got to ride for a little over an hour..hoping to find our way back to BKK. We took in views neighborhoods, rice fields, salt flats, monkeys, dogs, rivers...you name it we probably saw it! 

This was one of my buddies. There were 3 little Thai boys who would pick me flowers from the tress going by when we were going slow enough. We also had lots of conversation about his Lion King shirt and how the lion's name was Simba. Lots of missing windows and doors, but the train still worked. In fact the missing doors came in handy.  We did not know it was the last stop and it started going back toward the market. ACTION! It was like a movie. Danny and I jumped out the doors...or where the doors would have been..as the rest of the group had the look of "Oh shit...." as they jumped one by one avoiding poles, parked scooters and the Thai people yelling at us and yelling at the conductor...I am sure they were thinking these stupid Americans are jumping out of the moving train...again. There is no way we were the 1st people to do that. We had no warning this was the last stop and since we can't read the signs we did not know what station we were at.

 We got off the train and then were pointed and directed to a ferry that we ran to. RAN....over uneven docks and floating docks to jump on a ferry that had already left but started pulling back in for us when they saw us running and flailing our arms like a bunch of crazy people. We were so dirty. So sweaty. Tired and hungry...but not one of us could wipe the smiles off our faces as we took it all in. View from back of ferry below.

"I feel so dirty. Like, are we tan? Or covered in dirt?  I mean I don't even care because this is the best kind of dirty to feel. We did stuff today. We saw shit. I can't believe I almost turned my alarm off and went back to bed. Epic day"

See told ya it was like a day that was made for the theaters....we get off the ferry...and elephants!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I don't really need to explain this one...look at our faces.

After this we all got into a taxi...all six of us..listened to one of the best homemade CDS we could ever ask a cabbie to have. I am talking all music from the 90s. Including boybands. We all knew all the words to every song. Which we sang.



highlights from the day I have not touched on

Danny and I really had to go to the bathroom on the train....there was one on the train...but it was a hole and we were moving and going fast and it was really hard to even stand and walk let alone go to the bathroom. So we had to hold each other over the "toilet" *

I had a coconut ice cream cone

Earrings designed as all different things...anything from pencil tips, adderol pills, lifesavers, wine bottles, coke cans, dice, cards....you name it..you could wear it as an accessory

Laugh attack on the BTS. I got caught talking to myself and shaking my head at what I was saying...my abs got some definition from that.

Hanging out with a great group of people all day long...could not ask for better people to be spending my time with exploring and adventuring with.

Looking at my hands and feet...not knowing what was on them...never been so dirty in my life...which led to a shower for 20 min using 2 different soaps and 2 washings of the hair..then my sweats and fruit chips. By far the most and best feeling of being worn out since I got to Thailand

*I  know alot of my stories are about going to the bathroom. But it is kind of a big deal.  I have not even shared with you some of the conversations we have had out here. I have known some of these people for a month and we talked about our bodily functions like it is normal. Which out here it is. We are dealing with new facilities, circumstances, and food our bodies are not sure what to do with. So sorry being so frank with bathroom stories but its just part of life and every day convo...one of our friends could not come with us because well...he could not be more then 2 feet away from the bathroom all day because of something he ate...yikes! Not looking forward to the day I am that guy.

Samut Songkhram

We took a Taxi out to the Samut Songkhram Market. It was about 1hour and 20 min taxi ride. There were 6 of us so we took two taxi's on the way there. The way we got home was an adventure....here are some pics of the market

You can see the train coming through the market. Everyone moves every hour for the train to come through. It even goes over some of the produce. As soon as it goes by the stands the tents go back up and people fill in the tracks again like nothing happened. There are videos of this on you tube and we have one that I hope will get edited and linked up to my blog soon.

Walking through the market. The girls are actually on the tracks. Do you see how some of the produce is actually held in my the track itself!? You don't believe it until you see it!


Coconuts, bananas and limes. I would have liked to sit and talk to this women about the people she has seen and how long she has been at this market. I bet she has great stories....

There are also stands behind the tracks. I mean they sold everything and anything you could think of.

Train track walking and market shopping

we wrote history today

Taxi's, truck beds, boats, trains, tuk tuks...markets, coconuts, adderel earrings, a monkey, an elephant, old school beats, held over holes, jumping off moving trains, dirty, sweaty....good people...and the giggles...

I will write the details of this epic day tonight or in the morning. How many best days of my life am I allowed? Today was like a movie. Unreal.....we have so many pictures and videos so I hope to share these with you once they get uploaded. I will tell the tale of Saturday later...right now I have to go take a shower and find out if I got tan today or if I am covered in dirt.

xoxo

Mr. Toads Wild Ride

That is the name of a ride at Disneyworld or maybe Disneyland? Anyway, one of the two! That is also the name of ride you are about to get on every time you get into or on a car, bus, van or tuk tuk.

This morning I was picked up by one of the secretaries from ABAC (short for Assumption University) named Kik. By far one of the sweetest girls I have ever met in my life. I am assigned to teach at a downtown campus all day on Fridays and since a van was not arranged this particular morning Kik drove me down. Kik loves to drive fast. Also, people in Thailand, do not have the right away...neither do dogs. I think we almost hit 4 people, came close to sideswiping 6 other cars and colliding with at least 15 motorbikes. Some motorbikes with more then one person on them. I am not making these number up, in fact I may be down playing the numbers so Lisa does not fly over here and bring me home. We also almost got stuck between a giant pink bus and a highway wall.

So...Kik is flying down the highway with the AC blowin on high as we try are best to have conversation and sometimes charades so we can figure out what the other person is talking about. Right as we get into some BKK traffic the AC is turned off, windows down...and a little shrill from Kik on the right hand side of the car. "Oh no ajhan! I am so sorry I have to turn the A/C off! Almost out of gas!!!!" I tell her I love the fresh air as we zip around cars, eyes peeled for a gas station. Not only was Kik happy about finding a gas station but I was more then thankful for seeing the Toilet signs. You think bathrooms are bad at gas stations at home....I was desperate, I was actually about to piss myself...needless to say I pretty much needed a full body shower after using the bathrooms.

Kik told me on the way down that the reason she was driving me was because she did not want me to take a cab alone and wanted to make sure I got to where I needed to be. Even though she had never actually driven to this particular campus. Sweet girl!!!

It is now a race between Thursday afternoon classes and Friday classes who will be crowned my favorite. I have 3 great groups...they bring treats, participate and laugh at my jokes. :)

As great of a day it was it was a long one! I left the dorms at 7:45 Am and got home at 6:45 PM. I thought Chicago Traffic was bad on Fridays....ha! ha! ha!! I guess I had never sat in BKK night traffic. BAD.BAD.BAD. Another teacher had to drive me to meet Kik halfway so then Kik could drive me BACK to Bang Na (everyone always going out of their way!!)

So me and this other teacher had some great bonding time to all the female top 20 hits in the USA resang to a smooth jazz beats. They sounds pretty nice....different....but nice, relaxing tunes to sit in traffic to. My goal will be to find an example of this and post it up for your listening pleasure.

Back in Kiks car she zoomed be back to Bang Na where I got a Coke Zero(replaces diet coke sometimes) dinner, sat down and had my 1st real meal of the day. It was great... even though I had to pick mystery meat off the top.

We are keeping it low key tonight....but we also said that last weekend and it was one of the wildest weekends OF MY LIFE....but for real this time. Chill Friday.

So this girl walks into the bathroom......

She squeals for two reasons.

1. Free Toilet Paper

2. Western Style Toilet

~I carry toilet paper around with me everywhere I go. Either you pay for it or there is none. I am still not very good at the...how can I say this and still sound like a lady??? F-it squatters...I am VERY bad at those I have to hold on to the wall and try really hard not to pee all over myself. Just telling it like it is. No judging please and thank you. ~

THE PAST IS HISTORY, THE FUTURE IS A MYSTERY AND THIS MOMENT IS A GIFT. THAT IS WHY THIS MOMENT IS CALLED ''THE PRESENT'

Coffee

Alright. So walking around this place is dangerous. Everything is uneven...walkways... stairs...you name it. You walk up a marble staircase then there will be a random step up or down...just a little ledge. That they meant to put there. They are also when you go in and out of bathrooms. Really, any room.... I still have not figured if there is rhyme or reason to these little ledges up and down...or when they will be a step up or step down. When I leave the teacher lounge with a cup of coffee...I know there is a very good chance I will be tripping or slipping and spilling all over me, the floor or worse a student. But I can not just toss it. So I take the chance. I was launched forward again today and spilled for the 5th time...walking though the courtyard...a random raised brick got me. The stairs also got me this weekend...so wearing long sweat pants and flip flops is also dangerous...for those of you that saw the battle wound pics up on the book I will let you know they are not healing very well. I look like an old women limping around all bandaged up. I need to invest in lizard like shoes so I can get a nice grip when I walk or I might not make it out of this county in one piece.

I started playin music in my classes today as we talked about the most influential people in our lives. Common answer was "My father, because he gives me money." "My mother becasue she is the family bank...she controls everything" We had to dig a little deeper.....but I finally got out of them......"My father becasue he works so hard so he can send me to a good University."

Good News/ Bad News......Rachel adventure Fridays is a NO GO I got added 3 new 2 hour classes all on Fridays! More work for me and you all know I love that....but the best part about this is I get to collect over time hours and have some extra BAHT in my pocket for playtime and travel time.

Hard at work

rubbing those toes

see....reading the course outline and uniform rules

Khaosarn Road

CHEERS!!!! I swear we teach. cross my heart.

Khaosarn Road above and below

Cheap...old...phones....gotta love it

Beer Tower

Tootise Rubs

Street Food

Better than Christmas

I might be the luckiest girl on earth. The 1st few days I was here some of you know I had bad luck with the food...I was hungry and nothing was going down smooth...so what do my mom and dad do...they send me a care package. It was an early Christmas in Bang Na this afternoon.... Crackers, mayo, canned fruit, tuna, chicken, KASHI bars, PEANUT BUTTER...SKIPPY!!! Lip stuff, airborne, plates, napkins, Tupperware, toothpaste,toothbrush, salt and pepper.....I mean the simple staples. Thank you mom and dad...what in the world would I do if I did not have you looking out for me way on the other side of the world! oh and for sending...not 1, but 2 NEW debit cards over to me. I have a had a few debit cards taken from me...put in the cash machine, never to be returned!!!!The 1st time it happened I was stressed out and not happy....the 2nd time...waterworks. I have been penniless 90% of the time I have been out here. But it all works out, its Thailand. And I have amazing friends.....who I am building very good credit with.

I have gotten pretty good and picking out the right things when we go out to eat. Pictures are huge here so I stick with rice, chicken,, veggies....and spicy! My nose it usually running after eating but its just so good!! I also found this great sauce to put on rice its sweet and super spicy. For 10 BAHT I buy a bag of rice, dump some special sauce and go to town!!

We had a great weekend....we really tried to do tourist stuff here, but that ended up not happening....but its on the agenda for this weekend.

On Saturday we went to backpackers alley known as Khaosarn Road...just the best people watching I have even done in my life. Fun, crazy bars, street food, street shopping, people from everyplace in the world on one street. I was speechless for a good 15 minutes. I just wanted to know who everybody was and what brought them to this place, in Thailand, on a Saturday night. All the Saturday nights I was working in a bar, or preparing for Sunday Funday, or hanging out with friends....this place was here. This kinda smelly ,totally awesome place, filled with people that were all ages, all colors, speaking different languages.....laughing, dancing, enjoying a beer, a huka, even a foot massage. unreal. neat. eye opening. thought provoking. unforgettable.

Our evening on Khaosarn Road consisted of some dinner, a beer, an hour Thai massage, an hour foot massage, some more beer, a dance party, street food, and taking priceless pictures. Makes me smile just knowing we will be back there before our time in Thailand is up.
After pay day I am heading there for some of the cheapest and cutest clothes I have ever laid my little eyes on. Puts American Apparel and Forever to shame ladies. I am about to rock a razor back tank with the 7/11 logo on it...and make it cool! hahaha!! we will see about that....

I am going to go enjoy some snacks thanks to mama and papa bear.....feel free to email me and update me on your lives!!! I miss you guys and knowing whats going on!!! Thank you to everyone I have skyped with, gchatted with and gotten emails from! It's so great to see and hear from you. I know I am far but I think that technology has just been huge making me not feel SO far. Love you...thank you for reading about my experiences....it is kind of like a diary...a public one...but its good for me to take this time to write and to really digest what is going on.
xo Rachybabe

Friday

I have Fridays off....I am the only teacher that has this sweet deal. So I am not complaining but it gets a little boring hanging out with myself all day up in the stix so I am going to have Field Trip Fridays. I am going to pick a place and go check it out.....Rachels little adventures. So I am hoping Friday afternoons I will have some great stories for the blog. Because the most exciting thing that happened to me today...my phone rang during my late afternoon nap and I flew out of bed like a bat out of hell...and slipped and fell. I fell hard!!!! I am going to put money I get bruises. I did not know if I should laugh or cry..but I did break some skin and went feet first into the closet. I was barefoot! So when I am sharing this story with everyone at dinner I was informed they wax the floor once a week. It must have been been waxing day here at ABAC...I wish I could have gotten love note warning me.

I did have a nice skype date..and I laid out on the stairs trying to catch some rays....all the guards and desk ladies looked at me like I was out of my mind......laying out is not a normal thing to do here so I had to take my business up to my buddies deck and get some rays there.

We are saving money tonight and plan on exploring parts of the city we have not seen yet.Its like college tonight, dorm party.

Kitty Cat

A student sits in the front of the class and I put a person, place, or thing on the board. The student is sitting so they can't see what I write. The class then descibes the word....until the student in the chair guesses correct. examples: A Great White Shark, Micheal Jackson, Lady Gaga, Twilight.....how fun is this game? In honor of Brit Brit....I put Hello Kitty on the board. (They love Hello Kitty here..its on the side of cabs, busses, stores dedicated to this cat.....)

One of my favorite students was up

Po: Kitty?

Class: Yes! Yes! But...but fulll name!!!!!

Po: (pause for him to think...he has his thinking face on) Kitty Cat?

This made my day. Maybe it was a you had to be there moment..

4 bottles of whiskey on a Wednesday night....Unnecessary

So you get more bang for your buck here in Thailand when you just buy a bottle of whiskey at the bars....its cheaper then beer, wine, and even water sometimes. So we think we are making the right choice and being money savoy by going the whiskey route....boy or boy does that make a turn for the worse when you wake up on Thursday morning, still in the city, and a full day of classes....5 to be exact... ahead of you.

I made the 710 bus back to campus with a fresh glass of coconut water. By fresh I mean the street vendor took a coconut out of the fridge and poured it right into a glass. deelllish.

It is supposed to cure a hangover....not this one folks. I still had a very productive day and it was well worth it....because last night was.a.blast!!!!!!!

Who wants to go in with me for a bottle tonight?

Erotic Film

I love Tues/Thur afternoon classes......they are funny, smart, and in general just enjoyable students to teach.

Rachel: Movie catogories. Who can name movie Catogories?!

Students: Scary movies! Comedy! Action! Drama! Romantic!

Rachel: good! good! Exactly what I was looking for guys!

Smart ass: Erotic Movies!??!?!!?

Rachel: You are right. That is a type of movie. But I am not putting it on the board this afternoon.

classroom erupts into laughter....right about then.

I have been lucky about some comments made in my classrooms. There as been comments made to a few of the girls here...one student said she wanted to get plastic surgery and asked one of the teachers where she bought her boobs. She is all natural. bummmmer...only one pair can be made like hers.

The same teacher was asked by a student if he could kiss her. She said moving on and ignored him...no stopping them though because the next thing he said was.....aww ajhan....what about when I see you out drunk at the bars. NAUGHTY little Thai boys!!!!!!!

"I wanted to go somewhere where I would be happy. I wanted to go somewhere carefree. So I asked myself where would that be. Thailand. So here i am.... "

-Annalise

Think of me when you use your dryer

Today was the 1st day I did laundry..when you walk down to your basement or wherever you keep your washer and dryer...know I am jealous. Oh what a small thing I took for granted. How I do my laundry....

1. Walk to the campus mall about a block away with all the laundry in a basket and a bag

2. throw all my clothes in one huge washer, try to communicate that I must wash it on cold...guess that was not an option and the setting could not be changed....so I had to hope fate would keep my clothes looking the same as when they went in

3. walk back over to the mall to gather my wet clothes and towels

4. Hang everything up outside on my balcony to air dry. I am trying very hard not to think of all the critters that will be a creepin and a crawlin out there tonight. This gives "fresh breeze" dryer sheets a whole new meaning.

Clean clothes though, are clean clothes no matter how they dry and I can't wait to put my tootsie sweatshirt back on for bedtime!