Hey everyone! My second week in Hua Hin has come to an end, and I have lots to share. The days have been long, hot, and exhausting. My body responded in the only way it knew how, by getting sick. All is well, though– I’m back to my normal state of health and feeling great! We’ve spent the beginning of the week in TESOL class all day, learning about how to teach English as a second language, preparing lesson plans after class, and acting them out to our classmates. It got to be a bit boring to me, but I really feel that the continuous practice has turned me into a better teacher.
I also learned today of where I will be placed after my TESOL course! Drumroll please….ISAN! Isan is Thailand’s extremely poor and rural northeast region. I don’t know much about it, or about where I’ll be specifically, but I do know I will likely be teaching high school. I’m so excited about my placement because I think I’ll be able to truly experience the Thai culture, and I think that my impact will be greater and more meaningful. I’ll keep you posted with more specific details as I get them!
This past week I have done some really amazing things. Here are some of the highlights:
English Camp:
All of the in class preparations and out of class lesson planning were put to the test on Thursday and Friday as I stepped into Thai classrooms for the first time as “Teacher Erin”. I was really nervous to start on Thursday. I taught 7 and 8 year olds about facial features. However, that feeling of anxiety disappeared the moment I stepped into the classroom. I had an excellent co-teacher/fellow Xplore Asia member, Mike, and we had developed a super solid lesson plan. The little kiddos were so cute. We taught three classes and assisted in three others. Two classes were amazing. They greeted us in unison, “GOOD MORNING TEACHER” to which we’d say, “good morning, how are you?” and they all together would yell, “I’m fine, thank you, how are you?” When we introduced ourselves they repeated our names. It was so adorable. They had the cutest little smiles, paid attention, spoke a little bit of English, and seemed to genuinely enjoy our lesson. The other class we taught was a bit of a disaster. I absolutely loved it, but they were a tad bit crazy. There were 24 students and were a bit out of control. One child continuously pretended to shoot us with his make-believe gun that was really a crayon box, there were about three fights, and the noise was out of control. Regardless of the behavior issues, I loved every second of it. I tried to imagine how American students act when there is a substitute, and Thai kids are no different. Most of them were very sweet. And most of them were rambunctious. They almost gave us a run for our money, but we ended up walking out feeling accomplished. A student even drew us a picture :)
On Friday, we taught 11-13 year olds about healthy and unhealthy foods. Mike and I co-taught the first lesson, which went extremely well, then he taught the second, and I taught the last. We opened up with a warm up of the “apples and bananas” song and they had to freeze when the music stopped. To my delight, most of the students absolutely loved it! During my individual lesson, I was under the impression that it was only 30 minutes long, as opposed to the usual one hour, so I adapted my lesson on the spot. Minutes before the end, I was informed it was still one hour. There was definitely a split second of panic, but I’m happy to say that I was able to adapt the lesson, and I actually think the way I delivered it turned out to be more successful than it would have been.
Overall, English camp was absolutely amazing. They were long and exhausting days, but it was a very rewarding experience, and I wouldn’t trade it for the world. As mentioned in my last post, I’ve never considered myself to be a lover of little kids, but the Thai children have completely changed my mind about that. They brought out a side of me that I didn’t even know existed. I wore a genuine smile for every moment of each class. In the mere two days I spent with the Thai children, they have helped me to grow as a teacher and person, and I am so grateful for that. I look around at people in the world who are unhappy with their jobs, and I am so grateful that I’ve always known teaching is for me. The classroom is my happy place and as lame and cliché as this may sound, I do it for the kids. To see the smiles on their faces and the “light bulb” moments, as rare as they can be, when a student finally has a moment of clarity and understanding, make every late hour spent planning, preparing, and grading worthwhile.
My First Thai Massage.
I generally don’t consider myself to be a high maintenance person. Tell me I need to shower, get dressed and ready in ten minutes, and I can do it with ease. I don’t usually pamper myself other than doing some basic makeup and painting my nails. Honestly, I’ve had two massages in my life. There are other things I’d rather spent my time and money on. But then I heard that you could get a one-hour full body massage for only 200 baht (less than $6). I’d be a fool to say no. Maybe I’ll start pampering myself, I thought. I’ve heard amazing things about Thai massages, and figured it would be perfect because I’d been sick all week and my body was very sore, so I grabbed my friend Kati and we headed to the nearest massage parlor, which happens to be called “Thai Massage by the Blind.” Yes, they were actually fully blind. I walked in, lay down, and the Thai woman began. It was not what I expected. Now, I know what many of you are probably thinking, OMG, it was one of thoooooose massages. No. No happy endings here, they were as respectful of my personal space as one can be during a massage. But I didn’t realize that Thai massages hurt like hell. I think it may have had something to do with the fact that my body was extremely sore and sensitive from being sick, but I walked away with bruises. For lack of better words, I felt like I had just paid to get my ass beat (sorry for the language Nana, Nanny, Grandpa, Jeannette, and Grandpa). The first half of the massage was very confusing. I was wondering when she would stop hitting and pinching me and begin rubbing me. The second half, after I realized that this is what I signed up for, was hilarious. There was a moment where she was behind me, literally put me in a chokehold, pulled my onto her feet, and I was airborne. I tried to remain composed, but I absolutely lost it and broke out into laughter. What a sight it must have been. While it was painful, I do admit that I felt great the next day. It was quite the experience. Maybe if I’m feeling brave, I’ll try it again at another place to confirm/deny if that was a proper massage. I’ve added some pics of what a Thai massage looks like. The people on the receiving end look super relaxed. Just try to imagine it with my “what on earth is happening to me” confused face.
Saturday: Monkey Mountain.
For our first full weekend off in Hua Hin, we had some amazing weather! While many made their ways to caves/waterfalls a few hours away, I chose to stick around Hua Hin in case I still wasn’t feeling well. Thankfully, I felt great, so a few friends and I made our way to the local “Monkey Mountain.” This mountain is right by the beach in Hua Hin has a gorgeous temple at the top, and as the name suggests, is ridden with monkeys. Seriously, they are like rats (aaaand that’s how I feel about monkeys). Before coming, I knew to put away anything they could grab and not have food out near them. I thought I might want to hold one, but quickly changed my mind as soon as we arrived. There were monkeys EVERYWHERE and they were scary. It was fun to take pictures of them and watch them, but they certainly were not afraid to invade our personal space. Example one of this: my friend Lisa was taking a selfie with monkeys in the background when one surprised her by jumping onto her head, in an attempt to steal her headband. I applaud her for only shedding a few tears, because if it were me, I would have been halfway down the mountain the moment that it hopped off. After hanging at the temple and observing the monkeys for a little over an hour, we decided to make our way down the mountain and head to the beach. First, we stopped for some water and iced teas. We didn’t all finish our drinks in the store, so we took them with us. Our college-educated brains should have known that was a bad idea. But all of us thought nothing of it. As we walked down the road, we thought we had left all of the monkeys behind. Then we saw a few sitting by a mound of bananas chowing down. Smart, we thought. They were peaceful and I still like them. We passed them by, but then a few minutes later a huge monkey started walking right towards our group. I was having none of it, so I ran to the front. It was going right at my friend, Brooke, and that’s when I really picked up the pace. I began swinging its arms at her legs, clearly wanting her tea. But she refused. I watched from a safe distance, yelling at her to drop her drink. Then the monkey jumped up onto her and began biting the cup. That’s when I really started reaaaally yelling to drop it, but my cries were drowned out by her own screams. Everyone was too afraid to help her, but we did get some great pictures. Somehow, she managed to get the monkey off her, and her tea was still fully in tact, but now it was chasing our group. Again, I was not about that kind of life, so I sprinted away to higher ground that was definitely just as unsafe from monkeys as the ground (they’re monkeys, they climb, it’s what they do), but it made me feel better. The monkey then went for my roommate, Haley’s drink, and she surrendered it right away. Then, to our relief, a songthaew (like a bus) came by, we hopped on, and left the monkey in the dust. I had about ten adrenaline rushes at monkey mountain, and if there are any grey hairs on my head, I attribute them to that day. But really, it was a super fun and hilarious time, and I’d certainly do it again. We then headed to grab some burgers and beers, which were so delicious and well deserved, then straight to the beach to swim for a bit. What. A. Day.
Sunday Exploring.
My Sunday began bright and early by waking up at 7:15 and heading to hike to a nearby temple with some of my great friends around 8:30! The temple has a massive standing Buddha statue that is highly visible from our apartment. After two weeks, we finally decided to check it out. We walked for a few miles before arriving at the bottom of the hill and then we hiked up to the top. There was a beautiful temple and an even more beautiful view of Hua Hin. Absolutely breathtaking. When we had finished marveling, we climbed back down, and decided to explore some more. We headed in the direction of what I imagine must have been the King’s palace in Hua Hin (he does have a home here and stays here quite often). We had seen it from the top of the temple. On our way, we passed by a bunch of horses in the road. I’m not sure if they were wild, or just wandering, but it was pretty cool (even though I’m a little afraid of horses). As we walked, we came upon this huge building that looked like a temple of some sort and decided to check it out. We walked in and saw lots of monks, women clad in white, and military. I instantly became aware of my bare shoulders and felt like we didn’t belong there. Then, a monk came over and told us to enter the temple. You’re not normally supposed to go into a temple with bare shoulders, but a monk told us to, so I didn’t argue. We walked in and smelled amazing food being cooked, then headed to the many Buddha statues to pray for a few minutes. It was nice and relaxing. We then made our way out, stopped for water, and met a Thai woman named Nan, who told us that the building was some type of housing, mainly for sick people. She asked our names, was happy to meet us, then told us to climb the steps of the building to see the temple up top. We did, and it was gorgeous. I’m so glad we met her. From there, we saw a sign for elephants, and naturally had to follow. The sign led us to a place called Elephant Village. The moment we arrived, we ran straight to the first elllie we saw. After spending a moment with it, we realized from its movements, conditions, and surroundings, that this was not a business that we wanted to support. They definitely mistreated their elephants and it was devastating to see the sadness in its eyes. I feel terrible for going, but I’m glad to have realized the conditions there, so I can tell my friends not to go.
We headed back and had lunch after that, but the adventure isn’t over yet. Haley and I, along with some other friends, decided to go to a cat café that we had passed by the day before. Yes, I said cat café. No, Uncle Bill, it’s not a place where you eat cats. It was sooo awesome! I ordered some tiramisu and a caramel macchiato, then made my way to the tables/ seating pads. There were about 7 different purebred cats wandering around, playing with patrons and their toys. They were the cutest cats I’ve ever seen. It was such a fun, weird, therapeutic way to end the day. It definitely made me miss my sweet little mittens. There really is no way to describe it, you’ll just have to check out the pictures.
Now I’m off to make some lesson plans before dinner. Lots of love! <3 Erin