Jello

On January 5, 2016July 24, 2016 By rrainefioreIn UncategorizedLeave a comment

Today was a roller coaster of “I don’t want to do this”. and “It’ll be ok”. We went over our lesson plans for tomorrow. Tomorrow we are teaching all day at a school – 6 classes. We are in pairs and each pair will be teaching the lesson plan we created last night to each of the classes we are assigned to. I’m not excited to do this, but I am curious about how I will feel about teaching after a full day of it.

Tonight after dinner, I thought I’d try something different so I ordered a caramel tea with milk pudding. I had no idea what that meant and I’m still not quite sure. I tasted like iced tea with caramel sauce in it. It was milky too. Then at the bottom were large ice cube sized chunks of super sweet gooey gelatinous stuff. It was drinkable, but overall, it was just wrong. I will not order that again. I’ve had ice cream inside mochi – mochi ball – I’d highly recommend this gelatin delight. One night I had what looked like deep fried broccoli. Nope. It was deep fried something with the flavor of garlic and scallions. I called it gummy scallions. It was one of the weirdest things I’ve ever had, but I’d do it again. There are all sorts of gummy candies. They put black jello on rice and call it dessert. There’s boba tea and then all sorts of versions of drink that resemble that, but are not quite that. What is this fascination Thais have with gelatin?

Had a great lunch today at a cute place that had bull dogs running around the restaurant. I’m sure it’s sanitary. Nothing gelatinous there. One of the bulldogs came running up to me and gave me his toy. Then he jumped up in my lap and demanded attention. When I went to give my camera to a friend to take a picture, he then started barking at me and growling. I think maybe it was a cat in a bull dog body.

Slightly Better

On January 4, 2016July 24, 2016 By rrainefioreIn UncategorizedLeave a comment

We did our first lessons in class today. I didn’t die. I didn’t fail. So, I feel a lot better than I did yesterday. I don’t feel excited about it and I don’t feel like this is the job for me, but at least I’m pretty sure I can do it. I still haven’t identified why this is feeling so dire. I know the emotional level is much higher than the actual situation warrants. This usually means the situation is tapping into a deeper issue I haven’t resolved yet. I’m too exhausted right now to investigate into that….. But, rest assured, I will be ok and somewhere along the line, I’ll enjoy this again.

Whose Idea was This?

On January 3, 2016July 24, 2016 By rrainefioreIn UncategorizedLeave a comment

Today we started our TESOL class. We talked about styles of teaching and lesson plans. For homework, we were broken into groups and had to create a lesson plan that we will present tomorrow. It was all so new to me and it just feels impossible. It took our group all evening to do the lesson plan which just made me feel worse, if worse was even possible. The feeling of “Where’s the Undo Button” came up again. I don’t want to be here. I don’t want to be a teacher. Worse yet, I won’t be able to do it. I’m just going to fail miserably. I want to run away and I can’t go anywhere. I can’t undo this decision. Yesterday, I was excited about this. Today, I’m frozen in my tracks. I tried going to my room to scream and cry and it helped a little, but I still feel completely incapable. I want to do something to alleviate how uncomfortable this feels, but there is nothing I can do. The cognitive side of my brain knows I’ll be fine, I can do this. But, the inadequate feelings are not going away just because I know this is stupid. I’d like to wrap this blog up in a pretty package with pictures, lessons learned, and a big smile on my face, but I can’t. Maybe tomorrow.

On January 2, 2016July 24, 2016 By rrainefioreIn UncategorizedLeave a comment

Today we did laundry. That was interesting. They don’t have laundromats like in the US. It’s just a line of washing machines next to the road. It was interesting trying to figure out what buttons to push. It took forever, but it all worked and now our clothes are clean! Then we wandered around a different neighborhood, got Thai massages and found a wonderful night market. The night market was touristy and prices were higher than other places, but most of the non-food items were handmade art and clothing of real good quality. And, with every market, there was lots and lots of food. I had a touch of heat exhaustion during the day so I was happy to call it an early night.

20160101_211255 — Shoes at our front door step

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20160102_163814 — Bad Marketing for Child’s Toy

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A Delightful Wrong Turn

On January 1, 2016July 24, 2016 By rrainefioreIn Uncategorized1 Comment

We had today off of class. A few of us went out in search of the beach we had been to last night. We took a very long songtao ride. It took way longer than we thought it would. The directions we had been given were get off the songtao, go left, cross a bridge, turn left after the 2nd mini mart. Turn left (the first one) is drastically different depending on what direction you are facing when you get off the truck. We took the wrong left. It led us to a beach we didn’t want to go to. Then down a dead end street. We saw another street on the other side of a big field so we crossed the sketchy field and walked up the road. On one side of the road was a creek with so many fishing boats on it that it was difficult to figure out how they all fit in there. The other side of the road had people selling fresh fish. Horseshoe crab, blue crap, giant prawns, lobster, squid and more. Behind most of the tanks were grills, kitchens, and restaurants.

We also saw monkeys. We eventually found our way to the beach we had been at the night before. There were more places to eat, beach vendors, pony rides, tons of people swimming or laying out on chairs. It was cooler than it has been in days which was nice. We spent the rest of the afternoon at the beach and then went back to the fish market area for dinner. It was one of the best meals I’ve had in Thailand so far.

Happy New Year

On December 31, 2015July 24, 2016 By rrainefioreIn Thailand, UncategorizedLeave a comment

Today we had more language and culture lessons. We also had a sharing session where we were asked to write down why we were here. Not, the canned polite response, but the real one – were we looking for something, running from something, what have we gone through to get here, what were we hoping to learn or how did we want to grow, etc. I thought it was a very brave and real way to look at the situation. I think it’s a huge part of what needs to be dealt with to learn and grow. We also talked about the various emotions that may come up while adjusting to our new lives and various ways to deal with that. I’m sure the importance of the exercises was lost on many.

I’m very impressed with this company. One of the quotes I’ve seen several times through them is “You may not get the experience you want, but you will get the experience you need”. I feel they have done a good job of stressing the importance of releasing expectations, embracing the new culture and going with the flow. It’s almost ATP meets teaching English. I am impressed.

Tonight was New Year’s Eve. They planned a beach bbq. I thought this might be kind of hokey and I kind of felt bad that the whole staff had to hang out with us on NYE, but it was awesome. The beach was beautiful, the food was great. A truck drove up and started playing music. They don’t wait until midnight to set off fireworks so they were going off all night. There were more fireworks at midnight, though. People were sending off the floating lanterns too. It was a beautiful way to celebrate the end of the year and the start of my new life in Thailand.

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Elephants

On December 30, 2015July 24, 2016 By rrainefioreIn UncategorizedLeave a comment

Today they took us to a pineapple farm. The pineapple is delicious here. Xploreasia bought some of the pineapple that was no longer fit for humans to take to the Hutsadin elephant foundation to donate for the elephants. I love the way Xploreaisa is giving back to the community in unique ways. Then they took us to see the elephants. They rescue elephants. In order to pay for their costs, they sell rides or walks with the elephants and they have an elephant show. It’s not ideal to have to “sell” them out to tourists, but it’s the only way they can afford to feed and care for them. We got to feed them. We also had Thai language class and had a talk about what it’s like to work with agents and schools. We may have agents that represent us and help us with the teaching contract, accommodations, payroll, etc or we may work directly with the school. Each situation will be different. It may be fairly organized and structured or it may be the complete opposite. The range of things we may encounter covers just about everything. After that we went to the Thai market which I wrote about in my other blog from today.

After the market, I went out to a small shopping center with my house mates. I really like my house mates. There are 5 of us in this house. We all get along and I feel like I have some of the more mature people in the class as my house mates. There are 27 of us in class and I am the oldest by probably 20 years. It feels odd at times for me. The difference in age can go from hardly noticeable to staggering in a split second. It’s difficult to quite put my finger on what it is. I could say it’s maturity or a lack of it, but that’s not really it. It’s more like an energy or frequency difference. There is a more frantic energy to them as a whole which feels loud and awkward. This tends to be more noticeable during the more social times and is hardly there during learning times. There are quite a few that I can tell are going to be amazing teachers and are going to embrace the experience with an open heart and great courage.

Rescue Paws

On December 29, 2015July 24, 2016 By rrainefioreIn UncategorizedLeave a comment

Today we went to a local temple and learned a lot about Buddhist temples. It was right on the ocean and was very unique. It had a beautiful view of Hua Hin off in the distance.

After the temple we went to Rescue Paws. There are lot of stray dogs in Thailand. The Thai people often feed them, but don’t take them in as pets and don’t take care of them when they are sick. And they don’t get spayed or neutered so there are so many. Rescue Paws feeds a lot of dogs, spays or neuters dogs and returns them to their packs. They also help sick dogs and try to adopt dogs to Canada that aren’t part of a pack. We toured their kennels and surgery room and got to meet some of the dogs. If you want to learn more about the organization or help support them, here is their website. https://web.facebook.com/RescuePawsThailand/

Then we had Thai language lessons and a Thai politics class. Then they took us to a Muay Thai class. It was a lot like kickboxing. They showed us basic punching and kicking moves. It looked like almost everyone loved it. I decided it was meh.

Day 1 of Class

On December 28, 2015July 24, 2016 By rrainefioreIn UncategorizedLeave a comment

For the next 4 weeks, I’ll be in class to get my TESOL certification. The first week is all Thai culture and language. Then anyone that is already a certified teacher will move on to their jobs and the rest of us will continue on with the TESOL class.

Today we got into vans and drove down to Hua Hin. We are in houses near the school so we were given time to settle in. There are 5 of us in our house and our house is really nice, except the beds – I’m not happy with the bed – I can feel all the springs. I’m sure I’ll get use to it though.

20151228_182106 — Row of washers at the end of the street

Then they took us to the local mall and showed us where our bank was and the cell phone store. We had some time to shop and get lunch. Then we went back to the school for a talk about the area and logistics. Everyone in my class and at Xploreasia is wonderful. I am the oldest in the class by about 20 years. It’s a bit odd, but not an issue.

That evening a few of us went to a night market near our house. It had great food. It was a beautiful place. So much of Thailand feels run down or at the very least practical with no flare or artistic component to it. Other than the temples, of course, which are detailed, colorful and glittering. This market was beautiful with pretty lights, good food, and interesting shops.

Exhausted, I took a shower and went to bed early. The days of showering once every 3 or 4 days a week are over. It’s so hot here and it’s not their hot season. Hope I adjust quickly.

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Minor Scam

On December 27, 2015July 24, 2016 By rrainefioreIn UncategorizedLeave a comment

Well, today was much much better than yesterday. I got to the hotel around 1:00am, slept until 6:00am when my body decided it was time to get up. Later in the morning I met up with 6 of the other teachers in my program and we headed out check out parts of Bangkok. We went to the Chatuchak Weekend Market which boasts to be one of the world’s largest markets. It was pretty big, hot and crowded. But there was coconut ice cream so I was a happy little kid.

We wanted to go to the Grand Palace after and couldn’t figure how to get from the train station to the Grand Palace. A couple of tuk tuk drivers showed us where it was on the map, but it was closed due to a holiday. They suggested we do a boat tour instead and see a different temple. Apparently this is a common scam where someone will tell you where you want to go is closed and then take your to their friend’s place to spend your money instead. Still, the tuk tuk ride was fun. The boat ride was fun and interesting, but longer than I would have liked. It’s very interesting how some people live in big houses and next door is a tiny shack that looks like it might fall into the water at any moment. And then next door to that is a glittering temple. The temples are amazing, ornate and beautiful, even the smaller ones. We ended up another Temple, Wat Pho, that has the largest reclining Buddha statue. It was so large, I couldn’t get a picture of the whole statue. There were many temples all within the grounds of Wat Pho, but unfortunately we didn’t have enough time to explore a lot. Then we got into way overly priced tuk tuks to go back to the hotel.

We had a meeting with Xploreasia that evening to introduce everyone and get the general info on tomorrow and the weeks ahead. By the time we were done with the meeting, I was ready for bed, but needed to eat. Most of us went to a night market for dinner. The food was great. Then I went to bed early.

Overall, it was a great day and I feel so much better about my choice to move abroad. I’ve always known it’s going to be great, but the fear of the unknown has been very big lately. The fear has retreated quite a bit today! Yay!

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	eaglegenuinec87d1476… on Going Home
	delicately4f6d967f14 on Going Home
	delicately4f6d967f14 on Icebergs
	delicately4f6d967f14 on ATV Tour
	eaglegenuinec87d1476… on Kluane

Rraine Drops

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