4:30am Monday morning: I awake feeling pretty good considering. This will not last. I get ready for school only to discover if you don't have ac the few minutes in the shower are your only relief from sweat. I reluctantly ride on Lani's motorbike to a market nearby to be picked up by Emily- PE Teacher, Lawrie- Headmaster, and Lee- New Grade 5 Teacher who arrived Saturday. The motorbike ride was like getting a shot at the doctor- the fear is all in the anticipation. While we waited for the car to pick me up a dog came wandering up to us with it's head literally split open. This has been the hardest thing for me so far. All day I couldn't stop thinking about that dog. Lani offered it a cracker which it ate as we left. Stray dogs are everywhere here. It's hard to tell if they have a care taker. So far they have all been friendly but I don't tempt fate by petting them. There are various organizations that try to help, but the population is huge. I would like to volunteer at "Care for Dogs" which is a shelter. I think I need some more time to adjust though. I can't save them all and I have to live so I can't feed them all either, but it's really tough!
At school I was greeted by friendly faces, and delightful children. My teaching partner's name is Ms. Shafaq. She is from India, and has been at NIS for about a decade. I adore her, and we are a great team so far! The teachers at NIS have been nothing but kind to me. Ms. Lynn came and picked me up for lunch in the Canteen on the first day so I wasn't the awkward "new kid" sitting alone. The food at school leaves something to be desired. It's free for the teachers, but gross most of the time. I keep a cup of noodle in my bag and some dried fruit just in case. Note: This is all I have heard from every teacher at NIS so my expectations for lunch were low to begin with.
I made it until about 11:30am on Monday when my Jetlag hit me like a train and the NIS bus took me back to Lani's. I slept from 2-4:30, ate dinner (Spaghetti, thank you Lani!) and slept again from 7pm- to about 4am.
Tuesday was much better. We took a field trip to Honda. This was already planned before my arrival. The people (as most Thai's are) were very kind, accommodating, and generous. The kids received cookies and ovaltine, and each teacher was presented with a box wrapped in silk and inscribed in Thai.
Our school day is from about 7:30am until 3:30pm. It's a long day, but it is broken up with periods where the children go to different classes- swimming, movement, music, computer, etc. We have lots of built in planning time and my teaching partner is very easy going. Our game plan last week was for me to observe, help out, and get familiar with the curriculum. We split the class into two equal groups at random. We will split into these groups to teach various subjects, but each child will remain in the same class with Ms. Shafaq and myself as their teachers.
By Friday I had my bearings at school, and somewhat of a regular sleep pattern. Missed a few dinners due to a "nap" which just turned in to early bed time. I think my body is more exhausted than I am aware of with all the excitement, so I am trying to let it sleep as much as possible without getting too far off track for a regular sleep cycle.
Wednesday night we went out to dinner- Lani, her brother Robert, his wife Sal, and Their children- one of which is in my class.
It was this perfect Thai dinner on the edge of town complete with an open air covered patio along the river and a fantastic view of the mountains. Heineken flowed freely and we enjoyed each dish over a long period as it came out. I love this country! Unfortunately I had an allergic reaction to the last dish I ate and my body promptly let me know and took care of it by forcing me to throw up. Felt fine after that.
Developed a rash the next day. I have never had food allergies, but this is a different continent so it will take some adjusting.
One great thing about Thailand is you can go into any pharmacy, tell them what's wrong, and they give you something for it. So far every time it has worked. Most pharmacy's have someone who speaks some English and through broken sentences and hand gestures they can diagnose the problem. So far it's been for my back problems, then nausea, and by the end of the week I needed something for the rash. Each time I don't really know what I am taking until I get home and research it, but they have all worked!
On Friday I moved into a room in a full service apartment/ hotel. It's called The Royal Orchid. Ms. Shafaq took me Wed during lunch to look at places near school and this was the third place we went to. It has AC, a king size bed, wireless, full bathroom, a TV with cable (which turned out to be all in Thai with one English channel), and towel service. Most of the women at the desk don't speak any English but they are very kind and have gone out of their way to help me. I like it here. I don't know that I will stay for the whole year, but for now it's close to school- where I spend the majority of my time. It's also a place of my own which feels good. I came here to learn about myself and regain my independence, and this is just the beginning...
Photos: Ms. Shafaq (far right) and our class at Honda, View from parking lot at NIS- rain over the Mountains, A side entrance at NIS. The school is Beautiful! The side road near Lani's, with rice patties everywhere.
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