Family in Thailand: Phichit

Tuesday of my family's trip was spent in Phichit where I live!  Monday night my family stayed at the garden home with Tang and her family.  They go to the school the next morning around 10:00.  Here are pictures of the garden home and around the school that Bryce took.  I'm used to seeing this place everyday, but here it is from an outsider's view :)

The garden home where Tang lives with all of her family.

The front building of the school where preschool and Kindergarten 1-3 are taught

The front lobby that sports a Christmas tree all year long.

The elementary building where I teach

The back of the elementary building and the back up water tanks.  To the left is the building where I live.

Left to right: My bedroom door, the shared sinks (used for washing dishes, faces, hands and teeth) and the hallway to the bathrooms.

Our room, the shared eating/kitchen area, then the volunteers' room.  Our biked on the left.

The back part of the property where the grounds keeper lives.  Eventually more buildings will go up back here (to the left)

In our room

In our room

My family spend the day in my classroom with the kids!  The kids have been so excited to meet them.  Bryce talked to them about hiking and the Grand Canyon.  My dad talked to them about flying an airplane.  My mom and Annie brought my guitar over and sang with them.  Welsey spoke in Spanish for them and talked about healthy and unhealthy foods.  The kids asked questions.  We even dances with them while teaching them "Once There Was a Snowman".  The kids loved it!  I loved having a change in the normal teaching routine.  And I think my family liked it too. 

First grade:

Annie, mom, me, dad, Wesley, Sun, Yipso, Basia, Tiger, MooPhee

Second grade:

Lining up to come into class

Teaching "Once There Was a Snowman"

My mom brought Jelly Bellies for the kids to try.  They each got 5 and tried to guess the flavors.

My dad talking about why planes fly.

Third Grade:

Bryce talking about hiking and the Grand Canyon.

For the last 10 minutes with 3rd grade we split up.  Dad and Wesley went outside to ply soccer and football.  Annie, my mom and I stayed inside and played songs and sang.  The kids picked where they wanted to go.  the boys + Mhew went outside, the rest of the girls stayed inside.

The girls who stayed in to sing with us: Jean, Praewa, Yada, Sydney, Lin, Ioon.

Tang and Ake took us all to lunch for Pad Thai.  There is this little hole in the wall restaurant that serves really good Pad Thai.  We ate and my family and my Thai work family got to know each other.

After I was done teaching we went out and about in Phichit.  We rode bikes and I showed then a bit of the town.

We went to the crocodile park.  We saw the live crocodiles in the crocodile pit as well as the ostriches and the humongous crock. 

We got fresh smoothies at my favorite smoothie place.

Candid

Posed and a little blurry

Bryce snapped a picture while we were riding.  This is what a lot of Phichit looks like.  Families will have a shop n the bottom floor and live on the second and third stories.

We ran into Ioon and her mom while we were at the smoothie shop.  She invited us to go out for ice cream later that night.  Unfortunately we couldn't join her since the family was leaving in a couple hours.  We thanked her and went on our way.  We went to the fabric shop next.  While we were there Ioon's mom showed up!  She was so sad that we couldn't meet her for ice cream tat she stopped at the market and bought us grapes.  She wanted to tell my mom how great she thought I was and how much her daughter loved being in my class :)  She's so great and I love her and her daughter! 

After the fabric shop we ordered some pizza.  While we waited for the pizza we walked around Tesco.  Then it was back to the school in the rain.  We ate pizza and visited for their last hour.  Then The girls, Tang, Ake, Ton and Flynn came to send them off.

I know I have said it before, but I had SO MUCH FUN with them here!!!  I's sad they had to go, but so glad they got to come!

Cowboy Crocodile

Phichit is called the land of the crocodiles.  I wrote a little bit about that here.  Due to that there are crocodile statues all over the county.  It's my dream to get pictures of all of them.  So far I just have two: the crocodile family (which I can't seem to find now) and the cowboy crocodile.

Crocodile park and frizzy hair

I have spent most of the last 2 days in my room at my desk lesson planning.  My body is a bit sick of that chair.  Geneva, you asked about lesson planning.  I will be teaching in 6 areas: grammar, vocabulary, phonics, science, math, and SPE (synchronized play episodes).  For all but the last one they have curriculum here.  I just need to go pick out what to use and make it more exciting.  The younger kids' lessons are comprised completely of SPEs.   Those have 6 areas: kitchen, arts and crafts, games, gym, drama, and shop.  They are really fun activities that draw out language.  They encourage spontaneous speech in a fun environment and get kids speaking quickly!  My age group won't need them so much, but they are fun and they'll get to do two activities once a week.  Those are what I mostly taught last time I was with ILP.

Yesterday evening I decided to ride a bike into town.  The main part of town is about 3 miles away.  Its was incredibly hot and humid and by the time I got to town I had a sweat mark on my shirt where my purse had been.

I stopped at the crocodile park—it’s only about a mile from the school. 

Then I headed into town to try and find Happy Plaza.  That has a Tesco (Walmart-ish place), Swensen’s Ice Cream shop, KFC, Hot Pot resturaunt and such.  I had a map, but I went about half a mile too far and had to stop and ask for help.  That is hard to do when you don’t speak the language… I stopped my bike, and asked a man, “Tesco?” He said something I didn’t understand.  So I said it again and got another response I didn’t understand (of it could have been the very same response…I really can’t tell…)  I asked once more and he repeated “Tesco”.  We were getting somewhere!  He pointed back the way I had come from.  That’s really all I wanted to know—just if I had gone too far.  So I turned around.  It’s tricky driving on the opposite side of the street.  I’m not supposed to do what feels natural and I am supposed to be exactly where my brain tells me not to be!  I went down 2 wrong streets, drove in a big square shape, and finally got to happy plaza!  I made sure that I always knew where the main road was so in case I never found Happy Plaza I could at least get back to the school.  During the course of my ride I got honked at 3 times (not angry honks), waved at by two boys flirtatiously (no thanks…), stared at by at least 20 people, heard around 4 people shout “hello”, and had one old man wave and should something in Thai.  I put a lock on my bike and went into the cool plaza.  I stopped in at Swensen’s and decided to get a cool treat.  I was seated and given a menu.  Someone came to take my order and when I shook my head ‘no’ she didn’t seem to understand.  So then I tried to tell her I wasn’t ready and she didn’t understand.  So she sent someone else over who also didn’t understand me.  I finally got my point across by taking two fingers, pointing to my eyes, then at the menu and then shrugging my shoulders.  Then they got it and left.  As soon as they joined the rest of the workers (Seriously … there were so many workers there!) they started talking and erupted in giggles.  I ended up getting a chocolate shake float—a chocolate shake with two scoops of ice cream—and a bottle of water.  I pointed and they understood the first time!  It was tasty and cost about $3.50.  I think I could have been just as happy without the scoops of ice cream.  It was cold, and chocolaty and delicious.  

Then I went and talked around Tesco.  I got some almonds, cashews, hangers, and Pocky (in chocolate and strawberry).  I should have picked up some laundry soup as well.  I guess that warrants another trip very soon since I’m nearly out of clean underwear!

Dinner two nights ago was Pad Thai and it was good.  Lunch today was chicken and a mystery veggie.  I learned later that it’s pumpkin. 

 Pad Thai

Chicken and pumpkin

I have killed 2 cockroaches in my room… That is my worst nightmare!  I think that’s more than I have killed in my entire life!  I usually run and fetch someone to take care of it: husband,  student (I know…I’m terrible), next door teacher at school, room mate, etc.  I felt quite brave, yet equally terrified that there will probably be more.  I was jumpy for 15 min after the terrible incident tonight.

I went to KFC today with Tang, Ake, and Ton (Tang’s brother).  I had already eaten lunch, but I wanted to got out of my room for a bit.  I got a little chocolate Sunday and they got lunch.  One of the Sunday topping options was corn.  I asked them about it and they said they put corn as a dessert topping.  Strange.

I wore my air half down today.  I've been wondering how it would react to the humidity.  It wasn't terrible, but it was a bit on the poofy, less structured side.  But I also didn't use as much hairspray as normal and didn't diffuse it.  It's take some experimenting, but I mostly think I'll just wear it up or in a braid.

I got to text (read iMessage) my sister, brother, mom, and friend Mel today in addition to Skyping with Tanner.  That was the highlight of my day.

This evening I was feeling sluggish and my body was wore from sitting in that office chair for so long.  I did some squats, lunges, jumping jacks, push-ups, and crunches in my room and it felt good to get my blood pumping. 

On a totally different note, my mom and I have a teaching and parenting website/blog.  You should head over and take a look!