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!

Family in Thailand: Chiang Mai Day 1

Thursday morning we were up early.  Tanner and I stayed in a hotel half a block from my family.  We headed over about 6 that morning.  Most of them were in the lobby when we got there.  It was so fun to see Annie, my mom, dad and Bryce after a year and a half.  I also got to see Wesley for the first time in over two years!  There were lots of hugs and smiles all around! WE ate breakfast with them at their hotel and headed to the airport at 6:30.   We found a Krispy Kreme at the airport and had breakfast dessert (that's a thing, right...?)

In my family we thing it's funny to pluralize things strangely, like adding an 's' in an unusual place.  We got a kick out of this 'mixed fruits juice'.

They have random photo areas in Thailand.  This one was in the Chiang Mai airport:

From the airport we went to our hostel.  It was too early to check in, but we dropped off our bags.  Then the driver from the cooking class picked us up.  Tanner and Wesley stood on the back of the truck as we rode.  My mom did too, but that was short lived.

We went to the market for a tour and lesson about the fresh herbs and spices we would be using.  

Fried bugs

My family loved seeing all the new fruits and vegetables.  Sometimes I forget that I'm so used to things that are different.  It's nice to be with a fresh set of eyes to be reminded of the things that are different here.

From the market we went to the cooking class where we spent the day until 2:00.  We cooked and ate and cooked and ate.  Then we cooked and ate some more.  We made 6 courses!  Since Tanner and I have been to the class so many times, the owners sad they would do a couple new dishes with us.  We made 'money bags' instead of egg rolls and we made some spring rolls with a homemade dipping sauce.

The money bags.  Soooo good!

Spring rolls.  I think I'll make these when I get home but throw in cucumbers, avacado (something they don't have here) and peppered turkey.

Nancy and Pot, the school owners and now friends

When we were done at the cooking class we took our full bellies to the Tiger Kingdom.  Annie, Wesley and Bryce paid to go in with the tigers.  Tanner, my mom, dad and I watched from afar.

The only tiger Tanner got a picture with.

After that we were tired and ready to relax for a bit.  We checked in at the hostel and relaxed for about an hour and a half.

View from the hostel

After that we were off to the night market.  We got fresh fruit smoothies and shopped (Bryce did a LOT of shopping and that was really for to watch).

Tanner and I got Subway (such a treat for us!) for dinner around 11:00 then we headed back to the hostel.  It was a full, busy day and we all really enjoyed it.