June 18th, 2552

Hello my loyal followers,

You can see some photos below. There are captions if you put your mouse over each photo. Enjoy! And no, that is not a typo. It really is the year 2552 here. The Thai calendar is different...its B.E. or Buddhist Era. The year is based on the death of Gautama Buddha...So, I am 543 years and 11 hours ahead of the East Coast.

 

“Ohhhkay so….” When asked if I am loving it here, I have to be honest, I forget to realize that I am loving it.  My routine has become just that, a routine.  By no means am I claiming that I have seen all there is to see in Khon Kaen, but I feel like I have settled in here in much the same way as I settled in to South Bend: I have what I need, there’s stuff to do, but I am not rushing around seeing the sights or anything. Whereas in Cape Town, I had a “bucket list” of things to do before I left (and could have made one for 10 years of things), I don’t think such a list will be needed for Khon Kaen. My list of things to do here involves more personal-growth goals, haha.  At the end of a busy day I have to stop myself just to say, "You're teaching in Thailand, that's so weird... and awesome."

Last weekend seemed like any ordinary weekend in South Bend (minus a few people who I miss terribly): two trips to the mall, lots of eating, and out to the bar on Saturday.  There is not an English movie theater in Khon Kaen, at least not until December, or I'm sure a flick would have been included in the weekend’s activities.  Khon Kaen does not offer an endless strip of chain restaurants like the thriving metropolis of Mishawaka, but there are probably more places to eat within walking distance of my apartment than in all of Indiana…and downtown Khon Kaen has many many more.  On Friday, Neuki, her boyfriend Toffee, Frank, Jeff, Meredith and I went to this “hot pot” restaurant.  I love hot pots now.  Basically, you order what you want to eat and it comes raw.  We had some shrimp, some meat, some noodles, some tofu and tons of vegetables.  Then, you place some food in a your own personal ladle with holes and submerge it into a pot of boiling water that is being heated in the middle of your table.  When it’s cooked, you put it in your bowl, add some broth, season it up the way you like it and eat it.  It’s sort of like making your own little “cup of noodles.”  De-lish.

The bar we went to, U-bar, is apparently the nicest bar in the city and neither the crowd nor the décor caused me to think otherwise.  It’s funny; there were two live bands during the night, but no dance floor.  If people danced at all, they did so between tables.  Mostly, people sat on small stools at small tables drinking whiskey and coke.  Don’t worry about lines at the bar, you simply buy a bottle of Johnny Walker to share with your pals and the waiters continuously refresh your drink with more ice, whiskey, or coke while you listen to fantastic Thai pop music.  I tried to have one of my new favs play on my blog but to no avail.  Hopefully, you will be able to experience the magic soon.   Neuki translates songs for me and the teenage heartthrobs in Thailand are singing about all the same stuff they sing about in the USA: mostly exciting new love and broken hearts. 

Neuki has also been teaching me Thai idioms, which I think are very interesting.  Here is what I have learned so far.

1. An old cow chewing new grass = robbing the cradle…Happens often here with old Western men and young Thai women.
2. Mud covering the pig’s tail = procrastinating, digging yourself into a hole with homework, etc.
3. You can’t cover a dead elephant with a lotus leaf.  Neuki’s example: If you do something bad and then you try to make it better or make excuses, your mom might say “you can’t cover a dead elephant with a lotus leaf.”
4. A frog under half a coconut = living in a bubble; sheltered
5. Riding an elephant to catch a grasshopper = doing unnecessary things, being illogical.  

Interesting window into Thai culture, huh? 

This week, I spent most of class time learning my students’ names. I have 161 students right now.  Despite using their nicknames, I manage to mispronounce almost all of them.  Even when their names are American words like Dear, Bank, Mix or Big, I apparently say them wrong.  A lot of students have sound effects for names: Pla, Aui, Au, Ou, Oy, Aum, Aof.  I also have two Nongs, one Nang, a Noo, a Nood and a few Nooms, not to mention a student with almost every letter of the alphabet from A to Z as a name: A, P, K, Y, O, M, you name it.  I have three Tums, a couple Toms and a few Tops.  Even though Thai people have more distinctive and unique features than the people I saw in China, they all have dark eyes, dark hair, and my students are all in uniforms, which really complicates the name-learning thing.  Today, I took their pictures so I have little flashcards for them now and should have their identities mastered by the week’s end.

 

I also found out first hand how Thais think cheating is helping others.  I had two groups of students in different classes perform the exact same dialogue that they were supposed to have written themselves.  The group mentality thing…

I do not “talk Thai” yet.  Since I am tone deaf, I am at a great disadvantage.  I start my Thai tutor soon and am looking forward to it almost as much as my next good bagel though when that will come, I do not know.

No class today because it's Wai Kru, which is a holiday designated for students to honor their teachers.  I am bowed to (or “wai”ed, pronounced “why” not “way”) many times throughout my normal workday, but this day holds in store intense bowing and probably some flowers.  I am trying not to get used to all the respect I am shown here…  

If I do not die crossing the 10-lane road on my newly-acquired bicycle, I will write again soon. If I do, this blog will be extremely morbid.

Chun rak kuhn…That’s I love you.

Erin