A Long-Short Weekend- Ayutthaya

Hello Family and Friends,

Last week I owed the early start to my weekend to two holidays of the Buddhist world: Asarnha Bucha and Khao Phansa.  On Thursday, Aug. 2, people across the country gathered at temples to pay tribute and give alms to monks.  This is one of Buddhism's most important holidays, because it marks the first sermon the Buddha delivered to his five disciples as it came to him following enlightenment.  The next day Khao Phansa marks the beginning of "Lent" of the Buddhist world and marked by visits to the local temple.

All this sets the stage for what I planned to be a trip to Chang Mai in northern Thailand. Scheduled to take an over night bus for the 12 hour trip, I thought it would be smooth sailing after hearing friends rave about the comfort and ease of taking the bus.  Oh how wrong this proved to be!  Because it was a holiday weekend, they ran out of buses.  I had to wait two hours for an old reserve bus to be brought up.  Old bus equals cramped, hot, and not made for 6'1" Americans; in layman terms- P.O.S.  Shortly after they closed the doors my dread began.  I developed the worst case of motion sickness I've ever experienced.  Couple that with a severely upset stomach that started after I finished my mayonnaise doused sandwich dinner from 711, and I had myself a recipe for living hell.  Shuttling between my seat and the tiny compartment on board called the bathroom made my nausea even worse.  Long story short, I had the bus pull over and simply let me out somewhere on the highway two hours outside Bangkok around midnight.  I found a cab that was only willing to drive me halfway back and another to take me the distance.  The next day my head throbbed and bowls continued acting up.  I had to change plans for somewhere closer and leave Friday.

After a quick look in The Lonely Planet, given to me by my friend Maggie McCarthy as a graduation present :) , I found a city called Ayutthaya located just outside the city and accessible by train.  I wasn't about to take a bus any time soon.  Getting to Ayutthaya couldn't be easier.  They have trains running almost every half hour and tickets run around 15 baht (50 cents USD for a two hour train!)

Since my trip to Koh Samet, I've decided to rent a motorbike in every city if possible.  It has allowed me to see the city and sites at my own pace and ends up being cheaper.  Also you see areas you otherwise would never have thought to explore.  Each day was filled with an exhausting amount of riding. The city has an absurd amount of wats, or temples, spread within and around the city.  Take a look at the following map of the city to get an idea for its layout:

Although I consider myself directionally adroit, even with a map, navigating from wat to wat proved a challenge.  The general direction of each wat was accurate, but there were roads and signs that led to wild goose chases.  

I have posted a collage of pictures and videos in the gallery above this post which I hope you will take a look at.  I didn't personally have a favorite wat, because each spot was uniquely breath taking.  I'm interested to hear from you which pictures you find interesting.  

This weekend we have another long weekend with Monday off to celebrate the Queen's birthday which is also Mother's Day here in Thailand.  I plan on visiting the National Park Khao Yai located just north of the Ayutthaya, so there will be more pictures next weekend.  

Until next time,

Derek

Peregrination of the Hood

This past Sunday I decided to venture out with a friend, Kate, with the hopes of finding a quiet park to catch up on some reading.  7 hours and 15 miles later I had just finished the first exploration of my neighborhood in Bangkok.  We made it to the zoo, passed men with assault rifles, saw a member of the royal family, crossed two bridges, chased by two dogs (one dyed yellow), got lost in a monks monastery which housed 40 cats, ate at Pizza Hut, shopped for violins, witnessed 100 person public Zumba class, and made it home safely.  It's tough to go into detail on this post, because the entire experience was just randomness.  I've included some video from the experience though.

The Labryrinth Market

Saturday the group decided to head over to Chatuchak Market, affectionately called JJ Market.  It's one of the largest markets in the world and only a 20 minute cab ride from campus.  I was told that it'd be chaos which proved to be an understatement.  The minute you get out of the cab you hit the first wave of street vendors selling the usual local delicacies.  Once you push your way through that you have two options: out or in.  We decided to enter JJ's 3 story mall complex first.  Each floor had a general theme to it.  The bottom floor housed crafts and cheaper fare, middle was clothing, accessories, and animals, and the top floor were big ticket items like electronics and antiques.  JJ inside is much more organized and easily navigable than outside.  We weaved our way systematically throughout each floor, but the inside of JJ is only a taste for what's in store when you start exploring outside.

Most all of the videos I added to the blog from JJ are from the outside section.  There is no rational way to tackle the outdoor part of the market. Imagine yourself on Tatooine trying to barter with Watto, an array of strange smells hitting your nose every couple of steps, and hot, cramped spaces then you can begin to appreciate the beauty of JJ.  Every vendor was a new surprise.  There would be light fixtures next to a puppy trader which would be catty corner to crystal shop and candle stand.  Anything you can possibly think of was sold within the confines of JJ; you just have to wander a bit further.  My favorite section of the market was the art exhibits deep with the maze.  There are small restaurants and coffee shops built around the bases of trees which were then surrounded on all sides by copied, printed, and painted art.  If you've ever been to JJ, please leave a comment to this post about you're favorite part of the market.

The trip home was also an adventure which I posted a video of the trip.  We were fortunate enough to take a Tuk Tuk cab home.  They charge slightly more than a regular cab and don't run a meter, so you need to know approximately how much it costs to get around the city.  The ride is definitely more cramped than a normal taxi, but it's well worth the experience at least once.  Our driver sped through traffic like he was Nicholas Cage in Gone in 60 Seconds. 

The Story Begins

Just finished my first day of classes!  You would be amazed by the sea of students that flow throughout the hallways all day.  There are constant assemblies that will have the kids filling entire courtyards until the next bell rings.  Even with this structure the school is a Hobbesian experiment.  I've been warned that the kids are unruly at times, and I caught a glimpse of this in the three classes I've already taught. 

My co-teachers here, which are the real Thai teachers that I help, are named Mrs. Panasawart and Mr. Waorawat.  Mrs. Panasawart, pronounced "Pah naa saw wat", is a very out going individual.  In class she's a disciplinarian as she needs to be, but with her coworkers she is gregarious and keeps your attention with a constant touch of the hand or shoulder.  She beams with energy constantly.  Yesterday after classes ended, she admitted to me that she's by nature a shy teacher, but if you saw the way she wrangles with the students you wouldn't agree with her assessment.  Sometimes we all need to rise to the occasion.  Mr. Waorawat, pronounced "Wahr O waht", is a much more stern man who looks like he could have graduated from St. Gabriels thirty years ago.  I can't comment too much on his personality yet for his reservation, but throughout the semester as I learn more about him I'll share.  

Teaching class is very hands on.  With both teachers they will go over the introduction to the chapter then turn it over to me for the exercises.  I call on students to read, correct their pronunciation, provide the correct answer, and explain each answer.  Another huge component is vocab throughout the readings.  Thank God I've always been interested in vocab myself!  It makes explaining words to the kids that much easier.  In my introduction to the class I stressed to the students the importance of being active during class and not fearing failure in their attempts.  I want to create a real sense of unity between all the students so no one will tease anyone else about their pronunciation or wrong answer.  I've also noticed their are several students who are ambitiously anxious to  learn more vocab.  Everything I saw my first day makes me excited for the year to come.

I've also been asking around for a Thai tutor for myself, so we'll see what comes of my inquiries in the week ahead.  I recently acquired a copy of a Thai language book from a returning teacher here, Nick, who I used to play pick up basketball with all the time back at Loyola.  It's funny where old contacts pop up after leaving Loyola.

I only have my flip video camera with me, so to follow will be some video from around my campus and the surrounding area.  

Thanks for reading 8^ )

A Waking Dream

Hello Everyone,

I'm in Thailand at last!  Still a bit jet lagged, so I've been up since 3am setting this blog up.  Yesterday was orientation where we learned the ropes from returning teachers and set up our schedules for the year.  I'll be teaching 11th grade Reading with the option of after school help for other grade levels as well as tutoring students.  The campus here is enormous with 5,000 students.  There are courtyards around every corner and even a fish pond with those gigantic goldfish.  I'll post pictures soon of the campus and the surrounding area.

After orientation a few of the teachers took us to TESCO, a Walmartesque store, nearby to get some of the pleasantries we left at home.  In my case I found not having a towel the first night particularly annoying.  We also got our phone situations figured out. I brought one from the US and had to get it unlocked which was still cheaper than buying a new one outright.  The taxi ride home could not have been worse as I caught my first glimpse of Thai traffic.  It's a combination of New York rush hour and hell.  It took close to an hour to travel two blocks!

Which leads me to comment on the unique driving skills of the Thai people.  If you can maneuver traffic in this city, you can drive anywhere.  Any motorist on the road needs ice in their veins and great insurance. Say a prayer for those who rely on scooters to get around, because I think it's safer to swim in shark infested water than scoot around an unfriendly city.

Jet lag over powered my will to continue exploring for the day, and I clocked out early.

I'd love to read any comments you all might have and feel free to ask questions about each post.  I plan to really get around this city throughout the year, so the pictures and blog posts to follow should be good.