The Tuk Tuk.

The day my Tuk Tuk decided the sidewalk would be faster.

Thai tradition meditative dance.

Watch the first video all the way to the last.

Somdet pittayakom students.

The Merit Ceremony

This is the ceremony I went to back in October and that I wrote about a few weeks ago.

Love, Maggie, Michaela and a pair of very happy chicken feet.

Turkey is hard to come by here...

Happy thanksgiving from the Thai table to your table!

I shouldn't write posts when I'm hungry...

Maybe there is someone out there googling blogs about teaching in thailand. Maybe someone is contemplating choosing CIEE or OEG or another program. Maybe they're doing exactly what I did for months on end: obsess over everything Thailand online. Maybe, even, they're thinking of coming to teach in Somdet at Somdetpittayakom school. (Fun fact: pittayakom in Thai means knowledge house. So, that indeed reads Somdet Knowledge House School.  The 'school' is only added so western people know learning takes place there!)

Either way, I want to make something clear about living abroad that people who have never done it don't understand. 

I am living a regular, ol' normal life. I still pay bills. I have to go grocery shopping. Budget. I have to work. And, yes I do work about 40 hours a week. Between lesson planning for 18 different classes, grading and going to functions, I'm busy. Am I less busy than I was in the states? Of course. Do I make less? Hell yes. Traveling happens sparingly.

There is an American teacher I work with that complains everyday how we work too many days and need more breaks. I want to make it clear that I would never complain about this. I love my job and the people I work with. I get free accommodation. Free wifi. Free computer use. I spend $5 or less a day. I play games for a job. And, I live in Thailand where it never snows.

I have rode elephants, rafted down a river, swam in a river in the jungle, partied in Bangkok, rode a bike up a mountain, got lost in sugarcane fields, got excited when I found real cheddar cheese, been chased by dogs, watched Thai dancing, been to temples older than I can fathom, rode a Tuk Tuk, rode an even scarier motorbike, and tried chicken joints.

Adventure doesn't have to be big. Life doesn't have to be grand in order to be enjoyed.

So, my point is, if you are looking into this life understand the two sides. No, it's not backbreaking work. But, no it's not a holiday.  You'll have amazing, jaw dropping moments, but most days are uneventful. You'll read. Boil some rice. And, you'll curl up in bed with a cup of tea and greet the little ant that's decided to join you, the gecko on your wall and the spider living under your bed.

And, no matter what you're doing, be happy.

oh... and for the love of God... Remember to stop and appreciate the cheese... Because you'll never know how much you miss it until its gone.

Oh... And, salsa... Fajitas... Nachos.

My god. I'm having a breakdown. And, this post no longer has a point.

Peace.

And, send Mexican... Please.

He who laughs most, learns best.

"Stand up please," a small voice, in broken English, says from amongst 50 bodies.

The students stand and in unison say "good morning teacher."

I laugh. "Good morning. How are you?"

"I am fine. How are you?" They respond back.

"I'm good, thank you. Have a seat."

This happens every class, 17 times a week.

My morning starts promptly at 815am, Monday to Friday. I join my fellow teachers at assembly, where we listen as thousands of students sing the national anthem and state a prayer to Buddha. Announcements are read and sometimes awards are given. This morning, a few students sang and danced.

Theoretically, assembly ends at 840 and class begins, but this is rarely the case. Thai time... Everything begins late.

The one thing I always remind myself is: I'm here to have fun. I came here to learn how to play. When time starts bothering me, I ask "what's the rush? What is it I am so worried about missing?" If they don't care, why should I?

Once class does begin, after the introduction, chaos ensues.

And, I say chaos in the nicest of ways.

Now, I plan for every class. I have a timeline and objectives and things I want to accomplish. Do things ever work out as planned?

Hell no.

I have had classes where I couldn't even get the students to stand up out of their chairs, even after stating it multiple times, writing it on the board and acting it out.

I have had students just answer their cell phone in class. Students braiding hair. Sleeping. Whittling a sword out of a stick.

I have started one game, after clearly going over the instructions and the students stating they understand, to ending up playing whatever game the students apparently thought we were playing.  

My favorite occurred yesterday. The topic  this week is weather. I spent time going over weather words and having the students repeat them and understand what they meant. Then it was game time. I explained we would be competing: team one vs team two. I would pass a sheet around with A to Z on it. Write one weather word on a letter and pass. The team with the most words in 5 minutes wins.

What did I end up with? A sheet with words such as "pencil," "cat," "happy..." The only weather word was "fog."

But, I declared team two a winner for their ability to excel at a game only they knew they were playing!

There are moments when I bite my tongue. Frustrations bubble over. I even ask "can anyone in here even walk?" (When I was trying to act out walking and I was met with blank stares.) I have stood in silence at the front of the room for 5 minutes when it got so loud I couldn't hear myself think. I have not been able I find my class before. And today, they didn't even show up.

But, really, the bad is so little and stupid compared to the good.

Seriously.

If you are ever having a bad day, all you need to hear is one student tell you "teacher, you are so beautiful" to change your mood. (To hear 5 say it in a row is life changing!) 

I love when my games work. And, it's even better when the students ask to play it again because they liked it AND understood it.  And, the icing on the cake? When students actually learn and produce something back to you that they didn't know yesterday. It's wonderful.

Thai smiles are infectious. They laugh at almost anything and love to have fun.

Every day is filled with games and they get so excited, boasting when they win. 

My day ends at 4pm and I make my way either home or to the track at school to run. I'm sent away by waves and smiles and "good bye, teacher!"

While, it can be frustrating to teach to a room of kids who can't understand a word you're saying, it's also 10 times more rewarding. I have learned more random Thai words (Muay means boxing while Moi means pubic hair... An awkward mix up), I have become less self conscious (it's hard to be self conscious when your life is one big game of charades) and I have just learned to laugh. 

Oh... And I've learned to ride a bicycle in a pencil skirt, without flashing the world!

Until next time...

Mâi khâo jai.

The title is "I don't understand" in Thai. Nothing sums up the last 3 weeks of my life more. 

To start, back at the end of October I was invited to a merit ceremony. Merit ceremonies are a Buddhist celebration for the dead. In life, you earn merit by doing good for yourself, others and Buddha. When you die, it becomes your family's responsibility to earn merit for you.  So, the result is a party in which the whole village is invited to. 

The party begins with a feast. Typical dishes include sticky rice, pork curries, open-flame cooked fish, meat balls and stewed veggies and chicken wings.  My favorite dish is Pad Krapow Moo, which can be found at any party, local restaurant or school canteen. It's stir fried pork with holy basil. So yummy!

After you are sufficiently full (it's rude to be the first to stop eating!) you then join the other partiers for a parade around the village.  Buddhists believe it is bad luck to turn left, so in a clockwise fashion you move around town. You hold some sort of merit to honor the dead and you walk and dance your way with the fellow partiers and the stragglers you pick up as you pass their house. 

After you end up back where you began, it's time for another meal, typically a sweet dish or a savory soup. Pom (my school coordinator whose Dad was the one we were honoring) provided us both savory and sweet: banana and sticky rice wrapped in banana leaves, coconut sticky rice in banana leaves, and pork fat soup (which is pork meat and congealed fat floating around in pork broth).  After you're again stuffed to the brim, it's now time to pray.  Monks show up and chant as the sun sets, honoring the deceased and granting him merit.  All guests are to bring a gift for the monks or to donate money. This is how the deceased gets merit.

Thai Buddhists honor and respect water, so it ends with a water ritual. Guests bow and honor the monks and watch them depart. Then, it's time for meal number three. 

At this point, Maggie and I decide to leave, as we can't fathom eating another bite and it's very exhausting to be the only white people at a foreign event. You are asked to be in every picture and are asked to sit at every table to talk to everyone, even though every conversation consists of "where from?" "America" ...silence... As this is where their English ends and my lack of Thai begins.

It's hard to describe what it's like here. I get accused of not sharing enough, but I find it hard to sit down and write exactly what happens everyday. 

Just going to the store is an adventure. Buying a bottle of wine in this country is an event. Thais don't understand wine, don't believe women should drink and just plain don't understand english. You ask for dry red, they bring sweet wine. Well, okay, that works, too.

Coffee, as well, is an adventure. Thai people do instant coffee or espresso: there is no drip coffee, even at Starbucks (which I have to travel 2 hours for the nearest Starbucks)!  The other day I ordered a double espresso, no sugar, no milk. I asked her if she understood and she said yes... I ended up with two iced coffees, one with sugar, one with milk. 

I have started to get into the groove of life here. I do have two regular coffee shops I go back and forth from (don't worry, they understand what a double espresso is!). I have a chicken shop I frequent and I can finally speak a whole conversation in Thai with the lady! She gets the biggest smile on her face every time, even though I am just ordering chicken and negotiating price. It's the little victories, I suppose. I have a regular route to school and a regular routine after work. I run at the school. I am in a yoga club, which meets twice a week. I do additional English lessons outside of school and have traveled for a spelling bee competition where I was the word-reader. I know the local dogs, which ones to pet and which ones to avoid. I have gotten used to people petting my arms and hair and proclaiming "soi!" ("beautiful!") over and over. I know... What a hard life. But, when people follow you and try to touch you and take pictures with you when all you're trying to do is buy toilet paper, it gets to be a bit much. But, no one means any harm. They don't understand me as much as I don't understand them. 

And, in a place this beautiful, all I can proclaim is "Mai Pen Rai" (No worries!"

The sunset over the lake at my school!

Next blog will be about my ups and downs as an English teacher!

Not all pizzas are created equal.

I've had mind blowing pizza. Just plain good pizza. Bad pizza. Strange pizza (chili cheese dog pizza...)... I've eaten a lot of different pizza.

Of all of these pizzas, not one of them combined mayonnaise and ketchup.

Maggie (the other farang teacher) and I were wondering the streets trying to find food and everything was closed! Finally, we spotted a pizza stand (we had never seen it before).  Two teenagers giddily take our order. One medium shrimp pizza and one medium cheese. We wait anxiously on the curb while they place it into a steam based oven.  

While waiting, we spot a sausage stand and Maggie claims I have to try one. Thai sausage is spicy and delicious! So, we buy two. 

The young girl flags us over, excitedly letting us know our pizza is ready. We pay and walk on.

While we scope out a spot to sit, we take out the sausages on a stick to eat. I was so excited as I love sausages! 

This was... Different. It was a Thai sausage, noodle dish rolled up in sausage form. It was filled with veggies, pork and glass noodles. Maggie proclaimed this is not at all what she has had before! So, I still need to sample Thai spicy sausage. This was just okay.

So, now we are excited for our pizza.  We find a spot to sit by the lake, open up our pizzas and start to dig in.

Mine was: crust, a layer of mayonnaise, cheese, ketchup drizzled on top.

Maggie's was that with shrimp baked inside.

I managed to eat half (American size personal pizza), Maggie took three bites and have up.

Of all the American trends they could've picked up on... They choose mayonnaise and ketchup... And put them on pizza.

Don't be fooled by its delicious exterior!

Melting pot.

In Somdet I am one of three white faces. One being a 70 year old man. Another being a 40 year old woman.  To say I am the minority is an understatement. The town is about 10,000 people and about 10 people speak english. I go out of my house and am stared at every step of the way. I have learned its not just because I'm white. It's because I'm a young woman. Typically young Thai woman are not seen out alone. Especially at night.

Now, please don't misunderstand. These are incredibly nice people. They smile and wave if I do. They're curious.

Only 1% of tourists visit northeast Thaialnd (otherwise called Isaan). They are intrigued by me and my funny way of doing things, just as much as I am intrigued by them.

After being here for exactly 10 days I found myself craving western food and culture. So, to give in, I have treated myself to a trip to the big city (laughing)!

I am in Khon Kaen, Thailand. It's the gateway to Isaan and it's as big as Des Moines, but it's the happening big city in these parts, so I took the three hour bus ride out west.

I currently sit in a German brewpub, with Thai servers that wai (bow) at you as you enter while saying "hello, good evening" in perfect English. They bring me a large German dark beer, brewed on site.  

First off, I had the choice between large and small for my beer... I chose large and it is a half liter. I have to remind myself I'm in a whiskey culture, not a beer culture!

As I sit enjoying my Thai German beer, a Thai hipster band begins to play cheesy Thai AND American music. They alternate between the two. The best part? They are dressed in all white, matching, with their brown leather vests!

I was going to order food, but as I looked over the menu, I found myself craving the mystery Thai street meats and the confusion of the streets.  I may not know what I'm eating, but damn, it's good.

So, while my life can be frustrating nowadays, it's not without rewards.  I have been both ripped off and rewarded by Thai people that don't speak a word of English. You cannot let the ones who rip you off ruin those that don't.

I have been given random motorbike rides by strangers when I looked lost.  I have been given free food when I forgot to bring the right amount of baht.  I have been bowed at and smiled at with more enthusiasm over the last 10 days than I have seen my whole life.  Thai people frustrate and amaze me in equal amounts every single hour of every single day.

So, I will finish my German beer as I listen to the Thai guy with gauges and hipster pants serenade me in Thai, then venture onto the crazy streets. I will have no idea what's going on, but I wouldn't have it any other way!

My dunkel beer.

He kept posing and winking at me.

Massaged.

When a Thai woman asks you to take off your pants, you just do it.

There I was, pants-less, in a Thai massage parlor, getting my feet massaged by a cute, young Thai girl.  And, not only do they work your feet, they massage your calves, shins, thighs, hips and groin!  

There is a moment when your leg is up over a Thai girls shoulder, and she's massaging your upper hamstring and her face is a foot away from your bare bottom, that you question your life's decisions.  But, I am here to say, 300 baht (9 American dollars) bought me the best hour long massage! I didn't receive a 'happy ending,' but they did give me honey tea, which made me very happy :)

The land of smiles

It's hot. Which, it's apparently the start of winter here, so it scares me what summer brings. I sweat through my clothes, change, then sweat through those, too.  Luckily, my hotel in Bangkok has a nice shower! I may not be so lucky next week...

I can't complain about anything here. The food is delicious and plentiful.

(Breakfast)

The coffee is strong!

(Snack time!)

And, the beer is cheap and cold!

(Local beer)

My days are long and filled with learning Thai and teaching techniques. And, sleep is restless due to jet lag. I'm 12 hours ahead of Iowa... A cause for confusion on my body.

However, the country is beautiful and filled with lovely people.

(The Royal Palace)

(Cleansing myself)

(Shoes are always taken off before entering a building!)

Til next time!

Sa wad dee ka

Greetings from Bangkok! A bus ride, two ten hour flights with a seven hour layover and I have arrived!

The things that I have learned so far:

The lines on the street are merely a suggestion to follow, not a rule.

They drive on the "wrong" side of the road.  Always look RIGHT then LEFT!

The king is on all the money, do not step on it!

100 baht sounds like a lot, but it isn't. 9 baht for a liter of water is so close to it being free.

That's it for today. Orientation starts tomorrow.

Chat soon :)

Renegade

I remember back to before I had my tattoo. I went back and forth on what I would get. It had to mean something, but what?

Eventually, I settled on the words "I hope you dance," which are from a song I have always cherished and from a quote that I try to live by. The next decision was where I was going to get it. Would I have an image with it?

I would toss ideas back and forth... I would ask people where I should go and who I should call, but if I was given a contact, I never called. I just couldn’t commit.

But, one night I just went. I don’t know why, I just found myself in front of a tattoo shop that had the blinking “open” out front. I was alone. My friends weren’t available to accompany me. After staring at the front door for awhile, I finally just walked in and said I want the word “renegade” on my wrist. WHAT? This was not part of the plan… but, it just felt right.

So, I did. And, the word renegade sits boldly on the palm side of my wrist. Nothing fancy, but the meaning is deep.

And when I get there
It won’t be far enough
I’m a renegade
It’s in my blood
If ever I get there
It won’t be fast enough
I’m a renegade
I always was

It’s been three years since I wrote about traveling. Three is such a small word for such a significant amount of time. So much has happened in the last three years while I’ve seemingly been standing still. I found a “real” job and have made my mark in the corporate world and just as quickly left and been replaced, because that’s how the corporate world works. I have made friends in fitness and found levels of strength in myself I had no idea existed. I’ve learned the places to go in Des Moines. I’ve become part of a city that I never wanted a part of, and I’ve never been happier about that statement. I have met a guy that I have fallen for in senses of that word I never understood. And, while I never thought I could “settle” I’ve learned that I’m happy staying put as long as I can find ways to still grow. I have painted. Tried new beers. Learned I love wine. I have drank Tequila in Mexico and drank tequila in Des Moines (one is better than the other). I rode a motorcycle. I ran a mud race. I played in the snow. I watched football. I played football. I drove a stick. I swam in the Mississippi river. I conquered fears and I acquired new ones at the same time.

And, while I haven’t blogged or felt that I had a story worth sharing with the masses, that doesn’t mean that the last three years have been any less meaningful… No, not at all. If anything, they’ve meant more. They’ve meant I can be anything and be okay anywhere. I just have to be surrounded by the right people.

But, with that ode to the past, I begin a new future.

That’s right, folks… I’m moving on and that is taking me to Thailand. Let me just say a few things to clear up some confusion:
1. No, I don’t speak Taiwanese and no, I don’t plan to learn it.
2. No, I have not seen the Hangover 2 and no, I don’t plan on it.

Now that is out of the way… here’s the story. I’m going to be teaching in an area just outside of Lampang, Thailand. Lampang sits about six hours north of Bangkok and is about two hours southeast of Ching Mai (the second big tourist city in Thailand). It’s not surrounded by beaches or filled with skyscrapers. It’s surrounded by rice fields, mountains and ceramic factories. Soemngam is rural, about 20,000 people reside here. I will probably be the only, or one of two or three, white people (Thais refer to us as Farangs).

Culture shock.

I have never been a fan of the country. Bugs and I do not see eye to eye. I love the smell of the city and the sound of traffic. But, I’m not here to be comfortable, I’m here to teach and to be taught.

My town does not have a grocery store, it has nightly markets. My town is Buddhist. There are no fast food restaurants. I’ll be teaching at an all girls, secondary school.

I hope to grow up a little and to learn something I never knew about myself. What that is yet, I do not know, but I will let you know once I do. And, I’m sure it will come in some hard, embarrassing lesson. It usually does.

So, until then… I have one month left before I kickoff 8,500 miles away, I’m going to sit back and try to enjoy my last few months in the Midwest. And, once I get to Thailand I will update you periodically on my life at this blog, even thought it's titled Michaela in Oz. Because, OZ means a bizarre and unreal place. And, that's where my life is taking me... down a bizarre path that I'm very excited to share with you.

Until next time.