Build Me Up Buttecup

I'm getting into the groove of teaching and really started to dig my role in the classroom. I have about 85 students total and I am still struggling to get their names. I mean, it's pretty hard when the kids' nicknames are Arm, Four, Nine, Ping-Pong, Eye, Prae, Bass, Ganphet and Ohm. But then you get your random Pat or Kate, which just doesn't match. I am determined to know everyone's name by the end of the month. Yikes! They are all so adorable and I can already feel myself picking favorites. I know, I know....that's bad, but some of them are just so dang cute. 
This week has actually been pretty busy between teaching, signing contracts, making lesson plans and getting initiated into the Sa-nguan Ying School. On Tuesday morning, Sarah and I, along with the 3 other Americans in the "normal" school, had to introduce ourselves to the entire school of 2600 students during their opening ceremony/announcements. All of the children line up and surround a main stage out on the front lawn while some pretty stellar Thai music blares out on the loud speakers. The 5 of us stood up on stage and introduced ourselves one by one to the entire school. I tried to show off what little Thai skills I had by saying "Hi my name is Nell. I come from Americaaa" (Sawatdee, ka. Chan chue Nell. Chan ma ja Americaaa.) I think it went over pretty well. We were then presented with a bunch of white roses and the school pin. Love it! 
On Thursday night, the English Program staff had a welcoming dinner for Sarah and I. We got picked up at our apartment and made our way to a Chinese restaurant on the other side of town. Good food, good company, and guess what? There was karaoke. Shocker! We had been forewarned that we would have to sing, so we really had no choice but to embrace it. After one of the older Tasmanians sang 'Barbie Girl' with one of the Thai teachers, we sang 'Build Me Up Buttercup.' Back in the States, I would refuse to sing karaoke (and I had a lot of opportunities at a certain family members house:) ), but here it is no big deal. There is a lot of pressure in the lead-up and people will chant your name until you sing, but the moment the song starts, no one pays attention. Some people take it pretty seriously and will sit themselves in front of the screen and just sing by themselves. 
On Thursday and Friday the EP had a conference run by Apple. Some of it was pretty interesting and some of it was really funny. At one point, I was tied to three of my coworkers and we were trying to make our way to the other side of room, but with obstacles in the way. Weird. The oddest part about the whole conference was that the students were still in class... but we were not. And there were no subs. I gave them an assignment and I am so curious to see if anyone did it come Monday. I popped my head into one of the classes and they were all sitting like little angels. Really? Because that would NEVER happen in the States. 
Well it's Saturday morning and Iced Coffee is calling my name. Ive gone a good 5 days without it, soooo that needs to change immediately. 


Random thoughts:
- Ants are started to become my friend. Not by choice.
-I have an unhealthy addiction to Hershey's Cookies and Cream nuggets. I was told directly by Hershey's that they were discontinued. SUCKER PLEASE!
-We went to a market the other night and they had little bitty puppies and bunnies...in cute little frilly dresses...and cute little 8 year olds were selling them. Cuteness overload! It would come as no surprise if one of them are in my possession in the next 3 months. 


And just to remind you of it's gloriousness (and it's raunchiness)....enjoy!


Barbie Girl

We're The Six Best Friends That Anyone Can Have....

This weekend I got to live the high-life (Thailand style) with 5 of the coolest cats around. Our friend Chris had pretty legit family connections and invited us to stay in the penthouse of an incredible apartment in Bangkok. The days leading up to our weekend left us filled with suspense. Every time he got off of the phone with his friends, he would have an added perk to the weekend (getting picked up by a personal driver from The Soup, getting the penthouse to ourselves, getting invited to a surprise party and meals galore). We had no idea what to expect from the weekend and went in with a very Mai Pen Rai attitude. Our ride arrived around 5pm Friday night and within seconds I knew we were in for a great weekend. Et, essentially Chris' Thai grandmother, was the sweetest, most adorable woman I have ever met. Immediately upon meeting us, she let us know how excited she was for our visit and made us feel incredibly welcome. We pulled up to the apartment and were shocked at how nice it was. Our jaws dropped further to the ground when we got to our sweet apartment for the weekend. The space was huge and absolutely beautiful. There were two balconies, both of which provided amazing panoramic views of Bangkok and all of the Wats within the city. 

Just ignore the smog.

We met up with two other friends and Et treated us all to an insanely delicious Thai meal. I just can't get enough of the food here! The best part was dessert...coconut ice cream and warm bananas in coconut milk (drool!) I'm gonna be such a fatty when I get home. We had planned on going out on the town that night, but we felt so privileged to be staying in a penthouse that we decided to just stay in for the night and take advantage of the space. Things got silly, but we for sure had a great night playing cards and having life chats out on the balcony. 

The next day, after a yummy breakfast and a quick dip in the pool/nap on the terrace/exploration of the gym, Et and her husband picked us up in their ballin' cars and we were off to a lunch party. The party was actually for Et's husband, but it was a surprise party as a congrats on his retirement. We were basically the decoy and Sarah, Connor and I had to keep our little mouth's shut for the hour plus ride to the restaurant. The lunch was real fun and brought along a lot of surprises. First of all, the food was ridiculous. I tried shark fin soup and ate the skin off of a roasted baby pig that was staring me in the face. I felt a little freaked out by it, but it was all part of the adventure. I almost tried jellyfish...almost. I had it in my chopsticks ready to eat, but I just could not bring myself to do it. And I don't regret that decision at all. 

    As with every Thai event/gathering, karaoke was involved. It was really entertaining to see these older men and women, who were clearly high society, get up on stage and sing Elvis, opera, traditional Thai songs, etc. Et came over to our table and told us that we had to sing to represent America. Awesome. Moments later, we were awkwardly dancing and singing to 'Hey Jude' on stage in front of everyone. We were pretty terrible, but we were still presented with flowers as we sang. Adorable!

We made our way back to the apartment to relax/recover from our day. We all did our separate things before rallying for the night. I used my time to sit out on the balcony, listening to pretty emosh music (thanks, Seth!). I had such a Beautiful Life Moment (referred to as BLM, if you will). I couldn't help but smile while sitting out there. I just realized how truly happy I am to be here and it felt so great. Chris soon came out to join me, and turns out he was having a similar BLM out on the other balcony. 

Later that night we went to Khao San Road to celebrate Halloween. It was BUCKWILD. The street was jam-packed with people. A giant DJ tower was set up on one end of the road and just blasted all sorts of bumpin' music. I was certain all of us would get lost at one point, but it was surprisingly easy to stay together. We bumped into about 20 other participants from OEG, so that was fun to catch up and see how everyone has been adjusting. The night was tons of fun, and in typical Nell and Sarah fashion, we made a lot of friends. We basically walked up and down the street and tried to get as many of them as possible to take jumping pictures with us. Sounds simple, but trying to explain that to someone who doesn't speak English is pretty, pretty funny. But no worries- mission accomplished. I also got to Wai with Ronald, so that was fun.

The next morning we had a Thai breakfast consisting of pork and mushroom soup, croissants, coffee, an herbal drink and ended it with some coconut ice cream. Yes, this was breakfast. I don't hate it. The driver then brought us to Et's house where we got the grand tour of her gorgeous place. We even got an adorable family picture. I'm not not obsessed with it.

They are the cutest people ever.

We finished up our weekend with one more excursion to a floating market. Et and her husband ordered us a large, large meal. I even tried frog! With the food coma in full force, we happily passed out on our trek back to The Soup. It was such an amazing weekend with amazing people and I feel so happy to have met Et. But now it is back to reality and I have to make some lesson plans before my 2nd week of school! Yikes!

          

Apparently the address I had before wasn't real...I think. But here is an updated address. Remember...PB M&Ms and Candy Corn are good for my health :)


Sa-Nguan Ying School
attn: EP Office, Nell Riccio
134 Prachatippatai Street
A. Muang Suphanburi, Thailand 72000

Teacher! Teacher!

School has officially begun and it feels so good to be back at work. Being unemployed for 2 months was fun, but I was very ready to become a real person again. I arrived at the Sa-nguan Ying English Program around 8am Tuesday morning and was quickly thrust into a busy and extremely overwhelming day. I had been told by my coordinator that Tuesday would be an orientation day, where we would meet the staff, get our schedule, learn the policies and basically get a feel for the program. They mentioned that we would be able to meet our students by observing a class and introducing ourselves. I was pretty excited for that plan because I knew nothing about the English program beyond the fact I was teaching Mathayom 1 and 2 (grades 7 & 8) and that these children were pulled out of the mainstream classrooms for a more aggressive English curriculum. Meeting the staff was great and I am super excited for the coming year and getting to know everyone here. There is a mix of Thai teachers, an American who has extended the OEG program for a 3rd semester, and a handful of Tasmanians. The atmosphere in the office is both fun and productive, and I definitely sense that the English Program is somewhat of a family. 
   After being given a schedule and some textbooks while meeting with the head of the department (Michael Scott vibes GALORE....love it), we were told that we would be going to our classes. To observe, right? Mai, mai... we had to lead the entire 50 minutes with them. And of course, I meet with all of my classes on Tuesday. Upon entering the classroom (where everyone- teachers and students- must take off their shoes), the students stood up and, with huge grins on their faces, said "Good Morning, Teacher!" Any anxiety I may have been experiencing quickly disappeared after seeing their smiling faces. All four classes went pretty well, but I definitely had some awkward moments mixed in. Oh well. Mai Pen Rai. 
   For the remainder of the week I have been responsible for conducting legit classes, and making lesson plans for all of them. They have all gone surprisingly well, but there are still a lot of unanswered questions. We are given a textbook and a very loose curriculum, but there is no clear-cut marker of what the children have already learned. I also cannot get a real handle on how developed their English is. This week has been spent playing around with assignments so I can get a better feel for their skills. I'm hoping to get a better understanding of them in the next few days so I can make a long-term plan for the semester and develop an organized curriculum. 
    As of right now, I love the students. They are all adorable and very sweet. There are definitely the 'naughty boys' who sit in the back, but naughty in Thailand doesn't even compare to naughty in America. These kids look like angels compared to anything back home. I have one student who has an OBSESSION with airlines and has asked me about 1,001 questions about my flight to Thailand and the cuisine on board. I can't help but laugh. 
   Every night, our friends Chris and Peter have been coming over and the four of us just sit on our computers and develop lesson plans for hours. It is actually pretty adorable. We are such teachers now! Hopefully, the lesson planning comes easier and the process is not so time-consuming. So week 1 is almost officially over and I am extremely relieved. I was so sure I would be running to the bathroom to throw-up before each class (sorry..that's sick nasty), but I have no nerves whatsoever....at least for now. Let's hope the entire year goes as smoothly as this week and I don't make a fool of myself in front of all of these kiddies!


Welp...I'm off to Bangkok for the weekend to live the high-life :) Happy Halloween!


School Tidbits:


*The students wear uniforms, so they already look very similar. On top of that, the girls all have the same haircut, and the boys all have a buzz-cut going on. They even have the same backpacks and shoes! It is pretty funny.
*We have to take our shoes off not only in the classroom, but also in the office. AKA I'm always barefoot. Basically, my disgust for feet has gone out the door (didn't really have a choice with that one).
* Stray dogs are everywhere in Thailand. Even at school. When you go to Canteen (the cafeteria), dogs are just wandering around and no one pays any attention. Pretty, pretty weird. 
* We are celebrities here. All of the kids get so excited upon seeing us, that they can't help but smile and wave from across the lawn. It's adorable. 

4 Crepes in 2 days and not ashamed.

So remember how I was nervous for the supposed flooding? Well I woke up on Friday morning, looked out my window and only saw pockets of flooding. No big deal. So Sarah and I leave the apartment to go on our daily Iced Coffee run when this happens...

The entire main road by our apartment was flooded and we were literally trapped. We eventually weaved our way through a random neighborhood with some help by a Thai woman on her moped who could see the confusion oozing out of us. Mai Pen Rai (It's okay, don't worry about it). Good thing because my addiction to the coffee is already unreal. 

Anyways, we were kind of buzzed about the flooding situation because we had decided to make a random weekend trip up to Chiang-Mai. Some of our friends were going to Koh Tao but it was too far/expensive for our liking, so we were all psyched to go up north. But, the whole flooding debacle got us all nervous because we had no idea how serious it was. We cannot read/understand Thai so the news was useless, and when we walked around town that day, everyone was building barricades in front of their houses and storefronts. AKA we were thinking the worst. But, by the time we got back to our apartment a few hours later, the flooding had drained and everything looked A-OK, so we got all pumped up to go away again. Then, I faced the hardest decision I've had to make since being in Thailand...Do I go north to Chiang-Mai, one of the best places I have ever traveled to, but without preparation/malaria pills or do we meet our friends in Hua Hin (where they ended up instead of Koh Tao) and have a nice weekend relaxing on a beautiful beach? Decisions decisions. What a rough life I lead...

Hua Hin it was! It was a great weekend with beach time, lounging under umbrellas, good friends, lots of crepes, an amazing hostel, some kareoke (this song may or may not have been involved), some heart to hearts, and lots of darts. It was nice to go to a town and have people speak English and to be able to order food successfully. It was a nice little change. Also- the banana milkshakes? Heaven on earth. 

The only downside of the trip was the trek there. It should have been 5 hours total, but it took about 8-9 hours. Yiiiikes. But the second we got on the beach and I got to rock my fedora, I was a happy camper. 

Now I have to settle into reality because school starts tomorrow! I feel very unprepared because I have no idea what to expect. I am hoping to get a lot of questions answered. Otherwise... I'm doomed. But I've got my pink shirt laid out and I'm excited to get this show on the road!

Oh and just because I want to rub it in your face that I get to eat amazing Thai food all of the time, I wanted to share this picture of one of the best meals I've had here. I don't even know what it is. I just went to a random vendor, pointed to the noodles, and was very pleasantly surprised. YUM!

Contact Info...because you love me :)

Cell: 0845386158 and I believe the country code is +66

Mail:  Sa-Nguan Ying School, Rua Yai, Muang Suphan Buri 72000, Thailand

That is my school address. If you mark it as 'Educational Materials,' it will apparently ship faster and possibly be cheaper. Also, when filling in the value, put in less than the actual price so they don't take it or add a weird tax. Aight? I've heard Peanut Butter M&Ms are really good for the brain, so I'm sure the school can use an endless supply of those. Just saying...

Nell: 1 Bugs: 0

Sooo it is really hot here. Like...really hot. All of the time. I didn't know my body was capable of sweating so much. AKA- I look really attractive all of the time. Yeaaaa right! I am always doused in sweat and my hair just doesn't know what to do with itself. Yikes daddy.


I've been spending the last few days exploring my new town and settling into my apartment. I'm totally loving my new room. The space is huge, I have an amazing retro blue fridge, a King size bed (let's just ignore the fact that it is as hard as a rock), a big wardrobe, a desk, a balcony with pigeon wire, AC, Cable TV and Internet (holler!).  The bathroom, on the other hand, is...different. It's a wet-room, so the shower is just there with no wall, no curtain, no nada. The entire bathroom just gets soaked when you shower. And- there is no hot water. Ever. It's going to be tough to get used to that because I'm really not used to dreading a shower. Tonight, I came home, turned off the AC and waited until I was sweaty (shocker that I went 5 min without sweating) and then took a 3 minute shower. I mean, the water isn't freezing, but I have been spoiled with hot water my whole life, so it's just an adjustment. 

The only other issue with the apartment is the bugs. It is a really clean space but I am continually in battle with some sort of insect. First, it was a baby cockroach who reappeared in my sink multiple times after I had already drowned him. Every time I walked into the bathroom, he would be waiting for me, and every time I would just say "So we meet again..." and try to destroy him. Turns out, it wasn't a cockroach, but a water beetle (hence him not drowning). But I sabotaged him and a spider and thought I had done my duties. Next morning, I wake up to about 50 ants. It was an hour long battle with a worm mixed in, but I conquered them. If they come back, I will not be a happy camper. 


Walking around and exploring Suphanburi has been funny/great/exciting/sweaty. Sarah and I are a spectacle to see. Everyone just stares and stares and stares. They mostly smile because we are the only farang (foreingers) around so we stick out A LOT. I kind of feel like a celebrity, because everyone honks and waves when they drive by and people on the street try to show off their English skills, shouting out 'Yo!' "Hello!" and "Good Morning" (no matter what time of day). The lack of English on their part and Thai on ours makes for interesting interactions, but we have done a fairly good job of getting around and even got our beloved Thai Iced Coffee the past few days. YUM!


Today we wandered around and checked out the Descendants of the Dragon Museum, the City Pillar Shrine. It was amazingly beautiful and provided incredible views of The Sup. It kind of looked like an amusement park...minus the carneys and grody food.

 We also stumbled upon some old temples and a reclining Buddha. When there, a group of 5 kids came running over and tried talking to us. Some were more shy than others, but we tried to communicate despite the language barrier. They were adorable and definitely got me excited to meet my students next week. 

I am really digging Suphanburi and all of it's charm- the markets, the street vendors, the coffee shops and the incredible sights. When I muster up the motivation, I'll make a FB album to show it off. Until then- Mai Pen Rai, or don't worry about it! 


Oh, and the flooding? It's real. It's happening. It is down-pouring as I type this and I am pretty sure I am going to wake up tomorrow morning to find the city under water. Good thing I have some PB M&Ms to keep me from starving! But seriously...I'm a little nervous. 

Home Sweet Home

I have finally arrived in Suphanburi after a very, very busy orientation week. I think everyone probably got a big reality check when we all departed and went from a group of 81 Americans to our respective spots where we may be 1 of 5 foreigners in a city of 30,000. But, I couldn't have been more excited about getting to The Soup! 

Suphanburi is drastically different than Bangkok. As cool as Bangkok is...it is completely overwhelming. I felt like i was risking my life every time I walked around because 1. There is ALWAYS a ridiculous amount of traffic 2. No one follows any traffic rules. 3. No one stops for pedestrians and 4. Mopeds take over and zig-zag their way through the streets. And to top it off- people drive on the other side of the road so I have to engrain that in my head to avoid getting hit. Fun!

Orientation week is such a blur now, and I cannot believe it was only a week. In that time, I learned how to make effective lesson plans, basic Thai, places to travel, how to teach, and I made new friends (awwww). It seems that a lot of us feel that we remind one another from someone back home and it just seems natural to be friends. And luckily, a few people that I had hung out with a lot are also in Suphanburi, which is nice. 

The food. Oh. My. Goodness. I have yet to eat something that disappoints me. Granted, 90% of the meals were provided for us and we had a lot of options. But, we were on our own for dinner every night and I have been really digging the street vendors. I've just been saying Gai (chicken) or Khao (rice) and I get something delicious every time! Booyah! Now it gets scary, though, because I am on my own and I don't have a kitchen in my apartment so I really have no choice when it comes to eating out. I'm realizing more and more everyday how much I really need to learn Thai. 

To finish up orientation we spent a night in Kanchanaburi at a resort. It was green, and jungly and very SE Asia. It was a great contrast to Bangkok and made us all feel like we were actually in Thailand. We stopped at the Bridge Over River Kwai which was absolutely beautiful. There was even a floating kareoke club! We ate a floating restaurant before heading to the hotel. 

The next morning we got up nice and early to go elephant riding and bamboo rafting. Sarah and I had an elephant named Kondi and a guide (called a mahout) who made fun of our accents and Thai capabilities a lot. Jump back! At one point, he jumped off of Kondi and she went BUCKWILD- running down the hill, causing us to slam our backs constantly against our wooden bench. It was hysterical, but thank you Kondi for the giant bruise on my back. I mean, I got an elephant kiss afterwards so I suppose I can forgive her. Afterwards, we went bamboo rafting, which was so relaxing. Our guide sang Thai songs to us, which was adorable. We all ditched the life jackets and jumped into the river. Heavenly. 

We got picked up by our coordinators yesterday afternoon and had a busy, busy day with them. First, they brought us to our new apartment, which is really nice (pictures when it is more Nell-like), and then they brought us to this giant Super Walmart-esque store to buy stuff. Overwhelmed doesn't begin to describe it. Everything is in Thai and I really had no idea what I needed, but I ended up getting a lot. I had about 10 bags, and the other 4 girls had about the same. We thought we had a van to drive us back, but turns out we had to take tuk-tuks back. So, Sarah and I stuffed our stuff into the tuk-tuk and held on. It was awesome. When we got back, our coordinators took all 5 girls out to dinner, and I seriously have never eaten so much. We were warned that Thais like to eat and they will feed you as much as they possibly can. Everytime I finished a bite, one of the coordinators would refill it...even after saying No. I finally just kept saying 'Im! Im!' which means Full! so I wouldn't explode. So, it was a whirlwind of a day, from elephants going wild to unpacking in my new home. We ended the day by two of our guy friends coming over and telling us about their crazy adventures...and let's just say, I am very happy with my apartment. 

So now I just need to explore my surroundings and settle in. I think Im gonna love it here :)

Fun facts:

1. The number 5 in Thailand is pronounced 'ha,' so instead of LOL or hahaha, they say 555. Awesome!

2. The word for curry is Geung, but in a different tone, it means prostitute. So when some menus are literally translated, they may say whore dust instead of curry powder. The other night we were meandering around for some street vendors and ended up on one of the more risque streets. We happened to be talking about wanting Curry and how to say it. I reeeaaally hope no one thought we were talking about our surroundings. 

3. Thai animal sounds are hilarious! Dogs dont say 'bow -wow or woof- woof' but something totally absurd (for us Americans). We had fun going through all the different sounds with some Thai people.

Jason- Merry Christmas!