Suphan Pride

I have been in full teacher mode for the past couple of weeks, and the work load just keeps on coming. Between lesson-planning, test-making, grading, behavior reports, after school prep courses, tutoring and even more grading, I am one busy chica. There are about 2 1/2 weeks left of teaching before final exams start and I am both excited and sad for the break to come. Excited because I'm tired and need a break, but more-so because I will be filling my weeks with trips around Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, Hong Kong, Bali and Malaysia. What's not to be excited about?  On the other hand, I'm sad about the end of the school year. I came into the school halfway through the school year, and next semester is the start of a new year so I will no longer be teaching some of my students. I have become so attached to my M2's and it's going to be hard to let them go. Luckily, I get to keep my M1's and I already know most of the incoming students, but my heart hurts at the thought of losing my M2's. Boooo. 


Anyways, my days and nights have been filled, and so anytime I can sneak away, I am more than happy to. This past weekend we went to Kanchanaburi (I'm totally crushing on it), just to get away and have the opportunity to speak in English (and eat pizza!). It was a great time and we even randomly bumped into a friend from home who is studying abroad in Bangkok. However, the highlight of the week had to be our excursion to the Don Chedi Festival with the EP Staff. There has been plenty of talk about this festival since arriving in Suphan, as I am pretty sure it is the city's pride and joy. I presume the only reason we have hotels here are to house the many visitors who come to enjoy the main spectacle. What kind of spectacle you ask? Oh, well none other than a live elephant battle....Duh. 



We arrived at the Don Chedi monument only to be completely shocked at the massive market set up with lights, live music and hundreds of booths and 'restaurants.' Our staff ate at the Sa-nguan Ying restaurant before getting escorted backstage to our seats, passing by men with samurai swords, girls in traditional dress, and a few elephants (also dressed for the occassion). We nestled into our seats (cement stairs) and waited in near darkness for the show to start. The set looked pretty legit, setting the scene for the story of King Naresuan and the war against Burma. Vendors came around selling fans and dried squid, (seriously, what happened to the days of foam fingers and cotton candy?) and soon the show began. As with every Thai celebration, they went above and beyond. I really wish there was a way to describe the 1 1/2 hour show, but nothing will do it justice. I felt as though I was on the set of a movie (somewhere between Star Wars and Gladiator), as music boomed over the speakers, men broke out into a full on war re-enactment with sword fights, cannon blasts, horses speeding across the grass, and pyrotechnics coming from all directions. The most climatic point was obviously the elephant battle. About 6 elephants came into the arena, and 2 with long (possibly fake, wooden) tusks stood face to face. And then...Battle Royale (elephant-style) commenced. They put on quite a show as they jabbed, they jumped, they ran and they embraced (in a not so loving way) until one of them was finally defeated. The show was seriously impressive. Luckily I was semi familiar with the story because the whole thing was in Thai. Even so- there was enough visual stimuli to keep me entertained and content. 

Oh...and I had a really cool balloon, so it was obviously the best night of the week. 

Now I just need to finish up the week before heading to Bangkok for the weekend to get some things accomplished. The top priorities are 1. See a movie. 2 Get Starbucks and 3. Buy a Thai Language book. I am so determined to learn Thai.

War scene

Elephants and Fire....scary!

                                            

Wedding Crashers

I finally did it. I spent an entire weekend in The Soup. It wasn't easy and it wasn't at all exciting, but I can finally declare that it happened. And I can confidently say that it probably won't be happening all that often. My life is simple now and I guess I am just not that good at entertaining myself. Good thing I live in Thailand where there will always be something to spice up my life. 

The majority of my weekend was spent at a coffee shop, grading papers and writing Progress Reports. When I wasn't there, I was wandering the town, digging for something...anything...to do, which just ended with me eating a whole lot of ice cream. You know your day is a dud when, while eating lunch, you are pondering what to eat for dinner, because the meals will most certainly be the 'events' of that day. Luckily for me, they are always delicious. 

Sunday night rolls around and I am basically pacing my room, trying to pass the time, when two of my friends knock on my door, say that they noticed some spotlights in the sky and wanted to scope it out, and then asked if I wanted to join their expedition. Hmmm...let me just stop what I am doing...oh wait, I wasn't doing anything...so YES, I will go. I hopped on the back of one of their mopeds (I'm becoming a natural) and we buzzed through town, trying to find out where those spotlights in the sky were coming from. After a few wrong turns and some highway action, we found our way down a random street. The small shacks suddenly turned into gorgeous houses and it felt as though we teleported into a gated community back in the States.  Cops surrounded this elaborate set-up of neon lights, flowered gates, banquet tables and a huge stage. We suspected it was a wedding, but second guessed ourselves once we saw the troupe of sequined girls dancing and singing on stage. We hopped off the bikes and moseyed on over to the scene. The cops didn't even flinch and let us wander right through the gate. As we stood in confusion, and attracted a whole bunch of stares, a table of Thai folk waved us over and invited us to join them. They immediately offered us bowls and told/forced us to eat the ridiculous spread of food on the table. They knew a few words of English, but for the most part, the next hour was spent miming and talking in broken Thai/English. Nevertheless, we made new friends. About halfway through the conversation, one of the women pointed to two beautiful girls in super trendy outfits coming towards us and said "Superstar!" We were then quickly shuffled up from our seats and pulled into a picture with the 'Superstars.' We chatted with them for a bit, and found out that they were actresses for a TV Show essentially called 'Super Cop.' As we talked to the two celebrities, we could hear the word 'farang' excitedly coming from the man on stage. I'm pretty sure we upstaged the 'Superstars.' Only in Thailand...

Although I would consider this a fairly 'boring' weekend, I still managed to pull a 'Wedding Crashers-esque' stunt and steal the show from Thai celebrities. Like I've said before, nothing in Thailand will ever be 'normal.' 

Sidenote: I still have no idea what the party was for. 

Myanmar, Motorcycles and Malaria

I've been traveling a lot lately. A lot a lot. I am by no means complaining, but being on the go takes a toll on your body. So, last weekend I was prepared to spend the weekend doing absolutely nothing. I planned to stay in bed and be as lazy as can be with some Friday Night Lights and chocolate. Then Thursday afternoon rolls around and we find out that we have Monday off. Well- how am I supposed to stay in The Soup when I can take advantage of a long weekend and explore Thailand some more??? So after little research and no preparation whatsoever, Sarah and I were off to Sangkhlaburi for the weekend. Sangkhlaburi is in the Kanchanaburi Province, but falls on the border of Thailand and Burma (Myanmar). We were told there was nothing to do there, but the scenery was so beautiful that it was 100% worth a visit. And, by golly, was it gorgeous. 


It is about a 5-6 hour trek from Suphan and 3 hours of that drive is spent winding up a mountain on narrow roads with incredibly sharp turns. I expected to feel carsick, but I felt so much worse. The van driver, probably used to the epic drive, felt it necessary to speed up the entire mountain, not slowing down for anyone or anything. I clung on to dear life with every turn and hoped 1. I didn't vomit everywhere (sorry- TMI) and 2. We didn't topple off of a mountain cliff. It was terrifying. When we (thankfully) arrived, Sarah and I just looked at each other and thanked the heavens that we were still alive. After recovering from our panic and grogginess, we opened our eyes to the stunning scenery. We were completely surrounded by mountains that overlooked a river and little villages. Our hostel- P. Guesthouse- was by far the most unbelievable place we have stayed thus far. Completely built and furnished from teakwood, the place provided the perfect environment for relaxing and taking in the views. The multi-level lawn looked over the lake, where floating houses (not boathouses, but actual houses on rafts) drifted along. Across the way were sprawling mountains with some glistening temples lurking amidst the trees. The whole scene was very Asia, and it was the perfect way to 'get away' without the craziness of traveling. 

Despite the lack of tourist attractions and hullaballoo, we found ourselves counting down our '9 lives' throughout the weekend. For the most part, our time was spent wandering around the small town, and even stumbling upon and exploring a village. At night, we sat among the other backpackers and ate dinner, watched the sunset over the lake, played cards and went to bed embarrassingly early. It was super relaxing, but somehow we managed to risk our lives... a lot. I'm only slightly exaggerating. From almost getting run over by a floating house while on an early morning canoe ride to realizing a little too late that we were supposed to take our malaria pills while madly itching our 12 new mosquito bites, we were constantly living on the wild side. We trekked to Three Pagodas Pass to be on the Myanmar border, and had about 4 mini- panic attacks when immigration stopped us multiple times to check our passport and visas....which we didn't have. We were so not ready to be detained and held in jail for illegally crossing the border. Luckily, we successfully made it there without being arrested. After our adventure, we were zonked so we decided to suck it up and take our first motorcycle taxi to get back to our hostel. I've voiced my fear of mopeds in Thailand. They take over the streets and don't pay any attention to pedestrians. Thailand is also known for having an absurd amount of motor accidents and I have heard far too many stories directly from the victims. However, Sangkhlaburi is a very quiet place and I was more than tempted to hop on one....so I did! And I loved it....so I hopped on another one later that evening. I'm still going to use caution when driving on the back of a motorbike, but I'm glad I've gotten over the initial fear. And I'm even happier that I didn't fall off. 

 
We also made our way to the Mon Bridge, the longest and oldest wooden bridge in Thailand. I'm not going to lie- I did not enjoy walking across it. It looked like it was being held up by toothpicks and the wood panels were a mess. Some parts were loose and others were shaky and I wanted to turn around and run back to safety. But after seeing an 8 year-old boy jump from plank to plank without looking down, I held my breath and tiptoed my way across. The sights were gorgeous and I'm still alive, so I'll stop complaining. 


Although we feared for our lives a few times, the trip was great. Sangkhlaburi was the perfect place to recover from our busy schedules. I even got to play with the most adorable little puppy AND eat Khao Soy! Not even the ride from H-E- double hockey sticks on the way back could take away from the peace and tranquility I attained during our stay.
  

Pretty Sunset

The Scariest Bridge Ever

Flioating Houses

Row, row, row your boat...

Three Pagodas Pass

At the Burma Border

LOVE

Sidenote:
I was just informed that dengue fever is a huge problem in that area. So there's that....




To see more pretty pics, check out Sarah's photos:  http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2321109&id=1606236&l=a795bb50cb

Happy 2554!

Happy New Year! Hope everyone has started 2011 (or 2554 here in Thailand) off on the right foot. It was definitely different celebrating the New Year in a different culture/country, but it turned out to be my best New Year's yet, so cheers to that! I knew it was bound to be a good one when I was invited to the Sa-nguan Ying School cowboy-themed New Year's party. Silly me leaving my cowboy boots and flannel back in the States! I did my best to look semi-cowgirl, but my pigtails paled in comparison to the Thai staff fully decked out in suede-fringed vests, cowboy hats and steel-toed boots. The party mainly consisted of food, karaoke, cowboy contests and gift giving. I hit the jackpot with a new fan and a rice cooker. Although, I was slightly bummed I didn't win the brand spankin' new refrigerator. 

Sooo excited about my gifts!

The next day in school, the party continued and the kids held classroom parties. Now, when I heard there would be celebrations in every room, I figured there would be food to snack on, some music and maybe some games. I was not prepared for the full on ragers that were taking place in every single room. Silly string, garlands, confetti and glitter was thrown around. Lights, Christmas trees (a little late there, kiddos) and gifts took over half of the room, while full buffets of Som-tam, fried chicken, sushi, desserts, rice, etc, covered the remaining desks. Some students jumped around in a mosh-pit in their classrooms, and others just belted out Lady Gaga and The Cranberries on the giant karaoke screen projected onto the wall. I'm still not entirely sure how I was suckered into singing Poker Face in front of not one, but both of my M2 classes. The scene was completely wild, but such a fun way to end the year with the students. Sarah and I were able to sneak out of school a little early and begin our own New Year's adventures. Where were we going? No idea. 

Showing their Justin Bieber pride

Decorating the Christmas Tree....4 days after Christmas

Mmm fresh sushi!

      
Bags packed with no destination known, we headed to the train station about an hour away and hoped to find an open train that would take us far away from Suphan for the long weekend. We were semi-prepared to head to Laos since we just received our multiple re-entry permits into Thailand (whoop! whoop!), but we were up for anything. Even though we got rejected time after time when trying to get tickets to Chiang Mai, we were still bummed out about it, so just for kicks, we thought we would mention it. So, we went up to the desk, said 'Chiang Mai,' expected heartbreak, but instead, received a miracle. There were two tickets that night on an overnight sleeper train that would be getting into Chiang Mai, one of the greatest cities in the world, early the next morning. Done and done. We then began our journey northward.


Chiang Mai- how I love thee. I could go on for hours listing the reasons why I love it oh, so much. NYE day was spent wandering around, exploring various Wats and chatting with some monks. Talking with them was such a great experience because we had so many questions to ask them! Monks are such a prevalent part of the Thai Buddhist culture, but I was not entirely aware of their practices, especially those regarding women. Chatting with them gave us the opportunity to understand them more and it gave them the chance to practice their English. But, more importantly, it gave us the chance to see how normal they are. We spent a good hour or so talking with 2 monks from Cambodia. At one point, their ajarn (teacher) came out, spoke no English, but presented us with an amulet for good luck and protection, which was super cool. 

   


After delighting ourselves with the most delicious Thai dish yet, Khao Soi, we headed out to the main road to start the NYE celebrations. Floating lanterns filled the sky and created the most beautiful sight. Sarah and I even lit and set off our own. The remainder of the night included markets, live music, new backpacker friends, a live performance from Potato (jealous?) and a countdown in English! When midnight struck I was expecting loud cheers, lots of hugs and a lot of ballyhoo. Rather, while our small group of English guys and Canadian/American girls enthusiastically greeted the New Year, the Thai crowd around us tamely watched the firework show in the sky without so much as a hoot of excitement. That is...until Potato came on the stage. 

Happy New Year!

                   
The rest of our Chiang Mai trip was glorious and I had no desire to leave. It was so great to go exploring, eat new dishes, get a Thai massage (I needed to start the New Year with a knot-free back, right?), make new friends and wander around the multiple markets. The night markets were out of control and I went a little crazy and spent a wee bit of baht. Mai Pen Rai. We were pretty bitter on our 14 hour trek back to The Soup on Monday, but only because it was the best New Year's yet. It was the first time in a long time that I have felt revived and very ready for the New Year. I am excited to tackle some new resolutions and begin what should be one of the best years of my life. 


2011....bring it on. 

Monk meditation + stray dog = Very Thai

I'd feel wrong if I didn't include Bob's love for Chiang Mai

Baby It's Cold Inside

I was obviously very aware that Christmas would be weird/sad/different/nonexistent here in Thailand. I knew there would be no Christmas tree lighting up my room, no snow glistening outside on the trees, no fireplace to plop down in front of while drinking my eighth cup of hot chocolate. I knew there would be no frantic trips to the mall, searching for that one last gift. There would be no Christmas movies on TV and no holiday shows to attend. There would not be countless hours of baking Christmas goodies. And worst of all, I knew there would be no Christmas morning. No stairs to run down to excitedly rip open presents with my family. No Dad dressed up as an Elf to greet me in the living room. No cinnamon rolls. No stockings. No Christmas nap. I knew I wouldn't be experiencing the beloved holiday the way I was used to. But what I didn't realize was that I would have the chance to share the joy of Christmas with children who have never experienced it. And even more, I didn't have any idea that I would be able to re-create Christmas with a group of friends who were just as eager to get in the Christmas spirit. Christmas week had its ups and downs emotionally, but the weekend itself unfolded beautifully, and I had myself a very, Merry Christmas. 
      
I was very determined to get in full Christmas spirit despite the climbing temperatures. I ignored the 90 degree heat and blasted Christmas tunes all day and all night. My amazing parents had sent me a package full of holiday decorations and some hot cocoa, which significantly impacted my Christmas state of mind. In full Nelf-mode, I decided it was time to show the students what Christmas was all about. And what better way to do that than to show them the greatest movie of all time.....Elf?!? And boy, oh, boy, was it a hit. The kids were literally falling out of their seats laughing. I was so happy to see them appreciate the movie as much as I do. Good thing, because I was giggling uncontrollably. But, what really got me was when one of the classes reached the end of the movie. When Jovie says, "The best way to spread Christmas cheer is singing loud for all to hear," and begins to sing 'Santa Claus is Coming to Town,' the entire class started to sing a long. I completely melted. I had been yearning for some Christmas cheer and they completely captured my heart. After class, while wandering the hallway, I could still hear some of them singing about Santa. I continued the week with more Christmas fun, which included candy canes and Reese's cups (both of which were insanely successful). They were so happy the entire week and it made me so proud that I was able to bring a little Christmas spirit to the schools of Suphan.


On Friday, our program did their best to get in the spirit by putting up some decorations, playing Christmas music and holding a Christmas lunch. The lunch was adorable and super sweet. They even served Western food. Nothing like prawn pizza and KFC for a Christmas meal. As different as it was, the day put me in a good mood and I was excited to celebrate Christmas Eve that night. Sarah and I blasted the AC, bundled up, put on lots of Christmas lights and watched White Christmas. We even got to Skype with Bobby back home! It felt weird to not be around lots of family, but I am very grateful that I had Srall to spend Christmas Eve with. We embraced it and had ourselves a grand ole time. 

Prosecco, M&Ms and Cheese. 

Hi Bobby!

In what still seems odd to me, Christmas morning was the most anti-climatic part of the weekend. I woke up and instead of running down the stairs, I had no choice but to linger in my room. Once again, I have an amazing family, and they had sent me some presents to open on Christmas morning. However, the morning felt a little lonely and I was eager to get to Bangkok to get the real Christmas fun going. For Christmas we decided to 'splurge' and spend the day and night in a really nice hotel. Luckily for us, 5 of our friends had the same idea and so we found a ridiculously awesome and giant executive suite for the 7 of us where we were able to relax and cook ourselves a Christmas feast. In the 30 hours or so we were there, we transformed the place into a Christmas wonderland. Lights and stockings were hung up, presents were put out, Santa hats were on and we even had some fake snow to sprinkle around the room. We spent the day cooking and baking IN AN OVEN (which doesn't exist in 98% of the kitchens). Christmas movies were on every TV while the air was filled with Christmas carols and the sweet scent of brownies. We sat down to a big meal, which was immediately followed by a food coma. We continued the night by playing games, Skyping our families back home, doing a gift swap, watching movies and having ourselves a merry time. I then spent the majority of the next day sprawled out in a cozy King size bed, with the blackout curtains shut and English movies on TV. I was one happy chica. 

Snow!

Yum!

Playing with our new toys

So although it wasn't my standard Christmas celebration, I was still lucky enough to spend the holidays surrounded by great food and even better people. And for that, I am very thankful. I hope everyone had an incredible Christmas and that Santa treated you well :)

Merry Christmas!

The AC is blasting, the Christmas tunes are on and the room is decorated with tacky decorations. Soon, I will be bundled up in my sweatshirt and sweatpants, devouring Christmas candy and sipping on hot chocolate with candy canes. Sarah and I will be spending our Christmas Eve in our "cold" rooms, watching as many Christmas movies as we can (Thanks Jay and Cathy for White Christmas!) No, it's not the way I have spent my Christmas Eve's of the past, but it's the way I am going to celebrate my Thai Christmas Eve. I miss everyone dearly back home and Christmas just won't be the same without those special traditions and the love of my family. But, in any case, IT'S CHRISTMAS!!!! So MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL! I hope you all have an amazing weekend full of joy...and more importantly, full of lots of cookies. 


 LOVE LOVE LOVE, 
     Nelf :)

Merry Christmas from Bob!

I'm a dork! But a festive one!

The Good, The Bad and The Ugly

After traveling for the past several weekends in a row, Sarah and I thought it best to give our bodies a rest before our next couple of weekend trips. So, rather than planning a nice tropical beach vacation, or exploring the ancient temples of Thailand, we decided to take it easy in Suphan. And although our weekend was supposed to be relaxing, it was more like a roller coaster ride. Along the way, we saw the good, the bad and the very, very ugly. 


Let's start with the good, because no one really wants to start reading on a bad note. On Saturday morning, after an epic fail of a Skype date with some friends back home, we ventured into Bangkok to get some things done and to enjoy our day. (It really isn't easy staying entertained in The Soup for an entire weekend). The main purpose of the trip was to head back to Siam Paragon and to see a movie....in English! Siam has this ridiculous movie theatre and they offer a small selection of recently released English movies. Sarah and I, being huge movie-goers, thought this was the perfect way to spend our Saturday. And it was. We made our way to the enormous theatre, settled into our leather recliner seats and got sucked into The Social Network. It had been so long since I have seen a movie that the whole experience was all I could have hoped for. The movie was good, the seats were comfortable and the popcorn was fresh. I just love a good movie. The whole movie-going experience is pretty similar to back in the States except 1. You can pay for extra-premium seats, where you are essentially given a bed, pillows and a blanket while watching the movie. There was even a pretty extensive pillow menu! I will clearly be trying this out at some point. 2. There are assigned seats. I figured when most of the theatre was empty, I would probably have some space, but sure enough, we were surrounded on both sides despite the surplus of free seats in the theatre. 3. Before the movie begins, instead of the reminder to be quiet (Silence is Golden!), everyone rises and watches and sings along to a dedication to the King. It's adorable how much they respect their King. The movie was a success and I am already looking forward to my next excuse to go back.


On to the not so good parts of the weekend. The other main purpose of going to Bangkok was to go to the bus terminal and buy our tickets to Chiang Mai for the New Year. We have a 4 day weekend and really want to spend it in the best place on Earth. Apparently so does everyone else because counter after counter told us that they were sold out. It was a huge disappointment and our hearts were a little broken because we have been looking forward to this trip for a while now. We decided to not let it get to us until we looked at all possible solutions to getting there. Which brings us to the ugly part of this weekend. 


We recently discovered that Suphan has a train station and although not many trains pass through this gem of a town, they sell tickets for all stations. We figured why not give it a whirl and see if we could buy tickets from Bangkok to Chiang Mai. We knew it was down a random path, but we were also told it was a walkable distance from the main road. We hopped on the songthaew to the general area and then tried to find our way to the Rot Fai (train station). A motorbike offered us his services, but we kindly rejected, assuring him we would walk, even after he warned us that it was far. Off we went and soon the bustle of the town disappeared and we were walking along a dirt path with no people, buildings or cars in sight.  All we could see were the train tracks to our left and the rice paddies to our right. We joked around that we would probably die of exhaustion, never to be found on this deserted road, when we suddenly noticed an abandoned shack ahead with some wild, stray dogs lazing around. Once the dogs took notice of us, they angrily came sprinting, growling, and barking  towards us. We made the decision to freeze, and not to run, and just let them rip us apart. These dogs were pretty large and we had no chance of survival if they decided to eat us. As we froze and shook with fear, we could only hope that they would not start attacking. When we tried to backtrack, we were trapped by another group of dogs, just as angry, glaring at us and giving us no chance of escape. So, we stood there, trembling, with no way out. I have seriously never experienced fear like that before. Being surrounded by big, wild, hungry dogs with literally no escape had my life flashing before my eyes. We slowly inched our way forward and hoped that the dogs would back down...and eventually, they did. We hadn't yet recovered when another couple of dogs came running from yet another abandoned shack, but luckily, these ones weren't as hungry and went no further than the grass. To make matters worse, after that episode, we made it to the train station just for them to tell us Chiang Mai was a no-go. Lessons learned. 


Our attempt at a relaxing weekend was kind of a failure, but I just need to put it behind me and hope to get into the Christmas spirit despite the lack of...well, Christmas, here. Hope everyone else is in full Christmas mode and embracing all of the joys of the season :)