Let's Wrap This Up

So this is going to sound like one big cliché but here we go...

 

On reflection, this trip has got to be the hardest, most amazing thing I have ever experienced. It really was no easy ride, and I had my fair share of highs and lows, but definitely more highs.

 

It was difficult, challenging in every way and emotionally testing at times but I will be able to take so much from this. Again, it may sound like this is cliché but I have learnt so much from living in rural Thailand for 2 months!

• Firstly, now that I have done this, I can do anything. I have been chased by wild dogs, I have been lost in the suburbs of Bangkok in the middle of the night in monsoon rain, I have kept a class of fifty twelve year olds under control, I have eaten chicken blood soup, I have killed more spiders than I count (and I am the biggest spider wuss), I have stayed in a house with mice and tarantulas, I have taught in 40c heat and the list goes on... The idea of going back to Norwich seems slightly to tame after this summer.
• Go for it. You really need to take every opportunity you can - if I hadn't have been offered this placement, I probably would have spent my summer with a mundane job, bored out of my nut - what is the point. I'm definitely going to try and do something like this again next summer. If you are lucky enough to have a successful application to the TET scheme, don't hesitate - you will make amazing friends in your colleagues and also in the other ETA's.

 

I am grateful to the University of East Anglia, Property Care Services PCS and DLA Piper for supporting this English Teaching Assistants programme. 

End of week 8 - Bangkok

I can't quite believe it is the last week in Thailand already. I thought I would keep things light and fun, with regards to lessons, this week. I decided to teach seasons in England for the main of the lesson and then give the students some tongue twisters to occupy them for the rest of the class. In a way, I wish I had introduced tongue twisters weeks earlier; they are a great way of practising pronunciation and they are a hilarious activity for both the students and I!

 

I am genuinely sad to be finishing teaching in Prasong school. Seeing students learning and engaging with you when you are teaching is one of the most satisfying feelings, to know that you are making a difference (no matter how cheesy it sounds). They really do make my day by smiling at me in the corridor, and shouting out "grus morning holly teacher".

 

Saying goodbyes this week was sad, I have made a great friends here in Na Kae. Considering the language barrier, I didn't think this was possible at the start, but it has been great (with the help of Google translate, charades and a lot of laughs). Despite leaving, pretty much everyone and their dog in Na Kae has added me on Facebook so keeping in touch shouldn't be too difficult!

On Thursday, I had a leaving assembly which was the sweetest thing. I sat on stage and had to say a speech (in broken thai and English!) and each student came up to me one by one and gave me a happiness bracelet. It was such a kind gesture, although it kind of cut off my blood circulation a bit wearing 600 bracelets! They also gave me gifts of teddies, flowers and tshirts which I was not expecting at all. I am so overwhelmed by the kindness of both the students and teachers!

 



To the ETA's of 2014

There are a lot of things that I wish I had a 'heads up' on before I came on this trip so I thought I would write a little list of tips for the ETA's of 2014...

 

1. You will never know what is going on. This is the first, and most important unwritten rule of being an ETA here in Thailand. No matter how hard you try to communicate and work out what is happening, you will never be in the loop. (From experience) You may think you are going straight to school, but no, it is never that simple. Every day we stop off multiple times at the side of the road to run errands; drop off banana leafs, pick up computers, cook hotdogs. You may think you have a class, but no. You are going to go and watch a fire show where they set parts of the school on fire and then put the fires out... In a nutshell, don't try and find out what is going on, just go with the flow and embrace the randomness.
2. Hand sanitizer is your best friend. Don't ever leave the house without it.
3. Thai people are overwhelmingly generous and kind. They will go out of your way to make you comfortable and will always ask you 'are you happy?' and 'do you have good dreams?'
4. Bring clothes to cover up. If you want to visit temples, wherever you are, you need to wear clothes that cover your shoulders, arms and legs. It is handy to keep a scarf with you when you're out and about, just in case.
5. Don't think the teaching aspect of the trip will be as easy as it sounds. There is a lot of work involved in lesson planning and homework marking and the hours are often long (I worked 7.30am-5pm). The classrooms are hot and uncomfortable the majority of the time, but you will soon get used to the working environment as time goes on.
6. Culture shock is like one big slap around the face. The heat, the food, the people - but you will get used to it, even if it takes you a few weeks.

Lastly, you will have the most challenging, cultural, exciting experience of your life! It is an opportunity that allows you to explore a gorgeous country with incredible people and it can't be passed up on!

End of week 7 - Ubon Ratchathani

I can't believe it is the end of week 7 - I never thought I would make it this far! I have enjoyed teaching so much this week, it has been a real pleasure to work with the students. I have been teaching them all about school; school actions (sit down, stand up etc), school equipment and school activities. It seems to have really helped with communication in the classroom, even though my classes are just like a long, enthusiastic game of charades!

 

One thing I will miss about my time in Prasong school is definitely how great the students are. I have never had a class that I have not laughed in; even when I have had a bad day, the students cheer me up just by being their crazy selves, usually shouting out in the corridor "I love you Holly teacher!" They show so much respect and admiration for their teachers, and, at the same time, they are cheeky and chat to you like they are your friends. I never thought I would connect so much with the students; I will miss them all...even the ones who crawl around the classroom pretending to be buffalos and the ones who make paper glasses out of my worksheets.

This weekend, I went to Ubon Ratchathani. It was a really relaxed weekend; we went looking around the malls in the city, we went to a market, out for dinner, did more shopping in a huge night market and then for drinks later that night. It felt strange being my last weekend Thailand, I have been here so long!

 

6/1 students

Playing games with my 6/1 students

My lovely 6/2 class

 

My cheeky 1/1 students

 

 



End of week 6 - Sakon Nakhon

This week, I started to teach sentence construction, word order and verbs. The language barrier has made the lessons this week really tough, as it is hard to explain English language rules without using Thai, and I have had many a blank face staring at me. Nevertheless, by the end of each lesson, I have had each student writing and reading out loud a sentence that they have put together and that is good enough progress for me.

 

Lunchtimes have been a lot of fun recently. I have been learning Korean with Korean friend at the school and have also been sitting with the students helping them with origami and their homework. In Thailand, students and teachers are very segregated, in our school at least. But I have really enjoyed getting to know the monkeys out of class, as they are a lot less shy out of the classroom environment.

The one thing that I have learnt about Thailand is that no one ever knows what is going on, and there is no use trying to find out. There seems to be a huge lack of order and organisation with everything, from school lessons to transport. Everybody moves at their own pace and there is no adherence to structure or time. At the start, this stressed me out - for example, how could no one know what time the bus leaves the village everyday? When we were told our bus would leave the station at 10.30am, we were told half an hour later that it would leave at 12.30pm. All communication is 'organised' by word of mouth, and when you don't speak Thai, you have a problem. However, after being here 6 weeks, you learn that you must never be in a rush. You learn to relax and to try and not let hiccups bother you, and I think that is the way forward.

At the weekend, I went to stay with another ETA in Sakon Nakhon which was great fun. We spent Saturday shopping, driving around the city, going for lunch and getting coffee - it was so good to have English company! On Sunday, we climbed up a mountain in Tambon Na Hua Bo to see Phra That Phu Phek - 500 of the steepest steps I had ever seen - it was so exhausting but the panoramic view at the top was incredible.
 

My favourite photo - 5/1 class :)

 

The best cookie and chocolate ice cream from the canteen

 

The 500 steps to the top of the mountain!

The biggest millipede!

The steep stairs

The view of the jungle

Bug city

The amazing view from the top

Dressed up monk statues

The view of the jungle

Phra That Phu Phek

Phra That Phu Phek

Phra That Phu Phek

Vanessa and I at the top of the mountain

Gorgeous butterfly

A guarding dragon

 

 

 

End of week 5 - Sakon Nakhon

This four day week has been great. I have been teaching animals and their habitats to the younger children and teaching hobbies and past times to the older students. The students seem to really understand me (at least, I think they do!) and are getting on so well with all the vocab games we have been playing. As always, the younger classes of mathayom are absolute monkeys and I have had to confiscate so many things in lessons; from paper planes to teddy bears.

 

At the weekend, we ventured off to Sakon Nakhon with our friend Tae. First stop was Sakon Nakhon University; we sat in on a Business Strategy lecture...which was 3 hours...in Thai. So I put in my headphones and tried to look interested. Lectures here are pretty much the same as in England; everyone is on their phone playing CandyCrush, people wander in late and the students at the back are asleep.

Next stop was a trip to the waterfalls. It was so much fun. We went with a big group of Tae's university friends and had a few whisky's in the gorgeous surroundings. The only thing was, I didn't realise people didn't wear bikinis there, it is more of a jump-in-in-all-your-clothes kinda thing. I hadn't brought spare clothes so had to endure the awkwardness of people looking at me in a bikini...

In the evening, we went to watch a Thai movie about Issan 50 years ago. It was the most random movie I have ever seen in my life; it was in Thai but had English subtitles which definitely weren't translated right...or maybe it was. One joke was a father telling his daughter to go and wash her bumhole...I don't think I will ever understand Thai humour.

Then we went to a Thai club. I have no words.

My lovely 5/1 class

 

In a lecture at Sakon Nakhon University

 

Waterfall fun

Waterfall fun

Waterfall fun

Waterfall fun

Waterfall fun

 

End of week 4 - Bangsaen & Pattaya

This week in class, I taught the students all about English culture and important traditions; for example, about the queen, roast dinners and Harry Potter. Definitely essential need-to-know facts. I am becoming known for my PowerPoint presentations at school now and boy are they a crowd pleaser. I also taught the kids a few things about me and the students found it absolutely fascinating when you show them photos of your home life and friends. Everyone seems to be so in awe of all things 'England', from the landmarks to the way people look, that you end up feeling quite proud to be English.

 

We had a long weekend due to Monday 12th August being the mother's day. This gave us the chance to escape the rural confines of Nakhon Phanom and venture down south. We arrived in Bangkok on Saturday morning, met a friend from university and made our way down to Bangsaen. We spent the day playing on the beach, we went for a big seafood family BBQ and went out to a night market in the town. The weather was glorious and it was so great to finally relax with friends.

On Sunday, I got to do the activity that was at the very top of my Thailand 'to do list'; elephant trekking! We made our way down to Pattaya Elephant Village and we got to go on a long trek through the jungle and rivers. It was so much fun and on the excursion you also got to see how silk was made - although the silk worms were a bit creepy.

In the evening, we ventured into Pattaya city. For the people who aren't familiar with Pattaya's night culture, it is basically a place bursting with strip clubs, go-go bars and prostitutes where you see overweight European men trying to get lucky. Enough said.

On Monday, we headed back into good old Bangkok and had a long mooch around MBK. I'm pretty sure you could live in that shopping centre, they literally sell everything you would ever need; from wooden frogs to rubber chickens. We went for a tasty sushi lunch and headed back to Na Kae on the night bus.


Bansaen Beach

 Bangsaen Beach

Bangsaen Beach

 

Chase and I in Bangsaen

The elephant village

 

Pattaya Elephant Village - Trekking

 

Pretty flower

Feeding an elephant a banana

Watching silk being made

Gorgeous sunset in Pattaya

 

Gorgeous sunset in Pattaya

Sunset in Pattaya :)

 

Muay Thai

 

Pattaya walking street...