So,
Last week the high school math teacher just up and left one day. He had had a lot of personal problems, and then 2 weeks ago, when Chris died, it pushed him over the edge I suppose. The whole thing was a huge ordeal and was hard on everybody, but especially on him. They had spent quite a bit of time together and both liked to go out.
Well guess who is taking over? I've been pulled out of Sakthong house as a homestay parent and a new contract is being drafted to instate me officially as full time high school faculty. So I came to Thailand to teach ESL, got a job as a residential advisor, and am now a high school math teacher! Hehe, it's all so sudden it's quite absurd. It's funny, when I was in high school I always wanted to be a high school teacher, and now here I am, living out one of my teenage dreams. It's a heavy load, 23 periods a week - Geometry, Business Math, Math 2 (my same middle school class), Precalculus, an SAT prep course, and 3 computer sections. It's going to be challenging, but I love challenges. It was a little bit difficult for me to make this decision because I was making about 38,000 THB per month by basically sitting on my butt all day watching TV and reading books with the kids, swimming, and taking them on trips to town at Sakthong. Now I'm making 43,000 THB by teaching full time. It's a lot more work for not a lot more money. This was my first week and I was surprised at how exhausted I am. I haven't worked full time since, hm, since Summer 2006, and teaching is especially exhausting - you've got to be "on" the whole time. I like it though. It's not that I was bored working in Sakthong, but I just felt sometimes like I was wasting my time - it was just too easy. This will be good for me, really push me for the rest of the year.
Another perk is that I'll be replacing the old teacher on our Classroom Without Walls trip next week. I'll be going with the 12th graders up to the Burmese border to do volunteer work with a hill tribe that lives there. We'll be doing construction and some of the kids will teach English. It sounds really cool.
So I finished off my first week. Geometry and Business Math are very straight forward. I prepare lesson plans right from the book and it's no problem. Computer class is frustrating for me because there is absolutely no curriculum and I had been told just to make up something for these 3 classes to do. I don't know what to teach them. This week in precal was really difficult for me. The kids were at the end of the chapter where they had "learned" to graph all the complicated trigonometric functions. I essentially had to teach myself how to graph the hardest of the hardest so I could at least have some authority when trying to help them review for my test. I was scared, I thought I made the test too easy and they would finish it way ahead of time. As it turned out, only 3 people we're even capable of attempting the graphing section and none of them got them all right. Apparently they had just been doing all their graphing on a calculator. That's not math!
After Classroom Without Walls we start a brand new chapter together and I have this whole weekend and any free time during CWW to get on top of the new material. I started it today and I love it! It's about verifying and simplifying complex trig functions. It's so much fun, they're like little puzzles or mazes. I totally lost track of time tonight doing my lesson plans. I find the hardest problems and make sure I can do them so that I'll feel comfortable teaching the easy ones and asking questions. I love the mental stimulation. My mind is more mature than when I first took precalculus, so the hard problems are like little brain teasers - they take me awhile to figure out but they're completely doable.
This weekend is the Samoeng Strawberry Festival. I might go tomorrow, but Doi went and brought me back a bunch of strawberries and a starfruit! I can't wait to cut open the starfruit and have a go. I've never had one before.
Latest news on my volunteering aspirations: If I get a holiday I plan on going to Tacloban, Philippines to volunteer in a clinic (I want to so bad), but I may have no break at all, in which case I'll just be working straight from here till June.
I walked out of Central Airport Plaza last night with my KFC soft serve chocolate icecream (bought for 30 cents), smiled, and thought: "I am so happy here".
Saturday, February 9, 2008
Tuesday, February 5, 2008
I miss India
| To: "my email" CC: Subject: Hay david,I am rahul from india Date: Sun, 3 Feb 2008 23:57:51 -0800 (PST) | |
"I am happy there and i hope that you are happy there.perhaps you have forgoten me but i will never forget you.you told me that i would send my picture in your id..will you com to india for deepu's brother's marry in april.deepu told me that david would come but i am saying that you will have to come. please keep in touch"
This is the email I got from the guy who took me on his bike into Faridabad for McDonalds.
What if the wedding was during my week off in April and I went to Deepu's brother's wedding? I would surely be treated like a king for coming, hehe. I had told Deepu I wanted to go to his brother's wedding and would try to come if I could, but that was mostly just to be polite. It actually is a possibility though, depending on the date...
This is the email I got from the guy who took me on his bike into Faridabad for McDonalds.
What if the wedding was during my week off in April and I went to Deepu's brother's wedding? I would surely be treated like a king for coming, hehe. I had told Deepu I wanted to go to his brother's wedding and would try to come if I could, but that was mostly just to be polite. It actually is a possibility though, depending on the date...
Thursday, January 31, 2008
Frustration
I didn't sleep well last night and this morning my appetite was completely gone. I was not hungry for the entire day and was plagued by some pretty intense lethargy, body aches, and headache. Farang Fever, as it is known. No big deal, I consider it practice in thankfulness. How is it possible for me to complain about illness having had great health for the whole month?
My frustration did not come from being sick, from kids continually being disobedient, from kids shouting at all hours. My frustration certainly did not come from the completely random torrential rain that is still going on as I type. For the past 8 years, one teacher told me, it has NEVER rained during the dry season. Some people consider it a strange coincidence - the dark clouds in the sky correspond to the dark cloud that has descended over this school due to recent events.
Chris Beatty was a 23 year old Canadian who lived one floor below me. Last Friday I went with Chris to help chaperon the high school kids on a trip to a local resort to order desserts. We got to talk and joke around, he was a really fun kid. I say "was" because 2 days later he hopped on his moto and attempted to drive back home drunk. He fell off his bike that night not wearing a helmet. The impact, among other things, fractured his skull causing internal bleeding in the brain - his brain stem ceased to function. For a few days he remained brain dead in a hospital in Chiang Mai before his family arrived and pulled him off life support.
Today I found a memorial group on Facebook dedicated to celebrating his life. There was a post that invited people in Canada to meet at a bar and drink to celebrate his life. To be honest I felt furious for a second. "You want to celebrate this man's life by using the drug that killed him?!", I said out loud to myself. How horrifying. Here's some stats:
5% of all deaths from diseases of the circulatory system are attributed to alcohol.
15% of all deaths from diseases of the respiratory system are attributed to alcohol.
30% of all deaths from accidents caused by fire and flames are attributed to alcohol.
30% of all accidental drownings are attributed to alcohol.
30% of all suicides are attributed to alcohol.
40% of all deaths due to accidental falls are attributed to alcohol.
45% of all deaths in automobile accidents are attributed to alcohol.
60% of all homicides are attributed to alcohol.
Approximately 100,000 people die from alcohol each year. What can I say? This is my frustration.
Why don't I drink? Because alcohol wrecks lives, tears friends and family apart, and commits murder. Alcohol has nearly claimed the life of my brother, and it just took the life of a close friend. I don't support that drug.
My frustration did not come from being sick, from kids continually being disobedient, from kids shouting at all hours. My frustration certainly did not come from the completely random torrential rain that is still going on as I type. For the past 8 years, one teacher told me, it has NEVER rained during the dry season. Some people consider it a strange coincidence - the dark clouds in the sky correspond to the dark cloud that has descended over this school due to recent events.
Chris Beatty was a 23 year old Canadian who lived one floor below me. Last Friday I went with Chris to help chaperon the high school kids on a trip to a local resort to order desserts. We got to talk and joke around, he was a really fun kid. I say "was" because 2 days later he hopped on his moto and attempted to drive back home drunk. He fell off his bike that night not wearing a helmet. The impact, among other things, fractured his skull causing internal bleeding in the brain - his brain stem ceased to function. For a few days he remained brain dead in a hospital in Chiang Mai before his family arrived and pulled him off life support.
Today I found a memorial group on Facebook dedicated to celebrating his life. There was a post that invited people in Canada to meet at a bar and drink to celebrate his life. To be honest I felt furious for a second. "You want to celebrate this man's life by using the drug that killed him?!", I said out loud to myself. How horrifying. Here's some stats:
5% of all deaths from diseases of the circulatory system are attributed to alcohol.
15% of all deaths from diseases of the respiratory system are attributed to alcohol.
30% of all deaths from accidents caused by fire and flames are attributed to alcohol.
30% of all accidental drownings are attributed to alcohol.
30% of all suicides are attributed to alcohol.
40% of all deaths due to accidental falls are attributed to alcohol.
45% of all deaths in automobile accidents are attributed to alcohol.
60% of all homicides are attributed to alcohol.
Approximately 100,000 people die from alcohol each year. What can I say? This is my frustration.
Why don't I drink? Because alcohol wrecks lives, tears friends and family apart, and commits murder. Alcohol has nearly claimed the life of my brother, and it just took the life of a close friend. I don't support that drug.
Thursday, January 24, 2008
Significance
So now that I've had the same dream about 5 times now, I figured it's worth writing about. I can remember 4 of them specifically.
The dreams I have follow the same formula: I find myself in the United States somewhere and all of a sudden realize I need to get back to Thailand immediately.
One of the dreams had me at Del Rey Hills Church where I was meeting a bunch of old friends. They asked me how Thailand was and were surprised to see me back. I all of a sudden realized I had come back to the US too early and had to get back to Thailand.
I was back in Westchester when I realized I needed to get a flight back to Thailand immediately. I had a large backpack on and began running up El Manor then down Sepulveda towards the airport.
I just entered the LMU gym and passed by Garret Garton from some of my LMU classes. He was asking what I had been doing after graduation. I told him I was teaching in Thailand but I was back here for a little break, but then realized I had to get back and the dream ended.
Last night the dream came in two parts. First I made a surprise visit to my family who were living in futuristic apartment. I rang the doorbell and my Dad answered and unenthusiastically led me into the small main room where my Mom and brother were. They were all standing watching a small flat screen TV on the wall and were totally disinterested in me or the fact that I had just came back from Thailand. There was a large flight of wooden stairs leading up to a large wooden hut sort of building in the middle of a bunch of green fields. I was a the top when Paddy (the new science teacher) appeared and asked me what I was doing here. I all of sudden realized it was April and I had come back to the US way too early. "We've got to get back to Thailand now!", I shouted. I jumped in a para gliding device and we were wisped away.
Strange dreams. I would say they are a product of my recent research and planning for when I come home, but I didn't start that till lately and I've been having these dreams since I first arrived in Chiang Mai. I have so many opportunities and so many different things that I could do that I'm getting overly excited I think. Currently I'm planning a trip to Indonesia, looking at moving to Argentina in July for a few months, and looking for jobs when I return to the US. It's so much to think about at one time, but I'm so overwhelmed with the freedom that I have. I can do anything I want! I can go anywhere in the world if I want! I have absolutely nothing holding me down (except my commitment to apply and attend medical school).
The dreams I have follow the same formula: I find myself in the United States somewhere and all of a sudden realize I need to get back to Thailand immediately.
One of the dreams had me at Del Rey Hills Church where I was meeting a bunch of old friends. They asked me how Thailand was and were surprised to see me back. I all of a sudden realized I had come back to the US too early and had to get back to Thailand.
I was back in Westchester when I realized I needed to get a flight back to Thailand immediately. I had a large backpack on and began running up El Manor then down Sepulveda towards the airport.
I just entered the LMU gym and passed by Garret Garton from some of my LMU classes. He was asking what I had been doing after graduation. I told him I was teaching in Thailand but I was back here for a little break, but then realized I had to get back and the dream ended.
Last night the dream came in two parts. First I made a surprise visit to my family who were living in futuristic apartment. I rang the doorbell and my Dad answered and unenthusiastically led me into the small main room where my Mom and brother were. They were all standing watching a small flat screen TV on the wall and were totally disinterested in me or the fact that I had just came back from Thailand. There was a large flight of wooden stairs leading up to a large wooden hut sort of building in the middle of a bunch of green fields. I was a the top when Paddy (the new science teacher) appeared and asked me what I was doing here. I all of sudden realized it was April and I had come back to the US way too early. "We've got to get back to Thailand now!", I shouted. I jumped in a para gliding device and we were wisped away.
Strange dreams. I would say they are a product of my recent research and planning for when I come home, but I didn't start that till lately and I've been having these dreams since I first arrived in Chiang Mai. I have so many opportunities and so many different things that I could do that I'm getting overly excited I think. Currently I'm planning a trip to Indonesia, looking at moving to Argentina in July for a few months, and looking for jobs when I return to the US. It's so much to think about at one time, but I'm so overwhelmed with the freedom that I have. I can do anything I want! I can go anywhere in the world if I want! I have absolutely nothing holding me down (except my commitment to apply and attend medical school).
Sunday, January 20, 2008
Freedom
What a weekend!
On Friday I went down with some coworkers to see the Umbrella Festival which featured shops covered in bright colored paper parasols and women dressed in traditional outfits carrying similar umbrellas down the street. Cameron and I walked the entire length of the street, then had an iced coffee and watched the umbrellas go by. We moved on to a shopping street where I grabbed a pork sausage stuffed with sticky rice off a street vendor for 10 Baht. It was so good.
On the way back up to the school I suddenly decided that I should take full advantage of my one day off. I had the driver drop me off at Airport Plaza, said goodbye to everyone, then hopped into the back of a pick up truck taxi (songtaew) and headed to Thae Pae Gate in the old city. I called Paula who was in town and we met up with Alila and hung out with a bunch of people at a rasta bar for awhile before getting dinner (25 Baht for a huge bowl of pork and noodle soup). Paula and I split off and went to a Jazz bar and watched some live Jazz performed by some students from Chiang Mai University. It was awesome. Killer guitarist.
Paula graciously let me stay at her apartment in town and then in the morning we got a bomb breakfast at my friend Took's place (40 Baht for 2 eggs, potatos and onions, and beans). We took Paula's moto up to Doi Suthep, the most famous temple at the top of the second highest mountain in Chiang Mai. After enjoying the temple we moto'd around the mountains and valleys for awhile before going to visit the Temple of 999 steps (it was definitely more). It was a great workout and the temple at the top offered a spectacular view.
Ahh. It was so nice to just get off the mountain for a bit, eat food off the street, do some of the touristy stuff, practice my Thai, and take plenty of 15 Baht Banana and coffee smoothies.
I've got to admit it's pretty fun to meet people in Thailand and answer "so how long are you traveling in Thailand?" with "oh, I'm not traveling, I live here". I've got the bank and insurance card to prove it!
On Friday I went down with some coworkers to see the Umbrella Festival which featured shops covered in bright colored paper parasols and women dressed in traditional outfits carrying similar umbrellas down the street. Cameron and I walked the entire length of the street, then had an iced coffee and watched the umbrellas go by. We moved on to a shopping street where I grabbed a pork sausage stuffed with sticky rice off a street vendor for 10 Baht. It was so good.
On the way back up to the school I suddenly decided that I should take full advantage of my one day off. I had the driver drop me off at Airport Plaza, said goodbye to everyone, then hopped into the back of a pick up truck taxi (songtaew) and headed to Thae Pae Gate in the old city. I called Paula who was in town and we met up with Alila and hung out with a bunch of people at a rasta bar for awhile before getting dinner (25 Baht for a huge bowl of pork and noodle soup). Paula and I split off and went to a Jazz bar and watched some live Jazz performed by some students from Chiang Mai University. It was awesome. Killer guitarist.
Paula graciously let me stay at her apartment in town and then in the morning we got a bomb breakfast at my friend Took's place (40 Baht for 2 eggs, potatos and onions, and beans). We took Paula's moto up to Doi Suthep, the most famous temple at the top of the second highest mountain in Chiang Mai. After enjoying the temple we moto'd around the mountains and valleys for awhile before going to visit the Temple of 999 steps (it was definitely more). It was a great workout and the temple at the top offered a spectacular view.
Ahh. It was so nice to just get off the mountain for a bit, eat food off the street, do some of the touristy stuff, practice my Thai, and take plenty of 15 Baht Banana and coffee smoothies.
I've got to admit it's pretty fun to meet people in Thailand and answer "so how long are you traveling in Thailand?" with "oh, I'm not traveling, I live here". I've got the bank and insurance card to prove it!
Sunday, January 13, 2008
Alternating Current
In Faridabad, the power goes out quite frequently, at least a handful of times per night. One night the volunteers, Mama and Baba Ji, and some guests were gathered around the low table at night. This was early on in our trip and someone had asked me what my profession was. I told them I was a teacher and taught Math and Chemistry. No sooner had I said the word "chemistry" then the power died and the dim lighting that we had went completely out. When the lights go out at the ashram, it is literally pitch black because there are no other lights for miles around. To my surprise the conversation carried on in the complete darkness...
Someone spoke and the only words I could understand through the thick accent were "sodium" and "water". I said yes and silence ensued, only to be followed up with some Hindi. A moment later I heard the same sentence, and I just said yes. After about the 4th round of this, I finally understand someone was asking what happens when you mix sodium and water. Having understood the question, I told them that it explodes. "Sodium in water? Like bomb, boom!". It was such an awkward and random conversation that in the future, every time the lights went out I would wait a second and then say "sodium" and we'd all laugh.
-----
Rhymes needed batteries for his camera, but Deepu didn't seem to understand what exactly he needed or how to procure the item. I had seen them in a shack in town and so I decided to take matters into my own hands. A couple days earlier I had made a rather clever observation that Indian people sometimes don't understand English words unless you say them in an Indian accent, to which our Indian-American volunteer agreed. I walked up to the shack and pointed to the batteries hanging on the wall and said "doh batteries". The guy just looked at me. Sticking my jaw out I tried again: "Doh bahtehres". He instantly understood, reached back, and presented us with the batteries which were subsequently purchased. This became another one of our many running gags...
Someone spoke and the only words I could understand through the thick accent were "sodium" and "water". I said yes and silence ensued, only to be followed up with some Hindi. A moment later I heard the same sentence, and I just said yes. After about the 4th round of this, I finally understand someone was asking what happens when you mix sodium and water. Having understood the question, I told them that it explodes. "Sodium in water? Like bomb, boom!". It was such an awkward and random conversation that in the future, every time the lights went out I would wait a second and then say "sodium" and we'd all laugh.
-----
Rhymes needed batteries for his camera, but Deepu didn't seem to understand what exactly he needed or how to procure the item. I had seen them in a shack in town and so I decided to take matters into my own hands. A couple days earlier I had made a rather clever observation that Indian people sometimes don't understand English words unless you say them in an Indian accent, to which our Indian-American volunteer agreed. I walked up to the shack and pointed to the batteries hanging on the wall and said "doh batteries". The guy just looked at me. Sticking my jaw out I tried again: "Doh bahtehres". He instantly understood, reached back, and presented us with the batteries which were subsequently purchased. This became another one of our many running gags...
Thursday, January 10, 2008
Busy much?
January I work 25/26 days
February I work 27/29 days
This weekend I work 7am-11pm Saturday and Sunday.
I think I get a week off in March though, and I will find out by the end of this week I hope. If I get the time off I am strongly considering flying to Greece to hang out with some friends for 5 days. On the plus side it would be fun to see friends and Greece. On the downside it's 46,000 Baht just for the flight, and it's a long trip just to see friends for only 5 days. Decisions, decisions, decisions...
February I work 27/29 days
This weekend I work 7am-11pm Saturday and Sunday.
I think I get a week off in March though, and I will find out by the end of this week I hope. If I get the time off I am strongly considering flying to Greece to hang out with some friends for 5 days. On the plus side it would be fun to see friends and Greece. On the downside it's 46,000 Baht just for the flight, and it's a long trip just to see friends for only 5 days. Decisions, decisions, decisions...
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