Military Coup, Who?

SO, it has not been a secret that Thailand has been experiencing some political unrest since the beginning of 2014. Recently things have elevated beyond the point of a few protests monthly. The Thai Military has officially executed a coup, and has taken over control of the country. I know I know that sounds dramatic and extremist. It is a fact that the country of Thailand now has the head of the military acting as interim Prime Minister until future elections, but it is also a fact that Thai soldiers that are occupying the streets of Nan (the city I live in) are letting foreigners take pictures holding their guns and smiling. I am not trying to distract from scariness that is a military coup… All I am saying is that if I had to be living in a country during a military coup Thailand would be one of my first choices, probably behind Switzerland. The only repercussion I have felt is the countrywide curfew that has been imposed from 10pm-5am, which has totally cramped my style this weekend! Ugh. As for the upcoming week I assume it will be business as usual, and back to school for this English teacher. More information on the political situation to come later, but first........ let me take a military coup selfie. 

Welcome Home: Nan, Thailand

Life is awesome in Nan, Thailand. I just want to start by stating that fact. Since, I arrived last Tuesday everything has been a whirlwind. I have moved into my, by Thai standards, amazing house, and I can now say I am finally settled in. My roommate, Tricia, is great! She lived and taught in Nan for the previous school year and decided to stay for another year. So, she knows the lay of land here in Nan, and has been beyond helpful answering all my dumb Farang (Thai word for foreigner) questions. Nan is a smallish town, but there are so many things going on. Every street corner has a some type of delicious food spot or cute little shop. The weekends bring the night markets where streets are closed starting at sunset, and the entire town walks the streets buying the latest Thai attire or getting a to die for coconut milk ice cream. The people are friendly and the lifestyle is laid back. I am really digging the vibes that's for sure :)

Bahn kohng chan (My house in Thai) 

The Nan River that runs through my backyard

Wat Don Kaew right across the street from my house

It's easy for me to forget sometimes that I am not here to only eat delicious food and see beautiful things, but I also have a job, Srisawatwittayarkarn School, aka Srisawat, is the school where I am teaching. The school is a secondary school, which is the equivalent to middle and high school combined. There are three other American English teachers in the same school, all female, and all awesome people.  The administration at Srisawat is great, but minus the morning greeting of "Sawatdee Kha" I don't have to deal with the higher ups much. I spend most of my time in the classroom or in the English department office, which consists of the western teachers and the Thai teachers that are teaching English as well. See, the way the English programs are set up in Thai schools the students have a teacher that is That but understands the English language well enough to teach them basic vocabulary and grammar. On top of that, the students spend one or two hours a week with a western native English speaking teacher to building pronunciation and conversational speaking skills, that is where us Americans come in. It is our job to encourage Thai students to listen to and speak the English language. The schools here are very laid back, and I am free to do whatever I would like to with my students as long as they are getting practice with English. The opportunities are endless...

I have not even been in Nan for a week yet, but I know I am where I am supposed to be. Change is always a challenge, but this is so worth it. Good vibes coming at you from Nan!

Chang! Chang! Chang! - Kanchanaburi, Thailand

Monday, May 12th, 2014 ranks as one of the best days I have experienced in my life so far. It started at our beautiful hotel, Pavilion Rim Kwai Resort in Kanchanaburi, Thailand. Our group of 60+ future English teachers woke up early in the morning, and set out for Taweechai Elephant Camp. It wasn't a surprise that we would be seeing, touching, riding elephants, and we were all acting like big children as we headed towards Chang (Chang=Elephant in Thai). We got to the Elephant Camp about 45 minutes later, and I was immediately overwhelmed with pure happiness at the sight of three baby elephants running around and playing with each other. Throughout the day we watched an elephant show, staring the three baby elephants, and got to ride on top of the grown elephants. The elephant I got to ride along with Hannah, a girl that will be teaching at the same school in Nan as I, was named Uun. BUT on top of all the awesomeness that I experienced while being with the elephants that wasn't even my favorite part of the day. To wrap it all up we rafted/floated down the River Kwai, and when I say rafted I mean we sat on bamboo pieces held together by rope that was navigated by and very cute young Thai boy. We were told we would be allowed to swim at some point in the river, but about 3 minutes into the ride our Thai speaking navigator motioned us to jump in the water. So I jumped in. The water felt indescribably amazing, and as I got pulled by the current around every bend in the scenery was straight out of the movie Avatar. I've never been so awestruck by the God given beauty of this world. I am beyond blessed with this opportunity, and days like Monday, May 12th, 2014 remind me of that.

Check back in soon! In the mean while....enjoy these amazing pictures taken in Kanchanaburi, Thailand. Arguably the most beautiful place in the world.

Made it to the Land of Smiles!

Good Morning America! So I am officially in Thailand, Bangkok to be exact. I couldn't tell you what time it is locally or at home, or even what day it is. Because somewhere in the process of my 21 hours of flight time I have lost the ability to understand time zones. So it goes without saying that I am EXHAUSTED. Other than the jet lag, Thailand is amazing so far. The people in the organization with me are phenomenal people! I’m sad that I will only be able to spend the next 6 days with them before we are all split up to our respective cities/towns/villages where we will be teaching. And because I will be teaching and living for the next ten months in Nan (located in the Northern Region of Thailand...northern as in 10+ hours away from the closest beach) I am looking to take in as much of Bangkok as I can over the next week. Here is what I have learned so far in my 2 days of being here: 1) I am not that much of a giant here. I am tall like usual, but I did expect to stand out much more than I do. 2) There are no such thing as traffic laws… more like suggestions. I have yet to see a speed limit sign, and I have seen what was constructed as a three lane highway be turned into a five lane highway by use of the shoulders as lanes. Needless to say the roads are a bit terrifying to be on. 3) Every Thai person smiles. I have never seen such happy people in my life. I have been told this is because they are very shy in general. So, smiling is their defense mechanism if you will… I am sure I will be adding to that list as time goes on. Right now I feel overwhelmed by the way my life will be changing next Wednesday when I begin my teaching in the Srisawat School, in the Nan Province of Thailand. I am so blessed with this opportunity, and I just am trying to take it all in. As for right now I’m going to go get some dinner!