Photo Post 3 - Cooking and Loy Kratong Photos

Making some delicious Thai grub(not too bad ehh?)

Here is why its not too bad. Maee is teaching me and holding my hand through each step. What a lovely lady.

Here is a photo from the buddist/Thai Loy Kratong festival. The religious purpose is to float your sins down the river with a pretty floating vessel. The vessel holds insence and a candle which have some religious significance. Here is the biggest Kratong I saw at the festival. The communities in the area all compete for the nicest/prettiest/biggest Kratong.

Here I am making my family's Kratong with the help of Maee and Nam-tuey (adorable isn't she?).

How sweet is this. These little girls got all dressed up and performed beautifully for the festival.

The students with their teacher(Maee)

This one won first prize. I'm pretty sure its bio-degradable (amazing isn't it? Nature... and 48hrs strait of hard work)

I couldn't contain my laughter for this group. These groups of tiny kids(about 20 different ones) from all over the area practiced(no doubt for many weeks) dances to blasting heart racing/pounding music to get up on stage and they all ended up doing very similar dances with small variations. They learn quickly the Thais. They have got western pop culture down.

The beautiful Menora dance danced by men to screeeeching thai traditional music.



The end of the night (2am) - We floated our family's kratong(the one I made) in our back yard. I got up the next morning(well, that morning) at 6:30am.

Picture Post 2 - More family photos

Here is Paw(up on stage) at one of the weddings. He wasn't prepared for this but he was called out of the audience to "Sing a song, Sing a song!". He was actually quite good - The best I've heard at one of these parties without exaggeration. If you click on the photo and zoom in on Paw's face you can see that 'constant state of mischief' face that he always wears.

Here is Eet sitting with me in the house where I am staying. Good times...

Here is a rare image of me teaching. Can you see the intensity in my eyes?

Neither can I...

Here is Den. Our dog. He likes a good petting, and the left-over chicken/fish bones at dinner.


Den's glamour shot... Not too bad eh?

Pook's not-so glamour shot... I think I surprised her with this one. he, he...

My beloved Maee and I... She's a real sweetheart.

Definitely one of my favorites. Poo, Ya, and I - really lovely folk... I can't understand about 85% of what they say because they speak in a thick southern dialect but its sweet sweet music whne they do say anything. Whatever Poo does say he repeats until he leaves the room. Most of the time his conversations end with "geen dii"(eat well/healthy) or "geen aroy dii". and he strolls around the room a few times saying "geen dii... geen dii... hmmm... (fart)... mmmhmmm... geen dii... uuuy! geen arroy..." and then he walks out.

Picture Post 1 - I know its taken me some time but I've finally gotten my hands on some photos for your eager eyes back home. This is the 'jai-dii' Thai family that I have had the pleasure and good fortune to stay with for the last 2 months. They have adopted me until I return in March as well.

Here is the family photo. It includes everyone: Paw(dad), Maee(mom), Ya(Grandma), Po(Grandpa), Eet(oldest brother), Pook(sister), Pik(youngest brother), Den(the dog), and I.

My younger brother Pik. This is his glamor shot.

Another family photo. Don't ask what Den is doing. I'm pretty sure its just an optical illusion. Oh and yes that's Paw in the pink shirt and baby blue pants - and yes he is STILL the most manly presence in the coffee shop where all the REAL men meet in the morning to shoot the shoot... Everyone knows him and everyone respects him - because of his jai-dii, not despite his exterior... I love Thailand.

Here is a photo that is a bit clearer but without Paw. Ahh...

Pook's glamor shot.

Here is Nam-teuy and Pa-Won(Aunt Won) They are my neighbors who are(I think) related to my family. Nam-tuey is as naa-lak(cute) as they come and I pretty much adore her. She is always really quiet and kind and she has a cute little wai(the Thai greeting where you place your hands together palm to palm, thumbs below your nose to show respect and a whole bunch of other things). She puts her little hands together and gets whatever she wants(from me at least).

Moo Kata! The family fun activity which consists of barbecue-ing as much pork as you can eat - Read the "Katoeys in Paradise" post for more details. Its delicious and fun. Which makes for a FAB combination. Eet is explaining something to me and I am really trying to understand what it is. It's probably in Thai that I haven't learned yet(that's a lot). Pook is exibiting her charming "damn! its hot" face.

Eet's glamour shot... In this picture Eet had just returned from studing in BKK and we were all in the back of Paw's pickup going from 'paa-tee' to 'paa-tee'. Whooo-hooo. I'd be more enthusiastic if we hadn't done this every night this week. I like weddings but when you dont know anyone not even other guests it can be a little un-comfy.

This is one of my favorites. How confused do I look? This was my first interaction with such technology in a long time and you can tell.

With my visa in order and my work permit on the way I have already begun teaching full time at the school and I am very busy. I teach only 14 hours a week but I'm teaching 13 different classes which, for the most part, means different lessons and lesson plans for each.

I can see that most of my work this semester will be spent in planning.

Luckily, I have been given the top 14 classes (in other words the top 500 students) in the school. So thats reassuring.

The students are great and they want to learn.

I will give you some insight into the average day here. I get up at 6:00, to school by 7:30, I'm at school until 5:00, I go home and eat, I go to sleep at 10:00.

School here is a bit surreal* as I get the backstreet boy treatment a lot. There is a lot of pointing and smiling and screaming and other strange reactions. A simple hello and a smile is all it takes.

That is part of the reason why I'm here(and part of why I'm teaching 14 classes). These students will hopefully grow comfortable with farang and, in the end, will learn much more than just English.

I am happy knowing that my work is meaningful.

Soon I will be given an unexpected holiday from work from November 17th to the 26th and I will probably post again around that time.

*speaking of surreal this time of year is really weird. The rainy season just ended which means people celebrate... a lot. Everyday this week, in fact, I have been to a party at night. I always leave(with my family) by around 9pm but I'm sure that they go well into the night. And on the way to school we pick up and drop off people(at about 7am mind you) that are going to this or that party. They supposedly stay all day and all night. The celebrations (called "paa-tee") are held for various reasons; a marriage, a death(yes a death party including plenty of alcohol, music, and dancing), a homecoming, etc. If it can be celebrated - it is. You could say that these "little piggies go merry merry merry all the way home".