Snip Snip, Holy S**t.

I have written previously on this blog about overcoming loneliness, death, language barriers, cultural differences, and homesickness. Yet today I faced an experience so daunting and nervewrecking it will live forever in my mind.

I got my hair cut.

Now, I am not one for fretting about my hair. Since a gekko decided to die in my hair dryer about 2 weeks ago I have gone au natural with the hair, which includes lots of flicks and general awfulness. In Thailand, if you are a farang, you can get away with wearing a bin liner as long as it covers your shoulders. But you can only put off the inevitable for so long, and after nearly 6 months, I was in need of a haircut.

In the past I have cut my hair from below my shoulders to a near shaved side-of-the-head with a floppy fringe style, I have bleached it, snipped it myself with a blunt scissors, and I have changed it about so many times and all without much thinking. I did the same this time. I cycled into town with an average idea of what I wanted, did a few hand gestures at the hairdressers, and after a lovely shampoo and head massage, I was feeling well confident when I sat down in the chair. Nothing prepared me for what came next.

The hairdresser came over, I showed her how short I wanted it, which was about 2 inches off, and I signalled a side fringe. She went 'ok ok ok', grabbed her scissors, pinned a chunk of my hair up, and nattered to the girl beside her as she went SNIP , taking at least 4-5 inches off the back.

Holy mother of jesus and the seven mollywopsies what has she done!!!!!

Mai pen rai, mai pen rai, mai pen rai (Thai version of Hakuna Matata). Breath, breath. It may not be as bad as it seems.

After about three minutes and a lot of very fast and not really measured snips, I had a bob pretty much exactly the same as my students' government school uniform hairstyle. She also went to town on the fringe and it is a lot shorter than I anticipated. It took me til this time to take my eyes off the scissors in the mirror and look at myself to see I looked like I was about to be sick. They just laughed. But, after the trainee dragged the hair off of my head with the hairdryer, I found it wasn't at the 'oh god, hand my the electric shaver and a bottle of vodka' level of direness. Its short, and I needed a serious coffee and a good half an hour sit down to let the heart settle, but I survived.

Next time Amy, go in with a picture and a native speaker. Silly girl.

Sawatdiikha.

Winding down and Revving Up

Turns out, the whole 'I dont want to do any work' feeling that comes with the end of term in Ireland is not just for students. We have one week of classes left before we break for exams, and although I have really loved working here in Rattanaburi, I am feeling the itch to move on. So, the plan for the week is easy classes of games and sweets, coupled with a ton of research on the places I plan on visiting over the next three months.

For this weekend though, I decided to see a little more of the area I am in, and along with a friend from a nearby town we headed off to stay with a fellow ESL teacher in the busy little town of Sikoraphum, about 1 hour drive in a car (which means 2 in a bus) from where I live. We spent the weekend eating incredible Thai food (nom nom Som Tam) and biking around the area. We made a quick visit to a local ruined Hindu temple, drank the strangest green tea I have ever had, and followed all of this with jelly tots and wine gums, drinking cheap Thai beer and planning our travelling together. It was a very productive weekend, and after booking a flight down south in time for my birthday in March and outlining the locations we wish to visit, I have come to the conclusion that come June I will be very well travelled but also very well broke. In fairness though, what's the point in having money in a bank. May as well be spent on hostels, planes and tours.

The plan so far consists of this; Koh Samet for starters, then onto Bangkok for a flight down south, and then the Koh Mook in the Trang islands for my birthday (see incredible pic below .... yes, that really is how beautiful it is), moving on to Phuket, up to Phi Phi island (where 'The Beach' was filmed), then over to Koh Samui, see Koh Phangan, and then on to Phetchaburi before heading to Bangkok for a few days. For Thai New Year in April I will hopefully be in Chiang Mai up north, then a quick visit to Chiang Rai before heading over the scary border on an incredibly long bus journey to Cambodia. Between April 18th and June 6th, I plan to cover Cambodia, Vietnam, Malaysia and hopefully Indonesia (although I may be too broke after Malaysia. We will see how good my budgeting skills are).

To say I am excited is an understatement. To also say I am utterly terrified is also an understatement. Considering that booking the flight down south last night nearly gave me an ulcer shows how I deal with making travel plans. There is always the fear of not pressing the right button, or making sure you have enough time to get to whatever airport before the flight, or maybe you put in the wrong passport details or the wrong date, not to mention organising currency and visas all in another language that you have a beginners grasp of ..... The only hope I have is that the Thai idea of mai pen rai (don't worry, be happy) will rub off on me during my three weeks beach hopping in March.

Here is a photo of where I am spending my birthday. May I just mention three nights accommodation here is costing me 19 euro thanks to Agoda's half price promotions. Living in a second world country with squatters toilets and a lack of cheese its not often I get to say this, but I think I will revel in it just this once; jealous much? :-)

  

Having the banter in Buriram

Its so nice sometimes to get away.It has only been 4 weeks since Koh Chang, but it feels like a lifetime ago. Since coming home, we have had the kids do their midterms, I have corrected all 900 papers and put all the results into our official books, and I have been back teaching my 23 classes a week. I have been quite busy, and this weekend myself and Saadia (my fellow English teacher) decided that we would take a break and head to the neighbouring province of Buriram to stay with friends.

We initially were naive, and thought '1 hour 15 on the bus to Surin, and then another 2 hours on the bus from Surin to Buriram. We should be there by 7pm'. 7pm arrived, and we hadn't even left the station in Surin. Thai buses are the most unreliable mode of transport. They give a time to leave a station, but they don't actually leave at that time. They wait until the bus is full in order to leave. This means that we were sitting on the bus for an hour and a half waiting for it to move. Not a good start to the weekend.

But, finally, we arrived in Nang Rong bus station and met out three friends who took us for a lovely dinner with a stop off in the 7/11 on the way back to their accommodation for ice cream.

The next day, after a breakfast of the most gorgeous coffee and thai tea, we headed off for the nearby tourist site of Phanom Rung. This is a set of temple ruins which date back to the 10th century, and it was built for the Hindu God Shiva. The setting is really amazing, as it is perched on the rim of a volcano on a mountain, and it is really beautiful, not to mention very large and impressive. Although I have to say, if you are nervy with large steps and uneven surfaces, this is not the place for you. We spent the late afternoon sitting in a little cafe eating homemade cookies, brownies and cheesecake (all with no extra sugar which is rare in Thailand where everything is sickeningly sweet) and sipping coffee and hot chocolate. This, followed by a fish dinner washed down with a large beer, was the perfect way to unwind.

We arrived home on Sunday nice and relaxed ... well except for the bus ride back with the incredibly loud Thai music .... and the fact that when we arrived back to the town we discovered my bike had been stolen .... but I personally chose not to let that spoil the weekend. Mai pen rai and all that jazz.

Right now, its back to sorting my travelling plans around Asia for when I am finished my work here in Rattanaburi, which will be in about 5 weeks. A huge amount of tea will be consumed this week methinks. Planning trains, planes and auto-mobiles is thirsty business.

Sawatdiikha.

Party Central

So, since the depressing 'isnt life just rubbish' blog of last week, which was clearly written at a low point (common in adventures such as this), things have perked up. It seems to be party season in Thailand, and every week there is some shindig or dinner or wedding to go to. I have a wedding this Thursday, one on the 2nd of February, and last week alone I went to two sit down dinners with live music and dancing after. One of them was to celebrate 'Teachers' Day' (yes, we are so important and amazing that we have our own day. Got off work and all for it) and the other was an intercultural show in a nearby school.

I think it is important to explain though that things are not done like at home. For one thing, majority of parties and dinners are outside. Basically, if you imagine a wedding reception, complete with 8 seater round tables and cloth covered seats, and place them on a large school basketball court, you have a Thai teacher's party. This all comes with complementary deafness, as the speakers that keep you 'entertained' with live Thai music and karaoke could rival the O2. Thai people do not believe in volume control. Everything in this country is loud, from the music on speakers to the people themselves as a result of hearing damage due to the speakers. (I have come to realise its not that the kids don't understand me, its that they cant hear me). Also the numbers are colossal. An outdoor party such as this, or a wedding, could cater for between 600 - 800 people. Nobody in Ireland would ever think of taking on such a task, but in Thailand this is something done on a weekly basis.

With weddings though, I find it much more enjoyable. The food is always plentiful, the music is much lower, an everyone is always in such happy moods. Also, the fashion, as in the west, is vital. The difference here is that the clothes are so cheap that you can look fantastic for so much less. In Ireland, if I was to buy a dress, a pair of shoes and jewellery, you could spend €120 or more, depending on your choice of shop. Here, I got a beautiful long dress and a pair of shoes for ..... €12. And that was expensive by Thai standards. Thats something you really cannot beat.

Sawatdiikha.

Ain't Life A B***h.

Life on a blog seems like one big party. Obviously, as a blogger, I want to record for myself and my family at home the interesting stuff about my life here; the parties, the strange happenings, the holidays. But life in Thailand, my life, is not always a holiday. Life is never always a holiday, unless of course, you are a lucky rich fecker and you are constantly on a holiday in Bali. But I was thinking during the week that, as many people reading this blog are thinking of coming out to Thailand to teach, its important to make a point that you should all be prepared for. Sometimes, you will hate this job, you will hate this country, and you will think that coming out here was the stupidest decision you have ever made.

I know its a depressing thought, and a surprising one considering the life I have portrayed on this blog. But when making a decision to come out here, you must be prepared for the fact that the majority of your time will be spent trying to communicate with children who don't understand a word you say, listening to all of your colleagues having conversations in a language you don't understand, and you will spend a lot of time lonely, missing your friends, struggling to communicate, and feeling like you are hitting your head off of a brick wall. This week, for example, I spent three days adjudicating exams which were extraordinarily boring, and then I spent the rest of my time correcting 900 exam papers where it became clear to me that the students don't remember a single thing I have taught them. In the evenings I ate my dinner and sat in my room watching movies online (nothing in a small Thai town stays open past 6pm). All of this, coupled with being cooped up in the same small town with the same two or three people who speak English, can make for a serious bout of homesickness and cabin fever.

The point must be made that, despite what any company or school sells to you about this perfect idealistic life in Thailand, it is a life. It is not a holiday. If you come here to teach, you will not be sunbathing, drinking cocktails, or partying. You will be correcting exams, looking at blank faces of kids all week, and spending your weekends making worksheets and racking you brain for lesson plans.

After reading all of this you may be thinking 'bloody hell, doesn't sound great'. Its not great. But the question you must ask yourself is 'is my life in my home country much better?'. I am guessing, since you would consider leaving, that the answer is no. For me, sitting here on my front porch feeling completely fed up and contemplating getting the first flight out of here, I have to think 'what am I going home to?'. The answer is 'a boring job in a shop (if I can find one), debt (if I chose to go back to taking notes and doing exams in Uni), and monotony. All brought to you in freezing cold wind and rain'. Not exactly idealistic is it. But that's the thing, real life is never idealistic. A few times a year you get the great nights, and the time on the beach, and the cocktails and a tan. Don't come to work in Thailand if you want a big holiday. Go on holiday instead. Come to Thailand to work if you want to face a challenge, if you want to see how much hardship you can take, if you want to learn how you can deal with life without a circle of family and friends to help you along. If you come here, you wont learn how to make a shockingly strong pina colada, but you will learn (as corny as it sounds) how strong you are. Take a guess which lesson will be most valuable.

Sawatdiikha.

Sun, Sand, and Singing 'Auld Lang Syne'

I have never experienced a particularly good New Years Eve. I always considered it to be a hyped up holiday and an excuse to get ossified and die in work the next day. It was never really my thing, as old as that makes me sound. This year though, I decided to abandon my cynical thinking and head south of the east coast of Thailand for a bit of sun, sand, and sex on the beach (the drink kind, not the ...other .... kind). It technically was my first girls holiday, as I spent the weekend with three fantastic girls I have befriended on my adventure here in Thailand, and I have to say, it was very possibly the greatest weekend of my life.

After an overnight bus that went from taking 7 hours to taking about 10, we arrived on the beach at Koh Chang. Riding up and down the hills of this mountainous island in the back of the taxi/pick up truck, nothing, and I mean nothing, can prepare you for the beauty that awaits. This island can only be described in one word; Paradise. White sand beaches, clear blue oceans teaming with exotic fish, friendly waiters that totter out of little beach huts and serve you your drinks and food (both of which are the best I have had in Thailand so far) as you sit on your sun chair. We all agreed about 10 minutes after arriving that we never want to leave.

We spent most of Saturday and Sunday roaming through the little village we were staying in, checking out the souvenirs and lying on the beach eating our weight and wages in western food (only available at home if I want to travel an hour and a half on a bus). On  Monday though, it being New Years Eve, the four of us wanted to do something a bit special, so we went elephant trekking. Yes, it is as cool as it sounds. It included a one hour trek into the middle of nowhere on the backs of these incredible elephants with a smily 19 year old guide who, although he couldn't speak much English, managed with the help of my limited Thai to explain everything to us along the way. Then we arrived at this clear pool of water where we proceeded to strip off to the bikini and dip into the water to swim with the elephants and give them a bit of a scrub, which they seem to love. When you had finished this (basically when the elephant got fed up, I mean who is going to argue with an elephant) you hopped back on the elephant and trekked back through the forest, taking in the breathtaking scenery and silence, along with the most beautiful butterflies I have ever seen. It was one of the greatest things I have ever done, and only comes second in Thailand against seeing the cave paintings.

After coming down from our elephant sized high, we dalled up and headed out to Lonely Beach (party central on the island) to ring the New Year in with a few fellow teachers, fireworks and sand. Coming home the next day was quite difficult I must say, but we were all comforted by the thought that we will do it all over again when we go travelling down south in about 3 months. On the bus on the way home though, I did think of one thing that Koh Chang took from me that I will never get back. I can never again say 'New Years Eve is always a drag'. Funny enough though, I think thats something I can live without.

Farang Festive Cheer

I feel like someone going to confession; forgive me for I have sinned. It has been 13 days since my last blog. I have had numerous people asking for another update, and unfortunately the sad fact is that up until now nothing of any major interest has happened. But, finally, I have something worth writing about. Christmas.

Now, being a Buddhist country, Thailand does not actually celebrate Christmas, and that can leave farangs like myself feeling a little down hearted. Its the only time of the year in my family when we make a big celebration out of anything, and its such a family time. To be so far from home, with merely the odd Christmas light and 'jingle bells' on repeat in Tesco, is not really enough to bring about any festive feelings. So, I made my own Christmas. For the past three weeks I have been listening to Irish radio, and putting Christmas songs on YouTube, and my Mom even sent over Christmas decorations for the house! I have a miniature Christmas tree on top of the fridge, and light up snowmen, along with a few wreaths with little santas in them around the kitchen. But, as everyone else headed on an 8 hour bus drive to Bangkok in search of a Christmas dinner last weekend, I decided to take advantage of the gas hob and microwave, and attempt to make a Christmas-like dinner.

Now, without access to an oven, a turkey was out of the question. I managed to get cooked chicken in the local market, and I got it all chopped up so it would be easy to reheat. I had my Mom send over 'Paxo' microwavable stuffing (which tastes exactly like real stuffing!!), I stir fried a number of different vegetables al bought at the market two hours before dinner, and I made potatoes in the microwave. I also had gravy, pepper sauce and white sauce sent over. For desert we had ice cream, and I had a glass (or two) of wine. All this food was accompanied by a Christmas table cloth, Christmas candles, and Christmas crackers. Now, it was tough enough that I was cooking in an extremely limited space, and with such limited cooking facilities, not to mention that I had never cooked a Christmas dinner before, but I decided to make it that little bit difficult by inviting 4 other people to join me! I have to say, I am incredibly proud that I fed that many people a decent Christmas dinner, and with only one mishap (my Muslim housemate's halal chicken breast got a slight bit chargrilled).

Heading back to work this morning was a killer though. Just knowing that your family is at home relaxing and enjoying that Christmas feeling, ad you are losing the head at 12 year olds that wont sit down and do their class test, is pretty horrible. I was just about at the point where I was going to throw something or go on a massive rant (to who I don't know, the kids can't understand a word I say) when I entered a class and was suddenly bombarded with the most amazing hand made Christmas cards to 'Teacher Amy'. Some had such lovely messages, from 'I hope you find a nice man' to 'I wish you are not lonely without your family'. I was nearly in tears.

So, although this Christmas is different to any other, I guess its your attitude towards it that makes it a success or a failure. When coming to Thailand, or any other country, you have to accept that things wont be the same as at home, and you will feel like you are missing out at times. But, if you make a bit of an effort, make new traditions for yourself, and keep your head up, you can find that it feels just as good as at home, because its your own, grown up, independent type of Christmas.

Happy Christmas,
Nollaig shona gach duine,

Sawatdiikha.