Today was my second day of teaching, which I'll explain in a bit. After the day ended, Linnea and I decided to go the karaoke-restaurant (which we previously associated with hoodlums) that is literally like, eight steps away/across from my apartment and my door for dinner because it was drizzling outside and we didn't want to walk through the nasty shiz, i.e. dried-up dog crap that is everywhere, that pollutes our streets.
Turns out this was an amazing life decision. Without exaggeration, an AMAZING life decision.
After ordering Pad Thai with shrimp (L's favorite), the only dish we know, other than Pad See Ew, papaya salad, and green curry, the latter of which they did not have, much to my dismay; after only a few glasses of Leo; and after having meaningful conversation while shouting over the eight out-of-key Thais who were karaoking in the background, the owner of the restaurant politely asked us if we wanted to karaoke.
In a foreign country, in a restaurant with maybe eight other locals eating there, other than the three staff members, this request required no second thought.
Bounding up the stairs and into the spotlight, L and I, after much communication difficulty, obtained the binder of songs -- all of which were in Thai. Fail. But mai pen rai! Though the karaoke dude wanted us to sing a song by "m2m" (who????), we ended up belting out to the Spice Girls' "Stop" (the lyrics of which I only knew, lol), "Colors of the Wind", and "Build Me Up Buttercup". We laughed through about 1/4 of it; another 1/4 we actually, shamefully, actually actually TRIED. No, really. We stopped the giggling and gripped our mics, cocked our heads, and bent our knees during the passionate keys. But then we'd look at each other and crack up at the fact that we were actually attempting to be good. The other 1/2 of the time was spent butchering the songs. Poor Thais, they're probably deaf by now. I mean, hey, the karaoke dude cut us off after our third song.
BUT! The best part was when we got off the stage (few claps, then utter silence...great) and were handed a ROSE with 200 baaht attached to it (i.e. half our bill!)!! The restaurant owner's boss/landlord of our apt gave us this precious gift to commend our efforts.
Laughter - the purest, most refreshing, hardest, tummy-twisting, ab-stimulating laughter - ensued. Linnea and I sat there for maybe 10 minutes just ROLLING with laughter; tears poured down my cheeks and my mascara ran amok at how entirely ridiculous the past few days of our lives have been. "WHAT AM I DOING WITH MY LIFE RIGHT NOW?!" I squealed (yes, it was a squeal). It was amazing.
TEACHING
Our last few days have been ridiculous because we've taught for two days; my first day, yesterday, was pure chaos. Introducing myself to 400 Thai children during the morning ceremony, before watching the uniform-clad children perform their school anthem and Buddhist-praying routine (during which I stood, dumbstruck), was the easy part. I quickly found that teaching 2nd and 3rd graders, however, while keeping them entertained and focused, is nearly impossible. Try doing this with a smile on your face and without yelling at them. I've taught six 50-minute classes so far, and all of them have been pretty different. Their English has been at different levels but all have responded well to name-game ball-tosses, the Splat game, and shaking hands while saying "nice to meet you". Trust, they've screamed and yelled out of excitement; some have hit each other while others have crawled on the floor; and one girl cried today. But heyyyy, the show must go on.
[the massive billboard dedicated to our faces and full names - middle names and all]
Despite the utter insanity that has consumed my classrooms thus far, I could get used to being a celebrity -- I mean, teacher -- here in Thailand. The kiddos bum rush me in the halls, hug me in the middle of class, and don't un-leech themselves from me even as I continue to teach and even walk. They tell me they love me all the time and write me sweet notes ("I love you teacher" or "HAPPY" with a heart, ain't that sweet). And they all want to hold my hand! Hm. Sounds like some boyfriends could get a lesson from these Thai kids...
The best part, other than being adored (of course), is when I enter a classroom and one student says "Stand up!" Everyone stands in unison and says, slowly and with all the stressed syllables adorably wrong, "Good af-ta-noooon (or morning), teeeeaaaa-chahhh." To which I respond, "Hello, class! How are you?". Response "FINE, aaaanddd youuuuuuuu?" Etc. etc. It's the best.
LOY KRATHONG
[lol. best candid of random thais during loy krathong...ever]
How shall I describe Loy Krathong? It's like USA's 4th of July except instead, the Thais light up candles and incense that are stuck in krathongs (flower boat things), then set them adrift in the rivers of this Land of Smiles while wishing for good things in the year to come. It's pretty. We also saw people light up lanterns and release them into the air, which was a disaster waiting to happen, especially with the wind that night.
I just pictured the lanterns failing to catch wind, getting snagged on a wire, and setting the whole boardwalk on fire, which was filled with too many people, interesting seafood kiosks (we tried octopus eggs! salty. and like chicken eggs), electric lights, and fireworks that were set off WAY too close to our heads. Basically, the concept of "safety regulations" does not exist here.
[does it look dangerous? and smokey? because it was.]
All of the aforementioned scenarios, in addition to many of which I have omitted due to lack of space, can be summed up by one saying that L and I have adopted: "Freaking Farang".
Chaos. Insanity. My life is NUTS here and I LOVE IT.
1 comment:
girl you are hysterical! sounds like you're having so much fun! hopefully ill see you this weekend back in the bkk...
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