We Went to Bangkok and Only Got Ripped Off 3 Times

Hello family! We just got back from our weekend Bangkok trip. The weekend was fun, but went by so fast! On Friday, we left for Bangkok right after catch-up. Ton drove us to random store where the "bus" would pick us up at 5:30. It turned out to be a tiny van carrying a dozen people to Bangkok. The five and half hour drive actually went by really fast, but he was a crazy driver! At one point, he was driving on the wrong side of the road, but I think he was actually just trying to avoid potholes. We got dropped off on the side of road at around 11 pm and caught a taxi to our hostel. That was the first time we were ripped off. Our taxi driver claimed his meter was broken and overcharged us. Our hostel was very nice and though we were staying in the mixed dorm, we didn't have any other roommates. We got up early the next morning and walked to the Skytrain station to go to the Grand Palace. We stopped at Dunkin Donuts for a little breakfast on the way. We got lost a couple times, but finally made it to the river. We got ripped off a second time by taking a more expensive longboat to the Grand Palace instead of the public ferry, but it was fun riding in the longboat. We made it to the Grand Palace and walked around the beautiful grounds. We saw the Grand Palace and the Temple of the Emerald Buddha. It was fun but very hot in our long skirts! On the way back from the Grand Palace, we stopped at another temple to see the Reclining Buddha. We then decided we needed to get a little lunch. We took a tuk tuk to a megamall called Station 21. It had over 10 floors and each floor was named and themed after a world city. We got Mexican food on the San Francisco floor and walked around the London, Paris, and Istanbul floors. They even had H&M on the Paris floor! It was definitely the most crowded store in the mall. After the mall, we got Thai massages at a massage parlor near our hostel. This was my second Thai massage and a guy did it. Unlike the woman at the massage parlor in Phichit, he did not massage my butt. This morning we went to the bus station and bought tickets back to Phichit. We rode an actual bus back to Phichit with comfortable seats and TVs onboard. This bus even came with an attendant and free drinks and snacks. It was also actually cheaper than the van. So that was our weekend in Bangkok. It was a nice getaway. We also have only one more week teaching our normal students before they go on winter break. I hope you all are well!

Still Alive

Hello family! I am still surviving Thailand. I know I was supposed to do a post about my students, but I am still working on it. There is just so much to say about my little kiddos! The girls and I will be going to Bangkok this weekend! We decided on a whim today and booked our hostel for Friday and Saturday night. The only things we have planned so far are seeing the Grand Palace and going to Krispy Kremes. I will give you an update on our Bangkok trip as well as my birthday on Monday. I miss you all!

A Weekend in Phitsanulok

Hello family! We spent the weekend in Phitsanulok to get a break from Phichit. We took the 9:57 A.M train Saturday to Phitsanulok and got there around 11:00. We immediately got a tuk tuk to Central Plaza. It was the biggest mall I had ever been in and had five floors with an arcade and mini amusement park on the top floor. It was very Americanized. They had Abercrombie and Fitch, an international market, and a large department store with Clinique and Bobbi Brown counters. They also had at least 10 restaurants. We decided on Mcdonald's for lunch and Dairy Queen for dessert. The cheeseburger and fries tasted exactly the same as in the United States, but this Mcdonald's also served noodles and rice. We then took a tuk tuk to another mall called the Big C. We didn't have hotel reservations, but Lindsay told us there was a good hotel across the street from Big C. We found the hotel and got three rooms. Kim and I shared a room that cost five dollars each and we each had our own bed. The hotel also had air conditioning and hot water which are things we have been living without. That night we got pizza for dinner and went to the night market. On Sunday Kim and I went to church with Lindsey and Tanner while the rest of the girls traveled two hours away to go on a hike in the national park. I'm so glad I went to church instead of going on the hike! The girls ended up getting lost and without transportation. They ended up hitchhiking and getting a ride with two random women back to Phitsanulok. One of the girls almost had a mental breakdown she was so worried. So the moral of the story is go to church! After church, Kim and I ate at Mcdonald's again and took the train back to Phichit. Basically all we did in Phitsanulok was eat American food. We were talking over dinner tonight how sweets taste so good in Thailand. Lindsey explained it perfectly: "Sweets taste so good because you're used to your body being deprived of all goodness." And that summarizes living in Thailand.

Kim's Birthday

Hello family! It has been too long since I have updated. On Tuesday we celebrated Kim's birthday. She turned 24 years old. The night before, we were making decorations in the supply room and the Thai teachers came in asking what the decorations were for. They were so excited when we told them it was Kim's birthday. They went out and bought her a cake and at midnight the Thai teachers and security guard came into our apartment and we all sang Happy Birthday. The Thai teachers were so nice to put that together. They even put trick candles on the cake. The next day, the kids all sang to Kim and the Thai teachers ordered us all drinks from a local coffee shop. It was chocolate milk in ice that you sip out of a paper bag. It was so good. The Thai teachers are seriously the nicest ladies ever. That night we taught the adult English class and went out to the Swiss steakhouse with Ton and Tang. The steakhouse was not as good as I expected, but at least it wasn't Thai food. I even got French fries! Kim's birthday was so fun and it makes me excited for mine!

A Weekend of Dancing

Hello family! This weekend was full of dancing. Some of the girls have been wanting to go dancing and they've been asking Tang about it. She said we couldn't go unless we found some men to go with us or else guys would be hitting on us all night. Ton and Ake agreed to take both the American and Thai teachers dancing. There is one nightclub in Phichit called Crocodile Rock. Tang doesn't like her teachers going to that nightclub. I guess in the past some of her teachers have done questionable deeds at that club and parents have seen it and gotten mad. So we had to go to Phitsanulok to go dancing. Ton and Ake picked up us and the Thai teachers at 9:30 pm Friday night. Tang made it clear we couldn't drink or talk to men. We were shocked when we saw the Thai teachers all dolled up for a night on the town. We're all so used to wearing our ugly teacher uniforms with our hair pulled up with no make-up, it was shocking to see everyone all made up. We drove an hour to a fancy nightclub in Phitsanulok called The Castle. We went into the club and immediately saw weird Thai dancers up on the stage who were probably strippers. They weren't up there for long though. A terrible rock band played. They sang English songs but didn't know English so it was just a bunch of gibberish. The music was loud though. I couldn't hear for hours afterward. The Thai teachers gulped down alcohol and the American teachers were forced to the kid's table with just water and Pepsi. We also got French fries! My first fry in almost a month was glorious! We then didn't get home until 2 in the morning! Today we went on a free tour around town hosted by local high school students. We visited two temples, a beautiful garden, the mayor's house, and a little town outside Phichit. When we arrived at the small town, they were having a celebration! Women pulled us in and we started dancing. I had no idea what I was doing. We then watched some local kids perform. Everyone wanted to take their picture with us. We're like celebrities here! It was so much fun! A random woman even bought us barbecue chicken! We were also called out my the emcee before the performance. We definitely won't be treated like this back in the States!

Boarding School Life

Hi family! If you didn't know this already, the school that I teach at is a boarding school. There are about 80 students total at Imperial School, but 6 of them live at the school Monday through Thursday. We supervise their playtime every night. Two of my kindergarten students, Moo Pee and Tiger, live at the school. I have a lot of fun playing with them at night, but I can't help but feel bad for them. I couldn't imagine living at school away from my parents when I was only 6 years old. There are 2 full time Thai teachers who take care of them at night. They even sleep in the same room as the kids in bunk beds. One of the boys who lives at the school, Mee Poo, had his 7th birthday last night. We celebrated last night with birthday cake and Oreos. After cake, the kids were sent to bed and we were hanging out with the Thai teachers. Then, all of the sudden, a giant tarantula the size of a soccer ball came out into the hallway. All of us, including the Thai teachers, started screaming and freaking out. The kids were upstairs getting on their pajamas, but ran downstairs screaming at the spider and laughing at us. Eventually, Tanner (the husband of one of the English teachers), came and killed it. Living in Thailand definitely has its challenges! I hope you all are well!

When There's Nothing to Report

Hello family! Not much has changed in Phichit, Thailand. This weekend will be the big boat races and Tang is taking us to the Buddhist temple. We went to the market this weekend and they had pretty much everything. I got a yummy donut, but I have yet to purchase any gifts. Let me know if you want anything in particular. Teaching is going well. I will have to do a post about kids one day. I hope you all are well!