Q. & A.

I want to leave this post open for questioning. 

Each blog entry I try to include a little knowledge so you feel you gain something from reading. Tell me what you want to know about! 

Nothing is off limits.

What do you want to know?

Also, check out some links that I find helpful and entertaining...

If you are interested in:  

Teaching in Thailand :

Ajarn.com is teaching in Thailand headquarters, you can apply for jobs, resume help, cultural questions, what to wear, ANYTHING teaching related. 

Languagecorps.com this is the program I used to get TESOL certified. It is totally legit. I chose Thailand but they  have different programs all over the world. 

Thaivisa.com Not only help and guidance with Visa questions, but current events and  information guide to Thailand. 

For Fellow Travelers: 

Couchsurfing.org a website dedicated to free accommodations.  You need a place to stay? Someone, somewhere wants to be your host. Complete with references, and verifications.  

Travellerspoint.com  a great place to plot your trip on a map, look at beautiful pictures, blogs and more...

And finally just to  be entertained and informed, I like to watch a little Philly D on YouTube. 

*None of these people are paying me to advertise, However they are welcome to! 

  Let me know what ya think... 

and Thank You or Korp Kun for reading! 

Cheers!

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Your Questions Answered: 

1. How's the food in Thailand? 

 - The food here is pretty good, it is more the experience of eating street food that I really enjoy. Pad Thai,is definitely a favorite followed by Cashew Chicken. The thing is its a third world country, and nothing goes to waste. When they cook with meat every part is present... and sometimes I just want to dive in and enjoy, not pick out different ligaments, etc. However,if you go to a nice restaurant in Bangkok you get properly prepared food. Their specialty is sweets. The amount of desserts they have is amazing... if you can fry it or load it with sugar they're on it!

Overall I'd give the food a solid 3. 

2.  Are the Thai people friendly? 

 - They call it "The Land of Smiles" for a reason. Taxi drivers have been the best and most friendly, going out of their way to ensure safety. [Of course there are the random jerks] But people will go out of their way to help you, and are very friendly and hospitable. But, don't cross a Thai, you cross 1 you cross them all...and I'll put my money on the Thai's every time. After living here for a while, you begin to learn the difference between real Thai smiles and fake. 

3.Do you understand the language? 

- It can be difficult at times, but other times I have a decent understanding of the situation. Context clues and sign language help a lot. My goal was to learn a new word a day.. which in the beginning I was able to do easily, but now its more once a week and focusing on the tone and sentence structure. I do enjoy speaking Thai when I can, and get a very positive response when using it.

4. How long have you been living there? 

- Living in Southeast Asia since January 2011. Journey began in Cambodia for about 3 weeks for my TESOL certification. As of August 1st, 2011, 7 months. 

5. Would you recommend teaching in Thailand? 

-  Please keep in mind I have only worked at 1 school and this is based solely on that 1 experience, it is different for everyone.

 I love my life here but teaching can be quite a challenge. I have always respected and been interested in teaching, but it has never been my "calling". I think that's why I can teach here. If you are someone who went to school for teaching, have your masters etc. I would recommend an International School because they are more serious. 

6. What are the malls like? Name brand stores?

- The malls here are absolutely beautiful. Very big and VERY WESTERN. Also, they are everywhere. They usually have a supermarket, movie theatre, and a karaoke bowling alley combo. There is actually this store in one mall that has a combination of clothes from Target, Forever 21, American Eagle, Aero Etc. They have almost every store we do and then some. Excluding Department Stores.

7. The best recipe for Thai Green Curry? 

 I actually don't have one for Green Curry, but I'll work on that. I do have a recipe for a dish called, "Tom Kai Gai. " A white chicken coconut curry that I really like. Here is a previous blog entry with the recipe Read Me! It is towards the end! :) Let me know what you think. 

8. What are some cool Thai Slang? 

- This question has inspired me to learn more, for now I can offer.

 "Sut Yat", used like the word Awesome. 

Exam Week:My Breaking Point.

Thai Coordinatator: Why did all the students get this question wrong?

Foreign Teacher:(in a Russian Accent) " All year I've been teaching about BREAST! BREAST! BREAST!, on the exam it says "Nipples" What am I supposed to do?"

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The first 9 weeks is complete, and Exam week is upon us. A simple task you may think to yourself. But we are dealing with Thailand. Before you enter the teaching world here, you need to understand 1 thing: They do things their way,and you can argue all you want but it wont get you anywhere. Common sense is not a factor in their thinking. In the teaching world or the economic world, (but we'll save that topic for another blog)

So, now that you understand the situation let me explain the way "marking" goes. If you have read my previous (Click for previous-->Blog) you know that marking is really all that matters. It has to be perfectly beautiful, no unnecessary pencil marks, all check marks must look exactly the same, all on the same side... it is a very TEDIOUS process. 

Before we proctored the exams we were told to give examples and if the students need some help you can help them. As teachers we are to read every question out loud for them. After the test were taken, it was time for marking. The coordinator said to me, if scores are too low, you can erase and change (but it's our secret). This is no secret, it was one of the first things I learned when we got our jobs here. It was something I knew ahead of time that I would need to accept and move on. So I graded and changed here and there, the kids that did horrible I  changed a little (as instructed). But then I felt bad, it was unfair to the kids that did good, so occasionally I would change 1 or 2 of theirs as well.. to keep it on a fair scale. Well to my surprise my students actually did quite well! Here I am checking my tests and getting 30/30's! I'm thinking to myself, I must be doing something right! I handed in my test with pride and continue on with my work. 

 The following day my coordinator walks up to my desk with this awkward look on her face. "Teachuurr Leeza, students test scores...too high!" Okayyyy, I thought to myself.. this couldnt be the problem, I must of misunderstood her, but she continued, " Yes, Teachur too high... have to re-test a couple of the lower scoring students to even out the high scores."

 I finally reached the point where going with the flow was going to be a challenging task. Knowing that I have to do things their way, I asked them to please pick the students because I did not want to have anything to do with that. I got to class and the Thai teacher made all the smart kids sit down and have free time while the 10 worst students had to re-take the exam w/o a proctor, or any examples. Basically setting them up for failure. I walked into the classroom and my heart sunk. These are good kids, who try, who are going to go home to their parents and get rep-remanded for getting bad grades when it really wasent their fault. I almost broke into tears while I was giving them their exams... I had finally reached my breaking point. I did what was told of me, but when I was finished I handed the coordinator the exams and said I wanted nothing to do with them... grade them how you want them to be graded and I will put them in the computer when we are done.  I plan to reward these students with awards for using good English in class, in hopes that it will help avoid discouraging them from learning the language all together. 

The thought process behind their thinking is, if the students are getting too high of grades, their parents wont see an improvement. Therefore they will take their child out of the school. Which then means, less MONEY for the school.

It was one of the most challenging days yet. I was in a funk all day. If i've learned one universal truth here, (aside from Fried Chicken and Michael Jackson) it is that: 

              

M o n e y Talks a n d Bullshit W a l k s. 

Cheers! 

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QOTD : Would you have been able to bite your tongue? 

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Thai Elections: July 2nd

Thai elections were a couple of weeks ago, and some of you may be aware of the situation in Thailand, but most may not. Just last year, there were bombings in Bangkok from protesters. The 2 groups are "The red-shirts" and "The yellow-shirts" point blank because they wear red and yellow shirts. They are basically like Republicans vs Democrats. One supports The King, and the other doesn't. 

Years ago there was this man named Thaksin. Thaksin, was prime minister at one point, but was so corrupt that Thailand actually banned him from the country. He lives somewhere in Europe, but is still heavily involved with Thai politics. He owns all the telephone companies, and still has many supporters. 

Election time is pretty similar to American politics except politicians are not allowed to have advertisements on the television or on the radio. But that doesn't stop them from plastering signs all over Bangkok to spread the word. Or riding around in cars with recordings being played over mega phones, or supporters handing out flyers etc.  The numbers on the posters represent their voting number. Some have a pretty standard and forgettable image while others like this man below takes the cake! 

This is Chuvit, made a fortune in Bangkok soap massage parlors, I.E. bubble bath brothels*. He would pay the cops millions of Baht, in order to stay open. Yet, being the true politician that he is, his campaign is "Against Corruption".

 Take a look at some of his hilariously funny advertisements:

Message: The government, says
Chuvit, is steering the wrong way!

Chuvit's message: 

Baby's diaper needs a change, 

    and so does the Thai government.

 "Trust"
You can trust your dog more
 than a politician these days.

The result of the election was triumphant but scary. On July 2nd, 2554. Thailand officially voted in their first female Prime Minister. A woman no other than Thaksin's sister, the one mentioned above who is banished from Thailand. He even went on record saying, "She's my clone."  While she says she wont let him influence her decisions.


The coordinator at my school told me prior to voting that she helps campaign for her province. The following week I asked her if the person who won was who she was campaigning for, she stopped and looked at me bewilderedly and said, " No one has ever asked me that before, in Thailand we do not speak about it." She seemed more pleased than annoyed that I asked her and responded simply by saying "Yes" with a big smile.

During the elections Alcoholic drinks are not allowed to be sold. They don't want to impair judgement or  cause any riots. Their way around this?  Sell drinks that don't look like alcohol to the naked eye.  Sneaky
Thais! 

                     At the end of the day it is kinda refreshing to learn the way their government works. The whole world is screwed up these days, not just America. As horrible as that is its reassuring to hear. We can only go up from here. 

[ I hope] 

Cheers!

P.S. This is all based on what I could put together from talking to other people and reading on the internet. 

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QOTD: Based on the pictures above, what # would you vote for and why?

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Citation:

The photos do not belong to me. I did not take any cause I knew I could find them on the internet. 

MsExPat, Thai Elections 2011: The Surprising Rise of the Massage Tycoon. 

Retrieved July 4, 2011, from http://www.correntewire.com

Wai Cru, Teachers Appreciation Day!

Teachers Appreciation Day. Words could not describe this experience. So I recorded and edited a quick little video!

Thoughts?

Erratic and Interesting

It’s time for another celebrity blog with your friend, Nick Watt. Lisa has written some remarkably wonderful entries on this page, so there’s really not much I can talk about that she hasn’t already touched on. So, I’ve decided not to talk about one topic, but to talk about a few small differences in this country that I think are interesting..

·      It’s pretty difficult to find fresh coffee in Thailand. Well, if you’re at a mall or in the city you can walk into a Starbucks or local coffee shop and have no problem, but even then, it isn’t very good. I now get my caffeine fix from instant coffee. The traditional recipe with just hot water is horrible, but when mixed with sugar and condensed milk then poured in a cup full of ice is quite refreshing....and effective.

·      Thailand needs those special words of wisdom from Bob Barker, because there are stray dogs everywhere.

·      Thai beer is.....okay. My go-to beers are Singha or Leo, with Singha being my favorite. Heineken is widely available, but usually considered top shelf and can get expensive. A normal bottle of beer is about 32 ounces and is usually at about 6 to 7 percent, and yes, I’m still a lightweight.

·      Thais hate the sun. Dark skin means you work outside, usually either farming or construction. Therefore, you have a low status and are looked down upon. The solution to this problem: cover the skin with clothing. It’ll be 95 degrees with humidity that would laugh at Florida’s humidity, and I’ll see a 45 year old Thai woman working construction wearing blue jeans, a long sleeve flannel shirt, gloves, A WOOL SKI-MASK, a hat, and of course, Crocs.

·      A few Thai obsessions: doughnuts, ice cream and CSI.

·      I don’t think speed limits exist here. Police officers don’t really patrol the streets either. Every time I see a cop he’s either posted up on the sidewalk, or directing traffic at a busy intersection. Also, I’ve heard that the government doesn’t provide firearms to police officers. I guess they just buy their own? One cop might have a 9mm and his partner will have a magnum revolver........odd.

·      Twice now I’ve seen a man riding an elephant through the developed and busy streets of the city.

·      Most Thai people have nicknames. It really helps when I acknowledge them in class. Even though I only know maybe, fifteen of my kids’ names out of about a hundred. Popular nicknames include: Earth, Boss, Great, Jedi, Wind, Snail, Eye and Don.

·      We shop at the village market all the time. There is a supermarket close, but it’s still about fifteen minutes away. The village market is a three minute walk and has, in my opinion, better produce than any supermarket around. The meat, on the other hand, is questionable. God knows where the vendor obtained it, how old the meat is and how long its been sitting out in the late afternoon sun. Flies love to hang out around the pork, and especially the squid. How does the vendor prevent this? She has a stick with an air-filled plastic bag tied to the end of it, and she’ll just wave it back and forth over the meat. Works like a charm.

·      I don’t usually drink soft drinks, but Sprite is my drink of choice. Thailand has plenty of Sprite, but it’s twice as sweet and not refreshing at all. I think Coke is the same way, but I never drink that shit so I wouldn’t know. My new soft drink of choice is orange Fanta. It’s still a little sweeter than it is back home, but not bad.

·      I don’t want to lump all Thai men together with this attribute, but they have the most infectious laughter. I noticed it first with cab drivers. They usually can’t speak English very well, but still know a few words. We’ll try to hold a conversation, and one of us will inevitably get lost in translation or mispronunciation. All you can do is laugh it off, and when they start giggling, you can’t stop. Honestly, just like the Pillsbury Doughboy.

·      Cell phones are a huge status indicator. Every kiosk at every mall sells them, and they’re always busy. As a teacher, I have a pretty high status and it’s pretty well known that I make a hefty amount of money. However, when students or teachers see my phone they notice it’s a Sony Ericsson, circa 1999. Confusion ensues.

·      One of my favorite and most interesting things about living over here is the association with the other English teachers from all over the world. In our apartment complex we have: English, Irish, Welsh, Dutch, Mexican, Canadian, Russian, Chinese, Romanian and Filipino teachers. I have to admit the English are my favorite. Discussing the differences in our languages is hilarious and endless. The real fun will begin next month. “Football” season starts and everyone is a die-hard fan of a certain team. I still call it soccer every once and a while, followed by the guys “taking the piss out of me”. I want to join the fun, so I told them to give me a team to support. I let them know I wanted a team that was slightly above average, but never really amounts to much. We settled on QPR (Queens Park Rangers) from west London. Believe me, they’ll be the out-of-nowhere frontrunners by December.

·      Lastly, don’t think I’ve forgotten about College Football. I’ve been asked on more than one occasion who that “Bobby Bowden guy” is on my shirt. I get to show the Brits how real football is played while they show me how a few guys kick a ball around a “pitch”. The Florida State Seminoles, 2011 National Champions.

Hope you enjoyed these tidbits. Thanks for reading!

         

                                                               Your pal,

                                                                 Nick