I figure this will be my last post, as my brother arrives in a couple of days and the next two weeks before we come home together will be jam-packed!! I am currently sitting in an internet café on Kao San road in Bangkok awaiting his arrival… which will be delayed because his flight got cancelled and changed to the next day.. brutal! So, I am contemplating how I will spend my time here while I wait, as I am poorer than poor! I’m trying to find anything to do besides sit in my stinky, 15$-a-night hotel room. I think I’ll eat some cheap but delicious street food, and then write some post cards, and then find somewhere to read my book… *sigh. But hey, I really can’t complain… I am in the most amazing place ever!
I have to say, the last 3 weeks in Pattaya were awesome, and there couldn’t have been a better way to end things. For the last 3 weeks, I was able to act as a TA (Teaching Assistant) for one of our students at his Regular International School. He attends half-days with a TA, and then comes to our school- Mountain Smile- in the afternoons. His TA became ill, and I was lucky enough to fill the position. It was so much fun, and definitely a great learning experience. I loved working in the classroom, helping out, and getting to know the other kids. I feel very lucky to have experienced volunteering in these three different school settings (Regents International School, Mountain Smile, and Father Ray). They were all very different experiences and I learned so much from each place.
As a final “hurrah” from Mountain Smile School, I planned a Play Day hosted by our school, on my last day. We invited kids from Regents School and Father Ray, and had them visit our school and participate in some fun activities for the afternoon. It went over pretty well, and it was really nice to be able to share our little school with others! Everyone loved it. We had arts and crafts, some wide-games, face painting, trampolining, Wii games, and everything else our school has to offer. Overall, the kids enjoyed themselves, and it was a nice way for me to say goodbye to the kids from all of the schools I volunteered at!
A huge part of me wishes I could stay here longer, and a big part of me feels like my time here is not meant to be over just yet, but I also feel ready to come home, and get back to my life… real life; work, school, etc.! As I sit back and reflect on my leaving soon, I have mixed emotions. I am so excited to come home, but I know I will miss it here; I will miss the weather, the beaches, the food, the traffic (believe it or not), the bars and clubs (haha), the hustle and bustle of the streets, the smells (good and bad), the cheap cheap shopping and amazing markets, the schools and the kids I have worked with, and my amazing new friends… Maybe I will just have to come back… one day!
Well, I am going to go find somewhere to relax now. I’ve had a rough weekend of partying, sushi-eating, and shopping around Bangkok; Chatuchak Market, Central World Mall, Siam Paragon Mall, China Town, etc. And I’ll do it all again in 2 days time when David arrives! Until next time (if there is a next time), take care :)
Peace and Love
Denise
Monday, November 29, 2010
Tuesday, November 9, 2010
Stolen Camera, Birthdays, a New Job, and New Hair!
It has been an INTERESTING 2 weeks to say the LEAST. I am not sure I can even retell some of my stories. Actually, I am sure I cannot tell some things. But don't worry, I'll try to keep you entertained.
I guess the most exciting and saddening event of the past two weeks was the loss of my camera on the Island of Koh Samed. The weekend was wonderful until my camera was stolen on the last evening. I travelled to Koh Samed for three days with three of my new friends, as Koh Samed is very close to Pattaya, but a nice little island getaway. We promised to do the weekend on a budget, as none of us really have money to spare. And on a budget, we stayed! Our hotel rooms cost each of us 7.00$ a night! And we survived off of fruit, fish, chicken, and corn being sold on the beach, and of course saved money in the evenings by drinking 5.00$ bottles of Sangsom (Thai Rum) from 7-eleven! By the end of the weekend I gained a new nickname: Sangsom. Enough said. The weekend was relaxing and fun; we lay by the beach all day, and watched amazing fire shows and danced at night! And all was lovely until my camera was stolen. Two days and 130.00$ later, however, I have a NEW, pink, fujifilm camera. It is definitely not as nice as my original camera, and definitely not waterproof like my old one, but it does the trick!
The following week brought more funfilled days and evenings, as we celebrated two friends' birthdays. Long story short, we ate too much cake, drank too much wine, and stayed out way too late, on more than one.. or two occasions!
Next, and most exciting for me, I have a new position for my last three weeks of volunteering here in Pattaya. One of our students who requires a one on one assistant at his international school for half of the day, recently lost his Educational Assistant as he got sick. So, lucky for me, I get to fill the position for the next three weeks, and experinece working in a massive international school- Regents, in Pattaya. It is a beautiful school, the teachers are great, and the kids are super cute! I am enjoying this new experience, and very happy to be having the chance to do a variety of things here; making the most of my time volunteering in Thailand. This opportunity also means that I wont be able to volunteer at the Father Ray Foundation anymore, however, luckily I will see the Father Ray children one more time before I leave. As my last "hoorah", I am planning a Play Day at our school, and children from Father Ray, Regents, and another special needs school in Bangkok will be attending. We'll have games, crafts, activities, and of course some Nintendo Wii fun for everyone to enjoy!
Speaking of the Nintendo Wii, we are slowly but surely teaching the kids how to use it. It's been tricky so far, but I am confident that they will get the hang of it! The most popular game so far has been the cooking game! The kids have learned to make crepes; they melt butter in the pan, spread the crepe mix, chop and add berries, and of course flip and catch the crepe on the pan. (I actually think I enjoy this game more than the kids! Joking...)
Last week a Monk came to bless our school. This was a really neat thing to see, even though I didn't completely understand everything he was doing, and why! The Monk told us that he had a very good feeling about our school and its location. After he blessed us and the school, and after we made our offerings, he sat and chatted for a while, and expressed an interest in having me come to the temple and teach English to some of the Monks/ Teachers. This is something I am very interested in, still, however with only 3 weeks left, and so much on my plate, I don't think it's possible anymore, which is a shame, as it would have been another neat experience!
Lastly, my new hair! Yes, all 30 inches of my new, black hair! I cannot express how nice it feels to once again have long hair, even if it's in the form of extensions! I absolutely love it. There is not much more I can say, except for; I love it, period. And I will post pics for those who haven't seen it!
Again, I cannot believe I only have 3 weeks left at the school. And only 5 weeks left in Thailand. Where did the time go? Leaving here will be bitter sweet. I am so excited to see everyone at home, but I know I will miss this place so much. I am afraid for how I will feel after a week back in Canada... in the cold... in the snow!
Anywho, Peace and Love.
Denise
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
A Wii! Yippieeee!!!
After much discussion and deliberation we decided to go ahead and get the Nintendo Wii for Mountain Smile International School. With the money generously donated by friends and family, I purchased the Wii, along with extra controller and nun chuk, and 25 games! I am so excited to present this gift to the kids. I know it will be enjoyed by all!
So, AGAIN, I want to send out a huge thank you to everyone who donated. Your generous contributions are so very much appreciated. I cannot thank you enough. It truly gives me great pleasure to be able to present this gift to the school, and I wouldn’t have been able to donate the Wii, or purchase all of the other school supplies I’ve donated, without all of your contributions. Thank you, thank you, thank you!
Peace and Love,
Denise
What can I say? Island life got me lazy!
I must apologize for the delayed post… what I hoped would not happen, happened; I got lazy and broke a promise to myself and to others which was to post to my blog every week! And 4 weeks later, here I am! So the next few posts will be an attempt to recount the most memorable moments of the past month!
First of all, I cannot believe that I have been here for two months. I feel like I’ve been here for two minutes. And I also cannot believe that I go home in just under two months. The next 8 weeks are so jam-packed full of plans that I know they will fly by, and before I know it, I’ll be stepping out of the airport in Toronto, into freezing cold temperatures and hopefully… or on second thought, hopefully not… snow! I am not going to lie; knowing that temperatures are dropping at home, while I enjoy this heat and sun, makes me feel really good over here! Sorry to rub it in.
So the last time I left you, I believe I was heading to an island… the Island of Koh Chang, which is pretty close to Pattaya. Carol (principal of the school) and I headed to Koh Chang for one night just to catch a day on the beach and do something different for the weekend. It was absolutely lovely, even though it was a little too quiet for my liking. But it was relaxing, nonetheless. The hotel was beautiful, the beach was beautiful, and overall it was a nice little getaway!
Back in Pattaya, before we had our holidays, I did the usual; worked at the school, volunteered at Father Ray on Wednesdays, fed stray puppies, spent most evenings watching a movie or having dinner in town, and went out on "walking street" on the weekends with friends!
Now for the fun part… Island life, hospital visits, and sickness... woohoo!
So, for our two week holiday in October I planned to go to a few islands in the south west. Notice I wrote islands (plural). Well, I didn’t quite make it as far as I had hoped. Originally I had planned on flying to Koh Samui, and from there, going on to Koh Phangan and Koh Tao. However, in Samui, I ended up meeting amazing people that I didn’t want to leave, and quite frankly I got lazy, so I didn’t make it Koh Phangan or Koh Tao. I spent the entire two weeks on Koh Samui, and did nothing but suntan, eat, and drink. Hmmm, I guess that doesn’t sound too exciting when I put it that way. But honestly, that IS what I did for two weeks… and that’s what anyone would do on an island holiday, right? I have to laugh, I didn’t even snorkel! However, I’m not too worried, as I will be traveling back to Samui before I come home in December, and I can do everything I didn’t do the first time… Promise.
Next, I am sure you are all wondering about my trips to the hospital and wonderful illnesses that I have endured since I returned form Samui! It all started with what I thought was a sweat-and-sunscreen-induced zit on my chin, which turned out to be an infection on a gland under the skin. I let it sit for a few days, as I thought nothing of it, but when it began to get bigger and reallllly sore, I went to the hospital to see a Doctor. Now, let me tell YOU, hospital service is fabulous here! Within a matter of 30 minutes, I was greeted, processed as a new patient at the hospital, seen by a Doctor, treated, and administered medication and a medical certificate. You can’t say any of that for emerge anywhere in Canada. Oh, and to top it off, the whole ordeal- hospital visit, medication, etc.- only cost $50.00 (all of which will hopefully be reimbursed by RBC)!
I have to add, however, the whole experience was a little frightening at first. It was difficult to communicate as the Doctor didn’t speak much English, and before I knew it, I was lying down on an operating table, having my chin frozen. And there I am, trying to sit up, trying to ask the Doctors and nurses what is wrong with me, and trying to figure out what exactly they were about to do to me. I mean, they must have thought I was absolutely ridiculous because apparently Thai Doctors do not expect questions from their patients. I guess their thinking is, why should patients need to ask questions…. The Doctors know what they’re doing.. right? I hoped so. In the end, all is well; my chin is healed up and the gaping hole in my chin- which I viewed in horror after the procedure- is now nothing but a tiny red speck!
To make matters worse, about 3 days later I seemed to have acquired a lovely Thai bug in my stomach, and let’s just say, I was confined to the washroom for about 2 days. Today is actually the first day I feel 100%. For the past week, my stomach has been weak, and I have been quite lethargic. SO, for now, besides half of my face peeling off from a terrible sunburn I got on Saturday, I am still in one piece!
Obviously my first week back to work after the holiday, was almost entirely interrupted by sickness, but I am back into work and routine just fine now. I am off to Father Ray tomorrow to do some crafts and parachute games, and today I had the chance to go to another international school to see a presentation on Sensory Processing Disorders (which was very informative and interesting). As well, I did a cultural tour of Bangkok on Sunday which was quite nice, despite the fact that my stomach still wasn’t 100%. However, I got to see the big golden Buddha, some nice temples, the Royal Palace, and China Town, and we also got to take a boat ride and eat lunch in the tallest tower in Bangkok. And of course I found a market to do some shopping when we had free time at the end of the day. What can I say, it’s what I’m best at… and everything is so much cheaper in Bangkok!
I think this briefly, but fairly, sums up the past month. I cannot believe 4 or 5 weeks has passed since I last wrote… as I said, time is just flying by. I also surprisingly don’t feel so far away from home. I do wonder how it will feel to come. Maybe by the time I come home it will feel more as if I have been gone for 4 months, but at the moment it doesn’t seem like I’ve been away too long.
Anyhow, visit again soon, as I PROMISE to write more frequently!
Peace and Love,
Denise
Sunday, September 19, 2010
Shop, eat, get massage and pedicure, repeat….
It seems as though my first two weeks have consisted of eating a lot of new food, having every type of massage imaginable, and shopping… a lot! Everything here is SO cheap, and there is something to buy everywhere you go. Everyone is always selling SOMETHING! Being a shopaholic, this is not conducive to my financial situation! This weekend I went to Bangkok to go to the largest market in Thailand- Chatuchak! Chatuchak is like a maze; a busy, shoulder to shoulder, hot, noisy maze! I shopped for 6 hours and I don’t think I even covered half of it! Chatuchak has everything you’ve ever wanted and more!! Especially clothes =) ! I managed to spend $250.00 dollars … HOWEVER, I pretty much got half of a new winter wardrobe, all of my souvenirs, and some Christmas gifts!! Not bad. And I am going for round two in a couple of weeks when I go back to Bangkok for my “cultural tour”. I would have bought more on this trip, but I couldn’t possibly carry any more!
Overall my first visit to Bangkok was neat. I rode on a tuk tuk for the first time, which was a tad scary, and probably not a wise decision seeing as it was raining out and I ended up quite wet! Then on Friday night I went out on Khao San Road which was good for me as it was filled with other tourists, and I met some guys from Ireland who were fun to hang around with. Annnnnd then I stayed in a 7-dollar-a-night hotel which was… very BASIC to say the least. My room consisted of a hard twin bed, dirty old sheets, hard pillow (with drool stain), and a closet-sized washroom with toilet, sink, and shower head (no soap or toilet paper). However, I did have AC and a TV, so I guess it wasn’t too bad! So now it is Sunday night, and I am completely exhausted… maybe I’ll go for my fifth massage… or third pedicure…
Earlier in the week I volunteered at the Father Ray Foundation, as I mentioned last Sunday, and it was an absolutely amazing experience. The kids are absolutely adorable…. every single one of them is so so so precious! They were all so vibrant, energetic, loving, and appreciative. All of the activities that I planned went over really well, and despite the language barrier, I was able to teach all of my activities (mostly through miming, but it worked)! I can’t wait to go back again this Wednesday!
I feel like I don’t have much to say about this past week, but it has been an exciting week, nonetheless! I mean, I ate a scorpion, and almost got run over by a motor bike… and not everyone can say that!
Anyways, I am off to an island (FINALLY) next weekend, so I will write again after that!
Peace and Love
Denise
Overall my first visit to Bangkok was neat. I rode on a tuk tuk for the first time, which was a tad scary, and probably not a wise decision seeing as it was raining out and I ended up quite wet! Then on Friday night I went out on Khao San Road which was good for me as it was filled with other tourists, and I met some guys from Ireland who were fun to hang around with. Annnnnd then I stayed in a 7-dollar-a-night hotel which was… very BASIC to say the least. My room consisted of a hard twin bed, dirty old sheets, hard pillow (with drool stain), and a closet-sized washroom with toilet, sink, and shower head (no soap or toilet paper). However, I did have AC and a TV, so I guess it wasn’t too bad! So now it is Sunday night, and I am completely exhausted… maybe I’ll go for my fifth massage… or third pedicure…
Earlier in the week I volunteered at the Father Ray Foundation, as I mentioned last Sunday, and it was an absolutely amazing experience. The kids are absolutely adorable…. every single one of them is so so so precious! They were all so vibrant, energetic, loving, and appreciative. All of the activities that I planned went over really well, and despite the language barrier, I was able to teach all of my activities (mostly through miming, but it worked)! I can’t wait to go back again this Wednesday!
I feel like I don’t have much to say about this past week, but it has been an exciting week, nonetheless! I mean, I ate a scorpion, and almost got run over by a motor bike… and not everyone can say that!
Anyways, I am off to an island (FINALLY) next weekend, so I will write again after that!
Peace and Love
Denise
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
Sunday, September 12, 2010
All Settled In!
Week one flew by and I am already overwhelmed with the amount of stuff I have to do, and want to do! Nonetheless, I am comfortably settled into the school, and on my way to becoming more and more comfortable with this city.
The school is absolutely beautiful. The classrooms are wonderful; they are bright and cheery and they have tons and tons of great resources for children with special needs. The yard is great as well, complete with a swing set and nice gardens. My room is also amazing… it’s quite large I must say, with a king size bed, big balcony, and my own washroom (still unaccustomed-however- to the hose, and trying so hard to remember not to flush the toilet paper!). The area we live in is beautiful; we’re about 20 minutes outside of town which is nice, because we are far removed from all the people, traffic, bars, and lady boys (hah). And I get to fall asleep to noisy frogs, dogs barking, crazy bugs, and some things that sound like crickets. And then I wake up to cow bells and mooing, birds chirping, and cats meowing. Nature at its finest! I have only had one sleepless night, and only because I decided to let our one-eyed cat, Bert, stay in my room, and god bless is loving little sole, but he cuddled up to me all night, and it was way too hot (I don’t even sleep with covers here). Besides that, I have been sleeping well, and I am finally on a regular schedule!
THE HEAT here…… I don’t think I have stopped sweating since I arrived, but I learned a little Thai trick quite quickly- cooling powder. Everyone here seems to use it, so I douse my body in it every morning and it helps me to stay relatively dry. I cannot even explain the heat here, it is just different... and intense! The weather has been pretty nice. A couple of the days have been cloudy, and we have had some rain (as it is rainy season), but it’s never cold, and the sun is out for the most part (7 am to 7 pm).
The teachers here are such amazing people. They have been so warm, welcoming, friendly, and accommodating! I can already tell that I can and will learn so much from both of them. I feel so fortunate to be a part of this circle of people here, as they have all been so generous and enthusiastic about showing me around. Carol (the principal of the school) has taken me out everywhere; out to dinners, grocery shopping, shopping, etc. And Bruce, and his wife have showed me some of the night life here… which is crazy! And I am slowly learning about the… culture… shall we say, of this city.
The other two teachers at the school are Thai. One of them is an assistant to one of the students, and the other is the director of the school, and she teaches one of the boys Thai. So at the moment we only have 4 students.. and 4 teachers! Not a bad set up, but ideally they would like to have 12 students, so they are trying to find more students in the area. It is an international school, so all of the families (currently) are from Europe, and live here for business (some of the families have a Thai mother and European father). In general the school is for international families who can afford this type of education. There is a massive international community here, which is good, but it seems to have been tough to find more students. However, we set up a stall at a Fair today, to advertise the school, and Carol seemed to make some good contacts with other international schools and families.
I knew there would be a lot of Canadians, Americans, and Europeans here, but I didn’t realize how many! This area is highly populated with foreigners, whether they are tourists, or living here for work. I would say the fair today was 70% foreigners, and the Murder Mystery Dinner we went to last night was 99% foreigners. Even when you walk along the beach, you see mostly tourists and foreigners. I have been told that “this” is not Thailand, so I can’t wait to go down to the islands, and up to Chang Mai. Next weekend Carol is taking me to Bangkok to go to the largest market in Thailand… so excited… but I need to stop spending so much money! Things are so cheap here and I cannot help but pick something up everywhere I go! I am also super excited for a trip we have planned at the end of October… Bruce’s wife is taking us to her friend’s home village for a weekend, so I’m looking forward to having an authentic Thai living experience!
Working at the school has been great, and I am learning what it is like to work with special needs children in a school system. But I am also looking forward to the other volunteer experiences I will have while I am here. Every Wednesday I am going to volunteer at the Father Ray Foundation, which is a day program/ school for Thai children with special needs. It is very different from Mountain Smile International School. There are many many children there, and the quality of education is nowhere near the quality afforded to the children at our school. So I am looking forward to going in and getting the kids out of these tiny classrooms, and getting them moving around, and doing some fun activities, as well as arts and crafts. I am really nervous, but very excited, as I really want to be doing work like this. The only difficulty I think will face will be the language barrier, but some of the teachers speak a little English, so hopefully they will be helpful in translating for me. My first day will be this Wednesday, so I am currently planning some activities that I can bring! Furthermore, Carol and I are looking into other schools nearby that I can volunteer at.
I would like to note that a portion of the money donated will definitely go to these less privileged schools in the area. I will need to buy some supplies for the some of the work I do, and I feel that the money contributed to these schools is definitely money well spent.
On that note, I would like to send out a huge thank you to all of the people that so graciously donated money to purchase a Nintendo Wii for Mountain Smile International School! The school is very thankful for the donation, and we are looking forward to seeing if the Wii will be something that the kids here can use, and benefit from. We are looking into having the kids test a system before we purchase it; just to ensure that they can use it. If it doesn’t seem to work out for the kids here, we will put the money towards other supplies for the school. As well, as I said before, I will use some of the money towards activities and supplies for the other schools that I will be volunteering at. Furthermore, I already purchased some supplies in Canada before I left, as it is difficult to get Canadian curriculum supplies over here. So I already purchased workbooks, a language booster book, flash cards, recorders, fine motor activities, and a tubaloo. So I have just over $600.00 left to spend in other areas, at any of the schools.
In total, friends and family donated $700.00. I never imagined that I would be able to accumulate this amount of money, and I am so very very thankful for everyone who contributed because I think it is just wonderful that I can use this money to help out wherever I can at whatever school I volunteer at while I am here. So thank you again to the following people…
Julia Fitzsimmons
$50.00
Jason Prendergast and Susan Gillespie
$200.00
Ashley Hoszowski
$30.00
TAP Staff: Will Thorman, Cliff Murphy, Julia McNeill, Janice Gill, Siobhan Hope, Travis James, Tara Ferguson, Sarah Buttigieg, Meredith Lawrence
$75.00
Cari, Colin, and Alexis (and friends)
$220.00
Ashley Marcos
$20.00
Tara Ferguson and Family
$60.00
Denise Marler
$45.00
I promise that the money will be will spent!
So, before I leave you this week… Some Thailand Highlights thus far:
• 6 $ for a manicure and pedicure
• 8 $ for a 1 hour massage
• 3$ for your average meal
• Lady Boys!
• Fried frogs and bugs.. yum!
• Icecream sundaes for 1$
• Go Go Bars; enough said.
• Cheap cheap clothes and accessories
• Knock-offs of everything
• Lizards and geckos everywhere
• Crazy dogs
• Thai people singing American songs
• House music!!
• Spices in my foooood mmm MMM
• Outdoor kitchens
• Heat and SUN
• Beaches with massive jelly fish
• The smell that I can’t put my finger on, that comes out of nowhere, but is EVERYWHERE!
• Redbull vodkas that are actually served as redbull vodkas
• Thai variety shows on tv
• No one stopping at stop signs
• Seemingly no road laws, but got a 400 baht (12 dollar) ticket for not wearing a helmet (oops!)
• Riding motor bikes, and bypassing all traffic if on a motorbike, and pretty much following no road rules…
• U turns everywhere. Even on highways and highway on ramps.
• Turkeys roaming the city
• Dirty tourists
• Having a massage AND a margarita… at 10 am… with one girl on my feet, one on my arms, and one on my head (for 5$).
• Sunsets
• Strong and healthy nails! For once in my life yipppeee!
• Fuzion hair extensions for 130$....!!
• Markets, markets, everywhere!
• BIG malls, with lots of shops
• Having pets again!
• Peeing in holes
• Houses on stilts
• Shacks beside mansions
• High pressure sales situations
• Cold showers- soooo good
• Things being written in Thai on my computer’s internet… confusing!
• Learning Thai (I know hi, bye, yes, little, far, my name is, numbers… and maybe a few more)
• Being called Dee because Denise is too difficult to pronounce.
ANNND I think that will be it for now! Feel free to email meeeeeeeeeeeee, because believe it or not, I do kind of miss home and would love to hear from everyone!
Until next week, take care!
Peace and Love
Denise
The school is absolutely beautiful. The classrooms are wonderful; they are bright and cheery and they have tons and tons of great resources for children with special needs. The yard is great as well, complete with a swing set and nice gardens. My room is also amazing… it’s quite large I must say, with a king size bed, big balcony, and my own washroom (still unaccustomed-however- to the hose, and trying so hard to remember not to flush the toilet paper!). The area we live in is beautiful; we’re about 20 minutes outside of town which is nice, because we are far removed from all the people, traffic, bars, and lady boys (hah). And I get to fall asleep to noisy frogs, dogs barking, crazy bugs, and some things that sound like crickets. And then I wake up to cow bells and mooing, birds chirping, and cats meowing. Nature at its finest! I have only had one sleepless night, and only because I decided to let our one-eyed cat, Bert, stay in my room, and god bless is loving little sole, but he cuddled up to me all night, and it was way too hot (I don’t even sleep with covers here). Besides that, I have been sleeping well, and I am finally on a regular schedule!
THE HEAT here…… I don’t think I have stopped sweating since I arrived, but I learned a little Thai trick quite quickly- cooling powder. Everyone here seems to use it, so I douse my body in it every morning and it helps me to stay relatively dry. I cannot even explain the heat here, it is just different... and intense! The weather has been pretty nice. A couple of the days have been cloudy, and we have had some rain (as it is rainy season), but it’s never cold, and the sun is out for the most part (7 am to 7 pm).
The teachers here are such amazing people. They have been so warm, welcoming, friendly, and accommodating! I can already tell that I can and will learn so much from both of them. I feel so fortunate to be a part of this circle of people here, as they have all been so generous and enthusiastic about showing me around. Carol (the principal of the school) has taken me out everywhere; out to dinners, grocery shopping, shopping, etc. And Bruce, and his wife have showed me some of the night life here… which is crazy! And I am slowly learning about the… culture… shall we say, of this city.
The other two teachers at the school are Thai. One of them is an assistant to one of the students, and the other is the director of the school, and she teaches one of the boys Thai. So at the moment we only have 4 students.. and 4 teachers! Not a bad set up, but ideally they would like to have 12 students, so they are trying to find more students in the area. It is an international school, so all of the families (currently) are from Europe, and live here for business (some of the families have a Thai mother and European father). In general the school is for international families who can afford this type of education. There is a massive international community here, which is good, but it seems to have been tough to find more students. However, we set up a stall at a Fair today, to advertise the school, and Carol seemed to make some good contacts with other international schools and families.
I knew there would be a lot of Canadians, Americans, and Europeans here, but I didn’t realize how many! This area is highly populated with foreigners, whether they are tourists, or living here for work. I would say the fair today was 70% foreigners, and the Murder Mystery Dinner we went to last night was 99% foreigners. Even when you walk along the beach, you see mostly tourists and foreigners. I have been told that “this” is not Thailand, so I can’t wait to go down to the islands, and up to Chang Mai. Next weekend Carol is taking me to Bangkok to go to the largest market in Thailand… so excited… but I need to stop spending so much money! Things are so cheap here and I cannot help but pick something up everywhere I go! I am also super excited for a trip we have planned at the end of October… Bruce’s wife is taking us to her friend’s home village for a weekend, so I’m looking forward to having an authentic Thai living experience!
Working at the school has been great, and I am learning what it is like to work with special needs children in a school system. But I am also looking forward to the other volunteer experiences I will have while I am here. Every Wednesday I am going to volunteer at the Father Ray Foundation, which is a day program/ school for Thai children with special needs. It is very different from Mountain Smile International School. There are many many children there, and the quality of education is nowhere near the quality afforded to the children at our school. So I am looking forward to going in and getting the kids out of these tiny classrooms, and getting them moving around, and doing some fun activities, as well as arts and crafts. I am really nervous, but very excited, as I really want to be doing work like this. The only difficulty I think will face will be the language barrier, but some of the teachers speak a little English, so hopefully they will be helpful in translating for me. My first day will be this Wednesday, so I am currently planning some activities that I can bring! Furthermore, Carol and I are looking into other schools nearby that I can volunteer at.
I would like to note that a portion of the money donated will definitely go to these less privileged schools in the area. I will need to buy some supplies for the some of the work I do, and I feel that the money contributed to these schools is definitely money well spent.
On that note, I would like to send out a huge thank you to all of the people that so graciously donated money to purchase a Nintendo Wii for Mountain Smile International School! The school is very thankful for the donation, and we are looking forward to seeing if the Wii will be something that the kids here can use, and benefit from. We are looking into having the kids test a system before we purchase it; just to ensure that they can use it. If it doesn’t seem to work out for the kids here, we will put the money towards other supplies for the school. As well, as I said before, I will use some of the money towards activities and supplies for the other schools that I will be volunteering at. Furthermore, I already purchased some supplies in Canada before I left, as it is difficult to get Canadian curriculum supplies over here. So I already purchased workbooks, a language booster book, flash cards, recorders, fine motor activities, and a tubaloo. So I have just over $600.00 left to spend in other areas, at any of the schools.
In total, friends and family donated $700.00. I never imagined that I would be able to accumulate this amount of money, and I am so very very thankful for everyone who contributed because I think it is just wonderful that I can use this money to help out wherever I can at whatever school I volunteer at while I am here. So thank you again to the following people…
Julia Fitzsimmons
$50.00
Jason Prendergast and Susan Gillespie
$200.00
Ashley Hoszowski
$30.00
TAP Staff: Will Thorman, Cliff Murphy, Julia McNeill, Janice Gill, Siobhan Hope, Travis James, Tara Ferguson, Sarah Buttigieg, Meredith Lawrence
$75.00
Cari, Colin, and Alexis (and friends)
$220.00
Ashley Marcos
$20.00
Tara Ferguson and Family
$60.00
Denise Marler
$45.00
I promise that the money will be will spent!
So, before I leave you this week… Some Thailand Highlights thus far:
• 6 $ for a manicure and pedicure
• 8 $ for a 1 hour massage
• 3$ for your average meal
• Lady Boys!
• Fried frogs and bugs.. yum!
• Icecream sundaes for 1$
• Go Go Bars; enough said.
• Cheap cheap clothes and accessories
• Knock-offs of everything
• Lizards and geckos everywhere
• Crazy dogs
• Thai people singing American songs
• House music!!
• Spices in my foooood mmm MMM
• Outdoor kitchens
• Heat and SUN
• Beaches with massive jelly fish
• The smell that I can’t put my finger on, that comes out of nowhere, but is EVERYWHERE!
• Redbull vodkas that are actually served as redbull vodkas
• Thai variety shows on tv
• No one stopping at stop signs
• Seemingly no road laws, but got a 400 baht (12 dollar) ticket for not wearing a helmet (oops!)
• Riding motor bikes, and bypassing all traffic if on a motorbike, and pretty much following no road rules…
• U turns everywhere. Even on highways and highway on ramps.
• Turkeys roaming the city
• Dirty tourists
• Having a massage AND a margarita… at 10 am… with one girl on my feet, one on my arms, and one on my head (for 5$).
• Sunsets
• Strong and healthy nails! For once in my life yipppeee!
• Fuzion hair extensions for 130$....!!
• Markets, markets, everywhere!
• BIG malls, with lots of shops
• Having pets again!
• Peeing in holes
• Houses on stilts
• Shacks beside mansions
• High pressure sales situations
• Cold showers- soooo good
• Things being written in Thai on my computer’s internet… confusing!
• Learning Thai (I know hi, bye, yes, little, far, my name is, numbers… and maybe a few more)
• Being called Dee because Denise is too difficult to pronounce.
ANNND I think that will be it for now! Feel free to email meeeeeeeeeeeee, because believe it or not, I do kind of miss home and would love to hear from everyone!
Until next week, take care!
Peace and Love
Denise
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Leaving Canada in 3 days!!!
Ticket- check. Shots- check. Bags packed- check. Hair dyed black- check (hah!). Emotions- a little out of check!
As Friday approaches I am becoming unbelievably NERVOUS and increasingly anxious. I feel like a little kid going to overnight-camp for the first time… going completely solo with fear of the unknown. But at the same time I am super excited and cannot wait to touch down in paradise! I have had an absolutely amazing summer- the best ever actually- and it is just about to be extended for 4 months in Thailand!! Gosh I feel lucky!
So, before I leave, there are definitely some farewells I need to make…
To my mom and dad; don’t be scared, I’ll make it home alive! Also, enjoy being empty nesters for four months! AND enjoy lower electrical and hydro bills! And don’t get too lonely without me (hah).
To my brother; travel this world, and come visit me!!
To my sister; good luck in teacher’s college!!!
To Nicki and Sadie; don’t have too much fun without me, and book off December 23rd so we can all party like rock stars once again!
To Shayne, my number one man; I will miss you more than you know! Check the mail for postcards, because I will probably send you a thousand!
To Emily; love you lady! Keep smiling. Can’t wait to do our Christmas baking… maybe just a little later this year!
To my cousins and aunts and uncles; get ready for stories at Christmas ! Can’t wait for turkey and treats and Christmas carols! Woooo!
To the hottest bar girls of all of The Kegs; thanks for being the best (and sexiest) coworkers everrRRrrr!!
To my lovely managers at The Keg; I will be begging for my job back in January.
To the amazzZzzzing TAP staff; thank you for making this summer the best ever, and I can’t wait to see you all in the new year ! Yay for winter TAP reunions !! ooooooo OOOOOOO!
To Kendra; Thank you!
Well.
I guess that is all for now! I shall write again when I arrive!
Peace and Love,
Denise
As Friday approaches I am becoming unbelievably NERVOUS and increasingly anxious. I feel like a little kid going to overnight-camp for the first time… going completely solo with fear of the unknown. But at the same time I am super excited and cannot wait to touch down in paradise! I have had an absolutely amazing summer- the best ever actually- and it is just about to be extended for 4 months in Thailand!! Gosh I feel lucky!
So, before I leave, there are definitely some farewells I need to make…
To my mom and dad; don’t be scared, I’ll make it home alive! Also, enjoy being empty nesters for four months! AND enjoy lower electrical and hydro bills! And don’t get too lonely without me (hah).
To my brother; travel this world, and come visit me!!
To my sister; good luck in teacher’s college!!!
To Nicki and Sadie; don’t have too much fun without me, and book off December 23rd so we can all party like rock stars once again!
To Shayne, my number one man; I will miss you more than you know! Check the mail for postcards, because I will probably send you a thousand!
To Emily; love you lady! Keep smiling. Can’t wait to do our Christmas baking… maybe just a little later this year!
To my cousins and aunts and uncles; get ready for stories at Christmas ! Can’t wait for turkey and treats and Christmas carols! Woooo!
To the hottest bar girls of all of The Kegs; thanks for being the best (and sexiest) coworkers everrRRrrr!!
To my lovely managers at The Keg; I will be begging for my job back in January.
To the amazzZzzzing TAP staff; thank you for making this summer the best ever, and I can’t wait to see you all in the new year ! Yay for winter TAP reunions !! ooooooo OOOOOOO!
To Kendra; Thank you!
Well.
I guess that is all for now! I shall write again when I arrive!
Peace and Love,
Denise
Thursday, June 24, 2010
Dreams do come true!
For years I have dreamt of travelling to the beautiful Thailand, and of teaching overseas! We all have our “places” in this world, places that we dream of seeing, and Thailand is just one of mine! And teaching; teaching is my passion! For this all to come to fruition now, is almost difficult to grasp. However, it really is happening, and happening soon! On September 3rd 2010 I will begin my journey to the kingdom of Thailand, an independent southeast Asian country surrounded by the equally historically brilliant countries of Burma, Laos, Cambodia, Malaysia, and Vietnam! I am absolutely thrilled to experience the rich and humble culture of Thailand that has, for so long, enticed me. I feel very lucky, and very privileged to have been given this opportunity, and I owe many thanks to the those who have made it possible!
The purpose of my four month trip to Thailand is to volunteer at an international school for children with special needs. Over the past seven years, working with individuals who face different challenges has slowly, but surely become a large part of my life. I am elated to be able to extend my love for working with individuals of this community, over in Thailand. In preparation for this adventure, I am successfully developing a repertoire of activities that I can bring to the school to hopefully benefit the program. However, I do need some assistance in the general travelling-preparation-department! So, I would like to pose the following questions…
What do you suggest I bring?! (in general, ANY ideas)
What shots and medications do you recommend I get?? (for those of you who have travelled to southeast Asia)
What hotspots and places do you suggest I make an effort to see?
Thank you so much for any tips you can offer, and stay tuned, as I will be using this blog to keep in touch, post pictures, and share my experiences while I am away!
Peace and Love,
Denise
The purpose of my four month trip to Thailand is to volunteer at an international school for children with special needs. Over the past seven years, working with individuals who face different challenges has slowly, but surely become a large part of my life. I am elated to be able to extend my love for working with individuals of this community, over in Thailand. In preparation for this adventure, I am successfully developing a repertoire of activities that I can bring to the school to hopefully benefit the program. However, I do need some assistance in the general travelling-preparation-department! So, I would like to pose the following questions…
What do you suggest I bring?! (in general, ANY ideas)
What shots and medications do you recommend I get?? (for those of you who have travelled to southeast Asia)
What hotspots and places do you suggest I make an effort to see?
Thank you so much for any tips you can offer, and stay tuned, as I will be using this blog to keep in touch, post pictures, and share my experiences while I am away!
Peace and Love,
Denise
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