Day 65 // A Normal Teaching Schedule (Or what will inevitably change 6 times)

I'm about 7 weeks in, and getting more and more used to the new schedule of teaching, lots of sitting, and almost too much free time at work.

At the beginning it was a challenge.

Going from 10 hour non stop shifts at a bar where my only free moments were spent shoveling food into my face in the kitchen or complaining about weird customers... to a job where I actively teach/do something for only 1-4 hours a day, was a drastic change. Put that on top of moving to a new country to do a new job with new people and new hours and new food and my first weeks felt kind of like.....

I received an email today from someone who will be teaching abroad in October, and she asked me what my normal schedule looks like. 

So as you can see here, any of the white blocks are free time. Sitting. Facebook. Reading. Being really bored. Getting lost on Buzzfeed for hours. A 4th cup of coffee. Reading the world's longest joke (try it, I dare you). That youtube video one more time. Thinking about the weekend.  Oh and lesson planning...sometimes.

Obviously my Fridays are awesome and I'm ready for the weekend on Thursday night. 

This is an average week of 16 classes, some of my friends here have 14, others have 24. 16 to me is perfect. Other teachers took on more for a pay raise, good luck guys. 

The best part about getting this little slip of paper of your PERMANENT SEMESTER SCHEDULE is that it probably (no it definitely will) change a few times. You'll come into work on Wednesday morning and be told at 8:20am, 'Oh by the way, you teach this class at 8:30am now...on Wednesdays... khavefunbai." 

But that's all a part of learning this culture. You try to not smash your head into objects (see above) when THINGS KEEP CHANGING AND NOBODY TELLS YOU. 

So you get some free time as a teacher. It gives you moments to decompress from the excessive amount of energy you use to control a classroom of pre-teens and teach them grammar at the same time. It lets you browse the dark and twisted corners of Facebook for hours on end and develop an even deeper love/hate relationship with your online-self. It also lets you find a super awesome archive of perfect gifs to accurately describe all of the feelz you have.

But most of all it let's you really appreciate where you are and what your doing, and how this experience is really freaking awesome, not matter how many times your schedule changes. 

Shoot me an email if you have any questions about Teaching Abroad: amyskinner05@gmail.com

Day 55 // English Camp

At the beginning, English Camp started off as a weekend requirement at some unknown location where we had little information about any of the goings on. But welcome to Thailand. If you start teaching here and think you will be able to give me a set schedule of your week (let alone day), then you will quickly learn otherwise.

Mai pen rai is a phrase used quite often here, meaning "no worries" and from what I've understood the Thai way to say Hakuna Matata. It's the end all way to respond to any questions about schedule changes and often will make your punctual and uptight American self even more irritated because how can we possible not know every single fact about everything going on in this school all of the time? Am I asking too much?! 

In case it's not obvious, I'm still getting used to the nonchalant attitude towards making/keeping plans and rarely knowing what will happen in the next 24 hours. 

Pardon my rant. 

English Camp brought out a lot of my frustrations with the Thai style of planning. Even today classes were cancelled, yet some of the teachers are asking around if we still have class, or if it is just M1's and M4's. No body knows whats going on and I'm constantly just pretending it doesn't bother me. 

As terribly annoying as it is, it is a constant reminder that everything changes, particularly your permanent schedule. My mind is still adapting to acquiring a relaxed attitude about these things, but my stubborn ways are not budging. Every day is a lesson in patience and adjustment. 

English Camp turned out to be a wonderful weekend, even though it felt like going to school for the whole weekend. We had the students separate into groups and pick a fairy tale, then spend the weekend creating a skit, song, and poster as well as doing activities in English. 

I had the purple group, who chose Peter Pan as their fairy tale. Thankfully I brought my hat and a bag of scarves that the students happily used as costumes for the skit. 

Thanks purple team for making me smile all weekend.

Day 49 // The Monkeys and Rocks of Wat Tham Pla

Saying yes to new adventures can lead you to some amazing experiences. This weekend Rachael and I caught a ride with some new friends and headed north to Wat Tham Pla for a day of rock climbing and monkey feeding. 

Tip to anyone Teaching Abroad: find a community of people who like to adventure and try new things and HANG OUT WITH THEM. I wouldn't have experienced today if I was sitting in my room all weekend watching Weeds and surfing the internet still feeling sorry for myself for being homesick. That advice probably goes without saying, but the mindset I had my first week here was definitely geared towards spending my down time watching endless TV and savoring my room's A/C because I didn't want to get dirty or hot or covered in bug bites. Thank god I pulled my head out of my ass and pushed my comfort zone, because this weekend was fantastic.

We pulled in to Wat Tham Pla, about 40 minutes north of Chiang Rai on the way to Mae Sai. At first it looked like your typical Thailand Wat, until I ventured towards the gates and saw dozens of MONKEYS. For the next hour and half we ran around the temple taking pictures and feeding them.

Uhhhhhhhhh.

Oh hey there!

So many monkeys!

7 monkeys hiding on the rock.

The monkey whisperer. 

I guess I'll share my peanuts. 

Scary and dark monkey cave. 

Buddha in the Monkey Cave.

Two young monks.

Las Vegas style halo around the Buddha.

My outdoor climbing experience is basically zero, but our new experienced climber friends, Devin and Bill, were more than willing to help us out with words of encouragement and support. 

The rock face we climbed. Well I climbed half of it before I got stuck. 

Some awkward high kicks.

Local boys playing in the river.

Devin (left) and Bill (right)

Admiring Devin's climbing skills. 

After climbing, Bill told about his favorite Pad Thai restaurant in Chiang Rai. We ate until our stomachs were far too full, then I added some Mango Sticky Rice to the equation without a shred of guilt. I sat holding my belly laughing at how much food I just consumed, and contemplated whether I would ever need to eat again.

It was a blissful day filled with new sights and scenes, some great company, and as always, delicious food. 

You can never have too much Pad Thai.