When I left off last Tricia and I had arrived at the bus station in Nan. Let me begin by saying we were a tad unsure we were in the right place at first, since it wasn't the last stop and the station is very small. However, we saw a sign and assumed we were in the right place, and in the end we were correct.
We did arrive early, and the bus wasn't even supposed to arrive until 6:15, so needless to say our coordinators weren't there yet. Tricia was concerned because she didn't have any contact info for her coordinators--mine had been given to me by the OEG staff shortly before leaving Bangkok. It wouldn't matter too much though, since it seems that most of the teachers here know each other, so even if we only were able to contact one we would be able to find the other.
Which actually is more or less what happened. My coordinators showed up at the bus station but we hadn't heard anything from Tricia's, so mine began making phone calls. After many dead ends, they were able to speak with a teacher at her school (who happened to be an ex-student of theirs). This teacher then came to the bus station to get Tricia and we parted ways.
My coordinators are Pee Nura and Pee Neat. This is probably a good time to explain the concept of Pee and Nong. In Thailand instead of calling someone Mrs. or Mr., you call them by familial terms of endearment. So "pee" roughly translates to big sister or brother, and "nong" is little sister or brother. There are other titles that would be used for auntie/uncle, but in a social setting pee/nong is pretty indispensable. For a more formal situation, you would call someone by their official title (so "kru" for teacher or, more appropriately, their departmental title).
Anyway, Pee Nura and Pee Neat picked me up from the station and drove me around town a bit. My school is a "long way" from the bus station, way across town--i.e. 5 minutes by car. Yes, I am living in a very small town now. Goodbye Bangkok traffic! We drove by the river and then stopped for breakfast. They both were very worried about what I would and wouldn't eat and whether I liked Thai food and if I was ok mixing more than 1 food in a single dish (are all Americans this picky? Or did they just have a bad experience?). Anyway, we had a lovely breakfast, although Thai breakfast is quite different than what I would eat at home--2 types of curry (mild, pork and chicken), pickled eggs, and rice. We finished off with a dessert called ro mit, or many friends. This is a chilled coconut milk with various types of gelatin, fruit, and bread floating in it. I was stuffed when I started eating it, and it was a little odd at first, but I enjoyed it.
We continued our short tour around town. Let me just say this--it is sooooo quiet compared to Bangkok. I feel like I was plopped into a sleepy village after the chaos that has surrounded me the last few weeks. And I love it. I know I will get frustrated with how small it is, but hey, Chiang Mai and Bangkok are only short flights away!
My school building does look a bit grim. I am sure I will get used to it, but it is basically a giant concrete complex. Does not look like I will have A/C in the classroom, but I do believe I will in my office, so that at least is a plus. Oh, and as for classes, I will be completely in the sciences department--I don't think I will have any English classes. However, in addition to biology I probably will have to teach chemistry and physics, which will be interesting. We shall see!
After our tour around school we went to my new home in Thailand: Srinual Lodge. One of the biggest advantages is the proximity to school: it is literally a block away from the school, so very easy to get to and from work. Which is nice, since you have to be at school by 7:30, and even earlier when you have gate duty. In addition to the great location, my room at the guesthouse also has A/C, free wifi, and a Western style toilet. So I kinda feel like I won the lottery here! I was initially put in a room on the first floor with the understanding that I would be moving to a room on the second floor with a queen bed at a later date. However, my move was accelerated when my bathroom light stopped functioning, so I am now on the second floor (twin beds though, no queen). This move to the second floor is actually of great importance due to the floods that occur in Nan. Although this didn't happen last year, in previous years there have been serious floods in the town that have flooded out the ground floor of the hotel. So my coordinators are quite pleased I will be on the second floor rather than the first. Check out this video: the white building in the beginning is part of the school.
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| All of my clothes |
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| Looking in from the front door |
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| Looking back out from the spare bed |
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| Western style bathroom--woot! |
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| Outdoor view. My room is to the right of the open window. |
Another really great thing is that I live right next to a Filipino teacher from my school. Her name is Rhea and she teaches math, although she did physics/chemistry last year (now I get that job). She has been wonderful in showing me around and getting me settled. Everyone here is super nice--I love the people so much.
I will say that English is not spoken much around town. To be honest, I am really pleased by that--it means I will learn that much more Thai. The dialect here is a bit different than other parts of Thailand (strong Lao influence), but at least they speak more slowly than other regions (Northeast and South especially). I feel like I learn so much every day, but at the same time nothing at all. I have never lived in a place and felt so helpless to communicate. While I am trying my best to learn, I almost feel like I am being offensive in not being able to communicate here, like I should already know the language if I am going to be a teacher in this country. I know that it was preferred that I not know Thai before coming here, but the language barrier is already a bit frustrating. It will make me work harder to learn.
That being said, people here do see me as a bit of an oddity. My first afternoon in town I walked to the Seven 11 and a guy on a motorcycle nearly fell off from staring at me. Several others have approached me to ask if I speak Thai and if I live here, others just look at me kind of funny. A girl riding by on her bicycle this afternoon called out "Hello....Welcome to Thailand!" It is all quite cute, especially since it is more likely than not the same girl will be in my class.
There are so many more things to tell about, but I will end this entry by talking about the morning and evening markets. One cool thing about the town is that every day of the week there is a large market within 5 minutes of my house. It sells fruits, vegetables, fish, meat, clothing, even fried insects. It is a pretty impressive place to wander around and a great place to grab fresh fruit for breakfasts/desserts. The even more amazing thing is that around noontime this market closes up and a new one opens up just across the street from it. So no matter what time of day it is, you can go to either the morning or evening market to shop. In fact, I just got some shumai and lychees there this evening for dinner. Here are a couple pictures I got. And with that, I will say goodnight, since tomorrow is a big day--my first day of school! Wish me luck!
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| The market can get crowded |
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| Those are live fish in the buckets |
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| Grabbing the fish to clean |
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