*For some reason only some pictures are uploading! Not sure why!*
Monday
We were up at 5am to begin our journey to the capital! Lugging all of our luggage was a massive task but with a bit of help from the others, we were soon relaxing on our very comfy coach!!
Just one of my many bags!
Our route! Although in a coach it’s more like 10 hours!
Our pile of bags!
I binged on animation films: Angry Birds, Moana, Ballerina and Sing!!
After 10 hours, we arrived and were picked up by two representatives from Media Kids who took us to the hotel.
Reka and I were sharing a room which was spacious although we were greeted with a little surprise in the bathroom….
Luckily the usher was able to remove the creature for us!
We had arrived at the hotel around 6.30pm so soon were ready to find some food and just a few metres down the road we found a little restuarant and could enjoy a good meal and a refreshing beer!
Tuesday
Today we began our 2 day orientation with the company placing us in schools called Mediakids. There were 50 teachers attending: some new like us and some renewing their contracts for another semester. During the day, we were given information about getting a working visa, we set up a bank card and were given the curriculum for the next semester.
After the course, we decided that we would head to the infamous Khaosan road. Due to the late king’s cremation we would only be able the go out tonight because from tomorrow everything would be shut for a few days…the king died last year and on Thursday it is his cremation and nearly all shops will be shut whilst 100,000 visitors + those living in Bangkok will watch the royal procession and cremation! Everyone in Bangkok has been wearing only black or white in respect for him!
So we headed out. The road was really quiet again because of the cremation but we made the most of it and enjoyed buckets or cocktails and an amazing chicken kebab! Fact of the day – in the USA they don’t have kebabs!
Wednesday
Waking up the morning after was a little less enjoyable for many people but we survived the rest of the course which included playing games, singing songs and creating a lesson in 10 minutes about food. We also got time to talk to our area consultants and ask all the questions we had about starting at our new school. I found out that in my school I’ll be teaching classes of children in Kindergarten 1/2 (3-5 year olds) and Phatom 5/6 which is Years 5 and 6 so it’s going to be interesting jumping from one to other! But it’s exciting and very real now!
At the end of the course we had to begin to say goodbye as this was it..our group was splitting up and spreading out across Thailand! What a brilliant group of people to have met! I’ve been very lucky and I’m excited to be able to visit their new homes and explore even more of Thailand!
Nicole and I then headed over to Abby’s new apartment (Abby isn’t with Mediakids but found her own job in Bangkok). Her apartment was amazing with a spectacular view over the city!
Cecelia had invited us all for a final meal at her hotel as her room had cooking facilities so Abby, Nicole and I headed over there and we all spent a final evening together before everyone headed off to their new homes.
We stuffed ourselves on pasta and chicken and cookies it Nutella! It was my first pasta meal in over a month!
We headed back to Abby’s whose bed is soo big all 3 of us could share it! It was the comfiest bed I’ve slept in so far in Thailand! BLISS!
Today was the day of the cremation. We had a lazy morning and enjoyed eggs with cheese and ham (cooked by our verybown Doug who had slept on the sofa) and a fruit bowl.
Then we began to watch the ceremony and procession on TV. It was being played on every channel! !
We knew a the shops would be shut so we headed to the pool in Abby’s complex for a few hours.
In the evening we had another homemade pasta meal before continuing to watch the cremation ceremony which went on late into the night!
Friday
Abby headed off to work and Nicole and I had a lazy morning before heading to a local mall. There we found an amazing pancake cafe! We couldn’t resist!
We returned to Abby’s and bid her farewell as she was off to Krabi for the weekend and then we ventured out again. We managed to work our the underground (MTR) and soon we were aseekendgain Terminal 21 – a shopping centre where each floor is decorated to represent a city from around the world. It was really impressive.
We ate some cheese tarts but they were more like custard tarts and very sweet. After our pancake lunch, we were in need of savoury not sweet so we ended up going to a mexican restuarant for dinner.
We then grabbed an Uber to take us over to Wat Pro and the Grand palace. However, as we were getting closer the traffic was awful and then we found out the road was shut so we got out of the car and found ourselves in a huge flower memorial/walkway which had been built to remember the king! It was incredibly busy and we were the only foreigners there! But it was amazing!
Once we had walked through the whole structure, we carried on down the road and were able to see Wat pho before finding a riverside restaurant where we had a cocktail with a beautiful view over the water and of Wat Arun!
Getting a taxi home was a little more challenging but we managed to use the Grab app and get one. It took ages! So much traffic around!
Once we were back at the flat, it was time to repack our bags ready for our journey tomorrow! Banglok has been great and I’m looking forward to visiting Abby again over the next few months!
So off we go to Chaiyaphum tomorrow! It’ll take a 6 hour coach ride but soon we will be in our new home and ready to start our new life!
Today we had time to plan our final two lessons. I had simple past tense in the context of going to the beach and then a monsters lesson. I managed to get them done and then I could help the others.
Some of the group only had 30 day visas which they got at the airport so today they had to go and extend them. This cost 1900 baht and took over 4 hours so a little annoying to have to do! When we start working, we’ll have to do a visa run which means we have to go to Laos to get our working visa – just a casual 12 hour drive!
In the evening, we were all pretty tired and just wanted to chill. So after 3 weeks here, Nicole and I worked out how her fire stick works and we were able to watch Netflix. So far I’ve been using youtube to watch TV, mainly ‘Mock the week’ and ‘Bake off’ as that’s all that seems to be available. Oh and a crazy tattoo program called “Just Tattoo of us” it’s awfull! So Netflix was a luxury and we could watch it on my TV so it was a big screen. We ended up watching Jack Whithall taking a gap year in Thailand and then Jurassic World!
Wednesday
We were up bright and early for our 5th lesson. As I was first, I was done by 9.30 which was great as then I could just relax. The kids found the past tense hard “yesterday I..walking/drinks?!” so it took a bit longer to get the lesson going but they got there in the end!
Everytime we go to the school they give us snacks and drinks which have varied alot!! Today they gave us coconuts. They were different to ones I have had before and the skin you pierced with a straw was squishy and a bit like a brain!! Unfortunately, I didn’t like it but didn’t want to waste it so luckily I could donate to Doug!
^ This is the sweaty mess look!!^
We headed back to class to finish planning our final lesson and then a few of us jumped in a red truck and headed to an art gallery I have read about. It was called ‘Art in Paradise’ and specialised in creating optical illusions. The paintings were painted on the walls and ceilings and you were encouraged to stand on the painting to create a 3D image. It was quite amazing! Only slight hitch was that we hadn’t realised we needed to download an app which brought the paintings alive but we soon downloaded it and could experience the full effect!
Thursday
Our final day on the course!! We headed to school and I had a brilliant lesson on monsters. The children were brilliant which meant we could have a laugh and enjoyable lesson. It was and great end to the course! Oh and the snack today was donuts!! I accidently ate 3!
All the children who came to school over the last few days were all volunteers as it’s actually the holidays!
So a month later and we’re all certified ESL teachers ready to start! If anyone’s interested in doing the course and trying out teaching here in Thailand , let me know!
We finished up and then headed back to our hotel to chill before all heading out to Ram bar.
Friday
It was lovely to wake up and and not have to go anywhere! We had a lazy morning, did some laundry and then headed for a massage! This time I had an aroma therapy massage…it was bliss!! Although I did have to ask for her to do it a little more gently at times!!
We ended out hour massage with a cup of blue tea! No idea what it was but it tasted amazing!
We enjoyed an evening by the pool and a final visit to Ram bar!
Saturday
This morning, we were picked up by the Thai teachers from last Friday and headed to a local temple called Wat Suan Dok.
Here were learnt some more Thai as well as information about temples and buddhism.
We were treated to lunch by the teachers.
We were dropped off in Old town and after wandering around for a while we found a couple of other temples to explore.
Sunday
Time to pack! I seem to have gained stuff and my bags seem to have shrunk! But I’ve just about managed to get everything in my bags ready for the trip to Bangkok tomorrow!
Nicole and I headed to Maya Mall where I got an extra rucksack (extra room!) and some new flipflops and then enjoyed browsing the shops – some sell some quite interesting products!
What are these?!?!
You can ride these around the mall!
We enjoyed a little break at Starbucks before walking back.
Then I headed off to church..took an Uber today as a little luxury! After chuch I met the others at Srifaa’s for our final meal and we said goodbye to Ang who runs it.
So the first month is done! Chiang Mai has been brillaint and a great introduction to Thailand!
Things I’ve learnt:
☆ Always have toilet roll on you and be prepared to squat! Also the bum gun isn’t that scary!
☆Be confident crossing the road. Yes you might have to walk out infront of bikes and cars but don’t hesitate midway, just walk and they’ll stop!
☆Always keep you eyes on the path in front. There are many random holes and drains which you might trip on!
☆ Red trucks are brilliant but don’t pay more than 30baht in town but get Uber or Grab to make it even easier to get around!
☆ Get a Thai sim card early on and get unlimited data (300 baht/month)
☆Carry an umbrella during rainy season and be careful what you wear. The rain arrives suddenly and you’ll be drenched/see through if not prepared!
☆ Gradually begin to eat street food but try it as it’s great! Rottis are amazing! But if you’re craving bread rather than rice, head to 7/11 for a cheese and ham toastie!!
☆ Use the water stations to fill up your water bottles! For 1/2 baht you can get 4 litres of water! And it means you’re recycling some of the many plastic bottles which are being used by everyone! Also, you’ll be given a plastic bag for everything -no 5p rule here!
☆ The electricity lines are crazy! Just watch out for the random wires dangling down in your path!
☆ You will have a sensory overload just walking down the streets which are lined with stalls selling everything from raw meat to clothing but it’s amazing!
I can’t wait to see Bangkok then head onto Chaiyaphum!!
1. Haylee keeps finding the biggest coachroaches in her room! We think they’re pushing the shower cover away and coming up through the shower!! Eww!!
2. The most embarrassing moment of my life so far I would say…
I was walking to class after lunch with Nicole, just chatting away. We get to the last crossing having past street vendors, 3 separate lines of traffic and I walk in front of her. At this point she shouts and starts pulling my skirt. I thought it was a bug on me..no..much worse. My skirt as been tucked in my pants the whole walk!!! Everyone has seen my bum and underwear!!! In the UK you might get hooted at but here noone said a word! We just stood there dying with laughter!! Awkward!
Back to week 3…
Monday
More grammar today. We have a test next Monday so just got to get all the information into my head!
After the course, a few of us decided to head to a local massage parlour. We sat down and immediately they brought out bowls with warm water and limes in it and nd washed our feet. Then the 3 of us headed upstairs wheRe there were a line of mattresses separated by curtains. We all opted for a traditional Thai massage. I could keep my trousers on as they were thin and I just put one of their thin tops on. Then the massage began. It was different to any I’ve had before..a lot of prodding and pushing and there are no oils involved but it was great. My legs were aching from the waterfalls so it helped them! All was very relaxing when suddenly there was are huge bang and the lights went out! They came back on but a few minutes later it happened again. Slightly ruined the peaceful atmosphere! Nearing the end, I was asked if I wanted to be stretched! I was a little nervous but said yes. She held my arms then twisted my back to each side which caused it to pop. She then pulled my back upwards. It was odd but seemed to work as I felt great afterwards! It was 200 baht (£5) for an hour! Worth it!! Tuesday
Tuesday was a great day! I managed to get my lesson planned quickly..this week “Should and should not” in the context of Stitch from Lilo and Stitch being at the mall. What should/shouldn’t he do there?!
Nicole and and I also finally took our clothes to the launderette next to our course building. They have huge machines so we shared and for 50 baht it was washed.
At lunch (fried rice with spicy sausage), Abby began to feel really ill so I walked with her back to the hotel, hung up my washing to dry and returned to the course. I managed to plan and sort Abby’s lesson quickly for her so she could sleep.
Then Evan, Nicole and I began to plan our drama for Friday. It’s about buying fruit at a stall and must be in Thai. Mam, who works at the course, helped us with the pronounciation and then just laughed at us as we tried. It was so hard! In English we put tones into our voices to emphasises the word but if you change the pitch or tone in a thai, you end up saying the wrong word!
Mam was very patient with us as we tried to write down what we were hearing but it was hard! We have until Friday to learn it off by heart which should be alright. We were going to go and use our new “skills” to ask a real vendor for some fruit but as we left for the hotel, it began to pour down! I was drenched (a denim dress absorbs water quite quickly!) even though I had an umbrella!
At 5, Nicole and I went and got takeaway basil pork and rice and then I headed on my first solo adventure on a red truck! I was going back to a building next to the church for a bible study. I managed to get a truck quite quickly and then spent 40 minutes travelling around the old city which was good as I could see where lots of the temples and bars are. I arrived and was welcomed warmly into the group of 4 guys and Kelsey, the girl I had messaged before coming to Thailand. After the group, the others all left on their motor/push bikes and I went off to find another red truck. There weren’t any for ages so I walked towards the old town. Finally one stopped. The driver couldn’t speak English at all and didn’t really understand my map. I ended up using his phone on Google translate for ‘Dunkin Donuts” and then he called someone to help. He agreed to take me and tried asking for 40 baht but I used my new thai and said “saam-sib” which means 30. He agreed but asked me to sit in the front. It was the first time I’ve worn a seat belt since being here..it felt natural when I saw it to put it on hah! We tried having a half conversation on the way back; we said Dunkin donuts a lot and tutted at the bad drivers cutting up our path. When we turned off the main road, he said “china”then used thai and actions to explain we were dropping the chinese passengers (sat in the back) off first. I used my GPS the whole way and soon we were next to Dunkin Donuts! I had been a little worried at first going out by myself but as I walked the streets and rode the trucks, I was fine and actually felt quite at home! It’s just been a really productive and successful day so I’m feeling great!!
Wednesday
We planned and prepped for our next lesson on Thursday. This week we’ve been hit by illness which I thought might start happening as we’ve now been here 3 weeks. I’ve been okay but a couple of the group had to take the day off and stay in bed and sleep it off!
This week there has been a pop up stand on the street outside the hotel selling rotti’s which are a bit like British pancakes but folded and fried. I had my first one with just cheese in it. The man asked if I wanted condensed milk and sugar on it…with cheese?! I thought but I had a little condensed milk on the side. It was amazing! Really unhealthy but tasted good and the condensed milk was a great bonus! I had another one on Friday with banana, chocolate sauce, condensed milk and sugar on it! Wow! Just amazing!!
After the course, a few of us decided to head to the old town to explore a bit. We entered the ‘Tha Phae’ gate but our exploring was hindered by our need for food! We ended up in an Italian restaurant and gorged on pizza. So
Today for lunch I had crispy pork (bacon) with veg and rice. It was so garlicy!! Then my pizza was also covered in huge bits of garlic! All I can taste is garlic now!
After food, we wandered down to the night bazaar and found a cool seating area which was surrounded by food stalls including a cowboy grill, French crepes and a bar in a VW camper van. We sat and chatted and listened to a varied mix of music as well as a live performer. Joe and Cecelia joined us just as we were about to leave so Haylee, Nicole and I stayed with them and ended up back at Ram bar to see the cabaret show which was Spanish themed this time. We were only going to stay for the first half but ended up staying for the whole show. It’s such a vibrant and fun atmosphere!
Thursday
After the day in class and more grammar, Nicole and I tried to study a bit and then practised our Thai drama sketch with Evan. He told us he was heading to Central Festival to see a movie in 4D and we decided to join. It was such a cool experience. It cost 300 baht but that’s similar to a normal film in the UK. We then sat on the chairs which have foot rests and feel a little like you’re on a ride. We had gone to see ‘Geostorm’ which turned out to be perfect for 4D as it’s about space and the weather so all of the effects could be used! Not only was it in 3D but the chair moved with the action and movement in the film; it felt like we were on a roller coaster and as if you were flying through space! Then there would be a big gust of wind and you’d get squirted with water! It was brilliant! I’d highly recommend it!
Biggest bucket of popcorn I’ve ever seen! He managed 1/20 of it during the film!!
Friday
Today we performed our drama which went well although once I stood up, all the pronunciation I had practiced disappeared and I found it hard to remember my lines. It really showed how embarrassing, frustrating and daunting learning a new language and speaking it in front of others is! I need to keep this in mind when I’m teaching and asking children to stand up and speak!
We finished class early but had the grammar test looming over us – it’s on Monday. Nicole and I did a bit of revision (studying if you’re American) but we also wanted to chill out a bit so we headed to the local cat cafe. It’s called Catmosphere and all the cats are named after Star Wars characters! There were 23 cats in there! A couple of them had been shaved and were wearing cute knitted jumpers! We enjoyed an iced chocolate with them before heading back to the hotel to study.
Earlier in the day, we had agreed to have a Thai lesson with someone from the Thai Language school in our hotel. It was a free lesson so we jumped at the chance to learn a bit more Thai as none of us are very good at the moment. The lady teaching was really friendly and informative but Thai is so hard!!
For example: the word that sounds like ‘My’ means 5 different things depending how you say it. There are 5 different tones so you might try to say horse but say dog or no! It was funny but confusing as our ears just aren’t hearing the differences in the sounds! We’re hoping to have another lesson next week where the lady will take us to a temple where we can practise our Thai.
Saturday
We hired another red truck and headed 30 minutes up to the mountains to Mae Sa Waterfalls. As foreigners we had to pay 100 baht to get in but it was worth it. There were 10 stages of the waterfalls and several where you could jump in and swim. It really was paradise with the amazing scenery surrounding us.
After several hours there, we headed home and continued our studies.
Just after this picture, I was asked to join in a selfie with one of the Thai girls behind me! It happens a lot here..I do stick out with blonde hair..just funny as it wouldn’t really happen in the UK!
We had to walk under these rocks..I was hoping the sticks weren’t holding them up! Unattractive shoes but one of the best things I brought here!!
Sunday
We didn’t do much this Sunday other than study and eat! It was great to have each other to revise with as we could ask each other when we were stuck. I headed to church and nearly had another underwear incident! As I was walking to grab a red truck, it began to pour with rain. Today I’d thought I’d wear a skirt which apparently goes a little see through when wet! During the drive, I was desperately trying to dry it out and luckily by the time it had to get out 1. The rain had stopped
2. My skirt had dried!
Church was good and I was able to speak to some of the small group people. I also managed to catch one of the first red trucks I saw which was great!
Oddly on the way to church I had seen one of the boys from the course in old town and then on the way back I saw some other people in McDonald’s! Just strange to see them when the route is random and it’s across the whole city!
We continued to study as a group before calling it a night ready for the big day tomorrow!
Monday
The day of the grammar test…
I haven’t taken a test since uni and I wasn’t nervous until I sat down but the studying helped and I was done after an hour.
Nicole and I headed to the shopping centre May’s where I finally sorted out my Thai phone so now I have unlimited data for a month for 300 baht £7. Then we had a huge celebratory lunch (celebrating just doing the test) at Duke’s where Nicole had mash potato which she’s been craving before heading back for the results..
It was a great day as everybody passed so with just 2 lessons left to teach, we’re nearly ready to head to our schools!! That’s going to be a shock to the system…work…everyday!?!?!
My treat for passing…chocolate cake!!
Tonight, there was talk of seeing a boxing match but it was really expensive so we’re heading to Ram bar to celebrate passing the test instead!!
Just 1 week left in Chiang Mai! Then I head south…
Thanks for all of the comments! Sorry it is so long but I’ve never been good at writing short accounts! Also, if there are random extra words or spelling mistakes, it is because my phone keeps deciding to auto-correct and add in words! Very annoying! Enjoy!
Sunday
Sunday was our chill day. I stayed in bed until 10 and then leisurely got ready. I’d discussed with the others a plan..today we needed to top up our Thai sim cards, do laundry and the only other commitment was church in the evening. After speaking to the others, I decided against doing laundry yet as 6 people had already dumped bags full of clothes to the lady across the road and I’m glad I didn’t as when the others returned the next day to pick it up, she said she’d been up until 9pm the first day and up at 3am to get it done. They did comment though on the clothing returned…everything was washed, dried and ironed..including underwear and ironed to military standard! I’ll try her sometime this week but I’ve realised I’ve bought sooo many clothes I might not need to go for a while!
Heading to our local 7/11, we tried to ask them for the best phone deal but it got lost it translation so I ended up to paying 100 baht and I think I’m on pay as you go so we’ll see how far it lasts! Nicole got a much better deal later on at the mall…300 baht (£7) for a month of unlimited data. I’ll be heading there next!
For the rest of the day we chilled out together, ate more Thai food at one of our favourite locals where most meals are 40 baht (£1)! Later, after a little nap, Haylee and I headed to church. We were more successful in catching a red truck and got the first one we tried. This time we went on a little detour around old town as there were several other people in the truck before us but we still made it – just a little late! The service was great and after we headed off to meet Nicole for pizza. Unfortunately, the pizza place was closed..this has happened 3 days in a row for Haylee! I’m a little ashamed to say but we ended up having McDonald’s!! Last time I promise! Nicole and I are trying to budget a bit more..from tomorrow! Less western more Thai! It’s not that it is expensive but we have to eat out twice a day (I’m eating cereal in my room each morning) and if we want to enjoy excursions around Thailand, we just thought we’d try and be a little more authentic!
Here are some pictures from around Chiang Mai
This is the street we walk down everyday. It is busy from dawn until dusk. I’m pretty sure some of the vendors sleep behind their stalls and I’ve seen children in a tent and watching TV late at night too. We are beginning to use them more for food. The spring rolls were amazing!
Monday
Today, we got the topic of our second lesson. This time I have “Birthday Party” so today we spent the whole day planning the lesson. The hardest part is choosing the dialogue as it needs to be simple but you also have to make sure it teaches them some new vocabulary. Today I’ve gone with:
“Whose birthday is it? ” , “It is …….’s birthday.” , “What will you take to his/her birthday? ” , ” I will take ……”
You’re supposed to ask the children if they can guess each vocabulary word (variable) but as half of mine will be pictures of people, I’ll have to tell them their names. I will have to make sure they know the difference between her and his and the other variables such as birthday cake and fizzy drinks.
I wanted to keep to the party theme in my games so have decided to use “Pass the parcel” which I have also learnt is a British game as the Americans had no idea what I was talking about! That’s happened a few times over the last 2 weeks which is quite funny and highlighted that although we speak the same language even we can get confused.
A few examples:
I used plastic wallet/Polly pocket. They used cover.
Chips, crisps and fries! I keep getting confused but am starting to use fries for chips or they think I want crisps!!
I’m using fizzy drinks and sweets whereas they would use soda and candy.
I used lush in a sentence and it was commented on as not being heard before.
Some of them say spitting as in “you’re spitting lines or dialogue” that just takes some getting used to!
It’s fun though! I think by the time I get back my accent might be a bit English, American and Thai!
In the evening, we sat and ate pizza around the pool (failed already on less western more Thai but I had Thai for lunch) before deciding to find a roof top bar we had heard about. Getting ready to leave here takes about 10 minutes as all I have to do is change my clothes, re-tie my hair up or try to make it look okay down, re-touch mascara and re-apply my many layers of bug spray! It’s nice not to care about trying to apply some nice makeup or having to take layers of clothes in case you get cold..it’s definitely not cold and makeup would soon be sweated off! My perfume is bug spray so I’m smelling lovely at the moment but it’s doing its job! I’ve only had 2 bites so far!
We found the bar after asking at the hotel below and the receptionist told us to take the lift up. However, when we got to the top, there were no lights on or staff members around. It was odd but the view was fantastic! We decided we’d come back in the day to fully appreciate it! Just strange that we were directed up to it for it to be closed!
We wandered down the road and we soon ended up at a local place which is a bike shop by day and a grill by night called “Funky grill”. It had a great atmosphere and was really popular with the locals..we were the only foreigners there. I’ve decided that I’m going the have to try and drink beer when out as it’s the cheapest drink available (alcohol is quite pricy here) but it’s going to take my tastebuds some convincing!
Anyway, we had a great night with our Chang beers and freshly grilled food (chicken,pork belly,okra). Then we headed back to the pool before bed.
I love the evenings because all of the birds sit on the electricity lines chirping away! It is pretty loud!
Tuesday
Today was hardcore! I guess I haven’t really explained what I’m actually doing here to everyone but I’m taking a TEFL (teaching English as as foreign language) course with a company called Gotefl. We’ll train for a month in Chiang Mai. Then I’ll be placed in a school in a place called Chaiyaphum (350km north from Bangkok). Term starts there on November 1st and ends mid Feb. So this month is learning how to teach children with English as a second language (ESL) which I’m quickly learning is a little different to the teaching I’ve done in the UK. Anyway, today we had grammar lessons in the morning and phonology in the the afternoon! Now I love grammar back in the UK and thought I was quite good at it…well, there is a lot I don’t know or fully understand!
First, we learnt about tenses – 9 out of the 12 different ones! After nearly 2 hours, my head hurt and was full of simple past, past perfect and past perfect continuous to name just a few! We have a test on them in 2 weeks and have to explain their form e.g subject +V2, their function e.g completed action in the past, draw the timeline to show it and write a sentence with it in.
Then it was conditional sentences..
If I had known about the test, I would have revised. This is 3rd conditional!! What!?
After a lunch of stir fried chicken and noodles, it was phonology. Again, I’ve taught phonics but not the international phonemical chart! It was interesting to learn but confusing as you can use the same sound for many words as it’s the sound not the spelling that you are using.
Today was also Chelsi’s birthday, so we decided we’d treat ourselves to a Mexican restuarant called “Salsa Kitchen”. It took a little longer than expected to get there but it was worth it! Amazing! I had a huge burrito with tortilla chips, salsa and and sour cream..we were all so full afterwards! A treat for a Tuesday eve! And another fail on the western food but worth it! When I move to live by my school in Chaiyaphum, I won’t be able to eat much western food so I’m allowed some now!
Wednesday
This has been my breakfast everyday! Might have to find something else soon but cereal is expensive!
Wednesday begun with classroom management lessons and then time to finish tomorrow’s lesson and plan Friday’s. Friday’s lesson will be a little different as it’s focusing on two sounds. I have ‘L’ and ‘R’. We had to put it in a context and as I Googled cartoons beginning with R, I found Remy from Ratoulle. Perfect! I’ve now got a restaurant setting with Remy and Linguini talking about what they would like to eat and drink. The food and drinks contain L and R e.g fried rice, blackcurrant juice and my favourite lasagne!
Lunch!
I managed to get everything sorted quickly so by 4pm I was back at the hotel pool but just before I headed into the pool, down came the monsoon rain again!
It is always amazingly heavy rain..if you’re not prepared, you’d be drenched in less than 30 seconds! This time there was even thunder and lightening! But it stops as quickly as it starts and the temperature soon returns to normal – hot!
Once it stopped, we headed out for food and ended up at out favourite again! So many amazing dishes!
We then walked up to the shops near the university as some of the girls wanted to try and buy new black skirts and shirts for teaching in. There were 3 identical shops next to each other all selling black skirts and white and purple shirts. Everyone attending school or university wear these so there are hundreds of people in the same outfit. Our issue is, many of us don’t fit Asian sizes and they don’t really have many bigger clothes! Nicole managed to find a skirt but not a shirt and you weren’t allowed to try it on so that made it hard to know if it would fit.
We headed back battling the rain, random holes in the pavement and the many cars and bikes who are turning across your path or just driving on the pavement! You do have to make sure you’re looking around at all times but they are very good at slowing down!
At one point we all had to walk under a tarpoline which was strung across the path sheltering the stall. Just wouldn’t happen I the UK!
Thursday
Up bright and early for our second teach. We’re teaching in the same school each week which is nice but we have different children. I was a little worried as I had M3 children who are 14/15 and I was about to sing happy birthday with them and play pass the parcel. However, the lesson went really well except when I tried to pronounce some of their names – they just laughed with me!! Despite being older, many of these children/teenagers lack confidence in speaking English so they focused well on the lesson and hopefully learnt a few new words!
After class, we took a red truck to one of the large malls called ‘ Central Festival’.
It was huge and had 5 floors which expanded in both directions. We decided to go to “The pizza company” for dinner. We debated how many pizzas to get and finally decided we’d share 2 mediums and some garlic bread and cheese sticks. However, when the food came we realised we’d made a mistake…the pizzas were tiny! Smaller than an individual pizza in the UK and we were trying to share it amongst 5! You’d think we’d have started to realise food portions and clothes are much smaller here than in the UK and vastly smaller than in America! So dinner was a let down but we made up for it by going to “Cold Stone” which is an icecream parlour for pudding.
You choose your topping (I had chocolate brownie, sauce and chocolate chips) and they put your icecream on a cold board before chopping and mixing in your topping; the result is amazing and every bite is full of icecream and topping! Yum!
Friday
Another early morning today as we were off to each again to the school to teach. I was teaching the ‘r’ and ‘l’ sounds as these aren’t pronounced by many Thai people. The lesson went well except I ran out of time for my final game – sack racing! But by the end the children were using my roaring action for r and singing ‘lalala’ for l and most were pronouncing ‘fried rice’ rather than ‘fied lice’!
This was one of the most disgusting things I had ever tasted… it was cold, with ice cubes in it, brown jelly and bread and it tasted like a slightly sweet burnt saucepan water soup. I felt ill after a tiny bit but we all felt really rude as no-one ate it!
After lunch at ‘Srifaa’s’, we headed back to class but were finished early so we all headed back to the hotel to rest and I was able to take a long nap – nearly 2 hours!! Then at 7, Nicole and I headed to ‘Srifaa’s’ again ( we just love it so much!) and got takeaway pineapple fried rice, basil and rice, and chicken fried rice. I added to my feast with a couple of spring rice rolls from a local street vendor.
We sat around the pool to eat and soon were joined by the others. At 10ish we began to head to a bar we had heard about called “Warmup Cafe”. We ordered an Uber as it was quicker than a red truck and although there were 5 of us needing to get in, this was okay (not as many rules here!) so 4 people squeezed in the back, (Paula on Joe’s lap) and I had the space of the front! It took about 7 minutes there and cost us 50 baht (£1.10) so 10 baht each (20p)!
When we arrived, the place was packed with people! We were really in the minority as foreigners and really stuck out – we got a few stares! It was a large bar with live music in one room and a DJ in another. We danced the night away in our flip flops with only a couple of incidents such as when Cecillia knocked my drink all over my hair and top! It was such a fun night and quite interesting to see the different outfits worn..some people were in heels and dresses; others were in pjamas with socks and sandals on! Anything goes!!
At around 1.30am, we jumped in a red truck and were back within 5 minutes..We’ve learnt to ask to go to “Dunkin donuts” and then walk as it’s easier to explain! However, you still have to show the driver on the map as the girls asked for ‘Dunkin Donuts’ the other day and ended up going to 3 different McDonalds before getting to the right place! I’ve also taken on the role as navigator and tend to ensure we’re going the right way using Google maps!! We had a massive detour the other day after the mall so it was useful to know where we were! On the walk home, we ended up in 7/11 and all got cheese and ham toasties!
They were amazing and I hadn’t realised you could get them so now I’ve found them, I’ll be there a lot! I don’t think the ‘I’ll lose weight in Thailand’ is really going to happen – the food is too good! Oh well!
Saturday
Nicole and I heaed to the local water station to fill up our bottle. It’s 5 baht for about 5 gallons I think..we could fill up loads of bottles!
Then we booked a red truck and headed off to ‘Bua Thong’ waterfall. The drive was absolutely beautiful as we passed lush rice fields, weaved through the jungle and had the mountain range on both sides.
After about an hour, we arrived at the falls. Luckily, before I came to Thailand, I bought a dry bag so we stuffed it full with all our valuables and then left our backpacks in the truck all and headed towards the falls. Well, Abby and I braved the toilets first…should have gone behind a tree! We had to take our shoes off and put on sandals (all to small for me!) and there were just squat loos and flies, lots of flies!! I am very thankful for antibacterial gel!!
Back to the falls….Bua thong is also called ‘Sticky Falls’ as the minerals in the water have left the rocks with a rough surface which feels a bit like hardened sponge. This allows you to scramble down them and climb back up quite easily even though it’s pretty steep and there’s water rushing past you.
It was an amazing experience and the view from the top was incredible. When we reached the bottom, there was a little pool of water and then the water flowed away through the jungle.
Evan had found another pool so we decided to have a look although this meant walking along an incredibly slippy mud path (made worse by the rain earlier in the day) through the jungle. I quickly reapplied some bug spray as I would be instantly eaten if not and we began the walk. As we walked and slipped our way through, I was very conscious that there could be many poisonous creatures and plants along the path. We got to the pool a few minutes later and and couple of the group jumped in. Others were slightly less willing after the walk because the pool was a murky brown with quite a few insects hovering around and I knew I’d just get bitten and I was already itching so we headed back to the falls. Once we got back, I noticed my arms and legs were bright pink in patches which was a little worrying due to our earlier exploration but it wasn’t painful so we carried on and enjoyed hanging out in the water before beginning the climb back up.
Thankfully Evan took our dry bag up ( I’d managed it on the way down) as it was heavy! We reached the top with just the final climb becoming a little scary as some algae had grown on the rocks making them quite slippy in places. Luckily, there was a rope to hold on to on this part. I could have sat on the top for hours just looking at the view. It was stunning!!
Thankfully by the time I reached the top, my legs and arms were less red so I think I reacted to the bug spray that I used as it wasn’t my normal one!
We rode back to the hotel where we found out that the boys, who had rented two motorbikes in the morning and were supposed to join us but didn’t, had been in hospital all day as one of them had slipped on the wet road 3km from the waterfall and broken his collar bone. Thankfully he was wearing a helmet and they were helped by someone who spoke English and Thai so they managed to get to the hospital and get picked up and brought back in the evening! Yesterday, we were all going to ride bikes there but due to weather and being unorganised we didn’t – now I’m glad we didn’t but such a shame for the boys as they missed out on the waterfalls!
As it was Catherine’s birthday, we decided to go to the mall for dinner. We were just walking past Adidas and Abby said what sounded like ‘Adeedas’ so responded with ‘Adidas’ and they all freaked out with my prounciation haha! Apparently us Brits are saying it wrong!! So funny! Over dinner, I learnt about and tasted ‘ranch’ a must have in the USA..just tasted like garlic mayo and I educated them about Yorkshire puddings and toad in the hole – would love that right now!!
Pulled pork sliders
Sunday
A few of us decided to head to ‘Wat phra That Doi Suthep’ a temple on the mountain over looking Chiang Mai. We hailed a red truck and for 125 baht (£3) the driver would take us up, give us an hour there and bring us back. The road there was one of the windiest I had ever been on! But as we climbed higher and higher, the view was amazing.
Street food next to the view point Chiang Mai from above
Once we arrived, we began the climb up the many many steps to the temple.
We left our shoes at the entrance and headed into the temple. It was quite spectacular! So much gold and statues! We wandered around taking it in.
Haylee managed to get a picture with the monks but she had to kneel down and under no circumstances could she touch them!
I had sit with the driver on the back as I couldn’t cope with going backwards down the hill. We had a half conversation as something got lost in translation but he was a lovely kind driver.
We headed straight to lunch at ‘Siraffas’. Today I decided I would have egg with my basil pork and rice (you get offered egg with most meals). I normally say no so the lady even looked at bit shocked by my decision – we’re becoming regulars but I must find out her name… such a great place!
After a rest, Haylee, Catherine and I headed off to church and then went to the night bazaar for shopping and food – ginger chicken and rice and a passion fruit smoothie!
I bought some cool wrap around trousers! Luckily they are really long so fit! Nicole and Evan were supposed to meet us but nearly an hour later they weren’t there. When I called Nicole, it turned out she was a 20 minute walk away in the Sunday night market. She said it was so busy away times they couldn’t even move! Stressful when you weren’t expecting it and hungry but I’m going to try and go there next week just to experience such a big market. Someone told them it can take 2 hours to walk through it!! Eventually they found us and we continued to browse the numerous stalls…there are soo many pretty things. I want them all!!
On the way back, the red truck driver tried to charge 40 baht and this time we said no 30 and he agreed so we’be decided we need to haggle more and red trucks are supposed to only charge 30 unless it’s really far! We’re going to be living here so don’t want tourist prices!
So another great week!! Thanks for all the comments and support!
The day finally arrived and I was leaving! After packing and repacking my bags about 5 times, I eventually fitted all of my clothes in and was ready. At the airport, mum and dad helped to check in my bag early so we were able to have a meal and then say goodbye to each other. Only slight fail was when I walked into the first class security zone and had to turn around and head to the large queues instead for everyone else! I love flying so once I was on the plane, it was great despite finding it really hard to sleep! But we had dinner, snacks and breakfast so I was happy!
Saturday
I finally arrived after a good but long journey at 6.30pm in Chiang Mai. My bag was really heavy so I was sweaty and hot straight away! There was a little confusion at first with getting a taxi as I had a voucher but it seemed like they didn’t want to accept it. In the end I agreed and hoped for the best as I got into a taxi but amazingly just 20 minutes later we arrived at the hotel and i didn’t have to pay anything! After checking in, I found my room and as I sat in my room it dawn on me..1.I was in Thailand and 2. I was all alone. It was an odd feeling; I wasn’t sad but felt a little anxious. However, what I did know was that I was super tired so after making sure people at home knew I had arrived, I tried to sleep.
Sunday
I woke several times in the night due to the many new noises around me. The airport is pretty close so a plane would fly over every so often and then there would be a dog barking or a motorbike racing past. It was loud! I was tired so I just wanted to stay in bed but my stomach started to tell me how hungry I was (obviously food comes first) so it was time to get up and find some food. Suddenly, I became quite nervous and anxious about leaving the safety of my room and entering the outside world..where should I go? What could I eat? But eventually I plucked up the courage and left. The heat, noise and humidity hit me as soon as I left the hotel and although I had thought about where to go, it was quite scary to begin walking down a busy street which was full of street vendors and people. However, about 3 minutes into the walk I saw a supermarket. Walking in, I realised it was a Tesco store which helped as suddenly it felt familiar despite the food being different and everything in Thai! Grabbing some water and a raisin bun, I decided I’d head back to the hotel. So my first journey outside lasted about 10 minutes! But it gave me courage to explore further. After eating my bun, I left again. This time I went right along the road and then back past the hotel to find our training centre. I dont think ive ever seen so many bikes and i quickky had to learn how to cross the roads…Look, look again and walk..the cars do slow down if you are in the way thankfukly but you also have to watch the lights. Cars will move off fast as soon as the light is green and will go through red lights sometimes.
There also isn’t much pavement so I ended up walking along a pretty busy road hoping the cars saw me! Then there was the task of crossing the 3 lanes and canal to get to the other side. After a while, I finally found the training centre having gone up the wrong road for a bit. I was shattered so headed back to the hotel and had a nap.
The view from my hotel balcony
Before I came to Thailand, I had contacted a church here (http://cmcchurch.org/) so in the afternoon I decided that I’d try I to go there. However, it was the other side of town: an hour walk or 20 minute car ride.
I knew I needed to get a taxi but this was terrifying as it was my first day, I had no internet outside the hotel and I hardly knew where I was! Kelsey, a girl from the church, told me I should just grab a red truck (communal taxis where you only pay 30baht (90p) to go anywhere) so I decided I’d try it! Although I was scared, I was determined to go so I left and headed for the lobby. There I spotted a western girl so decided to say hi and this was how I met Haylee who turned out to be on the course too! We spoke for a while and then I said I was going to church and she wanted to come! I can’t tell you the relief I felt as now I had someone to navigate the streets with! We headed off and tried our best to flag down a red truck. Two said no but then one agreed so in we jumped. I am so thankful for Google maps as I was able to say where I wanted to go and I tracked where we were going ( just in case we ended up in the middle of nowhere) and although it took quite a while due to the traffic (traffic is stop start a lot!) we arrived about 20 minutes into the service. The church is an international church so full of different nationalities and visitors and they were really welcoming which was great. Even better, after the service we had a meal altogether! I was starving by this point as I had only had a raisin bun and a bit of rice all day. During the meal, we met a guy called David who then took us to the night market which was huge and sold everything you could want and we ate crepes with Nutella and watched some traditional dancing. Our journey home was a little less smooth as the red truck driver tried to drop us off at a different hotel so we had to walk for about 20 minutes back but it was a great evening and having Haylee to talk to was amazing. You forget how much you need to just speak to someone who speaks English and highlights how lonely and hard it could be for a non-English speaker in the UK.
Monday
Setting an alarm was hard and having woken up a lot in the night, I was tired! But Haylee met me in the lobby and off we went to the course. During breakfast at a cafe next to the course, we spotted more and more westerners who were on the course. There are 15 of us training to be English teachers. I’m the only British person and the others are mainly American with some non-native English speakers from Hungary and Argentina. After welcoming everyone, we soon got into the course material and it was like being back at university. We were told that our first lesson would be taught on Friday – this scared everyone! I’m lucky to have my teaching experience but feel for the others who are about to teach with no prior experience.
In the afternoon we learnt about Thai customs, here are a couple:
Sawadee ka (hello) – hands should be together (as if praying) and you lift then up under your chin and bow. You should do the ‘wai’ (hands part) if the person is the same age as you or older. If they are more important, your thumbs should touch your chin and you should bow first. If they are a monk, your hands touch your head and then you bow to the floor and hands are put out flat on the floor.
Don’t point with your fingers, you need to point with fingers together and you should never point with your feet. Also when asking someone to come to you, you keep the palm down towards the floor and wave up and a down.
Thai people speak quietly and some won’t tell you if they don’t like something. For example, teachers have just been told they aren’t needed next term and it’ll be because of something they did but the teacher doesn’t know/realise as noone told them.
Thai toilets – hardly ever have toilet paper just a bucket or hose with water and no toilet paper is allowed down the loo but in the bin next to it..
We all went to lunch together and I am sort of sorry to say that I am being a stereotypical Brit as when I saw I could get an earl grey tea, I had to order it! I hadn’t had a good cup of tea for over 24 hours so it was amazing!!
We finished class about 4.30pm and decided we would all go out for some drinks and food at 7pm. We walked into the old city which was quite far but helped to get our bearings where we are. The bar we wanted to go to was shut so we wandered about and ended up in a place called ‘The Pub’. It was just like a British pub and there was even a pub quiz going on! I felt very at home!
Tuesday
Today we went though the lesson structure and got to play some games.
It’s great being in a group as we break off into little groups for lunch and there are people around to do stuff with. After class, Nicole (another girl on the course who is actually going to be in the same school as me) chilled in the pool at the hotel- it was lovely!
Today was the first time I experiences monoon rain! Wow! It can rain but because it’s warm, it okay. But if you were in it you’d be soaked in seconds. It’d amazing as many Thai people were still riding their bikes in it with just a poncho over them! Due to the rain, we headed across the road to a place called ‘Bird of Paradise’ . I had already eaten some food earlier so I ended up having an apple pie with ice cream and of course a cup of tea! Yum!! It was a great evening just getting to know each other more.
Wednesday
We had a great lunch today at a local Thai shop. 50 baht (£1.10) for rice and basil pork! Yum!! After our training, Nicole and I walked up towards the University and found an amazing night market. It had a some great little accessory and clothes shops and a huge food market. We sat and had pad thai whilst listening to live acoustic music. We will definitely be heading back there!
Thursday
Today we spent the day preparing our lesson for Friday. My first lesson was on animals but with a focus on opposites. In each lesson you have a set dialogue which teach to the children and they repeat it many times using different vocabulary in the blanks.
e.g
What can you see?
I can ……………..
What else can you see?
I can see …………………….
They would then add in ‘small elephant’, ‘large elephant’ or ‘young monkey’, ‘old monkey’. Once you’ve spoken it through, you use stick men to demonstrate who is speaking and then the children will repeat the dialogue in pairs.
My first lesson – what my board will look like.
Once the children have spoken it out loud, you then play games to keep it fun and checking they know the new vocabulary. You can also use a worksheet to check they can write it too and they can take that home to learn. The lesson plan was really detailed but just reminded me of university lesson planning so I managed to get it done quite quickly. We don’t have smart boards so I printed the pictures to go with the new vocabulary and you create a board management design to help you organise the information onto a white board. In the evening everyone was feeling nervous so we practised in our rooms and got a good night sleep.
Friday
We had to leave at 7am so it was an early morning. We travelled in the back of a red truck and I was very thankful that it was a cool, rainy day so we didn’t arrive covered in sweat!
When we arrived, we had to wait for the national anthem to be played. Some children were in the outside classroom for the national anthem but I wasn’t sure where the others were. The school had a huge covered area in the middle where there were different courts painted on them.
I was directed to my classroom where some children were already sat. After getting them to clear the tables to the sides, I got my resources together and began the lesson. As soon as I started, it felt like I was back in the classroom in the UK. I really enjoyed it. The children responded well and they enjoyed the actions. They were probably 10 years old and there were 17 in the class. The hardest part was knowing when to allow them to speak in Thai to help each other and hearing them. Thai people and children speak very softly especially when they aren’t sure so that was hard. I know I’m fast speaker so this is a real challenge for me to slow down and only say what is essential! But I got really good feedback and it felt great to be back in the classroom. Down side, I was covered in sweat!!
When we finished class, we all rested and then we headed out with Joe (our trainer) into the city. I caught my first Uber and it was only 25 baht each (50p) for the 15 minutes journey into the old town. We found an Irish bar where they had live music. It was full of westerners and they were doing a singalong evening with classic songs so I was in my element. It had such a great atmosphere! After that, we all got into a red truck and headed to another bar. We were going to a ‘lady boy’ show. I was unsure exactly what I was going to see but it turned out to be an amazing night.
The performers lip synched to various songs and performed fast paced dance routines. They were great and their costumes were amazing. I loved it as I could sing along to all the songs and it was a bit like a cabaret show – glitter, songs and heels! It was a great end to the week with everyone in high spirits and bonding really well.
Saturday
This was the day we were all waiting for! Today we got to see the elephants! We left at 8:30 for the sanctuary. After 2 hours we arrived in the middle of the mountains and jungle.
The roads had been really windy and were in the back of a truck so not the comfiest! Once we arrived, we started the decent to the camp down really steep mud roads; I was glad I was in water shoes and not flip flops! During the walk, the instructor found a huge spider and was handing it around. Weirdly, I wasn’t scared but really wanted to hold it so I was the first to have a go. The instructor taught us that the black and yellow ones were okay but the black and red were poisonous so I don’t think I’ll go around touching any yet just in case I forget!!
We walked into the camp and it was so picturesque and beautiful. It was clearing with a few huts built on the hill, surrounded by trees and with a river at the bottom and there they were, the elephants, just wondering around , going up to the huts and free! It was amazing.
After a talk about the history of elephant use and why this sanctuary was setup, it was time to feed the elephants. We each had a bag of bananas and were told to be quick as the elephant know there are bananas in the bags so will go for it. We started feeding them and it was amazing. We were there, stood between 3 huge elephants and 2 babies and we could touch them and feed them by hand – amazing!
We then trekked with them into the mountains with the elephants leading the way. They are amazing as they can walk up really steep banks and disappear into the foliage. At times, we had to jump up the bank quickly as we kept getting between the baby and its mum so at times, the mum would suddenly start marching pretty quickly towards her baby and you didn’t want to be in her way!
The gang
After an hour or so, we headed back for lunch and all the elephants came with us. The instructors are amazing with them. They call them their children and it is clear how much they love them! After lunch, we could just sit with our feet over the edge of the hut and the elephants were just surrounding us and allowing us to pet them. Then learnt we could get the elephant to kiss us with their trunks by saying ‘toock, toock’ and giving them a treat. That was an experience!!
It was then time for a mud bath so we got into our bikinis and headed to the mud pool. Soon we were as covered as the elephants! They loved it!
We then headed to the river to wash off. It was a little crazy at times as you had to make sure you weren’t about to be stood on by the elephants as you moved around the water. The baby elephant kept lying down into the water and it was like a game as we splashed the elephants to remove the mud. Quite incredible!
We then hung out in the water before returning to the camp to say goodbye. It really was an amazing experience!
Making medicine for the elephants
Despite their size, they really are just big pig/dogs with their own personalities and expressions! The walk back up the hill to the truck was a hard one but eventually we made it and were all grateful for a good shower and rest once we got to the hotel!
Week 1 is done and it has been an amazing week so far! I can’t wait to see what happens over the next few weeks and months!!
Haylee managed to get a picture with the monks but she had to kneel down and under no circumstances could she touch them!
We then hung out in the water before returning to the camp to say goodbye. It really was an amazing experience!
Mim's travel adventure 
