Friday 2pm marked the end of the last lesson and the end of possibly the most challenging and draining week since my arrival in Thailand. This was mainly due to being thrown into the deep end of solo teaching in my new school; no curriculum, no resources, no plan, no instruction.. Whilst I know some other ETAs face the same thing, I still find the pressure daunting having had no experience before. Teaching 3-12 year olds is difficult, despite how many times the director (head teacher) of the school insists its "easy, easy for you!" With the youngest, the concept of 'teaching' English was out of the picture the moment I stepped through the door. I had prepared a lesson plan based on colours and secretly enjoyed spending my evening creating pictures for the class to colour in, or in this case colour around and use a completely different colour then intended. There is a teacher in most of my classes, hovering at the back with eagle eyes. Generally they don't speak any English but are there to keep the class under control or shush them if they get a bit too loud. I'm grateful for their somewhat inconsistent but occasional intervention, however with kindergarten (3-5) they just seemed a bit harsh! If I see a young child smile, laugh or talk from an activity I've made up or something stupid I have done (the latter happens 90% of the time) then this pleases me immensely and makes all of the tension and worry melt away.. Until the Thai teacher shouts at the little ones, shocking them into (very temporary) silence and the pressure to teach quickly returns. Needless to say, this week has been a tough one and I can't believe I've got through it! The weekend was welcomed with open arms.. Little did I know that the weeks challenges weren't quite over yet...
The evening of the 23rd was our arranged UWE meal for both current students and alumni living in Thailand. I paired up with another ETA, Alex, to share a room in a hotel nearby afterwards before heading to Hua Hin on Saturday morning - a fairly small beach resort 2-3 hours South of Bangkok. I booked us the hotel based on the 58% off deal that made it sound like it was luxurious as if we struck a great deal. I read tripadvisor reviews after booking - a rookie error. Many said it was difficult to find and not worth the trip but I stuck by my positive thinking (ish) feeling confident with my google maps screenshot on my phone. This was the first hurdle of the weekend and in hindsight, the journey to the hotel was laughable. After a 35 minute taxi to my nearest skytrain I hopped off a few stops later feeling pleased with myself at the ease of navigating the skytrain. However, by this point it was hammering with rain and flip flops proved impractical footwear.. Google maps couldn't have been more wrong and I ended up stranded by the side of a motorway at peak traffic hour in pouring rain for over an hour trying to find out how the hell to get to the hotel. I asked numerous taxi drivers who more often than not would wave their hand in dismissal or deny me because of the traffic. I managed to gain a helper of a Thai man who kept hailing taxis for me, but despite his best efforts no one seemed to have heard of it. Alex was still on her way via taxi, and I was naturally freaking out, praying that this free meal would be worth the hassle, wondering if I would ever make it or should abandon ship and go back to school.. Eventually, mid-panic-crying-meltdown, a motorbike taxi saved the day and before I really knew what was happening, he whisked me in and out of Bangkok traffic at top speed, causing a lot of enemies in doing so. My eyes were closed for the duration of the ride and I feel this was a good decision. It felt refreshing and invigorating in the downpour. I was so grateful for him to take me to my hotel that I think I would have paid in gold but settled for a reasonable 100baht (£2). On entering our room of the hotel after an eerie lift, I think Alex summed it up nicely when she said it was like the place you go to commit suicide.. It was pretty dingy and not exactly the 'studio' we had in mind. We didn't care too much as we went straight out to meet everyone at the meal held at a rather fancy hotel a few skytrain stops away. It was good to meet other ETAs from my university and exchange stories. When it came to the dessert buffet I was in my element - hello 3 helpings!
We got an early night ready for our early start to find the minivan station and meet 6 others who were going that we recruited from the night before. After picking up some snacks on the way, we
were soon ushered into a minivan by a very enthusiastic thai. Soon we stopped to pick up a few more
passengers which made the van "cosy" to say the least. I managed to nab the middle seat in the back, meaning I could stretch my legs out across the scatters rucksacks lining the middle. We were about half way to Hua Hin, mid-conversation, when suddenly hurdle number 2 arrived when we crashed into a motorbike in front of us. It was one of the worst experiences of my life; my first car crash. Everyone saw the glass window smash in front of us and 2 people roll off the bike - one under the wheel. Most of us went into a state of shock whilst the two boys jumped out to see what they could do to help - very admirable. Personally I felt frozen and helpless and couldn't believe what had just happened. A Thai woman next to me had gone into a hysterical fit, crying and crying. We were right in the middle of a huge motorway and when the rest of us slowly ventured out of the van we saw two bodies lying still with blood.. By some absolute wander, they were both alive and we all could breathe again. One had a helmet but the passenger didn't - he went under the wheel and looked in pretty bad condition. It was a horrible thing to happen - i cant imagine how the passenger felt seeing her friend/husband/brother in that state. We are all counting our lucky stars that it wasn't any worse- the impact was intense and most of us saw the flash of bodies flying past. If we were in a car I think things would have turned out a lot different. Having experienced my first motorbike taxi only the day before in full knowledge that I was not wearing a helmet, I am taking this as a sign and will be avoiding any associations to motorbikes from now on. In Thailand, the rules are too relaxed; there should be forces in place to ensure every driver or passenger absolutely wears a helmet. My previous journey was only a matter of minutes, but had it been any longer I would not have felt safe. One thing that I am still in awe of is the significance of where we crashed. It had a police station on one side and a giant statue of a Buddha surrounded by a beautiful garden on the other side of the busy motorway. We could have crashed on a dirt track in the middle of nowhere, but we were truly so lucky; thank Buddha, as my wise parents said.
were soon ushered into a minivan by a very enthusiastic thai. Soon we stopped to pick up a few more
passengers which made the van "cosy" to say the least. I managed to nab the middle seat in the back, meaning I could stretch my legs out across the scatters rucksacks lining the middle. We were about half way to Hua Hin, mid-conversation, when suddenly hurdle number 2 arrived when we crashed into a motorbike in front of us. It was one of the worst experiences of my life; my first car crash. Everyone saw the glass window smash in front of us and 2 people roll off the bike - one under the wheel. Most of us went into a state of shock whilst the two boys jumped out to see what they could do to help - very admirable. Personally I felt frozen and helpless and couldn't believe what had just happened. A Thai woman next to me had gone into a hysterical fit, crying and crying. We were right in the middle of a huge motorway and when the rest of us slowly ventured out of the van we saw two bodies lying still with blood.. By some absolute wander, they were both alive and we all could breathe again. One had a helmet but the passenger didn't - he went under the wheel and looked in pretty bad condition. It was a horrible thing to happen - i cant imagine how the passenger felt seeing her friend/husband/brother in that state. We are all counting our lucky stars that it wasn't any worse- the impact was intense and most of us saw the flash of bodies flying past. If we were in a car I think things would have turned out a lot different. Having experienced my first motorbike taxi only the day before in full knowledge that I was not wearing a helmet, I am taking this as a sign and will be avoiding any associations to motorbikes from now on. In Thailand, the rules are too relaxed; there should be forces in place to ensure every driver or passenger absolutely wears a helmet. My previous journey was only a matter of minutes, but had it been any longer I would not have felt safe. One thing that I am still in awe of is the significance of where we crashed. It had a police station on one side and a giant statue of a Buddha surrounded by a beautiful garden on the other side of the busy motorway. We could have crashed on a dirt track in the middle of nowhere, but we were truly so lucky; thank Buddha, as my wise parents said.
We had to wait at the side of the motorway for another van to pick us up - we were all hoping it would be a different driver and once more luck was on our side. The journey to Hua Hin took an hour and a half from there (in Thailand this is practically a few minutes) but was probably the most tense
journey I have ever been on - including the previous motorbike taxi. Every bump, brake and slight alteration to speed made my heart skip a beat - no doubt everyone else felt the same way. We were all so relieved when we arrived at the resort and took another few minutes drive to find our guesthouse where a few of us had booked for the night. It was the sweetest place in a quiet part of Hua Hin filled with tiny carved wooden intricacies and fish and even tortoises outside our rooms. Almost spot on our arrival however, the heavens opened and it hammered down. It didn't last long so we ventured out to find some food and explore. It was eerily quiet but we chose a place by the beach to order food whilst others decided to go further along. With happy bellies, we made our way to the beach and walked around the corner to find a huge stretch of sand with palm trees and several sky rise buildings in the distance, it looked very picturesque and was my very first glimpse of the sea! Despite the dark clouds glooming over us, we managed to meet up with other ETAs who had arrived the night before and arranged to meet later on for a meal and to have drinks. This ended up being a plate of deep fried potato wedges and many Muai Thai cocktails. A good combination in my eyes.
journey I have ever been on - including the previous motorbike taxi. Every bump, brake and slight alteration to speed made my heart skip a beat - no doubt everyone else felt the same way. We were all so relieved when we arrived at the resort and took another few minutes drive to find our guesthouse where a few of us had booked for the night. It was the sweetest place in a quiet part of Hua Hin filled with tiny carved wooden intricacies and fish and even tortoises outside our rooms. Almost spot on our arrival however, the heavens opened and it hammered down. It didn't last long so we ventured out to find some food and explore. It was eerily quiet but we chose a place by the beach to order food whilst others decided to go further along. With happy bellies, we made our way to the beach and walked around the corner to find a huge stretch of sand with palm trees and several sky rise buildings in the distance, it looked very picturesque and was my very first glimpse of the sea! Despite the dark clouds glooming over us, we managed to meet up with other ETAs who had arrived the night before and arranged to meet later on for a meal and to have drinks. This ended up being a plate of deep fried potato wedges and many Muai Thai cocktails. A good combination in my eyes.
After wandering around we went to a few different places before settling on a bar right next to where we first ate. They had a chilled area with cushions that the girls gravitated towards instantaneously. Numerous cocktails later and a few of us, myself included, had gained a Thai friend. I'm fairly sure she was going through a mid life crisis after she continued to introduce us to her 19 year old daughter sitting opposite, looking fairly and understand embarrassed at her mothers behaviour. She had us all
dancing and bought us cocktails, before then introducing her girlfriend. It was a very funny evening! By around 3am we left and most wanted to go McDonalds. This still phases me but I went with it. By this point all I wanted was to go to bed. It had been a pretty draining day in more ways than one and I liked the idea of going back to our cosy guesthouse. We didn't actually arrive until about 4am but set an optimistic alarm for 9am to make the most of our day since we had to leave to go back to Bangkok by 6pm. We ended up awakening before the alarm feeling fairly fresh and were soon off to buy breakfast around the corner - bagels with cream cheese and a green tea! Amazing. As soon as the last bite was taken we scooted off to the beach; the sun was shining, our tummies happy once more and
our headaches denied. The sea was gorgeous and warm and it felt so amazing to swim in the big ocean at last. It wasn't quite the picturesque mountainous post card image of Thailand - but we all knew this and all I cared about was sun, sea and sand. I felt very happy and it was a really good day. By late afternoon we said our goodbyes to a few others who had managed to nab days off school so decided to stay another night, and walked away feeling envious. We ate at a really nice shack right on the beach with cheap, near-street food prices and all enjoyed our meal before setting off for the minivan back.
dancing and bought us cocktails, before then introducing her girlfriend. It was a very funny evening! By around 3am we left and most wanted to go McDonalds. This still phases me but I went with it. By this point all I wanted was to go to bed. It had been a pretty draining day in more ways than one and I liked the idea of going back to our cosy guesthouse. We didn't actually arrive until about 4am but set an optimistic alarm for 9am to make the most of our day since we had to leave to go back to Bangkok by 6pm. We ended up awakening before the alarm feeling fairly fresh and were soon off to buy breakfast around the corner - bagels with cream cheese and a green tea! Amazing. As soon as the last bite was taken we scooted off to the beach; the sun was shining, our tummies happy once more and
our headaches denied. The sea was gorgeous and warm and it felt so amazing to swim in the big ocean at last. It wasn't quite the picturesque mountainous post card image of Thailand - but we all knew this and all I cared about was sun, sea and sand. I felt very happy and it was a really good day. By late afternoon we said our goodbyes to a few others who had managed to nab days off school so decided to stay another night, and walked away feeling envious. We ate at a really nice shack right on the beach with cheap, near-street food prices and all enjoyed our meal before setting off for the minivan back.
This time I am extremely happy to report that the van journey was exactly A to B. 4 happy sleeping ETAs arrived safely back in the big city, ready for the week ahead and wherever Thailand will take us next.
