My Bangkok Adventure: August 2010

Well, I only have one week left of class and then the real adventure begins – trying to find a job, looking for a good place to live, having my own excursions, etc. This last week we went to a local high school. This was an interesting experience! The school had outdoor hallways since most the classes were not air-conditioned and it’s so hot in Bangkok. It was fun and a neat experience. It was one of the best public schools in the city/area. I am learning through my experience that having some teaching experience has its pro’s and con’s. On the plus side I have been doing some things very well and have confidence in front of the classroom but I’m also having to quit some bad teaching habits that I’ve formed over the years like telling the students what they will be learning. This has actually been quite a challenge! We’re taught to teach with an inductive approach (students figuring out what they will be learning rather than teacher telling students what they’ll be learning). You ask probing questions and give synonyms/antonyms to get the class to think of the answers to what they’ll be learning. This is great for language learning and capturing student interest. Language learning is all about getting the students to talk in English. It’s been fun! Outside the class I finally bought a guitar! I was looking for a cheap guitar since I will not bring it home with me. I found this guitar with a nice backpack soft case for only 3,400 baht (a little over $100)! Not a bad deal – I’ll stuff the case in my suitcase when I come hope since I can fold it up. Anyway – I’ll catch up with you all again next weekend.
Take care,

Sawatdee Krab from Bangkok – that means Hello, Krab for gents, Ka for the ladies. Well, I’ve been here almost 3 weeks now and it’s been exciting so far. My flights were a bit long but surprisingly I did well. The flight to Hong Kong was long and they brought us 2 meals. The Chinese flight attendant asked me what I thought was “Chicken and Fries” or Beef and Potato for the first meal. I said Chicken and Fries (thinking she would bring me some Chik Fil A). It was actually chicken and rice and it was all dark meat. That’s when it hit me that food would be a bit different. I plowed through the first couple of bites and they were a bit rough but by the end – it was edible! Then the next choices came about 4 hours later and I went with Pork and noodles. This time I knew what to prepare for and it was actually quite good. When I arrived in Bangkok late Tuesday night it was surprisingly easy to clear customs. They didn’t check my bags or anything – much different than Belize! I found a young girl in the right location holding a sign for “Tim George” Chichester College and I figured I probably didn’t have a classmate with that name so that must be me. She unfortunately didn’t speak much English so there wasn’t much conversation, just smiling and nodding. She took me up to a cab and gave the guy directions I assume in Thai. They I was off – in a cab, in Bangkok with a guy who knew nothing but numbers in English. He talked me into paying him 500 baht and I didn’t know any better. Luckily he took me to the right place and John, the landlord at the “Discovery Lodge” where I’m staying met me and took me to my room. When John found out I paid for my ride he gave me back 500 baht so I wasn’t out anything. We got to my room and I was quite surprised! I live in a parking garage which is interesting. Luckily I'm on the top floor so it's a decent view. I had low expectations since it was only costing my $100 for the month. It turns out I have A/C in the back room and a real toilet – no hot water though. I’m pretty sure my bedroom was once used for naughtiness since I have a circle bed, mirrors on all walls and ceilings, and fancy red lights at the back of the bed. No problem though – John (landlord) cleans the sheets every week. Anyway – long story short (too late!) here are some pictures to sum up my first couple of weeks. They are of my place, the Disco Lodge BBQ, and The Thai Beattles tribute band - who was actually amazing, spoke in British accents and everything. Sorry about the blogging delay – I’ll try to keep to a regular weekly blog after each weekend from now on. Lah Gorn (or Goodbye)

May place!