Over the past 27 days I’ve spent more than 12 traveling around Northern/Northeastern Thailand with Alyssa and Amber. Rather than writing about the trips, I’ve posted a few pictures from each destination that capture some of my favorite places/moments. Thanks again to my friends for making the incredible journey to visit me in Thailand! Best of luck braving the rest of Michigan’s winter.

Monks' robes - Wat Chedi Luang, Chiang Mai

Wat Phra That Doi Suthep, Chiang Mai

Sunrise - Mekong River, Mukdahan

Coiled naga - Sculpture Park, Nong Khai

Amber is on the last leg of her trip in Thailand. We are now in Nong Khai, a small city in Northeastern Thailand on the border of Laos. It is one of the only popular backpacker towns in this part of the country so we are basking in all it has to offer: good coffee, used bookstores, friendly guest house staff who speak English, and non-Thai foods. And it’s not that I don’t want to eat Thai cuisine when traveling, because I’ve actually had more Thai dishes here than foreign, but it is nice to have a good slice of pizza and some fries when it’s available!

Our adventure to Nong Khai began Thursday afternoon when my principal from Wang Yang School drove us into NKP to catch a bus to Udon Thani, where we would then have to transfer to another bus for the final hour of the trip. The ride to Udon Thani is about 5 hours and since we weren’t leaving NKP until after my last class in the afternoon, many of my teachers said there would be no buses leaving for Nong Khai that late at night. We arrived at the NKP station with about 8 minutes until departure. Relieved though were were to catch the first bus, we were still unsure if we’d catch the second one in Udon Thani.

Five hours later (after what felt like hundreds of stops on the side of the road to let people on/off the bus, as well as a 10 minute detour to fill up on gas, which totaled my month’s salary) we arrived in Udon, only to be told by several bus drivers that all buses for Nong Khai had left for the evening. We were offered a private taxi ride for 800 Baht but quickly declined.  Just to be sure I asked the information desk if there were any buses departing from the other station in the city and after several requests (in both Thai and English) I convinced him to call the station to inquire. After hanging up he quickly scribbled numbers on a piece of paper indicating a departure time for the last bus to Nong Khai. And here began the most exhilarating and memorable tuk tuk ride I hope to ever experience.

The bus was sitting by a market nearly 4 kilometers away and before we knew it Amber’s luggage was swept away by a tuk tuk driver. We followed close behind and were barely seated before he tore out of the bus station in pursuit of this last bus. After flying through downtown Udon Thani and evading a group of police officers directing traffic around an accident, we slammed to a halt at the market but there was no bus in sight. Our tuk tuk driver, acting with great haste, asked a vendor for the whereabouts of the last bus to Nong Khai. He pointed, and sure enough about 200 meters down the street, just beyond a large intersection, sat an old tour bus with its parking lights flashing. Spitting gravel behind us, we pulled away in pursuit just as quickly as we stopped, only to be halted again by a red light. Knowing it could pull away at any second, our driver revved the little engine, was the first off the line as the light turned green, and quickly approached the bus with reckless abandon. We raced along its side and as a final gesture of triumph (or security), he parked directly in front of it. Above the tuk tuk’s puttering and the tour bus’s roaring engine arose the best laugh of relief I have ever heard, coming from our driver (who I still believe wanted us to make the bus even more than we did!). Amber and I soon joined in out of the disbelief of actually chasing (and catching) the last tour bus to Nong Khai.

I hope to post some pictures from this weekend soon. Tomorrow Amber heads to the airport in Udon Thani and I to the bus terminal to catch my transfer back to Pla Pak. Hopefully this attempt will be a little less eventful than our experience on Thursday night!

Amber and I are in Mukdahan (a small trade city south of Nakhon Phanom, which is now known for Friendship Bridge #2 connecting Thailand to Laos). We arrived last night after three full days of teaching at my village schools in Pla Pak. She had a lot of fun meeting my students, helping me lead “Daily Routine” activities and taking pictures of me with my classes. On Friday afternoon we caught a ride into NKP with my principal from Pla Pak Noi and hopped on a bus to Mukdahan.

The bus ride was less than comfortable; for most of the two hour trip there were people standing all the way down the aisle (an aisle that was too narrow for the width of my hips!) and the air-con didn’t seem to actually produce cold air. Despite these setbacks we were able to make the most of it. Amber introduced me to The Moth so we passed the time by listening to stories.

Upon arrival at the Mukdahan bus station we were accosted by several Tuk Tuk drivers and quickly bargained for a lower fare before getting in the one that seemed to offer the best deal (a point of controversy, as Amber claims the neighboring driver was offering an even lower fare than the one I chose!). We tore out of the station’s parking lot towards our hotel and Amber experienced her first Tuk Tuk ride with joy.

After dropping our bags off in our room we headed south along the Mekong river to Wine Wild Why?, one of the few restaurants with Roman script and an English menu. The atmosphere was great. There was outdoor seating all along the river’s edge, the whole restaurant was lit up with pretty lights and our waiter even gave us some bug repellent to use. The food was great too. Amber had the green curry dish and I the red.

Today we had coffee at a really cute place called Good Mook, just down the street from our hotel. It was so nice we actually returned this evening for a cocktail (yes, it is a coffee shop, a bar and a restaurant with books, a television and sometimes live music…a great find!) and we will probably visit again tomorrow. After coffee and then breakfast we went to Mukdahan National Park. We did not plan too well and arrived at high noon so walking from rock formation to rock formation was quite a sweaty experience. Luckily there were gazebos and large rocks to rest under until we felt energized enough to make it to the next shelter. On our way back to the park entrance we were asked by several groups of Thai high school girls to take pictures with them. Amusing, I know.

Getting back to Mukdahan was more of an ordeal than we anticipated (and if my mom asks, the story that follows actually didn’t happen). We asked the ticket office personnel where we could catch a sawngtaew (Baht bus) back to the city. They said we needed to get to the thanon yai (big road) about a kilometer away. Before we knew it one of the park security officers pulled up on his motorbike to give us a lift to this road so we climbed on the back and sped away. Once we reached the main road we assumed a baht bus would come by shortly but after about 25 minutes we were laughing at such foolish thoughts. By that time two double-decker tour buses had passed us, heading towards Mukdahan, so I turned to Amber and said I would try to flag down the next one that passes and see if they would let us hitch a ride.

Shortly after saying this a silver truck honked and pulled over to the side of the road. A woman in the passenger seat asked where we were going and then offered to take us since they were heading in the same direction. After weighing our options we decided to accept and as we pulled away I looked behind us and there was the third double-decker, right behind the truck! I tried to make small talk but my limited Thai allowed me to express only two things: I was a teacher and the park was fun. Then we were told the driver was a police officer in Mukdahan. I was skeptical at first but was convinced after we were shown the two bobble-head police officers bouncing away on the dashboard. That was good enough proof for me. The driver also pointed out the police headquarters which happened to be right around the corner from our hotel. We thanked them several times as we climbed out of the truck and then headed upstairs for quick showers before shopping at the Indochina Market and eating dinner at the Night Market.

I’ve really enjoyed our weekend trip, short though it was, because it gave me a chance to explore my backyard. Next weekend we will travel a bit farther and will have more time to do so, since I took off Friday and may possibly have a free day on Monday. Hopefully I’ll post some pictures from this trip before then, but no promises.

Alyssa is heading to Bangkok and soon flying back to the states. I hope she had a wonderful time on the beaches near Krabi Island and cannot wait for the accounts from her independent traveling (a concept that truly impressed my female teachers, since independent travel for women is very uncommon here).

After reading through Alyssa’s blog on her experiences in my village, I realized that many things in my daily life are quite extraordinary but are left undocumented by me when blogging because I am immersed in them! That said, I want to thank Alyssa for her observations and the details in which she documented her travels in my village. I encourage you to read about these experiences by visiting her blog here.

This weekend I will be busy preparing for Amber’s visit, as she arrives on Tuesday morning already! Also, today we have many special visitors coming to Pla Pak Noi so I best run and get ready.

My travels with Alyssa have come to a close (tear). Our trip to Chiang Mai was wonderful. I satisfied my two biggest cravings since moving to Thailand (addictions, perhaps, after five years of living in college towns) by drinking good cups of real coffee and browsing a few used bookstores. I came back with a memory card full of pictures, a new dress, a used book and freshly ground coffee, grown in Northern Thailand. I can’t wait for the weekend when I can use my new French Press (thanks Aunt Cyndi!) and perhaps start my new book.

I left Alyssa on Sunday afternoon to make it back to Pla Pak for school on Monday morning. She’s now on an island down south basking in the sun. It was definitely a bittersweet goodbye. It was wonderful to catch up with her and share my life here but it was hard to let go to the familiarity of a good friend in such a foreign environment. That said, I won’t have to wait long until Amber arrives on my doorstep!

Now I am busy trying to lesson plan for the next few weeks so I don’t have to scramble while Amber stays with me. Right now my classes are wrapping up the weather unit. Today during a listening activity to “Somewhere over the rainbow/What a wonderful world” I was given a ball of yarn by Pi Took, the English teacher, and was instructed to roll up the loose yarn she was holding! I had to laugh at myself because a month ago I would have been taken aback by such request but today I hardly thought twice about it, as if rolling balls of yarn during English class is a natural multi-tasking activity partaken by most teachers.

Well this week is filling up quickly. I best finish the weather quiz for my classes tomorrow and call it a night.

It’s been four days since I picked Alyssa up at the bus station in Nakhon Phanom and she’s had a whirlwind of activities since her arrival. We spent Saturday and Sunday touring my small village, Pla Pak. On Monday we woke up before 6am to prepare for sai baht, or to make merit. We attended a ceremony in Pla Pak in which residents gave food donations to 111 monks. The main street through the village was closed down and big long carpets were rolled out for the monks. It was an incredible experience for her to witness! She has also been accompanying me in the classrooms, helping me with my weather lessons. My students were very curious about her, and a bit shy too, but by the end of the day they were brave enough to hang around and ask her questions, like if she was dating anyone. She was also given a Thai nickname, Bai Bua (Lotus Leaf), which spread quickly throughout the community…now everyone calls to her by this name when they see her around!

Tomorrow we depart for Chiang Mai, which I am really excited about. Then it’s back to teaching for one week before Amber, my second guest in Thailand, makes her way to me! I feel extremely grateful to have such support during these early months abroad. Thanks to everyone who follows my blog, sends thoughtful emails, mails me AMAZING packages and even makes the trip to Thailand.

Well I hope to write more after my return. Until then, wish me luck on my weather lessons tomorrow (I am introducing the four seasons of Wisconsin to compare them with the three seasons in Thailand) and our 15 hour bus ride to Northern Thailand.

We’ve made it back from our week-long vacation of beaches and Bangkok. It was lots of fun but I am not about to recall the trip because I’d rather share what it’s been like to return to Pla Pak and my schools. Besides, pictures are worth…well, a lot of words, so check out my Flickr account to the right if you are curious.

I returned to a lot of students eager to hear what I’ve been up to the past week. One of my co-teachers told me that the students kept asking about me while I was gone. When I arrived at Pla Pak Noi yesterday there was a group of about 15 students crowded around the car when I climbed out to greet me good morning. I told them I missed them very much and they were just beaming (though I’m not sure if they really understood what I said…). In each of my six classes I pantomimed actions such as swimming, eating, boating, shopping, and dancing to explain to them what I did on my trip. It was fun to see the delight on their faces, especially as I mimed the 10 hour bus-ride home. As I closed the performance I exclaimed that the trip was sanook mak (lots of fun) but wan nee mee kwaam suk (today I am happy). And to be honest, it is wonderful to be back.

The past few days outside of the classroom have been just as gratifying. Yesterday I met a new social studies teacher at Pla Pak Noi and I found myself in the odd position of welcoming the newcomer to the school, even though I am the foreigner and he the native! At lunch today I surprised myself by responding to a conversation that was completely in Thai. This afternoon I was offered to learn how to knit by one of my 6th graders; before I knew it I was surrounded by about 20 students and they shouted commands to me, as if their eagerness alone would move the needles to the correct loops. It didn’t help that their directions were all in Thai, of course, but by the fifth or sixth try I had the hang of it and my “teachers” were ecstatic. After school I attended aerobics dance class. It’s made up of a group of 8-12 middle-aged Thai women and I now call myself a regular. When I miss class I hear about it the next day from my two favorite co-teachers from Pla Pak Noi! We jam out to Thai techno and pop for about an hour in the district office parking lot down the street from my house-it’s quite comical, actually but I love it.

I guess what I can conclude from these experiences is that I am finally feeling integrated with parts of the Pla Pak community, and dare I say, with Thai culture. If you would have asked me a month ago how things were, I would have commented on my frustration with a lack of schedules and “inefficiencies” at my schools. I would have compared the management practices and processes of the school administrations with those I’ve known in the U.S. I would have stated that the Thais I work with “just don’t get it.” Hmmm. Although I still have months of adjustment ahead of me, I think it’s only fair to say that perhaps the person who didn’t (and at times still doesn’t) “get it” in these moments is…me. Me? What a concept. Could I be…learning? Growing? Well let’s be honest-this is the kind of stuff I live for. I just hope I remember these learning points the next time I hit another wall.

Well I am excited to announce that Alyssa, my graduate school roomie, has landed safely in Bangkok and will make her way up to me by Saturday! That said, entries may be a bit spotty for the next week or so but I will do my best to keep up. Happy new year!

December 14-16 was “Sports Week” in Pla Pak Village, a three-day competition between 13 elementary schools (including my two schools) that took place in the large field directly across from the teacher housing compound where I live. I was actually notified in advance of sports week  (and by “in advance” I mean I was told the Friday before sports week) so I was able to take care of some business since I didn’t have to teach. For example, I went to the Nakhon Phanom immigration office to get an extension on my work visa and made a necessary trip to Lotus (the local “superstore”-it really seems to have everything…except mosquito nets) to buy cake mix for Steph’s 24th birthday. Despite these great accomplishments, I couldn’t help but feel a little frustrated that three days worth of classes were canceled, putting me even further behind in my lesson planning after a previous week of holidays.

Sports week was a great opportunity to see my students outside of class and build relationships with my co-workers. There were many familiar events such as track, football (soccer for those of you in the U.S.) and volleyball, as well as some new sports like “Da-Go,” which is like a mix between hackey sack and volleyball. Below is a picture that attempts to describe the sport.

Both the girls and boys from Pla Pak Noi won first place in this event and I was lucky enough to see the winning matches. I actually tried playing this sport a few weeks ago with some of my students and it’s really hard-literally. The ball is made out of woven plastic pieces with very little give; it definitely stings if you kick it in the wrong spot! Below is a picture of me with the champions of the day:

One thing that’s very apparent in Thailand is their love for sports-and sports attire. I was given the same orange and blue warm-up suit as seen on the far left in this picture. I wore it on Thursday, along with all of the other teachers at the competition, even though it was in the high 80’s by mid-day. We also marched in a parade that morning, starting at a village temples and ending up on the high school football field. I still don’t think it’s a good idea to wear an unbreathable, dark-colored, polyester warm-up suit in Thailand, cold season or not.

Here’s a shot of the parade I participated in on Thursday morning. Drum majors are another important component of sports week, as you can tell by their meticulously crafted costumes, make-up and hair. I was asked by both of my schools to practice with the drum majors after school and actually marched around the field with the baton, trying to keep the tempo with the entire school following close behind. Luckily I didn’t have to dress up like one for the parade. The large, gold-colored arch in the background is the entrance into our village. Nearly every village and city I have visited thus far has an entrance like this, with a picture of the king and queen.

After the parade, and what seems like an eternity of cadences on repeat (note that each school had it’s own drumline…) the running events began. There are a few interesting things to know about track in Northeastern Thailand. One, the kids run barefoot. I am assuming this is because they cannot afford shoes but it also may be because the tracks are not paved and the grass could be slippery with shoes on. Two, track lanes are drawn with chalk! It was pretty cool to see how the lanes were “painted” for the events. High school students were out the day earlier drawing lines with precise measurements, string, and wheelbarrows full of chalk. Luckily it won’t rain here until June so there wasn’t a chance of them washing away before the races started.

Needless to say, sports week was a scene of loosely controlled chaos pretty much the entire time. Photo evidence supports my conclusion. Here’s a shot of the typically traffic-less street as I look out of my house:

I found out today that I’ll be “sporting” my warm-up suit again tomorrow for another day of sports. Naturally, classes are cancelled. That’s too bad because I was just getting back in my grove after three weeks of interruptions. Just as well…I am always up for some home team sideline cheering, especially when I have two teams to cheer for.

This Saturday a group of WorldTeach volunteers and I will be heading to Pattaya and then Bangkok for the holidays. I hope everyone at home has a wonderful time with family and friends. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Steph and I were grateful to have a fellow volunteer and good friend, “Dr. J,” video record our performance (and in case you’re wondering, I’m the one in red!):

I’ve already shared lots of dancing photos from the King’s birthday two weeks ago but I wanted to post a series of snapshots depicting my transformation from village English teacher to Thai performer. Enjoy!