good bye snow...

report card season...

Hi Everybody!

I know, I know, I've been slacking. I'm sorry. Kay, here are my excuses, accept any or all of the list provided:
1. Reports cards are due!
2. My internet has been broken. (Damn internet guy saying he's coming to my house and doesn't show up, mjasdfjlurwaesdk... I'm not bitter.)
3. My eye was infected. (Not pink eye so I didn't get to miss school)
4. I did not get Thanksgiving off... you lucky Canadians!

This may take a while... so sit back and relax, skim or read in shifts. It's really your call!

School stuff has been going pretty well. I'm starting to feel like a real teacher, and like I'm actually helping my kids learn something... so that is a start. The kids have mostly been on the ball with their work, and their not making me what to pull out my hair... most days. I had to give my kids this teacher survey to see how they are responding to my teaching. The survey was in very difficult language (they make the same survey for high school and for elementary, how stupid is that?) Anyway, seeing as my kids can't read, I sat them down and said, "I get to tell you all the time how you are doing as a student. I want you to tell me now how I am doing as a teacher."Here are some responses;

"I like you math."
"I like you because you the way when you go to the high five."
"I like you because you student sometimes Thai Culture with us."

So... I guess I'm doing alright... but maybe not doing my part in teaching oral language. Ooops.

Alright... now the fun stuff... non school life.Two weekends ago, I had a very relaxing weekend in the city, where I was supposed to be getting caught up with my school work... instead it turned into shopping, watching Grey's Anatomy and going to the bar. Good times.Friday night, Lisa and I went for a nice dinner at Dosa King... yep Indian food. You can take me away from the country but you can't take me away from the food. Very delicious... however, I ordered a drink called a Jaljeera... NEVER AGAIN. It was pepper water. Yuck. Then we met up with some friends at a bar downtown. Chatted and relaxed for a bit... and then headed home. Very chill evening.

The next morning I woke up and headed back downtown for a girl’s day with Emily. We went to a mall called MBK and did a little shopping. I finally found my bootlegged copy of Grey's Anatomy Season 2. Life is good. After shopping we went back to her place. We wandered around her neighbourhood, looking for a place to have a bite to eat. We ended up stumbling upon this animal friendly complex... they had a cat motel, and a dog walking park that you can take your dog or cat for walks in at the low low price of 20000 Baht a year. (That is over 500 dollars) Man, people with money.

After that we relaxed for a bit at Emily's place, and decided that dinner plans should be Middle Eastern food. Later in the evening we met up with some friends and went out searching for the restaurant that we found in one of our many guidebooks. But then it rained. So we ran into the 1st Egyptian restaurant we saw, and had our meal.

After dinner, we met up with some more friends at a bar called the Pickled Liver. We hung out there for a while. It's the bar that sponsors my friend’s soccer league. The bar was full of all these white guys that looked just like Tony... it was the strangest thing. Tall Tonys, wide tonys, skinny tonys... its like they all flocked to this one bar. Odd.I was sleeping over at Emily's place, so after a long day, we headed home. One of the perks of sleeping over at their place is that she makes the most amazing breakfasts. So Sunday morning, I gobbled up my pancakes, looked at her and Daniels recently arrived wedding photos, and headed home, ready for a productive afternoon of school work.

This productive afternoon turned into a guitar playing session, and a phone call from Jeff asking me to go to the movies. So off I went to go see world Trade Center. Overall, a good weekend of wasting time!

The next weekend however was yet another Koh Samet Weekend! Woo woo, those are my favorite kinds of weekends. This time, it was Lisa, Jeff and I and then a whole bunch of other people from the Sukhumvit Campus. After a VERY long bus ride, and a VERY bumpy speed boat ride, we ended up in our little hut. In terms of rooms it was middle of the line... we have stayed in far worse, and far far better.


First stop - as always, Jep's for some fine Indian Cuisine. And then we walked down the way to the FULL MOON PARTY! More flame throwers and music, and sand, and fire pits... predictibly wonderful! Then we went over to the dance floor and dance dance danced our little hearts out. Some of us decided that it was time for bed. Lisa (who shared my hut) was not one of them... so I had to find my way home... in the dark... by myself. So as I'm sure you could guess... it didn't turn out so wonderfully. As I wandered in and out of huts, that were in no logical order, and were not layed out in anything that resembled a straight line, I began to realize that I had no idea where I was. So I started freaking out. I had visions of winding up in the middle of the forest, surrounded by gecko's eating my flesh (that's right there are flesh eating geckos!) So luckily, I found my way back to the main road, and back to the dance club, and safely back with the few friends that were still out there... including Lisa... who has a slightly better sense of direction than me, and we made our way back to our room. Yay for sleeping.

The next morning we we got up, had some breakie and layed out in the sun. All day! Doing nothing. It was amazing. This island is covered in Soi Dogs, and they all seemed to be after each others terratory. It was funny to see them attacking each other all day.


That night we went out for dinner to this cool restaurant. It was not on the beach. We had to take this pick up truck taxi to a point way past the harbour... and then we ended up at this floating restaurant. It is hard to explain... but basically, you get to the dock, and there is a big rope that is hanging like a zip line from the dock to the restaurant. Then - this guy comes up on his raft... the 12 of us VERY CAREFULLY climb on... and he pulls us across the water, and then we are at the restaurant. The restaurant was on stilts... and the tables are the traditional thai tables with the triangle pillows and the pit for your feet... but instead of a floor underneath... your feet just dangle above the water. It was super cool!



After dinner we wandered back over to the beach... and ended up singing and playing the guitar late into the night. It was so nice... it was like I was at camp again - but with beach and ocean and adults and alcohol. It was a amazing Saturday night.

The next morning we headed home... hopped back on our speedboat, and onto a minibus - and headed back to Thana City, where I curled up with some Grey's and fell asleep.

All this week I've been doing the school thing. My dad is coming soooooooo soon. I'm not sure if I said what the plan was... but just in case, we are meeting in Hong Kong and then going to Cambodia, and then he his spending a few days with me in Bangkok. I can't wait to see a familiar face... and for someone I love to see where I live, and see my school, and meet my kids. I CAN'T wait.

Anyway, sorry if I have bored you with this monsterously long post!

Please write soon.

Love love!

posted by Crystal @ 6:11 PM