Back in Bua Yai

• As the bus drove into my town I was hit with a magical site, a site I once dreamed about……..KFC had arrived back in BUA YAI along with a department store size Tesco Lotus. I now have the option to eat western fast food or buy a much larger variety of food, electronics and clothes!

•  I returned home to a new place as my landlord had kindly moved all my stuff without telling me! Thankfully the new place is an improvement with very strong WIFI and a kitchen area out the back that means I can actually cook some food. The previous owner had left gas and a burner there J.

• Like most people after a holiday they want to get healthy again by exercising and eating well. So I went to the Saturday fruit market where an old lady vendor was struggling with an umbrella in the wind. The umbrella fell so I instinctively dropped my bags and went around to lift it back up. I placed a block on the base to secure it and she thanked me. I wanted to buy some small cucumbers from her and asked how much. It took me awhile to understand she was giving them to me for free! It is things like this that make Thai people and especially Thai people from Esan great.

• As usual on the first day of teaching we ended up not teaching and instead showed the two new teachers around the school and the town. They are James and Dave from the UK and seem like two good lads. The school has a new director who likes to have a clean school so everyone on the first day or two was cleaning and moving documents/furniture around. The consequence of which has made the English department a much nicer place to work.

• Bua Yai festival and community sports week also took place in October and involved the entire main street being taken over by stalls and sporting courts for volleyball, futsol and others. It was really good with amusements and a large variety of different food. I spent a fortune trying to win a soft toy but failed! However I did consume a lot of chicken, pork, smoothies, pancakes, waffles and food which I can’t explain!! There was a great buzz around the town with crowds of people on the main street.

• Without warning and with little time to prepare I had to find and prep two students for an English speech competition, Mod (M5) and Fourth (M1). Competitions are taken very seriously in Thailand and a significant amount of time is put into winning. It is common practice for students and teachers to sleep in the school for a few nights while practicing. I admire their time effort but the approach is not one I would employ.

So I wrote the two speeches and altered them accordingly to the abilities of both students. We started rehearsals on Friday and I came into school on Saturday for 5 hours of practice. Classes got cancelled on Monday and Tuesday so I could work with the two students. It was hard going trying to get them to memorize the speeches, pronounce the words and act a little. I even bribed them with Magnums and Pepsi!!

The competition was Wednesday with a very early 5am start! It’s kind of cold at 5am which is a change. I was pumped up for this competition and wanted to win and show that I had mentored the students well. Sadly I was judging the English projects in a different building while the speeches took place. I finally got the news that Mod had smashed the speech and taken first place. Delighted! Fourth didn’t do so well and stumbled during the speech. That was a pity and I think she was just lacking that drive to win through hard work.

Being a judge at the competition was a new experience that I took seriously as It has to be remembered a lot of effort has been put into these projects and it’s not fair to just markdown any score. There was twenty grading criteria per project!!

The drama plays were interesting. The randomness of the play, the music and storyline literally shocked me! At one point I saw an astronaut and Jesus on a cross up on stage with the Transformers soundtrack playing!!

In the end Bua Yai (my school) won 5 out of 7 events and we are going to the regional competition in January. Lots of work to do!!

• The weekend arrived and once again I had planned to stay in Bua Yai due to finances! But after a few hours Saturday morning it was clearly time to venture out for the day. With Golf’s car this was made a lot easier. I remembered Bustin visiting some ruins not far from my town called Phi Mai ruins in Phi Mai! Off we went, stocked up on snacks. The ruins were pretty cool and only 40 baht because I work in Thailand.

After that we went to some other random place that had tourists but for what and why I don’t know! Maybe some bridge tribute to the King. We took a bicycle taxi there, the first guy wanted 200 baht…. an old man showed up and said 50 baht. This poor guy was old with no bike gears and flip flops that wouldn’t look out of place in a Nazi concentration camp. I was nearly going to get out and push him along! He was heavily tipped for his troubles and he waited to bring us back which was nice. I bought some very cool handmade transformers made of mental and based on the characters in ‘Pacific Rim’ and ‘Alien’.

The best part of the day was driving home. It’s been seven months since I drove a car and I have been itching to get on the road behind the wheel! It was completely illegal but this is Thailand!! Awesome.

• My birthday fell on a Monday this year and it was the first time I wasn’t with my family and Irish friends on my birthday. Normally I would arrange some party or event but this time I did nothing!!

I got a card from home and over 120 birthday messages which is very much appreciated. That morning I opened my door to a card from Helen that she had made as it is very difficult to find birthday cards in Thailand, especially in Bua Yai! I went to school as if it were a normal day but it’s not, I’m 28 years old so I told my classes and they broke out into some serious song!! It was great standing there hearing 50 kids belt out happy birthday!! After work I went home and had asked some friends to join me for dinner. Golf, James, David, Helen and Pum all came.

Now this is where it gets interesting!! Pum shows up with a bottle of Red label and a very large Birthday cake that they had got for me! I was genuinely surprised and delighted to do something that felt like it was indeed my birthday. The meal was very nice in Smiles, coupled with good banter and a few drinks made a great night.

But wait there is more….I arrive home to a very thoughtful and elaborate treasure hunt of clues from Golf that led to a wrapped present in the boot of her car!! Again this was totally unexpected. As some of you are aware I play the odd game of chess from time to time some of which are against Golf online. The present was a very original wooden chess set in a well presented box. It’s very cool!! That pretty much topped off the evening and I am very appreciative to have such good friends around the world and around me now.

Holidays Part 2

With training over it was back on holiday and this time Waller was with me! First stop Full Moon party in Ko Phangan!! I had left Krabi without David as he wasn't up for the bus and I couldn't locate him. Needless to say I was in pretty poor condition from the previous night’s entertainment!!

When I got there I ended up on the wrong side of the Island so took a break in a cafe and used the WiFi. I eventually found my hostel and since I once again didn't have a phone it took a considerable amount of time to locate the other groups and meet David.

It was some sight to see that many people on the beach with fire skipping and buckets everywhere. There was some scary drinking going on for the ext 2/3 days that pushed me past my limits!! On day three we went to Masons Pub for what was meant to be a drink or two but ended up being a full session with lunch and dinner there!! I also bought a cheap phone and many people drew pirate related things on their face as there was a pirate show on that night in a very remote location. At that show two of my friends came running over to me saying “they had just slapped the barman because he slapped them and that they were going to be shot”, me “wonderful well let’s get a move on than!!” The following day Dave and I missed the ferry to Ko Tao Island as it was booked up so we just took it easy and watched some films in a bar.   

Ko Tao is a pretty small Island renowned for its large amount of diving schools. Before this I had said I would do some diving without any research or consideration and after some debate David, myself, Sarah, Max and Charlie decided we would do the 4 day SSI Open Water certified course!! It was great that Sarah and Max had the same plan as David and myself. Max and Fran are going back to the UK which is a pity because they are a great couple and I enjoy hanging out with them.

Day one of the course consisted of three short videos and a study guide sheet we had to fill in.

Day two was more videos and another study guide sheet followed by practice in the pool. In the pool we had to swim 8 lengths and thread water to prove we could actually swim!! At this point I knew I had damaged my body at Full Moon because I was struggling more than I should have been. Next up was the kit (tank, regulator, fins, bc and mask) tutorial which was fine. It’s pretty simple to assemble and dissemble the kit. In the pool we had the full kit on!! We got use to breathing and did some skills such as half mask full, mask full, mask removal, buoyancy, kit off and on while under water, hand signals and some others. The mask skills were challenging at first but got easier. We had great banter with our instructor Nat although I think she would have liked us to talk less and stop asking silly questions!!

Day three was the first two dives after a written exam which I passed (everyone does). I was getting worried as it was something totally new and I didn't know how my ears and myself would react to the situation. We got on the boat which was packed, the instructors each had 5 or 6 students, kits were everywhere and we were preparing our kits in cramped conditions for the first time!! I was partnered up with Max as we both had ear concerns. The kit was on and bang I did the long stride entry into the sea. We gathered on the line with David first to go down, he goes below and seconds later pops up a little panicked due to a flashback of him being forced under water as a child (David got over his fear and went on to complete the advanced diving course).

Max and I as predicted were having terrible ear pain on the way down, having to stop numerous times and move back up a little in order to equalise. I was very conscious of breathing in water or my mask filling up to a point were I felt very uncomfortable and close to throwing in the towel. We did some skills on top of the water (kit off/kit on, two rescue techniques). The second dive we had skills on our knee’s under the water and this was scary. We did the easy stuff, regulator retrieval, sharing your air, buddy emergency accent but worst of all was the half mask and full mask clear. That's when you fill your mask with water and then have to clear it by blowing out your nose. It’s an easy technique made harder due to being down 10m and having fish bite an open wound on my leg!! My turn, instructor in front of me, half clear goes okay not great, full clear I didn't use the right technique, swallowed some water, grabbed the instructor as I was very close to panicking and going for the surface. I did it and calmed down, thankfully. A lot of the credit has to go to Nat because when I grabbed her I was looking right at her and she gave me a look I can’t describe other than it was calming, serious, intense and basically said "you’re going nowhere Jer, do it". I'm not being dramatic, some people find this very easy, I didn't and I won't forget that look.

Day 4 was two very early dives one of which was 18m with full mask removal. I was bricking it after yesterdays mask skills not going so well. I rehearsed on land and talked to the assistant instructor whose advice was very helpful. The first dive was just fun, no skills, we saw some cool fish. However there was many people diving and I couldn't see much at times due to the storm above, currents, bubbles from divers and the fact I am visually impaired anyway!! I got disorientated and had trouble with my mask. Thankfully Kat grabbed me and got me back to the group! I wasn't having fun. The previous day Sarah and Charlie had gotten lost causing everyone to surface and then re-dive so it happens especially in poor visibility.

Skill time, on the bottom, very nervous, talking to myself, instructor in front of me, I wait, go time, nailed it, relief, awesome. We did a few more skills and than for the first time I actually enjoyed swimming around down there. I think fun dives are the way I'll go from here, I've no burning desire to go super deep right now!! My right ear is extremely itchy for some reason and crackling despite not diving for two days!! But I can still hear!!

After a day of rest in Ko Tao it was time to start heading back to my town, a journey I was not looking forward to at all. I said goodbye to David and wished him all the best with the rest of his travels.  Obviously it was great to see and talk to someone from back home. I have no idea when I’ll be seeing Mr. Waller again but I sure will enjoy a pint with him back home.  

I decided to break up my journey with a stop in Bangkok for one or two days rather than do it all in one go. I did some shopping and purchased my 5^th phone in Thailand. It is not a known brand name but it is just as good as my old Samsung phone and a lot cheaper. I went to the cinema which is a novelty for me as I do not have a cinema in my town or one near me that is in English!  

The end to another great holiday!!

Working in Krabi as Tefl Heaven Trainer

After informally meeting some of the trainees on the way to Krabi and seeing them around that weekend I was pretty confident we had a good group of people. The staff consisted of two assistant trainers (Nik & myself), one Thai teacher (Golf) and the main trainer Alex. I was a little worried we would get some lunatics but thankfully Alex and Golf were very fair and I enjoyed working with them and Nik who was in my group when I was a trainee back in April.

On day one I thought I would be a little more nervous than I was but after the first few minutes I found my rhythm. I really wanted to do a great job and genuinely help prepare the trainees as best I could from my experiences in Thailand. Trying to hold back on off loading vast amounts of helpful information on day one was difficult!!

The trainees, from a starting position were better than my group from a teaching perspective which made my job a little easier. There was the usual errors that everyone makes, not gesturing enough, talking too fast, not using simple English, voice projection, activity choice, giving instructions etc etc.

I could ramble on in excessive detail about the whole three week course but instead I will bullet point some of the highlights and things that I want to remember. I've probably left out numerous things and yes severe censoring has been applied!

•Throughout the course trainers fill in numerous evaluation sheets nearly every time a trainee teaches a practice lesson. For the first task I was evaluating my group and made a decision not too criticise the trainees as this was their first graded task and I felt it was important to build their confidence. In hindsight I should have given some criticism so they would know what areas they needed to work on. A few trainees approached me about this which is perfectly fine and from than on, as I would of done anyway I put 100% into every observation form and constructively criticised. The trainees really appreciated my feedback and I could see them working on the things I had mentioned.

•Part of the course is a visit to a Thai school or camp so the trainees can practice teaching in front of Thai children and not just each other. This was a highlight and a turning point for me when I did the course. I could see it was the same for the trainees. It was exciting for me to see them in action and using what they had been taught. It brought me back to how nervous and excited I felt when I did it.

•As a thank you from the camp organisers we were treated to some orientation/adventure activities including an on the ground scramble, a ball passing game attached to trees, a blindfolded mini hike, a rope suspension bridge crossing and a pond swim! We were broken into teams and points were rewarded for chanting your song and for team spirit. Everyone got involved and helped each other. At some points I picked up the Thai kids and ran with them. One girl couldn't swim so I carried her across the pond!! Oh WE WON!!

•As a trainer you have to keep some distance between yourself and the trainees for obvious reasons. This was pretty difficult during the weekends especially when we all went to Phi Phi! That was a great night as the other Phuket course also went and we ended up having a beer pong competition and a plank off. Myself and Taylor were robbed of victory in our bp match due to a caught ball!! Some say Phuket won overall but I'm not so sure!!

•Lots of sickness occurred amongst the trainees with daily trips to the clinic or pharmacy. Three people had blood infections, many had vomiting and diarrhea and even rash breakouts!!

•On numerous days we hit the pool for some water volleyball!! This was very enjoyable and I even had a team named after me "Jerry's *****"!!

•There is some friendly competition between the different TEFL groups and one competitive task is how well a group can make the TEFL HEAVEN letters by using people. Personally I feel we nailed it and that ours was more defined then the other groups!! Heck we practiced the layout and everyone knew their roles!! Am I bias, heck no!!

•The trainees got hold of my adventure camera and took a crazy amount of pictures with it! "Jez you might have some interesting pictures on your camera", "so what like private part pictures?", "ah crap why didn't we think of that"!!

•One of the days I returned to find a pretty clever rhyme on the white board relating to myself. The class did it as a joke and I thought it was pretty funny. I can't repeat it because its vocabulary is somewhat vulgar and my Mother wouldn't be happy!!

•A great day was seeing David Waller, a long time friend from back home and someone who I have travelled with before and trust. It had been six months since I have seen anyone that hasn't been a new friend over here so I was pretty excited to see him. Unfortunately due to the 'letting go' of a team member my working days increased and I didn't get to do much with Dave during training.

•Seeing the improvement in everyone was really satisfying. It felt I had achieved what I set out to do which was to say after three weeks that I am confident all the trainees will be good capable teachers.

•The last day was absolutely brilliant as it involved a quiz, a treasure hunt/task game, a group dinner, a talent show and a heavy night out!! I really wanted to participate in the games but of course I was conducting them!! We had plank offs, stare offs, wheelbarrow race, burst the balloon without using your hands or feet, guess the song, find the balloon with a message in it, make up a rap/poem and the quiz!! The trainees got into it which is crucial otherwise it wouldn't have worked. Keep in mind we are all adults some of which are in their 30s and these are essentially kids games!!

•Getting thrown into the pool by the trainees and playing some beach football on the last day!

I can safely say this three week job was one of the best I've had due to the team I worked with, the location of the job and most importantly the fantastic group of trainees that I had. If things work out I would be interested to do it again as main trainer in April.

TEFL HEAVEN KRABI 2K13

Holidays Part 1

Schools out and its time to do some actual traveling. Here's the thing people who work abroad aren't travelling so please don't say you are because your not!!

•Arrived in Chang mai and met Kaye, Bustin and Larisa. As you would expect I had a list of things I wanted to do and pretty much did all of it! Hit a few Temples followed by lunch in UN Irish bar. After awhile we found the prison massage place. This is were prisoners with sentences under six months train in Thai massage. It was my first one and she didn't hold back, from my facial expression I was clearly shocked at what this women was attempting to do to me! Painful but good. Quick change and than it was a night safari drive near the zoo! This was okay, highlight being so close to giraffes. These were so massive and we were at foot level. Bedtime as a long drive awaited us in the morning. 

•Rant - Getting asked the same boring travel questions time and time again. Granted its polite but seriously someone change it up! "Where are you from?" should be replaced with "have you ever shot someone?" or something!

•Pai - I wasn't to wise about Pai but I am delighted the girls knew about it. We decided to drive by bike to Pai. After some Thai inefficiency (we rented bikes and Bustins bike is literally gone with his bag in it, apparently the bike went to get fixed) we got going but before we left the city we got a little bit lost!

The roads to Pai are amazing, dangerous, fun, challenging and very twisty. I had Kaye on the back of mine which meant I had to concentrate especially when it was raining heavily! After the bike incident last month I really didn't want to crash! We got lucky and had lunch at a really well built resort.

With 30km to go I hit a pothole that blew the back tyre out! This is bad news because if the tyre comes off the rim the bike would not be drivable. Kaye hoped on Kayes bike and I painfully nursed my bike the rest of the way!!

Pai reminds me of a small beach village except there is no beach!! We ate a serious amount of food, I was having two main courses for lunch and dinner. The great thing is Kaye is one for a wee bit of flamboyance so I was happily drinking more wine than normal and we ate a few times in trip advisors number one rated restaurant, ..Witches... We rented bikes and saw a waterfall, had a break in some hot springs at a much cheaper rate because we live in Thailand and thanks to Larisa's impressive navigation skills reached the viewing point.

•Zip lining - Keeping to our adventurous schedule we got the van back and made it for zip lining the next day. It was good but not better than Costa Rica. The abseiling made me pretty nervous as I'm no fan of heights! Kaye departed which was a pity, easy person to travel with who has the balance between having a laugh and being serious. Met a solid character from South Africa and Larisa and I went out for Mexican and a few beers in Warm Up - serious music but too packed.

•Next day was a full day of cooking on Sammy's farm, great set up, different, fun, hammocks! Following day Dante Elephant camp were I got to feed, ride bareback and wash some very large elephants! The trainer gave me the largest female, describing her as "she's a little funny"!! Now I have been on horses, donkeys, and camels but this was extremely difficult mainly because my 3 tonne elephant would not stop moving its head which I'm on (no rope or anything like that) and bending down which nearly caused me to fall off over its head!! I was using my legs so much as grip that even three days after I'm very stiff from using muscles that were idle!! Awesome day, great pictures and an elephant stood on a woman's foot, she is okay!

•On the last day Larisa and I got bikes And had a great drive up to Doi ...... temple. The temple as with most "seen one, seen them all"! Good few steps up. After that I said goodbye to a great hostel and a very helpful Pear!! Larisa went to Chang Rai and I went to Bangkok. I would recommend Chang Mai!

•Bangkok/Kanchanburi - Eventually I got to BBK after some stupid logistics on my part. The mission was to make the United vs City game but that never happened! Thankfully. I knew some of the crew were out and despite being wrecked I felt it necessary to join them especially as I may not see certain people again. Turned out to be a good night. At one point I bought shoes so we could get into a club. Worth it. Music in Thailand is amazing! Good night. Kanchanaburi has great history and in fairness its railway museum and bridge are pretty interesting. Basically I rented a bike and drove to the two museums, cemetery and the famous bridge. I was also looking for a Giant tree but after 2hours I didn't find it, I was close, I did come across a random temple carved into the mountain.

•Bangkok - Got back,  went to the cinema and than we got on it........lost phone = gutted, good result in the match. Following day I was off to The Thailand Open 2013 in the Impact Arena with one of the girls. I have never been to an official ATP tour event and it didn't disappoint. The seats were very good and some top players played. Had some beers and got two matching t-shirts which wait for it... had our nicknames on the back of them. If that's not cool than what is, obviously meant as a joke!! Pretty much laughed for the whole thing! The adventure to get there was pretty interesting and unexpected!! Google maps said it was 15mins away when in fact it was closer to an hour away...time was very tight so we eventually got two bike taxis to the arena and made it for the second set of the first match, relief!! Interesting taxi ride back and a few drinks with the others some of which were crazy drunk.

That pretty much ends part 1 of the my holidays as its time to head to training and than on to Krabi by bus that should take 11 hours!! Funds are dramatically being reduced!!

End of Semester 1

Media kids (my agency) say you are meant to do something at morning ceremony. Until two weeks ago we hadn't done anything. The English director asked me to teach the students a question and answer during morning ceremony to the entire school with all the faculty members. I don't mind talking in front of large groups but I knew the kids wouldn't respond well and felt I was walking up to be road kill! I went with "how was your day?", "My day was fine". Simple, short and in fairness the response was better than expected. However I did have students asking me the question all day!!!

For the end of semester I decided to do a project instead of a test. All 19 classes would do the same project with the winning team getting Irish gifts and certificates of academic achievement which I would arrange with my Mother and the school! Many students are putting in significant effort and it has caught the attention of numerous faculty members. Mam has sent the gifts and I hope they are good enough. Kind of feel under pressure! The project was to compare the difference between Ireland and Thailand and include any references used. The students had a choice of PowerPoint, poster, report, video and anything else they could think of!!

The deadline came and I was overwhelmed by the amount and quality of some projects. Naturally there was some poor ones that somehow thought I was from Iceland!! It was very difficult to pick a winning team and I ended up picking two runners up as well. The winning team of two did a report, a video and a booklet. The marking criteria considered eight categories so you can imagine the time it took to input the data to excel!!

On deadline day I was swamped, students were emailing me projects, handing me CD's/posters/reports and even when I was on my way home there was projects on my bike!! I had given a deadline extension due to the workload the kids have and that caused me to be under pressure to get the grading done as I was on holidays the next day. I announced the winner and runners up on stage at morning ceremony in front of 2,400 student's! I tried some Thai that went down okay but needed clarification by the English director. I hope the students liked their gifts. I was later told no English teacher had ever done a project before! My co-teachers to my delight were very pleased with my work!

On the last day I was asked for the end of semester grades..........I had been doing this but had stopped as no one asked or directed me as too how they wanted them. It turns out I get 30 points which I break up over attendance, mid-term and final project. Keep in mind its the last day and I teach over 700 students who I now have to convert the percentage for each area into a percentage of the marks allocated. I did up an impressive excel spreadsheet but it still took me until 5:30 on Friday and 2.5 hrs on Saturday to complete!! First Saturday in work for a very long time!!

Overall I am pleased with how semester 1 went, I learnt a lot and will be better at my job next semester. My contract has been renewed for a second term and I even got offered two jobs with my agency that I declined so I am doing something right!! I do like the feeling of knowing you just did a great lesson, that the students really enjoyed. Not all classes go that way but a lot do!
That reminds me on Wednesday we had a random visit from a local university! Student teachers had come to observe some classes. Its the last week and I hadn't planned anything other than a few pictures, the project and goodbyes. So there I am when suddenly 25 FEMALE student teachers come in and stand around the walls of the classroom! There is 45 students in this class!! BOOOM I think quick and end up playing a great game that even got the student teachers involved!! I was happy I didn't mess up or get nervous. Pretty much nailed it!

My plan now is to do some travelling to Chang Mai and maybe two more cities before meeting in Bangkok for the assistant trainer orientation. From there I go to Krabi were I will teach the new batch of Tefl teachers for three weeks. It should be good as I am doing it with Nik who I know very well and I'll meet a bunch of new people. During/after that I'll hit some Islands and head back up to kick off semester two! Also I got the news that Mr. Waller himself will be out to see me for a few weeks and give me some well needed back up against the English onslaught!

Ramblings - An Effort to Reduce the Facebook Posts!!

A few things I need to bring everyone up to speed on, firstly a dog robbed one of my pretty expensive flip flops and I haven't been able to find it or the dog. That's two pairs gone in Thailand. That's at least what I thought a few weeks ago!! I found this flip flop in one of the wardrobes hidden for over three weeks!! A prank by an Englishman!

Secondly I managed, through the help of some friends to collect 200 tokens for a 7-eleven softish rollable mat thing. I strolled in there with the gusto of a young FIFA world player of the year only to be delivered a striking blow. The clerk took the tokens and handed me a receipt (keep in mind no English is being spoken), I looked blankly not able to comprehend I wasn't holding my mat. Eventually I realised the advance date on the receipt meant I would have to return for collection over a week away. So that ended the evening of sunbathing and it took me awhile to recover, I think I was just disappointed and disillusioned with life!! Thankfully I have the mat and it hasn't disappointed. I am collecting once again, except this time its for the foldable picnic table!!

As some of you will remember my very first meal alone in Thailand resulted in a tower of beer arriving on my table when all I wanted was a bottle! Yesterday, 30/08/2013 I went searching for anywhere that had the English Premiership on. I tried many places until I finally found it in a decent looking place but unfortunately there was live music being played at a ridiculously high level. I ordered a bottle and what comes out a bloody jug of beer!! At least I now have a place to watch the football. Two weeks have past since the above and the music is an absolute joke, so much so that tonight 14/09/2013 I left at halftime in search of a TV, I saw one and pulled over to a restaurant (Thai style) that was closed with a family (owners) eating a large fish while watching the match. I asked were they open, NO, I pointed at the match and they beckoned me in! Result, the match and no concert like music banging away. I chatted with the family as best I could and even missed the Rooney goal while watching some game the child was playing on his tablet. They said come back anytime and there is another example of the unbelievable hospitality of real Thai people!

Went to the dentist during the week for a check up and cleaning. Thankfully she has a good grasp of English. It had been awhile since I'd gone to the dentist but I past with flying colours' "amazing dental hygiene"!! Total cost plus toothpaste and mouthwash 470 baht or 12 euro!!

It was science week in school so I expected to see exploding bottles and dissected rats but instead they had a show were the dresses were made of recycled material. It was very impressive. Thai's seem to be great with their hands. One girl made a hat out of hong tong boxes stitched together! There was also a rocket show that Harry and I attempted to enter at the last minute. Unfortunately the opening on our rocket was a little to large so it wouldn't fire!! Very disappointing.

The last tour meeting of semester one took place and for some it would be the last we would ever see of each other. I've been in enough groups to know the good intentions to see friends in far away places let alone nearby places is rare. However it does happen and I've had friends over to Ireland and met up with others in Italy and Las Vegas but after one maybe two meet ups its gone and you wont see those friends again. The weekend was..........well its not fitting for this blog but in my view it was a step to far. Every action is not excusable by saying the words "on tour". I did win a trophy for "most on tour" which I worked pretty damn hard for over the last four months to achieve and appreciated it. Tour has been great, people amazing and the banter incredibly consistent!! For those who I will not see again, it has been an absolute pleasure and I wish you all the best for the future. 

Bua Yai Gathering 2k13

As most of you know I tend to host numerous gatherings/parties/competitions every year and just because I am in Thailand shouldn't change that. So after some preparation the weekend finally came with a great but dangerous text from the three lads who said they could come a day earlier. In a way it was like saying here is a million Euro but it will cost you a few days of your life, a willing price to pay for such entertainment.

The lads arrived and we wasted no time getting right on it! Discovering the official 8ft beer pong table was a serious result. It took awhile but I finally got back to some sort of form! Roll backs were played with a Derby match intensity involving gate jumping and cat like reflexes! Dinner in Cat Country, Beers in Pink Panther and some other place I can't remember, bumped into some random students who have yet to say anything! Blackout!

Saturday kicked off with the 4 lads in bed watching the Inbetweeners film followed by some delicious wraps in Tony's and Chewees restaurant. Some beer pong before the first two groups arrived at the same time which saved me making an extra trip out to get them. Next up was Sarah and the last group came really late. Fair play to everyone for making a serious effort to get to my place, hopefully many of you will be nearer next semester.

Beer pong kicked off heavily coupled with the usual tour bant. Jack kindly got me some lunch that in truth was only fit for a farm animal. It was up there with one of the worst things I have tasted or smelt!! Won pretty much all the beer pong games I played which meant some sort of redemption for losing many months ago to two of the lads.

All 14-16 of us went for some dinner and drinks in Cat Country! It was late and we pretty much took the place over with lots of Karaoke kicking off! The owners are very nice in there and didn't seem to mind the horrendous singing!! Next up Pink Panther which was a quieter affair! A fuzzy yet insightful chat with one of the girls followed by some drinking game. At this point I was well past "know the one that's too many"!!

Somehow on the way home a lot of people got split up and lost so I walked and got some of them but than not wanting to walk again I took the bike. That wont be happening again. Memory is severely restricted from this point onwards but I know I was stressed and at one point thought one of the girls was having a fit that stopped after a fart!! Some more beer pong and than I presume I went to bed with the others. Tried to watch some news at 6am only to be put firmly in my place by one of the girls!

Gradually people departed on Sunday which had a weekend highlight, the two lads, myself and the two girls were decked out around downstairs and I can only describe the conversation as hilarious, frank and carried signs of psychologically disturbed people!! I walked them out and the place went from 16 people to 1! I think people in general had a good time and were pleased with the house and outside area. The clean up was nowhere near as bad as back home but it did take awhile! Found a pair of boxers in the pond!

To top the whole weekend off my neighbour pops over to see if I'm still alive and before I know it I'm on the porch having a large beer, eating homemade chips and a burger from KFC (2 hours away)!! Serious result!

Lessons were learnt this weekend, tour has its limits and my house/town is capable of hosting a gathering/party. There will definitely be another one in semester two with less injuries.