Terrible advice from my consultant, moved twice on the first night, modern hotel room with fridge, no phone signal, wifi comes and goes and is weak, safe location, 15 mins from school. It was definitely a big change to go from hanging around with 26 people, sharing a room with 3 lads (tour) to being in a room on your own and not knowing anyone in the town for the first day or so!!
I got a scooter and after a tentative start I'm now flying around town with my blue helmet on! It will be a Miracle if I don't have some sort of an accident on it!! I feel like Jim Carey in Me, myself and Irene! Got a puncture on day two! Thankfully a street vendor prompted (not a word of English) me to follow him to the nearest mechanic.
Bua Yai Town
Small, highlights; Tesco Lotus, Amazon Cafe, great noodle street vendor, reservoir. People; warm, friendly, helpful, funny, refreshing to see a majority of people being so nice. Sure there is nice people back home but not to the same extent. I started running around the reservoir to the amusement of the locals! Transport links are limited. It has most things but they key is knowing were to find them!!
Bua Yai School
The school has about 2,400 students of which I see about 600-700 on a weekly bases. I teach all the 5th and 6th years except for one class. The students are poor at English with the exception of some classes/students. They are much better behaved than the students in Ireland, notably they act their age. Kids are being Kids here! There is an innocence in them that is removed at a far younger age in Ireland. A few students have asked for pictures with me which is probably the closest ill get to a celebrity lifestyle. Everyone says hello teacher as I walk around! Not much sport, kids get a chunk of their hair cut if it is too long and there is a fingernail check at the gate. If your nails are too long you go over and cut them with three nail clippers that lay in a lunch box with some disinfectant!!
Most teachers are welcoming and make an attempt to communicate with us. The wai in the morning has grown on me and it helps maintain some kind of respect between teachers and students, a foreign concept in Ireland. The course director is a lovely woman who gave me her daughters new bike when mine was being fixed, brought me to the police station to get a report about my phone and has got me dinner and drinks. She doesn't have to do this. That's been the only real downer so far. I had some very cool things on that phone and it allowed me to communicate with everyone through the wifi which is important when your living on your own. I got it announced at opening ceremony, put up a reward poster, went to the police and told all my students to keep an ear out. The other teachers have all grilled their students which I appreciate as it was taken from my bike at school.
Someone who deserves a major thank you is teacher Helen! After two years of seeing teachers coming and coming she is still willing at the drop of a hat to help us. Numerous times she's got on her bike and met me to show me a certain place and drove to me when I thought my bike was robbed! Thanks Helen.
Then we have Harrison, the American!! At first I didn't know how to take him but he is a sound genuine guy, very much his own person. On occasion he tries to kill me during training with a big stick and has me doing push-up handstands! Nadine is from Holland and has some very interesting stories! Being a vegan it ain't easy out here but she is trucking on!!
Teaching Experience up to June 5th 2013
Going great, lots of thought going into the lesson plans. Had one failed lesson in week two and was pissed about it so upped my game and am doing everything I can think of to engage the students. 22 lessons a week. Object construction = failed. Zip, zap, boin, Timed board rush, Body-to-body, Follow the leader, Chinese whispers = Success. Good atmosphere in class. A few students strolled in 20-30 mins late, "teacher can we come in", "NO, GET OUT, YOUR ALL ABSENT, GO", done this a few times. My co-teacher hit a bunch of them so attendance is improving in that class. Monitoring went very well. Heat is a constant battle. Exhausted by the end of most days! Motivated one class with a 20 Baht prize. Given gum to good students. Raided teacher Harrison's class with my class running in around the tables and back out in complete silence!! Snapped at the "im fine and you" sentence. Banned it from use when communicating with me and threatened absence.
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