The reason I've been a little MIA from my blog-I left the Teach Abroad Program after the first term to accommodate my friend that came to live with me in Thailand. I'm a Teach Alumni, and now that I'm on my own heres what happened-after 2 months of just settling for where I was and what I was doing I decided to be drastic! I quit my job, got kicked out of my house and found my self in a place I just didn’t want to be. 

Let me rewind. I moved to a new city to work. Hat Yai. I didn’t know much about the town when I moved there but I took a leap, packed up everything and caught a plane to the south of Thailand.  I was living in Sattahip, a small town below Bangkok. My home was on the Royal Thai Marine Base teaching wonderful little 4 year olds surrounded by amazing people. For many reason, I decided to try something new. So I left. When I got to Hat Yai it was like a culture shock! And I was in the same country! There were definitely nice people but few and far between. Though I made sure to try and surround my self with those kind hearted people including my friend who moved all the way out here. I tried to stay positive. Then I started teaching at a school where the teachers hated me because I was new and a foreigner. But again, tried to stay positive. I loved the kids I taught. They knew that, the teachers knew that and the parents knew that. So that made it worth it. Then after 2 months I had a run in with my boss. She had been fine before that. I ignored all the rumors I heard about how nasty and crazy she was. But one day she flipped her switch and went totally nuts on me! With in 5 days, she had called me into her office, screamed and shouted as much as she could. Then followed me down the street on her motorbike just to yell at me some more. When I decided to stick it out until the end of term, for the kids, she then walked in my house. No knocking, no calling before hand, just walked right in. The yelling, on her part, began again. There was never any point to fight back or stand up for my self when she called me stupid because the woman just start flipping out more. That was it. The moment she came into my personal space I knew I had to quit. If she thought she was able to go that far than there was nowhere I could go to avoid this woman. The next day I quit. Well long story short, she was the signer on the lease for the house my friend and I were living in. When I quit and she lost it, again, we found ourselves on the street the very next day. (this was illegal by the way but we just wanted to get as far away from her as fast as possible!) After checking into a hotel, then finding a 1-bedroom apartment we were free!! 

Again, what happens when it all goes awfully wrong? Smile!! My friend decided he is going to come out to visit me since I no longer had work. He is coming out before the end of term. So I set out looking for some part time work. A week and a half later I found a new full time job. The school was desperate for a teacher even if it would only be for one month and I would be leaving before the term ended. What’s the catch? I’d have to move again, but this time to an even smaller town that I knew nothing about. The only things I had heard was that is was small, boring, there was nothing to do and almost no foreigners. So I took it. Don’t ask me why.

Smile. I’m here now. Sitting on my porch. I wake up to the sounds of roosters yelling at me not to be late. Now going to sleep, listening to the daily intercom chants from the mosque close to the house. The sky is beautiful and the sunsets are even better when they fall behind light clouds and swaying palm trees. It brings in a cool breeze that makes the heat of the day worth it. I'm looking up. I can actually see stars?? Perfect. With maybe 2 scattered clouds, the bright moon and stars shining through palm leaves against the black sky; an image I will never forget. I have no one to speak English to on a regular basis. I’m alone. Smile. The biggest event since I've been here was the rice cropping ceremony that was put on by my school. It had maybe 50 students and 10 teachers. The parents, local towns people, the governor and a camera crew all came. It’s the country! After school and on the weekends I take out my motorbike and just enjoy the mountains and the breeze. I might be alone but there hasn’t been a day yet where I feel alone. Some times we just need to get away from it all. I have a school where they respect me, students who come running across the school just to say hi and shake my hand. Sure there are those tough days when a class of 45 12 year olds don't feel like listening and try and create chaos! I'm tired, have a soar throat from trying to shout over them but at the end of the day, it ok.  The teachers eat lunch with me even though we don’t speak the same language and a town that’s not only beautiful itself but the nicest people who fill it up. The town has only one main road and I do all my shopping at the local market. It will be incredibly sad to say good-bye so soon but I am so happy I’m here and I’m lucky that I said yes. And smiled! 

"What happens when you hold up a cat and drop it? It lands on its feet."-My dad

There are some stories that must be told and after I constantly tell people about this particular one, I realized it wasn't on here! What do you think about this? 

About 2 months ago my parents came to visit. One place we went of course was Ayutthaya, the ancient city. ( Look up Biking Through History from my old blog about this city) I had emptied out my entire wallet so I wasn't carrying around unnecessary papers. I slipped it in the drawer of the night stand in the hotel room. We did our tour and two days later got on a plane for our next adventure. I pulled out my wallet once we got on and there it was, the reminder that my entire semesters savings were sitting back in the hotel room. Right away the attendant realized I was freaking out and came over right away. With in minutes she was on the phone with the hotel and they had arranged for an email conversation with me and the hotel, as well as arranging a place to mail my things if they found it. The plane landed and the flight attendant gave me her phone number and wished me luck. The next day I received an email from the woman at the hotel to inform me of the exact contents that were found which included 9,120 baht, 2 credit cards and business cards. They hadn't touched a penny! Or I suppose a baht! Ha. We had arranged a time and place to mail my things and that was that. These people were already amazing to me. Then I got another email a few days before we were heading back to Bangkok, anxiously waiting to get my money back, that read they thought it would be best to hand deliver my package. The last morning of the trip, I sat in the lobby and out in the rain pulled up a bright pink taxi. I boy popped out, couldn't be any older than me, and ran in the door wiping off his shirt. He stood there while I untied the string on the package. Inside was another package. I ripped that right open. Finally after the layers had been peeled I pulled out the contents in the manila envelope. In my hands exactly as I had put it in the drawer was a stake of papers, money and credit cards. I'd never been so happy. I definitely paid for his 2 hour taxi ride back and something for actually bringing it too me! But even more I couldn't believe there had been people that would be so honest and go to such lengths to return my things back safely. 

It seems that since I got to Thailand I have been given an enormous amount of luck. First with being put on the Royal Thai Marine base and been shown an amazing amount of respect as a teacher. I made great friends and was taken care of by everyone I knew and didn’t know for that matter. I was worried about moving to a whole new school, new students, new teachers, and new town. Nothing about it is familiar or comfortable. But it’s supposed to be an adventure right? First day of school went on with out a hitch. Not only am I teaching a whole new age group, but also I have my own Thai assistant, and my own classroom that she brings the students to everyday.  I’m decorating the room with the children’s work and drawings too. The classroom is beautiful with bright colors painted on the walls.   

Actually the school its self is painted pink and blue and orange. It’s amazing. The difference in the student’s behavior is a complete 180 from my old school too. These students actually pay attention and want to learn. Well, most of the time. I only have 30 in each class instead of the 45 before. This makes a world of difference. And the greatest feeling about it all is when I go to lunch and 6 or 7 students will sit next to me and try and speak English. Well the extend of the transaction is them point to something and saying, “flower, chicken, pig, blue, pink, ice cream.” Then they follow me back to the classroom the rest of my break period. When they finally have to leave they rap their little arms around my waist and give me a big hug. Then there’s my schedule. I don’t start work on Mondays until 12:30. On Thursdays and Fridays I finish at 1:30 and the rest of the week I start ay 8:30 and finished at 3:30. It’s just perfect. The only down side I see so far is that since I’m only at school the hours I have class and I have my own room, I don’t get to interact with the other Thai teachers and that was something I really enjoyed at my last school. It’s like I come for the job then leave. Though there is one teacher who is incredibly nice. Most mornings he either brings me iced tea in the little plastic bags that people drink out of here or a bag of fruit. So I’m sure I just have to give it some time and I’ll have gotten to know the others fairly well. I hope. It’s only been a week and I’m so glad I made a change to try a new challenge. I’m going into this taking it head on!

I don't want to discredit my experience in Thailand because every bit has been amazing! I don't take back anything I've said s far. But I now realize that the place you live and the people you meet are what make up most of your experiences here. I was hit with some rude slaps in the face. Not literally but it might as well have been. I guess I was just blinded by my old town where everyone would extend the kindest gestures. Though they stared like hawks, at least it was with a smile on their face. However, most days I spend here in Hat Yai I realize that certainly is not the case. Some times my roommate and I will go into the grocery store and we get these glares from people like, “Geez, another farang.” Not like this is any different from places in America but it feels more threatening here since we don’t speak the language, though I try to use Thai every opportunity I get. They just do not care. I must rant about this because I feel like I have been in this kindness bubble for the last 5 months and it just got popped in a matter of days. 

Here is a perfect example of the thought process of Thai people where I am living. Not all, but you know it is those rude ones that puts the nice ones in a shadow. My roommate and I decided to get a house. We signed the lease, fully furnished, at a little higher right than it should be but we are foreigners so they raised the rent of course. We had not even been in the house two nights yet when five people came right in the house saying they rented the house last month and “left a few things”. Well, then they all made their way up stairs, which was weird, and started to claim that a few of the mattresses and one of the bed frames were theirs. I am sorry but that is not “a few things”. That is my bed! It was so overwhelming with this pushy Thai woman, another few friends and the landlords’ daughter. By the end, they had walked right out the door with one of our mattresses and said they would come back in a week for the others. It all happened so fast there was no way to stop it really. Now that I have slept on it and looked back on the situation, they had totally taken advantage of us. We were the new farang that had moved in so they assumed they could just start coming in and taking our things. I will have to wait a few days to see what happens but now I lay here on a cardboard mattress. 

Oh and just this morning I went to school on the usually red colored song taw. It cost 12 baht. I know that since I take it everyday. But this was the second time the driver decides that the farang is stupid and wont notice getting the wrong change back. It was only two baht he didn’t give back, which is nothing but it is the principle of the thing. Trying to rip off the foreigner for even just two baht. How sad! 

This really is unfortunate. I talked to another foreigner about this and she completely agreed. It’s almost like there are people here that are so bothered by some foreigners that they take it out on all of us. She said, “Come on, you don’t even know me! I’m such a nice person but they will never find that out because they are too busy putting a wall up.”

PS. I feel as though I should give credit to those who do take care of us. The teacher who brings me snacks and drinks every morning, the restaurant owner who gave me and my room mate a ride home when he saw us walking down the street, and my sweet Thai assistant that helps me with anything I need even if it doesn’t relate to work. 

It's all a matter of where you get placed. I suppose no matter where you go there are always exceptions and I should point that out since my previous blogs have been all flowers and rainbows. 

The first week I got here I met these amazing people who are from Egypt. They moved out here a few years ago and are both teachers as well. Jessi and I went out to dinner with them and after just 1 day they extended us an invitation to stay with them until we moved into our new place. This was great! That means we would move out of the hotel a few days early and save some money. So for three days we were able to live in a home with these two people, their baby and a cute puppy that was just born two weeks ago. We have made some great friends already and was wonderful to be welcomed in to this new hectic town.

Now just yesterday, our new Filipino friends had a little BBQ for us to celebrate thanksgiving since Jessi and I will be missing our own families this year for the holidays. There are no turkeys out here but the two chickens they bought us with ribs and bread definitely did the job. It was a week before the actual holiday but it was so nice to have people that we just met thinking about us like this. All of us falang have at least one thing in common; teachers! And we must stick together. 

Six months later and culture shock has finally set in. I’ve seen some pretty interesting things, met some interesting people and done some interesting things since I got here half a year ago. But as I make my way around my new home in the south of Thailand, Hat Yai, I realize I’m in a whole new world. Jessi, my old college friend and new roommate, and I got in two days ago. The first night I noticed a huge change from Sattahip, my old town. There is a good amount of expat’s here. A noticeable difference from living on a military base in a quite town where my old roommate and I were the only foreigners. Now, starting my new life in what people call “The Bangkok of the South”, I can tell I’m going to enjoy myself in a whole new way. There are real restaurants, bars and cafes I can spend my time. It's great. The huge difference here is that the town is made up of Chinese, Muslim’s and Thai’s. So I’m going to be getting a whole lot of culture here. Though, unlike Bangkok, there’s a whole lot less smell, smog and traffic.

Our second night in Hat Yai, Jessi and I went to the Chinese Vegetarian Festival. A lady we had met here told us there’s lots of great food and activities. We would probably even see people walking on coals. That sounded great. Our first new cultural experience. Did we see anyone walking on coals you ask? Oh no. But what we did see might leave me with nightmares for a while. The first crowd we came to were people in interesting garments literally looking like they were having seizures or even possessed. Painting on people’s foreheads and sticking their hands in boiling oil were just a few of the things we saw. The next crowd got even more intense. About four boys were covered in red. At first I thought it was the paint from before but then I saw what they were doing. One boy, bare-chested, walks back into the crowd then comes running out and slides head first into a huge pile of broken glass. I looked at all the boys and they were covered in blood. Through out this “show”, they would have the boys jumping off tables into the pit of glass. Some boys were tossing others up and down into the pile. One guy even sat in the dull, rusty, sparkles throwing glass on his face. After Jessi and I were taken out of our own trances, we turned and left the circle. We dared to look over at a new crowd. Bad idea. From where we were standing it looked like they were pulling out their teeth. Making quick jerking motions across their face. Until we looked closer from another angle. These boys, standing there shaking in the hypnotic way that many of these people seemed to be, had axes in their hands ripping it across their tongues. They were literally cutting their tongues. We didn’t stay more than 10 seconds knowing we would be haunted that night of nasty images of blood and heads spinning in circles. Straight out of a horror film.

Set in this funky mood we decided to go straight back to the hotel and watch a movie. It’s been interesting living in this hotel. Even the staff already knows us. But great news! We saw a house yesterday that our friend found us. Normally teachers don’t get a house since usually they aren’t staying for very long and the houses aren’t furnished. But some how we got connected to this awesome 3-bedroom house in a little neighborhood, fully furnished. Apparently the teachers living there are all moving out and leaving everything. It’s perfect. But we can’t move into the place until the 1^st of November. Which leaves us making a home for our selves in this hotel room for the next 2 weeks. And thus begins my life for the next 5 months.

PS-As I was on my way to the Internet café to post this, Jessi and I were stopped by a passing parade. It was that darn Chinese Festival again. We happened to be on the corner where the parade would stop and people would do their rituals. Not only did we get 6 people taking blades and cutting their tongues, boys who were covered in blood from the glass they threw them selves in, but we got to see a whole new crazy ritual. Mostly men and a few women were walking by with medal rods stuck through their cheeks. All the way through! Most had poles with signs hanging off them. Not just medal rods though. One guy had three samurai swords and another had a bike! Each one of these guys would have another person standing next to them squirting water on their mouths to wash off any blood. At least 50 people walked by before Jessi and I decided we had to leave before we got sick. Not to say anything against their culture but to watch little boys and men my age mutilate themselves for a cultural festival, well I just can’t see what’s right in that. That was an interesting welcome to this new town. We’ll see how it goes. 

I just realized that five months is over in less than a week. It feels like so long ago that I was here but at the time has seemed to fly by way to fast! I’ve grown incredibly close to so many people here. Have you ever had that bipolar feeling of being intensely sad but then the next moment being completely happy!? At one moment I’m sad I have to leave every thing. But then another moment I’m so happy I got to even be here and have one of the greatest experiences! Here have been some random events during my time living in Sattahip on the Royal Thai Marine Corp. base. I helped a girl out with her English homework one night and ever since, the family has been incredibly generous and invited me over to their house to eat amazing home cooked Thai dinners. They took my roommate and me to the local fair with the whole family and some friends. One of them won me two cute stuffed animals. Later that week he was moving to a new base so he invited me out to the beach with him and his friends for a going away party. Another great friend takes me out to dinner, to use the Internet at his office, and brings us food whenever he thinks about it. Once he took me to a party after sports week and I was of course the only girl there, seeing that this place is all men. Their faces were priceless when I walked in with him. All stunned to see the farang there. Then I got to sit at the officer’s table, which is a huge deal here! His friend last week took us to karaoke and even once to his base to have a bb gunfight on a real playing field for the Marines. We got all dressed up in their camo uniforms and everything! Imagine paint ball fight except this was in the dark with little tiny pellets. Then they took us to dinner and dessert to celebrate being promoted to a very high-ranking officer.

With just those people, my stay here would have been more than warm and welcome. But the list continues! If Julia and I are ever walking somewhere on base a soldier will pull over and pick us up whether he speaks English or not. Yet they always seem to know where we live. Some how that strikes me as very interesting and creep at the same time. My favorite is when I’m sitting on the beach on the weekends. I’ll have my headphones on, reading a book and just enjoying the beautiful weather when out of no where I can hear a faint voice beside me. I always have a random person come up and start talking, asking me questions. They are so sweet and just want to speak English or meet the foreigner that they get up the courage to come talk. The Thai people are just so intrigued by foreigners. Oh and yesterday I went the massage place that Julia and I have been a frequent customer at. Julia went in and I decided to wait for her and not get anything done. For the hour I was out in the front, I sat in the best massage chair I’ve ever sat in. Then they made me an iced espresso outside at their drink stand. When I asked how much, she just smile and said, “For you free.” Then she came back with a little bag with an amazing bracelet of beads from Brazil. She apparently also makes jewelry and gave me one of her pieces. Also in the bag were Buddha “coins” that everyone wears. She noticed I had nothing to put it on so in 2 minutes she made me an adjustable string necklace. She told me it was for her friend; me. We exchanged email addresses and chatted the rest of the time through an English-Thai computer dictionary. I have a feeling they don’t do all this for their normal customers but that’s just how nice they are to foreigners, they always want to make sure we are happy! It’s been absolutely amazing here. And that’s just my life outside of school. Which is only half of my life in Sattahip.

The people at school that I teach with are some of the nicest I’ve met. We always sit around and chat about life, school, Thailand, travels, the children and so much more. This is all by the way in very, very little English. I teach kindergarten which is in a different building so I’m always around the same teachers. If I have a mosquito bite, they will go get something to take away the itch. If I have a headache they’ll get me medicine and if I have a little time before class, they’ll make me try all types of foods and drinks and desserts. The other day one of the teachers invited me to her hometown with a couple of the other kindergarten teachers. Now for the reason I’m here. The kids of course!

Every day I walk up to the sliding gate and I’m welcomed by little shrieks from the students in their adorable uniforms. “TEACHERRRRRR!!! DENELLEEEEE. TEACHERRRRR!!!” It’s too adorable to ignore. They run up and want me to give them high fives or they’ll just attach themselves to me legs. In class they’ve gotten used to my teaching. They cheer when I do a game or teaching method they enjoy. The kids will sit and try and talk to me in Thai even though I still don’t speak much Thai. Although, after a while of hearing the teachers speak to them, I’ve caught on to some words so when a student comes and asks me a question and I here that word I can at least tell them yes or no to their question. But to try and help me out they will point and make gesture. The most adorable part is during nap time. They sleep on little pink blankets and are sprawled out in the most awkward positions. It’s so cute that sometimes I go over to the building just to hang out in the room. The other Thai teachers don’t understand or sometimes think it’s a little weird that kids that I know or even some I don’t will come up and hug me in the halls. It’s hilarious because they only come up to my legs.  I’m guessing they don’t get this kind of attention from anyone. Even when they say bye to their parents in the morning, they bow. So things like hugs, hand shakes and high fives are extremely exciting for them. I’m going to miss them so much!

This last week will be concluded with what else than parties! First the school was supposed to have a dinner for us on the last Friday with the teachers from school. But the soldiers at the Navy where we also teach some times wanted to have a bigger party so they called the school, had the dinner moved to lunch on Thursday and then planned to have their party for us on Friday at dinner on the beach! If you can believe this they even put this into their party budget. (Yes, the base has a party budget. haha)

We have been so lucky to be here. We are the first and only foreigner to live on the base, ever! So we get extra attention and care from everyone. Not just people at the school but also the soldiers that live on the base. It’s only been five months but I’ve grown so attached to everything in Sattahip that I’m genuinely sad to leave this extraordinary place, amazing people and even better friends. I hope that I don’t lose contact with them and that one-day I’ll be able to come back and visit. I will never forget my time here.

Sorry, no tips on this one, just my thanks and appreciation to everyone who has been so great and supportive of my blog. My time here has been so amazing that I have decided to stay for another term. But I will be moved to a new school in the Southern part of Thailand. Be sure to come back and look for more amazing times from here in South East Asia. I’m Denelle Plummer and this will be my last entry from Sattahip, Thailand. Good night and good luck. Peace!