Teaching in Thailand Bangkok Part 1

We arrived back home and we were beyond tired – jet lag is nothing compared to van-taxi lag. WE slept the whole Saturday and went to buy some food and groceries for the month.

Thursday I had to start at Sattriwittaya School to really start teaching in Thailand – so for the next 2 days we decided to relax and sort all our stuff out etc. The Thursday morning I arrived at the office of SIAM MinBuri at 8:30 to go to the school together with the owner of SIAM. All the teachers were starting during that week or the following week so all the staff at SIAM were really running around and being extremely busy (it is very strange to see extremely busy people in Thailand…) to get everything sorted. So I sat there waiting for the (ancient) lady to gather her things and take me to the school.

After waiting for 2 hours I decided to go to 7/11 and buy myself some 2-minute noodles and a Coke for lunch. I hurried back – just to sit and wait again. (It was actually quite entertaining to see how everyone runs around to get everything ready for the teachers while I just sit and sip on my ice cold coke.

I went upstairs to fetch my box with files and other stuff that I prepared to be a teacher at a Thai school –teaching Maths (in a foreign language –this promised to be interesting and LOADS of fun. I am always up for a challenge!) And there I sat again and waited for the owner to take me to the school ( apparently there were no kids at the school since the road in front of the school is being prepared – you have to get used to this when you are teaching in Thailand). So just had to go to the school and show my face and sit around being awesome. That is as soon as we can get in the car and get going!!!!

Eventually at about 13:00 she decided that it will be a good time for us to go. We got in the car – old Thai lady (lewer vlek wat aan die lewe klou), her young PA guy thingy, my box full of files and stuff and me – AKWARD.

There we went to the school – much of excitedness. I am going to meet the other teachers at my school and get to settle in at my desk and imagine how it is going to be in the following week being a real teacher in Thailand with a real job at a really big school. Well that was if we got there safely – she sped up when she saw a bump and slammed on the brakes just before we went over – stopping the car just enough for me to bounce around in the back with my head hitting the roof all the time. As soon as we cleared the ramping bump she would slow down to 10km/h and we would drive at a speed that would allow pedestrians to pass us. Then another bump, speed up, slam the brakes, head against the roof, lungs in brain, slow down, crawl, bump, fly, crawl, bump, fly crawl…  This I could probably still handle all the way to the school and back since the school is only about 15km from the office, but the lovely old senile lady decided to get us lost. And then she asked me how to get to the school – uuuuuhm – I got lost in my own country…. So we stopped for lunch. Eating is good for Thai’s – they eat when they are bored, they eat when they party, they eat when they are lost, they eat when they are sad, they eat when they are happy and they eat when they have a foreigner with them. After a nice plate of Kao pat moo we went in search of the school again. Was so cool staring out of the window to look at the rice fields (and every now and then see the roof of the car as we went over a bump!!!)

After what felt like weeks we eventually got to the school. This is what my new school in Thailand looks like:

(It is a beautiful 6 floor, 5 buildings beast of a school out in the middle of the rice fields surrounded by palm trees and rivers. This is a Mhattayom school - high school with 30- 50 students per class. They have the normal academic program where students learn conversational English, then they also have a mini English program and an intensive English program. In the MEP and IEP classes the students do all their subjects in English for 1 hour each day and then the same lesson will later again be don in Thai.)  

I met a few teachers. Set up my desk and sat. I wondered for how long I will be bored and then suddenly a Thai teachers popped up next to me to ask me if I had lunch. Me: “yes thank you”, her: “Okay…(silence) You want to eat with us?” Me: “Im laao, kop khun khrap” (I am full thank you) She: “okay… Just try some”, me (VERRRRYYY AAKWARD) “no thank you, maybe tomorrow.” And off she went. 5 seconds later another one popped up: You want to eat with us?” Me: “Im laao, kop khun khrap” (I am full thank you) She: “okay… Just try some”, me (VERRRRYYY AAKWARD) “no thank you, maybe tomorrow.” (No you did not read the same sentences twice – this is Thai standard. Each and every person will ask you 50 times to eat with them. It is their way to make you feel welcome.)

After being harassed with food for another 1 – 2 hours we eventually headed back. Again the journey proofed enough to move all the neatly digested Kao Pat Moo from my stomach to my throat.

Read in our next blog about Steven’s experience at his first school. 

Laos visa run part 2 - Being in a strange country without a passport

So there we were on the other side of the border -without our passport! (Some random person took it after we went through customs and disappeared…) And yet again we had no cigarettes and we were tired (7 hours on the van is not fun) Brian and I went in search of  a shop where we can buy something to drink – hopefully we can find something on this dusty border… AND THEN - this AWESOME duty free shop appeared like a pot of gold!!!

We bought 3 cartons of cigarettes (Camel – yeah baby and Marlboro, unfortunately no Peter Stuyvesant) and 2 bottles of rum for under 2000 baht (less than R500 for 300 cigarettes and 2litre of rum -now that is what you call CHEAP!!!) Strolling around with no idea (or care) of the time we went back where we waited for our passports –and we were the only 2souls left of our group….                  W T F?????? (Strange country, no phone, no one we know and most importantly – NO PASSPORT!!!) PERSKE-MAGIE MAATJIES!!!!

We ran around like headless chicken (if chickens can carry booze and smokes) in search of our visa-group. SHOCK. GASP. HORROR!! After what felt like hours one of the Thai ladies who works with the company appeared out of the masses and showed us they way to the van. So we jumped in the van and wanted o apologize to the driver- but no driver, only a passenger in the front. Pheeeew. We were not holding them up, we still need to wait for the driver – AND THEN WE STARTED MOVING. Whaaaaaaaaat??!! Yes indeed they drive on the wrong side of the road – so all the way there Brian was ducking – since it looked as if all the cars came gunning for us - SCARY!!! Anyhow we eventually got to the Royal Thai Embassy in Laos and EUREKA – our passports were handed to us. So we lay on the grass like mine-workers after lunch and waited to be called. We had to part with our passports again – luckily this time to an official.

We went outside to get in the van – and yet again it was gone. But a driver showed us to where the vans are parked and with light hearts we went to get in the van. The van that we got in was not the van that we got there with – not a big problem, except if all your luggage is in the OTHER van. Now we had no money, no booze, no smokes, no phone, no clothes AND AGAIN NO PASSPORT!!! But they quickly informed us that our luggage is at the hotel.

WE got to the hotel – WOW WOW WOW. Massive building with impressive gates and a gigantic water fountain, and then we turned in next to it… And at the back was a hotel that in Laos is a 5 star hotel, but looks like a Mexican prison with nice gardens. We couldn't care less – we wanted food, a shower and a bed – in that order. We checked at reception and luckily our stuff was there. Then we headed straight for the buffet brunch:

 (Lyk soos jou ouma se tafeldoeke) 

The room:

Steven's hairdryer:

The hotel:

 After brunch we showered and slept for hours on end. WE went for dinner and then went for some exploring. WE saw the most AMAZING night market - it is about 2 hectares big (if not bigger):

 It was quite interesting to shop here – the currency is Laos Kip and is absolutely useless. Look at the price of these eggs (now I don’t know about you – but if the price of eggs has four zero’s behind it, it should be made of GOLD):

 We went back very late, slept again. Next morning we got breakfast, went for a swim and went to the border. Riiiggghhttt – we are going to the border without our passports. Well we stood at the border and waited between the masses. After what felt like forever we heard our names in very strange accents shouted from somewhere in the crowd and our passports magically appeared in our hands. WE went through customs and got on the van to head back.

Through all the craziness – this is by far the easiest process. You do nothing except enjoy the crazr – and oh do we enjoy crazy times. Another 3 hour drive, dinner at a random place next to the road, 4 hours. BANGKOK!!!!! Home sweet home...

(Oh ya - you remember the jackets... Well turns out that 27 degrees Celsius is called winter in these her parts...)

Visa run to Laos Part 1

Talking about random buses in our previous blog, Steven will tell you more about random bus trips in this blog….

Well it was time to do our visa run... WHAT?????  3 months already in Thailand??? Well yes the time has come to flee Thailand (don’t want them to know that we like Thailand too much). Luckily we had some great assistance from Lars at Siam who explained to us what to do, he also kindly informed us that we have to take jackets because it is winter in Laos. HELL YEEEAAAH - WINTERRRRRR.  So we packed for our winter trip YAY (Our entire luggage consisted of jackets and jeans)!!! Some cold air…. Off we went to the bus station. “Remember Brian we have to take bus nr 519”. So we stopped at the first bus station that we saw, and there we waited for bus nr. 519. After waiting a million hours (10 minutes), the bus finally passed us…. YES PASSED US!!!(No it did not stop… And Brian taught the Thai people around us a few new Afrikaans words). So we asked around and yet again no one can speaka the anglash (translation – no one could speak  the language of the stiff upper lip…)!!!! Finally we decided to walk to where all the busses were heading and so we also discovered the real  Thai market (not the other dodgy one we saw a week earlier) and the  Van station / Bus station – all three of these are actually one place…

Here are some photos of the humongous bus station:

 So we had a piece of paper to show to the bus lady where to get off (thank you Siam). After an hour’s journey we made it to Big C and then had to walk almost a kilometer to get to the Tesco Lotus (Anut BTS). The departure time was 19:00 pm and we arrived there at 18:00 so we decided to get ourselves ‘’ padkos’’, yes of course I have to eat! So after waiting in the rain and eating our bread and calamari cake dinner, our van arrived. It was like watching ants running for a bread crumb. And in a hasty manor I said to Brian ‘’ I think that is our queue’’. So we started running aimlessly around in the rain.

So there we waited for some ‘’ Ghosts ‘’ … The van driver decided to hop in and off we went. Only to realize that we were heading towards the underground parking lot. And guess what? Some idiot bumped into us… So yet again we waited… Not knowing this is the stop where we were to wait some more for some random idiots to join us. Thai ladies popped out of nowhere and asked for money and our passports (Oh shit – we are on the Ping-Pong bus!!!) Not really, after a whole lot of confusion and STUFF the van’s wheels started rolling.

 This trip made me realize exactly how popcorn must feel in a pot – bumping and hopping  around like crazy maniacs in the back off the van (the person in Thailand that copied or invented shocks is a dumb crazy a$$ idiot!!!!!!) And the road up to Loas isn’t the best road I have ever come across.

After 7 hours of feeling like a bouncing squash ball we made it to the border. Only to hear that the border opens up at 5 am and we arrived there at 4:15 am. Luckily ECC decided that it is time to give us our bonus so the first thing we bought was of course COFFEEE!!!!!! After waiting forever (45 minutes feels like forever after being shaken up like a bad rag doll in the back of a van for 7hours) we finally went to the border crossing. Now think back when you were in school and you waited for something and all the students had to wait in line - now that does not even come close to the line we had to wait in to leave Thailand (why all the checking – we are leaving your country!!!). And off course we were lucky enough to stand behind an old oomie whose stomach could not keep up with the shaking van and we had to stare at a mud bath running down his legs – nice…

Here are some pictures of the border:

                                                                                  

Read in our next blog about Laos and the AWESOMMMMEEE (translate very cheap alcohol and cigarettes) duty free shop.