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.