Mermaids, Baby Ghosts and Pregnant Men

I love this country but sometimes Thailand is a land of contradictions. You have to take your shoes off in school, temples, people's homes and some shops yet feet are considered dirty and it's highly offensive if you point the soles of your feet at anyone; Thais take great pride in their personal hygiene and yet some rivers and streets are full of rubbish; teachers are highly sought after yet the visa and work permit rules and processes are some of the most complex and perplexing in Asia. Most people have heard of Thailand's reputation for the sex industry (despite it being less per capita than America) yet, conversely, Thai people are generally very conservative; kissing in public (or even in movies) is considered a big no-no and recently the 'thai-sniff-kiss' has become a popular alternative. Despite this conservatism, Thailand is refreshingly accepting of homosexuality and trans-gender people. A teacher friend of mine was being asked by her students if she had a partner; they struggled because of the language barrier so they drew two androgynous stick figures on the board with a heart round them. I love this accepting culture. Children as young as primary school age openly identify as Kathoeys (this can mean 'lady boys' but it can also mean gay or effeminate males) and some of the students who fall in this category at my school are real characters, often loving the popularity that their flamboyant mannerisms earn them. Having said all this, sadly, gay marriage is still illegal.

I found one of my students 'reading their English dictionary'.

Shoes lined up outside the classroom.

Thai students get very competitive during games!

This is the average temperature here - take note all of you who were complaining about the recent UK heatwave!

There's a religious holiday, national celebration or special event almost every week which leads to days off (yay!) or cancelled lessons (not so 'yay' when you're not pre-warned). One of these was the annual anti-drugs campaign championed by the nation's Princess; the students marched from the local temple (in the rain) to the school to the beat of the school's band whilst holding anti-drug posters. They'd spent weeks making elaborate costumes with themes ranging from traditional Thai dress and outfits made of recycled materials to baby ghosts, mermaids and pregnant men - I'm still trying to work out what this had to do with anti-drugs although I'd probably know if I spoke more Thai! The celebrations that day also included a mini sports day although the only sport I saw was a hula hoop competition which was won by a particularly enthusiastic, hip-thrusting Kathoey.

I'm trying hard not to look like a giant.

The anti-drug parade.

A 'baby ghost' with a whisky bottle - this is meant to warn children that alcohol should only be a vice for evil spirits ('spirit' pun...??)

Costume competition!

My weekends away have continued; I had to extend my visa at the immigration office in the North's largest city, Chiang Mai, so I decided to spend the weekend there with some friends exploring the day time markets, sampling the nightlife and enjoying dusting off the old backpack again, albeit just for a few days! Another one of these weekend excursions was to a small town called Phayao, which is dominated by a huge lake, with my friend Kiren and her Thai teacher friend, P-Nuoy, who speaks amazing English and so I was able to brush up on my Thai with her. We boarded a wooden boat on Phayao's lake Kwan at sunset and docked at a tiny, open air, floating Buddhist temple in lieu of one that sank there many years before. We had a panoramic view of the mountains that surround the lake as they turned into silhouettes in the pink glow of the sunset. After our temple visit we collected a plethora of street food snacks at the most varied and colourful night market that I've ever been to and sat down in a wooden gazebo whilst we watched the town come to life after dark - teenagers were having break-dancing competitions, people were using the outdoor gym equipment and small children were having outdoor painting lessons on teeny easels. The next morning P-Nuoy took us to a temple unlike any I've seen before - it had a large garden of sculptures depicting the violent things that happen to naughty people in hell! We went into a small room in the back of the temple and, after presenting a small donation of medicine, had a private sitting with a monk which involved him blessing thread called 'sai sin' before wrapping it round our wrists; we then ceremonially poured water into a chalice in the hope that it would bring us karma, good luck and riches - yes please!

Monks in Chiang Mai collecting their daily alms at 6am - they walk the streets bare-foot with silver bowls asking people to donate food in exchange for a blessing.

The floating temple.

Sunset over the lake.

Private blessing from a monk.

Life in the Kingdom

I wake up every morning at 5.30am to a cacophony of geckos, birds, cockerels and barking soi dogs. The morning mist that shrouds the tops of the mountains eventually dissolves as the sun rises and the sky's reflection brings the water of the saturated rice fields to life. Every day on my way to work without fail I pass the same woman sitting behind a table of raw meat at the morning market waving a bag on a stick to keep away flies whilst laughing heartily about something her friend is saying, a couple outside the gates of the village's glittering, multicoloured temple hang clothes out on racks to acquire the day's earnings, dogs play in the streets with whatever they find lying around from old sticks to discarded knickers (the latter has only happened once so far!), children fall asleep on the back of mopeds as their parents drive them to school and we drive by picturesque villages with wooden houses on stilts. On my way home I always share a friendly wave with Tim, a Thai woman who sells meatballs on sticks at the top of my road, I pass families playing badminton or sharing food from a multitude of little dishes on tables in the street outside their houses and I walk by the myriad stalls and carts that line every road selling everything from noodle soup to mangos. Everyday the same scene - which must be so normal to locals - yet for me there's always something new to see. This is what I love most about living in a foreign land!

Teacher Selfie!

My school's lake.

I'm a giant compared to some of the other teachers!

The students participate in marching practice for Scouts - even the teachers dress up (see photo above).

Working in a country where everyone speaks a different language certainly comes with its challenges. I'm now a black belt in 'standing around awkwardly at school meetings and events feeling like a pleb whilst various stuff happens around me'. I never seem to know what's going on. Because all the meetings, message boards, schedules and literature are in Thai I have to be verbally notified however the school sometimes forgets to tell me or if they do remember it's last minute for example one day whilst I was in the middle of a lesson a teacher came in and grabbed me saying - "Teacher Jennifer, we need you to make a speech on stage in front of 400 parents....now", I've found myself waiting around for my lift home for ages only to be told two hours later that there was a meeting that no one told me about and I've started teaching a class only to be laughed at because I wasn't informed lessons were cancelled. The other teachers tend to have conversations about me instead of with me when I'm with them because of the language barrier - I can tell they're talking about me in Thai because they say my name repeatedly, look over and smile or laugh. Sometimes I understand the odd word and I'm sure they aren't being derogatory but it has taken a bit of getting used to. This is all completely understandable when you work in a country where you aren't fluent in the language and it certainly doesn't only happen in my school. The same goes for restaurants and shops because I can't read menus or labels; I've gone without hot water in my room for two months because of the language barrier with my landlady (although this may also be partly because things happen in 'Thai time' out here). Simple, everyday aspects of life become a massive challenge. The solution to this lies with me - I need to learn to speak Thai!! Using a combination of books, apps, the Internet, my students and speaking in Thai at every opportunity I am slowly learning a little bit of the spoken language. I've had to prioritise speaking over reading Thai script for now; to give you an example of the scale of that challenge here is my full name in Thai -เจนนิเฟอร์ ลาวเด็นท์ (!!!)

A student drew this picture of me. I think they got my best angle. 

These are some of my thirteen years olds.

Thai dancing at Lampang's night market.

Enjoying frozen cocktails at a cafe near my building. 

I don't know many people in this town yet however on weekdays I am usually so tired from the long days at school that all I feel like doing is my best impression of a giant star fish on my bed at home in front of Netflix. I've never lived alone before and after spending eleven months sharing rooms with strangers I'm relishing the freedom and space. Sometimes I de-starfish and go for a run - the locals I pass look at me like I've just escaped from an asylum because exerting oneself in the heat unless absolutely necessary is considered utter madness to some people and to be honest, they're not wrong. One of the best things about living in Thailand is the weekend adventures around the country; I met up with the teachers I'd made friends with on my training course in the seaside tourist city, Pattaya, one weekend. Pattaya isn't exactly my favourite place in this incredible country I now call home - mainly because last time I checked I'm not a 'sexpat' or a prostitute! Despite its seediness in certain areas, Pattaya has beautiful views to the sea and is a short boat right to the charming Koh Larn Island which is where we spent the day enjoying beers in the sea. Being able to chatter away at 100 miles a hour to my friends after weeks of slow, splintered English felt amazing and because Pattaya's so touristy it made me realise how easy life used to be when the language barrier wasn't an issue. We had three glorious days of beaches, drinking, dancing and Thai massages. I flew back to my town on the Sunday in a teeny plane after falling asleep on the airport floor three times (it was a heavy weekend!). I've also been able to explore the outskirts of my town with the help of some new Thai friends - they took me to visit a beautiful temple with horse drawn carriages at the entrance and then we had lunch - all whilst posing for a million selfies! If Thais go ten minutes without a selfie they will spontaneously combust. FACT.

Annnnd relax! Beers in the sea after a stressful couple of weeks getting settled in a new town ahhhhhh!

Pattaya at sunset.

We had to cover our legs with sarongs before we were allowed to enter the temple.

Every one of the thousands of temples in Thailand are impressive.