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!
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 (!!!)
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.
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.
Very impressed you're learning Thai and you get up so early everyday! Keep up the good work teach x
ReplyDeleteAh yes the early starts are a killer! xx
ReplyDelete