The House

In short, our house rocks the casbah. For those interested in our living quarters, read on.




Tim on the patio. You can see Pei Oh's house behind Tim and to the left.

We are the middle in a set of row houses. We have a shaded front patio with tables and benches, a variety of potted and hanging plants, and some racks to hang our clothes on laundry day.

Lisa's first laundry adventure in our new home.

Our living room has a couch, table, chairs, a TV and a DVD player. Sometimes we watch Thai TV to see what words we can catch, or we make up our own dialogue. Thai TV is pretty much just as lame as TV back home. We have discovered a video rental place not too far from our house with a selection of movies in English. We accrued a late fee the first time we rented... some things never change no matter how far across the globe you run. What's great is that the fee is only ten baht, about 25 cents.

Note the dolls in the cabinets...just like Grandma Criger.

and the fake flowers...just like Char.

Lisa in the livingroom working on school stuff.

Back to the house. We have two bedrooms, this means there is one for you if you decide to visit. Unfortunately, we are not near the beach anymore, so it won't hurt our feelings too much if Nonsung is not your ideal vacation destination.


Guestroom


Bedroom


The hall. :)

Our “hong nam” fits well its literal translation of “water room.” Tim would describe it as “adequately fitted, but not modern.” The shower is not isolated by doors, so the whole bathroom really is the shower perimeter and the room drains out of a corner. We gave it a good Perna-style scrubbing the other day, Grandma would be proud. The hose/toilet thing we are still experimenting with; the jury is still out for that one.

The hose...our nemessis.


Self portrait

Our kitchen is huge and entirely unexpected. We were told most homes in rural Thailand do not have kitchens, and rarely indoor ones at that. It was a welcomed surprise with refrigerator, stove, pots/pans, utensils and all.




Cock head to the right and notice the picture of the chicken on the refridgerator. Were you able to open the freezer door you would see the best ice cube tray system of all time. I'll add a photo next time.

Tim is still the breakfast king, and I do my best to be the dinner queen. My neighbor Pei Oh, I promised you would hear more about her, taught me how to make Thai green curry, Tim's favorite. Ajarn Dang from school also gave me a Thai cookbook. So, if you do manage to visit our humble home, I may try to cook you something Thai style.

That's pretty much the house. It is fully furnished and fans are mounted to the walls in most rooms. We drink purified water that is delivered by motorcycle to our house any time we run out at a meager cost of 13 baht (about 30 cents for a 10 gal jug).

As for the neighborhood, children play barefoot in the narrow gravel roads between houses, men burn 50 gal barrels of wood to make charcoal, and others run laundry service from their front porches full of hanging clothes.

In the evenings, some gather outside to drink and chat while others can be seen inside watching television. In the mornings, the free-roaming roosters affirm that it is morning and time to get ready for school. Most people shout hello to us as we come and go on our motorbike. Even the neighborhood dog has befriended us, though this has much to do with feeding it a large Chinese sausage given to us by Ajarn Gowit.

We never know when we might receive a visit. We might hear our front gate creak, or we may just become aware of someone calling, “Hello.. Teeem, Leez-sa” through our front window. Random stop-ins are frequent at our house, and gifts of food are not limited to the office. The owner of the house, Pei Pet, might deposit a bag of oranges and apples on our coffee table if we are absent when she visits. She just stopped by yesterday to deliver rice and this particular juicy fruit that Tim loves (similar to a pear... “same same, but different” as a Thai might say).


New-rice and coconut, sold wrapped in a banana leaf. A yummy treat.


Sticky rice and peanut in a bamboo shoot, a gift from Pei Oh. Also yummy.

First Impressions

Since we have arrived here in Thailand, we have been inundated by the importance of first impressions: dress, smiles, smells, the proper “wai,” the exchange of gifts... these are all important firsts. Little did we know that we would be carted to school straight off the bus the Friday we arrived in Nonsung, leaving us with no time to ready ourselves for all these firsts.

We rolled in on the bus we had boarded... scratch that... ran to catch at 7am that morning in Non Kai near the Laos boarder. The journey was six or seven hours, sans air conditioning. I would like to mention (primarily for Sherri's sake) that we started off fresh and showered but we were wearing the same clothes we had been in for a few days (remember the Laos boarder debaucle?) and after a few solid hours of sweating on the bus we were grubby to say the least. Our Media Kids coordinator Pai, had called our school to let them know we were arriving Friday. “They will be there to pick you up,” he assures us.

Here's what we are thinking...
We don't teach until Wednesday, we could go to Bangkok and visit people there, or we could go see our new home and get settled in. We decide on using the weekend to settle into our new house, thinking that we will have Monday and Tuesday to prepare for our first day of teaching. Doesn't that sound nice?

Our phone rings, “Hello, Teem, where are you? I am waiting for you.” Our teachers are at the bus station already! We're a bit nervous. I wish we knew how long it was going to take for us to get there. I wish we knew how to tell the teachers when we would be arriving. The first of our language barriers goes up.

We try to “freshen up” in the bus bathroom. It's challenging to stand still on a barreling bus and all the more intimidating when there is a sloshing bucket of water (used for flushing) lapping at the sides of the bucket next to you. I pull the wrinkled sleaved shirt from my bag... first impressions are important. I may look and feel disgusting, but I will do it with covered shoulders and toes!

We arrive. We call our Thai teachers. We can't understand them and they cannot understand us. We hand the phone to the bus driver. He looks really confused but takes the phone. He speaks what seems like rapid-fire Thai, hands the phone back to Tim and points us toward some doors leading to the bus terminal.

We go in...no one approaches. How will we know them? Actually, it doesn't matter, we stick out like a couple of sore and grimmey thumbs. They'll find us.
People stare...we stand smiling and occasionally shift locations to attempt an escape from the many eyes. Impossible.

Finally. “Teem! Lisa!” I was so nervous about this first introduction all I really remember is Tim and I gave a couple of fly wais. We have practiced during our training classes, in our hotel room and even on the bus ride to Nonsung. Tim may be “Mr. Media Kids,” but I proudly hold the silver medal for the best female wai. I was shown up by a Philippino, she has the most fly wai of them all. I think it must be proximity that gave her the edge. Darn. Maybe next year.
We wai, we eat, I drink a cup of coffee in attempts to quiet my pounding headache and we're off to our new home... or so we thought. We are desperately looking forward to a shower but instead we are going to the school. “That's okay,” they are excited to show us the school.


Taken from the English Department.

Hmm, why are there students here? We thought the students were on vacation? “Students are here?” we ask timidly.
“Yes, yes. Students are here.”


During morning assembly each day this area is full of NonSungSriTani's 2000+ students.


Taken from the 2nd floor balcony outside of our office. The school campus is beautiful. It looks more like a college campus than a highschool.

We are brought up to the English department, “the office.”
“Here are your desks,” say our beaming Thai teachers. “Ajarn (teacher) Gowit can make the schedule for you to teach next week.”
“So, are the students here during vacation?”
“No, no. Not on vacation.”

Tim and I begin to piece it together bit by bit as we ask the same questions in different ways.
The students have been back from vacation since Thursday (the day before). We are indeed at school, on a school day meeting teachers, assistant directors and being shuffled around campus in front of students. First impressions are important. We are dying.

After we wai each person that we are introduced to we try to explain that we were not expecting to come to school, we have been on a bus all day, we don't look very nice...

We get the impression that the English department wants to have a welcoming dinner. We express that we would like to buy a nice shirt, our bags are in Bangkok and we would like to change before dinner. The school wants to buy us some King's shirts (I will never escape uniforms and dresscodes). The yellow polo King's shirt is worn on Mon and Tues. The good news is I can wear pants on these days. Whoo-hoo!

We are driven to a shop and we try to find clothes. “Pants, are pants okay?” I ask Ajarn Dang. “No, pants. Skirts” Language barrior #? I've lost track at this point. Actually pants are okay with the King's shirt. I learned this from my neighbor P.O., she's a teacher and a God-send. More about her later. So I buy a black skirt and a King's shirt. Tim gets a pair of dark brown pants and his King's shirt. We are ready for dinner. Well almost.

We are taken to our house and shown around. It is fantastic, I'll describe it later. The two teachers Ajarn Dang and Ajarn Puchilom wait while we shower. Oh, the pressure!
We shower, put on our new clothes and we are driven to dinner.

Turns out to be just the four of us, not the big English Dept dinner like we thought they were telling us. We didn't need to dress up at all. Not sure how that was miscommunicated, but we were delighted to be in clean clothes anyway.

They order dinner for us and we, finally for the first time since we arrived, began to relax. We enjoyed a delicious dinner and some conversation, sometimes understanding one another and sometimes not, but smiles dominated the evening. They told us that Thai culture is “relax” and we “can be okay.” And we were. Very okay.

Ban Phe to Laos...

Taken from one of our favorite places to eat and drink with friends. Thai kids playing on the beach in Ban Phe.


Melians Beachside cafe. Great Pad Thai and happy hour.


Lisa at Sue's Seaside Cafe. Our favorite lunch spot. All you can eat, 30 baht and ladies first. Neither are customary here in Thailand.

Hmm...where to begin. Once again we have let too much time pass between now and our last update. Diligent and loving though you all may be, I know that I could not pack in all the things we have been up to and have you stop to read about it. If you are anything like me (Lisa) you skip over long e-mails and such to read later when you have more time. The problem is that sometimes (most-times), later never comes. So, in honor of my lazy self, I will try to keep this short, sweet and limited only to the best of the best.

Leaving Ban Phe:


Our Hotel, Pines Beach...a novel in itself.

Tim won the Mr. Media Kids award for his fabulous teaching skills. I am proud to mention that he earned the nickname “Teacher Tim,” from the folks that observed him teaching during our training. When he was presented with the Media Kids sash (much like the dmns dubbing sashes) the whole room was chanting “Teacher Tim, Teacher Tim.” It was a riot.


Teacher Tim, exhausted but still smiling.


Our walk from the hotel to teacher training. Dog dodging was the name of the game. Write and ask for pictures if you are interested.


Dear Mamma. This was our surogate mother. She made the best breakfast in town. Mamma is a type of noodle and the name of her food shop but she let us call her Mamma anyway.


Birthday party in Ban Phe. This evening ended up in the hotel pool. Thank goodness for chlorine!

We managed to pawn off 7 of our bags on Media Kids so we could travel light to Laos. Yes!
By the way, 4 of those are work bags (2 of our own and 2 we acquired from Media Kids, full of curriculum).

Laos:
Essential background info.
A. 15ish of us were crossing into Laos to get Immigrant B work visas for Thailand. I do not understand why you have to leave the country for this, but you must.
B. It costs $30 American dollars to get into Laos. Or the equivalent in Baht. Dollars are best.
C. The company we have been hired by brought the money for this transaction and were doling it out to those who had finished their paperwork. Slow Jones failed to grab onto the free-flowing $10s and $20ies and select $100s.

“The system”
1. You go to one window to receive the proper paperwork.
2. Fill it out, don't mess up.
3. You go to another window to hand it to a gruff man.
*Note: This gruff man may choose to ignore you for a solid 5 minutes (and he did). Although it had nothing to do with me, I could feel the eyes behind me in the long line piercing my back and trying to cause my instantaneous combustion so they could move up one in line.
4. Then, your paperwork, money and passport disappear for a duration of time.
*Note: Getting your paperwork through to window #1 does not mean that the others behind you will be processed after you.
5. A woman (or so I am assuming one was attached to the hand) slides open the same window that your original paperwork was passed through, gives 3 or 4 solid taps with passport in hand. 6. Hopefully you are watching because if you miss it, the magic hand will disappear along with your passport. Revert to #4.
*Note: The magic hand is mysterious and unpredictable.

**If you give more than $30, you will not get your change until the magic hand produces it with your passport. This unforeseen part of “the system,” caused Lisa and an unlucky few to not have money until others were processed. (Refer to C on essential background info.)

7. You pass by a booth where your documents are scrutinized. If approved your passport will be vehiminatley stamped and scribbled on.
8. You will pass one last table where you can see a van load of hot people waiting for you to hurry up and received your final approval to enter Laos.


In short, we had to spend an extra night in Laos because by the time we all finished, the Thai embassy had stopped accepting visa paperwork.



Taken from the balcony of our hotel in Vientiane, Laos.

But it all worked out well in the end. We had fresh baguettes, wine, and hot showers in Laos. The people there were very friendly and Tim and I had some adventurous meals (ask us about this sometime). We also indulged in a sauna and massage located in a small hut surrounded by tropical flora. The people there spoke English incredibly well. When we asked where they had learned to speak, the answer was the spa itself. It attracted so many foreigners that not only do they speak English but Thai and French as well. Humbling.
I have to describe this quickly.
We were greeted in English, “Would you like a sauna and a massage?” We used two Lao phrases we know, “Sabai-dee,” (hello) followed by “yes, cup jai” (thank you).
The hut was built up off of the ground so a fire could be kindled underneath to create heat for the sauna. I would say the sauna could seat 6. We were given serongs to wrap up in and then we stepped into a steamy room that was impossible to see in at first. We sat in the sauna sweating like crazy and soaking up the smell of the fresh herbs they put in the steaming water. When it was too hot to handle we walked out into the hot Laos air which felt cool in comparison. We were offered a seat and some tea at a table horse-shoed with seating and other sweaty guests.
You may go into the sauna as many times as you want before you dry off and get your massage. Scrumptulescent, as Paul would say.

Okay, okay, I'm going to stop.

For you map lovers out there we were in the capital of Laos along the Mekong River, I'll let you look it up.


Ocean Creatures, Scrumptulescent! You may know them as Goldfish.


Market in Laos.


Best iced coffee in Southeast Asia so far.
I want more.


The Arch de Triumph of Laos given as a gift by the Chinese. It is larger than the one in France, partly to spite the colonizing Frenchies. Ha.


The ceiling of the arch. The first time we saw this it was at night and there was someone watching T.V. in the leg of the arch. Weird, someone lives in there.


You can climb the seven floors to the top for 3,000 kip (falong price), if you are Asian 2,000 kip. This is about 30 cents, a reasonable fare we thought.


This one is especially for Sherri, who requested more nasal shots.