A Few Tidbits

I'm watching a really creepy show right now with puppets and miming and giant mosquitos, waiting another hour before I go to bed. I've thought of little things I've wanted to share over the past few days, so I'm going to do a common post for all of them.

No Thai babies for me...

I will not be bringing any little Thai children with me when I go back (despite them being ADORABLE, I think I will have my fill with approximately 17 classes per week). 

Instead, I plan on stealing this little thing:

SO CUTE!!! She's my uncle's little toy poodle.

Sleepy baby...

Thai accents

I speak Thai with most people here, but they often ask me how to say certain things in English. They have a hard time with certain sounds, like ch, sh, th, r, and final consonants. Most of the time they drop the final consonant, but not always. The letter t at the end of a word usually comes out as an s sound. This makes words like peanut slightly awkward for me when I'm teaching my uncle, my boss, or little children.

Go Alex go!

The other day, a few of the teachers at one of the schools were talking with me, and they agreed that my Thai was the best of all the foreigners that have come here!

Alright, that's all for now.

(I wish I could share this TV show with someone. It's really creeping me out.)

Good night!

Love,

Alex

Leia Mais…

The Best Funeral Ever

First a story...

(Molly?)

I left my fingernail clippers on the table downstairs last week, and I'm pretty sure my host mom did something with them. But I don't want to call attention to the fact that I forgot to pick them up, so I don't want to ask her for them back. My nails were getting really long, and I didn't know where to go to buy new ones. And I didn't really want to spend money for something I already owned.

Anyway. I went to a funeral with my host mom the other day. The dead man was a principal at a school not far from here, and apparently he drank a lot. Death is an interesting thing here. Nobody seems too concerned. Funerals are a common, and often lively, occasion. I don't know if it has to do with their religion's view of death, or the hugely-inclusive family atmosphere. (How much does it really matter when you have 800 other villagers in your family?)

Anyway, the funeral was at a temple. But not just any temple...Monkey Temple! (No, that's not the official name.) So while everyone else is listening to monks chant and people speak in Thai (both get old after the first 10 minutes or so), I watched monkeys try and steal decorations, climb on the temple buildings, and play together.

Then they gave us small souvenirs at the end. Nail clippers! Luckily my elation at this funeral didn't stand out too much, as everyone else seemed to have a pretty good time too.

I'd add pictures, but they're still on my camera and I don't feel like dealing with that now. Another time maybe.

Love,

Alex

Leia Mais…

Monkeys, Floating Markets, and Weddings

But not in that order.

Last weekend I was in Bangkok. I like the city less than I remembered. I guess when I was there, I was forced to see the best in it, because I was there, like it or not, for six months. It was beneficial to like it.

But it's huge, the traffic is exceptional, and the air is stifling. I couldn't wait to get back to my village where the air and water are clear, and the people and pace are relaxed.

I stayed with Palm and her family though, which was great. The first and third nights were at her aunt's house on the river. The house is new, and gorgeous. The second night we all went to Ampawa, about an hour and a half away from Bangkok. I've heard about the floating markets in Thailand, and I was really excited to go to one!

Palm and her dad (not a great picture to show them, but I like this picture anyway) eating bread in sweet dip at an old-fashioned coffee place:

Palm and her brother, P'Ban (again, not a good picture for seeing them, but I really like it):

I came back on the overnight bus, arriving in Sisaket around 5am. It's great being back. Oh, and my visa stuff went fine. I'm set for the next three months.

Today I went to a wedding in the morning with P'Pawn. Apparently the bride is only 17-years old. Kuen Mae said that people suspect she's pregnant...I didn't know that happened here. It was completely different from anything you'd see in the States, but I don't know all the rituals enough to explain here.

Then I went to see monkeys with P'Pawn!! We gathered [what seemed like] hundreds of mangos from the temple grounds first, loaded them onto her milk cart, and drove to the city. I've been wanting to go for weeks, so this was very exciting.

MONKEYS!

Monkey eating mango:

Hold on, little monkey!

I'm really eager to get back to work tomorrow. I'm not actually a fan of weekends, unless I have work to get done. What I'm really waiting for is the start of the school year again. The excitement of my English classes has worn off and I'm quite without students to teach lately. I've been working on the website for the office instead, which is fine with me!

With my host mom, my cousin, and their dog:

To the Wolverines: HAPPY SUMMER! GO BLUE!

Love,

Alex

Leia Mais…