Monday, December 13, 2010
Expats, Backpackers, Tourist, oh my!
I have decided there are several types of foreigners in Thailand. You have expats, the foreigner who is here for work. Expats have homes and sometimes families, but because they are here for work they are clean and have a purpose. They understand and generally are more respectful to the natives.Then you have backpackers. There is some Thai word for them which I think in Thai means bird shit because apparently that is what they look like. There are those backpackers that do not bathe, wear Birkenstocks and keens, smoke, have dreads and long beards, and wear very hippy, loose clothing. This is not all backpackers, but I am accurately describing the 5 people sitting across from me at the guesthouse or hostel I am at right now. There are also clean backpackers who are traveling around the world before they settle down into jobs. They are respectful, adventurous, and interested in the culture. Then you have the Ashram crew – the people who are hear for a month to practice yoga , meditation, and live out in a temple. Finally, you have the tourist who is just in Thailand for a week. They are decently dressed, have canon cameras, and are here to see the sights and enjoy the great shopping.
This weekend is my first experience with the backpacking crew. Five other Fulbrights and myself are staying in a cute, clean, little quest house/ dormitory/hostel and splitting a 6 person room with a bathroom. For about $3 dollars a night it is amazing! In the lobby is a great meeting area to discuss the previous travelers of the other guest and hear their story.
I was dropped off this morning my one of my teacher’s cousins and his girlfriend. They were coming to the city to spend the weekend studying at the local university. It is so different being so connected to a community and then coming to the backpacking community who are live a nomadic, unconnected life. I really feel like I have connections in my community, and I further realized this 15 minutes after I was dropped off- My Thai ride called to make sure I was safe and had met my friends.
It is so strange because in my community I am so conscience about what I wear and how I dress because I do not want to disrupt or offend any local values. The backpacking community, however, wears skimpy dresses and short shorts. This atmosphere is kind of nice because it offers a few days to be more of myself. I am not wearing skimpy clothes, but I do feel more comfortable to wear shorts or skirts that come above my knee, and I feel more comfortable wearing sunglasses because among westerners this is not a sign of flaunting wealth.
The backpacking community only offered another fold in confusion of my identity here in Thailand. I am not a tourist, I am not a local, and I am not a backpacker, but I do have many friends and a community I am attached to. I don’t have any answers, but I have gained a lot of sympathy for those who travel/move to another country for extended periods of time. Often it feels like I have left Earth and landed on Mars, and the voyage is rather humorous.
The acidental funeral
Today, accidentally, I attended the 5th day of the funeral ceremony. Unlike American culture, funerals last several days. The average is 7 days, but with the kings birthday on Monday the ceremony had to be shortened (monks are not allowed to perform sad ceremonies on the kings birthday apparently). The richer a family is the longer the ceremony and vice versa with poorer families. I found out all this information from a family relatives, a 30 year old female accountant from Bangkok, who had come up for the final day of the funeral. Along with her excellent English skills, she also had an amazing perspective. She said “I think one of the biggest things you will learn is Thai culture, and when you understand how we think, then we will have a more peaceful world. The community will also come to understand you.” Because of this mindset she took the liberty to explain many of the aspects of the ceremony.
I have heard the monk chanting for several nights because the temple wall lies about 15 feet from my home, and the monks use a microphone and speakers to projects the chants to the community. I was not aware of all the actions that took place until now. First the closest relative of the deceased gave a prayer, then a monk sat up on a platform and performed some sort of prayer that last about thirty minutes. From what I could understand the monk then gave a 30 minute recap of the deceased life. This was followed by more chanting with the three other monks including one 10 year. The closest relative then read the names of everyone who had donated money, and the donor came up to the monks and offered food, incense, or monk robes.
The three hour ceremony was concluded with a meal. Apparently it has become a new tradition to offer your guest snacks in a box. My “funereal narrator” told me that with ceremonies lasting so long, you want to be polite to your guest and let them take the meal home. She also added that in a village like mine many of the guests are farmers and have had a very long day at work. In Bangkok funerals only last 45 minutes to hour. The final interesting tradition is that the meal is not supposed to be anything long like a noodle, because this would represent a long time to mourn. Instead the food should be snacks and something cut up; however, long items are often served at weddings to represent a long marriage.
As I mentioned I accidently found myself at the funeral. One of my teachers, PiOy had told me that I could meet PiPie at 7 O’clock in the temple to discuss my travel arrangements for tomorrow, or at least that is what I thought I translated. I arrived at the temple at seven O’clock and was greeted with “sit down”. Before I realized any different the ceremony had started. This is one of the great things about Thailand. I never really know where the day is going to take me, or what wonderful people I am going to meet. I learned so much about the village and funerals and was able to share in a very intimate ceremony with a family. One of the elderly ladies I met that night said it best in her broken English “You not leave Thailand because soon you have many family here.”
The White Out Effect
My students love to copy. It is not in a malicious or sneaky way, but in a collective lets all be the same way. As I wrote before one of my peer teacher's has a rule that states : "You must work in groups on in-class assignments." I tried to fight this concept at first, and I still do when I think it is hindering my students from thinking on their own, but I am not as adiment as I once was.
However, My grandmother sent me a quote today that really synthesized the problem with all the collective copying: Mediocre ideas enjoy copying what happens to be working right this minute.
I find that my students will white out some great idea they had because it is not exaclty as the person next to them had, and then copy their peer's work. For example last week we were learning about "MY SCHOOL". I had the students draw in groups a brian web of differnt ways to describe their school ( I used groups because I don't have enough paper for all my studenst, and they are often more confident with vocab with others). When I was checking the brain webs I noticed that several of the groups had whited out great things they had written just because it was not one of the main concepts I had covered. For example, I had one group white out "garden" and other group white out "44 teachers". I want my students to be creative and think beyond what is working right now, but it is a hard concept for them to grasp especially with the readily avialilble white out pen.
For now I will contine to say "OK, OK, Good" and maybe overtime the white out pens will slowly disappear from my class. It is not that I have a problem with them correcting grammar and spelling with pens, but I feel that erasing good ideas is draining individual thinking. I would reather my students try and make mistakes then not try at all.
Sunday, November 28, 2010
The Taxi Scam
Robert H. Schuller
Song Tao (Public Transportation via covered truck)
After a wonderful Thanksgiving weekend in Bangkok with my Fulbright family, I had a plane to catch at 7am Sunday morning to my village, Lampang. I wake up 15 minutes later than I had expected, rush to get ready, and have the hotel attendant call me a cab. By 5:20 I was in a cab on my way to the airport, and then my morning went downhill. I asked the driver to turn on the meter because Taxi drivers are notorious for charging foreigners outrageous fees. His response was “No! 500 Baht round trip.” I asked again for the meter, and he refused. The smart decision would have been to get out right then, but we were already driving down a city road. I thought to myself- I am running 15 minutes late, and 500 baht is only about 100-200 baht more than what some of my friends had paid to get to the airport. “If he can get me there on time for 500 baht then I would be happy” I thought to myself. The lack of cabs in the morning and just not wanting to deal with the frustration furthered my decision to finally say “ok but reo reo” quickly “Jet Mohng Chao fly” flight at 7:00 am.
With no morning traffic this should have been a 40 minute drive, and I thought I would be there by 6:00 or 6:10. About 30 minutes into the drive we still had not gotten onto the highway or crossed the bridge I knew was the way to get to the highway. Finally at about 5:50 I ask “where/ what in Thai” because I knew we were still far away. His response was “no gas, I take you friend. Same price.”
It was then I started doubting that I would ever make it to the airport. We pulled over and he started to talk to another taxi driver- clearly trying to pawn me off. We stopped three times before we finally pulled into a gas station and a taxi driver agreed to take me to the airport. I had no idea what to do. If I got out I was lost in the city with my luggage in the car. I was already way behind schedule, and there was the language barrier. I get into the other taxi and say quickly again and try in my limited Thai to explain my flight was at 7:00, and we must go fast.
I thought I was finally in the clear and was actually going to go to the airport, but of course that is not the way the morning continued. The taxi slowly pulled over and asked for the money to pay the toll fee. I reluctantly gave it just thinking maybe he would take me to the airport. He then gets out of the taxi and starts walking down the street. I ask “arei Arei” what what? “Kun tee ni” you where, and he points to a skinny little man walking down the street with a lunch box and says “new driver”.
By this time my frustration and helplessness had reached a boiling point, and I just start to cry. I was so bewildered and frazzled that my emotions got the best of me. The crazy thing about living in another country is I feel like sometimes I can’t take care of myself because I have idea where I was or what people are saying. I pick up my phone to call the director of the program hoping at least she can threaten the taxi driver or communicate in Thai, but thankfully I saw the highway and knew we were actually going to the airport. The poor little driver turned his mirror to look at this crazy, shaken foreigner, and he really did try to go as fast as he could.
I finally arrive at counter of the airport almost 2 hours later – 15 minutes before my flight is supposed to take off. The gates had closed and my tickets were not transferable. Again I feel tears starting to swell in my eyes because there is only one flight to my village every day, and I just couldn’t stay in Bangkok another day.
I thought to myself there is no time or use for self pity. It is not going to get me home, and it was only going to delay the process of finding another solution. After talking to the “Fulbright mom”, I decided I would go to Chang Mai, a city about 60 Kilos from my home. Getting on the flight I had no idea how I was going to make it those final 60 kilos home, but I just thought to myself I was going to learn the public transportation system real fast.
Surprisingly finding a bus station was not very difficult. I found a taxi counter in Chang Mai which first tried to offer me an outrageous 1,500 taxi fee to take me home, but the moment I started talking Thai and saying this was so expensive they were shocked. I had an extremely nice taxi driver with some limited English due to the vast amount of foreigners who visit Chang Mai, but I was also very proud of explaining in Thai why I wanted to go to Lampang.
I arrive at the bus stop and find that the bus to Lampang was pulling out of the station in one minute. The man at the service counter just said “ Now go go,” and pointed to a public bus. I first asked the price and when to pay trying to avoid any further scandals.
The bus was slightly dingy and reminded me of the crowded bus from the opening scene of Romancing the Stone ( I think that is the title), but I was so close to getting home that I didn’t even think twice about comfort. I start to look through my bag to call my host teacher and ask her for a ride from the bus station, but no cell phone is to be found. By this time there was no obstacles that could surprise me, and I just thought to myself “ what doesn’t kill you only makes you stronger.”
The bus ride was surprisingly normal besides the one stop in which the police officer walked through the entire bus asking for identification. He escorted some young lady off the bus who had a pink slip of paper as her ID. I have no idea what become of her, but can only hope it was nothing serious.
With no cell phone, I arrived at the Supermarket about 10 Kilos from my home and catch a Sorng Tao, a truck with a covered bed and two benches, to the front of my village. I had never taken this mode of transportation, but now seemed like a great time to learn. I walked the final 3 Kilos down a dirt road with my bright red luggage behind me- clearly this was a surprising scene for the villagers, but I was just so happy to be back in the community that at least recognized who I was and would not try to swindle me even further.
My nerves were completely shocked, but I decided to reward my self sufficiency with a large bowl of rice noodles, fried bananas, and double stuffed Oreos my aunt had sent me. The experience was truly trying, but I learned that I could overcome many obstacles on my own in a foreign country in which I barely speak the language. I have been struggling with the lack of self sufficiency since I had arrived, but today under fire I was able to achieve.
I learned that my teachers and the Fulbright family were extremely supportive and worried about my crazy, bad fortune. At about 6 PM I wake up from a nap with one of English teachers yelling my name outside my window. She gives me the biggest hug and says in broken English “My daughter. This good experience for you. This you learn and remember.” Then she reaches into her pocket and pulls out my phone. For the first time today I was completely shocked in a good way. Apparently she was in Chang Mai for the day and had stopped by the airport on her way home to look for my phone. It is not currently working for some reason, but the time and care she had shown me reminded me that there will be an upswing.
Tuesday, November 23, 2010
My School
My village has about 500 homes, and only the poorer children attend my school. Apparently those with more money or those who have tested high go to the large school in the city. My school is a government run institution in which almost all of the students will only finish M3 (9th grade) before they go to work for their families. Many of the boys will be rice farmers. In fact my experience cutting rice as noted earlier was at the home of one of my 9th graders. The girls will either cook and take care of the home if the family job is labor intensive or the girls will assist with the business, such is the case for the many families that sell food out of their home. The students in the middle school have already decided or rather it has been decided for them that they will not attend a university (because if they were to attend a university they should be taking more rigorous class in the city school). There are a few students (10 out of roughly 90 ninth graders) that will attend M4-M6 (10th-12th grade), but the high school they will be attending is geared towards technical work or careers like working in a 7-11 or as a bank teller.
The lack of opportunity and wealth of my students was solidified in my mind when I was told about the upcoming school competition. I was all excited because I knew that some of my fellow ETAs were discussing such English competitions at their schools, and I thought I would have the opportunity to help judge or coach my students. I was told however my students would only compete in computer, Thai music, and Thai dance. The teacher explained that my students were not competitive in tradition subjects such as English, Math, or Science compared to the large well-funded city schools. I know my students have holes in their socks, sometimes as many at three toes wide. I know my some of my students have rotted out teeth. I know that I have students at false false beginner level English, but I also know that the lack of opportunity is not a reason to not expect my students to achieve. In one year I cannot help these students change the course in which their life is on, and for some of these students I wouldn’t want to. Changing the course would be disrupting the unity of the village, the way of the life, or the self sufficiency of the community (read Thailand’s Self Sufficiency Policy-interesting stuff).
In one year I can hopefully encourage the love of knowledge, of creativity, and critical thinking. In one year maybe I can provide problem solving tools in which they can use for the rest of their life. With a system so ingrained with rote learning (teacher says and student does, repeat, drill, drill, drill) maybe critical thinking will be a huge tool in their life. For example one of my peer teacher drills the students on present perfect and past tense- which honestly I don’t even remember these concepts. I try not to focus on what the students are saying, but using what they know to communicate. I had one student the other day write “Lampang has car horse”, which may not have been the correct word for the horse carriages Lampang is famous for, but I was able to form a picture and understand what he was saying.
The hardest concept for me is those few students who dream of attending a University, but this opportunity will never be an option, and I use the concrete word never intentionally. These students don’t have the money or the opportunity to attend the city school which prepares them for University. Some of the students would have no transportation the 15 Kilometers into the city or their families need them to work in the home in the afternoon. However, many of my students have not tested high enough when leaving B6 (6th grade) to be placed in the university prep school. I don’t have an answer for predicament, but only a greater appreciation for American school system (although I know the American school system has its own gaps and barriers).
rice farming, and driving
On Saturday evening I went to dinner with one of my friends from the village. They cut me to a really cute riverside restaurant which overlooked the float boat making for the upcoming festival. The scary part was the father had two beers for dinner, something I thought very little of. This is until he had to drive us home. I have never felt more terrified in my life. I don’t know if there is just not the concept of no drinking and driving, but for some reason neither of the other two people I was with (both of whom can drive) offered to drive. There were times when he would randomly jerk the wheel to avoid nothing and we would all fly to the left or the right. There was a time we drifted into the left margin, and the huge car accident I had before coming to Thailand flashed in my mind. Luckily the wife jerked the wheel and we avoided spinning out of control. I didn’t really know what to do or say. The one person who spoke English had her head down with embarrassment and stayed silent the entire ride home. I don’t know how to drive stick, but I was very close to offering to drive. We made it home slowly with the driver only falling asleep at the wheel once at a stoplight. When we finally pulled up to my gate, my friend with little English said “ sorry I think he drink.” I had nothing to say for the driver was a director of a school, a very respected position in Thailand, the wife was a teacher at my school and they also spoke no English. It was one of those surreal experiences where I just felt totally culture shoked.
The following morning I continued the weekend’s pattern by spending the day cutting rice, literally. One of the brother’s of a teacher in my school wanted to show me what many of my student’s family did for a living. He took me to a farm about 5 Kilos from my school. I was given a tradition cone hat and a rounded knife – it almost looked more like a hook. Even though it was about 90 degrees out, the farmer insisted I put a jacket on to avoid the sun.
So I ended up in a rice field drenched in sweat cutting rice by the handfuls and then laying them in stacks to dry for four days. The crazy part is the man who brought me just walked away and said OK I will be right back. So there I was in the middle of the rice field by myself for roughly thirty minutes. I didn’t know whether to continue or if this was some cruel joke he was playing on the silly foreigner. He finally returned with a camera in hand to take picture to send to my family. These pictures are soon to come when he sends them to me.
The Upswing
Expect the Upswing
“Expect the Upswing” was something the 2009 ETAs had written on the board in our one meet and greet session. I was not fully aware of how powerful the upswing could be until today. The crazy thing about living abroad it that there are such high moments combined with some low moments, and you never really know which kind of day it is going to be- at least this has been in the beginning.
I live in a village with no foreigners and the nearby city does not host many foreigners either. This is not really a problem until one hasn’t had a full English sentence in three weeks with someone who really understands that it is not appropriate to call someone fat, for example.
It had been a challenging week. My students have started to understand that I don’t speak Thai, and they mumble jokes to each other in class or they were super talkative and didn’t understand that they should be quiet. Since my students have never seen a foreigner they like to touch me and my things or stare at me over my shoulder while I create lesson plans in the outdoor classroom. I had only lady tell me I had very hair arms- which of course I do compared to the hairless arms of Asians, and I had another lady touch my side saying that I will get fat if I stay in Thailand because of all the Kanoms (snacks).The point of explaining briefly some of the frustrations is to help understand how I was feeling going into Friday Afternoon. Sometimes just always having to talk slowly or not being able to communicate what you want or don’t want can be draining.
On Saturday morning one of the men, Annop, and two if his friends I meet through a teacher in the village came to pick me up to go to a charity function. Just to clear up any safety concerns, this man is probably between 50 and 60’s because he is the older brother of the primary school English teacher who is 54. He ran for Senator in Lampang in 98 and is retired professor who now organizes community projects.
We arrive at a Temple in which there is a procession about 50 Thais dressed in tradition ceremonial outfit caring ornate offerings and money trees, and instantly I am dragged to the front of the parade and instructed to do the traditional Thai dance around the temple three times. The moment was priceless and truly reminded me of the cultural experience I am having.
I continued to watch as the monk blessed all those who had given to temple, and there was a short prayer about the five truths (I think that is what Annop said): Do not steal, Do not lie, DO not adultery, Do not kill animals, Do not drink. I bowed my head and gave thanks for all that I have been given and the beginning of an upswing, and asked for strength during the cultural misunderstandings. Although of course my day would not be complete without doing something wrong- I put the image of Buddha in my pocket, and received a lecture for putting Buddha so close to “my woman parts” then was instructed he has to be kept high out of respect. The Low was back again.
I had my five minutes of self pity, and then washed up and gathered my strength for another outing with a college-aged friend, a cousin of another teacher in my school. We had met the week early when at 9 O’clock on a Saturday morning my neighbor had let her in the front gate and led her to my door. In my pajamas I was greeted “ I…want friend with you.”
I think we had gotten over the first few meetings of awkwardness and understood that our cultural differences should not be taken as offensive behaviors, but rather a respected difference in values (not that that means communications is any easier). We spent a casual day at the school supply store and making crafts for her school project. I think I counted the adventure as a success because during our outing she was not right on top of me or telling me what to do the entire time. Because I am foreign to many of the rituals and customs I am often treated like a child. “Eat this”, “try this” “don’t use a fork for that” “ don’t eat that with this” “move here” “Say KopKun Ka (Thank-you). Often I get told “say this, do this, eat that” so many times I don’t feel like the 22 year old that traveled 9,000 miles on her own. I get treat like the five year old kindergarteners who share the same building as my home. The hour of casual interaction being treated like the independent self-sufficient person was a breath of fresh air.
Education System’s Cultural Differences
In the second week I thought it would be very beneficial to teach the difference in ask/ say and my/ yours. There are times as an EFL (English as a foreign language) that I do not want to the students to simply repeat after me, but ask their neighbor “what is your name” and have their partner answer.
During much of my training many of the lectures urged that we not speak any Thai. Apparently having students figure out what the word means rather than translation creates a deeper comprehension for the word. Students memorize the action or the picture rather than first translating in Thai. Well… I don’t know what magic wand those teaches used to demonstrate ask and say, but after about 50 minutes of demonstration and picture drawing I still do not think my students understood the concepts. I had to take a deep breath several times and say “ok” under my breath while I thought of a different way to demonstrate.
The kicker is that Tuesday is my highest performing class. Tomorrow I teach 4th graders who I constantly have to tell “ngiep ngiep noi” shut your mouth and “yut” stop when they touch each other. So as much as it must be frowned upon, I think I have to use some Thai in order to teach classroom procedure.
So I have briefly discussed some of the differences such as I do not give the students grades, have a roster, or know the school calendar, but today I got a better understanding of the rote style of learning (teacher gives info, children repeat and memorize, drill, drill, drill).
I have been teaching my students very simple dialogue : “what is your name” or “what do you like”. It took me sometime, but by the end of class we were able to complete a short dialogue and ask various partners speed dating style. But then yesterday one of my teachers was late to class because she had a meeting on building construction. (Even if the teacher does not come to class the students are supposed to sit in class and work in their book which basically means they talk to their friends).I was going to be in the class for the next hour waiting for my host teacher to take me to lunch, so I decide (like an American) that I am going to help them with their book work and draw, act, and ask questions about their book work. I start to read the dialogue out loud, and it is a very detailed paragraph about Ken moving to the City and what he likes (ex. Public transportation and sports activities at Rangers stadium). I am completely shocked by the level of difficulty in the paragraph they are reading. How are they able to read this, but not answer where are you from?
The answer is rote learning. These students are expected to repeat vocabulary after the teacher, translate paragraphs with dictionaries, but rarely do they ever make decisions on their own and do something creative. For example today I instructed pick any three words on the board and write them on your paper. I asked the teacher after class why this was such a difficult concept to instruct, and she said “This is not the Thai way. Thai teacher says and student does. They are very afraid of writing the wrong thing and getting a bad mark.”
Overall the biggest difference I have noticed is the lack of individuality. Students get very uncomfortable when you tell them to do something that is gray or not clearly defined by the teacher. It is not that this is a horrible thing, but it is just hard for me to grasp when I am so used to as an American making decisions on my own and writing different answers than my partner.
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
Turkey Day with primary kids
Thanksgiving Americans eat (act out) and say (act out and said in Thai) Thank you. Then I taught food, family, good health, and friends. Once they understood these four words I had them write (kian) and draw (waat) a picture (ruup) of one of the four words on Turkey feathers which were taped to a turkey I made. It always takes students a long time to pick one because it is not a concept they are used to as I described in an earlier blog. Then to practice speaking skills they had to say "Thank-you for ----" as they placed their feather on the Turkey. This all sounds very simple, but I have to give credit to these ten year olds who can funtion in an almost entirely English class.
I spent the second word going over and drilling words like quiet, ask, say, sit down, hands to yourself. It was one of the hardest and worst lessons I have ever had to give, but now when the student can accomplish a simple task as putting feathers on a turkey with English instructions it is a really big deal! Instructions are a really good English learning tool, but also can be horrible if they are not able to understand. It took me awhile to learn that simple instructions that are clear and can use hand movements to demonstrate are much better that activities that require a lot of explaining- this means sometimes I have to pass on a really good lesson plan I find because of the instructions.
Monday, November 15, 2010
Do as the Thais Do
It is not that I am lowering my expectations, which it took me awhile to realize, but I need to teach in a way that is not totally foreign to them or order to be able to get some of the material across.
On a downer note I learned that of my 93 9th graders only 10 are going onto 10th grade next year. 9th grade or M3 is the last required level. They will start working next year as vendors, in the service industry, or in a factory my host teacher informed me. Luckily some will spend a year or so gaining some tech or service related education. I knew I was assigned to an extremely poor school with students with few opportunities, but it is hard to teach students in their last year or education who may never use English.
I thought about this a lot, but I realized that I never know how this year will effect these students. It may be that they use English once with a foreigner, or are able to navigate the web, or it just maybe that I helped them understand foreigners a little better.For those who are in the lower level I think a big part of what I am doing is preparing them to have other foreign teachers. So next year when the second Fulbright comes to my school they wont have to spend a month teaching that it is OK to answer questions on your own every once and awhile. or maybe they will know the difference in say and ask or maybe they will know that foriegners have a difference sense of space, time, and privacy.
The process of teaching make me want to write every teacher I have ever had and let them know I may not remember everything they taught, but I remember how I felt and how they taught.
Saturday, November 6, 2010
New Home
I had no predecessor or contact with my school because I am the very first American, actually the very first foreigner, to ever teach at my school. The lack of information exchange led to a have lack of expectations about my new home and my new school. I had no idea how to even imagine what this experience would be like, but as I sit out on my balcony in the second floor of the old kindergarten building watching 24 adorable 5 year run around in the playground that is my front yard I am very pleasantly surprised.
It is very hard to explain my new home and my new school to those who have not visited Thailand, because everything about this experience has been very uniquely Thai. My home for instance is the traditional classroom building- A cinderblock first floor frame with shudders for windows and a wooden second floor. As you guessed the glassless windows implies I do not have air conditioning. I do not have hot water or internet either.
But it is very easy to overlook what I don’t have because I have been blessed with so much!
The school turned this classroom building into a mini home for me, and I use the word home very intentionally. The care that went into supplying me with all the necessities and comforts truly is appreciated. I have a kitchen with a 2 liter hot water heater (which I also use to heat my bucket shower), a microwave, a sink, a refrigerator, and all the utensils and glassware I would need. I have a bathroom with a western toilet and a cold water shower hose above the sink (there is no shower stall, but rather the whole bathroom is three inches sunken into the ground with all the excess water running into a central drain). My bedroom was supplied with fresh sheets and a newly bought pillow, and adjacent to my bedroom is a changing room stocked with a closet, a drying rack, and a plethora of hangers.
The living conditions are very simplistic, but the privacy (of sorts because right now I have three kindergartners waving hello to me), the warmth, the safety, and the locations could not get much better. My school is right in front of a gorgeous red and gold plated wat ( a Thai temple)which I have the keys to unlock and enter if the gate is ever closed and parallel to an amazing noodle shop. Roughly 100 meters down the dirt road is a traditional Thai market. Today I went about bought banana custard kanoms (desserts), red curry noodles, and pomegranates, but there is an assortment of raw fruits and vegetables, hot dishes, take-home dishes, clothing, and of course formaldehyde fish (apparently a specialty ).
The amazing part about being in Lumpang, and Thailand in general, is the small community atmosphere I have encountered. I feel like I have three moms, five aunts, two uncles, and hundreds of younger brothers and sister. Everyone treats you as if you are a part of their extended family if not treating you like you are their daughter. For instance there is one teacher, the Thai cooking teacher, who insist that I call her mah(mother), and the best part is she invites me to eat lunch with her – the meal her and her students have prepared in the prior class.
I wish I had pictures to better explain my living conditions and my school; however I had the unlucky experience of breaking my camera in the first month of moving abroad. Fortunately after many phone calls and persistent pressure from my mom, Nikon is repairing and sending me a camera. When this happens I will update my blog with many pictures in order assist explaining this crazy beautiful experience.
I could not end this blog without giving details about the reason I am here: teaching. I was told I would not start teaching until next week, but this is Thailand and details are never concrete. So I walked into class and my co-teacher said “introduce yourself and begin a lesson.” Thankfully I had taught in Bangkok and had a general outline of a successful introductory class. I started the day with five facts about myself: My name, where I am from, how many brothers and sisters I have, how old I am, and what I like to do on the weekends. We played a drill game on vocab and sentence structure, roleplayed how to ask question and give the answers, practice dialogues speed-dating styles, and created a flier about ourselves using the five facts taught throughout class.
Today I taught my highest level students- three blocks an hour each of 9th graders. Like any class there were some students who comprehended the lesson and students who did not. There were students who were shy. There were students who drew in class. There were students who were loud and students who were extremely excited to meet a foreigner.
Unlike any class in America there are not strict class changes. I am supposed to dismiss my class at half past the hour and receive my next class at half past the hour and there are no bells. Clearly the value of time is not a priority. The first class I accidently dismissed 7 minutes late, but my students for my second class did not arrive until forty past the hour. The general system is that teachers aim to finish a lesson in an hour, but if you take an hour and ten minutes that is ok your students will just be late to their next class. The students wait in the outdoor hallway on bench until the teacher is finished with the class.
THIS could take some getting used to.
Also unlike a class in America I am not really giving the class grades. My goal is to improve the student’s conversation skills, encourage their interest in learning English, and provided cultural understanding of America. I can assign work and grade it, but I do not record these grades and give a final grade at the end of the year. Their English teacher who focuses on grammar and vocab will observe their participation and understanding and use it as a percentage of their final grade. So although I am a teacher who makes lesson plans and tries to increase my student’s knowledge there are no concrete results/scores I am technically trying to receive- a very interesting concept compared to the goals of my American peer teachers.
So in order to create a goal for students and myself, I must define result in my own terms without using grades (a-f) or number system (1-100) which is going to be a very complex concept. If I had the time and the resources I could evaluate my students and aspire to have them increase their comprehension from their current level, but I teach 14 different classes with 20-24 students in each class from 4-9th grade. This is at minimum 280 students…. So all I can say is: I don’t have this evaluation process figured out just yet. What I do know is I can broaden my student’s horizons and open the door to world. I can become a part of their community, and help them understand cultures outside their own.
In the month I have been here I have realized the more I travel the more I learn that the values and priorities of Thais (or any culture) are different then my own, and I can respect and understand them without compromising my own American values. Perhaps mutual understanding is one the best ways to promote a more peaceful world, but I guess that was the vision of Senator Fulbright when he created the program. Assisting in spreading this concept may be a better way of evaluating my teaching outcomes over the next year.