WangSala School:
We drove past numerous schools on the way to this one; private schools, a catholic school but all I could keep thinking about was how am I going to stay in a dirty hut with a squat toilet and cold bucket baths? (This is the impression everyie got from the terrible pictures we were shown) The thought literally kept making me panic and the rough sleep I had the night before had not helped calm my nerves at all. I just needed to go see it and then I knew I was either coming home or staying for the long trip. Jo, the LoveTEFL leader, was being lovely through the whole journey trying to reassure me that it will be OK and that the girl before us lived here on her own and had a lovely time with the English teacher who had great English skills. Not even this could calm me but as you do in Thailand, I just smiled and nodded politely even though I was literally ready to get the next flight home.
Well the driver missed our school and kindly had to reminded by Jo that we passed it... Thanks Jo?! But as we pulled into the school I felt a sense of relief and things people had been saying to me over the last couple of days began to flood into my head. The reason why I actually came out to do this... the children. Giving the children here an opportunity to understand and learn something they may have never had a chance to learn before and having that great feeling when you teach a kid something new which they will use in their future. There were little kindergartens out playing on the little swing set in the garden of the school which was located behind a beautiful temple (little fyi: in Thailand the majority of schools share land with temples). The entrance to the school was beautifully tiled and we were met by PsySai (Auntie Sai) and the director, to whom we both 'waied' to (this is a form of greeting elders in which you bow your head and bring up your clasped hands, like you would in a temple). We were given the most amazing lemon cake (to be honest all the cake here is delicious as I've previously said!) and a refreshing callipo cup of water. We were handed our timetables and told this week at school is not it's usual routine as there would be an art, English, Math and singing competition here on Tuesday and the boys in the school would be going camping with the teachers Wednesday onwards. We were invited to go but I was already getting uneasy about squatting in a hut and I was bound to have a heart attack if I had to squat in the wild! So we casually unaccepted the invitation and said the mosquito's would be too painful.
So Jo found an English toilet... Woohoo. I felt a little bit of relief as this was my main concern and when she showed us where we were staying my heart and body felt totally at peace. OK, so it wasn't home or a hotel but it was a brick hut with netted stuff on the windows to keep out the mosquito's and a beautiful tiled inside room with four beds and two separate squat ensuites and a bucket bath tub with a hose. Seeing this whole place made me think, I can do this and with that my attitude changed. The boys at the school helped carried our stuff into my new home and we were then left with PsySai to guide us around the school and settle us in. The classrooms and school looked , to be honest, how I imagined it and the classrooms held between 20-30 students. There were wooden desks, chalk boards and piles of books along the side of the rooms.
PsySai:
She told us that we would be her daughters while we were here and she damn well treats us like it. She's already taken us on temple tours, a yarn factory and to the bridge over the river Kwai last week. She also kept us well fed with coconut breakfast and food at lunch and evening meals at the nearest town (Tha Muai). Shes given us bottled water, her iron and mirror and is constantly checking up on us. She's definitely like my mum away from home and greatly appreciate everything she's done so far and I know there's more to come. She has a daughter living in the UK who lived with a host family who treated her well so she's doing the same for us. Makes you still believe there are still good people in the world and that motherly love is universal.
School and settling in:
We attended the competition on Tuesday morning and were also surprised to see two others from the LoveTEFL course pop by with their school too- Rob and Will. Whilst we talked about our schools and how we getting on, we were also joined by a young american girl who was completing two and half years here teaching! Shes part of the peacecore and told us about the intense training she underwent to learn Thai and to settle into the Thailand culture. Brave one! Don't think I could do that for so long. Already feel four months away from home is hard and I'm only 11 days in.
Its been a hard transition coming here and I still feel like I'm settling in. Its one thing going away for a weekend but living on the other side of the world away from family, friends and my clothes is a massive culture and life shock. Yes I admit I've cried (more than once) whilst I've been here and I've been close to coming home but there's been a few voices (not in my head, if I listened to those I'd be home by now) that have reminded me why I wanted to do this and how much of an experience this will be for me. An opportunity of a lifetime. Without you guys I don't think I'd be ok (won't say I'm great) and be this content without what you've said. So thank you. I did panic, I did feel alone but I'm slowly accepting getting bitten, having arkward sleeps, being new and foreign away from comforts and protection. Its what I'm here for... And to master a squat toilet (which if I'm being totally frank about , isn't going too badly think I found the balance and my natural self- I'll say no more!).
Next stop a weekend in Kanchanaburi before I officially started teaching on Monday.
Images:
1. My school home
2. Sunset on the school grounds
3. School in the daytime
4. Yarn/ fabric factory
5. Coconut breakfast
6. Three way pork and noodles
7. School canteen on military day (day we arrived)
8. Temple
9. Art competitor made an amazing picture out of play dough
10. Bridge over the river Kwai
We drove past numerous schools on the way to this one; private schools, a catholic school but all I could keep thinking about was how am I going to stay in a dirty hut with a squat toilet and cold bucket baths? (This is the impression everyie got from the terrible pictures we were shown) The thought literally kept making me panic and the rough sleep I had the night before had not helped calm my nerves at all. I just needed to go see it and then I knew I was either coming home or staying for the long trip. Jo, the LoveTEFL leader, was being lovely through the whole journey trying to reassure me that it will be OK and that the girl before us lived here on her own and had a lovely time with the English teacher who had great English skills. Not even this could calm me but as you do in Thailand, I just smiled and nodded politely even though I was literally ready to get the next flight home.
Well the driver missed our school and kindly had to reminded by Jo that we passed it... Thanks Jo?! But as we pulled into the school I felt a sense of relief and things people had been saying to me over the last couple of days began to flood into my head. The reason why I actually came out to do this... the children. Giving the children here an opportunity to understand and learn something they may have never had a chance to learn before and having that great feeling when you teach a kid something new which they will use in their future. There were little kindergartens out playing on the little swing set in the garden of the school which was located behind a beautiful temple (little fyi: in Thailand the majority of schools share land with temples). The entrance to the school was beautifully tiled and we were met by PsySai (Auntie Sai) and the director, to whom we both 'waied' to (this is a form of greeting elders in which you bow your head and bring up your clasped hands, like you would in a temple). We were given the most amazing lemon cake (to be honest all the cake here is delicious as I've previously said!) and a refreshing callipo cup of water. We were handed our timetables and told this week at school is not it's usual routine as there would be an art, English, Math and singing competition here on Tuesday and the boys in the school would be going camping with the teachers Wednesday onwards. We were invited to go but I was already getting uneasy about squatting in a hut and I was bound to have a heart attack if I had to squat in the wild! So we casually unaccepted the invitation and said the mosquito's would be too painful.
So Jo found an English toilet... Woohoo. I felt a little bit of relief as this was my main concern and when she showed us where we were staying my heart and body felt totally at peace. OK, so it wasn't home or a hotel but it was a brick hut with netted stuff on the windows to keep out the mosquito's and a beautiful tiled inside room with four beds and two separate squat ensuites and a bucket bath tub with a hose. Seeing this whole place made me think, I can do this and with that my attitude changed. The boys at the school helped carried our stuff into my new home and we were then left with PsySai to guide us around the school and settle us in. The classrooms and school looked , to be honest, how I imagined it and the classrooms held between 20-30 students. There were wooden desks, chalk boards and piles of books along the side of the rooms.
PsySai:
She told us that we would be her daughters while we were here and she damn well treats us like it. She's already taken us on temple tours, a yarn factory and to the bridge over the river Kwai last week. She also kept us well fed with coconut breakfast and food at lunch and evening meals at the nearest town (Tha Muai). Shes given us bottled water, her iron and mirror and is constantly checking up on us. She's definitely like my mum away from home and greatly appreciate everything she's done so far and I know there's more to come. She has a daughter living in the UK who lived with a host family who treated her well so she's doing the same for us. Makes you still believe there are still good people in the world and that motherly love is universal.
School and settling in:
We attended the competition on Tuesday morning and were also surprised to see two others from the LoveTEFL course pop by with their school too- Rob and Will. Whilst we talked about our schools and how we getting on, we were also joined by a young american girl who was completing two and half years here teaching! Shes part of the peacecore and told us about the intense training she underwent to learn Thai and to settle into the Thailand culture. Brave one! Don't think I could do that for so long. Already feel four months away from home is hard and I'm only 11 days in.
Its been a hard transition coming here and I still feel like I'm settling in. Its one thing going away for a weekend but living on the other side of the world away from family, friends and my clothes is a massive culture and life shock. Yes I admit I've cried (more than once) whilst I've been here and I've been close to coming home but there's been a few voices (not in my head, if I listened to those I'd be home by now) that have reminded me why I wanted to do this and how much of an experience this will be for me. An opportunity of a lifetime. Without you guys I don't think I'd be ok (won't say I'm great) and be this content without what you've said. So thank you. I did panic, I did feel alone but I'm slowly accepting getting bitten, having arkward sleeps, being new and foreign away from comforts and protection. Its what I'm here for... And to master a squat toilet (which if I'm being totally frank about , isn't going too badly think I found the balance and my natural self- I'll say no more!).
Next stop a weekend in Kanchanaburi before I officially started teaching on Monday.
Images:
1. My school home
2. Sunset on the school grounds
3. School in the daytime
4. Yarn/ fabric factory
5. Coconut breakfast
6. Three way pork and noodles
7. School canteen on military day (day we arrived)
8. Temple
9. Art competitor made an amazing picture out of play dough
10. Bridge over the river Kwai
