Payday = Bruscetta + Wine!

So Friday was payday. We could NOT be more excited. We have not had a single paycheck since we were back in the states. So it was time to CELEBRATE!!

How do you celebrate in a foreign country, in a tiny town with no celebratory places? You make Bruschetta and drink wine - DUH!!!

Saturday morning Tim and I headed to the market to get fresh ingredients for a “Bruschetta off”. That consisted of tomatoes, onions, garlic, and basil. Then we headed to Tesco (the local grocery store) for the other ingredients (bread, and our own “secret ingredients”). We also got a box of wine.

We headed home and after relaxing, we both got to work in our respective “kitchens” aka, tables with tablecloths. Once our Bruschetta was ready, we poured some wine and decided on a winner.

My Bruschetta: I went with more of a Caprese style. I had tomatoes, onions, basil, sweet basil, garlic, garlic salt, and olive oil. I spruced up my bread with some garlic salt, and put a slice of Mozzarella cheese (secret ingredient) on the bread before topping with Bruschetta.

Tim’s bruschetta: He went with more of a sweet flavor. He had sugar in his, and his secret ingredient was MANGOS! They grow fresh here so it was a smart idea.

Since Tim did NOT agree mine was the winner, we plated both of ours and took it downstairs to D-Up (the coffee shop woman). She and her friend both declared my Bruschetta as the winner!!!! Tim was a sore loser.

So we headed back upstairs, put a large dent in both the bruschetta and wine, and watched movies online for the rest of the night.

Oh - since Tim lost, he had to treat me to a meal (I picked lunch the next day at the water reservoir - Thai BBQ, sticky rice, AND a soda!!!)

Ahh…to be getting a regular paycheck again (and to win food contests without a kitchen!)

Sawasdee Kha!
Apes

I lost my students!!

Tuesday morning I noticed the bells were off…at first just by a few minutes, then later they were WAY off. I mentioned someone to Tim about it, and he said he also had noticed it.We just figured it would be fixed at some point.

So off I went to class, and my students weren’t in their room! I asked a man walking past and he said they had moved to room 401 (currently I was at room 301). So I headed to building 4, and I asked a woman where the classroom was. She called to a student and had him lead the way. Apparently he wasn’t sure where the room was either, and we trekked all over the campus looking for it. We finally found the room (about 30 minutes later) and it was all locked up. So I headed back to the foreign language office. Once inside, I asked “Where are all my students??” the teachers laughed and said they were at lunch….didn’t I know about the class time change? I didn’t so they filled me in. The classes are now 5 minutes longer. So I had been letting my class go 5 minutes early all morning, and when it was time to go to my afternoon class, they were still in lunch! At least I found them!!!

Sawasdee Kha!
Apes

Just keep swimming...

Whelp…we FOUND IT!! IT = a place to swim!!!!

Saturday morning we got up, took the motorbike around town and got new helmets. Timmy got a flashy black and red helmet with space goggles, and I got a pink one with a white stripe, and a tinted visor. We were ready for the road!

After we stopped at the grocery store for snacks to take with…we headed out towards the Laos border to the water reservoir. It was about a 30-45 minute drive on the bike, but it was worth it!

We pull up to the reservoir and we see rows and rows of huts ON THE WATER! A woman greeted us, and took us to the huts. There she put down a mat for us, and we ordered lunch. We sat in our hut and relaxed over lunch. Then we jumped in! Well, hopped in…the water was up to our knees. We rented tubes for 30 baht, and floated around for an hour or so. Then we took them further out until we couldn’t touch the bottom. Then we raced back to our hut (I won of course). After wards, we took out towels to the “land” and sunbathed till we were ready to hop back in the water. Ahhh….sun on my skin, a dip in the water when I got hot…life is G.R.A.N.D! (Going Really Amazingly No Doubt). Then we headed back later in the evening.

Once back in the evening (after a stop to get gas, at which Timmy couldn’t figure out how to open the gas tank HAHAH) we decided to finally watch Hangover 2. We had to wait for it to download – and it took a while, so we have about 30 min left still to watch. However, it is a GREAT representation of Bangkok – HOT, Dirty, bags of drink, and Singha/Leo beer everywhere. And yes, it really does cost $6 USD to get stitched up.

Sunday morning we were invited to a fellow teachers house (PR). She is hilarious and very sweet to Tim and I. She has actually started calling me Apes on occasion!! We drove over to her place and she gave us a bunch of gifts!!! She gave us cookies, crackers, Rambuttin (a type of funny looking fruit), sweet bread, and even coffee for Tim. We stayed for a little over an hour and then we headed back. I downloaded and watched The Beach (with Leonardo Dicaprio) since I had just finished the book, then we tried out a new restaurant for dinner….

A new restaurant just opened up RIGHT beside our hotel. As in, we walk out of our hotel, and into the restaurant. I ordered soup (by name) and Tim asked for Pad Thai (they didn’t have)…and they brought us out both Fried Rice with Chicken. Ok, now let me tell you. Soup is called “Thom” and fried rice is called “Kao Pad Gai”. It sounds NOTHING alike. So why did I end up with fried rice? I’ve decided that when someone sees a farang in this town (that haven’t already met us) they assume that we want fried rice, and therefore no matter what we ask for – that’s what they bring us. So we will try the restaurant one more time…and if I end up with fried rice, we won’t be going back.

Whelp, that’s it of our awesome weekend….I’ll write again soon (and more often) now that I have internet in my room!!!

Sawasdee Kha,
Apes

Teacher Appreciation Day

Teacher Appreciation Day…what a GREAT idea! On Wednesday afternoon, all classes were canceled. The students were getting together to make gifts for the teachers, and the teachers (minus the native English ones) were to head to a big meeting. A lovely afternoon free for us :)

Thursday morning after the morning ceremonies, my classes all gathered in the meeting space and performed an appreciation ceremony for me. Ok, maybe not JUST me – but for all the teachers of that grade. The teachers sat on stage, and the students brought in their gifts they had made the day before.

Each class had made a “flower arrangement” for their classroom teacher. Now when I say flower arrangement, I don’t mean a vase with flowers. I mean a sculpture of flowers and candles, and VERY detailed!!! I’ll try to upload some pictures soon into my photo album page. Anyways, each teacher for class 1 went to the front of the stage and sat in the first row. The students walked up on stage…ON THEIR KNEES…and bowed to the teacher in front of them, and handed over their flower sculpture. The teachers then thanked them, and both the teachers and students went back to their seats. Then they did the same for class 2, 3, 4, etc…until it was MY TURN! I went with my co-teacher (P.R.) and sat down for class 9 (which is the class I teach 4 times a week). I received an arrangement of luscious, bright flowers…then went back to my seat. After the ceremony (which cancelled out both of my morning classes!!) it was time to head back to the daily routine. THEN…during one of my classes, I received a rose from a group of students. That made my day even better! Ahh…teacher’s appreciation day. What a great day :)

Sawasdee Kha!
Apes :)

There's FOOTBALL in Thailand!!!

Coming to Thailand, I was sad that I would miss seeing my Redskins play in the 2011/12 NFL season. I wouldn’t be able to go to any games, I wouldn’t even be able to watch the games on TV! No football for this girl, or so I thought…

Last weekend, Tim and I took a trip down close to the Cambodian border to visit our friends Tracey and Ryan in their town called Sisaket. They treated us to with a weekend of spoilage….pizza, pizza, liquor, and FOOTBALL!

For lunch they showed us their favorite Italian restaurant - it def trumped any restaurant we have - IT HAD WALLS! AND AC! AND A BAR WITH LIQUOR! AND PIZZA! AND PASTA! We were delighted! We ordered a hawaiian pizza, cocktails, and relaxed in the AC. Then it was time….

FOOTBALL! We met up with some of the teachers from their school (at the 2nd! Italian restaurant in their town!) and headed to a Sisaket Football Club game. Ok, ok, so it wasn’t American Football - it was “soccer” but it was a football game nonetheless. At the game, we grabbed our beers, got our tickets, and headed to find our seats. Ryan and Tracey had purchased Sisaket FC football jerseys, so they strutted their orange jerseys, and everyone wanted pictures with the Farangs who like Sisaket FC!

During the game it was WILD! We sat under the Sisaket FC flag at points, shared drinks with those around us, and were pumped up by the men leading the crowd with their bull horns - Sisaket, Sisaket, Sisaket! They sang their fight song over and over, they even sang “When the saints go marching in” in Thai. At the end of the game (Sisaket won!!!!!) everyone was cheering, hugging, and just plain being excited! Many of the Thai’s wanted pictures of Tracey and I - since we were the only Farang women at the game.

Afterwards, we went back to the AC restaurant and had the best pasta…MMMM. Of course, we had more cocktails

Then we headed over to a bar where the Farangs hang out. It’s mostly older men who have been in Thailand for YEARS and sit around hitting on the Thai women. We stayed for a drink, and then tiredness hit us. Off to bed!

The next morning we met up for breakfast, and Tracey and Ryan had an amazing meal of Potatoes and Pumpkin (like a mash) that the retaurant owner had made for them (they are vegetarian) while Tim and I split a burger and a BLT. I couldn’t be happier.

Then we said our goodbyes, thanked them for a weekend of spoils, and headed back to Phibunmungsahan to get ready for another week of teaching.

Sawasdee Kha!
Apes