zoom zoom gracie: first 3 weeks in Bangkok

greetings from Bangkok,

enjoying a lazy monday, the first quiet time i've had since arriving, much appreciated! the certification program was quite intense, so much information to absorb in such a short span of time... the past 3 weeks have involved peer teaching sessions and 1 week of teaching in summer school classes around the city. i have truly enjoyed my classmates, there were 28 of us and a couple of the students live here in BKK, and everyone else is american with the exception of 2 european women. most of the students are recent college grads except for a about 5 of us who are older. the program did a great job in picking my roommate for this 3 weeks of training, her name is Amanda and she's from Tampa, FL and just finished her double masters in social work and public health. we have become fast friends and i know i'll be friends with her forever!

i have received my teaching assignment and will be living in Ayutthaya, the old capitol of Thailand:

http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/576

i will be teaching kindergarten beginning on november 3rd, my accommodations are already sorted and i will be able to move in on Nov. 1st. i have a great "handler" named Pook, she is also my friend Julie's handler and it is her job to help us to navigate through the perils of the various visas and any other random things that pop up in ex-pat living. i have 3 weeks off until i can move into my apartment, i am spending the first week at Julie's apartment in a northern suburb called Muang Thong Thani, which is where the large arena and convention center is located. she is out of town for the next week and then next week she and i are going to Koh Samed, an island in the gulf with our friend Shawn who's traveling through the country.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ko_Samet

i will still have 1 more week to float around the country before i begin teaching and i really want to go north to Chiang Mai and Pai, it's very green and in the mountains.... i think that would be a great mini adventure before i settle into teaching.... i have to be somewhere and accommodations in the north are quite affordable!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chiang_Mai http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pai,_Thailand

i experienced pretty terrible food poisoning on my first monday here, i hope that it's the last time i feel that horrible for a long time! other than that i am well and have been enjoying the street food and culture that surrounds this style of cuisine. water out of the tap is not potable so we refill our jugs every few days from one of the many water purification machines found all over, it costs just pennies and is very simple to do. i went to the temple every morning and rang the gong and the bells, it was wonderful to walk and see the monks and say a little prayer and set my intensions for the day. we are at the end of the monsoon season and it's reminiscent of florida with the daily storms, washes the city smells away!

i hope this finds you all well and enjoying your day,
take care,
karen grace

so much fun!

practice teaching with 10 year olds

TEFOL graduation with my instructor, Sangeeta

Ronnie trying to fit in

crazy monsoon rain that flooded the streets for hours

it took us 2.5 hours to make a 30 minute journey

a skirt i found amongst the many clothing vendors, there are
many questionable texts on these garments, but "polar sniper"
is by far my favorite!

the kittens that spent lots of time on our balcony

let's go!

other places........

the moon through heaps of electrical lines.... power lines
line the sides of every street

my classmate Peter performing at an open mic near the university

this is how the Thai's recycle newspaper-
often there is no t.p. in the public restrooms
instead they have a water sprayer

this is how
clothes are
dried

amazing fruit stalls

when you think you bought a lime....

best corn fritters of my life

phuang malai, or Thai flower garlands-
they come in all sizes and shapes and are used in temple
ceremonies and given to teachers on appreciation
days, they are mainly made of jasmine

the 10 day vegetarian festival started just after i
arrived, amazing food...

they are called "hong kong pancakes" but they
remind me of the Danish ebelskiver

Chatuchak or JJ market is located in Bangkok and is the
world's largest outdoor market.... 27 acres - you can find
anything you want here.... overwhelming to say the least!