My first real full-time job. I've worked 40-hour weeks, but I've never had a job where expected to work full time for more than a few months. And let me tell you (and I hope no one in the office finds this blog)-- this is without a doubt the easiest and one of the most fun jobs I have ever had. It is my first salary job. The people are really nice, and the kids are very obedient.
Our first day was a little difficult since we had no idea in the world what we were doing and everyone seemed to treat us a little bit like we should already know everything to do. But within a few days we got the hang of it more or less. Me and Sarah (my girlfriend of about 6 months) are, oddly enough, are getting paid the salary of one teacher each but have the work of one teacher between us. We have effectively split the subjects. We only teach one group of students--Pratom 3/10, that is a class of the third graders (around ages 7-9 I believe). She is now teaching math and science while I am teaching english, health, and social studies. We have course books (which is to say that we ahve a good guidline on what to teach how and when). We also have a veteran teacher that is teaching the other third grade class who we can ask anything of anytime. Sometimes he gives us worksheets or advice or anything. He is invaluable and helped us both learn the ropes very quickly. Another thing we have that many starting teachers do not are Thai assistants. These are people that often have something like an expertiece in the subject that they are helping in. Formally they are for keeping the children in line and translating into Thai. But in reality they are experienced, knowledgable, and invaluable. They are all very nice, though with very different personalities. They also have varying levels of English.
We work from 7:30am to 4pm M-F. Lunch is provided to us virtually for free, though it varies in quality from day to day. Every morning we have to stand outside with the students for the flag ceremony, where they raise the flag and sing the national anthem and then do some Buddhist prayers. Then they go into homeroom. We are given a little bit of a choice if we want to do a little activity with the children for those 20 minutes or if we want the teacher's assistants to babysit them.
My dad mentioned that maybe teaching is very different than I expected. And maybe it is, but after a week and a half it doesn't feel that way. It feels like a job, only a lot easier and a lot more fun. Teaching these kids is so rewarding. And the moment that they understand (or at least one of them understands) something you have taught is amazing. When you plan a fun activity for them and it succeeds, you wonder if the kids could possibly be having more fun participating as you have orcastrating.
Tons of fun. Happy to be here. Certainly not going to stay here in the end, but both me and Sarah know that we will look back on these days fondly. There are many simple pleasures here. Simplicity of living without taking away a lot of our comforts. I have an air conditioner, and there is easy access to cloths washers. We have hot water and a western toilet. We have access to several big-box like stores nearby. The apartment is safe, cameras, 24 hour staffing. We also have the added benefit of amazing food, drink, snacks, activities and simple pleasures. An average meal is under $1.50, and it is very large and very tasty. Snacks are everywhere and they rarely cost more than 75 cents. Some of the best ice cream, coffee, cakes, pastries, dounuts, chicken and tea we have ever tasted we ate here, and often in very obvious places. The ice cream you can buy at 7-11 (and they are everywhere) is on par with the most flavorful, expensive chocolate ice cream you can think of. We now regularly buy Doi Chiang coffee, which has been rated as having the best coffee in the world in good growing years. I have fallen in love with meat-sticks, a common street stall where they set out a large array of different vegetables and condiments to eat with the meat, all very flavorful and appetizing. We have been enjoying bowling at $1.35 a game recently at matinee times, though we have found out that if we come on Tuesdays we will recieve a price of $.70 all day long. Sarah is very good with an interesting and unique technique while I need quite a bit of work, but it is fun all the same. We both love the simple pleasure of riding the motorbike down around town. We use them to go everywhere now, and it is quite a pleasure to "break all the rules" as would be the case in America. Don't worry, we're safe and not reckless, we are just doing what everyone does here. Even hanging the laundry is a pleasure, as it lets you think about things.
I'd be happy to answer any questions if anyone has any about anything. arhorn@smcm.edu
So having lots of fun here.
Andy
PS:
Sarah's Section:
What I like about Thailand: the food, the people are really nice, the people we work with are really nice, cheap everything, cheap food, food everywhere, lot of motorbikes on the road, cheap bowling, amulet market, the beautiful lake in Ubon, the park in Thailand, very nice farang (foreigners, ie white people), outdoor thift stores, markets, cheap apartment rent, cheap internet cafe, people will help you out anytime you need it especially if you have a problem doing something.
What I don't like about Thailand: being hit on, hardly any young Americans/young American females who aren't missionaries or tourists, a lot of people don't speak very much english at all[she's doing a lot better with the Thai though], you can't confront people[Thai culture thing], sushi is expensive[I'm not sure if $10 for all you can eat is expensive, but it is a lot more expensive than most other things to eat], sometimes the rain[we have been told that this rainy season has be particularly bad], American food is expensive[$3-4 for a hamburger and fries].
What I like about teaching: the kids are adorable, we don't have to teach many classes [about 6 hours of teaching per week for each of us], we only have 30 kids in our class, they are very nice, obedient, our co-workers are very nice helpful and give great advice, we get cafeteria food for $3.30/month for lunches, it's pretty hard to get fired.
What I don't like about teaching: waking up early, kind of a downer feeling when it rains or has rained, the morning assembly, the monday morning "meetings", the morning flag assemblies, the fact that we probably will have to buy some of our own office supplies.
Saturday, September 24, 2011
Tuesday, September 13, 2011
First Interview
So I know I haven't posted in a while. I would be lying if I said it had nothing to do with the fact that we had not gotten jobs yet. We have been kind of lazy looking for jobs. We have visited only two schools. The first was Assumption College, a private Catholic school with no positions open, but they were very friendly. The second was Anabon. Anabon is the school in the city that educates the highest class people of Ubon. The "movers and the shakers" of Ubon send their kids there. I think it is a government school. Foreign teachers have 17 hours of work a week (though they stay on the school grounds a lot longer). They also get free lunches.
Anabon is a school in the middle of town, and rather close to us. (This is good since some of the other "good schools" are 15km outside of town, which would not be the best or safest drive by motorbike as a commute.) It is across the street from the park, two blocks from the main road. It is a very short walk from the main night market area. It is a very nice school with many foreign teachers and a great pay to boot. 31000B/month ($1033/month). We are ready to settle for 25000B if we have to, so this seemed like a relatively ideal situation. The people are nice. The grounds are welcoming. The turnover is not bad. The benefits are pretty good.
We heard that Anabon was hiring when we first got here, but we did not act on it until yesterday, Monday. It was at that point that we visited on a contact that we received and handed in our resumes, copies of our TEFL certificates, copies of our diplomas. They set up an interview for this morning, Tuesday morning. They said that they would be taking one of us almost certainly. They had one vacancy. I interviewed first. It took an hour and a half. Very taxing. Sarah felt like her interview was an interrogation. Then we went in front of a class for five minutes each for reasons I don't totally understand.
Then when we were saying goodbye. They said they would call us that afternoon and tell us which of us was hired or whether it was neither of us. This was a marked tone difference for me because before it seemed like it was a sure thing before that one of us would get it. Sarah told me soon after that that they asked her where we took our TEFL class and she told them it was online. She said that is when they stopped saying "when we take one of the two of you" and started saying "whether we take one of you or neither of you." So we sat in Peppers and discussed how it was pretty clear we would be lucky to get one offer, and how it felt like we turned a sure thing into a not-so-sure thing. I felt like it was such a failure.
While we were in Pepper's, lamenting our lost opportunity discussing how we actually didn't want the job anyway, the school called. I picked up the phone but they wanted to talk to Sarah first. Sarah stood outside Pepper's while I waited for our formal rejection. I spoke to John for a long time, the owner of Pepper's. I realize I was being a little bit rude since a group of policemen had just arrived and he needed to be very attentive to them since they hold such a strong a powerful status in Thai society. Sarah came back it and told me the news.
They were offering both of us jobs. They wanted us to start tomorrow.
I was in total shock and disbelief. I thought maybe she had heard them wrong. I asked John whether we should take the jobs (without checking out other schools). They wanted a response today. John is the most connected and knowledgeable person in Ubon, and his opinion is probably the best of anyone's. John said that it was one of the better schools and that if they were giving that kind of offer than we should take it. He said that he's heard nothing but good things about Anabon. Neither had we and we had heard some bad things about pretty much every school.
I was very skeptical. Is there some catch? What's going on here? But as we thought about it and inquired, it seemed like we were nothing less than very lucky. We did try to visit another school, but our decision was pretty much made.
We called with our acceptance and they asked us to come in for some visa paperwork. We were introduced to EVERYONE. Every foreigner and every Thai in the foreign office. Altogether probably 20 people. Everyone was warm and kind, like they were greeting long lost friends. We now have desks, a class, mentors, a salary. More than we could ever ask for.
Anabon is a school in the middle of town, and rather close to us. (This is good since some of the other "good schools" are 15km outside of town, which would not be the best or safest drive by motorbike as a commute.) It is across the street from the park, two blocks from the main road. It is a very short walk from the main night market area. It is a very nice school with many foreign teachers and a great pay to boot. 31000B/month ($1033/month). We are ready to settle for 25000B if we have to, so this seemed like a relatively ideal situation. The people are nice. The grounds are welcoming. The turnover is not bad. The benefits are pretty good.
We heard that Anabon was hiring when we first got here, but we did not act on it until yesterday, Monday. It was at that point that we visited on a contact that we received and handed in our resumes, copies of our TEFL certificates, copies of our diplomas. They set up an interview for this morning, Tuesday morning. They said that they would be taking one of us almost certainly. They had one vacancy. I interviewed first. It took an hour and a half. Very taxing. Sarah felt like her interview was an interrogation. Then we went in front of a class for five minutes each for reasons I don't totally understand.
Then when we were saying goodbye. They said they would call us that afternoon and tell us which of us was hired or whether it was neither of us. This was a marked tone difference for me because before it seemed like it was a sure thing before that one of us would get it. Sarah told me soon after that that they asked her where we took our TEFL class and she told them it was online. She said that is when they stopped saying "when we take one of the two of you" and started saying "whether we take one of you or neither of you." So we sat in Peppers and discussed how it was pretty clear we would be lucky to get one offer, and how it felt like we turned a sure thing into a not-so-sure thing. I felt like it was such a failure.
While we were in Pepper's, lamenting our lost opportunity discussing how we actually didn't want the job anyway, the school called. I picked up the phone but they wanted to talk to Sarah first. Sarah stood outside Pepper's while I waited for our formal rejection. I spoke to John for a long time, the owner of Pepper's. I realize I was being a little bit rude since a group of policemen had just arrived and he needed to be very attentive to them since they hold such a strong a powerful status in Thai society. Sarah came back it and told me the news.
They were offering both of us jobs. They wanted us to start tomorrow.
I was in total shock and disbelief. I thought maybe she had heard them wrong. I asked John whether we should take the jobs (without checking out other schools). They wanted a response today. John is the most connected and knowledgeable person in Ubon, and his opinion is probably the best of anyone's. John said that it was one of the better schools and that if they were giving that kind of offer than we should take it. He said that he's heard nothing but good things about Anabon. Neither had we and we had heard some bad things about pretty much every school.
I was very skeptical. Is there some catch? What's going on here? But as we thought about it and inquired, it seemed like we were nothing less than very lucky. We did try to visit another school, but our decision was pretty much made.
We called with our acceptance and they asked us to come in for some visa paperwork. We were introduced to EVERYONE. Every foreigner and every Thai in the foreign office. Altogether probably 20 people. Everyone was warm and kind, like they were greeting long lost friends. We now have desks, a class, mentors, a salary. More than we could ever ask for.
Wednesday, August 31, 2011
Today, an average day in Ubon
(That is an average day while looking for a job at a very leisurely pace.) Sarah went to the Wednesday market at the big Wat down the street (why Wednesdays? I don't know). She bought a bunch of shirts and cloths for $1 each that she really liked. She brought back a haul of the really good meat sticks that we have recently decided that we really like. A man with a cart often will sell lots of types of meats on sticks, often 4 "balls" of meat per stick for 5 baht (15 cents) each. They are pretty much all the same except for the vegetables that come with them and the sauce they put on them. The meat sticks Sarah brought back had a very good sauce, slightly spicy. Sarah doesn't like spicy things, but she has a real taste for this sauce. She came back kind of late because it was raining really hard the whole afternoon.
Then we left around 6 because I needed to buy a motorbike (we are currently renting). I have heard I can get a really good used one for 20000 baht (about $600) and that it has plenty of resale value. I was told the best brand here is Honda and it was recommended to us to go to the Honda dealership. Unfortunately we got there late and though they had staff to sell their new models, but the had closed the section for the second-hand models and that staff had gone home. The cheapest new one was probably around 40000 baht.
We left and went to Makro, a Costco-like store. Sarah thought it was so similar that she said "It's exactly the same." We ate a really good pork and noodle dish there at their little food court (many superstores have food-court sections) and then set out into the store to buy a hot water heater, among other things. By the end we had found smuckers jelly, gold kiwis (the kiwi that the Kiwis (New Zealand people) eat). As well as a whole bunch of Fuji apples. We were told that the smallest fans were at Makro, but we had neither the space on the motorbike nor the determination to buy one today. Fans can get really expensive. The cheapest small little desk fan is 300 baht ($10) and the tall (seemingly totally average) fans go for up to 3-4000 baht ($100-$140). Cup of Noodles-like things are much better in Thailand than they are in America (as I have learned this time being here) so we bought a bunch of those to go with our hot-water heater. We also bought what we thought was like hot chocolate, but we must have prepared it wrong because when we got home it tasted disgusting. We salivated over the expensive cakes (most whole cakes for around 300baht/$10) which looked beautiful (as only the Thais can prepare) and scrumptious. It was a lot to carry on a motorbike down the busiest road in town at night (not that I want to scare you all or anything) but we did it with no difficulty.
When we got back we decided to go running in the park which is a short drive away. The park is packed with people lounging, exercising, and activities (including dance lessons and aerobics classes) during the evening, but we arrived there kind of late so there were only lovers and people left over from lounging earlier. There were a few people still using the free weights though (yes, free free weights in the public park).
We tired ourselves out and came back to the apartment and decided to go to the 7-11 to stock up on some toiletries and go to the local water dispenser to buy some drinking water (as you might guess or know the running water is not drinking-safe). Thais LOVE 7-11 and they are everywhere in Thailand. Sometimes you can find one just a few stores down from the next one. This is very common in Bangkok and ironically it is the case with this 7-11 that we went to. We bought chocolate milk (a real treat), some yogurt, and other little things though forgot the toiletries. Even though it is 7-11, the price difference between it and a grocery store is usually only 1 baht so it does not burn a hole in your pocket to do some shopping there instead of at the supermarket.
Outside the 7-11 was an open fruit store and two meat-stick carts with more carts down the road (probably in front of the other 7-11). We got some more meat. Sarah got some imitation crab and I got beef (a rarity in Thailand) chicken, and tofu (which turned out great). The sauce he put on was a common yet amazing sauce that you can easily get in the States at any supermarket but between the freshly-fried nature of the meat, the cucumber garnish, and the sauce it was a midnight snack of the gods.
We then went to the water dispenser around the corner from the apartment. We have a bottle that holds probably around a gallon or 1 1/2 gallons of water that I bought at the 7-11 a few days ago. This was the first time we were filling it up at the water dispenser. We were told that it would be 4 baht to fill it up, but it turned out in reality either by fault of the machine or the fault of another's memory--it was only 2 baht (6 cents).
We returned to the apartment and put the water back into our mini-fridge that came with the apartment and smiled at how awesome it is to live in Thailand.
Then we left around 6 because I needed to buy a motorbike (we are currently renting). I have heard I can get a really good used one for 20000 baht (about $600) and that it has plenty of resale value. I was told the best brand here is Honda and it was recommended to us to go to the Honda dealership. Unfortunately we got there late and though they had staff to sell their new models, but the had closed the section for the second-hand models and that staff had gone home. The cheapest new one was probably around 40000 baht.
We left and went to Makro, a Costco-like store. Sarah thought it was so similar that she said "It's exactly the same." We ate a really good pork and noodle dish there at their little food court (many superstores have food-court sections) and then set out into the store to buy a hot water heater, among other things. By the end we had found smuckers jelly, gold kiwis (the kiwi that the Kiwis (New Zealand people) eat). As well as a whole bunch of Fuji apples. We were told that the smallest fans were at Makro, but we had neither the space on the motorbike nor the determination to buy one today. Fans can get really expensive. The cheapest small little desk fan is 300 baht ($10) and the tall (seemingly totally average) fans go for up to 3-4000 baht ($100-$140). Cup of Noodles-like things are much better in Thailand than they are in America (as I have learned this time being here) so we bought a bunch of those to go with our hot-water heater. We also bought what we thought was like hot chocolate, but we must have prepared it wrong because when we got home it tasted disgusting. We salivated over the expensive cakes (most whole cakes for around 300baht/$10) which looked beautiful (as only the Thais can prepare) and scrumptious. It was a lot to carry on a motorbike down the busiest road in town at night (not that I want to scare you all or anything) but we did it with no difficulty.
When we got back we decided to go running in the park which is a short drive away. The park is packed with people lounging, exercising, and activities (including dance lessons and aerobics classes) during the evening, but we arrived there kind of late so there were only lovers and people left over from lounging earlier. There were a few people still using the free weights though (yes, free free weights in the public park).
We tired ourselves out and came back to the apartment and decided to go to the 7-11 to stock up on some toiletries and go to the local water dispenser to buy some drinking water (as you might guess or know the running water is not drinking-safe). Thais LOVE 7-11 and they are everywhere in Thailand. Sometimes you can find one just a few stores down from the next one. This is very common in Bangkok and ironically it is the case with this 7-11 that we went to. We bought chocolate milk (a real treat), some yogurt, and other little things though forgot the toiletries. Even though it is 7-11, the price difference between it and a grocery store is usually only 1 baht so it does not burn a hole in your pocket to do some shopping there instead of at the supermarket.
Outside the 7-11 was an open fruit store and two meat-stick carts with more carts down the road (probably in front of the other 7-11). We got some more meat. Sarah got some imitation crab and I got beef (a rarity in Thailand) chicken, and tofu (which turned out great). The sauce he put on was a common yet amazing sauce that you can easily get in the States at any supermarket but between the freshly-fried nature of the meat, the cucumber garnish, and the sauce it was a midnight snack of the gods.
We then went to the water dispenser around the corner from the apartment. We have a bottle that holds probably around a gallon or 1 1/2 gallons of water that I bought at the 7-11 a few days ago. This was the first time we were filling it up at the water dispenser. We were told that it would be 4 baht to fill it up, but it turned out in reality either by fault of the machine or the fault of another's memory--it was only 2 baht (6 cents).
We returned to the apartment and put the water back into our mini-fridge that came with the apartment and smiled at how awesome it is to live in Thailand.
Monday, August 29, 2011
In Ubon
Sorry for doing this so late. The internet here isn't so good. We left Bangkok and arrived in Ubon Ratchitani about a week ago. We stayed in a relatively expensive place for a few nights (230 baht, $7.66/night) before we met a really helpful person who owns a local business, an Aussie named John. He owns Pepper's which has farang (westerner) food an coffee, homemade pasties including croissants, free wifi and a welcoming atmosphere. He even drove us to two prospective places where we could live if we wanted. We ended up picking one of them Thai Mansion, nearish the center of the city, within walking distance of a good bar. It is on a very quiet road. Free wifi, though not very fast. Really homey. tv, AC, bench, big bed, shower, hot water, western toilet, fridge, 3500 baht/$117 per month+utilities+2000baht/$67 deposit. We have not yet received our certificates for the TEFL online class that we took but we have been told that we may not need it. We have several promising contacts for job openings and it seems like that we will have a job soon. Unfortunately the free internet at the place where we are staying isn't the best and we only have intermittent and slow service most of the time.
Sunday, August 21, 2011
Back in Bangkok
Been here two weeks and we have decided that we want to get an apartment in Ubon Ratchitani. We are picking up our big bags from Bangkok and then heading there by train. We will arrive tomorrow morning.
In other news, we were walking yesterday in Bangkok and saw an old-old running car and it was covered in unlit Christmas lights. Odd.
In other news, we were walking yesterday in Bangkok and saw an old-old running car and it was covered in unlit Christmas lights. Odd.
Monday, August 15, 2011
Isaan
We have toured/sightsaw two cities in the Issan (northeast) region so far. Korat and Ubon Ratchitani. Korat had a temple where a monk had rescued the stalagtites and stalagmites of a cavern that was to be destroyed and placed them all over a room of his. In there there are coy fish and several Buddha images. We also went to the mall there, called "The Mall" in Thai. They had a mini-waterpark there and a pool. Ubon is a smaller city with a much nicer feel to it. There is a beautiful park here that people jog, meditate, and sit in during the early evening near the night market. My personal opinion is that the food is better other places, but Ubon does make up for it in character!
Tuesday, August 9, 2011
Arrival
Day 3 in Thailand
Hey. I'm here safe and sound. Sorry to all the people that I promised to email when I got here. I have some password issues and I won't be able to access to that email address for a while. The only safe bet for contacting me right now is facebook.
The flights were long but easy enough. I enjoy flying and the airplane food was exceptionally good. I had the tastiest salmon I have ever tasted on one of those flights. Bahrain was very hot and steamy. Being outside for the couple of minutes I was at the airport was intense and probably the hottest I've ever felt outside.
So Sarah and I have been having a great time in Bangkok, seeing all the main sights. My Thai is really coming back to me in a way I did not expect. Our next leg of the journey is Korat in the Northeast, and every time we tell a Thai that they say, "Why you want to go there?" It's considered kind of a backwoods-y area. We plan to travel to four cities in the Northeast region over the next couple of weeks, and we are leaving today. Let me know if there is anything you want to know for when I sign on again.
Hey. I'm here safe and sound. Sorry to all the people that I promised to email when I got here. I have some password issues and I won't be able to access to that email address for a while. The only safe bet for contacting me right now is facebook.
The flights were long but easy enough. I enjoy flying and the airplane food was exceptionally good. I had the tastiest salmon I have ever tasted on one of those flights. Bahrain was very hot and steamy. Being outside for the couple of minutes I was at the airport was intense and probably the hottest I've ever felt outside.
So Sarah and I have been having a great time in Bangkok, seeing all the main sights. My Thai is really coming back to me in a way I did not expect. Our next leg of the journey is Korat in the Northeast, and every time we tell a Thai that they say, "Why you want to go there?" It's considered kind of a backwoods-y area. We plan to travel to four cities in the Northeast region over the next couple of weeks, and we are leaving today. Let me know if there is anything you want to know for when I sign on again.
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