Bangkok Buzz . . .

Hi Everyone!

Sorry that it’s been awhile since my last update . . .

School has been going well, it's really nice to be working with the students. I’ve had 2 evaluations and during my first one, I was working with Grade 4 students and one of their cell phones went off! These kids are 10 years old! It was so funny! After my 3-month mark, I’m officially off of probation, which is exciting for Jill, as she will get $100 Cdn for “recruiting” me!

For the last 2 Saturdays, I have taught Saturday Class from 9 to 12. It’s a little extra money, which is nice, but I’m definitely not a big fan of these classes. I thought it would be conversation-based, but it’s a textbook/workbook thing. It’s nice because we don’t have to plan for these days, but it’s frustrating because there’s no guidance to instruction and I think it’s a waste for the students to sit and do worksheets. This past week, I came prepared with some games and fun activities . . . so I enjoyed it better than my first Saturday class.

We went down to Khoa San Road on Saturday with teachers from a few Lertlah schools. We hung out at a full-functioning Shell gas station! It’s actually in operation during the day . . . . and at night, there are tables set up all over the place with music pumping and candles – right beside the gas pumps! It’s quite the sight!

Yesterday, Jill, Kristen, Nicole and I went on a river tour of Bangkok. It was on the Chao Phraya Tourist Boat and cost 100baht (about $3cdn) for the entire day. There were 13 stops along the river, where we could get off and wander around that specific part of Bangkok. We had a late start, so we only did 2 stops. We went to China Town, where there was a huge market and we bought the tiniest oranges – they remind me of mandarin oranges, but are slightly bigger than a toonie. They are delicious! And it really makes me think of home, especially as we get closer to Christmas! Our next stop was Wat Pho – the oldest and largest wat in Bangkok. It features the largest reclining Buddha in Thailand – 46 meters long and 15 meters high! It was really neat to see! The temple is really quite beautiful – so much detail!

Take care and stay warm!