Weekend/sept 14

 Some of this is play-by-play of the weekend, some is catching up the rest. Sorry for the mix of tenses.

Here I am at the Lanna resort now. I thought I was rooming with Jenny, just to find that apparently I've been put with a lady named Nongyao, a woman that everyone seems to pity me for being stuck with. Great. So glad they've just told me now instead of asking me when they asked everyone else. I guess they figured she can't speak much English, I can't speak much Thai so how horrible can she be to me? Only one night to find out...

The buffet was delicious. Tacos and alfredo! The best! I also had sushi and salad and tomato cream soup... Also had too many desserts, crepe and little cakes and a custard tart and a big scoop of ice cream that Tata fixed for me with whipped cream, chocolate syrup and sprinkles. Now I wish I had brought my running shoes. I'll have to run tomorrow for sure. I ate so much....

Not looking forward to this stupid dance we're supposed to do, but the Thais are great at laughing at themselves so it's a skill I'm working on picking up as well. I guess one dance is a small price to pay for a free buffet and a nice stay in a super comfy resort...

Well, I think it's safe to say we were the best dancing group, make of that what you will. I will try to have video evidence at some point, I know there were videos taken. At any rate, here I am in a showgirl headdress drinking the strawberry wine by myself because it wasn't to Alli's taste, wondering after the possibility of everyone getting me up on stage to sing. Tata has already dragged me up in front of the stage to "lead" a dance, and it became evident that I need more alcohol. It has been a blast so far, wackiness has definitely ensued. Re: earlier statement about Thais loving to laugh a themselves.

The night was overall a success. We sang, we danced, we drank... It was fun watching our fellow teachers let loose. After all their talk of staying up all night, the party shut down around 11 and we went off to our separate rooms. I stayed up with Tata and Ryoma for a while, then made it back to my room.

Safe to say I now know why the others pitied me. "Happy" Nong didnt say two words to me the entire weekend, but she left the TV on ALL night. When I got in around 130, I turned the volume down and tried to get to sleep, which I managed to do with the covers over my head. I heard her start to get up around 530 and I put the remote on the bedside table, hoping maybe she would turn the TV off since she was going to take a shower. Nope, she turned the volume right back up, blaringly loud, even though I was clearly not trying to be awake yet. While she was taking a shower, I grabbed the remote again and again turned the volume down--leaving the TV still on and hearable, mind you-- and put the remote by my pillow on my bed. Well, she came out and was just grumpy as all get-out. She started opening all the drawers and slamming them shut trying to find the remote; she slammed the bathroom door, and eventually packed all her things up and left, leaving all the lights on and the front door wide open. Since I could not get back to sleep after all that, I just turned off the TV and lounged for a bit before getting up myself. Several other teachers have now come up to me asking about what happened. Overall, it wasn't a big deal. It was just one night. The beds were really comfortable though, I would like to have been able to say I slept better.

On the way back, Ben, Char, Alli and I got off the school truck near Chiang Mai and caught a songtaew into the city. Ben went his separate way and the rest of us went to airport plaza to go shopping. Char needed some running shoes. We met Amaka at the mall and just hung around a bit. Had our usual Duke's for lunch--delicious chilli and a burger--and came back to Lamphun. 

Went out to a bar we like with MC that night. The band was pretty awesome. Alli was given a rose by a guy at another table, who then got jealous and pouty after the guitar player from the band started talking to us. Sorry, pouty rose dude, he knew more English. We ended up getting on really well with the guitar player, whose nickname was A and had good enough English that we could hold a good conversation. When we got up to leave, he came outside with us and insisted on a hug, apologizing for not being able to give us a ride home since he'd come on his motorbike. As we walked down the street, he came driving up with the singer and another friend in tow. I hopped on his bike, Char and Amaka hopped on with Gee, the singer, and Alli was with the friend. Got another hug as we got off the bikes. It was super nice of them all, and now we've got plans for Thursday. I love musicians!

The Yoofe of today

Here's a play-by-play of my Saturday :

Songtaew here (a school in Lampang) was bearable but slightly disappointed I couldn't sit with my kids. They shoved me in the front seat with the driver, who happened to have the most annoying voice thus far. Like a Thai Mister Smee. The hour-ish drive did give me a lot of time to think. It was also beautiful, most of it through the mountains between Lamphun and Lampang.

At spelling bee competition with the kids. So far has proved an interesting experience... Not the spelling bee I'm used to. They've got multiple choice questions, with a sentence and definitions, and it's like a section of the SAT or something.  There are two MCs that are reading out the questions and spelling the answer choices; I think they're famous because every time they walk near the back, all the spectators (teachers and fellow students of the competitors) are snapping photos. But then again Thais are crazy about pictures and selfies. When we walked in, the ushers we thought were going to take us to our seats immediately waylaid Char and me for photos. Everyone still coming in had to squeeze around us to get to a seat. Then, when we tried to sit with our students and fellow teacher, another usher came up to us and said "Come with me, please" and led us both up to the front of all the (hundreds of) kids to sit in the first couple of rows like VIP. Got that farang status. Strange.

The upper level words are so easy. Youth, torch, satellite, astronomy, enlarge, kingdom, politician, etc. These choices are upper level high school! Wtf?

Finishing out the day listening to Mary J Blige at an older British gentleman's 57th birthday party in Thailand, at his own request because he just "goes to pieces" when he sees her; Following that with a rapper, also at his behest: Not where I thought I'd be. Also, according to said British gentleman, I've "got soul," which he defines as a "zest for life and experience." Considering I've just met him (and this comment was after Char, MC, and I karaoke-d NSYNC), it seems a very nice thing to say. I hope I continue to live up to that judgement.

Filling in

I heard pounding on Alli's door at 8 o'clock this morning. When Alli didn't answer and the cries became both more insistent and annoying, I threw on a tank top and some shorts and poked my head out of the door. I had no contacts in and must have looked sleepy as hell. I heard two voices cry "Oh! Teeeeaccherrrr!!" The fuzzy shapes then revealed themselves to be James and Baker, two of our EPDP students, in M.3 and M.2 respectively. They immediately told me they were going to Chiang Mai today, to see a movie, and posed the question "Teacher! You will go with us?" To which I could only sleepily stammer, "Oh! Um... Ok?" While they waited outside, I went back in my room and woke up a bit more, brushed my teeth etc. Apparently as I was doing that, the boys convinced the morning receptionist/manager we call Fuzzy-Headed Man to unlock Alli's door. Um. Wtf. Needless to say, we will be deadbolting the door from now on in addition to locking the doorknob. 

So after the rude awakening, Alli and I both headed out with the boys. We caught a songtaew and went straight to Central Airport Plaza. The boys settled on watching the second Percy Jackson movie, so we bought tickets and went to eat. After wandering around and figuring out that most of the buffets and restaurants around were entirely too expensive, we settled on the Central Plaza food pavilion, which has a lot of yummy traditional Thai foods to choose from. After lunch we played a silly Thai arcade game thing and then it was time to go to the movie.

The movie didn't suck as bad as I thought it might. It was kind of cheesy, but it was pretty fun. Anthony Stewart Head and Nathon Fillion definitely made it better. 

When the movie was over, Alli and I escorted the boys to Wororot market to catch a songtaew home. We went to the Sunday Night Market in Old City. I was really excited that we could go, since the last songtaew leaves for Lamphun at 7. The market sets up around 4 and was much more pleasant to be able to actually navigate the market without having to fight through a huge crowd. Had a delicious chicken kebab for dinner, and now here I am back at home. 

In teaching news, we only have the month of September left. Four weeks, technically, although the last week will be finals so it will probably not be a full week for me, and I'll have to proctor for a few days. So really I have two weeks of classes, one week for my finals, and then one week for the school finals. I'm so ready. This semester has been a long lesson in What Not To Do. Next semester should be so much better both for me and my students.

Now I just have to figure out where I want to go for break in October. I'm thinking maybe Angkor Wat? I only have about 2 weeks, and I think that might be pushing it a little. But I'm ok with that. 

As far as the rest of my time, this whole past week Char and I have been going to Thai Zumba. One of these days I'll get a video. It is not like the Zumba that most people think, but more a mix between 5 year old hopping around and teenie bopper dance moves. It is hilariously exhausting. Mostly just hilarious. After a week straight I sort of feel like I have a grasp on maybe half of the moves. It's only Monday through Friday, and we intend to keep going. We have already recruited Jenny, a Philippino English teacher, to come with us Monday. Wednesday, Jenny's husband JP, an English teacher at a different school, and Ryoma, the very animated Japanese teacher at Chakkham, are also coming with us. I am so excited.