Teaching and Kho Phi Phi

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Hey again everyone! Sorry it has taken me so long to write this next blog....I've been rather busy teaching and traveling and what not.

Lets see, where do I begin?? This is going to be a long one!

Last weekend the whole group went to Kho Phi Phi Island. It is a really nice place but definitely not for the mild-mannered. You get off the pier and are thrust into tiny alleys and shops and people hassling you to buy whatever it is their selling. The cobble stone roads are narrow and winding with random alleys going every which way. Lets just say that even if I spent a week there I still would get lost going to the beach. The shopping is great but be prepared to haggle because the prices they advertise are about twice as much as you should pay. DO NOT, however, ask the price of something if you are not intending on buying it; the sellers will try and talk you down to whatever price you want (within reason) and will practically follow you back to your hotel unless you give them a firm "no" and walk away.

During the day in Phi Phi, the main beach is like the twilight zone. With low tide, the water doesn't actually start for a few hundred feet and boats are stranded in the sand, where the water should be, it's pretty eerie. Our group only stayed one night and so we didn't really have much time to go sight-seeing and take boat rides. Because of this, a few of us decided to go back the following weekend after our course had ended.

Speaking of, last week we were finally able to teach in a real classroom! The whole week was exhausting, but pretty fun. We taught 1 30-35 minute lesson every day and were back by noon. From Monday to Thursday we were teaching a class of 30 15-18 year olds. The first day was a blast and I got great feedback from the observers. The following three days were less enjoyable because we were teaching the same rowdy students with the same lesson plan. Finally, on Friday, we split up into 3 groups and all went to different schools to teach young kids. I was fortunate enough to be able to teach in a Thai orphanage. Now let me tell you, this orphanage was nicer than my 5-star hotel I was staying at. The kids were also the most well-behaved and knowledgeable students I have met. With that said, my lesson was the most enjoyable one yet. My students ranged from ages 6-12.....so I was able to act like my goofy self and not be judged. If they offered the opportunity, I would love to have taught English there.

I also found out that I will be teaching grades 7-9 at a school in Ayutthaya, just north of Bangkok. I had the option of teaching younger students but the area seemed less than enjoyable and was far from my other friends. There will be about 7 or 8 people I know teaching in Ayutthaya, which is why I chose it even though I'd much rather be teaching younger kids. Ayutthaya is suppose to be a wonderful city filled with ancient ruins and culture. Me and my friend Ashlee are both teaching in Ayutthaya and have to be up there on Sunday the 1st. We will be moving into our accomodation on the 2nd and both have to teach an introductory English course on the 3rd to Ashlee's future students (not sure why we are doing this, but we're just going with the flow). We don't start teaching until May 18th and I believe my semester ends mid-September.

Since Friday was our last day of the course, we all decided to celebrate by going to Patong. I don't know really how to describe Patong, but picture the lights and entertainment of Las Vegas with the trashy prostitution of Bangkok. Patong is one of those places you go to once just to experience it and never go back again. It is the most touristy place I have ever been to and there are prostitutes and lady-boys everywhere. Not to mention hundreds of people shoving graphic fliers in your face for "Ping Pong shows." I'm going to let you use your imagination to figure out what a "Ping Pong" show is........
We did, however, have a great time dancing and hanging out with everyone for the last time (what made it great was that the bar we went to had air conditioning!) It is so great that the entire group enjoys hanging out together. I already miss many of the people in the course. It's rather nice, though, that we are all spread out across Thailand because anywhere we want to go, there will be people from the course we can meet up with.

Anyway, since we have a week off before we have to be up near Bangkok, me and Ashlee are just traveling around the south Islands a little. We went back to Phi Phi and met up with another group and did a boat and snorkel trip to some surrounding Islands, which included Maya Beach (where "The Beach" was filmed). Ashlee was unfortunate enough to have been struck with Travelers Diharrea (I think) so she was out of order for about 4 days and wasn't able to come on the boat ride. Today we took a ferry to Krabi to meet up with an awesome couple from South Africa that took the course with us. Not sure what the rest of the week holds, but for now, it's all about being lazy on the beach. (^_^)

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