My Sak Yant

I am desperate to sneeze, why is it that my body likes to betray me at the most in opportune moments. To my left is a smiley man with an ink stained tshirt folding tissue. I'm sat in a temple called Wat Bang Prah and I'm facing a monk named Luang who is brandishing a tattoo gun. The bones in my feet are digging into the hard floor and it's almost deadly silent, apart from the sounds of my sneezing and two thai girls suppressing giggles. Luang, a monk sits a few feet away from me stone faced and concentrating while he tattoes with a machine. I came here for bamboo but I'm not gonna argue. The folding man has just replaced luangs latest piece of work, he is covered in sak yants and they are beautiful it puts me at ease. Now my nose is streaming, the pile of neatly folded tissues is almost taunting me. I feel strangly at peace I suppose I won't feel like that in a couple of hours. If each peace of work takes 15 minutes then I've calculated by the amount of people Ben that my wait time. I'm concerned I have too much cleavage on show. Wil he turn me away, ah my nose! 

During the waiting time you become accutely aware of the customs, put the money offering in an envelope, put the envelope in the jar when Luang opens it, 3 low bows, sit on the cushion, endure, when he blesses you after the tat is complete then you put your hands in prayer then off the cushion, 3 bows and off you trot to enjoy the new addition to your life, while ooooing and ahhhing at the stinging soreness that follows you around.

 In my head I practice the bow, so scared if get it wrong and offend him. Hands to the floor head down, head up hands in prayer repeat x2. Even in my head my hands went up at the wrong time. This was now my main concern. I studied people one by one, til Dave was up, my tat partner in crime. Then I was just a matter of time. I had worn a dress over leggings with a kimono making sure to cover all my bits, cleverly I thought I would just spin my kimono around so that when it came to tat time I wouldn't tempt monk with my female flesh.

When it was my turn I fumbled up, no one had motioned for me toget up like they did for the males. I held out the envelope for what seemed an age before Luang picked up the silver pot. I popped it in and down I went for now number one, and off fell my kimono, slid off my shoulders like a water off a cliff. Damn!! 3 times get it over with. I settled on the cushion, he put the stencil on my shoulder, I was getting the 5 spiers, like every other female. Suddenly he tapped me with his white board pen indicating to turn so I did, picking up the pillow to hug he moved my arm down and then pushed my neck to the pillow while another man essentially held me down. There's a method I enjoy when getting tattooed and that is breathing deeply and counting the breaths. Not happening here, endure, the dragging sharpness instantly brought back memories of tattooed of the past. Oh dear. Try and breathe, it'll be over soon. The pain always feels misplaced slightly, it felt as though the needle was dragging up to my neck, that wasn't good. It shouldn't be there surely. 

About 5 minutes later and it stopped, I caught him cleaning his needle and then lovingly he wiped away the ink and blew the raw skin, lightly whispering unheard words and blowing gently. Maybe he was alright with me after all. I'm on a crazy mental party bus heading away now with the stinging reminder just itching to clean it and admire it but it won't be mine to look at often. 

Happy 30th Birthday to me, tattoo courtesy of Luang the forceful gently happy monk. Thank you Thailand

Saraburi and Week 1&2 Teaching

Me and Gemma arrived in Saraburi at 8:30am on Thursday (30th October), after our loooooooooooooong journey from Chiang Mai via Bangkok. We got off the bus in our sleep deprived state and headed down the main road, purple blimp in tow.... with no idea how to get to the school. Luckily there was a lovely Thai opening her shop and she told us to "Thong Pai" (straight on). We guessed when we arrived at the gates that this was the place to be and wandered into the desolate site. Then wandered into the first office type room we saw. The head mistress was there and swiftly welcomed us by showing us to the "teachers toilets" aka squatters (dont worry we later found the proper loos!). 

We were then told we would be taken to our apartment around 12 by Supaporn (yes, thats right). We initially thought we would be taken straight to our lovely new homes straight away to enjoy a shower... we we're hustled into a room where we met the other 40 odd teachers and were then interviewed by the best English speaking teacher they had, the lovely Somjit. After this we were told that we had to kill 3 hours while they finished their meeting........

We wandered around, found a market that was closed, a "pub" that was closed and a bulk buyers shop. We eventually managed to ask a woman for some "kow" (rice) and whatever meat product it was she had. The best thing about being somewhere small are the eateries that are literally ran out of their living room.... you just dont know if they are for anyone else. 

We got back to the school and then headed to the apartments. A few things happened here that were close to breaking our spirits. After 6 weeks of sharing rooms we we're told we had to share a room again.. we were not expecting this but sorted out another room for the day after. We then asked about mopeds.... no.... mopeds too dangerous... main road..... At first we couldnt accept this, but it didnt take long to realise we had to accept this defeat. We were also then told that we would be required at the school on the Sunday in order to get our timetable. We then got to the room, and showered, no less than an hour later the teachers were back to take us shopping, so lovely of them, but all I wanted was sleep. Tesco was a little bit of home, but very far away down the horrendous highway! No mopeds, far too dangerous. 

When we got back to the room we sat on the bed and contemplated life, then one realisation after another hit and we were both sobbing. Then we would try and ease each others worries, think of another and cry again.

We had to let it go.... this is the theme for Thailand, you just have to let it go, or else it'll ruin you, we spent our weekend in Bangkok, it was Halloween and we got smashed.

 

Week 1 and 2 went by quickly, by 9am on the first day of school we were still non the wiser to our schedules and hadnt even been shown the classrooms so had no idea what we were contending with, we also had no curriculum guide or English programme.... "teach them communication".... Well ok.... 

I teach Kindergarten 1 to 2 which is 4 classes and then Prathom 1-6 which each have 3 classes in each level. Thats 9 levels and 21 classes a week. I was expected to plan everything they were taught.... I was not prepared for this. It seemed everyone else on the planet was on a curriculum except our school. The one that seemingly just didnt give a rats arse. So week 1 and 2 were all about seeing where they were and what they needed. They all were at a very basic level, there was very little engagement around English... who could blame them, there were no English speakers on their radar! Second week was very little teaching, half of my classes were lost to Buddha exams..... 

Some classes were good, some were not, some kids wanted to learn, a lot didn't. They are surprisingly loving outside the classroom.... having "teacha" "teacha" sang at you all day while they run waving and jostling for your hand certainly put a smile on my face.

Next: Lopburi and Week 3 teaching

S x 

Week 4 & 5

The only think I knew for sure on the day that I left Krabi was that I was heading to Bangkok and a hostel was booked for that morning which I would leave a few hours later to go somewhere else in Bangkok (somewhere nicer... hopefully) Other than that I had a vague idea that I wanted to head to Kanchanaburi as my mate Jemma had been to Elephant World there and had raved about it. 

I would just like to take this opportunity to say that this is an amazing place where people devote their time to working for the rescued elephants and letting them enjoy their lives without doing tricks. If your ever in Thailand please be aware that anywhere that offers rides on the back is not ethical! We went on their backs in the water to keep the pressure off but they cannot comfortably carry two people and a rack. Also NEVER go to a Tiger Temple.... seriously those are Tigers... they cannot be tamed without the use of drugs, end of... rant over...

In Bangkok me and the girls treated ourselves to a night in SkyBar... they will charge you a fortune for a drink (dont get the hangovertini unless you like herby drinks) but what a view:

View of Bangkok from Sky Bar

If you head there its also quite strict on dress: no jeans, no flip flops or sandals.

Me and a couple of the girls (I'm 2nd from the left)

After this we went to a lovely place called Asiatique which reminds me of being home in Cardiff Bay, its just lush there! The next morning I was off! I had decided to get myself to Sai Yok (as a couple of days in Bangkok, is just enough). Me and Sofia met on Khoa San Road and were escorted by a cheeky 72 year old who referred to Sophia as "beautiful" and me as "boobs".... yeah fat aint pretty out here....

Sai Yok was just a bit further up from kanchanaburi and we were informed it was better to stay there as it was nearer everything.... ummmmmm.... It took about 2 hours to get from BKK to SY.... and when we got there, we literally wanted to turn around and get back on the rip off songtaeu we just got off! Luckily he has given us his number should we need his tourist services. 

The woman at the desk didnt speak a jot of English, we had originally booked 3 days but decided to take it one day at a time. We were escorted to our rooms which were huts, built around trees. This was our tub for the shower:

The wet wood smell will forever be with me. Dont get me wrong the setting was stunning, we were right on the river Kwai in a picturesque resort but there was no one there... there was no where to go for food and the only word that the staff knew to say to us was "Singha!". Later that night after a spot of sunbathing and waiting 6 hours for food. Our wooden bathroom was overtaken by red ants!!!!!! Try explaining this in Thai when your Thai is just no good. 

A woman arrived, armed with Glade and a sweeping brush... as this is the way to get rid of the biting menaces. At this time we called Songteau guy and arranged an 8am pick up... we didnt really sleep that night... we didnt wash in the morning.... we were bitten to hell and we got away from Sai Yok. 

We arrived in Kanchanaburi around 9 the next morning and went to a lovely little hostel called Sams House. We cleaned up and went exploring, we went walking and found a great spot for breakfast.... and at this time I thanked all the gods in the world... cause there in little Kanchanaburi... was this....

Yes, Stowford Press, the very same Cider that I had drank about a gallon of in 2013 at Newbury races. I had this with my breakfast of eggs on toast. I knew I would like it here. 

We stayed for 5 days. During that time we went to the "Original JEATH War Museum" dont go here, its not really a museum and you wont learn anything. We ascended and descended the 7 steps of Erawen Falls with Goodtimes Tours. We spent a day with the most incredible animals on the plant and almost got stuck in a lock in at a dodgy bar. We also spent two days and Pong Phen which is another hostel not far from Sams House but it has a pool. Ooooooh and lets not forget the 10 Bhat Bar.... one of my fav things to say tenbhatbar.

Two days before I left Kanchanaburi I had a call from my agency finally announcing my position! I was going to Saraburi (of all places, being called Sara, I felt it fitting) I knew that there were sunflower fields there but beyond that I was clueless. I was going to be there along with a girl from my course Gemma (not in the above pic). I was super excited, hence the celebration at 10 bhat bar. 

I was told that I would need to be in Saraburi for 9am on Thursday, I had already planned a trip to Chiang Mai so headed up there on the overnight bus, spent the day at a cookery school (Asia Scenic, highly recommend this) headed out for a some food and a couple of drinks and got my feet bitten by some fish. The next day we had a good pamper session and I had the best back and shoulder massage of my entire life here at Nuad Thail Massage House. We tried to get a massage at the correctional institution but there was a 2 hour wait. 

Me and Indy, the funniest chef ever at Asia Scenic

Outside the Womens Correctional Institution

After a bite to eat and a manicure myself and Gemma got ready to get our overnight bus back to BKK on the Wednesday night to get the bus to Saraburi for 8ish Thursday morning. Remember at this point we dont know the school, we dont know where we are living, we dont know what ages we will be teaching. All we know is that for 500bhat we have an overnight bus with blankets and TV screens and I'm finally gonna get to watch Les Miserables.... and subsequently cry like a baby through its entirity. Oh and we had a monk. 

 Next.... Saraburi here we are... Or maybe we'll go back to Bangkok... and then maybe we'll cry a bit.

S x

Week 2 and 3... Krabi and TEFL

Krabi in summary was a mix of hard work, English Camp, a lot of new names, friendships, discovery of Spys and a bar called Hippies. I'm gonna break it down to some main factors of my time here. 

The people: Is it possible to form close bonds with a large amount of people in a very short space of time? I dont think its possible over 3 weeks but I am atleast fond of every single one of the people I spent my time with in Krabi and we all went through something special together (apart from one absolute tit of a woman but the least said about that the better). 

I shared a room with Sophia, it was quite strange, knowing someone for a few days and then facing 3 weeks in close quarters.... bearing in mind I am now in Thailand, with new food, a sensitive stomach and bathroom doors that have slats in..... I will say no more. 

It was fun sharing with Soph, just easy really, we got a long really well and kept each other going. Soph struggled massively with a sickness bug that just wouldnt go but she kept on going and did really well! We turned into travel buddies and I just love her to pieces. 


TEFL: Ahhhhh the training.... the training to become a teacher.... the training that makes you feel ready to take on teaching when your done. It was overall a decent training package. When we went to the English Camp I felt very calm, albeit a tad nervous. But i felt relatively prepared. I will talk about this in relation to my school later on. At this point I will just say that at the end of training I still had NO idea where I would be and was quite concerned that the job would never peak its head!


Leaving: On a Saturday morning I rolled out of bed still drunk after getting to bed at 6am the night before. Krabi's final night consisted of a talent show (where I completed my rubix cube) tons of Spy (a sugary alcoholic glass of loveliness) BUCKETS... urgh Samsong.... dancing, skinny dipping and rice....

Me and Soph packed away our final things and opened a Spy left over from the night before in the hope it would ease our hangovers... no such luck. We checked out... set out bags to the side and hunted down Burger King on the coast.. this did not help. I was walking around looking for re hydration salts bending over in fear of standing straight and the nausea it would cause. 

When we got back the first of our crew, Kate, who was heading south was getting into her taxi.... that was it, the first of the goodbyes and a few of us cried like sissy girls. There was a lot of love that day, hugging and tears and laughs at the states we were in. 

The bus arrived in all its glory with about 100 Winnie the poohs in the window.....
We begrudgingly got on, found ourselves a set of two chairs each and hunkered in for a long journey back to the hostel in Bangkok. When we left the resort... turned the corner... the the street where the loveliest shop keeper ever lived and our bar Hippies stood. To our surprise EVERYONE was out on the street, waving at the windows, sending us their best as we trundled passed trying not to disconnect the low riding electricity cables. And that was it... the tears started again.... I still miss Krabi to this day. 

We left on 18th October

Team Tiger at English Camp

Me and My friend LaLa the Gibbon

The time we got lost on Krabi in the
 pouring ran for two hours.

Last Night at Center Point, Krabi

First Sunset, Krabi

The Winnie Bus

Sx

Week 1 - Bangkok and Krabi

Bangkok was a trip! First night our hostel threw a party for us all! (about this time about 20 of us were there) I had slept for 2 hours in the last 48 and managed to stay up til 4am. It was ace, a rooftop party and my first real night with Chang (and last).


2 days in Bangkok were a blur of Temples, Asiatique, Chang and vomiting.

Then it was time to fly to Krabi! Krabi is South Thailand and has some bloody lovely beaches. There was an option of a bus... a 13 hour ride... or a flight... a 1 hour flight... I was feeling flash from my savings so the latter was chosen. Krabi would be my home for 3 weeks while I was training with TEFL, after this they inform me that they will guarantee me a position within a school. I will work for a term and be done in March time.  

After meeting all my course chums I realised that there was a small number of us that hadnt already been placed.... just a handful... it was quite disconcerting... but this story will continue through the next few posts. 

Ahhhhh Krabi, a lovely place, I was underwhelmed at first but very quickly came to love the little bit of heaven. 

Next post will be main highlights of Krabi and then I'll start blabbering on about a couple of weeks of roaming with no set plans.

Sx

Leaving Home

On the 23rd of September 2014 I opened my packed to the brim 30kg suitcase and squeezed in some last minute Birthday and Christmas cards my Mum handed to me.... not to be opened until the day of rule implied. My then boyfriend, Tom, lugged the purple blimp down the three flights of stairs from my Mums flat to the car and that was it.... I said goodbye to Cardiff... for 6 months... not to dramatic... I honestly didnt feel bad, there was too much excitement in the near future! First off I was heading to London to see my Brother and his lovely family, including my beautiful new(ish) Nephew. 

The drive to London was pretty uneventful and then I met the family and spent a couple of hours awwwing over little Bill and explaining my limited travel plans and getting excited over photos on lonelyplanet.

There was dinner at the Hilton at Heathrow and then it was time for bed, I said goodnight to my Mum and got in bed with Tom for our last sleepover. This was the first time that some deep seated feelings started to rumble, he asked me not to go. In our two year relationship we had spent about 16 months knowing that I was going to be off... this was his first plee of "stay". Sleep didnt come too easy that night, mostly fear of missing my alarm and not getting my 9am flight. At 6 I was up, I was showered and staring at my suitcase... my travel buddy... my life... the purple blimp. 

The walk to the terminal was short and strange, me, Mum and Tom wandered through the tunnel making light hearted remarks about mundane things. Then I was checked in and standing at security... I remember thinking to myself "This is it, you have to walk away now, they're waiting on you". I looked at Mum, a pillar of strength, beaming back at me "you'll be fine darling, I'm so proud of you" then at Tom, his wilting smile and that was it.... everything hit me all at once. Can I do this? Can I actually do this? I'm almost 30! I've never done this before, I've had far to long on this planet being all comfy in Cardiff... why am I leaving! My home, my friends, my job, my family everything I love. 

I was shaking the entire time I walked through security, I wasnt even out of the gaze of my Mum and I couldnt cope with general decision making... Do I need a clear bag? Do I? Does my lipstick need to go in there? Nooooo.... just keep walking. 

Note: always put your liquids in those damn bags!

Security tipped out the contents of my rucksack.... Oh geez... Did I actually leave scissors in my hand luggage! I'm not cut out for this malarky. 

Next thing I know I bump into Cherry and Bryony, two girls I had only talked with over Facebook, a TEFL page set up by TEFL Heaven. We were all on the same course and about 9 of us were on the same flight. All sat having a bit of breakfast and 10 minutes in I feel normal, empowered, I can do this! Course I bloody can, Im almost 30! 

The 15 hour flight was a bit painful, for the first leg I promised myself not to sleep as I wanted to get into Thai time asap... I spotted a 4 seater free and shared with Dan (another on the course). I watched films... lots of... before I knew it we were in Bombay. 2 hours later we we're on the final leg. YAY! I can go to sleep on this flight....... No..... no you cant... cause your seat doesnt recline... and the TV doesnt work.... Me and Sophia shared 3 seats and tried as we might to get comfortable.. sleep didnt come... so we chatted about travelling, about our "ex's" about how they had both produced a 'Photobox' to us before leaving... We became good friends.

We landed at 6am... not feeling so fresh we all bustled out of the airport and we're met by some really oppressive air... This is their winter, its 36 degrees. Blinking heck.

Confused and bleary eyed we separated out into government taxis, 800bhat to get us to our hostel... seems reasonable... then 50bhat to use the highway... then another 50bhat for the toll..... hang on a minute.... 

We arrived at WE bangkok early hours to be told that we couldnt check in until 2..... I'd been travelling for over a day before I could take a shower and get in a nap! We chilled out, didnt wander to far and counted the minutes down. I stupidly (now it was stupid idea) booked a private room for myself.... when I got into said room (after dragging purple blimp up 4 sets of stairs, hostels dont have lifts) I cleaned up and got ready for a nap.... I sat on my bed and listened the the bustling city that was Bangkok and cried. I cried because I was tired, I cried because the room didnt have a single bit of bunting, I cried cause the shower was cold. And then I got over it. I had my nap, woke up, met the others and the journey began.

This really was a mind dump. Good thing its only for me. Next installment Week 1!

Sx

Intro

Intro......

This is all very strange. I am sat at my desk, its 1.15, I have half hour before my 3rd class of the day starts. I have been at my school: Hin Kong for 1 week and 2 days. I have been in Thailand for just over 6 weeks. 

(At my desk writing this post)

I was supposed to start this blog on teaching day 1..... this was far too much for my brain to cope with at the time. So in the interest of keeping things logical I will start from the beginning and catch you up.

Why am I here?
I wont bang on about it but the answer to this is simple, I lost my Dad to the Big C back in 2011 and my life was never the same. I had a massive existential crisis and decided I had to live while my heart was still beating. I had always wanted to travel but found it torture to save to do it so I thought... lets get paid! I had graduated a few months before Dad checked out and hadn't utilised it in the slightest..... (another example of my throwing away money) but I could use it to get a TEFL and get a job teaching. I'm also getting older and feeling the pressure to settle down and have a family (which I am all for!) but knew I had some things to do before that happened.... SO that is why I am here. 

Why Thailand?
I wanted to be somewhere different, somewhere new, experience a different way of life. Where better than Thailand... the land of smiles, monks and some downright amazing (and CHEEEEAP) food. 

Why teaching?
I can finally do something with my degree! It gives me the income to be here and to travel on weekends..... all part of the plan.... also I dont think I would have felt comfortable just bumming around so it gives me a purpose of being here, a feeling of giving back. To be honest I always loved the idea of being a primary school teacher and now I have the chance! (I'm teaching Prathom and Anuban a.k.a Primary and Nursery).

This post is getting a bit long! SO next post will be all about my departure and first week in this magical place. 

Speak soon

Sara x