First Impressions
We are here! Its been about 10 days of transition but it all was worth it! The plane ride was your expected tiresome journey but we arrived with no hick ups! Two days later Rhianna got sick from what we think was traveling and a lot of new food / water but recovered in 24 hours. We were told to be ready to be sick more than just once while we are here, and you become close really fast with everyone at the lunch table discussing various stomach issues!
We arrived Wednesday and the school picked us up and took us to our apartment. Our apartment is very big with lots of windows, two bedrooms, two bathrooms, a large kitchen (with more cabinets and counters we know what to do with) and nice dining room area.
On Thursday and Friday we had New Staff Orientation where we met all of the new teachers at our school (Main Boarding Campus) and the Primary Campus. Some of the teachers are new to Thailand / Asia like us, while most were coming from a previous International School or had been in Thailand teaching at a different school. Friday night we all went to a Thai cooking class and "learned" to cook 4 different dishes. Below are pictures around campus.
Our apartment is to the left, the school is directly in front (5 min walking commute) and the kids dorms are on the other side of the play ground you see to the right.
There is a pool they are currently remodeling to the right (in blue) - should be done late August! The gym is the covered white building in the left part of the picture.
End of the PYP (elementary) and ELL (English Language Learner) wing of the school.
Some on campus staff housing is the white building with an outdoor basketball/futsal/volleyball court.
Field in front of the cafeteria - good green space for PE classes...we played Ultimate Frisbee there this past week.
Over the weekend we went shopping for household items and groceries. Shopping was actually comforting because we saw a lot of similarities to the US, but with the obvious language difference. We went to Baan and Beyond (the Thai version of Bed Bath and Beyond) and Central Airport Plaza. Airport Plaza is a massive mall with 4 levels of various stores. Each level has a kind of theme. There is a technology level where we switched our cell phone SIM card so that we could our make calls and use data while we were out and about. On another level there are a couple of cosmetic surgery shops where you can just walk in and get Botox if you feel the need. The next day we went to Makro (think Costco), Big C (think Walmart), and Rimping. Rimping is a grocery store that stocks more familiar food such as tortilla chips, salsa, Oreo cookies, Goldfish, hummus, Campbell soup (only a few cans), and other items that are there on a rotating basis.
Saturday night we went to the Walking Street which happens every night except Monday. Each night you get a different kind and size of crowd. This was sensory overload! The street food looked amazing (see picture to the right) - but we are not brave enough yet to eat it. However, we did eat a banana and chocolate waffle because we saw it made in front of us - SO GOOD!
That night, we had a "Welcome Back Dinner" at the resort next to the school (same owners as the school's). They organized this beautiful spread of food and we all had a great time!
After, a lot us went back to our neighbor's apartment to play games and socialize. Saturday we went shopping at Airport plaza again and ate lunch at the market. Lots of interesting food, coffee, and drinks - can you spot the cotton candy in the picture below?
Good to know: Here are some good things that happened this week / what we like about Thailand so far.
1) The food selection is plentiful! We have mainly been eating on campus at school and the selection is different everyday, every meal and with a variety of options. Always white rice, chicken, pork, fish stir fry of some kind, many sauces to add, a salad bar, and two fresh fruit choices. We have no complaints! But we've heard that we will get tired of it by October. But for now its great! Also, around the school are a few restaurants with really good food and great views. You can see our school in the valley.
2) We love the people. All of the teachers are really supportive and come from all different experiences. We are excited to explore Thailand with them and their recommendations and no one wants to leave!
3) Work is going to be not nearly as stressful as in the States. Normally, we are stressed about the first day of school. Our first two days are brief introductions, a lot of ice breakers, and getting to know the students. A lot of boarding students and its important to get them acclimated and back into a routine. The school's mission statement talks about happy life long learners... so no stress here :)
4) There are comforts of home everywhere! We have peanut butter, ice cream, candy, american food, Mexican food, movie theaters with the most recent movies, etc. Besides the school supplies being different, and the obvious language barrier, we really feel like we can get anything we want!
Not so good:
1) We have ants. We live in a forest, and while the cicadas are SO LOUD that it sounds like it could be an alarm, the ants are the only thing that currently bother us. There are the occasional bugs and insects that crawl around in your classroom and ceiling, but the ants are a problem. We put out ant traps, and watched hundreds come from the cracks and carry the poison back to their farm, but now they are showing up dead. Even when we sweep them up, they reappear later in the same spots dead. They are only in one of our bathrooms though, so its manageable. (Just gross!)
2) Power outages. Normally when it rains, (and its currently rainy reason) there are temporary power outages. Sometimes it last minutes, but last night we experienced one lasting 8 hours! We luckily were in town and didn't notice, but we were glad we had flashlights and candles ready to go when we came home. We heard to have a backup up plan in the classroom in case it happens and you have no internet or projector, but that's the life of a teacher anyway!
3) Transportation (temporary). When we moved here first, we thought we were going to get a motor bike. Then after a few times going up and down the mountain in the van, were a bit nervous. The cars/vans get really close to the motorbikes and we just aren't comfortable making that are our main transportation. Plus, if we need to get groceries and stuff for our apartment, or have visitors, we want to be comfortable. (There are MANY people who make it work and I admire those people that can balance with things in their laps/hands while driving...but we are not those people..yet!) We are looking into getting a car - and they are very affordable!
Overall - We love it so far and can't wait to see what this school year brings! We start school tomorrow - and have a holiday Friday for the Queen's birthday! We plan on exploring town on a motor bike (we will definitely let you know how that goes)!
We arrived Wednesday and the school picked us up and took us to our apartment. Our apartment is very big with lots of windows, two bedrooms, two bathrooms, a large kitchen (with more cabinets and counters we know what to do with) and nice dining room area.
Our apartment is to the left, the school is directly in front (5 min walking commute) and the kids dorms are on the other side of the play ground you see to the right.
Views of Rhianna's MYP Classroom (left and right). View of one of the covered walkways around campus and the tennis courts to the left (below)
There is a pool they are currently remodeling to the right (in blue) - should be done late August! The gym is the covered white building in the left part of the picture.
End of the PYP (elementary) and ELL (English Language Learner) wing of the school.
Some on campus staff housing is the white building with an outdoor basketball/futsal/volleyball court.
Field in front of the cafeteria - good green space for PE classes...we played Ultimate Frisbee there this past week.
Over the weekend we went shopping for household items and groceries. Shopping was actually comforting because we saw a lot of similarities to the US, but with the obvious language difference. We went to Baan and Beyond (the Thai version of Bed Bath and Beyond) and Central Airport Plaza. Airport Plaza is a massive mall with 4 levels of various stores. Each level has a kind of theme. There is a technology level where we switched our cell phone SIM card so that we could our make calls and use data while we were out and about. On another level there are a couple of cosmetic surgery shops where you can just walk in and get Botox if you feel the need. The next day we went to Makro (think Costco), Big C (think Walmart), and Rimping. Rimping is a grocery store that stocks more familiar food such as tortilla chips, salsa, Oreo cookies, Goldfish, hummus, Campbell soup (only a few cans), and other items that are there on a rotating basis.
Saturday night we went to the Walking Street which happens every night except Monday. Each night you get a different kind and size of crowd. This was sensory overload! The street food looked amazing (see picture to the right) - but we are not brave enough yet to eat it. However, we did eat a banana and chocolate waffle because we saw it made in front of us - SO GOOD!
Monday Through Friday and we were in Training Sessions Setting up our classrooms. One of the Most beneficial Training Sessions we attended was on Thai Customs. This Seminar was also Needed for US to Acquire Thai our Work visas. The building's office staff are a group of wonderful women who work really hard. Even though they have a very tough job they always have a wonderful smile on their faces. This session allowed us to connect better as we learned about their work ethic, personalities, and customs. At the end of the week on Friday, some monk's came and blessed the school. It was a really cool experience seeing the ceremony.
That night, we had a "Welcome Back Dinner" at the resort next to the school (same owners as the school's). They organized this beautiful spread of food and we all had a great time!
After, a lot us went back to our neighbor's apartment to play games and socialize. Saturday we went shopping at Airport plaza again and ate lunch at the market. Lots of interesting food, coffee, and drinks - can you spot the cotton candy in the picture below?
That night, a lot of us went to town to a Mexican restaurant - we could not order alcohol because it is an election weekend. (Could you imagine if the US had that rule?) Felt a little like home in the restaurant and the tacos were amazing!
Good to know: Here are some good things that happened this week / what we like about Thailand so far.
1) The food selection is plentiful! We have mainly been eating on campus at school and the selection is different everyday, every meal and with a variety of options. Always white rice, chicken, pork, fish stir fry of some kind, many sauces to add, a salad bar, and two fresh fruit choices. We have no complaints! But we've heard that we will get tired of it by October. But for now its great! Also, around the school are a few restaurants with really good food and great views. You can see our school in the valley.
2) We love the people. All of the teachers are really supportive and come from all different experiences. We are excited to explore Thailand with them and their recommendations and no one wants to leave!
3) Work is going to be not nearly as stressful as in the States. Normally, we are stressed about the first day of school. Our first two days are brief introductions, a lot of ice breakers, and getting to know the students. A lot of boarding students and its important to get them acclimated and back into a routine. The school's mission statement talks about happy life long learners... so no stress here :)
4) There are comforts of home everywhere! We have peanut butter, ice cream, candy, american food, Mexican food, movie theaters with the most recent movies, etc. Besides the school supplies being different, and the obvious language barrier, we really feel like we can get anything we want!
Not so good:
1) We have ants. We live in a forest, and while the cicadas are SO LOUD that it sounds like it could be an alarm, the ants are the only thing that currently bother us. There are the occasional bugs and insects that crawl around in your classroom and ceiling, but the ants are a problem. We put out ant traps, and watched hundreds come from the cracks and carry the poison back to their farm, but now they are showing up dead. Even when we sweep them up, they reappear later in the same spots dead. They are only in one of our bathrooms though, so its manageable. (Just gross!)
2) Power outages. Normally when it rains, (and its currently rainy reason) there are temporary power outages. Sometimes it last minutes, but last night we experienced one lasting 8 hours! We luckily were in town and didn't notice, but we were glad we had flashlights and candles ready to go when we came home. We heard to have a backup up plan in the classroom in case it happens and you have no internet or projector, but that's the life of a teacher anyway!
3) Transportation (temporary). When we moved here first, we thought we were going to get a motor bike. Then after a few times going up and down the mountain in the van, were a bit nervous. The cars/vans get really close to the motorbikes and we just aren't comfortable making that are our main transportation. Plus, if we need to get groceries and stuff for our apartment, or have visitors, we want to be comfortable. (There are MANY people who make it work and I admire those people that can balance with things in their laps/hands while driving...but we are not those people..yet!) We are looking into getting a car - and they are very affordable!
Overall - We love it so far and can't wait to see what this school year brings! We start school tomorrow - and have a holiday Friday for the Queen's birthday! We plan on exploring town on a motor bike (we will definitely let you know how that goes)!
