Can I Have a Retest?

January 16-20, 2012

What? We have to turn in all our midterm exams by tomorrow! This is the first I’ve heard of this. This school seems to be indifferent about everything we do. So it’s strange that they would be in dire need of our midterms. Just like any school, our school has midterm exams. Our exam week is not for another week but now they are requiring us to turn in our exams early so the Thai teachers can make copies for all the students. I think I was the only person that didn’t know that they were supposed to be done this early. How frustrating! How am I supposed to get almost 15 midterm exams for six different grade levels prepared and ready by tomorrow morning? Why didn’t anyone tell me? We should really have some type of bulletin board put up in the teacher’s lounge or something. It is stressful trying to guess what we may or may not be doing. And I don’t always know the right questions to ask.

Making the Test. So I made the midterms from scratch. They don’t provide us any testing material or resources so we can create the tests to our own standard. This is ideal since I can cater the tests to my student’s abilities and assess them on the historical facts I believe is most important. But at the same time, it can be damaging since I can test them on whatever I feel like and no one is holding me accountable. This is basically the theme for this school though. I’m in the class with each grade for multiple subjects and no one knows what I am teaching. I could be teaching them that the world is flat and Christopher Columbus was a really great guy. I could be teaching them Communist ideals.  I could even be teaching them about katoeys and the benefits of having an STD. No one checks up on me. No one comes in to observe my class. The Thai teachers are barely there and when they are they are dazing off or gossiping with the kids as I am teaching. No one is holding me accountable. This is strange. I never thought I would want that uncomfortable feeling of having someone monitor me. Muhaha. This is how I can impose my own propaganda. I have so much power. What should I teach them to believe next? Any suggestions?

So after a grueling day of staring at the computer and my books, I created my midterm exams and review sheets. I was very proud of my work. I had a great mix of vocabulary definitions, multiple choice questions, and short answer questions. Coming up with the multiple choice answers were pretty difficult but fun. I was nervous though. I had a feeling that these kids don’t really do their work, or at least their own work. They might not do too well on my test. Whenever they turn in homework or classwork, if they even do or attend class at all, their work always looks exactly identical to the person next to them. It will be nice to finally see who copies who while evaluating these tests.

I am most interested and most nervous about the whole ‘kids never fail’ policy plays out during the midterm. I have tried to make my tests cater to everyone’s ability. But if they don’t study, they will fail. How will this work? Will they get retested? Do I have to make my tests easier? Can I not give any retests and tell them they have to make it up with attendance and other assignments? Retests just sound like more work. More test making, more grading, and more time. Sounds terrible.

After completing all of my tests, I found out that a few of my classes were not supposed to have midterms and were not scheduled to have midterms. I was quite irritated by this since those midterms were the hardest ones to make. Some of those classes did not have any textbooks or relevant resources so all my research was done online or through the books found in our substandard library. See, how was I supposed to know that at least four of the classes I teach don’t require midterms? How am I supposed to know to ask that question? One would just assume if you teach a class, you would also test them for midterms just like you would for any other class. Bulletin board, really!

The Test. Testing week is very strange. Instead of having test from the beginning to the end of the school week, we test students from Tuesday to Saturday. So we have normal classes on Monday but have to come in on Saturday for some reason. I was lucky. The social exams were scheduled for Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. So I was exempt from coming in on Saturday. Another design of exam week that I thought was a bit strange is that three grade levels take their midterms at the same time. They all take one teacher’s midterm at the same time. For example, they test my 7^th graders, 8^th graders, and 9^th graders on social studies during one period. They have a five minute break before those same grades get tested on Thai history for the next period. That’s only for social studies. Afterwards, they have three or four more subjects to get tested on. So instead of spreading the material over the week, they receive multiple tests within one day and multiple days off between tests.

Since they test all the students at the same time, it is difficult for one teacher to proctor the exams. All the grade levels are spread out between six classrooms so that is a lot of classrooms to monitor at one time. These kids cheat all the time too and there is nothing we can really do about it. And they know this. I was relieved to know that there was a Thai teacher in each of the classrooms. I thought that should help. Oh, but it didn’t.

During the test, I tried to rotate from one classroom to another. But it was difficult. The kids asked a lot of questions so it became hard for me to manage my time equally in each classroom. This became more of a problem since these kids are little cheating rascals. Right before walking into each classroom, I could see all of them having a discussion with each other. One student will announce my arrival and all the students would face forward and pretend to be looking on to their own papers.

Thai teachers are supposed to be in their monitoring but when entering my classrooms, the teachers weren’t anywhere to be found. This means that the kids can share as much of their answers as they want. I heard that some of Thai teachers were trying to give answers away for the students. What’s worse is many times the Thai teachers don’t even know the subject that well and end up giving the students the wrong answer. It’s not like I believe the student doesn’t deserve it but the method is really detrimental to the students’ progress anyhow. One of the foreign teachers informed me that many of the students were all talking during the exams. Even the Thai teacher was spotted casually chatting away with the kids during the exam. Ten students in this particular class did not have time to finish the rest of the exam. I wonder why?

After being informed about all the cheating that was happening during the exams, I decided to be more vocal for the next round of exams. I went to each of the six classrooms and mentioned the repercussions I will impose if I catch them cheating. I used the scare tactic: You will get a big fat zero, to rile them up a little bit. Then I gave them all a mean glare. They looked scared at first, but I think it’s all a front. I know that they didn’t listen to me. They never do. Then, I went to all the Thai teachers and asked them individually if they can make sure the kids don’t cheat. Most of them hardly acknowledged me. One teacher responded with: “I can’t. They just talk.” I was confused. “Why can’t you? They are not allowed to talk or cheat. Make them stop talking.” The Thai teacher replied, “I can’t stop them from talking. They talk too much.” In complete disbelief, I asserted, “Just don’t let them talk or cheat.”

Before, during, and after the test, I mostly heard excuses and complaints. I guess there is such a thing as a stupid question:

• Do we have to answer these questions?

(while pointing to the entire test, he was serious or maybe just hopeful)

• Do I have to take the exam?

• Why do we have to study?

• Do I have to write anything if there’s no enough space?

• Can I have a retest?

(before even getting the test)

• Why the test so hard?

(without even looking at the test yet)

• I had a cough yesterday. Can I take the test next week?

• Do we get points for our name?

• Does this test count?

After the test…

Students (in the Thai accent): “Teach-chaa, so haaahhrd.”

Me: “Well, did you study?”

Some guiltlessly shook their head and some took their fingers and squished them together to signify how little they studied. This meant that if they did study at all, it was the five minutes that they had before the test.

Grading. I knew more than half of them cheated. What a waste of time for me, grading all these exams. I might as well give them all the same score since it was basically a group effort. I could actually follow through with the threat of giving them a zero, but it’s not allowed. And even if I did, the school would just make me retest all of them until they passed or until I changed the test. I would still end up with the same problem, exerting more work that isn’t as useful for the kids and never being acknowledged.

It was obvious that the kids cheated too. In one class, every single student copied each other’s answers. For this class, I counted nine of the questions that had the same exact response, word for word. They didn’t even attempt to cover up their plagiarism. They just wrote down exactly what their friend had. The funny thing is all 9 of the answers were wrong. So they copied all the wrong answers. I definitely gave them all a piece of my mind.

In Thailand, fifty percent and above is passing. So they can receive a 50% in their overall grade and be able to move on to the next grade. When I handed back midterms, one student shouted with glee when he found out he got a 50%. He started gloating about his passing grade, passing his exam paper around like a trophy. Then he received high fives from his friends for this wonderful accomplishment, those of which weren’t too far from that 50% as well. While grading, I was rather lenient. I definitely counted some answers that were questionable and tried giving them some credit. But even so, many of them failed.

Retest. We are required to give them retests if they received below a 50% on the exam. I didn’t like their attitudes so I required anyone with a 60% and below to retest. They didn’t study for the retest though. I was able to keep a better eye on them during the retest since I put all the testers in one room. Many of them ended up doing worse, maybe because they were doing their own work this time. Some did better probably because they were actually doing their own work.

I heard more excuses. Some of the same ones like, “It’s too hard”, “I don’t feel good”, “can I take it next week?”

But some of their work was actually quite ridiculous, desperate, and funny. Keep in mind, these kids are high schoolers in an English program. Here are some examples of student work: 

7. Which kingdom ended right before the Ratthanakosin kingdom?

King Taksin

He must have mistaken the word kingdom for king. When he took his retest, I noticed that he put down this same answer, King Taksin. So I told him to go back and reread the question. He came back with:

7. Which kingdom ended right before the Ratthanakosin kingdom?

King Taksin   Ratthanakosin kingdom

Oh man! Sometimes these kids do not even read the questions. They are so used to copying and pasting that it’s just second nature for them. I’ve noticed that many of them did this for the other questions. They would just take whatever word was in the question and use it as the answer.

13. What did Phra Maha Tammarachathirat do to show loyalty to the Burmese king?

Please pass me

38. What were some of the requirements needed for a country to join the EU?

Teacher Christy

28. Which colony was the only Southeast Asian colony to never be colonized?

Brain

Really??? I could not believe my eyes when I saw this one. We have never even talked about the brain before in social studies. I even asked their science teacher if they ever went over his part of the human anatomy. Nope. This was all on her own. Brain?? Really? Definitely not a country. I did have some students put down Portugal, Spain, and England as some answers. Those are not Asian countries. But at least, they got the country part right.

No one reads the directions. Everyone cheats. I need to have a big talk with every one of my classes. This disaster of an exam week has now ended. I’m really going to crack down on some of these kiddos. Pop quizzes before each class. Homework. Projects. Maybe I’ll be nice and throw in a couple extra credit opportunities. They are going to need it. 

Take a look at these funny student answers from the Why Teachers Drink publication:

The Old and Glorious Siam

January 16, 2012

 

I decided to visit the old city of Ayutthaya this weekend. The history of the Ayutthaya kingdom is actually a subject I teach in school. I have learned a lot about the kingdom already through my own training and research but I figure it might help my teaching if I actually visited the ruins and temples of one of the most powerful ancient kingdoms in Southeast Asia.

The Weekend Market. Chatuchak is considered to be one of the world’s biggest markets. It was started by a former prime minister of Thailand who believed that every city needed to have a market. The market covers 35 acres and has 15,000 separate shops. It is only open on the weekends and thus has an unbelievably large influx of locals and tourists. The market sells a large variety of clothes, antiques, books, jewelry, animals, and much more. This market was larger than I could have imagined. I didn’t even know where to begin. I wasn’t really looking for anything in particular so I explored the maze-like center. It was difficult to find my way around and I got lost a number of times.

I visited this market before taking a bus to Ayutthaya. It must have been over 100 degrees Fahrenheit as I was walking around. It probably didn’t help that I was dressed conservatively and carrying a large, heavy backpack around. This meant I was sweating a lot. Every time I took my backpack off for a breather, the straps and underbelly of my backpack would be wet from sweat. You can easily get dehydrated in this type of humid weather.

Sugar Galore. It was hot and I was thirsty. Instead of doing the smart thing and buying a bottle of water, coconut juice was what I craved. If you don’t like your food and drinks full of sugar, you need to watch the vendor very carefully as they are preparing your meal. Because when you least expect it or when your eyes are rummaging through your purse for money, that’s when they do it. That’s when they add the pile of sugar. This has happened to me too many times. Coconut juice tastes wonderful without the ladle of simple sugar. But my guard was down and I didn’t get a chance to say no sugar. All that sugar did not help with my thirst; it just made it worse.

Sugar is everywhere here. Of course, sugar is used in many American recipes but it is used differently here. There is a difference between putting in a dash of sugar and a waterfall of sugar. They add sugar to waffles, coffee, juice, eggs, salad, and even more sugar on anything dessert-like. Sugar is almost like the garnish on dishes here. Sugar in the form of syrup is also popular. It is very difficult to find tea, coffee, or juice without sugar syrup already added in. It’s usually a lot of syrup as well. The Thai people like their food and drinks particularly sweet. Turns out, Thai people ingest over 16 teaspoons of sugar a day. Compare that to the world’s average, 11 teaspoons, and what is actually considered still healthy for your body, 6 teaspoons. The Thais consume a lot of sugar!

Do you like condensed milk? I sometimes do, but in small quantities. It’s in everything here too. I once ordered mash potatoes that were made with condensed milk. While expecting just the starchy, plain flavor of potatoes, all I tasted was sugar and vanilla flavoring. I have now learned how to say no sugar as I’m ordering. I usually say ‘mai’ and then point to whatever canister looks like it contains sugar or condensed milk (which seems to be all of them). But again, if you don’t catch them in time, they somehow manage to sneak it in anyways. Sometimes I’ve been peer pressured into adding sugar, as vendors will give me a weird look and laugh at my aversion to sugar. This somehow compels me and I give in to the Thai way. My family has a history of getting gum disease. I think I’m definitely speeding it along at this point. Bring it on!

VIP Bus. I don’t know why they call them VIP buses. They seem more spectacular based on their name, but they actually aren’t too remarkable compared to the rest of the buses. Nevertheless, the bus ride was actually pretty nice. It was a lot easier than I expected. Maybe it’s because I just experienced the wretched and unforgettable bus ride to Cambodia. Alternatively, the bus was spacious and air conditioned. On this two hour bus ride, I was able to write and talk to a couple fellow travelers. One woman sat next to me for most of the ride. She didn’t say a single word to me until she got up to get off the bus. She handed me a piece of paper and said in relatively good English, “This is for you. You should not look at your computer so long. It is bad for your eyes and brain. Take a break.”

The paper read, “Welcome in my country. You look friendly and lovely. Enjoy with your time and have a nice day. Good luck.”

What a pleasant send off to my weekend. I was enjoying the environment so much I expected to have a good and peaceful weekend ahead of me. Oh was I so wrong.

Soi 2. This street is considered the foreigner’s street in Ayutthaya. Restaurants and hostels are catered to English speaking tourists on the street. There are also travel shops that set you up with daily boat and biking tours and provide you rental bikes for 40 ฿ for a full day. I immediately went to this street after arriving in the city. I needed to find a hostel and I heard there was some prime accommodation on this street. I heard about this hostel called Tony’s Place so I went in to the reception’s desk and asked for a room. The hostels’ employees checked their room availability and kindly told me that they were all booked for today. Okay. That’s okay. There are a lot of hostels in this area. So I went to another one that was recommended called PU Guesthouse. They were booked as well. Then I went to another guesthouse. They were all booked. And then another. Booked. Another. Booked. I was really confused. Why are all the hostels booked? Is there a special event this weekend?

In over 100 degree heat, I walked around for over two hours trying to find a hostel. Street after street, each hostel I found was full. I kept on asking passersby if I could see their Lonely Planet book to find the nearest hostel. All of them ended up being booked as well. As I hauled myself around, I tried looking for signs indicating some type of guesthouse or hostel. But I couldn’t’ find any. I asked motorbike drivers and tuk tuk drivers. Everyone directed me in different directions that didn’t lead to a guesthouse.

After aimlessly roaming the sweltering, unshaded sidewalks and roads of Ayutthaya, I came across a coffee shop and asked them for directions. They directed me to a hostel around the corner. I was so excited. This road was so far away from the main center that there shouldn’t be too many people staying at this place. I walked around the corner to find a large gate, closing off an open field and a large house. This doesn’t look like a hostel? As I puzzlingly stared off into the distance, an older man approached me and asked if I needed help. His English was pretty good and I was happy that I found someone who may be able to guide me in the right direction. I asked him about a nearby hostel or guesthouse. Without responding, he opened the locks on the gate and pointed towards the house. I was confused but I followed him into the empty field.

Puzzled by his creepy non-existing response, I asked again, “Where is the guesthouse?” He responded and pointed to the deserted looking house in the middle of the field, “It is right next to my house.” Red alert! I immediately stopped walking. “It’s next to your house?” With an emotionless and composed expression, he said, “Yes, my house is over there” His house? This didn’t sound too good. We were all alone in a large deserted field, next to his house. All signs pointed to DANGER! What should I do? Should I tell him that I can find it myself? Did he lock the gate behind us? Should I start running in the other direction? I didn’t want to offend someone who was helping me but I also didn’t want to be in a situation I would regret.  Although all these thoughts were running through my head, I was kind of desperate for a place. Not his place of course! But a place to finally place my sweat soaked heavy backpack.

So I continued to walk alongside him, remaining weary of my surroundings. He started to lead me into this shack like garage. I stopped and asked again, “I’m confused. Where is this guesthouse?” He calmly answered, “It is right in front of my house.” This man seemed very strange. I did not feel comfortable at all. I kept on thinking ‘Oh my gosh! This is it. I’m going to get raped. What should I do?” I started rehearsing some of my Krav Maga moves in my head, preparing for something to go down. I slowed my walk down so that I was behind him. I figured at least if I were behind him, I can keep an eye on him and make sure he doesn’t try anything.

As we got closer to the house, he said, “See, this is my house.” I nervously smiled back at him and confirmed, “And the guesthouse is in front of the house, right?” He continued moving towards his house with a blank stare. It looked like he was going to make way to his door. Please don’t go in the house. Please don’t go in. I was just about to refuse his help until he shifted his steps away from the door and started to walk around the house. I apprehensively followed behind him, ready with some self-defense moves in mind. Then, we reached the front yard of his house and he pointed to a visible guesthouse across the road. What a relief? There really was a guesthouse. I thanked him and started to make my way to the guesthouse. Finally!

This area of town was pretty deserted. The road alone looked like it might as well have had rolling tumbleweeds. But I found a place finally. I could see it in the distance. Right as I stepped on the sidewalk towards the guesthouse, I saw something rush towards me. It was a dog. Then another dog rushed towards me. And then another. And another. Soon, a pack of wild dogs surrounded me and cornered me to a wall. The dogs started barking loudly. I screamed and ran behind a parked car. They all followed me and surrounded the car. Then, they tried biting at my legs. I was terrified and I didn’t know what to do. So I bolted and ran down the street. Big mistake! The dogs all chased me. They chased me for a couple minutes down the road. I don’t think I’ve ever run that fast before, especially with everything I was holding. I should have just sacrificed the backpack or at least used it as a weapon. I was so scared. While running on rocks and rubble, I tripped and fell. But I picked myself up as fast as I could and continue to run. My mind continued racing through images of being in the hospital, getting rabies, and being left mangled and bitten on the side of the road. The fear was too overwhelming that I was even contemplating just giving up and letting them bite me. The Rabies shot isn’t too expensive over here. Bad idea, right?

I ran until I found a nearby shop. I ran into the store and hid behind the shelves. Keep in mind that I was screaming the entire time I was running so I definitely made a scene. Everyone who was outside the shop came to find me. The store owner came up to me and asked if I was alright. I could barely speak and I was shaking from fear and excitement. As I was trembling, I asked them if there was a guesthouse nearby. I just wanted to find a place! The owner led me around the corner to the guesthouse. I saw the dogs, hiding behind one of the parked cars, watch me come out from my hiding spot and enter the shoddy guesthouse. The guesthouse looked very slum and run-down. The man even stated, “Don’t be scared. It is better than it looks.” I didn’t care at this point. I just wanted to find a place. I wanted to get in the room as fast as possible. The hostel owner gave me a price and I took it without bargaining, without thinking. I was shaking tremendously as he gathered my amenities for my stay. As I was waiting, I noticed the bottom of my food was all bloody. Did they bite me and I didn’t even notice? I guess I actually gashed my foot on some of the rocks when I fell. The owner helped me clean it up and set me up in my room.

Tips for deterring a pack of dogs from chasing you:

• Stop running: They feed off of this seemingly playful-like behavior.

• Stop screaming: It becomes a more of a game to them.

• Do not show fear or worry: They can smell and see it quite visibly.

• Now, slowly get low and pretend you are about to pick something up from the ground. Supposedly, the dogs will assume that you are about to throw something at them, like a rock, and they should back off enough for you to escape.

This was words of advice from someone I met in Ayutthaya. I don’t know if it actually works but I hope I don’t have to try it out any time soon.

After countless amounts of hostels and nearly three hours of searching, I finally found a place. It was located on an isolated street far from the populated center of the city. I think there were actually two packs of dogs roaming around the outside street. The rooms were pretty low quality. I have a wooden plank for a window that didn’t close all the way, a water bucket for a shower, the same water bucket for my sink, and a wooden door that looked smashed in a bit. The room was the size of a king sized bed. The price I paid for this ended being the cheapest rate in the entire town. I wonder why? I placed my wet clothes and bag on the bed, gobbled down a ton of water, checked the locks on the door, and hopelessly sat down on the bed. Then, I cried—just for a little bit because of all the stress and terror I just encountered and because I needed to. Why on earth did this happen?

I was baffled by the difficulty in finding a place. Why was it so busy? I found out that the number of hostels or guesthouses have decreased since the flood inundated Ayutthaya. Ayutthaya was hit pretty hard with the floodwaters. Most restaurants and hostels were so damaged that they had to rebuild the entire building. Flood waters reached up to 6 feet high and you can tell how much was damaged. You can visibly see the water line on trees and buildings. You can also see trash and people’s belongings flung about throughout the city. It is amazing to think that just a month ago, this old city was underwater—temples and all.

Another reason I believe that Ayutthaya might have been busy is because of the Bangkok bomb threat. On Friday, I was sent several emails from the U.S. government warning of the potential danger for American tourists visiting Bangkok. I didn’t think much of the warning and ignored it. That night, I went out to get a quick bite to eat. My complex’ security guard stopped me and tried to communicate with the very limited amount of English he knew. He said these words, “13^th” “American” “not safe” “Bin Laden” “Khao San no.” I didn’t know what he was talking about. I just assumed that maybe he was superstitious since it was Friday the 13^th.  The next day, my parents called me, anxious and worried for my safety. I was upset that they were calling me about something I believed they just invented in their own minds. They continue to tell me get out of Bangkok because it wasn’t safe. I thought they were being ridiculous. I was leaving the city anyways. So I told them this and didn’t think about it anymore over the weekend.

Turns out, two men were planning on bombing some touristy spots in Bangkok, aiming specifically towards American tourists. This plan has been formulated for a long time and was set to be over the weekend of the January 13^th -15^th. What’s worse is that authorities have known about this bomb threat since before News Years and Christmas. But they didn’t say anything in fear that it would hurt Thailand’s tourism industry, an industry that Thailand depends on heavily. Most people found out this weekend, when there were many policemen and police raids surrounding certain tourist spots like Khao San Road.

After settling down, I wanted to try to enjoy the time I had left in the day. As I snuck back outside, trying my best to avoid the dogs, I was approached by an older man who seemed to be interested in me. He kept on throwing out compliments and asking me why I wasn’t staying with him tonight. I was really disturbed. Then, he told me that it is very dangerous for a girl like me to be over here alone. And that I shouldn’t be alone and that I should be with him so he could protect me. He was gross. His creepy smile indicated that he was probably the only danger I would be encountering out here (besides the dogs of course). Maybe I shouldn’t come back to this guesthouse tonight. He then grabbed my hand to try to convince me to stay with him. Completely repulsed, I pulled away and walked off in the other direction. I really don’t need this right now.

Wat Ratchaburana. This temple was created after two princes fought to the death over their father’s throne. After the death of the brothers, the third brother took the throne and created a temple, Ratchaburana, to preserve his father’s and brothers’ remains. Treasures like Buddha images and gold artifacts were buried with them. But of course, they were looted by thieves and extracted by archeologists. I was still shaking as I approached this temple. I was relieved to see other foreigners, or just people roaming around the temple’s brick walls. 

I walked up the large mountainous temple and entered the dark interior of the peak. There wasn’t much to look at inside. I was about to exit until I saw a deep dark musky hole leading to what seemed to be the core of the earth. Well, I’m exaggerating. It was just so steep and dark, it seemed everlasting. Still distressed, I wasn’t up for the adventure of exploring the underworld of this ancient wat. But after meeting two bold travelers, they compelled me to travel down with them. There weren’t any lights set up in this structure so we had to take pictures of what was ahead, using the light from the flash to see our pathway. I’m glad I did it. Though it was pitch black and I think I stepped on a dead pigeon, I was able to see the most unique colorful mural painting that was hidden in the cave like hole at the basement of the temple. Blends of gold, red, green, and yellow paint gracefully smeared on every side of this secret compartment. It was beautiful.

This wasn't even posed!

One Love. I wasn’t too hungry but I was tired. Tired from walking around in humid and hot weather, tired from lugging my large backpack around, and tired from running, escaping the wrath of the wolf-like dogs. I saw this charming restaurant called One Love. Sounded peaceful enough. I ordered some red curry and an iced strawberry café latte. I sat down on a floating table. It was nice and serene as I watched the sun start to fall over all the temples. As I ate, I had chatted with the owner of the restaurant. She informed me of the devastation the city faced when the flood inundated their home. She described some of the damages that occurred and the height of the floodwaters. The restaurant actually used to be a guesthouse plus restaurant. But the guesthouse was completely destroyed so they were in the process of rebuilding. 

Wat Mahathat. I rushed over to this temple once I saw that the sun was setting behind it. I knew if I could catch it in time, these pictures would be immaculate. I didn’t quite make it though. I got a couple good shots but it was difficult to capture the exquisiteness of the auburn sun. I did get to learn a little bit of the history. Wat Mahathat is most famous for the Buddha head intertwined with hundreds of roots from a towering tree. The story is that when the Burmese army destroyed the temple in the 18^th century, they ruined the structure of temple and knocked off the Buddha’s heads. After being in ruins for a while, thieves tried to steal any valuables that they could find. It is said that the large Buddha head was one of the valuables that was desired. But after struggling to move it, the thief left it and a tree began to grow around it. When people learn about or research Ayutthaya, an image of the Buddha head is usually the first one they see. People still see this Buddha head as most sacred. I tried to take a picture with the Buddha head but I was yelled at by an employee of the temple. I guess you cannot be above the Buddha head, especially when taking a picture. To show respect, you kneel so your head is not above Buddha’s.

Forces of nature must not be on my side today. First dogs and then bats. Really? Well, this one was kind of my fault. I should have known that going into a cave during dusk would be a bad idea. That’s when the bats come out. I tried to look in one of the pinnacle like structures but as I peered my head in the large opening, hundreds of bats swarmed out of the structure. I fearfully ducked down, holding my hands over my head and placing my head as far in between my legs as I could. Every time I looked up, I saw a blurry cloud of black and grey. Afraid of being head butted by a bat (or even bitten), I decided to stay down for a bit. It never slowed up though. I think I was rolled up into a ball on the side of the temple wall for several minutes. At this time, all the guards and employee had already left for the night. I was the only one at the site. I finally stood up to make run for it but then the bats started to come back into the same cave. This time I just closed my eyes and just hoped they weren’t as blind as people say they are. I escaped after ten minutes of hiding.

I think I might have pinched a nerve in my neck with all this strenuous activity and high anxiety. I needed to do something relaxing and to ease my nerves so I got a Thai massage. And it was wonderful. She was wonderful, my masseuse. She didn’t speak much English but she was able to teach me a few important words in Thai. I taught her some words in English. I should invest in that sort of exchange: Free English lessons for free massages. I would be in heaven! Afterwards, I was the happiest person. I felt brand new. It is amazing how a little bit of rubbing can make a big difference. It was nice to be taken care of in this way. I mean, it is the most action I’ve gotten in months.

Jazz Bar. This venue was definitely the most non-jazz like bar. But it was still a fun environment to be around. As I was looking at the menu at this bar, a bartender approached me and told me that I needed to sit down next to these random travelers. So I did and I ended up having the best time. I met two English teachers from England. It was fun talking to them. We shared teaching horror stories, practiced saying bad words in Thai, and played a fun geography game. The bartender, who introduced himself as Obama, tested our knowledge of countries around the world and states in the U.S. Though I seemed to do a lot better with world geography, I could not seem to remember as many of the U.S. states. How embarrassing, right? That was even part of the curriculum I taught in 5^th grade. I have terrible memory sometimes. I was embarrassed and felt very unpatriotic. So I started to claim that I was actually from Canada. 

So what do you think about the potential boyfriend, huh?

I really wanted to learn more Thai so I asked the bartender to teach me. He continued to tell me that the best way to learn Thai is getting a Thai boyfriend. Then, he started offering himself as a boyfriend but I declined. Maybe one day if I was desperate enough to learn the language, I could attempt having yet another long distance relationship with this older bizarre smoky Thai man. Although, I’ve ever heard of that before—sleeping with someone for their language. You usually hear about sleeping with someone for their money, personality, and equipment, but not really their language.

That's how high the floodwater got!

Chang Beer. The word ‘chang’ in Thai means elephant. Elephants are significant animals in Thai culture. They represent intelligence and strength. They are also the foundation of all Thailand’s wars as they were used as the main vehicle in some of the most important battles. Chang is now a type of beer, considered to be the most popular in Thailand. They do sell these everywhere. This light beer is meant to compliment the spice of the Thai cuisine. It is also an unregulated beer, which means that each beer you get will be different. Some will be strong and some will be comparable to water. So you take your chances with this type of beer. I know some friends back at home that would really enjoy this type of beer—the cheap watered down piss-like beer. You know who you are! No, its definitely better than piss. Too bad I can’t really ship the beer back home.

Before coming to Thailand, I heard about the poor maintenance of the water system. Water is not potable in Thailand. In turn, some places may serve unregulated and sometimes unsanitary water. This is a reason most people will purchase bottled water instead. But one thing to still consider is getting a drink with ice in it. At some restaurants, ice potentially could come from unclean water. Once the ice melts, it could contaminate your drink. I heard this warning before coming to Thailand. Therefore, I decided that this trip was finally my time to get to know beer. I’m not a big drinker and I am a late bloomer when it comes to alcohol. There are only a couple things that I can actually drink. I love red wine, most cocktails, Jell-O shots, and vodka shots. I guess that is a lot more than a couple. Although, tequila shots and sweet drinks are much harder for me to ingest since July 4^th. I am not yet acquired to beer though. It is difficult for me to finish one by myself and I don’t usually enjoy drinking it. I heard that it takes a while and most people have already gathered a liking to it since it was the easiest and cheapest type of alcohol to get in college. I didn’t really drink in college so I never got used to the taste. I told myself that this trip was my time to get used to beer, since cocktails may be somewhat harmful—and not only for my public image this time. So I’ve been drinking Chang beer or at least trying to. I try to make myself finish the entire bottle each time. Still trying…

It was getting late and I was procrastinating getting back home. My hostel was on the other side of town in a very secluded area, isolated enough that no one would be able to hear any of my shrill screams. I jokingly expressed my concerns to the bar staff and one of them kindly gave me a ride home on his motorcycle free of charge . And of course, on the way home, we were chased by the pack of wild dogs that seem to reside outside my hostel. I was very scared as I held on to him tighter as the dogs drew closer. As a precaution, he drove the bike right up to my door step to ensure that I got in safely without the dogs attacking me. I was glad that I had someone with me to walk me to my door. Usually, I don’t even like those types of romantic gestures. Not like it was romantic or anything. I mean we are just friends or strangers really.

Revenge of the Spiders. As the dogs eyed my every move, I walked in my room and locked the door behind me. I was relieved that I made it home without bite marks or rabies. I was safe. I went into the bathroom to start getting ready for bed until I saw a large spider on the handle of my shower bucket. Okay, I guess won’t get ready for bed. Then, I stepped outside the bathroom into my tiny bedroom. Right next to the foot of the bed was a spider as big as coaster, with thick legs and a huge bottom. Its size and its look were similar to the tarantula I ate in Cambodia. If you saw those pictures, yes, almost that big. I quickly jumped onto the bed to avoid the ground. My quick movement onto the bed spurred other spiders to come out from hiding and scurry across the bed. Spiders were everywhere, some of them were the almost the same size as the coaster spider. A couple of spiders were in my pillow, several were on the side of the bed mattress, and the main coaster spider and another one of its friends was on the ground.

Despite my courage of eating a spider, I am actually very scared of spiders. I become paralyzed and sometimes shake uncontrollably if I see one or I feel one. So eating one was a huge step for me, a step that I thought would help me get over my fear of spiders. But it didn’t help. I was stuck in a room with giant spiders and rapid dogs preventing my exit. I didn’t know what to do. I tried to capture the biggest spider with a cup but after attempting, I realized the cup was too small to fit its diameter. The chances of me capturing it would have been slim. I didn’t want to take that chance. I didn’t want to anger it. There were too many spiders around me to move and I couldn’t leave the room to find another place to stay.  The dogs still might be out there and it was also very late into the night. So I had to stay.

Some spiders would disappear right as I turned away, especially the coaster spider. Oh that thing was the scariest. It would disappear so quickly. I was very uneasy not knowing its exact location. Did the spider crawl up the leg of the bed? Did it find a hiding place in my bag? How did it disappear so quickly? Part of me was at ease not being able to see it though. Out of sight, out of mind. Then, when I think I can relax again, the coaster spider would jump out from its hiding place and scurry around the ground. It would run around long enough for me to get a slight heart attack right before squeezing itself into a shaded area. This spider must have been messing with me because it did this at least four other times. And it jumped. It jumped pretty far and high for a spider.

How to Fend Off a Spider. I could still see most of the other spiders so I tried to think of a way to sleep. So this was my thought process:

Light: Spiders do not like the light. They like dark, shaded places. So if I can keep the light on all night then I will be able to keep the spiders to stay in the shady corners of the room.

Wind: Spiders don’t like sudden movements like wind. So if I can create a constant blow of wind throughout the night, maybe they will avoid the windy areas of my room. I was lucky enough to get a fan in the room. So I positioned this fan to blow air right on top of me, hoping to deter spiders from getting anywhere near me.

DEET: It smells awful. It’s supposed to protect against bugs and is potent enough to make me infertile. I’m thinking that this toxin might deter these spiders. I used up most of my 55 DEET bottle spraying the areas of the bed I was thinking about sleeping on. Then I soaked my skin and dabbed my hair, face, and clothes in this liquid. Then they won’t get to me! Oh man. It smelt so bad. I smelt so bad.

I curled up in one safe corner of the bed, with my knees at my chest and my head tucked under. I used my backpack as a pillow since the provided pillow seemed to be full of spiders. I used a small towel to cover my face just in case some of them decided to wander in my mouth. I’ve eaten my quota of spiders in the last couple of weeks. I think I’m good. So I tried to close my eyes and sleep. It was difficult, especially with the image of the coaster spider jumping up and down the furniture. After just a couple hours of sleep, I woke up right as the sun rose and escaped my insect ridden room. Once I got to the street, I ran as fast and as long as I could until I saw civilization, in hopes that the dogs weren’t up already.

Breakfast with a Stranger. After walking to the main part of town, this man approached me and asked if I knew of any breakfast places. I was so glad to see someone. He ended up asking me to breakfast, which I was so happy about since I really needed to tell someone about what has happened to me in just one day. We ended up eating together at a nearby restaurant. During breakfast, I went to the restaurant’s bathroom and took a pseudo shower there. Keep in the mind the hot weather and the DEET. I was a mess. So I washed my DEET infested body with sink water and soap, brushed my teeth, soaked my hair a little bit. I felt much better. I had a great conversation with this Australian man named Cameron. We talked about our previous or current travels and geology, interestingly enough. He is a geology fanatic and seemed very intelligent. So far, this has been a much better day.

I rented a bike to travel around the city. This was a much cheaper and easier means of transportation than paying for a taxi or walking around in the blazing heat. And just for 40 B ($1), I was able to ride around for the entire day. The bike shop gave me a map and showed me the most preferred route to take. Of course, I couldn’t seem to find my way on this map and I ended up getting pretty lost. On top of that, since I didn’t ever want to go back to that dreaded hostel, I carried everything I brought with me as I biked around the city. Again, my backpack and shirt was soaked with sweat throughout my ride. But I was not frustrated at all since this wasn’t the worst thing that has happened to me on this trip. I ended up finding a small temple nearby with a small reclining Buddha. I actually ended up spending a lot of time at this temple mainly because there was an adorable kitten that would not leave my side. The kitten reminded me of my attention-hoar of a dog, who also can’t seem to leave my side without whining or following me everywhere. This kitten followed me everywhere too. Oh, I miss Ruby.

Even the cats here pray to Buddha

Wat Phra Si Samphet. This is one of the most important temples in Ayutthaya’s kingdom. This used to be the site of the Grand Palace before it became a sacred temple during the kingdom's most prosperous times. When entering the walls of the temple, you first approach this fantastic display of stone ruins. Three stone towers called chedis headed the entire structure. Each stone chedi is actually a grave site of an important king during the Ayutthaya period. Most of the structure was closed off because of the flood damage. But I climbed over all of them anyways. I figured they looked sturdy enough. This temple was beautiful. But there wasn’t as much left to truly understand what it might have looked like during its heydays. While I walked around and climbed over the ruins, I listened to the recordings that described the history of the site. This was great since I needed more information about the kingdom to teach my class. I won’t bore you with the history of this temple and kingdom since you have already had a lot of reading to go through (if you’ve even made it this far). I’ll save all the boring for my kids who will have to hear all about this history next week. 

Souvenir Market. Every time I tried to enter another temple site, there always seemed to be a dog or a couple dogs right in front of it. So when biking towards the temple, once I saw a dog, I would immediately turn my bike around and pedal as fast as possible in the opposite direction. So I didn't get to visit as many temples as I would have liked. I think this trip has made me scared of dogs now. Anyways, I was a bit templed out by this point. Instead, I visited a small market to end my time in Ayutthaya. Since I was holding a lot of my belongings and didn’t have easy access to some of the pockets, I wanted to make sure my money was in a highly accessible location for only my grabbing. So as a tip from Sarah, I decided to keep my money in my bra. It seemed to be her way of holding money since she doesn’t even own a wallet. So I figured, it had to be pretty effective since she has been everywhere with this system. It wasn’t as successful for me though. Maybe I’m not as well-endowed to keep money in place or maybe I have terrible handling skills but I felt and probably looked awkward with money down my chest. I even felt rather promiscuous pulling out money from my chest when buying food or gifts. Especially since it was so hot, the money I would pull out would be completely soaked with my sweat. I felt bad handing wet money to vendors. But it is money. Who would turn down money, right?

I encountered one situation in which a monk approached me with a donation basket. I didn’t really want to donate but he held it up to my face and started to chant and pray for me. So I felt obligated to donate money. But I didn’t know how to give him my money since it was all in my bra. I quickly reached down my shirt and gave him a sweat-soaked 20 ฿. He saw the whole thing as he was chanting and even gave me a baffled and disgusted look as I was reaching down my bosom. He quickly accepted and went along his way. I think I do appreciate having a wallet more after this trip. Despite how convenient it was, the paper cuts and sweat-soaked bills were not as pleasant as I would’ve thought.

To end the day and my time in Ayutthaya, I found a small café where I rehydrated myself with bottles of water. I then went to the bus station and found a bus that would take me back to Bangkok for 60 ฿ ($2). Finally, I’m going home.

Despite some of the scarier and frustrating experiences, I had a great time in Ayutthaya. I learned that I can fend for myself better than I thought. I learned that maybe booking a hostel beforehand might be an idea to consider. I learned not to bring my computer on such a short trip, especially when it weighs you down when sprinting. I learned how to scare off a pack of dogs—maybe. I learned how to sleep in a room full of spiders. I learned more about the history of Ayutthaya. I actually held it together even during the most frustrating moments. I just kept on thinking that every time something unfortunate would happen, I would have a good story from it. This mentality helped keep my spirits up throughout the weekend. And still after coming back, I don’t view my experience as a bad one. I learned a lot and I now know what to do and what not to do for my future travels. Everything was an adventure no matter how terrible the circumstances and writing it was going to be a lot of fun. This will be a fun story to tell my 8th graders. I mean, I went to Ayutthaya for them! They better listen to my stories.

Want to see more pictures from my trip to Ayutthaya? Visit  https://plus.google.com/photos/103535186598541974109/albums/5697895680956801921?authkey=COKGkZDD5YvELw

First Encounters

January 9, 2012

Cold Showers. I’m not really the biggest fan of showers. I don’t really take them too often. But since I am perpetually sticky, I need bathe in order to look somewhat presentable at work. When taking showers, I prefer the water to be scalding hot. I like the feel of the burn on my skin, so much to the point where my skin reddens. But in Thailand, many apartments don’t come with water heaters unless you pay extra money for it. In an attempt to save money, I chose an apartment that didn’t have a water heater. I expected cold showers before coming to Thailand though. I remember thinking of how to brace myself for this new encounter when I was still in the States. Should I try getting used to cold showers or should I embrace hot showers as much as I can before I leave? I embraced my remaining hot showers. I really don’t do well in the cold.

Getting used to skin piercingly, frigid showers has been somewhat entertaining. The process it takes me to get into the shower is both long and abnormal.  Either I will quickly run in and out of the cold spray in short sporadic segments, splash certain parts of my body several times before submerging myself completely, or I will position my body in the initial stages of a backbend in order to wash my hair without the cold water dribbling down my back. Sometimes I run in place in order to keep warm underneath the shower. Fleeting and faint screams and whimpers can be heard coming from my bathroom door. I know I’m pathetic. It is even decently hot outside as I am whining about how cold the showers are. Hey! I’m from California. This will all pass soon though once the hot season rolls around. It is supposed to get pretty hot so I will probably be loving the cold water a lot more than I do right now.

On top of that, I don’t have a working towel—compliments of cheap Thai manufacturing. My towel starts to rapidly deteriorate whenever it gets wet. A variety of strings and threads will come off as I dry myself. Afterwards, I am completely covered in red strings and lint, almost defeating the purpose of taking a shower in the first place. The towel was starting to develop small holes and gaps in its threading. I just threw it away, frustrated with its inefficiency. Instead, I have learned to air dry. First, I shake as much water as I can off my body. I even use a squeegee technique I picked up. Then I stand in front of my fan in many awkward and even promiscuous looking positions, attempting to dry even the most cavernous parts of my body. Sometimes I will dance furiously around the room as if there is music playing. I wish someone could see this entire process of me drying off. Or maybe not, that would be creepy right? I’m sure my neighbors have seen all of this actually since I never seem to close the curtains. This is the alternative to using the cheap Thai towel I bought. I should probably buy a pricier one, huh?

What’s That Smell? Oh yes, I am starting to smell. Not only are my sweat glands overworking from the heat but because I have to be pretty conservative in my dress, things tend to get wet and smelly after a while. I definitely have to wash my clothes a lot more than I am used to. The sniff test isn’t working anymore since everything that I’ve already worn has a distinct stench or serious sweat marks in all the obvious places. Deodorant isn’t as effective anymore either. Back in the States, I used to only use deodorant occasionally (mainly because I would just forget). But here, it is a necessity.

One part of my body that is starting to smell a lot is my feet. I usually like my feet the most. Surprisingly, I have always gotten compliments on my feet. My former athletic trainer used to tell me that I had the best ankles and feet to tape up. But since moving to Thailand, my feet are fairly repulsive. The streets are very dirty in Thailand. Even after just walking barefoot on my apartment floor, my feet will have a layer of soot on them. Cars will pass by and spray muddy street water all over your legs and clothes. The streets are sprayed with water regularly so there are numerous amounts of dirty puddles all over the walkways. With the unleveled and cavity filled pavement, it is hard to avoid getting a bit of splatter. When ordering food, there will be a seafood bucket that drains pungent fish-smelling liquid, splashing and dripping all over your feet. By the end of the day, my feet are coated with dirt, food reminisce, and bacteria. I wouldn’t even doubt that feces might be an added ingredient of this wonderful concoction. Disgusting I know, but I wouldn’t put it past Thailand.

Thai Massage. Have you ever experienced a Thai massage before? It’s in a world of its own. My first time experiencing a Thai massage was in Thailand. Thailand is the best place to get massages because it is very inexpensive. My first Thai massage in Thailand cost 100 ฿ ($3) for an hour long of tugging, pulling, stretching, jabbing, and the good standard rubbing. In the States, Thai massages would probably be in the price range of $60-150 for an hour. Some other types of massages, like oil or aromatherapy, will be more expensive but not that much more expensive (150-200 ฿ or $6 at most).

Not only is it inexpensive, the women and men who work on you are very well trained and immaculate with their touch. They are truly amazing. Their hands possess the perfect balance between gentle and strong. They first start with your feet, finding your pressure points and rubbing away any tension you have in every sinew of your muscles. Then, they work up your body to your legs, arms, back, and neck with this same technique. It seemed a bit too soft for me at first so I made the mistake of asking for more pressure. She definitely went to town on me. I had to cover my mouth to avoid yelping and to prevent her from noticing that I was sticking my foot in my mouth. 

She used every part of her body; she used her feet, elbows, legs, arms, and fingers to stretch and massage my body. Some people compare it to doing yoga. They will occasionally position your body in complex positions helping to stretch your body in ways you’ve never stretched before. She stood on my body a couple of times as well. This was a bit painful in certain spots. She stepped all over my inner thighs and upper back. She was very small in stature so I can’t even imagine how I would have felt with anyone slightly bigger standing on my back. The Thai massage is definitely something I would recommend when visiting Thailand. Even if massages aren’t your thing, try it out. And it’s only about three dollars. Now after describing all this, I have to have another. 

Dollar Meals. I’m not talking about the McDonald’s Dollar Meals. This is the real deal in Thailand. Meals for a dollar. Pad thai, green curry with chicken, fried rice, mango sticky rice, each costing about 30 ฿ or $1. It is amazing really. Can you even imagine spending that price on food? If I bring a meal home after work, I might pick up a papaya salad, fruit, and drink. This will cost me about 60฿ ($2). If I go out for a meal during the night, I might get some fried chicken, rice, salad, dessert, and a drink all for about 100฿ ($3). If I go out to a nicer restaurant, my meal will generally cost in between 60-150฿ ($2-5). There isn’t any tax or tip either, making going out to eat even more appealing.

Now that I’ve been here for a while, my perspective on food prices has changed. If I spend a lot of money on anything back at home, it is usually food. I don’t mind splurging on food. But now, things are different. I look at food and food prices differently. There has been many times in which I have approached a restaurant and been completely appalled by the prices. “Four dollars for a meal! Are you serious?” These prices are even cheaper than the prices of fast food in the States. I usually won’t even eat food that costs more than 60฿ ($2) unless it is a special occasion. I don’t know what I am going to do when I go back to the States. How am I ever going to eat? I might have to resort to the dollar meal at McDonalds since it will be the closest to what I’m used to.

Mosquitos. I am getting eaten alive over here. I’ve always knew that mosquitos like me but I didn’t know that it would be this bad. When I get bit, I react rather severely too. My skin puffs up and reddens. Then the bite develops into a large irritating lump. It then starts to grow four times its original size—of course depending on how much I scratch. Remembering my previous experiences traveling in tropical countries, I definitely prepared for those blood suckers. Again, I brought along with me a wide variety of mosquito repellents and malaria pills and completely infested my body with copious assortment of mosquito related diseases to help myself resist those nasty buggers.   

Mosquitos tend to hunt during the night time, at least the ones I’ve encountered out here. Right as the sky starts to dim, they come out. And you can sense them. It’s almost like the darkness that begins to spread across the sky is actually a dense swarm of mosquitoes ready to attack. So mosquito repellent is necessary around this time. But sometimes, it’s easy to forget. I forget all the time. 

Occasionally, I purposely don’t put repellents on because of the awful feel and smell. As you rub it all over the exposed parts of your body, you can feel your hand stick to your skin more and more. As the traction increases so does the smell of DEET. How do you explain how DEET smells? I don’t know how. It pretty bad smelling and it taste terrible too. Trust me.  Sampling the product wasn’t my own choice. I just keep on forgetting to wash my hands before going out to dinner. Regrettably, I sometimes associate the smell of DEET with certain finger foods. This reminds me of when I used to associate the smell of phemaldehyde with pizza. Strange combination, right? Well, after dissecting human cadavers, I used to get this craving for pizza. It ruined pizza for me for a while. DEET is extremely effective though. Supposedly, the smell of DEET completely hinders mosquitos’ sense receptors throwing them off their path to your skin. I was recommended the Ultrathon brand before coming out here. It is pretty amazing repellent and it lasts for a long time. However, I don’t think I’ll be able to have children after this trip. DEET is not supposed to go well with fertility. Maybe I should’ve eaten at that penis restaurant in China.

I have had some bad experiences with mosquitos so far, despite my use or misuse or nonexistent use of the repellent. I sometimes will get 20 bites by the end of a night. It doesn’t help wearing a skirt sometimes since the mosquitoes tend to get trapped up there. Sometimes, I will be trapped in a room or a car with them, without anywhere to escape. And it feels so good to scratch. I enjoy scratching so much. Unfortunately, the scratching quickly leads to scarring. Thus, I have multiple scars all over my body now. I don’t know why I keep doing this. I know it’s really bad. Oh, but it feels so good.

An Excess of Job Offers. Back in the States, it is difficult to find a job, especially as a teacher. But in Thailand, I’ve been offered jobs left and right. Every other week I have someone asking me to work for them or that they will pay me to teach them English. I have gotten offered jobs while walking in a mall and even while buying food from a street vendor. This one time, I was getting a massage and my masseuse tapped me on the shoulder and started to speak to me in Thai. The only part of the conversation I picked up on was the word ‘kru’ which means teacher in Thai. She then handed me her cellphone and the person on the other line asked if she could pay me to teach her English. I got offered a job while getting a massage! Well it’s not your typically contract/salary job but it’s a job. It’s extra income, which is huge here in Thailand. 

Although I have a job at the moment, it isn’t uncommon for teachers to pick up a side job of tutoring over here. English tutors get paid about 500 ฿ ($15) – 1000 ฿ ($30) an hour. It might not seem like a lot to those who tutor in the States, but when a meal costs a dollar, it’s pretty good pay. There are several ways an English speaker can make money here. There are summer camps, mall tutoring centers, and your basic year round teaching jobs. Or if you just want to learn Thai and they want to learn English, you can coordinate a language exchange at a coffee shop or restaurant. These exchanges are very common. If you are a white-looking, female, English speaker, you will snag a job right away. Female teachers are high in demand for some reason. It’s just a rumor but I heard if you are an English speaking African, Indian, or Filipino teacher, it will be more difficult to find a job. I guess there may be some issues here with race. Someone needs to start up a civil rights movement in Asia!  

My school actually just gave me a year contract. I guess they liked me well enough to want to keep me around for an actual full school year. I am thinking about signing the contract but I don’t know what to do. Not only do I have a very solid job and salary lined up for the next year but I can easily get work at another school in Thailand. Makes me reluctant to go back to the States since I don’t have any jobs lined up for me there.

A Little Trip to the Hospital

January 7, 2012

 

I just came back from Cambodia and I was excited to have a nice relaxing weekend. But in just one day back in Bangkok, I wanted to leave again. I spontaneously decided to go to Ayutthaya with Sarah. I’ve always wanted to travel with Sarah since she is a very experienced traveler and I feel like I can learn a lot from her. Since knowing her, we’ve never traveled together before so it was nice to finally have some time to bond. I was excited to visit Ayutthaya since the old kingdom was actually a significant part of what I teach in Thai history. It just seemed like the perfect weekend to get away.

Sarah and I went out for one of the first times since we began working together. We went to this hole-in-the-wall bar and shared a slushy drink that we’ve been eyeing for the last couple of weeks. It was a strange drink as you were supposed to scoop the alcoholic slush into a tiny shot glass with a Slurpee-shaped straw. Then, once you shoveled the slush into your shot glass, you use a straw to drink out of the glass. We didn’t get it, but we tried it out anyways. After we attempted a conversation with a non-English speaking katoey and the bartender, we headed out to get food before we got all liquored up. We went to a Mexican restaurant and ordered quesadillas, nachos, and a pitcher of Jack and Cherry Coke. We didn’t have a choice in the type of Coke. They only had one flavor. After a heart-to-heart and a rather diluted drink, we went back home and got packed for our weekend away.

The next morning, I didn’t feel too good. I didn’t know why though. I didn’t drink that much. The drinks were also pretty weak. I was completely sober by the end of the night as well. So why did I feel so nauseous? I was really hoping that this prospective sickness wasn't from drinking since I barely did any damage last night. I didn’t think I was that much of a light-weight. No, this feeling can’t be from drinking. I ignored it and continue to pack up my things. 

We gathered our belongings and started to travel towards the metro. After we were dropped off by a songtao, I started feeling nauseous again. Why is this happening? Is this from drinking, really? I continued to ignore it and walked even faster, hoping my body would just forget the overwhelming feeling. Then I felt it. I felt my stomach start to heave and my cheeks begin to salivate. I couldn’t stop it and right along the busy sidewalk; I placed my head below my knees and threw up on the side wall. 

I felt disgusting. I can’t believe I just threw up in public. I can’t believe I can’t hold my liquor, even when it was the tiniest amount. I sat down on the sidewalk while Sarah went to get me water. People walked by in disgust as I continued to hurl my dinner from the previous night. One man from a taxi saw the whole thing and very kindly gave me some medicine. I didn’t know what it was. But I took it anyways assuming that it would at least make me feel better than I already felt.

Sarah came back with some water and we continued on our way. I’m not going to let my low tolerance of alcohol ruin my weekend. But it continued to get worse. As we were on the subway, I prayed that I wouldn’t get sick in the completely packed car. I held my stomach as much as I could in fear that I wouldn’t have anywhere else to spew except on myself or the others around me. Why are there so many people on this subway car? This is not good. I wanted us to be there already. I felt terrible and I knew I would rather be at home at this point. But I wanted to go to Ayutthaya. After we got off the subway and started walking towards another metro station, I realized that I didn’t want to go. I didn’t want to go to Ayutthaya with the way I was feeling. I told Sarah that I was just going to head back and try to take care of myself instead. What a waste of a weekend.

It was a long way back home. Anytime you take public transportation in Bangkok, it will usually take at least an hour to get anywhere. It was the longest hour I have ever experienced. Each minute I was traveling, I was desperately hoping I wouldn’t throw up, especially since I seemed to be in very crowded and public areas. I just wanted to go home as fast as possible. I took the same subway back to my part of town. There was a kid right next to me, screaming at the top of his lungs. It made me feel even worse. It was amazing that I was able to hold anything down on the subway ride. Maybe I should have just relieved my stomach on him. Uncalled for, I know.

I took a taxi back, hoping it would get me home faster. But there was traffic. There is always traffic in Bangkok. And it wasn’t smooth at all. As the car motioned back and forth, I started to sweat profusely, even with the air conditioning blasting straight onto my body. I felt even more dizzy and nauseous again. Then I knew I couldn’t hold it anymore. Right as the car was attempting to speed through traffic; I abruptly opened the car door and threw up in the middle of the crowded road. The cab driver didn’t know what else to do but keep driving. The ten minute drive back to my apartment was a nightmare. I threw up several times along the road, trying my best to aim outside the car. But I wasn’t too successful. Poor taxi driver. That must have been terrible to experience and to clean up. Why was I throwing up so much?

In all truth, I actually haven’t felt too good since Cambodia. But I’ve tried to deny any sickness since I sometimes believe in the whole mind over matter concept. This has proved to be successful in the past. But it’s been a couple days and I knew I wasn’t getting better. And now, I was excessively throwing up. Maybe it wasn’t the drinking? 

After hours of vomiting, I realized it definitely was not the drinking. I’ve never thrown up this much in a long time. For the rest of the day, I continued to throw up, among other things, every 10 minutes or so. It wasn’t pretty. I was losing water extremely fast and becoming dehydrated and weak. I was sore and in pain. My mouth was dry and I barely had energy to make it to the bathroom anymore. I was so thirsty. I knew something was wrong.

I think I might have caught something in Cambodia. For most of the day, I was heaving every substance that came into my body. After taking my temperature and finding out I had a high temperature as well, I called my friend Ben to take me to the hospital. Conveniently, he was going to the same hospital to get his Rabies vaccine. I wouldn’t have gone to the hospital normally but I heard that the price for a hospital visit was shockingly inexpensive compared to the States. I could barely move my body and I was nearly passing out when I would try. I was desperate to get better. 

We reached the ER room and surprisingly there wasn’t a wait. They checked me in right away, only requiring me to fill out my name and passport information on a small form. This was good since I wasn’t very coherent at this point. They brought me to a hospital bed and I received a quick evaluation and medical consultation. The doctor asked me questions about my trip, my eating habits, and what types of symptoms I’ve been experiencing. They hooked me up to an IV to rehydrate me, took blood samples for testing, and put me on antibiotics right away. Turns out I did catch some type of bug from Cambodia. I was registered into the hospital, put into a bed, given a consultation and diagnosis, and given medicine within a 20 minute period. It was very efficient.

Ben was wonderful as he stood by my side even after I feel asleep. After almost a half a day of getting fluids and some sleep, I woke up with a bit more energy. The color came back into my face and I didn’t feel as nauseous. The doctor wanted me to stay the night but I heard it gets pretty expensive with an overnight stay, even in Thailand. I felt better and somewhat hydrated again. I now felt comfortable having sips of water without heaving the entirety of my stomach. They prescribed me antibiotics to kick the bug and gave me some gastrointestinal medicine to calm my digestive system.

I feebly and nervously approached the cashier counter, awaiting the big hospital bill. In the States, for everything I was given (blood work, IV drip for several hours, doctor consultation, hospital bed, medicine, and a visit to the ER room), the hospital bill  would be in the thousands. Here in Thailand, it was $90. Just $90 or 3,000 ฿! Amazing, right? All that for such a reasonable price. Well, a much more reasonable price than I am used to seeing in the States. It was still somewhat significant for my salary. But it was well worth it to get myself back to health.

Ben took me home and I spent the rest of the weekend resting. After a couple of days, I finally regained most of my energy. I was finally was able to eat two days later as well. What an experience! I always thought that I had a strong stomach from all that spicy food I would eat. So when I heard that most foreigners end up catching a bug at some point, I thought that I would be able to avoid this situation. But I guess I was very wrong. Now, I can say that I’ve experienced medical benefits in another country. Maybe that’s not really anything I should strive for but it’s an experience all right. 

Tips on avoiding gastrointestinal infections:

• Stay away from food that has been sitting out for a while. Make sure your food is served hot since heat usually kills bacteria.

• Always drink bottled waters

• Do not drink from or swim in the river (like the rivers in Bangkok)—you don’t even want to know what they put in there

• Avoid food that has been left unrefrigerated for more than a couple of hours, especially when left in the heat

• Rule of Thumb: If you can peel it, boil it, and cook it; you can eat it

Most tourist places and the area I live in are supposed to be very clean and safe with their food and water. Just think that not only do street vendors want to make sure they don't deter tourists away, but they will make sure their food is clean because they don't want to get sick either.