Chen cheu Pi Lin
Today I receieved my thai name from the other teachers…”Pi Lin” meaning jewlery. I’ve taken out my nose ring and put on the yellow shirt. I am official thai English teacher. They are all welcoming and my picture is posted on the main board outside the school. They all think I am Soi (beautiful). So I am learning thai a little at a time. My classes do not begin until next week…I will observe classes this week.
I arrived to Uthai Thani Saturday night. The kids were still on holiday so everything was over grown and deserted..imagine a scene from “Lost” and that is exactly how I felt. Buffalo graze the school grounds and the students take care of 6 pigs. The dogs also roam freely through the classrooms. They are welcome and regarded as higher beings.
If you know me you would not be suprised that I locked myself out of my room the first morning. In only a tee and shorts…I had to hunt down Li from only the shoes outside the door. We walked to school to get help and I had to meet the officials in my pajamas…great first impression. Later in the day I met Yui…a girl that lives below me. We rode into town on her motor bike, fergie blasted in her headphones, and we visted the markets. After a long time trying to translate…she finally understood that I needed a “towel”. She is sweet and wants to learn from me. She knows English music, but wants to learn what it means.
Arriving at school was quite a culture shock compared to the resort and spa in Kanchanaburie I came from just days ago. I received my first Thai massage at the spa…and hopefully it will not be my last. During our visit to Kanchanaburie, we rode elephants through small towns and went bamboo rafting down the river kwai. We also visited two small orphanages, one that I see myself returning to. The kids were receptive of our lessons and enjoyed playing with us. There smiles were endless and unexpected considering the abuse and abandonment some of them had incurred. They remind me of why I am here and remove my doubts. Although I am frustrated at times, I am starting to become more comfortable.
Pictures all over my wall have also helped me cope. I look forward to starting classes next week.
love and peace
k
Tags: Travel
kimmiejean
nice one!! whats your room like? would it help if we sent more pics over email? I”m going to sign up for skype i promise!! love you!
KimKim everything sounds awesome so far! Are you missing anything in particular from home? Let me know…I’m getting a Care Package ready for ya :o)
nope,i’m not surprised! but it’s ok-forced you to get out and about and forget your homesickness for a bit. glad you are beginning to feel more comfortable-that will continue to be the case, i’m sure. just realize, your life goes on as always, just in a different place then usual. over the next week, you’ll become more comfortable and ‘at home’ with your surroundings every day.
i envy your ‘adventure’. be safe and hang in there! as soon as your gramma figures out how to reply on this site, she will, i’m sure. she’s pretty sharp, my Mom! i’m working on helping her out.
uncle pete
“There smiles were endless and unexpected considering. . . ”
*Their*
today i started going back to read each of your postings and comments again, then leaving more of my own. it hadn’t occured to me earlier that more comments may be added long after the first posting. now i know better and can MAYBE, ‘keep up’! we ‘seniors’ [i don’t believe i’m actually saying that out in front of EVERYONE!] do our best,kimmie… bear with us!…
leave it to willy to ‘correct’ one of your typos!. i just figure ‘thatz kimmie’, and MY typing is not exactly exemplary!
i can send you pictures of all kinds of things-like the tree that fell on my old house in september’s storm, if you like, but kind of thought a montage from the day it fell, to the present, when all the repairs are almost completed and the wood is cut and split [ i even started a wood pile- a BIG one, in the back corner of my yard],might be better to show you when you get back to the u.s. other people’s pictures are often not of as much interest, anyway.
love and happyness as always,
u.p.