Sweating in Thailand!

This is my Bungalow.. cute eh!?!

This is view from the boat on the way back from the Similian Islands

Can't believe I have been here almost one week! Time is really flying and its because I have been so busy. Today is my first day off, were I have no plans other then to lay on the beach and read a book. Today is the King's 80th birthday, so the schools are closed which means no work for me! I am really enjoying my time here, and have made some great friends. It is HOT here, as I sit here writing to you, I am dripping in sweat ( good visual I know!) As many of you know I am a sweater, so here in Thailand it is only magnified! Once the sun goes down, it does cool off quite nicely.

Diving was amazing! It was great to get out and be in and around the water. I saw some amazing creature under the sea. It was like swimming in a giant fish tank. My first dive was in a fairly shallow area. This was good for the first dive.. EVER. It's a strange sensation being able to breath under water. For my second dive we went into real open water and this was a little nerving at first. You plop into the water and it was choppy! I was trying to get all my gear together, meanwhile I am getting tossed around in the water with a huge oxygen tank on my back! Once under the water and I had to remind myself to breath, and then it was all ok! I again saw some cool fish, even an Eel! When it was all over I was hooked! I signed up for my open water dive course yesterday and am very excited!

Off shore of the Similians

On the boat, the Angel 2

The culture here, is like none I have ever experienced. It is very chill, rushing doesn't exist. I went to the post office yesterday, which is about 20 mins away by truck. There was a line about 8 people deep, with one guy behind the counter, and two others, just doing their normal work. No one was upset that those two other guys were not helping... in America, this would not fly, but here in Thailand, it was cool. My friend Collette and I had a blast in the post office, trying to order 42 stamps. First they brought us stamps that were worth 42 cents, then we were, thanks to my Thai phrase book, able to correct the mistake. The post office man loved us for trying to speak Thai. ( He also got a kick out of our horrible pronunciation!) Bottom line we walked out of the post office with our 42 stamps and the post man wanting us to come back to teach him English!

I have been teaching English almost everyday. While sometime frustrating, because there is no common language, it is overall an incredibly rewarding experience. There have been several days where we as volunteers, walk away thinking we got more out of the day then the kids. This week we are teaching 'creatures of the sea'. The Thai have a very hard time with 'TH" "SH", "CH" and "PH" so teaching them about FISH, and BEACH is quite hard. Often times they mispronounce the word beach and you can only guess what is sounds like. We as volunteers have to work hard not to laugh. Something else I have learned here, is that the kids are LOUD! When they repeat after you, they must think they need to scream it back at you, so there have been many moments this week, when I have had a group of 8-10 kids screaming "BARRACUDA" or "PRAWN" or "JELLY FISH" at me! So funny!

Some of my kids and their beautiful pictures of "At the Sea"

The other night I went to Scuba Bar, which is where on my of my co-workers works a few nights a week. I was feeling a bit lonely at the end of the bar, reading my Thai phrase book. I ordered a beer and was just hanging out when this super cute little Indian girl came and befriended me. It turns out she was the daughter of the shop keeper next door. Soon she had gone to get her books and the next thing I knew she was plopped down ON the bar, reading her English alphabet book to me. I guess I can't escape the teacher role! It was quite fun and gave me a good laugh. Well if I wasn't going to meet some people my age, at least I was making friends!

My friend I met at the bar... Isn't she cute!

Last night was one of the highlights of the trip thus far. Myself and 3 other volunteers, drove about 30 mins south to one of the local orphanages to play with the kids. Words can not describe how eye-opening, amazing and rewarding this experience was. These children are all tsunami orphans. To paint a picture of what the "orphanage" looks like, it is set just off the main road Hwy 4. There are 2 small buildings, one serving as the girls room and the other the boys. There rooms are small, maybe 10X10 if that. The floor is one large mattress, perhaps two small ones. All the children sleep together on these mattress. They each have a small bath house, which was built by TVC, (we are going to paint murals on the bath houses tomorrow). The whole area was very dusty. They had few toys or 'things' to play with, but to these children this is normal, this is life. When we first arrived I had a moment where I had to step away because I was so shocked at how these children lived, but then soon realized that they are happy! They all truly cherish the time we give to them. By the end of the night I had made many friends! I allowed them to use my camera, which was a big hit, and they took some wonderful shots! I also learned some new dance moves from one of the boys, Mess. When it was time to go I had all the children hanging on to me! I assured them all I would be back next week, if not before to spend more time. What an absolutely AMAZING experience!

Mess, Me and Poo ( yes that is a common name here!)

Mess and I dancing!

Me and Poo

When I am not teaching, I am hanging out with the friends I have made here. The other volunteers are great, and we have a great time together. I have also become friends with two of the interns from the dive center where I will get my PADI certification. The town of Khoa Lak is quite nice with lots of places to eat and shop. Where I am staying, Bang Niang, is about 5 minutes north ( its kinda like the outer banks). Bang Niang is nice, a bit more quiet and I really like it. I think I will stay here for the remainder of my time here. I will be heading south to meet up with my friend Emily for Christmas and New Years. I am so excited to have someone I know with me for the holidays!

This weekend I will start my PADI course and will spend 2 days on a live aboard boat. I will be sure to give you a full update when I get back!