Mai Aow Pet

Chit te... mak mak!

2011-04-17T01:04:00.007+07:00

There are no words to describe how happy I am with my life right now, and I definitely owe a lot of that to these kids. How could you not love life when you're surrounded by picture perfect places, kids like these, and more love than you know what to do with?

The way she shines somehow even makes the garbage look beautiful...

Looking across the river to Burma.

Their smiles make me melt!

Playing tag as the sun sets over the Thai-Burmese border... nothing beats this!

Thailand on the left, Burma on the right.

I didn't even think twice before hopping on the back of this bike...

Like I said: picture perfect!

Happy kids =)

Love, love, LOVE <3

There's nothing in the world that could make me happier right now... what else could I possibly want!?!

Suk san wan Songkran!

2011-04-17T00:56:00.005+07:00

Songkran- the Thai New Year- has been going on for the past few days and I'm lucky enough to have spent it with my favorite people in the world! I'm in Mae Sot for a few weeks spending the school holidays at Future Light. Songkran is a nation-wide water fight... EVERYONE in the country participates by throwing water and powder on everyone that they see, which means that I've been soaking wet for 4 days straight now! People ride around in the back of pick up trucks with water guns and buckets of water (some iced... brr!) and it's one big party with singing and dancing in the streets. It's definitely been fun and interesting, to say the least, but I'm about ready to be dry!

When I got to Future Light on the first day of Songkran, I was greeted by 30 ecstatic kids and a few gallons of water. We spent the day (and the next day and the next day) having our own water fight in the street outside of the home and soaking any person who dared cross our path.

What could be better than a water fight with your 30 brothers and sisters?

All of the kids wore their best clothes for the occasion just to get wet and muddy and have to change.

Ready, aim, FIRE!

Not enough water being thrown around? Then why not jump right into the bucket of water itself.

Out of ammo...

Paybacks for all of the ice water he poured on us!

A hole in the hose? No problem, that just makes it even more fun!

Getting serious and hunkering down...

Clean, dry, and TIRED after a long day of playing.

Re-energizing for day 2 of Songkran!

Cold and tired after a long day.

There's nothing like a nice, hearty meal after a hard day's work!

Exploring Ho Chi Minh City and the Cu Chi Tunnels

2011-03-23T18:21:00.004+07:00

I've been sick and stuck on the couch all day, so I figured I would put the time to good use and give you a (drumroll, please...) DOUBLE BLOG POST! Here's a peak at my time exploring Ho Chi Minh City and the Cu Chi Tunnels...

Communism in Vietnam is advertised all over the streets...

... and all of the history museums.

I wonder who the few lucky people to get postcards are... =)

Red, red, red!

As one of the only cathedrals in Southeast Asia, Saigon Notre-Dame Basilica was a nice reminder of Western life.

Ho Chi Minh City is basically just a sea of motorbikes!

A Vietnamese man selling lottery tickets on the side of the road.

The streets of Saigon...

A police officer's hat sitting on top of a vendor's stand. I got yelled at for taking a picture of a police car, so this is as close as I could get...

So much history, so little time.

I spent a few hours feeling sick to my stomach at the war museum in Ho Chi Minh. It was definitely eye opening to get such a different perspective on the Vietnam War and to be exposed to all of the things they'd never show in America. I'll spare you the rest of the horrible, graphic images, but just so you can get an idea (yes, that's what's left of a person after being hit by a bomb)...

On our way to see the Cu Chi Tunnels, we made a pit stop at a Handicapped Handcraft Factory. All of the workers there are handicapped and they make beautiful, handmade handicrafts including dishes, paintings, and statues. It was pretty interesting to see the crafts go down the assembly line and then to see the finished product.

The Cu Chi Tunnels are the underground tunnel system used by the Viet Cong during the Vietnam War. Before going through the actual tunnels (which are about 3 feet tall, a foot and half wide, and pitch black) we were able to see the Viet Cong's weapons, bunkers, etc. Here's Erin in a (teeny tiny) sniper hole!

They also have a shooting range where you can try your hand at any of the guns used in the war...

... when else would I get the chance to shoot an AK 47 in the exact spot so many soldiers fired their own guns during a war??

We may have saved the best day for last, exploring Vietnam and the Mekong Delta by boat. It was absolutely beautiful, and you can see for yourself tomorrow!

Phnom Penh, Cambodia

2011-03-21T20:55:00.006+07:00

After spending two days in Siem Reap we hopped on a bus and moved on to Phnom Penh, where we visited the Killing Fields and the genocide museum. I'll admit it was a rather depressing time considering the subject matter, but everything was so interesting and eye opening that it was well worth it.

The bus from Siem Reap to Phnom Penh took us through very rural Cambodia, which was awesome. It was so picturesque and exactly how I've always pictured typical Southeast Asia.

Houses like this lined the streets on the way to Phnom Penh.

The Killing Fields are where the Khmer Rouge brought their prisoners to be killed. Mass graves dot the fields and you can still see bones, teeth, and clothes coming out from underground. There's a memorial built to honor the victims of the massacre. It's filled with skulls, clothes, and other bones. I still can't comprehend the fact that I could reach out and touch the skulls of real people who were brutally murdered.

It was nauseating to see so many skulls and to be able to tell exactly how each person was killed. This one was beaten with a pointed weapon...

Some of the prisoners did not die right away...

Barbed wire still lines the fences surrounding the fields.

Picture perfect Cambodia...

As if the killing fields weren't depressing enough, our next stop was the genocide museum. It's been converted from one of the main prisons used by the Khmer Rouge. 17,000 innocent Cambodians went through the prison, and only 7 survived.

We were able to explore the cells and get an idea of the harsh conditions the prisoners were forced to live in. Those who were held in the large mass cells (like this one) were collectively shackled to long pieces of iron bar. The shackles were fixed to alternating bars; the prisoners slept with their heads in opposite directions.

Prisoners were tortured in ways I would never have been able to imagine.

6. While getting lashes or electrification you must not cry at all.

Each person who went through the prison was photographed upon entering. An artist has re-interpreted these photos and his work is on display in a few of the empty cells.

I promise the next post will be a happier one! Up next is my first day in Vietnam.

Angkor Wat... again!

2011-03-19T13:59:00.005+07:00

On our second day, we biked about 40km through Angkor Wat and Siem Reap. I'm tempted to say it was my favorite day in Southeast Asia so far!

We rented bikes from our guesthouse for the day.

We took a wrong turn on our way to Angkor Wat, and ended up riding through a very 'Cambodian' village... I love happy accidents!

I don't want to brag, but I'd say I'm pretty good at taking photos while bike riding with one hand...

Being a local (kind of). You know how the old saying goes, "when at a Buddhist temple..." oh wait. That's not right...

Erin and KJ, enjoying the view of Angkor Wat.

Talk about an awesome place for a wedding!

Walking up to this sort of "off the beaten path" temple, I couldn't help but think my life might turn into a horror movie.

Erin, making a new friend. She traded this woman her watch for this... umm... beautiful scarf.

We stopped to hang out with some monkeys on the side of the road.

How can baby monkeys be SO cute and SO ugly at the same time??

Inside one of the temples... there was doorway after doorway and they got smaller and smaller as they got further in. I was too cheap to hire a guide to explain why it was built like this, but I thought it was pretty cool just the same.

I realized all of my pictures were starting to look the same so I played around with my camera to spice things up a bit...

With our bikes, we almost looked exactly like the locals. Almost.

I'm still amazed by the intricacy in the carvings!

I don't think I could ever get tired of how beautiful this place is!

After two days in Siem Reap, we headed to Phnom Penh for an education on the Cambodian Genocide. Pictures of that in the next post!

Too busy getting stamps in my passport to blog!

2011-03-17T22:51:00.008+07:00

After a 2 month hiatus, I'm blogging again! I just got home (Thailand home.. don't get too excited!) from a quick trip to Cambodia and Vietnam with two of my friends. The school term just finished and we had time to squeeze in a bit of traveling before they head back home to America! Our first stop was Siem Reap, Cambodia, where we spent two days exploring Angkor Wat. From there, we went on to Phnom Penh to see some of the (rather nauseating) sites involved in the Cambodian genocide. We then spent three days in Vietnam exploring the Cu Chi Tunnels, boating through the Mekong Delta, biking through a rural island town, educating ourselves about the Viet Cong and the Vietnam War, exploring Ho Chi Minh City, and of course eating lots of amazing food! The entire trip was absolutely amazing. Nothing I could say would do it justice, but maybe some pictures will do the job...

Our first morning in Siem Reap, we woke up nice and early and got to Angkor Wat to watch the sunrise. It was cloudy, but still beautiful!

A rather appropriate depiction of how my eyes were working when we woke up at 4 in the morning...

The sunrise from inside of Angkor Wat.

Beautiful is an understatement...

KJ and I at one of the temples. We're tiny, but this makes us look even smaller than we really are!

This isn't an illusion... these stairs really do go straight up! This particular section was closed off, but we climbed more than our fair share of steep steps.

One of maybe 50 statues lining the path to a temple.

Siem Reap!

Almost every inch of every temple is adorned by intricate carvings like this. I can't even imagine how much work went into it all!

Temples, temples, TEMPLES!

I'm not sure why, but this was my favorite part of the entire temple complex. There's something about the way all of the stones fit together that I think is so beautiful.

A shot of me for the folks back home...

There's nothing like frolicking through ancient ruins!

Me and Domo: same same!

I spy an elephant...

Our tuk tuk driver for the day.

My happy travel buddies, KJ and Erin.

Just hanging out, flying through Angkor Wat...

Erin, taking it all in!

I told you these stairs were steep! I had to mentally prepare myself to start down the "staircase", so I took some photos as an excuse to wait a bit longer to go down.

We almost look like we're part of the carvings, right??

These temples blow my mind!

One last photo for the fans at home...

The perfect photo to end with... happy travelers at the end of a great day =) I stole this one from KJ but it's just too cute not to post!

After going through all of these photos, I'm almost as exhausted as I was that day! Check back tomorrow for photos from day 2 at Angkor Wat!

New Layout!

2011-01-11T17:32:00.001+07:00

I'm working on getting a new layout up and running... sit tight!

Sawadee Pee Mai!

2011-01-11T10:38:00.007+07:00

The next stop on our trip was Chiang Mai, which is in the north of Thailand. It's one of my favorite cities in Thailand... it's got everything you need like a big city, but without the chaotic atmosphere. I thought it would be a great place to ring in the new year, and actually proved to be even more perfect than I could have hoped! We did do some sightseeing while we were up there, but those pictures will come in a later post. For now, here's a look at what may have been my favorite New Year's celebration yet!

Back in November I posted about the Thai holiday, Loy Krathong. Thais release floating krathongs down the river and they send all bad things with them. In Chiang Mai, they are known for releasing a different kind of krathong into the air, rather than the tradition ones in the water. Their's work like hot air balloons and float away until they disappear into the night sky. They also release them on New Year's Eve in order to cleanse themselves of all negative energy and get a clean start to the New Year. Seeing thousands of these krathongs lighting up the night sky was definitely one of the highlights of the trip!

We released ours at a temple, where the monks were helping all of us first timers.

Really, what could be better? If you ask me, this definitely beats out the celebration in New York City!

It amazed me that there weren't any mishaps with so much fire just floating around! Krathongs were floating mere inches over people's heads and getting stuck in trees left and right but somehow, I didn't see a single thing catch on fire. Unless you count a few of the krathongs themselves...

The view down the river, where the krathongs were being released and the fireworks were set off. It felt like it was straight out of a movie! Or at least straight out of Europe.

As if the regular ones aren't awesome enough, they even make panda krathongs! And as if THAT'S not enough, they also had hearts, soccer balls, Thai flags, and ones adorned with images celebrating the Year of the Rabbit.

My parents watching the fireworks...

Like I said, it felt like something straight out of a movie.

People looking on as the fireworks signaled the start of the New Year. It was such a different atmosphere than you find at celebrations in America. No obnoxious drunk people, no wild parties... just a happy and peaceful environment with families and cute Asian couples enjoying themselves.

Each of those little dots is a Krathong, and this doesn't even do justice to how many of them there were. I wish I could say that's a shooting start going through them all, but I guess letting you know it's a firework is awesome enough!

I'll say it again, I'll take this celebration over New Year's Eve in America anyday!

Coming Soon: A Day at Khao Yai, a National Park right here in Saraburi!

Nama Tweme

2011-01-07T19:34:00.012+07:00

I'd been telling my parents about the kids at Future Light for months, so they were so excited to finally head up to Mae Sot and see things for themselves. As I opened the gate to the school, I was immediately swarmed by 33 smiling kids begging for hugs. I quickly found myself smiling from ear to ear and it didn't take long for my parents to follow suit.

These kids never cease to impress me. When we arrived on that first day, they were on school holidays. Tadalie (the oldest girl) was teaching the rest of the kids a lesson to make up for that lost time in school. I don't know what I was more impressed with- the fact that every single kid was giving Tadalie their undivided attention, or the fact that a 13 year old was able to HOLD their attention.

The six youngest kids had their lesson taught by Ita's (the house mother's) niece. I could tell they were antsy, but they still sat (relatively) still, payed attention, and did all of their work. Show me an American 6 year old who is that disciplined and I will bow down and kiss your feet.

Tadalie's a strict grader!

Chili playing the drum while rocking his new Nikon jogging suit...

Susa, Chator, and I!

Tastee Subs make you strong! Think they'll mail me some subs if I do an advertisement for them?

Nunu, Susa, and I think my Dad and I are in there somewhere too...

Clearly, my Mom is the civilized one out of the three of us. While my Dad and I played outside, she and JoJo worked hard on making a whole world out of clay. Which they did ALL day.

I'm starting to think Tada doesn't know how to stop smiling =)

We gave the kids glow sticks one night and they only stopped playing with them when they were told it was bedtime. They were definitely a hit!

My parents, just outside of Future Light, watching the sunset over Burma.

We got official "Future Light Home School" t-shirts printed for all of the kids and the staff. I designed them, a family friend printed them (thank you, Fana!), and my parents lugged them all the way across the world. They were months in the making, so I was so happy to finally have them in my hands. I was even happier to see how good they looked on everyone, especially when the kids accessorized with those awesomely big and grateful smiles they like to wear =)

Susa being a ham, as usual...

Adam looking nice and healthy... check out all that hair!

I swear Chator gets cuter every time I go up there...

The older girls were fascinated by a growing Christmas tree my parents brought for them. When I told them it was brought here from America just for them, I thought they were going to explode from excitement.

Naychee LOVED my parents, and the feeling was definitely mutual! She gets my vote for "Most Improved" since the first time I was there.

We gave the kids bubbles but they went through them pretty quickly. Being the little geniuses that they are, they made their own replacement bubbles out of water and soap... and dirt.

Bubbles and short sleeves in front of a Christmas tree? Welcome to winter in Thailand!

I think I've been replaced...

Solid proof that even my mom had an amazing time... all dressed up AND posing!?!

My Dad lit up by the headlights of a motorbike as the sun sets over Burma... the perfect end to a perfect few days in Mae Sot =) Nama Tweme, Future Light!

Coming up next: New Year's in Chiang Mai!

Christmas in Bangkok

2011-01-05T22:47:00.010+07:00

This year, I got the two best Christmas presents I could ever ask for- a visit from my parents and the chance to help and spend time with some amazing families in Bangkok. The visit from my parents was courtesy of my entire life's savings and the opportunity to help those families was courtesy of the amazing Dwight Turner (who will henceforth be referred to as Saint Dwight). Saint Dwight is the patron saint of Bangkok slums, and has been helping a (rather large) handful of families put food on their tables and money in their landlords' hands. He took it upon himself to make Christmas special for these families and asked for some help in making it possible. That's where I come in. I "sponsored" two families and was rewarded by getting to spend Christmas just hanging out and getting to know them. My parents arrived on Christmas Eve, so the three of us headed to Bangkok on Christmas morning to enjoy the first leg of what turned out to be an amazing two week tour around Thailand.

On a normal day, these families struggle to put food on their tables. On Christmas, there was so much extra food that the kids fed it to the birds.

How could you not smile with that cutie in your arms?

Enjoying some french fries near the river in Lumpini Park.

Bird-feeding is now a spectator sport.

Holding his ground while the birds close in...

Christmas dinner for the birds!

They took a time out from bird-feeding to be hams for the camera...

They're all such beautiful kids.

Enthralled by Harry Potter in Thai... who wouldn't be!?

Donations, donations, donations...

...donations, donations, donations...

I'm thousands of miles from home but I still got to spend Christmas with one big, happy family!

You can read more about the day here and contact St. Dwight or myself if you'd like to help these families out!

Stay tuned for the next stop on our tour de Thailand- Mae Sot! Where my parents got to meet my favorite kids =)

International Day

2010-12-21T19:45:00.015+07:00

Yesterday was International Day at school a.k.a. the best day of the year. The entire school (and I mean every single student AND teacher) got SO into it and everyone started preparing for it MONTHS ago. Each M5 and EP class set up a "booth" about a certain country. They all dressed in costumes relating to their classes' country and each booth had all sorts of activities and food from that culture. There were two big stages set up where the students performed songs, dances, or whatever they wanted to. International Day is kind of a day for the students to let loose and have fun, rather than be proper and conservative as is expected every other day of the year. One of the Thai teachers loaned me a traditional Thai outfit so I could be Thai for the day. The whole day was SO much fun... easily the most fun I've had in a LONG time. All I kept thinking all day was "only in Asia...". So now, I hope you're ready to be bombarded with photos!

Some of my EP students lined up for morning assembly. They do this every morning... it's where the homeroom teachers take attendance and a time for any announcements to be made. It's always so regimented and the students form a sea of blue uniforms, so it was really strange to see it this way!

Some teachers dressed up in Indian attire. Everyone definitely paid more attention to taking pictures during the announcements rather than listening...

One of the student teachers and two of her students... so cute! Students have VERY good relationships with their teachers here.

Two of my favorite students! L and Poomai from my 2/8 (non EP) class:

Boon, Great, and May- a few of my M1 EP students (I teach them art and these three are also in my photography club):

Two more M1 students who are also in my photography club. This is Junior and Guy... both of them are absolutely crazy!

Yet another of my M1 students: B. I know I should be more mature now that I'm a teacher and everything, but his last name is Pimpabut...

Guy being the wonderful photography student that she is!

This is Far (not paying any attention to me). She's another from M1 and definitely one of my best students.

The last of the M1 photos (for now). Just a few American cowboys hanging out in front of the Tower of Pisa...

The EP students did an awesome performance of a medley of songs from High School Musical. I felt like such a proud parent watching them... they did so well! These girls were a few of the cheerleaders:

A few Greek goddesses (from one of my M2 classes) touring Egypt...

And a few of the Egyptians, themselves! Who also happen to be some of my M2 students:

The main performance stage... these girls were insanely good! That girl in the middle is my idol.

Oh you know, Lady Gaga being interviewed by a French renaissance woman and Siamese royalty (maybe? I never did figure out what that guy on the right was dressed as)...

Two of the other teachers have two GIANT great danes. GIANT. I was too scared to sit at my desk when they had the dogs in the office because I was genuinely afraid of being eaten. Each one of them weighs a good amount more than I do (and keep in mind, I've gained a lot of weight!) and standing on all fours they almost come up to my shoulders!!

A few of the "booths" set up. And I put booths in quotes because clearly, these are a BIT more elaborate than measly booths.

A zebra from South Africa:

One of my EP students intently watching the brutal beating of the pinata that would not break...

Meet Bonus, one of my favorite students. This kid is absolutely adorable... Erin and I fight over which one of us he likes more. The other day as he was leaving my class he yelled back to me "I love you, babay!!!" Clearly, he likes me more.

This is Mart, another one of my favorite students. He's surprised me with both his art and singing abilities and he's always joking around with me.

All of my EP students gathered around trying to break this pinata... it took, literally, at least a half an hour! When they finally got it open, all of the candy was beaten to a pulp and they couldn't even eat it!

Check out this rockstar with some of her M2 students (non EP):

A few more of my regular program students and I!

And last (finally!) but not least, one of my favorite students and I. There's a group of 4 girls and 3 TINY boys in her class that are my absolute favorite FAVORITE students (out of all 930 of them!). They are 7 of the funnest kids in the world... they're in my very last class on Friday afternoons and I always come to their class completely exhausted. Somehow though, they always manage to keep me smiling for the entire period. Because of them, there hasn't been a single Friday that I haven't left school in an amazing mood! Unfortunately my pictures with the rest of them came out blurry, but look at me all decked out in old maid Thai clothes. And she's reppin' the good 'ol US of A. We switched!

Mingalaba, again

2010-12-12T14:55:00.006+07:00

Yesterday was a National holiday in Thailand so I had a nice, long weekend. I took the opportunity to go visit the kids at Future Light for a few days. I just got back early this morning and I miss them already! I'm counting down the days until I get to see them again in just two weeks. There have been A LOT of changes since I was there last, and I was so happy to see the kids healthier and even happier this time around. They got BEDS and finished building their new school, which I must say, looks absolutely amazing. I was sad to see that Jota and the oldest boy, Poeweioo, are no longer living there. They've both been reunited with their fathers and still living in the area though, so I can only imagine they're very happy =)

The kids making good use of the new school and learning Christmas songs.

They were being taught the Spanish lyrics to 'Feliz Navidad' by a Thai teacher, so you can only imagine how much I was enjoying the "interpretation" of the lyrics...

The beautiful Tadalie...

Last time I was here, it took Mumu almost my entire stay to warm up to me. This time, she was the first to run up to me and give me a hug when I got there and she was constantly by my side. She seemed much happier and not so reserved this time around. It looks like she's learning to stand up for herself rather than fill the traditional, submissive Burmese woman's role. I couldn't help but smile every time I saw her smile, because that was such a rare thing for her just a few months ago.

The older boys learning some "break dance" moves... hilarious.

Nini and Tazioo... all smiles, all the time.

She's definitely not lacking a personality...

The boys still attempting to learn these dance moves...

Tadalie, again.

Future Light's resident beauty queen... this boy owns the catwalk.

Falling into the old routine of playing with my iPhone. They were happy to see I got some more games since last time!

Chili =)

Ready to learn!

PoKwah just hanging out, nice and comfortably. These kids are all gymnastics prodigies.

Cuties...

Ninja

Too cool for the ninja fight going on the background...

It was an 11 hour bus ride (each way) to see these kids, but clearly, they're more than worth it. I think it's pretty obvious why =)

Inspiration

2010-12-05T22:55:00.008+07:00

After finishing my thesis a few months ago I pretty much swore off art for good. Now, after taking a few months to focus on other things and give myself a break, I've come to a conclusion: I think my problem was lack of purpose. Everything I was doing towards the end of college was just to do it. It was kind of like busy work. I needed to do it to graduate and I just did it for the grade. Since coming to Thailand, I've had the privilege of being exposed to so many new things- so many people, so many different ways of life. I've had some of the most amazing experiences imaginable. Every single moment I've spent here has made some sort of impact on me. I wish it wasn't such a cliche to say this, but there truly is inspiration around every corner. Whether it's watching my favorite street vendor cook my dinner or it's seeing a family of three eating an ear of corn as they ride down the street, somehow all on one bike. Whether it's my students or the indescribable sunset I watch from my balcony every night. Whether it's the amazing kids up at Future Light or the equally amazing people that run organizations like that... voluntarily. I feel so privileged and honored to have met the people I've met, seen the things I've seen, and done the things I've done. I think I might burst from sensory overload if I didn't do something with everything I've been experiencing, so I've started a personal project: people, places, and things that inspire me. No more of that commercial shit they taught me in school... the only point to that is to make money and these days, money is the least of my priorities. This project is for me.

I started with drawings of two of the kids up at Future Light. These two had a huge hand in shaping my experience there... neither of them would ever leave my side.

Yota: a little 4 year old cutie, who I somehow managed to make look like an old man.

Tantanso- 6 years old, barely speaks any English, but still one of the most loving people I have ever had the honor of spending time with.

My sincerest apologies for being a complete cheeseball.

Monkey Buffet

2010-11-28T19:58:00.012+07:00

Lopburi is a province of central Thailand (and just north of where I live). It is known for it's monkeys, who roam the streets freely. I've heard LOTS of stories of them fighting with people trying to steal their bags and whatever else they're carrying. The Thais say that the monkeys are descendants of Hanuman who, according to legend, claimed Lopburi as his kingdom. To celebrate the monkeys, a buffet and festival is held for them every year. Of course, there was no way I was going to miss an event like this! I'd been looking forward to it for weeks and it definitely didn't disappoint. It was probably the coolest thing I've done in Thailand so far! It was held at a wat and there were SO many people there. The grounds of the wat were completely covered by monkeys running around eating the food from their buffet. There were HUNDREDS of them!! There were newborn babies all the way up to the old fogey monkeys, who looked like wise old men. They definitely aren't shy animals! They were climbing all over everyone and helping themselves to whatever they pleased.

Just to be clear, I was the one behind bars. I was inside the wat, the monkey was outside.

A little cutie patootie enjoying some watermelon.

Mother and child...

Oh you know, just checking for bugs...

Check out the little newborn curled up to it's mother!

I'll admit, some of them kind of scared me...

Erin being attacked... the monkey was eating her hair!

This one had a bit of a superiority complex, looking down on the childish antics of the festival apparently too cool to join in.

He looks like a little old man!

Apparently I wasn't the only one annoyed by this woman and her camera...

Being a sport and looking at the camera for me.

A Thai man was feeding the monkeys his peanuts (and again, WE were the ones behind the bars!).

Sticking his tongue out!

Just hanging out... literally.

The aftermath. These were all awesome images made out of food, which the monkeys clearly destroyed.

I made a friend!

Coke vs. Pepsi

Loy Krathong Festival

2010-11-23T12:37:00.003+07:00

Sunday was Loy Krathong Day, so one of the Thai teachers brought my housemate and I to the festival at the river. It was SO crowded! It was really strange to see some of my students there... I didn't even recognize a lot of them without their school uniforms. It was a lot of fun though, and I'm excited to have celebrated my first Thai holiday!

People walking towards the river with their Krathongs, all ready to be sent down the river.

People relaxing, eating, watching the Loy Krathong show (Thai dance and beauty contest).

We ran into one of my favorite students (appropriately named Thai Boy). He's in one of my M5 classes, which is the equivalent to juniors in America. He's not in the English program but he somehow still managed to become fluent! Please do not make fun of how much shorter I am than my student, or how much weight I've gained since I've gotten here. The other girl is my housemate, Erin.

A tour of one of the markets set up for the festivities...

Loy Krathong at School

2010-11-18T21:03:00.009+07:00

Loy Krathong is a Thai holiday that falls on the full moon of the 12th lunar month (usually November). At night, people go to the klong (canal) or river to float their krathongs. The krathongs are traditionally made from all the parts of the banana plant and they also carry incense or candles. People light the incense/candles, make a wish, and set their krathongs off down the river. The idea is to ask the water spirits to sail away their troubles in the ir krathongs as sort of a spiritual cleansing. By the end of the night, there are hundreds of flickering lights bobbing up and down on the water. They also have fireworks displays and (very elaborate) beauty contest.

The real Loy Krathong Day isn't until Sunday, but my school held it's celebrations today. It was SO much fun! It was a HUGE event and I still cant believe how into it everyone was. Something like this would/could never happen in America! The students worked on their krathongs all day and then there was a beauty contest and singing competition in the afternoon. For the beauty contest, classes voted on who they wanted to enter, and those girls who were chosen got dressed up in traditional Thai costume. They were all absolutely beautiful! They went all out, and I mean ALL OUT. A lot of my students were participating and I didn't recognize a single one of them!

A sea of students working on their krathongs.

Hard at work!

Some of my favorite students! They're in the Science Program, not than the English program, which means English is far from their main focus. Still, I always have so much fun with this class! They're very lively, to say the least.

A few more of my students...

One of my students shyly showing off her krathong. I can't believe how creative all of the students got with them!

Some of my students from one of my EP (English Program) art classes. They're M1, which is equivalent to 7th or 8th grade at home.

One of the Thai teachers with one of the MANY wild dogs at school. The dogs wander around and will walk right into the classrooms and even the teachers' lounge. They also have a habit of attacking my housemate and I whenever we ride past them on our bikes.

Some of the boys, apparently too cool to make krathongs.

Testing out their krathong to see if it floats. This is the so called "pool" at the school. "Lake" is definitely a bit more appropriate, but I think something gets lost in the translation.

All the krathongs lined up and ready for judging! Each class made one... there were SO many of them and every single one was amazing.

Lots and lots of kids waiting for the beauty contest to start!

It was too crowded on the ground, so a lot of the kids watched from above.

One of the Thai teachers helping a student get ready for the contest.

It's a school rule that all of the students have to keep their hair very short, so Erin (my housemate) and I were wondering how much fake hair was used for all of these fancy shmancy up-dos.

Saway MAK! (Very beautiful.)

The beauty contest in motion! They were all wearing- no exaggeration- at least 4 or 5 inch heels. The "stage" was made of tables, so it wasn't the most solid thing to walk on. To top it all off, these girls all had so much extra weight on their heads and skirts that really didn't allow for much movement. Somehow they all still managed to be perfect little Thai women. I definitely couldn't have done it!

Cooking Lessons

2010-11-17T19:49:00.003+07:00

I love the Thai teachers at my school... they're all awesome and the nicest people ever. They've been teaching us how to cook some Thai dishes recently and they've all been deeeeelicious! Today we learned how to make pad see ew woon sen (pad see ew but with glass noodles instead of wide rice noodles). Using different noodles gave the dish a completely different taste, and I MIGHT have even liked it more than the traditional pad see ew!

Deliciousness in the works...

Some of the lovely Thai teachers and office staff.

The master at work.

The finished product!

Aroi MAK!

2010-11-16T21:14:00.006+07:00

I've had a special request to bring back the food pictures, so without further ado, I present to you... what I've eaten over the past few days:

This is THE BEST FRIED RICE IN THE WORLD. It was also, by far, the best meal I've had in the three months that I've been here, and I've had some amazing food. I don't know how the woman did it, but every bite was an explosion of flavor in my mouth and I was so sad when I finished it. The second my housemate and I finished eating it last night, we decided we were going back to get it again tonight. I woke up thinking about it, and it's all we talked about all day. This fried rice alone is worth a trip to Thailand... seriously.

This salad is yet another one of the amazing things Thailand has to offer. Like the fried rice, it's hard to imagine it's even half as delicious as it is. It's the dressing (or "salad cream", as they call it) that really clenches it. I don't know what it is, but it's sweet and yellow and I can eat it by the spoonful. It goes almost TOO well with the sweetness of the corn, taro, and pumpkin in the salad. I don't care what you say, that dressing even puts ranch to shame.

One of the Thai teachers had this dish for lunch the other day, and as usual, she forced me to try it. And by forced, I mean she saw me drooling over it and offered me some before I exploded. It's called Pad Kana Moo Grob and is my new favorite Thai dish. When I first got here, I was all about the noodles. Now I'm all about the rice. I'm not sure what kind of sauce this is fried in, but it's kind of sweet and super flavorful. There's also A LOT of garlic thrown in there, which is right up my alley. Moo grob means crispy pork but I've yet to find out for sure what part of the pig it is. It's a little bit sweet and a little bit fatty, but not too much of either. It's my new favorite meat... I get it in everything now!

This is a crab stick donut. Yes, crab. And mayo. And it was just as disgusting as it sounds. I knew it would be but it was staring me in the face and screaming my name so I couldn't resist. How many people can say they've had a crab donut before?? When in Thailand...

Stay tuned to see more of what's making me fat.

More importantly, I've got a busy weekend ahead and my camera will most definitely be accompanying me. Thursday is the Loy Krathong celebration at school, complete with traditional Thai costumes and the 'releasing' of krathongs in our school's pool (aka swamp). On Saturday, my school is hosting an inter-school English competition (storytelling, skits, spelling bee, etc.) and I'll be the word reader for the spelling bee. On Sunday, one of the Thai teachers offered to bring me to a wat a bit north of here and to show me the parts of Saraburi that I haven't seen yet. After that, we're planning to go see a soccer game at the stadium in town. Then, (if I haven't fallen asleep yet) we'll go to the Loy Krathong festival (Sunday is the actual Loy Krathong Day) and see all of the krathongs in the river and eat all of the delicious food specially prepared to the occasion. Lots to look forward to... I'm so excited!

My Neighborhood by Day

2010-11-13T15:09:00.004+07:00

The other day, I realized that things that I thought were strange and interesting when I first got here are now starting to feel normal. As soon as this hit me, I decided that no matter what, I would go out and take some pictures of my neighborhood before I'm not able to pick out things that are "strange" anymore.

"My Neighborhood by Night" coming soon!

Saraburi

2010-11-06T11:28:00.006+07:00

I'm long overdue for an update... I've been CRAZY busy with school and being sick with dengue fever. I haven't been bringing my real camera around with me, but of course I've been making good use of my iPhone camera!

My school! I teach mostly regular English classes (13 of them), which is where I took the first and third pictures. I've got about 60 students in each of those classes, there's no air con, wild dogs walk in and out of the classroom whenever they please, and I have to teach with a microphone. They're M2 students, which is about the equivalent of freshmen in America. Their English is pretty beginner level, but some of them are awesome. I also teach a few English Program classes with the same age students, but their English is AMAZING. A lot of the time, I can have a normal conversation with them. The words that they know AND use correctly always impress me. They're absolutely hilarious and I'm constantly cracking up at the things they say. They've definitely got personalities and they're probably a bit too comfortable in class. The English Program kids are the pride of the school, so they've got nice, high tech classrooms with computers, projectors, and air con.

I live in Saraburi which is in central Thailand, about an hour north of Bangkok. We got hit with really heavy rainfall and LOTS of flooding recently. There's a river that goes through the town and it was- literally- about 30 feet higher than it usually is. That's the first picture. The second picture is of a wat (temple) right near where I live. The third photo is of my go-to street vendor. When I don't know what I want for dinner, I go to him and tell him to make me something good. The other night I had some fish insides that were surprisingly delicious. I haven't been disappointed with a meal from him yet!

And last but not least, my home away from home... the hospital! I had dengue fever for the past week or so and let me tell you, it has definitely not been fun. I'm almost over it now though, finally, which I'm very happy about. My room in the hospital was like a hotel suite though- private bathroom with hot water, balcony and nice view, microwave, refrigerator, TV with English channels, and a couch for all of the visitors that I didn't have. All of that, IVs, medicine, meals, nursing care, x-rays, and the doctors' services for less than $300 a night! The middle picture is of the incredibly itchy rash that I got when my fever broke. This picture was taken when it first appeared, but within a day the spots of "normal" skin were pretty much non-existent. The rash covered pretty much every inch of my arms, legs, and stomach, and it was UNBEARABLE.

I'll hopefully take some real pictures soon so keep an eye out for them!

Vientiane, Laos

2010-10-23T21:52:00.010+07:00

I've been in Vientiane, Laos for the past few days for my first visa run and to switch to a working visa. Now, I can legally work here! Yay! It's about a 10 hour bus ride up to the border from where I live and trust me- it's a very LONG 10 hours. Vientiane is the capitol of Laos and it's just over the border. I have to say though, it's pretty lame as far as capitol cities go. There's not much to do or see there, and the day and a half I spent there was more than enough. Still, it's been on my list of places to see while I'm over here so at least now I can cross that off. Plus, my passport is really starting to fill up with stamps! I thought the trip was going to be all work no play, but I ended up meeting some pretty cool people and we definitely had some fun.

Patuxai is probably Vientiane's main attraction. It's a war monument dedicated to those who lost their lives in Laos' struggle to gain independence from France. Funnily enough though, it's meant to resemble the famous Arc de Triomphe in Paris.

Gotta love Engrish...

A girl from South Africa that I met on the trip, taking a photo of Patuxai (clearly).

The road leading up to Patuxai is even meant to resemble the boulevard in Paris.

That Luang is Laos' most sacred Buddhist monuments. It's completely covered in gold, and absolutely beautiful.

We didn't get a chance to see it during the day, but I have a feeling it's prettier at night anyways. Unfortunately, going at night meant that it was closed to the public, but I'd say it's a pretty fair trade-off.

Just to the right of That Luang is a wat, and the temple grounds are lined with Buddhist statues.

It just happened to still be open, so we asked if we could come inside. We were happily invited in, and it was absolutely beautiful. It was kind of sistine chapel-esque and it's the first wat I've actually been inside. You're not supposed to take pictures but being the rebel that I am, of course I had to sneak a few. Sorry Buddha!

There was a HUGE night market going on, so we decided to stop there for a bit and check it out. Now, I am such a market aficionado, but this one was just too much for me! It was so overwhelming and unnecessarily loud, but I guess it was pretty cool to see it.

The market was right along the Mekong, so we escaped the market to go see the river at one point. It was pretty cool to see the river itself because it's so well known, and the solace it gave us from the market was much appreciated.

Fireworks

2010-10-23T21:47:00.002+07:00

Tonight is a full moon AND Chulalongkorn Day, so I don't know which one all of the festivities are for. Standing on my balcony, I can see an unobstructed view of the full moon to my right. We got lucky and it's a perfectly clear night! A few hours ago, there were fireworks going off directly across the street from my house- literally. I guess they don't have the same safety issues here as they do in the states. When the first one went off, I actually thought it was a gunshot!

Chiang Mai

2010-10-16T15:51:00.003+07:00

After I left Future Light, I went up north to Chiang Mai to relax and take a few days to myself. It was amazing. I was too busy loving life to give much thought to taking pictures, but I did get a few HDRIs. They're not the best, but they'll do.

Goodbye, Future Light!

2010-10-16T14:01:00.011+07:00

As per the requests of a few very persistent people, I now present some photos from my last few days at Future Light...

My last day there, a few of the younger kids were participating in Sports Day. Sports Day is the most amazing day of the school year, and I'm jealous that I didn't grow up with it. It's an intense inter-school competition where the kids compete in everything from running to relays to Muay Thai. They really go all out with new uniforms for the competitors and elaborate costumes for the "cheerleaders". I went as the proud parent/crazy soccer mom, but apparently it is a very Western thing to watch your kids at an event like this. Our kids were the only ones with fans cheering them on and buying them all sorts of sweets and treats, but they were definitely the happy kids there.

Zorbay being awesome and owning a tennis ball throwing competition... he got one of the farthest distances!

Adelle is one of two Australians that I hung out with whenever I needed some time away from the home. This is her taking pictures of some children she does not know. These are a few of the cheerleaders in elaborate costumes that I was talking about!

We spent a rather eventful morning at Sports Day, and then I went back to the home to spend some time with the kids who were there.

Natasha and Jen are the two amazing girls who run and fund the home. On one of my last days there, they came up to see the kids and bring LOTS of donations. It was Natasha's birthday just a few days before they came, so I thought it would be fun for all of the kids to make her a birthday card to surprise her with when she got there. Little did I know it would occupy them for HOURS. I can't even describe how excited the kdis were for Natasha and Jen to come, and they were even more excited to have something to give them when they arrived.

They were all so proud of their cards! Matay only arrived at the home a week before I got there, so when we were making the cards he had never even met Natasha. But of course that didn't stop him from putting just as much love into his card as the rest of the kids did into theirs. His card was actually the product of quite a few kids' (and my own) handiwork, which I think makes it even better. And, he learned how to say "Happy Birthday" and "I love you", so he definitely had the right to want to show his card off!

After all that hard work, it was time for some fun. Or for a nap, as evidenced by Nichi sleeping in the background!

I was serenaded by the little girls for at least an hour, and treated to some (very Traditional) Burmese song and dance...

In anticipation of Natasha and Jen's arrival, all of the kids put on their best clothes and did their hair and make up. They even got me all dolled up... Natasha paid me the "compliment" of saying I looked like an 80's pop star. Once they were ready, they all sat quietly and patiently in the main room, just waiting. After nearly two hours, they finally arrived and you should have seen these kids' faces. They came with TWO VANS FILLED WITH DONATIONS, and the kids could not get out the door to carry everything in fast enough.

They were SO eager to help unload the vans, and not because they knew the things were for them, but because they just wanted to help.

SO many boxes! And this is only about half of it. Lots of awesome frozen food and TONS of cheese that they absolutely hated. They said it tasted like armpit.

Now, this goes against absolutely everything I stand for, but these kids are worth it:

They are ALWAYS in need of donations, whether it be goods or funds. There are 36 kids, 4 staff, and 2 houseparents all living off of the kindness of two twenty-something girls in Bangkok. If you would like to help in any way, you can contact me or get in touch with them directly by clicking here. Every little thing counts, and even the smallest acts of kindness go such a long way with these kids!

Smiles, Smiles, Smiles

2010-10-05T10:32:00.007+07:00

This is my favorite batch of pictures yet... so many SMILES!

Papalin (I think I'm finally learning how to not butcher their names!)

Desioo and Tada.. they were blowing bubbles and catching them in their mouths. At first I discouraged the eating of soap, but then I came to the sad realization that it was probably the cleanest thing they'd done all day.

$1,000 to anyone who can look at this photo and not smile...

I wish I could be fascinated for hours by something so simple!

Tadalie... such a little model.

Yota, one half of my shadow...

... and Tantanso, the other half.

A cutie whose name I am embarrassed to say I still don't know. He's always by my side, but never says a word. He's always got a smile on though!

Monday dancing and putting himself in a trance.

Checking himself out... too too too cute!

Yota and Tantanso.

He's gorgeous. And I think this might be the best picture I've ever taken. Of course, it helps when your subject is so photogenic!

Just an evening stroll to Burma...

2010-10-03T10:43:00.009+07:00

The Thai-Burmese border is not even a half of a mile away from the home, so we took a little field trip yesterday and played and walked along the border. I still can't get over how much fun these kids are!

Starting our walk, this is a (harvested) cornfield right next to the home.

Chatook and some sort of yucky, muddy creature.

Such cuties...

They kept telling me this was fish... so maybe fish eggs? They found some crazy things.

Nunu!

There's some digging going on with a makeshift bulldozer- operated with a bucket- so the kids had fun playing on the mounds of dirt.

Nichi, Thana, Mumu, and I. You can't tell I've been roughing it for a week, can you?

Desioo with... a jaw bone?

Thana and a little old man we picked up along the way.

Shower time for some dirty, dirty boys!

Desioo on the swingset out in back of the home.

Popali, all dolled up.

Mumu and Sasa... these kids are all such hams =)

The kids took over my iPhone

2010-10-01T14:22:00.007+07:00

The kids LOVE my iPhone, especially taking videos and pictures of each other with it. This is the work of the budding photographers...

Chatook and Nunu, two of the youngest kids.

Homework time! After dinner, they all take out their workbooks and do their work (without being told!). I love hearing them practicing three languages worth of homework, and I still can't get over how smart every one of them is! Or how great the older kids are when they help the younger kids (without complaining!).

A few of the older girls doing their homework together. These are three of the girls I've been sharing a mat and net with every night. You can see one of the mats on the floor here. Comfy, right?
These two are sisters, and they've got another younger sister at the home too.

I get to have a slumber party with these girls every night, which makes sleeping on the hard wood floor completely worth it. They're the 12 little Asian sisters that I never had =)

This is Monday, and god damn I've got such a soft spot for him.

Chatook is too young for school, so I stay home with her, Monday, and one other boy all day. She's another one that puts a smile on my face as soon as I see her, and this is why...

Future Light Children's Home

2010-10-01T13:01:00.007+07:00

For the next few weeks, I'm volunteering at Future Light Children's Home in Mae Sot, Thailand. The town shares a border with Myanmar, so it's got a big refugee community. Future Light is a home for Burmese refugee children ranging in age from about 1 1/2 to 16. There are 36 of them here right now, and every last one of them is absolutely amazing. My favorite thing about them is that they're ALWAYS smiling! I'm so amazed with how well behaved they are, and how much they love and support each other. I've been there since the beginning of the week and I've yet to see even the smallest argument. I've also yet to hear a single complaint out of any of them. They're all already smarter than I can ever hope to be... not only are they pretty much completely self sufficient and independent, but they can also speak, read, and write Burmese, Thai, AND English. Keep in mind each of those has its own alphabet!

I'm staying at the home with the kids, and life there is the epitome of roughing it. Not only is there no air conditioning, but they don't even have fans, and the temperature gets well into the 90's everyday. There's no shower, and obviously no Western toilets- just one squat toilet for 42 people. The "house" is comprised of a main room, a room where the girls sleep, and room where the boys sleep, and a room for the house parents. There's also a kitchen/eating area outside behind the house. The backyard is just a big dirt patch- it's straight out of a movie. There are pigs in the yard to the left, and a sweatshop to the right. They sleep on the hardwood floors, with only the thinest bamboo mats you can imagine, and there are at least 5 kids to one mat. The little girls have to sleep so close together that they can't even straighten their legs. There are 7 or 8 of them on one mat, under one mosquito net. I've been sharing a mat and net with 4 of the older girls. They give me the only pillow, and they use me as their pillow. Like I said, living out there is definitely roughing it and it's tough for me, but the kids are so amazing that it's completely worth it. I have the luxury of quitting anytime I want- they don't.

This is Nunu. She actually lives out back in a house with her father, but she spends all her time with the rest of the kids. She's definitely one of the cutest kids I've ever met, and I've met a lot of kids. No matter how bad my mood is, as soon as she comes over to me I just can't help but smile.

The kids are all best friends, and you can tell how much they love each other. With them, there's no such thing as cliques or bullying, and being left out is unheard of. They'll even adjust their games to make sure everyone can play, from the youngest kids all the way to the oldest.

This is Matay. He just came to the home last week, but you'd never know it! He's adjusting so well and the other kids treat him as if he's been there for years.

I swear, these kids could start a circus. They've all got crazy tricks up their sleeves and I'm always so impressed with what they can do. And they're definitely not shy about showing off!

I've been making bracelets with all the kids, and I can't believe how into they are- even the boys! They want to make them as soon as they wake up and the second they come home from school, all the way until bedtime. I'd say about 100 bracelets have been made in just the past two days! I brought a big bag of thread with me and my supply has just about run dry already. They picked up on it so quickly- it took a lot of them just one try, and a few of them even figured it out on their own. I've been cranking them out as fast as I can so everyone can have one, and in return, they've all been making ones for me. I think I'm up to 13 now! My wrist is getting pretty heavy...

This is Adam- the youngest of the kids. He's got a habit of getting into everything, and he's always a mess. I can't tell you how many times I've caught him sitting by himself playing with a pair of scissors or a knife. I've never been anywhere like this before, where the kids have next to no supervision or guidance, and it kills me.

The kids all LOVE the camera, and they certainly aren't shy. I've got more videos on their way, but for now, meet a few of the kids...

For anyone who's ever complained about walking uphill in the snow both ways...

2010-09-22T21:12:00.011+07:00

... TRY DOING IT IN THE MUD.

I spent the past few days trekking through the jungle, sleeping in a hill tribe village, riding elephants, and bamboo rafting. I'm very proud to say that I survived the jungle trek (clearly), and when I say survived, I mean it! There were seriously moments that I feared for my life, like when I almost slipped off a cliff (several times) or when I crossed paths with a cobra. I don't really know what I was expecting when I signed up for this, but this definitely wasn't it! I'm not sure I can say I was having "fun" for a lot of the time, but it was still so amazing and a really, REALLY rewarding experience. I'm so glad I did it!

Before venturing out into the jungle, I went to a waterfall (picture of that at the end), some hot springs, and Hellfire Pass. As I was walking out to see the Hellfire Pass (which is a railway cutting along the Death Railway built by forced labor during WWII) I got my first taste of Thailand's wildlife. Yes, it was as big as the picture makes it look.

After the little warm-up of a morning, I started my trek into the jungle. First was an hour of trekking by elephant, and I swear the whole thing was straight out of a movie! The scenery was picture perfect, and so were all the locals.

Me on my (misbehaved) elephant somewhere on our way up the mountain. I think I'm going to have to find a travel buddy that knows how to take a decent photo for me.

Mommy and daughter elephants! I'm pretty sure the one in the front is the mother, and the one in the back is the daughter. They're 45 and 27... I didn't know elephants have the same lifespan as humans! This is where we left them (don't worry, guides brought them back to camp) and started our 4 hour trek by foot.

Since the terrain was so rough and dangerous as it was, I didn't want to complicate matters and take my camera out. About halfway there, we got to this waterfall and stopped for a break. This is about the time it hit me that I was TREKKING THROUGH A FREAKING JUNGLE IN THAILAND.

Just after dark, we got to the village we'd be spending the night at. It's at the very top of the mountain and it's inhabitants are the people of the Karen hill tribe. Obviously being so far away from "civilization", there's no electricity or running water or anything modern that we take for granted. We cooked dinner over an open fire grill type thing... I got to learn how to cook some Thai dishes, which was awesome. We were treated to some traditional Karen music during dinner, our guide told us some traditional stories, and then I headed off to bed for fear of passing out at the table due to exhaustion. We slept in a little hut, right along this stream. This was the view I woke up to!

We took a different path back down the mountain, and this time it was MUCH easier. Somehow most of it was still uphill, and it since it's the rainy season, everything was super muddy. We walked through the whole village before heading back down, so we got to walk through fields of all the different things they farm.

One of our guides... he's a member of the Karen tribe, but like most of the younger generations, he lives in a village at the bottom of the mountain. On our way back, he picked us lots of different fruits and plants for us to try. As per my request, he found us some guava (which has become my favorite fruit since I got to Thailand... I eat at least one every single day). He got a kick out of a farang asking for farang, as the Thais always do. "Farang" is the Thai word for foreigner, and it's also their word for guava.

Walking through some more (very muddy) fields. As if walking on this steep of an angle wasn't hard enough, the mud made for a lot of slipping and sliding on my part.

One of the Karen men smoking on the edge of the village. I think I might actually be bigger than him, and that's saying something!

Giant ants who were having fun ruining my peaceful break by a waterfall. This picture isn't deceiving- this is a normal sized piece of bamboo. These ants were HUGE.

After we got back down to the bottom of the mountain, we took a bamboo raft down the stream back to camp. I can't imagine something more "Thailand" than that! We got back to camp, were treated to an amazing lunch of BBQ chicken and sticky rice (my favorite!) and then hopped on an old train (the former Death Railway) which brought us close to the city. We finished the last leg back to Kanchanaburi in a MUCH appreciated, air conditioned van.

And what jungle trek would be complete without a few HDRIs to show for it?

This is the first waterfall we stopped at in the morning (along with Hellfire Pass and the Hot Springs). It was SO pretty. I climbed to the top of it, where a Thai family insisted I pose for 5 minutes worth of pictures with them.

I took this one while being attacked by those giant ants (on my way back down the mountain). There's a mini waterfall that leads into this, and one a bit bigger where it drops off.

Of course these pictures don't even come close to doing anything justice, but I think this was a valiant effort at showing what it was like. I guess you'll all just have to come to Thailand and do the trek yourselves now!

Neung farang?? NEUNG farang!?

2010-09-20T21:23:00.005+07:00

I left Bangkok yesterday and headed out to Kanchanaburi. It's about two hours northwest of Bangkok. It's very Thai and a great little getaway spot. I really like the town itself, but there's not much to do. It's kind of a gateway to lots of awesome things to see and places to go just outside of the town. Today I went out to a "safari" park… basically a zoo that you drive around and the animals come up to the van. I was the only one there at the time, so I had my own personal tour guide and safari (which sounds so much more exciting than it actually was). But, it was still pretty fun and it was an awesome bus ride out there, so that alone made it worth it!

No trip to Kanchanaburi is complete without seeing the famous Bridge Over the River Kwai!

As if having the street names on fish isn't awesome enough, using the Engrish spelling of Australia is even better.

Long live the King! Things like this are EVERYWHERE in Thailand. Thais really love their King.

Giraffes are my new favorite animal. I've never seen them up close and personal before today, but they're awesome.

Zebra!

Oh, hello there!

He loves me =)

Who knew there were ostriches in Thailand!?

Meet my new friend, June.

Due to the fact that I was the only one there, and the fact that there is an insurmountable language barrier between myself and everyone in this country, June and I had a nice little photoshoot.

Sorry to put you through this June, but you were a good sport. And you made my day!

Goodbye, June! It was nice meeting you.

Sunset from the dock outside my bungalow (side note: I have my own private bungalow with a porch overlooking the river)

It was SO pretty.

HDRI of the war cemetary

HDRI that I took at sunset. it's still blowing my mind... it was so dark I could barely see. I have no idea how it captured so much detail!

Tomorrow morning I'm heading off to the jungle for a day of elephant riding, trekking, and hot springs. I'll spend the night in the jungle with a hill tribe, and then continue the jungle fun the next day. I'll head back to Kanchanaburi on the Death Railway at night, and then my plans are completely up in the air.

A day of SANUK before leaving Bangkok

2010-09-18T23:50:00.008+07:00

I'm leaving Bangkok in the morning but I couldn't leave before sanuking one last Saturday first! It's only been a few hours and I'm missing those kids already. Luckily, I'll only be living about an hour and a half bus ride outside of Bangkok so I'll be able to come back for a few Saturdays here and there!

A is for Apple...

The morning class at Yommarat.

Some early morning vocab...

This girl was making the most disgusted faces while eating this cookie... she told me she didn't like it, but she refused to stop eating it!

Everyone loves snack time!

Someday, I WILL see this girl smile!

The kids running home down the train tracks after our class... these little shacks are there houses. I still have trouble wrapping my head around the idea of people actually living like this.

These are the mot beautiful little girls I have ever seen. Someone's not very happy though!

Brushing up on some vocab...

I LOVE this little girl.

I say it every week, but THESE KIDS ADORE DWIGHT.

The afternoon class is a group of budding photographers...

I am a teacher [full stop]

2010-09-17T19:53:00.004+07:00

No pictures today, but I thought it necessary that I update the world:

I AM OFFICIALLY A TEACHER.

Today was my last teaching practice and my last day of training all together. I'll be staying in Bangkok until Sunday, then heading to Kanchanaburi for a week, where I will be playing with elephants by day and sleeping in tree houses with hill tribes by night. Then, I'm off to Mae Sot for a few weeks to stay and volunteer at an orphanage for Burmese refugee children. I'll be there until the end of October, at which point I'll go to Saraburi just in time to start teaching on October 26th. MY LIFE IS AMAZING.

When did "double line" and "affective filter" become a part of my everyday vocabulary?

2010-09-14T22:25:00.006+07:00

Today we had our second teaching practice at the Somapa School. We had a class of 9 to 11 year olds and I taught them about different jobs. These kids were ridiculously smart and SO into learning! I still can't believe how strong their English skills were. Needless to say, I had another great teaching experience today. Just a few minor things I need to work on but I got a good evaluation, and overall I'd say it was a complete success!

So attentive!

All smiles =)

Disco, rap... I like cowboys? One of the other teachers taught a lesson about music. One side of her vocab cards had different types of music, and the other side had a sentence explaining why a person might like that genre.

Doing my warmer with the kids. We played Word Jumble, where I scrambled up the letters of some vocab they learned earlier in the day, and two teams had to race to unscramble each word first. They really enjoyed it and I was so impressed with how good they were. They were able to figure out some words before the other teachers in the back of the room!

Teacher Brie!

I look like one of the kids! No wonder people laugh when I tell them I'm a teacher...

It's a great feeling when the kids have such a positive reaction to your lesson.

This girl was adorable... and her name was Best...

Tomorrow we're going back to this school one last time. I'll be teaching the same age group again, but this time my lesson will be about shopping. I've got my lesson plan and materials all prepped and ready to go! My vocab includes 7 eleven and slurpees... how can it not be a fun lesson!?

Harry Potter is ... hot?

2010-09-13T23:37:00.006+07:00

Today was my first experience teaching a real class in a classroom- it was a class of 7-9 year olds at a school here in Bangkok. I was expecting to be super nervous going into it, but I was surprisingly calm and excited. I couldn't have asked for it to have gone any better... the kids were amazing and SO smart! They were quick to catch on to new activities and the vocab I taught them, and they were very well behaved. I had so much fun with them and I got a great evaluation from my observer! He told me I was a natural at teaching, I was confident and engaging, and that the kids seemed to be very comfortable with me.

Unfortunately, my nice Lumix had to stay at home today since the shutter is pretty loud and likely to distract the kids. I had to settle for taking photos with my old canon (which I now think is a horrible camera in comparison) and my iPhone, of all things!

It was so great to have a group of kids who were so excited to learn and participate. They were the PERFECT first class.

Playing a modified version of duck, duck, duck, goose. Instead of ducks and geese, the kids were monkeys and tigers in order to make the game fit my lesson- things in the jungle.

I taught the kids the Banana Song, which went over amazingly well and I plan to teach this song to every class I ever have. The kids thought it was hilarious and I think it helped them feel nice and comfortable with me. And yes, I voluntarily sung and danced first thing on a Monday morning. Also, please take note of the date on the board. It is the 13rd of September.

Starting my vocab lesson! I taught them that monkeys climb, tigers roar, and elephants are big.

Alexa teaching her lesson about sports

Another teacher's lesson was "Under the Sea"...

The kids learning some "Under the Sea" vocab

The students working on a puzzle

These kids were SO cute!

One of the other teachers taught a lesson about superheroes. She taught the kids that Harry Potter is magical. To learn the vocab, the kids repeat the sentence after the teacher. Well, one little girl- a 7 year old- apparently has her own views on Harry Potter. She made it a point to tell that teacher that Harry Potter is VERY hot! I have a feeling I'm going to love this teaching thing.

Tomorrow I'll be teaching 9-11 year olds about jobs. If it goes half as well as today's lesson went, I'll be a happy camper =)

Another Saturday Successfully Sanuked

2010-09-11T21:09:00.006+07:00

Today is Saturday, which means lots of sanuking with In Search of Sanuk! So I traveled all the way across Bangkok only to get a migraine the second I got off the train. I was so upset that I wouldn't get to see the kids today... I had been looking forward to it all week! But, literally moments before everyone started to arrive, my migraine started to disappear and I was able to spend another fabulous Saturday with Dwight & Co!

I didn't realize until after I got home what an effect the migraine had on my picture taking abilities! But a wonderful day is a wonderful day and it should still be shared.

I love to see these kids smile =)

Juice, please!

This boy kept asking me to take his picture but he wouldn't sit still!

The kids absolutely ADORE Dwight!

The morning class in Yommarat. Complete with Usna and everything!

I think this is the most precious thing I have ever seen...

You'd be surprised at how well even the youngest kids can speak English!

I always try to get candid shots but they always catch me at the last second.

Everyone loves snack time!

These kids are definitely NOT shy.

The afternoon class in Pinklao...

HDRI

2010-09-07T21:10:00.004+07:00

I'm finally starting to get back into HDR photography. I've got an awesome new camera and and awesome new city to explore... how can I help but be inspired? These were all taken in and around my neighborhood. They're definitely not my best but I think they give a really interesting view of Bangkok that you wouldn't otherwise be able to see. I definitely need to invest in a tripod here!

I Sanuked My Saturday

2010-09-04T22:06:00.010+07:00

Today I had the privilege of Sanuking my Saturday with the awesome Dwight Turner and a few other volunteers. We went to two communities here in Bangkok- one that was pretty poor and the other a bit more middle class- but both were amazing. The kids are so incredible and absolutely adorable. I actually feel like I'm lessening the experience by trying to put it into words. I don't know what it was about the whole thing, but I truly loved every second of it and there's nowhere in the world I would have rather been today than in those two communities with those kids. I only wish I didn't have to wait a whole week to go back again!

I don't think this kid said a word the entire time we were there, but have you ever seen a more adorable little boy?

I spent a lot of time with this girl today, so she asked me to take her picture. Of course, I happily obliged.

Snack time!

I wish I could say I posed them like this, but they just looked that picture perfect on their own.

It's hard to believe anyone lives like this. We actually had to walk down the train tracks to get to the "building" where the class is held and yes, it's an active train track.

I don't think this picture could possibly be any more adorable...

Gorgeous kids... they were both a bit shy at first but it only took them about a minute to warm up to me, and then they insisted on having a rather lengthy photo shoot!

I will pay a very large sum of money to anyone who can find me three kids cuter than these...

At the end of the class, this kid came up to me and gave me a hug and wouldn't let go. He was talking to me in Thai but I obviously couldn't understand a word he was saying. Eventually someone translated for me, and he was asking me if I would come back next weekend. Is that even a question? OF COURSE I'll be back next weekend!

We taught them the Banana Song (which is still stuck in my head!) and the moves that go along with it. After class the kids were all still singing it!

A big thank you to Dwight for putting this whole thing together and carrying it out every Saturday... how awesome is that? So thank you to Dwight and to the kids for an amazing Saturday!

Dinosaurs and Lumphini Park

2010-09-03T23:13:00.007+07:00

Some more lazy pictures but hey, it's really the content that counts, right? Last night, a few of the other girls and I went to Lumphini Park and then out around there after. It was definitely a good time, to say the least!

My first time on the BTS... it's SO much nicer and cleaner than the subway in New York!

At Lumphini Park... this is apparently a really popular sport here in Thailand, but of course I already forget what it's called.

These dinosaurs (aka monitor lizards) just casually walk all around the park. They're HUGE! I don't think 4 feet long is an exaggeration at all. We were afraid they were going to eat us, but they were actually really calm and slow.

Being badass from a safe distance. I was afraid to get too close...

Being good little American tourists!

The usual...

This guy was awesome

One of my new favorite fruits- custard apple! I'm getting so spoiled over here with the food! And everything, for that matter.

Daily Dose of BKK

2010-09-01T20:50:00.004+07:00

I've been getting super lazy with editing my photos the past few days... it's a good thing they don't really need much color correction or anything!

Street food at lunch time.

A street food vendor a few blocks from where I'm staying.

The water taxi-esque thing we took yesterday across the river.

A market in between two buildings. It's mostly fruits and vegetables, but they've also got a good amount of seafood and a few other things.

Poor little froggies...

Seafood at the market.

Fish parts.

And no blog post of mine would be complete without a photo of something I ate that day! It's delicious som tam (papaya salad) that I pretty much inhaled.

More of Bangkok

2010-08-31T21:30:00.005+07:00

There was a double rainbow after it rained today. It was huge and looked really pretty in the sky, but I liked it even more reflected in the puddles.

PAD SEE EW!! By far the best I've ever had, as it should be here. And the best part was that it didn't even cost me the equivalent of $1!

Banana roti for dessert... it's banana and egg inside a crepe, with sweetened condensed milk drizzled on top.

Ramkhamhaeng at night. Crazy traffic and street vendors on top of street vendors on top of street vendors!

Still loving it here!

2010-08-31T17:10:00.003+07:00

School (!) started, so I don't have as much time for pictures, but here area few I took on our lunch break today.

I've been seeing these being sold by street vendors everywhere, so I decided to finally go ahead and try them, despite not knowing what they were. Luckily, they were delicious! It's sticky rice flour stuffed with pork and a red paste, and they were nice an sweet. It's actually a Thai snack food called sa gu say mu but to my surprise, they really filled me up for lunch!

We took a sort of boat taxi across the river that's right by our hotel. It's attached to wires at the top and there's a guy on one side of the river that petals to make it go back and forth! And it only cost 2 baht, which is a whopping 6 cents.

The other side of the river was just a maze of houses. We felt like we were intruding so we left pretty quickly, but what we saw was pretty awesome looking. It was kind of slummy and how I picture people living in Thailand, which was really interesting to see. This sign pointed us back to the boat.

We had arts and crafts time in class yesterday so we'll be able to make traditional Thai crafts with our students on the holidays. Everything was made out of different parts of a banana! We made little fish out of banana leaves and we also made krathong, which you put candles and incense in. They're made for a big holiday in November, and you put them in the rivers and they float!

My first day in Bangkok

2010-08-29T15:15:00.010+07:00

After all these months, I finally made it to Thailand! I've even picked up a few Thai phrases in the few short hours I was out and about. I don't know what else to say except that I absolutely LOVE it here already!

My very first taste of street food in Thailand... FINALLY! I don't know what it's called but it's kind of like a crepe shell (that tasted similar to a fortune cookie) with a creamy, custardy, bright orange filling.

And my second taste of Bangkok street food...

The guy didn't speak a word of English, so I just chose the one that looked the oddest. Too bad it was just crab! But he deep fried it and it was so moist and delicious, so I couldn't be disappointed at all.

The street is literally lined with vendors- HEAVEN.

Of course I've already been to the food store. That's always one of my first stops when I go to a new country. I'm so interested in seeing the different products they have, and the different packaging they have for the things that we have at home too.

Thai Coke!

Wild dogs who wouldn't stop barking at me! Good thing there was a fence separating us.

There's a 'complex' (for lack of a better word) of what I think are Buddhist temples right on my block. They're SO elaborate and pretty!

Am I even allowed to take pictures of these things?

A little surprise my parents snuck into my luggage... thanks Mom and Dad!

Last Day in KL

2010-08-29T13:13:00.007+07:00

Yesterday was my last day in KL.. I did a bit of sightseeing and just walked around taking photos. I finally got my luggage back, so I made sure I got the most of my fully charged battery.

The Petronas Towers were the tallest buildings in the world until a taller one was built in Taipei in 2004.

They look really cool during the day, and even prettier at night!

I don't know what this is called, but I had one every day. It comes wrapped in a banana leaf and it's sweet coconut rice stuffed with something spicy. You know I don't do well with spicy food, but the sweetness of the rice complimented it nicely and I was able to really enjoy it!

Obligatory police photo for my Dad...

I FOUND MY JUICE!!! After a whole year of waiting, we're finally reunited =) It's sad, but I'm pretty sure this apple juice is what I miss most from Australia.

A statue outside of a temple near Chinatown

SO many motorbikes... everyone rides one here

I got a bag of fruit for breakfast every morning. They've got all different tropical fruits, so I tried a bunch of them and really liked them all! At this stall, I got the most amazing slice of honey melon I've ever had just after I took this picture.

Some sort of Indian snacks... anyone know what they're called? They were sweet and SO delicious. One was filled with dal and I think the other with peas? This language barrier thing is really starting to annoy me!

The streets all have these covered "sidewalks" which is definitely nice when it's pouring (which is always!) or really hot. Instead of concrete or something for sidewalks, they have tiles., which get nice and slippery when it rains. Someone didn't think that through when they were designing this city...

Creeping on this guy and his son.. the little boy was so cute! My hostel was one of the buildings on the right.

Bye bye, Malaysia!

Kuala Lumpur

2010-08-27T21:41:00.005+07:00

Since my luggage is STILL lost and my camera was just about dead by the time I got off the plane, I've been savoring the last of the battery. I went a bit north of KL today to the Batu Caves, which were amazing. It's a sacred place for Hindus and you have to climb up about 300 stairs to get to the temples inside the caves. There's a HUGE golden statue outside right next to the stairs, and seeing it made me remember exactly why I came to Asia in the first place. Needless to say, I used up the last of my battery there!

The entrance to the whole area

The statue and the start of the stairs

The caves are filled with monkeys that are known for attacking the people that go there. They'll try to eat all of your food so they actually sell things to feed them at the start of the stairs. I learned the hard way that they don't like when you get in their faces to take their picture- one of them scratched my leg and scared me away with his big fangs!

No shoes allowed in the temples. These were a little boy's flip flops- I thought they looked so cute!

There are statues all throughout the caves... I believe these are Hindu gods?

Me, looking as exhausted as I felt. And sporting my new one-size-fits-all Malaysian shirt. It's too small on me, if you can believe that! I think the guy who took this for me accidentally hit the white balance button, which is why it's so blue.

Masjid Jamek- one of the oldest mosques in KL. It looks awesome during the day, and it's even prettier all lit up at night! It's 2 blocks away from my hostel and the first thing I saw when I got off the train on my first day here. I took this while they were praying... I feel like that probably wasn't allowed...

I definitely prefer KL at night... it's so pretty when it's lit up! And the fact that it's 10 degrees cooler doesn't hurt either.

Auf wiedersehen, Frankfurt!

2010-08-25T01:30:00.006+07:00

I had PERFECT weather for my last day in Frankfurt. I made the most of it by walking at least 10-15 miles. I even got my fill of culture by making a stop at das Naturmuseum Senckenberganlage (the Natural History Museum) for a few hours.

für meinen vater (father)...

...und für meinen bruder (brother)!

Frankfurt's been good to me. I'm headed to Malaysia in a few hours, and I hope I love it as much as I do Germany!

Day 3 in Frankfurt

2010-08-24T01:46:00.002+07:00

It was a cold and rainy day here, but I still got some sightseeing in. And, of course, some gudt food!

Really good German chocolate... it's a truffle bar with a bit of coffee flavor. Yum!

My store!

A waffle! I don't know how they did it, but this tasted EXACTLY like sugar cookie dough. DE-LICIOUS!!

Ich vermisse dich! (?)

2010-08-23T15:35:00.000+07:00

On a bridge over the Mein

Nadini and I

Krissi and her children

short Krissi!

All of us <3

Day Two

2010-08-23T15:27:00.001+07:00

Picture perfect stereotypical Germany

Of course I had to go to the Museum für Moderne Kunst (the Museum of Modern Art) while I was here. See, I'm not such a horrible art student after all!

Also in the museum... Eins, zwei, drei, vier, funf....

Just before they all left me =(

My First Day in Frankfurt

2010-08-23T15:12:00.000+07:00

The Main Tower is one of the tallest buildings in Frankfurt (a whopping 54 floors- ha!). We went to the observation deck on the top of the tower... it's such an amazing view!

Cathedrals in Germany are called Doms. For my first real taste of German history we checked out the Dom St. Bartholomaus.

We had dinner at a festival that's been going on on our street all weekend. I had my first authentic bratwurst... it was delicious! And ze Germans got me this gingerbread necklace. It says "cute little kitten" which is an endearing term in German... or so they tell me...

After dinner we took a walk down to the Mein River, which is now my favorite part of Frankfurt! We spent a lot of time there this weekend. We were lucky enough to be walking over a bridge during a fireworks show. It was such a typical view of Germany... SO pretty!!

The Flight

2010-08-23T15:04:00.001+07:00