I LOVE Christmas!

Its Friday December 23rd and Christmas really feels like it's upon me. I've been skyping with Mum and Dad (Sue and Craig) more frequently recently, trying to organise our impending trip to Japan and also because it's Christmas time and you just want your family at this time of year don't you?

The last time we talked, my parents were at our friend's place, The Michalskis, and I took some screen shots of them with the beautiful tree. The Michalski family are all incredibly talented so their Christmas - including wrapping, cards, food and decorations on the tree/table/around the house - is always stunning. Each year there's a different look and their tree is particularly beautiful, all lit up and hung with their beautiful and familiar decorations. I'm sad I missed the yummy Christmas dinner they had but I'm thankful to skype for allowing me to see the tree and my folks :)

Craig and Sue and the beautiful Christmas tree

Can't wait to see them tomorrow night!

Merry Christmas Craig and Sue

The lead up to Christmas has been odd because some of the things that I have come to associate with Christmas are totally absent in Thailand.
There's no mangoes right now (not in season) and nor are there cherries, nectarines or peaches. It might seem odd to all you non-Australians, but stone fruits are synonymous with Christmas time for me.
It doesn't smell at all Christmasy here either. The air smells as it always does, a humid mix of sewage and spice but in Sydney I'm used to the lovely summery mix of fresh salt air as the cool summer breeze comes off the sea, pine  from the Christmas trees dotted around, and particularly the smell of ripe mangoes just waiting to be eaten.
Although it's hot in Thailand, it's also rainy season so the weather is a bit grey and the clouds are always heavy with impending rain. In Sydney December is warm and the days and nights are mostly clear (not sure that's the case this year though) so there's always a lot of fun Christmas things to do outdoors, like carols in the domain or shopping for Christmas gifts at markets. And not having any of my family or friends from back home here makes it all a bit surreal too I think. But we're doing our best to make it a very Thailand Christmas. There's a secret Santa amongst the teachers in kindergarten and we have had dinners/drinks in the lead up to the 25th (just as we would have in Sydney). I stopped myself from buying any tinsel or Christmas decorations for my apartment because I'm leaving today and not returning until Jan 3rd so there didn't seem to be much point.

At school Christmas is in full swing. For 2 weeks it's been jingle bells and Christmas trees, we're literally decking the halls and you know what? It's been big fun! Being around the joyful energy of my 25 amazing little rug rats has really helped me get into the Christmas spirit.

Here's some pictures of my class in front of the Christmas/Snowman inspired art project we did last week:

I love the snowmen. We stuck cotton wool buds
to them so they're fluffy and snowy.

Merry Christmas everyone!

Apart from making thousands of X-mas art projects, we've also been practicing (very hard, and incessantly) for the kindergarten Christmas show. The show was on this morning and my kids did amazingly, I'm so proud! Yes, I cried a little but I think if you'd been there you would have cried too. Beautiful little balls of Christmasy delight they were, I adore them so much.  
Sadly my computer won't let me upload the footage I have of the show right now but I hope to work that out in the new year.

Here's a video of my amazing little Chrissy Elves practicing for the show.

I have to finish packing for my trip to Japan. So exciting, but I'm also a little bit nervous, I think the temperature in Japan is going to be the coldest I have ever experienced, Bbbbbbbbbbrrrrrrr.
Merry Christmas to everyone! I hope you have a wonderful family, food and joy-filled day on the 25th. Have a happy New Year and I will write again in 2012.

December 2nd, a Photo Diary

My beautiful friend Sabina has a blog and whenever i'm feeling a bit beige, a tad blah, I click over to it for some inspiration. She's such an amazing soul, a really wonderful friend and SO creative!
Recently she posted a sort of photo story about her recent move from Sydney to Germany and it inspired me to do the same.

Here are some pictures I took on Friday December 2.  December 5th is the King's Birthday (he turns 84), here in Thailand which makes it both Father's Day and a national holiday (woot!) so there was a little Father's Day concert at school to celebrate Father's Day.

The choir

My colleagues in the English Programme enjoying the presentation

My friend Amy's daughter - Issara (Issy), meaning freedom in Thai

Me and my very well behaved class

Kindergarten ballet dancers

Their costumes are so ornate!

Zeeu-Ziu (facing the camera, right) sits quietly. She's such a beautiful little girl.
I really enjoy  the random hugs she gives me. She's a very caring person and a pleasure to teach. 

Praew (laughing) is another amazing girl in my class.
She is so bubbly and warm, and she's my top student.

My class hamming it up for the camera 

Pleum (1st boy on stage) from my class presents his father (seated left) with a Father's Day gift.
The kids are lower then their parents out of respect. 

Pleum (far left) pays respects to his father while his little sister looks on in front.
Note the massive picture/shrine to the King. They really love the King and Queen here.

Pleum, his sister and his proud father

After the ceremony we all planted a tree in the garden. What a sweet idea!
Here Chul (holding the spade) and his Grandfather plant the first tree.

Zeeu-Ziu - she loved planting and watering the trees

My class planting their trees

The lovely lady who sells fruit from here motorcycle cart

She insisted I have a go :)

The wonderful woman i call 'fried chicken lady' who sells chicken (or 'gai' in Thai) outside  my school

There's a temple opposite my school and we often see monks wandering into town 

I had to put this one up, it's my friend Clare, who is visiting me from Sydney.
 We found these fantastic animals by the side of the road on Friday night and had to stop to pat/ride them :)

Shut Up and Get On With It

So here's the truth...I don't like Nakhon Si Thammarat (the city, not the people, the people are fab) I guess It's just not for me.

I'd like to live in a town that has more variety. I'd love to go bowling, or to the cinema sometimes. Also i think NST is quite a Thai city and it's hard being the outsider all the time. Getting yelled at and stared at on the street everyday is just getting to me a bit now.

I have been here 7 months now and although I love teaching, my colleagues, my class and the amazing friends i have made; i just do not love Nakhon. Le sigh.

But that's not the point of this post. The point of this post is that I have decided to stop talking about how i'm not loving Nakhon. Talking about it is just making it worse, plus i sound like deputy downer always complaining. That's not who i am - SO I'm going to shut up and just get on with it. I only have until mid-march then i'm outta here and like i said i adore my friends and my job.

I start teaching again tomorrow and I feel like it's an excellent time to turn over a new leaf and look tot he future. I'm going to start exercising more, swimming, going to the gym, using my new hula hoop, riding my push bike and  exploring the big park close to my house.
I've ordered 10 books from betterworldbooks.com and they're being delivered to my door (for free!) so that'll keep me busy and I'm going to start writing again because my recent travels have energised my creative juices again.

And now i am off to check the mailbox, having already cleared space on my bookshelf in anticipation of my books arriving.

Mother's Day / Queen's Birthday

August 12th is the Queen of Thailand's birthday and so it's Mother's Day in here in Thailand. At school there was a special assembly with kiddies and mummies and singing and ballet. Just a lazy day at school.
There was a mum to represent each of the classes and her kid had to get up on stage and give her a gift. But before all of that there was ballet and some delightful singing.

My amazing kiddies sitting nicely at the mother's day assembly

Farsai and cutie cute Ta-Jui sitting behind her

The mother's waiting nicely to be presented with their gifts

The children waiting nicely to present their gifts to the mums

Ballerina chick

Costumes were great, timing was a bit off

Let the Games Begin

Sorry for the lack of posting, School started on Tuesday and it's been a bit hectic. The reason i have time to write now is that we're on a 5 day weekend - gotta love Thailand, back at work for 3 days then off for 5.

My class has 25 students in it and they're all different in their own ways but they're all lovely, funny, crazy kids who i will have a wonderful time teaching this year. I have really enjoyed my first week teaching them.

On the first day there were no students and we just met our department heads and met all the Thai and Foreign teachers. There's teachers from all over Thailand as well as farang (foreign) teachers from England, Australia, USA, South Africa and Canada.  

The teachers of the English Program at Srithammarat Suksa School

As it turns out i will be teaching 18 hours per week and my Thai teacher teaches 17 so it feels very much like a partnership. My Thai teacher's name is Teacher Poo (pronounced Boo) and she's just lovely. She doesn't speak much English yet but she's told me she would like to learn from listening to me so i'm sure she'll be swearing like a sailor and chatting away in an Aussie accent by the end of the year.

My class has about the same number of boys to girls, they all play well together and they're cutie pies. Here are some pix of some of my amazing kiddies.

Nam

Praew, Tawun and Tonkow

Pooh

J-J

Moilseng

This week i have to make a Who's Who in K2 Class 2 poster for outside my classroom. I'm going to do a garden scene and get the kids to make flowers out of paper muffin patties and then stick their faces in the center. CUTE!
Next week we have to talk about rules too and we'll be practicing saying 'please' and 'Thank you', sitting in a circle, keeping hands to ourselves and walking in a line. FUN!

I am honestly loving life here, i think i have found something else i can be really happy doing :) Yay!