Here's a set of pictures from my Visa run last month, and then from Saturday's adventure to the Grand Palace.
Friday night we went to the Esplanade, and had sushi buffet. YUM! And then we saw Resident Evil, which was of course full of blood and gore. And not enough Oded Fehr. But good, for a movie based on a shoot-em-up video game.
Saturday night I went to the cultural centre and saw Swan Lake, the Portugese national ballet. It was lovely. The last time I saw Swan Lake, I was IN it. My dance school did it when I was 12- a much more dumbed-down version, of course, but the choreography was basically the same. I got a 600 baht seat, and the program was 150 baht- which I probably didn't need but alas. Nosebleed seats, but still good. :D
Sunday I went on an expedition to Siam. I bought a guitar, so I can now give guitar lessons! It's a lovely guitar, and it sounds good. It was 4400 baht, around $128, and the case was 1500 baht, around 40-something. Expensive case! But it's a hard case, which will come in handy when I have to ship it home! I asked my mom how much we paid for my guitar in 4th grade, and she said around $300. Eek! :D Coming home on the train with a huge guitar case strapped to my back was FUN. :S
Also on the ground floor of Siam Paragon is a gourmet grocery store. I found baking powder, which is impossible to find anywhere else. Baking soda, sure. Not baking powder. There was a lot of food there I was dying to eat- real cheese, for instance. But expensive- I don't need it. Also vanilla. I can cook more things now. I was going to bake cupcakes for this apparent bake sale tomorrow . . . but there's no oven. ANYWHERE. I had heard there was one here at school, but Lea checked and apparently not. It makes me sad that I bought the self-rising flour for NOTHING. Oh well, I'll put it in my pancakes, and maybe it will make them fluffier or something. :D
It's gonna rain soon . . .
First day in primary. There's a reason I don't want to teach primary music. I love little kids, really I do, but I don't think I could teach a lot of them day in and day out. Give me small groups, sure. And this one bunch, it was like they'd regressed into monkeys. They couldn't sit still for 30 seconds.
I'm gonna go write a few emails. And then walk home and make dinner!
Hey Uncle Pat- leave me a message with your email- I can't find it, and I want to write you back sometimes!
And Dad? Way to call me this weekend.
Monday, October 1, 2007
Tuesday, September 25, 2007
Well, then.
I had a slightly surreal conversation with a student this afternoon. We had them doing mini-posters with music related quotes. A girl raised her hand and asked me what a word was. Her quote was Music is food for the soul, or something equally sappy-ish. She didn't know the word soul- said she didn't know what a soul was.
What a question to get! I think I handled it well. I sat down next to her, and said, "Well, that's a good question." I gave her a couple examples of what other cultures/religions think- but only in the basic sense, and I had no clue if she was Buddhist or Christian or what. My overarching answer was "It's what makes you, you." Not your body or your brain- but you. I think I handled it fairly well- not what I was expecting at all!
We actually had an orchestra rehersal today. Like, an honest-to god ensemble. And it went pretty well. I was conducting, because Kraig was playing his bari sax. That was kinda bad, because he and another teacher who plays the tenor sax are the entire bass-lower voice section at the moment. A teacher shouldn't have to play in the group for it to function. But they sounded not half bad for the utterly mixed group we have. The kids also don't know how to follow a conductor. I had two pairs of eyes on me- Kraig and our year 13 who plays with the Bangkok Symphony. Next week, conducted warmups where I'm going to mess with their minds. :D
I'll leave you with some quotes:
"When played properly, a bari sax should sound like a cello . . a cello of death!"- Gary Lewis
"Band prepares you for life"- Richard Saucedo
"My music is best understood by children and animals"- Igor Stravinsky
"Without music, we could completely destroy the structure of the space-time continum!"- Dr. Emmet Brown
"I can't listen to Wagner that much. I start getting the urge to conquer Poland"- Woody Allen
"School curricula that ignore the arts produce 'Highly Educated Barbarians'"- Edward Albee
"It's easy to play any musical instrument: all you have to do is touch the right key at the right time and the instrument will play itself"- JS Bach
What a question to get! I think I handled it well. I sat down next to her, and said, "Well, that's a good question." I gave her a couple examples of what other cultures/religions think- but only in the basic sense, and I had no clue if she was Buddhist or Christian or what. My overarching answer was "It's what makes you, you." Not your body or your brain- but you. I think I handled it fairly well- not what I was expecting at all!
We actually had an orchestra rehersal today. Like, an honest-to god ensemble. And it went pretty well. I was conducting, because Kraig was playing his bari sax. That was kinda bad, because he and another teacher who plays the tenor sax are the entire bass-lower voice section at the moment. A teacher shouldn't have to play in the group for it to function. But they sounded not half bad for the utterly mixed group we have. The kids also don't know how to follow a conductor. I had two pairs of eyes on me- Kraig and our year 13 who plays with the Bangkok Symphony. Next week, conducted warmups where I'm going to mess with their minds. :D
I'll leave you with some quotes:
"When played properly, a bari sax should sound like a cello . . a cello of death!"- Gary Lewis
"Band prepares you for life"- Richard Saucedo
"My music is best understood by children and animals"- Igor Stravinsky
"Without music, we could completely destroy the structure of the space-time continum!"- Dr. Emmet Brown
"I can't listen to Wagner that much. I start getting the urge to conquer Poland"- Woody Allen
"School curricula that ignore the arts produce 'Highly Educated Barbarians'"- Edward Albee
"It's easy to play any musical instrument: all you have to do is touch the right key at the right time and the instrument will play itself"- JS Bach
Tuesday, September 18, 2007
Check this out. Just incredible, and not in that good way.
I think I'm figuring out Sibelius and the photoscore thing. After attempting 6 diffrent ways to scan music into Sibelius, I have achieved some measure of success. Hey, I made a pun! My goals tonight are to arrange the Mozart for a saxophone quartet instead of a string quartet. And write up a worksheet for the Key Stage 3 classes, so they can have some homework practice. We're still on reading notes and rhythms. A lot of the kids are getting it fast, which is absolutely wonderful.
I'm also in love with Garage Band on my computer. For the musical auditions, the drama teacher needed the songs on a CD. We had a student play them on the Clavinova, and I was able to hook it into my computer and record it on Garage Band, which then sent the tracks to iTunes and I burned them onto a CD. SO easy! Not utterly perfect, but it works really well for our purposes. I've got to learn how to edit tracks on there . . . .
It's lovely and cool at the moment, as long as there's a breeze outside. This brings me joy! I'm curious to see how my mom deals with the heat and humidity when she gets here. I remember being utterly miserable the first week here because it was just SO hot- and I can't tell how much of that is me getting used to it- a lot I hope- and how much the weather is changing.
Back to photoscore . . .
I think I'm figuring out Sibelius and the photoscore thing. After attempting 6 diffrent ways to scan music into Sibelius, I have achieved some measure of success. Hey, I made a pun! My goals tonight are to arrange the Mozart for a saxophone quartet instead of a string quartet. And write up a worksheet for the Key Stage 3 classes, so they can have some homework practice. We're still on reading notes and rhythms. A lot of the kids are getting it fast, which is absolutely wonderful.
I'm also in love with Garage Band on my computer. For the musical auditions, the drama teacher needed the songs on a CD. We had a student play them on the Clavinova, and I was able to hook it into my computer and record it on Garage Band, which then sent the tracks to iTunes and I burned them onto a CD. SO easy! Not utterly perfect, but it works really well for our purposes. I've got to learn how to edit tracks on there . . . .
It's lovely and cool at the moment, as long as there's a breeze outside. This brings me joy! I'm curious to see how my mom deals with the heat and humidity when she gets here. I remember being utterly miserable the first week here because it was just SO hot- and I can't tell how much of that is me getting used to it- a lot I hope- and how much the weather is changing.
Back to photoscore . . .
Sunday, September 16, 2007
It's Sunday afternoon, and I'm being a bum. You cannot underestimate the time in which to do absolutely nothing when you don't really get the chance the rest of the week. It's golden, really.
I just finished watching the Abyss, which if you've never seen it, you need to go rent it. Ed Harris is in it, and I suppose it has a bit of sci-fi in it, but that's not what it's about. Honestly, the best sci-fi doesn't focus on the robots or the aliens or outer space. It's about the normal people whose stories are being told within that framework. It's a really good movie. But the credits begin to roll, and I go, wait a minute, they skipped something! There's a whole subplot revolving about how the world is on the brink of world war three, complete with nukes. The 'aliens' are about to wipe out humanity because we're about to destroy ourselves, until Ed Harris' character tells them about the good things humans are capable of, like love. And the entire subplot wasn't there.
And then it hits me. The aliens can control the oceans, so there's a gigantic tidal wave about to crash down on every coast . . . and then it just stops, then it recedes. See, they actually have Tsunamis in Thailand, there was a tsunami warning last week after the earthquake in Indonesia. The big tsunami that hit a few years back hit parts of Thailand and Malaysia pretty hard. I get why they took it out now!
It was a very very long week. I started out Monday with meeting Norman, the GST person who flew from England to observe me. (!!!) It was a little nerve-wracking, but he was lovely and we had some very good conversation. It was good to get the perspective of someone who knows the British curriculum very well, but who also has experience outside of the system. He could admit to the shortcomings, but also see the strengths and compare it to other systems. Kraig and I could also ask him questions and get, I suppose you could say, a straighter answer than from others, because he could get where we were coming from.
One thing I learned was that the British curriculum for music is entirely academic- there's no practical performance at all. The Wisconsin standards are split up into three areas- choral, instrumental, and general, which implies that at a secondary level the curriculum centers around choral and instrumental performance, along with a more academic class. Any sort of performance beyond simple keyboard, percussion, and singing skills are not in the curriculum at all. Any choir or band is after school, and is treated as such. Private lessons and serious instrumental or vocal study is entirely out of school. School music teachers often don't deal with ensembles at all, which explains why one of the other music teacher reacts with such . . . the idea was alien to him. The one contradiction I see is that once kids hit key stage 4 and 5, they're expected to have studied an instrument for years, they're expected to be at a certain level without any support from the school system in the earlier years. If one's parents don't start them on their own, they don't get started.
Another contradiction is that while it is a British school, they're mostly Thai kids in an international situation. And being an international school, they're expecting 'top quality performances'. They want the orchestra, to be able to show them off. That's partially why performance is big in American schools- they want something to be able to show. And that's at odds with it being entirely extracurricular, and not associated with the school as is customary with the Brits. I suppose that's just par for the course, Bangkok being a place of contradictions. :D
I taught a lesson to the year 13s about vocal and instrumental ranges, and other characteristics useful in composition. They were writing a chorale, and they didn't know that the tenor line probably shouldn't be above the alto line. It makes the pianist's hands go wonky, and it makes the tenor and alto's brains hurt. A lot of what I put on the handout I gave them one picks up through trial and error, and through being involved with a choir or a band, and just knowing that the flutes generally stay in the higher areas in band literature. But they don't know that because they have no experience being in a band. They were like, why do I need this? I don't play the trumpet? But that's not a good answer, because what if you're comissioned to write a trumpet concerto someday? You can't rule anything out.
After school on Monday, Norman took me out to dinner at his hotel, which was simply lovely and very kind of him. The buffet was amazing, and I took the opportunity to eat a lot! He'd never had dim sum before, and I love dim sum, so I taught him something there! We also discussed things in Bangkok- he didn't know what the yellow shirts were for, things like that. He was the epitome of a British gentleman, and it was a lovely evening. I took the MRT home afterwards, and it was also nice to see a bit of Silom, where I hadn't really been before.
Did I tell you all about the yellow shirts yet?
Norman came back Tuesday, to see my choir rehersal. My write-up of the lesson the day before had been good, but with a few things to work on (that of course I knew about, and made sense to me). The choir rehersal, despite having a small number (I seem to be scaring them off. Must adjust strategy) was lovely. He wrote that he could see that this is where I was in my element, and I got things done, and I made the singers at ease, and kept a smile on my face, etc etc, It was lovely to hear, made my day. One of the things he did say was that ultimately my certification would be in the US, so while I did have to conform to the curriculum here, I couldn't lose my skills more focused towards the American system.
Thursday was an adventure. My entry visa ran out on Saturday, so I had to go on a Visa run to Cambodia. Not really my idea of fun. Honestly, it wasn't that bad. The hardest thing was finding pictures for the paperwork with about 12 hours notice. The school took some, but they had none on hand so it was up to me. At home, I'd just go to the Walgreens and get the hour-pasport photos. Ha, no such luck here. I ended up on Sukhumvit before 7am, in an attempt to find someplace to either take photos or else get the one I took at home developed. I was missing my printer Thursday morning! But I did find a picture place, hallelujah. It was 4 hours to the border, I spent 20 minutes in Cambodia, and then came back with a month's visa. They took good care of us, movies on the bus and water and lunch, but still not fun. And a waste of time- I had to miss my Thursday choir rehersal. I need to look into what I'm going to do next month, see if I can get a longer visa or something. But I survived!
Friday was tiring, capped off by losing a score. I'd spent about two and a half hours arranging the Royal Thai anthem for what orchestra we have on Wednesday. I went to find it on Friday, and it was gone. I'd saved it on the hard drive and it was gone. It was either a student or a teacher, deliberately or inadvertently, or it was just the computer wiping somehow. Either way, I was not happy.
I went to MBK yesterday, and I managed to get everything I went there for. I got lovely and cheap dim sum for starters. :D I got a backpack, a new case for my ipod, some dvds, a copy of Sibelius for my own computer (hooray!!), and some audio cables. I wanted a backpack so I had something to bring if I needed to haul a lot of stuff. I got on DVD Ratatouille, the Shawshank Redemption, Pirates 3, Sunshine, Master and Commander, and A Mighty Heart. The one TV show I wanted to find they don't have- Life on Mars, a BBC 1 show. I'm catching bits and pieces of it on BBC entertainment, on the telly, but I want to start from the beginning. It's really good but it's confusing me!
The audio cables are for hopefully recording the music for the school musical, to use in auditions next week. We've got a pianist, but the recording things here aren't set up in any sense of the word. I think we can hook the clavinova straight into my computer, and record through garage band, so the cables were to achieve that. Thank god for them I know something about audio equipment, because Kraig doesn't! If somehow you're reading this, Phil Granucci, thank you for all the electronics and computer knowledge I learned from you!
The copy of Sibelius is LOVELY. I was going to buy it anyway, but having it on my own computer and not the ones at school is wonderful. I need to buy a usb keypad, so I won't have to hit the num lock key every two seconds to input rhythms!
That was a lot of rambling, right? I'm generally doing very well. I like it here, and it finally feels like things are being accomplished and moving somewhere. I'm still frustrated at a few things, like the quality of internet connections here. You'd think if every person has a cell phone and I had a signal there the entire trip to cambodia, they could have internet access that wasn't a snail's crawl. And the apartment complex tells me Friday that apparently I never signed the lease when I got here. Why did I not get this when I arrived, a month ago? They can't give me an answer. I'm not impressed.
:D There's a few other neat things in the works, and we've got a lot to do. Talk to y'all soon!
I just finished watching the Abyss, which if you've never seen it, you need to go rent it. Ed Harris is in it, and I suppose it has a bit of sci-fi in it, but that's not what it's about. Honestly, the best sci-fi doesn't focus on the robots or the aliens or outer space. It's about the normal people whose stories are being told within that framework. It's a really good movie. But the credits begin to roll, and I go, wait a minute, they skipped something! There's a whole subplot revolving about how the world is on the brink of world war three, complete with nukes. The 'aliens' are about to wipe out humanity because we're about to destroy ourselves, until Ed Harris' character tells them about the good things humans are capable of, like love. And the entire subplot wasn't there.
And then it hits me. The aliens can control the oceans, so there's a gigantic tidal wave about to crash down on every coast . . . and then it just stops, then it recedes. See, they actually have Tsunamis in Thailand, there was a tsunami warning last week after the earthquake in Indonesia. The big tsunami that hit a few years back hit parts of Thailand and Malaysia pretty hard. I get why they took it out now!
It was a very very long week. I started out Monday with meeting Norman, the GST person who flew from England to observe me. (!!!) It was a little nerve-wracking, but he was lovely and we had some very good conversation. It was good to get the perspective of someone who knows the British curriculum very well, but who also has experience outside of the system. He could admit to the shortcomings, but also see the strengths and compare it to other systems. Kraig and I could also ask him questions and get, I suppose you could say, a straighter answer than from others, because he could get where we were coming from.
One thing I learned was that the British curriculum for music is entirely academic- there's no practical performance at all. The Wisconsin standards are split up into three areas- choral, instrumental, and general, which implies that at a secondary level the curriculum centers around choral and instrumental performance, along with a more academic class. Any sort of performance beyond simple keyboard, percussion, and singing skills are not in the curriculum at all. Any choir or band is after school, and is treated as such. Private lessons and serious instrumental or vocal study is entirely out of school. School music teachers often don't deal with ensembles at all, which explains why one of the other music teacher reacts with such . . . the idea was alien to him. The one contradiction I see is that once kids hit key stage 4 and 5, they're expected to have studied an instrument for years, they're expected to be at a certain level without any support from the school system in the earlier years. If one's parents don't start them on their own, they don't get started.
Another contradiction is that while it is a British school, they're mostly Thai kids in an international situation. And being an international school, they're expecting 'top quality performances'. They want the orchestra, to be able to show them off. That's partially why performance is big in American schools- they want something to be able to show. And that's at odds with it being entirely extracurricular, and not associated with the school as is customary with the Brits. I suppose that's just par for the course, Bangkok being a place of contradictions. :D
I taught a lesson to the year 13s about vocal and instrumental ranges, and other characteristics useful in composition. They were writing a chorale, and they didn't know that the tenor line probably shouldn't be above the alto line. It makes the pianist's hands go wonky, and it makes the tenor and alto's brains hurt. A lot of what I put on the handout I gave them one picks up through trial and error, and through being involved with a choir or a band, and just knowing that the flutes generally stay in the higher areas in band literature. But they don't know that because they have no experience being in a band. They were like, why do I need this? I don't play the trumpet? But that's not a good answer, because what if you're comissioned to write a trumpet concerto someday? You can't rule anything out.
After school on Monday, Norman took me out to dinner at his hotel, which was simply lovely and very kind of him. The buffet was amazing, and I took the opportunity to eat a lot! He'd never had dim sum before, and I love dim sum, so I taught him something there! We also discussed things in Bangkok- he didn't know what the yellow shirts were for, things like that. He was the epitome of a British gentleman, and it was a lovely evening. I took the MRT home afterwards, and it was also nice to see a bit of Silom, where I hadn't really been before.
Did I tell you all about the yellow shirts yet?
Norman came back Tuesday, to see my choir rehersal. My write-up of the lesson the day before had been good, but with a few things to work on (that of course I knew about, and made sense to me). The choir rehersal, despite having a small number (I seem to be scaring them off. Must adjust strategy) was lovely. He wrote that he could see that this is where I was in my element, and I got things done, and I made the singers at ease, and kept a smile on my face, etc etc, It was lovely to hear, made my day. One of the things he did say was that ultimately my certification would be in the US, so while I did have to conform to the curriculum here, I couldn't lose my skills more focused towards the American system.
Thursday was an adventure. My entry visa ran out on Saturday, so I had to go on a Visa run to Cambodia. Not really my idea of fun. Honestly, it wasn't that bad. The hardest thing was finding pictures for the paperwork with about 12 hours notice. The school took some, but they had none on hand so it was up to me. At home, I'd just go to the Walgreens and get the hour-pasport photos. Ha, no such luck here. I ended up on Sukhumvit before 7am, in an attempt to find someplace to either take photos or else get the one I took at home developed. I was missing my printer Thursday morning! But I did find a picture place, hallelujah. It was 4 hours to the border, I spent 20 minutes in Cambodia, and then came back with a month's visa. They took good care of us, movies on the bus and water and lunch, but still not fun. And a waste of time- I had to miss my Thursday choir rehersal. I need to look into what I'm going to do next month, see if I can get a longer visa or something. But I survived!
Friday was tiring, capped off by losing a score. I'd spent about two and a half hours arranging the Royal Thai anthem for what orchestra we have on Wednesday. I went to find it on Friday, and it was gone. I'd saved it on the hard drive and it was gone. It was either a student or a teacher, deliberately or inadvertently, or it was just the computer wiping somehow. Either way, I was not happy.
I went to MBK yesterday, and I managed to get everything I went there for. I got lovely and cheap dim sum for starters. :D I got a backpack, a new case for my ipod, some dvds, a copy of Sibelius for my own computer (hooray!!), and some audio cables. I wanted a backpack so I had something to bring if I needed to haul a lot of stuff. I got on DVD Ratatouille, the Shawshank Redemption, Pirates 3, Sunshine, Master and Commander, and A Mighty Heart. The one TV show I wanted to find they don't have- Life on Mars, a BBC 1 show. I'm catching bits and pieces of it on BBC entertainment, on the telly, but I want to start from the beginning. It's really good but it's confusing me!
The audio cables are for hopefully recording the music for the school musical, to use in auditions next week. We've got a pianist, but the recording things here aren't set up in any sense of the word. I think we can hook the clavinova straight into my computer, and record through garage band, so the cables were to achieve that. Thank god for them I know something about audio equipment, because Kraig doesn't! If somehow you're reading this, Phil Granucci, thank you for all the electronics and computer knowledge I learned from you!
The copy of Sibelius is LOVELY. I was going to buy it anyway, but having it on my own computer and not the ones at school is wonderful. I need to buy a usb keypad, so I won't have to hit the num lock key every two seconds to input rhythms!
That was a lot of rambling, right? I'm generally doing very well. I like it here, and it finally feels like things are being accomplished and moving somewhere. I'm still frustrated at a few things, like the quality of internet connections here. You'd think if every person has a cell phone and I had a signal there the entire trip to cambodia, they could have internet access that wasn't a snail's crawl. And the apartment complex tells me Friday that apparently I never signed the lease when I got here. Why did I not get this when I arrived, a month ago? They can't give me an answer. I'm not impressed.
:D There's a few other neat things in the works, and we've got a lot to do. Talk to y'all soon!
Monday, September 3, 2007
Friday, August 31, 2007
'1-2-3-and-4'
It's been a very long week.
We had the last day of inset on Monday, with meetings. Meetings, and more meetings. Then we could finally get started doing something. The kids arrived on Tuesday morning, and after a bit of assembly, got right down to classes. Since then, I haven't left school any earlier than 5:30 each night- and one night I didn't get home until 8! I don't really find that all that strange, because I'm used to being at school late. In high school, I always had music or theatre rehersals until at least 5 or 6. A couple memorable times, when I was doing the musical and marching band at the same time, I was at school until 8:30 or 9. Each night. Most of the other teachers here, including two of the other music teachers, leave as soon as they can, when 3:30 rolls around. And there aren't that many after school activities that last long, so it's understandable. But still . . .
And to why we're here so long? The music department is a bit of a mess. We can't find any records from the past 3 or so years. We've found a few scattered programs, old tests, that sort of things from Mr. Jones, who left in 2004 I believe. Even the head of music email address still has his 'signature' on it. The last guy, nothing. Instruments are missing, we have no clue who was in the orchestra last year or who plays anything. It's almost like the guy didn't do anything. I mean, he has to have done something, but there's no record of it at all besides some pictures on a bulletin board.
I know I'm getting used to the heat, because I turned the aircon off because I'm too cold!
In addition to the lack of organization, I'm having a bit of a clash with the British curriculum. Or rather, I suppose, the interpretation of it. I had a look at a few websites before I left home, and the standards were just about the same. The curriculum . . . . Here's an example. The IGCSE book? Contains all of 1600-1900 in about five pages. That's Mozart, Bach, Beethoven . . .all of it. And then later on there's 15 pages detailing the history of electronica. It's not that the subject matter is wrong, at all. I just disagree with the interpretation, and the allocation of time moreso on certain things, and not others. Just veery diffrent than what I consider well-balanced, at least at first view.
I could go on longer, but I'm tired after this week. A lot of what I saw was regurgitation, honestly. They have to know four pieces for the A-level exam- and I think that's all they're expecting to study. In my experience, if you're studying the Baroque period, you'd look at as many examples of Baroque music as possible. These kids know the terms, know the pieces. But I think if we showed them a similar yet not the same piece of music, they'd be at a loss to discuss it. I don't think the knowledge is transferrable. I mean, it's only the first week, and these kids have SO much potential. By the end of my time here I want them to realize that life is not just a test- I want them to find the beauty in it!
It's been nice this week, a few good storms. I like thunderstorms, so that's good. It was just pelting down last night! I got caught in a storm last sunday at a market nearby my apartment. The sky lit up and then the crash was so loud, everyone jumped. And of course it was the one time that I didn't have my umbrella with me. The thing about Thailand is that a lot of buildings have tile floors outside. And they're very slippery when wet. Tell me, how is that logical when it rains every day? I've been slipping and sliding a lot, and I actually fell this morning outside the staff room. My right leg went forward, and the left leg, my foot kinda bent backwards, and my knee met the tile in a not-so-nice way. It's not going to feel good tonight.
Wednesday I got to go to the opera! One of our year 13 students was playing in the pit orchestra, and he had complimentary tickets. Kraig and I were in row G. The main floor, 7th row back. Free. It was Madama Butterfly, and pretty good, especially for Thailand. And really good, considering half the pit was high school students. Not perfect, like an opera company back home, but what an experience for a student! I couldn't do that back home, go play in the CSO! It was interesting though, an opera set in Japan, written by an Italian, Puccini, performed in Thailand, with English subtitles along with the Thai ones. It was partially performed in the Kabuki style, with these people in all black, holding props and moving set pieces. They looked like ninjas, with head coverings in black and all. I guess in Japan, people just ignore them and don't think anything of it. It was neat.
Tomorrow I'm 'chaperoning' the boarding girls to a trip to the Esplanade. It's a big shopping mall with a movie theater, bowling alley, ice rink, and a lot of neat things. It's also right near a lot of other stores. The boarding staff can't go, so I volunteered. Why not, free trip where I don't have to pay for the taxi! Not like the taxis are expensive, but still . . . I'm cheap. :D There are several girls here from Armenia and Estonia, studying and living at the school. The school's chairman was an ambassador to those countries before, so he sort of sponsors them. They get the experience of coming here, and the thai students get to meet international students.
And what else am I doing this weekend? NOT MUCH. I want food that's not from the school canteen- although I adore the food here, best food from a school EVER- but I want some more of those little I think corn cake things, and some dumplings . . .food. :D and rest, I think some lounging by the pool? :D
We had the last day of inset on Monday, with meetings. Meetings, and more meetings. Then we could finally get started doing something. The kids arrived on Tuesday morning, and after a bit of assembly, got right down to classes. Since then, I haven't left school any earlier than 5:30 each night- and one night I didn't get home until 8! I don't really find that all that strange, because I'm used to being at school late. In high school, I always had music or theatre rehersals until at least 5 or 6. A couple memorable times, when I was doing the musical and marching band at the same time, I was at school until 8:30 or 9. Each night. Most of the other teachers here, including two of the other music teachers, leave as soon as they can, when 3:30 rolls around. And there aren't that many after school activities that last long, so it's understandable. But still . . .
And to why we're here so long? The music department is a bit of a mess. We can't find any records from the past 3 or so years. We've found a few scattered programs, old tests, that sort of things from Mr. Jones, who left in 2004 I believe. Even the head of music email address still has his 'signature' on it. The last guy, nothing. Instruments are missing, we have no clue who was in the orchestra last year or who plays anything. It's almost like the guy didn't do anything. I mean, he has to have done something, but there's no record of it at all besides some pictures on a bulletin board.
I know I'm getting used to the heat, because I turned the aircon off because I'm too cold!
In addition to the lack of organization, I'm having a bit of a clash with the British curriculum. Or rather, I suppose, the interpretation of it. I had a look at a few websites before I left home, and the standards were just about the same. The curriculum . . . . Here's an example. The IGCSE book? Contains all of 1600-1900 in about five pages. That's Mozart, Bach, Beethoven . . .all of it. And then later on there's 15 pages detailing the history of electronica. It's not that the subject matter is wrong, at all. I just disagree with the interpretation, and the allocation of time moreso on certain things, and not others. Just veery diffrent than what I consider well-balanced, at least at first view.
I could go on longer, but I'm tired after this week. A lot of what I saw was regurgitation, honestly. They have to know four pieces for the A-level exam- and I think that's all they're expecting to study. In my experience, if you're studying the Baroque period, you'd look at as many examples of Baroque music as possible. These kids know the terms, know the pieces. But I think if we showed them a similar yet not the same piece of music, they'd be at a loss to discuss it. I don't think the knowledge is transferrable. I mean, it's only the first week, and these kids have SO much potential. By the end of my time here I want them to realize that life is not just a test- I want them to find the beauty in it!
It's been nice this week, a few good storms. I like thunderstorms, so that's good. It was just pelting down last night! I got caught in a storm last sunday at a market nearby my apartment. The sky lit up and then the crash was so loud, everyone jumped. And of course it was the one time that I didn't have my umbrella with me. The thing about Thailand is that a lot of buildings have tile floors outside. And they're very slippery when wet. Tell me, how is that logical when it rains every day? I've been slipping and sliding a lot, and I actually fell this morning outside the staff room. My right leg went forward, and the left leg, my foot kinda bent backwards, and my knee met the tile in a not-so-nice way. It's not going to feel good tonight.
Wednesday I got to go to the opera! One of our year 13 students was playing in the pit orchestra, and he had complimentary tickets. Kraig and I were in row G. The main floor, 7th row back. Free. It was Madama Butterfly, and pretty good, especially for Thailand. And really good, considering half the pit was high school students. Not perfect, like an opera company back home, but what an experience for a student! I couldn't do that back home, go play in the CSO! It was interesting though, an opera set in Japan, written by an Italian, Puccini, performed in Thailand, with English subtitles along with the Thai ones. It was partially performed in the Kabuki style, with these people in all black, holding props and moving set pieces. They looked like ninjas, with head coverings in black and all. I guess in Japan, people just ignore them and don't think anything of it. It was neat.
Tomorrow I'm 'chaperoning' the boarding girls to a trip to the Esplanade. It's a big shopping mall with a movie theater, bowling alley, ice rink, and a lot of neat things. It's also right near a lot of other stores. The boarding staff can't go, so I volunteered. Why not, free trip where I don't have to pay for the taxi! Not like the taxis are expensive, but still . . . I'm cheap. :D There are several girls here from Armenia and Estonia, studying and living at the school. The school's chairman was an ambassador to those countries before, so he sort of sponsors them. They get the experience of coming here, and the thai students get to meet international students.
And what else am I doing this weekend? NOT MUCH. I want food that's not from the school canteen- although I adore the food here, best food from a school EVER- but I want some more of those little I think corn cake things, and some dumplings . . .food. :D and rest, I think some lounging by the pool? :D
Thursday, August 23, 2007
gigantic post number 1
I guess I can take time away from watching my DVDs of Heroes, to finally type this and update you all on what life is like in Bangkok, eh? And yes, Heroes DVDs, I'll explain that in a bit.
As I write this, it's Wednesday night, 10pm. 10am Wednesday back home in Chicago and Ripon. And I won't post this until tomorrow morning, because I STILL have no internet at my apartment. They say it's coming. I still have hope.
At this time last week, I was attempting to finish packing. I ended up taking not a whole lot of stuff, clothes, etc. And I'm proud of that. Normally I pack entirely too much. And as it turns out, I packed a few things I should have left at home, and vice versa. Ah well. I was also freaking out, due to lack of visa, and the normal OMG I'm going to live in ASIA for four months.
I got up early Thursday morning, finished packing, hugged my dog a lot, and had my mom's pancakes. It was slightly surreal, but I'm really glad I wasn't rushed. My flight was at almost 1pm, so I had a bit of time. I flew out of O'Hare once at 8:30 am, in the midst of a snowstorm that had been going on for over two days by then. Not ideal. This was much better. Mom and I got to the airport at around 9:30, 10, checked my bags, walked up and down the section of the terminal where the airline counters were, and got me some lunch. Extremely expensive stuff from corner bakery, but good mozzarella. We had a lady take our picture. Then I hugged my mom, teared up a bit, and went through security. They made me take my shoes off to be x-rayed, and take all the electronics out of my stuff, but not bad. The only really expensive things I was bringing with me- this laptop, the ipod, and the camera- were all in my carry-ons. I waited in the terminal for maybe 20 minutes. I was amused because there was a group of people from Grand Circle Travel- they do trips and tours for older people. My grandparents went to Thailand a few years ago with them, and now here was another group going! I met a girl who was going back to Japan, where she was teaching English- she was around my age.
The flight to Tokyo was LONG. 12 hours. After waiting an hour on the plane, at the terminal, for them to fix something on the plane. And it was packed. The guy next to me was named Rex. No joke, Rexford something. He was going to Japan to swim for the United States in something- Professor Katz, who knows stuff about swimming, figures it was some competition as a sort of pre-season for the people going to the Olympics next year. He was very nice, but kinda on the 'duh' side. We flew up north into Canada, over to Alaska, and then down, hugging the land as we went. I can see the logic in sticking close to land, but you'd think it would be a lot shorter just going straight across the ocean? I was kinda surprised- we got 2.5 meals on the plane, so I ate A LOT. The travel agent said we only got one meal.
We landed in Tokyo around 4pm their time. First priority was some water, as I was feeling horribly dehydrated, and a toothbrush- my mouth felt like it had been a week since I'd brushed my teeth. I went in the little duty-free shop. And they had Pocky. I LOVE pocky. And it was SO good- it was a lot fresher and better tasting than the stuff I've had at home. I ate the box of pocky in about ten minutes while I emailed my parents, grandparents, and a good friend to let them know I was alive and well in Tokyo. I was very pleased that the airport had free wireless!! I also left a facebook message for my friend Hikari who lives in Japan, saying I was there and thinking of her!
The flight to Bangkok was SO MUCH BETTER. I had a window seat, and nobody next to me in the row at all. We got one meal and one movie, and the flight attendants were really nice. There was one guy flight attendant who was just bugging me, because I couldn't figure out who he reminded me of. And then I got it. Picture an Asian Adam Krueger. Mannerisms, everything. It was uncanny. :D We landed in Bangkok around 10:30pm on Friday night- 24 hours since I'd left my house, but 36 when changing time zones. I was very nervous going through passport control, but they let me in no problem- only with a 30-day pass that's not even a tourist visa. Made Khun Miki cringe on Monday. Though she and Martin both reassured me that it's not my fault, and they'd figure it out. I got my bags, changed my money, waltzed right through customs, and then was faced with finding a taxi. I took the probably horribly expensive and touristy trap way and got a taxi in the airport- but I was so tired that I didn't care. Now I'm like, you idiot, you probably overpaid! But it was a long distance, so ah well. I got to Eakthanee, the apartment building around midnight. I proceeded to sign my life away in the form of one month rent plus 2 month deposit- 45,000 baht plus fee for the credit card transaction, got my key, paid another 500 baht for the beeper key ring to get into the building, and got to my apartment. And then I couldn't fall asleep until 3am.
Aaaaand then I woke up the next morning, Saturday, at 6am. And couldn't fall back to sleep again. I decided to get dressed and wander, see if I could find the school. They said it was really close, so I was hoping to find it and someone to tell me when I, oh, needed to be at the school! Hooray for not much communication! So I picked a direction, and started walking. And after about 20 or so minutes, I realized that I picked the wrong direction, and turned around. Bought some water, got back to the intersection, picked another direction. Another wrong direction. And so on. I went back to Eakthanee, changed my shirt as I'd sweated through the one, and picked another direction. I later learned that this was the right one, but I didn't go far enough. I was so HOT and frustrated that I went back to my apartment, put on my bathing suit, and went to the little pool on the third floor. Figured that I wasn't getting anywhere, I might as well cool off. And 15 minutes later two people walked in, and then the guy asked me if I was a new teacher at the Regent's. And I met Jen and Andrew- THANK GOD. I hadn't spoken to anyone who spoke english since I had really gotten off the plane. They also gave me Martin's number, the head, who then invited me to a get-together at his condo that evening. I went, got some food- the first real food I'd had in Thailand- and I met everyone, new and old teachers alike. It was SO wonderful to talk to people and find out what was happening, etc. And everyone was really nice, and sympathetic to the fact that I was horribly jet-lagged- and I was about ready to keel over with exhaustion by that time as well!
Most everyone of the new teachers is British, save me and a couple others. One of the guys is from New Zealand, and Kraig and I are American. Though I don't really count Kraig as the same as me because his wife, Anne, is Thai, and he's lived here for 4 years before. He speaks better Thai than anyone else besides the Thai staff! He's the new head of music, and technically my boss, I suppose. He's knows American things, but he knows all the good places in Bangkok, etc. He's very witty and this may sound bad, but I'm glad he was as clueless as to how the music department here worked as I was! Anne's really nice as well- she's a scientist, about to get her doctorate. She works on cancer drugs or something, with one of the Thai royal princesses, who I guess is also a scientist. There are also three gap students, taking a year off before they go to university. Heike and Lea are from Germany, and Natalie is from the UK. They're being kind-of teacher's aides, and I'm becoming good friends with them.
Enough narrative- time for things about Thailand I've learned.
The traffic is insane. And I thought I knew horrible traffic, having driven in Chicago in the worst of conditions. I guess people in Bangkok spend a good 2 hours in traffic every day, at least- and this is normal. The trip to the school in a taxi isn't bad, but it's only a 20-minute walk, in a straight line. And there's no real traffic . . . laws, though that's not the word. Everyone drives like maniacs. Switching lanes, going over the center line, cutting in and cutting people off- there's no such thing as right-of-way, I think- you just go. I can't watch the road when I'm in a cab, because it feels like we're going to crash every ten seconds. But we don't. And there are motorbikes and mopeds and even bicycles and bicycle-carts weaving in and out of traffic, it's insane.
A way to partially explain it- Kraig told me there are no zoning laws in Thailand. So nothing of the city was really planned- it just kind of got built, and there are big roads and little roads with no plan or rhyme or reason to it all. Makes no sense. Also, you can have really strange neighborhoods. Like, my apartment building. On one side there's a derelict gas station, I think it is. Then on the other side there's a clothing factory, a restaurant, and then a big vacant field and marshland thing. You can have a million-dollar home next to a shantytown. Again, no planning whatsoever. Some places smell really good, but then you go past the vacant field and there's dumped rubbish, smelling of rotting melon. And the canal-things smell of sewage something horrid. But you get used to it.
I was kinda freaked out when I was wandering that first day to see a dog. Loose. And then another. I asked someone that night, and they said that there are street dogs all over Bangkok. They're perfectly tame, but they don't really come up to you like a dog in America would. They're sometimes adopted by people, but they live on the streets. I was told just to ignore them, pretty much, and they wouldn't hurt me. Some of them are really cute, and they make me miss my dog, Luke.
It's really really hot. I mean hot. And I think it's more the humidity than anything else. I've never ever sweated this much in my life, not even at home when I'm outside all day or something. If I'm walking home from the school, in 20 minutes I can sweat completely through my clothes. And then you get in the air con and it's a complete shift. And the sun is really strong as well. I got so sunburnt my first day here. They said it's so strong here and westerners are so totally unprepared. I've been very good about putting sunscreen on.
Interesting thing about Thai culture- unlike Americans, it's desired to be as pale as possible here. It's the old if you're brown, you've been working in the fields like a peasant. Like it was in the US years ago. Nowadays, it's popular to be tan in the US because it means you don't work, and you spend your days lazing on the beach in the sunshine. But it's a really big thing here- almost every face lotion is whitening this, white beauty that. There's a lotion thing called Melanin- Away, or something. Seriously! 8 million products to whiten your skin!
Things here are really cheap. The baht is about 33 to the dollar. The taxi to the school is about 40 baht or less in the morning. I bought some shoes today for 200 baht a pair.
And yes, I have Heroes on DVD. I checked this morning on Amazon- around 35, 40 bucks there, 56 retail- and it's not available in the US until next week. But I got the entire season for 600 baht- around $18 bucks. Jen bought Ratatouille last night. You can get anything here- and probably cheaper than in the US. Though I'm still searching for some plain oatmeal- Kraig says you can get it here, but I've yet to find it.
It's 11pm now, so I'm off to bed. I have a lot more to write, but it's bedtime . . .
As I write this, it's Wednesday night, 10pm. 10am Wednesday back home in Chicago and Ripon. And I won't post this until tomorrow morning, because I STILL have no internet at my apartment. They say it's coming. I still have hope.
At this time last week, I was attempting to finish packing. I ended up taking not a whole lot of stuff, clothes, etc. And I'm proud of that. Normally I pack entirely too much. And as it turns out, I packed a few things I should have left at home, and vice versa. Ah well. I was also freaking out, due to lack of visa, and the normal OMG I'm going to live in ASIA for four months.
I got up early Thursday morning, finished packing, hugged my dog a lot, and had my mom's pancakes. It was slightly surreal, but I'm really glad I wasn't rushed. My flight was at almost 1pm, so I had a bit of time. I flew out of O'Hare once at 8:30 am, in the midst of a snowstorm that had been going on for over two days by then. Not ideal. This was much better. Mom and I got to the airport at around 9:30, 10, checked my bags, walked up and down the section of the terminal where the airline counters were, and got me some lunch. Extremely expensive stuff from corner bakery, but good mozzarella. We had a lady take our picture. Then I hugged my mom, teared up a bit, and went through security. They made me take my shoes off to be x-rayed, and take all the electronics out of my stuff, but not bad. The only really expensive things I was bringing with me- this laptop, the ipod, and the camera- were all in my carry-ons. I waited in the terminal for maybe 20 minutes. I was amused because there was a group of people from Grand Circle Travel- they do trips and tours for older people. My grandparents went to Thailand a few years ago with them, and now here was another group going! I met a girl who was going back to Japan, where she was teaching English- she was around my age.
The flight to Tokyo was LONG. 12 hours. After waiting an hour on the plane, at the terminal, for them to fix something on the plane. And it was packed. The guy next to me was named Rex. No joke, Rexford something. He was going to Japan to swim for the United States in something- Professor Katz, who knows stuff about swimming, figures it was some competition as a sort of pre-season for the people going to the Olympics next year. He was very nice, but kinda on the 'duh' side. We flew up north into Canada, over to Alaska, and then down, hugging the land as we went. I can see the logic in sticking close to land, but you'd think it would be a lot shorter just going straight across the ocean? I was kinda surprised- we got 2.5 meals on the plane, so I ate A LOT. The travel agent said we only got one meal.
We landed in Tokyo around 4pm their time. First priority was some water, as I was feeling horribly dehydrated, and a toothbrush- my mouth felt like it had been a week since I'd brushed my teeth. I went in the little duty-free shop. And they had Pocky. I LOVE pocky. And it was SO good- it was a lot fresher and better tasting than the stuff I've had at home. I ate the box of pocky in about ten minutes while I emailed my parents, grandparents, and a good friend to let them know I was alive and well in Tokyo. I was very pleased that the airport had free wireless!! I also left a facebook message for my friend Hikari who lives in Japan, saying I was there and thinking of her!
The flight to Bangkok was SO MUCH BETTER. I had a window seat, and nobody next to me in the row at all. We got one meal and one movie, and the flight attendants were really nice. There was one guy flight attendant who was just bugging me, because I couldn't figure out who he reminded me of. And then I got it. Picture an Asian Adam Krueger. Mannerisms, everything. It was uncanny. :D We landed in Bangkok around 10:30pm on Friday night- 24 hours since I'd left my house, but 36 when changing time zones. I was very nervous going through passport control, but they let me in no problem- only with a 30-day pass that's not even a tourist visa. Made Khun Miki cringe on Monday. Though she and Martin both reassured me that it's not my fault, and they'd figure it out. I got my bags, changed my money, waltzed right through customs, and then was faced with finding a taxi. I took the probably horribly expensive and touristy trap way and got a taxi in the airport- but I was so tired that I didn't care. Now I'm like, you idiot, you probably overpaid! But it was a long distance, so ah well. I got to Eakthanee, the apartment building around midnight. I proceeded to sign my life away in the form of one month rent plus 2 month deposit- 45,000 baht plus fee for the credit card transaction, got my key, paid another 500 baht for the beeper key ring to get into the building, and got to my apartment. And then I couldn't fall asleep until 3am.
Aaaaand then I woke up the next morning, Saturday, at 6am. And couldn't fall back to sleep again. I decided to get dressed and wander, see if I could find the school. They said it was really close, so I was hoping to find it and someone to tell me when I, oh, needed to be at the school! Hooray for not much communication! So I picked a direction, and started walking. And after about 20 or so minutes, I realized that I picked the wrong direction, and turned around. Bought some water, got back to the intersection, picked another direction. Another wrong direction. And so on. I went back to Eakthanee, changed my shirt as I'd sweated through the one, and picked another direction. I later learned that this was the right one, but I didn't go far enough. I was so HOT and frustrated that I went back to my apartment, put on my bathing suit, and went to the little pool on the third floor. Figured that I wasn't getting anywhere, I might as well cool off. And 15 minutes later two people walked in, and then the guy asked me if I was a new teacher at the Regent's. And I met Jen and Andrew- THANK GOD. I hadn't spoken to anyone who spoke english since I had really gotten off the plane. They also gave me Martin's number, the head, who then invited me to a get-together at his condo that evening. I went, got some food- the first real food I'd had in Thailand- and I met everyone, new and old teachers alike. It was SO wonderful to talk to people and find out what was happening, etc. And everyone was really nice, and sympathetic to the fact that I was horribly jet-lagged- and I was about ready to keel over with exhaustion by that time as well!
Most everyone of the new teachers is British, save me and a couple others. One of the guys is from New Zealand, and Kraig and I are American. Though I don't really count Kraig as the same as me because his wife, Anne, is Thai, and he's lived here for 4 years before. He speaks better Thai than anyone else besides the Thai staff! He's the new head of music, and technically my boss, I suppose. He's knows American things, but he knows all the good places in Bangkok, etc. He's very witty and this may sound bad, but I'm glad he was as clueless as to how the music department here worked as I was! Anne's really nice as well- she's a scientist, about to get her doctorate. She works on cancer drugs or something, with one of the Thai royal princesses, who I guess is also a scientist. There are also three gap students, taking a year off before they go to university. Heike and Lea are from Germany, and Natalie is from the UK. They're being kind-of teacher's aides, and I'm becoming good friends with them.
Enough narrative- time for things about Thailand I've learned.
The traffic is insane. And I thought I knew horrible traffic, having driven in Chicago in the worst of conditions. I guess people in Bangkok spend a good 2 hours in traffic every day, at least- and this is normal. The trip to the school in a taxi isn't bad, but it's only a 20-minute walk, in a straight line. And there's no real traffic . . . laws, though that's not the word. Everyone drives like maniacs. Switching lanes, going over the center line, cutting in and cutting people off- there's no such thing as right-of-way, I think- you just go. I can't watch the road when I'm in a cab, because it feels like we're going to crash every ten seconds. But we don't. And there are motorbikes and mopeds and even bicycles and bicycle-carts weaving in and out of traffic, it's insane.
A way to partially explain it- Kraig told me there are no zoning laws in Thailand. So nothing of the city was really planned- it just kind of got built, and there are big roads and little roads with no plan or rhyme or reason to it all. Makes no sense. Also, you can have really strange neighborhoods. Like, my apartment building. On one side there's a derelict gas station, I think it is. Then on the other side there's a clothing factory, a restaurant, and then a big vacant field and marshland thing. You can have a million-dollar home next to a shantytown. Again, no planning whatsoever. Some places smell really good, but then you go past the vacant field and there's dumped rubbish, smelling of rotting melon. And the canal-things smell of sewage something horrid. But you get used to it.
I was kinda freaked out when I was wandering that first day to see a dog. Loose. And then another. I asked someone that night, and they said that there are street dogs all over Bangkok. They're perfectly tame, but they don't really come up to you like a dog in America would. They're sometimes adopted by people, but they live on the streets. I was told just to ignore them, pretty much, and they wouldn't hurt me. Some of them are really cute, and they make me miss my dog, Luke.
It's really really hot. I mean hot. And I think it's more the humidity than anything else. I've never ever sweated this much in my life, not even at home when I'm outside all day or something. If I'm walking home from the school, in 20 minutes I can sweat completely through my clothes. And then you get in the air con and it's a complete shift. And the sun is really strong as well. I got so sunburnt my first day here. They said it's so strong here and westerners are so totally unprepared. I've been very good about putting sunscreen on.
Interesting thing about Thai culture- unlike Americans, it's desired to be as pale as possible here. It's the old if you're brown, you've been working in the fields like a peasant. Like it was in the US years ago. Nowadays, it's popular to be tan in the US because it means you don't work, and you spend your days lazing on the beach in the sunshine. But it's a really big thing here- almost every face lotion is whitening this, white beauty that. There's a lotion thing called Melanin- Away, or something. Seriously! 8 million products to whiten your skin!
Things here are really cheap. The baht is about 33 to the dollar. The taxi to the school is about 40 baht or less in the morning. I bought some shoes today for 200 baht a pair.
And yes, I have Heroes on DVD. I checked this morning on Amazon- around 35, 40 bucks there, 56 retail- and it's not available in the US until next week. But I got the entire season for 600 baht- around $18 bucks. Jen bought Ratatouille last night. You can get anything here- and probably cheaper than in the US. Though I'm still searching for some plain oatmeal- Kraig says you can get it here, but I've yet to find it.
It's 11pm now, so I'm off to bed. I have a lot more to write, but it's bedtime . . .
Tuesday, August 21, 2007
*Sweats*
I got here. I made it. And I finally got some internet access- but only at school. The internet at the apartment is forthcoming, or so they tell me.
Here's a link to some photos- narrated- Chicago to Bangkok.
It's very hot. And the AC in the arts building is apparently not getting any power, so we're simply dying. Dripping. Wilting. :D
I'm going to type up a big post soon, but right now- it's too hot.
Pics!
Here's a link to some photos- narrated- Chicago to Bangkok.
It's very hot. And the AC in the arts building is apparently not getting any power, so we're simply dying. Dripping. Wilting. :D
I'm going to type up a big post soon, but right now- it's too hot.
Pics!
Wednesday, August 15, 2007
T minus 16 hours, and I'm remarkably calm.
I'm crossposting this so people have all my contact info, etc . . .
I leave tomorrow from O'Hare around noon. United Flight 883 to Narita Tokyo. Then United Flight 837 from Narita to Bangkok. I arrive in Thailand at 11 pm Bangkok time, Friday, which is approximately 11am here.
I should have internet access throughout the time I'm there (and really, if I end up not, I might go insane with the lack of communication.
I'll be making regular updates here, as well as my private journal. I'll also be posting photos on Facebook, as well as getting a flickr account.
I'll be checking my email regularly. My Ripon account is still active through the end of the semester, but my mail email is altorogue (at) yahoo dot com. I'll still be on Aim, as well as MSN and yahoo, all as altorogue.
I'm putting my cell phone on hold- I'll have it back when I return. I plan on making most my phone calls on skype, which is an awesome little program. If you want to call me, that's the best way. You can search for me as altorogue or Kali, and I'm listed as being from Chicago. The time change is going to be a bitch, but I suppose I'll figure it out somehow.
I don't have a mailing address yet, or a phone number there. Forthcoming.
I fly back on December 21. And due to me flying the other way around the world, I make the 22-ish hour flight in less than 12 hours- leaving at 6am and getting into O'Hare at dinnertime. Gotta love the time zones. :D
SOOOO . . . . I should finish packing. But So You Think You Can Dance was on! :D
I got a new, gigantic suitcase. I got a new expensive purse. I have a new travel wallet, and etc etc etc. And I am THE worst packer ever. Just ask my mother, or anyone who's ever lived with me/near me. Absolutely horrible. But I'm going to restrict myself to clothes, and essentials, and keep things light. I AM! (Don't laugh at me like that, Josh! And anyone else who is reading!)
I still have to call Verizon and put my cell account on hold. And make sure Humana knows I'm going, because my program-supplied health insurance stops covering me 5 days before I come back. Eek. :D
I got a Hepatitis A shot on Monday, and then I got not only Typhoid, but Diptheria/Tetanus and Polio this morning. And then I bought immodium, pepto-bismol, ibuprofen, and aspirin this morning. I'm set. The aspirin is for my paranoid mother, so I don't get a blood clot on the plane :D
And I HATE Visas. Specifically, I don't have one yet. Long story, but I can't get a student visa because I'm not a student of any school in Thailand. And I am not teaching and earning a wage, so that's out. Tourist visas it is for me, but I don't have one because the school sent me the letter too late for me to get one here at the consulate. So airport it is! *prays and hopes*
But really? It will all be ok. Whatever will be will be. The future's not ours to see! *sings* Que Sera, Sera!!
I leave tomorrow from O'Hare around noon. United Flight 883 to Narita Tokyo. Then United Flight 837 from Narita to Bangkok. I arrive in Thailand at 11 pm Bangkok time, Friday, which is approximately 11am here.
I should have internet access throughout the time I'm there (and really, if I end up not, I might go insane with the lack of communication.
I'll be making regular updates here, as well as my private journal. I'll also be posting photos on Facebook, as well as getting a flickr account.
I'll be checking my email regularly. My Ripon account is still active through the end of the semester, but my mail email is altorogue (at) yahoo dot com. I'll still be on Aim, as well as MSN and yahoo, all as altorogue.
I'm putting my cell phone on hold- I'll have it back when I return. I plan on making most my phone calls on skype, which is an awesome little program. If you want to call me, that's the best way. You can search for me as altorogue or Kali, and I'm listed as being from Chicago. The time change is going to be a bitch, but I suppose I'll figure it out somehow.
I don't have a mailing address yet, or a phone number there. Forthcoming.
I fly back on December 21. And due to me flying the other way around the world, I make the 22-ish hour flight in less than 12 hours- leaving at 6am and getting into O'Hare at dinnertime. Gotta love the time zones. :D
SOOOO . . . . I should finish packing. But So You Think You Can Dance was on! :D
I got a new, gigantic suitcase. I got a new expensive purse. I have a new travel wallet, and etc etc etc. And I am THE worst packer ever. Just ask my mother, or anyone who's ever lived with me/near me. Absolutely horrible. But I'm going to restrict myself to clothes, and essentials, and keep things light. I AM! (Don't laugh at me like that, Josh! And anyone else who is reading!)
I still have to call Verizon and put my cell account on hold. And make sure Humana knows I'm going, because my program-supplied health insurance stops covering me 5 days before I come back. Eek. :D
I got a Hepatitis A shot on Monday, and then I got not only Typhoid, but Diptheria/Tetanus and Polio this morning. And then I bought immodium, pepto-bismol, ibuprofen, and aspirin this morning. I'm set. The aspirin is for my paranoid mother, so I don't get a blood clot on the plane :D
And I HATE Visas. Specifically, I don't have one yet. Long story, but I can't get a student visa because I'm not a student of any school in Thailand. And I am not teaching and earning a wage, so that's out. Tourist visas it is for me, but I don't have one because the school sent me the letter too late for me to get one here at the consulate. So airport it is! *prays and hopes*
But really? It will all be ok. Whatever will be will be. The future's not ours to see! *sings* Que Sera, Sera!!
Saturday, August 11, 2007
Tick . . .tock . . .tick . . .tock . . .
I have 55 minutes left of work. And then comes the hell.
What you have to know is I own entirely too much crap. I blame my mother. Because if something's on sale, you never know when you might need it! So she buys me stuff. I have a couple purses that I've never used, but I don't want to get rid of because you never know if I will!
And I also blame my major. I have copious amounts of sheet music. I want to say around 4 milk crates full right now. And there's more at home, and more I'm sure I'm not counting. Not to mention the books. And all my knitting stuff. And my dance shoes. And my computer stuff. I have too many hobbies that require too many specific things.
But what's the big problem? First, a lot of stuff just STAYED in Ripon for 4 years. I didn't bring it home during the summers or breaks, because I needed it up here. And now it all has to come home at once. :D My mom's currently on her way up, so we can fill her car and my car to the brim, and hope it all fits. I did give some stuff to the thrift store, and some is going to the house, and etc etc etc.
NOTE TO THE WISE: Never move out of an apartment by yourself. And also, never move out of an apartment into somebody else's home, so that you have all this extra furniture and kitchen stuff that you want to keep, that you like, but it sits around for months.
Boy am I rambly. And I still have packing to do before we leave. And stuff to take to Nate, stuff to take to the library, a couple books I found that I think belong in Rodman . . . :D And what am I doing? Sitting here, being bored because all of 4 people came in today. I wish I could mentally pack and go back to the house and have it all packed and waiting for me :D
Next stop, Berwyn!
What you have to know is I own entirely too much crap. I blame my mother. Because if something's on sale, you never know when you might need it! So she buys me stuff. I have a couple purses that I've never used, but I don't want to get rid of because you never know if I will!
And I also blame my major. I have copious amounts of sheet music. I want to say around 4 milk crates full right now. And there's more at home, and more I'm sure I'm not counting. Not to mention the books. And all my knitting stuff. And my dance shoes. And my computer stuff. I have too many hobbies that require too many specific things.
But what's the big problem? First, a lot of stuff just STAYED in Ripon for 4 years. I didn't bring it home during the summers or breaks, because I needed it up here. And now it all has to come home at once. :D My mom's currently on her way up, so we can fill her car and my car to the brim, and hope it all fits. I did give some stuff to the thrift store, and some is going to the house, and etc etc etc.
NOTE TO THE WISE: Never move out of an apartment by yourself. And also, never move out of an apartment into somebody else's home, so that you have all this extra furniture and kitchen stuff that you want to keep, that you like, but it sits around for months.
Boy am I rambly. And I still have packing to do before we leave. And stuff to take to Nate, stuff to take to the library, a couple books I found that I think belong in Rodman . . . :D And what am I doing? Sitting here, being bored because all of 4 people came in today. I wish I could mentally pack and go back to the house and have it all packed and waiting for me :D
Next stop, Berwyn!
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