Monday was spent travelling back from Koh Phi Phi, and Friday was sports day - meaning only 3 teaching days. Wonderful! This week I properly fell in love with my Primary Grade 4's. I always had a little soft spot for them, but now I genuinely really look forward to my lessons with them! They are age 9-10; the perfect age I think. Old enough to already have a few basics in speaking English so I don't seem completely alien when I talk, but still young enough to be easily amused and entertained whilst I make a fool out of myself. Which I do. A lot.
Grade 4 hard at work!
The 16th was my sister Tara's birthday, so I got my lovey Grade 4's to sing a Happy Birthday for her which I recorded and sent to her. Took a few takes to get them to pronounce her name right, but they were loving the fact I'd asked them to do it!
I'm teaching them about seasons and weather at the moment, and decided to play a game with them for 10 minutes at the start of each lesson. When I say anything related to Summer (e.g. Hot, Sunny) they stand up. When I say anything related to Spring (Warm, Rainy) they wave their hands. When I say anything related to Autumn (Windy, Yellow Leaves) they poke their tongue out (which is apparently the funniest thing, ever). And when I say anything related to Winter (Cold, Snowy) they - are you ready for this - switch seats with someone. My God, the excitement about switching seats was ridiculous. It was like I'd given them each a thousand blue smarties! The teaching in Thailand seems to be quite generic - theory work sat in rows. So by simply introducing a game that allowed them to stand up and switch seats... you'd think it was Christmas Eve!
Some Happy Birthday drawings for Tara from Grade 4's - I didn't ask them to do this! So cute.
Two of my students - the one on the left is one of the cheekiest Grade 5's! Also one of the best at English though!
Stern faced Teacher Ruth never lasts and they have learnt this, so their aim seems to make me giggle. Which they always do without fail, and all cheer and clap when they do! Today I told one of the boys to sit down because he'd got up to copy his friends work, so what did he do? He plonked himself on the floor. The whole class were in fits, and I couldn't help but join in laughing, much to their delight. I resolved the situation though. I got his books from his desk, put them on the floor in front of him, returned him a cheeky smile and told him he could get up off the floor once he'd finished the exercise.
Friday's Sports Day was great fun - it was held at another school in Chumphon with around 20 other schools there, all competing against each other. The sun was out, and because Thai people are desperate for white skin and because I'd forgotten sun cream, we found a cosy spot in the shade under a tree. The teachers, the students who weren't competing and I spent the day there spectating. It was another chance to get chatting more with the other teachers and students, three of which took me off for a stroll and some lunch. Me and the three 13 year olds sat and spoke about music and how yukky boys are for a good hour, before heading back to base. At around 2.30 Purn took me to Chumphon to meet Aimee and begin our weekend travels.
posing with some teachers at Sports Day!
Vikki had been nice enough to invite us to hers for the weekend, and we arrived in Ranong at around 6pm. The little town she lives in is so cute; a traditional Thai community all fascinated by the new 'Falangs' (foreigners) on the block. We met Vikki's mentor Ing, who has to be one of the best people I've met here! She is absolutely brilliant, I think the word I would use to describe her is Jolly. She laughs at everything we say, and would not let us pay for a single thing the whole time we were with her - 'you are student, you have no income!' - she got that right. Her sister who Vikki also lives with couldn't speak a word of English but calls me Barbie. She had stalked me on Facebook, and kept doing impressions of the ridiculous faces I pull in pictures of me on my profile when I've had a wee bit to drink... Very funny! After a beautiful dinner and a stroll around Kraburi, we went back to their home for fruit and a chat and then bedtime, ready for a busy Saturday.
with the lovely Vikki and Aimee
9am start the next day. Ing had made us all breakfast which included Peanut Butter. It made me far to happy, and I won't deny eating it by the spoonful. SO GOOD. (Aimee did it too.) We set off in a private van all for ourselves (did I mention Ing is really rich?), and were taken to see some beautiful waterfalls and hot springs. After lunch Ing took us to a ferry port, where she paid for our tickets to visit the island Koh Payam for the night. Koh Payam could not be more different from Tao and Phi Phi - although both were amazing, this weekend we got the real island experience. With a very small population, no internet, limited electricity and a beach to ourselves, we were in paradise. We checked in to our bungalow, watched the sunset at the beach and then had dinner with other travelers at our accommodation.
One of the gorgeous waterfalls - tourist pose with Aimee!
Me and Vikki at the sunset on the beach
The owner of Gold Key Bungalows was a very camp Swiss man, who was all about everyone making friends and being happy! It was great, he brought us all together eating around one big table and bonding over a game of jenga. As always it was amazing to here all the travelers stories and have a laugh about our very diverse experiences. We were joined by a Thai hippy called Jimmy who was awesome, and we found out was the owner of Hippy Bar next door - the most famous bar on the island. It's shaped like a pirate ship and made completely out of washed up bits of wood and rubbish, and was so impressive. Although it was closed for the rainy season, he invited us over to have a drink. We spent a couple of hours there chilling around a campfire with Jimmy on the guitar - it was great. I think it'll be a night I'll remember, it felt like real travelling for the first time.
Jenga bonding session with other travelers from around the world
Hippy bar all to ourselves
The next day we continued the hard life, and spent the day sunbathing and napping on a beach entirely to ourselves. We were convinced we were tanning, and it was not til the journey home we realized how burnt all three of us were! Ing picked us up from the ferry port, took us for dinner, and ordered her driver to take me and Aimee all the way back to our schools, both about 3 hours away! I was spoilt more in that weekend than I have been in my life by Ing, I can't imagine how life must be for Vikki!
Me and Aimee unknowingly getting burnt on the beach
Hippy Bar by daylight - this is just the front of it. It was huge, and made out of washed up anything. So cool!
Overall, a wonderful weekend with two great friends and yet another lovely bunch of people. I've seen the two extremes of island life now, and absolutely love them both!
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