Day 24- Day 29: the last days; homeward bound

This is it! The last days of the TEFL training course. Portfolio is complete, test is finished, just awaiting my course certificate to be presented to me in 30 min. What a great adventure! I definitely feel quite accomplished and ready to teach abroad. Every moment and experience here has been absolutely fantastic. And memories to last, for sure.

Homeward bound I go, just in time for the trick-or-treat season of candy.

Can't wait to see everybody!

Day 23: How often is God good?

All the time.

Today was yet another day of teaching, this time to a fresh new batch of chillens. New school, new students. I prayed especially hard last night and this morning that God would get me through this ridiculous new model of teaching. Prayer works guys. No way on earth could I have gotten through this lesson plan by myself. Strength, Confidence, and Passion for teaching were the gifts I was blessed with today. Absolutely. Speaking of strength, God gave me little energy for a run this morning before class. I loved it! God IS good y'all.

Day 19- Day 22: Chatuchak Market; Bangkok

Thursday and Friday were observation days, where us, as students. would observe as the teachers taught; showing us how the next lesson model should be done. How crazy it is that with just 2 hours of sitting on our bums, our minds are tired. Exhausted is more like it. Well after two days of exhausting mind-work I went to Bangkok with a friend of mine who is currently teaching in Laos where I will be teaching, and is actually the one who had mentioned and helped me through this teaching opportunity, thank you Rebecca! :) While in Bangkok we walked around Chatuchak Market and window shopped for hours.

( http://www.intoasia.com/bangkok/markets/chatuchak.php ) This place is huge. Despite the amount of time we were out and about we didn't even double-track once. Amazing! Later that evening we went to the night Bazaar, which is another market that takes place in the evening. Everything is full of color and the whole market lights up the senses. Definitely worth more than just a look through.

Bangkok is a great place, but the serene essence of Ban Phe is where it's at for me. A little ocean-side breeze is all it takes to fall back into that wonderland feel.

Nothing feels quite like home though, 6 more days.

Day 17 & Day 18: Practice Makes Perfect

Teacher practicing take 2 & 3 were on these days. The teacher practices were at a local charity school just a 45 min. drive from Ban Phe where orphans and children that don't have the money to go elsewhere go to learn English. Its a good feeling. An hour long session in a very warm open-air classroom is enough to take your breath away, literally. Sweating buckets we're all putting our heart and soul into getting these children to understand the context that we are modeling. So far we have all succeeded, and its all well worth it. Life is good :)

Day 16: Forever Grateful

30 thai students, 3 observers, 1 teacher. me. Nerve-racking as all get-out, but overall what a fantastic experience! I was placed in an outdoor classroom with a magnificent view of a overly large pond surrounded by flowers and cattle. The peaceful scenery helped to calm my nerves as I trudge through my lesson plan. Not bad for a first-timer. I do have to admit, the amount of lesson planning put into just an hour of teaching is TREMENDOUS. But as many already know, hard work reaps great reward. 5+ hours I have spent for tomorrows lesson and I am stoked for the outcome. It does take some sane brains to endure the time-consumingness of it all, therefore, for any teacher who I have ever known, will ever know, or will never get the privilege to meet; hats off to you. high-five. two thumbs up. I admire everything you do for the sake of passing your knowledge onto the deserving and helping to better this world, whether it be English, Spanish, Math, Science, Horse-back Therapy, Fitness Instructors, and the list goes on and on and on, because the truth is there is always something to be learnt and, fact: there is always going to be someone to teach it, whatever it may be. I am forever grateful for those who have taught me, you know who you are, and you know that you have helped me to become the person I am today. Thank you.

Day 15: "Hello, My Name Is Kelsea. What's your name?"

Working on lesson planning is incredibly time consuming, not only that but the teaching is going to be impeccably repetitive. The mandatory warmer for the Basic Lesson Model of teaching goes as follows:

Teacher/Teacher (Teacher is in front of class room swapping places with herself making like she's having a conversation with another person.)

"Hello, my name is Kelsea. Whats your name?"

"My name is Laura."

"Nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you too."

(Repeat 4x)

Teacher/Student (Teacher motions for a student to stand, and engages in dialogue with student)

T: "Hello, my name is Kelsea. Whats your name?"

S: "My name is ____."

T: "Nice to meet you."

S: "Nice to meet you too."

(Repeat 8x, w/ 8 different students)

Student/Teacher (Teacher motions for a student to stand, this time student starts off the convo.)

S: "Hello, my name is ____. Whats your name?"

T: "My name is Kelsea."

S: "Nice to meet you."

T: "Nice to meet you too."

(Repeat 8x, w/ 8 different students)

Student/Student (Teacher motions for 2 students to stand, and have them engage in warmer dialogue.)

...you get it

(Repeat 8x, w/ 8 different pairs of students)

U (Horseshoe- # students off 1,2,1,2,etc.- 1's stand and rotate around the u-shape formation of students and engage in warmer dialogue with the seated 2's)

(students continue this until they get bored and sit down...)

Repetative yea?

And this is just the warmer.

Oh the joys of repetition.

Day 14: Missin' Out on Paradise

No Koh Samet island for me today. I didn't go to bed until 4am due to some tedious class preparation, I wanted to be readily prepared for Monday (first day of teaching gahhhh!). I woke up at 6am... my stomach had finally discovered I was in a foreign country. Woke up again at 8am, then 12pm. From then I slept until 4pm. Feeling better, I stumbled downstairs into the classroom and finished up on my lesson planning. It gets dark around 6pm here, so by the time I had finished what I needed to get done there was no sign of light. I decided to go to bed since there was obviously nothing else I could do, given that the internet was out and everyone else was at Koh Samet enjoying paradise. No regrets though, thankfully I was able to go to that paradise island the week before, and this absence saved me money as well as gave me time to make a swift recovery. That and Ban Phe could be a paradise of its own... just with a lot more dogs...

Day 13: Monk See, Monk Do... Monk Learn English??

This morning was a glorious morning as we woke up and got gussied up to observe at a school for monks. Departure time was set for 9:00am, and at 9:00am we left. We bounced around in a Baht Bus ("somthrop"- pretty much a pickup truck with an awning tossed up in the bed, complete with a few padded benches) on the way to the school. Once we arrived we slipped off our shoes before proceeding up the stairs into the classroom. We were greeted by 9 children dressed in robes of a brown hue - that covered one shoulder and were floor length. We observed as one of the interns of TEFL taught 2 lessons in 2hrs. After we finished with our looong observation we loaded back up into the Baht Bus and headed back to the school. *LUNCH BREAK* After lunch came the hard stuff. Not necessarily difficult but more of the meticulous sort. Lesson plans. Ohhhhh lesson plans. 7+ pages of detailed descriptions of what you plan on teaching, and how you will go about teaching it. d.e.t.a.i.l.e.d like crazy. Taking a little over 3 hours to finish, not including another 3+ hours for the materials that need to be made up for the ie; recorded tape, pictures (9 double-sided), cheat sheet (helpful), worksheet of four 4-line dialogues to be written up and copied (20). I have a new respect for teachers, FOR SURE. But, hey, no complaints here. Truth be told, Im excited. A new journey has begun.

AaaH-Ra-Ra-Boom-Dee-AiY here I come.

Day 12: Last Day Man...

The days of tedious classroom note-taking and seemingly endless chatter are finished! - for the TEFL course that is... Today was the last day of mind-numbing nonsense, and now onto the real deal. Its showtime baby! Starting tomorrow our class observes a classroom full of young adolescents being taught by a TEFL intern. We will observe and take note of how the class is being taught, what is being taught, and what we can take away from this experience. Next week comes our own opportunity to teach, starting Monday the magic begins. Prayer would be much appreciated, Its definitely a new book I haven't read and i'm kind of just diving into it. Prayer for confidence, courage, compassion, organization, strength, and magnificent teaching skills would be fabulous ;)

Love to all!

Day 11: My Life Is Not My Own

Late into the night, as the skies opened up and continuously rained buckets, I had a great conversation with a guy who is also a student here @ TEFL. He began explaining to me how he has made some mistakes in the past and according to what he’s told me he has stumbled upon many unfortunate scenarios, and wrong-place-wrong-time kind of deals. Now, Im not going to delve into detail here because that’s his business not mine, but during a part of our conversation I was struck with such a revelation where for a moment I could definitely relate. After his stories of tragic past events he started explaining to me that despite all that he has done and all of the misfortune that he has endured whether out of consequence or just plain bad luck; his father, unjudgingly, has always been there with unconditional love and no matter the circumstance, he was there... ALWAYS. He then continued saying how he would do anything just to make his father smile - give him something to be proud of, and to do something with his life that will somehow repay his father. As he was saying this, immediately, one thought came to my head, “aren’t I in the same situation?” I owe myself to MY father, Jesus Christ! The one who died on the cross, in unfathomable love for his children, to bail me out from a sentence of death and forgive me of all the sins i’ve committed (past, present, and future), yet I don't deserve any of it. I owe him my life. And just listening to the booming thunder and watching as the lightning flashed upon the entire ocean in the cool, black night, I felt the sheer presence of Jesus Christ, and I was filled with such a raw loving passion. I serve a powerful God. My God is here with me, and I am not alone. I want to make my Jesus smile.

Day 10: ...and spiders, Oh My!

Another long day of classes followed by Pad Thai and a noncompetitive game of billiards. Nothing eventful until later in the evening as I was getting ready for bed a HUGE spider trickled from the ceiling, spiraling down his web. As I was getting ready to smash him with my slipper, mid-air, he jumped from his string of silk and began scurrying (the fastest I had EVER seen) across the floor towards my feet. I then laid my slipper so hard on his rear end, that I broke two of my nails (I hadn't noticed until after the fact). Praying with all of my might that there would be the body of a dead spider under my slipper, I lifted it up, and sure enough a crumpled lifeless arachnid lay in the middle of my floor. Using my slipper I shoved him under the bed. Feeling accomplished and powerful, as well as a little squirmy, I hopped into bed very proud of myself.

Day 9: Grammar sucketh, it do

Class begins again! It is monday, and weather has set the tone for today; overcast with a very high chance of dull. Our lesson today - grammar. Just the thought of making the English language even more complicated than it already is send chills up and down my spine, and back up again. I never liked grammar and I never will, and thats that. Good news though; I wont be needing to teach it when I go over to teach in Laos. Thank the Lord Almighty!

Another interesting experience (having absolutely nothing to do with grammar); last night after I had fallen asleep I awoke to find that the power had gone out, the only reason I knew this was because my air-conditioner wasn't making any noise, and there were flashes of lightning sparking outside my window, so I could only assume... anyways, thought this would be blog-worthy.

Now, I believe I will finish off my day with a banana smoothie, and thanks to computers with DVD slots, a visit from my personal trainer Jillian Michaels.

I love her.

Day 8: Lockdown

Thats right. Its lockdown time. Meaning my door is locked, and Im lying down. Its time to get down to business and get this class work finished. I have devoted all day to get this done and by-golly ima get it done. So "la gon-ca" for now. Time to get busy.

Day 6 & Day 7: Koh Samet Island

After today's student profiling, the majority of our group had planned for going to Koh Samet which is an island just a boat ride away from Ban Phe that takes only about 15 minutes. The whole reason for our Koh Samet trip is that some of the students had met with a man who works for a resort located on the island who had promised 3 free rooms for one night. The catch? We were the inspectors, so no catch. at all. SCORE! By them having us as inspectors of the resort they treated us absolutely amazing, and of course they got a fabulous review out of it. Upon our arrival to the island we were greeted by Roy (man who gave us freaking amazing deal) and were showed to our rooms. After depositing our gear we walked out to the beach where lo and behold was a candle-lit dinner table set up under the stars. Free dinner. Course after course loads of food were spewing out of the kitchen; rice, curry, potato chowder, the moistest bread-rolls you'll ever eat, prawns, sweet&sour chicken and veg, complete with your own personal foot-long fish. And if this weren't more than enough, there was a fire show during the meal, where men with sticks light them on fire and do all sorts of stunts and tricks. A-maze-ing. How lucky am I to be with such great people and get to experience all of this? Just another day in paradise.

Day 5: Banana Shakes

During class today we had one of the students come in late because he was apparently attacked by a dog earlier that morning. The dog had bitten just above his heel and one of his canines had hit the bone. Pat was pleased to inform us that he didn't need stitches, was told he'd have a swift recovery, and he was only due to receive a 6 course shot for rabies (!). I had considered myself fortunate because just the morning before I had been on a walk when a dog had come out of nowhere and nipped at my ankles then ran away. Lucky for me, he only bit the air around my feet. But its just something to keep a on look-out for, pretty much the only danger in Ban Phe are the dogs.

Today for class we did student profiling, this is where we go to a Thai school and have an interview with a Thai student that supposedly can speak conversational English. No. When we arrived at the school we each had a student come up and pick us to interview. The girl that I had been chosen by was in uniform, had short, black hair, and only to be found out later did not speak much English whatsoever. Her name was Wanisa Wongong, I called her Fon. Following the lesson plan that I had constructed earlier we went through a series of simple questions (ie. whats your name? how old are you? when is your birthday?) I am learning to be more like Mr. Bean in that the majority of the time conversing with Fon is used using hand gestures, silly facial expressions, and a pen & paper. Whatever skills I have I use towards better helping her to answer the question. It is amazing the thrill I get when she answers my question correctly or is so very close in figuring out what I am trying to convey to her. The raw exhilaration of overcoming an obstacle and succeeding in something is, more than anything, what will keep me going throughout this course and my year spent in Laos.

That night myself and two of the guys from the course went out to the night market to spec out all the goodies. From chickens feet, to the whole half of a pigs face there was an array of food selection. I went for the vegetarian choice of Dim Sum and was quite satisfied. After the market we stopped by Christies for a banana smoothie; this is my new thing now. Forever and always will I live in a place where banana shakes are accessible for my consumption. These are the most delicious things on this planet that you will ever taste. nuff said.

Day 4: Karaoke sunset

Today I decided to venture out into town for breakfast, 2 min. later I was seated in a restaurant next to the school sipping a banana smoothie. Delish. The restaurants closer to the school are actually the houses of the family that owns the business. Very welcoming indeed.

During class we had another lesson in the Thai language; the 8-line dialogue that we had translated yesterday, we were to speak it, in front of the class. We did this by using the teacher/teacher method, meaning you would read the first line of the dialogue as one person then step forward spin a 180 and read the second line of the dialogue as a different person. This is quite an entertaining method and made for a fun class.

Lunch was Pad Thai w/ prawn on the beach and dinner was spent at a little westernized pub called Christies. I opted for something with some twang, so I ordered the Green Curry w/ seafood, like a party in my mouth it was. VERY delicious, with just the right amount of spice. Dinner was a great time of bonding with a few of the classmates and went long into the evening. After dinner as we walked to the school we passed by a karaoke bar. The sound of the music drew us in, and before we knew it we were up on stage belting out lyrics to "I will survive". Another great day in Ban Phe.

Day 3: Invisible Elephants? "No Problem"

There's a saying here in Thailand, in fact it is the unofficial motto of this island of paradise; "mai pen lai" meaning "no problem" or "no worries". They obviously swallow what they chew with this one, as their personalities always reflect. Slow-paced and 'lax are how these folks roll. And every turn I take, I am greeted with a "sawadeeca" and a smile. However, the living conditions they endure has you wondering why they even have a smile on their face at all. Well, here's the dish; here, life is not about material possessions (which it shouldn't be anyway, but people get so wrapped up with unimportant business and things of which should have no right of being held above another human-being that they become blindfolded from the things that should really matter). Friendship is far more valued than any tangible object, and they would do absolutely anything thing to help a buddy out (even a stranger for that matter). A complete 180 is what I have experienced, coming from a fast-paced lifestyle which what i've always known. Even living out it the country of the NorthWest cannot shield you from the hustle and bustle. No, more will I be ungrateful for a hot shower, a roof over my head, a car to drive, numerous numerous etc's... I have taken advantage and not realized EVERYTHING, absolutely everything that I've got going for me. I challenge anyone to just take a look at all that they have and count your blessings, your many, many blessings. Mine are infinite! Thank you Jesus

Today was spent learning the Thai language by writing an 8-line dialogue in English, and then going into town trying to get a translation. The people I was with, including myself, would have just gone to the few locals that we knew spoke English, but decided we were up for a challenge and ventured to the pier where we hadn't gone before. After many try/fail attempts we finally found a woman patient enough with us, between stick-figure drawings and hand gestures, to gives the interpretations of our sentences. After class the school took us on a complementary trip to the Rayong mall and night markets. Not much to be said about the mall other than it was really like any other mall. But the market would be much like you'd imagine a street market to be. White tents lined a lot near the mall, and made for much like a maze; in which I was the mouse. I would be so entranced in the uniqueness of the Thai clothing that I would lose track of the group and have to skuttle my way around searching for them. I finally met up with them back at the bus where we were to meet. APPARENTLY they had all gotten to see an elephant that had walked right through the middle of the tents in the market! Amazing. I missed him. How??! "mai pen lai" right? Im sure ill be seeing one in the very near future.

Day 2: Work Work Work

This morning class started at 9. But me, I was up way before then. My awakening all started when I had a very vivid, almost realistic feeling dream. In this dream I was laying in bed and it was very dark. I hear a knock at the door. In all stupidness I open the door and see a coal black silhouette of a man, standing there, just standing there. All of a sudden I get a gut wrenching feeling in my stomach. Then I wake up. creepy right?? I obviously woke up right away, then after taking a couple of deep breaths I decide to try sleeping again. If this dream weren't bad enough as it is as soon as I fell asleep the same. exact. dream. had reacurred. efffff!!! I want sleep! I then stayed wake because I was not about to dream that again... so at 4:40 in the morning I decide to turn on some tunes and wait out for the sunshine. As soon as the sun rose I was out the door and on a run, a nice, long run :)

Class was from 9a-4:30p. The object of this class was to experience how it felt learning a foreign language. By doing this the teaching taught a class entirely on Korean, which nobody knew a lick of, without speaking any English whatsoever. This is done by writing out the word, saying the word with emphasis on pronunciation, and using whatever pictures, gestures you need to get the word translation across to the students. very enjoyable. The latter of the class consisted of writing down at least 25 Thai words or phrases that you were wanting to learn and going out and about in town asking the locals how to say them. THIS was fun :) We got to converse with friendly people and got to sit down for some drinks as we chatted it up with the waiter, Tom.

At 6:30 the school hosted a 'Welcome dinner' for all of the students. Many dishes were available, fried fish, shrimp, a sweet/spicy soup, vegetables, pork and of course rice. Dessert was fruit and custard like squares wrapped in banana leaf and if you so chose, sprinkled with coconut.

Now here I am, after dinner, and incredibly sleep deprived. So I will have to say "ra te sawat"! (sp???) ( Goodnight in Thai )

Day 1: fabulous night, fabulous people

Before I get going on telling about my evening, i'll start y'all out with the start of my day.
Today was spectacular! This morning I organized my room and put all my gear away, and then took a walk along the Ban Phe beach. Beautiful. beautiful beach, beautiful people, just an overall beautiful place. Even the ridiculous amount of dogs roaming the street laying wherever they so darn please add a sense of rugged beauty. @ 4:30pm was the orientation at the school. This lasted about an hour and a half. After class the students went out to dinner and shared stories of experiences over slices of pizza. My evening ended after having to read 20 pages of text about teaching methods for English. yaaay. Its actually great to be learning again and staying busy. Especially in a place as beautiful as this.