I started compiling this information not long after I got here and the list has been growing ever since. I wanted to have more of this in my normal posts but I really didn't know how to fit it in.  So instead you get a summary of the Thai Culture in one big post - a la Megan Anton.  I thought it was fitting to post it this week since I have been here for just over seven weeks and I have about seven to go. So here is my take on the Thai culture - smack dab in the middle of my adventure.  Some of this information is common knowledge in Thailand, some I have learned from the experts and some is just my humble opinion.

Religion
Religion is extremely important here.  The country is 95% Buddhist and you don't have to look far to see signs of it. It is said that Bangkok alone has between 400 and 500 temples.  Religion is taught in school, morning prayers are said at assembly every morning and many times there is a small temple on the grounds.  Buddhism in Thailand is influenced by traditional beliefs regarding natural and ancestral spirits.  Offerings of food and water are presented to keep these spirits happy.  Many Thai households own 'spirit houses', a small ornate and colorful house where they believe the household spirits live.  If these spirits aren't happy then it is believed they will inhabit the larger house and cause chaos.  You can find these spirit houses outside of almost every Thai home as well as in public places, where people make public offerings.  Monks are high in the hierarchy of Thai society and demand their own religious protocol.  Thai monks are forbidden to physical contact with women, so therefore women are expected to make way for passing monks to make sure that contact does not accidentally occur.  When making offerings, women place donations at the feet of the monks since directly handing things to the monk is not allowed. 

King
If religion is number one in Thailand, then the king is number two. Thailand has been a constitutional monarchy since 1932 and the current king, King Bhumibol Adulyadej or King Rama IX was corrinated in 1946, making him the longest ruling monarch in the world.  The king is well loved and respected through out the country and you can see his picture and flag just about everywhere.   But take this information with a grain of salt for it is a crime to disrespect the king in anyway.  People are still punished for criticizing the king. It is also rude to step on any Thai currency that has fallen on the ground, since the king appears on all money.

Attitude 
As in many Asian cultures, the notion of face is very important in Thailand.  Thai people generally don't show emotion and one should be careful to place blame or do anything to cause another person loose face.  It is very important to stay calm and avoid conflict.  Disagreements and disputes are often settled with a smile and the phrase ‘Mai Pen Rai’ meaning ‘it’s nothing’ or ‘it doesn’t matter.’ This reflects the disposition towards minimizing any arguments whatsoever. The idea of individuality is virtually unknown here.  The society as a whole is more important than the individual members and it is best to follow the crowd.  Children are never taught the phrase 'just be yourself' and 'everybody is special.'  Rather prefer not to stand out from everybody else. 

Head & Feet 
A very important social norm here is the respect shown to a persons head.  It is the highest part of the body and therefor should be respected.  It is rude to touch somebodies head, especially strangers.  (This is a tough one, especially working with children)  It is also considered rude to place your feet above another persons head, mostly because the feet are seen as the least important and dirtiest part of the body.   One should never point with their feet or move anything with them.  You should also never step over people, books or food.  General rule of thumb is to avoid showing the bottoms of your feet to anybody.  (It's harder than it sounds.  I'm always putting my feet on chairs while I'm sitting down or crossing my legs so one foot is flapping around.)

Respect
If the culture of Thailand had to be summed up in one word, for me it would be respect.  Children are taught at a very young age to respect their elders and how to perform a wai, the traditional Thai greeting.  When walking past adults or strangers, children will lower their heads or bend down a little bit.  It is considered very rude to walk proudly past somebody or stand over someone.

Thai culture is also very polite.  When speaking with others, especially strangers, Thais will always add Kha (females) or Krap (males) to the end of the sentence.  After a few exchanges the Kha/Krap is dropped and the conversation carries on.   Sometimes it is used to say 'yes' or agree with somebody; or to mean 'this one please' when pointing at something.  There is no translation for it and it is strictly for politeness. (My boss at my school in Bangkok would often use it even when she spoke English.  I often heard her say "Good Morning Kha")

Beauty
Appearance is very important to the Thais, especially women.  They take pride in their appearance and will go to great lengths to keep their skin out of the sun.  Women often wear removable sleeves when in direct sunlight, and guard their face with umbrellas, newspapers, large hats or whatever they can find. (although this does seem to help with the heat somewhat)  They even go so far as to whiten their skin.  Almost all beauty product come with some sort of whitening agent in them, and I mean all beauty products.  Lotions, sunscreens, face wash, body wash, even deodorants have whiteners.  I have to spend extra time in the beauty department reading labels to make sure I don't accidentally buy something with a whitener in it.  I'm not comfortable bleaching my skin mostly because it's not good for you, but also because I feel like I am pale enough already and I don't need lotions to make me any more pale.  Frankly I'd like to try to get less pale while I'm here if I can.  

Food & Drink
Thai food is notoriously spicy and full of robust flavors, and with over 40 different ethnic groups- Thai food is extremely varied with many different ingredients and preparations throughout the country.   They use a variety of spices such as lime, garlic, lemongrass, basil, cilantro, as well as various types of chilies and curry pastes.  Pork, shrimp, tofu, sausage and chicken are the most common 'meats' in any dish.  It is very rare to find beef here as Buddhists don't believe in eating anything bigger than yourself.  Staples include eggs, rice, and noodles. Vegetables include eggplant, potato, cucumber, tomato, pumpkin, morning glory and bean sprouts.  Thai fruit includes your well known apples, bananas, pineapples and grapes as well as rose apples, guavas, mangoes, limes, coconuts and many many others.

Pork fried rice; red curry soup with chicken, vegetables, and white rice; a spicy papaya salad called Som Tam which features tomatoes, garlic, chili, cucumber and long slivers of papaya; Pad Thai, a fried noddle dish with bean sprouts, egg, cilantro, lime, fish sauce and peanuts are all among my favorite Thai dishes. 

In my opinion, Thai iced tea and coffee are the best there around.  The Thais make a mean iced tea, brewed from strong black tea and sweetened with condensed milk.  Thai iced coffee is brewed using strong black coffee and sweetened with sugar, heavy cream and quickly poured over ice.  Both are sweet, cold and cheap and feel amazing in the sweltering Thai sun.  God bless the Thais!

One of the best parts of eating in Thailand is the condiments.  A variety of sauces and spices are served with each meal such as sugar, sweet chili sauce, dried chili flakes and nam pla (literally means chili water) consisting of fish sauce, garlic, lime juice and chopped chilies.

Thai food is eaten with a spoon in your dominant hand and fork in the other. The fork is used to push food onto the spoon, which is really an efficient system for shoveling tasty Thai food into you mouth.  Chopsticks are only used for noodle dishes or soups.  It is almost impossible to find a knife. 

It is impossible to sum up variety and diversity of any culture's cuisine, especially Thailand.  I have left lots of important things out, (street food, desserts, fried foods, alcohol, I could go on) but this is just small sample of what I have found to be my favorite. 


Other Random Facts: 
Family is very important, as reflected in the language.  There are 4 words for aunt and 4 words for uncle alone, depending on whether it is your mother or fathers older or younger sibling. 

When beckoning people or hailing a cab never gesture with your palm up, rather with your palm down, palm up is reserved for dogs. 

In the Buddhist calender it is the year 2555, but calendars with include both years.  The number 5 in Thai is pronounced 'ha' so sometimes this year is referred to as the laughing year.  Likewise, when Thai's need to shorthand laughing on Facebook or Skype chat, instead of writing 'hahaha' they write 5555.  Kinda cute huh?

Wednesdays are considered to be unlucky in Thailand.  You are advised not to get your hair cut, get married or buy a lottery ticket on Wednesdays.  In the country many shops are only open for half the day or completely closed.  (I'm not quite sure why but I think it has something to do with odd numbers being unlucky) All days of the week carry a significance, with their own color, moon and God and the day of the week you were born on is said to have an influence on your personality and your lucky days and colors.

Maybe it's a case of the Mondays, but today has been as they say 'one of those days,' and those days are not easy to have when you are an outsider.  Needless to say, I stick out here.  At 5'6" I'm a bit taller compared to most Thai people, especially the women and I have long blonde hair and fair skin.  Of course I stick out, and I knew I was going to.  I knew what I was in for when I came here and honestly that was part of the appeal.  I wanted to challenge myself by living in a culture that was completely different than anything I'd ever seen.  Most days, it's great, but some days being an outsider is frustrating.  Now that I live in a small town with only a handful of other foreigners, I stand out even more.  Just by walking around town I can attract unnecessary and unwanted amounts of attention.  While walking to the grocery store today I couldn't help but feel like everybody was watching me; surveying me; trying to figure out what in the heck this white girl was doing here.  All I wanted to do was throw a bag over my head and run home.  Generally, people are friendly about it, they look at me with a smile as I pass, and I try hard to muster a smile in return, knowing they are somewhat skeptical of the newcomer.  But it's hard to ignore the all too common shouts of "FALANG, FALANG", which is the slang word for foreigner in Thailand.  It's not derogatory in anyway and it's not meant to be mean, it's just what they call us, sometimes we even use it to describe ourselves.  But after awhile, it starts to wear on you.  Every time I hear it all I can think is "Yes, I'm a foreigner, thank you for telling everybody what they already knew."  Basically, "Thank you captain obvious."  (I did learn how to say "that's correct" in Thai as a comeback, but I haven't gotten up to courage to use it yet.)  I think the hardest part for me is the fact that I can't do anything about it.  Thailand is a place where displaying emotion, especially anger and frustration, is unheard of.  It is seen as a sign of weakness and will get you nowhere.  When I get annoyed or irritated by all the staring and whispering; all I can do is bite my tongue and try to force a smile.  The concept of 'saving face' has definitely been one of the hardest parts of this culture to learn for me.  I don't mean to complain or sound ungrateful, I love being in Thailand and it's people are generally warm and friendly, but sometimes to really love a place you have to learn to take the good with the bad.  Some days that's harder to do than others.

It's only fitting that right after I told you about my 'normal day' as a teacher, the next is anything but.  Just when you think you have settled into a routine, gotten the feel for your new surroundings and started to feel comfortable, Thailand throws you a curve ball.   Today that curve ball came in two forms- Valentine's Day and a monkey.

First off, Valentines Day is a big deal around here.  The kids walk around with sheets of shiny, heart-shaped stickers, adhering them to anybody and everybody they pass.  It took Lauren and I twice as long to walk back from lunch today because students were stopping us left and right, yelling "teechur.. teechur" and affixing the small hearts to our shirts, delivering the best "Happy Valentine's Day" they could muster.  By the end of the day I could barely recognize the shirt I was wearing under all the stickers I had accumulated throughout the day. Presents and candy are plentiful and girls carry around massive bouquets of flowers, making them look like they just stepped of the stage of a Miss America pageant.  It's extravagant, to say the least, and puts even our most die-hard V-Day enthusiasts to shame.

The second, more unusual incident today happened during second period.  Students were trickling in to the classroom, I was sitting at the desk waiting for class to start, when a monkey scurried along a railing outside.  A few students shrieked but the monkey didn't show much interest in us so I didn't think much of it.  (Lopburi, the closest city to Ban Mi, is home to the famous 'Monkey Temple', a major tourist attraction in Thailand and is absolutely crawling with them.  Occasionally they do find their way here, but rarely. So, although I was surprised to see one in Ban Mi, they are not too hard to find.)  About 20 minutes later in the middle of my lesson, the little guy was back and up to something.  He got brave and climbed onto one of the small, shutter-like doors that swing out of the wall, then swung into the window to sit. Many of the students sitting along the windows immediately and justifiably, screamed and ran to the other side of the room. The curious little thing, scared by the commotion, quickly ran off before he had a chance to get into any more trouble.  All I could do was laugh, and when things had settled down many of the students were laughing with me.  I think they could tell from my dumfounded expression that a monkey entering the classroom was quite the foreign concept for me.  Stealing an expression from a friend, all I could think was.. Normal people don't have these problems!  Normal people don't have monkeys climbing into the windows of their classrooms!  As soon as I think I've got this place down, something completely unfamiliar ambushes me and I'm left with my jaw gaping wide open.  It's just another example of the ways Thailand is always coming up with ways to surprise me.

6:45-8:00
I wake up around 6:50am and get ready for school.  Eat breakfast, my only 'western' meal of the day, usually consisting of peanut butter toast, yogurt or fruit.  I pack up my backpack and meet Lauren in the hall around 7:25.  We walk downstairs, grab our bikes and cycle the 5 minutes through town to school.  This is one of my favorite parts of the whole day.  I love peacefully rolling through town, over the train tracks past the park and rice patties; kids crowded on to motorbikes rushing by, making their way to school.  We arrive at school at 7:30, drop off our things off in the Foreign Language office, work on a few last minute things and then go back outside to sign in and wait for the morning assembly.

8:00-8:20
The whole school is outside in the center of the campus, shaded by tents and trees.  The students sit on the ground by class while teachers mingle around the perimeter.  A few announcements are read, the flag is raised while the national anthem is played by the school band and morning prayers are said.  Students are dismissed around 8:20 and they slowly make their way to class.

8:20-10:00
I teach for the first two periods today.  Students are slow to get to class, so by the time all of the students have arrived its 8:40 and there is only 30 minutes left of the 50 minute period.  This is obviously nothing like the 6-minute hustle I experienced in high school, were sometimes all you had time to do was go to your locker and sprint to the next class to make it on time.  It's just another symptom of the laid back attitude of the Thai people and something we playfully refer to as "Thai time", as in 'I'm-taking-my-time-and can't-be-bothered-to-hurry' time.  (This all could very possibly be due to the fact that most of the time it's too darn hot to move fast)  It's taking some getting used to, especially since I have been known to be just a tad impatient, but I'm reminding myself that things move a little slower here and I need to adjust to how they operate, and not the other way around.  I teach period one from 8:40 to 9:10 and period two from 9:30ish to 10:00.  Since I have come in to the semester so late, I am mostly working on review with the kids.  It's hard to teach new material to 24 different classes (4-5 classes a day and never the same class in a week) without knowing their skill level or what exactly they have worked on so far, all with little to no time to prepare.  The first 3 days I taught an introduction lesson.  Most of the kids seemed interested to learn about where I come from, my hobbies, favorite food, etc.  They really got a kick out of the fact that I came from a place where it was -8 degrees Celsius and snowing.  After introducing myself, to get a better feel of skill level I have the students write down a few things about themselves and if there was any extra time we played a vocab game. (yes, already on the first day)  Lauren was nice enough to give me some of her leftover worksheets so this week I am teaching a lesson on articles of clothing.  I start with an activity on the board to get students to group articles of clothing into different categories like summer, winter and footwear.  Then for the last 10 minutes I pass out a fill-in-the-blank worksheet.  I adjust the lesson for each class's skill level as I need to and taking out parts that didn't work and by the third or fourth lesson I usually have it down.

10-1:20pm
Today I have the next two periods off, which I spend in the office working on lesson plans or catching up on e-mails.  Around 12:30, Lauren and I walk to the Canteen across campus to get lunch.  It's always white rice with a choice of stir-fry topping.  I usually go for a chicken curry or something with lots of vegetable that's not too spicy.  It costs 18 Baht ($.58) and honestly it's pretty good for a school lunch.  We eat in the air-conditioned office, escaping from the heat and the kids, and relax until its time for class again.

1:20-3:50
Most afternoons I teach the last three periods of the day back to back, and an after-lunch slump combined with the heat and humidity often makes for a long afternoon.  Luckily, most afternoons I am in my favorite classroom, 443 on the top floor of building four.  It is my favorite classroom because it has the best views of the surrounding area.  To the left side of the classroom are two steep hills covered in lush forest and to the right- its rice patties and palm trees as far as you can see, red and golden roofs of temples sprinkled onto the landscape.  The city of Bangkok was loud, confusing and sometimes just plain suffocating.  With all the congestion, noise and a seemingly endless supply of skyscrapers, it often felt I could be in any major city in the world, but seeing the Thai countryside again is a breathtaking reminder of where I am and how lucky I am to be here.  Needless to say, I am loving being back in 'real' Thailand again.  Just as London isn't really 'English' nor is New York City authentically 'American,'  Bangkok isn't 'Thai'.  It's not that I don't love Bangkok; it's a great city, packed with action, history and tons of entertainment, but I don't feel like the city does Thailand justice.  That's also not to say that I even know what the real Thailand is or what would do it justice, a more accurate way to say it might be Bangkok isn't my Thailand, the Thailand that I fell in love with the second I arrived.  I teach my last three classes with the fan fixed on my face to keep cool and dismiss my students at 3:50. 

3:50-5:30
I go back to the office, gather all of my things and cycle back home.  As soon as I get to my apartment I turn on the air conditioning for a much needed blast of cold air and spend the next couple hours relaxing.  I usually read, watch a TV show on my laptop or like today, do some laundry.

5:30-6:30
Dinner time.  Since my kitchen only consists of a fridge, toaster and hot water kettle, I almost always eat out for dinner.  Some nights Lauren and I might cycle to a restaurant to enjoy some pork fried rice or red curry soup, other nights dinner is as simple as instant noodles from the 7-eleven downstairs, but today is Monday  and around here Monday means night market.  So around 5:30 we hightail it across the street to grab a plate of Pad Thai (me) and Sushi (her).  Wondering how were affording all this eating out business on a teachers pay?  Well true to it's reputation, Thailand is quite cheap.  A bite to eat from the night market will run you about 30 Baht ($1) and dinner at a restaurant costs about 100 Baht ($3.30) depending on what you eat of course.  I am quite spoiled here yes, but if my 100 Baht means more to the local restaurant owner or shopkeeper than it does to me, then I'm happy to spend it. 

6:30-10:00
I spend most nights relaxing, writing, editing pictures or watching a movie or show on my computer.  I do have a television in my room but I've only turned it on once to confirm that all the channels are indeed, in Thai, so my computer and books have been my largest source of entertainment thus far.  I shower and get ready for bed, which comes pretty early around here.  Most of the time I fall asleep before ten.  It's not the most dazzling or thrilling life but it's both rewarding and humbling. 

I had a wonderful weekend in Bangkok, but mostly lazy.  It's hard to get a lot done in this heat.  I dragged my heals as long as I could on Sunday, but around 7 that night I begrudgingly hopped in a cab back to Bangbon. 

Monday morning I received the much anticipated call from my project coordinator, Phil.  He said that he had found me a school in Lop Buri, 3 hours north of Bangkok, and that they wanted me to start right away.  That afternoon I gave my boss my notice (yes, only one day) and went home to pack, spring in my step.  Tuesday was my last day at Sarasas and the only thing I was sad to say goodbye to was the kids.  The little ones are full of so much energy and spunk.  They are always smiling and waving to you in the halls, saying 'hello teacher' or 'good morning Teacher Megan' if they feel like showing off their English skills.  (I have to admit, I will also miss my 'contraband' 15 Bhat ($.50) iced coffee purchased through the school fence everyday at lunch.  That stuff was good.)  Tuesday after school, I turned in my key and left without looking back.  

My new school is called Banmi Wittiya School, located in Ban Mi, Lop Buri.  To my delight it couldn't be more different from Sarasas if it tried.  Its a in small town, but that's seriously preferred over the cramped and dusty city; it's a public school, Sarasas was private; my new school is a secondary school so I am now teaching high school instead of 1st and 2nd graders; I am one of two foreign teachers instead of being one of fifteen; there is no curriculum for the English department so now I am making my own lesson plans instead of teaching from a pre-approved book.  Most importantly, the atmosphere here is relaxed and informal.  Foreign teachers aren't expected to sign one year contracts like at Sarasas, and they understand that we are in Thailand not just to teach, but to travel as well.  It is so relaxed in fact, that by the time this school term is over, they will have had four different teachers in my position.  The Thai faculty don't seem to mind, I think they are just happy to have us here.  Maybe it's the fact that I am in a significantly smaller school or that I'm now 50% of the English department, but I definitely feel like I am more appreciated here, which is always a nice feeling.  The other 50% is Lauren, a 23 year old (Rachel McAdams look alike) from Manchester, England.  She has been teaching at Banmi Wittiya since the beginning of the term in November and has been nice enough to show me around.  We live right next door to each other so we bike the 5 minutes to school every morning, and back home again after school if our schedules match.  Having her around has made for a effortless transition.

So far, the only downside to the new arrangement is that its not going to last.  The school term ends on March 2nd so that only gives me three full weeks of teaching.  I will just be getting settled by the time I have to leave again, but by now I am getting rather used to it.  It seems like as soon as I get comfortable with my new surroundings I have to repack my suitcase and relocate. (although one of those times was of my own choosing) At the end of the term I will most likely go back to the Twinhouse and volunteer at the orphanage, but I have no intention of deciding that today. Right now I am an English teacher, worrying about lesson plans and grading papers. 

I am also happy to report that I have entered the 21st century and have internet in my room so I will be able to update you more on teaching and my daily life here.  I'm also working on a link to see more pictures.  Stay tuned. 

Two weeks have passed since I moved away from the Twinhouse and into my new ‘home’ and to say the least, it has been a rough transition. It was a rude awakening to leave a place where you were always surrounded by people and then suddenly be dropped into an old, empty apartment. It’s definitely something I haven’t adjusted to yet. My first week was slow and boring, but I chalked it up to the lack of work at school and hoped it would improve in my second week. I tried my best to look busy and waited as patiently as I could for the weekend.

Saturday morning I was up before dawn, accompanying several of my new co-workers and boss to and awards ceremony in Lompini Park in downtown Bangkok. The school had received some sort of award so I was asked to come along for the ride, but I think mostly just for show. Something I have picked up on so far is that foreign teachers are often times just a ‘marketing tool’ for the school, especially large ones like Sarasas. The more foreign teachers a school has, the more a school shows them off and the more parents want to send their kids there. The quality of the English program itself often isn’t even taken into consideration, just the fact that we are there looks good for the school. The ceremony was uneventful and the fact that it was in Thai made it feel infinitely longer than it probably was. Things weren’t improved by the stifling temperatures and rising humidity. By the time we left at 10am, I was sticky, tired and ready for some air conditioning.

After lunch (on the boss) at a nice Japanese restaurant downtown, I parted ways with my coworkers and headed off to meet my friends. It had just started to sprinkle as I crossed the street and hailed a cab. You know that saying ‘When it rains, it pours?’ Well I think they were talking about Thailand because but by the time I reached my destination 45 minutes later, the streets were all but flooded. When I stepped out of the cab I was met with mid-calf high water and the fattest drops of rain I have ever seen. I quickly dipped under an awning with rest of the unlucky ones stuck in the unseasonal downpour and waited for my friend to meet me. I kept myself occupied by avoiding the critters looking for dry land and watching the few souls, shoes in hand; brave the street of ever of rising water. A patchwork quilt of tarp and plastic covered stalls lined the street as shopkeepers struggled to keep the water at bay with brooms. Thirty minutes and too many cockroaches later, a very wet Tobias showed up and we ventured out into the rain and a foot of water, towards the hostel. On any other day I would have been grouchy and complaining that I was drenched, but I was finally in Bangkok with my friends and not even a flash flood could kill my spirits. I was on cloud nine and would be for the rest of the night.

Tobias and I at 'Happy Bar'

After the water subsided a few hours later and the streets were mostly dry, life went back to normal, as things often do here in Thailand. Tobias, the resident Bangkok expert, and I spend the afternoon mindlessly wandering the ins and outs of Khao San, the infamous backpacker’s paradise of Bangkok, sipping Carlsberg’s and relaxing with foot massages (best $3 I ever spent). We met up with the rest of the Twinhouse gang for dinner and needless to say it was great to see everybody again. Spending time with everyone again was exactly what I needed after a week of boredom and monotony. That night you could find us either wandering up and down Khao San road, Chang in hand; or at Happy Bar, a favorite reggae-themed hangout of the Twinhouse gang. To top off a perfect evening, we relaxed with 3am foot massages (spoiled, I know) and lazily wandered back to the hostel, drunk with happiness.

The dreaded Sunday morning came, and whether I liked it or not I had to leave my friends and go back to school. All I wanted to do was go back to Sing Buri with my friends but instead I was left to take the 45 minute cab ride back to Bangbon by myself. When I got back to my empty apartment that afternoon I started counting the days until next weekend.

For the first few days of this week, I shadowed different teachers and was slowly given some classes of my own to teach. I taught mostly English and Phonics classes to grades 1, 2 and 6. I definitely prefer the younger ones; although their English is minimal they are so enthusiastic and love to participate. Getting a 6th grader to contribute is like pulling teeth, but when I ask a question to a grade 1 or 2 class, almost all their little hands shoot up in the air. Other than that, things at school this week have not improved as much as I had hoped. Spending time in Bangkok and having such a great time made me realize just how unhappy I am here at school.  I am not going to ramble about all the reasons why I don’t like it here, I feel silly complaining while I’m in Thailand. Basically I am finding it unwelcoming and lonesome, especially being one of a only a few teachers my age, and the only female. The other teachers are always complaining and the work environment seems overly political and tense. I constantly feel as if I am walking on eggshells.  For the past week I have gone back and forth several times, deciding whether I want to stay or not but there are so few pro’s to outweigh the many con’s. I have tried to stay positive and give the school the benefit of the doubt but I also know I don’t want to spend my time here unhappy. The teaching is great, especially the younger grades but that is about the only positive for me and I know the teaching will be great other places too.  Ultimately, I have decided that Sarasas is not the best place for me.  I have contacted my program coordinator and he is currently working on finding me a new place to teach.

Obviously much has happened since I last posted, but that's what happens when you don't have internet readily available.  Hopefully I won't have to wait so long to post again.  Spending another exciting weekend in Bangkok with friends and hopefully hearing some good news regarding a new placement as well.

Cheers!