Coconuts and Buckets

I'm back..relaxed, refreshed and a tad too tanned after a long weekend island getaway!

 

The second the school bell rang on Friday, 7 of us teachers got the heck outta there! After 3 hours in a private van, and 15 minutes on a speed boat, we arrived at the closest island to Bangkok, Koh Samet.

Our daily ritual, fresh fruit and coconut juice.

Beach flowers.

Clifford the Big Red Dog......the Thai version. Even though you can't tell in the photo, this dog was GIANT. To help keep him cool, the staff at our resort were constantly burying him in the sand.

The men's washroom sign.



One of the hundreds of sky lanterns lit each night.



Our days were spent lying on the beach, reading, swimming, snorkeling, and kayaking.. while our evenings consisted eating and drinking delicious things for several hours.



Fire shows every night.
This little cutie was about 5 years old, and already a pro.
Squid boats in the background.

Buckets.

This bar let random people jump through this flaming hoop all night. Not exactly the safest thing to do after consuming a bucket or two.



A Chang tower.

Hard to hate seafood when it's so fresh.

Drinking pina coladas while digging your toes in the sand.....
being a teacher in Thailand is tough.

Sold EVERYWHERE.

View at breakfast.

Stocking the kitchen.

Until we meet again, ocean!

All My Bags Are Packed, I'm Ready to Go

Off to the island of Koh Samet tomorrow! I am taking full advantage of the four day weekend we are getting. Sadly, Andy will not be coming with me. He is a busy man. He spent that last four days in Malaysia! More information and pictures to come....
This weekend, he will be flying up to northern Thailand for the grand opening of a school (run by the company he currently works for), and will be teaching the first few classes there.

I have been keeping busy here in BKK. I am sure I have said this before, but I am really enjoying my students again this year. They are a loud bunch, but a ton of fun. I started an after-school photography club with the elementary students. Some of them are pros at working a camera (and can teach me a thing or two for sure), others have trouble finding the on/off button. It will be interesting to see how the club unfolds.

A photography scavenger hunt.
Take a picture of 'someone sleeping'.

Last week, I attended my first Thai funeral. One of my student's father passed away very suddenly. As a teacher, it is not an easy thing to deal with. Traditionally, a Buddhist funeral lasts 49 days, until the person enters their next rebirth. The first 7 days are ceremonies at sunrise and sunset, complete with lots of monk chanting, offerings and eating soup. I attended one of these ceremonies. It was very interesting. We all ate candy to counteract the bitterness of death, and had red string tied around our wrists for good luck and protection. The body is kept in a refrigerated coffin, until it is cremated on the 7th day.

At this time last year, we were trying to escape the floods. Thankfully, we haven't had to deal with any of that this year. We will get to have Halloween at school!

Being away from home means missing out on a lot of celebrations. On Saturday my older sister is turning 29. Happy Birthday Jenny! On Sunday, her daughter is getting baptised. Happy Baptism Peyton!

Andy is always getting gifts from his coworkers and students. This is a box of food he got fresh from Vietnam, bought up north. I am not exactly sure what everything is, but it all goes into delicious, bite-sized wraps.

You are supposed to eat unripe bananas with their peels on, and unripe starfruit. I prefer my fruit ripe and without peels, but to each their own!

Island pictures to follow....

Happy Thanksgiving!

Another year of many things to be thankful for.

 

I am thankful for Andy and his skills.
He can finally play guitar here! His friend borrowed him a guitar.

 

 

I am also thankful for food.

I never imagined that we would be hosting a Thankgiving dinner in Thailand! Lo and behold, we did last night. We had a potluck dinner with some of our friends. There were a few key ingredients missing, such as cabbage rolls, perogies, and cranberries. However, we did manage to get most things! After hours (for real) of researching where to buy a turkey in Bangkok, we finally found a place. We bought two 12 lbs turkeys. I cooked one of the turkeys (my first time cooking a turkey- with help from a friend) in a toaster oven, and another friend cooked another one in their toaster oven. To be honest, with the lack of a real oven, I was a little doubtful the turkeys would turn out. They ended up being delicious!

 

 

Opening the first bottle of the night with an awesome moustache corkscrew from my bestie.
Unfortunately the moustache broke before opening a single bottle :(

Eggplant with mint and capers, candied yams, gravy, potatoes, and turkey... a fraction of the spread.

Two of the three different types of stuffing. Heavenly.

Some of the crew. It's a good thing we are all friends. We had to be in very close quarters all night.

Some of Andy's students came!

Hope everyone is having a great long weekend! Back to work on Monday for me.