My last day as a TEFL Teacher!

As I put the final touches on my packing in my even more bare room it hit me that this is the last time I will be seeing this room, this school, the students and my co-teachers. My room that once reminded me of a concrete prison, all white walls and no decorations, is now my home; my second home. These students are a part of me. Sure they make me want to pull out my hair and beat my head on the wall sometimes but from what I can tell that is the norm of teaching, and I won't get to experience this with them, I won't get to see them grow or see what the path they chose to take in this crazy wild ride called life. That is sad to me, but I know they will do amazing!

Just now I put my bag into the car to be taken for storage, and by this time tomorrow I will be half way to Cambodia. It is crazy to me that I will be traveling for 21 days with only a book bag full of clothes and essentials, but hey if Thailand has taught me anything it is that less is more, and there is no need for worthless possessions! WOW! Part of me is sad for the life I am leaving behind, yet a bigger part of me is thrilled to start a journey that I know will truly open my eyes even more. 

My dates for traveling and my future blog posts are:

September 26th-29th:                       Cambodia

September 29th-October 3rd:           Chiang Mai 

October 3rd-October 10th:              Krabi/Koh Pi Pi/ Koh Lanta

October 10th-October 16th:             Bali

October 17th:                                   Bangkok to NYC

October 18th:                                   NORFOLK,VA

Here is to traveling, seeing the world, and becoming a stronger woman! Wohoooooo Cambodia here I come!

How to become a TEFL Teacher

I've had several people reach out to me and ask about my journey teaching English in a foreign country; several well wishers, a few who thought I was insane, and an even smaller few who want to try it themselves, so here is my list on what to do if you are interested in becoming a TEFL/ESL teacher (as well as some helpful tips and tricks!)

1. Pick a country....or a few countries! 

I say this because some countries have more regulations on what you would need in order to become certified, as well as requirements on length of stay. Japan, South Korea, Turkey and the UAE all pay the most, upwards of $2000 a month including room and board and sometimes even a plan ticket. Those places usually require prior TEFL experience, but that being said if you really have your heart set on one of those then definitely go for it!

Side note: Keep in mind that some places do not allow women to be teachers, or to go out past certain times. Several places in the UAE have bans on drinking for men and women, curfews and clothing restrictions! DEFINITELY RESEARCH THE CULTURAL NORMS BEFORE PICKING A COUNTRY!

2. To get TEFL certified or not?

I didn't even know it was an option to get a teaching job and not be qualified, so that eliminated that question for me, but yes, there are jobs out there where you don't need anything but a bachelors degree. That being said, having a TEFL certificate will sometimes allow you to have a higher pay or more choice on where you want to go. I wanted to become certified because it meant that for the rest of my life I have the option to pack my bags and leave for any country I want, knowing I will be able to find a job, as well as having a lot of opportunities to tutor or teach back home. However, most countries are dying for native English-speaking (American, Australian and English, maybe even Scottish or Irish depending on the school) and would take a teacher who isn't qualified.

There are ways to get certified and then find a job on your own! See links below!

TEFL CERTIFICATION: http://www.bridgetefl.com/online-tefl-certification/  (always get the 120 version, as that is the standard!)

JOBS/GAMES AND INFO: http://www.eslcafe.com/

3. Program or no program?

Nothing is more annoying that having to pay thousands of dollars to go volunteer for free; teaching English is no different, except you get paid. While there are a lot of pros for programs there are several cons as well. I chose to sign up with a program BridgeTEFL (CIEE and OEG are big ones too-if you choose to go through them make sure to mention my name as a reference!). I chose this because A. I didn't know I could get a job without one B. I, as well as my family, was more at ease knowing I would be part of a group that gave health insurance, 24/7 support and gave me an orientation. Most programs will also set you up and get you placed with a school and give you visa assistance. It is also really nice to have a group of like minded people at orientation to befriend and have as traveling companions!!!! Those are the pros......

However, my pay gets docked about 5,000 baht to be sent to the program, which is super annoying and really I haven't needed the support so that is a moot point. Also, there have been several complaints that the program did not place the participants even remotely close to where the participants asked-I know for a fact that is true, but to be fair not everywhere is palm trees and rain forests. It also costs a pretty penny. Together, everything included it costed close to $1,500 dollars, not including flights. I was blessed that my parents had a 529 so it covered my certification as furtherance of my education, but not everyone has that, so it will take some saving up.

All in all I would say if you are not a well seasoned traveler go for the program. CIEE does not certify you, but BridgeTEFL did, so that was a huge help and they also placed me in a school and I didn't have anything to do but sit and wait for the phone call! Really it is based on your comfort and your desires, as well as your ability to network. If you can find a job first, then don't go for the program, but if you are scared of traveling or want help being placed you should used the program route.

INSIDER TIP: You can sign on for a program, get them to help you, place you and get you certified and then quit for a better job once you get to your country, but to me that seems rude and disrespectful to the school, but that is your choice.


4. What will I need to get? 
A. Letters of reference: I needed 2, but some need 3!
B. Your official transcripts from your registrar.
C. A letter from your registrar stating you did indeed graduate in X major at X date.
D. Your original diploma as well as a clear copy to fax/email.
E. Your tickets!!!!
_________________________________________________________________________________

Once you have gotten accepted and placed you will need to:

A. Obtain a visa...which is much trickier than one would think. You can use an agency like Travisa which is what I did, but it costs-you will find that there will be a lot of costs for things you need......

     1. State level background check (There is a form online that you print out and then mail in to the State                    Police Department- $20)
     2. 2 Passport Photos (Walgreen's...about $12-which is an absurd amount of money I though for a pic!)
     3. Your copy of your diploma, official transcripts, letters of recommendation, completed background  
             check, pictures, letter from your registrar and proof of your transportation (print out the e-ticket!) to              the country you chose!
     4. Your actual passport!

You can send it, or go in person, to the Embassy and have it processed, which is mounds cheaper, but for convenience and depending on your time schedule you can go with an agency that does it all for you if you so choose. You will get your passport back in the mail with your Non-Immigrant B Visa which looks something like this:

(The stamp is from Immigration when you get here)

You will also need a Work Permit, but that will be arranged and paid for by the school! 

In closing, here are a few helpful hints!

• Never take a placement under the average pay grade for your country-do your research!
• Sign on a one semester contact. It is better to add on extra time then quite and screw over the school and lose out on your last month's salary. 
• Always make sure you're accommodations are being paid for, in addition to your salary,
• Never lose your passport or your Proof of Departure Card! 
• Mine is stapled into my passport and is the white rectangle you see at the left! It will be given to you when you get through customs. DO NOT LOOSE THIS! 
• Your passport number is just as important as your social in America
• Remember to enjoy your adventure, but not too much. You are a Teacher and you will be looked at to perform. You will be paid more than the host countries teachers, and you are expected to do a good job! With that being said, don't put too much pressure on yourself, the kids love games and movies! Roll with their excitement! 
• Traveling to a foreign country is only dangerous if you make it that way. Obviously, there are places in this world more dangerous than others now so that will be your choice to choose based on your level of comfort, but the horror stories of tourists going overseas and being "Taken" are not the norm. When your mom starts crying watching Law and Order: SVU and says it will be you in Thailand like my mom did; smile, give her a hug, tell her you love her and be safe when you travel! 
• Don't get drunk alone in a random city, especially as a woman. 
• Don't hire a prostitute and then get mad when you get robbed in the middle of the night
• Stay away from drugs
• Don't got into the jungle alone....I won't follow that one but you can if you like-I love jungles! 

Teaching is an amazing experience and I believe anyone with a heart of adventure would love this opportunity! You get paid more than enough money to live and travel, and you get to enjoy a long vacation and teach wonderful kids! It is totally worth it if you decide to take this experience! 

If you have any questions, fell free to message me or shoot me at email at sarahtabb2121@gmail.com

5 things you need if you want to teach in a foreign country

1. A VERY THICK SKIN! 

     I walked into a classroom today of one of my co-teachers and the students took one look at me and all busted out laughing. The preceded to stare, point and then whisper things to their friends and then they would all bust out laughing again. OKAAAYYYY Is there something on my face? No...hmmm on the back of my skirt? No....okay so they are just laughing at me. Word. Seeing as I trip, clip the desk/door, or accidentally throw my marker at a student (although I have been tempted to do it for real!) I am getting pretty used to being laughed at, and it's alright. Laughing with me isn't the same as laughing at me, right? 

2. PATIENCE and lots of it.

    So teaching a class of 20+ students a language that they don't understand is hard, but it's even harder when I have no idea what they heck they are saying. I ask a student a question in English and they respond in Thai. I have no idea what they are saying and they have no idea what I am saying. Take it back to the thick skin part- I do a lot of dancing, acting and sinking to help them understand, they legit say "Teacher you crazy!" Oh good, thanks y'all! In all seriousness though, teaching is hard work, which is then exacerbated by the fact that most of my students don't care, they are going to pass even if they fail every single assignment (that is the Thai system for ya), or they plain right just don't understand. It takes patience for the teacher and the student, that is for sure! It is most definitely a 2 way street!

3. The ability to say NO!

    I haven't quite mastered this one yet, but I am most certainly getting there. These kids say "teacher play a movie, teacher play game" literally every time I walk into the room. 90% of the time it is a strong battle of my will against theirs to not give in. I mean seriously they want to watch Disney movies...Do you know how hard it is for me to say no to a great Disney movie? Dag on near impossible! 

4. A healthy dose of humbleness and confidence

    You can do this yourself in the quiet of your room, or I promise you the students will do it for you. Nothing makes you feel inadequate quite like teaching the difference of 'your' versus 'mine' to a group of people who don't understand English. On the flip side, nothing will bring you down a peg quite like students who laugh in your face when you can't explain something. Take both in stride, and I promise it will be okay. In order to be a good teacher in a foreign country, in my limited experience, you need to know when to be humble enough to say "I need help, the students aren't responding to this activity. What should I do?" Similarly, you need a healthy dose of confidence to not give up on the students. If you are ballsy enough to pack your bags and travel to a foreign country for X amount of months, then have it in you to be a good teacher. That kid that laughs in your face and is the biggest distraction, has a heart of gold but stinks at English and needs someone to tell him he can do it. Trust me, I've seen it, they come around. 

5. A good support system and a sanctuary to refresh

   My parents always used to get so worried when I was in college because I would call them upset or angry about basketball or something my coaches said, and they would think I was depressed or having a break down, when in reality I just trusted them enough to vent. Teaching in a foreign country is the same thing. Whether it is parents, a relationship, friends, heck even your dog, you need someone or something to real you back in from your garden (As my grandma used to sing to me when I was pouting "No body likes me, everybody hates me, I'm gonna go in the garden and eat my worms. Big fat juicy ones, small little slimy ones, oh how they wiggle and squirm." That is what I call my garden, aka an child version of an adult pity party and trust me they aren't pretty). It also helps to have a place to go on the weekends. Chances are, if you go to a different country to teach then you have an adventurous heart, and a gypsy soul, kudos to you my kindred spirit! Go find a beach you love, a beautiful place to hang your hammock, a special restaurant with your favorite food, a lookout point high in the mountains overlooking the forest/jungle. Whatever it is, make it yours and go there when you need to get away and rejuvenate....aka get out of your garden!

BONUS: Have a great antivirus! Kids bring in flashdrives that have 20 viruses on it-it's nuts! Make sure you install one (take my word for it, as I did not, and now my technological advice doesn't work-yes Dad I will call Apple sooner or later!). 

My grandma's advice for solo travel

So I got to FaceTime with my family today and at one point my cousin Jonathan asked my grandma specifically "Do you have any travel advice for her?"

If you know my family, then you know they all chimed in, making the advice even more special. I got the be safe, be smart as well as the no tattoos with dirty needles...Now if you know my family then you also know tattoos are not a loved art form, so for them to say that means they have basically just accepted my off beat nature and my love for tattoos. They also spent a few minutes talking about my newest tattoo and the results were positive. HOORAY!

The best advice I got was simple, and that was from my grandma. She said "see everything"! How short and yet how powerful!

See everything.

My grandma is by nature eclectic to say the least and incredibly strong willed. I like to think that is where I get it from. The fact that I bite all my sea glass to make sure its real and have an obsession with obscure necklaces definitely shows I am part of her kin, so to have this woman who has traveled the world multiple times over tell me to see everything was truly inspiring.

It may seem like such a small thing, but any adventurer can attest to the fact that their dream is to see everything.

I want to see how people eat on the other side of the world. I want to know what it's like to walk the deserts, hike the jungles, play sports with the locals and see the beauty in the world. I want to know what Ankor Wat is like in the middle of the night basking under a million stars. I want to know what it feels like to go camping with the person I love under the Northern Lights. I want to see everything, feel everything and experience everything I can in this life.

I want the kind of stories that Buzzy told me when I was a kid; the kind that inspired me to see the world.

When I said to my aunt that I was ready to come home because I missed everyone, she said "you'll come home and it will be the same ol' same ol'." While I miss that tremendously, she is absolutely right.

I left with a great boyfriend, a beautiful apartment, a good job, a spoiled but awesome dog and living with one of my best friends. Guess what? I'm coming home to my great boyfriend, my apartment is still there as is my dog and all my family and friends. The job part is still in the air, but hey why fight God on showing my purpose. It will be given to me when He is ready.

Taking off for solo travel or any travel is scary, but really I can't see anything scarier than being 10 years in the future unhappy with my life because I didn't set out on a course to see everything and to fulfill my soul.

So Buzz, I will see everything and it will probably put me in some shady situations. I might get malaria from the jungle or frost bite from Mt. Everest (one day I will make it there!!) but I'll be darned if I don't see every inch of this world that I can while I still have the chance!

Besides Malaria is totally curable........... :)

Ayutthaya and Koh Tao (Turtle Island)

So it's been a while since I have last posted and while I would like to think people have missed my witting charming sense of humor, really it's just my parents who keep asking about it.
Alas...I will write anyways!

I haven't had much to talk about because I haven't done much until these last 2 weeks. I wake up, I teach, get frustrated with my kids, they make me laugh and I love them again, I sit at my computer until 4:15 then I go home. Nothing special really.

It amazes me how much I had not prepared myself to get into a rut if you will while here. Most people are like OMG TEACHING IN THAILAND! HOW AWESOME! At least I was, but it is a real job, I do the 8-4 job and pay bills. It isn't just going on rad adventures all the time, but luckily I was able to do some that I want y'all to experience!

Ayutthaya:

Ayutthaya was the capital of Siam, which was ruined by Burma when they were at war. Burma came in and destroyed these temples, desecrated the Buddhist statues by cutting their heads off and selling them and stealing the gold. Of out the destruction, Siam died and Thailand was born and now people from all walks of life are going to see these amazing ruins. Ayutthaya is a complex in the middle of the city and it is miles and miles of city and temples mixed! There were over 40 different complexes or monuments to see! To walk among this amazing place and feel the love that was here, the dedication to their faith from the Thai people and how massive and amazing the ancient Siam was took me by shock. I was standing watching monk walk through the complexes knowing that 400 years ago the monks were doing the same thing in a vastly different setting full of gold and beauty. This will definitely be one of my favorite places I have ever been too, and I hope that one day I will get to return!

Koh Tao (Turtle Island):

First off let me say, getting to and from Koh Tao was a royal pain in my butt! The bus rides to and from were ridiculously expensive (in Thai standards that is, in English it was only about 40 bucks, but I was able to do my whole Ayutthaya trip on about 55 bucks so a ton of money!) The window leaked when it rained so my seat was soaked, I was soaked and then the person in front put their seat back so I was so squished I lost feeling in my legs. I ended up moving and laying on the floor in the back of the bus. Definitely, a rough trip! However, when I got their it was amazing! I got scuba certified, which was about 3.5 days of a classroom/in water mix. I learned how to breath, use a dive computer, breathe with my buddy, use my compass to determine where I want to go in the water and so much more. 

I cannot even begin to tell you how amazing this experience was. Most of you know I have an unhealthy but totally valid obsession with the beach and becoming a mermaid. To be able to swim next to fish, and have large schools of fish swim around you is absolutely breathtaking and honestly, it is not something I can truly do justice when I am trying to describe it. You truly see the wonder of creation, the mysteries of the ocean and how insignificant my small problems were because underneath the surface are thousand so fish and marine life that will change your entire perspective of what a problem is. It may sound silly I know, but being under the water with the fish and just exploring clicked open something in my soul that I didn't know was locked. I have always been a water person, but know I am itching to get back out there, to spend every chance I have diving and exploring the open waters! I'm telling you it was like being in an underwater version of the movie Avatar; beautiful colors, marine life that I didn't know I existed, things that looked like a bright blue or orange 2 inch Christmas tree that would slam shut into the coral if it got scared. It was WILD and AMAZING!

It also made me really want to be a dive instructor haha. They sat around on the beach all day or in the boat and got to teach people how to become one with the ocean and all that accompanies it.

I don't know what my next adventure will hold but and it might be a few weeks off, but I know it will be amazing and I am so looking forward to it!

Not all who wander are lost....

Hey Ho! Greetings from Thailand!

Just wanted to update y'all on what is going on in my life!

So far I have ridden elephants, visited temples, had Buddhist nuns welcome me into their sacred tabernacle and bless me, made friends with an orangutan, eaten a scorpion and a lot of other foods that are said to be chicken but I am not so sure, visited some of the most beautiful beaches in the world, gone to Erawan Falls- as 7 tier waterfall and swam in lagoons on the top of a mountain, visited the King's Palace, fed a giraffe, made friends with the street dogs, met countless friends and have taught wonderful (and sometimes not that wonderful when they are in a mood) students!

But my adventure still isn't over!

I have made plans to go to Cambodia and see Angkor Wat.
Visit Ayuttaha- the ruins of one of the most beautiful temples in all of Thailand.
Visit Chang Mai and Chang Rai to trekk the jungle, go zip lining, meet people from the hill tribes.
Go to Koh Tao at the end of July, get scuba certified and dive in one of the best locations in the                 world.
Spend my last days laying on a beach in Krabi, climbing rock cliffs that jut into the ocean so if you          fall you land in the water.
Go to the Philippines and potentially get a tattoo by the last remaining warrior tattoo artist in her area
     (she is 92 years old). Don't tell Mom!
Have all of my students pass their mid-terms and finals as well as their speaking test.
Hopefully inspire students to study English in a different country of their choosing!
Also, kick their butt in basketball! :)
To make amazing lifelong friends!

It is crazy to think how much I used to think of myself as an adventurer. I used to be the daredevil of my high school group. You put Robert and I in a group and we would def. be down to do some adventurous things, while all of our friends stared and said we were crazy. Here though it is a different story. So many of my fellow Farang (Foreigner) teachers also have adventuring souls. I spoke to one teacher who I am friends with went running with the bulls and spent his whole time in Africa living with what he had on his back! Then I have met others who have traveled all over the US or have done semesters abroad, and I can finally say I have met the kind of people that everyone wishes they could be friends with. The kind that dream about going on adventures and actually go, even when it is scary.

My life is filled travel, good energy, good food and lots of adventure! What more can a girl ask for?!?!?!

Here is to you people who want to pick up and go on the grand adventure that you have been planning since you were in your twenties, or y'all who are just out of college and don't know what to do. Go travel. See the world. Meet new people. I promise you the 9-5 steady pay check in a job you hate will be there when you get back. Why wait till you are older and have families of your own to travel. You will end up telling people like me how much you wish you could have gone on adventures! So do it! Go far away!

Aside from the plane ticket ( which with points, like I used, and rebates and go fund me accounts you can get your ticket paid for) there really doesn't need to be a financial burden. Waitress if you have too, play guitar on the street, teach-there are so so many opportunities all over the world that are dying to have English teachers, shoot sell the clothes off your back if you have too. People say traveling isn't cheap but I say you are wrong! Travel is very cheap, it just depends on if you want to live like an American or if you are willing to adapt. Plus the opportunity cost for killing your dream is much worse than paying for a ticket.

 

How to live a life without regrets

I got an email from my dad the other day with a link to a soccer player who missed the goal to win the game. The email said "this makes missing those free-throws seem not so bad." My initial reaction was "cool Dad thanks for reminding me" but then I started thinking, hmm I wish I had done more. 
There are a lot of things I wish I had done better, said better or that I had acted better, but there are only two things I really truly regret. Two things that given the chance I would go back and change. The first deals with another girl who I hurt unintentionally and the second was when I missed those free-throws. 

If you know me, you probably know the situation. There was 1 min and 31 seconds left in our tournament game and we were down one. We were playing a team we had beaten twice. I was fouled, and  being an 80 something percent free-throw shooter, I walked up to the line thinking "shoot I got this, we are gonna win this game no problem." I missed them both. We lost the game. I spent 3 days crying about it, all the while having friends and family make light of it and I would laugh and try and pretend that my soul wasn't crushed, but it was.  I can't watch a basketball game without wanting to be out there. I can't watch a sports movie without crying and I'm sitting in my office on the other side of the world with tears in my eyes and the only thing I can think is I wish I could have done more. OH WAIT, I COULD HAVE! 
 I had a contract to go overseas to play basketball and fulfill my dream, and that fell through the weekend I was leaving, so I gave up. How many times do you let something break your heart before you walk away? I didn't want to hate basketball but I would have if I kept going down that path. It was the hardest decision I have ever made, and to this day basketball is still the only passion that has ever consumed me, the only thing that has broken me but I still love. 
Don't get me wrong, I have taken the path that God has destined me for, and I am exactly where He wants me to be, but dag on the journey really stunk sometimes. So how does this relate you ask? If you want to live a life of no regrets then DO MORE.

What most of you don't know about that game day is that we had shoot around and my free-throws were off, and I blamed it on the ball (we were in a rinky-dink gym with balls falling apart and the rim wasn't regulation). I didn't stop to think it was me. I got into the game and didn't think anything of it, until after we had lost and I wish I had done more, shot more, fixed my shot. 
You want to be a better athlete then do more. Do more sprints, and do them faster. You want to be a better worker, then get of FB and work harder. You want to be a better parent, then do more for your children and for yourself. Love your partner better because the relationship with your husband or wife is the kind of relationship your child will enter into. You want to be a better sibling, then be nicer (sorry Jimbo!). You want to be a better Christian, then love more. You want to get on a plane and teach English in a third world country (Message me! They need teachers badly here) then do it. You want to stop being such a jerk to people, then FREAKIN' STOP! It is not fun to go the extra mile, but it is not hard. Stop worrying about what will happen because if you heart wants it and you do everything, and I do mean EVERY SINGLE THING, you can do then things will work out, maybe not how you expect but the path will always be revealed. 
There is always something more you can do. You can always work harder. You can always get smarter. There are no excuses for not being your best, and I promise you not doing your best, not going the distance is something you will regret. Give everything you have though, all 100%, then there will be nothing to regret. 
When you come across a decision that needs to be made (good or bad) the best thing is normally the harder answer; the answer that requires the most discipline and sacrifice. Choose that path.  

 

The way to Heaven is through Christ, but the way to success (whatever that success may look like) is also a narrow gate that few find. 

Take the road, do the extra sprint, do the extra work, bring you spouse breakfast in bed. DO THE LITTLE THINGS-FOR THOSE WILL MAKE ALL THE DIFFERENCE. 

America meets Thailand

Most of you know that my parents came to Thailand this week and let me tell you it was somethin' else. While they are technically here (leaving in a few short hours) I find myself perplexed but intrigued by their departure.

If you know me at all you know I am a huge family person. My family are my people and I would do anything for them. If you know me then you also know that I am stubborn as a mule and don't particularly like being told what to do. SOOOO enter my family in Thailand, and here comes the questions and the lectures and the "Sarah do this, Sarah do that." Not quite a shock when it comes to me and my family, and while this drove me up a wall (as I suppose it always will) I have come to the conclusion that I really really missed it. I mean I didn't necessarily know it when I rolled my eyes at my mom or say "okay Dad I get it" but now that they are leaving it makes me realize how truly lucky I am; how blessed I truly am.
I have had people tell me how spoiled I am and I deny that 100%. I am blessed.

I am blessed to have a brother that spent his birthday in airports to come to see me and have an adventure. I am blessed to have a father who spent fathers day with me being stressed, and I am blessed at having a mom that wants to sit up and talk to me all night long, even if she is kind of nosy (I guess that is where I get it from) because her nosy isn't really nosy, it's caring! I have a wonderful family and I am so grateful to have them as a part of my life and to have them come visit me so far away.

ANNNNDDDDD now that the the sappy stuff is over lets talk about the funny stuff.

First of all America and Thailand are very different in so many cases, and my family witnessed it first hand.

My mom had a hard time getting over the smells, and trust me some of them are VERY hard to get over. Think the worst smell you have ever smelled and then double it.

My dad spent the week dealing with the humidity and how much you sweat whenever you go outside, because boy oh boy is it humid. The moment you walk outside you are instantly drenched in sweat.

My brother (and I) potentially got mites from riding the elephant and got a first hand account of what it would be like to be in a freak show performance. Jimmy is 6'2-6'3 ish and when we took my family around my school he got stares from everyone. The girls loved him and said how handsome he was (and some of the boys too!) and the guys all wanted to play basketball with him.

Weirdest of all though was when I took them to a hostel and they decided they wanted a resort. Here you can get a 4 star hotel room overlooking the beach in a swanky hotel for about $55. That seems like a great deal to a farang (foreigner) but to me, living here, holy moly I was living like a superstar. My drink at the hotel cost more Baht then about 4 meals that I have been eating. I actually took a bath (in a real bathtub) in 2 months- AND I LOVE LOVE LOVE MY BUBBLE BATHS! I had a cheeseburger with real beef and I swear I think I felt a tear of joy drop.

It was crazy!

It is amazing to me how some things change in the blink of an eye but some always stay the same. My parents still give me boy advice, and my brother still thinks he is cooler than me. However, now I miss it. I wondered if I would really change that much while I am here and I didn't think I had, but having my family visit made me realize how much I had and I am okay with that, because it has made me become an adult. It has made me recognize how much my parents and brother mean to me ( I always knew it, but living 25 hours away really changes that) and it made me realize that no matter how far away I go I will always have the support of my family, because I am so so blessed.

Having my family say they are proud of me for doing this isn't a testament to me, but truly a testament to them, because it is through them I get my strength, and my stubborn will power to finish things through, and this is one thing that I am looking forward to experiencing until the very last minute!

From "Sentimental" Pack Rat to Minimalist

I love my stuff, I won't deny it.
I love my teddy bears that I have had since Seth Sawyer and Nick McGinness gave them to me as get well presents for my back surgery in 9th grade.
I love the random decorations and pictures and books that I can't get rid of.
What can I say, I am sentimental.

However, being here in Thailand has taught me a bit about material possessions. I came here with one large suitcase to get me through 5 months. I had no room decorations, no special comforter (which hurt my feelings to leave at home), no feather pillows or a million movies, and SHOCKER, I am doing just fine.
Granted, I still have internet (most days), and a book to read, but as a whole I have learned that I do not need much to have a happy life. I have learned to line dance, I work out every day, am trying new recipes, found new shows, gone exploring, prayed more and all kinds of other stuff instead of sitting and wasting my time on buying stuff. True I want my comfy pillows and my mattress topper because I might as well be sleeping on the floor seeing as my bed is a rock, but truthfully I think I sleep better on a hard mattress. Something I never would have tried before.

I have closets full of clothes, and yes I miss them some days, but I don't really need them. Heck, I only wore my favorites, while most of my outfits sat in the back for that one maybe special event that I would want to wear them. Like the formal dress I bought (on sale mind you but still) to go to a play with family and Corey. I have a million dresses, did I really need a new one? No, definitely not, but I wanted one so why not. I am by no way saying to not splurge on yourself. If you work hard and have your bills paid then sure buy the dress, I did, so no judgment here. It's just that I had a million other dresses I could of worn, but I wanted a new one. I had a comforter that was great, but my new one was soft and I wanted it so I got it. Guess where it is now...in a trash bag in a closet. I didn't know how much of my materials were superfluous to my needs until I was without all of them.

It is pretty crazy to think that I used to spend so much money on groceries at home, and as a whole America wastes more money on unused groceries than anything else; myself included. "Oh I need a huge jug of milk because what if I need it." Yeah, I might have one bowl of cereal and a glass of chocolate milk. I don't even like milk, so why pay for the big container when I know I won't use it. WHO KNOWS!

My vans hold a very special place in my heart. I have maybe 8 pairs in all different colors. So when coming to Thailand I had to choose one pair to bring. So I did. In almost a month and a half I have worn them once I think. Crazy. I love coke and used to spend tons of money on sodas because they make me happy, okay great, but water is so much cheaper and so much healthier, so more money in my pocket (I still splurge and get a coke sometimes though, because what is life without a cold coke or a cold beer on a hot day-so worth the splurge).

All I am saying is that I have a ton of stuff sitting back home and honestly aside from my bed, and a room that doesn't have centipedes in the shower or lizard poop on the wall, I really don't miss much. I am content with what I have. I will always keep the teddy bears, the relics/clothes/movies/8th grade love notes from boys in my past, my comfy bed and my books but really I can't imagine going back to a room full of stuff I don't need. I guess that may be growing up or getting boring, not sure which one it is, but it's pretty nice having only what I need and not everything I want.

Caitlyn Jenner: A Christian's response and apology

Taking a leap here because I tend to keep my faith more personal but here goes nothin'...

I have been a Christian my whole life. It is something that I take pride in. I went to a Christian school, came from a Christian home, have Christian friends and a Christian boyfriend. I wear a cross around my neck that my grandmother gave me and I have a bible verse tattooed on my skin.

However, I have a tattoo, I have non-Christian friends and gay friends and friends who say they are Christian but know nothing of a personal relationship to Christ. I have 9 piercings, 5 tattoos and have doubts about my faith all the time. So go ahead and judge away, wouldn't be the first time and it won't be the last.

I say all this as to say that my Faith is very important to me, but Christianity and Christians are not perfect, far from it. I have had teachers tell me my family is going to Hell and I have had friends tell me I was the most liberal girl they knew because I have gay friends.

Whoopdy Freakin' Do.

I just read an article titled Caitlyn Jenner is Not a Hero, and while factually accurate (in terms of the definition of a hero) it is a blithe on the Christian name, and I apologize.

I will not say I agree with Caitlyn, nor do I think she deserved the award, but it has nothing to do with her transitioning into a woman. I do not think she deserved the award because I believe there are people more deserving; Lauren Hill for example. This article defined a hero as someone who put's their life above others, whose actions are not rewarded. To me this is what a hero is, some one who would sacrifice their life and happiness for the lives of others, or someone so passionate about a cause that they will take a stand not to fulfill their own desires, but to fulfill the desires of others, and this is why I do not think Caitlyn should be given this award. However, Caitlyn Jenner is a portrait of strength to the people who her lives have touched.  She has done what many people in this world lie awake dreaming they had the courage to do in order to be happy, and that is truly a feat in itself. It is courageous but it is not heroic.

The real bone I have to pick is not to decide whether or not Caitlyn deserves an award. I don't care whether she does or not. However, I care about the response that people believe to be the true "Christian way."
To say that God only makes a man and a woman devoid of imperfection would also mean that God only makes healthy babies; only healthy people. Which in turn means that the Devil is creating these people that aren't healthy. I don't know about you, but a child with an extra chromosome is still a gift from Heaven if you ask me, and I dare you to say that my autistic cousin is not a gift from God, because I am willing to commit that sin by slapping you for saying that. To think that God only makes wonderful and perfect things is damning all the imperfectly perfect people and events that happen in this world, and that is tragic. So many wonderful creations (people, experiences, character traits etc) are created from things not perfect, happy or wonderful, but I guarantee you they are worth while.

To be honest, I don't care one bit over some celebrity who was once a great athlete now turned walking mat for the Kardashians...Yea not one bit of caring happening here!! I do care about the press and the abuse people are getting from so called Christians. That makes me mad, and it makes me sad. Jesus ate with prostitutes, the sick, and the thieves, and you want to bash someone simply because he decided he wanted his man parts to become woman parts. REALLY! I have had several discussions with friends who don't share the same beliefs I do and the largest hindrance to them believing in Christ are his followers. That right there is the a hard pill to swallow. When did becoming a Christian mean we get to bash other people based on Freedom of Speech? When did becoming a Christian mean that we no longer let the light of Christ poor out of us onto those in need?

Being a Christian means being a follower of Christ. It means loving people like Jesus loved, which, in case you missed Sunday school, Jesus loved us so much that he died for us. That is a lot of love folks. BUT BUT BUT we don't care about how he loved right?? No, we only care about making sure people know it's against Christian doctrines for a man to want to wear a dress.

Get over yourself.
I am so sorry that many Christians think it is okay to play the role of God and decide to publicly humiliate and damn people. When you die on the cross, turn water into wine, or love people so strongly that it radiates for centuries and centuries then you can come talk to me. Until then, why don't we as Christians worry about praying for Caitlyn to have a happy life? Why don't we pray that our next president is a man of faith and courage? Why don't we pray that we find a solution to the thousands of children dying in Africa because it won't rain? Those all seem like more important things to worry about than a person on the cover of a magazine. The Church and the body of Christ is called to love your neighbor, to support the weak and the innocent, to feed the hungry, to clothe the naked, to give shelter to the homeless (Matthew 25:35-40). Don't you think that is more important? I do.

I am so sorry that many Christians spend more time discussing the small things like what to wear or not wear instead of discussing how to love people better. I'm sorry that you think being a Christian means degrading a person.

I am sorry that you are so worried about playing God that you forget to love people like God does.

Stop worrying over who is wearing a dress or not and start loving people for who they are. Let God decide what is right or wrong, and let us Christians make sure we are not a hindrance to others coming to know what real love is. Whether you believe Bruce/Caitlyn is right or wrong, who cares. All you need to believe is that God loves him/her so you should love him/her.

PS loving someone from a distance is okay. It is possible to show someone love and not agree with their beliefs or lifestyles. It is okay to show someone love and not want to be best friends with someone. Trust me there are many people who I do not agree with, people that have hurt me or hurt the people I care about that I would never willing choose to be best friends with, but that does not mean I do not love them as a human being with real feelings.

A big fat apology to all my previous teachers!

Being a teacher is easy. Who cares if I play with my phone in the back of the class. 20 minute bathroom break...SURE! As long as I'm quiet I can sleep. The only job of my teacher is to teach. Teachers have no life.

FALSE. FALSE. FALSE. FALSE.

Before I describe the awesomeness that is teaching, let me first apologize to all of my teachers and professors, as well as my mother who always said "teaching is hard work", which I never fully believed. I AM SO SO SORRY, FROM THE BOTTOM OF MY HEART. I had to apologize to my coaches for this same thing when I first started coaching. Teaching, like coaching, is not easy; not even close.

Having students play with their phone and sleep in class is annoying and demoralizing, and to their surprise I do have a life (all the classes think Jimmy is so handsome -UGH can't even protect him from the girls in a foreign country- and they give a collective awwwww when they see I have a boyfriend. So surprise, teachers do have lives). So, I will say it again, I am sorry for everything I put you through and every negative thing I have ever said about teaching in general. I came to Thailand to travel, to go on adventures and to find myself. Teaching was the means to the end. However, shocker, like everything about Thailand so far, I was so wrong. Teaching is hard work, and it takes time, effort and a lot of patience but it really is wonderful. My mom sent me an email to catch up, as is the norm for us. In this email a portion was dedicated to her giving me advice on being a teacher, and us trading stories and strategies. In one particularly interesting part she said "I am curious to see what you will do with this after you come home...if you will be interested in teaching ( something you said you were never very interested in)." Well I'll be darned if she wasn't exactly right. See my mom teaches special needs kids (shout out to all you teachers doing that, you are an angel from God and you deserve all the blessings this world has to offer), and I have always said " No way, not me. I could never teach. I am not patient enough."

This is true.

I am not patient, but all of the sudden I am a teacher and I am thrown into a world where I am forced to be patient (God's way of teaching me this character trait I suppose, because I am seriously lacking in this department). I teach English to students who range from the lower levels and saying the alphabet and a few vocabulary words to a YouTube star lady-boy (Which is a totally accepted phrase here and not seen as disrespectful at all) who speaks wonderful English. This entails lots and lots of patience. I go to the and write the sentence 'I need an apple.' Okay, no problem. Except I have to spend 10 minutes getting the students to understand need has a hard 'D' sound at the end. It does not sound like 'kneesd' as they say. Last year I would have thought this would have driven me up a stinkin' wall, but for some reason it doesn't. Interesting plot twist: I love it. Sure I might only be teaching the difference between him or her, but to watch students struggle to push through the initial disappointment of not understanding, to watching the light click on in their head is absolutely fantastic. These students love to laugh and they love to have fun (sometimes right in the middle of my teaching, but a halfhearted stern look reals them back in). I have 6 rambunctious English classes full of students who barely speak English, and I am about 99% positive they talk about me behind my back. One boy looks me straight into my eyes, says something in Thai as soon as I walk away from the table and the whole class laughs...yeah they are so making fun of me for something. Not that I have any clue what they are saying about me, but I am beginning to get good at bluffing like I know exactly what the little bugger is saying. Hey, if the students want to make fun of me then it is on them when they get embarrassed for me "fake" calling them out!!

I can't tell you that I have absolutely found my purpose in teaching, and that this is my life's ambition, but I can tell you that I think I am on the right track, if not for teaching then at least for finding myself.
A year ago being a teacher seemed like torture, this morning I woke up excited for class and enjoying making lesson plans (doubt that will last long though).

I don't know about you, but I like those odds.

Teacher (Ajahn) out!

In case you think moving around the world is easy: it's not

I have had a blast writing about all the amazing things that have been happening to me in Thailand, and don't get me wrong here, I have loved it very much. However, the glitz and the glam are starting to wear off and I find that it is time to describe some things that I HATE with a passion: emotions (YUCK!).

First, before we get to the aspects of moving away that aren't alluring or captivating, let me first say that moving to Thailand was the best decision I have made in my life, tied with playing basketball. Both of these things have and will continue to shape me into who I truly want to be in my life. Just like there were things that made basketball hard, there are also things that make Thailand hard.

I was so pumped to leave that it didn't hit me that 5 months is a really long time to be gone until about 3 days before I was leaving, and even then I was more stressed about packing and cleaning my apartment than actually leaving. So clearly I wasn't that worried right? HA WRONG! I sat on the plane and balled my eyes out. The poor lady sitting next to me! I tried to be quiet, but as you all know, quiet is not my strong suit in anything that I do. It is not easy leaving behind a grandmother that just had her 90th birthday, praying to God that nothing happens to her while I am gone, or my parents (who are coming to visit which I am stoked about!). It is not easy missing my brother's college graduation, Kat's birthday, My dad's birthday, Jimmy's Birthday, Rachel's birthday, Christine's birthday, Corey's birthday and so on (you get the point). I miss 4th of July, which is the best holiday ever, I miss the country concerts and the lazy beach days with Rachel where we gossip about drama and books and our relationships. I have to watch a girl move into my room, and get to miss all the amazing memories Kat and Ema are making right now (have fun girls, live it up!!). Basically, I miss out on a lot, not that this isn't totally worth it because it is and I will be around for next year, but it still is brutal when nothing is working out and everyone is asleep because there is an 11 hour time difference and all I want to do is call my parents and ask for help, because despite being on my own and being a fully functioning adult, I still talk to them everyday and I love them so much.

I get to Thailand, all pumped that I will be changing the world. Wrong again, the kid's barely speak English and most will never use it or understand the concept so I have been told. Imagine a balloon with the air being let out where it is making that annoying deflated squeak, yeah that was me when they told me that. However, they did tell me that the kids are amazing and they will listen and play games and they will try very hard. So, shame on me really because I somehow forgot that changing the world is not a drastic task, but a task completed by simply loving individuals enough to inspire them to be better than they ever thought they could be. Somewhere along the way of college and adult life I became much more cynical and I don't like it one bit, so I decided to become free of my cynicism. Not an easy task mind you, but one that needed to be done. I hate it when people say that its okay to guard yourself, it's okay to become cynical because people take advantage if you are to nice. Who gives a flying flip, be nice anyways. When they meet their maker, or whatever they believe in, it will be on their conscience. If I teach all 6 months and not one of them can speak English fluently, but they are all profoundly happier and more confident than before, then I have changed the world, but seriously lets hope they learn English!!!!

Speaking of things I got wrong, and the list is long over my short life, trust me, but Thailand is also nothing like I expected. I imagined it as National Geographic portrays it, all tropical mountains or white sand beaches. I didn't stop to think about what is in the middle of all that, real people who work for a living outside of cabanas and mountain shacks. People think Thailand is this amazingly beautiful place, and it is (take a look at my fb and you will see living proof) but there is a lot of poverty here. A lot of men and women who can barely afford to eat, scraping by on the money of tourists who are so happy that a meal costs less than 1 US dollar, or that I can get a hotel for the night for roughly $3.50. Crazy I know, and I love it too, but at the same time it is hard to see women who are in their 70's and 80's sitting in 95 degree heat trying to support their family. There is no chance in this world that I would let Buzzy do that. Yet somehow the people here are nicer than anybody I have every met. Think going into a country town where everyone smiles and waves. It is like that but even nicer.

Not only is the country different, but living here is different. My apartment is hot and very minimal and at first it sucked, but then (after a good two nights of calling my parents and Corey either crying or being a huge brat) my dad told me " Sarah you have air conditioning and a personal bathroom, you have it better than most people there." Boom talk about a total gut punch. Yes, I was being ungrateful and yes, I was being a spoiled brat because I wasn't close to the beach like I thought and the town was very industrial with nothing to do, my internet sucked, I can't find shoes that fit or clothes that fit, and I have hit my head on more signs and stands than ever before because I am a giant in the land of 5'1 women, but holy cow I was being such a diva. DOUBLE YUCK. Most of you know me, and that is not who I am. It is not who I was raised to be, and I am not the kind of girl that gets all pissy and annoying, I pull up my big girl pants and get done what I need to get done. I was raised playing mud monster in the back yard, sweating on the court and probaly getting most of my friends in trouble because I wanted to go climb some tree or hike some mountain in Utah (mom called the cops for that one-sorry again!)  So imagine my disgust when I was acting out some of the very traits I absolutely hate most. I realized I haven't been saying my nightly prayers, I haven't been exercising and I had only been talking negatively. That folks is not a recipe for success. So I figured things out. I got my internet to work by messing around with the IP address, so now that works. I bought two plants and hung some pictures, so now my apartment looks like home, and I just traveled to the most beautiful location in Thailand I think; Erawan waterfalls. I have amazing co-teachers, great bosses and a wonderful school. I can talk to my family whenever I want, and I found a website to watch Game of Thrones (That right there was enough to cheer me up). I also have access to travel to all these amazing places and countries. Now you tell me what the heck was wrong with me; nothing but pure selfish ungratefulness (while I sat in my garden and ate my worms) that's what. A big shame on me for that.

Luckily, I have created some fail safe methods to making sure I don't retreat back into being a brat.
These are:

Using the journal Rachel gave me to become a prayer journal. I've never been great at prayers so this will help make it routine and it will give me a chance to be honest with myself and with God. It will also give me a written reminder of all the good I have to be thankful for and all the bad that I am thankful for getting over.

I am going to set aside a certain amount each paycheck strictly devoted to traveling on my days off. This will ensure that I am still full of adventure and don't get complacent with watching the Vampire Diaries all day long.

There is a stairwell and pathway to cross over the road (think of a bridge) and I will get up in the morning and run the stairs and the pathway to stay in shape. One, because exercise is good for the soul. Two because I value my body and I want it to be the best it can be. Three, because my six back is now barely a 2 pack and I felt my thighs jiggle a bit more than normal while hiking to the waterfalls and I WILL NOT HAVE THAT, because that makes me sad.

I was told that there would be a low point while I am here, where it really hits me that I am not at home and that this will be hard. I have decided that the first week was going to be my low point, even though really it wasn't that low. I will go up from here because I am soooo soooo blessed to be here, and I truly am grateful for everything I have been given here, and I know that I have the greatest support system a girl can ask for; a loving God, a wonderful family, friends who will tell me how much they miss me and also tell me to get over myself, a supportive boyfriend and a stronger than steel willpower that will ensure I am on the right path. Hooray for finally getting over myself and making a choice to stop being the most annoying person on the planet. It is bad when you have to work, live or see an annoying person all the time, it is sooooooooooo much worse when the most annoying, irritating and bratty person is in your head. Not no mo'.

Toodles to you brat, and welcome back to the old me. It's been a while and I missed you.

Eastern Technological Institute versus American Schools

       Today is the first day of orientation in which we will meet all the students in the business department. E. Tech is a vocational school where students can come to master a trade and then be placed in a job in the local community. There are technology programs, automotive mechanic trades, IT trades and business trades throughout this school. Sounds fairly simple right? Wrong! This school consists of about 10,000 students all rambling about to get to class, as slowly as possible of course. If you haven't heard about my family and our inability to be on time, I will tell you we run on what is called "Tabb Time." Where being somewhere at 2, really means about 3; its a given. Except when food is involved, then we rush to get there around 2:30. Trust me, its bad. My mom is famous for doing the laundry or starting to vacuum 5 minutes before we are set to leave, and now I find myself doing the same thing. "Oh you can't leave the house with dirty dishes in the sink" or "Well let me just do this one thing really quick!" I used to think I was incredibly punctual because if we were late for practice or meetings we ran. If we didn't power walk to class, we ran. If we didn't do what the coaches wanted, we ran. You get the point! We ran a lot! So I came to Thailand with a mix of Tabb Time and terrified punctuality, only to find that Thailand runs on "Thai Time". Okay, I can dig that, except when it comes to school. In America students are expected to be punctual and on time. Roll is called when the bell rings, and if you aren't there then too bad. Thailand, however, does not work that way. The students are not given time to walk to another class or any form of breaks in between. One class will start at 10 and go till 10:50 and the next class will start at 10:50, while the students mosey on in when they feel like it. They have 10 minutes out of a 50 minute class to get there before they are marked absent. Crazy! That is 1/5 of the class time! Not that I plan to be the teacher that marks students late at 10:00:30 but still. We have been spending this last week doing orientation and mock teaching lessons, and the main things that we have been told are 1. The students will cheat, and there is nothing you can do about it. We are to try to discourage it, but all students cheat in Thailand. EXCUSE ME! This is being told to the girl who cheating in Kindergarten (Also, I never knew kindergarten was spelled with a t and not a d, learn something new every day I guess) on a quiz and when my gym teacher game me a "Good Job" sticker I ripped it up because I felt so bad. 2. That the students will talk with each other through the whole class, and we are just supposed to teach over it. Granted I am a loud person, but to me this just seems rude. It is weird the different cultural norms that are present in different countries, but I am sure that there are weird things that I do that they don't understand. For instance, waving. The Thai do not wave they wai, which is putting your hands together like praying, bringing it to your face and bowing. Think the Karate Kid when we would first meet Mr. Miyagi and he would bow! I have been walking around all day today waving at students and saying hello and they look at me like I am insane, but hey different cultures right. I will have to adjust. Honestly, walking around orientation, in a crowd of thousands of students and parents, is like a circus "freak" being paraded around, but the moment people see me they give a huge smile and it makes being a giant American in a world of shorter Asian people seem wonderful.

         I may be a giant and I may never fully adapt to Thai time, cheating or constant talking but I do know that the Thai people are awesome, and that my classes will be filled with amazing young men and women (thing 10th and 11th grade) that will absolutely change my life, and I cannot wait to get started.

          P.S. For anyone thinking of coming to teach in Thailand, apparently only dark colored clothes are aloud, pants are not the norm and mostly frowned upon in the classroom for women, and shoes are only to be closed toed heels or ballerina flats. Guess who brought none of those things! This girl! I brought one navy skirt and then bright paisley colored skirts, floral dresses and all sandals or wedges. I'm from the coast of Virginia with a hint of beach and a dash of southern, black is not in our summer wardrobe, and neither are closed toed heels (although I do have them, I just never expected to wear them in a country who's temperature is a solid 95-100 everyday). Anyways, for all you future teachers, when they say teachers dress it is really corporate board room style not Southern Virginia coastal style. OOPS! Mai Pen Rai (Think Hakuna Matata or It's all good in Thai!)

The first 8 days

Ohhhh where to start...

I have now been in Thailand for 8 days but I have been away from home and everyone I love for 11 days, and it feels like a freaking month! The last week or so has been a blur of orientation: meetings, Thai lessons, classroom lessons and cultural etiquette. It has been insane, but I cannot begin to count the blessings that I have been given in terms of people I have met. Everyone in our orientation group were amazing; sure there were different friendships and group dynamics, but all in all it was filled with lively beautiful people, who just like me are searching for some adventure.
Everyone talks about Thailand like it is some amazing place, and it is one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen, but it is also very bleak in some places as well. We went to Khao San Road in Bangkok, and it was a sensory overload. You walk down this one strip of bars, all playing western music with all white tourists and Thai vendor stands and all you can think is "Holy S*** it is so hot" and "wow I didn't know there were so many white people in Thailand." There are stands for fresh fruit (which is amazzzzinnnggg), clothes for the gaucho elephant pants, which I broke down and bought, but not with elephants but sea shells ( I couldn't be that much of a tourist). The road was filled will all different smells and critters to eat. I ate a scorpion, which really wasn't that bad, just like an extra extra super crunchy kettle chip. So not great, but definitely worth trying once! "When in Rome" I guess! Most of you might be wondering how this ties in to the bleak part of Thailand, and I will tell you. Many of you joked or were serious in the warning "Don't get sold into sex slavery." Ha real fully and back at home we laughed and joked about me being the next star of Taken, but here it is not really that funny, or funny at all. There were young girls lining these streets and guys with signs saying "Pussy Ping Pong Show." While I am tempted to see it because it is a staple in Thailand, the part of me that was raised by my slightly feminist mother screams not too. Most of the guys that went to see it came out saying it was interesting but they would never go see one again, and that they would never want to see their girlfriends or wives try the activities that were done. I will let you make your own judgement call on the shows, because like I said, I am torn, but even threw that it just seems very disturbing knowing that is going on so close to where I live.
Speaking of living, I have finally moved into my new apartment and I will be honest, the first moment I saw the city I was living and the apartment I would be spending the next 5 months in I sat on my bed (which feels like sleeping on a dirt packed floor with a sleeping bag when I used to go camping) and cried for a good 5 minutes. I know I do cry occasionally, but I will deny it if you say anything!!!! It is not anything like I expected and it threw me for a loop, but I took a shower, in my bathroom that is conjoined with my shower with a shower head that feels like I am being stung by needles and it gave me a better perspective on how grateful I should be. Somehow I will need to figure out how to take a shower without soaking my toilet paper, which is not a feat I have accomplished yet, as I went to use the bathroom last night after my shower and it was soggy. If you don't know that feeling, it is GROSS! I got a plant for my room and unpacked which has made my room come to life a little bit, and we are going to Kho Samet, which is a beach island! SO STOKED FOR THAT! We have two days off and you can bet your butt I will have mine plopped in the sand or swimming in the ocean for the entirety of those 2 days. Unless of course I decide to go eat at a local seafood restaurant or need to purchase a new frozen beverage of some kind. The point of this blog is to basically tell you and myself that Thailand is great, but different than I expected and even though I have done some amazing things and met wonderful people there is still things that I have to see and do before I leave. First and foremost, teaching. My school seems wonderful and the classes will be great I believe. The students (who I will start teaching in 10 days or so) are in the business side of the vocational school and have very low levels of English, but I have been told I will love every minute. As excited as I am to talk about the school and the students, I feel as if I should wait a bit because, just like everything else in this trip, I am sure it will be nothing like I expect and at some point there will be a huge curve ball thrown in.

All in all, I am in freaking Thailand and it can't get much better than adventuring!!

Starting a blog: how hipster of you...

First off, I am about as far from a blogger as anyone you could ever meet, as I assume you already know because it's not like I have followers so I'm guesing your a friend, relative or some random person on Facebook that I met years ago, thought you were awesome but now have no recollection of how we met. Either way, thanks for reading!
I am starting this as a way to keep in touch with everyone I love back home as I am on the adventure of a lifetime; teaching English in Thailand. I am also starting this because, as you all know I am te clumsiest person on the planet except maybe Rachel (who if you don't know got stuck on my fence by her pant leg and was face down in the dirt with her legs stuck in the air on a 6 foot fence. IT WAS AWESOME!), and want to fill everyone in on all my OMG and WTF moments that happen. I can assure you there will be many!

Most people have been asking about the flight and how it went, so let me tell you. I leave Sunday, May 3rd in which I almost miss the flight and Kat walks through security like she is a total Bad a** and asks people to let me through because I will miss my flight-thanks Kat! that flight leaves at 5:20, just for your time calculations. I have a layover in Charlotte, easy peasy. Board the Charlotte to NYC flight and fall asleep right away, as it is 10:30 and I'm an old grandma. I wake up and it is 12:15 am which would have been fine except I was supposed to land at 11:57 and we haven't even touched down yet and I have an hour an a half to navigate through freakin' JFK. I MEAN COME ON! Luckily I had stopped by in charlotte to make sure my bags got rerouted to the plane to Bangkok (FML). I get off the plane and full sprint theough this huge airport, which in all honestly is the most sprinting I have done in a long long time. I'm sweaty and panting when I pull up to Cathay airlines. It's 1:10 and my flight is supposed to leave at 1:30 am. HA it gets delayed until 6 am becaus wod mechanical issue. I am stuck in the middle with my knees touching the chair in front of me for unholy amounts of hours. Not only and I smushed by Mother Nature decided to be a huge brat right when I was leaving (sorry boys but really be greatful, cramps suck!) and my stomach was upset. Talk about unfortunate We then have to make a pit stop in Seoul to check the engine-because that is not terrifying.... This makes me and my flying compaion and friend Deirdre miss our connecting flight from Homg Kong to Bangkok. Lucky the airline gave us new tickets for a flight 2 hours later, and we get on that. We finally arrive in Bangkok to a total of approximately 39 hours of traveling and my bags aren't there. ARE YOU KIDDING ME RIGHT NOW?!? So I mosy over to the desk that deals with baggage and fine the sweetest Thai guy every who studied abroad in NYC and he lets me know my bags didn't get on the plane in NEW YORK so I would have to wait a whole day to get them. LOL OKAY. I then go to change my money into Baht and the lady won't take it because some of the money had red smudges on it; at this point I'm just laughing because this would only happen to me. I finally get my money figured out and hop into a taxi with Deirdre and realize we have an hour long ride which went by fast enough. We get to the hotel and it is nice enough but the bed is like sleeping on plywood but hey it's a bed so I fall asleep after my shower in about 3 seconds. We tried street vendors for dinner and yum yum it was delicious. We had pork and rice which sounds safe enough but the lady had half a pig sitting on her cart, pig foot and all so I was expecting to be puking in 10 minutes but no such luck an it was amazing.
We ventured today and it was cool but not at all what I was expecting. It is huge and hot, like Santan's  asshole hot (sorry mom for the language but it is necessary and when you get here you will understand). I finally get back to the hotel and my bags have arrived!!!! I could have cried tears of joy, of course I didn't because crying is for suckers and I refuse to get that attached to my teddy Bears that Corey so thoughtfully packed in my bag as a surprise to remind me at home (aww). However, for the finally of wtf baggage travel issues, I had narrowed Corey's bookbag because my suitcase was overweight and the first thing he said about it was " don't lose this, it's been on all 5 deployments with me so keep it safe). Oops all my body wash, half a ginger ale (not sure how that got in there) and all my cough syrup has exploded. I mean seriously the cough syrup had a child proof lock on it which half the time I struggle to open. This means that bag took a serious beating, or someone opened it and just dumped it in the bag, which at this point I would be surprised. Everything is sticky and bright red , including the journal Rachel got me but hey it just adds character right?

So basically anything that could go wrong has gone wrong but hey that's what makes adventure worth while. Any ways it's 12:18 here and orientation starts tomorrow at the crack of dawn so it's bed time, but thanks for reading! Love you guys so much and hope to keep y'all (someone asked me if I was from Texas because of the way I spoke HAHA)  updated and I would love to hear from y'all!

Night night