7.10.2014- A year, or so.

Oh, hey there, everyone.

If you have been keeping up with my (lackadaisical, to say the least) posting, you will have already noticed that I have finally made an update.

Now, I would like to show a picture, or two, of my most recent adventures. 

About a month ago, I visited Bangkok to see my BALLER of a mother, as she dropped by the country on her way to Vietnam for a conference with HVO. (And there is quite the a nifty anecdote that I can share, you know. Anyways, I went to Bangkok with one of my closest friends, of whom made friends with me and has made my stay in Thailand much smoother than it would have been without her. There are not enough words I can say to show my appreciation for her! 

It is safe to say that the trip, although too short, was a much needed break and a fun adventure.

Now, back to the scene of work. I should mention, that since I work with adults who happen to be shy and, while they wish to learn, they don't wish to speak because they know "a little bit." It is one of the most frustrating things, as someone who wants to make progress: the lack of confidence. Confidence is such a key in something like this, especially, because the only way to really improve is to practice. The concept of "I can't do this perfectly, so I'm not even going to try," is a major point to failure. Think about it, if everyone followed this idea, we would have no athletes, no Nobel-prize awarded scientists, no progression whatsoever.

Hey, look, my workplace has had it's 11th anniversary!

I think it's a cute picture, especially with the flag. CUPCAKE!

In lieu of future plans, I am unsure of what they will be or where I will go, but this is the time that I really need to start my strategic planning. Some of it might include coming back to the US to do extra learning and practice. Some of it might include traveling around some more before I return to the States, but I'm not sure yet, we'll see. I need to be skill-building.

As for children and teaching them. Let me tell you, while they are the most receptive to learning new things, they are also your harshest critics, which make them the best at improving you. When they are bored, they will tell you or act out. When they are excited, they will show it. When they like something, they ask for more; when they don't, they do something else.
They also have their own hierarchy: the ones who understand what they learn show it, and happen to take over lessons, taking away from the slower learners.
That being said, everyday is different, as long as you make it different. Some days are terrible, and you may wonder why you are somewhere, while other days remind you that you love what you're doing now with simple moments.
The project I have been working on are doing okay, though, I must say, I have been reminded, more than once, of why I do not enjoy group projects, dues to the fact that I end up receiving the load of the work, and have the group take the credit, because, you know, that's how group projects work. I don't mind doing the work, as long as I'm informed that I'm in control, so that, if I'm doing all the work, I also have all the control. While I don't mind suggestions, in group work, suggestions must be backed up with the basis that the person will come through, if they want the suggestion to be tried. Otherwise, the group member (who is not able to back up their thoughts) has no power of influence. The problem is, many people are asking for different things but are not doing much in giving back. That must be the Thai way. In addition, I must mention that I'm becoming quite frustrated with one of the staff. Although they have quite good intentions, their unplanned style of taking students out of a class is a nag. They would do this, unannounced (before class), while in the middle of a session, then return them to the class by the time that the class is being quizzed. That is not okay. Also, when there is a new student who has just came in, and it is only fifteen minutes after meeting them, it is not a great idea to see if they are good. Fifteen minutes is not enough to tell someone's complete skill. In addition to that, it is not optimal to pull out the teacher in the middle of a class to interview a student. The key problem I have is that a lot of decisions are being made that involve me, but without informing me or asking for my opinion. The only times these decisions should really be made are in the hiring process of in letting someone go. When a person is a contributor, they must be permitted the same amount of input as the rest of the group.

That's my rant for the time being.

Traveling has become an option, and I feel the desire to do more traveling, to continue seeing the world around because, as of right now, I have been feeling a bit stagnant. Stagnancy leads to restlessness and decrease in self-worth, neither of which progress to better things if not acted upon soon. What happens to an animal if they stay in the cage for too long?

Also, I would love to update on my language learning, My Spanish is pretty horrible at this time, but it's re-improving. I will have to keep practicing that everyday. My Russian is pretty awful, as well, but, at least I know that this is my first time learning it, so I know it's going to be difficult, and Russian, itself, is a very difficult language. *PHEW!*

Apologies for the all-over the place soliloquy, things have been feeling a little all-over the place, not to mention the construction happening in my complex at 7 A.M. I'm pretty sure we have a rule against that for residential areas. That being said, it is a good alarm clock and a great way to get me out of the building.

For final updates, I finally went out with my girls last week to a concert of Joey Boy, a Thai celebrity, and the them of the party was "Mad Hatter" so people wore all kinds of hats. I was unaware of this until we got to the venue, so I made my own hat.
It worked out quite well. We danced, we joked, we played with lights; it was a blast.

As you can tell, We're very photogenic
These ladies are crazier than I am, and I'm more than glad that I have had the fortune of meeting them. Unfortunately, they also have threatened to kidnap me if I decide to go off to another country. I tell you, they are crazy. It's fantastic.

Take a Gander

Off and onward!
Until next time,
K.

2.2.2014-The second month. Hey! What's that?

Already, it is February? When did that happen? It was just December when I was getting initiated in all this madness, and now it's February?!

Oh, well. I think the real evidence of the time that has passed is how much I miss what people would say is "back home." It may sound upsetting, but I really do not miss it all that much. In fact, the only places that I miss are those that I would travel to on holiday. Maybe some people would claim that I am not being sentimental enough, but in reality, it is quite the opposite. My sentimentality is well-intact. The focus of it, though, is not in the past but rather in the present and the future. Do not get me wrong, I love my family and friends, and I miss them all very much, but I also think that they will always support me in the decisions (especially the big ones) that I make. With love, you want to hold on to the things and people you love most, but in the end, true love has the understanding that some things need to be let go in order to blossom and grow.
Now, I'm branching out, and it's beyond frightening for me, but I've realized that if I puff out my chest a little, and take a step closer, the reality isn't as bad as I expected it to be.
Now, here I am, waiting in my current classroom, looking at the list of 51 names (and probably counting) that I will be interviewing today.


.....and hour later
Just kidding! I actually have 66 names, and have already added two more to my list of interviewees. This is fun. The most difficult part is to get the people I have never met to start talking. The ones I have met, they talk... a lot more than when I first met them. I love it.
As for testing levels, I think the best way to place people is into three levels (for now):  Beginner, Intermediate 1, and Intermediate 2. I do not think that, at this time, many people can be in the advanced class, but there are some students who are less advanced, and some that are more advanced but still in the intermediate levels.

Back to my thought process of living abroad. I love it, and I keep loving it more and more as I stay longer. I am not quite sure I want to come back to America in a year, or even two. Some people already know this, others don't. Well, now you do. And by coming back, I do also mean for visiting. If I have a holiday, I will not come to America, I will go somewhere else, maybe with friends, but for exploration purposes, to add more exotic stamps to my passport. I would apologize, but if I'm not sincere about it, then there is no purpose to the apology.

My friend, she is also living abroad as an Au pair in a town near Paris. She also has a blog, which you can read here.
She wrote a passage which discusses her experience of living as an Au pair, and what preparation measures she took to arrive, and what she wants people to know that they need to do BEFORE they decide to come to work.

Now, my work is a tad bit different, but there are a lot of concepts I agree with that are in this article. I decided I wanted to travel abroad to teach English as a second language, but in the hospital environment, not only for children or adults. The reasons I could make of why I wanted to do this are plenty: I have an interest in working in the hospital, I wanted to travel abroad now because I was unable to during my time at the university, I wanted to make a difference, I wanted to mature, I wanted to be somewhere else, but most importantly, I wanted to make something of myself. This job entitled me to creativity and talking with people, all while I could learn and make friends, but have an amazing experience in my life that I would be able to reminisce in during my decrepit years (I hope that will never happen, and that I will never be conserved to a lying in a bed all day, I just don't believe in it.)
As for the lessons I have learned (which I obviously should've learned when I was being told way back when, but of course did not listen to), here are Just a few:

Do. Your. Research. : I cannot stress this enough. Really, do your research. What is it that you need to do in order to stay or work abroad? If you are working, you will need a work permit so that you are legally working in the country. It would really suck for you if you happened to have been caught working illegally. A lot of hassle for a little money... Also, what are the visa requirements? If you want to work in Thailand, you need to find a company who will hire you, and be able to provide documentation, an intent to hire you, their tax information, location information, and so forth. For them to hire you, they also need to have your documentation, such as diplomas or certificates. For teaching, you may need a teaching certificate, especially in the application process for a visa or work permit. If you are teaching at a school, you might be required to provide a criminal background check. Simple things that you need to be able to learn about before you leave. It saves you the hassle of being caught with your pants down.
While you may have the opportunity to choose where you want to live, your research needs to involve you looking at the locations you can teach. Different schools or job opportunities look for different things: how much experience do you have? Where will you teach? In a school, a learning facility, in a factory? What will the job offer you? Will they pay for your visa and work permit? Is there on-site training? Will they help you find a place to live or offer you a place to live that is nearby? Will they give you a stipend? What about travel assistance? These are things you have to consider.

Budgeting:

I must say that I have been very lucky in this. I don't have much of a social life outside of work, so I am not blowing my earnings away on going out and travel events. As I say this, though, I am growing my social circles, and am receiving invites to go out. In Thailand, many people are very friendly and will pay for a foreigner, especially if they invited the foreigner to eat with them. Normally, it is fairly inexpensive to eat food, so it isn't a big deal. The longer you stay, the more you are expected to pay for your own food. And when you go out... ah, well, you are expected to pitch into the pot when there is alcohol involved, you either pay for your own bottles, or you split the cost of the bulk. If you are going out every weekend, (much less, every night), don't expect to have a thick wallet. Alcohol is pretty much the same price everywhere (more expensive when you go out). Also, excursions cost money, too. If you want to travel, plan ahead, plan how much money you should be spending, and if you are on a budget, don't go for that five star hotel, or even the Marriott. The cost of familiarity far exceeds its value; find a place that is relatively inexpensive, and it shouldn't be extremely spacious with many rooms. Think about it, why travel to another place if you are only going to stay in the hotel? If you are there to explore the place, the hotel room is really only serving as a bed, and maybe breakfast.
Also, I talk about budgeting, I am not only referring to budgeting your finances, but also your social budget. What invites are you receiving, to where? What are your current obligations? Do you need to grade papers? Do you need to plan your upcoming week of lessons? Do you need to change anything or plan an activity? Your social budget is very important overall in the work place. You need to learn to prioritize. Even if you really want to go celebrate a massive holiday that everybody else is celebrating, you might need to hold off on that because you have a project with a deadline that is coming soon.
My social budgeting limits my going out because it involves my other "job," which basically is my role as a live-in nanny-maid. I have a curfew of about 8:30 PM, and technically ask for permission to go to dinner maybe once to twice every two weeks, meaning I won't be able to be a nanny for a night. I call to check-in of my current location status. This comes with the live-in life I have acquired. I do not mind it, but there is no benefit to reap, and at this point of the live-in agreement, I think we are approaching a mutual termination. Meaning, I should be moving out in the next month or so into a single apartment that is close to work, and in a safe place. I am looking at places now (yahoo!) and going to further learn about personal financial budgeting.

Speaking the Language:
Okay, so Thai isn't exactly a language that an English speaker can moderately understand if they have never heard it in their life... I have not yet heard a cognate. The good news is that, even if you can not speak their language, many people are more than happy to help you in whatever your troubles are, and can speak some English. Trust me, a lot of the Thai people would love to speak to you and practice their English, but they are just really shy, afraid that they sound terrible (a feeling, any language-learner feels, I'm sure), and a common characteristic is that many people want to save face, and not be embarrassed at their not perfect English.

Teaching

Here's a tip: ENCOURAGE. Really, encourage the people you meet, especially your students (if you are teaching), to speak, no matter how bad their English is. As a starting step, you can show them what you have learned in Thai, and it may be terrible, and make them giggle. This can be effective to help bring comfort to them to speak. To keep encouraging a student to speak, give them words to read out loud, simple ones. This will help them feel less incapacitated at speaking. Really, don't give them something like "The adjoining chalkboards clicked away as the students quickly wrote their answers, shifting their glances at each other." This is easy for an English-speaker, but if you are just learning the sounds that accompany letters, and are given blended sounds. your brain will melt, and then you will feel inefficient.
Simplify, show pictures, tell a simple joke, dance, show videos, use music, anything, but give energy and excitement to the teaching, so that students can get excited to learn. Your enthusiasm is encouragement, especially when they get something correct, or make a small success, you tell them they did it, and give them plenty of support. Your students will remember that feeling, and will want more, and they will push more.
Also, don't be afraid to change a lesson. If something isn't working, it probably won't work even if you keep trying it. (you know that saying: "Insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results" ....yep) Change the method.

Learning
If you can, see if you can start learning the language and the culture. This will help you understand why people act the way they do in the country, what is considered appropriate, what isn't. Learning the language will help you in growing your independence. It also helps you put yourself in the shoes of your students. Like the feeling of being able to bargain a price down for those cute pair of shoes, or asking for directions to a place. Trust me, it's a lot of fun.

Be prepared for anything

This is another one of those things people need, to be ready to expect anything. This applies to both the good and the bad. For example, it took me about four months to secure a job, and I was technically on a tourist visa, which meant that I needed to do a few visa runs. It wasn't fun, but it was a necessity. Also, I had to change flight plans due to timing difficulties for my Non-Immigrant B visa, which meant that I needed to cancel a flight, and add another. I lost money, which was not fun, but everything still worked out. Being prepared for anything is very important, so that is things do not work out, you have a backup plan. Also, the concept of time isn't as strict for Thai people, it seems, as it is in America. Things move a lot more slowly. This is not technically a bad thing, but it takes a lot of adjustment. I have to learn to slow things down as well, which meant that I needed to take a breath every now and then. I'm still learning this practice.

Lastly,

Appreciate Where You Are.

How many people can say that they have done what you have done? Maybe right now, things aren't going the way you want them to. Maybe life is uneventful for you right at this moment. Now, go talk to one of your friends back home, and just talk, they will listen to you. Do you know why? Because they know that you are in a place that they can only dream of (at the moment). They think that you might be helping the sick or the poor, playing with tigers, swimming in exotic waters. They want to hear of your stories, no matter how dull you might think they may be. To them, you are the Indiana Jones of fruit when you go to a massive fruit farm and instagram all of the fantastic food you eat. Cherish in this moment. Tell them about the problems you might be having in the country, culturally, socially, touristically... They might want to come visit you. Talk to them about the toilets that you have to squat over, and use a plastic pot to pour water in as a flushing method.
Just trust me. Where you are and what you are doing is amazing, even if it doesn't seem so now. Live in the moment, look toward the future, but don't rely on it. Who knows? Tomorrow you could be in a wild motorbike-car accident.


That is my input. I am happy where I am, I want to share it with the world, I want to learn and absorb, and I want to continue to grow. If there is anybody who is providing obstacle, or no support to this, don't associate with them. The reality is, the more they say the negative things, the more you will hear them, and start to listen to them and believe in this negativity. Don't succumb. Use that backup plan.

Until next time,
K.

P.S.-I want to hear any insight or questions you may have. Preferably not from my family.

9-9-2013. What has happened?

Alrighty, so it's been a week since I've hugged my mom goodbye. Since then, I've completed most of my TESOL certification, and will be done by TOMORROW. Things are really picking up now! With my almost being finished with TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages), I will be able to increase my pay rate, as per my aunt. She has been the biggest help in this whole process, and I don't want to let her down.

Now, as for the class, I'm (understandably) nervous, since this will be my first experience teaching a class. Although I'm nervous, I'm excited, because with this arises many new opportunities. I'm already starting to make friends here, with some of my future students, this brings me delight because I love increasing my social circle. Plus, we will teach each other; I will teach English, and will be taught Thai in return. This, in addition to networking, makes me feel a little more comfortable, because my uncertainty, though very strong, is diminishing, little by little.
On the topic of cooking, I've yet to figure out how to operate the oven. My uncle says not to use it, my aunt says that it is in working order. For all who know me, we know that I can bake up a storm when the urge overtakes me; here poses a little bit of a challenge. I have been introduced to new foods, as well as the lack of common luxuries I'm used to in the States. What does that mean? Time to get creative! The options are extremely colorful with all the fruit here. As I mentioned before, I am all about that Salak fruit. It is just so succulent and tart and sweet and mmMmm! I think that if I can figure out a good pairing with that fruit, it would make a delicious fruit tart. Or a filling to cake! The rambutan have the texture and taste a little bit like an apple... Rambutan-ginger-lime hand pies? How about Longon... hmmm very many options! Then there is dragonfruit. It took me such a long time to relate it to a fruit, there was a certain squish to it, and a crunchiness with the seeds; and then it hit me, KIWI! Similar texture, even the crunch with the seeds. And the flavor is light and sweet, I think I could have some fun experimenting with that.

Now, restaurants, I've been to quite a few, and the ones I enjoy visiting most are the Thai-cuisine restaurants. It's not that I don't appreciate the other cuisine restaurants, but if I'me visiting another country, I would like to eat the food it provides, and enjoy the culture that joins it. Soup, seafood, noodles, and fruit are all just a small portion of the wide variety there is in Thai food! I may go to a KFC or Italian restaurant at some point, but I'd like to acclimate first. The other thing, if I haven't mentioned, is the coffee. Seriously, here, it's like: coffee CoffEE! COFFEE!!!! There is practically a coffee shop every bloc here. I will never have to worry about being left to dry and frazzled without coffee. I'm not saying I have a caffeine addiction, far from it, but I do love the taste of coffee, even if it's decaf.

On to the social and personal life stuff. I've kept in touch with anybody who has informed me that they would like to keep in touch: friends and family. It is also nice to see who would like to stay in touch, in addition to having an anchor to something that brings comfort. By that, I mean, support and interest, not necessarily the location of which I've left for the time being. While I enjoy being reminded of "home," and what's going on there, life moves forward, and so shall I. Time for reminiscence is to be limited so that the time to learn is given ample opportunity. Therefore, living in the present is actually happening. That is one of the major problems of society today; so many young adults attach themselves to their electronics, and to their "glory days" or the "easy days" that they don't notice what is happening right in front of them.

And finally, a philosophical thought.
That is one thing being a theater major has taught me: to live in the present. If one were to look at this, they'd probably say, "Yeah, well I am," but think, what does that command even mean? Yes, we are living in the present, but, are we living in the present, really experiencing, smelling, seeing, hearing, feeling, tasting this moment. I think that the phrase is rich with the subtext that one must find the quality in each moment they are living, rather than reading into it and giving what they think is the appropriate response. The only appropriate response is your honest response.

Good night, and live in the present, live in YOUR presence.
-K