Woo Hoo!!! 9 days to go, and I'm going to be getting a train to Hat Yai, then getting on board the train to Kuala Lumpur! I can't wait. Looks like the train from Phattalung leaves 8am to Hat Yai, which is 2 hours away.. Then from there I get the train into KL! Arriving on boxing day around 6am.. I seriously can't wait. I can't wait to get out of here, away from the yank, away from lesson planning- I'm going to get loose.. After getting my visa sorted, of course. Gona be there for 5 nights, gona make the most of it.. Can't go too wild though seeing as NY will be spent in Phuket and thats going to be wild! According to Mon (the lady who is my agent from the school) I can get a non immigrant B visa, meaning I then can get a work permit- Not sure that I can, as I don't have a degree, but apparently I can, not going to hold my breath on that as the embassy will want to see my degree cert, which of course I don't have. I'm also getting paid on the 1st.. Into an accout.. uurr I can't get a Thai accout, how are we going to sort this out "ah no worry lorrrrrrie, i will sort for you, we cross bridge when it comes" --_-- Hilarious, i swear they don't know what planet they're on sometimes.
Gotta do a lesson plan with the yank apparently, as much to his disgust "oh lesson planning with you will be impossible, as we call things differently in America to what you call it" whatever Trevor, just do what they want us to do, and then just teach it your way, we don't have to agree on pronounciation but we can still come up with ideas, bellend. He seriously drives me insane. I can't actaully look at him. He had a go at me infront of the entire department about how i call wordsearchs, wordseaches and how he calls them crosswords. Yeh, same thing, bellend.. We just call them different things, no need to yell in my face and act up infront of the entire department. ffs. I've kinda snapped already, a little bit- not fully, not to the standard I usually snap at, I don't want to act up.. But my GOD its brewing. I will snap some day soon.
On a brighter note, my lesson plans went quite well last week, I was quite impressed. My game of getting them into teams and them racing to circle the words on the board went very well... But now I've got to keep thinking up new games to keep them interested. I can definately see the boys are so keen on that type of activity.. But it results in lots of pushing, and screaming and hollering.. Its fun though, and it was nice seeing some of the more up-tight students let their hair down a bit- and hopefully they can have some fun with me aswell. There was this one class where 2 of the boys are very clever. They were pushing their team mates to the words, and helping a bit too much.. So i grabbed them both by thw wrists and threw them out of the room, and made them sit outside- to the others this was hilarious, they didn't expect that, it was very fun.
There is this one boy in 1 of the classes, called Winai. He is adorable, very shy, very timid and apparently according to his teacher very bad at English, he can't write, read it nothing, not compaired to some of his class mates. He comes in the English dept and cleans after school- I've been told that he has alot of problems at home, his parents are divorced.. He's alot smaller than the other kids his ages, and he definately gets picked on a bit in class, which I put a stop too- He's adorable. I'm extremely fond of him. One of the other teachers makes him breakfast every morning and he comes into the office to eat- Awww he's soo cute, when ever he see's me he has the biggest smile on his face... I decided that I'm going to make him a homework book and worksheet book that he can take home and practice with away from school- I made up simple handwriting and alphabet takes, wordsearches, put it all together and made it into a book with the lady who works in the stationary dept.. I translate into Thai a little note, reading that its not homework, but just some fun activities to help him if he wants too- I gave it to his teacher and she thought it was good. She showed it around the department, and they all thought it was good for him. I said to her to let me know what he thinks of it, and if he wants more I'll make some others up for him... Bless him, I hope he does it.
Been doing alot of thinking recently. Its not like I have anything else to do apart from read my books and walk around everywhere in my little Lorrie dazes.. I think when this job finishes in Feb I'm going to travel the rest of Thailand, do a month in Cambodia, Vietnam and Laos and then look into trying to get my working holiday visa for Canada.. I'm not enjoying this teaching at all. I don't know if its the school, teaching all different ages, being expected to do lesson plans for kids that don't even understand the word adjective.. and also is it the yank? I'm going to see what the jobs are like around March- I may give it 1 more go and teach just 1 age group, and teach some where like BKK.. We'll see, but right now I'm not enjoying it. I dread it. Its Sunday arvo now- I need to do my lesson plan for next week, and I just have this panic inside me that I get every Sunday when I know that I need to think of a new topic, new games, new ideas and I worry! They're all so basic. I can't always use flashcards, cos I can see that they're just bored, and I'm bored doing it.. I just can't think of anything else to use for them, they're that dumb. Man its hard work. Roll on 9 days (8 tomorrow! Boooyah!)
I've worked out why they all have white faces now at least.. Talcum powder. Its my new best friend. I get so sweaty in school and having talc with me and putting that on is just amazing. And they put it on their faces to, obv stop them from sweating. Its gross, I mean I'm teaching and doing 1 2 1 with a pupil and beads of sweat is dripping down my lip onto the bench, its vile.
Yesterday I went to the hot springs. It was raining and I didn't want to sit around all day so I decided to just get a rain mac and drive. It was a nice drive, about 30 clicks south towards Hat Yai- The scenery is just like the movie Avatar, and its beautiful when its raining- The clouds are so low over the hills, everything is so green- Its lovely. When I get there, its not what I was expecting. It wasn't like the one in Krabi. It was just a massive man made pond with pipes where the water is being flushed into so you could sit in it- and being the only white ferang there and loads of boys goggling me, there is noway I'm getting into my bikini.. all the women we're wearing jeans and t-shirts. When I go back i'll have to cover up and have spare clothes... It was really nice. When I get back I get a knock on my door from the Yank, he wants to go Tesco.. Cool beans, I need some bed sheets. On the way there he's like "oh did you go out today, the tanks half full" I told him I went to the hot spring and he was like "oh where's my invite?!" Sounding a bit pissy- Come on now mate, we don't get on, you must be aware that I don't even look at you if i can help it... hahaha, and quite frankly I didn't want to go with you! neeer. When we get back, after awhile he knocks the door again- "could we go tomorrow, get up early?" I'm like.. ooooo-k? But this morning nothing, just aswell, cos I woke up and felt that spending half my day with him would have just killed me! I had to leave the room this arvo cos he was yelling on skype to his "homedawwwwgs" and the sound of his voice made me angry.. haha. Roll on Friday, cos I am keeeeeeen to get my skinny white ass outta huuuuur!
Now, back to my lesson planning, that I am avoiding like the plaaaague.. Oh I haven't been on pintrest today... hhhmmmm :)
