Hanging up 'My Suit and Thai'

Well, the time has almost come to figuratively (and literally) hang up My Suit and Thai and call it a day on my teaching adventure in Thailand. Last week was my final week of teaching at Assumption and boy, I did not expect this day to come around so quickly. Like I always seem to say with every experience I have had here, my feeling is one of bittersweet-ness. I am actually pretty relieved that my kids did not cry around me...it was bad enough them looking sad and hugging me goodbye and not wanting to let go. I decided that as a farewell token, I would get a giant Thai flag and have all my students write their names on it. However, the Thai flag idea failed when the sharpie ink just bled through the flag material. So, I found a giant piece of scrap paper, got my Primary 2 students to colour in a Thai flag on it and use that instead. Granted, it may seem pretentious to want to get something like that as a reminder of how much my kids liked me as their teacher, but it was more as an appreciation for them, and so I won't forget the amazing times I've had teaching them. For those of you who know me outside of Thailand, you know that I also have a giant American flag that I had my friends sign when I was leaving Willamette and I wanted to achieve the same thing here.

ลาก่อน แมทธิว. This poster will come with me to Singapore as a reminder of my amazing little rascals.

So yeah, for the final week of teaching, I got every student to come and sign this flag of mine. The cutest thing about it was that some of the kids would write their names in English on their hands so when they came over, they wouldn't forget how to write it...so precious! Furthermore, some of them made me little cards with drawings of me and them together. It was incredibly cute and definitely made me get a lump in my throat. Perhaps the most emotional part of the week was saying goodbye to one of my favourite students in Primary 2; when he hugged me goodbye started to tear up a little. I asked him if he was okay, and his mouth started to quiver and he just got really sad and rested his head on me and hugged me super tight. I never thought I would ever get that reaction seeing that I only ever saw my classes twice a week. But, it was so sad. It will be hard to fully say goodbye to this school. As much as it has stressed me out at times, I am so thankful for being able to teach here and will take home many fond memories. I always remember being unsure about my placement from my agency before arriving in Thailand as I wanted to work in Bangkok. But, looking back now and seeing/hearing other people's experiences, I actually scored very lucky with my school and feel very blessed because of it.

Primary 1

Of course, my time here has not just been about teaching. I've been so fortunate to have travelled to so many different places and meet some fantastic people. And as much as I try to look upon my whole experience in Thailand as one that is overall positive, I would be lying to say that there are some things which I haven't liked by being here and for me, became a catalyst for making the decision to leave Thailand and start afresh. It must be noted that what I have called 'reality' for the past eighteen months has been far from it in my opinion. I have been in an environment which is very different to anything I have been in before; First of all, as much as I call myself a teacher -- it is very laidback in comparison to if I was teaching back home. I have 22 hour weeks and practically not a single bit of paperwork/marking to do outside of school. I can go home and actually relax. On the langauge side of it, living in a city where not many people speak English has been challenging at times. As much as I tried to improve my Thai (and yes, I should have tried harder), the Thai people I met always wanted to practice their English. This in many ways forced me into a position where the only other people I interacted and bonded with were fluent English speakers. Tie that in to all of them sharing the same profession as you and you soon realise that you don't create connections over personality but rather the common bond and connection of being teachers and speaking English. For me, there was never a way to escape that and make friends (in Korat) who I didn't draw myself to just because they were English speakers and teachers. (Now, I know I've worked at a summer camp which is very similar in the respect of being around people who have the same job as you...but the environment was very different). Of course the friends I did make here I formed connections with beyond that. However, discussions and hangouts always seemed to shift their focus back to our core similarities; teaching. And because of this, perhaps the biggest issue for me that I faced being here was feeling lonely. Now, I know some of my friends who read this might think that I have bought some of this on myself because I do have the tendancy to 'alienate' myself. However, the reason stated above played a big part in why I would do that. As much as I wanted to escape work and the teaching mindset, I could never escape it in Korat because all of my other friends were teachers, who then knew other colleagues at my school too. My only friends I made in Thailand who were not teachers like myself all lived outside of Korat (Bangkok, Ubon, even Singapore...).

Primary 2

As some readers also know, I happened to perhaps make more enemies than friends here. I constantly thought that made me a bad person but I just did not share the same mindset as them. The friends I did make shared great memories with me and that's what I made sure people predominately saw. I came into this journey wanting to stay as honest and true to myself. Although I learnt very quickly that honesty WASN'T always the best policy, and the best way I was going to get by was to keep my mouth shut and express opinions to myself or behind other peoples back. By the time I figured that out though, it was already too late and I was being labelled as the "bitch" of the group. As much as I tried to fix it, nothing would work and I struggled remaining superficial and sociable when I felt stupid and insecure doing it.
Staying true to myself definitely didn't happen either. Throughout any life-changing journey I have been fortunate enough to embark on, I always find myself changing and adapting and growing stronger. However, throughout my time here, I have been constantly misunderstood to the point where I would even question myself and the validity of the thoughts in which I was thinking; I became lost in myself and tried to change myself and people's perceptions (maybe I didn't try hard enough? haha) and in hindsight, I feel I've become weaker or perhaps angrier in the process. This happened very early on though when trying to make amends with my first boyfriend. Going to Malaysia was so emotionally draining on me that I just snapped afterwards - I've barely cried since that day; only cried two times after that to be exact. I thought that I had turned a new leaf at the beginning of 2015, and I was really starting to enjoy being here, meeting people and exploring new places -- which still rings true now; I absolutely loved the memories I made here...but mostly they were made outside of Korat... It wasn't until June that I really felt I had found more than just one or two people I felt comfortable around. Hanging with the girls was so much fun and we had many, many laughs. However, as time progressed and situations happened, we all started to move on and focus on the next chapters of our lives and I just feel that what we used to have has fizzled away (which is inevitable).

Primary 3

In turn, attitudes and perceptions of myself changed. I just felt unhappy. Never have I been in a place that is swamped in such negativity. All that I found here was for the most part, people always had something to complain about and it got to the point where I felt myself getting dragged into it. Yes, there are things about Thailand which didn't sit right with me (as with anywhere you live...), and I hated that it was brought up so I would try my best to counteract it with something positive. It reached a point where I felt I couldn't say anything positive anymore to the fact that a) no one would listen to me and b) it would seem so alien for people to hear someone talk good about their job/life. It just warped into me feeling unhappy and feeling like I didn't/don't belong here. The more I would travel and visit other places, specifically Singapore, the more I felt a sense of belonging and in an environment that wasn't so superficial and where I felt like I couldn't escape from work. And that is a big reason as to why I am moving to Singapore, so I can start afresh and learn from the mistakes I made here. Furthermore, I can make friends and socialise with people who are not involved in work and I can have that separation which I've realised more than ever is what I want and need. In Korat, I found escaping the 'school' and 'farang' culture was next to impossible. I will admit that some people have been lucky enough to create bonds in Korat that have a bigger foundation than "we are both teachers" but unfortunately, that never panned out for me.I just don't want to feel secondary anymore. I mean that in the sense of feeling secondary to a system and socially; never feeling like I had my own friends here or my own independance here made me feel insecure and in terms of just being a 'farang' in general, there were times I felt unappreciated and unwelcome.
But, despite that negative rant, my main goal for the last couple of weeks here is to leave Thailand with a smile on my face and to focus my mind on my new adventure in Singapore and what that has to bring. And knowing how much I've loved teaching my kids will always be the overriding memory that I will leave Thailand with; I've got to remember that as much as Thailand isn't for me, I'm so glad I gave it a shot. Journeys like this are always temporary, so I've realised I've got to not try to focus on the negative or bad stuff so much, although that has been extremely hard to overcome.

A great representation of my classes drawn by one of my Primary 2 students.

Above everything, I am so thankful for this experience as it has made me realise a lot of things. As much as things weren't always perfect for me, I am beyond humbled with the love I have recieved from my students -- that love is what is driving me to pursue this career more and really make a difference. Thailand has been a surreal experience. I have met some of the most amazing people and have shared some amazing memories, I am excited to come back as a tourist where I can fully relax and appreciate the beauty of this country. Khop khun krub! ลาก่อน

Thanks for the memories, guys!

Hurricane January

What a crazy past month this has been. As I came back to Thailand from my winter break in Vietnam and Singapore, I was still so unsure as to what was going to happen next after I left Assumption. As much as that was playing on my mind though, I also had to get my head around planning the final half of the semester and ensuring all the topics in the workbooks were covered before the final exams. Sounds like an easy enough request right? However, take into account that the few couple weeks of January were riddled with holidays, unexpected events and half-day of classes, I estimate that I must have missed around 10-15 teaching periods. So the pressure was really on.

Just one of the many activities being held at my school in January.

The first event was Children's Day, which marks a celebration for the 'future generation' of Thailand and is celebrated by lots of activities and games being put on for the kids so that meant a half day of school. The next week or so had multiple academic activities, including preparations for national tests and an "Academic Day", which was put on by the school to showcase the academic achievements of the students and to essentially show off the talents of our school to other visiting schools. The final big event of the month was ACN night. Essentially, this night is a massive spectacle for the school, where parents come to watch their kids perform as well as seeing some famous Thai singer perform at the end of the night. At 4000 baht a table and with around 200 tables at the event, it was a huge money maker for the school. Thankfully, this event only took up one night of our weekend rather than two like last year. For this year's ceremony, each class was presented with a different country (predominately ASEAN nations) in which to embody a cultural dance from. Some of the representations were spot on, others were a rather interesting embodiment (I never knew Carl Douglas' 'Kung Fu Fighting' represented Singapore's culture before...). Nevertheless, as much as it was a very long and tiring night, this was a cool event to watch and gave me an opportunity to take some adorable pictures with my students.

Getting captured by these crazy soldiers was the least of my stresses.

It's clear that school has been rather hectic this January, but it has been all smooth sailing on the personal front either. After coming back from break, I knew there were potentially two employers to hear back from as to whether I had scored a job in Singapore. I had yet to hear anything back from them since my interview in Mid October so I was getting rather anxious. After a few emails were exchanged, I finally got a preliminary offer from the one of them! Great news right? However, my father had booked a flight back to the UK for me at the end of March as I was told in my interviews that I would not get hired until mid April. But, this employers training began at the end of March which meant that in order for me to accept this job, I would have to change my flight back to Asia which cost almost two thirds of the original...something that just wasn't going to be feasible. I felt really defeated. The thought that I couldn't do a job that I worked so hard to get because of money was a real bummer. However, just a few days later, the second employer got back to me and offered  job! I felt like this was a sign as everything fit into place. So without hesitation, I accepted the job! From April 13th, I will be living and working in Singapore! I can't quite believe it. But I am over the moon and can't wait to begin this new adventure.

A month of changes for all of us! But glad we rode out this crazy month together!

To celebrate the new job offer, the girls and I headed to Nine Inch Bar, a really swanky little jazz bar located in the heart of Korat. I had never visited before which is a shame really because it is perhaps my favourite bar in Korat. It has a really chilled out vibe, dim lighting and smooth saxophone beats playing. It is predominately a cocktail bar and it didn't disappoint. Despite not having it on their menu, the barman made me a Singapore Sling to toast my new employment. It was a great night and really put things into perspective with how life changing this new job could be for me and how blessed I am to have met such wonderful people during my time in Korat.

Taking advantages of my last few weekends in Korat.

The weekend after the drinks, one of my tutees, Nine took me into the hills of Nakhonratchasima (on a very cold morning I might add!) to this secluded temple named Wat Pa Pupasoong. It was located on the edge of a cliff and boasted spectacular views of the province. We visited the temple which was located underground and we were told that in just a few months, it would be presented to the King and sealed for 1500 years. It was a beautiful sight to see, made eerier by the mist and very cool temperatures (the temperature had dropped to 11C!) which was something I was NOT used to after living in Thailand. For the few days after, everyone was wearing jumpers and hoodies. It was like an ice age had hit the country (to Thai people anyways). My students were in wooly hats, gloves, scarves and ski jackets -- it was quite the spectacle. One of those students, who donned an amazing hand knitted minions hat (I kid you not) invited me to his house for dinner. It was a strange request as I did not know how to respond. Of course I said yes, out of feeling awkward if I had said no, but it was something that had never happened before and I didn't quite know what to expect from it. Was it just a casual or formal dinner? Was I going to be grilled on my teaching methods by his parents? Well, it turned out to be none of those as I went to his house and hung out with the kids for a few hours whilst the parents went off somewhere...I almost felt as if I was a free babysitter for the night...haha. However, it was a nice night and I was humbled that the parents had invited me...I must have been doing something right...or maybe it was just because I was hit only white teacher...hmm...

Now as January comes to an end, the storm of a month has finally seemed to have calmed down. Only four weeks left of teaching and that's when the panic starts to ensue. I'd better get my butt into gear!

Goodbye 2015, Hello 2016!

After a whistlestop tour of Hanoi, I was ready more than ever to get out of the cold, be reunited with my girl Marisa and head to my favourite city for the SIXTH time in 2015. I left for Singapore a day early so I could get the rest I needed ready for New Year's Eve at Siloso Beach. I arrived into the Merlion city early afternoon and headed to straight to see Marisa, drop off my bags and head into the city for some shopping and to get her a SIM card. It was so nice to be finally reunited with her after what was a very weird trip to Hanoi without her.

So glad to be reunited with Marisa! Hanoi just wasn't the same without her.

When New Year's Eve finally rolled around, we headed back into the city to get some drinks and food for that evening as we were going to a dinner party of a friend of mine, Kaja. We headed to Little India for lunch and spontaneously decided to get some henna done for the festivities that evening. After rushing to get back and trying our best to pre-drink as responsibly as we could (:P), we finally headed over to Kaja's place and I was reunited with Kevin, whom I had met in Krabi last October along with Kaja, in addition to Kaja's fellow Norwegian friends Sandra and Susanne. After what was a very classy dinner of Salmon and wine, we sat around to play a good ol' game of King's Cup before heading over to Sentosa Island where we were to spend the rest of the night. Unfortunately for us, the taxi driver decided to stop us off about a 15 minute walk from the actual beach we were supposed to be at, so by the time we reached Siloso, we had about 45 minutes before 2015 was to end. 

Kicking off the NYE festivities with new friends!

When we arrived, we all headed straight to the giant foam pool. I have never experienced anything like it, but it was a whole lot of fun. Thankfully, I was lucky enough not to be groped left, right and centre in the suds but it really kick started my night and was the perfect opportunity to just enjoy the moment. After losing the Norwegian girls, Marisa, Kevin and I made our way closer to the huge crowd that had formed in front of the DJ to begin the countdown. When the clock finally struck midnight, a euphoric sensation came over me; that was it. 2015 done. Fireworks were going off everywhere around me to mark the new year, yet the DJ's choice of music felt like we had just taken a step back into 2011. Nevertheless, I was very much caught up in that moment around good people and quickly reflected on what had happened in the past year. I had visited 5 countries (Singapore, Malaysia, UK, Hong Kong and Vietnam) as well as some beautiful spots in Thailand, met tons of amazing people, and have made some great friends during that time. Of course, there were moments last year that weren't so rosy, but everything happens for a reason and I have to believe that.

So happy to spend countdown with these amazing folks!

Anyways, shortly after the countdown had finished, we decided to make our way to the drink stand. Something which you would assume to be a very easy task actually turned into a big of an unorganised mess. Before you could line up for drinks, you had to line up in another queue to get a 'drinks coupon'. These coupons you could then use to redeem alcohol. Of course, the only coupon you could purchase was S$50 (B1200) so we decided to get two of them before waiting almost an hour to get served. This bar had 15 different lines stemming from each side and only about 5 staff to serve everyone; it was a bit of a mess. Not to mention that the toilet queues were exactly the same. There were about 15 cubicles for several THOUSAND people. My friend Marisa was NOT happy having to stand in line for so long (and rightly so). After we got our drinks, I had met a Filipino guy named James who invited Marisa and I to join with his friends for the rest of the night. They were a lot of fun and made us all feel very welcome (so thanks guys if you're reading this!). Marisa and I made our way back to her place around half 6 the following morning. It was fair to say it was night out well spent and thoroughly enjoyed. Perhaps my favourite moment of the entire night was seeing Marisa stuck in the middle of the foam pool covered from head to toe like some ethereal foam fairy and not knowing what was going on. Thankfully, myself and new friend James helped her out of there...poor thing. Hehe.

Where it all happened: Siloso Beach Party on Sentosa Island

The following day or two was spent catching up with sleep, meeting with some friends and consuming as much 'decent food' as I could before returning to Thailand. It was also a time where I really started to become hungrier than ever to want to come to Singapore and start a new life there. Of course, living and vacationing there are two very different things. But I couldn't help but feel so at ease walking around on my own and in that sense, it was so refreshing after spending the last six trips prior always being with someone. At the time of writing this blog, I've yet to hear back from any jobs so I'm just trying to remain as positive as I can and hope something works out. I really hope I can say by the end of 2016 that I achieved all I wanted to and that I'm very happy being where I am (whether that be Singapore or somewhere else).

Now as 2016 has arrived, it is almost time up at Assumption. I have been so fortunate to spend the last 14 months at this school and I have experienced so much during my time there. Yet, my heart is telling me that this journey is coming to it's natural end. I really don't see myself working here another academic year without getting stressed out or just feeling down because I'm yearning for something more. It's also a time, as with the start of every year, to figure out what's next for me, both personally and professionally. I've got to clear out the bad things (or people) that are causing me stress, and focus on the positive and exciting things ahead. It's been very sad to have to part ways with some people (whether it be naturally or through other experiences) but I know that if people are meant to be in my life, they will stay or find their way back eventually. Also, I'd like to take the opportunity to thank my readers for reading my posts over the last year. At the time of writing, I've had over 2,500 readers in the past year from over 20 countries (according to my blogger stats) so thanks! I hope you can continue on with me into 2016 and continue to enjoy reading my posts. But for now, its time to hit (my version of) reality one last time and head back to Thailand to finish off this final semester with a bang! HAPPY NEW YEAR, EVERYONE! XOXO

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE! LET'S HOPE 2016 IS A GREAT YEAR FOR US ALL!

Good Morning, Vietnam

I thought this break was never going to come. I was up to my eyeballs in marking exams, recording class marks and preparing all my lesson plans for the first half of the semester; so much so I had to recruit my colleagues to give me a helping hand. The Thai teachers has decided not to give any of my classes answer sheets for their exams (their tests are all multiple choice) which meant that I would have had to hand mark all 379 (to be exact) papers by hand in two days...that just wasn't going to happen. So, by the time the annual staff Christmas party came around, I definitely breathed a huge sigh of relief. Once again, I did perform at the party with my colleagues and it was so much fun! Kharen and I had been working for weeks choreographing and teaching the 8 minute routine and the 9 of us that performed all worked our butts off, and boy did it pay off! It was a great showcase and if you're reading this, I can't thank you enough for putting up with me and for dancing your little tooshes off ;)

Dancing in the Christmas show was so much fun.

As Christmas eve rolled around, I headed down to Bangkok to start off my winter break. My friend Wut let me spend Christmas eve with him and we decided to go to DJ station (the biggest gay bar in Bangkok) to ring in Christmas Day. We got there around 11:30pm and arrived to a pack dancefloor and a multitude of Drag Queen/Lady boys singing the gayest of Christmas songs. It was fabulous haha. Christmas Day was perhaps the most relaxing Christmas I've ever had. Granted, it didn't feel a lot like Christmas due to being so far away from home, but in comparison to last year, where I spent my Christmas Day in a tiny mini bus in Cambodia, it definitely came as a welcome change. I met up with Marisa that evening to go to an Irish Pub for Christmas Dinner. However, before all that excitement, we were crushed to find out that Marisa couldn't procure her visa to Vietnam in time for our trip the next morning. Both of us were under the impression that you could get your visa on arrival. That, in essence, is true however you have to get a confirmation letter from a governing body in Vietnam to accept your visa application which Marisa was unable to get in time. So that meant I would have to travel to Hanoi alone whereas Marisa decided to fly to Singapore early and spend the holidays at her sister's house.

My first time in Vietnam. A great way to end 2015.

The next afternoon, I left the scorching heat of Bangkok and landed in chilly Hanoi. Now for a regular Brit, the temperature in Hanoi would be considered rather mild; but after living in Thailand for over a year where I now consider 25C to be cold, arriving in Hanoi on a Saturday evening with a low of 12C, it was a fair to say I wasn't that prepared nor was I the biggest fan of it. Feeling rather disorientated after what was a pretty sketchy taxi ride to my hotel, I decided to play it safe, get a SIM card and find some 'western' food to eat. However, that was much harder than first predicted. One of the hotel staff took me to a little shop where I purchased a SIM off a dude that could barely speak any English. He even had to cut the SIM card with SCISSORS so it would fit in my phone...! And for finding western food, the hotel staff led me in the completely wrong direction so I ended up grabbing a motorcycle taxi for 50,000d (80B) to a KFC (surprise surprise...) (oh, and KFC vietnam isn't great FYI) and then tried to get one back where this old pervert of a driver tried to charge me TRIPLE on the way back, thinking I was completely oblivious. The whole ride home, he kept telling me about the sexy massages and strip clubs of Hanoi which clearly I wanted to stay well away from. And the best part? He didn't even take me back to my hotel. He didn't know where it was so he just gave up -- so I just gave him 100,000d (that's the smallest note I had) and walked back. So overall, my first night in Vietnam wasn't the greatest...

Trấn Quốc Pagoda. The first landmark on my first day exploring Hanoi.

The next day I decided to go out and explore the wonders of the city. Luckily for me, I had met a guy named Apollo, who had offered to take me to all the landmarks on Hanoi on the back of his motorcycle which would a) save a lot of time, b) save money by not getting ripped off by taxi drivers and c) get a different experience of Hanoi from a local. Apollo is originally from Hanoi, but had spent most of his life living in Canada and Switzerland, so he had a superb level of English as well as a great love of culture and arts -- which fared well when showing me around the landmarks as he was able to explain the history behind each place that we visited. Our first stop was the oldest Buddhist temple in Hanoi, Trấn Quốc Pagoda. It is located near the west lake in Hanoi and is believed to be around 1500 years old. There were many visitors to the small temple that was there and we roamed around the grounds just before the morning prayer. It was interesting to view the Buddhist practices and architecture of Vietnam in comparison to Thailand. 

Inside the grounds of the Temple of Literature.

Secondly, we visited the Temple of Literature, which is host to Vietnam’s first university, the Imperial Academy. We began exploring the landmark at the lake of literature which was to the south of the compound, before walking through the main gate and entering the first of many courtyards within the attraction. The main courtyard had a small pond in the middle of it. At the time, many university students were taking their graduation shots there. Around the corners there stood many tombstones with alumnae’s names carved on it. I was curious to know why the tombs were stood upon turtles; Apollo had told me that it is because the turtle represents wisdom and longevity, as well as being one of Vietnam’s four holy creatures (the others being the dragon, the phoenix and the unicorn). After roaming the grounds some more, we headed to lunch where I got a taste of my first Vietnamese food. And let me tell you, I was not disappointed! Apollo took me to this very small little restaurant called on Hang Manh street where we ate ‘bún chả’ which is essentially vermicelli noodles with grilled beef in a broth in addition to some spring rolls which had crab inside them. It was absolutely delicious and the bill only came to 60000d (90B) per person…so cheap!

So glad to have my own personal tour guide to show me around Hanoi!

After lunch, we visited perhaps what is known as the hub of Hanoi, Hoàn Kiếm Lake. In the centre of a lake stood what looked to be a small temple, known as the Turtle tower. Apollo explained the story behind the temple and the lake and how according to the legend, the emperor at the time, Lê Lợi came across the turtle god who had asked to return the magic sword he had found. It is claimed that the sword was owned by the Dragon King and was used during a war against the Ming Dynasty of China. As we walked around the lake, some local students stopped us and asked the practice their English with us. This turned into a half hour conversation about what I was doing in Hanoi, where I came from, and how much I love Taylor Swift (one of the students was a fellow swiftie). To conclude our day exploring, Apollo and I reunited that evening for dinner (which was another amazing Vietnamese dish named Bánh mì thịt xiên which is essentially a french baguette with meat and cheese inside it). We walked around the old quarter and purchased tickets to see the infamous Water Puppet Show for the following evening.

These University students were so keen to talk to me and practice their English.

Missing Marisa and feeling that I had explored all I could from Hanoi, I decided to cut my trip short by one day and head back  to Bangkok on the 29^th instead of the 30^th. So on my final day in Hanoi, I rested for most of the morning (as I was coming down with a cold), managed to then walk around the old quarter alone and find myself back at the lake, where I was ripped off for some donuts by an old Vietnamese woman. As she helped me across the road, she handed me a bag donuts and almost (before I cottoned on to what she was doing) charged me around 450,000d (720B) but by making a scene I managed to get most of money back but still ended up paying around 150,000d (240B) which was still a ridiculous price. Nevertheless, I tried to not let those bad experiences cloud my judgement too much on a city/country that in all fairness I had only visited for 48 hours. Like I said, that evening I met with Apollo and we visited the world famous water puppet show at the Thăng Long theatre. Known as Múa rối nước, the water puppet show dates back to the 11^th century as is a comical and fun display of the culture and history of Vietnam – it was a thoroughly enjoyable show. It was a great way to wrap up what had been a short and sweet trip to Hanoi. Like I said, I felt that with just exploring Hanoi, two days was enough. However, I would to travel back and really dedicate a good chunk of time to explore the whole of Vietnam because I've heard such great things.

Preview of the famous water puppet show.

A giant thanks to Apollo for being such an amazing tour guide and I'm very happy to say I've made a new friend on my travels. Now, roll on Singapore for New Years!

Roll on Singapore with this one!

Bangkok for Drinks and Bike For Dad

After working for 12 days straight, it was finally time for a little weekend break. With the King's Birthday falling on Saturday December 5th, we were lucky enough to be given a 3 day weekend to make the most of. Whilst my friends either chose to stay in Korat or head to the beaches of Koh Chang, I decided to venture to Bangkok with Marisa and Georgia for a weekend of shopping, drinks, and good food. To utilise my weekend to the max, I headed down Friday night after school. Expectations of arriving in Bangkok at a decent hour were pretty low due to my 6 hour bus ride to the capital this time last year; and I was right to have those doubts. I didn't reach Bangkok until 11pm and didn't get to my friend until almost midnight. We decided to still head out for a few drinks (with my holdall and backpack still with me...) before calling it a night.

Getting our long weekend off to a great start!

My girlfriends didn't arrive in Bangkok until late afternoon the next day so I decided to meet up with some other farang friends, Phoebe and Elena. We grabbed some early dinner together before getting the party started at Charley Brown's -- a really cool Mexican restaurant/bar on Sukhumvit Soi 11. Considering my usual hang out spot in Bangkok is Silom, it came as a nice change to explore a different part of Bangkok's nightlife that wasn't a trashy as Khaosan...(no offense...). After many a passionfruit margarita, Georgia, Marisa and I made our way to a really cool Australian bar for the rest of the night. When we first arrived, no one was on the dance floor so being in the merry states that we were, we felt obliged to get it going (which was appreciated by the band haha). Like I had said, this was the first time going on in this area and I thoroughly enjoyed it (well, what I can remember of it anyways) and this bar had a really cool live band that played pop hit after pop hit all night.

Marisa, Myself, Georgia, Elena and Phoebe at Charley Brown's

The next day, I was very excited to venture to IKEA and Cotton On at Mega BangNa. Now for those of you that don't know what Cotton On is, think of it like an Australian Primark, yet the stuff is even cuter! Whereas Marisa and I were veterans of the wonders of this store, Georgia had never been before ; I don't think she quite knew what she let herself in for. This store in Bangkok was by far the biggest Cotton On store I had visited and all three of us were lost in there for well over an hour. Collectively, we must have spent close to B7000 on items so it was well worth the visit. Later that evening, we went to the EM district to check one of Bangkok's most up and coming night markets; ArtBox. I had visited twice before when they were based at the Queen Sirikit National Convention Centre, so I was excited to see what new things they had to accompany their move. This night market felt like hipster central; there were lots of little stands to satisfy any foodie, experimental drinks to satisfy any party-goer, and tons of art and fashion stalls to satisfy every Bangkok hipster there was.
Before we knew it, the three day break had come to an end (ironic how the longer breaks seem to go quicker than our regular weekends off...) and back to Korat we went to begin my last week of teaching. Well, I would say 'last week of teaching', but with already having Monday off thanks to the long weekend, as well as having the upcoming Thursday off too (due to Constitution Day) AND a half day on Friday due to Bike for Dad (more about that in a bit), it only turned into two days of teaching or as I made it, two days of making Christmas cards with my classes (it was definitely one way of keeping them occupied and quiet!)

ArtBox Night Market at Phrom Phong BTS

On Friday, we were initially told we would have the entire day off due to the Bike for Dad event, but it ended up us leaving at 2pm. Those who had registered for the event, which is a huge cycling event in honour of the King (who had just celebrated his 88th birthday the Saturday before) were able to attend. Just like for Bike for Mom, the event saw thousands of participates ride around a 29km route of Korat in honour of the royals. For the Bike for Dad event, the turn out was even bigger than Bike for Mom, plus there were events held not just in Thailand, but across practically every major city in the world. Archna, Shubhu, Grace and myself went over with Shubhu and I cycling together and Grace and Archna further behind us. I felt the route wasn't as long as Bike for Mom, considering the finish was about 2km shy of where Bike for Mom finished however the atmosphere was just as electric. With Korat being so flat, it makes the route super easy to ride and Shubhu and I were done in just over 90 minutes. I had hoped the event began slightly earlier as by the time we were done, it had gone dark which, seeing some of the cyclists participating, would cause hazard to the roads! But, it was a great event and nice way to end what felt like an incredibly short week.

Bike for Dad 2015

Next week are Midterms followed by the Christmas fair and parties. Unfortunately I have to teach next Monday and Tuesday and I have NO clue what I'm going to do as I've covered everything...maybe more Christmas cards? haha.

The Holiday Season Is Upon Us

As this year starts to draw to a close, so does the full academic schedule at Assumption. For the past few weeks, the school calendar has been rearranged with shorter lessons (some even cancelled completely) and inundated with activity after activity. To begin with, the school celebrated yet another national holiday, Loy Krathong. This holiday falls on the night of the full moon of the 12th month of the Thai lunar calendar. The name 'Loy Krathong' translates as 'to float a basket'.
If any of you have been avid readers of my blog for that past year (thank you by the way!), you'll know that I wrote a blog post about this holiday last year. But, seeing as this year was slightly different, I'll tell you all about it again.

Loy Krathong celebrations at the school.

Just like last year, my Loy Krathong celebrations were split into two parts. Firstly, the school celebrated the holiday by having a half-day's worth of classes and then a giant all-school event in the afternoon. The event began with a procession through the school of the students and Thai teachers all dressed in beautiful, traditional Thai attire. However, the beautiful clothes are also accompanied by a ridiculous amount of makeup; it is literally painted on them. My 6 year old girls looked in their mid teens...it was very creepy. It was like they'd become porcelain dolls; they showed no emotion and hardly spoke all day...

The main event was the floating of the "Krathongs" or boats/baskets into the water. Traditionally, these boats are made out of banana leaves and decorated with different flowers. As we didn't have any body of water to float the krathongs, we had to make do with a large 'paddling pool'. It was cool to see all these boats and just how colourful they were. That celebration was then followed by a beauty pageant, both for Primary and Secondary students. I watched the Primary one of course and saw one of my Primary 2 students win first prize. I still have to double look to see if it was actually her!

A few of my students entering the pageant. Number 2 was crowned the winner!

After school had ended, once again I headed to Bungta Lua where the main celebrations in Korat were being held. A group of us headed over, purchased our own Krathong and floated them into the lake. This time around, the krathongs were also decorated with insence and candles so they could be seen glistening across the entire lake. It was in the evening also that the true meaning of Loy Krathong was really recognised and displayed. Before we floated our Krathongs in the lake, we were asked to thank the Goddess of water, known as Phra Mae Khongkha, for her blessings as well as making a wish for the upcoming year. As we placed our boats into the water, it was told that it symbolises our sadness and misfortunes from the past year being floated away and marking the beginning of a new chapter; I found that to be a lovely sentiment and a rather fitting one after the past month or so that I've had with trying to move on from some personal issues.

Not even 48 hours after that holiday, the school held another big event: Sports Day. For the past 3 weeks or so, the students had been preparing in the form of chanting cheers for an hour every day...which equated to an extremely boring and wasted hour for us teachers. As with last year, Sports Day at Assumption isn't just some kids running around a track -- as with all the events at my school, they like to put on quite a show. The opening ceremony of the day was a giant spectacle with the 5 teams (Orange, Blue, Pink, Violet and Green) parading into the 'arena' with their cheerleaders and 'models' in their traditional Thai dresses. As much as the aesthetics of the day are dramatic, it was also amusing the see the student athletes after they finish their respected race fall to the ground collapsing and to be carried off on their stretchers, like they had just ran a marathon in the desert or something...
Once again, the cheerleading portion of the day was an amazing spectacle. The winning team had an oriental theme to their dance and spent almost a minute of their routine setting off firecrackers! I've got the say, as much as the lack of motivation in their education that some of these students have, they sure make up for it in creativity and being artistic.

Gold, Silver and Bronze medal winners!

The final race of the day was the Teacher's Race. If you remember last year, my team won silver in that event but this year I was going for the gold! And, by the skin of our teeth, we achieved that feat! Granted, I got a little over-excited and competitive and was screaming (yep, literally screaming) at my teammates to run faster. It paid off though...right? What a great way to end my last sport's day at the school.

And continuing in the spirit of the holidays, there are only 3 weeks left before we break up for Christmas and New Year! And once again, I will be performing at the staff Xmas party! Cant wait for that! Better start getting in the spirit! **plays Slade**

Two Princesses, One weekend.

What a week it has been. For the majority of it, my school has been preparing for the arrival of Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn for the inauguaration of the Regina Coeli Building, which is home to the classes of Secondary 4-6. Princess Sirindhorn is the third child of the King of Thailand. Apparently, many Thai people refer to her as "Phra Thep" which means "Princess angel". In relation to the British monarchy, she would be comparable to the Princess Royal. Everyone was so excited for her arrival. Just from the vibes I was getting from my Thai colleagues, I would say that she is on par with Diana in how much the Thai people love her.

Preparing for the royal visit.

This last week only had two days of actual teaching. The next two were given for the teachers to make the necessary preparations for the royal visit. As per usual, the foreign teachers has nothing to do with it so we were just sat in our offices twiddling our thumbs. The building was beautifully decked out in Thai flags and purple fabric. When Friday finally came around, you could feel the anticipation. However, after being seated and waiting over 2 hours for her to arrive, the anticipation quickly turned to impatience. But, at around 2:30pm she finally arrived and her entrance was far less climatic than I had envisioned. In the UK, I'd expect flag waving and cheering but there was none of that. The Princess arrived in her private vehicle and the place fell silent. Regardless, it was an amazing spectacle.

The Princess makes her arrival. (C) ACN

Dressed in a tradition Thai-style light blue dress, the Princess presented herself very simple; not wearing extravagant jewellry or perfectly painted makeup, she gave off the aura of someone very down to earth and connected with the Thai people, despite her title. When she arrived, she presented around 100 people with royal pins (which each person paid in excess of ฿30,000/£550 just to get one!) and then paraded around the courtyard where she was greeted with various stalls and presentations from the students. She then went upstairs to complete the official inauguration before saying hello to the crowd and leaving for her next visit in Korat. Whilst she was greeting the crowd, I was lucky enough to be at the front where she stopped, looked at me and even said hello! My reaction was to nervously smile and bow to the floor (I've never been in front of royalty okay?!). Some of the Thai teachers around me, however, were in shock that she said 'hello' to me, with some even shedding a tear in pure awe of being in her presence. Never in a million years would I have thought I would come two feet from royalty, especially in Thailand!

Her Royal Highness enjoying the presentations given by the students. (C) ACN

After she left the school, I had to make a pretty hasty exit as that night, I was flying to Singapore to see (in my eyes) another Princess, Taylor Swift. I had booked tickets to see her back in June as she was only playing two nights in Singapore before heading to Australia to finish her world tour off. Yes, it was going to be an expensive weekend but I knew it would be worth it. The first thing I had to do though was get out of the city, and when you have a Princess visiting, the whole city tends to shut down. So, a ten minute journey out of the city actually took over ninety minutes...for a moment there was a definite panic that I would not be able to make the airport in time. However, the panic was unnecessary as I made my 00:50 flight in good time and got into Singapore (my FIFTH trip this year by the way) by around 4:30am. After a lie in, I decided to drop by Ezzy's workplace, give him his ticket and meet him later at the arena. I spent the rest of that day window shopping in the Singapore malls and immersing myself to what life might be like if I end up here. After all, I won't always be hanging out with friends. It was a nice opportunity to see if I could navigate my way around the city alone without feeling overwhelmed. And honestly, it was as easy as I thought it would be. The evening soon came around and it wasn't long before I took my seat at the arena and waited for Taylor to hit the stage.

Opening her concert to "Welcome to New York", the crowd went wild. As far away as I was in terms of seating, it was still amazing to be her presence as I've been a massive fan of her for years. I was pleasantly surprised at her vocals as I had heard several people warn me that she isn't that great live, but she did not disappoint. Hit after hit played, lyric after lyric was screamed out of my lungs and it just felt euphoric. The best part for me was when she played some of her really old hits, such as "You Belong with me" and "Love Story", using just a guitar and keyboard. It just went to show how amazing talented this woman really is. It was a very simple set, not extremely gimmicky and no opening act taking up precious Taylor Swift time haha. As many people know, Swift's songs are usually written after a breakup, so it was incredibly ironic that I was attending this concert with an ex, as many of her lyrics became so relatable haha. The concert lasted for about two hours and was worth every penny of the S$132 ticket I purchased. The only disappointment (which I felt was reflected by many people in the crowd also) was that she did not have a special guest act. This is something Swift is notoriously known for at her concerts and I heard many people say they thought it was going to be local Singaporean band, The Sam Willows. But alas, she went solo this time around.

Easily the best concert I have attended.

After the concert finished, Ezzy and I went our separate ways and I decided to head out for a drink with a new friend I made the last time I was there. Armed in my Taylor Swift concert bracelet and custom made T-Shirt with Taylor Swift lyrics on them, I tried my best to blend in and not be frowned upon for being such an open Swiftie (a Taylor Swift fan for those of you who were wondering...) but in fact it was the opposite. I bumped into a guy and his group of friends who had also attended the concert and had also made a custom t-shirt with Taylor Swift lyrics on them! It was an awesome moment and he was by far the coolest person I met that night. I had only initially agreed to go out for one drink, but in typical style that turned into staying out until 6am drinking Long Island pitchers! It was a great night full of laughter, dancing, and lots of eye candy. (Yep, I swear Singaporean guys just live in the gym...) Anyways, the 36 hour trip went far too quick but it was such an amazing weekend. I still can't believe that both in Thailand and Singapore, I was able to experience encounters that I had never imagined to witness in my entire life. So I definitely left Singapore and ended that weekend one very happy chappy. See you at New Year, Singapore!

I really did see 'incredible things' this weekend.