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.

October Break: Hong Kong, Krabi, and Singapore

October break quickly came around, and not only marked a well-deserved two week break from school, but the end of one full year of working in Thailand. And in an ironic sense, what better way to celebrate that feat than spend most of this given break outside of it?

After a couple months of planning, and getting Ezzy on board with travelling with me, we decided to visit Hong Kong, Krabi and end the trip in Singapore, where I'd also be having TWO job interviews for potential employment after I finish Assumption. As the dates for the trip had been shifted a few days earlier, I unfortunately had a few days in Korat to waste before I headed to Hong Kong after the weekend. After receiving the news that my original flight to Hong Kong has been cancelled, I had to ring the airline up and reschedule my flight, with the only decent time being a 4:30am departure. As far from ideal as it sounded, it did turn out okay in the end as it did give me a good full day to explore the city. Ezzy wouldn't be arriving until later that day so I spent most of the morning navigating the Hong Kong streets, checking in to my hostel, and sleeping off the exhausting before he arrived. My hostel, aptly named Hong Kong Hostel, was located on the main Hong Kong island in the fashion district. As expensive as it was, the location certainly made up for it. The room however, was incredibly tiny. Ezzy and I decided to book a private room but there was literally only space for a double bed and that's about it. After finally reuniting we decided to head to the famous Ladies night market and to the most densely populated area on earth, Mong Kok. Despite boasting that crazy feat, it wasn't as busy as expected (then again, it was a Monday). After spending the majority of the night trying to find what looked to be good food, we stumbled upon this little restaurant serving predominately noodle bowls. By this point, we were both super hungry so we just defaulted. Looking a little overwhelmed by the situation I was in (mostly non-english or vague menu items, and sitting on a tiny table with randomers), a lovely lady asked us if she could order for us. We explained what we would like and she ordered for us. Although I'm surrounded by generosity from Thais, I was blown away by the friendliness of a stranger in a place where I wouldn't have thought it to happen often -- like if I was in New York or London for example. In terms of food overall, we didn't have the best luck there; we mostly just ate noodle dishes. It was hard to find places to eat that suited both Ezzy and I, and weren't too harsh on our wallets; Hong Kong was far more expensive than I have prepared myself for.

Disneyland!

The next day, we met up with my colleagues Archna and Shubhu and ventured to Disneyland! Seeming that my whole family had just all gone to Florida without me, I was happy that I was able to get my Disney fix. Inevitably much smaller than its American counterparts, Disneyland Hong Kong didn't quite live up to other Disney parks I had visited. Nonetheless, it was a great day going on classic Disney rides and thankfully without the massively long queues. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to score any photo with Mickey and Minnie Mouse but I'm glad I was able to visit another Disney park to check off my list. Archna and Shubhu decided to stay for the fireworks whilst Ezzy and I decided to explore the city a little more. We decided to dress ourselves up and go to the Ritz-Carlton and visit the highest sky bar on earth, The O-Zone Bar. Located 118 floors up, the sky bar was very classy with expensive drinks to match. We only felt it necessary to have one cocktail each but the view was fantastic and really made me want to live in a city like this.

Drinking in style.

On our last full day in Hong Kong, we decided to visit the other big tourist spots on the island; in the morning we visited Big Buddha (also known as Tian Tan Buddha) and the Po Lin monastery. The Buddha statue sat high on top of a hill and took 268 steps to reach its summit. Inside was very plain and no photos could be taken but the outside and the view stemming from it was exquisite. Opposite the statue was the Po Lin monastery, where many devout monks reside. Lots of vegetarian snacks and meals were offered and it was very interesting to get a sense of Thailand again being surrounded by monks and hearing Buddhist chants. However, the monks at this monastery wore grey not orange. To save money, we decided to take the 45 minute bus ride to and from the statue, which gave us plenty of time to figure out what the next plan was. As time wasn't on our side, we decided to head straight to Victoria Peak, perhaps the most famous landmark in Hong Kong, due to it being the highest point on the island (554m above see level) which offered spectacular views of the city. When we reached, we had to wait around 20 minutes for the vernacular to take us to the top. When we finally made it, we weren't disappointed. We came just before sunset so luckily for us, it was too crowded. We were able to take pics of the hazy skyline and really see Hong Kong in all its glory. We spent that night visiting the Pier and seeing the skyline at night. It was a great end to our trip.

Our last full day in Hong Kong: Big Buddha and The Peak.

The next afternoon, Ezzy and I headed back to Bangkok on separate flights and spent the next couple of days catching up on missed sleep and just generally relaxing before we headed to our next destination: Krabi. Before we headed to Krabi though, we stumbled upon what was perhaps the craziest cafe I have ever visited. It is called Unicorn Cafe and it was just this pastel, rainbow-filled cafe scattered with plush unicorn teddies and yes, UNICORN ONESIES. I encourage anyone who visits Bangkok to go there -- its simply magical! haha.

Unicorn Onesies exist!!

Anyways, I was a little sceptical as to how Krabi was going to stand out from all the other islands/beach towns I had visited in Thailand on previous trips. However, as much as Krabi is a tourist destination, it didn't feel as overpopulated and full on as the other places (most notably Phuket). We stayed in a beautiful 4 star hotel about a 2 minute walk from Ao Nang beach with lots of delicious local (and halal) street food nearby. The first night we were there, some of Ezzy's friend were staying just down the road from us, so we decided to meet them, explore the night markets in the local town and catch up over a few drinks. However, the rain adjusted those plans and after a quick 5 minute walk around the tarp-covered market, we decided to sit at a local bar and have a few drinks. We bonded over a game of Jenga and danced the night away with new friends. Certain people had to be carried home (clue: not me) but overall, it was a great night and an exciting opportunity for me as I was able to make some new friends who were living in Singapore! Kevin and Kaja, it was so nice to meet you! 

Made some new friends.

On our last day in Krabi, we went on a day tour around the islands. The "4 Island Tour" visited Railay beach, Koh Tup, Koh Poda, and Koh Gai (known in English as Chicken Island). Unlike the other day trips I have been on, the stops we made were also points of interest for perhaps 10 other companies, which meant that the small little beaches were inhabited by tons of tourists. Being the xenophone I am, it didn't make a pleasurable experience for me. I just wanted to relax on the beach in silence and maybe take some pictures. Yes, I still took pictures and made the best of the situation we were in; that's not to say the islands and beaches I visited weren't beautiful, they were really pretty. We had our lunch on perhaps the quietest of the islands, Chicken island (although I still fail to see where that name comes from -- apparently the island looks like a chicken? Also, Ezzy spotted one in the distance that resembled more a turkey and we somehow thought they maybe got mixed up? haha). During low tide, you would be able to walk between islands by a narrow strip of land. However, with the timings that we visited each place, we were not able to do that. Despite the hoards of people around the beaches, it was a nice change to see yet another beautiful part of the country I've had the pleasure of calling my home the past year. To end the trip in Krabi, Ezzy and I had a full body massage...for him, a good experience. For me? Not so much....haha. If anything, the massage made me more tense as it hurt so much, despite the numerous attempts at telling the guy who was massaging me to be softer haha.

Last stop on our 4 Islands tour: Koh Poda.

The last part of my trip quickly came around. We left Krabi early Tuesday morning (20th) and headed to Singapore. As much as this trip was for fun, I also had two job interviews lined up in the latter half of the week that could potentially change everything for me, so nerves were definitely settling in. That night, we met up with a bunch of Ezzy's friends and chilled out. (It's been nice meeting his friends as it gives me the opportunities to make connections in Singapore without feeling like I have to be attached to Ezzy's hip the entire time.) The next day, I woke up and my body was aching all over (I blame the Thai massage!). This was the last thing I needed before my interview the next day. To avoid being stuck in bed and feeling sorry for myself, I spent the day with my girl, Marisa. She was visiting her sister and brother-in-law who lived in Singapore. We decided to spent the day on Sentosa Island and hoped that a familiar face and positive interactions and laughs would make me feel better. We went on the Skyline Luge, which offered two tracks totalling 1.2km to race around on. We had to take a chair lift to reach the top and we were allowed three attempts. Despite the hesitance the first time round, the track was super fun and it was nice to go back to Singapore and do touristy things - the last two times I hadn't really done anything of the sort. That night, I rested at Marisa's sisters house and they had made dinner for me. With all of us being teachers, this presented the perfect opportunity to take the time and prep myself for the impending interviews. We spoke for about half an hour and I took notes and tried to absorb as much information as possible. It definitely made me feel more prepared for them. The first day of my interviews finally came around. Thankfully, some Chinese syrup/medicine made me feel better and I went to the HQ of the company and sat with the CEO of the company for around an hour -- mostly talking about myself and my experiences as a teacher. No real questions were answered but it was still intense and I had to really sell myself. That night, Ezzy and I were supposed to go to a secret show hosted by a local Singaporean band, The Sam Willows (check them out here). However, the UBER that was arranged to pick us up never did...after waiting over an hour for it. So, instead we drowned our sorrows in Nando's. The second of my interviews followed the next afternoon. For this one, the dress code was more casual and I met with the Head of Recruitment at a cafe downtown. The structure of the interview though was very formal and intense, I was asked questions that really put me on the spot and I had to think and act quickly and really sell myself without sounding too cocky. This interview lasted almost 2 hours (the longest interview I've ever had!), but there was never a silent moment and lots of questions were answered from both parties so I felt the interviews went well. In exciting news, I was offered potential job contracts by both employers! However, due to not being able to start until April next year, nothing has been set in stone yet. To celebrate two great days of interviews, I joined Ezzy and his friends at the local bars and just enjoyed life. I wasn't too sure how often I could actually do this if I was to move to Singapore, so I tried to enjoy it as much as I could then. Sunday morning was soon upon me, and that meant my two week adventure was over. Can't really be too sad to leave Singapore as I will be back next weekend to see Taylor Swift in concert!

But what a trip it has been. Draining in so many ways but an amazing experience nonetheless. Now back to (what I call) reality with work. My last semester at Assumption...let's end on a high!

Until next time.

From Cymru to Korat: 1 Year On

If you had told me one year ago that I'd still be working in Thailand a year on I would have liked to believe you but honestly I thought that it wouldn't have happened; Maybe my contract couldn't be renewed? Maybe I got fed up of Thailand and decided to come home? Or maybe (just maybe) I met the love of my life and we decided to travel the world together? But alas, none of those happened. And almost exactly one year since I got my confirmation from Assumption, I am sat in my office writing this blog and reminiscing on the whirlwind year I've had.

When I first received that email from the school, never did I think I'd be able to experience the things I have, travel the places I have and along the way, met some of the most amazing and interesting people. Of course this all could have gone very differently, not just through out of fear of exploring outside the bounds of Korat, but also if I didn't actually pluck up the courage and came to Thailand in the first place. When I initially decided I wanted to start my career in teaching English in Thailand, I ideally wanted to stay in Bangkok as that's where I felt most opportunities presented itself. Honestly, when I found out I'd been placed in Korat my heart sank a little as to me I felt it was so far from Bangkok that there wouldn't be a lot of ways to get there. Furthermore, when my agency stated that the level of English there was poor, this further discouraged me. However if you know me, I do believe everything happens for a reason and after the lightbulb moment of "Why are you second guessing this Matt?!", I never looked back. Now, when I applied for a teaching position with my agency, I ideally wanted to work with Primary aged children. But due to my work experience at summer camp, I was placed with Secondary 2 and 3. Despite the initial disappointment, I was ready for the challenge and looking back on it now, I did enjoy it. Yes, my throat constantly hurt and yes, most of my kids were lazy or naughty...but a) it could have been much worse and b) there were some hilarious and wonderful moments during my time teaching them. One moment that will always stick with me teaching that age group happened at the end of the school year last year (March); it was my final class with my Secondary 3/1 class, an amazing class who were always willing to learn and their standard of English was to a much higher standard than any other classes I taught. At the end of the lesson, I gave them all lots of sweets and thanked them all for being such a pleasure to teach. This then prompted one kid to say back to me, "Master, it wasn't your pleasure teaching us, it was OUR pleasure having you as our teacher". That moment melted my heart and cemented to me that this was the career path I was meant to embark on.

When June came around, this presented a perfect opportunity to seize the moment and ask to be moved to Primary. After 6 months of teaching Secondary, I felt a change of scenery would be good for me. Thankfully, my plea was accepted and that's when a set of whole new adventures began. Obviously, the differences between teaching Secondary and Primary are very clear. For one, I had to get out of this strict mentality and teaching style and adapt it as best as I could to teaching 6-8 year olds. My idea was to channel my inner camp counselor, be enthusiastic yet firm, but just have fun with them. Granted the first several weeks were very difficult; without having a Thai teacher to assist me, it felt like I wasn't teaching at all. I felt very deflated. But, after Master A came to assist me, my classes have been wonderful and I've barely ever had to feel the need to vent my frustrations or problems with my classes which seems to be a common trait with some teachers at the school. At this moment in time, I am LOVING teaching the age group I do. These kids bring me such joy and never fail to make me smile every single day, even if its just a hello, or a hand shake, or a hug; knowing that they're are excited to see me and portray that they enjoy my classes (haha), that's all that matters to me. Going forward, this is the age group I want to teach in the future I really feel that I can make a bigger impact and positive influence on them. Unfortunately, by the time they reach Secondary, I feel many of the students just give up with teaching English and its an extremely difficult task to change their minds. I mean, we all remember how stubborn we were as teenagers right?

Apart from the teaching side of things, I have been extremely fortunate to travel to some amazing places and meet some just as amazing people along the way. Everyone knows about my love of Singapore, and I'm so happy I've been able to visit the city 3 times this year (and a further 3 trips are planned before the year is out). And of course, if I didn't make that spontaneous decision to go to Singapore in March, I wouldn't have met Ezzy who has not only been a great travel companion over the past few months, but a new friend who I am so grateful to have in my life. Closer to home though, I've been able to visit some great cities including Ubon Ratchathani, thanks to my friend Tay; coming to see you was an amazing experience and I was able to see parts of Thailand I wouldn't have been able to see as a regular tourist, and learn about the cultural and historical heritage of your country which is always fascinating to hear. So if you're reading this, thank you and I hope to see you very soon! Also, thanks to Kang and First, two great guys I have had the pleasure of meeting whilst living in Korat, I have been able to experience my new hometown in a different light so I thank you both for that. Hopefully before the year is out, I will be able to visit some new places both in Thailand and overseas. In a week's time, I will be travelling to Hong Kong for 4 days which I am so excited for! Then, I'll by flying down to Krabi to see yet another side to Thailand and the beautiful beaches and islands that surround that area. Finally during the Christmas break, I am hoping to visit Vietnam for a few days, and explore the capital, Hanoi, as well as Hoi An, an UNESCO world heritage site that has been mentioned to me several times now as somewhere to go visit. And as much as I have tried to get out of Korat and explore as much as possible, I have really come to like the city I'm living in. It has its own unique charm and can somehow feel like a city, but still in a weird way have a small town feel to it. The only thing I would wish for was that it was just a little closer to Bangkok.

Now, if you have been reading my blog since its inception (thank you loyal followers! haha), then you might remember that I wrote myself a letter entitled "Dear Future Me". When I wrote it, I told myself that I'd reply to it 6 months when I finished at Assumption, but now seeing I'm still here a year later, I thought that now would be a fitting time. For those of you who need a reminder of what I said in the letter, here it is:

Dear Future Me,

Well, its now coming to the end of your adventure in Thailand and I want this experience to have been it has been everything you expected and more; that you got to visit some outstanding places, experiences things you never thought you would and make friends and connections that will last a lifetime. Additionally, I anticipate that you have used this time to work on yourself both mentally and physically and can come back to the UK (if you want to come back that is) with a fresh outlook on life; that you can take a look in the mirror and be happy with what you see. Most importantly, I really hope this experience has opened your eyes to whether a career in International Education is for you (I really hope so because I want to travel more!).

I hope you had a wonderful Xmas/New Year break and got to spend it with incredible people in incredible places. And that your trip to Malaysia in December worked out and the visa situation sorted itself out by then! I have a checklist in mind which I have taken with me to Thailand and by the time this letter is read at the end of the trip that you can tick most of them off - riding an elephant, petting baby tigers, checking out the Bangkok Gay scene and taking a massive selfie with your class are the top priorities!

On a more personal note, I wish that everything that seems hazy and unsure to you at the moment has become clearer and you are happy with the direction its going in. This may mean saying farewell to some things/people as you leave Thailand or more positively welcoming new people and things into your life. I really hope the relationship between a special person in your life (and you know who you are if you're reading this too) has gone in the direction in which you think is for the best, and after months and months of emotional journeying(?) has brought you both to a place where you can be happy again. I want you to finish this journey having no regrets. Everything you have gone through on this trip has happened for a reason, even if you might think it wasn't what you wanted. Without meaning to sound too sappy (I am writing to myself after all), I want to say how proud I/you should be that you did this! It may have flown by and at times you may have wanted to pack it in, but you did it! And like I said before, I really hope this is just the beginning of an exciting career and goal.

If you realise that this isn't for you, then I know that there is a good reason for it. I've always gone with my gut instinct in the past and it has never steered me wrong so far. Just enjoy the ride and look at this blog as a wonderful way of looking back on what could be/has been a life changing experience for you.

Finally, I want to say this: (lets hope you can read Thai by then!)

หากคุณสามารถอ่านภาษาไทยแล้วฉันจะภูมิใจ หากคุณสามารถแปลมันฉันจะประหลาดใจ ;)

MC (Oct 2014)

As weird as this is that I'm now answering my past self, reading through this letter brought back a ton of memories and a realisation that I am not the same person as I was back in October last year. So the best way I feel I can address this letter is to, in my typical cheesy fashion, reply back, So here goes...

Dear Past Me,

Although my adventures in Thailand haven't quite ended yet, I felt this was a fitting time to write a reply to this letter as it is almost one year since I/you (ok this is weird) wrote it. Thankfully like I've stated in this blog post, I have been able to see some outstanding places and gain experiences I never thought imaginable. And yes, there definitely have been people I've met along the way who I will be friends with for a very long time and I'm incredibly thankful for that.

I feel for the most part, this time has been an opportunity to work on myself both physically and mentally; there are still things to work on on the thinking side of things, but I've now got into running and find it very therapeutic...when I actually get off my lazy ass and actually decide to run haha. If looking back at myself last year, I can definitely say that I am happier with the person I've become - I was in such an emotion rut back then which I have now climbed out of. And yes, I have really discovered the joys of International Education and hope to continue my journey in Singapore if these interviews go well this month...**fingers crossed**.

My Xmas break was pretty great yes. Reigning in New Year on the beach was pretty spectacular. My trip to Malaysia didn't go quite as planned, I kind of reached breaking point then but after that trip I realised that I needed to pull myself together and move on from that crappy situation and take control of it, because nothing was going to change. However, I've been able to go on so many other trips which have been amazing. Unfortunately, the checklist I had in mind I haven't completed...I won't be riding an elephant after seeing the conditions some of those elephants are in. Again, same with baby tigers...I can only pet them if they're drugged up to their eyeballs so no thanks. But, I DID check out the Bangkok gay scene and have taken many-a-selfie with my classes so be happy I've completed those at least.

Now...moving to the personal stuff. Things did become clearer for me and through the pain and the time, it did provide clarity and I was able to slowly move on from it. I really do think the direction it went was for the best. Further to that, I'm not one to have many regrets however if there is one thing I do regret, it's being as open and true to myself here as I have been. Seems like a stupid regret I know, but it might have saved me from getting sucked in to a lot of negative vibes in my workplace and away from the drama. Sadly I learnt the hard way and realised that the best way to have an easy life (personally) in my school is not to deal with issues face to face or tell it how it is, but to rather vent about it to other people and to bitch and moan behinds people back - until it reaches a point of no return and people just have a hidden dislike for one another. Unfortunately, I've been labelled as a bitch one too many times where now I have no willpower to change that opinion and to instead focus my energy on the people that DO actually like me and most importantly, focus the energy on MYSELF and the exciting prospects I have ahead of me. Yes, like you said, 'everything you have gone through on this trip has happened for a reason, even if you think it wasn't what you wanted.' and despite the personal ups and downs this journey has had, I do agree with that statement and have to focus on the future and not on the past.

Finally, you'll be happy to know that I have realised that this IS the thing for me, and the career path I want to embark on and see where it takes me. Thailand has been wonderful, but if the opportunity presents itself, I think its time for me to move on to another place once my contract ends.

And in true foreigner style, I think I'll stick to my trusted friend, Google Translate, to do the Thai reading for me...although I can write my name in Thai which is pretty neat.

Here's to the next chapter, whatever it brings!

MC (Oct 2015)

There's so many other things I could talk about that have happened over the past year, but my memory is terrible and I want to think about the experience as a whole, which overall has been absolutely amazing and as I always say, I am so blessed to have this opportunity and I feel like I have utilised it well. Just over 5 months until my contract at Assumption finishes which means 5 more months of crazy adventures and badly-written blog posts!

Until next time.

Running 10km and running ragged

After the worst nights sleep, hearing my alarm go off at 4:30am was not wanted. However, just under 2 hours later, I would be running my second 10km race, exactly three months after I ran my first. The MuangThai Korat Marathon was being held right in the centre of the city. Diana, Georgia, Lee, and myself decided to run the 10km, whilst Grace took on the half marathon.

Running 10km with Georgia, Diana, and Lee and we smashed it!

Compared the Olympic Day, this event seemed far more structured. I was hopeful that the route was going to be quiet and car-free, and that it was accurately measured out...but...more on that in a bit. The event was hosted by a company called Smile I believe, and everywhere was decked out in pink. Diana and I headed over to the start line to find Georgia and Lee, luckily we were able to cut into the start line with them but were told that we need to register before the start of the race. Of course, you would assume that you need to write your name or signature at some station, but no...it was just some random girl with a red pen who literally just ticked our numbers and let us on our way. Thankfully, the weather decided to pull itself together after what has been a dreadful few weeks of rain and (Thailand's version of) cold. It was a clear with a nice cool breeze, I knew that the sun would hit us close to the end of the race, so I wanted to get going as soon as possible.

I DID IT!

For the people who read this and are familiar with Korat, the route started at Yamo Monument and went right around the entire square before heading towards the Golf Club, Bung Talua lake, and the racecourse before making the U-turn back before heading into the military base. After about 2km in, I started to panic as I could see the signals flashing that a train was approaching, I didn't want that to stop me so I quickly raced across the tracks and avoided being caught up in the crowd of 'walkers'. To annoy me even further, I had just ran past the 5km mark (although my running app was on 5.6km...) but the turning point was nowhere in sight. We approached the long stretch of road with a steady incline, and it just felt like that road was never going to end. Thankfully, I saw Diana ahead of me running the other direction so I knew it wasn't too far away. At the 6.4km kilometre mark, I finally made the U-turn and headed back towards the start. At the this point, the sun had fully risen and the heat started to hit. Regardless though, I was in a very comfortable stride and overall it was by far the best run I have done. I sprinted across the finish line at a time of 1:03:52 and a distance of 11.3km which I was really pleased with. I smashed my last 10km time by over 4 minutes. As I was trying to catch my breath, a few organisers from the event came over and surveyed me; their final question was "What improvements can we make in the future?" which I answered very explicitly "Measure the track better..!". The good thing was that it didn't feel like I ran an extra 1.5km essentially but if you're advertising a 10km, then you should probably stick to that. At the end of the race, my friends and I all gathered to congratulate each other. My friend Diana placed 2nd overall in her category for the 10k (Females 16-29) and Georgia 5th, as well as raising money for the British Heart Foundation (amazing job guys!). Grace joined us after she finished her half (looking like she'd just been on a casual jog I might add!) and then we waited a few hours for the girls to be presented with their trophies. Overall, a fantastic morning and despite not eating or hardly sleeping, I think it went rather well!

My kids really do run me ragged, but I love teaching them!

As much as I enjoyed that run and prepped myself in the gym, I had also been doing my fair share of running around the class and exercising with my kids. For those of you who work with young learners, we all know how exhausting they can be to work with. I think first and foremost they see me as more of a climbing frame than a teacher. They love to climb on me, jump on me, and weirdly poke my stomach and my butt...very odd but a very common thing in Thailand. Perhaps what exhausted (and shocked!) me the most was on last Friday afternoon where the kids of Assumption celebrated National Youth Day. This celebration saw many songs and dances being performed by the students. Beyond my favourite was the performance by my Primary 1 students, who were dressed up as cowboys and (I think?) were mimicking some musician or music video. It was hilarious but I saw far too much gyrating for 6 year olds than I ever wanted to see...

My Primary 1 boys.

After that, I sat with my kids and watched the rest of the performances. However, they saw that as an opportunity to climb all over me, play with my glasses, take pictures (which of course I don't complain about because its adorable), but by the end of it, it really does knacker me out. One of my favourite students, Alex, is now called "my son" because he is always attached to my hip if I'm ever teaching his class or if he's ever around me. His father is British so he can understand English a lot more than most of his peers which is nice. He's just overall a great kid, as are most of my students in fact.
I am LOVING teaching this age group, but having that comparison from teaching Secondary, I'm realising more and more on a Friday afternoon has much they can run me ragged after one week. Fortunately, this week marks the last week of the semester so I can have a break for a few weeks. Crazy to think really that after the upcoming break, I only have one semester left before my current contract expires...how time has FLOWN.

Ezzy and Matt take Korat

It's always great when people make the effort to come visit you. As much as I love to travel and explore new places, it offers me a way to still feed my passion for travelling, but on a much smaller budget. I was so happy that my main man Ezzy decided to come up to Korat and visit me for a few days. It was a chance for us to spend some quality time together but also explore all the wonderful cafes Korat has to offer (thanks to Ezz discovering them on Instagram).

My poster-making skills were on form that day.

Unfortunately, I fell ill for the time he was here, so I couldn't necessarily be as adventerous as originally planned. For the morning of his first day here, Ezzy visited a couple of cafes, whilst I was busy at work. After not feeling any better after lunch, I took the rest of the day off and rested until Ezzy was ready to hit another cafe. We headed to a tiny little cafe called "Wood U Light" which was practically the size of a bedroom and had like 5 seats in it. Ezzy sampled the Butterfly pea milk, which was essentially a sour milk drink, because it looked pretty on Instagram...haha. I played it safe and just stuck to Italian soda. After that, I took him to YaMo monument, the centre of Korat, but due to rainy season, we were washed out and called it a day. Later that evening, we went on a much needed date night to Genkiramen, a Japanese restaurant not to far from the city centre. I have visited it many times before with Grace and other friends so I knew it was going to be a good dinner.

Date Night.

Friday morning I was still feeling bad so we took it easy and visited my favourite cafe to date!...Grandma Cafe. For the locals who read this blog, it is located just down the street from Happy Land. Like Wood U Light, it is a very small cafe but the menu is more extensive. Inspired by Japan, the cafe serves lots of teas and cakes. I sampled the Italian Almond Tea with SCONES. Yes, TEA AND SCONES IN THAILAND! And it did not disappoint. We spent the first twenty minutes of our time in the cafe taking artsy-fartsy shots as we were the only two in there. But, later we spent a good hour just chatting, working on our CVs and enjoying our time together.

TEA AND SCONES! (And coffee...but meh.)

That night, my friends from Plookpanya school joined us, along with Grace, for dinner at a restaurant called Baan Suan Kothip -- a restaurant I had visited a few months back which I thought would provide a nice atmosphere and good food. It was great catching up with the girls, but what was even better was introducing them to Ezz. They'd known I had spoken about what a great guy he is for a while so it was nice to put a face to him. We ended the night at my favourite ice-cream parlour, Yotse before heading to Bangkok early the next morning.

I have so much love for these guys.

Because this was Ezzy's last day in Thailand, we decided to head to Bangkok to make the most of it. We went to a beautiful cafe/restaurant called Roast at the EmQuartier Mall and tried to explore the city before the impending storm hit. Unfortunately, we were caught too soon and with no raincoats or umbrellas. We were at a night market called Artbox Signature (located at Queen Sirikit NCC) but had to leave after 10 minutes as the rain got too heavy and we couldn't do anything there as everyone was taking cover until the stalls. To add disappointment, we grabbed some Mexican food for dinner but they were OUT of guacamole...(A Mexican without guac I hear you cry! I know right...) But, after that we just decided to spend the night in as the rain didn't really clear up and Ezzy was leaving super early in the morning.

A bittersweet goodbye as always, but I'm glad that I'm able to see him next month when we travel HONG KONG together!!

(Life Update: So I've been looking for potential teaching jobs in Singapore, and I'm excited to say that I have asked to come to Singapore for an interview in late October! Exciting times but trying not to get too hopeful about it. Very early days yet. But, please everyone keep your fingers crossed for me that something good comes out of this!)

Exciting times ahead!

Bike for Mom and Teach for Money

A few weeks ago I was asked to be one of the 5 teachers taking part in a CEFR (the Common European Framework of Reference for languages) Weekend seminar for the school. As much as I was honoured to be asked to do this, I was a little nervous with the challenge of changing my mindset from teaching 6 year olds to adults; the last thing I wanted to do was sound condescending and start high-fiving people if they got the answer right. However, perhaps the thing I was most stressed about was the preparation. I was asked to prepare a 90 minute lesson about Main Idea/Supporting and Idioms (with visual aids and worksheets) as well as a 90 minute group activity involving listening exercises. As the seminar was expected to attract around 150-200 teachers, it seemed like quite the daunting task. Not to mention from experience, nothing EVER goes to plan in Thailand so I needed to prepare myself for the inevitable changes and switches. But despite all the stress and pressure I was (unnecessarily) putting on myself, the way I saw it was that this seminar was a chance to gain even more teaching experience and a way to strengthen my application for future jobs. The bonus was of course getting paid to do it! The seminar was to take place over two weekends, August 8th/9th and 29th/30th. Both my lesson and group activity was scheduled for the first weekend so I was a little rushed for time to prepare, not to mention I still had 9 exams to mark!

Looking all professional and stuff...

I decided to base my main idea lesson on recent newspaper articles and getting the group of teachers to analyse each article and in groups, present their ideas on what the main idea of the article was and the supporting details they could use to back it. As my lesson was in full swing, the Brother Director of the school decided to show up and observe my lesson from the back of the class...it was terrifying! I was nearing the end of my speech but didn't want to stop whilst the brother was there so I just kept on talking...and talking, whilst making sure I was speaking as slowly and clearly as possible; not an easy task when you're a naturally fast talker like myself in addition to being nervous. The group activity I had planned focused on songs and lyrics. The teachers had to listen to two songs (which eventually only ended up being one -- Bruno Mars' 'When I Was Your Man') and correctly identify the lyrics. Also, due to time constraints with my lesson, we also did an Idioms game that I had planned where they had to match up 24 idioms with their definitions. As fun as it was, I did also get extremely stressed as I had put hours and hours of work into preparing for the seminar and things just didn't seem to pan out or pay off like I thought they would. There really was no need to get so stressed but it was really important to me that I did well and got good feedback because I was asked to do this and didn't volunteer. I felt like I had to prove to them that they made the right choice in choosing me. But in hindsight, I felt I did do a good job and like I said, the first weekend of the seminar was good fun. My initial worry of being the youngest teacher and not being respected as much soon faded away. I felt I had made good rapport with the teachers and tried my best to maintain a balance of being serious in the class but being a bit more comedic and light-hearted in the group activities.

Teacher Mode. (Excuse the unflattering face).

The following weekend, I only had to teach Cambridge ESOL with 5 students which is a way less stressful. And, with my first (and only) free weekend of August, I just wanted to chill and relax. Upon waking up on Sunday morning, the last thing I really wanted to do was cycle 29km. Why are you even thinking about cycling 29km you ask? Well, there was an event happening on the weekend called 'Bike for Mom'. The event I'm speaking of was being held in honour of the Queen of Thailand. With this year being its first year, Bike for Mom had events all across Thailand to raise awareness for the growing number of cyclists in Thailand as well as getting more Thai people to exercise and to do so on behalf of the queen who, now 83, cannot ride like she used to! The Queen is worshipped as the mother of Thailand and in addition to the cycle, we celebrated her birthday on Wednesday with a ceremony celebrating the mother's of Thailand (it's also Mother's Day on the same day here in Thailand) and a day off school...SCORE!

Last minute decision, but so glad I did it! 

Initially, I was pretty excited about the ride. I had purchased a pushbike a few months before and have been able to explore Korat a lot more because of it. However, with the pattern of weather over the past few weeks, around mid-afternoon to early-evening is when the heavens open, and heavy rain/thunderstorms hit the city; I didn't really want to ride 29km in that. Plus, 29km seemed like a LONG journey...I hadn't even prepped for it, could my legs take it? haha. Nevertheless, the day of the ride I was unsure until I went for lunch at a cafe near my condo, where I bumped into some colleagues. And, thanks to some pressure talking from Natalie, I was becoming more and more convinced to do it. The decision-swaying moment was when the girl working in the cafe I was at (knowing that I cycle) asked me if I was doing it. In a not very confident manner, I said no to which I was once again persuaded to do it as I had nothing to lose. Which I guess I didn't right? So, at 2:40 (with the race starting at 3...) I sprint-cycled back to my room, changed, headed to the nearest supermarket to purchase a blue t-shirt (blue is the Queen's favourite colour -- everyone was wearing one who was cycling) and then headed to the race.

Met some awesome guys on the journey! Thanks for letting me ride with you.

The race was supposed to start at 3, but in true Thai style, we didn't set off until nearer to 4. So, despite waiting over 45 minutes, I'm glad I didn't get there super early beforehand. Before the start of the race, I was trying to look out for Grace who was also doing it, but despite every effort to try and locate her I had no luck. But, I did happen to stumble upon some other Assumption Teachers instead (including one of the brothers!) and decided to join in the queue with them. At around 4pm, we finally headed off. The atmosphere was great, despite cycling at a snail's pace for the first 2km or so due to the sheer amount of people that were participating. It was amazing to cycle in the centre of the city and just see a stream of blue around you and as far as the eye could see. The track started off at Thao Suranaree Monument (YaMo), went past the mall, turned onto Mukmontri which headed towards the Zoo/University, down to the Stadium, back around to the Naval Base, and then crossing over the train tracks to head back to YaMo. About 10-12km in, my legs started to hurt a little and due to the heat, my water bottle had become warm so in my best effort to be as quick as possible and not lose the crowd of people I was following, I stopped at the nearest 7/11 by crossroads and grabbed some water. After I came out, the stream of cyclists were continuing to cycle forward so I just cycled on a followed them. However, about 5 minutes after I left the petrol station, I realised that I had missed an entire section of the track! Instead of cycling straight on like I thought the cyclists were doing, I should have turned right at the junction and made my way to the stadium. That meant I actually missed out around 3-4km of the course...oops. But, if it wasn't for that mishap, I wouldn't have got talking to 2 Thai gents who decided to ride with me until the end of the course as at this point I was cycling alone. Like me, they were both English teachers and spoke impeccable English considering the standard of English I've encountered with the majority of Thais. Before we knew it, we had made it back to YaMo and to my surprise, it really didn't feel like I had just rode 29km. Overall, I'm glad I completed it and it was really cool to be part of something so special.

Made it to the finish! What a great ride!

Tioman Island

After midterms were finished, another short but extended break was upon us. And in usual fashion, I made the decision to get as far away from Korat as I could. For this trip, I decided to go exploring once again with my new favourite person, Ezzy. This time though, we decided to venture to Tioman Island, an island located 32km off the South East coast of the Malaysian peninsular, around a 5 hour journey from Singapore and an island which has been voted one of the most beautiful islands in the world by TIME magazine and The Guardian. Our hotel was called Paya Beach and we stayed in a really cute chalet about 15 seconds from the beach.

Our home for the next 2 nights, Paya Beach Resort & Spa

We booked ourselves on a 3 day 2 night package trip which included our room, all our meals, bus and boat transfers and a 3 hour snorkelling session.  Not to mention this came to just over £100pp - bargain! As the tour left Singapore, I decided to head down there as soon as I could after work finished. However, due to the flight being rescheduled, I had to leave school early so I could catch the flight in time which in turn meant that I arrived into Singapore much earlier than expected. But, being the awesome guy he is, Ezzy decided to meet me at the airport and stay up with me until we caught the bus. After getting the bus at around 6:30 in the morning, we finally arrived at Tioman around 1ish. 

Lounging in the sun.

Although not as paradise-esque as Perhentian (the islands I visited last year), the beach resort was still beautiful, peaceful, and just what I wanted from this four day break. We spent the first day (like practically every other day on the trip) relaxing (and mostly indoors watching movies and drinking Malibu). Despite service being somewhat sloth-like (we have to wait nearly 5 HOURS just to get towels...), the food was great, the room was clean and so close to the beach. The only full day we had on our trip was scheduled with snorkelling in the morning. We  visited two locations on our trip (although the second stop has a lot to be desired). That being said, the first stop (Renggis Island I believe?) was great and swarming with tropical fish. My waterproof case didn't quite live up to expectations so not so many pictures we taken unfortunately. That night was spent sitting on a beach swing covering ourselves from the storm and drinking ice cold Coronas, contemplating that the trip, however short, was going far too quick.

Snorkelling trip!

However, regardless of the things that could have got better, I was really happy that I came to Tioman and even more chuffed that Ezzy was able to come with me and that we could spend some time together. 

After we caught the ferry back from Tioman to the mainland, excitement set in that I was to going back to Singapore. I met this couple from the UK on the way back and the guy was working for a business consultancy out in Singapore. He was also 24 and all I could think about was how lucky he was. Granted, he got into that position due to someone he knew etc. but it really made me think that I've gotta get myself into gear and figure out what's next for me. I want to work out in Singapore SO BAD but I just don't know how to go about it. One thing I unfortunately don't really have on my side are contacts. I don't come from a well-to-do family, or a family that work in this profession where I could potentially get contacts from so sometimes I just feel frustrated that its an uphill climb to get where I want to go.

Anyways, enough of tangential conversations. On the way back to Singapore, I was held up at Immigration (the whole bus was waiting for me) due to the fact that I didn't look like the picture in my passport picture. Okay, I know it was taken eight years ago and I HAVE changed but I didn't think it was THAT much. I was stopped for a good 15/20 minutes, being asked where I was born, where I was going and even what airline I was flying on...at that point I was just getting frustrated that I wasn't back in Singapore and that I couldn't enjoy the little time that was left in my favourite city. But alas, we made it back around 9 at night, freshened up, grabbed some Mexican food and headed out to the bars to catch up with a few of Ezzy's mates (but SOBER this time around...after last time's shenanigans, I swore never to get myself in that state again!); I love going out with those guys because although I don't live there, they make me feel like I'm part of their 'crew' and I'm made to feel very welcome. 

Another late night was over, and running on 5 hours sleep, I made sure to utilise my last day with Ezzy as much as possible. We hung out around the city, grabbed some Indian food, and I splurged on H&M as usual. The thing I hated most of course was saying goodbye to Ezzy and Singapore. But, I'm so thankful I was able to spend 4 days with such an amazing guy and have such a laugh with him.

Ezzuan (and Singapore), see you in November.

Thanks for the good times, Ezz!