Colleen and Jimmie

Apartment

Hey everybody,
I’ve moved into my new apartment and starting to set up my life again. Being able to cook small meals for myself has been wonderful, grilled cheese has never tasted so good, as always it is the small things in life that makes life worth living. I have a small inventory of supplies for my kitchen:
1 big spoon
2 small spoons
2 small forks
1 knife
1 cutting board
1 bottle/wine opener
1 bowl
4 glasses
1 shot glass
1 cup
1 small plate
1 small pan
Drying rack for dishes
Not nearly what I had in Arvada, but enough for me. It does not take long to start to accumulate things. I had no dishes or kitchen things what-so-ever when I moved in. Apartments are small in Bangkok. I do have a 1 bedroom not a studio, so I am moving up in the world.
It takes a long time to get some things done over here. I may have to wait 2 weeks or longer to get my internet. However, it is different depending on who you talk to. A friend I met at my apartment said hers was set up the same day. It is very confusing.
By far the hardest part about being in Thailand, other than getting stuff done, has been being away from friends and family. So, who is visiting first. Seriously, I need someone to play with, cheap good beer, cheap good food and lots of sights to see.

New Pics

Thailand

I have internet again!!!!!!!! So I have added some photos to the Thailand photo album. I went wake-boarding at Club Taco and one of the Thai teachers took me on a tour of one the many floating markets in Bangkok. Click the Pic.

Club Taco

Club Taco, a must-see attraction for anybody planning on coming out to visit.

Every silver lining has it's cloud.

Colleen moved into the place with the great view yesterday. Loves the view hates the roosters. Oh well,  if roosters are the worst of it, we are doing pretty well.
She will be without internet for up to 14 days. She says hi.

Theme Song

First Week at School

Hello from Bangkok!

I'm sitting here watching an amazing lightening storm over the city, so beautiful. And I realized that I haven't blogged in a while. My first day with children was Aug.5th. I had one day to set up the entire classroom, before children arrived. Even while I was moving furniture, windows were being installed. It has been a whirl wind week. With lots of tears, mostly from new toddlers, but some of the tears were mine. I'm trying to bring Montessori to a land where children are allowed to do whatever they would like. A culture where I can't put out  pretty breakable dishes because they aren't safe. However, children are allowed to run around in cars without car seats, seat belts or even just sitting down. The idea of what is safe and what isn't safe is completely different here. Children don't feed themselves, nannies and maids chase them around with a fork; I call this the floating fork. They don't sit down to eat, and I'm not just talking about children of privilege. This is hard because Montessori is about independence. Does this work in culture where children will live their whole lives in the family home until their grandchildren are taking care of them? What do you think?

I have three students. One a french girl, who has been in a Montessori school before in Bejing, two, a Thai girl who has never been to school, and three the granddaughter of the owner. The diference between them is amazing. They are all wonderful and learning to explore and concentrate without stupid grown ups being in the way. I have given very few formal lessons, choosing to sit back and observe. I only jump in when:

1. They might hurt themselves

2. They might hurt others
3. They might hurt the classroom materials

The storm is over, I'm listening Pasty Cline staring at the city lights. I can't wait to see what next week holds.

Love,

Scooter

That's a View.

Colleen put a deposit on a new apartment yesterday. She thinks it will be large enough for both of us. Who cares, the view is perfect. The sun sets behind in the city and the temple or what the Thai call a Wat. Nice work baby. Love you, miss you.

Looks like... It might be... It is. It's a school!!!!!

Check out the progress!

Trust

To be honest I'm not sure where this blog is going on trust. I have had to trust and place my trust in the hands of many people here. Taxi drivers and motorcycle taxi drivers, have gotten me to every destination I have asked. Even when they couldn't understand what I was saying. I have not ever felt like I was cheated or have been conned. In fact, when I get in a Taxi I often feel relieved, knowing that I'm getting home or to the Sky train without having to figure out the bus system or the map. 7-11 clerks, they help put minutes on my cell phone. The directions are in Thai, so it can be hard to figure out. But, I ask for help and they just do it for me. Even if the store is really busy and there are people everywhere. On a side note about 7-11 there are over 3,000 7-11s in Thailand, kind of like Starbucks. There is one on every corner and across the street from each other they are everywhere.

It has been hard to trust sometimes and a little scary too. I grew up in Denver and knew the city like the back of my hand. I spoke the language too. I could be very independent. I didn't need Taxi drivers or 7-11 clerks or anybody help me do simple tasks like getting to work or placing minutes on my cell phone. I could do it all by myself. Here I find myself humbled by the people, who don't know me and don't speak my language, but are willing to go out of their way to help me. Like the security guard at the mall who helped me get a taxi at the loading dock. Or the clerk at Big C (think Super Walmart Thai style) who helped me find dish washing soap and dental floss. Everyday I find myself walking about in this big city, often just trusting that people are people and everything is going to be ok. I hope I can remember this feeling of needing others so much when I get home. And I can return the favor to someone else who needs to trust people.

Progress at the School

Education Expo

So, here we all are at the Education Expo, at the Queen Sirikit Convention Center in downtown Bangkok. It is a very small convention center for Bangkok. The Expo ran Friday, Saturday and Sunday from 10-7. I worked the whole day all three days, so tired by Sunday night. Luckily, today, Monday is a holiday in Thailand, so I have the day off to rest and catch up on life. Nobody can tell me what the holiday is about, just that it is a Buddhist holiday.

The Expo was very exciting and gave me a chance to talk to many parents from around the world. Even the ones who didn't speak English, which was most of them, wanted to talk and find out more about Montessori. Montessori is old and new here. Let me explain. They use many blended curriculums in schools in Asia. So, many schools say they use a Montessori curriculum, however there are no trained Montessori teacher in these schools. So it isn't a true Montessori school or program. And since some of these school have been in Bangkok for quite sometime parents here think they know Montessori. They want to know what is unique and new about Montessori Academy of Bangkok. Well, for a start we are a true Montessori School, with trained teachers in each classroom.

Plus we are a tri-lingual program, English, Thai and Mandarin. That was what most parents were excited about and me too. I told Kent we should have done this when Kristina was 1 year old. Then she would have the gift of three languages. We aren't very good in states about teaching languages to our children. Most people in Thailand speak at least 2 or 3 languages. And I'm the only teacher at the school who does not have a second language. However, I am a native English speaker, this is very important to all of the parents. This may sound strange, but parents over here like that I look very western. At times in Colorado, I felt that if I wasn't blond and blue eyed I would have been able to go farther at schools. Because they are struggling to find diversity here my appearances are an asset. I am the diversity. Strange feeling.

Yummy, Coke in a bag

So sorry if you already heard this story. Thursday, July 22 we were looking for a store to buy dishes, for the school. It was very far away from the school and the driver kept getting lost. We decided to grab snacks, because we had been in the car for so long. The driver stops to ask directions and Kiri (the preschool teacher) jumps out of the car and buys 2 bags of potatoe chips, and SCORE they are even western flavored-not squid or fish, but bbq and sour cream and onion. Well, of course the chips make us thristy. And it is VERY hot and HUMID outside. The next time the driver stops and asks for directions, I hop out to buy drinks. We were in luck, a big old Coke Cola ice chiller is there. And they have the tall cokes in the glass bottles, the kind you can't find very often in the States. The bottles are so cold they stick to the bottom of the cooler with the ice cryatals. They feel so icy cold. I grab a bottle of coke for me and a bottle of Sprite for Kiri. I take them up to buy and the lady asked "for take away?" I said "yes, please." She grabs 2 bags. She pops open the bottle of coke and pours it into a plastic bag puts a straw in the bag and hands it to me, she does the same with the Sprite. And I walk off with 2 bags of ice cold beverages. You only get the bottle if stay at the stand to drink.

This is my School

I don't know if you noticed, but I haven't written much about the school. Well, this is why. Surprise it isn't done yet. It is still under construction. The first picture is the front of the building and the second is the back. It was pretty disappointing to travel for 19.5 hours and see this. They are working very hard to get it done, like 24 hours a day. And I have been promised that it will be done by the end of July. We are also telling potential parents the same thing, they laugh under their breath. What can I say, I want/need it to be true.

Well, maybe I'm crazy...

Well, maybe I'm crazy for doing this. I thought it would be really nice to get a foot massage and see a movie at the mall, easy no problem. Except that the mall closed while I was watching the movie. I couldn't leave out the same door I came in. The mall is the size of a football stadium. I couldn't even find the ground floor. I ended up on the second floor loading dock, practically begging for a taxi. And pretending I don't understand that he (the nice mall cop) wants me to go somewhere else to beg for my taxi. However, even though I know he wants me to go away, I don't know where to go because it is raining cats and dogs. So, I stand there and look stuipd, not hard at that moment. He finally gets me the taxi. Oh thank god I can go back to my hotel. Except the taxi driver has no idea how to get to my hotel and either do I.  We have something in common. I call the hotel and have them talk to the taxi driver. As he starts to drive I recognize the street that is near my hotel. However, he is going the wrong way. I tell him you're going the wrong way, by pointing and grunting. He turns around in the middle of crazy Bangkok traffic, almost causing an accident with a motor scooter carrying a family of five. Deep breath, I made it home, nobody died and I know not to go to the late show at the mall.

My new life

Today was my first day at work! The school is still under construction. So, we did paperwork and editing in the morning. It was great to do something familiar. In the afternoon we went to see Montessori materials. It was amazing to see a conference room laid out with the pink tower, binomial cube, red and blue rod and geometric solids that we could inspect before we ordered.

After work Kiri(Principal and Casa teacher) and I went for beers at the jungle bar next to my hotel. Where we had yummy food that I can't spell and beers. They place ice in the beer to keep it cold. Also the service is amazing. They plug in fans and light an anti-mosquito coils, just for us. Kiri started calling it jungle bar. It has no walls and a tin roof, with ponds, tropical plants and fountains all around. There are about a million of these jungle bar/restaurants lining the streets.

I've decided to stay at the hotel for a little longer, before jumping out on my own.

Photos!

Click to see all 17.

First full day

Yesterday was my first full day in Bangkok. It is kinda of like being dropped off on planet Mars. I took a motorcycle taxi to the grocery store and bought the essentials:

1-6 pack of Coke Cola

2 Big bottles of Beer

Kettle chips

Weird but yummy Asian crackers

Cut watermelon

2 Green Apples

Soap

Waterproof mascara

Earl Grey tea

Sugar cubes



I also replaced my cell phone and got a sims card and a local phone number.

I spent $33.00 at the grocery store I spent $20.00 on the cell phone. I will try to get pictures up soon, however, my camera is old and not being very cooperative.



I thought English would be everywhere, its not. And my Thai doesn't exist. Crazy what hand gestures will and won't get you.



My luggage is in San Francisco. Its suppose to fly in tonight. Just in time I need clean underwear.

All is good!

Sort of... Her luggage is missing -we hope this is temporary- and she dropped her phone while trying to text me from the airport. It fell off of a catwalk and was run over by a luggage cart. So she has no phone numbers and two days worth of clean clothes. Other than that, her room is clean and comfortable and she is happy and well.

If you think of it, text her your number at her new number. If you need that number, let me know.

She has landed.

Still waiting to hear from her, but she is on the ground.

Only three hours to go!

Colleen made her connecting flight at 2:00AM this morning and will be landing in just over 3 hours.

That was close

She made her connecting flight with 9 minutes to spare. only 17 hours left.

Colleen's new blog

http://thai1on4me.blogspot.com/

Follow her adventure, drop her a note or just check the weather.

Day one

Colleen made her flight without any problems. She will land in Bangkok at 9:05 on Friday morning.