Dear Family and Friends,

There are two CELTA acronyms that I use all the time: TTT (Teacher Talk Time – never a complement) and PPP (Present, Practice, Production – steps in teaching a grammar lesson). I’m actually not fond of either acronym in context – but I’m very fond of keeping well hydrated (I live in fear of heat rash & nausea from dehydration) so I often use PPP in an… unorthodox manner. And between TTT, PP and TP, my language is getting chock full of… unorthodox acronyms.

One quality that I hope to shake or at least diminish is my habit and need to Go Go Go and Do Do Do. My former self was always on the go, always had a dozen things to do and letting go or relaxing was nearly impossible. Going and doing unto themselves aren’t bad but it is the constant tension and the cost to my interior and exterior that this mentality causes that I find regrettable. I suppose that a reasonable explanation for this Go Go GO mentality it is my appetite for life: adoring lots of people and wanting to have a wide range of knowledge of the world that drives me. But it is my body that stops me - I’m just not capabale of going going going as I’d prefer.

Anyway, this Go Go Go attitude (different than go-go and the dancing thereof) is especially hard for me to shake on Sundays here – as Sundays have been the day that I allocate for doing something broadening and touristy – a day when I want to See See See. I have a ready companion for touristy forays into Bangkok who is, luckily, a bit more realistic. For example, when we were planning our first expedition to Chatuchak market, I suggested that we breakfast at 6:30 and then depart. “6:30???” was her response. So we compromised and left somewhere around 8:15. That morning, we boarded the Skytrain and after repairing my navigational boo-boo of forgetting to switch tracks, we got off at a northern Bangkok stop and stood on the platform trying to locate this famous crowded market. Silly us – as we had read that somewhere in the order of 200,000 people attend the market each day and we had thought that we could just follow the crowds. Uh. Yeah. NO. So we walked around this park, past vendors selling meat crackling hot over charcoal grills, past plastic tables laden with piles of Thai basil and bean sprouts, past vendors hawking belts or watches or shoes laid out on blankets. Finally, one of us spotted a sign for the market, so we skirted the traffic and entered yet another Bangkok shopping haven.

The Chatuchak market is by reputation huge, bustling, and phenomenally crowded. I can certainly attest to the first two – we spent more time being lost than being oriented but the crowds were comparable to our Siam Square base (where school is located). Perhaps the crowds were diminished because of the major Buddhist holiday coming up that next Tuesday… we could only speculate and decided not to look a gift horse in its mouth. Anyway, the market itself is formed by open-air shelters where 1000s of stalls are located, supplemented by umbrellas and marquees, and packed to the brim with stuff! So much stuff! Part of the market is akin to a Thai mall filled with pop music, skimpy t-shirts, chic handbags, too cheap watches, and designer knockoffs. The clothing sizes are unvaryingly tiny – perhaps that is why the prices are cheap? Less fabric? Anyway, part of the market is a farmers market: stalls practically spill with color and shiny fruit and plants are abundant. Our favorite part of the vegetation part of the market was watching the old-style food vendors with two enormous straw baskets filled with yummy-looking food suspended on a yoke. My friend’s favorite part of the market was and is always the textiles: she loves silks and I admit that it is fun to admire the picture that they make from afar and to stroke the silks up close. Beautiful. My least favorite section of the market is the animal portion of the market – we spent about 30 seconds there and I wanted all 5 of the puppies that we saw and I can still hear their plaintive whines. While I loved the deep wood in the antique section of the market, my favorite section was the arts and crafts - some kitschy, some not – where I was able to begin fantasizing about collecting art to take home. A friend in Seattle intelligently collected art on her travels and her walls are gorgeous – I should very much like to imitate her. Judiciously. Currently, I’m very attracted to Thai Buddhas – these are not the fat, sassy, belly-bulging, happy Buddhas often found in the States. Instead they are serene, slant-eyed figures, often carved of wood – and truly beautiful. Anyway, I haven’t made up my mind to buy anything – so I only bought one item and it is intended to be a gift. I was very proud of myself because I bargained for it inspired by the terminology that my friend discovered the day before at the state-run jewelry house the day before: “oh, if I buy this, my husband will kill me!” :-)

My friend and I spent an entire morning walking up and down rows of stalls, sometimes laughing, sometimes marveling, and often times saying to vendors “no” or “no thank you.” Eventually our sweat began turning to grime so we succumbed to the allure of fresh young coconut ice cream and then spent a good deal of time trying to figure out how to leave the market for the Skytrain. The shower upon our return to W House was heavenly.

Speaking of holidays, we cannot figure out the holidays around here. We’ve just figured out that Thai people wear yellow shirts with the royal crest embroidered over their hearts on Mondays to honor their king – who was born on a Monday. And Friday is another day where yellow shirts can be spotted everywhere: apparently these shirts also pass as “casual” in place of actually observing a casual working day here. And we were aware the July 11th was a special Buddhist holiday – because while we CELTA trainees taught, the other classrooms were dark and the cafeteria was closed. The holiday was the first day of Buddhist Lent - Khao Punsa. A day on which monks take a vow to stay only at one place during 3 lunar months to shelter from rain and sun. A good article regarding this holiday can be found at: http://sunsite.au.ac.th/thailand/special_event/khaopunsa/.


Every day that we don’t almost get run over on the way to school is a holiday because the only way to almost not get run over is by the traffic being lighter. The tuk-tuk driver of last Sunday told us that there was a holiday this last week but I didn’t believe him because I figured that this was part of the elaboration on the big temples are closed for holiday theme – but last week the student showing was lower and the traffic hasn’t seemed nearly as bad. Or maybe our standards are changing….or maybe we are acclimating.

Speaking of acclimating, one friend told me that there is a sickness of the lungs that one can get from breathing too much air conditioning. Often times my throat hurts and sometimes my lungs bother me – but this could be air conditioning (inside) or pollution (outside). Or more likely, both. Anyway, having decided that having healthy lungs is also a priority, I’ve cut back on air conditioning and I can now spend hours in my room without it. Ok, I admit that this isn’t acclimation per se – just a good sign, I think.

So I must warn you now that I shan’t be a tourist this weekend. I have two final lessons, one paper to re-submit (most of the class has to re-submit this one) and another paper to complete. Not to mention a future plan for the weeks following the CELTA… I’m fairly certain that you all will be reading about my adventures in Cambodia in a few weeks and I hope to have a better idea of what is next after this weekend. I still want to travel in this part of the world – for sure around Thailand and definitely Cambodia… maybe Vietnam. And of course, I need to job hunt. I’m sticking by my stated motto: “the Will to do, the Soul to dare.”

I have a few other topics re: Bangkok that I may post this week – if the God of the W House Wireless is kind. Inconsistent wireless is a W House frustration – I’m considering starting my own spirit house especially for the wireless – which is inconsistent at best.

My thoughts and heart are never too far from you all…

Laura