New Years - Thai Style

Woke up early – cocktails at 11:30am - beach all day – swimming and relaxing - nap time - wonderful dinner with the gang - packed streets and silly string - lanterns on the beach - midnight at the gay bar - call mum and dad - skies are alive – full moon, lanterns and fireworks - cabaret time – everyone drunk – bed at 3am!

Excuse the panic at the start of this movie clip – it was really hot! This was the best part of the night – hundreds of lanterns floating out across the sea – a great sight!

In the midst of all that madness, one thing really hit home. The beach we were at was one of those hit by the tsunami in 2004. Just 5 years ago it was filled with death and destruction and now it is back to normal; filled with tourists and locals, beautiful waters, sunshine and smiles. It was hard to sit there and think that so many people were in my position, enjoying a relaxing holiday, when the wave struck. So many times in history we think we’re invincible and every so often Mother Nature likes to remind us we’re not.

Love to all for the New Year!!

Lazy Days and Cabarets

If last week was the “get to know the real Thailand/working hard week” then this week is going to be the “laze around all day” week. Today we slept in late, got up, went to Subway for lunch, came back, watched TV, went to the movies, ate dinner, went drinking and slept – it was great!

The movie theatres in Thailand are so cheap. It worked out half the price we pay in Japan and that was after we bought the most expensive ticket; not just two seats but an entire sofa to ourselves. I also like the way they play the national anthem before each movie and everyone stands to respect the King. They really love the King out here and whenever you speak to anyone they always refer to him as my King. – so nice.

Another fantastic part of the day was going to see my first lady-boy cabaret show. I honestly had no idea what to expect and I was blown away. Not only do these guys actually look like women but they have made lip-syncing a real art. Since this bar is literally a 30 second stroll from my hotel room, I suspect I will be seeing a lot more of these guys, I mean girls, I mean…..oh whatever!

Sad Goodbyes, Happy Hello's!

Up and out by 6:30am!

We had the final goodbye ceremony at the camp before exchanging present and saying goodbye!

I was so sad to leave because it really felt as though I had known these people or so much longer than a week. It has been an amazing experience and it’s one I know I will never forget.

As Mr. Na arrived to take us to the airport there was just time for final hugs, kisses and tears and then we were off! As we hadn’t eaten breakfast we were feeling hungry on the drive to the airport and Mr. Na was prepared. His wife had packed a whole flask of coffee and various pasties for us. One thing that I have been touched by on this part of the trip is that no matter how little these people have, they are always willing to share it.

The flight to Phuket was OK but I started to freak as we came in to land. Dawn is used to my in-flight panic attacks but I swear we were coming in to land so fast. We bounced back up on the first try before landing safely – thanks for that!!

We were met at the airport by Dawn’s friend Ken, who couldn’t wait to show us around. The hotel he recommended to us turned out to be right on gay-street. I could sugar-coat that a little more but it just wouldn’t give the same impression. Just think of the one main street in Phuket where all the bars are lady-boy bars and where hot pants and glitter are fashion essentials. It was great.

After a quick nap we were met by Ken and his friend Don who took us to dinner in style. Well, we were racing through the streets on motorcycles with no helmets which is probably as good as it gets in Phuket and something I’ll never do again! When we got home not even the blaring pop-music from downstairs could keep me awake as I was asleep in no time!

Final Day at Camp

Today was another slow day and so Pin devised a test for Dawn and I. We had to take each other for a ride around camp and answer questions about the elephants and the area. Unfortunately I was first to go and Pin and Dawn decided to play the role of pain in the butt tourists. Apart from almost knocking them both out as I tried to open the umbrella and a few hairy moments when DP decided she wanted to go the opposite way it was fine and in said I passed.

Dawn also did very well as she has much more confidence than me. I don’t understand why I am such a big chicken. Piccha has really pushed me this week though and I know given the choice I would not have tried half of what I’ve done. He can see through me and so instead of giving me a choice, he just waits till I’m sitting on DP and then tells me what we’re going to do!

The elephants usually go out for 10-30 minutes at a time but one lady booked DP for a whole hour this afternoon. When they came back DP was very grumpy because it was so hot and the lady didn’t even tip! I treated her to a cool bath, long cool drink and fresh leaves so she was soon happy.

As we went over the tires to the forest tonight I was not scared but sad as it would be my last time to ride her. There was one final panic moment in store just as I had jumped down and was getting ready to say goodnight. Suddenly there was a loud bang nearby and DP bolted. After riding at her slow pace all week it was amazing (and completely terrifying) to see just how fast they can go.

After making sure she was set for the night we headed back to camp and I was in tears already. Piccha was so sweet and held my hand all the way back. Because it was the last night we had dinner at camp with everyone. Oh performed his elephant song (see the video below) which was so funny and we spent the evening eating, drinking and laughing.

Just before we left we were called outside and the mood suddenly became a little more serious. We noticed everyone had a candle and Arnon told us we were to have a ceremony together. Once everyone had lit their candles all the mahouts began talking about their best memories of the week and their impressions of us. It was clear that this was a very important part of the experience and soon they were lots of tears around the table. It was nice to know that even the mahouts we didn’t work with had noticed us around camp.

After all the emotions of the day I felt drained but we still had shopping to do at Tesco’s. We decided to buy the mahouts thank you gifts and stayed up till 2am wrapping them. After that we had to pack and eventually got to bed about 3:30am!

Argh! Tourists!

I missed Dern Pen so much it was great to see her again and she gave me the usual welcome of sniffing me all over looking for hidden fruits. Piccha also gave me the elephant ring he had told me about. He made it using black and white hairs from her tail. It sounds gross but the ring is so nice. I will definitely treasure it.

Maybe it’s the heat or something but today’s tourists are crazy. One guy from Iceland brought his 5 year old daughter along and after two minutes it was clear he was more scared than the kid. He kept yelling every time Den Pen went an inch off the road, he did not trust me to command her and so kept yelling at Piccha. DP had no idea what was going on and so decided to do her own thing. She got so mad that she ended up trumpeting and so the other Mahout’s came running to see what was going on. I used to think the sound was cute but when you realize they only do it when they are very angry it does become frightening. Luckily she calmed down and as soon as the stupid guy had gotten off she was fine!

The women of the camp have all left to visit family in the north and so the main hut has turned into a boys camp. I thought Reung would be sad without his family but the other Mahout’s are keeping him company. I spent most of the afternoon chilling out on DP, writing my journal and watching her. I have also found myself talking to her which is funny but when I’m just sitting on top just chilling out I feel like I should. Me sitting on her by the way is the equivalent of when a cat sits on our lap so it’s not like she’s bothered by it.

I have perfected my dismount I just need to work on getting up her a little smoother. I am not the most graceful person by any means and I have some horrendous pictures to prove that getting on is harder than you think. Tonight we went to a local market to start buying presents for the mahouts. (I got lots of haggling done – mum would be proud!)

Recovery Day!

Ouch my head hurts this morning!!

Arnon took us to a nearby island to meet another volunteer who was doing the temple tour. We didn’t get to meet him as it was meditation time so Arnon took us to a nearby beach. The plan was to swim, surf, snorkel and relax. All 3 of us girls just about managed to eat lunch and drink delicious fresh coconut juice before passing out on the beach! It was just what we needed!

We made our way back to Pattaya as tomorrow is another full elephant day. Dawn and I were both cranky from hangover/lack of sleep so it was a quick trip to Tesco’s to get food and straight to bed.

A Wild Christmas Day

Christmas Presents

* Sore arms and legs from getting on and off the elephants.
* Fireworks throughout the night = cranky elephants this morning.
* Learned to count to ten in Thai. Piccha knows 1-10 in Japanese so we were having an English/Japanese/Thai test – very cool.
* Piccha measured my finger for an elephant ring he is going to make me – so sweet!

Just to give back we bought every elephant at camp 2 watermelons for Christmas!

Today went into town where the company is based. We had our first experience of Thai buses. They have little to no timetables, might not come at all and can wait anywhere from 0-30 minutes at a bus stop depending on the driver. We also rode our first tuck-tuck (I have no idea how they actually spell it)

We had dinner with Arnon’s family and it was a mix of Korean BBQ and Japanese stew. When you order takeaway in Thailand, not only do you get the raw meat and vegetables but also the coals on which to cook everything – very cool!

It turns out neither Dawn or I listen very well as we didn’t understand that we were spending the night in town and bought nothing with us! It was a good excuse to hit up the local night market and grab a few bargains.

Party Time! Chang beer tower, vodka slide shots, my first experience of seeing lady-boys, crazy DJ, drinking contests, dancing and much drunkenness! Also got to finally speak to mum and dad so as I fell into bed about 3am and the room began spinning I was thankful for a great Christmas!

Thai Christmas Eve

We had an early start today and got to the “forest” just as the first hint of daylight hit the horizon. (It turns out the forest was just a piece of land with a few trees and bushes and lots of rubbish.) It was great to see DP again but I wasn’t as keen to run and greet her as she had given herself a mud bath during the night.

Thankfully the morning is bath time and elephants love water. Dern Pen played around while Picchan scrubbed the dirt off her and Reung Napa (another elephant) loves the water so much that you could only see the top of her head during bath time.

I’m really enjoying focusing on one elephant. They are just like us – things they don’t like, things they like and things they love. Dern Pen loves fruit and cheekily discovered the supply I had hidden under the table so when it came time to hide the medicine in her fruit – I had to get more!!

Spent the morning just sitting in the chair on Dern’s back – it’s so comfy I could stay there for hours but I’m still a little jumpy when she moves around suddenly. Dawn on the other hand has no fear and once she was comfy she fell asleep!

It was a quiet day and all the elephants are a little grumpy. The leaves are not as tasty because they are getting to the bottom of the pile but it was food delivery day today courtesy of the afro-van!

Watching elephants drink is so funny. They fill their trunks with water then throw it all down their throats at once. That’s impressive when you think their trunks can hold 10-15 litres of water. It also sounds like a toilet flushing when they swallow it.



Because we were next in line to be called we couldn’t get ready to go to the forest until the park closed. By the time we were ready the others had left and so Piccha decided we should take a short-cut to catch up. Because he was walking alongside Dern Pen she follows him right over four walls of tires. We would usually go around them but he decided to go over them today without telling me. I was starting to panic as I had never ridden Dern Pen when she was climbing over things but Piccha just said his usual “No problem!”

To celebrate Xmas Eve Pin, Bo, Dawn and I head to a nearby restaurant. The food was great and we decided to finish it off with Donuts from Tesco! Pin is such a riot and after spending the night discussing Twilight, Johnny Depp, Dawn French, roast dinners and English breakfast it was time for bed.

Riding Day

I can’t believe how happy I was to see Dern Pen today – it feels like I’ve known her for ages. Her way of saying hello was to sniff me all over with her trunk looking for bananas!

After our morning chores were done it was time to try getting on her. You just have to trust her and go for it. She lifted her leg, I stepped up her leg to her thigh area but then there’s nowhere left to step so you have to reach over, grab her other ear and pull yourself over. It wasn’t graceful or elegant but on the second attempt I was on!

I was nervous and a little scared at first but she listened well and after a while I had managed to get my bum comfy as I sat on the back of her neck and used my feet to control her. I put off getting down as long as I could and so while she was munching her leaves I just chilled out and admired the view. Picchan knew what I was doing and so he told me it was time to try getting down. You have to put all your weight on their ear and climb slowly. Again the grace and elegance went out of the window and I ended up sliding down her body but I got down!

When we ride the elephants we do it bareback but when the tourists come the mahouts have to put a special seat on the elephant so we can get 2-3 people on at a time. I had just dismounted for the second time when a large group of tourists arrived and all the elephants were required to go out. We were told we would take out tourists later on in the week so I thought this meant I had free time…..boy was I wrong!

Picchan gave me a red t-shirt and told me to go to the platform where the tourists get on and off. Our tourist test had been moved up and I had to get on Dern Pen from the platform in front of the tourists I would be taking around the camp. I swear getting on from the platform is much scarier. You have a two foot gap and you have to just step on the elephant, keep your balance and then get into position.

It was such an adrenaline rush I almost didn’t have time to be scared and before long it was all over and we were done. Thankfully the people enjoyed their time and we even got a tip. The only criticism they had was that Dawn and I were shouting our commands a little too loud and the tourists thought something was wrong. Other than that, we we’re pro’s!

After all that hard work, we had a trip to the local town for some local cuisine -grasshoppers - yummy!

After a relaxing afternoon, dusk started to fall and we were told we could help take the elephants to their sleeping place. We were told the elephants sleep in the forest but they forgot to mention that to get to the forest we would have to battle the busy roads. Luckily the elephants are used to the cars, trucks and motorbikes and Dern Pen carried on as normal.

It was pitch black when we got to the forest but climbing down an elephant in the dark isn’t as scary as it sounds. After saying goodnight we headed back to camp for dinner and then back to our room. I spent the next hour scrubbing my hands and feet; looking after elephants is dirty work!

First Day at Camp

For me to wake up voluntarily before 6a.m means I must be excited about something…elephants!

Before heading to the camp, we were taken to a local café for breakfast. The Thai lady who ran it had lived in Germany for a few years and it seemed very surreal to be speaking (very basic) German in Thailand while eating a very English (sausages, eggs, toast and tea) breakfast!

As we got to the camp the poorness of the area suddenly hit me. There was rubbish everywhere, the river was filthy and everything seemed to be falling down. Nevertheless we were greeted at camp with huge smiles and they seemed genuinely pleased to see us.
First we had a welcome ceremony complete with a pig’s head, dead chicken, whiskey and an assortment of local flowers. This was to ask for a good week for everyone and I was touched when the prayer required us all to be touching each other. Instead of just bowing our heads we had to be physically touching each other as we were all asking for the same thing.

So here she is! Dern Pen which means full moon in Thai. She is an older elephant and is so sweet which is why Pin calls her the grandma of the group. I wondered why on earth she had a purple nose but when the doctor visited later I found out it was just an iodine solution to stop infection.

The Mahout in charge of Dern Pen is Picchan. He is very quiet, shy and speaks little English but we found some common ground when I found out he loves Chelsea FC. Our main duties today included cleaning the camp, feeding and bathing the elephants, and learning to command them using Thai words.

Everything went well today but Picchan tells me I need to shout more and not be so nervous. The good thing is that elephants can be bribed so easily with the promise of fruit so if she doesn’t feel like listening I just show her a banana and she follows me anyway. I can’t even begin to describe how amazing it is to just be so close to these beautiful creatures – they are wonderful.
After that we just had time to check out the local beach, enjoy noodles for dinner and visit the local supermarket before bed.

Welcome to Thailand

* It was snowing in Fukuoka when we left Japan and I was once again reminded that this is going to be my first hot Christmas. The pilot told us to expect the first 2 hours to be a bit bumpy LIAR – the entire 6 hours flight was bumpy and I was not a happy bunny.

* Our driver Mr. Na met us at the airport. He reminded me of Mr. Miyagi from the Karate Kid movies. He spoke English quite well and on the long drive told us all about the local area, the Royal family, the flag and even taught us a few words of Thai.

* When we arrived at Pattaya we met Arnon (who runs the volunteer company) and Pin (working as an intern). They were very cool and because it was getting late they took us out for dinner. The first “wow I’m in Thailand” moment, came when I saw how we were going to get around.

* This wonderful vehicle is called Mrs. Dream and, believe me, being on an eight-lane road chugging along beside huge lorries is an experience.

* We ate chicken and rice from a road-side food stall and spent a couple of hours chatting about the week ahead and things we can expect. My first thoughts were that Arnon and Pin were very cool. I felt like I’d known them for years and Arnon got huge brownie points when he told me he liked Jack Black!



* Our accommodation for the week is amazing and after a quick shower, I was asleep in minutes.

No Truer Words

“You will never stub your toe standing still. The faster you go, the more chance there is of stubbing your toe, but the more chance you have of getting somewhere.” Charles. F. Kettering

Well I’m off to Thailand tomorrow and if stubbing my toe is the only thing I have to worry about then it should be a great adventure.

Last Day

Today is my last day of work until January 5th!

I spent the day at Tatsuda teaching the kids Christmas words and getting them to make Christmas posters. It was a really fun class and at the end of some of the classes they kids gave me their posters as a present.

I was touched when one boy came up to me and said that he wanted to give me the poster as a present but he also wanted to show it to his mother later on. After debating what to do for a few minutes he decided to take the poster home but give me another present which turned out to be a Christmas story booklet from the local store- so cute!

Party Time!

Because Kuma-Jet used the money they raised at Mid Year to buy presents for all the kids at the orphanage we were hoping to have a big Christmas party tonight. Unfortunately the flu has broken out, the place is on lockdown and only our usual group was allowed to come.

Still we made the best of it, the Kuma-Jet crew came and we had a great night. The kids loved their presents and the workers were overwhelmed that we bought something for everyone.

The Fantasy Railroad in the Stars

Tonight I went to see a play and had I known it was going to be so sad I would’ve packed the tissues. 銀河鉄道の夜, Ginga Tetsudō no Yoru is a classic Japanese novel written by Kenji Miyazawa around 1927. In English the title translates to “Night on the Galactic Railroad” but if you are expecting a Star Trek style story you will be disappointed.

The full story can be found on Wiki but the saddest part for me (stop reading now if you don’t want to know anymore………)

…is when the children realise that the train they are on is taking them to the afterlife. They suddenly remember they were on a boat that was sinking and the fact they are now on a train means they did not survive. They know their mother is far away so they shout their goodbyes to her across the stars. They basically tell her they are fine, don’t worry about us, have a good life etc. The kids acting in the play did such a good job and before long I was sobbing uncontrollably!

Countdown to Thailand!

The plans for Thailand are finished; flights are booked, reservations made and now the countdown can begin. We will spend the first week in Pattaya volunteering at the elephant camp then we will fly to Phuket for a week to see Ken and relax. I am so excited because this will be my first hot Christmas!

On the other hand, since I’m going away there doesn’t seem much point decorating my house so it doesn’t really feel like Christmas…….what am I sad about? I am going to Thailand!!

Gift Ideas

I finally thought of a present for mum and dad. I’m going to send them one of those electronic photo frames. I’ve been looking at them for a while and think they are a great idea.

I didn’t want to send them an empty one so I decided to go through my pictures, choose my favourite ones from my time in Japan and put them on there. When I had finished searching a realised I had chosen over 400 pictures! Thankfully the photo frame has a huge memory so I put them all on there.

To see the pics I chose….

http://public.fotki.com/supergenki/december-2009-thailand/the-best-of-japan-so-far/

Cheeky Monkeys!

During my last few visits to Nagamine I have been trying to decorate my English room with lots of fun posters and activities. Today I finally finished it and here are the results.

The kids love the Alphabet Corner. I thought it might be a little difficult for the younger ones but they try really hard and challenge each other in teams. I’m so glad it worked out!

I also had fun with the tiny first year kids at lunch and it was my duty to keep them all entertained for over 20 minutes using only animal sounds. It was actually a lot easier than it sounds - I’m a sucker for the cute little kids!

Christmas Plans!

Even the post office tanuki is ready for Christmas.

Luckily I am too!

Christmas cards written? Check!
Christmas gift list sorted? Check!

I also like the quote in my organizer today by Samuel Beckett

“Ever tried? Ever failed? No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better.”

Snap - Crackle - Pop!

I don’t remember getting home last night which probably explains the headache I was battling with all morning! Oh well it was all for good cause!

But there was no rest for the wicked and I spent the rest of the day doing chores and getting the house ready for Froilan’s visit! It was so good to see him again and he bought us rice crispies and marshmallows from Canada so tonight I made my first ever rice-crispy treats.

The day started with a hangover but ended with us all watching Harry Potter and eating the delicious treats – good day!

Kuma-Jet are the BEST!

My last Mid-year seminar is over! I did my bit and presented a workshop with Dawn entitled ‘Avoiding Burnout’ but other than that it was pretty uneventful.

The great news is that every year the ALT’s in charge of Kuma-Jet use this opportunity to raise money for charity. They usually raise money for causes outside of Japan but this year they wanted to keep it closer to home and decided to raise money for our orphanage kids!

I asked if I could give a quick speech to the people attending the conference to tell them all about our orphanage and others like it in the city. I can’t remember the last time I addressed that many people (about 300) but I know I was really nervous. I also got quite emotional and my voice was shaking because about half-way through I suddenly realised that I would be leaving these kids in a few months and was basically asking for volunteers to take over.

Thankfully I didn’t mess up too much as I had a few people come up to me afterwards and expressed their interest. After the speech I had to run home and get ready for the Kuma-Jet dinner. After giving a quick toast to start off the night I was free to relax, eat, drink and raise money for the kiddies.

Thanks Kuma-Jet!!

Happy Day!

After the madness of yesterday I had a great day at school today. I ate lunch with the 3rd graders and they were so cute. A group of them performed a mini concert for me during playtime and one girl even performed a break-dance number. She proudly told me afterwards that she learned it at church!!


The fun continued after lunch as I was reading The Hungry Caterpillar with the 4th graders. I forgot how good the book is and the kids loved it. I challenged them to remember what he ate on which days and to get it in the right order. They only got one wrong (because he eats a lot of stuff on Saturday) but they were so mad at themselves.

Why do I bother?

Sometimes being an ALT gets beyond frustrating! Today my supervisor at one of my schools gave me a talking to because I dared to do a fun Christmas class yesterday! It was the last time I was going to see those classes before next year and instead of starting a whole new lesson in the book, I thought it would be nice to do something funny and Christmassy! I spoke to the homeroom teachers and they agreed it was not worth starting something new so I had everyone make a Christmas wish list using the phrase “I want…..”

So, in short, my kids had a fun class where not only did they speak and write in English but they also got to design their very own wish list and use their imagination…..and today my supervisor is mad because we didn’t study from the textbook! ARGH!!

Quote of the Day

“There are no menial jobs, only menial attitudes.” William Bennett

I like this quote because I have always believed this too. My family always pushed me at school and encouraged me to do well so that life would be a little easier and so I could get a job that pays well and maybe I wouldn’t have to worry about money so much.

Unfortunately with the current economic situation I think everyone will have to worry. I truly believe that in monetary terms, my ALT life is the best it is ever going to get. I have no major responsibilities now; no mortgage, no children, no debt. I earn my money and I live a great life seeing the world and not worrying about paying the rent or my bills.

I am glad I went to university and I believe that learning is important but if I had to do a menial job I think I could be just as happy. Lawyers, doctors and businessmen still need people to make food for them, they still need people to take their rubbish away every week and they still need people to look after their houses.

When I worked full time in a pub kitchen it was dirty, smelly work but a small part of me went home feeling like I’d done a hard day’s work. I still had my health, my family, my friends and everything else just didn’t matter. Is a rich businessman who lives alone with all his money any happier than an office cleaner who goes home every night to a loving family?

What is it that makes you truly happy?

The End of the World?!?

A group of us went to watch 2012 tonight. It was much better than Day After Tomorrow and the effects were great!

I know everyone will watch it and say the story is totally unbelievable but I don’t care. Erich and I were totally into it and to listen to us you’d think we were on a roller coaster. We kept ooh-ing, aah-ing and screaming out loud throughout the entire movie. A great night!

Comedy Duo

Dawn and I got to teach together at Takahiradai ES and by the end of the day we were famous in the teachers room. Apparently we make a great comedy duo in the classroom and the kids loved it!

Glad to have had a good day, I allowed myself the treat of playing the UFO machines. I enjoy playing these way too much and unlike the ones at home the people who work there actually help you win. My Gatchapin obsession is sure to continue now I’ve won this….

Unexpected Fortune!

Sometimes despite the fact that average news report might beg to differ, good things do happen to good people.

When I was younger my family and I would always go shopping on Friday nights. Part of this routine was to stop by a local farm for fruit and vegetables. It was run by the Johnson family; Mr and Mrs Johnson and their son Fred.

Mrs Johnson looked just like my grandma and I remember Fred always being jolly and nice. If you imagine Father Christmas as a farmer, that is how I remember him.

Well it turns out that they have discovered a huge hoard of Anglo-Saxon gold in one of Fred’s fields and he is about to become a millionaire! Apparently people are queuing for hours to get a look at it and even Prince Charles and Camilla have seen it. I hope they display it again soon. I spent so many years learning about Anglo-Saxons at schools so it would be good see it.