Happy Holidays!

Thailand is a Buddhist country, meaning they don't celebrate our holidays like Christmas and Easter the way we traditionally do. However, I've discovered something.. they LOVE Christmas decorations and the concept of snowmen, Santa, and Christmas trees!  The five star hotel has a tree out front, Central Plaza mall has an enormous tree and carnival like decorations (including clowns.. they don't understand that clowns arn't Christmas at all and that they are actually a little creepy) all throughout the mall, and my Thai teacher just happened to have 26 little Santa hats stashed away so we could wish America a "Merry Christmas".  I'm sure probably only 1 in 100 Thai people would have any clue there was a religious affiliation with Christmas.. "Baby Jesus who?" and most may not even know the date of the holiday (its just another day here, work as usual), but they sure LOVE to play up the decorations.

6 days. Christmas is in 6 days.  Every year I think to myself "it doesn't even feel like Christmas!".  Of course being from San Diego, snow and cold weather has never made a holiday season literally "feel" like the holidays.  Last holiday season, I had only been in Thailand for two months but I sure FELT Christmas. I was very homesick and could feel the holidays going on back home without me. I would have gladly donated a body organ in exchange for a flight home for the holidays if the opportunity had presented itself!  I avoided Christmas at all costs, I deleted my Christmas playlist on my ipod,  refused to watch the holiday movies, got off facebook to avoid the constant status updates and reminders that I was missing one of my favorite holidays.  This year, I'm in a very different mindset, it just doesn't feel like its Christmas so I feel like I'm not missing out on anything!  Maybe its easier because its my second time around or maybe I've numbed my brain to not feel homesick, but this year I'm enjoying myself and listening to the music and putting on "The Santa Clause" before I go to bed, I even enjoyed another Starbucks and spent Saturday finishing up my book while enjoying a Peppermint Mocha! Oh hey Christmas, you're looking thai-rrific this year.

Tomorrow morning, I'm taking a bus down to Bangkok then another overnight bus down south! I'm SO lucky I have two weeks off at my school, because we are a private school my principal has the freedom to create our own academic schedule and because we have so many western teachers, our school has two weeks off at the holidays every year.  A few teachers go home to America and of course I wish I could spend the holidays with my family decorating the tree, snuggling next to the fire with Milo Boo, and having mama's cooking for dinner. But since I can't do that again this year (I'm coming home so soon that theres no point in coming for the holidays, I'm booking my flight early January for Spring! Stay posted!), I'll be spending my holidays on the beaches of Thailand learning to dive, spending time in the sun, and mingling with other backpackers over buckets.  Not your traditional Christmas experience but right now, I wouldn't have my Thai holiday plans any other way.  This experience will definitely help me to appreciate future holiday seasons much more than I ever have, and if I can't be home in beautiful San Diego at least I can be on the beaches of Thailand!  See you in 2012! 

MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Special class Christmas worksheets

Making snow flakes in special class

Central decorations

Santa Shuffle?!

Santa made an appearance in Khon Kaen tonight at the Pullman Hotel's Opening Ceremony for turning on their Christmas lights.  Santa was looking a little different than usual. Maybe a little more Asian-like, but he still had the same white-as-snow beard, same twinkle in his eyes, same big belly that shook like a bowl full of jelly when he laughed... danced?!  Santa clearly has been spending the past off season enrolled in some dance classes and practicing some new moves.. never would have guessed that he knew how to shuffle to LMFAO and that he and his helpers could put on quite an entertaining show.

Oh Thailand, always continuing to surprise me.

Fantastic Friday: Long Weekend and a Short Holiday Week

Last weekend was another three day weekend (YAY Constitution Day!) but I decided to stick tight and stay in Khon Kaen since Christmas break is so close.  Three day weekends also means a short work week and we sure had a lot going on!  Along with getting my very first real haircut since I've been in Thailand (14 months with no haircut, other than the slight trim that Jess gave me months ago. This "professional" haircut consisted of me saying "nid noi" (very small) on repeat throughout the entire trim. I'd say I'm pleased with the outcome.), last weekend and this week was full of fun and good things!

 Last week, Emily noticed that Starbucks was having a "Christmas Party" at 2:30pm on Saturday afternoon.  We were so curious on what this party entailed so naturally we worked it into our schedules and arrived at 2:33pm to find free samples in the form of the holiday drinks and snacks!  It seemed that the employees were trying to get rid of the samples as fast as possible so they gave us more than one.  The "party" lasted about five minutes but I sure love free samples!

 After WEEKS of anticipation, I finally saw "Breaking Dawn Part 1" the new Twilight movie last weekend!! I snuck in some Reeces Pieces and after the previews and the Kings Anthem, the movie finally started and I could hardly contain myself, going to the movies is always a nice escape from Thailand life and I really enjoyed myself.  I am easily entertained and LOVED the movie, now I can't wait to be home for part 2 next year!

This week was full of gifts for Teacher Chelsea!  Little Aiko was so excited to present me with a bridal frog figurine that she picked out to give me.  Hmmm, wedding frog? Not sure the meaning behind this one, but thank you Aiko!

 Gunn came into school on Thursday with a wrapped box and was SO excited to give it to me when I arrived to school on Thursday.  A new plastic wallet/purse, thanks Gunn!

Dream lost her first tooth!

 Our school does its own version of Secret Santa but calls it "Special Buddy" for the New Years Party in January.  In November, all the staff members of Patanadek School, including all the teachers and staff at the Thai school resulting in about 100 people total, pick names out of a hat for who your buddy is and you have two months to "take care" of your buddy and send them special treats like candy, milk box, and special treats.  I've gotten my buddy a variety of drinks and snacks and give them to a Thai teacher to give them to another Thai teacher to give them to my buddy to insure my anonymity.  The "game" gets interesting with us farangs thrown into the mix because many Thai teachers are unsure on what snacks the English teachers like, so someone always ends up getting something interesting.  The identity of the buddies are revealed at the New Years Party in January where all the teachers get together for food, drinks, and some sort of entertainment provided by the teachers (probably karaoke) for a themed party to celebrate the new year and give you buddy one last large gift. This week, my buddy got me my favorite rice coconut egg wrapped in a banana leaf concoction! Hmmm, somehow my buddy knows me too well.

A month or two earlier than we did last year, but this week we took our KG 3 graduation photo! It was so fun to see my kids in their robes and it really reminded me that this was one of the big reasons I decided to extend my contract here, to see my kids graduate!  They've come SO far and I can't wait to hand them their diploma in only three short months!

 Today was Patanadek's Culture Fair day!  Elementary had prepared a show performance and food booths for the students, parents, and teachers to enjoy and learn about the countries of Laos, Vietnam, Russia, Singapore, England, and Spain.  Not only did Culture Fair mean that today was a teaching-free day for me (okay, thats probably one of the biggest reasons that I loved culture fair.. the only thing I did today was youtube Christmas cartoons for my kids to watch this afternoon), but my kids and I also got to run around school and enjoy buying and eating snacks from around the world!  Here is Yod with his "potato ham pizza" from Spain.

Oh hey, its Christmas at the Pullman!

I have the weekend to get myself together before I go on a two week island binge for Christmas and New Years! WAHOO!

Fun with Baby Fruit

Another reason I love Thailand.. bite sized baby fruit!  This all could be yours for the low cost of fifty cents! Baby sticky rice corn, baby sweet banana, baby Chinese orange.. nummy num!

More Bang for our Buck.. Baht: Bangkok Edition

Last weekend was a three day weekend.. Happy 84th Birthday to King Bhumibol Adulydej!!  I decided to escape Khon Kaen life for three days and Emily and I ran away to Bangkok!  Here are some highlights and my favorite things of the weekend!

Of course I did a ton of googling before heading off to Bangkok this weekend, I LOVE the feeling of anticipation.  Indian food, Mexican food, Subway sandwich.. so many choices! But I was sold when I came across a review for Bangkok Bakery on CNN travel.  The first and only place in Bangkok (and in my opinion all of Thailand) that sells LEGIT New York style bagels! I LOVE bagels back home and I eat a lot of them and I didn't realize how much I'd miss a breakfast bagel after not having one for a year.  Emily and I stepped off the bus at 7am after an overnight ride from Khon Kaen, threw our bags down at the hostel, and made a stop at BKK Bakery.  We were both blown away with the assortment of bagels, cream cheese, and available sandwich options!  It took us some time to decide what we wanted our breakfast choice to be and I ultimately went with the cinnamon raisin bagel with blueberry cream cheese, I like it simple and sweet.  Our taste buds were left dancing, so much so that we went back a few days later to bring bagels back to Khon Kaen to hold us over until our Christmas break!  Emily is from New York so she has pretty high bagel standards and even she said they were amazing.  BKK Bakery is going to become a regular stop every time I go to BKK, I told the ladys that work there that I was a teacher in Khon Kaen, they asked me if I liked "som tam" or papaya salad as its a signature dish of the north east, and I'm hoping next time they remember me and give me a friendly discount.

 Soon after devouring our bagels, we rode the BTS to the Chatuchak Weekend Market for some Saturday shopping!  We got there pretty early since we had taken the overnight bus and we ended up spending ALL day there.  Chatuchuk is HUGE with rows and alleys filled with clothes, jewelry, home-decor, pets, furniture, toys, food, EVERYTHING and if you find something you want to get, you better get it right then and there because chances of being able to find the same stand once you leave to find a better deal for the same item is very slim. I've now become very confidant in my Thai bargaining skills so I went a little hog-wild on the shopping front.  I tried to focus on gifts for friends and family, but of course at the end of the day my backpack was more full of random things for myself.. did I really need to buy ANOTHER tie-dye tank top and dress? Not exactly but I bargained for them therefor had to buy them!  Its the third time I've been to the market so I had an idea ahead of time what to keep my eyes open for and still walked away with much more than I planned.  Of course shopping all day in the sun, heat, and humidity gets us hungry and my ultimate favorite snack at the market are these darn chocolate covered frozen bananas dipped in sprinkles or peanuts. I think I could eat one of these everyday for the rest of my life.  Of course I introduced Emily to its amazingness and now shes hooked as well.  We're already planning our next BKK trip just for the bagels and frozen market bananas. And I need to do some more shopping.

Khao San Rd.. I hate that I love it so much. A single street filled with street food, over priced drinks, clothes and trinkets you never need to buy, and backpackers from around the world.. whats not to love? It's almost like an Asia-fyed mini version of the Vegas strip but Khao San has lady boys yelling "MAAAAASSAGE" at you for 300 baht (10 dollars), pools with those little fish that eat dead skin of feet (often free when you buy a drink), is lined with tuk-tuk drivers, and no high classy dress code.  Our original plan was to see the new Twilight movie on our last night in BKK but we quickly ditched that idea for another night out on Khao San.  We were able to meet up with my friend Katie that lives near Bangkok, I met Katie through Jenna as they taught at the same school.  Katie, like me, came in October 2010 and extended to stay longer but she was originally only supposed to stay 5 months.. 14 months later shes still here!  We're two of the few left in BKK that came last October so it was awesome to see her to swap recent traveling stories and talk about our outlook on life in our towns now that we've veterans.  Emily and I spent both evenings running around Khao San club dancing, mingling with other travelers, and staying out until sunrise.

Had a great time in BKK.. mission accomplished!

brownies and eggs.. getting creative on thanksgiving

Thanksgiving dinner was a SUCCESS! Such a success that in my opinion, Thanksgiving is allowed to be ALL my three good things for this week!

Before the toaster oven

On the Sunday afternoon after Thanksgiving Thursday, Emily and I went over to Teacher Lei's house before the other Thanksgiving guests were to arrive to bake our concoction..  I was SO excited because I LOVE to bake!!  But because of the flooding in Bangkok, the shelves at the grocery store have been very bare leaving us needing to be very creative this Thanksgiving. I had done all sorts of research for amazing brownie bars.. oatmeal brownie bars, peanut butter brownies, turtle pecan caramel brownies, pumpkin cheesecake brownies, and I was devastated to find no peanut butter, no oatmeal, no pecans, no caramel, no pumpkin gunk.. I had to search and search multiple stores just to find brownie mix!  One thing we could find was peanut butter oreos and butter scotch ice cream topping.  After mixing the chunks of oreos in the batter and pouring it into the 8X8 pan with a layer of butterscotch in the middle, we realized we completely forgot to spray the pan! AHHH I usually NEVER make such a ridiculous mistake on such a simple task but I haven't baked in a year.  Besides the fact that the brownies should have been baked in a 13X9 (our pan we had was way too small for our batch) and we had to resort to baking them in a toaster oven, brownie mission was success!! I don't remember the last time I had homemade brownies so at least my tummy was very happy!

Last minute we decided to whip up some deviled eggs. Again, no normal mustard so we had to splurge on some expensive french balsamic mustard which turned out to be AMAZING. The eggs were DELICIOUS and a huge hit, the first dish to be completely devoured off the thanksgiving table! Hope I did mama proud.

We had the staple items, 2 turkeys, stuffing, three mac and cheeses, 2 mashed potatoes, pasta salad, carrots, broccoli casserole, cranberry sauce, gravy, apple pie, cookies.. the works! And three small tables seating all 18 people (teachers and some Thai family members) and being nearly the youngest in the group I naturally I sat myself at the "kids" table.  Most of us haven't had any food like this since last years Thanksgiving feast so everyone was in the Thanksgiving spirit.  Everything was so tasty and I was full for days.  Nothing beats mama's cooking but this Thai version of Thanksgiving definitely comes in second.

I have SO much to be thankful for and being away for not one but TWO Thanksgiving has helped me to truly appreciate the holiday season back home.  I already have plans to be home for Easter and I'm SO excited!

Other highlights from the week:  

• I must have blown everyone away with my awesome MC performance at Loi Krathong because I was asked to be MC for Father's Day activities at school!  The performance/games were this morning in celebration for the Kings birthday.. it wasn't nearly as exciting as MCing for Loi Krathong but yes, T. Chelsea was on the mic.

• Oh yeah, did I mention Thanksgiving dinner?!  

And wait a second.. its December?! 

Table one

Table two

Dessert table

My plate

Thanksgiving peeps

The only let down of the evening was how HORRIBLE this mangosteen wine was that Emily and I decided to experiment with.. learned our lesson, best wines are made from grapes. NOT mangosteen.