Time is money.

Over the past month-ish, I've succombed to the same weekly routine centered around teaching. Wake up, eat breakfast, do work in the office, teach, teach, teach, somewhere in there eat lunch, tutor, swim/lift/run/nap, shower, eat dinner, go to bed and do the same thing the next day. The weekends are usually spent lounging, the occasional shopping trip, manicute/pedicure (all for 10 dollars). The last time I wrote I had been spending about a week's time in solitary confinement because I had been asked to re-write exam sheets for the upcoming Reading finals. It blows my mind how fast September crept up on me and how "summer" was over. I guess I technically never had a summer but then again I'm in freaking Asia so I'm not complaining one bit.

Speaking of freaking Asia, the past few weeks have been dedicated to the planning of future travels since we have a month off in October (since St. Gabe's school year begins in May, this is our 'winter break'). How will I spend this time off, you ask?

The plan: Leave for Cambodia on October 2nd, travel to Vietnam on the 7th, spend a week and a half zig-zagging up the coast to Halong Bay, fly to Bali for a beautiful/relaxing 2 weeks (with a layover in Singapore), then head back to Bangkok on the 30th.

Now, re-reading that agenda I have to think twice and remember that this is actually my life, not something out of Eat Pray Love (the book, not the movie). That this is actually happening.

Also, my friend and I are planning to document this journey through dancing captured on video. In each city, at a specific monument, landscape, or just whenever we want, we'll dance in place in front of a camera, then compile everything into one movie. Stay tuned.

Here is our inspiration: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zlfKdbWwruY

In other news, I cut my hair. A lot of it. It was one of those things that I talked about for a while, always complaining my hair sucks and that I hated it. Normally, I'm not the kind of person to really care about the way my hair is cut. Back home, I would walk into the salon and sit in the chair and just tell Jessie (my old time hair dresser) "Do whatever you want, it's so dead". This time, because of the language barrier, I brought a picture of what I wanted it to look like, just in case. The end result looked somewhat like it, just shorter... alot shorter than what I imagined. Looking back, I probably should have apologized to the woman cutting my hair as I looked as thought I might cry -- but it was my own fault.. why I thought getting my toenails done at the same time and not facing the mirror was a good idea will forever blow my mind. In the end, I'm content with it.




The past two days all of the foreign teachers were assigned to conduct interviews to students in grades 6-12. St. Gabes offers a scholarship to go to Canada in November so we have to judge their English by asking them questions about why they are so special to be chosen ones. The questions are standard: "Why do you want to go to Canada?" "What differences do you think there will be between Thailand and Canada" "What will you do on the long plane ride" etc. I really tried to get to know the kids as I talked to them, but I tried to stick to the script as much as possible. Some boys were fantastic and you could tell they actually knew what they were saying. Others, well... let's just say there was a lot of head scratching and wandering eyes and "teacha, again?". Amusing is the best word to sum up the experience, especially because it's so difficult not to burst out in laughter. I try to take my job as serious as possible but it's a little challenging when I hear the following:

Me: What do you want to be when you grow up?
Student: 6 o'clock

Me: What are your hobbies?
Student: Yes.

Each student brought a sheet with them that had their name, age, class, number, etc. on it as well as their own motto. Here are a few.

"No one is perfect that why pencil have eraser."

"I'm famous enough to have people hate me."

"Time is money."

"Big fish eat small fish."

"After the storm comes a clam."

"Joy and sorrow are so near as today and tomorrow."

"F.F.T. (Fight for tomorrow)"

"Slow help is no help."

And then there are the kids who would literally just repeat the only words they can make out of what you're asking them (most likely their parents made them apply):

Me: Why do you want to go to Canada?
Student: Yes, I go to Canada.
Me: Are you nervous to fly on the airplane?
Student: Uh.. go..airplane.
Me: Describe your family.
Student: Family...yes.
Me: Do you like to travel?
Student: Um.. (head scratch).. what is travel?

Me: Why do you want to go to Canada?
Student: I want to see maple leaf, eat the maple, and drink Starbuck coffee!

Me: Okay, I have asked all the questions. Is there anything else you want to tell me about yourself?
Student: I have experienced many hard time in my life.
Me: Oh, I'm so sorry. What happened?
Student: Well

Other than that, my life is pretty boring right now, but I do enjoy living for these little moments, whether or not it is at the expense of my students' broken english. I guess life is like that sometimes, as one of my interviewee's mottos says: "Imperfect can create the beauty." I guess they do have something valuable to say sometimes, whether they understand it or not.