Former Expat Teacher Acclimating to the American Way!

I had my Kindle in class and the kids were confused as to what it was. I told them book and knew that wouldnt go over well,lol. Then I said " ebook" (still confusion), "uuuum, computer book" (she looks at the computer then at my kindle, more confusion. "teacher, in Arabi, Ipad?" I cant help but laugh. "sweetie, Ipad is English ok? But with no other explanation to give I say, " In Arabi, this is a Kindle". lol, they are so funny. Im literally getting tackle hugged throughout the day by the one and only Maitha who runs head first into me exclaiming, "I LOVE YOU TEN, I LOVE YOU TEN, I LOVE YOU TEEEEEEEEEEEN!". Im on guard now so that I can protect myself from internal injuries. Salma exclaims in a sentence "Teacher, me love English", while "reading" a book. I love that she loves English and her smile is contagious.  One of my low kids in particular seems to really enjoy math. He is one of the first to answ

Though I have a list of places I would like to visit, Chiang Mai would definitely be on the list of places to go again. I would forego Bangkok as it was congested (I did stay in a congested place though) and overly busy. Its nice to pass through (for shopping as said earlier) but check out other places in Thailand as there are many places to choose from. If you are contemplating CM, I would say "do it" and maybe youll stay in Mo Rooms and enjoy it as much as we did ;-)

Show me the money! Rule number one, if you are leaving this area, get US dollars rather than going with dirham. You will get more for your money. We didnt and lost a couple hundred dollars. Even so, the exchange rate was good and we got LOTS for our money. The vids are a good example of some of the things we got. We even came back with a new set of luggage because the price was too good to pass up. I would DEFINITELY go here for shopping. It would be a good place to go for a shopping/relaxing vacation. If you want to go somewhere to have fun and not spend all your money Chiang Mai is definitely on the list. Bangkok was priced well also but not as good as CM. The price of meals and drinks daily was phenomenal.  You do sometimes feel like youre spending too much money but you have to remind yourself how much bayt are really worth. And after we had done all the entertainment things in CM, Shopping in BK was reeally all there was left to do when traffic is the only alternative.

I grimaced as I drove into the city. Could see the tall buildings half hidden by the smog. Though ridiculous, I quickly thought about holding my breath. Thought about rolling up the windows but knew I would smolder by the heat trapped inside the car. It wasnt long before I knew something was off. A smell that smelled like chemicals in the air. Then warm air. Then a noise. "NOOOOOOOOOOOOO". I took it all in stride. Was glad that I was at least on my way into Dubai to get my braces tightened for the first time since they were put on. I didnt sweat too badly from the heat. Sprayed my Evian water on before going into the AC of the office to get freshened up. Thankfully, I was on my way back to Abu Dhabi as the sun went down. It wasnt too bad. Felt like a typical summer day in Gawga minus the humidity. I cant help but laugh to myself when they talk about humidity here. So my car is in the shop. They cant do anything without holding your car for days it seems. I hope they fi

Its that time of year again. The time of year where you wonder to yourself whether you really,really taught routine. Whether they forgot what the words line up, sit down, be quiet  mean. They seem to be as wild as the weather is hot on some days. And yet they make up for it with so many hugs and kisses that I have to threaten a sad face for it to stop. To the untrained eyes they appear to be unruly but I see an excitement about school that didn't exist before. I see 20 little relationships that I've cultivated. I even have an honorary student who will only come to my class though he is in kg1,lol. I still don't count down work days, don't dread the coming of Sunday, or start the week off wondering why the weekend went so fast. I will enjoy the break to come by doing absolutely nothing. The countdown has begun and I'm already starting to miss those little boogers.

Just in case you havent checked in awhile, videos of SB vacation are posted in the videos link above. Click and enjoy

long overdue, I know I give entertainment an A+ Theres lots to do and see in Thailand. You can choose to do the touristy stuff or find out what else they have available. I thought about taking a photog class that takes you around to sight see and learn how to photograph at the same time. Seemed like a wonderful idea but I found some other things I wanted to do instead. In Chiang Mai we took an art class at a wonderful shop by the name of Noina's Art Studio . It was a peaceful and open establishment where you choose your medium and the amount of time you want to work. The cost is wonderful and it was one of the best things we did there. We also took a cooking class at Siam Rice Thai Cookery School . HIGHLY RECOMMEND. When you go, take the entire day class as you get to cook and taste more things. You leave with a cook book of every available recipe. I would definitely do it again...and what they say is true-dont eat before you go. No matter how hungry you think you may b