Thai Language Lessons and October Break
Surprise! I am now fluent in Thai!
Just kidding. Although I would like nothing more right now than to be able to speak and read Thai fluently, I have yet to master the language even after an intensive two-week course at the American University Alumni (AUA) School in Chiang Mai. At first I was pretty nervous about the daunting task of learning a new language that is so different from English, but after our first lesson my nerves immediately vanished. Learning a new language was actually fun! I can remember dreading French class in high school (a feeling I think most people can relate to when thinking back on their own foreign language classes in school), but while taking Thai lessons I actually woke up every morning excited to go to class. And believe me, it wasn’t because studying Thai is easy – because it’s not easy – it’s very difficult and every afternoon my brain would be exhausted from an overload of new knowledge. I think I found it so enjoyable because of how encouraging and appreciative Thai people are when you speak (or at least attempt to speak) in their native tongue. Our teacher, Kru Tok, was also incredible and so supportive of both of us, even on days when we were clearly struggling to grasp new words and sounds. While my Thai skills are nowhere near perfect, it’s been extremely helpful to have a basic understanding of the language when teaching and doing daily activities.
After our two-week course, Kendall and I used our remaining week of October Break to travel to Japan with one of the English teachers, Kru Pui, from MLND. This trip had been months in the making. On the first day that I met Kru Pui, back in August, she told me she loved to travel and that she was going to Japan with a friend in October. When I told her I also had a love for traveling, she immediately said that I should come with her to Japan and of course I said yes, because what’s more exciting than making international travel plans with a stranger you’ve only known for about an hour? The answer is: nothing. Fast-forward two months and Kendall and I are adventuring through Japan with Pui and her childhood friend – and it was amazing! We stayed in Tokyo for a few days and went out to Lake Kawaguchiko to get a better view of the famous Mt. Fuji. Then we flew up to Hokkaido to get a little taste of fall and cold weather. In just one week I fell in love with the country (and have already looked into working visa information, much to my mother’s chagrin). It was also an incredible experience to travel with one of my friend’s from MLND and to show off my newly acquired language skills.
Top Left: Studying my notes from Thai lessons with a cup of hot chocolate; Top Right: Visiting Mt. Fuji; Bottom Left: Completing two weeks of language lessons; Bottom Right: Spending the day at Elephant Nature Park outside Chiang Mai
A New Semester
After three weeks of intensive studying and traveling, it was nice to return to home to Mae La Noi for the new semester. We also returned to some exciting news – there is a new English teacher this semester! I have only had the opportunity to speak with her briefly, but she seems wonderful and her English skills are very impressive.
Over the break, the government passed a new ordinance that requires teachers to teach no more than 15 classes a week – equating to 15 hours of instruction. I was surprised and a little disappointed to hear this, as I had been hoping to increase my class load to at least 20 hours of instruction per week. Instead, I will just have to be creative and find others ways to interact with more students outside the classroom. Kendall and I have actually created our own English club this semester called “English Through the Arts”, which will meet once a week. As the name suggests, the club will be focused on improving English skills through visual and performing arts and increasing the self-confidence of our students. I’ve already talked with some of the students that have signed up for the club and they seem really excited and ready to show off their dancing and singing skills!
This semester I’ve also been given more responsibility in planning my classes, which is really exciting! Three of my fellow co-teachers gave me complete responsibility in planning out the subject content and lessons for the entire semester. It’s definitely a lot more work to plan everything from scratch, but I’m looking forward to using this opportunity to implement more cross-cultural learning experiences in and out of the classroom.
Left: Reviewing sounds with students in Mattayom 4/4; Right: Students in Mattayom 1 through 3 prepare to sign up for weekly clubs
MLND Science Camp
This past weekend was particularly special, as Kendall and I had the opportunity to help with the Mae La Noi Daroonsik Science Camp in Doi Inthanon National Park. We left Mae La Noi early Saturday morning with students from Mattayom 5/1 (Grade 11) and began our journey to Doi Inthanon, which is about a 3-hour drive from Mae La Noi. On the way to the national park, we first stopped at a seed production area called Boa Keaw Silvicultural Research Station where students explored the flora and fauna of an expansive pine forest. After stopping for lunch and, more importantly, stopping at 7-11 for snacks, we continued on to Doi Inthanon and visited the Wang Kwai Waterfall. Here, students demonstrated their abilities to determine water quality using chemical and physical methods. My favorite activity from this stop was watching the students use nets to collect insects from the river and then identify these insects, later determining what their presence told us about the water’s quality.
Our sleeping arrangements for the night consisted of about 20 two-person tents situated in one of the more popular campgrounds in the park. After everyone had unpacked their things and rolled out their sleeping bags we ventured to the summit of Doi Inthanon, which is the highest point in Thailand at 2,565 meters above sea level. By this point the sun had set and I was warned that the mountaintop would be cold… but I wasn’t prepared for how cold. Since being in Thailand I have become a complete wimp when it comes to cold weather, so when we arrived at Doi Inthanon’s summit and I opened the car door to a chilly 12˚ Celsius I was not very happy. I layered up, putting on every article of clothing I had with me, and joined my fellow teachers and students to hear a talk from the National Astronomical Research Institute of Thailand (NARIT). The talk was 100% in Thai, of course, so I will admit I wasn’t really sure what was being said most of the time, but the students and teachers seemed to really enjoy it.
The following morning we woke up early and returned to the top of the mountain to complete a 3.2-kilometer hike through “cloud forest” and along scenic mountain ledges. We also visited Napamaytanidol Chedi and Phra Mahatat Napaphon Bhumisiri, built by the Thai Air Force in honor of the 60th birthday of King Bhumipol and Queen Sirikit. The views were incredible – when they weren’t blocked by passing clouds – and for me it was a perfect end to a wonderful weekend as I had also been aching to go hiking. I also loved seeing the students get so excited about exploring their natural world and learning about science. Make sure you check out this slideshow I made that recaps fun moments from our trip:
That's all for now!