My Week

I have my own class. I thought I was just going to be an assistant teacher, just sort of some help. It turns out I have 3 of the older kids that are too old to be in with the other kids. They are my kids and I am solely their teacher. It is so cool to be called Kru Fah (Teacher Fah). I’ve always called my host mom and Naiyana and Paradee teacher, but I never thought I would get to call myself that. I even get kids papers to grade. It’s so much fun. I do have Joseph looking over what I do and helping me if I have any problems. The kids are between 7-11 and they are very easily distracted. I think the hardest part will be to keep them focused and keep them having fun. I leave on Friday morning at 5 am on a bus for Chiang Rai. Once in Chiang Rai I will transfer to a bus to take me to Lampang. I will stay in Lampang through New Year’s and then return home by bus. I can’t wait but I will miss my new class even though I’ve just met them.


Today I opened my suitcase to get some stuff out to pack and opened my box with business cards to find about 1,000 ants. I screamed and ran the box outside, I shook all of the ants out and then proceeded to take everything out of my suitcase and shake that out as well. Hopefully I can find some insecticide and kill them. They are everywhere in my room, regardless of food. I’m so excited that I have my new class and I feel like I’m actually helping someone, and actually making my time here worth while. After class last night they invited me over for a good spicy Thai dinner and company and then they took me home. It's like I have found a new network of friends and it's great. I came downstairs this morning to the package from my parents and The Hentges!!! Thanks so much, they totally made my month. I'm so happy and mom thanks for the added confetti that is all over the house and my bag and my clothes!

Until Later, Dacotah Smith

Northern Trip Pictures

In front of the stair up to the temple of Doi Suthep looking out over Chiang Mai

Our Hilltribe Cultural Dinner

The Golden Triangle

A guy on walking street that you could pay to paint

Fun with bandana's

Bored and doing anything to not get sick on the curvy drive to Pai

Great News!!

I am still desperately trying to find away to get to Lampang this weekend, for the Christmas party and New Years! However I have other great news. Last night I walked to the English school that the guy I met teaches at. We talked about Thai customs and he gave me his whole background story and then I met his girlfriend and some of the other teachers that work there. He offered me a assistant teaching volunteer job. He will however certify me as an English As A Second Language Teacher after 72 hours of training aka teaching and a test. This is all you need to teach English in Thailand, no high school diploma or degree necessary. So in the future if I ever wanted to come back to teach I could. It is for an hour every night from 5-6 Monday-Saturday. I can't wait, I love teaching other kids and this seems like a great opportunity. He also said as of next week he is getting air conditioning and wi-fi and he said he will make an extra key for me so that even if he's at the high school where he teaches during the day I can go in there and cool off and get online for free. He also said if I ever need any help or a place to stay I can call him or his girlfriend and they will always be there to help. It is people like these that keep the world going. I can't wait I start today. As well as this I got three Christmas cards today from Ross and Jan, Barb and Del and Grandma Nan and Grandfather. Thanks everyone for the holiday wishes they are keeping my spirits high!

Until Later, Dacotah Smith

Overview of my week/weekend

I've had stomach pains since before the Northern Trip so when I got back I asked to go to a clinic or the hospital. I ended up going to a Thai hospital, probably the scariest place I have ever been. All they did was take my temperature and ask me a few questions and then prescribe four different medicines. I stayed home the rest of the week and did absolutely nothing. I just tried to rest up and get better for the Christmas Party. So on Saturday night I was picked up by a friend on a motorcycle and we headed to the church. When we got there we went upstairs to the sanctuary and took a seat. Sooner or later the whole place was full of people, a few soloists sang some Thai songs and then they sang Jingle Bells and other Christmas songs in Thai. After that we had to sit through an hour long sermon in Thai, it was so hard not to fall asleep. I did however meet a Mormon guy from Utah that has a Master's in English and teaches at a private English school here. He has been here off and on throughout the past three years, but has now settled down and has a Thai fiance. He offered to host me in the summer months, when I'm out of school and when it really starts to get hot. He said he has two extra rooms with air conditioning, But since he is not Thai I doubt Rotary would let me go there even if it's 127 degrees out and all I have at home is a fan. The joys of Thailand. I am going to Lampang next weekend for a Christmas party at the YE coordinators house. This hopefully will be a little more westernized. I was supposed to go back to the party on Sunday for another six hours but my stomach wouldn't allow it. So once again I stayed home and rested. I did come to school today but I think my class has exams in Chiang Mai so I might be going home once again. Hopefully this weekend comes fast!

Until Later, Dacotah Smith

Just a few pictures

Outside the White Temple

At the Opium Museum

Central Trip

Day One: Chiang Rai/Mae Sai


-Went to Chiang Rai with Aunt Aun and then stayed at Ajan Paradee’s for a few hours

-Went to the White Temple at the meeting time and waited over an hour for the rest of the crew to arrive

-We looked around and then got into the two vans and headed to Mai Sai

-We had Thai BBQ and then went to the border for shopping, unfortunately everything was almost closed so the shopping wasn’t the best.

-We walked back to the hotel and went to bed



Day Two: Golden Triangle/Pai

-We got up early checked out of the hotel and went to visit the Opium Museum. Constructed by the Queen to improve awareness on the subject of illegal growing and selling of opium and other drugs around the borders.

- We then went to the Golden Triangle, just a sight to see. The river running through it. Burma has a casino and so the Laos right on the river. Since it is illegal to gamble in Thailand everyone goes to the Golden Triangle and takes a boat across the river to gamble.

-Took a super long drive up a mountain to a tourist spot called Pai. The road has 627 curves and we ended up having two girls using plastic bags to throw up on the drive up there.

-We had dinner then went to a night market and then headed to bed. Got up in the morning and drove to Chiang Mai.



Day Three: Chiang Mai

-We took a little tour of Pai and then we drove into Chiang Mai.

-We had the after noon at the hotel to relax and then went to eat and then went to Saturday night walking street.



Day Four: Chiang Mai

-We got up early and headed to an elephant camp. We watched an elephant show and then got to ride the elephants through the river and up into the mountains. It was perfect and had a great view.

-Got off the elephants and had to walk through a walkway with hill tribes trying to sell goods. There were little boys holding bunches of friendship bracelets. So I payed 100 baht or 3 dollars for a bundle of 45 bracelets. It made this little boys day so much that he went running to his mom screaming OMG! OMG! MOM,MOM!!

-Walked to ride the ox-cart back to the elephant camp and then had a buffet lunch at the camp.
-Went to visit the hilltribes with the rings around their necks.

-Free time at the hotel and then dinner and Sunday night walking street.

-Dyed my hair a darker brown with a major red tint! I love it.



Day Five: Chiang Mai

-Went up a mountain to a temple called Doi Suthep that overlooks out over Chiang Mai. We climbed all 300 stairs to the temple and made it a race who could get up first.

-We went to the mall and had time to eat lunch, we ate pizza, pasta, and garlic bread! Then had time to shop and got picked up at the mall to go home.

-Aunt Aun picked us up and we took Remi to Chiang Rai, stopped to eat dinner and then dropped him off and drove the two hours back to Chiang Kham.



It was a great trip and was nice to see most of the other exchange students. Only four boys on this trip, so it was pretty much a girls party all day every day. Had a great time and now it’s time to come back to reality of Chiang Kham. Celebrate Christmas this weekend!

Last Update For A While

Tomorrow I will leave for my Northern Trip. It should be fun and it only 5 days long. I will not bring my laptop so I will not be updating anything until next week. I want to thank everyone for the supportive emails. They mean a lot and help keep my spirit lifted. I can't wait for this trip and have no school today. So after I'm doing talking and getting all the stuff I need done on my computer I will go home and rest and then change and walk to aerobics. When I get home I will eat, shower and finish packing and head to bed. I'm finally starting to get comfortable in my new home and am able to sleep well again. I am talking to a friend who went on exchange last year and he has sent me a very true story and since being here I can totally understand where he is coming from. He was telling me about the little things that are making it hard for him to still adjust back into the swing of things, this is what he wrote. In Thailand it was so good. and i miss it a lot. i understand that, and i can deal with it, but i miss it so much that i keep on trying to hold on to Thai things, and you can't do that here. and then there are the ways that you changed that you don't realize at first. I'm a much quieter person than i used to be. but it's deeper than that. i have a hard time talking to people and just being around them all the time. that's why university is so hard for me now. I'm surrounded by people all the time. even now, I'm in my room, and i can't relax because my roommate is here too. You would never think that putting yourself in a country in front of new people you would become shyer, however with the language barrier sometimes its too exhausting to always try to understand and communicate so you do pull away. I will be thanking him for the heads up and be listening and sharing his stories on here.

Until Later, Dacotah

Making a flower thingy!

Finished Project

Picking the Flowers

Offering food to the monks at 5:30 am

Kings Birthday

Dinner with the family

Teachers and Parents

The Balloons

Hanging with the school teachers at the celebration

Another Teacher

Host mom and baby

Host Parents

The School- Pyamit Vitayakhom

Road By School

Pool and lunch spot

Pool

Field

Kindergarden Building

My New House

The Asian Squat Toilet

Ghetto Washing Machine

The Garage

The Floor we eat dinner on

Downstairs





Yard in the morning fog

Kitchen



Picture of my host sister



Upstairs

Non-Flushing Toilet

Shower

Bathroom

My Personal Space



My Lovely Fan



My Room

Front Yard