This past weekend we visited our friends, Andrew and Derrik, in Chum Bueng. After a late nite (or perhaps I should say early morning) of catching up, we were awakened by the cheerful arrival of P’Gee, our head foreign teacher. After getting ready in 5 minutes, we traveled in the back of a truck to a local hot springs. Not sure if their healing powers worked, but we did feel relaxed!
This week has been spent proctoring exams. This means we spend our days reading, browsing the internet, and drinking free iced coffee…with, of course, an occasional glance to ensure that the students aren't cheating.
I’ve adopted a local stray dog, whom I’ve named Luke Skywalker. He’s so grateful for our attention, and dog treats, that he’s started entering our house unannounced and uninvited. He’s progressed from peeping his nose around our living room couch to making it all the way upstairs. Despite my inclination to allow dogs into bed, I’ve managed to resist Luke’s pleading eyes. I don’t really need fleas in my sheets.
My flowery, blue bicycle has continued to deteriorate. The chain has come loose, the seat needs tightening every week, and my basket has come unscrewed (spilling my purse into the middle of a busy intersection!!). Yet, despite it's condition, bicycling to work is still my favorite mode of transport.
A few weeks ago, Win, Rachel, Randi and I traveled 9 hours northeast to Surin for an elephant festival. We only stayed one night, but we enjoyed the fair, where we bought matching pants and took in an elephant show! The show consisted of 300 elephants entertaining the crowds by painting, hoola-hooping, playing soccer, and reenacting war scenes. After 7 attempts at mounting a standing elephant, Randi got to ride an elephant to a local temple. Because elephants are my favorite animal, and because I've never laughed as much as I did at Randi's mounting of the elephant (tho to be fair, without a ladder or a stool, I wouldn't have been able to mount the elephant either), it was one of my favorite weekends :)
To get into the Holiday spirit, we've been listening to Christmas music and watching Christmas movies. It won't be the same this year without snow and family (both of which we miss), but we’re looking forward to a weekend of R and R at a riverside hotel in Bangkok. We'll be lounging poolside and enjoying a Christmas dinner with our friend, Rose :)
~ Stacy
This past weekend we visited our friends, Andrew and Derrik, in Chum Bueng. After a late nite (or perhaps I should say early morning) of catching up, we were awakened by the cheerful arrival of P’Gee, our head foreign teacher. After getting ready in 5 minutes, we traveled in the back of a truck to a local hot springs. Not sure if their healing powers worked, but we did feel relaxed!
This week has been spent proctoring exams. This means we spend our days reading, browsing the internet, and drinking free iced coffee…with, of course, an occasional glance to ensure that the students aren't cheating.
A few weeks ago, Win, Rachel, Randi and I traveled 9 hours northeast to Surin for an elephant festival. We only stayed one night, but we enjoyed the fair, where we bought matching pants and took in an elephant show! The show consisted of 300 elephants entertaining the crowds by painting, hoola-hooping, playing soccer, and reenacting war scenes. After 7 attempts at mounting a standing elephant, Randi got to ride an elephant to a local temple. Because elephants are my favorite animal, and because I've never laughed as much as I did at Randi's mounting of the elephant (tho to be fair, without a ladder or a stool, I wouldn't have been able to mount the elephant either), it was one of my favorite weekends :)
This past weekend, Win and Rachel (our new co-teachers/neighbors), P'Gee (our Thai mother ), and Randi and I took in some local sights. We visited the Damnoen Saduak Floating Market; thanks to P'Gee's police connections, while wearing large straw hats, we enjoyed a free long-boat ride. 
On Sunday, we hiked the Erawan Falls (all 7 of them!) and even swam in
the cool, fish infested waters. While I was chased out of the water by the fish, no one else seemed to mind the fish nibbling at their feet.
Sorry that we’ve been lacking with the blog updates. The past few months have flown by! We’re now in our second semester of teaching at Benjama, a secondary school in Ratchaburi. We’re both busy teaching over 1,000 students per week. Ratchaburi is a charming little city situated along the Meklong River. When not teaching we frequent the night market, the Chinese tea room, a hookah bar, the street stalls, and the 711 stores that are found on every corner. Recently, we’ve moved into a house. Rent is only 2, 500 Baht each.
Initially, we were fearful of “the kitchen of horrors", but once a large
spider “with the face of Satan” was poisoned to death, along with quite
a few roaches and centipedes, we actually enter the kitchen!
When we moved to Ratchaburi, we bought bicycles. Randi has conquered her
fear. It is, as I discovered one afternoon, a dangerous method of
transport while wearing a skirt – good thing I was wearing a slip! 
When in Bangkok, we spend quite a few days shopping at JJ’s Market and MBK with Rose.
While visiting one public pool, located on the top floor of a mall, we
were asked by a lifeguard to evacuate the pool. Due to the large amount
of stares received, we’d assumed it was due to our two-piece swimsuits.
Instead, it was because we were not wearing swim caps. 
We’ve gotten to know Bangkok quite well and thanks to our friend Jon, we can even give directions in Thai to the taxi drivers! Mastering the names of Thai food, however, remains quite a work in progress. We gravitate towards the restaurants with pictures on the menus.
