A Day in the Life

The typical (Tues)day as Teacha Gracie at Yang Talad Wittayakarn (as if such a thing ever existed.)

6:00 am

The alarm on my phone goes off. Briefly think about getting up but decided to hit the snooze button instead. Change mind. Decide not to hit the snooze button. Figure that roosters that live next door will get the same job done.

7:00 am

Rooster crows (They really do say cock-a-doodle-doo.) Actually roll out of bed. Begin the day by making important decisions like “What shoes am I going to wear?” or “What am I going to eat for breakfast?” or “Could I get away with not showering this morning?” (Probably the black heels, usually a banana and some oatmeal, and nope, gross, get in the shower.)

7:45 am

Leave my cute pink house and walk to school with my fabulous housemate and fellow English teacher, Ganaa. Make sure my hands are free so I can “wai” (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thai_greeting) my fellow teachers as I pass them on my way to the main office. What a nice, polite farang!

8:00 am

Stop by the school’s morning ceremony for a bit. Realize I have no idea what’s going on because everything is in Thai. Wave to the school band. We speak the same language. They’re my peeps.

8:30 am

Eat breakfast in the English Department office with my fellow English teachers. Typical Thai greeting:

“Gin kaao roe young?” (Have you eaten yet?)

Proper response: “Young ka” (Not yet!)

9:00 am

Lesson planning! Who am I teaching? What are we going to learn about? How do I say that in Thai? Can I get away with making them play Pictionary again?

9:15 am

I’m hungry. Kanom break. (kanom = Thai snack. So, so many kanoms in so, so many different shapes and sizes)

10:20 am

Period 3 with class M2/10 (grade 8). They are sassy and wonderful. Teach a lesson on food. Decide to play Pictionary. I wish I had a kanom…

11:15 am

Period 4 with class M3/4 (grade 9). They are sassy and wonderful too. Have to give the “TEACHA IS ON TO YOU” face to boys who try to skip class by sitting on the benches outside of the classroom. Come on, really? Gotta love boys that age. They’re so cool…

12:00 pm

LUNCH TIME! Go with my awesome host teacher, Arjun Moo, and some other teachers to a restaurant nearby campus. Practice speaking Thai for everyone’s lunchtime enjoyment. Eat. A lot. Aroi mak mak!

1:00 pm

Double period with my M1/9 class (grade 7). They are sassy and wonderful and nicknamed “my little monsters” for good reason. So much energy! Entertain them with English for two hours.

2:50 pm

English Club! Play English games and listen to American music. Try to convince them that Justin Timberlake is my boyfriend. Students learn the word “delusional”.

3:45 pm

Arjun Moo takes me to the grocery store. Look for new kanom I haven’t tried before. Forget to buy important things like drinking water.

4:30 pm

Talk to some students still hanging out on campus. Eat kanom with them. Scare them with my English speaking and mesmerize them with my hair and big nose (In Thailand, I have “yellow” hair. Do blondes have more fun? Time will tell!). Make them laugh by unleashing some of my go-to Isaan phrases on them (Isaan is the local language. A sort of hybrid of Thai and Loa. Think of it as the Thai version of Scots or something. Hilarious!)

5:00 pm

Consider going for a run. Walk to 7/11 to buy a coconut or chaa yen instead.

6:00 pm

Dinner, maybe? Usually too full of kanom.

7:00 pm

Nighttime laundry doing. Only manage to get half of the detergent out.

8:00 pm

Kanom break and English/Thai exchange with Ganaa and her friend P’Oo. There is typically hulahooping involved.

9:00 pm

Lesson planning, Facebooking, e-mail catching up, reading, Thai studying, movie watching, etc.

10:00 pm

Consider going to bed. Continue lesson planning, facebooking, email catching up, reading, Thai studying, movie watching, etc.

11:30 pm

Go to bed finally. Dream of my favorite kanom.