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One of our very first newbie outings was to the nursery down the road, where we were greeted by the soldiers that ran it (yes, a military-owned plant nursery. I don't get it either) and our eyes feasted on a tropical oasis of brightly colored plants! So, I set my limit at 6 plants: 3 for inside, 3 for outside - thinking that would make for a nice sprucing-up of my as yet plain apartment.
Alas, I am like my mother and stepmother, and the beautiful plants called to me. Now, about $100 and 18 plants later, my balcony is my own little oasis.
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Yes, in Thailand there is Kellogg's and Tony the Tiger, but here we have Frosties instead of Frosted Flakes. And, as you may notice, Tony's slogan is ever so slightly different from his US claim to fame. BE A TIGER!
Tissues: yes, we have Kleenex here too. But can YOU find the friendly type in the US? Didn't think so. I guess you just have to settle for unfriendly Kleenex.
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The first time I saw these fruits in the store I did a double-take. "Are those sea urchins in the fruit section??" I puzzled as I drew near and cautiously touched one.
Come to find out, they are a very common fruit here called rambutans, and they have an inside kind of like a grape once you peel off the spiky outside. The other fruit on the sticks are very similar: these I think are called lychee and they are pretty good too! You just have to watch out for the seed in the middle!
One more thing that's different: my mae bahn (house mother - - aka maid) bought them for me. Yeah, she does my grocery shopping.
And she's an awesome cook too.
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It may be a little difficult to tell, but can you see the car and tell what side of the road it's on?
Yeah, that takes some getting used to. I have nearly gotten hit when crossing the road more than once and I forgot and looked the wrong way first.
I'll get the hang of it soon: hopefully before it's too late for me!
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And I am a little grossed out to report that bugs are one of them.
If you know me at all, you know how much of a personal risk I took putting my finger within an inch of this giant snail, and how much courage it took me to do it. (I almost touched it by accident at one point, but thank goodness I realized how close I was before I made contact with its slimy blob body.)
Yes, now that we are in the rainy season, bugs come out and hang out on the sidewalk. This means that my walks home from school are a little bit of a dance, stepping over snails and centipedes and frogs (a few of my favorite things!). I must look ridiculous too, with my eyes constantly cast downward hopping around. And yes, that snail is as big as my finger. If you think that's big, wait till I get a photo of a centipede for you.
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In the first couple of weeks, one of our tour days was around downtown Bangkok, and there we learned that the BTS system includes not only buses and subways, but also sky trains and boats! A river called the Chao Phraya runs through the center of the city, and we've seen every kind of water vehicle from dinner cruise boats to jet skis to public transit boats to tugboats to these little colorful ones! I'm still not sure of their purpose, but I thought this one looked cool so I took a photo. Rumor also has it that crocodiles/strange giant lizard monsters hang out in these waters. Want proof? Check out my friend Kari's blog.
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In our neighborhood, Nichada Thani, there is a nice little lake with walking paths right beside it, lined with all manner of tropical trees and flowers. It makes for a really beautiful running trail right outside my house. Except...two laps around the lake, or about a 5K, and I can ring out my clothes. Since it's the rainy season, it's really humid all the time, so I can barely walk outside without sweating, even if I don't feel all that hot. It's like a Virginia summer, just a little stickier (to my running friends: yes, it gets worse than VA summer humidity!). And to those of you who know me, this is paradise. Ah, the land of the eternal summer welcomes me with a warm, sticky embrace every time I walk outside. Heaven help me when I go home in the winter.
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So, the first day I walked into my classroom, this is what it looked like. We have desks, a smart board and bulletin boards, but I also entered to find a genre-organized classroom library and my bulletin boards already papered for me. My jaw dropped and I almost cried. We have instructional assistants here, and mine is awesome and a genius. She has also made all of my math copies for the entire year, and reading logs for the whole year for my kids too. I swear I'm not telling you this to make you jealous: I'm telling you to make you consider teaching abroad!! Because the only way this teaching experience could get better would be if you guys were here too!