I haven't written in awhile. Work is taking over. It's ridiculous. I have recently been reminded by more than one person that working isn't my number one priority right now. I need to remember to take some time for myself. It's okay to work hard, but at the end of the day I have to take care of myself before anybody else.

All of that being said, I had a lovely manicure yesterday and while one lady was giving me a manicure, another lady gave me a foot massage. I could get used to living like that. This was all in preparation for a ball that I went to last night. Yes - a ball. You know, like Cinderella, but without the fairy godmother. (or the prince for that matter) Since coming to Bangkok, I haven't seen so many foreigners in one place. The people were from Australia, New Zealand, England, Ireland, Scotland ( I didn't meet any other Canadians). It was so strange. I didn't know so many foreigners lived in Bangkok. It was great fun. There was an amazing dinner, with to die for desserts, wine, beer, music, dancing.. a really good time.

Today is a Thai celebration called Loy Krathong which we celebrated at school yesterday. It was a massive event. Everyone was dressed in Thai costumes (myself included) and there were dozens of activities going on. The children were hyper, the teachers were stressed... One child had a whole entourage of photographers and videographers with him. Kind of ridiculous - but apparently completely normal at our school. The photo is of myself and 3 teachers from our school - all in our Thai costumes. They were absolutely beautiful.

Motorbike Accident

Before anybody gets worried - it wasn't me who had the motorbike accident, but I did witness one today... and I definitely never want to be in that position. But, it wasn't a motorcycle taxi accident, it was just some bloke driving a little too fast with a girl on the back. The driver was wearing a helmet, the girl was not - and strangely enough - it was the driver who was injured and not the girl... anyway, I took a regular taxi home today... just to be on the safe side.



I've joined a lovely gym called "California WOW" It's incredibly Americanized... all of the yoga and dance classes are in English. It's a little piece of California in the middle of Bangkok. Fancier than any gym I've ever been to. All of this from what is known as a second world country. I had become fed up with not getting much exercise and the streets of Bangkok are not all that welcoming to runners due to the extremely large number of stray dogs, chickens and elephants that swarm the sidewalks. So... I took the plunge - joined a gym and now have a good way to get out all of my frustrations of the day.


The weekend is almost here. Hurray!

Healing

So, I had my stitches taken out... I don't really believe that everything is okay as I get a tingling sensation every time I touch the top of my finger. The doctor seemed to think this was okay - but I may get a second opinion. It hurts more now than it did when the stitches were in... perhaps that is normal... what do I know?

It seems that I have started running a military school as we have discovered that the nursery children (age 2) are only capable of walking in a straight line when Miss Teresa beats a drum... so I walk around the school with a drum and the children walk to it... I look like a twit, but that's okay. It could be worse.

Waiting like crazy for the weekend. A friend of mine from Toronto is in town on business so it will be nice to see him. Myself and some of the teachers have also decided that we are going to find something exciting to do at all of the skytrain stops along one line... who knows what these will be, but I'm sure we will be in for a grand adventure. Many pictures should be taken along on this journey...

If only Friday would come faster

No more coconuts for Teresa

I have learned another valuable lesson. Miss Teresa, coconuts, and knives do not mix, and I am going to have to get over my addiction to coconuts. Since arriving here, I have come to enjoy fresh coconut. Normally, I would buy one that is already opened... but I have come up with my own technique of getting the top off... that was working quite well... until Tuesday. Tuesday night, I arrived home after a lovely few hours doing work at Starbucks, and thought I would enjoy a fresh coconut for dessert. I was attempting to cut off the lid, when the knife slipped and went straight through my finger - in one side and out the other. I don't really remember much after that except for a lot of blood... and a doctor telling me that I was extremely lucky to have not gone through any nerves... I still have total feeling in my finger, but 8 stitches (4 on each side) to show for the trouble. No more coconuts for me. Or, I will spend the extra 10 Baht tops(approx. 30cents) to buy one that is already opened.

That is my story of the week. It did get a lot of sympathy from my students... but mostly I just got them to laugh about it with me.

We have started rehearsals for our Christmas play. I never thought that teaching a group of children to sing Frosty the Snowman would be so hard, but when only 2 of them speak fluent English - it poses a major problem. They also have no concept as to what a snowman is... so... it's interesting to say the least, but it is a lot of fun, and I find that I actually enjoy teaching music.

So... send good wishes to my figner for a speedy recovery...

It's getting cold

It's not really getting cold, but judging by the way the children are dressing, you would think there was a blizzard everyday and some serious driveway shovelling happening every morning. I believe the temperature dropped to about 23 degrees the other day, and half of the children were wearing sweaters and hats and socks. Seriously. The hallways of our school are all outdoors, so the children put on hats and coats to walk from class to class. The stores are crowded with scarves and toques, and thick winter jackets. I'm still wearing skirts and flip flops and don't plan on changing my wardrobe anytime soon. Apparently, as the temperature drops to below 20 degrees (gasp) the children will be in full snowsuits. Luckily, this cold snap, when it comes, will not last for long.

I have become addicted to shopping. It's horrible really. I've really never been a fan of shopping. Usually I would shop for what I need and then get out of the mall. But, I have found a new love for a mall.... they are huge here and beautiful. A lot of the same stores as we have in Canada, but others as well. And when you convert prices from Baht to the dollar - you can't help but want to buy out the whole store. Luckily, I came to Thailand with very little clothing, so I have every excuse I need to shop until I drop.

Halloween came and went with not even a Boo! No Halloween treats either, much to my dismay. Send chocolate! (*hint hint*) That was subtle. No witches or goblins or princesses. Not even a jack-o-lantern to put me in the spirit. There was a Halloween display at the mall, but it has quickly disappeared in favour of Christmas trees.

This weekend promises to be exciting with a birthday celebration for a friend on Khao San Road. This is the tourist hub of Bangkok (some would even say Asia). It's going to be wild, it's going to be crazy, and I can't wait. More pictures to come.

I'm also learning about the healing power of crystals this weekend. Not sure what to think about that yet, but should be interesting to say the least.

That's it... children call...