Team Suphanburi

I'd like to take a minute, just sit right there, and tell you how I fell into a boat on an island called Koh Samet. (Ohhh, Fresh Prince)

There are forces in the universe that are just beyond our capacity to understand. Do things really happen for a reason? Should Karma be taken more seriously? What separates the mind from the body? Assuming gravity is one of these forces, I begin my descent into a tale of how Thailand broke Laura Guenther.

I had a catastrophic run in with the force of gravity in Koh Samet, an island off the coast of Thailand. First of all, it was a fabulous weekend. I took Friday off and headed to the island Thursday evening (planned on meeting the rest of the crew coming there Friday night). Such a relaxing day on Friday, just laying on the beach, watching as people slowly filtered out of their bungalows, hotels, hostels, and shacks right on the beach to enjoy some breakfast with friends or family. The vendors were getting their ancient bamboo-over-the-shoulder-carriers ready for the day, filled with eggs, fruits, fried chicken, and other foods unrecognizable to my foreign eyes. I got my first "thai massage" since I've been here and it was... orgasmic. I miss my weekly visits with my chiropractor and the chiropractic masseuse that I would see in the States and my body was missing her too. Owner of truly the hardest of all shoulders and neck muscles in the world, I gladly accepted the elbows and feet applying massive pressure to all points on my back, legs, and even my arse. Friday night brought a storm, meaning my friends would be arriving much later than expected. Upon arrival, most were already drunk from their "booze cruise" from Bangkok and their extra drinks while waiting for the "okay" from the boat taxi to take them to the island once the storm had passed. It was a fun night playing in the rain, dancing to OLLLLD american pop music, and meeting random americans also there for a weekend away from their respective concrete villages and school sanctuaries. Saturday was much of the same, nothing too exciting. Sunday was exactly what I wanted... an early start for home because it would be about 4 hours to get to bangkok and then another, almost, 2 hours for me to make my way back to Suphanburi... I wanted to get there before dark because I had a few loose ends to tie together for the following week at school. A group of us were grabbing a ferry at 12:30. I took one step off of the dock, reached for the hand of a friend, and all giggles, not paying any attention to the distance between the dock and the ferry, nor the measure of the drop into the boat, my foot basically missed anything solid and went (i think) in between the two objects and my body flew forward. Having my heavy backpack and huge purse on my right arm probably didn't help my fall, but then again maybe their weight carried me INTO the ferry as opposed to just falling straight down into the water. Unsure of the specifics, I know I hit my left shin hella hard on the edge of the metal ferry step and threw the rest of my body onto my right thigh as I landed on it on something equally as hard. Ouch.

Both legs throbbed and I was in shock.. i thought i broke my femur.. and when i saw the blood it REALLY started to hurt.. then i got dizzy and started throwing up/gagging over the boat and almost passed out while people tried to bandage me and apply pressure to stop the bleeding.
Instantly bruised quad on my right leg and the large gash on my left leg required 3 stitches.
Thank all that is immortal that I had friends with me to take care of me and to "hold my hand" because the hospital was painful.. numbing shot didn't work too well. Anyway, I'm fine. I was more upset about my stupidity and how much this was going to affect my ability to get around. In the end, it was MUCH less painful throughout the next few days than expected. I went to the doctors that I know in Suphanburi that speak english and are parents to one of my students and checked for breaks/fractures, got new bandages, and realized that although extremely painful the first day the pain went away quickly and wasn't as much of a nuisance that I expected. Phew.



Khru Da (who I have talked about quite a bit, which I will refer to as Da, and is probably my best teacher friend at Supaluck) calls me a lot. I am usually hesitant to answer phone calls, even in America, because I just don't like making small talk sometimes and here it is especially difficult to understand a foreigner like myself. Let alone trying to understand the broken english/thai coming from the other end. However, I know that Da means well and she is HILARIOUS. I honestly find her more and more 'western' like by the day. She actually just called me (it is about 8am) and said, "Laura, come to school NOW" and I asked why. She laughed and said "I MISS YOU" Sounds cute, right? I just laugh, because I taught her the word miss and how to use it, like that she "misses" her husband during the week because he stays in Bangkok where he works and only comes home on weekends. We've basically started to refer to ourselves as long lost twins from opposite sides of the earth. At the EXACT same time I had my accident falling into the boat on Koh Samet, she fell off of a chair during the "Teacher Sports Day" and busted up her lip. We wear the same size shoe, love the same food (aka anything spicy, basically everything here), and we have similar senses of humor.

Da: "Laura I have speak with you, have talk...tell you"
Me: "umm.. ok
"next week. you have time? I have time. you have time?"
"time for what?!"
"ummmmmm... have time. weekend this you go koh samet. next week, have time?"
"oh yes.. I have time" realizing she meant to ask if i had plans for the next weekend or not
"we go beach. i tell husband. he say 'ok' ... take children sister, she say 'ok' ..."
"OK!"

Just a little insight to some of our conversations (difficult to try to type out, they are much more confusing and in depth than I alluded to, but once we DO understand each other it is giddy excitement).

So Cha Am Beach, here I come with my new Thai family. The first excursion we went on to a nearby temple and the 100 year old market in Suphanburi calmed my nerves with regard to spending time with this family. Now I'm quite inclined to sing along with the English songs they play while driving... hone in on their thai conversations when I recognize a thai word I know... and tickle the two sons, Leo and Levi, until they almost cry. I've referred to us as Team Suphanburi, and they think it is hilarious. What I find hilarious is their explanations for the nicknames of their sons. Leo, a popular beer in Thailand, and Levi, "like the jeans"
I'm awake and ready for our 4 am departure on Saturday morning, meaning I had a lovely Friday night alone in my apartment. That was sarcasm, in case you couldn't smell it. I was about to pull my hair out I was so bored. After the week (Tuesday-Friday) of teaching requiring me to stand and walk all day left my legs the antithesis of dainty. They were swollen and about to pop and I had some serious fluid build up around my stitches teamed up with new bruising under my right ankle. The thais at my school got a kick out of touching the fluid pocket and stopping me wherever I was walking to tell the nearby thai people about my condition (in thai, so I really had little idea what they were saying, if it even had to do with my injuries at all). I was done with work at 3 pm on Friday so I came home to elevate my leg, knowing this was the best idea ever. I looked at the clock at 4:25 pm and thought I should just take a sleeping pill and call it a night because laying on my bed wasn't keeping me interested. I reached for my book (one of the three I'm attempting to read right now) and read about 2 pages... blah. Turned the tv on to watch yet another random American movie, it was "Teeth" (just a plug about this movie.. which I actually have already seen... it is about a teenage girl that makes a holy vow to not have sex until marriage and her vagina then grows teeth, eating anything that enters its "cave" Not exactly the material I was looking for) so I turned off the tv. Went to my computer thinking I might have a few words to type out, but nothing. So I lay back down, put my leg in the air, and start texting (might as well see what everyone else in Thailand is up to while I self indulge in my solitude). Ultimately, I end up ordering food from "The Pizza Company" and because my salad and bread sticks weren't enough baht for them to deliver, I order 2 salads. And, yes, eat them both. 8:30 rolls around. I drink a beer instead of a sleeping pill and sleep through the night... well, until 3:20 am when my alarm went off. Nothing like magic, my leg had lost about 10 pounds and I was packed and ready for my day at the beach.

3.5 hour drive. Not bad at all. You don't see many thai people wearing bathing suits, especially women. Boys wear tight shorts and a shirt usually, to protect them from the sun. I had my bathing suit on but wore a dress, well knowing that I would likely not be flaunting my American skin as a guest with this fam. I actually wasn't supposed to go in the sea at all because of my stitches but the doctor gave me a waterproof bandage so I managed to get in just enough to splash with Leo and Levi, and what do ya know... ran into one of my students there. Very random when you are 200+ kilometers away from your school and you hear "TEACHAAA LARRRRLA" It was the first time for Leo and Levi to see or be in the sea and they loooooved it. We ate tons of seafood and upon further review decided it would be best to go back to Suphanburi that evening instead of spending the night in Cha Am. That way, we could all go to BuengChawak (http://www.hotsia.com/suphanburi/bueng%20chawak.shtml) on Sunday! (They all knew how badly I've been wanting to go there, so I was absolutely for it and very appreciative) We went to some more beaches, they names escape me, and had some lunch, stopped at a crazy candy shop where I definitely overindulged, and headed back, where I made them take us out for dinner so I could treat. OH MY GOD. I love the food here. But I seriously need to stop eating so much of it.

Funny I should mention that... I WILL HAVE to stop eating it come next week when I get my first Wisdom Tooth pulled out, thai style. Oh yeah. Bring on the local anesthesia (I asked for general just to see, and they laughed). It's an "easy" case for the specialist, seeing as my tooth has already shown its nasty little white head, and honestly, I'm not that nervous/scared/worried at all. I'm actually kinda proud of myself, maybe for my parent's sake, that I'm saving so much money in getting it done in Thailand. Medicine, Dentist visits, and teeth pulling (all-inclusive) will cost me around 100 dollars max. Holler.

At Bueng Chawak - Indigenous Gardens
(Leo, Da, Me, Sin)

Definitely picture worthy.. A fish named Gunther!

Watching the Thai scubadiver feed the big ones...

Jan, one of my fellow Kindergarten teachers. Such a nut.

Da's son, Leo, wearing my glasses on our trip home from the beach.

Da, her mother, and myself

Bald Eagle Pride

quick photo i got of my stitches in the hospital 3 days after the "incident"

props to the thai ER doc's in Rayong... pretty decent job!














Koh Samed; a bit overcast so it is hard to see the beautiful rolling hills/mountains in the
background


















My Kindergarten 3-2 class on "casual friday"

















A few photos of the "thai" Independence Day...































Beer and a free mug!















The infamous Katy Trunckwalter and myself at the "cold bar" in Bangkok... given the name by us Farang only because it has air conditioning and is a much needed relief from the heat outside... even though the prices are ridiculously too high

















MMMMMM... Best breakfast ever.

Mai Rue

So quite a bit has happened since my last post... Well, naturally. I hope that you all weren't expecting a dull and adventure-less update from me (I use the word "you" with a grain of salt not knowing at all who I refer to, but alas not the point). I cannot believe that it is already July. Independence day right around the corner, the corn just about up to the knee, and here I am in the middle of my first semester of teaching in Thailand and am finally swinging comfortably like the monkeys in the trees that I teach my children about. I don't know where to start with this update so I'm just going to type and hopefully it rolls off the keyboard making some sort of haphazard sense.

I like the idea of being alone but not alone at the same time. I love that I can come home to my apartment after school or at lunch and just be. Have some time to think. I really do cherish this time, but have been realizing lately that I don't NEED to go home and be by myself because there are many other things to do. I'm often asked to go for dinner or to sit and talk english with some of the thai teachers and parents at my school but have often declined thinking about how it will interrupt my "safe" time. It is soooo tiring after teaching 6 classes to think about using your native english in a dumbed down way to get adults to understand you for hours afterward. However, I've realized it is very much worth it. I've become very good friends with several of the thai teachers, including the principal and vice principal at my school (they are sisters). Monday evening I went over to their house, which is just up the road from Supaluck school, and ate dinner with them. Their house is AMAZING for Thailand, obviously, because they are loaded beyond belief. Tuesday, after my "after-school" class that Chin, the little boy I tutor, decided to join to see if having peers around him would encourage him to pay more attention, I went for ice cream with Chin and his mother to celebrate. Wednesday, I finished at school around 5 and was sitting around the outdoor cafeteria near the play garden talking with some teachers and letting the students climb all over me until about 5:45. Da, the teacher that I've become very good friends with and talk to daily, "forced" me to go with her and her son, Leo, to eat dinner. She always orders the best food so naturally I was dropped off at my apartment around 7 pm with a full belly. I am thoroughly enjoying the relationships I'm making here. I think a lot of it has to do with the humor that comes out of it. I am constantly being laughed at... not in a bad way, but I just do crazy things in class and make faces at the children to get their attention in a way that isn't common for Thai teachers... additionally, I try to speak thai all the time and I goof up a lot. I love making them laugh, especially when I'm the one laughing at them for them trying to speak english. One of my favorite things, and I honestly can't help but laugh when they do it, is when they grunt in agreement. The thai language is very tonal and a lot of times it sounds like they are talking out of their noses, so when they are doing the equivalent of our "ah, yes" agreement, it is more like a solid grunt, or throat clearing noise. It gets me every time.

Ok, let me backtrack a few weeks and talk about what I've actually done and where I've visited lately.

Hua Hin Jazz Festival: An absolutely breathtakingly beautiful beach on the Eastern border of Thailand. Took about 4 hours to get there by bus from Suphan Buri, longer than necessary because we had to make a stop to get the correct bus in Bangkok. Arrived Friday evening just in time for the USA World Cup game (I'm very sad that there are no longer USA games to watch after Saturday's pitiful display of football... err, soccer). Saturday was spent laying on the beach with friends where we were bombarded by vendors selling everything from hairbands to bed spreads to horses. Really didn't allow for much sleeping, but it was a wonderful day and AWESOME to be back on a beach, especially because it was a much smaller group than our normal 20+ posse. I rode a horse along the beach for a bit, ate delicious food, and come dusk, the music began and people came out of every corner and piled on top of each other amidst food stands, bright neon lights, port-a-pottys, and the sound of rushing waves as the tide went down. The music was phenomenal, I mean it would have to be the equivalent of all the live shows I'm missing back home (ahem... serious sad face) but it really was great. I declared it more of a Jam/Blues/Funk/Jazz Fest, so yeah, right up my alley. Sunday was the trek back home (after VERY little sleep in a hot box of a room) and so I was completely down for some American therapy with two girls from my training group, Randi and Katy. We got dropped off at a huge mall on the outskirts of Bangkok - 6 stories (wait, maybe 4?) with a water park on top. We ate some delicious dim yum and tofu soup and who knows what else, followed immediately by ice cream sundaes from Swensen's. Walked around the mall, obviously being gawked at not only because we were the only farang in the area, but we were trekking with huge backpacks wearing our finest backpackers apparel and eating enough food to feed a small army. People tend to smile in delight when they see us though, it's interesting, like "hey, people like our country, so they come to our mall?!" Anyway, the main attraction of that Sunday was going to the movies. LOVE THEM. It is a wonderful and relaxing way to spend 3 dollars in Thailand. We saw Prince of Persia. I'm telling you, the theatres in Thailand are twice as nice as America's and I'm not just saying it because they are a mere fraction of the cost. They really are great. They have sooo many flavors of popcorn, and best of all they have the national anthem that plays before every movie so you get to stand up and pay respect to the country (geek alert). All in all, a fabulous weekend and another Sunday that I didn't want to make the trek back to Suphan Buri.

The week after, Katy (from New Jersey), didn't have classes all week (LUCKY!!) so she came Tuesday to stay with me for the night. Suphan Buri is a bit more of a trek for people who live in the greater Bangkok area, so it was nice that she had a few days off and could come up. Naturally, my lovely apartment and hospitality and great company lead her to stay for what ended up being 4 days, followed by her impeccable persuasion skills to return back to Bangkok with her on Friday after school. We're a duo straight from the nut house. Seriously.. (Katy, if you are reading this, you know I mean this in the best, and most hilarious way) Aside from Katy's arrival to Suphan Buri, there was much more chaos in my school life. YWAM (Youth With A Mission.. formerly Cowboy's With A Mission) had entered my Supaluck School bubble, which would last two weeks. I was aware of there arrival weeks ago, but still didn't understand their purpose as missionaries in a private school in Thailand. Either way there are about 13 of them, from Canada and USA mainly, that come from a discipleship school in Montana. The school is 5 months and the last 2 are spent abroad. Anyway, 2-3 of them follow me around all day, thank goodness I came to the conclusion earlier that I didn't NEED to be alone haha.

For a little taste of home, a friend coordinated a 3v3 basketball tournament at her pad (obviously, she has a full court basketball court in her apartment complex) the following weekend. It was an intense Saturday, especially after an intense Friday night of drinking in Bangkok, filled with too much sweat, skinned knees and elbows, and sheer realization of how out of shape I am. Nevertheless, my team won! 300 baht richer, we decided to end the day with free margaritas (for girls, haha) and some mexican and some odd dancing at a few places. I planned to take a 6 am bus home, so I didn't make arrangements to 'sleep' anywhere. I typically find that when I actually do make arrangements to sleep somewhere in Bangkok, I don't usually end up getting anything close to being defined as sleep. More often than not, I find myself awake by 6 or 7 in the morning after getting in around 3am, and waking others up to join in my solitude. Either way, I got a tad bit of shuteye on my bus ride home. I suppose I should mention my reasoning for taking such an early route home... I had made plans with a thai teacher and her family to go visit a nearby temple and visit Suphanburi's infamous 100 year old market, Samchuk. I was told I would be picked up at 9am and didn't want to be late. On just a few moments of sleep I had a fabulous day and was very thrilled to have seen a few other parts of my town and to have a wonderful family to share it with, all ending with a delicious meal, several souvenirs, and a multitude of pictures. I even got to present gifts to a monk and chant with the family in a buddhist ceremony. The rest of my Sunday was spent sleeping, leading into my next week to be named "Laura's sleep-a-thon"

I literally spent more time asleep than awake. Averaging about 11 hours each night, and at least one nap (usually during my lunch period) each day, I had no idea what was going on with my body. Mono? Again? Did basketball really tucker me out that much?! Or was I bored? I welcomed my new hobby remembering the sleepless nights I spent on countless occasions throughout my college career and life in general. It really is amazing how the mind can just shut off sometimes. Not only was I sleeping through this week, I wasn't doing much of anything else, including my typical journaling or meditating or exercising or reading or general moving at all.

So, I've vowed to give up killing for a week. Jokes aside, it is difficult. I'm used to swatting at any insect (i.e. mosquito that tempts me with the possibility of typhoid if bitten) that lands on me and when I see a spider in my room or ant on my balcony my first instinct is to end it's life so I don't have to look at it anymore. Let me tell you HOW many ants live on my balcony. I could spend hours just watching them march around on and between the cracks of my walls. They line up and begin a descent to the ground, but there is always one or two that is going in the opposite direction. Interestingly enough, it stops and "chats" with each and every ant on it's way. I always wonder what they are saying, or maybe they are just kissing good-bye? "Hey man, I'm pretty sure you're gonna get killed by that white giant down there, but don't let me be the one to squash your dreams.. pun intended!" Yeah, I guess I'd like to think that even the smallest of animals have a sense of humor. Or maybe, "Hi, what's your name, what tribe do you come from? Oh, okay, well have a good look around and we will meet at the tribal festival at dusk." Anyway, I've decided that in karma induced enlightenment to no longer kill these little guys. I was speaking with a thai friend about how for 4 years she stopped killing mosquitoes around her and she is no longer bothered by them. According to the Buddhist way of life, each ant/insect/bug/snake/etc could have been my (or your) mother in a previous life. Either way, it has been haunting me (at least I think so). I haven't been attacked by so many bugs/mosquitoes/i don't know what's since I've been here (well, maybe except for when I slept outside on Phi Phi Island and woke up with what I thought was severe chicken pox on my legs). I'm constantly scratching my legs, shoulders, neck, and head, but I'm confident that this is just a test - I'm sure there must me some sort if hazing or initiation for such a vow. Ha. I even had to shower with a spider the other day. Then again maybe I'm just going crazy; I couldn't find my deodorant this afternoon and later found it in my fridge?! Cooly fresh armpits might be my new favorite thing.

Happy 4th of July to everyone... I am now continuing this post on July 5th. I had a decent weekend; some definite highs and lows. Passed through my largest bough of homesicknesses. Not at all certain what triggered it as I have had a wonderful week where I really realized how great the relationships I've made here are. Spent a lot of time with different teachers and thai families doing "cultural" things around Suphanburi, and eating out with them at various "restaurants" with the best food. I did, however, unfortunately get to experience a thai funeral as well. A very good teacher friend of mine, who actually spent a few years living in California so hwer english is great, lost her brother just a few days ago. The cermony was during the evening so I went with a few other teachers to show support. Of course, I was the ONLY America, but because I was surrounded with people that knew me (and would actually talk to me... i.e. weren't actually embarrassed to be associated with me [what a nice feeling! ha j/k]) I didn't feel that out of place. It was interesting, especially in the end when everyone got a surprise box. Thinking we would offer the food/drink inside to the monks in honor of the recently deceased, I didn't think much of it. Then I asked... and soon found out... we got to feast! Cultural surprises make my time here very interesting and fabulous.

I spent my 4th of July weekend a bit differently than normal, even for me here in Thailand. I actually stayed (gasp) at home in Suphan Buri friday evening. Wasn't feeling the best after the week of nonstop sleep and was talked into going out with a fellow kindergarten thai teacher that is about my age and some of her friends to "dance" and meet her sister who was visiting from Switzerland. Long story short, dinner was FABULOUS, and everyone was very nice, especially after a few 'towers' of Leo beer followed by some slushy whiskey/vodka concoctions that kept coming like kids in a candy store. I swear, I could have just stood up and everyone in the place would have burst out in laughter, oh wait, that DID happen. There are a plethora of videos and pictures documenting my night with the thai locals, none of which I have access to... scary. A few of them that were captured on the phone of one of my co-workers surfaced in the middle of the funeral... this being the one where we were eating a chocolate bar and made it cover our teeth so we looked like homeless and dirty old men. Classy, really glad people here are starting to get to know the 'real' me?! Saturday I headed for Bangkok and met a few friends at an International school that was throwing an "Independence Day" fiesta for all the Americans in the area. It was interesting to say the least. The beer was delicious, and so was the free Dairy Queen ice cream cones, but I was realllllly bummed that I didn't win the egg toss. :( Pretty uneventful 4th of July... the evening was fun, though, ending in more dancing and chanting the National Anthem while running the streets holding the America Flag.... oh, crazy americans.




The GIANT dragon in Suphan Buri. I traveled inside it, which is a vast trek into the history of Chinese and Thailand relations reaching farther back than "The Art of War" times...













My little buddy, Chin, and I inside the dragon... I'm wearing the super trendy American/English tourist gear to get the full enjoyment out of my little adventure.











My 6th grade class. Oh so excited to learn... NOT














Wat Mueng (literally translated to 'Purple Temple')