6.14.12

After closer inspection of the baby lotion, I found that it said “Helps double nourish, for smooth and fair skin”. There’s no getting around it.

So, my class schedule is pretty nice. It tapers off as the week goes on. I have three classes on Monday and Tuesday and then only two classes Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. And all my classes are in the mornings. Today I was done by 11:30am.

I decided to just do my lesson plans for Friday and Monday so that I didn’t have to worry about them tonight or over the weekend. I am basically trying to just teach the same thing in all my classes. However, some of the kids I see a couple times a week, so they will actually be a bit further ahead in the book. Had really great class sessions today. I really love my level 3 Foreign Language group. They are a fun bunch of kids. I have them on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

I went downstairs to make some photocopies and there was a large group of boys waiting for the elevator. None of them were my students (I know this because I only have about ten boys total). That didn’t stop them from shouting “Good morning, teacher! I love you! So beautiful!”. Truly, I may never leave Thailand.

My desk is actually in the Foreign Language department. I share the room with Pat, three Thai English teachers and a Thai Chinese teacher. They have been helping us so much by talking to the places that we call about housing. This afternoon, one of the students (named Thorn) came in while the Chinese teacher was on the phone with am apartment building. He said “Teacher, you need place to live Hat Yai? Close to school?” I told him I did and what we were looking for. Furnished. Either two beds or two bedrooms or two available apartments. Air con. Wi-fi. TV (negotiable). He said “I have apartment! Wi-fi, air con, furniture, TV. 3,500 a month. Very close. You walk to school! I need talk to my friend.” He told me he could let me know by tomorrow. Halleloo! If he comes through on this, I may have to give him my entire bucket of chocolate coins that I bought for classroom rewards. He isn’t even in any of my classes. The kids here really like to help the teachers out.

Patricia ducked out early. She is still feeling very poorly and is just over it by the end of the day. When I finally left at 4pm, the security guard waylaid me again at the gate to give me a ride to the wen stop. I told him that he could take me, but that I had talked to the Thai teachers and they said that 30 was much too much for where he was taking me. I told him 15 baht. He was perfectly fine with it. Basically, I have found that you really should be telling cabbies how much you will pay or just paying them what is fair, and not asking how much a ride is. It has served me well thus far.

Had a nice, quiet ride back to Songkhla. I actually missed my stop because I was sitting on the wrong side of the van and couldn’t see the Toyota sign. I just got off a little farther down and got a motorcycle taxi. I was gonna get one anyhow.

When I got to the mansion, the male manager told me that they had a monthly available. The female manager wrote down 4,500, but he just waved her off. I left my bag downstairs and walked up to the 4th floor with him. No lift. He unlocked some double doors and we walked in to a VERY large, empty room. Then we walked to a small door at the back and in to a large bedroom with three twin-sized beds, a mini fridge, an armoire and an air con unit. It looked like some was still living there, as the beds were kind of askew and disheveled. I asked where the bathroom was. He walked me back through the large room to the balcony. Outside, there was a room with a toilet and a sink and a tall bucket under a spigot. Um, no. I asked where the shower was and he made a gesture like pouring water over his head and splashing himself with water. Yeah, that’s not gonna happen. Especially not for 4,500 a month and a 6 month lease. I told him I need a room with a shower. And a bathroom indoors. Like Spencer said when I told him, “You can’t even make this stuff up!”

Went back to my room for a while and cooled off. I don’t like to wander around before dark. Just too hot. It was still 90 degrees at 6pm. I headed downstairs and went to the front desk to have the night manager make the daily phone call to arrange our pick up in the morning. Apparently, our usual driver (who was fine this morning) was sick. So, I had him call another cab service. Patricia was down in the restaurant waiting for some food. I let her know about our ride.

Tonight I was on a mission for street meat on a stick. I walk by this little stand every evening and it always smells soooo good but I never stop because I am always on my way to somewhere else. On my way there, I stopped just down the private drive at a place where you can top up cell phones. Wanted to put a couple hundred baht on Pat’s phone since she has been making 99.9% of the phone calls trying to find housing. In the middle of getting the phone topped up, the power went out. On the whole street. But they don’t panic here. They just find some candles and it’s business as usual. She finished topping up the phone and I continued down the street.

It actually reminded me of a Colorado summer night again. Warm with a breeze, but low humidity. Very nice. Even though I was walking in the pitch dark. Except for headlights. Which there were plenty of.

I found my street meat stand. In the dark. That’s right, I got this.

Asked what kind of meat. Pork. Perfect. I got three sticks, one sausage, and a generous handful of cabbage for 28 baht (less than a dollar). She tried to offer me a couple of these little peppers. I declined. Pretty sure they would have burnt the lining out of my mouth.

With my dinner in hand, I happily made my way back to the mansion. The power was still out when I got there. Glad I had my a/c running all day. Meant that my room wouldn’t be unbearable. I asked for a towel before heading up. They included a bag of bottled water. Which most mansions here include for free in your mini fridge. You know, since you can’t drink the tap water. Wish I had figured that out before buying many different bottles of water while staying in mansions. Oh well.

I downloaded a flashlight app on my Nook and ate my meat-on-a-stick by the warm glow of artificial light. Until the night manager brought me an electric lantern. The power came on less than two minutes after that. Just as I was contemplating having to sleep without air con. Perish the thought.