Photo Of The Week


Enough Said?

Liverpool Football Club




I work in an english school. There are lots of people here from the UK, therefore, football is talked about all the time. My friend James (Canuck fan, brutal) recently caved and picked a team to cheer for (Manchester City) so I felt like I had to do the same. I could not pick the same team as James so I researched it and went with Liverpool. Great slogan on the top of their crest, exciting highlights, nice jerseys, they really are the whole package. Currently in third, behind Manchester United and Chelsea, they have a little catch up to do. So now I have a team to cheer for and talk about with the blokes (guys) here in Thailand. I still want to call it soccer, and defend hockey at all costs as the real sport, but for now, Liverpool it is!

A Very Dangerous Feeling


Today, I feel really discontent. I don't know if it is because I was quite sick with a bad cold yesterday and just have no energy, or because we have almost been out here for seven full weeks and have yet to receive a paycheck, but today my heart is longing for more. I have found in my life that discontentment is actually quite a dangerous feeling, because it forces me to spend a lot of energy focusing on the negatives aspects of my life rather than the positive. I hate having the "poor me" attitude, especially when I am in Thailand, and I am healthy and have a good job and good friends around me. However, for whatever reasons, today I feel quite discontent. My kids (students) seem especially rowdy today, and could care less that they all failed their spelling tests, and it just makes me want to give up on them. (I doubt very highly that I made my teachers feel this way ever when I was in school. Ya right!) Even the staff today seems unusually quiet and depressed. And its FRIDAY for goodness sake. We found out this week that some student in the secondary school has been diagnosed with H1N1 flu, and that the common cold seems to be going around. (I do feel quite better today by the way, and had no flu like symptoms, so I am sure I don't have the swine flu). I just feel discontent. I am staring out of the window of my classroom looking at this beautiful palm tree, and knowing there is a whole country out here that I have yet to explore, but I don't have the energy or the desire to do it right now. For those of you reading this, I would love for to leave a comment or two about what you to combat discontentment in your own life. I try to focus on the positive, and move on from there. It is friday, we do get paid in five days, there is basketball after school, and I am in Thailand having a great time and hanging out with good friends everyday. And that should be enough, really. But for some reason....


This is a little video I took of it raining at our school. The thunder scared us all half to death when it cracked. For the full effect turn your speakers up. The rain here in Thailand is very cool. The skies will open up and it will pour for a while, then after it stops, the ground soaks it up so fast it looks like it didn't rain at all. Plus it is very warm rain, so its fun to be out in.

Photo Of The Week


This was an actual picture in the Pattaya newspaper this last week. It shows a young lady pointing at the assailants who robbed her. How is she identifying them with a sweater over her eyes? Why are there vehicle plates laying on the floor in front of the accused, and why is there a car in the living room? All very strange. In Thailand, you will regularly see pictures in the press of the victims of crimes pointing at the crooks who wronged them. If you get caught, you don't have any privacy laws to help you. You are going straight in the papers with someone pointing at you.

The Art of Saying NO

So you want to come to Thailand and visit us in Pattaya? Well we would love to have you. Before you come though you need to practice saying no in a mirror, because when you get here you will be surrounded by people trying to sell you stuff. In malls, stores and streets people are always trying to get your attention, and more importantly, get your baht. You will be stopped by a sweet lady with a bunch of t-shirts, and soon as you say no to her, there is a man shaking your hand calling you "boss" and inviting you into his tailor shop where he wants to sell you a nice suit. Yeah, i'm in Thailand and it feels like +40, i really do need a suit. As soon as you move past him there is a street vendor with Thai food and another one with fruits calling your name. You say to them Mai ow (my ow) which means "I don't want that". You buy some food and sit on a bench to eat it and a child with flowers approaches you, and then a girl with a rack of hats, and a guy selling thai lottery tickets. I couldn't keep the money even if I won so why are you selling me that. You figure that you will be better off walking along the beach then in the market, but here you go again. Friendly thai people by the bunches approach you with a plethora of items for you to buy, including beach loungers, boat rides, parasailing coupons, food, fruit, jet ski rentals and scuba diving packages. Mai ow. Mai ow. MAI OW. The problem is that these people are so friendly, and so willing to serve you to make sure you have everything you need that you can't really get mad at them. So you just smile, and make a habit of saying, Mai ow with a smile on your face so not to offend. So again, we would love to have you come and visit us, but get ready to say no alot as we take you into the streets and markets. And when you do say yes to these people and buy something from them, they smile at you, thank Buddha for the blessing of the sale, then move on the next person. The thing of it is this: as much as it gets tiring saying no and trying to walk in peace, it is one of the many amazing things that makes this feel like such a warm and inviting country. I wouldn't change it if I could.

Photo Of The Week


Excuse me....I believe I ordered the large calzone......HELLO!

A Great Canadian Adventure!



On Saturday, James and Lesley called us and told us that they heard about a waterfall hike, and wanted to go and see it. So we all grabbed moterbikes and headed off for a great adventure together. It was only about 45 minutes away on the bikes, so that was great. However, the day provided more excitement than we had anticipated. Here is our sequence of events:

-Rent motorbikes and get on our way

-Get pulled over by thailand police. Expired insurance on the one of the bikes and didn't have my drivers license on me. Offer the cop that standard 100 baht bribe ($3.12 Canadian) and we are on our way again.

-Arrive at hike, get to waterfall, and have a great time.









- Leave for home

-James rear tire goes flat. Pulls over to the side of the road where we notice this lovely snake.


-Get to shop. Fix tire. On our way again.

-Arrive at home.

All in all, a very fun day. Oh and about the cop. In Thailand they will pull you over without cause or reason. If they do, when they ask for your papers, you simply but 100 baht in the paperwork, which they pocket and then happily send you on your way. No problems. No questions. Is it shady and corrupt? Yes. Still, better than the $200 plus tickets you get in Canada for minor offenses.


Photo Of The Week

There is great need in Thailand indeed. Even the dogs get into the spirit of begging. However, in absolute truth, you don't really see this a whole lot. Actually, there are more of these types of set ups around Midtown Mall in Saskatoon then I have seen in Pattaya. Most people work hard for the little money they get here. There are lots of restaurants, and street merchants who are more interested in an honest days work than in a borrowed days pay. And they are interested in the money so they can make it through today, not so they can save for tomorrow. Very different than North American culture to be sure.

Our Bike Ride To School


So at school here we have some Canadian friends, named James and Lesley Willms. They are from BC (nice) and are canuck fans (not nice). They also bike to school everyday, and have put together a little video of what the bike ride looks like. Here is the link if you are interested!

Bottom 5; Top 10 - Post from Jasmine


I thought it was about time that I (Jasmine) actually post something. We have been in Thailand for almost one month already! That is hard to believe. As an introduction to my perspective on our new adventures, I thought that I would tell you about my Top Ten Aspects that I like about living in Thailand so far, and my Bottom Five Experiences! I will start with the negative and then move on to a more positive note!



Bottom 5
5. Getting lost on one of our first days for hours... we were both on motor-bikes and we could not find our place to save our life!
4. Not being able to remember any of the names of the kids I teach (There are so many kids with difficult Asian names; I teach over 300 kids! It will take me a while to learn them all!)
3. Missing friends, family, and my kitty back home! There were a few days this week where I was a bit homesick...
2. Getting chased by a big dog as I rode my bike to school on Friday - scary!!
1. My least favourite experience would definitely have to be getting hit by a motor-bike as I was crossing the street in Pattaya. Yes, this did happen to me - I have a few nasty bruises to show for it!

Top 10
10. The convenience stores (aka Family Mart and 7-11). They are open 24 hours and you can find most items that you need right close to our house.
9. Karaoke - how fun!
8. Western Wednesdays!
7. The delicious and spicy Thai food (and it is so affordable!)
6. The fact that we are constantly experiencing new things each day as we adapt to a new culture
5. The hot weather! It feels like we are on an extended vacation; I don't think there is one day that we have not gone in the pool at least once! Sometimes, we go in the pool multiple times.
4. Biking to school every day and hopping in the pool after the ride home!
3. The relaxed attitude of the Thai people - it is so easy to live in the moment and just enjoy life out here.
2. The many travel opportunities so close to us! Beach holidays to amazing islands are affordable and close to us whenever we decide we'd like to go! We just went to Koh Samet with Kari and Ed (a beautiful island with white-sand beaches just a 45 minute drive and a short boat-ride away from where we live). I can't wait until more people come to visit us!
1. The fantastic people that we work and play with! We have made so many fast friendships. There is such a diverse mix of people (couples and singles) from different parts of the world. We get along with everyone so well, and have had a lot of fun getting to know one another - we are kind of like one big family!

These are just some of the things that I like about living in Thailand. I will post some pictures for your enjoyment and will post again in the future!