The Voice of Surin

On our first day back at the university we didn’t really do anything special, we caught up on some tasks we have to finish for our school on Belgium and that was pretty much it. I couldn’t catch much sleep so I read a bit. At Koh Chang I picked up a good read: ‘Kafka on the shore’ by Murakami. Yes, this was my most interesting news I wanted to share. Quite sad isn’t it?

At 9 in the morning we met with P’Nurai, she is the vice-dean of the English department of this university and she was going to provide us with a busier schedule. Turned out we even have less classes to teach now. But good news came as well; Sally received a call from the English consulate asking us if we would be interested in tutoring local doctors and nurses in the hospital of Prasat. We were very happy to have a change of scenery and of course we eagerly accepted this proposition. We felt quite honored to be able to teach people with a higher degree than we will (most likely) have so we were a bit nervous at first. However this nervous feeling quickly turned into anticipation as we reached the hospital.

It turned out we were assisting Mr. Chatchai Chumnum, a member of staff of the English department. He prepared an entire lesson and we were to help him with the pronunciation bit. We introduced ourselves, showed the ‘students’ some pictures of our school and town and then we did some origami. I know, sounds silly, right? In wasn’t exactly origami but all of the students received a piece of paper which they folded into a neat little book. A Tinybook, if you will. This kind of activity made me think of kindergarten but to be honest, I actually enjoyed it. Mr. Chatchai had us make 6 books: one in which he introduces himself, another about the famous YouTube hit: Charlie Bit Me! (of which we didn’t really got the gist, but hey, at least the movie is pretty funny), one about common errors made by Thai people in English, one about health issues and the last one was filled with tips and tricks to study English in a fun and motivating way.

The lesson itself was pleasant to sit trough but we didn’t really participate as much as we expected. Then again, this lesson was probably the closest thing to teaching so far at the university.
Almost forgot: due to the heavy storms: Blackout number 2. Reading a book by candlelight isn’t that romantic when you suddenly spot a cockroach trying to get in your bed. After a bloody battle (none of mine), I won and could sleep safe and sound.

On Thursday (19^th of April) it was my first real lesson at the university. The Thai teacher had seen the grammar part and it was up to me to let the students practice this by using conversations used in everyday speech. I prepared a lot of activities and conversations only to find out that the students didn’t really get the gist of the grammar and since the Thai teacher had suddenly vanished into thin air, I improvised some fun games about pronunciation. The students seemed to like getting taught by a Farang because some students were more occupied taking pictures of me than actually paying attention to their peers. It was a fun lesson but I didn’t get any feeling of accomplishment.

In the evening we were invited by P’Nurai and her fellow teachers for dinner at the dam. Since we like being in the company of other people (and I just can’t resist Thai food) we accepted her invitation. Rain seemed to rain on our parade (I know, ha-ha) but luckily it stopped as soon as we arrived at the dam. The place was crawling with people, all eating at the artificial shore and their children swimming in the huge lake. We had a typical Thai dinner, washed it down with a couple of beers and watched the sun set in beautiful shade of red. The funny thing is, we didn’t really expect to bond with these teachers since we don’t see them that often. Turns out every one of them is simply adorable. We had a very nice and cozy evening at the dam and went to sleep really excited. Could this be because tomorrow we would become FBIS (Famous Belgians in Surin)?

Remember Mr. Chatchai from the English department? He happens to host a radio show in Surin called The Voice of Surin’ and we were invited to tag along for a 45-mintute interview with him live on antenna! The goal of this radio broadcast is to make people more aware of the importance of the English language because of the fact that is Asia is becoming one union in 2015.

Mr. Chatchai picked us up at 08.30 and took us to Surin, where the radio program is being broadcasted. We are welcomed into the building and are offered a hot beverage. Not that we needed a hot drink, it was already about 35°C, but we politely accepted it anyways.

We were ushered into the broadcasting room, were assigned seats and a microphone and suddenly, without any warning the light flashed and we were live on Thai radio. Mr. Chatchai started talking in Thai and then asked to introduce ourselves. Without any form of preparation we were asked a lot of questions about teaching English in Thailand, what the differences are between Belgian and Thai culture, and many more. It’s a really funny feeling knowing that this conversation is live on radio but we managed to uphold our nerves.

Once the interview was over we were given an MP3-file containing our feat so that we can listen to it again. We thank everyone there for having us and after a short drive, Mr. Chatchai stops at our favorite bakery in Surin. Here we have a coffee together and he asks us if we would be willing to rejoin him for his show next week Friday. We are already looking forward to this.

I will soon let you know if it’s possible to listen to our live broadcast next week. Stay tuned!

Unforeseen pleasantries

I know I promised you all some information about the lessons and teachers in the university, but something came up. Due to the fact that we only have about 9 classes during the whole of April, we had a lot of free time on our hands. So we decided to take a short trip to Koh Chang, an island in the southeast of Thailand.

But first we welcomed Mrs. Van Cauteren and her husband in the country of the eternal smile. They arrived on Saturday (7^th of April) and we showed them around in Surin on Sunday. We had a lot to talk about regarding our project and progress here and it was nice to share this with our teacher.

On Monday we took a trip to Buriram. These are remnants of Khmer temples and look like they ran away from Disney’s ‘Jungle Book’. After a steep climb on a volcanic plateau, we arrived at the top of the temple and were able to witness a beautiful temple on top of a big valley. After we descended in the blistering heat, we hogged back in the van to visit another temple, this one surrounded by artificial ponds decorated with Nagas (five-headed snake creatures).

In the afternoon we took another trip to Elephant Village, being our second visit there. As you most likely will have read in one of my former entries, Nele got a massage from an elephant there. Well, let’s say me and Mrs. Van Cauteren’s husband had higher hopes of our first Thai massage… We explored the grounds of the village while watching the elephants and their trainers doing the same thing. Meanwhile, we talked and talked and talked some more. (I bet you don’t have any difficulties believing this if you know Mrs. Van Cauteren and Nele).

On Tuesday we took our teacher to see our dorms at the university, we met the spokesperson here on campus and we went to see the school where Sally teaches. Mrs. Van Cauteren was surprised about the conditions in which we have to teach and told us these classrooms were the worse she had seen so far. Then again, she also mentioned that the school gave her a relaxed and nice feeling. She met P’Boom (Sally’s Thai foster mother) and was happy to hear that we were being treated with the utmost care.

On Wednesday we arranged a van to take us to the ferry to Koh Chang, a 7 hour drive from Surin. When we arrived here we split ways with Mrs. Van Cauteren and her husband and we took off to our hotel. The manager of the hotel and the other staff) greeted us with a warm welcome (and some orange juice) and were shown to our rooms. They were nice, clean and cozy and the best part was that we had a hot shower! Once we unpacked we took off toward the beach only to find that our hotel was quite secluded from taxis… So the manager brought us to the beach without even charging us a single Baht! We dove headlong in the warm ocean and enjoyed the fresh sea breeze. Once in the water, we looked back and saw that most of the island is covered in rainforests and tropical trees.

The first day we just decided to take it slow and relax on the beach. However on the second day we felt adventurous and went for a hiking trip to Klong Plu, a beautiful waterfall with a natural swimming pool in front of it. (Plu Waterfall, please tell Peter Aimé about this) After 30 minutes of climbing and walking through a dense forest, it was quite refreshing to jump in those waters. And of course, I wouldn’t be myself if I didn’t climb the rocks and jumped in from every angle that was possible. When we got back to the beach we ate a lovely dinner on the beach while the sun was setting on the horizon.

Because the beaches and places of interest of the island are quite scattered we often had to take a taxi to reach those places. And since Songkran was coming up, the taxis were quite expensive. In case you didn’t know, Songkran is the Thai equivalent of celebrating the start of the New Year. They celebrate this by throwing water at every person they come across so it isn’t really that surprising we were soaking wet wherever we went. This event lasts for three days and they do this to please Buddha so he will bring prosperity to the next harvest. A nice tradition and very fun to participate in, although it was very one sided: Thai people throwing water and we getting wet. And when you do get a bucket of cold water thrown in your face, it’s hard to be mad at those grinning faces, waving and yelling: “Happy New Year!”

The only thing that was rather disturbing was that the women were dancing quite ‘exotic’ in the middle of the street and the western tourists looking at them as if they were browsing for furniture. It just doesn’t feel right when you see an overweight fifty year old man walking hand in hand with a Thai girl about 15 years old. This sight reminded me of why I was here in the first place, trying to provide a better education for some pupils so they don’t end up being someone’s sex slave. Harsh words, I know, but the truth nonetheless.

On our last day on the island we bought a book, rented a nice lawn chair and enjoyed the good life. We went for a last swim in the ocean, had lunch in a shack on the beach under the palm trees and went back to the hotel to pick up our bags. We needed to get to the ferry but this was very much like ‘Mission Impossible’ because everyone seemed to have the same idea. Traffic jams, rain showers and a lot of Thai people made our trip to the ferry rather unpleasant. Luckily we were rescued by three guys on scooters who were willing to take us to the ferry free of charge.

8 hours, 3 stops, 2 naps and a couple of cookies later (it is now 1 AM) I was glad I felt a pillow under my head and I dozed off instantly.  

Lights out!

Close your eyes…(now open them again or you can't read this..),imagine this…you are in a foreign country, you stay in a building with only people of the same gender, you get a room with 4 beds, 4 desks, 2 fans (only of 1 of them actually works), a shower with nothing but cold water, a toilet with ants and cockroaches crawling all over, a mattress which could serve as the foundation of a football stadium, a porch with iron bars and industrial lights. Where are you? Prison? Guess again! You are at the Rajamangala University in Isan!

And do you know what the worst part is? We are stuck here for 30 days with nothing to do whatsoever.  Oh sure, we were given a timetable, 9 days of teaching… and most of those days we only have to teach in the morning or afternoon. I can hear you thinking: “Oh, so you have a lot of free time to explore the campus and relax a bit, right?!” Wrong... Dead wrong…

Since April is part of the Summer Holiday in Thailand, most of the students are at home, leaving the shops and footstalls deserted. Meaning we have to go out and look for a restaurant thrice a day. We were given a bike (a mountain bike with a basket in the front, quite hilarious) that is custom made for Thai people…meaning after three days of riding this monstrosity, my knees are ruined. Luckily we were able to find a bus to take us to a supermarket where we bought (and I’m not kidding) a plastic ball to play some sports and ping pong rackets. We felt like three little kids in a candy store.

 I know this sounds like a lot of complaining, but picture this: the only thing you look forward to when going to your room at night is checking your e-mails, watch a movie on your laptop and then peacefully falling asleep with the fan blowing cool wind in your face. This is possible for most of the evenings, but earlier this week, the weather gods decided to test us and made the electricity fall out due to heavy rain showers and lightning. I can tell you this, lying in your bed when it is 33 degrees with no cold, running water or a fan is not fun at all.

More about the teachers, lessons, and our future plans is coming your way in the next entry.

English Camp

After we said goodbye to the busy city of Bangkok, we welcomed the sight of almost abandoned roads, palm trees, rice fields and the buffalos grazing upon them. We were back in Isan. And now the time had come to focus on our ‘IP’, guiding pupils through two weeks of English Camp.

During these two weeks we stayed at P’Boom’s house. She is a 26 year old mother with an 8 month year old boy, Fork. She lives in a big and quite modern house so we had no difficulties adapting ourselves to our new host family. In the evenings we sometimes went for a walk in the neighborhood to witness the beautiful sun setting on the deserted rice fields.

When we arrived at school, the first thing I thought was that this school isn’t really that different from the school we taught at in the beginning of our journey. Low buildings with no doors or windows, a lot of trees and grassy perks and of course, everywhere you look you see friendly and enthusiastic pupils greeting you.

Since we didn’t know the level the pupils it was difficult to create fun and challenging activities while preparing our ‘IP’ in Belgium. We quickly came to realize that our games and lessons were far too advanced for the pupils. So we spent night after night adapting our activities until we were sure the pupils would think it fun and interesting.

At the start of the English Camp we were a bit let down because only 14 pupils turned up. Then again, the next day this number was reduced to four...This was because the school was organizing an open house for pupils of the elementary schools who could come and check out their future school. The first week went very smoothly and as the week progressed we noticed some big changes in some pupils’ attitude and level. We played a lot of games, had some lessons about telling the time, taught the pupils how to conjugate some new and difficult verbs, drilled on the fact that they have to pronounce the final sounds of words and much more. We also gave the assignment of creating a booklet in which students could make a mind-map about English Camp. Our top three would get a prize at the end of the week. We were looking forward to receiving these booklets because in general, Thai pupils are very creative and tend to put a lot of work in arts and crafts.

 In the weekend we kept ourselves busy preparing for the upcoming week op English Camp and we didn’t really do anything noteworthy except taking a few walks in the rural part of “town”.

During the second week we noticed the pupils were progressing quite ‘fast’ (for Thai standards that is) and we, being the ones who made this possible, felt proud. It was also in this week that we decided to have reading session. Each of us handled a different book each day and we worked with set groups so we could deal with the problems of 6 or 7 pupils instead of an entire group. As the reading sessions advanced we noticed the pupils were gaining a lot more confidence and actually started to enjoy the stories they were reading. Mission accomplished for that matter.

On Thursday we told the pupils that they would be acting in a movie on Friday. They were all very excited and were therefore very enthusiastic while playing the acting games we provided them with. After these games we did a couple of teambuilding exercises which they really enjoyed.

Our last day of English Camp was a busy one. First, we shot the movies in which the pupils needed to act (we choose to let them play ‘The Smurfs so we could show them some Belgian Heritage), we played a couple more games, we watched the movies (which were now edited and put together in three big films), we awarded prizes and we gave each pupil a certificate of attending English Camp. Afterwards, we bought the students some soft drinks and crisps and sadly that was the end of our first English Camp. We will always remember the way some pupils hugged us on the verge of tears when Camp was over…

Mark my words: it’ll be hard once we are back in Belgium, where pupils prefer to run away from you than greeting you and acknowledging your existence outside the school’s premises.

Now that the English Camps are over, we move on to a new chapter of our trip: the University of Rajamangala in Surin. What we will be doing there? No idea. Exciting isn’t it?