Beat the students Raaaaaaaaaaaaaar!

So they say step one is admitting you have a problem so here I go.
I'm sorry that I haven't typed anything on my blog. Perhaps now that I've admitted a problem things will improve.
But wait..I still have a problem unrelated to blogging. Today at school a teacher who we will call Teacher Fish Sauce (name changed) got angry with his/her students because the plants outside their class had not been watered. So instead of asking students to water the plants, he/she simply beat everyone in the class 2 times with a heavy, wooden, bamboo rod. While I understand that students sometimes need to be disciplined I have to express my opinion in this matter. That's some fucked up shit. This exact same teacher was seen beating the entire class 12 minutes into my own class making extremely difficult for me to get through everything I needed to cover- not just because of time, but also because the kids were visibly upset by what had happened. I guess part of the reason that I have so much trouble with this classroom management strategy (if you can call it that..I can't) is that in my 7 years of teaching in some of the toughest neighborhoods in America I never once had to punish the entire class- meaning not once in that time was it clearly visible that EVERY single student had broken a rule. And if that was the case in Oakland CA where my classroom would smell like pot smoking every morning when I arrived at work, then it must be even more true in Thailand where students are taught pre-utero to respect their teachers. I just don't see the logic in beating everybody in a class over some dry plants. How is that a good use of teaching time. Now everyone in class is more likely going to kill the plant from overwatering. Wouldn't it make more sense to put a group of students from the class in charge and then have them rotate throughout the school year, ensuring that each student was eventually in charge of that particular task. And does it really take someone with a masters degree in education to ask these questions? Not all of the teachers at school beat students ALL the time but this teacher is completely out of control and it needs to be stopped. Unfortunately as it is condoned by my boss I do not know exactly what role I can play in ensuring that the amount of beatings do in fact stop. Perhaps letting blog readers know will hep raise awareness. I hope so.

food for thought

So wandering the grocery stores and markets in Thailand can be a wonderful experience. The sights, the sounds, the fucking little old ladies who scamper past you as fast as possible and then come to a screeching halt right in front of you and proceed to whip out the cane and walk Jurassically down the center of the aisle- these are the things that make shopping special in Thailand...Or at least I thought until today. However, while walking down the aisle today I became a Jurassic old lady whilst approaching the meat aisle. Something caught my eye. You see, even though Thailand has a "thorough" supply meat types for sale- congealed pigs blood, cow intestines, chicken feet and hands today I was so entranced I simply had to take out my camera and snap a picture right in front of Carre Four. I held in my tiny little hands for the very first time pork uteris. No that's not a typo.. UTERIS!!! I imagine cooking this in a pot at home. Maybe add a little garlic, some spinich and you've got dinner. Yikes! Welcome to Thailand

Photos from Singapore and the Orchid Garden.

Couchsurfing in Melaka and Singapore

So it's Christmas time here in Thailand. So naturally I decide to take a seven day hiatus and go to Malaysia and Singapore. I had an amazing time. You should check out the videos. Wink Wink nudge nudge. Anyway the two highlights were in Melaka.
Highlight number one: Melaka fish spa. Basically, the idea is that fish are utilized in a unique massage process in which your feet and legs are bitten, rubbed, by, and sucked by tiny fish allowing smoother, more relaxed looking skin. You walk in, sit on a comfy pillow, stick your feet in a cool pool, and wait. Within 2.5 seconds, fish are literally swarming at your feet. The whole experience was absolutely bizarre. The first five minutes, I'm giggling histerically and can barely keep my feet in the water. However, after awhile, you don't notice the tickling sensation anymore and begin to relax. I felt so relaxed after walking all around Melaka and getting reenergized thanks to the wonders of fish.
Highlight number two: Couchsurfing. So prior to leaving for my trip, I discover this website called couchsurfing.com. The premise is basically that you meet new people on a "facebook" type utility and then crash on their couch for a night for free. I did this three times, once in Melaka and twice in Singapore. I enjoyed all three experiences immensly. In Melaka, I stayed with a university student named Jimmy. He truly was super cool. He took me all over Melaka, out with one of his friends to this cool Indian restaurant near the college at 1 am and helped me discover the best parts of Melaka. Even though I was initially apprehensive about couchsurfing, by the time it was over, I realized this is my favorite way to travel, but not really for the free couch. Sure that is nice, but what I really enjoyed was meeting and hanging out with local people. I think one of the toughest parts about traveling alone is the lack of human interaction you find. Couchsurfing allowed me to simultaneously mingle with local people and broaden my scope of friends around the world. It was "G"-reat!
Ok in Singapore, I also had two highlights- The Borders Bookstore, and the Orchid garden.
What can I say, I love Singapore. It was bar-none the most efficiently run city I have ever seen. This time I couchsurfed with two different people. On night one, I slept on a cool, marble floor in a guy named Jeff's apartment. We didn't hang out too much because I didn't get to Singapore until midnight, and I was tired. But, sleeping on the marble floor was actually pretty comfortable. The only funny experience was that he lived with his parents who he failed to mention to that I was visiting. So at like 5 am these two people come into the livingroom and stare at me for awhile. I pretend to sleep while waiting for them to pull out a baseball bat or something. I mean, there's a complete stranger sleeping on their floor. To make it worse, they only speak Chinese. However, they soon realize that I am harmless and the mom even invites me to brush my teeth in the sink..a very nice gesture indeed. That day I have the most amazing time in a Borders bookstore. I know it souns silly but finding English books in Nakhon srithammarat is not the easiest task. I think I stayed there for like three hours. Then I went to the Orchid Garden, another fun part of my trip. I've never seen so many beautiful orchids in my life. That night, I stayed with a guy named Matt Tay. We went to a park, watched a french video, and had a great time. His house was awesome because I actually got to sleep in a bed. His family was great and made sure I was comfortable the whole time I was there..a whopping two days.