#Howdoyoufeel?

Title notes: I've had an Epiphany (an apostrophe): if you would like to get to know someone fast (the good, the bad and the ugly) move to another country with them. We work together, eat together, drink together, travel together, laugh together and bicker together. We do everything together and constantly see each others moods/personalities change: school =smiley and peppy, home = shut-ins (basking in AC and some alone time) , trips = pumped up/excited and/or at our wist end filled with frustration and confusion. 
After last weekend when we had all snapped, bounce back and moved on we decided to patent the phrase "#how do you feel?" --meaning we make each other feel stupid/mad/happy quite often. Even the most kind of us all gets in her fair share of snarky comments these days. It just comes with the territory. Moral of the story: be very careful who you travel with. (Mom our two weeks together...we shall see) 

GranMonte Vineyard

I think it has finally happened. I have officially had my favorite weekend in Thailand. It was by no means perfect, but without a doubt it ranks number one in my book. The weekend was planned around a North Face trail run winding through Khoa Yai national park. The race had four options: 100k, 50k, 25k and a 10k. I suggested to everyone that we all run the race together when we first got to Chonburi. I made up training programs for everyone and I was dead set on running the 25k. The ambitious dream of running the 25k was soon squashed--weekends of traveling, a NYE break, a week and a half of being sick--let's just say training did not go as planned.


However, I have a serious problem with signing up for races. I'm not exactly sure what it is about race registration, but I never sign up until the last minute. Maybe it is all my past injures/ending up not being prepared or maybe it is a commitment phobia?--who knows? But regardless, I never sign up for races on time and I've missed the deadline for more races than you can count on two hands. So I had finally come to peace with the fact that I would be running the 10k rather than the 25k. I went to sign up for the 10k and of course it was full. Not only was the 10k full, so was the 25, 50 and 100 (not that I would have ever considered running the 50 or 100...)

I was mad and disappointed, but really not all that surprised. Luckily one of my friends was kind enough to let me run in her place. She knew how much I wanted to do it and she really didn't care all that much! So once again it worked out! And I ran my first international race as a blonde, 25 year old female from New Jersey.

After a busy and high stress traveling day (filled with many #howdoyoufeel-s?) we finally made it our hotel around 10:30 on Friday night. We stayed at a great place! It was a big lodge type room with 10 or so mattresses on the floor. Very simple but, the beds were really comfortable, it was clean and the bathroom was huge! (We constantly are making up tripadvisor reviews in our heads now...but have yet to actually posted one.)

There ended up only being one other guy that stayed in our room, so we pretty much had the whole lodge to ourselves. He was running the 100k, so he was up by 3am and was out the door by 3:30. We woke up around 4:45 and out the door and on the songtoa by 5am.

Bright and Early Start Line!

 Still dark and still sleepy, we all gathered as the start time grew closer. Instead of the traditional count down and gun shot start I've grown accustom to in America, the race started with a monk's blessing and a few shakes of holy water. Per usual, I didn't know what is going on and the first few drops of holy water were rubbed away with disgust (I knew it wasn't raining...). Then I saw the monk, I smiled and I knew it was going to be good race!

Finish Line and Cheering Crew

 The race was not an easy one, but it was great! We ran through fields, up steep rocky hills, by cow pastures, next to burning fields (not a pleasant smell..) and then back on to the road to complete the loop to the finish line. The countryside was beautiful and it a perfect way to watch the sunrise over the mountains in the distance.

I ended up running the whole race with one of my co-teachers. We both agreed, we felt like the other was setting the pace. It was fast and hard. We tied for 6th place in our age group-- well worth it!

We were met at the finish line by our other two friends and quickly ushered into lines to receive sweat towels, cool sponges (this was first..never seen that), energy drinks and the final stop: a picture with an elephant (an event in Thailand isn't complete unless an elephant is present).

Then we made it to the food tables and that's when things got a little crazy. Huge vats of padi thai, fried rice, papaya, guava, mango, watermelon, pineapple--so much food! Our evening plans included a winery's harvest fest celebration--which was quite costly. One sideways glance and we knew we were all on the same page--this could be lunch--fo' free (and we all just finished reading Glass Castle--very Glass Castle-esque)! So we piled our plates high and acted like your typical embarrassing American backpackers--nickel and diming away.

We head back to the hotel for my second favorite event of the day--coffee hour: a lovely hour devoted to coffee and chit-chat. We walked right next door to Peace Cafe and posted up for a good hour. Sipping hot coffee and enjoying the still very early morning (at this point it still wasn't even 9am).

After the coffee hour, my body decided to let me know it was tired and sore and time for the next glorious event of the day--nap time! I head back to the lodge, showered, read a few pages of my book and passed out for a solid hour and half nap!

We lounged around for the rest of the day and squealed with excited thinking out our evening event at the winery--Harvest Fest with "free flow" wine and live music = perfection!

The night exceeded my expectations by a ten fold. Anyone that knows me, will know that this rarely happens. I set my expectations for things pretty high and unfortunately am often disappointed. This though was amazing and to top it all off, we were treated like royalty. Little did they know we were just poor teachers from Chonburi. The event advertised as having "free flowing" wine and grape juice. We have open bar situations at home, but normally there are some type of parameters. Only house wine/cheaper liquor or certain time frame etc. But, this night everything was free flowing. Towards the end of the night, the owner of the vineyard walked around with a $150 dollar bottle of wine topping off everyone's glass.

The one low point of the evening was the food, but I guess if the food had been good then this blog post would have gone on forever...so skipping right over that. The night had three live bands and was set at an outside seating venue overlooking the vineyard. The guests were a range of ages and ethnicities. We befriended a middle aged Filipino woman and her husband sitting next to us who gave us the low down on everything--pointing out the Bill Gates of Thailand and last years grape picking champion. They had been coming to the vineyard's harvest fest for many years and knew all the ins and the outs.

Enjoying!

The night continued with a buffet line of food and a whole cow and whole pig for your pork and beef fix. After dinner they served coconut ice cream served in white bread--they take the concept of ice cream sandwiches very literally here. I'm looking around for a non dairy sweet treat when suddenly our newest friends plops down a monstrous bunch of grapes on our table. The grapes were absolutely delicious!

Harvesting

The evening appeared to be wrapping up, when the owner's daughter (the vineyard is run by husband, wife and two daughters) made an announcement about the grape picking portion of the evening. Last year their had been a contest and winner received 3 cases of that seasons wine the following year. This year though, they seem to be cracking down a bit and really trying to perfect their wine, so unfortunately no contest. But, they did say that we could go out and pick a few bunches. They said that they have been harvesting at night due to the lower temperatures.

Our Grapes!

 So armed with head lamps, baskets and scissors we went to picking! The night sky was completely black and it was neat being out their: cutting, picking and eating the sweet grapes. When we got back we assumed this would be the time they'd offer to take us home--we didn't want to overstay our welcome. But, nope the party was still going on. The owner and all of his buddies were up telling funny stories about the good ole days (mix of Thai and English), singing songs and dancing. We felt ourselves getting a bit antsy and of course before you know it we are all up dancing. Mr. Bill Gates of Thailand, owners, daughters and silly American girls dancing away to American Motown classics, with a few Elvis songs stealing the spotlight.

When we asked about our ride home the owners told us to just sit and enjoy and they would tell us when it was time to leave. This was said to us in a stern yet hospitable way. When the night did come to an end, we waved goodbye to our new friends, everyone promising to return next year. Of course we were all caught up in the moment and declaring that of course we would come back next. We'd never miss Harvest Fest!

Now you must be thinking--nothing could make this weekend better: race, coffee, nap and wine. What more do you need in life? Those four words depict a perfect life in my eyes. I don't wish for anything more. But the next day brought me my first hamburger since arriving in Thailand. I have desperately missed Local burgers (one of my favorite bars/restaurants in Memphis) and this burger did not disappoint. We went to a place called The Smokehouse. Thankfully they had cute little food trucks set up in their parking lot selling cheaper food options. We first thought about going into the restaurant and quickly turned away after reading the price list. But, outside was amazing. Cute pic nic tables and 5 different food trucks to choose from. I had a good ole American meal that was of course Thai-iefed. I got a hamburger and a delicious watermelon shake--watermelon and ice, such delicious and treat!

And that brought my favorite weekend to date to an end!

Happy Friday: Videos & Address!

So the main reason for this post is to let everyone know my address! Initially I was under the impression that receiving packages would cost us a lot of money upon their arrival. But, thankfully I have found out that is not true! If you send mail using the US post and not Fed-ex or UPS it will not cost me a dime! So, this is an open invitation to all to send me packages and cards! All of our mail comes to school, so there is a bit of an unspoken competition between foreigners on who receives the most mail. And lets just say I'm not in the top ten quite yet! :)

Address:

Anubanchonburi School
c/o Esther Wills
Wachiraprakarn Road, T Bangplasoi
A. Muang
Chon Buri 20000
Thailand

No, but really I would love to hear from y'all and snail mail can actually be lots of fun! It makes the day feel like Christmas morning!

Here are a few silly videos to make you laugh this Friday and send you into the weekend happy and smiley! I'm headed to Bangkok right after school and will be checking out Thailand's biggest market: JJ's. The market is spread over 35 acres and there are more than 8,000 shops, vendors and stalls. Hopefully, I will survive--this isn't normally my cup of tea. I have already researched and found all the near by coffee shops that will act as my safe haven if I become overwhelmed by Thai trinkets, condensed milk, plastic bags, straws and stick food.

 

Gangnam Style: I hear this at least 5 times a week. It literally never gets old to them. 

 

Loy Krathong English Version. These two girls are so smart!

 

Nine Square: A very big deal here in Thailand. There are many competitions and when the students get older it is a combo between Dance Dance Revolution and Boot Camp. 

They go so fast and are amazing!

Below is Christmas. There really isn't much I can say about this. It was a crazy crazy day! I have so many more videos from this day, but they wouldn't load for some reason, so this is what you get! 

Happy Friday!

Drink (Condensed) Milk from Bag through a Straw

Very Very Spicy Red Curry!

So I haven't had a post about food yet. I have been here almost exactly three months and there has yet to be an entire entry decicated to food and food alone.

I've been sick the past couple of weeks and lost all enthusiasm for Thailand. Literally every ounce of positivity was suck out of me dementor style.  I was tired and achy with a horrible runny nose, stopped up ears and a cough that quite possibly woke up my neighbors. Getting in front of 37 small Thai children acting happy and peppy was the last thing I wanted to do. But, thankfully I made it through the week and quarantined myself to my room and slept the weekend away. It is now Monday and I feel like a million bucks compared to weeks passed!


So I figured this would be a good time to remember some of the things I truely am happy and thankful for here in Thailand. It is easy to look at all the breathtaking pictures from weekend travels and think I'm living the life. But, in reality I live in pretty smelly and dirty town (sewage, trash, stray dogs galore) and my job is never really easy to figure out. It never stays the same and randomly I'm asked to come in and work on the weekends (nevermind the fact that I already have weekend reservations/plans...)

But enough of that. On the topic at hand: Food. Food and I have a love hate relationship here. Thais always use high sodium sauces, fish and shrimp paste, sugar and extremely low grade oil, but if you can look passed all of that you can find some really delicious food. The most amazing thing about Thailand's food is that kitchens are nonexistent. If you wanted to open up a restaurant here buy a wok and a rice cooker, put it on a set of wheels, buy a few plastic chairs and tables and you are good to go.

Vegetarian Lady chopping ginger and bitter melon

I will start with my lunch spot: Vegetarian lady as we all call her. She is one of my most favorite people I've met since I've been here in Thailand. I go eat lunch at her restaurant Monday-Friday without fail. Through my very few Thai words and many many hand gestures we manage to have broken conversations every day. She told me one day that I'd officially become like a Thai person, because I made my food very spicy. Each day I ask for "chow" (rice) and pick two toppings from the clear glass case. Every day the dishes are different: curries, spicy greens, tofu prepared more ways than you can imagine, pineapple dishes, ginger dishes and too many more to name. While I eat each day, I watch them cut up the millions of vegetables being prepped for tomorrows case: eggplant, ginger, greens, radishes, potatoes, pumpkin, lemongrass, cabbage to name a few. My favorites so far are the Japanese pumpkin curries and this yummy pineapple spicy dish.

Soup!

Everyone else loves the soup. It is delicious and is made right in front of you. They use colander type contraptions to lower rice noodles, greens, mug bean sprouts, daikon type veggie and lots of tofu into a big boiling cauldron and then add everything together to make a yummy steaming soup.

Always: Sugar, Red Pepper & Soy Sauce w/ Chilies & Vinegar w/ Chilies (This was special w/ limes & peanuts!)

Sour Mango

Recently I've been treating myself to a post lunch treat of sour mango. At home if I happen to cut up a mango and it isn't quite ripe I get mad. It tastes gross and ruins the whole salad. Here under ripe mango tastes like sour candy (I don't even like sour candy, but this is amazing!). They are crunchy and sweet and sour at the same time. Thai people use a wooden stick and dip the mango slices into a mixture of chilies, sugar and salt. I kindly say no thanks to the sugar salt spice packet!

As you will see as the post continues Thais are big on plastic bags, sticks and straws. The fruit stands are found all throughout the city and normally walk around ringing a bell--like an ice cream truck. They use incredibly sharp knifes and chop the fruit into this funnel like metal contraption and then slide the fruit straight into a bag, add your wooden stick and you are good to go! All for about 60 cents: you can get a whole pineapple, mango, papaya, guava or watermelon most times of the year here!

 

Next on to the coffee shops. Really I could make an entire post dedicated to just beverages that I love in the country: fruit juices, americanos and coconut water sums it up nicely. Drip coffee is almost nonexistent here. You either have nescafe or an espresso machine. Before I came I was told I'd never be more than 100 meters from an espresso machine. I thought "no way!" But truth be told, this is 100% true! Coffee shops are on every corner and sell every coffee, tea and fruit concoction possible all with a nice touch of condensed milk to call the beverage complete in the eyes of Thais. Thais are obsessed with condensed milk. It goes into all the above beverages as well as on waffles, in cookies and even sometimes in entree dishes. Really it is "when in doubt add condense milk!" Thankfully I've learned out to say no milk, no sugar and enjoy a black iced americano daily! (sometimes 2..) 

Favorite afternoon coffee spot

Favorite Morning Coffee Spot

Below are the earlier mentioned fruit juices. Once again I've learned to ask for nit nawy (little) or no sugar and they transform into amazing afternoon snacks or yummy beach cocktails. My favorite combo so far is orange-carrot which I can get at the night market for about 10cents!

And this--best drink in Thailand: Fresh coconut juice! Yum. Can't go wrong here! Cold, delicious and afterwards you can use a spoon to scrape out all the delicious coconut meat inside!

Below are pictures from the night market. The night market happens every single night and it is about a ten minute walk from my house. It also conveniently located right next to the running park, so in perfect blog world: after our nightly runs we can pick up something quick and healthy for dinner. (running portion doesn't always happen.) The market sells everything: fish, fruit, dolls, vegetables, soups, sushi, cakes, drinks, fresh herbs (and most of the mentioned options are also conviently served w/ condensed milk or on a stick and offered in a "to go version" in a bag)--really anything you can think of it is there.

One of our favorite spots is Padi Thai guy and his wife. This is him in action on our very first trip to the night market. His wife makes delicious som tum too! Som tum is spicy papaya salad. And as you can see she is conveniently making a "to go" bag version of som tum.

Padi Thai Guy

Spicy Papaya Salad: All made in a wooden mortar and pestle (you can say how many red chilies you want to add in!)

Popular Stick Method: Waffles on a Stick

Every day my kids (and all the kids in the school) drink milk. Sounds pretty normal, but actually kind of bizarre seeming the first couple weeks. In Thailand people drink beverages out of bags a lot. Milk, soda, coffee you name it and it can be put in a bag. After they pray, we walk by cutting small slits in the top and then they jam in a small straws (told you straws were popular). If you are going to drink a beverages in Thailand you will drink it from a straw. Even if it is a bottle of water, a canned coke, a beer etc. The top of these cans, bottles and cups will not touch your mouth! Straws are a big deal....

Keng on Milk Break!

I will have to make another food post later on. I don't want overwhelm you too much! But, I have so much more I could talk about: strange Thai customs, delicious thai meals and of course Esther's infamous rice cooker meals. Don't worry everyone, I still have dinner parties! Instead of an amazing dining room table we sit on the floor using a sheet (the same one taken to many a outside picnic in Memphis.) and instead of a great gas range everything is prepared in one small contraption: the much beloved and hated rice cooker....

Rose, Thorn, Bud

Title explanation: Over our causal NYE beach dinner, still sandy and in wet bathing suits we toasted our beach cocktails and played the game Rose, Thorn, Bud. Something wonderful from the past year, something a bit sour and something to work towards/look forward to or a way to group for the new year. As soon as the game was suggested, (and no even though this sounds like some corny thing I would have brought up just like my mother "When was the first time you knew you were in Thailand--did cross my mind though...it was not my idea) we all sat in silence trying to come up with what to say. We all had the obvious rose and thorn combo of moving to Thailand and leaving our family behind. The bud was a bit more of a challenge and not as obvious. Most of us settled on the simple idea of finding out more about ourselves this year and what we want to do when we grow up. 2013 should be a breeze of a year with that bud. 

This weekend was our first really long holiday. New years is a big deal in Thailand and we were off on Monday and Tuesday (rumor had it we might get Wednesday off too--but no such luck this year). For the long weekend we planned an island weekend in Koh Chang. Now realizing how short weekend trips can feel, we took every possible short cut and round about/more expensive measure we possibly could to make it to Koh Chang on Friday.

I've said it before, but I'll say it again: traveling in Thailand is the least efficient process in the entire world. Alicia's brother came to visit for New Years and it took him less time to travel from the US to Thailand than it did from Bangkok to Koh Chang. (Bangkok to Koh Chang should take no longer than 5 hours). So this go around we coughed-over the money and hired a driver--best decision we've ever made. Super fast, stop for snacks/bathroom whenever you want! I don't ever want to take public transportation in Thailand again.

We arrived at the ferry around 5 and were lucky enough to see the sun setting. It was the perfect way to start the trip: emerald blue water, firey red sunset, a cold beer and let's not forget stagnant air--but once on the island it was actually quite breezy! This trip over on the ferry was actually one of the best things we saw all weekend. As the sun set in one direct the moon rose in the other. Friday was a full moon and words cannot describe the orange-y storybook version of a moon that filled the sky that night.

The sunset and within minutes and the sky was dark. We arrived and could see more stars than I've seen in a long time. Jump on a songtao and took the scary windy road to our hotel. This weekend was not only a long holiday weekend and NYE, it was also a bit of a reunion weekend. Fifteen of us rang in the new year together!

Two of the other girls also arrived Friday afternoon and we all went to a Mexican Restaurant (yes--we eat foods other than Thai on vacation sometimes, because we miss them!!). The restaurant was amazing--owned by a French man and his Mexican wife. They marinate all their meat for hours, salsas incredibly fresh, homemade black re-fried beans and of course amazing margaritas and mojitos (I think mojitos are the best drink in Thailand, because the mint here is so flavorful!).

After dinner we called it an early night, so we could make it to the beach early the next day. And early it was, we woke up for coffee around 8:30 and grabbed a bite to eat. We walked a ways down the beach to a beautiful spot Maddie and Shannon found the night before called Sunset Beach. We posted up there and did not leave until nightfall. It was perfect. I swam a few laps in the calm, clear ocean, took a nap, chatted and read my book. Very peaceful and quiet. As the sunset over the ocean the other 8 arrived! They arrived just in time to see the colorful sky and snap a few pictures.

That night we planned on reservations at what was suppose to be one of the best Thai food places on the island, but unfortunately Ryan and his friend Pierce were still stuck traveling and hadn't arrived yet. A few of us stuck behind to wait for their arrival. They finally around around 11 and obviously by this point our reservation was no longer. So we took a songtao up to Lonely Beach and sat down at the first place we could find. We ended up having a great meal at a place called Magic Garden--but I'm not sure if it was good or we were just so hungry.

We then went dancing for a bit and out to the beach to see the stars, but head home not too late, because waterfalls were in store for the next day! We woke up early and climbed a short hike to see a pretty small waterfall. It was pretty, but nothing to write home about (but I guess worthy for blog writing..haha). The best part was the fresh water pond below the waterfall. It was so cold and felt so refreshing!

The rest of the day we posted up at the beach and once again did not move from under the umbrella (Mom, I do not have even the slightest bit of pink skin...you'd be so proud!!) That night I had to call it a night after dinner. I was so tired and wanted to save up some energy. I tricked everyone into coming back to the hotel so we could "look up places to go in white sands on wifi," but really I just wanted someone to walk back with. So, they all ventured out and I hit the sack.

We woke early again the next morning for a a full morning of kayaking. I kayaked a bit in Chile, but it was not river or ocean kayaking. It was definitely a ghetto version. This go round we received a lot of nice gear and were actually taught the correct paddle strokes. It was a lot of fun, a good work out yet also very relaxing at the same time. We stopped half way through and jump off a few cliffs into the ocean. I done cliff jumping in Hot Springs before, but these cliffs were had super jagged points and my heart was pounding. It really was quite scarey (quite was a word used a lot this day--our guide was from England). I did it though and only managed a few scraps and to flip my kayaking upon exiting it. Of course I was the only one to flip my kayak--what a dumbie.

That afternoon we met up with the rest of the group and suprise once again spent the rest of the day at the beach. This was my favorite beach day. All fifteen of us were together and we acted like little kids again. We played frisbee, did handstands, yoga, and drank cocktails out of coconuts (guess that isn't like little kids...) It was great. The one thing missing was a game of paddle ball. I tried to ask a few people if we could borrow their paddles, but the timing wasn't ever right! Bummer--next time!

Instead of trying to plan something big for NYE dinner, we just stopped at the same beach side restaurant we'd eaten at the night before: Family Restaurant. We had great fresh seafood and delicious curries. We then headed home to play dress up, get glitterfied and add tinsel to our hair. It was like a mini factory assembly line. We started with Alex and she did our make-up, then stop over to Laura and she sprayed us down with glitter then off to Hannah who tied a very dramatic yet understated piece of tinsel in everyone's hair.

The night to follow was pretty perfect. NYE is one of those holidays that has great potential to be horrible and normally is so for me. If we do a quick NYE recap of the years: last year broken ankles...and I don't really think the list needs to continue from there....

We just acted silly. It was great! I hate to say it family members, but y'all have some competition. Becca is maybe the best dance partner I've ever had. She can read, follow and lead some pretty amazing choreographed romie and michelle-esque dance moves that always end up taking up the whole dance floor. We are thinking of buying a tuk-tuk and driving around Thailand to show everyone our dance act and charging high dollar for this quality performance. The cameras flashes that night where a true testament to just how good we were--who knows where our dance moves will show up next. But all I can say our popularity is spreading like wildfire throughout Thailand and we are known by many for these epic dance moves.

All I want for Christmas

This Christmas was a first for a lot of things. This was my first Christmas without my family. My first Christmas not to go to Church. My first Christmas not to be cold. My first Christmas out of the country. Well let's be real this was my first Christmas not in Memphis, TN. I have spent the last 23 years doing more or less the exact same thing for Christmas.

Christmas day, wake up (the people in the house has dwindled down in the years...now it is just me and my lovely mother and father--those no count siblings had to up and leave their baby sister). We scurry around, argue, clean the kitchen, pack and then rush out the door to make it to the Newsom's side by 1pm--which always always ends up being 2-3pm and everyone is a bit frustrated, hungry and full of teasing-Christmas cheer.

Then we feast. This is something that has changed--but no matter what, where or how we manage to sit, eat and drink. Post lunch, we exchange presents. This also has developed and changed over the years. Back in the day Nanny's blue couch was piled high with red stockings stuff full of amazing treats and gadgets--my favorite part of Christmas Day.

Then comes the photo, some years we get one, some years we don't. But, thanks to Uncle Bill we most definitely have had a Newsom Family photo the past 5 years. Then the dishes. When we were all still at St. Nick,  many a year we dressed in aprons and hats and passed the fine china from hand to hand until everything was put up and away (and many a years it was just Mom & Sondra...)

The rest of the evening has always changed. Some years a game of spoons, others glued to the TV watching A Christmas story over and over again, others Love Actually and way back in the day back handsprings and cartwheels in the front yard.

Then we sleep and wake and do it all over again. This time we head to Grandma and Granddaddy's for the Wills Family version. This has changed over the years too. A few years back we took home our stockings, started an adult gift exchange (in my mind I'm still too young to be apart of that..) We switched from gifts to baked goods and back to gifts and then back again. Things are always changing.

But some things stay the same: the table get it's extra leafs and we file in sitting in our same seats each year (some due to blind eyes others due to habit) and for the past 4 to 5 years our elbows slightly stick to the table as we collapse into our hands after ice cream and fudge sauce. We have eaten everything from fish tacos to BBQ to Christmas spaghetti. Some years there has been homemade eggnog and others gluten free, dairy free (or whatever the allergy of the year maybe) options.

Even though some years didn't end this way--in my mind the Wills family Christmas always ends in the basement: ping pong, pool, air hockey and broken ceiling tiles. Laughing and playing--then suddenly frozen into shock as the room becomes pitch black. "Helpppp" we all shriek. We wait, our eyes adjust and then just as soon as the lights dimmed, they flicker back on again.

Christmas with family is always full of surprises, fights, laughter, exhaustion and a few tears. But, nothing comes anywhere close to how wonderful our family traditions have become over the years. This year will go down in history as the most bizarre and elaborate Christmas for sure, but it's got nothing on the Wills/Newsom gang.

The day started with an early morning run, because I knew there was no way I would have any time after school. Since our director would be out of town our school decided they had the authority to change Christmas day to December 24th. So we arrive to school decked out in our Christmas gear. Money has been a bit tight this past month, because we had to pay back a few debts (we get paid today so no worries!), but point being we didn't have a lot of extra cash for red&green Christmas attire. So I got creative! I wore a white & black striped shirt and a black shirt and green earrings made out of Christmas bows and a red ribbon in my hair. Of course right as I walked through the door my coordinator says "OH NO, black not a good color for today." UGH what a sour way to start the day. I just smiled and said, "Merry Christmas" with a big smile plastered on my face.

The day continues and the kids are running wild--dress in anything red and green they could find at home. Some in full Santa costumes others in angry bird, hello kity, spiderman or whatever else happened to be red in the closet (spiderman and santa--same same, but different..ha). So flag proceeds as normal except instead of a uniformed student a Santa dressed student raises the Thai flag and wais to Buddha.

We finish flag with Joy to the World and a random preacher shows up and reads an except from the Bible in Thai--I think that is what happened at least but I'm not sure. Then we have poppers, but we pop them at the wrong time and then the director and a few students cut a ribbon that leads into Winter Wonderland: a completely decked out stage set complete with life size igloo, sleigh, snow, polar beers, santa and reindeer. It was quite the scene.

Flag comes to a conclusion and the beauty contest starts. Within minutes one of the kindergarten students throws up on another student and everyone is running around in a tizzy. Mops, towels or cleaning supplies aren't things found in surplus here in Thailand. So some one comes out with tiny box of Kleenex and they wipe up the stage, but don't stop the show for a second. Half the teachers and students are making gagging noises, but thankfully a chain reaction did not start...I was worried there for a bit.

Then we have the dances and the presentations. Pre-K and kindergarten have 3 students from each class (3 classes in each) that dress as Santa, Santee, Reindeer and Angel. They are dressed to impress. They saunter on stage and say their robotic spiel for the judges: "Good Morning. My name is _____. I am in K1/___. I am 4 years old. I am _____ (Santa/Santee/Angel/Reindeer)." Then of course this must be a competition so there are judges and winners.

Then comes the forced dancing portion. Parents are literally mauling the stage with ipads, video cameras and elbows that cut like knifes if you get in front of their view. They jump in at any moment if their kid's hat happens to tilt to the wrong side. The funny thing is that the kids don't look like they are having any fun. The parents barely clap when finished, but pictures galore are snapped at every other moment. As long as their hat stays in place and their make-up isn't smudged the day is considered quite the success.

Then we venture into the classrooms, were parents have out done themselves. They have brought more food than you could ever imagine. Fruits, vegetables, dumplings, pizza, KFC, donuts, boxes and boxes of cakes and cookies, vats of ice cream. This parties put American Christmas parties to shame. I bopped from one room to the other checking out the food selection, but then become entranced by Teacher Som's Mask party. I have no idea why, but each student brought in a mask and suddenly they all changed clothes and they now have on princess type clothing and the masquerade started. We paraded around the school and once again take more photos.

Then back to the classroom for the gift exchange and the Thai version of Rockin around the Xmas Tree. This is where Gangman style starts to blare (it as already been blasting from the second floor--3-5 grade classrooms for a few hours now) and we dance around the tree and play a version of musical chairs.

For my students the party comes to an end with a gift exchange. They then passed out in their Santa suits and sleep the rest of the day. But, for 1st-6th grade the party continues for the remainder of the day. Every single classroom had Gangman style on repeat and they danced, their bodies possessed by sugar. 

Now that is just the description of the day before Christmas. If you can only imagine, the festivities have continued throughout the week and last night was the teacher New Years Party. The party requires a whole post on its own. We decided that if you aren't okay with getting on stage to sing karaoke and/or wearing a full face of make up--you will not survive in this country.

Mrs. Doubtfire Drinks Sippy Wine

Preface on title:
Our last songtoa ride in Hua Hin was shared with my new role model: Mrs. Doubtfire. She was actually nothing like the real Mrs. Doubtfire except for the fact that she spoke Britishly! Ever since her husband's retirement, they have spent three months in Hua Hin for Holiday. Other times of the year she spends at her cottage in Ireland, which she noted as her favorite travel spot. She has done quite a bit of traveling. She worked for her no-count husband for many years, but was never paid. She therefore insisted he pay for her travel every year with her friends! She was dainty, proper and everything you'd expect. But instead of at tea, we met on the back of a songtoa while profusely sweating and ingesting diesel fumes. She of course could have quickly wiped her brow, lifted her pinky finger and have been ready for afternoon tea in Wimbledon.

This weekend I went on my first small group excursion. Big groups are a lot of fun and as we have found out on past trips, they can help you bargain when purchasing beach sarongs or orchestrating mass transit via truck beds. But, small groups are amazing for travel. Less opinions, less chaos and most importantly less hormones. I think everyone would agree traveling with large groups of girls can be amazingly exhausting.

So back to this weekend. Alicia and I headed out directly from school. I sent my laptop, a New Years gift form a student and my real life home with Alex and we hit the door running-- determined to catch the last bus for Hua Hin.

As a side-note let me start with: we absolutely positively never travel the same way twice. This isn't by any means on purpose. You would think our travel would become more efficient with time. We'd figure out the tricks of the locals and travel like the speed of light. Travel here is cheap and rather easy but I wouldn't call it efficient.

Father you would have had a heart attack with how round about we went just to get out of our own city. When I know we are backtracking you know things are bad.

We do finally arrive and sit in more traffic so we get off at the first sky train exit we can find and zoom over to victory monument where our more experienced travel friend has been waiting for about an hour. She ushers us quickly to the ticket table we purchase and hop on the van. But the way vans work is they don't leave until they fill up. So we wait some more. I'm okay by this point though because we know we will make it to Hua Hin tonight! Success! (Just a few moments of panic-- "passports, who has the passports?")

We arrive and are dropped off at a crazy night market. We have finally learned the importance of printing your hotel's address in Thai, so we luckily are some what prepared. Of course the first 3 drivers we show the address to, squint, talk in fast Thai, run the through the streets asking others and then tell us "cannot."

Eventually we find a woman who says okay. She folds up her taxi sign and takes us down a side street and say "okay, okay" and points to an unmarked Honda civic. We pile in shaking or heads and smiling. You just never know what type of transportation you will score in Thailand.

We arrive at our all inclusive top of the line villa for the weekend around 11pm. Let me back up a little: Jess (aka experienced travel friend) is one of Alicia's friends from home and will be heading home soon. She is the one that researched and planned a lot of the weekend. In the midst of hostel searching one her friends suggested we just stay with her and her parents for the weekend. They rented a villa close to the beach for the weekend and had two extra bedrooms.

Contrary to what some may think. The most enticing part of the proposition was the concept of parents. We've all been a bit homesick since this will be all of our first Christmases without our families. And the thought of parents made us all jump for joy! And boy did they spoil us rotten! They fed us like kings, told us stories about the good ole days and treated us to what we all anticipated being our biggest expense of the weekend-- the vineyard: a wine tasting and an elephant ride. Without a doubt Kate's parents made the weekend a perfect way to start the holiday season! (And don't worry mom a thank you note is in process an departing gifts were already exchanged! You raised a proper southern belle)

The way I was lured into this trip was by the simple word "wine." There is little to no wine in Thailand and something I miss wholeheartedly. The weekend was planned around a vineyard visit where you could purchase a package to try three different wines paired with three different tapas, try their signature grape juice (sippy wine) and trek through the quiet vineyard perched on top of an elephant.

I didn't even think twice before quickly agreeing to tag along for the weekend. I ended up being uncharacteristically busy last week and didn't have a chance to do much or any research about what the weekend had in store. I knew we would have wine, eat good food and stay in a villa with someone's patents I didn't know and there was promise of American magazines and chocolate.

While packing I thought "hmm I should probably throw in a bathing suit, you just never know." Well it is a very good thing because it turns out Hua hin is oh so much more than a vineyard. It is an adorable beach city filled with cafes, wine bars, night markets and seafood restaurants.

The beach was adorable and just steps away from our fully furnished villa. We rented chairs and umbrellas, ordered coconut watermelon shakes, added a little Thai rum and did mermaid dives in the water until mid afternoon. Then we showered and climbed into a van for a 35 minute ride to the vineyard.

The air changed from hot humid to pleasantly breezy. And the landscape from sandy beaches to lush green vineyards.

The vineyard just celebrated its 10th anniversary and is still trying to somewhat establish itself. The wine was drinkable but not the highlight of the vineyard experience nor did it rank in the top 3 highlights.

The sleek restaurant was the only building that graced the skyline. The rest of the landscape was filled mountains and rows of plump juicy grapes. It was amazing how quiet and peaceful it felt. We felt like royalty. Being waited on hand and foot and present with five star looking tapas. I wouldn't say they were all 5 star tasting--the first was a mayonnaise-y crab salad but it had fresh crisp apples chopped through out and a fresh sprig of basil and it did actually go quite well with the white wine they served (my fave wine of the three). For the second everyone else was given three slices of cheese drizzled with orange and vanilla infused olive oil, garlic and salt and pepper-- it looked divine. They gave me a poached shrimp salad with fresh pomegranate seeds. It was okay. The last was really different and amazing. Smoked duck on a homemade crispy corn chip which sat on top of a shredded carrot mango salad all mixed with a spicy sriracha type sauce. The flavor and texture combo = perfection. The last two wines aren't even worth mentioning...

The ride back to town we all still had grumbling stomachs because our America sized stomachs were not satisfied. We stopped at a restaurant our driver recommended and shared a few dishes family style. We were not disappointed. I've had some great green curry since I've been in Thailand but this ranked #1.

The night ended with 2 large chocolate bars, a big bag of peanut m&ms and the bold idea to awake for sunrise. We woke early, jumped in our prearranged songtoa which drove us up chopstick mountain (also called monkey mountain-- should have been clue #1...)

We rounded the corner as the sky began to lighten to see a sea of beady red eyes staring back at us-- a mix of mange-ifed cats, dogs, and my least favorite thailand creature: monkeys. We should have known at this point this was a bad idea. But, we were already up and thought why not.

We bravely walked forward, darted around, saw a few view points and decided it was time to head back to town before the sun even fully colored the sky.

Unfortunately, our songtoa driver did not wait for us-- so we started walking. We decided it might be kind of nice to just go ahead and walk all the way into town anyway. We walked about 10k and arrived at a German bakery (our planned breakfast destination) just in time for opening.

It was a perfect breakfast. An omelette filled with big slices if onions, potatoes and bacon and freshly baked breads. I was one happy girl!


The rest of the morning was finished off with one last beach nap, one more mermaid dive and one more watermelon shake. Perfect ending to a perfect weekend-- that is until I got stuck in the worst mini van seat for the trip home. Beaming hot sun, freon low ac, little to no shocks and smashed between a baby and a Thai woman was really how the weekend ended. But the first ending sounds much more picturesque and blog worthy.

Loi Krathong

So I feel like it is/was a rush to get this next blog post typed up and published. If it wasn't complete by Tuesday night then low and behold it is already the next Thai holiday (yes, Thai people find a reason to celebrate anything and everything and call it a holiday...) Obviously it is Friday, so I didn't get it done before Father's Day (aka King's Bday & Wednesday) or Sports Day (Thursday).

The most important thing to talk about is Loy Krathong. I'm sure most of you have seen pictures. I had a lot of confused messages/inquiries on what the heck was going on and why I was dressed up like lace clown person.

Well let me reiterate that I never ever have any idea what is going on until it is already happening or most of the time I find out about a week later what happened the week before and then sort of have an ahh hah moment --"Oh that is why we all got up in middle of class and went outside and marched around the school 2 times. But, yet of course we must practice for sports day."

Well so I did technically already know about this holiday. We learned all about it during orientation, but we were told it was in the middle of November. After doing a bit of research I found out that Loi or Loy Krathong falls on whatever day there is a full moon in the last lunar month of the year. So it is always different. This year it happened to fall on Wednesday, November 28th.

We were randomly asked to participate in a parade and to dress in traditional Thai clothing. We went and had our dress fitting in a humongous dress up closet. It actually wasn't a closet at all--it was much larger than an of my thai classrooms and housed hundreds of traditional Thai costumes. All the costumes represent different different costumes--some for Thai royalty, some for southern region, some the northern region, some from different time periods and so on. I was told my dress was what the princess wears. Oh very appropriate for me (well actually the queen would have been more fitting, but I guess I'll settle for the princess).

So I thought we were just going to just dress up at 4pm for the parade, but of course one of my other teacher friends called the night before around 11pm and said we need to arrive at school at 7am to dress for the morning assembly. Of course we go early and are handed the bags of clothes and told to dress ourselves. This is insane all the "pants" consist of are a huge pieces of fabric that you wrap around yourself until it somehow transforms into a pair of pants.

Thankfully another teacher saw our distress and graciously helped us get dressed. So we just stood like statues at the morning assembly while they say a lot of stuff in Thai. Then the students sing Loi Krathong in both Thai and in English. And then they made us dance around the whole courtyard doing the traditional Thai dance --which we have no idea how to do.

After many pictures and traditional Thai games and many "I love you Teachaas" and "Beautiful Teachaaa" we changed back into normal clothes to teach for the rest of the day. The students and teachers did have a different sparkle in their eyes though when they looked at me. For some reason Thai people really like to see farangs dressed in the traditional clothing.

Then at 3pm (they asked us to arrive at 12...insane that we would need that much time to get ready and we said no we have to teach--teaching is what we came here for right?) we went back to the costume closet to be dressed officially this time. They dressed us, did our hair and then Teacher A (very fashionable lady boy) did our makeup. It was so cute. She spent what felt like hours just penciling and "fixing" my eyebrows. The final touch was a little extra white powder and baby powder to make me even whiter than I already am--very Thai style.

It had been monsoon-ing all day so we weren't sure if the parade would even happen. But all the Thai teachers reassured us that they would not cancel the parade. There is only one day that Loi Krathong can be and it will be today. So we left in the school van and they dropped us off with all the other 5th grade students that had the "honor" of being in the parade and handed us all matching umbrella. The street was lined with costumed teeth-chattering, wet children. But, don't think for a minute they weren't dressed to the nines: full hair and make-up and standing up right holding their krathongs. The whole scene reminded me a lot of a Mardi Gras parade. People proud of their roots and deep cultural history, not ashamed in the least to march through the streets singing, dancing and wearing hair pieces heavier than full bowl of mash potatoes (ha..that's pretty heavy!)

We walked the parade and were the only Farangs for miles and definitely the only farangs in the parade. We still aren't really sure why they wanted us in the parade or why they dressed us up. One theory could be to parade around just how many American Teachers we have at our school. But, we were like little local celebrities. Thai people LOVE to take pictures of farangs--no matter what we are doing. Kind of like a lion at the zoo--you have to stop stare and take a picture and sometimes even ask to pose to be in the picture with the lion.

So the rain tapered off and our umbrellas were snatched from us, so everyone could admire our beautiful attire. It really was pretty neat. The streets were lined with our students, parents and the whole city of Chonburi. As we we got closer to our school, I saw two of my favorite students. They were screaming and jumping up and down "Teachha Esther". Warmed my heart. Then we passed our favorite coffee shops and restaurants and they waved and cheer us on as well.

We ended the parade at our running park. The park is not a normal park/track. It is beautiful and I've already come to take it for granted. There is an amazing white temple in the center, a pond, waterfall and tons of green space and trees. So we all marched together and the students released their krathongs into the water.

We were slightly miserable, exhausted, definitely hungry and our feet hurt at this point, but we were bound and determined to release our own krathong. We walked back to school and changed out of what had quickly become the most uncomfortable pair of "pants" and lace top I've ever worn. Grab our backpacks and headed back to the park.

It was hard to decide what kranthong to buy. There were so many: ones made of cabbages, peppers, banana leaves, bread and of course orchids and other beautiful flowers. A little back history on what Loi Krathong is all about:

Original this day signified the day where you were thanking/honoring the Goddess of Water (and apologizing for all the pollution...). Now the day has a even bigger meaning. People make or buy krathongs and each kranthong has a candle and incense. Once the candle is lit it represents the light of Buddha. You then add finger nail clippings or small piece of hair to your krathong. You push the krathong away into the water letting go of hatred, anger, and past negative thoughts (hair and nails representing the not so good parts you need to let go of). Some also had small coins to ensure good fortune for the next year.

The experience of releasing my very own krathong was something I never forget. I was happy we decided to stay in our Chonburi, the place we call home and were surrounded by our new family and friends. As I bent down to release my krathong into the murky, pollution filled pond I heard "Teachhaa." I smiled to myself--I knew this day represented exactly what the next year had in store for me: a day filled with poor communication, swollen tired feet, strangers snapping pictures of me left and right and a park buzzing with thousands pushing away their bad thoughts right along side a constantly confused farang. I couldn't have wished for a better day.