So it's been a while since we last wrote - apologies. I blame it on Bianca and her facebook account. Anyway, we are living on the Island of Phuket in southern Thailand, which is kind of like the equivalent of going to Hawaii back in the states. At its best it's dramatically beautiful, and full of culture and friendly people. At its worst, it's busy, and an overdeveloped tourist trap. For the most part we stay away from the worst, and stick to its best.

After a few shaky weeks of looking for teaching positions, we both landed English jobs the same week, at two different schools. It couldn't have worked out better; Bianca teaches elementary students, and I teach high school students, which are our age preferences. Our schools are only about 3 miles apart, and our apartment is right in the middle. Our apartment, which is really more like a hotel room, is only $150 per month and is really accommodating.

Our room doesn't have a kitchen, so boo hoo us, we have to eat out every night. There are the most amazing Thai restaurants a block away from us that we visit on average 3-4 times per week. When I say restaurant I mean a BBQ, an exposed cooking counter and some chairs around some tables. Everybody including the locals eat out often because the food is so cheap and so good. There are small food stalls and meals on wheels (scooters w/ side cars) on every block. The Thai food found here is nothing like what we are used to back home. It's so diverse here that it sometimes doesn't resemble Thai food.

We live in Phuket town, which is a great way to avoid the uglier side of Phuket, away from some of the crowded beaches. Trying to imitate the locals, we fly around town on a scooter. We bought a cheap bike from another teacher and are scooting around with ease. There are obvious dangers with riding scooters in a busy town with narrow streets, which is why we haven't told our parents yet.

The Thai school system operates like much of its culture in a day to day existence with no real foresight or planning, which makes teaching here "interesting." Administration seems to plan literally as things come up. Bianca observed that the culture reacts to situations rather than plans for them, which is exactly the way they drive on the streets. Classes and entire teaching days are often cancelled with notice for many reasons, like so students can practice their cheering for the upcoming sports week. Despite having made plans for Christmas, the administration hasn't decided what days off the foreign teachers will get for Christmas. Teaching and learning takes a backseat to the appearance of the school sometimes.

The classroom is a busy place with anywhere from 30-55 students! Their level of English can depend on their age, whether they have a foreign parent, or if they are good students. We can walk into a room full of students who don't understand much English. That's when our teaching skills are put to the test. Even though students love to talk during class, they are much easier to deal with behaviorally than in the states. Generally, Thai students aren't as messed up as American students, which obviously says something about a difference in home life. Sure Thai students can be annoying, but they don' argue, fight, harm others, and don't light things on fire. They are often left unsupervised at school and in classrooms, and nothing is broken or stolen, and nobody gets hurt. That is a huge no no in the states because unsupervised students will use their imagination to find some sort of trouble to get into, like putting a peanut butter & jelly sandwich into a VCR and waiting for the teacher to notice (Nick Hamman). Basically, nothing about Thai education reminds me of American education, which can be both good and bad, and is the reason we came here.

One cool thing about working here is that our coworkers give us glimpses of other countries because they come from many different places. The majority come from the U.K., so they teach us about the "proper" English language. For example a wifebeater is called a vest, and to say pants is ridiculous because they use the word trousers, baseball is unknown but cricket is king, and the spelling is just confusing.

To paint a picture of our weekly life: we teach English anywhere from 2-5 classes a day (much fewer than the standard 5 classes per day at home), we go to the gym afterschool, head home, and then head out to fantastic dinner. On weekends we might watch a new movie at the theatre, go find a new beautiful beach to visit and work on the tan, do some errands and relax. At this point we are certain it was a good move to come here; life is less stressful and more casual. Life is good, so check back later for more of the good life.

By the way, we love all the messages people have left on the site. I know many people have trouble leaving messages (we have as well), but keep them coming. We appreciate them because they make us smile and think of everyone back home.

Almost forgot, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!