We have made some decisions and are stoked to both be enacting on passionate objectives soon! Phuket definitely challenged our thought process by delivering georgeous days of tropical fun: surf, volleyball, snorkeling, and good folks capped out our recreational bliss at Kata Beach. Basically, Phuket would allow us to have our cake and eat it too but we decided the cake is too sweet. The short term highs are wonderful but at the end of the day, we feel these sugar buzzes may prevent the soul from attaining new levels of enlightenment. By witnessing other parts of southern Thailand, we saw opportunities to live amongst non-touristy communities as originally desired.

Focussed on teaching young children, Em has been fortunate to meet with programs varying in class size (5-50), teaching style (scripted lesson plans, totally up to her, even interviewed with a Montossori school), amount of western colleagues at the school (0-20), and of course, location (she was even offered a job in Vietnam after a phone interview).

We are staying in Thailand. We are very impressed with the overall generosity from the people, intrigued by their history to grow as an independent nation (even with the current coup hiccup) while all their neighbors have had foreign rule at one point, continuously delighted by the diversity of natural beauty, and interested in learning more about the effects of Buddhism on their everyday life. And we both have great opportunities to satisfy our current callings!

Em accepted a job in Songkla Province (~20 kilometers north of Hat Yai) where she will be teaching English to ~300 different children! She will have 12 different classes of ~25 students each which she will meet with twice per week. She will have a full-time teaching aid (Thai native) to help with anything and everything (language barriers, class control, school politics, cultural expectations, extra-curricular advice, etc.). Both Em and her aid are not employed by the school but rather by a program called "Smart English" which also provides lesson plan ideas and support upon request. But basically, Em will be rockin' on her own in that school. She is rightfully intimidated but very excited. She had much easier options, but just as Phuket was easy, it is not why we are on this journey. Yes, we like things difficult!

Em would not allow me to support her in taking a great job if it was in a place I had no desire to be. This is not the case with Songkla Province. While there is not the potential for a pre-work surf, Songkhla does have decent access to amazing recreation and we look forward to exploring its inland forests with caves and waterfalls and nearby pristine islands. And most importantly, we enjoyed the welcoming feel from everybody we met throughout our short visit.

But (yes there is a but), Hat Yai is not screaming with work/volunteer opportunities that immediately excite me. I have been focussed on working with sustainable tourism and/or water conservation programs and have been investigating programs throughout southern Thailand. After meeting with the folks at North Andaman Tsunami Relief (NATR) in Khuraburi, I knew this was a match. Their team has great synergy - combining consistent laughter with great productivity - and their endeavors are right in line with my interests. The name of their spotlight program - Adventure Community-based Ecotourism (ACE) - highlights our shared passions. I will be entering at a dynamic point in NATR's history as they are concluding most of their tsunami relief projects and transitioning into longer-term sustainable tourism programs. They are located north on the Andaman Coast (about 100 kilometers south of Ranong) and close to some of Thailand's best diving at Surin & Similian islands. While tourism is not on the mainland or in Khuraburi yet, the big developers have acquired land. NATR hopes to help drive what type of tourism evolves in this area. Also important to me, they have great trust and appreciation from the local communities through two years of delivering on their promises.

So yes, I am quite excited about this opportunity! Mainly, I just feel great to be able to give to such a great initiative (it is considered volunteer work - after my first month, I'll get paid enough to eat enough to stay alive). And also excited for how much I will learn in an industry about which I am extremely passionate. I am committing to three months with NATR which will begin at the end of October. During this time, I am hoping to network with similar programs in Songkla province. Ideally, I would go straight into some related field and be living with my lady again! If the former doesn't pan out, it is still very important to both of us to be sharing our cultural experiences together so the latter will definitely happen. I have been thinking about teaching English (or math or science) to the smiling Thai kids, and these opportunities do exist for me around Hat Yai.

While it is a bummer we will be apart for a little bit, we both know how important it is for us to satisfy our personal cravings for meaningful work. This will only make us happier people and hence better people for each other and our community!

We are currently back in Ban Phe where Em starts a 3-week contract with her TEFL school tomorrow. Coincidentally, my good friend from the ski area, Dan arrives tomorrow. Dan and I plan on boating across to Ko Samet where Em will join us Thursday night for a long weekend.

Coup update: just more of the the same...it is a good thing. While everyone is a little bummed/embarrassed that it had to come to military intervention (not the most democratic solution), all Thai citizens we've talked with saw it as mandatory since Thaksin was not going to go away on his own. In the public's opinion, it will be critical for the temporary powers (CDR) to elect a prime minister sooner than later. They are stating it will happen within two weeks and if this prolongs, people will question their motives for the coup. Nobody seems to really care who this elected PM turns out to be as there is an expected democratic vote in 6-8 months for the people to elect their own leadership.

Labels: Thailand

It's always difficult to tell how much media coverage anything is getting back home, but we're assuming that yesterday's military takeover of the Thai government didn't completely escape notice in the US of A. For the record: we're completely fine, and no one here seems remotely worried about it. We've only been here a couple months, and won't even pretend we understand Thai politics, but I'll have a go at the nutshell version of what's going on.

Thaksin - the current (now previous, I guess) prime minister - has been steadily losing public support for quite some time. All the usual complaints about corruption are joined by accusations that he's not capable of / interested in any kind of real resolution for the "unrest" in Thailand's southernmost three provinces, among other things. Protests and massive public outcry for his resignation went unheeded, and the military stepped in to show him the door. None of the Thais we've talked to seem overly upset, dismayed, or even surprised by the turn of events, despite international grumbling about the state of democracy in the country. The major international news sources seem to have done a pretty good job of covering the particulars.

There is one important element in the equation that's really difficult to understand from afar: the Royal Factor. The Thai public (everyone from rural farmers to educated professionals) are extremely devoted to the King. As far as I know, his actual, official power is quite limited, but he commands a remarkable level of respect from politicians and public alike. While he doesn't seem to have much in the way of direct political aspiration, what he says pretty much goes. For those of us from a very anti-monarchy country like the US, there's a sort of built-in resistance to the idea of royals as a good thing, but Thailand's King seems to be exactly what a monarch in a perfect world should be: fair, altruistic, and totally devoted to his country. He really cares about his people and has founded innumerable programs and public works to make life better. He's earned the respect he gets. A mark of the King's continuing popularity can be seen in every store and on most of the Thai population - yellow polo shirts bearing the King's insignia are THE thing to wear right now, in all sectors of society, and yellow "long live the King" bracelets modeled on the Livestrongs are also extremely popular. A version of the "King shirt" in blue - the "Queen shirt" - is also seen everywhere, and is equally supportive of the royal family.

The Thai political rumor-mill foretold that Thaksin's marginally King-critical remarks would hasten his exit, and it looks like that may have been a factor. He's been accused of being disrespectful to King and Country, and that doesn't fly here. Conversely, the King's purported support of the coup (he's supposedly quite close to those responsible for the takeover) will have a major impact on public support for the new leadership.

So. Political turmoil and turnover aside, we're at the brink of some major decision-making here ourselves. I have two job offers on the table thus-far, in a province we weren't even looking at very seriously. We've been focusing on Phuket a lot, mostly because we got very excited about the outdoor recreation possibilities here (surfing, snorkeling, etc) and the ease of living. A couple of possibilities down in Songkhla province have piqued our interest, however, and brought us back around to much more of a Thai immersion experience. We spent a couple of days in the area interviewing, and while we wouldn't exactly be able to go snorkel after work, there are a good number of opportunities for beaches, jungles, islands, mountains and waterfalls within a few hours' public transport or drive. We're intrigued. Which leaves Trevor in a bit of a quandary: the area isn't exactly tourism/conservation central, so it might be a lot more difficult for him to find something in these desired areas. Some possibilities might be for him to take a volunteer position he's been excited about up in Khuraburi (small town on the northern portion of Thailand's Andaman coast, which would put us 10 hours via bus apart for a few months) or take up teaching himself (an idea he's been toying with for a while). Or we might be sucked in by Phuket yet. Employers are waiting on decisions, so we'll have to make up our minds quite soon. Like, by Friday.

With the government more or less suspended, schools are shut down for the day, nixing our plans for resume drop-offs (getting a teaching job here involves some good-old-fashioned pavement pounding) and giving us a lovely sunny day with little choice but to head to the beach. Darn. We had a great afternoon of swimming and volleyball yesterday (no net? No problem!) and hoping for surf today.

Labels: coup, Phuket, Thai King, Thailand, Thaksin

Well, here we are, in the one and only place in Thailand we intended not to see..."oh of course we won't go to Phuket, that is exactly opposite of what we are looking for on our journey." Hmmm, what close-minded stubborn vagabonds we once were. Not that we are sold on Phuket yet, but it is very nice and could deliver the cake we want while also granting us the luxury to eat it.

I got here about a week and a half ago - got bored in Ban Phe and had researched that there is consistent surf this time of year in Kata (southwest side of Phuket Island). Showed up early morning at the door of Phuketsurf.com where the owner Newt hooked me up quickly. When I asked about a recommendation for budget accommodation, she asked me if 200 Baht (<$6) would do. This was well below my desired cost, so I asked if I could see the room (always wise when budget traveling in these parts of the globe). She put me on the back of her motorbike and a couple minutes later I was observing a room cleaner that most any Em & I had stayed in thus far, plus all the basic amenities. She then told me about the BBQ her restaurant does Tuesday (that night) and Friday nights. This is basically a gathering place for surfers to get their all you can eat protein fix plus listen to good tunes while surf flicks are playing on the screen (and it just so happens to be across the street from the hotel she referred me to). Her and her sister Ying's surf shop is right on the south end of Kata beach, adjoining a very tasty Thai restaurant, and basically where I spent my first week (when not in the water). The surf community here is super friendly. Because it is not an international surf destination, the vibe is far from agro and very kind. I spent my first few days hanging out with a Thai boxing duo training in Pattaya. Boris (from Germany) had surfed a bunch in France & Spain and talked his boxing partner, Art (from northern Thailand) to visit Kata with him to learn to surf. Great guy and due to his boxing endurance, Art could paddle most all day - impressive. In the water, there are typically a small group of local Thai surfers, local expats, then visiting European surfers who were happily surprised to find that there is some surf here. There was a large group here from Malaysia who come up a few times during the southwest monsoon season to bask in Thailand waves...then surf their east coast during the northeast monsoon (November - February). The waves here are better after storms and thus the swell has gotten smaller and smaller the last six days as it has been sunny and hot. With small and friendly waves (and warm turquoise waters), I have finally started to figure this tough sport out (and people know I have spent lots of time trying) and been improving my success rate at dropping in from about 1 in 25 when I arrived to a still an unboastable 1 in 3. But catching way more waves. Even more importantly, it is just great to be back amongst a community that thrives on sharing outdoor experiences and a deep love for mother nature's rawness. I have also met somebody not only from Seattle, but from North Bend, and who spent many of his younger years working at the ski hill. This was before my time in the office so we didn't know each other. Vince is a passionate snowboarder, been learning surfing this last year here, and also happens to be teaching English here on Phuket. So, basically a fantastic resource for us plus a fun guy to be in the water with (although he keeps wanting to talk snow and I'm telling him I'm away from that for a bit!) So with this great community, it has been easy to ignore the materialistic/consumption center of Phuket's tourism. Sure it is here, but with it comes Thai people who speak English and we can actually have a conversation with. While I am learning Thai, it is tough to learn too much about somebody in the way they direct you to the bathroom. There are also some nice luxuries easily available here but once you go inland a couple kilometers, you are amongst typical Thai village living. Em arrived a couple days ago and is also enjoying the scene. We are not totally sold on Phuket yet as we have some good contacts/leads in other parts of Thailand that we are going to further investigate these next couple weeks. These range from the cush experience described here on Phuket to encouraging community based tourism amongst small Andaman coast villages and some things in between. It is still early on the leads but things do happen surprisingly quick here. We are feeling some of that stress and know that soon we will be making a decision that will affect the next year of our lives, if not a lot longer. But we also know they are all great opportunitites and all will have many benefits!

On this note, we have made a leap back into contemporary communications and bought a cell phone yesterday! The first privileged call recipient was my brother on a satellite phone in Alaska. He is continuously amazed at the size of trout they pull in up there (31 inches not being uncommon) and was stoked to hear that his brother is surfing. This phone is primarily for our work endeavors but we would love to hear friends and families voices if they feel like calling. Our number is 09 7237241, and the country code for Thailand is 66.

We will keep people posted as these next couple weeks will be exciting not only for finding work projects but will include some tropical fun as soon this early retirment may be put on pause!

Labels: Phuket, surfing, Thailand

Happy graduation to me, Happy graduation to me... !

My class is finally over! It was tough work, but a really valuable learning experience. My last four weeks have been full of input sessions covering everything from grammar and phonology to blackboard management and using songs and chants in class. We also had more and more teaching practice and lesson prep time, culminating in this final week, when that's pretty much all we did. It wasn't unusual for half the class to still be working at nine o'clock finishing our lesson plans and materials, and helping each other make tapes. I met some really fantastic people in my class, and hope to keep in touch with them as they look for work in Thailand and further afield. I didn't take many pictures, but some of my classmates have promised to email some, so they're coming.

A couple weekends ago Trevor and I made our first border run. In Thailand you get 30 days' stay in the country (as a US citizen) without a visa, but then you have to leave the country. Most of the foreigners living here without work permits have to make regular trips to one border or another. We headed for Cambodia, the closest. Oi, our taxi driver, met up with us early on Sunday morning, and seemed determined to get us there and back in as little time as possible. We were back in Ban Phe by early afternoon, having seen the first 100 meters or so of Cambodia and dropped a bundle of baht on the Cambodian visa and the taxi. We're definitely looking forward to getting work permits/longer-term visas!

Last weekend I worked at an English camp here (TEFL International also runs intensive English camps for kids and Thai teachers). It was a really good time, and it was fun getting to know more of the Thai staff at TEFL. It was hard work though, and time I definitely could have used for some of my coursework. Monday morning of this last week saw us leaving at 7:30am for our teaching practice (an hour away). It was some good extra practice working with high school kids, though. Our last two weeks of teaching practice have been with 14-17 year-olds, in a school in the town of Maptaphut. I've always been a little uncertain how to work with that age group... after our initial teaching practice with 4th and 5th graders, I didn't know how I was going to do with the older kids. It was really great, though, and even though I still think I want to work with elementary aged kids, it was a good experience.

Next up I'm heading down to Phuket to meet up with Trevor. He was getty antsy sitting here in Ban Phe, and decided to head there to check out the surf scene. He read online that Phuket was the one place in Thailand with consistent surf, and it has not disappointed so far. He was in the water on his first day there, and has been meeting some folks from the local surf scene. It's definitely not big-wave stuff, but good beginner beach breaks, and I'm looking forward to giving it a try! Always open to new things and new people, he's been hanging out with Malaysian surfers and Thai boxers, and generally having a look around at the island we're thinking about living on.

I've been emailing back and forth with a few work opportunities here, but nothing very concrete just yet. Pretty much every school looking for a teacher wants someone ASAP, so with my work commitments here at the beginning of October, I don't qualify. Mid-October/November is supposed to be a good time to get hired. It's a bit different mentality toward finding employees - the process moves a lot more quickly than we're used to - but we're going with it.

More soon!

Labels: TEFL, Thailand, visa