Let me wash down my Pad Thai with a nice big glass of awesome...

Since I never went to bed last night, it wasn’t hard to get up this morning at 6:00 am. Stephanie usually leaves her house around seven to get to school and then waits for her assignment for the day. Stephanie is one of five annual subs. She works mainly in the elementary school but sometimes is called to the middle school and high school. Every day she teaches a different class, a different grade and she has definitely become the students’ favorite teacher. She is so passionate about what she does and it shows in her work. She spends her extra time tutoring after school and also coaching the softball and rugby teams.

Today I shadowed Stephanie and got to see what her life is like on a daily basis. She was subbing for the fifth grade class and then facilitated her weekly creative writing workshop for a group of students after school.
When the bell rang this morning she took attendance for her fifth grade class and it was cute to see how excited the kids were to have "Miss Conn" with them for the day. She introduced me to the class as "Miss Wade" and then ushered them off to music class.



It was Stephanie’s free period of the day so we decided to walk across the street to Starbucks. Starbucks is located right next to the country club and outside there is a beautiful view of the pool and the surrounding lake. Just looking at the scenery made me feel at peace. In that moment it was easy to understand why my friend stayed in this place even though her heart aches for her family and friends back home.
Starbucks was amazing and they even made my special soy vanilla latte. Of course, it did take a rather long time to get my order but it didn’t matter. Steph and I sat down on some of the typical Starbucks-like couches and I immediately became aware of my surroundings. All of the tables were full of women, some western and some Thai, wearing work out outfits or short skirts, complete with a tan and distracting wedding rings. So many questions entered my head.

"Hey, what’s the deal with all the women in spandex?" I whispered to Steph.

Stephanie laughed and then gestured me in to listen carefully with her soft voice. She explained to me that these women were nicknamed "Nichada moms." Meaning, they are named after the name of the community, Nichada. They are women who had successful jobs or careers back home and then moved to Bangkok with their husbands, and now they don’t work but remain quite wealthy. They donate a lot of their time to the school, but also to working out and socializing at Starbucks. I guess they typically drop their kids off at the school and then head to an aerobics class followed by a nice cool cup of coffee.



Later on we had lunch with Allison, Stephanie’s friend and fellow elementary school sub. We ate cheap Thai food from the cafeteria and then decided to lunch in their work room instead of sweating it out in the lunch room with the students.

After lunch, Stephanie greeted her class with a reading from a novel they had been reading and then guided them into their journal entries. She also led them in a discussion about realistic fiction and helped them brainstorm ideas for their own stories.

Since the class had behaved so well for the day, we all played a game of silent ball and it was hilarious to see how competitive and serious the kids were. They even wanted to continue playing after the bell sounded for the end of school. Stephanie had to kick them all out.



We grabbed our stuff and went to another classroom for the creative writing workshop. Stephanie teaches this class once a week and has about twelve students, all who share a love for fiction and a love for their teacher.
I sat among the kids at a small round table in the back of the room. All of them brought stories they had written at home and insisted that Stephanie read them out loud to the class.

One of the students smiled at me the whole time. I thought he was in second grade but later I found out he was in fifth. I guess he is just really small. He wrote a story about the alphabet and how he was the letter “H” and at the end of the story he turned into letter “F”. I thought it was so funny but I don’t think the rest of the group understood the letter “F” reference. But come to think of it, I don’t think the author understood it either.




Stephanie also tutored for an hour while I sat and blogged. Later on she asked me if I was bored and I insisted that I love watching her teach and how cool it is to see someone love what they do so much. It’s kind of weird seeing how one of my peers (well, my only peer lately) is pretty much an adult. When did that happen?
After tutoring, we changed into our work out clothes and headed to the gym. The ISB is equipped with everything and so many things go on after school, mostly sports but also activities. While we were working out, Stephanie pointed out some of the Nichada moms and I couldn’t help but laugh.



Later on we walked to the villa and we stopped at the salon and the grocery store. On our walk home, Stephanie made sure I knew the weather isn’t as hot as it usually is. I was glad, considering I was sweating profusely.

Back at her house, we changed for dinner and rode our bikes to a nearby Thai restaurant. When we exited the compound, everything changed. The houses became smaller, less extravagant and wild dogs roamed the streets. The Thai place we ate at was named “The Breeze” and lights were strung around the palm trees and fans kept the outside tables cool. We ordered our meals along with some beer, the perfect match for the end of a long day.



On the way back, we rode on the other side of the lake and found ourselves at a massage parlor. The place was right next to the entrance into the compound and directly faced the 7-11 (Yes they are everywhere). We parked our bikes and slid off our sandals before we entered the parlor. Two Thai women greeted us and we asked for foot massages. They gestured for us to sit down and we sat side by side in two black comfy chairs with ottomans that held our feet. The foot massage lasted an hour and they even rubbed our necks, shoulders, and back. It was the most relaxing experience I have ever had in my life. I even fell asleep. It was amazing, just amazing. I told Stephanie that I couldn’t wait to tell my brother about getting a food rub and how jealous he would be.



That one hour of complete relaxation only cost 220 batt, so about five dollars and fifty cents. So cheap! As we were slipping on our shoes, all I could think was that I would have to come back every day.

I was barely able to ride my bike back to Steph’s apartment because I was so relaxed and barely awake. I literally passed out on the bed from pure exhaustion. I think the lack of sleep for the past two days caught up on me and I have never slept so well in my life. I can’t think of a better way I would have liked to spend my first day in Thailand.

American dollars and credit cards accepted

Sitting for more than twenty hours on an airplane isn’t unfamiliar territory for me, but it still always makes me feel sick from fatigue and bored from lack of excitement.

It took about ten hours to get to Tokyo. The airport was unlike anything I have ever seen. Everything was sparkling clean, duty free shops consumed the walkways and old American music filled the air. In every shop, store and restaurant, there was a huge sign reminding travelers that “American dollars and credit cards” were accepted. I had about three hours to wait for my flight so I decided to take advantage of some of my pocket change at the airport pub. I sat down with a Guinness and laughed as everyone at the bar swayed to the oldies music.

When the time came to board the plane, I was sad to see that the letter “C” was printed in bold on my ticket. I’m not a fan of flying, but I am able to make due if I have a window to cuddle up with. Sadly, someone had forgotten to turn on my seating mojo and I was stuck in the aisle.

The food wasn’t half bad and the wine was better than expected, but the movie selection didn’t help me pass the time. Thank goodness I charged my ipod and carried a large selection of magazines in my purse. At one point I had to pretend to read the book I had just finished because my neighbors were so annoying. Sitting with an already read book laid open on my lap was better than having to fake conversation with flirty Canadians. Man, that country is going to make a nice state one day.

My bags arrived safely and Stephanie was waiting for me behind the customs counter. It was so great to finally be in Bangkok and seeing my bestest made me forget about the long and sleepless trip. I know I made a scene, dropping my bags and giving her a huge hug. What can I say? I have probably seen way too many movies about people in airports.

Stephanie guided me to the taxi queue and we laughed over the space-like architecture of the airport and echoes of shuffling feet. Stephanie was amazing, she spoke perfect Thai and mesmerized our taxi driver with her knowledge of the Thai words “turn” and “left”.

It took us about forty minutes to get to Stephanie’s house. I think this is the part where I should talk about all of the beautiful Bangkok scenery, but truth be told I was not looking out the window. I was much more fixated at Stephanie’s new foreign language proficiency and her tales of the characters yet to come.

Soon we were entering her gated community. The guards stood watch and greeted Stephanie as they raised the bar to let the cab enter the “Nichada Thani”. Stephanie lives in a house inside a community that centers around the “International School of Bangkok” (ISB). Stephanie shares her house with two other teachers and has her own room, complete with a hug bathtub and closet. There is also a kitchen, livingroom and guest room, but the best part is outside.

Gardens, lamp posts and walkways surround the housing building and wrap into the most beautiful pool I have ever seen.

After I unpacked a little and took a tour of her house, while sweating heavily from the heat, we decided the best thing to do was take a dip in the pool.

We ended up not even sleeping the first night and instead caught up on new stories and planned our week together.

It’s so great being here and I love that I can share Stephanie’s experiences with her. We have so many adventures ahead of us and I can’t wait to see how our month unfolds.

I'm leaving on a jet plane...

I've been singing this song to myself for the past week. "My bags are packed and I'm ready to go..." Here is the song. I know it has Dumbo in it but it's the only one I could find. (Blame youtube)




I am sitting at my gate in the Portland airport right now, about to board. I have a very short flight to Seattle (fifty minutes) and then a flight to Tokyo (ten and a half hours) and then finally to Bangkok (seven hours). It may seem like a lot, but compared to Morocco and sitting on a souk bus with chickens, it is more than ok. The thought of seeing my bestest Stephanie on the other side is all I need.

My carry on is full of magazines and books and Grandpa put in some extra treats to keep me company on the flight.

The next time I update I will be typing from Thailand.

So here we go...leaving on a jet plane...don't when when I'll be back again.

Peace Corps Week 2007

I received this postcard in the mail yesterday:

Participate in Peace Corps Week. Your time as a Peace Corps Volunteer doesn't end when your two years of service are over. The time you spent in the Peace Corps will continue to enrich your life, both personally and professionally, for many years. And, in keeping with the Peace Corps' third goal, you'll have new opportunities every day to share what you've learned in the Peace Corps with fellow Americans.

I could only laugh because I had just returned from the Long Beach Elementary School where I had just given a little presentation about the Peace Corps and Morocco.

A couple of months ago I met a woman named Annie. She is a yoga instructor on the Peninsula and also a returned Peace Corps Volunteer. We shared some of our Peace Corps experiences when we met and she told me about a program she was helping out with at the local elementary school. The students were learning a little bit of different languages, including French, and also studying different cultures and traditions.

Annie asked me to come into the school and give a presentation on my experience in Morocco. I was more than happy to bring in some slides and talk about my adventures.

I prepared some pictures, brought my Berber carpets for the kids to sit on and also made Moroccan mint tea for the twenty students. They loved looking at all of the pictures and especially liked to hear stories about the camels and the sand dunes. I dressed one of the little girls up as a bride and she was shocked when I told her that in Morocco she would be getting married in about four years. I told another girl that as a six year old, her job would be to heard her family's camels along the desert. I think she liked that idea. The boys wanted their turn so I wrapped blue scarves around their heads like traditional nomads and they pretended to be ninjas.


The other girls tried on some of the Moroccan clothing I wore and insisted on organizing a henna party. I was more than happy to agree.



I talked a little bit about some the Moroccan customs, like touching your heart after giving a handshake and taking off your shoes before stepping on a rug. They all freaked out when they sa the picture of the turkish toilet. After that, they all immediately took off their shoes because they were sitting on Moroccan rugs.

It was the first time I had taught a class in all English, and it was probably the youngest class I have ever had. The students were all in a special advanced group in the school and ranged from ages six to thirteen. Many have accelerated in school rather quickly and when they heard I graduated at nineteen, they all wanted to know my secret.

One boy asked, "Did you skip a lot of grades or something?"

I replied, "I prefer to say I combined a lot of grades."

I think they liked that. I told the kids that they had a long road ahead of them and will surely face many challenges due to their age, but it was nothing that they wouldn't be able to overcome.

They all asked very good questions, including, "Does it ever get cold?" "How long did it take you to climb up that dune?" "You can really ride camels?" "What do you mean they don't have pets?" "What do you mean everyone sleeps in the same room?" "What do you mean you have to slaughter your own chicken and sheep for meat?" "You really had to sleep on the roof?"

All of a sudden I was transported back to my Moroccan classroom and my former students' questions echoed in my mind..."Miss Aura, how is it that everyone in the has separate bedrooms?" "You really buy packaged meat at the store?" "You can be friends with boys?" "You move out of your house before your get married?" "Girls can go to cafes?" "What do you mean boys and girls are the same?" "What do you mean you don't live with your entire family and all your relatives?"

The differences between the questions only reinforced how lucky I felt to be home.

I tried to explain to the kids how if we were in Morocco, they wouldn't be in the same class right now and that boys and girls would not be holding hands or dancing in front of each other. They all looked up at me with confused eyes, as though they couldn't understand what I was saying. I had to laugh when one boy raised his hand and said, "Well, there's no place like home."

I ended the class by playing a little bit of Moroccan music and of course the girls all started dancing. The Moroccan inside me wanted to say, oh no, hashuma (shameful)...but my American side took over and let them sway to the music.

It was great to be able to share Morocco with them. To tell you the truth, I wasn't looking forward to going back and remembering everything. My Moroccan memories are so hard for me. Some of them make me laugh, a lot make me cry but most of them make me sad that I had to leave in such difficult circumstances. I know eventually my anchors will change but it is still hard for me to remember. Until then, all I can say is, "There's no place like home."

Grey's kicks off sweeps month tonight!

After two years of not being able to watch tv sweeps week, I finally get my chance tonight. Grey's kicks it off tonight with an episode that is suppose to leave us guessing. I can't wait!

Thailand here I come!

In a couple weeks, I am going to visit my very good friend Stephanie in Bangkok, Thailand. I am so excited. I haven't seen her since Christmas and I can't wait to see how she lives in Thailand. I'm going to stay for a month..haha!! Isn't that awesome? We are going to have a blast! Stephanie works as a substitute teacher for the American school and also coaches rugby and softball. You can follow her adventures on her blog, www.stephsbangkok.blogspot.com

Can't wait to see you Steph!!

Spring is coming...or so the groundhog says!

No shadow for this groundhog. So does that mean Spring is coming? I sure hope so!