Sunday, July 25, 2010
Parade
There is some Buddhist holiday going on right now. We had a parade yesterday and now no school for 2 days. I think the holiday has something to do with giving food to the monks but I'm not really sure.
My school decided that I should walk in the parade...this includes a Thai costume and walking forever in 90 degree weather. The parade was huge-many schools from all over Surin put together dance routines and floats. My school had its(famous) marching band, a giant candle float and a group of dancers.
My part was getting all dressed up. The whole thing turned out amazing, but it was a long day. We went to a salon around 11:30 to do make-up, hair, and costume. I have no idea what they were saying, but I think they found my hair, skin and eyes really funny. Because most of the people dressing up have short haircuts, they usually add black extensions. The hair guy was going to try adding black hair to me...but he decided against it. We were finished at around 1:30 and went back to school, we took photos, had lunch(very hard to do wearing lipstick) and sat around until 3. We wandered over to get ready for the parade which would start at 5. By the time the parade started, I was very hot, had eaten tons much ice(my mom was afraid I would get dehydrated), and wanted to get going.
The parade walked from outside town to the train station, then half way back. So many pictures were taken (I think the blond hair caught everyones eyes) and everyone was exhausted when we got back.
My school decided that I should walk in the parade...this includes a Thai costume and walking forever in 90 degree weather. The parade was huge-many schools from all over Surin put together dance routines and floats. My school had its(famous) marching band, a giant candle float and a group of dancers.
My part was getting all dressed up. The whole thing turned out amazing, but it was a long day. We went to a salon around 11:30 to do make-up, hair, and costume. I have no idea what they were saying, but I think they found my hair, skin and eyes really funny. Because most of the people dressing up have short haircuts, they usually add black extensions. The hair guy was going to try adding black hair to me...but he decided against it. We were finished at around 1:30 and went back to school, we took photos, had lunch(very hard to do wearing lipstick) and sat around until 3. We wandered over to get ready for the parade which would start at 5. By the time the parade started, I was very hot, had eaten tons much ice(my mom was afraid I would get dehydrated), and wanted to get going.
The parade walked from outside town to the train station, then half way back. So many pictures were taken (I think the blond hair caught everyones eyes) and everyone was exhausted when we got back.
Thursday, July 22, 2010
Randomness
I just thought I would post some random things I found interesting in Thailand...
1. Everything is sold in bags. If you buy anything on the street, they give it to you in a plastic bag. Drinks, fruit, and main meals are all in bags. They also have a really cool way of tying bags with rubberbands
2. There are lizards everywhere. At night if I walk to the garage, the celing is covered in lizards. The Lizards are almost transparent and can walk up walls.
3.So many Motercycles. I think there are more motercycles than cars. You can get you motercycle liscens at 15(car at 18) so many kids motercycle to school. I have seen pregnant women, babies and dogs riding on motercycles...everyone uses them. Entire familys ride on bikes-mom,dad, two kids...or sometimes four friends fit on a bike. The scariest thing is how relaxed people are about motercycles. They carry umbrellas, talk on the phone, adjust their helmets, sit sideways...i find it crazy.
4. Umbrellas. Before I left, my mom wanted to know what people do for rain. Well... they kindof ignore it. Because of the heat in Thailand people don't go outside very much, so the rain doesn't matter. My family carries umbrellas everywhere, but they arn't for the rain. Because being pale is considered beautiful, umbrellas are to hide from the sun. The 5 steps from the car to the store requires an umbrella. My mom always has on sitting in the car.
5. Markets. We stop at the market everyday after school. I didn't find that strange- they sell everything you need. Fish, meat, fruits, vegitabes etc. The strange thing is that they sell clothes, music, and household supplies right next to the food.
6. Age. People in Thailand look a lot younger then they are. On my first night here we went to the store and look for people I thought were my age. All of them had long hair and clothes like you would see in America. The next day when I got to school, everyone had hair cut even shorter than mine (around jaw length) and look younger than our high school age. I think when they get to college everyone grows out their hair(boys included) because they couldn't for years.
I can't think of anything else for the moment...but I'll tell you about how my three biggest worries are going. I said at the beginning I was worried about food, heat and the language. The Language is no problem, almost everyone knows a little english and my dictionary has helped alot. The heat is a bigger problem but you get used to it easily. At home and school there are fans everywhere and my room has AC that I turn on at night. Outside is the hardest part. I wear sweatpants and a dark red shirt everyday which get hot after seconds in the sun. Food is probably my biggest problem. I'm a vegitarian, which I've had no trouble with, but i have tried so many different foods made of beans. I'm not a big fan of rice, but it is growing on me. I just eat whatever is palaced in front of me. I miss eating bread alot, but I've found the fruit and desserts here good. They use honey and coconut in almost every dessert( i really like coconut). There are many fruits, some sweet, some sour and some almost milky. I tried a durian the other day and it almost melted in my hand. I've had starfruit, rambotans, noks, dragonfruit, mango, mangostein, bananas, apples, green oranges, and numerous other fruits.
I'm working on flickr...here is my page http://www.flickr.com/photos/spbaumann/
1. Everything is sold in bags. If you buy anything on the street, they give it to you in a plastic bag. Drinks, fruit, and main meals are all in bags. They also have a really cool way of tying bags with rubberbands
2. There are lizards everywhere. At night if I walk to the garage, the celing is covered in lizards. The Lizards are almost transparent and can walk up walls.
3.So many Motercycles. I think there are more motercycles than cars. You can get you motercycle liscens at 15(car at 18) so many kids motercycle to school. I have seen pregnant women, babies and dogs riding on motercycles...everyone uses them. Entire familys ride on bikes-mom,dad, two kids...or sometimes four friends fit on a bike. The scariest thing is how relaxed people are about motercycles. They carry umbrellas, talk on the phone, adjust their helmets, sit sideways...i find it crazy.
4. Umbrellas. Before I left, my mom wanted to know what people do for rain. Well... they kindof ignore it. Because of the heat in Thailand people don't go outside very much, so the rain doesn't matter. My family carries umbrellas everywhere, but they arn't for the rain. Because being pale is considered beautiful, umbrellas are to hide from the sun. The 5 steps from the car to the store requires an umbrella. My mom always has on sitting in the car.
5. Markets. We stop at the market everyday after school. I didn't find that strange- they sell everything you need. Fish, meat, fruits, vegitabes etc. The strange thing is that they sell clothes, music, and household supplies right next to the food.
6. Age. People in Thailand look a lot younger then they are. On my first night here we went to the store and look for people I thought were my age. All of them had long hair and clothes like you would see in America. The next day when I got to school, everyone had hair cut even shorter than mine (around jaw length) and look younger than our high school age. I think when they get to college everyone grows out their hair(boys included) because they couldn't for years.
I can't think of anything else for the moment...but I'll tell you about how my three biggest worries are going. I said at the beginning I was worried about food, heat and the language. The Language is no problem, almost everyone knows a little english and my dictionary has helped alot. The heat is a bigger problem but you get used to it easily. At home and school there are fans everywhere and my room has AC that I turn on at night. Outside is the hardest part. I wear sweatpants and a dark red shirt everyday which get hot after seconds in the sun. Food is probably my biggest problem. I'm a vegitarian, which I've had no trouble with, but i have tried so many different foods made of beans. I'm not a big fan of rice, but it is growing on me. I just eat whatever is palaced in front of me. I miss eating bread alot, but I've found the fruit and desserts here good. They use honey and coconut in almost every dessert( i really like coconut). There are many fruits, some sweet, some sour and some almost milky. I tried a durian the other day and it almost melted in my hand. I've had starfruit, rambotans, noks, dragonfruit, mango, mangostein, bananas, apples, green oranges, and numerous other fruits.
I'm working on flickr...here is my page http://www.flickr.com/photos/spbaumann/
Saturday, July 17, 2010
School
School is definitely the best part of Thailand. At first it was kind of stress full... mostly because I had no idea whats going on... but now I have lots of fun. The School I go to has 6 grades, equivalent to our 7-12 grade. School starts in May and goes till March, so I'm here in the middle of the school year. It is very layed back-the teachers don't show up half the time.
My grade, Matayum 5(about 11th grade), studies Thai history, Thai language, English, Cooking, Art, Gym, Physics, Chemistry, Biology, and three types of Math. I was warned that Thailand is heavy on the Maths and Sciences and they were right. I understand all the Math classes- in one we are doing logarithems, and the other 2 I'm learning easily. I understand Chemistry also, but i have trouble figuring out what I'm trying to solve for. I also (of course) understand English Class. We took a test last week in English and i got a 38/40. Their range of scores went from a 14 to a 33, which kind of suprised me because they seem to be ok at english.
My Class is 5/1 and is fairly small (22 students 23 with me). It has the same number of girls as the other classes but has only one boy. Everyone finds this really funny and no one feels like changing the class. I think the classes are together from matayum 1 to 6 so the classes are really close.
I've had no trouble with communication at school. We can either figure out what the other person is saying or we look things up in my dictionary. Everyone is so friendly. I stand out alot(my blond hair) so everyone notices me. By around the 3 day of school everyone knew my name and would shout Sara or hello when i walked by. I think its like a game to see if I respond. Any time I have a conversation with anyone they always mention how pretty my hair, eyes or skin is. Pale skin is considered very beautiful and they find even my "tan" skin very pale.
This week I really started to get to know my classmates. We had a couple classes with no teachers and we talked and had fun. I've started to be accepted. They ask me questions and make jokes(even if i have no idea what is going on) and help me with Thai.
At school I'm also taking classes like sword fighting(more like dancing), banana leaf folding, Thai dancing, cooking, sports and music. These are the classes where I learn the most (because you dont have to speak Thai to understand them). I'm getting pretty good at the "see saw" and I think I might get callouses soon. I also like the banana leaf folding- its alot like origami.
I'm trying flickr for pictures this time...we will see how that works.
My grade, Matayum 5(about 11th grade), studies Thai history, Thai language, English, Cooking, Art, Gym, Physics, Chemistry, Biology, and three types of Math. I was warned that Thailand is heavy on the Maths and Sciences and they were right. I understand all the Math classes- in one we are doing logarithems, and the other 2 I'm learning easily. I understand Chemistry also, but i have trouble figuring out what I'm trying to solve for. I also (of course) understand English Class. We took a test last week in English and i got a 38/40. Their range of scores went from a 14 to a 33, which kind of suprised me because they seem to be ok at english.
My Class is 5/1 and is fairly small (22 students 23 with me). It has the same number of girls as the other classes but has only one boy. Everyone finds this really funny and no one feels like changing the class. I think the classes are together from matayum 1 to 6 so the classes are really close.
I've had no trouble with communication at school. We can either figure out what the other person is saying or we look things up in my dictionary. Everyone is so friendly. I stand out alot(my blond hair) so everyone notices me. By around the 3 day of school everyone knew my name and would shout Sara or hello when i walked by. I think its like a game to see if I respond. Any time I have a conversation with anyone they always mention how pretty my hair, eyes or skin is. Pale skin is considered very beautiful and they find even my "tan" skin very pale.
This week I really started to get to know my classmates. We had a couple classes with no teachers and we talked and had fun. I've started to be accepted. They ask me questions and make jokes(even if i have no idea what is going on) and help me with Thai.
At school I'm also taking classes like sword fighting(more like dancing), banana leaf folding, Thai dancing, cooking, sports and music. These are the classes where I learn the most (because you dont have to speak Thai to understand them). I'm getting pretty good at the "see saw" and I think I might get callouses soon. I also like the banana leaf folding- its alot like origami.
I'm trying flickr for pictures this time...we will see how that works.
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
A Tour of My House
I took way too many pictures...but now you can see what my house looks like!!
From the Front...
Side...
and Back.
Rice Field in our Backyard
From the Front...
Side...
and Back.
Rice Field in our Backyard
little shed in back yard
Pet bird (that died yesterday)
Our Cars
The Front door
Looking out the Front Door
Entry looking right(bedrooms that way)
Entry looking Left(kitchen and living room)
Living Room
My Bedroom
the Kitchen
My Bathroom
Cute little people things..Ok thats all I have for now!!! Do you guys have any questions?
Monday, July 12, 2010
My Family
I'VE GOT PICTURES!!! YAY!!
ok first my family. My parents I call Kun Ma and Kun Pa. Kun Ma is a teacher at my school-she teaches Buddhism. Kun Pa works in a diferent provence and comes home on the weekend. I think we are visiting him next weekend. He really likes biking.
My sister, Sorrawee (who I call Pi Ta) is temporarily at home from Bangkok. She is about 10 years older than me and speaks English. (She spent a year with AFS in Massachusetts) She helps alot with confusing conversations
Saturday, July 10, 2010
Sarapon's day
Ok...I was going to tell you a little about my family and house, but I'm having technical(camera) difficulties. So I'll tell you what my daily schedule seems to be.
I wake up at around 5:30 (early but i have lots of time to get ready) and get into the shower. I get dressed in my school uniform (red shirt and black sweatpants) and iron the shirt if it needs it. I don't have a normal school uniform because I'm only here for a short time, so I wear the sports uniform everyday. I then pack up all my books for school(dictionary, phrase book, learn Thai book...) and see whats for breakfast.
Breakfast so far seems to be smoothie type juice with crackers of bread of some sort. Its usually pretty rushed because my mom has to be at school around 7. When we get to school i either find my friends or go on the internet-which doesn't work half the time. Around 8 a teacher starts counting to ten and everyone lines up by class. They sing the anthem and say Buddhist prayers then listen to announcements, and i sit there confused.
After announcements i go to class with Matayum 5/1 (about 11th grade). We finally got a schedule together so next week I will be doing Thai cooking, Thai dancing, Thai sword fighting, Thai sports, and something to do with banana leaves(i have no idea what that is). I all ready started dance and sports-the dance is very hard(i can't even get the right hand position). I also go to math, science, English, Thai, and history. I understand whats going on in math-logarithms!
After school I am learning to play the "seesaw"( i don't know its real name). its a stringed instrument with 2 strings and the bow is in between them. Its lots of fun and a lot of people like to watch me...
We get home around 6 and i take a shower(again). We have dinner at home or go out to dinner. I've tryed so many things on rice or noodles...i never know what I'm eating. We talk for a while after dinner and then I go to bed- I've been sleeping so much here.
Please comment! I would love to hear from everyone!!
-Sarapon Suntharapot
สราพร สุนทรพจน์ (my Thai name)
I wake up at around 5:30 (early but i have lots of time to get ready) and get into the shower. I get dressed in my school uniform (red shirt and black sweatpants) and iron the shirt if it needs it. I don't have a normal school uniform because I'm only here for a short time, so I wear the sports uniform everyday. I then pack up all my books for school(dictionary, phrase book, learn Thai book...) and see whats for breakfast.
Breakfast so far seems to be smoothie type juice with crackers of bread of some sort. Its usually pretty rushed because my mom has to be at school around 7. When we get to school i either find my friends or go on the internet-which doesn't work half the time. Around 8 a teacher starts counting to ten and everyone lines up by class. They sing the anthem and say Buddhist prayers then listen to announcements, and i sit there confused.
After announcements i go to class with Matayum 5/1 (about 11th grade). We finally got a schedule together so next week I will be doing Thai cooking, Thai dancing, Thai sword fighting, Thai sports, and something to do with banana leaves(i have no idea what that is). I all ready started dance and sports-the dance is very hard(i can't even get the right hand position). I also go to math, science, English, Thai, and history. I understand whats going on in math-logarithms!
After school I am learning to play the "seesaw"( i don't know its real name). its a stringed instrument with 2 strings and the bow is in between them. Its lots of fun and a lot of people like to watch me...
We get home around 6 and i take a shower(again). We have dinner at home or go out to dinner. I've tryed so many things on rice or noodles...i never know what I'm eating. We talk for a while after dinner and then I go to bed- I've been sleeping so much here.
Please comment! I would love to hear from everyone!!
-Sarapon Suntharapot
สราพร สุนทรพจน์ (my Thai name)
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
Surin National Museum
ok... I know this is kind of out of order...but I will tell you more about school when i have more time. This post is about the museum i went to yesterday with Matayum 1(about 12 years old).
i took pictures so i can show you a little about Thai culture.
different types of rice grown in surin
traditional clothing
cool old sculpture thing...bad picture but the carving is really cool
i took pictures so i can show you a little about Thai culture.
different types of rice grown in surin
traditional clothing
statues budda-> 
surin is the land of the elephants(i fed a baby one yesterday!!!)
surin is the land of the elephants(i fed a baby one yesterday!!!)
cool old sculpture thing...bad picture but the carving is really cool
ill post school and family pictures when i have the time
Sunday, July 4, 2010
Just got to my host house...after way to long on a plane and a car ride.
my flights to Denver and La went all right. the one to denver was boring but to La they had a movie. the bags took forever in La and i arrived to the orientation last. i was very suprised to find that there were only 12 of us. 1 for year and 1 for semester and the rest for summer. We sat threw the orientation...with the time change most of us were ready to go to bed. we finally got to bed around 11 and every one was up in my room at 5(time change) :(.
around 1 we got on the plane to leave for hongkong. i was so excited to get on that plane...for a 13 hour trip. my seat was 63 E(both flights) out of 70 rows. that means we were all in the back of the plane and my seat was in the middle of the middle three...and my tv wouldnt work! everyone else had this cool little show showing where we were flying or a camara of what was under the plane. mine just said loading...loading...loading...the flight attendents had to restart it twice before i could get it to work.
i didnt sleep much on the plane. i slept a little in hongkong- i slept on the floor and everyone thought i was hilarious. this flight was shorter-only 2 hours and we arrived in thailand just before midnight. buy the time we got through immigration, got our bags, and exchanged money, it was 1. it took 40 min to get to the hotel and i was asleep by 2.
at ten the next morning we went down the the orientation. there were many germans and italians with other countries sprinkled in there. the italians were the biggest group, with 35ish, they were loud but i had fun trying to understand what they were saying. Im amazed at how well everyone could speak english. i don't think i could go to an orientation and listen to my second language. In the evening we had a welcoming ceremony and i met my advisor, who is the english teacher at my school.
The next morning (this morning) i met my host parents. we drove my car to Surin-about 6 hours. on the way we stopped at the floating markets-very cool. There is so much to see in Thailand. I wish i wasn't so tired and carsick so i can enjoy it more, but i'm still so excited. My parents speak some english and we can communicate. I brought a book about Madison and they loved the pictures of the fall leaves. My father loves biking, and i think he has done some triathlons. They keep offering me food, and i feel bad because i'm really not hungry.
Tomorrow i will go to school- i'm nervous and excited. I have a feeling I will get many stares. Already, people look at me everywhere i go- i guess its the blond hair...
i haven't figured out how to put pictures up yet, but cameroninthailand2010.blogspot.com has some good ones of our trip.
my flights to Denver and La went all right. the one to denver was boring but to La they had a movie. the bags took forever in La and i arrived to the orientation last. i was very suprised to find that there were only 12 of us. 1 for year and 1 for semester and the rest for summer. We sat threw the orientation...with the time change most of us were ready to go to bed. we finally got to bed around 11 and every one was up in my room at 5(time change) :(.
around 1 we got on the plane to leave for hongkong. i was so excited to get on that plane...for a 13 hour trip. my seat was 63 E(both flights) out of 70 rows. that means we were all in the back of the plane and my seat was in the middle of the middle three...and my tv wouldnt work! everyone else had this cool little show showing where we were flying or a camara of what was under the plane. mine just said loading...loading...loading...the flight attendents had to restart it twice before i could get it to work.
i didnt sleep much on the plane. i slept a little in hongkong- i slept on the floor and everyone thought i was hilarious. this flight was shorter-only 2 hours and we arrived in thailand just before midnight. buy the time we got through immigration, got our bags, and exchanged money, it was 1. it took 40 min to get to the hotel and i was asleep by 2.
at ten the next morning we went down the the orientation. there were many germans and italians with other countries sprinkled in there. the italians were the biggest group, with 35ish, they were loud but i had fun trying to understand what they were saying. Im amazed at how well everyone could speak english. i don't think i could go to an orientation and listen to my second language. In the evening we had a welcoming ceremony and i met my advisor, who is the english teacher at my school.
The next morning (this morning) i met my host parents. we drove my car to Surin-about 6 hours. on the way we stopped at the floating markets-very cool. There is so much to see in Thailand. I wish i wasn't so tired and carsick so i can enjoy it more, but i'm still so excited. My parents speak some english and we can communicate. I brought a book about Madison and they loved the pictures of the fall leaves. My father loves biking, and i think he has done some triathlons. They keep offering me food, and i feel bad because i'm really not hungry.
Tomorrow i will go to school- i'm nervous and excited. I have a feeling I will get many stares. Already, people look at me everywhere i go- i guess its the blond hair...
i haven't figured out how to put pictures up yet, but cameroninthailand2010.blogspot.com has some good ones of our trip.
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