First Week Of School and Weekend in Bangkok

Last week was our first one teaching, yet it already feels like a lifetime has passed since then. We were picked up by our coordinator bright and early that Monday morning, with the expectation that we would be given a tour of campus and get some paperwork sorted before starting our classes on Tuesday.  When we arrived at school our first impression was that it was a lot bigger than either of us imagined. There are a total of 1400 students who go there, all in grades K-6th, making it by far the largest school in town. Most of the infrastructure is basic, but there are obviously a lot of buildings and facilities to host that many students, and most of the campus is very green and beautiful.

Ayutthaya: The Capitol of Siam

Hi Everyone!

Again, so so much to report! We had the most amazing weekend visiting the ancient capitol of Siam, the city of Ayutthaya. After taking a couple days to explore our new home, Dan Chang, and the area around where we live, we decided to take advantage of our long weekend and take a vacation from our vacation. One of our new friends, Ben, and our coordinator, Dick, drove us there on Friday morning, which was very much appreciated as it meant not having to figure out the buses.

Finally Settled In

Graham and I have finally settled into our new home, and I have to say that I am STOKED! We are living in a cabin campsite and each have our own little room and shower. But, the best part is that we are right on a beautiful (and currently very fast-moving, as there has been lots of flooding around Thailand the last week or so) river, and the grounds of the place are beautiful, complete with hammocks, outdoor eating areas, and lots of picnic tables and plants and trees. We are a bit out of town, but it is nice to get away from the city a bit, where we live feels very rural. But our little city is great too.

Beijing and First Days in Thailand

Hello!!!!! Finally was able to find a decent internet connection, so I wanted to update, although I only have about 10 minutes till this place closes. The bottom line is that Natalie and I are having an amazing time! Thank you to our families for sending us off in such great style. We miss you all a ton. (Meghan, the camera you got me is amazing, as you will see in the pictures, and thank you Lynn and Jim for taking care of Gazzette, our cars, and for our going away party and for driving us to the airport! The leftover cake lasted us a couple days, and was always a nice treat)

We plan on writing with more detail once we are more settled, but quickly:

Beijing - Amazing modern city with not a single car that was more than a year old. Our couchsurfing host, Darlene, showed us the best time ever, and we saw way more than we ever could have without her. The Forbidden City was definitely up there with the Vatican, Grand Canyon, Yosemite, etc. as one of the most amazing things I have ever seen. Everyone we met was super sweet, and overall just an awesome time, even through our dreary eyes.

Thailand: Amazing - we have already met so many cool people and eaten a TON of good food. The program is fantastic and we feel like we are getting a lot of great training and being very well taken care of.

They are shutting down so thats all for now!  Check out the pictures though, and will write more soon!