a long-winded carte postalewandering re-establishes the original harmony which once existed between man and the universe ~anatole francetag:travellerspoint.com,2007-06-14:/blog/?domain=decuirrl2009-11-24T01:04:42Zdecuirrlimg/travel-blog-feed.pngTruckbeds, waterfalls, and skyshotstag:travellerspoint.com,2009-11-23:/blog/?domain=decuirrl&thisblog_entryid=61&entryid=1844672009-11-24T01:04:42Z2009-11-24T01:00:59ZBut first, an all important food bulletin. On Thursday, I had cracklins with lunch. Cracklins! On Friday, I had fried cow lips with supper. At least that's what Anna and I understood. I wouldn't suggest them to anyone, though.
And now for the main feature.
All last week, we had been throwing around ideas and plans for the weekend. These plans were rough, put together through amidst plenty of linguistic confusion and rifling of dictionary pages. What ...HiLotag:travellerspoint.com,2009-11-18:/blog/?domain=decuirrl&thisblog_entryid=60&entryid=1838232009-11-18T15:10:57Z2009-11-18T15:10:57ZI think I have come to like eating tamarinds because of the seeds. The taste is lovely, sure, but I am oddly satisfied when I have cleaned the seed of its yummy pulp and have this smoothed pebble rolling around in my mouth. So today, when I felt like bursting in tears, I ate tamarinds instead, focusing on the seeds and putting them in my pockets, like Amélie and her skipping stones.
Plus, no tears since Saturday. I ...Because I am in a list-y mood.tag:travellerspoint.com,2009-11-11:/blog/?domain=decuirrl&thisblog_entryid=59&entryid=1830642009-11-12T05:49:49Z2009-11-12T05:49:49ZWays that Thailand is slowly working its way into my heart:
1) I hardly ever where shoes.
I take off my shoes outside of my house and both academic buildings. I slide them on briefly to go eat or cross the road. Other than that, I am teaching barefoot… and it is delightful. I realized in Bangkok that I had not brought a pair of brown shoes, slightly problematic considering the formal attire that I tend to wear. ...I think I have stumbled onto the Louisiana of Thailand.tag:travellerspoint.com,2009-11-11:/blog/?domain=decuirrl&thisblog_entryid=58&entryid=1829672009-11-18T14:24:29Z2009-11-11T09:36:06ZI know that I joked about this with a few people before leaving, but as of the last few days, I am certain. In no particular order, I give you the cases:
The Food:
Isaan food is distinct from Thai food in a number of ways, the first and foremost being that it is generally spicier than other Thai food, which itself is quite spicy. The common question is "Can you eat Thai food?" meaning, "Can you handle the spice?" ...I have an address! And I love letters!tag:travellerspoint.com,2009-11-09:/blog/?domain=decuirrl&thisblog_entryid=57&entryid=1828312009-11-10T04:15:16Z2009-11-10T04:15:16ZI love letters. This poor, forsaken form of communication is quite possibly my favorite, with postcards as a close second. Letters are the reason I brought my glass pens and two bottles of ink over in my carry-on. Letters are the reason behind the collection of stationery that I have on my shelf. Letters are the reason I brave post office confusions to purchase five different stamps.
So if you are so inclined to partake ...A quiet weekendtag:travellerspoint.com,2009-11-07:/blog/?domain=decuirrl&thisblog_entryid=56&entryid=1825042009-11-07T16:05:26Z2009-11-07T10:20:16ZSaturday afternoon, and I am worried on the lesson planning front. Whatever happened to my procrastinator instincts? The worries are fueled by the fact that I have no real idea as to my responsibilities (Examinations? Grading? When does the semester end?) and still a hard time grasping where my students' levels are. I am teaching nine classes a week and my students aren't classified with the Matayom levels, but rather according to their area of study. I ...Last night, I handed my pride over to some antstag:travellerspoint.com,2009-11-05:/blog/?domain=decuirrl&thisblog_entryid=55&entryid=1823602009-11-06T09:13:47Z2009-11-06T02:55:15ZSo my friends, last night was quite the evening. After neither of my classes showed, the Chinese teacher Chen Jun and Maew, a Thai teacher, decided to hold an impromptu Chinese lesson in the office. So, I used it as an opportunity to learn more Thai. All these trilingual comings and goings helped fill my little book with a good deal of vocabulary, although it now looks a bit odd, like “zhe shi = nee ke” and ...A few photos of where I live...tag:travellerspoint.com,2009-11-05:/blog/?domain=decuirrl&thisblog_entryid=54&entryid=1822752009-11-05T10:16:06Z2009-11-05T10:16:06ZThese are all photos of my current living situation. I haven't been able to upload the bathroom ones yet, but they are worth checking back for, I promise.
As you can see, the pink heart covered bed spread is definitely in. What this picture doesn't tell you is that it covers what I suspect is a concrete slab. More on the status of said "mattress" later.
To the left of my bed
The door pic ...It's real now.tag:travellerspoint.com,2009-11-04:/blog/?domain=decuirrl&thisblog_entryid=53&entryid=1821652009-11-06T14:00:51Z2009-11-04T10:45:34ZSo, be forewarned, this is actually two entries smushed into one. And it gets a litle rambly toward the end. This is what happens when you have no idea what you are supposed to be doing at any point during the day and are thinking too much.
Well, my friends, as of 7 Monday morning, I have been thrust into another strange and new environment. After only a fifty minute flight, I was met at the airport by ...Goodbye Bangkoktag:travellerspoint.com,2009-11-01:/blog/?domain=decuirrl&thisblog_entryid=52&entryid=1818002009-11-01T09:32:12Z2009-11-01T09:32:12ZDown to about twelve hours in Bangkok, and it is a much odder feeling than I expected. I've got everything packed but some last minute bits and pieces and my toothbrush. I've yet to have an internet connection smooth enough to load my pictures from this last week's touristy adventures—which involve the Grand Palace, Wat Phra Khaew, Wat Arun, and Wat Pho (approximate spellings)—but as soon as I can, I will get those to you.
Friday we all went ...Teacher! Teacher!tag:travellerspoint.com,2009-10-29:/blog/?domain=decuirrl&thisblog_entryid=51&entryid=1815192009-10-29T14:21:38Z2009-10-29T14:21:38Z
There are no words to fully describe the feeling that encompassed me before I walked into a classroom on the other side of the desks for the first time. In the van ride over to our adoptive Bangkok school (who graciously allowed us to practice on their students), we passed through various stages: verbally expressing our nerves, going over worse-case scenarios, lapsing into nervous giggles, and then eventually the silence came as we realized that we are going to ...Full daystag:travellerspoint.com,2009-10-25:/blog/?domain=decuirrl&thisblog_entryid=50&entryid=1810602009-10-25T09:32:55Z2009-10-25T09:32:55ZThis past week has been just as full as the last (and, fair warning, this entry is full of photos). Monday was Marie's birthday so all of us gussied up and headed out to the sky bar (the State Tower, google it for some photos; I didn't have my camera with me). Perched sixty four floors above the normal dirty and busy Bangkok, we were able to just look out over the city and the river… holding the ...So much Thaitag:travellerspoint.com,2009-10-23:/blog/?domain=decuirrl&thisblog_entryid=49&entryid=1809292009-10-24T06:09:46Z2009-10-24T06:09:46ZI have a lot to say and lessons to plan, so this will most likely be broken up into more manageable pieces rather than giving you one lump sum of the past two weekends. Our weeks have been more or less filled with lectures on teaching English and the frustrating and fascinating struggle that is the Thai language (just look up "how to tell time in Thai" and you will gain a greater appreciation for not only the language, ...Accomplishmentstag:travellerspoint.com,2009-10-14:/blog/?domain=decuirrl&thisblog_entryid=48&entryid=1796582009-10-14T13:53:48Z2009-10-14T13:27:45ZYesterday morning, I locked my keys in the cabinet. Since we have house keepers, we have locks that pass through the handles of our cabinet doors and as I closed mine yesterday, I had a sinking feeling that my keys were inside. And they were. Had this happened any day before Saturday, I would have completely given up, sat down on the ground and started crying, skipping Thai language class where surely I would never learn enough ...Musings on Educationtag:travellerspoint.com,2009-10-08:/blog/?domain=decuirrl&thisblog_entryid=47&entryid=1789852009-10-08T12:32:49Z2009-10-08T12:32:49Z
Ladies and gentlemen, hold onto your hats and, to all the educators out there, keep your soapboxes handy. We had a presentation today that was an overview of teaching English in Thailand and a bit of the Thai educational system. As quoted by our speaker, the National Education Act of 2542 (as 1999 is known by the Buddhist calendar) stated that the "goals of education are to transform Thai citizens into perfect human beings." This includes good ...If I get any more free stuff, I'll need an extra bagtag:travellerspoint.com,2009-10-06:/blog/?domain=decuirrl&thisblog_entryid=46&entryid=1786962009-10-06T11:35:03Z2009-10-06T11:35:03ZAfter leaving Coffeeworld, I headed upstairs to the Tesco Lotus and bought some banana bread for breakfasts, some little rolls stuffed with ham and some sweet substance for today's lunch, maybe supper and then a crap ton of water bottles. I'm still working on the budgeting aspect of my stipend and am hesitant to buy too much more until I know what sort of eating situation we'll have in the next coming weeks. I am currently searching the ...Why hello there, Bangkok...tag:travellerspoint.com,2009-10-03:/blog/?domain=decuirrl&thisblog_entryid=45&entryid=1783402009-10-04T03:16:46Z2009-10-04T03:16:46ZFor the first time since I started doing my own packing, I was essentially finished cramming things into suitcases (minus some minor rearranging) on Wednesday.
Wednesday night was left free to do all those family things—one last fried catfish meal at Don's—and to wait. This calm sort of waiting is not something that I run into often. It's as if I have been studying for a massive test the way you are supposed to: a little bit ...Thirty days hath September...tag:travellerspoint.com,2009-09-23:/blog/?domain=decuirrl&thisblog_entryid=44&entryid=1770382009-09-24T00:41:34Z2009-09-24T00:41:34ZI leave in a week. To know that next Saturday I will be waking up in Thailand is a little bit more than intense. Well, that's assuming that I sleep when I'm supposed to after 24 hours of travel. Until then, I'm in the last bits of preparation.
There is a certain sense of accomplishment when you make that last big run of chores, when you have taken care of the major items on your to-do list. ...Congrès Mondial Acadien 2009tag:travellerspoint.com,2009-09-08:/blog/?domain=decuirrl&thisblog_entryid=43&entryid=1748552009-09-30T04:36:46Z2009-09-08T20:21:51ZAs most of you know, I am a bit… enthusiastic about my heritage and my culture. I have a feeling that this enthusiasm has been part of the underlying reasons why I decided to study French in college and continues to play a large role in my life. It is what brought me to spend 10 days in New Brunswick this summer, relishing in all things Acadian. If you are already well informed on this whole Congrès ...Bringing things up to speedtag:travellerspoint.com,2009-08-27:/blog/?domain=decuirrl&thisblog_entryid=42&entryid=1733662009-08-27T23:28:20Z2009-08-27T23:25:02ZI apparently don't feel that my life is all that interesting when I am stateside. That's my story to explain the lack of entries over the past year and I am sticking to it. But I'd like for y'all to be there with me when I head across a new ocean. Since I suck at keeping in touch in normal ways, I figured I'd bring this bad boy back. So please don't be upset if I ...Deutschlandtag:travellerspoint.com,2008-08-04:/blog/?domain=decuirrl&thisblog_entryid=41&entryid=1228342009-10-24T06:16:19Z2008-08-05T05:07:19ZIn all actuality, I left Lille twice. The first time was to head out on my own with a railpass and backpack. I stayed in David's room with a few others until about 4 in the morning, trying as hard as possible to stretch time out. Unfortunately, I had an 8 am train and had to leave behind a number of people… Kati, Renee, David, Sarah… difficult is an understatement. But I had a train to ...I am the worst procrastinatortag:travellerspoint.com,2008-07-30:/blog/?domain=decuirrl&thisblog_entryid=40&entryid=1220522008-07-31T00:06:26Z2008-07-31T00:06:26ZFor years, I would go on vacation and forget to bring the nail clippers. Normally not a problem, unless the vacation lasted around two weeks and then suddenly you are searching for that little device to get your nails back to a manageable size. Whenever that happens in the middle of my travels, it is always an indicator saying, "wow, Rachel, you've been gone for a while." It's one of those things that I associate more with real life than ...Ireland,tag:travellerspoint.com,2008-05-19:/blog/?domain=decuirrl&thisblog_entryid=39&entryid=1098952008-05-19T10:39:42Z2008-05-19T10:39:13ZIreland:
Let's start this one off with a map, too. Remember, it's interactive, so have yourself some fun.
[map=148485 lat=52.5078369905956 lon=-7.97805642633227 zoom=57.42]
Cue my arrival in Dublin. First off, the airport is immense. I walked forever in a circle to arrive at customs, only to wait in line with the other Non-EU members. When I finally made it to the important guy who decides whether or not I should be allowed into his country, I was greeted warmly. The ...Finding my redheaded rootstag:travellerspoint.com,2008-05-09:/blog/?domain=decuirrl&thisblog_entryid=38&entryid=1085562008-05-09T20:16:09Z2008-05-09T20:16:09ZI have two exams left and a hellish paper. What does this all mean? Updating is my present to myself... here is installment number one. Expect others as I finish pages of this icky experimental phonetics paper.
And so we arrive to the long awaited travelling part. Once again. When I last left you, I was ready to be whisked away to Scotland and Ireland for two weeks of alone time travelling. The alone ...I had winter break in Februarytag:travellerspoint.com,2008-03-31:/blog/?domain=decuirrl&thisblog_entryid=37&entryid=1033242008-03-31T16:49:40Z2008-03-31T16:43:04ZThat Odyssey excitement aside, thought I'd give you a quick run through of Barcelona in images.
The first night we got there, we went out to find the beach. Once we got there, the rain came on through. Figures, So we were working back toward the hostel and found this church, Santa Maria del Mar. It is honestly one of the most beautiful churches I have ever seen... open and airy and silent, but not scary. ...