Tan has been trying to get me to try yoga for a while. She said it will make you feel good. So I finally caved in because I had nothing better to do, and it was free for first-timers.
We entered a hot room and sat on thin mats. The instructor, a middle-aged foreign woman, greeted us and pointed to the mats reserved for new people.
We began with breathing exercises. "Inhale deeply, slowly. Now exhale completely. Get all of the air out of your lungs."
As we did this we held our hands over our heads. We did this a few more times to finish the warm up.
We did a series of standing positions next. It didn't take long before I could really feel some soreness. WIthin 10 minutes I sweat so much that it looked like I had had gone swimming.
In one position, I had to lean forward with my arm extended towards the wall in front of me and above my head while balancing on one leg and lifting the other one so my ankle was visible above my head in the mirror in front of me. I fell once trying. But I finally got it and the instructor said, "That's beautiful Steve." Jaron made no attempt to hide his amusement from hearing this comment. He was cracking up. I got to laugh at him too though. In another position, the instructor told him to spread his legs farther, and he couldn't do it.
Then we began doing some positions on the floor. I thought it would get easier. Wrong! I couldn't believe that the floor positons could be so painful. My least favorite was one where you have to spread your arms and lift your legs and stomach like your a Boeing 747 taking off. I wasn't able to hold the positon. This position is not ideal for men. The instructor said it was good for digestion, but it didn't feel good at all at the time.
In another position the instructor used an expression that reminds me of all the stereotypical images I have of yoga instructors. "Now curl up like an angry cat." I'm definitely not meant to be a cat. I must have looked angry though. The instructor said, "Good job."
When I finished I was freezing because I was soaked and walking through air conditioned rooms. Tan, Stephanie and Shelley enjoyed it. Jaron and I were less enthusiastic. But I admit I felt much better the next day. My lower back felt good. I felt so good that I will probably do it again. But since it costs $10 per session, I won't be doing Yoga very often.
Yoga is worth trying because it honestly makes you feel great. See y'all later.
Monday, June 27, 2005
Friday, June 24, 2005
Six months and Tan's surprise
This weekend marked six months that Tan and I have been together. I wasn't sure what what we were going to do. Tan said she has a surprise for me after we went to church. The surprise turned out to be a massage with aromatherapy. The place used lavendar on Tan and another scented oil on me that was called cyntorin (I think). It felt very good, but it was odd because I had never had one before. We had a room with two beds. Each of us had to lie face down wearing a towel. Soft Thai music was playing on a stereo. I heard the Kim, a harp like instrument played in a similar fashion as a drum. The hands of the massuse felt like waves of heat and then seemed to change into something like a block of wood.
It was a wonderful surprise. I wish my surprise for her could have matched it. I gave her a box of nice candles and a candle holder with potpouri and chocolates. I also wrote her a note on the back of a postcard from Texas.
We had a good a weekend.
Andrew Ross, my friend from Australia, has arrived in Bangkok. He will be teaching English at Interlingua a private institute. What's really cool is that he moved into the same apartment building as me and the rest of the teachers. So we'll see him quite a bit.
I love you all.
It was a wonderful surprise. I wish my surprise for her could have matched it. I gave her a box of nice candles and a candle holder with potpouri and chocolates. I also wrote her a note on the back of a postcard from Texas.
We had a good a weekend.
Andrew Ross, my friend from Australia, has arrived in Bangkok. He will be teaching English at Interlingua a private institute. What's really cool is that he moved into the same apartment building as me and the rest of the teachers. So we'll see him quite a bit.
I love you all.
Thursday, June 16, 2005
Tan helps with bird flu documentary
Tan has a friend who works with the French embassy in Bangkok. She asked Tan to help translate for some French journalists doing a documentary of the bird flu problem in Thailand. Tan accepted the assignment and travelled with the reporting team for five days. They started in Lopburi last week on Thursday. Tan translated the questions and answers for the interviews from Thai to English. The Frenchmen will translate what she said to French for the report. The government told the reporters that this farm had the bird flu last year, but the farmer denied it.
The next day Tan interviewed a Senator at the Parliament building in Bangkok. Then they went to Supanburi to see another farm. On Saturday and Sunday, they went to Kalasin province. Tan said it was like she was in another country. "It felt like I was in Cambodia or Vietnam, because the people were so poor. It didn't feel like Thailand." Tan has grown up in Bangkok, so seeing subsistence farmers is not a familiar sight.
After the work on the documentary ended, the French journalists brought Tan to the AP Regional Headquarters in Bangkok. I'm so jealous, as a journalist. I want to see that place. She was introduced to some big wig over there and they recommended her as a translator. AP called her this week and offered to put her on a list of translators to call for AP news in Thailand. I am so excited for her. God is blessing her so much. Maybe I can get connected too. We'll see.
The next day Tan interviewed a Senator at the Parliament building in Bangkok. Then they went to Supanburi to see another farm. On Saturday and Sunday, they went to Kalasin province. Tan said it was like she was in another country. "It felt like I was in Cambodia or Vietnam, because the people were so poor. It didn't feel like Thailand." Tan has grown up in Bangkok, so seeing subsistence farmers is not a familiar sight.
After the work on the documentary ended, the French journalists brought Tan to the AP Regional Headquarters in Bangkok. I'm so jealous, as a journalist. I want to see that place. She was introduced to some big wig over there and they recommended her as a translator. AP called her this week and offered to put her on a list of translators to call for AP news in Thailand. I am so excited for her. God is blessing her so much. Maybe I can get connected too. We'll see.
Tuesday, June 14, 2005
Fresh eyes
I remember how wide-eyed and clueless I was when I first arrived in Thailand. Luckily, I had friends who knew their way around that acted as tour guides for me and the rest of the newcomers. Lindsey, Andrew and especially Erin could tell me how to do just about everything. And if they didn't know, then one of us would consult the know-it-all Lonely Planet Thailand travel guide.
I remember the first time I saw an elephant walk down the street. I saw it at night on my way to the ATM by 7-11. A man carried sugarcane sticks in a plastic bag and offered to let anyone feed it for a price. The elephant strolled down the road running under an overpass as cars and motorbikes zoomed past it. I immediately pulled out my camera.
I think back to this time because now I am the tour guide. If there are any questions I can't answer I ask Tan. She's the real tour guide. I am so lucky to know her. She is a wonderful girlfriend and a very helpful person. I keep telling everyone that they are spoiled because they know her. And I am spoiled too. She translates what we want to eat. She tells the girls where to go shopping. She knows more than any book. Although, occasionally she'll look up information in the Lonely Planet.
There were many initial moments that hit me with great surprise when I entered Bangkok, Thailand for the first time. But let me share some of these moments from the other teachers at my school.
In Hua Hin, we went to a temple and it was crawling with monkeys. One of the monkeys tried to steal Tim's bag of food. Tim fought it away by opening his umbrella and sheilding himself. Shelly, his fiancee, shrieked with surprise. The monkey ran off. Shelly stayed close to Tim for protection as they continued walking around.
We were walking around the school grounds and Jaron saw a monitor lizard. He said, "Whoah. That's cool. Would they care if someone grabbed one and wrestled it." The rest of us were really surprised. "Are you joking? I'm sure they wouldn't like it." I said. "There is a guard right there with a loaded gun. I wouldn't go near the moat if I were you." "They wouldn't shoot me, would they?" "Probably not, but why would you risk it?" Jaron started towards the moat. "Stop. Don't do it. It would be disrespectful to go near the Palace. That's why the guard is there," I said. He stopped. "Okay. I didn't know it would be rude," he said.
While Caleb taught a lesson students were distracted by a black spider. He got fed up because no one was listening. The students surrounded the spider and pointed at it. So Caleb squashed it. The kids in his P4 class got very upset. They started to pray for the spider. Caleb felt really bad. Then the kids spotted a white spider. One of them said, "The spider reincarnated." Caleb says he didn't make this story up.
Jill and Rori have gone to aerobics in the park near our apartment. Everyday at 6pm a group of about 200 Thai people show up and do aerobics for 45 minutes. They play an interesting variety of techno music like the Achy Breaky Heart Song and hits from Michael Jackson. They were trying their best to keep up, but they were a few steps behind. In the front an old Thai man noticed they were out of step. He said, "You come up with me. You come up to the front." He said it forcefully, so they obeyed. He said, "You count out loud in English. 1-2-3." They obeyed. And they were exhausted by the end. Rori said, "He was really into it. He added extra hops into his steps. And he told us to come back everyday at the same time so he could show us how to do it. We were like, whoah, we have other things to do. We can't come everyday. His name's Jack. He grew up in Chicago. He's a really intense old man." They've seen him everytime they've gone back to do aerobics. Usually his wife is there with him, but she doesn't do the extra hops.
I'll add more to this later. Peace out.
I remember the first time I saw an elephant walk down the street. I saw it at night on my way to the ATM by 7-11. A man carried sugarcane sticks in a plastic bag and offered to let anyone feed it for a price. The elephant strolled down the road running under an overpass as cars and motorbikes zoomed past it. I immediately pulled out my camera.
I think back to this time because now I am the tour guide. If there are any questions I can't answer I ask Tan. She's the real tour guide. I am so lucky to know her. She is a wonderful girlfriend and a very helpful person. I keep telling everyone that they are spoiled because they know her. And I am spoiled too. She translates what we want to eat. She tells the girls where to go shopping. She knows more than any book. Although, occasionally she'll look up information in the Lonely Planet.
There were many initial moments that hit me with great surprise when I entered Bangkok, Thailand for the first time. But let me share some of these moments from the other teachers at my school.
In Hua Hin, we went to a temple and it was crawling with monkeys. One of the monkeys tried to steal Tim's bag of food. Tim fought it away by opening his umbrella and sheilding himself. Shelly, his fiancee, shrieked with surprise. The monkey ran off. Shelly stayed close to Tim for protection as they continued walking around.
We were walking around the school grounds and Jaron saw a monitor lizard. He said, "Whoah. That's cool. Would they care if someone grabbed one and wrestled it." The rest of us were really surprised. "Are you joking? I'm sure they wouldn't like it." I said. "There is a guard right there with a loaded gun. I wouldn't go near the moat if I were you." "They wouldn't shoot me, would they?" "Probably not, but why would you risk it?" Jaron started towards the moat. "Stop. Don't do it. It would be disrespectful to go near the Palace. That's why the guard is there," I said. He stopped. "Okay. I didn't know it would be rude," he said.
While Caleb taught a lesson students were distracted by a black spider. He got fed up because no one was listening. The students surrounded the spider and pointed at it. So Caleb squashed it. The kids in his P4 class got very upset. They started to pray for the spider. Caleb felt really bad. Then the kids spotted a white spider. One of them said, "The spider reincarnated." Caleb says he didn't make this story up.
Jill and Rori have gone to aerobics in the park near our apartment. Everyday at 6pm a group of about 200 Thai people show up and do aerobics for 45 minutes. They play an interesting variety of techno music like the Achy Breaky Heart Song and hits from Michael Jackson. They were trying their best to keep up, but they were a few steps behind. In the front an old Thai man noticed they were out of step. He said, "You come up with me. You come up to the front." He said it forcefully, so they obeyed. He said, "You count out loud in English. 1-2-3." They obeyed. And they were exhausted by the end. Rori said, "He was really into it. He added extra hops into his steps. And he told us to come back everyday at the same time so he could show us how to do it. We were like, whoah, we have other things to do. We can't come everyday. His name's Jack. He grew up in Chicago. He's a really intense old man." They've seen him everytime they've gone back to do aerobics. Usually his wife is there with him, but she doesn't do the extra hops.
I'll add more to this later. Peace out.
Sunday, June 05, 2005
Trip to Hua Hin
My first week went better than expected. the kids were mostly polite and didn't misbehave as much as last year. I hope this trend continues. I went with 12 friends to a jazz festival in Hua Hin this weekend. It was a lot of fun. Tan planned the trip. I'll try to get some pics up soon. I'll put them in the Hua Hin album on my Yahoo! photo account.
The bands played on a stage on the beach. We saw a world famous bass player and a good Thai jazz group. Tan knows the Michael, the son of the Thai jazz guitarist that we saw play. He is one of her students. She took me to say hello to Michael and his mom.
Tan was amazingly nice. I kept telling everyone how spoiled we are for having her help us get around. Tan took us to a very good seafood restaurant. She ordered fish, prawn soup, squid and a pineapple fried rice. The pineapple fried rice was the best. It's rice served in a hollowed-out pineapple.
The next day we hung out on the beach and then went to see a Buddhist temple and a statue that is built by a cliff over the beach. I hope y'all are doing well.
Take care,
Steve
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