I managed to get my fill of live music. I've been starved for it, have felt eerily incomplete without dancing. On Saturday, Mel, Rachel, and I met with our friends in Bangkok and headed to the mountains of Khao Yai for a two-day camping adventure at Thailand's biggest annual music festival. I was not familiar … Continue reading Big Mountain Music Festival
Category: Asia
The King’s Birthday
On Wednesday, December 5th the King turned 85 and the entire country took the day off to celebrate and show reverence. An unequaled, unshakable love and loyalty the Thais have for this man. As a sign of respect, everyone wears the color yellow, which I was informed of and mildly scolded for after being spotted … Continue reading The King’s Birthday
A Lil’ Somethin’
Together Thailand and I make tea. Me, A once empty cup Now overflowing with boiling water That is clearly untouched. Lucid, Formless, Malleable-- Yet without a name. Suddenly, A concentration of herbs and spices Saturated with new places-- The essence of which Was extracted from smiling faces. A transformative elixir, This medicine heals me-- Without … Continue reading A Lil’ Somethin’
Loy Krathong
Wednesday was a very auspicious day here in Thailand. Every year on the evening of the full moon of the 12th month in the traditional Thai lunar calendar (this year, November 28th), the entire country of Thailand participates in an event known as Loy Krathong. Loy means 'to float' and a krathong is a handmade … Continue reading Loy Krathong
Amongst the Macaque
We were lured to Lop Buri, a province in central Thailand, by their annual Monkey Festival. There is no direct transportation between Chonburi and Lop Buri. One must travel through Bangkok. So, we took the opportunity to visit some friends there. Spent Friday night watching a Beatles cover band and catching up on the very … Continue reading Amongst the Macaque
Khao-Chamao National Park
Looking back on Saturday, November 17th:Rachel, Mel, and I in pursuit of nature. Seeking waterfalls as a medium for our renewal. We depart on a 3-hour journey eastward to Khao Chamao National Park, piling into a 12-seater mini van packed with no fewer than 20 people. The driver is possessed--speeding, honking, swerving. His partner, a … Continue reading Khao-Chamao National Park
Guidance and gratitude
Walking home from school on Thursday, I was thinking of my babies back in Atlanta. How much I miss pouring my heart into them, how my arms feel empty without them. An unexplainable, instinctual source of boundless love that used to flow freely, but is now searching for an outlet. A small, old man sitting … Continue reading Guidance and gratitude
Field Trippin’
On Thursday, my second graders and I went on a field trip to Pattaya. We visited the Million Years Stone Park, where we saw million year old petrified wood, impressive bonsai trees, intricately carved boulders, and a crocodile show that had my students unnerved, on the edge of their seats. Promptly after we left the … Continue reading Field Trippin’
Teacha Jos
After seven days of teaching and seven weeks of living here, I have come to the conclusion that Thailand is chronically labile. Amorphous. There is no use trying to predict or resist anything that happens here. Because everything changes all the time. Any attempts to become accustomed to a schedule will be squashed. All expectations … Continue reading Teacha Jos
A Realization of Differences
My first week in Chonburi can be likened to a neatly organized and nicely decorated house being ravaged by the unrelenting winds of a tornado, from the inside out. My eagerly anticipated confrontation with culture shock is finally upon me, and in full force. In a place like Chonburi, where tourism is sparse and farangs … Continue reading A Realization of Differences
Joc Cousteau 