Final Days with Intrepid Tour - June 28th and 29th

Saturday, June 28th: This morning our group had to leave Kao Tao at 8:45am. We took a 5-minute songthaew ride to the boat dock and then had to take a ferry to Kao Samui. The ferry took about 2 hours. I slept most of the way since we had a late night but when we arrived, I was so happy to be done traveling for almost a week! Kao Samui is the largest and most touristy of the 3 islands we are spending time at. From the boat launch our group took a 15-minute van ride to our final Intrepid hotel, the Sandy Resort. HOLY COW, real flush toilets! All of us were so happy to have those back again

.

We ate lunch at the little restaurant at the hotel. All I had was rice; for some reason my stomach was upset. And after lunch? Nap by the pool, what else?! I really can get used to this relaxation thing. Again, we are right on the beach. For dinner, I ate the most AMAZING crab I have ever tasted. It was the whole crab… new experience. Sleep came easy because we were blessed with A/C rooms. Ah, the life.

Sunday, June 29th: Yay for free breakfast! 8:45am, our group took off on a speed boat to do a island tour. We got to ride around with the sea air blowing, through the many small islands that make up the archipelago of Samui Islands. I just was in awe of the extreme beauty every time I turned my head. Our guide for the day was named Sau (Saw) and he was a Burmese man. After talking to him, I found out that he works specifically to send money back to his family. Their home was destroyed in the massive cyclone about a month ago. It was very humbling to speak to him.
Our daylong trip took us to 2 different park reserves, we got to go snorkeling, and of course, time to lie on the beach. Really, there aren’t a lot of things better than sitting in the water staring out towards the mountainous islands. The scenery was breathtaking. The first island we went to had a lagoon in the middle of it. Of course, we had to climb up some treacherous stairs, but the view was amazing.

The water was such a beautiful teal color. On the last small island we went to, Jen and I hiked (seriously more like rock-climbed) up 280 meters to a cave on the island. Really, doing this was probably against my better judgment. At times, the path was straight up, pure rock, and the only thing to hang onto was a rope.

Slipping meant falling to a certain death. Or serious injury. Either way, I was only wearing flip-flops. When we reached the top though, it was an amazing site. The cave was stunning. We both were so happy that we decided to go the whole way.

When we arrived back at Sandy Resort, we had about an hour to get ready for our farewell dinner. Our hotel was on Boh Phut Beach on the northern part of the island and we were going to dinner on Chewang Beach, on the east side. Chewang Beach is the most touristy, busy part of the island. It is also where the 5 of us girls will be staying the last 3 days on Samui. We ate at Ark’s, an outdoor restaurant on the beach. Ah, the life! I got to try grilled barracuda. FABULOUS.
Tomorrow, the 5 of us girls will be officially free from Intrepid and can spend time on our own. We are so excited to go to our hostel: Samui Beach Apartments. More to come on the final days in Thailand…

My Apologies... I've Slipped Into Island Life

So I know it's been a while since I actually posted my daily events. You have to understand that since we have been spending time on these tropical islands, I have slipped into a life of laziness and extreme relaxation. My journal writing has taken a backseat to sunbathing, snorkeling, and indulging in fabulous seafood. Instead of my usual lengthy descriptions, I will instead do a play-by play of the past few days. Hope that is good enough for you... :)

Sunday, June 22:
9am: Our group went to Wat Arun, the temple of dawn. This was unlike any other temple I had seen in Bangkok. The colors were beuatiful and the steps upwards were ridiculously steep.

After climbing the stairs, we had a chance to partake in a safety blessing done by a Buddhist monk. It was really cool! It was meant to ward off danger and harm. Here's the video!

Afternoon: We had free time to finish final gift shopping. I got a sarong and a dress plus a few souvenirs.
4:30pm: Our group left our hotel in Bangkok to go to the train station. We had to take an overnight train from Bangkok to Suratthani in southern Thailand. The train ride was 13 hours. None of us were looking forward to the ride because there were rumors of small cockroaches in the beds. EW.

Tuesday, June 24:
6am: We arrived in Suratthani and all of us were really ready to get off the train. Bad news though; from the train we had to take a bus to a ferry and then a ferry to the 1st tropical island (Ko Phangan). The ferry ride was beautiful. Finally, I got a glimpse of the turquoise water and the string of islands. YAY!

1pm: We reached the island but then had to take another danged sonthaew ride (these are getting really old!) to our bungalow. It was totally worth it when we arrived at Pen’s Bungalow though… the beach was right there! The rest of the afternoon clearly was spent on the beach. Not much else to report.

Wednesday, June 25:
FREE DAY! The entire day was open to us to do as we pleased. I slept in, ate a late breakfast, and went for an amazing walk down our beautiful (but short) beach. The rest of the afternoon we spent lying in the sun, swimming in the Gulf of Thailand, and truly enjoying some R&R. I even went to bed early!

Thursday, June 26:
10am: Our group left our secluded beach to go back to the main pier. We had to take a 2-hour ferry ride to the 2nd island of the tour, Ko Tao. This island is touristy, but 70% of it is jungle and coconut trees. It has only just recently become a touristy hot-spot in the past 70 years. We stayed at a place called View Cliff Bungalows.

Friday, June 27:
BAD NEWS: Apparently the island has been known to have some burglars taking travelers things out of their rooms. During the nighttime around 2 am, some thieves tried to sneak into 2 of the group’s rooms while they were sleeping! While they didn’t take anything, they were caught ½ in the window of one girl’s room! SCARY. Needless to say, the hotel staff increased the security guards for the evening!
9:30am: Our group set out to go snorkeling all day. Like any other time I have snorkeled it is an amazing experience. No pictures could ever explain the beautiful coral, bright fish, and nasty tasting seawater. We snorkeled in 2 different places on the southern tip of the island before returning to the bungalows.
7pm: Only some of our group at dinner together but again, fantastic!! Afterwards we walked down the main street to an outdoor bar called Lotus. There they had fire dancers/twirlers. It is a pretty cool sight to see on the beach!

Back to Bangkok 6/22/08

This morning our entire group drove into an outskirt of Bangkok to go to a local grocery market. While it is always nice to experience the culture and see other ways of life, this market was almost a bit too much for me. Here there were fish, chickens, pork, and many other kinds of meat just laid out for the choosing. The smell was overwhelming. I am thankful I am not a vegetarian because that would have been a horrid sight. Some of the fish were still alive on the table. It was a little over the top for me. I wish I had pictures to show, but we couldn’t stop and linger too long because the walkways were very narrow and since we went in the morning (shopping time) it was very busy and filled with people. I did buy something at the market though: lychee. Lychee is the most wonderful fruit I have ever tasted and it is now my favorite I have tried so far. It is about the size of a plum with a hard outer shell. The inside is soft and juicy; it tastes a little like a pear with the texture of a grape. Absolutely fabulous. We spent about 45 minutes here and then headed back to the Thai house to pack and eventually leave for downtown Bangkok.

To get back to our original hotel, Viengtai Hotel, we got to take a longboat down the Chao Phraya River. This river is bustling and is also home to many families whose homes are built right over the water. The sun was shining, the views were gorgeous, and almost every Thai person who was outside, waved at our boat. I really enjoyed this trip back to the center of Bangkok. Once we reached the boat launch, we then had to walk with our bags (mine was by far heavier than when I left) about 15 minutes to the hotel. The rest of the evening allotted for free time in Bangkok until our meeting with our 2nd group leader for our trip to the islands.
The time spent in Bangkok was spent mostly shopping. Jen, Renee, and I decided to bargain for gifts, sarongs, and clothing. We left enough time for a dip in the pool, a shower and then met our new travel group for the 2nd week of our trip at 6pm. Our new tour guide’s name is Apple and she is originally from Bangkok. We have a full group of 12 people: A veterinary nurse from Australia, a girl our age from Australia, a 27 year old from London, a young couple also from Australia, and a couple from Ann Arbor! Small world, huh? Everyone is really looking forward to next week’s trip because there is a LOT of free time. Overall, the next week should allow for some relaxation, water sports, and more vacation-like event that I so badly need.

That evening after dinner, Suzie, Jen, and I walked over to Khao San Road, a backpackers haven for shopping, extreme nightlife, and just pure people watching. It was absolutely crazy on this street and I wished we had a bit more time to enjoy the big-city feel.

Erawan Waterfalls = <3 (love)

Today was the day I had been looking forward to all week! At 9:00am Suzie, Jen, Renee, and I took a van to go see the Erawan Waterfalls. The drive was about an hour away from our guesthouse. These waterfalls are 7-tiered and the hike up was quite strenuous. Every level of the falls looked totally different but all of them were absolutely breathtaking. It was so serene to hear the water and see the clear blue of it. For every tier higher we climbed, the path became more and more challenging. Often, there wasn’t even a path but more of rocks with footholds and vines to pull yourself onto. By the time we reached the 4th tier (where you could slide down the fall!) I was drenched in sweat. It really felt good to be doing some heavy-duty exercise. I love the feeling of pushing my body and the awesome views were the reward. On the path there were also some sketchy bridges that looked like they were about to fall apart, a ladder with broken rungs, and slippery steps of mud and stone. At the 6th tier, the other girls decided to go swimming instead of keep trekking to the top. The path kind of disappeared and was hard to find, but I really wanted to climb all the way to the top. I am SO glad that I did. The final waterfall came from a sheer rock face that must have went up 15 stories. The water felt cool and was completely clear. To me, this was the best day of the trip so far. The pictures I took of each level don’t do justice to the absolute beauty of the falls. On my hike back down (just as dangerous and challenging as on the way up) Suzie and I saw 3 monkeys in the trees. Real ones. Live ones. It was so exciting! I also had a chance to ride down the slide of the waterfall on tier 4 and swam around in the cool water before going back to the bottom. This is a place you could spend all day in, but we only had a few hours.

(Sliding down the waterfall, tier 4)

Once we returned back to Apple Guesthouse, our group had to leave right away to take a bus back to Bangkok for the night. Tonight, we stayed at a place called Thai House. WOW, was this place amazing. Thai House is family owned house made completely from teak wood (a native wood of Thai, dark brownish-red and gorgeous). All of the decorations, doors, verandas, walls in our rooms were all hand carved. It really was a treat to stay here with this family. Not to mention, the mother and daughters of the house cooked us dinner and breakfast. Nothing better than a home cooked meal! It was also really neat because when we ate dinner, it was required we all wear sarongs (even the guys!) they provided for us. Typically when at home during mealtime, sarongs are a normal piece of clothing worn by all. It was a nice touch to the traditional home stay for the evening.

Hellfire Pass and More 6/20/2008

This morning we had to check out of our hotel (Thong Yo Hotel in Thong Pha Phum) at 7:45am. Clearly, I skipped breakfast and opted for a granola bar later. We took a local bus after a short transfer of a songthaew to go visit the Hellfire Pass and Memorial Museum. We arrived there around 9:15am. Before entering the museum, our group walked down an intense amount of stairs the actual Hellfire Pass. This pass was carved out of the limestone mountains by POWs of WWII by order of the Japanese. The point was to build a connecting railway from Burma through Thailand and into Malaysia. Living and working conditions were atrocious and the men were brutally beaten and even killed by the Japanese guards. Seeing this site and the museum was almost on the same level of horrificness as when I vistited the concetration camp in Germany. The only difference is I have never heard of Hellfire Pass or anything in this region of the world from WWII. I know this is due to the fact there was little American involvement (less than 4000 men were sent to this area with almost all returning home) but it frustrates me that our knowledge is limited to events only having to do with the US. I feel as if I was cheated from some understanding; spending time in the museum put into new perspective why the US and Japan were in unstable ground.

After spending about 2 hours here, we took a songthaew to the Nam Tok train station, where we had lunch. The train we had to take was old, rickety, and had wooden benches. It lurched back and forth and was really loud. This was nothing like the trains I had taken in Europe. The train ride was about 2 hours long, but on the way we passed a mountain the Thais call “Woman Pregnant With Baby.” The way the mountain was shaped, you could see it as if she was lying down. Pretty cool.

When we got close to Kanchanburi, our train passed over the infamous Bridge over the River Kwae (not “Kwai” as the westernized world knows it). Right when we got off the train, there were 10 rickshaws (bikes with covered seats on them) waiting to take each on of us to our guesthouse. My poor driver must have been about 50 years old and a very small man. Not only was I in the rickshaw, but also my 35 pound backpack. The poor man grunted and said something in Thai to another driver when he tried to take off! It was really cool riding this way until we merged off from the small alleyway onto a 3-lane main road with a heavy flow of traffic. I’m sure my face registered pure fear because we went from one side of the road to another in the middle of cars, buses, and trucks! Dangerous? I think so.

The rickshaw driver dropped us off at Apple Guesthouse, a beautiful garden-like setting. Thankfully our rooms were clean and cooled by fan. Bonus: European toilet… just a little low. This was a pleasant change from the past night’s accommodations. The rest of the afternoon the 5 of us girls walked down the main street, which was very touristy and hosted many signs and menus in English. Before dinner I had a chance to call home, the first time since I had left. While email is nice and convenient, hearing a familiar voice is a pleasant feeling. Dinner was at 7pm, and the Suzie and spent the rest of the evening packing and preparing for a morning of hiking up the Erawan Waterfalls.

Lack of Internet = Late Postings. June 19, 2008

Last night was the first night I had a full night’s sleep. It’s amazing the difference you feel in the morning after being rested! Our group checked out of P. Guesthouse at 9am and loaded all of our bags onto a Songthaew (a pick-up truck that has covered benches in the truck bed). From here we rode about 1 hour to a remote village of the Karen people. We learned that most members of this small village almost never leave home.

(Karen Village Women Welcome Song and Dance)

When we arrived at the village, our group was welcomed by women of the village with an amazing welcome dance and song. It lasted about 5 minutes and Arjahn said their songs tell about their history and culture from many years ago. After the welcome song we went to the kindergarten, which schools children from ages 3-7. Walking in you could see their little faces light up. All of them were so absolutely adorable. 1st they sang us their alphabet; because they have more than 20 vowels and 40 consonants, it took them quite a while to finish. The younger ones weren’t even able to sing the whole song. Our group then sang our ABC’s for them. It’s been such a long time since I’ve sang that one! Then we were able to play 2 games with the about 40 children: Duck Duck Goose, and a game where you tie a balloon to your ankle. It was so fun to see how the little ones picked on the members from our group. The game with the balloon was highly entertaining. The object was to rubber band a balloon around one ankle and pop the balloons of others. The last person with a balloon was the winner. Jen was especially excited about this because she is going to be a gym teacher. What an awesome game to play with your students! Just being in the classroom situation, surrounded by kids again, just truly confirmed to me that I really am supposed to be a teacher. It’s just that feeling of serene and completeness.

(ABC's in Thai)

After visiting the school the local women danced for us a second time. There were video cameras there documenting our visit and we are going to be on Thai news! We walked down the road about ¼ of a mile to eat our lunch prepared by the Karen villagers. Again, I loved everything I tasted. I really like the variety of flavors offered with every dish; some are very spicy and flavorful and others are just veggies with a thin sauce. So far, my favorite things to eat are the fruits. Mango-steen and rambutan top my list of all time favorite foods. After lunch we were privileged to walk through their remote village and see their simple way of life. It was amazing to see how self-sufficient they were with their farming, intricate weaving, and contentedness with life. No electricity at all. From this visit, I am reminded how spoiled and over-privelaged Americans are.

We left the village by Songthaew and drove to our guesthouse for the night. It was right on a river with lots of foliage outside of our door. This evening we were all exhausted and chose to hang out in the room for the evening. I did have to walk into town and buy a new t-shirt though… seriously 1 shirt 3 or 4 days in a row is bad news. In our down time, I did wash out some clothes in the sink. Wow, I have a new respect for doing laundry at home now! After dinner at 7pm, I went right to bed. The combo of the heat and longs days of walking put me to sleep early! Not to mention, we have to be up and ready to go at 7:45am!

I Rode an Elephant - June 18

I will post my daily journal later on. As of now I am exhuasted and running out of time.

For now, please enjoy this video of me and my elephant ride!




Instead of a journal for this day I'll keep it short. I keep running out of time for things!!

A Few Observations:

Most places, even businesses require you to take off your shoes before entering.

Most people ride scooters – there are more of them than cars. But there seems to be no law requiring helmets, regulating how many people can be on one, and where they can drive. Also, babies are carried on the laps of the driver – no safety belt, no helmet, just out in the open.

The language barrier has not been too hard to overcome. Here are some words that I have learned and used on a regular basis:
Sawas-dee ka – Hello
Kawrp-koon ka – Thank you

There are sprayers (like on kitchen sinks) in the bathrooms. After using the squat toilets, you are supposed to wash off with these rather than use toilet paper. If you do use TP though, it goes in the trash can, not the toilets.

Fresh fruit here is magnificent.

Thai people are very, very considerate and relaxed people. Not a lot of things seem to make them upset. Our guide says many times in one day, “No worries, be happy.”

Everything tastes amazing. Everything. And there are a huge variety of flavors amongst every meal.

Epiphany - June 17th

I haven’t been sleeping much; last night I only slept for about 2 ½ hours and now at 2:30am I am sitting out on the porch of our guesthouse writing this journal. I don’t know if my lack of sleep is a result of the time change or my pure excitement, but either way I don’t really feel that fatigued.
Today will go down in my life book as one of the most amazing I have ever lived. What I saw and feel are hard to describe with the words that I know. All in all, if I died tomorrow I would feel as if my life was wholly fulfilled. It started out as an ordinary day. At our hotel in Bangkok the 5 of us girls met for breakfast at 8:15am and then returned to our rooms to finish packing, as we had to travel out of the city. 9am our entire group hailed 3 taxis and took them to the bus station on the southern side of Bangkok. From there, we took a 2-hour bus ride west and a little north from Bangkok to Kanchanaburi.

It was nice to see the outskirts of town and some of the smaller towns along the way. When we arrived it was raining. Here at the station I experienced my first Thai toilet. All the bathroom consists of is a small ceramic bowl low to the ground so you have to squat right over it and do your business. No toilet paper can go in these, so you have to use the trashcans provided. In order to flush… take a bowl from the large vat of water that is nearby and pour it down (usually takes 2). Nice, eh? I’ll just take it as a new experience and be thankful for what we have at home. All of us placed our hiking backpacks in the small bus station and were free for 2 hours to roam the market and small shops. Umbrellas in hand, the 5 of us girls headed off the market to find some ponchos so if it continued to rain while we were carrying our packs, we could cover them and keep them dry. Success came from this small task. In the open market, like so many others I’ve seen, there we fruit vendors, flowers, and many other table bursting with things I’ve never seen before. We had time to stop at a bakery (which also curiously sold shoes and handbags) to eat a small lunch. By this time we had to head back to the bus station so we could continue on to Sangkhlaburi.

(The toilet)

The ride west and slightly north took about 3 ½ to 4 hours, but the scenery was absolutely gorgeous. I don’t know what I was expecting Thailand to be like, but again my ideas about this country have been altered. At first there were just small rolling hills in the distance but the closer we got to P. Guesthouse (our residence for the next 2 days) the road became increasingly winding, uphill, and mountainous. Since we were in a mini-bus, something like a large conversion van but more cramped, you could feel every bump and turn. I was reminded of my Dad at the time though; he would love to ride his bike here. The roads are hilly and curvy and there are many steep down hills like the ones we rode in France. But we were not on bikes. Instead we were at the mercy of our driver who seemed to care little about our safety. We sped along, going around blind curves and straddling the middle line of the road. It is also mind-boggling because there are often people on scooters, children walking, or cows along the edge of the road. More than once, I was a bit concerned for our safe arrival.

Again when we arrived, it was pouring but all worries of rain gave way when we saw exactly where we were. At this point, I am going to try and explain how absolutely breath taking the view of our guesthouse is. It is situated on a hill with a long stone stairway down to the river. The small stone cabins we stay in are on the left. They are such cute little bungalow like cabins, only 2 beds and a fan in each. From the open-air lobby of the guesthouse, you look out onto a stone and marble patio down to the river and the small boathouses on the other side. To the right is the longest wooden walking bridge in Thailand (it looks a little rickety but apparently we will be walking on it tomorrow!) and the clouds from the passing storm. There is small boat dock at the bottom of the steps. The colors and the scenery remind me of camping up north a bit, but with a tropical feel. The river is not too wide, but it is busy with brightly colored long boats, floating houses, and covered boat docks that are low to the water. In the distance, there is a golden temple high on a hill. Even as I sit here writing this now, looking out to the awing scenery I feel happy to be alive.


We walked around the guesthouse and took pictures before going up to dinner in the open lobby overlooking all of this. While I tasted another of Thailand’s beers and amidst the 98% humidity, I was speechless. (Please note this is a very rare occurrence!) With all that I have seen and experience before, this place, here on the other side of the world, amazes me to no end. The simplicity and beauty in what I was looking at, taking in, mentally photographing, gave me one of those moments when you are truly content and feel blessed to have such an opportunity. The pictures I will post can never do this place justice. Words don’t come close. The beauty and complete difference of this place to my home give me the assured knowledge I am just a small piece of a miraculous world.

But anyways… our group had dinner (only 94 baht per person this evening) on the patio. Arjahn ordered many different kinds of Thai foods for us to try and we all passed them around. Again, fabulous. Placed on white rice, I tried a curry with pork, chicken with cashews and lemongrass, a sweet and sour veggie dish, and another kind of chicken dish. Seriously, I have been missing out. It is really interesting how we pay for dinner and other things here too; when you eat a meal or need coffee, water, anything, you are on the “Honor System.” Instead of directly paying for your item, you write it down on a book with your room number on it and upon check-out it will be totaled up. Can you imagine how ineffective this would be in the United States? Just another of those cultural differences to appreciate here.

After dinner Renee (my bunk buddy for the night) headed to experience the Thai toilets again and then went straight to bed. It was only 8:45pm, but after not sleeping the night before I was truly tired. Clearly, sleep didn’t last long because I am now finishing this up on the porch in the early morning hours. I know this day will be recorded in my mind forever. It’s one of those places I want to tell everyone about right away; I wish I had a telephone to do so. At this point in my life, I can hardly believe I am so lucky to see this part of the world. For the rest of my life, this place at P. Guesthouse will remain one of the most outstanding memories in my existence.

(The breathtaking view)

And Here Comes More - June 15th

The previous day is running into this one; we crossed the International Date Line as we flew from Chicago to Seoul. Once we reached the airport in Seoul, we had a 4-hour layover. It was nice to have some time to walk around, stretch our legs, and just be off the plane. Luckily, there was a free connection to the Internet and I was able to send emails to my parents allowing them to know that I was safe thus far. And despite the fact it was 4am at home in MI, it was 4pm there. Again, we were lucky to board our flight to Bangkok on time. I’m pretty sure we must have said, “Wow, we’re going to be in Thailand in 8 hours!” Even fatigue couldn’t minimize the excitement we were all feeling.

Our flight from Seoul left at 9:55pm their time; an additional 4 hours were going to be tacked onto our travel time. Surprisingly, the time difference isn’t wearing on me too much. This is most likely due to the small naps I was able to take on the planes. I’m hoping that it doesn’t take too much out of me and the other girls so tomorrow we can get out and explore some of the infamous Bangkok, Thailand tomorrow. I’ve heard both good and awful things about this city but I will reserve my judgment for the following day. I really don’t know what to expect even though I did some prior research. All of us girls are excited and anticipating meeting the rest of our tour group. In total there will be 12 people trekking around Thailand as part of our Intrepid Tour.

At one point on the plane when the flight attendants passed out Arrival Information Forms, I was once again truly thankful to have been abroad before. I would have been lost or unaware that we needed to have these documents to actually go through Customs in Bangkok. When we arrived, we surprisingly had no issues with customs, baggage, or finding our driver. It was so cool to know that we had a driver! There was a sign with our names on it and everything. Sweet, we are VIP. All of us were soooo happy to be done traveling and out of the airplane. From the airport we were driven directly to our hotel, the Viengtai Hotel. Long story short, we all jumped directly in bed knowing we’d have a long day of exploring Bangkok tomorrow.

Tuning in for June 14th

It should be noted in the following entries I will be referring often to 4 other girls traveling with me during my time in Thailand. For clarity’s sake, I want to list them now so outside readers don’t become lost or confused as to who I am referring. Renee, Kellie, and Jen are fellow MSU students and also education/kinesiology majors. Also along for the ride, Suzie, one of my closest friends who luckily decided to join me for her first out-of-country experience.

It hardly seems real after months of preparation and planning, travels to Asia are becoming a reality. Arriving in Detroit just before 7am for our flight to Chicago at 9:05 am didn’t affect the reality factor either. Being at the airport is nothing new to me; why should I assume this adventure should be any different? Our flight took off and landed on time, an appreciated and rare occurrence. While we were separated on the plane, the flight was only about an hour long. It was when we reached Chicago O’Hare, I began to get a little nervous about the language barrier I will have to face. It is difficult for me to accept that I know not 1 single word of Thai or Malay. And since we are flying on Korean Air, a lack of Korean can be added to that list as well. Any other time I have traveled abroad (Europe and Mexico) I have felt comfortable knowing I could communicate enough to get by. In this situation, I am aware of the fact that I may not be able to do anything other than nod, use gestures, and make a fool of myself as the typical ignorant American. There was a 3-hour layover in Chicago’s airport and then the 5 of us girls boarded a double-decker airplane! That is a first for me. But sitting on the airplane, seeing the timer counting down hours to go (12!) I realized this is really it. Get ready to be gone for 2 whole months from your comfort zone and everything familiar.

On the plane we were separated again, Jen and Suzie on one side of the humungous plan and Renee, Kellie, and I on the other. I sat a row in from of Renee and Kellie between a Korean businessman and a girl returning home to China after being away at school. We were served a Korean-like dish of raw salmon salad, some beef and noodles, and a roll. I was offered a tube of something the stewardess called “hot pepper Korean paste.” Of course, I took it, tried it. Nothing like eating something out of a plastic tube right? But that’s what this trip is all about… trying new things that would typically turn me off. Anyways, it was a strange type of spicy and I didn’t really enjoy it very much. How much does anyone really like airplane food though? Something else I noticed right away was that besides a very few other people, us girls were some of the only noticeably American passengers. While this is an experience I was anticipating, it is slightly unnerving to actually be immersed in such a different make-up of people. I hope from this experience, and others like it throughout the whole trip, I put myself in the shoes of others. How must this feel to a child in a classroom? How does the language barrier make a student meek, shy, and unsure of himself or herself when they typically are not? These are things I want to delve into more so that I can be a better, more accommodating teacher in the future.

5 hours into the flight to Seoul, Korea (7 and ½ more to go!) I started to get REALLY antsy. Anyone who knows me can understand how hard it is for me sit still for an hour, never mind 12. Bored. Really, really bored. One thing that held my attention was the TV monitor on the plane; our flight path was being tracked on the map. We flew north from Chicago over northern Canada and along the southern border of Alaska. This is for real. I am traveling to the other side of this world. How small are we?

Also, pictures have been updated thus far!

Katie Goes to Asia!

The countdown is on! In less than 2 days I will be on an airplane heading towards Bangkok, Thailand. Preparations for this trip have been a little outstanding: 1 hiking backpack for 2 months of travel, pills for diseases I've never heard of, and more sunscreen and bug spray than I have ever used in my lifetime!

Despite these few inconveniences, my excitement level is through the roof! While the idea of spending 30 hours traveling and experiencing an 11 hour time difference sounds less than ideal, I have recently found out more specific information about my time to be spent in Malaysia.

*I will be living in a town called Tanjung Malim.
*The teacher I will be working with is named Puan Yong Rafidah Buyong. ("Puan" is Malay for Mrs.)
*The school I will be placed at is called Sekolah Kebangsaan Tanjung Malim. (This is a Methodist Elementary school!)

While I am gone for my 2 month span, I hope to update you with my travels, experiences, and challenges here. I will post some pictures, but my extensive photo albums will be posted on an alternate site. Click here to see my photos! I would love to hear from my friends and family while I am gone. Here are the best ways to reach me while I am away...

*Email: kapplerk@msu.edu
*Facebook: Katie Kappler
*Post a comment or a few here on my blog!

So here is the overview of my trip:
Leave United States: June 14th, 2008
Vacation in Thailand: June 15h - July 3rd, 2008
Fly to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia: July 3rd, 2008
Study Abroad Begins: July 7th, 2008
Katie Comes Home: August 14th, 2008

And in case you are curious to what exactly the point of my time spent in Malaysia will be, here are the objectives from our syllabus created by Kurnia Yahya (our program director):
• Observe, participate, and analyze the teaching/schooling experience in Malaysia
• Develop greater understanding of teacher-as-learner perspective
• Design a unit of study for teaching to be used in classrooms in the U.S.
• Write about your personal experiences in the U.S. and Malaysia as they relate to self as teacher/learner as you live and work in a different culture
• Assess student learning in relation to effectiveness of teaching
• Gain an understanding of American education through comparison of teaching experiences in the United States and Malaysia
• Increase understanding of colleagues (classmates and cooperating teacher) through teaching and living experiences in Malaysia
• Participate in collaborative teacher inquiry in class and on-site sessions
• Build an understanding of role of the teacher, from the systemic to the personal perspective, in the United States and Malaysia
• Make use of opportunities for cooperative learning, study, and shared research
• Use the residential experience as a resource for collaborative learning and for integrating social and academic life
• Examine one’s own personal history and culture and comparing to Malaysian life
On top of these objectives set for the course, my main goal is to immerse myself into a culture so unlike my own so that I may have a taste of what it feels like to be a "minority" in the classroom. I hope to grow my understanding of the world around me and make connections that I can later share in my future classrooms to emphasize the importance of diversity and acceptance of others.

Thanks for taking the time to see what I'm up to! Talk to you soon!

All Mixed Up

PROUD: I am so happy to see my friends succeeding. So many of them are getting their first teaching jobs or finishing up their first year of teaching. The open doors to their lives are endless at this point and I am truly proud to call them my friends. Lord knows they have worked harder than they expected and deserve all the good that comes their way.

BUMMED: Again, I have to say good-bye to one of my best friends. Halfway across the country seems likes a long way to me. It is hard growing up; it seems the older you get the more friends you lose to distance. I hope to remember this quote someone shared with me during times of loneliness: "Distance is not for the fearful, it's for the bold. It's for those who are willing to spend a lot of time alone in exchange for a little time with the one they love. It's for knowing a good thing when they see it, even if they don't see it nearly enough." It just makes sense and defines so much of what I believe.

STOKED: For many reasons, I can barely contain my excitement. This sudden surge of dramatic happiness stems mostly from the success of my friends. But I know, this time next year I will hopefully be in the same place they are. It energizes me to know that new beginnings are right around the corner.

BLESSED BEYOND BELIEF: My friends, my family, my life. I really couldn't ask for more. Growing up can be tough, but it also seems to get so much better the further down the road I travel. When I think about the amazing opportunities I have been handed, it renders me speechless. For anyone who knows me... that's not always an easy thing to do. I wish there was a way to tell everyone who has touched my life THANK YOU ENDLESSLY without sounding like a complete sap. This I'll have to work on...

Ever tried to define moments of your life with a song? This one seems to fit in nicely: "Laughed Until We Cried" by Jason Aldean