I got the moves like Jagger

Phew.  Been awhile, hasn't it?  So Bree, are you home yet?

Hahahaha.  No.  The flooding is moving to my area now.  So lord only knows when I'll be able to get back there.  I spoke to a Thai friend and said I thought we would see each other soon.  "I think one month" was her reply.  Oh dear.

My first stop on this journey was Hua Hin.  I am never going back to Hua Hin.  It's nothing but old men and prostitutes.  Sex tourism is real, and it is gross.  I avoid anywhere it occurs like the plague.

So I bailed and went to my next destination, my favorite island, Koh Tao.  You all remember Koh Tao, yeah?

So good to see that tiny little island again.

Not sure what else I can say, so here's an image dump...

That's Charles, an Israili guy, and Noy, who owns my favorite bar on Koh Tao.  See those lovely shoes I'm wearing?  Yeah, those didn't make it home with me that night.  :(

 The big guy is Maxi, a tattoo artist from Bangkok.  He was living at Noy's bar tattooing.

That's, um, I can't remember her name.  Charles' wife.  Malaysian.

So we all randomly met at Lotus Bar, and made plans for the next night.  It was Halloween, so we all went a bit crazy.  Maxi painted us.

I was a phoenix, by the way.  The guy with a star over his eye is Adam, who is a jerk.  But we'll go into that later.  The girl with a mask painted on is Miki.  So we hit the town.

I do not have any idea who any of those new people are.  No clue.  There were a lot of tequila shots involved.  Really, any time I see Noy, I know tequila shots will be involved.

And that's Bond.  He is a complete mystery to me.  I have no idea what he does on the island, he just shows up to bars briefly and then moves on to the next.  He offered to help me find a job in high season if I want to live there.  That is so tempting.  I'm genuinely kicking it around.  Anyway, here's the rest of the trip.

 This is Groove.  I met him when I was stretched out on the beach in front of his bungalow.  His mother is Thai, his father is from Hong Kong, he was raised in England.  He is a loud gay kid that was sooo much fun.  He lived in Bangkok, about to go to university.

That's Melissa, from Oregon.  I met her by happenstance on Sukhomvit in BKK one afternoon.  She escaped the floods as well.

Tequila!  Doot doot doot doo doo doo doot doo!  I actually did the Pee-Wee dance after a shot once.  All three of my Thai friends were really confused, and I could not properly explain it to them.  Oh well.

That's Dew and Robyn.  Robyn's from the UK, been traveling all the islands.  She has an interview for a job in Bangkok next week.  Dew has a girlfriend from Finland that looks a lot like my cousin Katherine.  I have no pictures of her because she hides her face anytime there's a camera around.

 And there's me with my Loy Kratong!  I love the idea of Loy Kratong.  You make these fancy flower arrangements with incense and candles.  Put some money, a few strands of hair and some fingernail clippings into it, and then light it up and push it out on the water.  You ask for something good, and the Thai people say that on this day, the universe listens.  You literally float your troubles away.  I love it.

Bye bye troubles.  If you're curious, I asked for the continued love from everyone around me and the safety of everyone I care about.  I have friends I haven't heard from since the flooding business started.  I think about them every day.

Before I Loy Kratonged, I went to the shooting range because, I dunno, guns are fun.

Then I found a bunch of taxi drivers partying in front of 7-11.  We danced to some Thai pop and they gave me a whiskey and soda.  It's kind of like that, here in Thailand.

My last night on Koh Tao.

Bye bye Koh Tao.  Sniffle.  I'll see you soon, I hope.

Now, a special note about fire dancers.  I've talked about them a lot because they are all over Thailand.  Kids start learning to do it when they're really young.  I've met some kids that already work as fire dancers at nine or ten years old.  They'll have a job for as long as they want it, so it's a good thing.  So, here's some fire dancer things.

And look, I got video!  Sadly not of the two guys pictured above.  They were really really good.

Well, this blog operates stupidly, so I'll just link you to the videos.  Here and here they are.  Enjoy.

Flooding in Bangkok

It's bad.  Very bad.  But yes, I am safe on a tropical island just off Chumphon, my school is closed until Nov 9th.  It may be closed for longer.  I'm hopeful.  I don't want to celebrate Loy Kratong in Bangkok.  Although I guess, technically, you wouldn't have to go far from the house to celebrate.  Aheh.  Forgive me, that was a joke in poor taste.

The truth is, Thailand is in a lot of trouble right now, and I worry about how long it will take to recover.  Businesses are gone, people are forced to flee their home.  Food and water is scarce in some areas.  Even this far south, you see evidence of the flooding.  Not in the trees and the beach, but in the 7-11 and the restaurants.  Everything is routed through Bangkok, you see.  And since Bangkok is under water, many things just can't be gotten.  The most alarming is bottled water.  Rain water is not safe to drink, and neither is the water from a faucet.  Even water stations (the kind where you can fill a big jug, it just pulls the water in from a line and purifies it) are turned off in many places.  The news may be good for reporting how many people have died from a strong underwater current in their street, or how a family lost their business and everything they own, but I'm sure they're failing to report the effect that this is having on the whole of Thailand.

I'm safe, but so many people are not.  I'm hurting for money, but I have a family who is able to help me, so many people don't.  If you're the type to pray, toss in a quick line for all the people of Thailand.  I stopped by an alter to Ganesha earlier today.  If you're able, donate some money to help, but everyone will understand if you can't.  No matter where I go on this earth, part of me will always consider this country my home.  These are my people, so let's all band together and take care of them, na.

It's Thailand, all the songs are about broken hearts...

They really are, but that's not actually what I came to blog about.  It's the meaning of the words "I love you" here in Thailand.  The first time somebody told me they loved me, I was mildly alarmed.  I mean, those are big words to throw around.  When somebody looks at you and says they love you, it's kind of a holy shit moment.  Even if you've been dating for awhile (I haven't had a boyfriend since I got here.)

Then you realize that I love you means a lot of things here in Thailand.  It could mean 'let's stay together forever.'  It could mean 'you're kind of cool.'  It could mean 'you're pretty and I'd like you to come home with me.'  It could mean 'this is the only English I know other than hello.'  It could even mean 'I want to be facebook friends.'  No lie.  So, needless to say, when somebody says they love me, I take it with a grain of salt and tell them no.  Just straight up no.  Usually, everyone shrugs and walks away.  Or sometimes big, tough, tattooed muay thai fighters look like they're about to cry and tell you they aren't happy when you are not around.

Oh well, at least I'm leaving him in the country with the right music for this situation. 

Here is my second favorite Thai song.  I can't find any translation videos of my favorite.

Howl at the moon...

Just got back to Chumphon from Koh Phanagan for the Full Moon Party.  It's arguably the largest party in the world, and they celebrate every month at the full moon on Haad Rin beach.

I have never seen such a display of pure, unbridled hedonism.  I honestly saw people having sex in the ocean.  Bucket stalls line the streets.  Blacklights and neon body paint.  There are stages set up on the beach for you to dance.  People jump with flaming jump ropes, there are slides with fire lining the side that start at the top of the bar and end on the beach.  Oh Thailand, what won't you let us crazy farong do?

I was joined at this party by a friend from Koh Tao, which was nice.  Everyone assumed I was his girlfriend so I didn't need to fear for my safety.  Except when the fire dancer threw his stick too far and it landed a few feet away from me in the sand.  Admittedly, that was a little alarming.  Oh, and I guess I did almost fall off a picnic table I was dancing on.

Being a westerner in Asia is a lot like being a child with no adult supervision.  Back in the western world, there are tons of measures and standards set in place for your safety, more than I think any of you even realize.  Those things don't exist here.  You're pretty much responsible for yourself.  For christ's sake, they encourage you play with a flaming jump rope.  I was dancing at a bar on Songkran and the bartender actually brought out chairs for Kat and I to get up on and dance.  It is the land of the free.  There is no tree you can't climb if you feel like it.  No table you can't dance on (though I'm sure they'd find it rude in some cases).  It's not really a shock that we all go a little bit wild when we get here.  Some people injure themselves really badly.  I saw a guy catch his shirt on fire trying to fire dance (luckily he wasn't actually wearing said shirt).  I've had friends end up in the hospital with broken limbs for various reasons.  I try to keep my recklessness moderate.

Now I'm off to try for the fourth time to scrub the green and pink tiger stripes off my leg. 

Party at the 3 In

So, it's not really a secret that I love the rasta bar.  Nor is it a secret that Kat and I are apt to get very drunk and sing Bon Jovi at the top of our lungs, regardless of our audience.  So when a Malaysian guy shows up with a guitar and a party appears, we are there with bells on.  So, here are the pictures from back in Chumphon!

Yup, good times, good times.  Most of the Thai guys I end up hanging out with in this fashion are very impressed that I know all the words to all the Bob Marley songs.  Thanks, Dad!

This is what fun looks like in Bangkok

So, I was speaking to my friend from the seminar, Alli, and she let me know that she was leaving Thailand on Oct 3rd for China.  This will not do, blog followers.  She and I had a roaring good time at the seminar and on Khao San for a couple days after.  So I put off Chumphon for a couple extra days to meet with her on Khao San again.   And the only thing better than two is three, so I called in my best friend from Chumpers, Chris.  And the only thing better than three is a lot, so I called in a friend in Lopburi to rally her troops and bring them in.  And bring them in we did.

It's a bit wet in Thailand right now.  Luckily it usually only pours like that for an hour, then it goes back to being beautiful.

A fire dance on Khao San.  I think the fire dancers on Koh Tao are way better, though.

That's Karyn and Chris.  I missed Chris massively.  He and I hung out together enough that everyone thought we were a couple.

That's Alli.  She's been stationed up really far north in Nan.  From California origionally.

That's Daisy.  She used to work for AYC, but she has since quit.  She told me to jump ship as soon as I can and work directly with a school.  Sage advice, and some that I'm already working on following.

And that ends it.  I've been back in Chumpers for about three days now.  Those photos shall come later.  I'm gonna go get myself a beer and sing as obnoxiously as possible at the rasta bar.  Again.

Sam Phran, Nakhon Pathom

Alright friends, it's been just under a month since I updated.  Things were looking a little bleak.

I had to trade this

for this

And trade this

for this

And lastly, this

for this

Well, and a bunch of Thai people with very limited English.  There's a couple teachers at my school with decent English, but they're mostly guys.  And the last thing a farang girl wants to do is appear too friendly with any male co-workers.  Not all Thai women are crazy and jealous, but some are, and I've heard horror stories.

But Bree, I hear you saying, just go make new friends!  Yes!  I had that same thought.  I miss my friends, I shall go make new friends, pfft, how hard can it possibly be?

Pretty hard, as it turns out.  I have been here for almost a month, and I have yet to see another white person.  A lot of Thai people out here know a few English phrases (though I'm not sure they know what they mean, exactly), and they're happy to shout them at me as I walk past.  "Hey you!" "Hello!" "Where you come?" "Where are you?" "I love you!"  I once even had a taxi driver yell "Hello!  Lady first!"  It's not that the people here don't like me, or they don't want to help me, it's that for the most part they've no idea how to do that.  Catching a taxi will usually involve at least six other people strolling over from whatever they happened to be doing to see who can figure out where it is the town farang wants to go.  It's nice to feel so well cared for, and I understand I'm in a foreign country, but sometimes I just want to be able to walk to the 7-11 and buy cigarettes without a huge production.  Alternately, I feel terrible for anybody trying to travel in the US that doesn't speak English.  I know first hand that most people there aren't this helpful even if you do speak the same language as them.  I can't imagine putting a language barrier in the mix.

My little kids finally succeeded in taking teacher down a peg.  Last week I was a little sick, but back to work pretty quickly.  I didn't quite get over it, though, and on Sunday when I went into Bangkok to drink with some friends for several hours, I totalled my immune system.  Monday I woke up pretty bad off, but I made it through work.  Tuesday I woke up a little worse off, but I made it through work.  Wednesday... I arrived at school and several of the Thai teachers just felt my forehead, clucked a little and shuffled me to a bed, despite my protests that the children need me.  Every time I'd get up, somebody would find me and lead me back to the bed, after exchanging looks with another teacher.  "Now what's our crazy white person think she's doing now?  Teaching?  Ha!"  I finally called my agency, they called and spoke to the school and I was released from bed prison to go to the doctor.  Have I mentioned that yet?  The way people get over colds here is by going to the doctor.  Not over the counter medication, if you can believe it.  So I hauled off to the doctor, where they looked at my throat, took my temp and my blood pressure.  They declared in no uncertain terms that I had a cold, and needed to drink lots of water.  Then they handed me a bag full of pills.

Each of those different pills comes with different instructions, like "Take one pill four times daily before meals"  "Take two pills three times daily after meals" "Take six pills eight times daily every time you use the bathroom."

Okay, maybe that last one was an exaggeration.  But anyway, I'm off to figure out what pills I'm to be taking right now.  I still maintain that a shot of NyQuil is way easier than this.