After a rewarding week of crashing around Bangkok, I took some much needed rest on Friday afternoon and all day Saturday. I spent time writing, napping, meditating, eating my favorite Thai chocolate wafer cookies, and as a result; I found the creative juices flowing stronger than ever. I am a firm believer everyone needs to …
Continue reading "Searching for the Naga within"I went back to work on Thursday… Actually, I didn’t go “back to work” because teaching is not work to me. From now on, I’m going to reclassify the term “work” when referring to teaching in a new context. I am going to phrase teaching as a “passionate pursuit of the noble good”. Let’s try …
Continue reading "Cabbages & Condoms with a hint of Black Amber"I decided to stay in Bangkok one more night for the express purpose of trying to climb the 49-story Ghost Condominium located approximately one block from the Saphan Thaksin BTS station. I had seen it the prior day jutting through the city skyline and read some online articles about it but I couldn’t decide if …
Continue reading "Holiday (Day 5) — Ghost Condo"Overcoming challenges big and small, trivial and overwhelming are reasons why I love traveling. Each time I step around, climb over or push through one of these obstacles; I gain a sense of accomplishment and celebrate a new found ability that I never knew existed. For me, Bangkok has provided numerous opportunities to test my …
Continue reading "Holiday (Day 4) — FREE Bangkok Canal Shuttle"Day 3 of my holiday whipsaw didn’t end like I had planned. I took a short nap during the taxi ride home from Ayutthaya and awakened with a sense of purpose. I dove into my next adventure with added vigor leading me to the conviction that I needed a night of food and fun. The …
Continue reading "Holiday (Day 3 Nightlife) — Saxophone Jazz Pub"Ayutthaya has been on my radar since arriving in Thailand. It is located approximately one hour north of Bangkok and is easily accessible by taxi, van, or train. The bulk of my history reading has been laser focused on learning more about understanding the how and why the ancient capital city fell in 1767 to …
Continue reading "Holiday (Day 3) — Ayutthaya, Thailand"Still reeling from the prior day’s adventures, I decided to see if I could push the boundaries even more. I rode the BTS/MRT to Hua Lamphong station and hopped on a Tuk Tuk to Wat Pho (Temple of the Reclining Buddha). I walked through the temple absorbing the history and overwhelming presence of the reclining …
Continue reading "Holiday (Day 2) — Temples, Khao San Road & Free Muay Thai Fights!!"School let out for the pending Buddhist holiday on July 16th and 17th (Tuesday & Wednesday) and we were notified by our school that we also had Monday off. Bangkok seemed the likeliest destination to explore with its endless supply of temples (over 400), tantalizing food, night life, and markets. Day 1 I started my …
Continue reading "Five Day Holiday (Day 1) – Bangkok Temples & Food"A couple of weeks ago, I was invited to visit a teacher’s home. The backstory is he lives in a small farming town of approximately 400 people in the province of Phetchaburi, Thailand. He had been living in this village with his Thai wife for the past 12 years and was one of the only …
Continue reading "Thank You Tha Yang for Culture Shock 101"Played a game with my M1 and M2 students today called last man/woman standing. It is a rambunctious fast-moving game and the rules are simple. Students stand by their desk at which point I shout out a subject like “Things you would find in the universe” and each student has to respond within five seconds …
Continue reading "Rapport building through Food & Games"