Early Morning Riser
Last night, I was discussing my experience at the temple with my roommate (Jonathan) and he said that he wanted to go to the morning prayer/meditation session that started at 4:30am. We woke up at 3:30am, walked up to the temple (Wat Khao Ittisukkhato) and met an elderly named, “Mama” who asked us about our intentions. She was excited that we were there and even offered to house us at the temple if we didn’t have a place to stay. We politely declined and participated in the prayer session. Afterwards, Mama approached us outside and bought me coffee. She informed us that she helped care for seven children that lived at the temple and also taught them English every day after they came home from school. I offered to help her and I watched her face light up like a Christmas tree.
I promised her that I would be back at 4:30pm to assist her with English lessons and walked back to the hotel. I am feeling so connected and welcomed by the community. I went through the day feeling slightly apprehensive based on the fact I received an email stating that I had to produce 24,000Baht (approximately 745.00 US dollars) for a down payment on my housing where I am being placed. Even though the email stated I would be receiving half of it back when I moved out; getting money out of Thai ATM’s is not easy because I can only withdraw 6,000Baht per day out of my US accounts. Plus, I don’t get paid for another three weeks so I’m having to produce this money out of my personal accounts.
During training, we covered Thai culture and then ended at approximately 4:00pm. I walked up to the temple and met with Mama at the small convenience store located on the temple campus. I taught the children numbers, their body parts, direction of travel, and identifying action (i.e. running, jumping, crawling, walking). In addition, I motivated the kids by buying them their choice of ice cream or candy if they answered questions correctly. At the conclusion of the English camp I felt as though I had accomplished one of my goals which was to connect with those living in the community. In return, they provided me with the inspiration to continue pursuing this deeper connection I am seeking through relationships.
I walked back down the road and decided to eat at the open-air market where I had sat at the bar. I drank several beers and met a guy named “Andy” who was from the UK. He had been living in Hua Hin for the past several years and was also an English teacher. During our conversation, I learned that one could be employed by an online company that provided the teacher with clients wishing to learn English and the pay range was anywhere from fifteen to twenty dollars per hour.
Just a quick summary of my past week in training with Xplore Asia. The training team has been phenomenal and taught us/me so much about how to function within Thai society. I am very grateful for the fact that they came through on all the promises that were made to me prior to being in Thailand. Additionally, they were genuinely caring people who took the time to address any needs I had while showing empathy, enthusiasm, and exhibiting a desire to positively impact the Thai people through a myriad of creative programs (dog rescue, recycling, teaching English, etc.).