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Hello my good friends, foes and family. I hope you are all in good spirits despite this being a Monday the world over.
So its been just over a week since I last updated you so I thought I best catch up on some things before they become a distant memory.
When I last left you in Trang I was just getting to kno wthe place, and in many ways I still am, its so confusing the streets around here as every motorbike taxi seems to know different routes to the same place so every time I think I am headed the wrong way my head cant comprehend the fact I end up at my intended destination, so I still have much to learn.
On the Monday of last week I met the school agent from whom I had got the job. He was a nice bloke who spoke very good English and answered most of my queries as best he could. Though he took me to the school which looked really good it was tough to learn more as they are all on holiday and spo I only got a view from the outside as it were. Its also proving tricky to contact the school director who has my curriculum for lesson planning as they are on holiday too so I may be going in "blind" for the first few days. Having said that while out having dinner the other night I met Ross, a Scottish guy who I am actually replacing at the school. He said not to worry as the kids are at a really high level so conversation teaching should be a breeze. He filled me with som econfidence but I won't know for sure until I get in there. Apparently there is a big community of "Ferang" (foreign) teachers in Trang and they all tend to hang out together but most are away at the minute, I guess I will meet them at a later date.
So, after showing me the school the agent showed me an apartment to rent, which I took up as paying guesthouse rates was eating away at my money. Its very basic, just one room with a bed, TV, fridge and a bathroom located next to it. It does have the interent but to my annoyance there seems to be a jarg signal in my room, so I generally have to head to the reception area outside to get anything of note done. And also where the mosquitos can attack best, my right ankle knows all too well!
No sooner had I moved in than my mate Pete rang announcing his surprise arrival in Trang, which kept me busy for a couple of days and nights. We went out with my friend Sakda who is a chef in a local restaurant and possibly the campest man I have ever met. He is a helpful fella though and always gives me good advice on Trang so is handy to have around. Me and Pete spent some times playing pool and snooker versus the locals and things were getting kind of heated as the ale flowed and and one clearup by myself which caused an epic comeback we lost our heads and celebrated loudly with chestbumps and high fives before remembering our English roots and reverting to a stiff handshake and a "good game" rebuttle.
After a couple of days Pete had to shoot off to Malaysia for some scuba diving and I reverted to making my way around Trang and working out exactly what I had gotten myself into. It really is very Thai and hardly anyone speaks a word of the Queens, resulting in me having to use a series of embarassing charades style demonstrations to try and acertain what I require or want. The "choo choo" train dance has become popular when asking motorbike taxis to take me there. I really need to learn more Thai!
Then Thursday night I found out I had to get to Phuket for the weekend to meet the school agents and complete some more administration formalities for the job, as their office is based on that island. I arranged a hasty flight and scuttled down there on the Friday morning. Phuket itself is a beautiful island with some beautiful beaches which I saw on the way back up from the less speedy comfort of a local bus but I spent much time in their offices and the rest of the time staying in Patong. Patong is basically Phuket's "Blackpool". Every place has one and this was it. All the prices are hiked up for tourists and drunken brawling (mainly Aussie) lads bounce from bar to bar. Luckily my friend who ran my course in Pattaya was staying in Phuket that weekend as he had just finished running a course there too, so we met up for a few pricey brewskis and he showed me some of the sights and sounds of Patong which was interesting to say the least. He also introduced me to some of his studenst there who had just qualified and a coupl eof them were thinking of heading to Trang to work, so it was good to meet some prospective new colleagues pr whatnot.
Having travelled back all day on the Sunday on a hot bus with some interesting smells on I finally arrived back last night with an hour or so to find somehwere to watch the match and very little money left in my pocket. So I resisted the temptation to use a motorbike taxi as explaining my anticipated destination would have been expensive and embarassing, heading out on foot to where I thought there was some chance of bright lights or a screen. After a good twenty minutes of walking and having asked for help and pointed in the direction of the jungle I was beginning to think it was a wild goose. The problem with Thai culture is that they DO NOT ever want to lose face, so if I asked one for directions, they would happily point me to the wrong place rather than admit to not understanding or knowing. Suddenly though, a screen and lights emerged in the bushes and low and behold in amongst a jungle clearing was a cafe with big screen and loads of tables. The guy I saw first simply said "Football?" and I was home! It was a mad place crawling with wildlife as I supped on a pint of Chang (a bad move in the Merseyside deby climate I know but it was 50p!!!) At one point a large snake shuffled past ahead of me and I bricked on while the locals who appeared to love the football judging by their whoops and yells never batted an eyelid! By the end of the first half though I kind of wished the snake had bitten me...but thats life.
That brings me to today, where as I am low on funds and feeling a bit under the weather I havent done a lot other than watch some DVDs and scratch my mozzie bites. I do have the internet now though so if anyone ever wants a Skype chat as they miss my sunburnt face please give me a shout on facebook and we can sort something out. Miss you guys, and much love. x
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