Sorry for the delay

It has been a while since my last post. My apologies. I have tried. I started writing about English Camp. I began a post about Christmas. I even started a post about our friend's new puppy! But all of the posts are sitting in my drafts. I couldn't finish any of them. I'll be honest. This past week has been really hard. I cried for the first time since leaving the States, and I'm just sad.

Being in Thailand right now isn't that hard. With 95 degree weather and absolutely no hint of Christmas cheer, it was hard to believe that it is the end of December. But Christmas is still happening at home, and I'm not there. Erin was in the Nutcracker, and I missed it, yet again. But Erin wasn't only in the Nutcracker, she was Clara. And I missed it. I will have plenty more opportunities to see her dance, but it still hurts.

Garvey came home from school, so the whole family is together. I can hear the chatter in the kitchen while I am on the phone with my mom. Of course we will stand around the kitchen counter again, but I miss it. Thailand is lonely.

It is really hard to make relationships here. And it is even harder for women. The Thai men really shouldn't talk to us because men and women aren't friends here. The foreign men do talk to us, but they have to be careful. They often have Thai girlfriends and wives who get very, very jealous when they see us talking. The Thai women don't want to be friends with us because we are the competition for men. And foreign women? Koreana and I are the only ones. I'm finally realizing why that is the case. It is because life is so darn hard here. Thank goodness I have Koreana. I really don't know what I would do without her. But even with a built-in friend, life is still really hard for women. Living in the north, people are very conservative. We constantly have to watch our step. The city is small enough that we are always seen. And Thai people love to gossip. We always have to cover our shoulders and knees. If I am ever seen in a sleeveless shirt I am told, "not polite." Or, "ooohh, so sexy. Why you wear?" Note to self, just suck it up and sweat through the t-shirts. Our students see us everywhere. The parents see us even more often. We can't be seen in a bar. Women aren't supposed to drink here. For the men, it is expected and encouraged. But we have to be really careful. When we do go out, we have to be sure that it is a place where we won't be seen, and only with people that won't say a word of it. Even the people that are friendly with us, it is hard to be friends. The cultural differences are vast. And the language barrier is never helpful.

School is very challenging. For the time being, I dislike my job. My kids are wonderful, but my job is nearly impossible. My Thai teacher doesn't give me any support at all, and I come home feeling defeated every day. I go to school with a smile every day, but it is draining. I finally broke down with my teacher last week. I told her that without an assistant and more help with the students I can't do it anymore. English is definitely not her strong point, but when I started crying, I think she got the point. She said that I will have an assistant in the new year, so we shall see. Until then we have a field trip, my kids will learn the water cycle song, and maybe we will start identifying shapes. I just need to keep myself busy.

So, there it is. I cried. And I have cried quite a few times. I even did the one thing that my mom absolutely forbid me from doing. I called her and cried. In my defense, I wasn't crying when I dialed the number, I only started when she answered. I really do love living here. I think it is an amazing experience and I know that I am learning a lot. But sometimes it is hard to take that step back and realize it.

Oh wow, Koh Tao.

Koh Tao was our last stop and my favorite by far. It is the smallest of the islands and known for its scuba diving. You can be certified in a 4 day course for next to nothing. For the full certification, 4 days of training, multiple open dives, accommodation, and food, it costs less than $300! How crazy is that?! Welcome to Thailand. Sadly enough, we didn't leave ourselves enough time to take the course, but we were able to go snorkeling. But luckily, this means I have to go back to Koh Tao. I have decided that the opportunity is too great to pass up, and I must back to Koh Tao and be certified. Would anyone like to join me?

The island is very small, but absolutely wonderful. It is filled with a young crowd of divers and party goers. Everything on the island is located along one beach, and within walking distance. The streets were lined with delicious restaurants opening out over the water. At night the beaches are filled with fire twirlers and loud American music. The video at the bottom includes a few of our fire show experiences, and it is definitely worth watching.

While in Koh Tao Koreana and I had our first Thai massages. They were amazing. We were lying along the beach, listening to the waves breaking while being prodded and massaged for an hour. And it only cost $10! Thailand is pretty sweet.

There are also quite a few restaurants in the area that show movies in the early evenings. While having a beer our first night in town we watched the Hangover! If you haven't seen it, you must. I already bought my pirated copy, and after watching it three more times, it is still funny. One of the photos shows the Britney Spears music videos we were watching while waiting for our movie on the beach. Britney Spears on the most beautiful beach I have ever seen? Gosh, this must be heaven.

Our time on the island was wonderful, but I was ready to go home by the end. I wasn't ready for our trip home, however. While this trip didn't involve any neighbors throwing up or sleeping in airports, it did involve an interesting overnight ferry.

Koreana and I decided to take the overnight ferry from Koh Tao to Suratthani. From there we would take the mini bus to Phuket and the plane to Bangkok and then the bus to Khon Kaen. It all seemed simple enough. We had done the same exact trip on the way down, so this was going to be easy. And by taking the night ferry we would save a night at a hotel, so things were looking up... until we got to the ferry.

We each received a number when we checked in. It corresponded to our mattress. Well, I am using the term mattress loosely. The number corresponded with the sheet on the floor and the 14 inches of floor space we had on the boat. I felt like an illegal immigrant fleeing Koh Tao in hopes of finding a better life on the mainland. Oh my word. The pictures don't do the boat justice, but for the sake of my parents, or anyone that wanted me to survive the trip, I think that is a good thing.

About 30 hours later, we had made it home safely. Our entire trip was wonderful and filled with stories. My foot is still swollen, but my nose is covered with freckles, and I'm loving it!

To check out the video, go to this link.

You get a view like this for $9 a night?!

Koh Phangnan was the next stop on our island extravaganza. We were a few days late for the full moon party, but I was still feeling the effects of that night. The island is known for the party scene and, well, not much else. It has lots of beautiful beaches, but most are pretty isolated. Koreana and I chose to stay in one of the isolated resorts and experience the beauty of the island, not the full moon stragglers.

Our room cost a whopping $9 a night, but check out our view! Honestly, for the money we spent, I didn't expect any less. We stayed in a small bungalow atop a hill on the northeast part of the island. We enjoyed the views, the pool, the food, and the nearby beaches. We rented a motorbike for the day and explored the island. We ate homemade coconut ice cream, saw a few waterfalls, bought gas, and found many beaches.

Driving was wonderful. I will admit, I was nervous. To start, my foot wasn't in peak condition. On top of that, we only had one helmet between the two of us. Then there were a variety of other factors that made my heart race. For example, a lot of the roads weren't paved, and those that were, were covered in sand. No one in Thailand follows the rules of the road, or rather, there aren't rules on roads in Thailand. Oh, and I have never driven on the left. Mai pen rai! It was fabulous. For the first time since October 18, I had freedom. For the past 2 months I have depended upon friends, coworkers, songthaew drivers, bus drivers, tuk tuk drivers and taxi drivers to get me around. It was a breath of fresh air to drive the motorbike. The breath of fresh air did include the occassional bug in my mouth, but it was worth it.

Koh Samui

The island was beautiful. Our resort sat atop one of the hills of Koh Samui and had a 180 degree view of the bright blue ocean. We were within walking distance of the beach, and only a short ride in the back of the resort truck to the town of Lamai Beach.

We were able to see the most famous beaches of the island, Lamai and Chaweng, and few of the more hidden gems as well. This island was the largest of the three we went to, and it had a lot to offer. The second night we were in town Koreana and I went to the Lady Boy Cabaret. It was hard to believe that many of the performers were actually men. The talent was less than impressive, but the fact that many of the men were prettier than me, I was impressed by that alone. It was a real show, to say the least.

The next night on the island was the night of the full moon party. Full moon parties originally began on Koh Phangan, so I assumed we were out of luck. Zoe, one of the girls at the resort, told us that she would be going to the party. We were psyched to find out about the speed boats that shuttled people back and forth for the night of the full moon party. We booked the trip with 6 other people at the resort, and we were pumped. We were all picked up at around 9 pm and transferred to the beach on the north part of the island. We were told to wear our necklaces and informed of the schedule of return times. As we stood on the beach we saw a very large speed boat come close to shore and immediately fill with people. None of us were brave enough to push our way into the crowd, so we waited. About an hour and a half later, and 20 or so fireworks later, we were still waiting. As the boat approached, everyone just started making a mad dash. Everyone in my group was already up to their necks in the water and climbing into the boat! I knew I had to go. I definitely didn't want to be separated this early in the night, so I followed the crowd. I climbed onto the boat and stepped onto the cushion on the bench. The only problem was, the cushion wasn't totally on the bench. I went down. Hard. I stood up to avoid being trampled and made my way across the deck. I found a seat with the rest of the group I came with, and held my position. People were swarming the boat. They were coming from all directions. It was scary. Then I realized that wow, my foot hurt a lot. I looked down and saw that my knee was a little bloody from my spill. No big deal. I'm on the boat. Let's go.

We sat. And we sat. We waited as more and more people came aboard. I could hear people yelling in Thai and broken English, but I wasn't paying much attention. Wow, my foot really, really hurts! Yeah, that doesn't feel good. And, nope, I cant' totally move my toes. Okay, I'm overreacting. Let's go to Koh Phangan!

We continued to wait. Finally, we were able to figure out what was going on. A police officer, one of the first I have seen in this country, had come to the beach. He was not allowing the boat to leave until 10 people got off. He should have demanded 30 people, but no one moved. We sat for at least another 10 minutes. No one was moving. Then our group started to chat. There were 8 of us in total, and we could just get off and do our own thing. But before we went anywhere, the boys demanded we be refunded our money. They weren't happy about our demands, but eventually agreed. I stood up to get off the boat, and I knew I had a problem. My foot was in bad shape. I told Koreana I thought I broke it as I hobbled off the boat, into the water, and up the beach. She thought I was joking. I wasn't.

We were put in a songthaew and shuttled back to the resort. We made a stop to buy beers for our own full moon party and were genuinely happy about our decision to skip the boat. I was simply relieved to not have to walk anymore. All in all we had a great night. The people from our resort were awesome and we had a wonderful time over the next few days. I had a little bit of trouble with my foot, but it happens. I definitely hobbled and popped pain meds, but I made the best of it. And my parents, well, they had already dealt with a broken hand in Mexico, so they were seasoned pros when it came to another one of Meaghan's broken bones in a foreign land.

My foot is still swollen, and it still hurts, but I'll be fine. Some of my shoes are still too tight to wear, but I probably brought too many pairs anyway, and this just makes my decision easier in the morning. The foot didn't stop me from seeing the important things on the island, even though it probably should have. The last photos are of the famous Grandfather and Grandmother Rocks... I'll let you figure it out.

Oh, how I get to the places I go.

Traveling in Thailand is hard. Well, traveling is hard when you live 6 hours from Bangkok and you are traveling on a budget.

Our trip started late on a Saturday when we walked to the bus station. We decided to walk with our backpacks on to save a few pennies on a tuk tuk. We were also a little antsy, so we set off at around 10 pm. Our bus didn't leave until 11:30, and we had plenty of time. We sat in the bus station and were just stared at. The combination of white skin, books and real luggage, we were quite a sight. The strangest thing to see is that Thai people don't read. Ever. While sitting in their boring stall at the night market, on a plane, train, or in a bus, they never ever read. But there will most likely be a television at a ridiculous volume within earshot, so they are content. Koreana and I tried to read our books, but the piercing eyes burning into us and the screaming actors and actresses on the Thai soap opera made it a challenge.

We finally boarded the bus and we were on our way. The bus company that we take to and from Bangkok is actually quite nice. They feed us lots of food, give us at least 3 beverages, and have massaging seats. The six hour trip is usually pleasant. It is one part of the trip that I look forward too. Well, I look forward to it when I am dressed appropriately. And I forgot my socks on the way down, so it was painful. The air conditioning was on so high that I literally could not feel my toes. My teeth were chattering. Even with the blanket provided, my hoodie and my jeans, I was frozen. I have never been more relieved to step into the heat of Bangkok in my life.

And we were onto the next part of our journey. We had to get to the airport. But not the major airport, the domestic airport, Don Mueng. Yeah, we don't know how to pronounce it either. And that was definitely a challenge with the taxi driver. We both tried saying the name of the airport multiple different times, and finally Koreana succeeded. When the taxi driver finally said, "ahhhh, Don Mueng" it sounded exactly the way we had said it. Oh, the Thai language. We were at the airport by 6 am, so it was time for a nap. We put on our raincoats, socks with sandals and we sprawled out on the floor of the airport. We couldn't check in until 9:30, so we had some time to kill.

When we finally checked in everything went smoothly. We flew to Phuket on the hour long flight and ended up in paradise. The airport is literally on the Andaman Sea, and the runway alone was beautiful! We spent one night in Phuket, ate famous Muslim Pancakes, lounged on the beach and relaxed before heading east.

We set off early on Monday morning to get a bus to the east coast, Saratthani. The woman we bought our ticket from was ready to put us on a 9:30 am bus. Well the bus pulled up, and it was full. So she made a few more phone calls, and told us we would be on the 10:00 bus. And the bus pulled up, and it was full. So, she made a few more phone calls, and I began to sweat. I knew that the bus would take at least 4 hours, and that we would need to buy a ferry ticket once we arrived. We absolutely could not miss the last ferry. Finally the woman came back and told us we were guaranteed on the mini bus at 10:30. Okay, my heart rate became a little more normal.

When the mini bus arrived, we had seats. We had the two seats left in the very last row in the far left corner. There were four seats in total in the last row. There was a couple with a 2 year old in the other two seats. This was going to be interesting. The 2 year old climbed and kicked and whined. I thought things were bad. But things were about to get much worse. The woman sitting next to me started throwing up about 14 minutes into the trip. I have the worst gag reflex and she just started vomiting right there! I looked at Koreana, but luckily for her, she was sound asleep. I searched my purse for my ipod, I needed the noise immediately. I found it without too much of a struggle and I blasted it. The problem was, songs end. There is always a brief moment of silence. Enough silence for me to hear that the daughter was now throwing up too! Oh. My. Goodness.

I fell asleep after a long struggle and woke to everyone getting out of the bus. No, we weren't in Saratthani yet. We were just at a rest stop. But I was psyched. I couldn't get out of the bus fast enough. Koreana was behind me and was shocked to hear about my crazy throw up experience. Moments later, the happy little family walked by with their clear plastic bags filled with throw up. We couldn't help but laugh.

When we loaded up the bus again I was sure to put my headphones in immediately. The family had bought fruit during our stop, and I knew it couldn't be a good idea. This time around it took about 20 minutes before the throwing up started, and Koreana was asleep yet again. The little girl even threw up on her shirt and shoes, so they had a little wardrobe change right next to me. I was beside myself. I put on my Wait, Wait Don't Tell Me podcast, and tried to focus on Who's Carl This Time?

When we finally arrived in Saratthani we were quickly ushered from our minibus to a little travel agent down the street. I knew it couldn't be good, but we bought the tickets regardless. We needed to get onto the ferry. Sure enough, we were ripped off, but we had tickets. And by this point, it was all that mattered.

Our ferry ride was relatively uneventful, thank goodness. We made it to Koh Samui in about 2 hours and were picked up by the resort. It was a pleasant ending to a very long and crazy journey.