I awoke this early December morning with a gentle, cool breeze blowing through my windows and the sound of roosters and wind chimes…as well as the blaring noise of Thai music being provided by this rural community’s public announcement system! Even if you wanted to sleep past 6AM, in rural Thailand, that would be practically impossible due to the noise!
In early December, only a week after the full-moon festival of Loy Krathong, I am now living on the banks of the Chao Pray River, about 3 hours north of Bangkok in a small province known as “Chai Nat”. Although by looking at the name you would suspect the “Nat” was pronounced like the little insect, it is fact pronounced “naaa” by the locals, so it sounds almost like “China”, which always makes for further explanation when folks ask where you are from and where you work.
Out my window the sun is starting to rise over the eastern banks of the southerly flowing river. Two ferries, one larger and capable of cars and trucks, the other, just large enough for passengers and motorbikes, endlessly ply their way back and forth across the swift flowing river.
After watching them day in and day out from my second story window, they seem to be perpetually ferrying passengers and students between their shores, for on my shore is the large rural schools of Sapphaya Witthaya High School and its' smaller secondary School.
It is because of these schools that I am now living here on the banks of the Chao Praya River, experiencing the pace and culture of yet another Thai province. Although rural aptly describes the region, poor does not due mainly to its substantial control over the water flow and use of one of Thailand’s most important rivers, the Chao Praya. Flowing south, through one of Thailand's smaller provinces, Chai Nat, it eventually reaches Bangkok the capital where it empties into the waters of the Gulf of Thailand.
Intimately tied to Thailand’s heritage and present day culture, the Chao Praya River is celebrated and blessed often through numerous festivals and celebrations.
One of these cultural legacies is the the Loy Krathong Festival which is held on the last full-moon of the 12th lunar month (November) and symbolizes Thailand’s connection to its spiritual soul as well as its heartbeat, water.
For in most of Thailand it is agriculture that sustains the people and contributes to the economic might of the country. Here in Chai Nat and the surrounding provinces, it is extremely evident that water is the key to their livelihood as extensive canal and dam systems crisscross the countryside with countless pumps pulling water from these irrigation systems, watering the rice paddies, fields and orchards seemingly around the clock.
In this particular province which is lacking in the typical tourist attractions that attract visitors, you see signs that promote “Agricultural Tourism” as well as numerous other signs pointing people to dams and lakes. I guess you try to promote what you can promote as tourism is a mainstay of Thailand’s economy as well.
The first couple of weeks
My first couple of weeks in the area and at the school was an endeavor to establish just what were the expectations of those involved, as I was the first native speaking English teacher to ever have worked on the staff or at the school. Although accommodations had been promised in the contract, when I arrived at the start of school, none were readily available.
Actually not totally unexpected as I have been in and out of Thailand many times and knowing Thais a bit, suspected they might want to evaluate the teachers they were getting before providing the housing. This however left me and my fellow Pilipino teacher staying as guests of Chai Nat's Lord District Major for much longer than the 2-3 days we were initially told would be the time.
Although I felt we were intruding, everyone did everything possible to make us as comfortable as possible and make us feel at home. In the mornings there was always hot water and coffee available, bread and jam, cookies and snacks. We never left for school in the mornings wanting or needing for anything.
In the evenings we came back a couple of times and the pile of dirty clothes that I had placed in the corner of the room was now washed, ironed and hanging on the window to my upstairs room. On several occasions I was taken out for dinner and beers to one of the local highway side restaurants also doubling as an evening Karaoke club with a huge, gaudy Karaoke juke box that you put Thai coins into. I was obviously a long way from Bangkok and the nightlife of Nana or Soi Cowboy!
One of the secrets to surviving, teaching and living in Thailand is to remember things move on “Thai time” as I call it. I really don’t think things move as slow as they appear, it is just that people involved in processes that need to be put in motion want to see just how important what they are asked to do really is.
In the old days, and maybe a little less frequently today, that always translated into money to move things on. In our particular case, compared to previous experiences of mine, things moved along very quickly and efficiently although maybe by standards defined by someone coming from Los Angeles or London, quite slow. I guess it is all relative.
One example however of things moving extraordinary fast (by Thai telecommunications standards) was my ability to get a phone line installed into the house for use with the Internet. My experience goes back many years in Thailand and getting a phone line has always been an almost insurmountable hurdle and wait. I did notice in the past however that money placed in the right pocket did seem to speed things up considerably...
That however did not happen this time and an active phone line was working on December 27th, less than 6 weeks (compared to 2 years normally) from when we had moved into the Sapphaya Witthaya High School provided housing. Someone definitely was looking after us!
A Typical Day
Noise….and lots of it! That single word probably best describes a typical Thai high school or even small rural community. Even before sun up, speakers are blaring with the news and commentary of the day across the community’s loud speaker system, followed by the national anthem, more noise and eventually on school grounds, loud and blaring school announcements. It seems never ending and at times, difficult if not impossible to teach (or think...).
Sapphaya Witthaya High School is probably as typical as one high school can be but probably a bit smaller than most you would find around the urban landscape of Bangkok. (...or even in Chai Nat province as the Khuruprachasan School has 1,600 students!) With a student population of around 800 students, it is more intimate and maybe a bit more controllable than the larger student bodies and for the most part, a high degree of respect exists between the students, teachers and staff.
Days really start at 8AM with the assembly, national anthem and prayer. All gates into the school get locked except for the front entrance. This is promptly followed by announcements and the march to classes. Sapphaya's high school has a small band and they make this process a bit livelier with their renditions of the national anthem and march music. Classes commence at 08:30. Through the day there are 8-9 periods with each period being about 50 minutes (give or take…).
Lunch starts promptly at noon and lasts until 12:45. Once again, noise prevails throughout the entire period with music and announcements. Unfortunately, my desk is on the second floor, right next to the speaker for that part of the school grounds. Although I don't know the exact decibel level to say it is loud is an understatement…
Another interesting phenomenon occurring this year throughout Thai schools is students wearing fake braces. Having had to wear real ones for years as a young boy, it defies my ability to understand why anyone would want to wear these things everyday as a status symbol. But even here in Sapphaya, far away from the urban sprawl of Bangkok, it isn't unusual to look at student and discover they are now wearing braces.
Thai's also like things 'pretty'. This is at all levels of society and uniforms can be found everywhere. Some days, usually on Mondays, teachers wear their uniforms with all their ribbons depicting their various awards and tenure. Athletic uniforms are seen on some days, as well as Boy Scout, Girl Guides (Scouts), Red Cross and Army uniforms. No lack of uniforms in a Thai school or in Thailand for that matter!
Looking 'pretty' is also something that can be noticed in the classroom as students, both male and female, are constantly preening themselves in class. Combing their hair, putting on makeup (both boys and girls!) or just looking at themselves in a mirror, all part of Thai culture.
Teaching Expectations
Most probably a native English speaking teacher in a Thai high school is not being hired to teach grammar as there will most probably be staff there to do that already. What will be expected however is you to teach them “conversational and listening” skills. Sounds simple enough, but there are several huge hurdles that must be overcome if this goal is possible.
Although these hurdles are equally ranked on the difficulty scale (in my opinion) , the first hurdle to overcome is most probably the size of the class. In most places each class is going to have at least 4-5 times what would be considered acceptable for teaching English conversation and as is typical of most high schools, my classes had in excess of 30 students ranging up to over 40.
A second huge hurdle to overcome is there is no consistent level of language learning from the various level of classes.
You might think that all third year high school classes would be at reasonably similar levels of English comprehension, but you will find that this is not the case with a teacher being forced to repeat “ABCs” along with “cat” and “dog” in a 3rd year high school class.
A third hurdle is that as the students get older, as is typical almost everywhere in the world, they become harder to control. With over 40 students however and no assistant teachers along with changing disciplinary rules in Thailand, sometimes a nearly impossible situation to teach to those in class who actually want to learn.
This however was a limited problem for me at Sapphaya Witthaya High School as time went on, as I suspect it was the students testing
me in the beginning, but firmness seemed to win the day.
The new learning lab being inspected by senior school officials and teachers.
I also noticed many of these problems disappeared when we moved into the new Learning Lab and each students was segregated from the others by their own cubicle and headset.
Some actually want to learn and this allows them not to be distracted from the others who don't...
On another level is the noise and distractions. It and they are everywhere! Inside the school and outside, in the morning, during the day, at lunch and into the evening. No way around it, you just have to work through it as it will never change. Maybe that explains why it is always dead silent on public buses wherever you travel around Thailand as people need some peace and quiet sometimes!
This however was a limited problem for me at Sapphaya Witthaya High School as time went on, as I suspect it was the students testing
me in the beginning, but firmness seemed to win the day.
I also noticed many of these problems disappeared when we moved into the new Learning Lab and each students was segregated from the others by their own cubicle and headset.
Some actually want to learn and this allows them not to be distracted from the others who don't...
Visa, Recruiters and Schools (The thorn in the thicket or your side!)
First rule of order in signing a contract to teach in Thailand will be questions concerning who pays for and when will you obtain your visa and work permit. No matter what you are told or what it says on the paper, the reality it going to be different than what you are “lead” to believe. Always has been and always will be and actually getting worse due to the current government's insistence on the need for only "rich" farangs (foreigners) in Thailand. Unfortunately, I am not nor have I met many rich teachers...
Another interesting phenomenon occurring this year throughout Thai schools is students wearing fake braces. Having had to wear real ones for years as a young boy, it defies my ability to understand why anyone would want to wear these things everyday as a status symbol. But even here in Sapphaya, far away from the urban sprawl of Bangkok, it isn't unusual to look at student and discover they are now wearing braces.
Thai's also like things 'pretty'. This is at all levels of society and uniforms can be found everywhere. Some days, usually on Mondays, teachers wear their uniforms with all their ribbons depicting their various awards and tenure. Athletic uniforms are seen on some days, as well as Boy Scout, Girl Guides (Scouts), Red Cross and Army uniforms. No lack of uniforms in a Thai school or in Thailand for that matter!
Looking 'pretty' is also something that can be noticed in the classroom as students, both male and female, are constantly preening themselves in class. Combing their hair, putting on makeup (both boys and girls!) or just looking at themselves in a mirror, all part of Thai culture.
Visa, Recruiters and Schools (The thorn in the thicket or your side!)
First rule of order in signing a contract to teach in Thailand will be questions concerning who pays for and when will you obtain your visa and work permit. No matter what you are told or what it says on the paper, the reality it going to be different than what you are “lead” to believe. Always has been and always will be and actually getting worse due to the current government's insistence on the need for only "rich" farangs (foreigners) in Thailand. Unfortunately, I am not nor have I met many rich teachers...
The reality is you will need to obtain the multiple-entry business visa required to get a work permit and commence work legally in Thailand. Same applies in Cambodia as well as most other countries around the world. In Cambodia it is a cake walk to get the visa from a motorcycle shop in downtown Phnom Penh. In Thailand, it is not as easy... or cheap.
The required visa is difficult to obtain within the region. It is far easier to enter the Kingdom from Europe or North America with a stamp already in your passport. This however is nearly impossible because if you read the visa requirements from the embassy web sites, you must obtain a letter first from the employing school (as in Korea). As most jobs aren’t even known about until after you arrive in Thailand, this becomes an impractically, and sets up a process within Thailand of a huge community of 'illegal' teachers.
After all these years here however, I suspect the government in fact wants it this way, thus keeping wages low for the foreign worker/teacher.
In reality, what really happens during the “first phase” of your employment, no matter where you work, is you make “visa runs” every 30 days across the neighboring borders with Thailand, with the Cambodian border at Poi Pet the border post of choice for most.
Depending on what region you are from and what nationally you are, the price can range from 400 baht to 1,500 baht for a one month tourist visa. As we Americans are obviously so rich and famous, our visa fees are the naturally the highest at 1,000 Baht.
Getting around Thailand and back to Bangkok
Even with the rural location of the province, as in most of Thailand, getting around with public or private transportation is easy and cheap. Sapphaya and Chai Nat are no exceptions with buses running to Bangkok's Eastern Bus Terminal frequent and inexpensive at 110 Baht a trip.
The trip will take around 3 hours depending on the time of day and Bangkok traffic but is always comfortable and efficient, dropping off at the transportation hub of Thailand; Bangkok's
Mor Chit/Chatachutack/Eastern/Central Bus Terminal, a monster of a terminal if there ever was one.
40 Baht and a motorcycle taxi will take you to the other Bangkok transportation interconnection points at Mor Chit where you can catch the subway and skytrain, all 5 minutes away from the bus terminal.
A private motorcycle is an option and not too expensive with brand new Thai made 110 cc Tigers going for as little as 24,000 Baht ($600). A new Honda (I recommend) is around $1,100 US.
Christmas in Sapphaya
On Monday the 14th I noticed that "Jingle Bells" seemed to be emanating from the classrooms all around me. Posters started to appear with Christmas themes and for all intents and purposes, you almost felt like is was an non-Buddhist country ....until you get asked to teach an English camp on Friday the 24th (Christmas eve) and on Saturday the 25th, Christmas Day!
Things at the two schools definitely "wind down" after Constitution Day on the 10th of December. There seems to be a predomination of sporting events and competitions that start to take place with many classes missing most of their students or no classes at all. Both the secondary and high school have numerous sport days of some sort but it is the high school's "Olympics" just before the New Year break that is filled with the most pageantry.
December Holidays
King’s Birthday – December 5th
The King’s birthday in Thailand is a significant holiday and one which everyone prepares for and celebrates. It would be impossible to find a public institution or office that does not have a special podium prepared with a large photograph/painting of the king with the royal logos. Thai and royal family flags fly everywhere and it seems at times as you travel amongst the countryside during this time that everyone is trying to outdo the other in who can prepare the largest and most ornate tributes to the King.
Constitution Day – December 10th
A holiday celebrated by Thais with public institutions being closed.
Christmas Day – December 25th
Not a Thai holiday but there is a de-facto recognition of its cultural and commercial importance to foreigners, although you will be expected to work on these days if they are during weekdays.
New Year's Holiday - December 31st
Although the official holiday is from the 31st until the 3rd of January, the last week of the year is pretty loose with Wednesday and Thursday reserved for sports with no formal classes being held.
Thailand and Public Bank Holidays for 2005
January 3 – Monday
New Year’s Day (Substitution)
January 14 - Friday
Children's Day - No classes at Sapphaya Witthaya Elementary School
January 17/18 - Monday and Tuesday
Exam Days - No classes at Sapphaya Witthaya High School but teachers at school.
February 23 – Wednesday
Makha Bucha Day
April 6 – Wednesday
Chakri Day
April 13 – Wednesday
Songkran Day
April 14 – Thursday
Songkran Day
April 15 – Friday
Songkran Day
May 2 – Monday
National Labor Day (Substitution)
May 5 – Thursday
Coronation Day
May 23 – Monday
Wisakha Bucha Day
July 1 – Friday
Mid Year Close
July 22 – Friday
Buddhist Lent Day
August 12 – Friday
H.M. The Queen’s Birthday
October 24 – Monday
Chulalongkorn Day (Substitution)
December 5 – Monday
H.M. the King’s Birthday
December 12 – Monday
Constitution Day
Cost of Living in Sapphaya
Compared to living in cities such as Bangkok or even Pattaya, practically non-existent as there is nothing to do or spend your money on! The school has a “cantina” or “cantine” which provides decent food from various food stalls for 10 baht or less (.25 USD). Pepsi from the vendor at school is only 5 Baht. Food outside of school, as everywhere in Thailand that caters to locals instead of foreigners is inexpensive as well.
Housing is normally provide on most teaching contracts but I have found once outside Bangkok decent accommodations can be had for 3,000 baht with accommodations in Bangkok around 6,000 to 10,000 for basic rooms with western style amenities such as hot water and cable TV. My electric bill for the 1st month was only 175 baht or about $1.00 a week. Pretty reasonable I would say.
Finding a decent place to live in Thailand is cheap no matter where you go. Personally, anyone spending over 10,000 baht on Thai housing as a teacher is excessive, particularly in light of the fact that teaching wages in the kingdom for native English speakers is usually around 30,000 baht per month.
Yes, there are numerous jobs in Bangkok in the 400-500 baht per hour range and yes, that means you can earn 10,000 baht a week or $1,000 a month, but it would be highly unlikely those type of positions will be providing housing, which almost wipes out the difference if you add transportation costs to and from the school and home. For me I literally have a one minute walk to the school grounds and the housing is part of the contract. There is however a radical difference in your 'social activities' between rural and urban living!
Housing and Accommodations
Accommodations can become an issue if you are expecting anything more than "camping". Thai housing at best is primitive by western standards with little to no amenities or comforts other than 4 walls, a roof and a place that serves as a bathroom.
In my particular situation in Sapphaya, the house was large and spacious although filthy dirty when we moved in. The water line from a previous flood was clearly marked 3 feet above the floor on the walls as well as all the downstairs windows.
It took nearly a day to get the bathroom into a state that was reasonably sanitary and clean and something other than an animal would use. Even after this, it left us with a room with a Thai style toilet in which you flush it with a pan of water, a short hose serving as a shower, no hot water, no basin to serve as a sink for shaving or washing and unfortunately no screens to hold back the constant swarm of mosquitoes.
It seems the first 5 minutes of every morning before I attempt a shower is to 'water my mosquitoes'. Most people water plants, I spray swarms of mosquitoes in the morning!
I guess it was expected of us to to provide "comfort" items such as a sink, hot water and screens but we managed to hold off on these creature comforts during the term of the contract.
We had been promised paint for the interior but unfortunately it never showed up as did the used motorcycle which was also promised. We did manage to get a table for the room downstairs where we ate although there was nothing ever provided to cook on.
As in the bathroom, there was no sink facilities as well which meant we were always washing our utensils, cups and dishes in the large water storage basin for the toilet. Not exactly an ideal sanitary situation but one which was workable. As stated earlier, very close to camping conditions except we were living in four solid walls instead of canvas. Thanks god I grew up on a farm in rural Kentucky is all I can say!
Other thoughts and observations
Although living in the teacher "compound" was extremely convenient, that is about where the convenience ends as there are no ATMs, Internet, bars, restaurants or stores that have "western style" provisions in them in Sapphaya. To find an ATM or western style items you really need to head for Chai Nat 17 kilometers away and like with most, shop at that city's Tesco/Lotus Department Store.
It you are a TV addict, you got a problem in this part of Thailand unless you want to fork over the cash for a satellite link. Cable hasn't made it to this part of rural Thailand and probably never will as people are just to spread out.
Without any night time entertainment to speak of, and what little there is shutting down around 9PM, you might want to make sure you have a computer to use with a DVD drive where you can at least watch movies purchased from Bangkok. Computer games can also keep you entertained for hours, and if you are fortunate to get that all important phone line, the Internet!
Disaster in December
While teaching in Sapphaya in late December 2004 just before the New Year's break, a horrible tragedy struck both the country and the region in the guise of a magnitude 9.0 earthquake followed by a 7 meter high tsunami which struck the Andaman Sea coast of Thailand. Over 170,000 people were left dead in the tragedy.
Although the death toll was significantly lower in Thailand than surrounding nations such as Indonesia, the 10,000 dead and missing were the worse disaster ever experienced by Thais in recent times.
It was interesting to note their reactions to the tragedy and its aftermath. As is typical here, many things which are not understood are treated with smiles and laughter, which might seem to the uninformed very rude and possibly cold. This however is not the case as Thais use smiles and even laughter to mask their true feelings, including pain and anguish.
Photos Comments (Photos to be added)
* You might notice the brownish stripe about 3 feet high around the bottom of the house which is the residue left over from flood waters two years ago. The same ring can be found on the interior's downstairs walls as well. Must have been one heck of a flood as I am at least 100 meters from the water and many feet higher.
* My bedroom on the second floor. The mattress, some plastic drawers, a desk, a new fan and a chair were provided as furniture.
* Mr. "Lim" , the District Lord Major of Chai Nat Province, our very gracious host while we were awaiting accommodations to be provided by the school.
* The morning assembly at Sapphaya Witthaya High School in Chai Nat Province.
* At my desk in the old English Department before moving into our new Learning Lab.
* The new learning lab being inspected by senior school officials and teachers.
* This line to get a Cambodian entry stamp was 1 hour and 40 minutes on 10 December 2004. You of course can bypass the line and go straight to the front for 300 baht, or as you move forward 45 minutes later, 200 Baht!
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