Sooo a lot has happened since my last post.  I am now living next door to the Thai teachers I was originally living with (Soh and Pon).  Angun, a 23 year old teacher from China, moved in with the Thai teacher, and while I do love spooning in twin size beds with people who I don't know, my school decided that perhaps the house was getting crowded. So, they rented the house next door and I moved in their with a new teacher from Burma.  Living here has been perfect... I have my own room (aka have more privacy) and can come and go as I please without people asking where I'd been and what I had been doing.  And more importantly, it means that I still get to live next to my Thai friends and in a Thai neighborhood which is pretty wonderful.  

Soh and Pi-Pooh left Deebuk Phangnga to become civil servant teachers (higher up) at primary schools in Phangnga.  It was a total bummer because they were two of my best friends, but Soh still lives next door to me, so that is great.  Here is a view from my front door... I live at the base of this amazing limestone cliff.

And in more exciting news, I got a motorcycle! My first paycheck (like the first ever in my life...) was 9200 baht, and I spent 8500 on the bike and the remaining 700 baht on a sick "TIGER" helmet to go with it.  I'm basically a 16 year old boy.  Anyway, I've decided to name him Herman because well, I like to believe that if I was named Herman, I'd probably be sporting a rusty tailpipe, basket, and bright purple seat too.  He and I have made excursions all over southern Thailand (Bangsak, Phuket, Krabi, etc.)  So while my prospective love interests in Phangnga town are basically non-existent (aka all old men), I can honestly say that my life here wouldn't be the same without good old Herman.

Teaching so far has been a roller coaster, but as I get further and further into the year and I am starting to know the students and understanding what things they respond to, I am having a great time.  I think the key for me is getting to know the students well, and finding students that care enough to listen and study.  Once they give me that, then I'm able to create lessons that are both fun and productive.  These guys (below) are my favorite class because they are all actually interested in English, and I get to teach them for 3 hours a week.  So I have a ton of fun with them. 

These kids (above) are a lot of fun too.  I took these pictures on 'History Day' where classes were canceled and the students cooked food and sold it to the teachers.  Mmmm fried/shredded pork with sticky rice. My favorite... [oh yea, I could write a whole post about this, but I'll spare you... they eat a lot of meat and seafood here so I've had to eat meat.  I do pretty well with chicken or shrimp, but have managed to also eat frog, grub, a pig lung, a cicada, and all of the normal kinds of meat].

Anyway, it's pretty crazy because this is the last week of classes before exams and the semester break.  I finally feel like I'm getting a better handle on things, but my teaching time is almost halfway over!  I'm planning on traveling all over southeast Asia during the break.

Here are a few more pictures of my adventures thus far:

Hanging out in a tree with my friend Tam

Sunset at a cove in Phuket

Sa na manora, waterfall and swimming hole in town

A weekend at a beach in Phuket

Sawaatdii Kha!

Thailand is HOT. Hot, but awesome! I am living in Phang Nga (pronounced Pung-Nah) town, in Phang Nga province.  Phang Nga town is pretty small and has very few westerners.  The town is surrounded in beautiful mountains, and with a little exploration I've stumbled across some incredible caves.

I arrived in Phang Nga on June 4, 2010, and there was a mix-up with the apartment I was supposed to live in, so I am staying with two Thai teachers [one who teaches English (Sah) and one who teaches Chinese (Pon)] from Deebuk.  They have been pretty incredible and gave me my own room, make sure that I am always fed and learn the name of some of the dishes I am eating, take me everywhere on their motorbikes, and are teaching me Thai.  After I got over my jet-lag, I hung out for a few days and started my job two weeks ago.

I am teaching at Deebuk Phangnga Wittayayon school, and it has been quite the experience already. The students are extremely respectful of teachers, and that has been really amazing; yesterday was teacher appreciation day and each of the 2000 students brought flowers to give to us teachers during a ceremony.  In class they are a little rowdier, and some like to push the limits to see what I will let them get away with, but I think as they get to know me better they are starting to understand what I am saying, and are starting to listen better.  For the most part, they do really want to learn English and value me being here to teach them, which is awesome. 

I spent the first week in Phang Nga alone, and then the other Princeton in Asia fellow, Steve showed up.  We've had a good time hitting up the local markets/stands/restaurants and are going to explore the mountains and caves of Phang Nga more once I get my motorbike. 

Last weekend we went on our first 'adventure' to Phang Nga Bay. All of these pictures are from different islands on the bay.  The picture of me in front of James Bond Island. They filmed part of "The Man With the Golden Gun" here, hence the name. One is of art work in a cave on an island that is believed to be 3,000-5,000 years old [daddy we also saw a TON of stalactites, which I know you love].  On our boat ride to these islands we saw some sketchy snakes and rode on sea canoes under cave openings that weren't taller than 2 or 3 feet high (we had to lay down completely flat as we pushed through).  It was sick.