It's raining, it's pouring....

 

 We are in monsoon season and it has blessed us with some crazy storms.  They are mostly at night (I woke up to bright flashes of light in my room last night) and the thunder can rock the house.  I took this video from my bedroom window.  It is dark at first, but watch for the lightning.  During that storm, we think a rod hit our house.  It blew a fuze and we went without power in part of the house for the weekend.

Rockin' and Rollin'

There was another holiday, so we got Friday off. This meant another three day weekend to explore Thailand. We went with a group to another beach town, Pattaya. Pattaya is not known for being very family friendly (big sex tourism spot), but it is the home of The Hard Rock Hotel. To say the least...we didn't venture too far from there.

The Hard Rock was an awesome family resort and reminded me of a cross between Vegas and an all inclusive Mexican resort. We really enjoyed the pool, the rooms and buffet. The whole place was designed with families and children in mind. It had a kids club, foam party on Saturday night and water slides into a sandy pool (and a swim up bar for adults). I hope to go back again some time. Pattaya is only over an hours drive from Bangkok, so maybe just for the day. You can pay just for a day's pass to the pool:).

Foam Party!  In and out, in and out...
I think the foam was made from dish soap.  I may try to make this at home.  Foam block party.

The kids went crazy once the foam started.  Amelia was unsure at first, but LOVED it once she jumped in.  Liam just shock his head "no".

It was above her head on some parts.

At the beach across the street from the hotel.  The surf was a little choppy, so no swimming in the ocean this trip.

Wade joined in the party fun too.

The pool.

Kid area and slides.

Wade got Liam in for a little bit.  When not in the pool, we were being followed again by paparazzi.  Our friends said we need to create a price list sign>>> picture with mom holding him = 1 beer.  Picture with just him = mixed drink. Picture with a smile = mixed drink and beer for dad.

They roosted this pig all day Saturday for the dinner.  Amelia said she was not going to eat it.  There she goes again trying to be a vegetarian.  However, once I bribed her with the dessert bar that pork went down.

Both kids cried when we had to leave.....

A little culture

There is no doubting that my children and I will not be getting exposed to different cultures and perspectives while on this little adventure of ours.  This weekend was proof.

To be able to teach in Thailand, I have to take 20hrs of Thai Culture and History for my Thai certificate.  Saturday, I finished the course.  It was long, but fun.  We learned some language, art, leisure, history and so much more.

Learning some Thai moves in Thai pants.  Like the Hula, Thai dances have steps that symbolize words or feelings.  I am sending my love to you all here. 

Liam made a new friend.  He thought he owned the place, walking around a greeting

 everyone.

Sunday, we were all invited to go to a dance competition by our nanny and her friends.  We packed up the kids, caught a taxi and learned a lot about Goma's culture and community.  We were greeted with open arms and treated like royalty. We had always thought that Goma was Burmese.  This is true, to a point.  Her family was brought to Burma from Nepal (think Mt. Everest) by the British to help fight a war.  They were then brought to Bangkok, where they have been for years.  After the war, they were given the option to go home or stay.  She and others stayed.  While at the competition, there was a film crew there.  I guess there is a documentary being made of the community and thier history.  Wade and I look forward to watching it some day and learning more. 

Your name is...what?

When starting the process of moving to Thailand, I started to realize that the names I see in the email addresses and the names left as signatures are not always the same. This is because in Thailand people go by their nickname rather than their given name.

The Thai given name is often patterned with the family name like the in USA. However, these names are often long and can change frequently (let's say a spirit tells you to change it. So you do). Therefore, an easier nickname is given to a person by their parents, holy person or other persons of importance. These names are the preferred name of Thais and it is what you use when addressing them.

Nicknames can come from many sources. For example, I know of someone named Ten. When asked why, he said it was because it took his parents 10 years to conceive. The owners of Chang beer (Chang means elephant) named their boys Jumbo, Little, and the English word Elephant. There are also names that fit individual personalities very well. Like the one who was naming the baby knew their personality already. For example, I know of a little girl named Mild, who truly is very mild.

There are times that I hear a name and I have to keep myself from reacting. To be honest I am getting used to hearing some very odd things. I also have to tell Amelia that I am not using potty talk because it is a name.

Here are a couple examples of names I have heard....

Thank You, Gumball, Internet (Wade's favorite), Plankton, Dragon, Force and Fame (twins), Poopy, Birdie, Golf, Great, Mighty, Look, and so many more.

Don't worry, we are still going with our given name and haven't acquired any nicknames (yet). If Amelia got to pick I know she would want to be called Princess and Liam would end up as Mister or Pinky (what Amelia calls him already at times).

Mister Pinky and Princess

Perspective

When we get back to the states this summer, my children, mainly Amelia, are going to have a very different perspective then other children. It has been funny hearing Amelia talk about her new reality. Here are a couple examples...

- She understands that English is a language and Thai is another language. One morning this week, she wanted to know if I knew Thai and why we speak English. I told her it was because it is the language that is spoken where we were born and lived. She understood.

- Picking Amelia up from school one day, her teacher told me how Amelia had told the whole class that her mommy looks different. I later asked her how I was different. She said it was because I have blue eyes.

- My kids have been taught not to touch any animals that are not house pets. Ask Amelia why and she would say they are dirty and give you worms. She did say her dog Tracker was alright to pet. You also run away from snakes, dinosaurs (monitor giant lizards) and you kill ants.

- Speaking of ants...you only eat at the dining table. If you eat anywhere else, ants will come and try to steal the crumbs.

- Whenever you go into a new room you have to close the door behind you. If you don't, air will escape (cold, air conditioned air).

- Amelia thinks....when you do number two in the toilet, you do not wipe.  Instead, you wash yourself clean with the little hose/spray next to the toilet. 

.....I am sure there will be more to come.

Swim Team

Everyday after school there are classes offered as part of the school's extended day program. The classes are 1-2 hours after school and offered Mon - Fri. Due to safety and her love of water, we went with swim team (lessons) on Mon and Thurs. She is in the tadpole division along with three of her friends. The best part...it cost us about $45US for 4 months of swim lessons 2x a week. She is already starting to develop good skills.

Fridays we are looking at a hip hop/jazz dance class. Stay tuned.

Everyone needs a Goma!

Goma and Liam at school.  There us a daycare building where they can hang with other nannies and kids.

I have decided that Thailand knows how to treat a teacher.  The profession is as respected as a doctor would be in the states.   Parents and students take everything you say as gold, you are supported financially money and time for professional developments and you are paid a great salary according to Thai standards, which allows you to live an upper-class lifestyle.

Part of this lifestyle is everyone has a nanny/maid.  Ours is Goma.  She has been working for us (five days a week) for a couple weeks now and I am not sure how I ever lived with out someone like her.  She keeps my house sparkling, she does my laundry (Irons, including my underwear), she takes care of Liam during the day, she shops for me when I leave a list and she cooks awesome meals.  All this leaves me time to play with my kids, relax after school and do my own schoolwork come next week.  

I am happy, kids are happy, Wade is happy.....and I think Goma is happy because she sings all day long :).