Info.

I got a Thai cell phone:

011 -66 - 08 1454 0406

011 is Canada's exit code, 66 is Thailand's country code and the rest is my number

and a skype account:

greg.tyros

I'm 12 hours in the future so if you want some advice for Proline dial me up...haha

Caneball and Mushrooms.

So one of the teachers at the school has partnered with local NGO's and got the students building a mushroom house beside the school where they can grow mushrooms and sell them to the local community. He teaches business and this is the perfect project for the students to apply their knowledge. Yesterday the students were leveling the ground and moving rocks and logs that were in the way using 1 broken shovel and 2 Hoes. These kids are tough. They made a fire to burn off the trees and plants they cut down. They started the fire with: a sandal they found while digging (the logical choice, obviously).

Because the mushroom farm is going beside the school we had to relocate the caneball court across the street. This required moving garbage, rocks and heaps of plants. The court had piles of ash scattered on it where wood had been burned before, but the students didn't see this as an issue and put me in a position where I wouldn't have to play in the ash. Overall I think this court is better than the other one because the kids aren't playing barefoot on top of sharp rocks and sticks...just ash...

I started teaching full time yesterday, played lots of name games and found out more about some of the student's stories. Not having seen parents for a number of years and not knowing if they are safe was an all too common theme.

Today, Greg's Comprehensive Math Assessment Test (the GCMAT) to see where these kids are at with their math (and english) skills.

Pictures to come soon.

taught Burmese street kids squirt tonight....

5 Reasons Why I Think I Might Actually be Burmese

1. A passion to the core for Soccer. Seriously any mention of football and these kids are stoked. We play in the street, a haggard field which isn't even close to being level and has tons of roots or and in a dust bowl (which they consider the best place...)

2. 5' 5" - average male height...what's up now?

3. Love of education. Both the guys and girls are eager to learn and look for opportunities to absorb as much as possible, it makes me question if they really need a teacher...

4. Dark skin, dark hair, dark eyes. After a little more time in the sun I might be able to pull off being a local if I wear some shades.

5. Big smiles. I'm still blown away by most of the student's attitudes, genuine love of life and their time at the school. Puts a lot in perspective...and makes me smile even more.

The Dynamic Balance.

The school is taught completely by volunteer teachers, which means that as new teachers come, others leave. Today we had a lunch and farewell for teachers heading home. If there was one word to describe the school's atmosphere I would say it's "personal". The students organized speeches, gifts and sang songs for the teachers heading out. The room was full of tears and emotion. I found myself welling up and I have only been there for 5 days...very manly. The genuine thankfulness is something I can't describe.

Big Eyes.

Mae Sot day 3. It has been an overwhelming 3 days - new names, new faces, new culture. I think the best way to describe my experience is to walk through an average day so far.

6:00am - Even though my alarm is set for 7, the rooster crows at 6 which causes all the birds living in the tree outside my guesthouse to start their morning....and I'm up.

7:30am - I head to the school on my bike (with a basket...yeah, that's right.) through the crazy traffic (on the left side of the road). There are bikes (seating 4), cars (seating 8), trucks (holding 40+ people, chickens, building supplies...) all in a 2 lane street where there can be up to 4 lanes of organized chaos. I arrive at the school to get some unreal breakfast. So far it's been samosas and coconut rice...way better then anything Kellog's has to offer.

8:00am - I will be teaching math and English so this week I have been gathering curriculum, resources and shadowing the teachers that I will be replacing. The students are great, they actually want to learn...weird. I've never encountered anything like this before. They are eager to share and dialog about most anything. I start teaching full time on Monday, which is really exciting. I think we are going to start with A LOT of SFS games to try and learn their names. Most student's names are 3-4 separate words...no short forms. Good thing I'm great at learning names...During the middle of the day it is crazy hot so things are very chill.

4:00pm - school is done for the day...and by 5 it's cooled down enough to get outside and play some sports. The students cleared a field to play caneball (also called Tawkraw) which is Thailand's national sport. It is intense. It's basically the same rules as volleyball but only using the parts of your body that you can use for soccer. We play 3 on 3 with a wicker ball. The kids are crazy good...My goal is to be able to compete with these showoffs.

6:00pm - If I am at the school then I can have dinner but otherwise I can get dinner and a beer in town for about $1-2. I am staying an amazing guesthouse and most people there are up for doing dinner and enjoying the cool Thai nights.

The experience so far has been unreal - it's had it's ups and downs but overall I'm stoked to be here.

Arrival.

After 3 days of planes, trains and tuk tuks (a three wheeled taxi bike...very safe, obviously) I have arrived in Bangkok. This is a city where anything (anything) is possible. Today I drank pepsi out of a plastic bag with ice and a straw in it, was offered a squirrel to buy as a pet, and ate fruit I didn't even know existed. Money goes a long way: dinner for $1, Rayban sunglasses for $6 and a pint of beer for $1. I am staying in a hostel for $12 and can get anywhere in the city for under $2 by taxi. The city is rich with Buddhist culture, old world architechture and the latest technology. During a 1 minute walk downtown you can see people sleeping in the streets next to a brand new BMW next to a massage parlor offering 1 hour massages for $3. I could definitely spend a lot of time exploring this city but tomorrow I head north. The blog is called lessons taught. lessons learned, but I feel I will be doing a lot more learning than teaching.