First Week in Khammuang

P'Pom, my incredible host teacher, has been introducing me to everyone in Khammuang; I've met the noodle shop owners, the barber, the community leader, and practically every staff member working at Khammuang school. I've met the entire police department, P'Pom's cousin and dad, and so many other people that I honestly can't keep track of. My house is piling up with bananas, papayas, limes, Thai desserts, drinks, and snacks that I keep receiving, and everyone's welcomed me into Khammuang like family.

When I tell people that I am the new English teacher from America, I always get one of the following reactions: "but you look Chinese!" or "I thought you were the Chinese teacher!" or "really?" Sometimes I get disbelieving laughter and other times confusion. But most of the time, I just get sheer surprise. I've memorized a sentence in Thai that I've used quite a bit in Bangkok but have been reciting it nonstop here in Khammuang: I'm from America, but my parents are from Taiwan. I've been using that same sentence over and over to a point where I'm probably reciting it in my dreams too. I've explained it to the school director, the entire student council, and quite literally everyone else I've met.

When I had used that line for maybe around the 30th time, P'Pom joked that I better not get tired of saying it because I would probably be using it a lot more. But once I hit triple digits, I think P'Pom got kind of tired of it herself, and I would catch her explaining to people why I didn't have blond hair and blue eyes before they even asked. Even my students would ask me why I looked Chinese or if I came to teach Chinese. It doesn't really help that I do speak Mandarin and am able to speak with the Chinese teachers in Chinese; I still get several "nihaos" when I'm walking around the school, from students genuinely trying to be polite to the new teacher. Sometimes people will yell "China" at me when I'm walking around the neighborhood, but those are usually from curious neighbors who want to ask "Who are you?" but aren't sure if I would understand Thai, and they usually lead to fun conversations and new friends. Anyway, it's really interesting to learn about the idea of who an American is here. I think it will be interesting to talk to the students about race in America, so I guess that's something for a future lesson.

My first day of school went something like this: P’Pom picked me up at 7:15, and when we arrived at school, she dropped me off at the front gate, where another teacher was waiting. Each teacher has “duty” once a week, which is when you stand at the front of the school, greeting all the students and teachers as they arrive on campus, and I was on duty for the first day. I awkwardly waied and waved at everyone passing through and tried having a very basic conversation with the other teacher there. Morning assembly started at 8:15, which is a daily 30 minute session where the student council leads the national anthem, the royal anthem, and a prayer. The director and other teachers then make any daily announcements.

During morning assemblies, I stand with my homeroom class, M4/1!

P'Pom called me onto the stage, and I gave my short self-introduction (in English) that she asked me to prepare. When I tried handing the mic back to her, she didn't take it and instead asked me to add a few words in Thai. I'm usually decent with speaking a bit about myself in Thai, but I was standing on stage in front of the entire school without anything prepared. I took the mic back, said "sawadika," and tried handing it back to P'Pom, but she gave me a look that said I could do better. So I took the mic back and said the only line that I've been repeating nonstop: "I am from America, but my parents are from Taiwan." I added a hasty nice to meet you all, and P'Pom finally took the mic back.

After morning assembly, P'Pom and I went to the police office to notify them that I would be living in Khammuang for the next year, and I met a police officer named Aop. After conversing for a bit in English and Thai, I found out that he had studied astrophysics in college! I was so excited about that, but he was clearly even more excited; he told me how he could never talk about astro with anyone in the department or honestly anyone in his community and that no one understood anything about what he studied. He told me that he had researched cosmic ray hits and I told him how I dealt with cosmic rays in my research. Our conversation was very short and choppy and required a lot of Google Translate, but we were nonetheless both excited, and I'm sure I'll be seeing him again. P'Pom kept laughing and asking how I always got lucky; first, I met my Muay Thai teacher in a temple on a rainy day, and then I met a fellow astrophysicist at the police station when I was getting my passport scanned. She has a theory that I keep a secret lucky coin on me at all times.

After getting some delicious beef noodle soup, we went back to school, and I prepared for my very first class. According to my class schedule which I received that morning, I would be teaching three M4 (10th grade equivalent) classes that afternoon, starting at 1pm. I would have a Thai co-teacher in each of my classes, who would mainly just sit in my class and occasionally help translate if necessary. Around 12:50, I couldn't find my co-teacher, so I decided to figure things out on my own. I found my classroom, which was already full of students, tried (unsuccessfully) asking a student if it was the right class, and decided that it probably was. I tried speaking to some of the students sitting in the front, but they all just giggled nervously and turned to their friends. I tried asking if anyone liked Taylor Swift– that was the line that got my entire class in Nonthaburi excited– but everyone just stared at me blankly. So I figured I would have to change up my lesson plan. I dropped the Halloween-related games and activities I had planned, and instead spent the class going over how to say "what is your name?" and "my name is..." The second class went more smoothly, and I got to "what did you draw?" By the third class, I even got to "what do you want to be for Halloween?" Halfway through the third class, the lights began flickering as the wind picked up outside. Once the heavy rain began to fall, all the lights went out. This seemed to be a pretty common occurrence, and the students opened the doors and the windows, allowing us to resume the lesson in the dimly lit room. Some of the students in the third class were practically fluent in English; I had a conversation about Spiderman and anime, and one of the students made me a welcome note and gifted me two adorable stickers. The English classes for every grade in Khammuang is divided based on the students' results from an English placement exam, so the English levels vary drastically from class to class. It will definitely be interesting navigating how to teach eight classes of two different grades and extremely different English levels without having to design eight separate curricula.

My adorable M1/3 class

I get off at 4:30 each day, and when I got back on the first day, the blackout resumed. Despite only being here for three nights, my nonstop unpacking and cleaning has really made me feel at home, and I felt surprisingly comfortable in the dark. P'Pom wanted to bring me out to dinner, but the first two shops we stopped by were closed, which seems pretty common. We finally found a restaurant that was still open, and enjoyed some Pad Kra Pao with Gai Thot (fried chicken joints). When I got home, I was full from delicious food and feeling inspired from an amazing conversation I had with P'Pom, so it's safe to say my first day ended on a good note. And the power was back on, which was a big plus.

It's been a week since I got here, so here are some other highlights:

• I was going over different costume ideas with my M4/5 class, and one of the students yelled out Edward Cullen, so I gave my best attempt of a speed vampire drawing and asked what the class thought about Edward Cullen. This lead to a class poll of whether Edward Cullen was cute, scary, or sexy, and we proceeded to do the same with Harry Potter. I'm definitely not an artist, but I think my class enjoyed my drawings. In my M4/8 class, I had the students come up to draw their costume ideas: one student drew Chucky, but the class decided that it looked more like a grandma, so we named it Grandma Chucky. Another drew a Frankenstein that the class deemed a monkey, so that was Monkey Frankenstein. My personal favorite was Titan Barbie, which won the popular vote for being the scariest.

• I feel like I'm starring in some type of drama when I teach; for my students who basically do not understand any English, I speak slowly and pair all my words with extremely dramatic actions to convey what I am saying (I am fully comprehensible inputting them). It involves a lot of gesturing and a lot of facial expressions. My co-teacher told me that after class, some of the students approached her and told her that they really liked my gestures and that they helped them understand what I was saying, which made my day.

• My favorite activity from this week was definitely my modified musical chairs game; I had a bit too much fun acting out the instructions for my students and loved watching them scramble around the classroom.

• When P'Pom was first showing me around the neighborhood, we were constantly running into her current and past students. Everywhere we went, she would be greeted by students and would always stop to chat, occasionally introducing them to me too. Now, I can't go anywhere without running into my students or other students at the school. I'll be walking around the 7-11 and a group of students still in their school uniforms will stop to wai at me. If they're in a group, they're always giggling, and I'm not sure if it's just because they ran into the new English teacher or if it's because it's the first time they've seen the new English teacher in a T-shirt, shorts, and flip flops.

• On Thursday evening when I was passing by P'Pom's house coming home from a walk, I heard a voice call out my name and turned to see P'Pom pulling over on her motorbike with bags of groceries hanging on the handlebars. She asked if I wanted to get dinner, so we tossed the groceries by her front door and drove out. We made a detour through the rice fields before it got too dark, coasting through the fields as the horizon was still barely tinted pink and the crickets were starting to come out. When the shop P'Pom wanted to go for dinner was closed, she brought me back to her house for a home-cooked meal, and I joined P'Pom in her backyard to stir fry some some of the veggies she had just bought. (Most Thai homes have outdoor kitchens, which makes sense when you experience the heat, smell, and smoke that's generated when you throw chili and garlic into hot oil.) We paired that with some larb that she bought from the market, Gaeng Naw Mai that her aunt cooked, some fresh vegetables, and rice. P'Pom told me that I really must be carrying around a lucky coin, running into her just as she was coming come with fresh groceries in hand.

• On Friday, when I was biking past some houses, I saw someone on the side of the street smile and wave at me. In no rush, I slowed down and waved back and ended up striking up a conversation. It was the usual Thai phrases I’d memorized: how I’m from America but my parents are from Taiwan, how I’m here to teach English at Khammuang school for a year. When he asked me if I’d eaten yet and I responded that I hadn’t, he asked if I wanted to try some of his kimchi. So of course I said yes, and I soon found myself sitting at the table in P'Eng's front yard chatting with him, his neighbor (P'Non) and petting his dog named Covid. He brought out a Pad Kra Pow and a bag of kimchi, and before long, his wife (P'Paan), his grandma (Baa Noi), and his friend (P'Saman) came out to chat too. Then, he called his daughter to come outside, and I realized that she was a student in my M4/3 class! As I was eating my Pad Kra Pao and kimchi, he asked if I'd ever eaten rat before. I said I hadn't, and he asked if I wanted to try some. I had to clarify several times to make sure I understood what he was saying, and he confirmed it Thai, English, and Chinese too: it was his homemade rat stew, the rats fresh from Isaan farmers. To be honest, I really did not want to try it, but he kept insisting and then brought out an entire bowl, so I had a little bit. Objectively, it was very delicious if you can get past the fact that you're eating rat, which is a bit difficult. Then, a big white sack sitting next to me started to move, so I asked what it was. P'Saman got up, poked at the bag, and replied that they were ducks. So I was eating rat soup next to this squirming sack of ducks, drinking Thai beer and learning different Isaan phrases. I learned that P'Eng is 51 years old, born and raised in Khammuang. He used to be an electrician but now cooks and sells food at the local market. P'Saman is 57, and he was a welder who had traveled to several different countries before, and used to be a Muay Thai fighter who had 20 fights back when he was in his late teens and early twenties! After dinner, they immediately invited me to come back the next day. P'Paan insisted on sending me home, and she rode her motorbike alongside me as I biked, waiting until I got back inside to leave. I returned the next day with some fruit and snacks to share, and it was just as lively. P'Eng brought me his homemade catfish, which was delicious. He also brought out a plate of duck larb and excitedly told me that it was from the squirming bag of ducks I saw yesterday. At one point, his neighbor from across the street came to say hi. P'Saman joined us again, along with a new friend, Baa Boon, a 67 year old retired truck driver (there is a pretty high chance he is actually not a truck driver since half the time I'm just guessing what's being said). Anyway, the four of us sat outside eating and drinking for two hours; even though most of the conversation was me trying to figure out what they were saying as they spoke rapid-fire Thai to me, I think I pieced together quite a bit of their lives, especially from P'Eng and Baa Boon, who both knew quite a few phrases in Chinese. I learned a ton of new Isaan phrases that I need to go practice, and it turns out that Baa Boon speaks a bit of Taiwanese too! Baa Noi, P'Paan, and P'Non would occasionally hop in to join the conversation, and at one point, there were three people talking to me at the same time in two different languages. They're a talkative bunch and so incredibly welcoming; they've already told me that I'm part of the family and that I'm welcome to stop by whenever.

Day 1: Pad Kra Pao and kimchi, rat stew, and Covid

Day 2: P'Engs incredible cooking and another bag of fried catfish he insisted on me bringing home

• I went to my first traditional Isaan wedding! Although we showed up at 9am, ate (the spiciest breakfast feast I've ever eaten) for an hour, took some pictures, and went home, it was nonetheless amazing to see the entire community come together to celebrate the wedding. I think the actual ceremony took place at 7am, but it seems like most of the people showed up around 9.

• The food is amazing. A meal averages around 50 Baht, or $1.40, and the school cafeteria meals are 25 Baht, or 75 cents!

• The views are amazing. Khammuang District is filled with rice fields, and it's almost harvest season!

• I'm not sure if this exactly falls under highlights, but I encountered my first giant spider, and it was actually less traumatizing than expected. On the bright side, it's made me completely indifferent to the little ones living in the house. I've also met my resident gecko, who is adorable but poops all over my house and eats my bananas, and as long as they're not barking and chasing me (which happens a lot), the neighborhood dogs are all adorable. Dam, the neighborhood dog that Lauren used to feed, wanted to move in with me, but that was before I learned about the unfortunate no dogs in the house policy. I even went out to buy him dog food and treats.

• The biggest highlight so far has definitely been the people. I share an office space with eight other language teachers who are either teaching English or Chinese, and we're already planning future get togethers and weekend outings. They introduce me to other teachers around the school, who are always happy to invite me along to anything they are planning. The friendliness of the community here completely makes up for the fact that I can't fully speak Thai; I've played badminton and ping pong with them, gone on walks and runs with them, and gone out for so many meals. I'm learning Thai slang, we exchange tongue twisters in our native tongues and I'm constantly intrigued and inspired by what brought the other teachers to Khammuang.

I still occasionally feel this sense of disbelief that I am now a full time teacher at a school where everyone speaks a language that I barely know. On the morning of the first day, I went to the director's office with two other new teachers, and he welcomed us to the school (in Thai). I had no idea what he was saying, but I smiled and nodded along with the two other teachers. He would look at me, and while I could not comprehend his words, I could feel the kindness in his eyes. It's kind of surreal: I've been a part of so many meetings and casual conversations where I am just trying my best to pick up on a few words and phrases. I've gotten so used to being thrown into an activity or event where I have no idea what is going on or what I'm supposed to do, picking things up from the people around me. During class, I have no idea what students are saying when they have side conversations. In the language department office, I listen to conversations taking place in English, Thai, and Chinese, and sometimes I hold conversations in all three languages, trying to piece together sentences that the people around me can comprehend. It's made me so much more aware of the role of language; when I am trying to piece my thoughts together with three different languages and intensely trying to pick up on a new language, I become so much more aware of how language and culture are intertwined. Some ideas and emotions seem to be better conveyed in one language over the other, and by the end of the year, I want to be able to converse and laugh with the other Thai teachers and comfortably jump from language to language as I wish.

Khammuang teachers! (No one told me I was supposed to wear purple.)