Birthday Pics:
1. Parental Presents: I got a sweet package from my parents a few weeks before my birthday. It was the ultimate Christmas-away-from-home kit (ELF, my Christmas stocking, etc). And my new obsession: Guerlain's Le Petit Robe Noir Parfum. Thanks rents!
2. Birthday Party Dinner: My Thai friends and foreign friends came out to dinner for my 23rd birthday at Ant Pub. We drank our way through six Singha towers and had a delicious dinner. The best part was that my three Thai friends Opal, Jao, and Lalitta sang "Happy Birthday" to me on stage and gave me a cake in front of the whole place.
3. One of my awesome Thai co-teachers gave me this beautiful Buddha pendant.
Christmas:
1. These are two of my kindergarten students. Rin is the adorable one in the pink taffeta dress (KG 2/1) and Mellisa is the fairy (KG 3/1). This was at the Assumption Christmas Pageant on the last day of school before break. I loved these two pictures because it shows how beautiful they are without all of the terrifying make-up that some parents put on the little girls...it's unnatural and scary.
2. These are the Christmas stockings made by my KG 2/1's. Awesome colors-these kids are so good at coloring!
3. Dang, check out that chicken! But really, it was delicious and the vegetables were incredible, probably due in large part to the fact that I don't eat enough veggies here and so have developed scurvy. Just kidding...but really. One of my students had me over to their house for a day of hanging out and eating, and it was perfect. Just enough to get my mind off of not being home for the holidays but not too overwhelming either.
Full Moon Party:
Yes folks, I went to a Full Moon Party at the infamous Haad Rin Beach in Koh Pha Ngan. It was absolute insanity, and while it was the most fun I've had in a long time, I will never do it again. Definitely a one-time deal! It was great to meet up with an old acquaintance from UVM who is now a good friend and to meet foreigners from all over the world. Actually, that part wasn't that great. I've come to realize that outside of Ubon and other non-touristy areas of Thailand, foreign tourists are typically rude, entitled, jerks. They treat the locals like they are stupid when it's actually the foreigner's fault for not making an effort to learn the language prior to arriving in a largely non-English speaking country. Be a traveller, not a tourist. Sorry for the rant, it was just so aggravating to see arrogant Australians and Americans and Brits being so horrible to people on the island just trying to make a living. Anyhoo, Southern Thailand is of course so beautiful that I can't wait to go again and try a quieter, less-travelled place! **There aren't really any pictures of the actual parties themselves because carrying a camera wasn't really an option. Plus, there are certain things better left to the imagination.**
This is Dao, one of my Thai co-workers. The picture was taken in the Srisaket province at my boss' father's one-hundred day death memorial. The girl to the right is Bpoo, another co-worker. She doesn't think she's beautiful! Crazy...
My yoga instructor Nook at her beautiful wedding! Check out those feather eyelashes.
Sent with his "butterfly hands." They had to make wings with the outline of their hands while learning about butterflies!
Tete (tee-tee) spelling during playtime.
