Teaching English in Thailand: Day 3, Breaking Ice

Day 3: Friday 26th June


After a very hot and slightly sleepless night, the dreaded alarm went off at the crack of dawn (7:30), signalling the start of a long and tiring day.

We all met in the huge ballroom after a croissant-filled breakfast and found our seats next to our mentors. My mentor, Thanomsri was very happy to see me and it was lovely to be met with such a big smile! She is the head of English at the school I have been placed in, but not the lady who I am staying with for the duration of my placement; I will meet her tomorrow!

We listened to the Thai minister of education and ambassadors of various places speak, as well as a man from the British Embassy who warned us about the dangers of getting too drunk, drugged up and banged up in Thailand alongside some funny photos of the aforementioned situations.

The day continued like this, broken up by some very welcome coffee breaks, and in my case, a half an hour nap. We then took part in an ice-breaking workshop, which involved each ETA and their mentor getting to know one another through games and other activities. My mentor and I managed to communicate very well because she has a high level of English, thank goodness!

We all had dinner together that night, and most ETAs sat with their mentors. Some speakers and also some brilliant singing accompanied the evening from a group of boys from the local school, even if the (English) lyrics sometimes came out as a mumble or mix of random sounds. I had a good laugh about it with my fellow ETA across the table, anyhow.


Once we were free, many ETAs including myself went out, either into town or just down the road to the bar. I opted for the latter, after the previous day’s taxi shenanigans! The bar ‘Rim Bit’ was on the river and was such a lovely place! We sat out on the decking area in the lovely warmth of the Thai evening and enjoyed the live bands and Singha Beer, accompanied by some nice chit chat with one another.


It will be sad to say goodbye to everybody tomorrow as we all depart to our various placements. I am lucky enough to be placed in the city of Khon Kaen, in which a few other ETAs are placed so we can meet up still J

Now i'm going to sleep a little bit nervous, a bit scared, a bit excited and very hot!

Olivia


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