Same Same But Different

Today ‘Mee’ (Thai name)one of the staff here threw a party to celebrate the leaving of old volunteers and arrival of the new.  I don’t think I’ll ever be in a hut with so many accents ever again.

 

The Thais are such a chill nation. A favourite Thai-English phrase here is “Same Same, but different”. It’s said here all the time- maybe you’re asking someone which rice cake is pineapple or mango you will get the nonsensical reply of “Same Same, but different”. This really makes no sense at all (same, but different?). But you can buy it on the T Shirts here and everything…

This week, despite all the fun-ness I have actually been teaching (not that teaching isn’t fun). I’ve given two one hour tutoring with staff here and have visited two primary schools (everything else I originally signed up for was cancelled). I did plan to blog about teaching English but I’m not sure how interested the world is in my lesson plans, resource making or jokes between my students and I, trying to translate, not only across language but cultures.

Sitting in the back of a pick up truck (considered totally safe on Asian roads)

Taking a selfie while riding on the back of a songtao (Freedom IS the state of being barefoot on the back of a songtao past rice paddies and farmers with stereotypical circular hats)

At DOI CHAANG (which my student this evening told me translates as ‘Mountain Elephant’) eating cake with Ash

    My favourite conversation this week

Me: (after hearing this annoying, obnoxious weird sound all week, everywhere I went): Please, can whoever has that ringtone, please, just change it or turn it down. Please

Carlo: Georgia? That's not a ringtone. That's a GECKO.

 

Can you believe I've been here 3 weeks and not worked that out?