Larb is Thai for death.....at least it should be.  Actually, larb (larp, laab) is a spicy lao salad dish  served with chichken, duck, fish, or beef.  In all my years of spice I have never come across anything this hot, or with so much heat.  For those unaware of Asian heat, it isn't like the chincy Frank's Red Hot, it isn't a front heat at all.  It is a total oral meltdown reminiscent of watching an H-bomb mushroom cloud in your tasting orifice!  leah, who is well-versed in heat thanks to her father, was quick to say, between gulps of milk, bread, and tears, that it had the same heat as the hottest of her father's Thai dishes ... which says a lot.  Needless to say, we have eaten like the locals and suffered like no other.  Aside from the two attempts at eating like the locals, life has been good.

 

I start teaching on Tuesday.  The process of preparation has been made easier in my case because I had great predecessors who left behind wonderfully detailed yearly and monthly planners.  For Leah this is not so much the case.  However, she is sharp enough to make it work and has already impressed those around her with her personable demeanour and energetic teaching style.  The institution itself, Lertlah (Thai for 'the best') is riddled with the typical bureaucratic backwardness of a new school, but it does have great potential.  The people are nice, helpful, and decent.  In a few years I can see the bugs being ironed out and the whole place really coming in to its own.

 

I am heading out to Cambodia on Monday to renew my tourist stamp for 30 more days.  After that I should be able to get my working permit and non-immigrant B visa that allows me to stay in the country for a year.  The headache I went through trying to determine how to get the proper paperwork was tedious but I won't go in to detail here.  Suffice to say it was not a good few days in Daveland :(

 

I feel ready to teach.  I have set up all my lesson plans, determined my format, added and addended, and now just have to meet the kids and hope I don't frighten them to the point of insomnia :)  I am sure it will be fine, but I of course worry.  I think its natural to worry about how efficient one will be in this setting.  If anything it keeps us on our toes.  I just hope these pointy shoes I brought can support my weight!

 

D.A.E.

    SO it's been two weeks since I left my temperate home in Canada for the tropical monsoon season of Thailand.  Just to give you all an idea of what the next 3 months has in store for my travelling companion and I, it is currently 31C but with humidity it feels like 42C.  Now before you turn green with envy I want you to realize that to submerse yourself in this type of weather means you must first come to terms with having a constant layer of film on your body as it tried to manage your internal body temperature.  Additionally, any delusions of a cooler season, where it's sunny yet not enough to give you a heat rash after a 20 minute stroll, should be banished from your mind.  Now that the unpleasantries are out of the way, let's move on to the smilie stuff :)))

    The people here hold a stern face as you pass by, but worry not because it's just a facade.  Send a little smile their way and they will instantly split from ear to ear.  The women are flirtatious, especially the older ones (this may be an  isolated incident...the older ladies think I am candy!)  The men are bold with their gazes but not brash enough to incroach on your personal space, sans alcohol of course!  And the food is both good and inexpensive.  When I walk out my door there is a vendor cooking food across the one-lane road.  Around the corner, literally, there is another, and at the next corner I find fruits and veggies for sale!  All the amenities are close at hand.  Allbeit, taxi's have to be sought out, not called, since there is no regluarity to street numbers or house addresses; 19 Kaset-Nawamin Road could easily be between 118 and 56.  Thankfully the drivers are good enough to follow your written directions or sketched maps.  All in all, seems good so far!

    I have a job interview on Tuesday with a private scool called LPS (Lert Pattana Language School).  The offer seems decent, especially for a bloke with no previous teaching experience.  I am hoping it doesn't turn in to a lunchbag letdown ... I only have another 2 weeks before my 30 day Visa runs out and I have to make a re-entry trip!  With employment I can get my work permit and avoid all that hullaballoo!  If all else fails, I will be forced to mail myself to Laos and have Leah pick my up when our year here is done!  I am hoping for the former :P

    I have a booked weekend thanks to Leah and her new work buds.  This should be fun!  Kinda been cooped up in the apartment for a few days (we aren't near the central hub by any stretch of the imagination).  I should enjoy this quiet time because I have a feeling there's a storm a' brewin' !!!

 

for now...

 

D.A.E.