So this blog includes Christmas, New Year and my other latest exploits.
Firstly, Christmas. It was as weird as I thought it would be but once everyone had arrived at our house (they were seven of us all together) and put on Christmas music and got our secret Santa underway, everyone was feeling a bit more cheery. Christmas dinner went down okay-roast chicken from Tesco Lotus followed by coconut cake and ice cream- though the reheating of the chicken proved difficult and nearly resulted in the kitchen being set on fire and I haven’t touched the grill since! My parents sent me a big M&S parcel and thanks to Daisy who sent me the cutest tree decoration I’ve ever seen.
New Year was brilliant. A twenty two hour journey, bad tan lines and a mirror-less guest house were totally worth it. Though in future I might shell out more than £2 a night for accommodation as not knowing what you look like for four days is not an experience I’m dying to repeat. Ko Chang, the island we went to, was the most exotic place I’ve ever been and everything you expect an island paradise to be: blue sky, turquoise, clear sea, white sand and a really chilled atmosphere. That is until New Year’s Eve when the beach party started. It was great. At the countdown, fireworks were set off and all the volunteers did ‘Auld Lang Syne’ together. Everyone was hugging everyone and wishing complete strangers a Happy New Year. The sky was packed with stars and it was just a perfect start to 2011 and my favourite New Year so far.
The next few days were spent on the beach, in the sea, building sandcastles and admiring each other’s beach hair. I’m still having trouble getting a brush through mine. At night we visited the various bars which were all really reggae-ish. You know, grab a cheap drink, nod your head away to Bob Marley and discuss all that’s good in the world. Thai drinks are interesting. They’re normal concoctions but you can order them by the bucket load. Seriously. You want a load of Vodka and Red Bull, they’ll literally bring you a bucket with loads of straws sticking out so you can share the love. Or the hangover.
More recently, we journeyed up to the north of Thailand to take part in an English Camp with some of the other volunteers. English Camps consist of lots of children camping somewhere (ours was in the mountains) and playing team games to help improve their English. The theme for this camp was ‘Saving the world from English scums’ no-one, it seems, managed to point out the grammatical error. Ironic. Each volunteer led a group of students, represented by a superhero. I got given The Mask because the two volunteers organising it think I’m (and I quote) ‘Absolutely Mental.’ There were lots of games, banner making, a fashion show, dancing and singing annoyingly catchy camp songs. Being awakened at 6 in the morning by Justin Bieber’s ‘Baby’ was definitely a low point. Playing Duck Duck Goose around a bonfire with around ninety people was one of the highs.
We’re back in good old Lerng Noktha now, and I must dash and think of something to teach thirty nine to twelve year olds. Past perfect continuous maybe?
SawatDeePiiMai!
(Happy New Year)
