Sa Wa Dee Ka

Dear DGHS Girls Sa wa dee ka or hello from Thailand! It has been a crazy week here in Bangkok - it is very, very hot and sticky here - Durban's summer cannot touch the heat here! The traffic is also awe-inspiring: a trip of 10kms will take about an hour and part of me thinks that walking is faster - if a lot sweatier - than taking the bus. Thailand is a lot like Africa in many ways: people drive like maniacs but there are fewer accidents here as people go far slower. Things take a long time to happen; "Africa time" has its equivalent here in "Thai time" but the people here are far friendlier and are much more polite than people in Africa. We are very impatient in Africa, whereas everyone here is very patient and polite. Food here is much easier to get hold of than in SA. There are vendors along all of the streets and they serve really fast food that is absolutely delicious. Learning how to order it, is very difficult though. Victory Monument As an English teacher I am fascinated by how different languages conceptualise the same ideas and objects. Counting here is very different to English. Whereas we have separate words for thirteen, fourteen, fifteen etc; Thai simply says "ten-three," "ten-four" etc and for thirty, forty and fifty you say "three-ten," "four-ten" etc. Hopefully I will learn enough so that I do not land up ordering chicken foot soup! We also spent a day in Dubai on the way here and that was also an brain-rocking experience! Everything there is enormous and excessive! It was a very interesting day indeed. The Burj Khalifa I will be keeping you updated on what I am doing and I will be starting and running a new blog about my travels etc. I need a good name for it though - let me know if you have any ideas!

Wat Benjamabophit

Dear DGHS Girls I will be starting work at a new school tomorrow and will continue to run Gadd's Classroom as a blog. The content will now simply be more grammar and conversation focussed. Please keep looking at this blog though as I will update you on life in Thailand here rather than on Gadd's Classroom. Temples and other things: Yesterday I went to the Wat Benjamabophit. It is the temple that you can see on the 5 baht coin. The temple is much older than it looks and was restored by King Rama V when he broke down two other temples to build a new palace. It is a beautiful temple indeed. The exterior is clad with Carrara marble from Italy. Most of the outside is a bright grey but the inside has stone of many other colours. Everywhere you look it is decorated. The floor has marble of different colours in intricate patterns and the ceiling is a dark red and covered with gold patterns and flowers in relief. The walls have all been hand-painted and the detail is astounding. As I am sure you all remember from Grade 9 LO, Buddhism has no God but reveres the Buddha. The main Buddha image in this temple is quite large, set back in the cross-shaped temple and outlined by fire. The image is made from bronze but covered in real gold leaf - can you imagine that in SA! Thanks to www.dreamstime.com for the photo - I don't like taking photos in temples. When you go to a temple it is very important that you show the proper respect to the place, the monks who live and work there and other worshippers who made be there as well. You must wear a shirt that covers your shoulders (has sleeves) and is not cut too low in front or at the back. You must also preferably wear a floor-length skirt - you have to cover your knees but three-quarter pants are not enough! At some temples they will lend you a sarong if you are not wearing the correct clothing and if your shirt is inappropriate they won't let you in. You can wear your shoes around the outside but as with most houses in Thailand you MUST take your shoes off before entering the temple building. Do not ever face the bottoms of your feet towards the Buddha - it is very, very rude indeed.

Good-bye SA, hello Thailand

Dear Everyone I am sorry to be leaving you but you can follow what I am doing and where I am on this blog. Gadd's Classroom will remain, just with new, more Thai-relevant content.