Hired!

        So,  I was hired yesterday to teach English to fifth and sixth grade Thai students at a government school in Bangkok. I teach four classes a day, two at fifth grade and two at sixth. The students also learn math and science in English. These classes are taught by very capable Filipino teachers. I'm guessing that the students get at least 2 hours of English exposure every day. That said, English is their second language, so there are often mishaps and challenges.
        I start my day no later than 5:30, because I have about an hour commute if I don't take a taxi. I have to be at school by 7:00. The general area is really nice, with many restaurants, but thankfully a bit outside of the city centers. The school itself is about a 15 minute walk from the BTS, or a 2 minute motorcycle taxi ride.
        My first impressions of the school are favorable. I've decided to go by Teacher S since my first name is a bit complicated. The students have English nicknames, and some of them are a bit silly. I'll post later on that. Lunch is provided for about 200 baht/month (roughly 8 USD), and the food is delicious. My teaching day ends at 16:30, and I'm home by around 17:30.

 

MK in Central Rama 3, Bangkok

So one of my favorite things about Bangkok is the plethora of delicious, cheap international food. From street food to restaurants, there are so many options.

These photos are from MK, a Thai restaurant chain that capitalizes on suki- boiling vegetables and meats instead of frying them. It is often compared to both the Japanese shabu shabu and the Chinese steamboat dishes.

It's large-group friendly because at the table, there are large pots of broth where you boil your selected foods. This allows you to experiment and be adventurous and suit the tastes of whoever is with you. We had a group of 6, with some vegetarians and non-vegetarians, so we just separated the food into 2 pots. We also ordered specialty dishes that aren't boiled. Here's what we chose!

tofu, 2 types of mushrooms, corn, carrots, etc

You can choose which boiled items to put in your bowl,
allowing for different flavor combinations.

Roast duck w/ cucumber and ginger. Delicious.

shrimp dim sum

shrimp and pork dim sum

We didn't order this, but I was amused.

I really enjoyed the food here, and at about 10 USD a person, I'm definitely coming back!