Tag: isaan

Bpai Tiao: a Visit to Khon Kaen City

May 17, 2013

In Thailand, a bpai tiao is a trip of any length. I’ve written about some of my more significant bpai tiaos to tourist destinations here, to be used as travel ideas and tips.

Per Peace Corps policy, freshly minted PCVs are not allowed to leave their site at all for the first month in order to encourage integration. Vacation days are not to be used during the first three months of service. However, that still leaves weekends and holidays free for travel after the first month logged at site. In celebration of making it through the first month, Cinco de Mayo and Coronation Day (a national Thai holiday) all falling on the same long weekend members of Group 124, who have been here for a year, arranged a meet up in Khon Kaen.

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Bpai Tiao Video: Khao Yai National Park

May 12, 2013

In Thailand, a bpai tiao is a trip of any length. I’ve written about some of my more significant bpai tiaos to tourist destinations here, to be used as travel ideas and tips.

Khao Yai National Park is Thailand’s largest national park and it’s in my home province, Nakhon Ratchasima. After helping out with another volunteer’s camp that was being held near the park, some friends and I decided to make a trip out of it. There’s lots of awesome animals and the guides know all the good spots to go. Check out the video, and visit virtually.

An Unexpected Principals Training

May 10, 2013

As I said in my last post, I was finally called upon to do some more traditional work and do some trainings in conversational English. Only this time, I was given three days to find help and plan for 2 two-day trainings for 200 principals in total. Half of the principals would attend the first two days and the other half would attend the second two days. Seeing as it was Friday when I was informed and the training would start on the following Wednesday (and the trainers be at the hotel on Tuesday) I didn’t have an ideal amount of time.

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Adjusting Expectations at an English Training

May 7, 2013

After nearly a month after moving to site I was finally called upon to do some work in the traditional sense; my Saw Naw (supervisor at the Primary Education Service Area Office, equivalent to a school district) asked me to do a training in conversational English for some of the office’s directors. It would be around 35 people over the span of two days at a resort in a different district called Wang Nam Khiao.

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Bpai Tiao: Korat Fossil Museum and the Mall

May 3, 2013

In Thailand, a bpai tiao is a trip of any length. I’ve written about some of my more significant bpai tiaos to tourist destinations here, to be used as travel ideas and tips.

Tat Ton Waterfall was not the only bpai tiao that I was taken on after moving to my site. I was also taken on a day long trip the Khorat’s Amphur Muang (province’s main city and kind of like a state’s capital) by my co-teacher and we also brought along Gee, one of my host sisters.

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Peace Corps: Visiting My Village and Ya Mo Festival

April 5, 2013

When I went to visit my site, I also had the opportunity to go to the opening of the Ya Mo Festival in Bua Yai. I know that those words probably don’t make sense to you so let me explain. Ya Mo is kind of the patron of Nakhon Ratchasima Province, with lots of monuments to her all around the province and a major one in the city. People always wai (place their palms together and bow their heads, a greeting and show of respect) whenever they pass her monument, including when driving. more “Peace Corps: Visiting My Village and Ya Mo Festival” …