Sweet successes

My very own panang curry, made from scratch! (Including the curry paste!)

The Chiang Mai British Council, where
we observed experienced teachers in Week 3

I'm two days away from finishing my CELTA course, and at this point I am quite confident I've made my way successfully! The results of whether we pass or not won't be coming for another few weeks, but I taught my final lesson tonight and finally received an above standard grade! I was very pleased with the lesson: it was a speaking-centered lesson, in which I had students play wedding guests who had varying interests and dislikes and had to sit in an acceptable arrangement. It was an amazing feeling to realize I've come this far in teaching, and the classroom management issues that might have stymied me four weeks ago were an absolute breeze tonight.

N and L making fun of me for something, as usual

In week three, we visited the British Council in groups to observe experienced teachers at work. We sat in unfortunate silence for a few hours to rack up the required observation hours needed for our certificates. This difficult evening was mitigated a bit by the chocolate shop across the street, where we assembled gift boxes for ourselves as a treat.

There has been a fair amount of drama among the cohort, as I expected. I am disappointed by how much some people's behavior has resembled high school exclusion, and I wish everyone could get on with each other equally. I think we would, except for one or two negative Nancies. I feel very accepted and liked by the rest of the group, which I think results from my own openness, which I've tried hard to keep up in spite of the drama.

Adorable toothpicks in our lunch. That skimpy
serving of fries caused a huge "scandal" between
the CELTA cohort and the restaurant staff. Spoiled, we are!

In any case, I was finally able to successfully meet up with my local friends-of-a-friend in Chiang Mai, after Sunday's delightful half-day cooking class. My classmates and I were stuffed full of soup, "drunken noodles" and, in my case, an amazing panang curry, so we took a manicure break and then wandered around the unbelievable night market. I bought a ton of things for myself and others, including my dream skirt, a silk sleeping bag to keep away bed bugs (finally!!), and a pretty folding lamp.

It was a breath of fresh Californian air to talk with these two lovely ladies after a day of cooking and shopping, and they mentioned that their jobs will be open and available to some of my classmates who want to stay in Chiang Mai and teach. I'm not sure how things will work out in that regard, but in any case it's nice to know there's a connection to home somewhere so far from California.

Teaching!

I stayed up super late on Sunday trying to plan my next steps after CELTA. I'm hoping that I can head to Cambodia for a few days so I can take advantage of the Vietnamese consulate there (instead of suffering the scum that is Bangkok) before moving on to a volunteering opportunity in Vietnam for March to April. I really want to feel useful while I travel, and I'm lucky that I have a few friends who have done similar things in Southeast Asia and gave me tips. It's scary to realize I don't know exactly what will happen between Chiang Mai and Japan, but it also feels like this is adulthood! I did hear that I will probably not be sent to Japan until June or July. I suppose this means I'll have my birthday in Japan! But I hope I can have an advance celebration back home first. :) 

Learning about the many types of eggplants & veggies at the market! 

Enthusiastically pounding the curry paste,
to make sure I look like "wife material"

CELTA classmates and our cooking guru