So last weekend was another long weekend here in Thailand. So, I decided it was the perfect time to pack a bag and finally go down to Pattani to visit C and friends from English Camp. I say finally because I had been telling C I would come down for about a year and a half now. Since I don’t have classes on Friday we were able to leave early. One of my students (who also doesn’t have classes on Fridays) went with me. On Thursday he said we were leaving at 9am…but we actually wound up leaving about an hour late (typical Thailand). We reached Pattani about 7 hours later after taking a taxi from Hat Yai.

My first big surprise was that my phone stopped working once we entered the province. In the southern 3 provinces they require you to register your phones Sim Card as a prevention measure against bombs. The first mini surprise was all the security checkpoints and soldiers…but it wasn’t a huge surprise since I already knew there were problems in the Deep South. The 3 southern provinces are well known for bombings and other attacks. However, these attacks are usually focused on the military presence and checkpoints.

Once I got into the city I went to Hakeema’s house to stay with her family (her husband, mother, and 2 babies) and C. Our first excursion was to Hakeem ‘s Language school to give the students a chance to talk to a real live white person! After they got over their shock they peppered me with questions for about 45minutes. Then C and I headed to the night market for dinner where I was constantly stared at…and hearing whispers of “Farang …Farang…Syw…Syw Mak Mak…” of “foreigner…foreigner…beautiful…very beautiful…” Being stared at so much threw me for a few minutes because I’m not usually the only white person around.

C

Hakeema

Hakeema and her family!

On Saturday, we woke up to a very rainy day :( We wound up spending most of the day in the house watching TV and playing with the babies. Once the rain let up a bit we went out for some coffee at PSU campus. We were going to go to the beach to watch the sunset but it started pouring again. We had a brief bomb scare from a firework that was set off behind us. We all jumped and then laughed nervously once we realized it was just a stupid firework.

At the Coffee shop with Mareekee, Hakeema, C and baby Arissa

On Sunday, we took a tour of the city via car. We began at the Kiah Pattani Mosque, which the Thai people say looks like the Taj Mahala...really the only similarities are the domed roofs and the water out front. After snapping a few pictures it decided to start raining again!

Then we went out of town to Krue Sae Mosque, where the rain miraculously stopped. According to Raymond (Hakeema’s husband) the mosque is cursed so it cannot be finished and that’s why id doesn’t have a completed roof. He also said that in the past there was a massacre there when insurgence hid in the mosque.


After walking around the mosque and taking pictures we went to a park to walk around a little bit before we went home for some delicious bar-b-q!

SOOOOOOOO YUMMY!!!! I love Asian bar-b-q!

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So for about 2 weeks I was kept up at night while the students practiced (beating on drums and and screaming are a little hard to fall asleep to) for the cheerleading contest. Then I'd walk into class and I'd have a room full of zombies. On Saturday the 3rd they finally got to compete in the cheerleading contest. Each major put together a team to compete in a mix of dancing, chanting, and making pyramids. Unlike American Cheer-leading there are no throws or tumbling...mostly because the girls were all wearing heels! The contest started around 6:30 and lasted until 11:30...the performances were fantastic even though I didn't understand anything that was being said.

The chanting and background section

They don't even stop for a wardrobe malfunction!

Language major :)

They were the third place winners :D

IT Major/2nd place team

Bio Major/1st place

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Hey all,

I am on my way to Pattani for the weekend so I can check something off my bucket list :D For those of you that are my friends on FB you've seen the pictures of the cheer leading contest the students put on last weekend. After I get back on Monday I will do an update on the contest (with pictures and at least 1 video) and of my adventure down to Pattani.

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I haven't really been up to much besides slaying a small mountain of 840 essays :S I will learn not to procrastinate because I DO NOT want to do that much grading at one time EVER again!!!

So here are some pictures I've taken around the campus:

The trail through the rubber plantation.
I take this trail everyday to get to the office.

Rubber collection.
They wait until the cups are full.
Then the Rubber students (Sadly they aren't really made of rubber)
process it into latex.

Flowers blooming

Our buildings water tower...

If it's sunny we get warm water :)

Yay fresh water delivery!
(The entrance to my apartment)

Hard at work building the Stadium

Taking an afternoon break!

The weed whacker Ninja!
Yes they really do cut all of the
grass with a weed whacker.

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Building the Krathong

Carving carrot flowers

Folding banana leaves

Close up! Banana leaves, flowers, and long beans

The Contests

The Language students' Krathong

The white elephant Krathong...
He's so cute I want one!

Beauty contestants!

Waiting for to preform in the show

Talents!

Playing the Saw Duang

The students started screaming as soon as she did this!

At the River

View of the pier

Group shots!

Another boat out on the river

Careful!

And it's off...

to join it's smaller friends!

Ready...set...go!

Going...going...

Gone!

Or not :(

From the middle of the river

Silly students...and another lantern stuck in a tree!

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