2016

I knew this Christmas break was going to be one of my hardest ever.  I found the last few weeks in Dhaka extremely stressful; a little due to the job but mainly dealing with my emotions with Stella's birthday and the upcoming break.
My choices were to be with family and friends or to travel alone.  I chose the second.

Lao was demanding to travel in alone.  The local people are lovely.  Humble and unassuming.  But where I was travelling, in the south, English is not well spoken.  At times it was difficult to order a meal at restaurant.  Once I had to walk through the kitchen pointing at the food available so I could get something.  Even my imitation of a chicken did not get any understanding but did cause immense hilarity.  No English menu and absolutely none spoken.  I love those challenges of travel.  But it made communicating difficult.

There is also little infrastructure for travel.  I enjoy watching sport but there was no opportunity for doing this.  It is one of the few places I have been where people don't gather around in a bar to watch a football match.  This is one of the social events that I have often enjoyed when travelling.  But in the parts of Lao I was in it did not exist.  Where I was travelling is very much on the back packer trail.  But there were not a lot of them.  Surprisingly there were very few people from English speaking countries.  Most were French, Swiss and German.  I did not meet one other solo traveler - again a surprise.  I find in Thailand and now in Cambodia it is very easy to meet other single travelers but in Lao everyone seems to travel as a couple or in small groups.

So Lao was a challenge.  Enjoyable and humbling.  My decision to travel alone would mean that I would not need to worry about how my emotions would effect others.  I could be with myself and enjoy whatever that may bring.  It was a decision I made based on a positive view of my future.  A post on Facebook (you know those usually inane links) about 6 months back, was a catalyst for this 'selfish' positiveness. Here is the post.  I have these 5 things written down and read them often.  It has become a bit of a mantra.

Arriving overland into Cambodia was unusual.  The $30 visa 'increases' to $40 at this border.  Five dollars extra to the visa officer, $2 to get your exit stamp from Lao, $2 for a health check and $1 to get your passport carried through immigration.  The bus journey was long with few breaks.  The one meal stop in the 12 hour journey was at a dirty roadside stall.  The food had been sitting around all day.  I did have some chicken soup as it was 7 hours since breakfast.  Bad decision.  I rarely get sick travelling but this chicken soup was not the best.  So my last two days of 2015 were spent with many visits to the toilet.

In Cambodia it has been great to spend time with two wonderful colleagues from Dhaka.  We saw New Year in at Sharkys bar.  This is a very famous place in Cambodia.  Been around for ever and it is my second time there.  It is actually a bit of a dive.  Drunk, over weight expats being gross is not a good look.  But the music was good, the beer cheap and the company great.

As I write this it is now New Years Day.  I said to someone that 2016 could not be as bad as 2015. In some ways it was a remarkable year.  I went to Australia, New Zealand, England, Italy, Spain, France, Turkey, Thailand, Malaysia, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia and of course Bangladesh.  An epic year of travel. I met wonderful new friends (except for Jonathon).  I have a great place to work.

But it has been a challenge.  So I reflect forward to 2016 with much hope.  I am in the process of making my goals for the year as I always do.  One thing I do know is that it will not be like 2015!

Bangkok to Pakse

There are many ways to get from Thailand to Laos.  The quickest is by plane and the next fastest is by bus.  The slowest is by train.  So it is train for me.  My desire is to travel to Pakse the second biggest city in Lao and the entrance to the south.  A place where few travel.

The overnight sleeper train to Ubon Ratchathani leaves Bangkok at 8.30pm.  It is a long train with several sleeper classes and non-sleeper classes.  My class was second class sleeper which is an air-conditioned class with a sleeper bed.

My ticket said car 10, seat 15.  The first car was 16, the next 15, then 14, then 13 and the next was labelled car 10.  So after finding car 10, I moved into seat 15.  However I was told after a few minutes that it was in fact car 12 even though it had 10 on the outside board. 

Well where was car 10?  Well they had forgot to connect it and were getting it attached now.  It was 10 minutes to leaving time.  So a few bumps (as the car was connected) later, car 10 was attached and the wonderful conductor carried my bag to car 10 and showed me to my seat.  And the train left only two minutes late.

I then got a visit from the rail police.  Since the military government there are many more police and military at visible places.  So being one of the few Farang on the train, I was visited by the railway police and given a list of ‘Suggestions’.  I was also required to assure this rather officious man that I understood the suggestions.

The food lady arrived with a much nicer demeanour and I ordered option ‘F’.














I got very friendly service so there was no need to ring the number for ‘ungently’ service. 

The wonderful conductor came and made up my bed and then the option ‘F’ arrived.

The food was wonderful.  Chicken, pork, shrimp, squid lightly boiled on a salad base.  With a wonderful spicy, salty, lime sauce.  I was always avoid that rule about not eating salad.  Thai salads are so fresh and tasty.

Unfortunately the new military government has banned alcohol on trains.  It used to be wonderful to have a Singha with your dinner.

Then it was bed time.  I find sleeping on trains wonderful as they rock you to sleep and surprisingly quiet.  Everyone sleeps and there is very little talk.

A visit to the toilet is interesting.  The toilet goes straight onto the rails.  Reminder to self ‘Never walk under a railway overbridge in Thailand.’  Just in case someone is relieving themselves at that time.

Ubon with taxi driver approaching

In the morning coffee arrives and the train arrives at Ubon Rathchathani right on time at 7.30am.  Of course being the only Farang disembarking, I am immediately approached regarding if I need a taxi.  No need to search for one here. 

I decide to go straight to the border as the price quoted is exactly what is suggested on the internet.  I am dropped at Chong Mek immigration centre and pointed on the way.  No dramas and I walk in to Lao.

Again approached by a taxi driver who leads through Lao immigration and for the sum of $US30 and a myriad of forms I have my Lao visa. 

And then it is 30 minutes to Pakse and arrive at 10 am for coffee. 

A very pleasant way to travel, no dramas, no queues, no security checks.  Just pleasant friendly people (except for the railway policeman) and no hassles.  Beats plane travel any day.

Time to reflect

It is obviously the time of the year when people reflect on their year (even Facebook is now into it) so why not.

It has been a challenging year!  So when Christmas break came along; there was a need to consider what to do.  I had many offers of friendship and places to go, but knowing that it was going to be a difficult few weeks (first Christmas alone!), I decided to go around South East Asia again where I feel very comfortable and the beer is cold and cheap.

So in my first few days lying on a beach I started to consider my year or at least the second half of it.  The space and time were important.  The beer and food also significant.

When I headed off to return to Bangladesh in July, I was not sure if it was the right move.  I wrote 6 goals I wanted to achieve before Xmas.  I have progressed on all of these so for that I am pleased.  Some more so than others.  

One major goal was surviving on my own.  The dream of spending time travelling with a very significant other was my reason for being in Bangladesh.  With Stella's death, I have struggled to think of a good reason for staying.  But staying I am and have signed on for another year.

So the first part of my reflection is why am I staying in Dhaka.  I think it is around the security of friendships and the familiarity of the place.  I don't really want to pack up and move countries.  I also have a sense of obligation to the school for the incredible way they have supported me - they don't feel I owe them anything!  

It is not Dhaka!  I still find Dhaka fun at times when I have the time and energy or do something strange, like riding my bike home at 3 am after to much to drink.  Thanks Ian.  But the wearying demands of the chaos and traffic are no longer fun.  So Dhaka to me is now officially a dump!  

So it is very much around the people!  The students at the school - they are so much fun; the foreign staff are extremely social to the point of excess; and the wonderful Bangladeshi people I really like.  It makes me consider an ancient Maori proverb;

He aha te mea nui? He tangata He tangata. He tangata.

What is the most important thing? It is the people. It is the people. It is people.

Keeping in contact with people and and meeting new people was my first goal.

The second goal was around my teaching.  The school I am at has wonderful staff to work with and great students.  But it is neither progressive in its approach to teaching and learning, nor does it demand academic success from its students.  Both of these are important to me.  There is change occurring but it can feel a bit straitjacketed.  A school with no thinking skills programme, no literacy programme, no extended investigations in science, no curriculum integration, limited data logging, a curriculum overloaded with content, and inflexible learning spaces based on the 'Principles of Scientific Management' which would make Frederick Winslow Taylor feel very proud. 

But it is a good place to teach.

• Students are keen and responsive.  In my end of term feedback from my students they said they liked the different experiences they had in my class.  (They also said they couldn't understand my accent - first time I have had that!)  
• The management is flexible and approachable.  Now that I have grounded myself again, I have been given a role mentoring new teachers.  Thanks to Michael, Christoph and Dennis for being guinea pigs.  Three wonderful first year teachers.  In January a training programme for Bengali teachers - I am feeling slightly challenged on that one.
• Opportunities galore.  I have also worked at mentoring students at risk in Year 11, introducing investigations into science, ripping content out of the Year 9 and 10, decreasing the amount of assessment, and ordered a some data logging stuff (hope the boss approves this - please read Kim!)

So two goals in here.  One on my teaching and the other on the teacher support programme.

Fourth goal is around photography.  Ran a photography club at school, got some new gear, did photography walks around town and a few other things.  So overall pretty ok with this one as well.

So with the new start to my life from June things are pretty good.  It is lonely at times especially at three in the morning but I am in a much better state that expected.  To all you others reflecting people have a good holiday time.