April 22, 2004

Right now, I am sitting in a lobby at YYY College, a private school with >5000 male students, ages 4-18. I have been in an interview process since 8:30 AM this morn-ing. I have already interviewed and given my sample presentation (the topic is “probability”- gets ‘em every time!).

The chief inquisitor, Ajarn Wilaiwan, a female, is quite an imposing figure- she leaves no doubt that she is in charge of the English Immersion Program. She’s a bit prickly. Example: I mentioned that I grew up in New York, but moved to Virginia 18 years ago. She said, “Good. I don’t like New Yorker’s. They are rude. The last sci-ence teacher was from New York. He was rude.” See Stephen quickly disavowing any liking for New York. The EIP is a subset of the overall school, with about 300 students total in ten grades. It is located a 2 minute walk from the Sarasuk BTS station, which, together – oops, gotta run….

Just got called into the school head’s office- eight Thai faces staring me down. How long have you been in Thailand, what are your plans, what is your teaching background (??? Did you actually read my CV?), and a few more questions. Then, big smiles all around: “We welcome you here and would like you to be the head of the science department”. DAMN!!! (Note: as it turns out, the position as “head” won’t be official until probation ends, 4 months from now. In the meantime, I will have all of the responsibilities- ordering lab supplies, coordinating the science curricula, communicating requests from the school head to the other science teachers, etc., and none of the benefits- such as decrease in workload and increase in salary)

Now back to Ajarn Wilaiwan’s office to hammer out the details, salary, holidays, etc. Today is April 22, 2004. I will start work at YYY College on May 4, students begin May 11. I have 6 more days to complete at Sacred Heart Convent. It is actu-ally already hard to leave there. Even though my kids are barely munchkins, ages 5-8, they are totally adorable. 90% girls, by day two they were shyly touching me and by day three they would surround me like a swarm of benevolent gnats. Thinking about the school brings the image of 3-4 of the students clearly to my mind’s eye. Really melts my heart- but, it seems that Thai woman of all ages have that ability. It is almost enough to keep me there, but prudence (selfishness?) prevails, to wit:

YYY College is offering: over 70 paid holidays per year, Sacred Heart Convent only 30. Sacred Heart Convent offers 43.5K THB, YYY College offers 51K. Bonus: 30K at year end at Sacred Heart Convent; at YYY College, 25K at Christmas, 25K at years end and a round trip ticket to the States! Plus M4 at YYY College, with a real laboratory- meaning kids 14-15 years old vs. 5-8 year olds at Sacred Heart Con-vent. Oh yeah- a teacher quit at the last minute at Sacred Heart Convent, so they told me they want me to teach one English language class. Puke.

OK, back now: ...which, together with the new underground slated to open in July, means I can live virtually anywhere I’d want to in Bangkok and have maybe a ½ hour commute to work, at most.

YYY College has been here for over 150 years. They have a beautiful campus and a sterling reputation. My thought is that I can do one or two years here and then snag a plum position at one of the international schools here in Bangkok, where I could pull down over USD $3000 per month!

So, I said I could live virtually anywhere. That “virtually” does NOT include Rompo Mansion. While convenient to Sacred Heart, it is nowhere near the sky train or un-derground. Fortunately, I am on a month to month lease and have plenty of time to look for new housing. Perhaps this change of work venues was the reason the other apartments all fell by the wayside- they each came with a one year commitment. It would have sucked to be in a completely different part of town, when I don’t have to be.

Hard to believe: I’ve been here not quite 15 days so far, am now on my second Thai job (and about the 9th offer- I’ve only had one interview where I wasn’t offered an immediate position and even that one said they would have a position open in June). This doesn’t necessarily speak to my abilities, only to the dis- or inabilities of so many here. I am very happy to get this spot.

Okay, still waiting for the grand inquisitor to arrive. She was supposed to meet me at 12:30 and it is now 1:30. TIT (This Is Thailand). I must get textbooks, sign a contract, get photos (18 passport photos!!??), 2 health certificates, etc.

RE the health certificates. I actually have these already. 50 THB each. I went to a small clinic. The doctor looked at me, took my blood pressure (140/90, don’t know why? Usually like 120/90). Then he declared me free from drug abuse, alcoholism, tuberculosis, leprosy and elephantiasis, all reasons to be denied a visa, work permit or teacher’s license in Thailand. Amazing what those Thai blood pressure cuffs can diagnose! I have always been suspect of Thai health certificates- this just con-firms my suspicions. Reminds me of when my friend, slightly overweight, went to get a health certificate on Koh Phi Phi, so he could dive SCUBA. He took one look at the ladyboy doctor and decided that he didn’t want to dive all that much anymore. Perhaps fear of a mandatory rectal exam?

GI finally arrives at 3 friggin' 15!!! Tells me nothing to talk about, come back Tuesday for paperwork. TIT.

I live for options.