dubois.ford

Australia: The Great Barrier Reef

Australia, Physical Fitness Activities, Video 8 Responses »

Jan 172013

Home to a stupefying array of flora and fauna including 1,500 varieties of fish, 4,000 kinds of mollusks and 500 species of coral, the Great Barrier Reef is a symphony of life. Coral are of special interest to many visitors. Much like how humans’ skin can acquired a beautiful tan when the sun shines on in, coral’s colors radiant brightly when exposed to the sun.

Our day at the Great Barrier Reef was overcast and there was actually a strong downpour of rain on our last dive. As a result, the coral was not as colorful as usual the day we visited. Nevertheless, Kentae, Arnita, Shanita, Ladonna and I enjoyed our trip to the Great Barrier Reef. The largest marine preserve in the world is a wonder to behold. The trip included 3 dive sites. I put together a few video clips from the dives that convey the visit better than words. I hope you enjoy it.

Guest Lectures by the Usherys, Smitty, & Britni

Kasetsart Univeristy, Photos, Physical Fitness Activities, Thailand 4 Responses »

Dec 272012

Thanks to my friends Melvin, Asha, and Smitty for trekking all the way to Thailand to speak to my class.

Always looking for the adventure, we braved Bangkok streets on bicycles.

Britni joined us in Phuket for poolside drinks, snorkeling, canoeing and a visit to James Bond island.

The local convenience store is always there when you need it.

A resplendent rain shower in Chinatown, Bangkok

Off season training for #GSNOE and #Brolympics

Click here for all photos from the Usherys, Smitty, & Britni’s Visit

The Last Elephants in Thailand

Elephants, Thailand 6 Responses »

Dec 172012

Photos from my week at Elephant Nature Park

What is the first thing you think about when you hear the word Thailand? Is it the spiciness of Thai food, the unfortunate Tsunami disaster of 2004, or the craziness of Bangkok traffic? For most people it is none of the above. Many of my friends emphatically answered this question with a single word. Elephants!!! I also desired to see these awe-inspiring creatures as I prepared for my life in Thailand. However, once in Thailand, I decided not to experience elephants in the same manner that most tourists do.

Foreigners of all ages flock to Thailand annually to attend elephant shows, participate in elephant riding and pet baby elephants. Unfortunately, many tourists are unaware of the cruel training and punishment that the majority of these intelligent beings suffer through. I was made aware of it while searching for a documentary on animals to show to my Thai students. I lucked upon a documentary titled “The Last Elephants in Thailand.” I highly recommend you watch it for your next movie night. The video is embedded at the bottom of this post or you can watch it on youtube.

The documentary sheds light on the gruesome training that is involved in teaching elephants tricks. A mahout, or elephant trainer, is usually assigned to an elephant as a baby. The majority of elephants are broken into submission by having all 4 legs chained and placed in a 4 sided enclosure without enough room for the animal to turn around. They are then beaten with the infamous “hook” until they no longer fight back. The sight of the hook is the first sign of abuse. The hook often causes flesh wounds that penetrate the elephant deeply. If you ever attend any type of event where elephants are and you see the hook, know that abuse is occurring. The hook is also used to direct the elephant which way to walk. The tool is poked into the thin sensitive skin of the elephant’s ears and then the mahout pulls the hook in the direction desired. Holes in the ears, and tattered ears are often the result and are another sign of abuse. This graphic training is depicted in the aforementioned documentary. Recently, elephant paintings have become a popular souvenir for tourists. During a show, an elephant will stand in front of a canvas and paint an abstract picture. Sadly, prior to the shows, elephants learn to do this by having their trucks grabbed with the hook and pushed against the canvas. When it is time for the show the elephants perform the same task out of fear and not desire. In addition to the already egregious painting shows, some elephants camps advertise an elephant breeding show. Elephants are forced to mate in front of tourists by training methods that are not worth repeating.

One elephant, Jokia, is documented in detail in the video. She worked as a logging elephant in Thailand and Burma. A mahout, on lunch break, started shooting small rocks at Jokia one day for fun. Disastrously, a rock hit her eye and caused her to become blind in one eye. Jokia was forced to continue to work as a logging elephant with one eye. After being pregnant for 22 months, the longest gestation period of any animal, she lost her baby as she gave birth while moving logs and the baby elephant fell off a cliff as it was being born. Heartbroken, as any mother would be, Jokia refused to move any more logs and laid down. A cantankerous mahout proceeded to stab Jokia in the other eye. Jokia was rescued and purchased by elephant nature park shortly after becoming blind. Read more about Jokia by clicking this link. After hearing her story, I decided to volunteer at this haven for rescued elephants for 7 days.

Elephant nature park is a park for abused and rescued elephants. The park was founded by Lek. A Thai woman of small stature with one of the largest hearts on Earth. There are no rides nor elephant paintings here. Mental, emotional, and physical rehabilitation are the aims of this park. It is unbelievable that these elephants are capable of letting human beings back in their life after the mistreatment they endured. I had a chance to feed Jokia and look into the vacant craters which use to hold her eyeballs. There were a group of 34 people who were volunteering this particular week. These volunteers were from many different walks of life. They ranged from 18 year old Europeans on gap year to retired grandparents checking off their bucket list.

The activities included:
Bathing & swimming with elephants
Scooping and moving elephant manure
Cutting 6ft tall grass stalks with machetes
Hoeing banana trees
Organizing the elephant kitchen
Eating vegetarian food for a week
Tubing down a Thailand river with a cold beer in my hand
Playing poker & signs
Watching a baby elephant the first day of its birth

Click here to view all my photos from my week at Elephant Nature Park

My week at Elephant Nature Park was probably one of the happiest of my life. Elephants are incredible creatures. However, the park is a scary reminder of the powerful statement people make when spending their money. The tourist dollar is the only reason most of these shows and mistreatment of elephants continue on. The next time you attend any animal function please do your research and be aware of the statement you are making with your money. Does an elephant really want to paint a canvas? Does it want to carry a carriage of people on its back everyday the rest of its life? With its sensitive ears, does it want to hear a circus cannon go off every day? Does it want to be forced to mate simply for entertainment?

Mountain Biking in Northern Thailand

Physical Fitness Activities, Thailand 6 Responses »

Dec 012012

“The bicycle is a curious vehicle. Its passenger is its engine.” ~John Howard

Click here for Photos from Mountain Biking in Northern Thailand

Although road biking is my favorite form of biking, mountain biking is providing some competition to my beloved hobby. During my recent semester break I decided to visit the city of Chiang Mai in Northern Thailand. I stayed at Julie’s Guesthouse which houses a social group of backpackers from around the world. The guesthouse also offered suggestions for activities in the area. I saw an advertisement for Chiang Mai Mountain Biking and signed up without hesitation.

Even though I had never been mountain biking before, I was fairly confident I would be able to handle the challenge due to my prior road biking experience. I proceeded to register for the “intermediate” ride.

The morning of the ride started much like one of my bike rides back in DC. I hydrated with water and bananas. I ate bananas until my stomach gave me that “Don’t over do it” feeling. The tire pressure checked out. The disc brakes, which reminded me of circular saw blades, seemed capable of stopping the bike on a dime. We rode a songthaew (open Thai pick-up truck) for about
1 hour before we reached the top of a mountainous area. The ride consisted of many zigzagged roads, one way vehicle passing areas, and a lot of ear popping. My nerves started to flare up. We un-mounted our bikes and waved good bye to the sonthaew. With a click of my helmet strap, I swallowed my nerves and got 3rd in line out of our group of 4.

We followed a paved road for about 5 minutes, and then we made a right hand turn into a sea of green. The downhill was fairly steep and there was no clear path. The wind started speaking loudly in my ears and tree roots, rocks, and decaying branches grabbed at our tires. Stray dogs barked at us in their native tongue. After we reached a clearing and I remembered to start breathing again, I thought to myself “Intermediate huh?” Our Thai bike leader looked back at us with a grin on
his face and said “OK?”, I did not respond.

Perhaps the first downhill was some kind of initiation as the next portion of the ride consisted of moderate riding with breathtaking views. We glided through streams of water and grabbed bananas off banana trees. We stopped by hill tribe villages and watched children pluck bouquets of dandelions from the ground. I started to think, “I have to do this more often.” After a few more kilometers of riding, our bike leader announced we would be single tracking, with that same grin on his face.

Single tracking, in mountain biking terms, is riding a trail that is approximately the width of the bike. There is not a lot of room for error. I stood up on my bike and moved my weight to the rear of the bike as instructed. The worse kind of fall is when you Superman or go over the handlebars, I remembered our instructor telling us. We were down the single track about a 3rd of the way when a fellow rider stated “I know my limits, I will walk and meet you all at the next clearing.” I was not feeling that comfortable myself. I had already put my foot down a couple of times to stop impending falls. However, I thought to myself “When is the next time you will have a chance to single track over a Thailand mountain?” I pushed on and finally made the clearing. It was not my breath this time but it felt like my heart had to remember to start again. Nevertheless, I had made it to the clearing. I was brimming with confidence after single tracking.

I started tackling the rest of the trail at a faster speed. I reached a fairly open portion of the the trail, nothing compared to the single track, and then it happened. I still don’t know if it was a rock, tree branch, or over-confidence but I supermaned. I went over the handlebars and instinctively put my hands out to brace for impact. As I plummeted to the ground it feel like a knife had been driven into my right knee. I sat up and clutched my wrists. They feel like they had just lifted a truck. It didn’t seem like anything was broken so I picked myself up and got back on my bike. Besides a cut knee, scraped hands, and sore wrists, I was OK.

It was just a fall off a bike but it reminded me of something one of my friends told me a while ago. “If you don’t fall or fail sometimes, you are not aiming high enough.” We all have our fair share of falls. Some fear falling, however I think there is another perspective we can take on the subject. If you do not have an occasional fall maybe you should aim higher. What will happen if you aim higher and don’t fall?

Click here for Photos from Mountain Biking in Northern Thailand

Siem Reap & Angkor Wat Cambodia

Cambodia 8 Responses »

Nov 242012

“Why do you want to go there?”, my student asked me. I will admit that Cambodia was not high on my list of places to visit when I decided to move to southeast Asia. However, after reading about the tragedies of the Khmer Rouge Regime in the late nineties, I was drawn to visit this nation. It turned out to be a marvelous place and has found its way onto my travel recommendation list. In true SE Asian style, my fellow teacher, Andy and I caught an 8 hour bus from Bangkok to the city of Siem Reap. Once there we met his friend Kelly who is an American Peace Corp volunteer in Cambodia. Kelly, fluent in the Khmer language, served as our guide even though she had never been to the city of Siem Reap. I was glad that she could speak Khmer as I thought it would help with negotiating prices.

Fortunately, after our arrival in Siem Reap, the first thing I noticed was how inexpensive the cost of living was. There was no need to negotiate prices. The local draft beer “Angkor” was sold for the equivalent of 50 cents a bottle. The guesthouse we stayed in was $4 a night for 2 twin beds. Towards the end of the trip, I found myself in desperate need of a shave as my hair clippers stopped working right before I left Thailand. I had about 2 weeks worth of a beard growing when I decided to find a barber shop. I was lucky enough to get a shave, scalp wash, and head massage for $2. I did tip her another $2 dollars. Many establishments actually preferred the US dollar versus the Cambodian riel. Hopefully in the near future, the country of Cambodia will utilize its own currency more. However, what the country lacks in currency stability is dwarfed by the richness of its land.

To the north of Siem Reap is the magnificent land of Angkor Wat. Angkor Wat is a religious temple complex which dates back to the 12th century. The views were simply stunning and words cannot describe them justly. I felt like a frog jumping from lily pad to lily pad as we hiked over moss covered rocks. We could have been characters in movies like Lord of the Rings or Hunger Games if I didn’t know any better. Other portions of movies like Tomb Raider and The Jungle Book were actually filmed on site at Angkor Wat. One particular temple required a strenuous stair/ladder climb to reach the top. I do not do well with heights but the view was well worth the anxious moments on the ladder. Once at the top, I looked down to see people swimming in the moat, and kids frolicking through the green pastures without a care in the world. Standing at the top of that temple and gazing out, I felt like I was one of those kids. Simply put, Angkor Wat is a must visit for anyone who enjoys traveling.

Please view the rest of my photos from Cambodia here: Cambodia Photos

English Camp Weekend

Kasetsart Univeristy, Music, Thailand 4 Responses »

Sep 282012

The Special English Program (SEP) at Kasetsart University recently held an English camp weekend. The weekend was designed to create a fun environment where students could practice speaking and listening to the English language. The students were split into 6 groups of 30 and rotated between 6 classrooms lead by English teachers. I was 1 of the 6 teachers that volunteered to lead an activity. The majority of the students are enrolled in the courses I teach so I knew the weekend would be a humorous one.

The activity I decided to use in my classroom was “Making the Band.” The activity was based on the American reality TV show from years ago. I opened the activity with vocabulary building using esoteric music words such as collaborate, catchy, rhythm, album, and melody. I then explained the activity and showed the students the music video of Kool & the Gang performing their hit Celebration as an example band.

Once in groups, each group had to do the following
1. Determine the genre of music their band would play
2. Decide on the band’s name
3. Each member of the band created his/her own stage name
4. Tell how your band formed and why it is the best band
5. Perform!!!

Here is a short 6 minute compilation video of the performances. I recently showed this to my students and they really enjoyed it. I was lucky to make a cameo appearance toward the end. I hope you enjoy it.

The Kindness of Thai People

Thailand 14 Responses »

Jul 292012

Erawan Waterfall

I have been overwhelmed by the amount of kindness shown to me since arriving in Thailand. Many Thais give without any expectation of receiving anything in return. I asked my Thai friend Meaw about this and she said that most of the kindness relates to Buddhism. Thailand’s population is approximately 95% Buddhist. Buddhism consists of a strong belief in karma. Another pillar of the faith is “Making Merit.” This consists of offering good actions, whether it is food donations to monks or performing worship at the local temple. She ended the conversation with “Tam dee, dai dee; tam chooa, dai chooa” (Good actions bring good results; bad actions bring bad results). I have been fortunate enough to experience this proverb many times in Thailand. Below are 4 examples that I would like to share:

1) I was getting pretty use to my daily walking commute from my apartment on campus to the English building. For all of my Aggies it was probably the equivalent of walking from Aggie stadium to McNair Hall. I didn’t mind the walk and only on days when it was extremely hot did I tell myself I need to hurry up and buy a bicycle. Thais do not walk long distances and could not understand why I would walk. Occasionally, complete strangers would pull next to

My student's Bicycle

me and ask me

to get in their car or on the back of their motorbike. I always obliged them. On a particularly hot day, I walked into my building pretty sweaty. One of my students told me “This is not America. This is

Thailand and you cannot walk that far.” The next day she said “I have a bike for you,” and I naturally said “No Thanks.” At the end of my night class there was a small key on my office desk. It was not mine and I assumed another teacher put it there in error. I left it there and begin my walk home. As, I walked out my building there was a bike locked up that said “Teacher Ford” on it. The next class she said “Keep it until you buy your own.” I guess it pained her to much to see me make that walk.

2) I had successfully navigated my way to Bangkok for the first time via the public bus system.

Erawan Waterfall

It was quite the experience for a foreigner. I met my roommate, Michael, and some fellow English teachers for a weekend of sightseeing and fun. The weekend turned out to be a great one and Sunday evening Michael and I prepared to head back to our university town of Kamphaeng Saen. It was about 9pm when we arrived at the bus station and it turned out that the last bus to our city had already left. We caught the bus to the closest city to our town, Nakhon Pathom, about 30km away. We stepped off the bus about 10pm not quite sure what our plan was to get the rest of the way home. We wandered up to several taxis only to be told astronomical prices. A gentleman and a lady rode up to us on a motorbike and asked in broken English “Do you need help?” We communicated

to him that we needed to get to Kamphaeng Saen. He replied “Wait here.” Not really

Golfing on Campus

sure what was going on we waited about 10 minutes on the curbside and this gentlemen and lady returned with a car. They drove us all the way to our apartment door. The gentleman’s name was Jake and the lady was his wife. We expressed our deepest gratitude to which he replied “Thank You,” smiled, and drove home.

3) I met my friend Meaw in the cafeteria at school one day. She said that she wanted to work on her English and we decided to meet again for lunch on a Saturday afternoon. We discussed cultural differences and similarities. We somehow got on the topic of me visiting the campus clinic because my foot was hurting. I stated that the doctor told me he thought it was a small wart forming on the bottom of my foot and that I should visit the hospital in the neighboring city of Nakhon Pathom when I get a chance. Before I knew it, immediately after lunch, we were on the road to the

Hosipital Visit

hospital. It was about a 30 km drive. I told her that I didn’t even have my passport. “Shall we stop by my apartment to pick it up?” “No you do not need it,” she replied. The doctor treated me for a small foot wart and everything is fine. I was really impressed with the efficiency of the Thai healthcare system. I was just expecting lunch and received a first class ride to the hospital.

4) After class one day I hear “Teacher Ford! Look at what I have.” I look down to see this pencil drawn portrait of myself standing at the whiteboard. The pictures my students draw of me hold a significant meaning of kindness to me. After I scold them for not paying attention in class I cannot help but to smile and have a laugh with them. As a child my dad would occasionally bring drawings home that students made of him. I found them funny. The

Student's Drawing of me

more I think about it now; people do not usually draw people they do not like. Hopefully, my students like me for the knowledge and culture that I try to impart.

Drawing of me on Student's Homework

Pictures across Borders

Kasetsart Univeristy, Photos, Thailand 10 Responses »

Jul 162012

Sometimes pictures can express one’s thoughts better than words. I decided to share some photos from my first month in Thailand. The pictures range from my classroom, to the crazy parties on Khoa San Rd, to the tranquility of Kanchanaburi. There are 30 pictures.

First Taste of Thailand

Thailand 17 Responses »

Jun 192012

Thailand Tuk Tuk

On Monday, June 11, 2012 I entered my first class ever as a teacher. There were about 30 2nd year students in this English Speaking/Listening class. I used an icebreaker I found online.

I brought a deck of cards to class. I shuffled them and then placed them out on a desk. A student would come up and pick a card. Whatever number he/she picked is the amount of things he/she would have to say about their self. The student held a microphone while talking. Once the student finished, the student would then pass the microphone to a student of their choice. Most of the students really enjoyed this part because they were able to pick on a friend they did or did not like. I was really surprised by some of the

Thai Street Food

responses. It was a good way to gauge personalities and knowledge of English. With jacks, queens, and kings being equal to 10 most students had to say 10 things to their slight dismay. During teacher orientation in Bangkok, I learned that Thai students are generally shy and it is key to create an atmosphere of activity and involvement.

Some responses from my students:

“I have 21 cats.”
“I am Mr. Cool.”
“I love Justin Beiber”
“I used to be a white man before I came here.”
“I want to dance with you.”
“In the future I want to be a god.”
“I want 2 boyfriends.”
“My favorite subject is English”

Kasetsart University(http://kps.ku.ac.th/eng/) has a focus on agriculture, nature and English. When I first applied to the Teach in Thailand program I thought I would want to work in downtown Bangkok.

Thailand Monks during Visakha Bucha Day

However, I think Kasetsart will turn out to be a great fit for me. It has a plethora of nature trails and plenty of athletic facilities. It boasts an Olympic size pool, basketball courts, gym, golf course, running trails, and about 5 lakes. The students seem very eager to learn and often hang out after class or in my office to practice their English. I look forward to an energetic class environment. If you have any lesson plan ideas please let me know. Thank you Shannon and Gloria for the great ideas so far.

Below are a few photos from my experience so far:

The Laundry Mat Chair

Washer

Dryer

Oklahoma City Thurder beating the Spurs made the sports front page.

Speaking at a Thai Teacher Training Session

Saxophone in Market

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