Loi Krathong Thai Festival

 Kasetsart Univeristy, Thai Festivals, Thailand, Video  1 Response »
Mar 072013
 

krathong“Teacher, teacher, catch it, catch it.” “It’s not catch it’s hold,” I corrected her. They then proceeded to yell, “HOLD” in unison. “Wish, wish, teacher.” Everybody closed their eyes and made a wish before we let the khom go. The khom is a type of floating lantern used in Thai culture for the celebration of several festivals, one of which is Loi Krathong. Loi krathong is an annual Thai festival where people thank the Goddess of water, Phra Mae Khongkha. People participate in the festival by placing intricately decorated “floating crowns” in a body of water or releasing khoms into the majestic night skies. Lastly, a beauty contest accompanies many Loi Krathong celebrations. Wouldn’t you know it, one of my students, Ploy, won the beauty contest for the celebration at Kasetsart University. Below is a video of Ploy, my students, and myself releasing a khom. The video captures me practicing my Thai speaking skills as well. Enjoy!

Guest Lectures by the Usherys, Smitty, & Britni

 Kasetsart Univeristy, Photos, Physical Fitness Activities, Thailand  4 Responses »
Dec 272012
 

Lecture

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

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Bike Riding

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

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Phuket, Thailand

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

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Bangkok Store

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

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Resplendent Rain

A resplendent rain shower in Chinatown, Bangkok

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 Snowboarding in Bangkok

Off season training for #GSNOE and #Brolympics

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

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.

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.