Erik CP7

Before Kukit and I stop our conversations each week, I decided that he may be able to help me build a travel guide for visiting Thailand, just in case I do end up teaching there one day. In the past, Kukit has given me a rough picture of some places in Thailand, but since his English has improved quite a big since we first met, I thought having him describe a few places in detail would challenge him a bit.

Kukit knows Bangkok like the back of his hand, since he lives only 20 minutes away, so I trust that he gave me a good walkthrough of Thailand. He told me that the Emerald Buddha at the Grand Palace is a must see. We got a little side tracked, and I asked if he had spent time in a monastery at all. I’ve researched different TEFL schools in Nepal, India and Thailand that are actually located in Buddhist monasteries, so the classes are geared towards the orphaned monks who live there. As someone who believes strongly in spirituality, that type of opportunity sounds like something I’d definitely want to put on my bucket list.

Kukit said he had stayed in a monastery for at least a year, which didn’t surprise me. I always pegged him as the pensive type. He said he couldn’t silence his mind as much as he’d like though, so he’s still looking for the “force” he referenced in one of our past meetings.

Khao San Road was the next place. This was the destination he suggested if I really wanted to see the culture of Thailand. A street market filled with everything from rice, to music, to crafts and local clothing, this road is apparently the place to go for a tourist. And last was more of a natural wonder, the Chao Phraya River, which runs through Bangkok.

Kukit was so warm while explaining Thailand, like he really expected me to travel there in the immediate future. He offered to show me around to different English institutions if the opportunity ever arose in Thailand, and then explained how native English teachers are really needed in Thailand. I may have mentioned in a previous post that Kukit had studied English for roughly six years before coming to America, yet could hardly speak a handful of phrases. He told me about one of his Thai English teachers, who actually taught him that “cat” was “rat,” confusing the two sounds with each other. Looks like there’s a definite need for native speakers in Thailand!