Zondag ging ik zoals gebruikelijk vroeg in de morgen naar de plaatselijke markt. Gewoon langs de straat. Ik kocht er aardappelen, wortels en uien. Wat ik daarmee ging doen, wilden de jongedames van de beste straatgroentewinkel weten.
The Best Greengrocers
Hij eet ontzettend goed merkte de oudste op. Haar jongere zus knikte instemmend. Ik pakte mijn telefoon en zocht wat plaatjes op van hutspot en andijviestamppot.
“kijk”, zei ik. “Dat is wat ik kook.” Dat is Nederlands eten.”
The sisters
Ze waren blij. Weer een nieuwtje over die rare buitenlanders om rond te vertellen en te bespreken.
On a Sunday night it came, completely out of the blue, invading my peace of mind.
“Hello, it seems that I am a low-life teacher below you, and you have your click1 of friends. I see you are a true Christian, too. You wear the cross too, and every Sunday you go to church and you don’t work on a Sunday the same it says in the bible. Wow, god will love you and bless you to your commitment to him”
“Thank you. Sleep well.” I replied.
Then came the final: “Yeah, I will. I won’t contact you again”
Continuously seeking conflict with people in his immediate surroundings. Striving to be grandiose to no avail. You help them and they rise to a twisted feeling of being of great importance. Bombarding you with messages about … only themselves. Telling personal stories that no one really wants to hear.
Rambling on and on about themselves. Overwhelmingly being all over your friends and acquaintances in a café until they run to pay the bill and leave.
God has some real weirdos as devotees!
No doubt he contacted me again today. Of course! Aspiring to being great takes a lot of effort.
Some people do excel in overstaying their welcome!
Teaching material for Speaking and Listening Classes
Instructions: Read out loud and clear.Use rhythm, stress, and tone changes.
Who were they? Where did they go? What happened?
One autumn1 evening Charles and Beth went to the theatre2 They attended a play. The play started at 7 pm. Charles and Beth enjoyed going to the theatre.
After the play, Charles and Beth walked together in the park. They walked beside the lake. The moon was bright. They talked about there future.
When Charles and Beth went home, their children were not asleep. They waited for Charles and Beth to return. They were excited to hear about the theatre!
Charles told the children about the play. Then Beth put the children to bed.
Charles and Beth were very tired. It had been a good night!
fall (mostly Am. English but also correct in British English) ↩︎
Teaching material for Speaking and Listening Classes
Instructions: Read out loud and clear. Use rhythm, stress, and tone changes.
It was raining. John looked outside. He felt hungry and thought; “I may cook a meal”. John started peeling three potatoes. Then he washed some vegetables and drained the water off.
Julasamai School, Songkhla
John also wanted some meat to go with the potatoes and the veggies. The fridge was however empty. He took his umbrella and went to the butcher. He was the only customer.
The butcher asked: “What will it be for you today, Sir?” John decided on chicken drum sticks. “Anything else, Sir?”, the butcher asked, because he always tried to sell more. ” No, that will be all for now”, John replied.
Business could be better for the butcher when it would not rain. Nobody wished to go outside. Almost everybody stayed inside, at home.
“By the way … How is business?”, John asked the butcher. “Business is not good these days”, the butcher complained. “It just keeps on raining”, and he started looking very sad. “I hardly see any customers these days.”
How about you, John?”; the butcher inquired. The weather did not affect John’ s business, because John was a computer programmer. “I am fine. No worries!”, John replied. A hush fell over the two men.
Courtesy of Mr Pongsak Klakhai
“Well …” said John. “A life without rain is like the sun without shade. After rain comes sunshine.” “You’ ll be alright,” John said. “Tomorrow you will be okay too.”
And so it was … Just as John had said. The day after, the rain had stopped. It was again a beautiful day. The butcher’s shop was now crowded with people. Customers were queuing up in front. They had found their fridges all empty.
Darling she sighed … Pulling a lustful smile, Swiftly lifting her eyes to the sky Then caught me with a gaze.
"I miss you”, she wrote Then sent the same message to yet another dozen men.
“You are the only one!”
Call it utopian or dystopian. Bar girls are going to be replaced by artificial intelligent holograms. BGHs will serve you your wildest imaginations. Robots will do what remains.
Sommige bekenden van me roepen dat ik niet kan schrijven. Let maar eens op dan.
Een standaard maar toch niet heel erg standaard interview geheel volgens de regels der kunst.
Onze kersverse nieuwe medewerker
Els
Trainee interieurverzorger
“Ik ben trots op mijn nieuwe baan”, is het eerste dat Els zegt.
We stonden samen in de lift op weg naar de kelder.
“Eindelijk heb ik als vrouw de positie gekregen waar ik recht op heb en waar ik tot mijn recht kom”, zegt Els. “Mijn baas beloofde me vanmorgen dat ik na mijn inwerkperiode bij haar in het Penthouse het glazen plafond schoon mag maken”. Ze glundert. “Bofkont” zeggen we in koor.
“Wat vind je nu zo leuk aan ons bedrijf”, is onze eerste vraag.
Els moet even denken. “Nou … dat onze allerhoogste baas een vrouw is natuurlijk”, vult ze snel in. We hadden geen ander antwoord verwacht, eerlijk gezegd. “Heb je een goede relatie met je collega’s”, willen we weten. “Ja mijn collegaatjes zijn super, maar … ” gaat ze verder. “Die oude concierge, die vind ik toch een beetje akelig.” “Een rare man vind ik dat”. Ze kijkt snel om zich heen. Nee, hij is er niet. Opgelucht haalt ze adem. “Mijn collegaatjes zeggen dat hij heel lang in Bangkok heeft gewoond”, vertrouwt ze ons toe. “Bangkok, weten jullie!”
“Bangkok! Daar gaan toch alleen maar mannen naar toe om daar met zoveel mogelijk vrouwen in bed te gaan liggen.” Het is voor haar geen vraag en wij hebben daar niet echt een mening over. Doorvragen nu!. Niet aarzelen. Doorvragen! Zo hebben we dat op de vakschool voor journalisten geleerd. Duik in die opening. Laat de geïnterviewde helemaal leeg lopen op een sappig onderwerp. Je wilt toch wat te schrijven hebben, toch?
Els loopt leeg. We hoeven nauwelijks enige moeite te doen om haar aan te moedigen. De concierge, haar neef, haar exen, de buurman, de garagist, de sociëteitbeheerder, de kastelein en die en die en die.
Ze dist het ene verhaal na het andere van horen zeggen op. “Allemaal vieze mannen” besluit ze. “Het zal beter zijn als we helemaal geen mannen meer nodig hebben”. Daar laten we het bij. In de lift terug naar boven geven we elkaar een Hi5. Het is weer gelukt. Een mooi verhaal om onze carrière stapsgewijs te laten beëindigen door de hoogste baas. Ons ticket naar Bangkok ligt al klaar.
Teacher Walter introduces himself to potential students.
Hi! My name is Walter. Teacher Walter. The Netherlands, that’s where I’m from.
I am an engineer by trade, holding a degree in chemical and process technology. Teaching … that’s my hobby.
Julasamai Primary School in SongkhlaReplacing a foreign teacher at Julasamai P2 Prathom (Primary) 2 at JulasamaiPrathom (Primary) 5 at Julasamai
Some 50 years ago I started out with English, French, and German. In my late twenties I added Danish. I started learning Thai language when I relocated to Thailand. That was 17 years ago. I can speak basic Thai and I can read. Now I’m learning Laotian and I also want to learn Vietnamese.
My background
I love teaching! A part-time science teacher in the Netherlands as a paid-for hobby really, I enjoyed being asked inconvenient questions. No, I don’t mean impertinent questions or confrontations. Inconvenient questions are those questions that many a colleague interprets as a challenge to their authority. Questions as only out of the ordinary students who are genuinely interested in science will ask.
In Thailand I started out teaching English after several requests from senior teachers. Saying NO was not an option. They are still my friends.
I am a part-time teacher. I am also a writer, editor, translating, revisor, and transcreater of content for clients in the West.
Adolescent students, special classAmnuyawit Technical College in Hat YaiSpeaking test, regular classKindergarten in Padang BesarKindergarten mini English camp in PhattalungTetsabaan 4 Primary school in Songkhla
I write in Dutch and in English. Not surprisingly, I am very good at syntax, meaning, connotation, and of course … grammar.
My lessons
I will teach you how to speak English with confidence. We will focus on: — pronunciation, — articulation, — using stress and rhythm, — vocabulary, — idiomatic expressions. and … if so needed grammar as well.
My approach
Yes, I am old by the books … yet I am not!
My approach to teaching is energetic and flexible. I can adapt to the needs of any student with ease. And what’s more … I just love inconvenient questions. Inconvenient questions are a challenge. Such questions enhance the coursework and make teaching much more fun.
Your inconvenient questions will tell me, your teacher, that you are able to think out of the box. If I cannot answer your questions immediately we will discuss how to go about finding the answer.
Together, you and I will be having lots of fun, while you will develop an excellent command of the English language.
Your future
When you are fluent in English you can:
Find better jobs,
Study abroad,
Work abroad.
The world will open up for you. The world will be yours!
Johnnie was a lovely boy. That’s what his Mum in the US had always told him. And indeed he was. Never ever did we hear him say anything nasty or demeaning. Never ever did we sense any envy when other guests stated their successes in life. True stories of real successes or just imaginary successes aimed at steering attention towards themselves.
Johnny liked to grab the guitar to play a few chords to entertain … Sure! … Though he played foremost to attract attention, using Oanh’s guitar which she gracefully has made available to just anybody at the Rainbow Hotel who fancies hitting the strings.
Johnnie had a head start at just any conversation with anyone new. Whether it was your appearance, your new piece of apparel, your skills at speaking English or just anything that he could relate to you, being special. He would say something positive.
Johnnie would highlight the positive side of others.
Johnnie’s life was however not that positive. Johnnie had a talent for getting involved with the wrong kind of people. Women, notably! Down and out local women who had assessed him as easy prey. A man like a boy longing for sex and affection where the latter was never there for him.
At the conclusion of yet another nightly journey roaming the streets down town Vientiane he would arrive just in time for breakfast. Then started sleeping on the couch.
Waking up he would be thirsty for a beer and many more. Johnnie would then start telling about his latest sad adventure. She stole my money man! 300 dollars man! Shit man! She also took my keys. Shit man! I cannot enter my room. Shit man! Which explained why he had missed out on a good night’s sleep again.
Whenever Johnnie experienced unbearable distress he would utter: “Mum always said I am a lovely boy”. And indeed he was.
My bicycle broke down. I was downtown Vientiane near the night market when the rear brake got stuck. Without any tools, no way to repair that kind of brake on the fly. It was already late at night and I was stuck! – well kind of.
To stay the night I decided on the Ocean Blue Hostel. A friend of mine had been staying there before. She liked it. So … why not?
It was a bit of a mixed experience. Nothing wrong with the hostel though.
Staff members are friendly. Breakfast is okay and quickly served. Mattresses and bedding are clean. The hostel is well designed and everything is kept in good order. There are separate dormitory rooms for men and women. They are on separate floors as well. That’s probably a good idea.
I guess it was just bad luck. One of the young men staying at my dormitory room was smoking during the night. That’s strictly forbidden and incurs a hefty fine. He apparently couldn’t care less. I guess inexpensive hostels sometimes attract guests who just refuse to behave.
I arrived from Thailand in April 2023 with the absolute minimum to sustain my life. Knowing one of the managers from previous trips, I naturally decided on a long-stay at the Rainbow Hotel. Staff members at this place are friendly, welcoming, helpful, and most of all … considerate. The hotel is a business. But that’s not all and everything. There is more to it. They make you feel at home.
It’s an old building. So there are still some things to repair and improve on a technical level. Staff and owners are working on it.
Hotel front and restaurantHolidaymakersThe photographerSometimes one needs a napTeachers waiting for their visaYoung and less young
The hotel is also a restaurant. The front part — which comprises the tables inside and the terrace outside — functions as a place to talk with other travellers, having a great though inexpensive Lao beer, to act out as a digital nomad, to be a philosopher aspiring to inspire, to find models for your next photoshoot and of course … to enjoy a delicious nutritious meal.
Oanh, the cook, is from Vietnam. Vietnamese, Laotian (Isaan), European, and Thai dishes. She does it all and fast.
I stayed at the Rainbow Hotel until early September when I finally could afford renting an apartment close to my new work place.
