Second week of school

2 weeks have passed at school now, almost 3 since I've been here. I performed a 2 hour thai massage today for the first time with the new routine and feel like I'm starting to get a good feel for it. There's a lot to remember but it's all starting to stick and I find I have to look at my book less and less to figure out what step is next. It's certainly far from perfect, but getting there. I was encouraged today when my teacher told me I had good movement since that's one aspect of Thai massage I really wanted to work on. 

The teacher this week has been great, every week we switch up classes to mix students, teachers and classrooms. For this week we had Futoshi who is actually Japanese, not Thai, but as the director of the school said - he is more Thai then them! He has been great, showing us little tips and tricks outside of the book to help us and really knows his stuff. I learned a lot this week and hope I get him as a teacher again! Everyone else has been raving about him as well. Today was his birthday so we all sang him "Happy Birthday"! 

The 3rd edition of their textbook also came out today and we were treated to a visit from the authors. I haven't looked through it yet but apparently it has 100 extra pages then the one we received when we first came here, mostly on theory, history and energy balancing. I think it was worth the extra 720 baht, especially because it was signed by the two main authors! I look forward to reading it in more depth. It is probably one of the best books on Thai Massage out there. 

I went to the herbal steam house again and tried a Thai massage as well. It was a nice combo to first steam and loosen up my muscles and joints before my treatment. The atmosphere was much different then what we are used to but the massage kind of blew my mind. The room was fitted with 8 mats, clients and therapists. All my therapist ever said to me was "lie down", "turn over" and "sit up", otherwise all the Thai girls chatted to each other and laughed while we were being treated. I didn't care, the massage was excellent! She pretty much gave me a chiropractic adjustment with her knees that made my back feel better then it has in a long time. I will definitely be going back several times before I leave. It's very reasonably priced and a great experience. I also noticed that down the street there is a clinic that employs only blind massage therapists. I will have to give it a try as well! 

Tomorrow I'm heading to an elephant park to feed, bathe, play with and ride an elephant with two of my schoolmates. I'm really looking forward to it! It's a full day adventure from what I understand and should be an experience of a lifetime. I love animals of any kind so this is a real treat for me. On sunday I booked a treatment at Kandara Spa, a 3.5 hour detox treatment. I've looked around quite a bit and this seems like a great place for the price. It will feel good to ease my aches and pains and detox a little after a hard week at school and a day trekking about. I am starting to feel a bit stronger though after two weeks of doing Thai massage every day, my legs feel a little less shaky and unsure but they still need some work! I'm not used to doing squats, lunges and being so low to the ground all day. 

Well, time to pack a bag and get some rest before my big elephant trek! Photos and stories to come!