Special Ceremony and Birthday (5-25)

 After the opening ceremony on Friday, all students and teachers gathered in the common area for a special mass that is held at the beginning of each year. One of the male teachers conducted the mass and a few boys assisted. Everyone had an Order of Service with the words to prayers and hymns. 

At the end of the mass, communion was served, and students and teachers who wanted to participate walked up to receive the wafer and drink.

Friday was also Khun Kuan’s birthday; so there was a dinner at her house. 

Khun Toy came, and it was good to see her again. Khun Dakom could not come, as he was busy taking care of the workers hired to plant rice. This is the time the seeds are planted to grow into seedlings that will be transplanted in July. This is also Rocket Festival time, and I thought about the festivals I danced in at the village.

Saturday Khun Toy and Khun Oy took me to get cholesterol control meds, as my supply was about finished. They took me to the private hospital that they had taken me to for Peace Corps, since they had me in their records. I saw a doctor briefly to discuss the meds, but he did not want a blood test this time. (Cost: 150 bahts, about $5) He changed the meds, as the hospital does not carry the ones I’ve been using. I was going to get a three-month supply so I don’t have to return often. I had noticed on the Peace Corps supplied box that the meds cost 900 bahts (about $27), and this is what I was planning to pay. So I was quite shocked when the cost for one month was 2700 bahts (about $90). I asked Khun Toy what she pays for her meds for comparison and learned that, as a government employee, she does not pay for any medical services at the government hospital. Another reason everyone wants to be a government teacher. So I purchased only a one-month supply, as that’s all the money I had and she thought it was expensive because it is a special hospital. They said that next time they’ll take me to a medicine shop. I checked the price on the Internet and learned that $30 is reasonable and $90 is excessive; so I’ll be looking for a better way to purchase meds.

Sunday as I was walking back from the morning market, the man at the corner who speaks English called me to come into his house. I had seen him and his wife on Friday and asked if there is anything they would like me to bring them from the U.S. Then I learned that their children are in the U.S. Sunday they invited me to teach their nephew, who is the best student in his class at one of the good schools in the city. He is in 6^th grade, and they plan to take him to the U.S. after 9^th grade to finish high school there. They plan to retire in the U.S. because they like American people very much. I found that interesting, as many Americans retire here because they like Thai people. They talked about how Americans were very helpful and kind to them when they were in grad school and working in the country 30 years ago. I wonder if they will find it different now. So I’ll be teaching the nephew when I return. There wasn’t a good way to refuse, and  they are my neighbors who will help me with anything I need.

Khun Tang was talking at the birthday dinner about my teaching her daughter, Bitoy and their other good friend three times a week. This was not a surprise, and I had been thinking about it. I know Khun Kuan wants Bitoy to speak English and I talk with her when I see her. She is responding more now. Their little group could be fun to work with, but three times a week is too much—for them and me.

Sunday I went to the local Internet shop, which is about a 15-minute walk from home. It’s small but is air conditioned. The man speaks a little English and let me connect my laptop. The cost is the same as it was in the village, which was a nice surprise. When I went to Big C with Khun Kuan and family in the evening, she told me that they now have Internet for Bitoy and me; so I can use their service sometimes, too. And I’ll have to be careful not to mention if I go to the Internet shop, as she will be offended that I didn’t go to their house.

At school Monday I continued to learn how little English the 7^th and 8^th grade students know. When I asked the 7^th grade students to tell me their class number, half of them could not. Some weren’t sure what their number is and others could tell me in Thai but not in English. These are numbers up to 36. Half of the students still cannot answer the twelve basic questions we have worked on. They do not study outside class, and they do not study in class. They copy from the board and close their notebooks and chat in Thai. They actively listen only when it is their turn to answer, and then they don’t know because they haven’t listened. This is not surprising behavior, as it is how students at the other schools behaved in terms of not studying. Students in most of the classes did not talk all the time, but they did do that at the beginning until they learned how to study. There are several exceptions who do listen and try to answer and a few who volunteer to answer, but most are not good students. Progress will be slow. Part of me had hoped students would be better at this school than they are.

Khun Tatsanee called to tell me that she was going to her new school on Wednesday. I had been thinking about calling to see how she did on her test to be a government teacher. She was number 1 in the province, which is why she is moving to a new school so soon. I’m really happy for and proud of her. The school and students will miss her.

It has been raining a lot this week. We’ve had hard rain almost every night.

I’ve walked to school a few times now. It takes half an hour. It’s not a bad walk, but it’s not as pleasant as walking in the village with the small girls and women greeting me. One day a neighbor picked me up. I hadn’t met him, but he knew where I was going and I knew he was a neighbor because he was starting to back out of the driveway when I walked past.

When I was teaching math to 5^th grade, a teacher came to tell me that there was a test and I would not be teaching; so I went to our office. At the end of class, a teacher came to find me to take me back to class. I told her class was over. Then Sister came to get me. When I said class was over, she explained that she needed me to teach for a short time because students would complain to their parents if I did not teach. So I taught for five minutes. The test turned out to be for a teacher applicant, not for the students. Sister commented that she could not teach. I felt bad for the young woman, as she had been trying to teach a concept beyond the understanding of the students. She had probably been told what to teach and had no time to prepare and did not know how little the students understand.

I’ve put together all the documents to apply for a Non-Immigrant visa while I am in Chicago next week. I’m trying to prepare materials and guidelines for whoever will teach my classes when I’m gone. I had been told that it would be the Sister who is on vacation in the Philippines now, but today I was told that they are not sure. I’m not worrying about that. I’ll do what I can to prepare and then see what gets done when I return. While I was working on this, it reminded me why I seldom took personal days; it’s just too much work to prepare to be gone. And it’s more difficult now because it’s so early in the school year and I hardly know what I’m doing myself.

A Five-Day Weekend (5-17)

The first two days of the five-day weekend were quiet. Khun Kuan and family brought me dinner on Friday. I unpacked most of the rest of my things that day. I put my pictures on the walls; so the place is feeling more like home. Saturday I hung out at home and packed my bag of “things that will stay in the U.S.” I had purchased scales when we were at Big C so I could weigh the bags before getting to the airport. This one is exactly 50 pounds. I may need to remove a few things at the airport if their scales are a little different, which has happened before.

Saturday we were going to go to a housewarming party, but it was changed to Sunday. The teacher had invited Irene and maybe Tony and me or Irene asked if she could bring Tony and me. At any rate, Kru Tang drove all of us to the house for lunch. Before picking up Tony, we stopped at Macro to buy a fan as a housewarming gift. Of course, we had a photo with the group and the gift. 

After we ate, Sister arrived and we took more photos. She was quite the orchestrator of photo taking, even though she was not in most of them. 

Then we danced a little with Kru Wan, the hostess and a few other women while people sang karaoke. Fortunately, we escaped before getting invited to sing a song. I wore one of my silk outfits for the occasion, which was a big hit. It had been a while since I’d been told how beautiful my clothes and I are.

After leaving the house, we stopped at a nearby wat. It turned out to be one I had been to with Khun Yindee two years ago. It was the first time Kru Tang and Irene had been there. 

Then we went to another wat outside the city a bit. I think this is the one I visited with the smaller school last year, as it has a silver Buddha and those are not common. 

This was a special occasion at the wat, as it was hosting a display of relics on loan from Bangkok for a month, and this was the next to last day for the display. Irene did not go into wat to look at them. She explained later that she does not know how to be respectful in wats; so she doesn’t go in. Kru Tang walked through the exhibit with us and was interested even though she is Catholic. Later we learned that she was raised Buddhist, married a Catholic, and is now Catholic with her husband and children. It was interesting to visit the wats with non-Buddhists, as we did not pay our respects to the Buddha images, which is often all we do when I go with Buddhists. We did not go to see the silver Buddha; I saw it only from a distance.

Next we went farther out of the city to visit the mother of a teacher who is in the hospital. Again my silk outfit was a hit and several people who don’t even know me commented on how beautiful it is. Kru Tang chatted with the mother quite a bit; also with the woman in the bed beside hers. The room had 17 beds in it and all had patients. We were there an hour before visiting hours, but Kru Tang went in and asked for permission for us to enter. When we left the room, we waited outside until another teacher arrived. Then we left.

After we took Tony home and were close to my house (5:00), Khun Kuan called to see if I wanted to go to Wat Hua Don with them. So Kru Tang took me to Kuan’s house and I went with them. They were having a special ceremony, and Khun Toy was joining the others to stay awake and pray all night. I asked Pra Tong, Khun Toy’s son, what the occasion was and he explained that he had made the Buddha image in front of their Buddha image and would give it to his friend’s temple in Pitsanuluk.

We didn’t stay long, as they were concerned about getting me home early, since I had to get up at 4:00 AM for the trip to Laos. They had gone to deliver drinks they were donating for those attending the ceremony and those staying all night. On the way to my house, Khun Oy stopped to say “hello” to the man on the corner, who is a friend of his. He has always been friendly and greeted me when I see him. Now he is a friend of a friend. Saturday when I went to the market, the man on the other side of the corner spoke to me in English. He and his wife lived in New Mexico for eight years while he went to grad school and worked for Levi Strauss. When the plant where he worked was closed, he returned home.

Monday morning at 5:00 we left for Mukdahan and Laos. We were going to leave at 4:30, but it started raining heavily at 4:15, and Tony was late getting to the school and was very wet and had to change clothes, since he was riding a motorcycle. We arrived at the passport control office at 7:40, as scheduled. Khun Tang drove rather fast. When she talked to someone Sister learned that the Thai Embassy in Savannakhet was closed for the holidays. She had called and been told that it would be open. So She, Khun Tang, and I went across the river while the others waited, as my visa expired on Tuesday; so I needed a new one. Sister and I talked with a man who said I could change passports and enter Thailand on my personal passport. When we got to Savannakhet, we went to the embassy so Khun Tang would know where to take us when we returned on Wednesday. It was open. So we called the others and told them to hustle over to join us. There was a long line of people wanting a visa, and Sister talked to someone who said the others could join the line when they arrived. They only had to stand in line for five minutes and finished before the 11:00 closing. While we waited, Sister talked to the people in the office about my situation. We walked up to the window and she asked a question, which lead to other questions with other people. Being with someone wearing a habit is helpful. The last man said I should not get a visa and should wait till I return from the U.S. So Sister, Kru Tahg and I left the other three in Laos to wait to pick up their passports with a visa on Wednesday and returned home.

Before leaving, we took them to their hotel and hung out in Kate and Lovely’s room for a while. Then we went to eat lunch. After lunch we went to a nearby house to meet the woman there so the others would know where they could go if they had a problem. The woman is the mother of one of Sister’s convent friends. After visiting for a while, we left and went our separate ways.

When we got to immigration, the man at the booth would not let me use my personal passport and said I had to use the one with the Laos exit visa. When I explained that the man in the morning had said it was OK, he told me to talk to him. Since he was on the other side (outgoing) of the border, that was not possible; so I went to a different booth and got a visa for two weeks. In Mukdahan, we stopped to shop at the Indochina market. I’d been there one other time but hadn’t been to the underground section that we went to. It was an enjoyable way to end the day before driving home.

I will try to get a visa at the Thai Consulate in Chicago when I am there in early June. If that doesn’t work, I can get a one-month visa at the airport with I arrive in Bangkok and then do this process on my own again. I think Sister was a little concerned about what would happen if I can’t get a visa in Chicago, as she asked if I would come back if that doesn’t work and was very happy when I said I will return.

On the way back, Sister asked about my teaching Saturday special classes for students and parents who are interested. This would be extra and I would get paid for teaching. She also said she wants Tony and me to begin working with students who will enter competitions. I knew the latter would be coming up sometime. I’m a little concerned about special classes for students, as I think too many will be interested in studying with the native speakers. We are still a novelty for the school. She also wants us to teach classes for the teachers. I knew my time would fill up soon.

When I went with Khun Kuan’s family to deliver a bicycle to Khun Tang’s house, Khun Tang’s husband told me that his friends want me to teach their children. He has told them what they should pay me. He asked if I want to start now or when I return from the U.S.; I told him the latter. I declined to meet them that day. He had mentioned this possibility when I went to interview, but I guess it’s a done deal now.

In Amnat Charoen, we stopped to see the new Ave Maria School that will open on Wednesday. It is the fifth Ave Maria School. The two Sisters I talked with speak English very well. This year the school will have pre-school, kindergarten, and first grade. It will add a grade each year as students move up. When we were leaving, Sister asked if I want to teach there. I said not for several years, as I don’t want to teach the lower grades, and I will stay with her if that’s OK. She happily walked—almost danced—over to me and hugged me.

One of the Sisters gave me some lychee. I like lychee juice but had not seen or tasted the fruit. I’ll be looking for it in the city market.

We stopped at the market to purchase food for dinner before dropping me off. A young man got my attention. He was one of the university students who did English camps at the larger school and recognized me from that. It was nice to chat with him.

School Starts (5-12)

The first week of school is over. Monday students had meetings and homeroom in the morning and some classes in the afternoon. Kate, Lovely, and I were taken to the library to use the Internet and/or work. This felt familiar, as that is what my previous co-teachers would do with me when they had other work to do and wanted me out of the way. At 10:00 I was told to go to the 7^th-9^th grade meeting. I was briefly introduced and the students clapped. The rest of the time I sat. Fortunately, I’ve had lots of practice doing this.

In true Thai style, we got our schedules at about 11:00. I was scheduled to have two classes in the afternoon but didn’t know if we were having classes or not. After lunch, I asked Kru (teacher. Teachers here are addressed as Kru ___ or Teacher ___; thus I am Teacher Jackie) Tang what I should do in the afternoon and she told me I would have classes. So, I taught science and English to the 7^th grade class. This was an experience.

Before school, Kru Irene told me that she had taught 7^th during the summer Intensive English Program and that they were very weak in knowledge of English. She was correct. It was like teaching 3^rd or 4^th grade. She also said that many of the 7^th grade students are new to the school, as they went to other primary schools and the good students in 6^th grade at this school went to better secondary schools, as they do at my village schools. However, there they do not have an influx of new students. So, it looks to me like many of the new students know very little English. 

Only a few of the students could answer simple questions. The class has 36 students, which is really too many to do much individual work. The students will not speak loudly enough for others to hear them, which means that, when I ask one student a question, others cannot listen and learn from the response. This may improve with time as they become more confident about speaking. All in all, they did a pretty good job doing what I asked them to do, which was probably different from what they have done in class before.

Anthony from England was hired on Monday. He’s 2 years older than I am. Sister was anxious to have me at the school, as she had wanted a Western teacher; now she has two. Anthony has taught adults before but not children. Last week, when he was applying, I was told that he will be part-time. After school, I asked Kru Tang about my schedule and she said that Anthony will teach 7^th and 8^th grades. When I asked what I would teach, she told me to talk to Sister. She had parents in her office for the 15 minutes I waited. Then Khun Kuan called to tell me that Khun Toy was not well and was at her house and wanted me to join them for dinner—now. I started to walk there, and she came to meet me in her car.

Kru Toom told me that she is my partner teacher and will be with me to assist when I teach English. So far, that has happened one time, as she is busy. When I will really need assistance/translation is when I teach science, as the students will not understand much that I say in that class. The vocabulary and concepts are too difficult for them to be studying them in English, a language they hardly understand. So, my challenge is to keep it simple. I have spent more time planning science than anything else.

The school reminds me of the Turkish private schools I taught at. It is not one of the “good” schools; so it gets mostly mediocre upper middle class students whose parents can afford a private school. Then they move from grade to grade without necessarily learning a lot, especially in the foreign language.

Tuesday morning Kru Tang took me to the immigration office in Phibun to ask about extending my visa and what to do about getting a non-immigrant visa. Although it is only about 30 minutes from Ubon, the trip took two hours. So I missed teaching two classes. The man at the office said he couldn’t do anything and I have to go to Laos. Before returning to school, we went to Kaeng Sapue, five minutes from Phibun. I’d gone there with the smaller school teachers in March. Now, with the recent rain, the rocks in the river were underwater. It looked completely different. We bought some snacks and then stopped at special places to buy Chinese dumplings. We arrived at school in time to eat lunch.

Wednesday during the opening ceremony, Sister told us she wants us teach a word a day as part of the gathering. This will be challenging, as the audience is 1^st -9^th grades and most of them cannot see the speaker. Anthony got to speak that day, as he had not yet introduced himself to the students. She also told us she wants us to teach the 9^th grade students who lead the prayers to say them in English better. So, we divided the nine students among us and practiced. I have three lovely girls who really work hard to improve their pronunciation and speaking. After we practiced the Lord’s Prayer, a simplified version, they asked me to help them with a dialogue in their English notebooks. Thursday we added Hail, Mary. They were quite interested in chatting with me and worked hard to do that in English.

Wednesday morning we were all taken to a health center to get the medical certificate needed for the visa application. The doctor looked at our visas, copied our names from our passports onto a paper and charged 70 bahts (about $2.30). We guessed that, since we walked into the office, we must have been deemed healthy. I looked at the medical certificate on the website for the Thai consulate in Chicago, and it says that the doctor certifies that the applicant is free from leprosy, TB, elephantiasis, drug addiction, and the third step of syphilis. Some of these can be determined visually; some not.

Tuesday and Wednesday I had surprises at my house when I got home. Khun Kuan is transporting me this week. Tuesday there were two shelf units inside the gate. Wednesday there were a table and stool. I knew Khun Teamjan was going to find a small table, but the shelves were a surprise. Khun Kuan helped me take them into the house and put them in place and put things on the shelves in the kitchen. She also swept the floor. In the morning, she arrived ten minutes before she had told me she would come. While I got dressed, she swept the outside. After a couple minutes, she ran back to the porch. She had seen a snake—a large snake about 2 cm in diameter—and was understandably frightened. When she brought me home, she called her brother to come put the screens on the windows so the snake cannot come into the house. Khun Toy had told him before to do the job, but it hadn’t happened yet. His sister seeing a snake got him here fast. He arrived in five minutes, and now all windows but one have screens. The fact that a snake can easily enter the house by crawling under the doors was not noticed. 

On the way home with Bitoy and Khun Kuan on Wednesday, Bitoy told her mother that her class had waited for me in the afternoon but I hadn’t come and no other teacher came. When I had asked my class what class it was, they said “music.” A few students showed me their schedule that did not say English language; so I assumed that they were correct in saying it said “music.” I tried to ask the teacher in the back of the room when he got the schedule he had, as I knew schedules had changed and mine was a day old. He told me to stay; so I did, and he left. Maybe he was the music teacher. When Bitoy said her class had waited for me, I wondered if the schedule had changed and I had not received a new one. Thursday morning the woman in the office apologized and said there was a new schedule but mine was not ready yet. When I got it, I saw that the class I was in was supposed to have music and I was supposed to be in Bitoy’s class teaching math. Next week. The new schedule also removed one of my 7^th grade English classes, as I had three hours with that class and only two with the others.

I have to say I am impressed with the number of students who speak to me. They have had foreign teachers in the past but not Westerners. Even young students greet me. In class some are speaking a little. A number of the younger ones (6^th and 7^th grades) were eager to go to the board and write answers. And the 9^th grade girls in prayer practice try to speak even though they are not accurate. This is more than students at my other schools could/would do.

Thursday evening I walked home for the first time. Khun Kuan had taken me home the other days. I was wanting to walk home to see just how long it would take to walk on the back roads, especially after Khun Oy told me it was about 5 km, which is farther than I can walk in half an hour. I had been told it was about 2 km, which would take about 30 minutes. It did, indeed, take 30 minutes, which is the same as the walk along the busy road. It’s not a bad walk and the time went quickly. I will enjoy walking.

There was a teachers’ meeting Wednesday after school until 7:00. We had not been told about it, so we were not there. Thursday at 4:20, we were told that there was a meeting and Sister was waiting for us. So we went. We were told to sit with Angela or Khun Irene, who could translate for us. Khun Irene said that Sister had told her we could leave at 5:15, which was nice. Khun Irene tried to give Anthony and me a summary of what was being said, but some things got lost in the translation. Mostly we chatted and she asked questions about English words. There really isn’t much point in our attending meetings that we don’t understand and that mostly don’t pertain to us; so it was nice that Sister allowed us to leave early.

The school is trying to take good care of us foreigners. Lunch is provided for us. When Sister asked about the lunch and said I could tell her what I thought, I told her that I eat chicken, fish, and vegetables but the others eat meat. So we have had fried chicken every day since then and vegetables most days. They set up a small room as an office for us. We each have a desk and there is a water dispenser. They will give us a hot water kettle and Anthony thinks we will also have a refrigerator. The office is on the third floor; so I’ll be getting some exercise.

So, the first week was a good start. Friday there is no school because it is a Thai holiday. Tuesday is also a holiday; so the government made Monday a holiday, too. This gives us a 5-day weekend. Not bad after working four days. Kru Tang will take us to Laos to get a long-term visa. I’m a little concerned, as I am leaving in two weeks. I don’t want to pay for a year-long visa that will be voided when I leave the country, as it will be for a single entry. I’m hoping they will give me the longer visa on my personal passport so I can then get a two-week visa on my Peace Corps passport. That will be good until I leave. Then I can return on my personal passport. It’s complicated; so we’ll see what happens. I can always just get the two-week visa and then get the longer one later.

Starting in the City (5-6)

This was teachers’ work week at the new school: Marieniramon School. Now that I am not with Peace Corps, I can mention names. Peace Corps security policy is that we cannot mention our exact location in public places. I had planned to go to Vietnam with Khun Tuk but cancelled that trip, forfeiting the one-way ticket that had been purchased. I thought she was going with her sister; so it would be OK to not go, as she had someone to travel with. It turned out to be her children who were going with her, but she was not alone. Had she been alone, I would have gone with her. I was sorry to cancel, as it would have been fun to go with her and her children, but it was good that I was here to settle in a bit before school starts next week.

Teachers started working Monday, but I joined them Tuesday, as I was in Bangkok on Monday. Sister Viphaporn had forgotten that and called to see where I was. Tuesday morning there was a teachers’ meeting at 9:00. I left home at 8:30, thinking it would take about 30 minutes to walk there. Since I hadn’t unpacked and hadn’t thought to keep the map Khun Dakom had given me to show me the back streets to walk on to get there, I walked on the main street. After half an hour, I wasn’t at the bus station, which is near the school; so I asked a woman where the bus station is. She understood some English and we chatted a bit and I told her I was going to the school. She knew the school and pointed ahead and told me to turn right at the bus station, which is what I knew. So I walked on. Khun Dakom called to see where I was, as Khun Tang had called him. I told him where I was, thinking he would tell me if I was in a wrong place, and that I was hurrying. After a while, I thought I should be there; so I asked again and the man pointed ahead. On I went. I would see a place I recognized having seen before; so I kept thinking it should be just a few more minutes away and that my Thai friends had underestimated the distance from my house and that I was going to have to figure out another way to get to school, as I wasn’t walking that far every day. Khun Kuan called to see where I was, as Khun Tang had called her. I told her the big store I could see, but I know her English is limited and she probably didn’t understand. Then I asked another person who pointed ahead, and on I went. After about 75 minutes, I got to a place I was positive was wrong. I wasn’t sure what to do, as I didn’t want to walk all the way back to a place I could easily identify for someone to come to get me and I didn’t know the address of where I was. I asked a woman where the bus station is and she told me to talk to the woman in the shop nearby. That woman understood me and pointed back the other way and told me which bus to take. A few minutes later the minibus came and I was off to the bus station. While riding, I remembered that we had learned in Pre-Service Training to always ask at least three people for directions because they always tell you something, as it is more important to help than to be accurate. I also realized that the people in the middle who pointed ahead may not have understood and just pointed the direction I was going. On the way to the bus station, I realized my error in walking; I had gone straight when I should have followed the first curve to the right. Doing that, it really is about a 30-minute walk.

I finally arrived at the school over two hours after leaving home. Everyone was happy to see me. My little misadventure was the topic of several conversations that day and the next.

When we new teachers introduced ourselves to the staff, we were given a jasmine garland. I missed the group introduction and had to do mine alone. I put the garland on the spirit house at my house.

Tuesday evening Khun Teamjan picked me up to visit Khun Toy in the hospital. She had had kidney stones broken up with laser surgery. After visiting her, we went to Khun Samlon’s daughter’s home for dinner.

Wednesday I walked to school in 30 minutes. The two new Filipino teachers and I talked with Sister Viphaporn in the morning. All English teachers teach English, science English, and math English. The latter two are also taught in Thai; so students get the content in their native language, which is good. Sister agreed to let me not teach grade 7 and 8 math, as I really don’t know that subject and would not feel competent or comfortable teaching it. The teacher who is on vacation now and will teach part-time will teach math to grades 7 and 8 and I will teach it to grades 5 and 6. I will still teach English and science English to grades 7 and 8. At least with science, I can learn a little and focus on vocabulary and simple content. Then we met with subject teachers to plan the topics of the semester. Following the Thai curriculum, there are five topics for grade 7 and seven topics for grade 8 in the first term. The Thai books are full of print, no pictures most of the time. There’s too much content for teachers to really teach it; so they will be lecturing and presenting the information, not really teaching it in ways that students will really learn.

I ate lunch at a food shop across from the school. Somtom cost 25 bahts instead of the 10 I paid in the village. Welcome to the city.

After school, I went to Khun Kuan’s house to visit Khun Toy and have dinner. She stayed there to rest before going home and to school. I asked Khun Tang to draw me a map of how to get there. She did, and then she drove me. After dinner, we went to get my passport photos taken for my visa application. We drove downtown along the road I walked on Tuesday; so we got to relive and laugh about that adventure. They were impressed with how far I had walked. When they drove me home, they went slowly and showed me how to walk on the small roads.

Thursday and Friday teachers went to a seminar about School Self Assessment Report. The other school was doing that over the break. Thursday there was a meeting for parents of new students that we new teachers were to attend, since we didn’t go to the seminar. It was interesting to observe the difference in the attendees from those who attended meetings at the village schools. Parents came to this meeting; grandmothers came to the others. 

After the meeting, a photo was taken with students modeling their uniforms, Sister Viphaporn, and a few teachers.

In the early afternoon, we were told we could go home. I walked past Khun Kuan’s house to see if Khun Toy was still there. Their car was gone; so I didn’t stop. But someone saw me and Khun Kuan called to me. I went in for a few minutes. She gave me a huge bag of vegetables to cook for dinner. They were already chopped and ready to cook. She was going to ride me home but had no keys for her motorcycle. So she rode on a small bicycle while I walked to the end of the street. By this time, I felt like I had a pretty good idea and could do it. Five minutes later, I heard my name. Khun Kuan was there on a motorcycle; she had borrowed her friend’s so she could take me home.

Friday I walked to school the back way on the small roads. Just after I got out of the local neighborhood, there was Khun Kuan on her motorcycle to take me to school. She told me to go to her house after school so she could take me home. Her school starts in two weeks; so she’s free now. The Filipino teachers weren’t there on Friday. My agenda was going with Khun Tang to the government office to see about my visa. They could not help and said we have to go to the immigration office. Later Sister Viphaporn said she had called someone in Nong Khai who will help her/us when we go to the office in Muktahan next week. I hung out in the library the rest of the day, using the Internet for personal work, including purchasing plane tickets to the U.S. at the end of the month. It was good that I did that, as some of the flights had only about 12 seats left. I wanted to pay in dollars, as the credit card charged about 7% to change money the last time I did this. The price was in dollars on the travel site, but when it hooked up with Delta to make the booking, it showed up in bahts. I had tried a few places and this always happened. If I were going the other way (Chicago to Bangkok and back), the price is in dollars. I guess they figure that, if you’re starting in Bangkok, you want to pay in Thai money. Oh, well.

I also spent some time gathering information and ideas for teaching the first science units. It will be a challenge to get to feeling comfortable enough with the material to teach it and to think of ways to make it accessible to students in English. Khun Aof invited me to go to lunch with her. I wasn’t going to but then I thought I should be sociable, since we won’t have time to go out for lunch after school starts. She also offered to take me home. But, when the time to leave came, she was upstairs and Khun Tang was ready to drive me. So, so far I’ve walked home one day and haven’t walked on the back roads yet. Next week.

Some things don’t change. We have no schedule for our classes yet, and they start on Monday. When I asked Khun Tang on Friday, she said we’ll get it Monday morning because the teacher preparing it is at the seminar. I haven’t had a tour of the school. I did walk upstairs to see where the classrooms are, but they were closed because the teachers were at the seminar. I was given some English textbooks to look at, but I’m not sure if I’m to use them as resources or choose a book for students to use.

Since I’m no longer with Peace Corps, I have no restriction on motorcycle riding. I could refuse to ride, especially since there are no helmets, but that isn’t something people do. It would be refusing help from people who want to help and take care of me, and that’s not a good thing. So, I’m riding and getting used to it. I have now ridden twice as often as I had in my life previously (two times). People have been good about driving slowly and carefully and making sure I’m OK.