(Flower photos to show that I do enjoy bits and pieces of beauty on my way to school.)
Life has been pretty routine the last two weeks. Nothing special going on. Just school, and nothing special is happening there at the moment. We were supposed to have English Camp on Friday, but that was postponed until October. We think it will be in October but are waiting for Sister Viphaporn’s final approval of the plans.
Two weeks ago I submitted a letter to request that more of the expenses for our work permit and visa be paid, since the contract states that “the employer will pay all reasonable expenses” and they gave us only 5000 of the almost 9000 bahts that obtaining the documents cost. The additional expenses were especially hard for Kate and Lovely because they send a lot of their salary home to their parents, and the extent of the additional expenses was a big surprise. I gave the letter to Sister Viphaporn in person and talked to her about the situation. She said she would talk to Sister Anne. That took another week, since they were busy with other official work. Thursday she told us that the other teachers should give her a list of their expenses so we can be given more money. In the meantime, Tony took up the cause, becoming a little crazier about it every day. He finally decided that he had to be male and aggressive, and wrote a blunt, angry-sounding letter saying that the school is in breach of contract and citing some law. He was rather angry about the whole situation and the amount of time it was taking to get a response. Of course, he said he wasn’t angry. I suggested he wait until we knew what Sister Viphaporn was going to tell us at the end of the day, since she had called to tell me that she had news for us, but he was unwilling to do that and left his letter on her desk. When he didn’t get a response by early afternoon, he became crazy about it. He stayed home Thursday and Friday. I didn’t know if that was why, but I knew he needed some time away. He called Saturday to thank me for contacting him and to say he had become irrational but is OK now. It was good to know he has gotten through this and his sense of humor is back.
Sunday was our day to go to the hospital to get our cholesterol medication. I had planned with Khun Dakom and Khun Toy to go to the village Saturday afternoon and then to the hospital with them on Sunday. This plan was changed because Khun Teamjan and Khun Suwit were going to a birthday party for their friend on Saturday and Sunday. I wondered if Khun Dakom and Khun Toy didn’t go because they had to take me to the hospital. That could have waited a week, but I didn’t have a say in the decision. They picked me up at 7:00 Sunday morning. Khun Toy had gone upstairs while we were waiting to have our blood taken to get numbers for us to be in line to see the doctor. We were numbers 25-27 and waited 2.5 hours to see her. After seeing the doctor, we went to the pharmacy and got our numbers, we were numbers 250, 251, and 257, and they were on 170. We waited over two more hours to get our medicine. I found myself missing Walgreens where you take in your prescription that is good for a year and get it filled in fifteen minutes. While we were waiting, a woman talked to Khun Dakom about wanting me to teach her daughters English. Another man also joined the discussion. Both took my phone numbers. I’m not desperate to have more students, but it would be OK if they followed the other group. We left the hospital just after 1:00. Since I had anticipated the waiting, I had a book with me. Khun Toy had not planned ahead; so we went out for a walk and she bought a magazine. She finished her magazine and I finished my book. The first stop after leaving the hospital was the Chinese duck restaurant for duck noodle soup, one of my favorite lunches. That almost makes the day worthwhile.
My post-Peace Corps insurance changed providers this month. We’ll see how the new providers take care of the prescription claim. The old ones paid for the whole cost in June. They must prorate the cost and reimburse based on what the U.S. cost would be, as they paid the whole amount I paid. This was still considerably less than they would reimburse after the co-pay in the U.S. ($45 here compared to about $120 there). After I figured that out, I submitted the expenses for the dog bite to see what they will do. I wasn’t going to bother with that, since it was less than the $500 deductible, but if it’s prorated, maybe they’ll pay something.
When I talked with Sister Viphaporn, she asked about the 8th grade classes. The one is still a problem, especially on Monday morning after the weekend and before they are back in the routine of school. She said she will ask Sister Angie about taking that class next term, but she may not want to because she had them last year and knows they are difficult. I have mixed feelings about the possibility of dropping them, as I do like some of the students and know they are improving, but, unfortunately, they are very few in that class. I also know they would be disappointed to not have me as their teacher. One girl who has been one of the constant chatters has moved herself away from the group of girls. I had moved her a couple times and last week she moved herself and actually tried to do some of the work on her own. My not teaching them would free Sister Toom from the responsibility of going to class with me so the students behave; then she could do her other work.
When I turned in the record and grade books at the end of August, I copied the grades instead of writing them in the official books and included a note stating that they can change any grades they want to and I write what I am told to write. (This is my result of last month’s comment that some of my grades were not high enough.) This is my compromise position: I will change grades and write what I am told to, but I won’t change them on my own. I have a problem with giving good grades to students who literally do nothing and turn in papers that have no answers or only a couple answers and with those who do nothing but copy from their friends so they have good answers and get a good grade. I don’t mind giving good grades to those who do try even if their answers are not always correct. Now, when they are working, I initial their work if they are doing it themselves so I know who has tried on their own and who has worked in class and can give them credit for this when I do grades. I got the books back on Monday with no changed grades or comments; so I recorded the grades in the official books.
I’ve been a bit unmotivated at school. I’m pretty much ready for the next couple weeks, and then it will be the term break. So I took a book with me to read during free time Thursday and Friday. This turned out to be a good thing because the Internet server was down for two days because of the rainstorms. And down again on Monday—who knows why.
Rain has been especially plentiful the last few weeks. For a while, we had downpours daily. Now they are every couple days. My back “yard” area has been flooded from water overflowing the drainage ditch. I have had several inches of water to walk through to go out the gate. When I think it will rain before I get home, I’ve been talking a songtaew instead of walking. If it has rained a lot during the night and the streets will be flooded, I take a songtaew in the morning. It’s nice to have that option.
One day last week I went to Big C after school to buy a few items I needed. Especially urgent was lubricant, as the lock on the gate had become so rusted that it was difficult to close. I decided to treat myself to KFC for dinner, which I’ve not done before. I did enjoy the chicken breast. After I finished, the man at the next table spoke to me and asked if I speak English. He’s Australian and has a girl friend/partner here. He’s in his 30’s and works for three months in Australia and then comes here for six months. He’s been doing this for two years, since he met the young woman online. She does not work and just had their baby—a son. He was eating out because she was still in the hospital.
Kru Oy got a new car a couple weeks ago. It’s a big SUV, a man’s vehicle. It took me about ten days to remember what those big cars that are not 4-wheel-drive are called. I’ve never been good about car names. Khun Kwan doesn’t like the new car; she likes small cars.
Khun Yindee’s husband will have heart bypass surgery next week. I would like to be more supportive for her, but I know she has many friends and a lot of family who are taking care of her and him. So there really isn’t anything I can do.
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