Children's Day (1-15)

Friday was Children’s Day. For the occasion, we had no classes in the afternoon. When I went to my 7^th grade class before lunch, the students were already playing, and it looked like they had had no class before mine. Bank came up and gave me their request to not have class that day because it was Children’s Day and they wanted to play. Being a nice teacher, I agreed. They clapped and thanked me.

So, I had only one class Friday, and that class was 20 minutes shorter than usual. The morning assembly was long. Students stood at the front of the gathered students and carried the ASEAN flags and posters with information about each country. I learned later that they were practicing for an opening ceremony for the special guests in the afternoon.

In addition to a program for Children’s Day in the afternoon, some people came to the school to video recycling projects. Several were on display, but half of the products were made by adults. I don’t know who they were, but they were not teachers. 

All teachers had been told to have a recycling project in their classrooms so the guests could see that everyone was doing something. Some teachers had special bulletin boards made with recycled paper. 

But only two people came, and they wanted to talk to only a few students. They didn’t walk around the school. While they did their recording, all of the other students were sent to the common area to wait. We waited over an hour. Students sat playing and talking. After about 45 minutes, the ice cream donated by parents for the occasion was brought to that side of the school, and students lined up to get an ice cream cone. At that time, chaos took over, and students who were not in line started running around.

When the media people finally finished with the recycling project, everyone gathered on the blacktop for the program. Since no special guests came and the media people only wanted to video the projects and talk to a few students, there was no opening ceremony that they had practiced for in the morning. A few students sang some Thai rock songs. A group of teachers dressed as students did a short skit and threw snacks to the audience. They were a big hit. A group of girls did the line dance. I think they were to perform for the special program for the guests that didn’t come. Then Sister Viphaporn drew cards and distributed prizes to the winning students. By that time, most students had drifted away and were hanging out elsewhere. I think only those who had cards in the box stayed to see if they would win anything. It seemed to me that, other than not having classes for the afternoon, the Children’s Day program wasn’t much for the chldren. It was mostly a program for the special guests Sister Viphaporn thought would come to see the recycling projects. My other schools had special organized activities like relay races and some sports competitions. It was a time for the students to have fun. This event was about putting on a show for the special guests who didn’t come.

Saturday there were special activities at the Municipal Building. Tony and I had been told to help with the school’s booth. As usual, there were many more teachers there than needed. We had plaster molds for children to paint, pictures to color, and English fun worksheets. The last were not a popular choice, but the painting and coloring were enjoyed by many children. 

Teachers also handed out snacks. Beside us, Khun Kwan’s school also had plaster molds to paint. We were the only two schools with activities. Other groups had food that was free. Children had bags full of snacks to take home. It reminded me of Halloween. People started coming at 8:30, and by 10:15 we were out of plaster molds and snacks, as were other booths.

Since we finished early, I went on to the mall to see the exhibits at the private school exhibition. Kate and Lovely were assigned to help at the school’s table there. I had joked that I was surprised that Sister Viphaporn didn’t want her Western foreign teachers, not only the Filipinos, on display. Friday morning Sister Viphaporn said she had learned that one of the other Catholic schools was sending their foreign teachers; so she thought Tony and I should be there. She really gets paranoid when she thinks this school isn’t doing something the other Catholic schools are doing. When I went to the other school’s booth, I didn’t see any foreign teachers. As at the other event, there were more teachers at the school’s booth than needed. Most were just sitting around. There really wasn’t anything to do. 

I hung out there for a while and walked around and watched some student groups dance. I left after a few hours, as there didn’t seem to be any point in staying. I did manage to be seen by a couple of the Sisters and get my photo taken.

The mall still has its Christmas/New Year’s decorations outside. And the entrance is decorated for the upcoming Chinese New Year.

I had two nice surprises on Thursday. Khun Irene invited us to eat lunch in her classroom. Parents had cooked noodles and provided fish and som tom for students’ lunch. Khun Irene had invited several teachers to join them. This was special for New Year’s and Children’s Day. It was the best lunch all week. Then, in the afternoon, Khun Dakom called and invited me to have dinner with them and his friend and his daughter. I wasn’t sure who we were joining, but, of course, I agreed to go. It turned out to be Bruce and his daughter, who was visiting from the U.S. I enjoyed chatting with her, and he was the most sociable I’ve seen him. We ate at the “beach,” one of the restaurants floating on the Mun River. It was pleasant.

Khun Kwan and Khun Joy both passed their examinations. This is the big project Khun Kwan was working on for a few months at the end of the year. Khun Toy proudly showed me Khun Kwan’s new official portrait in her new white uniform.

Starting the New Year (1-8-12)

I returned from my vacation in southern Laos on Tuesday, a day earlier than planned. Khun Yindee had sent me a text message (I was surprised my phone could receive a  message in Laos.) that Khun Kumton’s son had been in an accident and died. I responded and asked her to e-mail information about the funeral so I could attend if possible. Since it was on 3 January, it was not difficult to change my plans and return.

When leaving Don Khone, I met Lior, a young woman from Israel who was traveling alone to Bangkok and wanted to spend a night in Ubon rather than do the whole trip in one day. Since we got along well, I invited her to stay at my home for the night. She has  been traveling for eight months in Mongolia, China, Kyrgyzstan, and Laos. After two weeks in Thailand, she will go to India for two months and then return home. I enjoyed hatting with her. It was fun to introduce her to Thai foods at the market. Tuesday I cooked vegetables for dinner, and she especially enjoyed the home-cooked meal.

Tuesday morning she needed to use the Internet; so we went to my neighbors’ house, and they were happy to assist. These are the people who lived in the U.S. twenty years ago. Their big news was that they have bought a house in Louisiana, where their children live. It is being built and will be finished in a couple months. They gave Lior a silk scarf and a calendar with pictures of elephants from murals in one of the wats. I was given a canvas and plastic bag for shopping, since they see me walk to the market. Since Lior couldn’t take the calendar in her bag, she gave it to me, which was especially nice because I really like the pictures and didn’t have a 2012 Thai calendar.

Tuesday afternoon Khun Yindee and her husband took me to the funeral. On the way, she told me the story of the young man’s death. It was as I had suspected: he was driving drunk and had an accident. After drinking in the village, he had decided to go to the city. He was driving fast and too close to a truck. When the truck turned, he ran into it. He was taken to the hospital where he died. He was 35 years old and left his wife with two young children—almost 7 and almost 4 years old. It’s sad, especially since the accident and death could have been avoided if drinking and driving were not so acceptable in this culture.

I knew the funeral would be huge, as Khun Kumtom is an important person in the village and the district. There were at least a thousand people there. We arrived after the service started and sat outside. Since we couldn’t see or hear, Khun Yindee and I had a nice chat. Everyone around us was also chatting with their neighbors. After the ceremony, we gave our envelopes with money to Khun Kumtom. Some of the money will go to the man’s wife; some will help pay for the funeral expenses. Then we joined the line to put paper flowers on the altar beside the casket. As we exited, we were given a pen. The man’s wife was at the table and thanked me for coming. I don’t know her well, but she was always friendly when I saw her, which is one of the reasons I wanted to be there. It just seemed like the right thing to do, and I was glad I had made the effort to get there.

In addition to having time with Khun Yindee, another benefit of attending the funeral was that I saw some of my village and school friends. Khun Wantana and Khun Hom from Nam Tuam were there and greeted me with a big hug. It was really nice to see them again.

Khun Yindee wanted to take Lior to the bus station that night. I had asked my neighbors to do that when I wasn’t sure how long we would be away for the funeral. We changed our plans so Khun Yindee would have the opportunity to help.

Wednesday school started again. The week went well, especially since it was short and about nine students in each of the 7^th and 8^th grade classes were absent, taking extended holidays.

Friday there was a special ceremony in the morning to give teachers presents for New Year’s. All teachers sat at the front, and 9^th grade student sat in front of each of us with the gift. All students prayed and said some things about being good to teachers (according to the teacher next to me). The gifts were a cup and a clock inside a large plastic bag.

Sunday we went to the hospital for our bi-monthly cholesterol check. The surprise of the day was that we were assigned to a new doctor. The other one is a kidney specialist and is now seeing only kidney-related patients. The new woman was quite nice and speaks English fairly well; so I was OK with the change. The doctor didn’t start seeing patients until 10:00, but the pharmacy was faster delivering the meds; so we were on our way to duck noodle soup for lunch by noon. As always, it was good to hang out with Khun Toy and Khun Dakom. I asked about her going to America after she retires. That idea has been cancelled because her children want her to help them. Khun Kwan wants a new, small car so they will have two vehicles, and Khun Adin wants a new house. So, they will use her retirement money to help their children. I wasn’t surprised by this news, as I had anticipated that she would not go in the end. The idea is a dream, but the reality of travel would be difficult, even if she were with me and other American friends.

I was finally able to talk with Sister Viphaporn about the schedule and expectations for our time after classes finish in the middle of March. (Our contracts go until the end of April.) She said we are expected to teach in the summer program. This was not a surprise, and I had already thought about it and decided that I will not teach the 7^th and 8^th grade classes. If the 7^th grade class remained as it is, it would be OK, as they do well most of the time. But the school takes in new students who have failed or had problems at other schools, and that changes the mix of students and the atmosphere of the class. Many of the students in 8^th grade who are problems were new to the school this year. I decided that I don’t need more of that. So I told her that I will quit if she assigns me to those classes. I did agree to teach primary classes if they want me to. Otherwise, I’ll be finished in March and forego pay for April. It’s just not worth it. We’ll see what they decide. I don’t really care, as I’m not all that enthused about teaching in the summer program, but I’ll do it.

Now that the final stretch is here, I feel more positive. This the first time after a long break that I have slept well and not awakened thinking about why I don’t like teaching at this school for two nights before going back. There are things I have enjoyed about the year, and now I am able to focus more on them. I do enjoy the 5^th, 6^th, and 7^th grade most of the time. For 5^th and 6^th grade, it’s the subject—math—that I don’t like teaching, not the students. I will miss some of the students who have formed a special relationship with me.

I also really don’t like teaching science, which is two hours a week for the 7^th grade and the two 8^th grade classes. Science and math make up half of my classes. My other main objection to the school is that I don’t like their Intensive English program and the way it operates. It is not organized or thought through and is too difficult for at least half of the 8^th grade students and a third of the 7^th grade students. I can’t agree with the idea that it’s OK to put students into a program because their parents want them to learn English but that they can’t learn in because they don’t have the prerequisite skills and aren’t even close to having them. These are the students who are problems in the classes for the most part, and I understand why they don’t pay attention, but I can’t do much about it. I have a problem with the fact that the parents pay extra money for this special program that their students cannot and are not learning in even though they have passing grades so they parents think they are learning. But they aren’t. I don’t want to be part of a program like this again. So the program will continue, but I will move on.

My adjustment this term is to give more points toward their grade to students’  notebooks. Most of the notebook work is copying notes from the board and occasionally doing an exercise for which the answers are eventually written on the board. So writing in their notebooks and completing worksheets, most of which they copy from friends, can earn them enough points to pass—If they do it. Not too challenging, but some students don’t bother to write or do the exercises. My other adjustment is to tell them their grades at the end of the unit. I did this last week, and some were pleasantly surprised. And a few were still surprised that they are failing. With the adjustment in grading, fewer students are failing, which is a good thing in the end. It doesn’t mean they are learning; it means they are at least doing something.

Merry Christmas (12-25)

Christmas has come and gone. The week at school was full of preparation for the big extravaganza Friday night. Students were busy practicing their dances, so I saw three of my 19 classes. There were no classes Thursday so students could practice, and Friday students did not come to school so teachers could get everything ready for the evening event.

The event turned out to be a dinner for parents as well as a show. Parents paid 250 bahts (about $7.50) for a seat at a table and dinner. About 1500 parents reserved seats. And the students also had tables and dinner. There were about 270 tables with eight seats at each. Dinner was prepared and served by a catering service that does these events.

There didn’t seem to be much for us foreign teachers to do to help prepare. Sometimes when these things are happening, I feel like I am more in the way than helpful. So I ended out spending most of the day in our office. I did get a little work done. I also helped Angela make ribbon chain necklaces to be sold at the event. Thursday afternoon I went for a walk and found her doing this and offered to help. She said Sister Viphaporn had told them on Wednesday to make 400 necklaces. Then Thursday she decided that there should be 1000. It takes about three minutes to staple the ribbon pieces together, and someone had already cut the ribbon; so this was a serious time commitment for teachers. I helped an hour each day. I did notice Friday night that there were hundreds of necklaces unsold. So there will be a good supply for next year.

The school gave all the teachers a new pink shirt to wear to the program. We were also given a ribbon to wear to indicate that we are teachers. We were told to go to school at 4:00 Friday afternoon to have dinner with the teachers. It wasn’t dinner with all the teachers; it was dinner available when teachers went to eat. Soup was served. It was good, but after several hours I was hungry.

After eating, I walked around and took photos of students dressed up for their performances. I always enjoy the costumes. During the event, teachers were selling small gift items. Kate and Lovely were helping at one stand. I offered a few times to give them a break, but they weren’t ready for one.

The school was all decorated for the evening. Entrances were set up. There were a tree and manger in the parking lot. Lights were strung hanging down the building and a “Merry Christmas” banner was hung. The Christmas tree lights were on. There was a screen showing a video of the performers so people in the back section could see what was happening on the stage.

While people were arriving, a few students sang Thai pop songs. The show started at 6:00. There are 35 classes, and each performed; so it was a long show. It was well organized, and a new group was entering the stage as the previous group exited. After performing, students went to a small stage for photos. During the performances, I walked around and sometimes sat on an empty chair, as there were no places for teachers to sit.

One part of the program was a brief Christmas story. It included the 7^th graders dancing and singing. Another part was giving certificates to teachers. And there were several raffle items.
































Kru Oy called me at 10:00 and offered to drive me home. Since I had been wondering how I would get home so late and I was tired and I thought the show was about over, I was happy to leave with them. We stopped for noodle soup on the way home, which was also nice, since I, as well as Khun Kwan, was hungry. Saturday I learned that the show didn’t end until about 11:30; so I missed quite a bit. I was asked if I was on the stage for the photo of all the teachers. So I missed that, too. Not a big deal, and apparently my absence wasn’t noticed. With so many teachers, each will be just a small speck in the photo anyway.

After dinner, parents whose children had performed went home. When I left, the whole back section of 160 tables was empty. I was surprised, as I’d been sitting in the front section for a while. I imagine that not much of an audience was left for the final performances.

Fortunately, the weather Friday night was good. It wasn’t as cold as it had been the week before, and I was comfortable with just my shirt jacket. And it wasn’t windy. Saturday it was very windy again, and we were glad that hadn’t happened on Friday. It was also colder. So the school was lucky to have good weather for the program.

Saturday was the party for teachers. We had been told to go to school at 9:00 for the party. As I was leaving Friday night, Kru Tang followed me to make sure I knew to come for the party at noon. When I asked what was happening at 9:00, she said teachers would clean up then. So, I took the opportunity to do a few errands that I had planned to do in the afternoon and arrived late. I was able to do a few things, which was nice. About 90 teachers and staff members ate lunch. After lunch, there was some karaoke, and some of the teachers danced. I was among them, which everyone enjoyed. It’s always a hit to have a foreigner dance. And I enjoy it.

Next was the giving of gifts. First, the sisters were all given a gift. Then we had the teachers’ gift exchange, for which we had all brought something. When we delivered our gift, our name was put on it. Then the names were rolled up and put in a pot. When someone drew a name, the person who brought the gift went up and gave it to the recipient and a photo was taken. Doing this for 90 people took quite a while. My gift was a photo album. After the gift exchange, names were drawn and other gifts were given to the winners. I got a small, black purse for dress up occasions. Then everyone lined up to receive a special gift—a shawl or towel. I was glad I was in the earlier group, as shawls are small and I don’t need any more towels. After all this, the event everyone was waiting for took place—giving of the annual bonus. We had been told that this usually happens. Each teacher received 1000 bahts (about $30). Four teachers who had been selected as the best teacher in their level received another bonus. I was really happy that Kru Toom was among them, as she does an awful lot of work in addition to being a good teacher.  Then there was more karaoke. Since it was 3:00 and I’d had enough socialization and teachers were starting to leave, I went home.

When I told Kru Toom I hoped she enjoyed her holiday, she said she wouldn’t have much. She had planned to go somewhere with her friends on Monday, but Sister Viphaporn gave her a job; so she can’t go with her friends. Then she has to go to a seminar. Then she has to go on the field trip for teachers to see an exhibition a few of the teachers are in. So, she may have four of the nine days as a holiday. I still have a hard time with the way teachers are treated here—like they are servants who have to do as they are told and who have to work all the time, even on weekends and holidays.

The male teachers and staff sat together, partly so they could drink whiskey. The bottle was kept under the table. Glasses with whiskey were covered with tissue so the drink couldn’t be seen. Glasses with cola and water were not covered; so obviously the covered glasses contained alcohol. It’s not a secret that the men—and a few women—were drinking, but it’s done like it’s under cover. What’s not seen is not a problem.

Sunday morning Khun Dakom called to say “Merry Christmas.” He invited me to go to Wat Hua Don with them. I felt bad that I couldn’t do that, as I do miss going there and this is the first time I’ve been invited for a while. There was a tamboon at 11:00 that included feeding the monks lunch. This was special, as they usually eat only in the morning. The whole family was going, which was why they could take me. Kru Oy would be driving back to Ubon and could give me a ride; the others would go on to the village.  Since I couldn’t go to the wat with them, Khun Dakom invited me to join them for breakfast. It was nice to see them, even for a short time.

Tony had invited us to his home for Christmas lunch. Sampong and a friend prepared the food. When I arrived, I cut the fruit while they cooked. She’s a good cook, and the meal was delicious. She sent some of the gang keow wan (sweet green curry) and chicken home with me. I had given the girls small gifts at school on Thursday. When I arrived, Ink gave me a gift. It was a scarf that she had knit. That was really sweet. I took a small gift for Sampong as well as some chocolate. It was a pleasant afternoon.

One of the guests was a French man who comes here for two months every winter. He has relationship with a Thai woman who is half American (Her father was an African-American GI.) They have been together for about 11 years.

At the end of class Sunday night, the girls said, “Merry Christmas,” which was sweet. All in all, it was a pleasant day, as I ended out spending time with several of my friends and had some good food.

The holiday felt a little strange this year. In past years, I was among Buddhists, and Christmas was pretty much a non-event. Just another day. For the Catholics at the smaller school, Christmas was pretty low key. Nothing was done at the school. There was a service at the church in the nearby village, and Catholic students didn’t go to school on Christmas day. Since I’m at a Catholic school this year, Christmas is a big deal. Since most of the students are Buddhist, it felt strange to have it be such a big deal. It felt really out of place culturally to have it be such a big deal. And it felt like most of it was just for show. The trimmings of Christmas were there without the spirit behind them. The rooms were all decorated and students practiced for the show, but it’s something to do and has no personal meaning for most of them. The big show was mostly Thai music and dancing that didn’t have much to do with Christmas. Preschool students danced to a few Christmas songs. The nativity story was told and included dancing to two songs, one of which some students actually sang. (All other music was recorded.) But most of the show could have been performed for any occasion.

In addition, this year I work with the Filipino Christians and Tony, who is not Christian but to whom the day has some personal meaning. It all left me feeling strange about the day. I found myself missing the spirit of the holiday, which I didn’t miss when it was just another day to everyone around me. 

Christmas Is Coming (12-19)

The business of the week at school last week was decorating the classrooms. On Thursday there was a field trip that students went on for half of the day. The other half was spent decorating. I had planned to see two classes, as the third was during their field trip, but I saw none. I had a test scheduled for one class, but we postponed it till the next class. Who am I to tell students they have to take a test instead of decorating, especially when they were in the midst of the project.

Every classroom has a tree and a manger 

as well as bulletin boards, window decorations, and hanging decorations. 

Some of the mangers are quite creative; all are interesting. Most are made from recycled or natural materials. One of the competitions was for the best-decorated classroom.

The other event of the week was a series of contests. I was asked to read words for a spelling contest and to help judge a singing contest. When I asked why students were having a spelling contest, I learned that “Christmas belongs to the English department;” so there must be contests related to English. The spelling contest had Christmas words. The singing contest was not related to Christmas, but students sang in English. There was also a contest with questions related to information about Christmas, such as “How many reindeer pull Santa’s sleigh?” And there were contests for drawing a picture, drawing a picture with Paint, coloring a picture, and making cards.

Monday morning there was a special Blessing of the Manger mass. It was the usual mass, but I’m sure special words were said, and the music was Christmas music—some in English and some in Thai. I had been told that the ceremony would last all morning, and, therefore, there would be no morning classes. I was getting a little concerned when it looked like the mass was over before 10:00. Then things were moved around and the rest of the program began. It consisted mostly of giving out the awards for the various contests that were conducted last week. 

A group of kindergarten students danced, 

and three boys dressed as Santa threw candies to the crowd.

Saturday night I went with Khun Dakom and the group to a friend’s birthday party. The birthday man turned out to be the man who owns the various tutoring centers. There were about 120 people at the party, which was a nine-course dinner—shrimp, two salads, pork leg, fish, oysters, soup, rice, and fruit. Then cupcakes were brought to the tables. There was a stage show with the usual dancers and singer, and there was a slide show featuring photos throughout his life.

Weather: Last week it was very cold (by local standards) for a couple days. After not sleeping well one night due to being cold, I got out the comforter, which kept me cozy for the next two nights. After that, I now keep the comforter handy in case it is needed, which it is some nights.  During the cold spell, I was wearing a jacket in the house in the morning and evening. Some teachers and students wore scarves and jackets most of the day.

Adventure of the week: My Christmas box arrived on Thursday. When I picked it up after school, a 9^th grade boy was there and decided to help me. I told him I was going to the bus station. Our first stop was Khun Toom’s office to see what I had said. She translated, and he was ready to take me to the bus station. Outside the school, he put the box down, saying he would get his car. I was a bit surprised that he has a car. I needn’t have been surprised, as it was a motorcycle. The Thai word is the same, meaning vehicle. He also had his friend on the motorcycle with him. He put my package in front of him. I was thinking I would walk to the bus station and meet them there, but he motioned for me to sit behind his friend. Then we took off. I’ve ridden with a number of people, but this was my first ride with a 15-year-old full of macho hormones. We zoomed and stopped. We didn’t slow down much for turns. I was glad I was only going to the bus station, about a three-minute ride. It was nice of the boy to want to help me, but I was never happier to arrive at the bus station.

Two 6^th grade girls were in the songtaew with me and got off at the same place. They motioned that they would help me with the package. It was a bit heavy, and I didn’t know where they were going; so I let them carry it for a few minutes and then told them I had to turn down the road. It was sweet of them to help.

Feast Day (12-8)

Feast Day was Thursday. There was a special ceremony in the morning for the occasion. This is a Catholic special day honoring Mary. I think it’s known as Feast of the Assumption. Students all carried paper candle holders with paper “candles.” Teachers had real candles. I wondered if these were in imitation of the candles carried at Buddhist ceremonies. I’m not sure why we had them, as we didn’t do anything with them. 

A number of students had poinsettias, and the preschool students had other potted flowers. 

There was a parade around the school. A group of boys carried the statue of Mary on poles on their shoulders. 

They were followed by girls dressed in white. (I thought of them as the Vestal Virgins.) Then came the students carrying plants. They were followed by the students carrying the candle holders. Some of the preschool students lined the driveway near the preschool. Other students who did not walk in the parade were taken to line the driveway on the other side of the school. 

When everyone returned, the flowers were placed in front of the large statue of Mary outside the school. Then a priest said a few words. 

The girls in white danced around the statue that had been carried around the school. Everyone sang “Happy Feast Day to you” to the tune of “Happy birthday.” It was strange. A Sister talked briefly and all the students bowed to the statue and prayed. Then we went to class—only 20 minutes late.

In talking with Kate about Feast Day, I learned that in the Philippines, Mary is sometimes called “Mama Mary,” and God is called “Papa God.” She said these terms are often used with children, but she still uses them. She found aspects of the ceremony to be strange, different from her customs. A lot of it was Thai style—the parade and the candle holders and the singing.

Health: Last week after having a fever for five days that wouldn’t stay away more than a few hours after taking meds, I was feeling quite concerned about what was wrong. I decided to pay the extra money and go to the private hospital where the doctors all speak English well. Also because it crossed my mind that they might want me to stay and I’d rather stay there where people speak English than in the government hospital where they don’t speak much English. Also I didn’t feel like waiting for a couple hours to see the doctor at the government hospital, and service at the private hospital is quick. They don’t seem to be very busy, at least when I’ve been there. And I can get there easily on my own. The doctor ordered a blood test for dengue fever and a swab test for flu, both of which were negative. He said my throat was very inflamed. The doctor who gave me the results said I should stay home from school two or three more days. When I looked at her report for the school, it said I have bronchitis, which she didn’t mention. Stronger antibiotics and other meds were prescribed. Meds at this hospital are expensive, which is how they make their money. But the new antibiotics did the job and the fever stopped after taking the first one. Cost of the hospital visit and meds: 3000 bahts (about $100). This may not seem like much in the scheme of things, but it is almost one-fourth of my monthly income, which is a big chunk. So, this was another Thailand first: the first time I’ve missed a week of school for illness.

Friday afternoon Kru Toom, Kru Tang, and Kate came to visit. They brought me a huge basket of fruit. I guess that was a benefit of being home ill for a week. It was nice, and it was good to see them. The obligatory photo was taken (on their camera, not mine) showing me receiving the gift. Kru Tang explained that it was for their report to show everything the school has done. 

After the week and the weekend (three days because Monday was the king’s birthday/Fathers’ Day), I was able to return to school. I took it easy this week and took a bus to school and home instead of walking because my energy was still low. It got a little better every day, so I’m almost normal again. Fortunately, I was able to read through the illness, which is good, since I don’t have a TV and it kept me occupied.

We have another three-day weekend coming up for Constitution Day.

The school is getting ready for Christmas. Classrooms are being decorated. Students are preparing for the big program on the 23^rd. This will be interesting to see.

A Housewarming (11-28)

Last Saturday morning Khun Dakom called me at 8:00 and told me to come to breakfast “Now.” He had first mentioned lunch at a nearby restaurant and then he talked about breakfast at a teacher’s house opposite Khun Kwan’s house. So I was a little confused as to where to go. (I think I was an afterthought, as they were already there. Since I am not living near them, they don’t think about including me as often.) When I was part way there, Khun Suwit met me in his truck. It turned out that one of the teachers has bought the house across from Khun Kwan’s house and this was her house-warming party. Since I hadn’t been clear exactly what I was going for, I had not worn silk (a missed opportunity, as I hardly ever get to wear my silk skirts these days), but I was glad I had at least dressed in nice casual clothes.

               

Outside the house was an altar with a Hindu god and two masks. This was different; so I was curious to know what this was about. After the monks left (I missed their blessing of the house.), another man went around and tied string around the circumference of the lot. Then a man wearing animal skin patterned fabric came to the altar. A small group of people joined him there. 

He lit incense and prayed and then sprinkled water toward the entrance. After eating, we went in to see the house. A small group of people was sitting in the living room around this priest. He used one of the masks to bless people. Some came out with a gold patch on their foreheads. When I asked him, Khun Dakom was able to tell me a little about this. He said it’s a religion originally from India, not a branch of Buddhism; so I think it is Hinduism. He said many people in Thailand follow this religion. It’s not something I’ve encountered before; so it was interesting to see. I thought it was interesting, too, that they had both the Buddhist monks and this Hindu priest. Walking through the house, I noticed that the bedroom was set up for the monks.

I’m enjoying my weekend tutoring group. They’re fun, and it gives me something to do with social contact on the weekend. They want to have general conversation; so that’s what we do. We chat and see what language comes up that need practice. Speaking practice is always good for the students, since they don’t get that in class. They do pretty well. I learned that Khun Dang does laundry on Saturday for four people. It takes her three hours to wash the clothes and two hours to iron them. That’s quite a chunk of time for laundry. She doesn’t have a machine.

The women invited me to have lunch with them on last Sunday. They cooked special food that was quite good. We chatted in English, which is a challenge since they don’t know much. But it was fun. These experiences always remind me what it’s like for Thai people to have to decipher my Thai. They have talked to their school director about my teaching there next year and he is interested. They asked how much money I want. I’m putting this on hold, as I don’t think I’m interested.

At school, the boom, boom, boom was back for a couple days but not as loudly as last week. Thursday and Friday students spent an hour practicing standing in a greeting double line to greet the government officials who will visit the pre-school on Monday. (The officials will walk between the two lines of facing students the center.) Unfortunately, both practices were when I didn’t have class. Even my larger school didn’t spend that much time practicing the greeting line. More “We have to do it better because we’re a private school” I guess.

The other excitement on Friday was when the firemen came. (Another missed class that didn’t affect me.) I don’t know what they talked about, but they demonstrated lighting gas coming out of the gas tank, the kind that everyone has in their kitchen. The students loved seeing the huge flames. They did this several times.

My 8^th grade make-up English class was last week. Only half of the students came. Kru Toom told each student about the opportunity; so I guess the rest weren’t interested. They worked well in class but did more talking to share answers than the 7^th grade did, which is not a surprise, as that’s what they do in class all the time. And I didn’t notice any changes in their classroom behavior like I did with the 7^th graders, most of whom are now trying to do the work. Those who aren’t trying truly can’t do anything. I really feel bad for them. I’m trying to point to the words they need to copy. I’m thinking about having them come in the morning and just giving them the answers to copy. I don’t want to do that in class, as they’ll get circulated—no matter what I do.

I spent the weekend being ill—fever and then a cough and congested chest. When the fever was still there Sunday, I went to the clinic. The doctor gave me four medicines: antibiotics for the pharangitis (I hadn’t realized I had a sore throat but she said it was infected.), one for the chest mucus, one for the fever, and cough syrup. (Cost 140 bahts, about $4.60) Since I still had a fever Monday morning, I went to school to listen to Bank, since his competition is Tuesday, and then came home.

Random acts of kindness:

One day a woman riding her motorcycle in my neighborhood asked where I was going and then told me to get on. When she dropped me off and I started to walk, she asked again where I was going and said she’d take me to the bus station, which is near the school and most people know. We stopped at the morning market where she purchased some soy milk from a woman I sometime buy from. Then we delivered the milk to a woman and boy. That woman told the driver what school I teach at. I have no idea who she is and we were not near anywhere I walk; so I don’t know how she knows me. Then the driver understood where I was going. When she let me off at the intersection to the school, Kru Oy pulled over and took me the rest of the way.

At the morning market Saturday, I bought some cookies from a woman I sometimes buy such things from. Then she gave me a pack of buns, saying that I teach her son, who is in 5^th grade at the school.