My own personal zoo

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Today two teachers and I had lunch at the hotpot/bbq restaurant next door. We stuffed ourselves with pork, squid, vegetables, noodles, dipping sauce, and other meat that I can't identify under a beautiful small hut. I came back to the school to find a centipede or millipede making its way up my skirt. I have seen a snake slither back into the grass alongside the road, had a lizard run towards me while reading on Sunday afternoon, swatted at a good amount of mosquitoes, watched a frog hop into my hosts small storefront, checked out grasshoppers on the stairs leading to my room, and hoped to find a salamander in my room to eat at least some of the ants that make their way into my bed. All of this I have think I have handled quite well. At least much better than I thought I would.

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Today's teaching went really well. I used my Valentine's Day lesson two times and finished up a game of Jeopardy and worked on directions (up/down, through, across, inside, outside) with a third class. I tried to get to students to exhibit each of the various directions after I made flashcard pictures with markers I purchased last week at the Chinese Festival. As usual, some students caught on while others did not, but we had fun which I think is most important. One particular student got creative with the word "against". I demonstrated it by leaning on the board and he demonstrated by leaning against me! Needless to say he got a high five on the way back to his seat. I was just pleased he came up with his own creative sentence: "I am against Carla."

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This past weekend was a quiet one which I was hoping for all week; however, I really have to work on my relaxation skills! For some reason, hours of time stretching out in front of me typically often causes me to stress. Saturday morning I did a bit of laundry, biked around town, finished a book in the sun on school grounds, and caught half of a local football match. I was jealous of hammocks that I saw hanging on the porches of other people's homes as I had a difficult time finding a relaxing place to sit and read. A few of the town's people I had met the previous weekend gave me a chair during the football match and a few of the women brought me ice water and fresh peanuts. I soon became drowsy and headed for home. That evening I spent eating dinner and catching up on newspapers on the internet. My host family headed out to the Chinese Festival, but I was not in the mood for loud Thai music and crowds. I must admit I've grown a bit afraid of going out at night. I accompanied Suwatt and his wife to a Thai boxing event Sunday evening which was fun to see, but I feel hyper aware of my status as a foreigner, brown hair and blue-eyed, in these situations. All the men and women turn to stare if I enter a crowd and I feel much more scrutinized than I do during the day. I made sure to keep close to Suwatt, not that I actually have anything to fear.

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I was invited by another teacher to go to the last night of the Chinese Festival Monday evening. I originally accepted the invitation, but later declined when I learned I might be out much later than I expected. In part because I was quite tired from four classes and tutoring for an hour, but also because of the stress of feeling so watched at night. This coupled with the language barrier, loud music, and drunk men is not too appealing. This weekend Cim, another Volunthai volunteer, will join me in KhonKaen and on to Laos for our border run, and I hope that I muster up more courage when I am with a friend.

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The Thai boxing was interesting to watch. I thought they were six year old boys up there, but I miscalculated the size and Suwatt said they were more like nine or ten. I found it to be a great way for young boys to fuel their energy in an organized way. There are referees on hand the whole time and the beginning of each match includes a ritual of exercises. There is music played to keep a beat and I enjoyed trying to figure out who was actually winning each match.

Yesterday, four teachers and I headed out to a noodle restaurant about twenty minutes by car from the school. The curry and fish were delicious. More new dishes that I had never had before. I enjoyed their company and a short trip away from the school during the day. In many ways, I still feel like I'm more of a student than a teacher, but it is fun to enjoy the many privileges that teachers enjoy here in Thailand. At the boxing event, I heard shouts of "Hello Ajan (teacher) Carla". After class today, one of my students carried my bag for me while I walked with an ice tea. Students clean up your dishes and erase the white boards for the teachers. They also stand up at the start and end of each class to say good morning/afternoon and thank you.

I am very much looking forward to this weekend. There is a huge festival put on by KhonKaen University that I will enjoy along with a bus trip up to Laos and a night stay there at a guest house. A big smile comes to my face when I think about the luxuriousness of a hotel bathroom.

For a few photos click: http://picasaweb.google.com/CarlaVassilos/November18thAnd19th