Again, I am sorry that it took me so long to put up a post! Internet works rarely where I live, I am lucky if I have it for an hour everyday. However, that is no excuse and I will do my best to write AT LEAST once a week.
I am settling into my routine and finally beginning to feel like a real teacher. I no longer feel so shocked at my surroundings or the things going on around me, though I have to say it does feel as though I have been in Thailand longer than a month and a half. I now think of my house and bedroom as home and am learning to handle my isolation from the other volunteers quite well. I don’t even think twice about bucket showers anymore and am getting the hang of doing my laundry mostly by hand. I love going to the local market with my new Thai friends to pick out dinner and see students and their families. I am usually driven around in the “school bus” which is a pick up truck with a cage around the back with two benches along the side, its pretty funny. I have been on a motorci (what they call a scooter) twice but they think I am too big to ride on the back…
I consider the other teachers at the school my family, everyone calls me Nong Sao (younger sister) and I am always cared for. Every day after school the teachers all mingle around the teacher housing cooking, eating, talking, singing and playing the Thai version of Bocce Ball, Pah Dong. The other evening we all went out to dinner and had a lovely time and laughed for hours. Last week they took me to Karaoke in a small hole in the wall bar in the local village, however I was unable to join in because I cannot read Thai! So instead they insisted I dance and taught me some more Thai dance steps. Every Thursday after the students leave all the teachers get together and have a sports day, we play soccer and more pah dong and basket ball, it is very fun and extremely entertaining, no one is particularly gifted in sports!
In the Thai schools there are certain days that you must wear very specific things. On Monday the teachers wear their teacher uniforms (the look almost like military uniforms) and the students wear a school uniform of white oxford shirts and blue shorts or skirts. On Tuesday everyone wears a pink shirt in honor of the King of Thailand. On Wednesday everyone, and I mean EVERYONE, wears a Thai Boy Scout or Girl Scout uniform. Here everyone must participate in the scouting program; it does not seem to be an option like in the U.S. On Thursday teachers wear shirts from whichever province they are from, I wear a Nakhon Phanom shirt, and Fridays people can choose what to wear.
It has been pretty interesting figuring it all out. Last week I was given a special pink polo shirt to wear on Tuesday’s and I was measured for my very own scout uniform for Wednesdays! I was measured in front of all the other teachers (the tailor would then yell out the measurements for his assistant to write down…very embarrassing!) and afterwards the other teachers said to me “Big Scout!”, but I had to laugh at it. I think it is funny that they want me to be included in the Scout Day, they felt badly that I was the only person not in uniform and they did not want me to feel left out. One less day to stare in my wardrobe wondering what to wear and it will be an instant Halloween costume for years to come, plus its custom made!
I am starting my third week of teaching and it is going slowly but well. I have had a few problems with fellow teachers, from witnessing some corporal punishment to them telling me that a class is “problematic because they are stupid.” Yet I love the students! I can tell they want to learn, they are just scared. I am trying to work on getting them comfortable speaking but it is like pulling teeth! Last week I did a listening activity in my upper level classes to ABBA’s “Dancing Queen” and it was a hit. I printed out the lyrics and then pulled a few words out so that students had to listen to fill in the blanks. They loved the song, and come into my office often to tell me “Teacher! Enjoy song Dancing Queen, sing?” I give them the song to listen to and they stand in the hallway with my Ipod and speaker and pull out the lyrics and sing along, it is awesome and hiliarious and always makes me think of family vacations where Dad would play ABBA all the time…
I am still getting used to many aspects of being a teacher here, it is so different than the US! Students line up every morning for the raising of the flag and teachers walk down the line checking student's fingernails and hair. If they think a student's hair is too long they cut the student's hair, no ifs, ands, or buts about it. The student is forced to allow the teacher to chop their hair, which usually comes out patchy and uneven and is obviously very embarrassing to the students. Teachers also use the students to do everything! Students carry teacher's lunches from the school building to the canteen, carry bags, and even do all the dishes and other cleaning that needs to be done. No janitors here, all students! I just keep reminding myself that it is just cultural differences...on the plus side students are very respectful, they always offer to help you, never talk back, and always greet you with some sign of respect.
This coming weeked of November 20th the other volunteers and I are headed to the town of Surin, boardering Cambodia, for the “Elephant Roundup”, and I am so excited! It will be an amazing once in a life time experience, trainers and their elephants come from all over to show off their skills, there is even a morning when the elephants serve breakfast. Elephants will also be painting pictures and t-shirts, and I am hoping I get the opportunity to ride one!
It was hilarious to wear the uniform all day. They students really seemed to like it and kept telling me how pretty I looked which always made me laugh. I think it was just fun for them to see me in something that is so familiar to them . When I first put on the outfit my roommates yelled "Not fat!" so I think they were surprised that such a big scout uniform could look nice. 