Due to a stroke of my mother's genius (coupled with her desire to get my toys out of the house), my rubber chicken (Chuck) and rubber lobster (Lester) live in the 'Dit. They may be more popular than Angry Birds.
I chased boys trying to pull the great lobster heist of 2012 down the halls today. I can never teach in America - I've fully embraced hitting students (with lobsters, in this case). I cringe when I see teachers whacking kids with bamboo sticks. But now I'm whacking them with rubber lobsters. Corporal punishment feels so right.
I'm teaching JAPANESE this week, as our Japanese teacher peaced out for a bit. I studied it for two years so can teach the writing systems. Probs not much else, but we shall see. I remember my old teacher drawing pictures out of the Hiragana, which I found particularly helpful back in the day. Yet I discovered a bit too late that this worked so well because we could make English word associations with the Japanese sound and character. I can't do that with my Thai students without teaching them the English words first (Ex. The character "kii" looks like a key. The English word for koonjay is key), so I taught Japanese tri-lingually. Today's two crazy Japanese classes went so well that I want to become the new Japanese teacher and just ditch English. Ain't nothing like a good Hiragana basketball game to please both those who love to learn and those who love to goof off. And Lester and Chuck made an appearance.
Also, for about one hour in my room tonight, I did not see a single ant. I've since killed 3, but this may be a record. The night no ants would die. I did spray them twice earlier and killed a whole line of them, but all the usual suspects then disappeared. ("Rachel," you say, "That's what's supposed to happen when you spray the ants." Hahaha. Come visit.) I am deeply uncomfortable. They are probably gathered in their coven on the roof, plotting a massive invasion.
Lester squeaks when you squeeze him.
I lost his best friend, Corky the Rubber Cockroach, a few years back.
Monday, January 30, 2012
Friday, January 27, 2012
Ants
Show me something ants won't try to eat, and I'll show you something that doesn't actually exist.
Ants live in my computer.
Ants eat the paint in my art on the wall.
Ants eat my medicine.
Ants eat my toothbrush.
Ants eat dirt.
Ants eat paper.
Ants eat mold.
Ants love bacteria.
Ants eat the dead puppy lying on the ground outside my house.
Ants climb on my insect repellent.
Ants climb on my bed.
Ants stampede the rice cooker.
Ants march to my towel --- when I've just taken it from the wash!
And naturally, ants eat through the peels of oranges and bananas if I leave them out of the fridge.
My mom, aunt, and grandma sent me ziploc bags. I used them previously to bag up my food before I put it in the fridge. Now I am bagging up everything.
Ants are the very definition of freakishly amazing. In a bad way.
Ants live in my computer.
Ants eat the paint in my art on the wall.
Ants eat my medicine.
Ants eat my toothbrush.
Ants eat dirt.
Ants eat paper.
Ants eat mold.
Ants love bacteria.
Ants eat the dead puppy lying on the ground outside my house.
Ants climb on my insect repellent.
Ants climb on my bed.
Ants stampede the rice cooker.
Ants march to my towel --- when I've just taken it from the wash!
And naturally, ants eat through the peels of oranges and bananas if I leave them out of the fridge.
My mom, aunt, and grandma sent me ziploc bags. I used them previously to bag up my food before I put it in the fridge. Now I am bagging up everything.
Ants are the very definition of freakishly amazing. In a bad way.
Wednesday, January 25, 2012
Grateful
I am grateful for . . . . . .
Mem, my student, who came to my office today just to look at old American art with me.
the kids who spent half the class making fun of my laugh.
the donuts P'Kee gifted me.
the boys who try to teach me how to break dance "B-Boy."
the couple who sells waffles at the Wednesday market.
the four girls who marveled over my ticky tac and left repeating "ticky tac ticky tac ticky tac."
the boys who climbed the Chinese house to (try to) pry open the windows when Karen locked her keys inside.
the 4-year-old girl who comes to school nearly everyday around 6 pm while her brother plays football (American moment ::: soccer).
the 10th grade boys who bask in their coolness but came over and carried a wardrobe upstairs. And then tried to steal my cards...
Mem, my student, who came to my office today just to look at old American art with me.
the kids who spent half the class making fun of my laugh.
the donuts P'Kee gifted me.
the boys who try to teach me how to break dance "B-Boy."
the couple who sells waffles at the Wednesday market.
the four girls who marveled over my ticky tac and left repeating "ticky tac ticky tac ticky tac."
the boys who climbed the Chinese house to (try to) pry open the windows when Karen locked her keys inside.
the 4-year-old girl who comes to school nearly everyday around 6 pm while her brother plays football (American moment ::: soccer).
the 10th grade boys who bask in their coolness but came over and carried a wardrobe upstairs. And then tried to steal my cards...
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
Domestic
Rotten eggs cracked in the bottom of the fridge.
I broke down and lectured my little student who lives with me.
If you break an egg in the fridge, particularly a rotten one, clean up the egg.
If you spill your entire bag of soup on the floor (yes, soup comes in a bag, and yes, my three Thai roommates get a kick out of dropping the bags on the floor), clean up the soup.
When your food rots in the fridge, throw it away.
Ants come, the food stinks, your feet get sticky.
She took it well, nodded a lot, and looked surprised and wide-eyed. And it doesn't actually surprise me anymore that this information was news to her. I'm the naive one - I'm still trying to clean the jungle.
My mommy sent me Comet in the mail. I use it like it's my hobby.
I broke down and lectured my little student who lives with me.
If you break an egg in the fridge, particularly a rotten one, clean up the egg.
If you spill your entire bag of soup on the floor (yes, soup comes in a bag, and yes, my three Thai roommates get a kick out of dropping the bags on the floor), clean up the soup.
When your food rots in the fridge, throw it away.
Ants come, the food stinks, your feet get sticky.
She took it well, nodded a lot, and looked surprised and wide-eyed. And it doesn't actually surprise me anymore that this information was news to her. I'm the naive one - I'm still trying to clean the jungle.
My mommy sent me Comet in the mail. I use it like it's my hobby.
Sunday, January 22, 2012
Snake lock-downs, Live ant meals, Weddings, and Scout Week
A weekend...
1) Sunday School building (think one room Thai schoolhouse) locked down due to snake infestation. I discovered that the snakes were: 1) black, 2) dangerous, 3) likely to bite, 4) long, and 5) not pythons. We left one back window open so the snakes could slither out. Miracle of God -- it worked.
2) Ants killed: hundreds. Severe infestation in the floorboards upstairs.
3) Number of live ants eaten: Unclear, but many. I woke up before sunrise this morning and consumed one banana muffin in a two-pack on the way to church. Sleepy, I didn't understand why there were ants crawling all over my sticky hands until I had finished the muffin and looked at the other muffin. Never have I felt so disgusted with my absent-mindedness. Arrive at church gagging.
4) Vegetarian dumplings made for Chinese New Years with the Chinese teachers: 15. Pork dumplings: at least 200.
5) Number of traditional Thai weddings attended: 1. One of my roommates got married on Saturday! She wed at her house in Lampang; monks prayed for the couple, and then the couple sat in the main room during a "ceremony". Apparently there are no official vows (?). Embarrassing moment during the ceremony when everyone turned away from the bride and groom and insisted that I come to the front of the line where people tied string around the hands of the couple and blessed them. I tied the string too tight after continuously failing to knot it, yanking their hands together. Felt ashamed, but confident in binding them together in marriage. Ate rice.
5.5) After we tied their hands, a teacher explained to me that the couple was now headed into the "room" for the next "30-60 minutes". "Song deeow [two people only]," she explained. Soon, everyone nearby was explaining matter-of-factly that in America, "they has sex in the hotel, in Thailand, they has sex in the room." While all the guests are eating rice in the yard? I'm confused if this is right, but I tried to end that convo as quickly as possible, because about 15 eager people had gathered and kept repeating with wide eyes and gestures, "two people only...the room...do you understand?"
6) The school administrators who came to the wedding announce to our tent that I have a boyfriend so the drunk men will stop trying to give me whiskey. Then the same administrators, forgetting that they were the ones to propagate that story, proceeded to quiz me on why I had not told them that I had a boyfriend.
7) Left wedding to hit the road again. Van ride with 7 other teachers coaching me on Thai cartoon trivia. Stopped at a national park in Lampang. Boil eggs in the hot springs. Attempt to go home. Van breaks down. Hang out at national park for 7 hours waiting for a van to drive up from Uttaradit. Hike to waterfall, which I previously - unsuccessfully - tried to persuade everyone to do anyway. Chat up park ranger about biology research projects. Eat rice. Gaze at the stars.
I am a rock.
Boiling eggs in the hot springs.
Stranded with beautiful time on our hands.
8) Late dinner in Lampang city after we climb into the new van and drive down the mountains. Spicy curry sauce. Aroi mok. Fall asleep. Arrive home in the wee morning hours.
9) Assigned to teach music lessons on Saturdays at church. Before English classes. Also assigned to teach Thai-English Bible study with adults. Also leading kid's church, usually in snake-infested building, which is just as well, both because I understand very little in big people church and want to see a long black snake. Also helping with the youth group on Sunday afternoons. Apparently showing the youth how to dance European-style for a show on February 12. Laughed at when I said I could probs teach American-style better. Unclear if the youth leader believes I'm not European. Also spearheading games with children between lunch and youth group. PEOPLE THERE IS ONLY SO MUCH OF ME. I love all-weekend Thai church.
PART II
This week was BOY/GIRL SCOUT WEEK in the 'Dit. No regular school on Thursday and Friday; instead, the M. 1-3 students (7th-9th grades, while 10th-12th grades took part in language camps and whatnot, or rather, played massive classic camp games with yours truly) dressed up in scout uniforms and did some long distance walking, cooking, and plant identifying. Pretty much the dream. Gotta love the 'Dit even more than usual during wilderness week.
I ditched my "English" campers for a bit (they didn't mind, as we took Ships and Sailors, Sharks and Minnows [Tiger and Water Buffalo], and Capture the Flag very seriously and they needed a chance to sprawl) and lit some fires in the wilderness with the little ones. Here we are cooking over an open fire. Yes, we wore dresses. Yes, we built a fire in the woods at school. Yes, the group of 12-14 year old girls nearly burnt down the forest. Yes, it was a competition. Yes, we cooked to win. No, we didn't win.
1) Sunday School building (think one room Thai schoolhouse) locked down due to snake infestation. I discovered that the snakes were: 1) black, 2) dangerous, 3) likely to bite, 4) long, and 5) not pythons. We left one back window open so the snakes could slither out. Miracle of God -- it worked.
2) Ants killed: hundreds. Severe infestation in the floorboards upstairs.
3) Number of live ants eaten: Unclear, but many. I woke up before sunrise this morning and consumed one banana muffin in a two-pack on the way to church. Sleepy, I didn't understand why there were ants crawling all over my sticky hands until I had finished the muffin and looked at the other muffin. Never have I felt so disgusted with my absent-mindedness. Arrive at church gagging.
4) Vegetarian dumplings made for Chinese New Years with the Chinese teachers: 15. Pork dumplings: at least 200.
5) Number of traditional Thai weddings attended: 1. One of my roommates got married on Saturday! She wed at her house in Lampang; monks prayed for the couple, and then the couple sat in the main room during a "ceremony". Apparently there are no official vows (?). Embarrassing moment during the ceremony when everyone turned away from the bride and groom and insisted that I come to the front of the line where people tied string around the hands of the couple and blessed them. I tied the string too tight after continuously failing to knot it, yanking their hands together. Felt ashamed, but confident in binding them together in marriage. Ate rice.
5.5) After we tied their hands, a teacher explained to me that the couple was now headed into the "room" for the next "30-60 minutes". "Song deeow [two people only]," she explained. Soon, everyone nearby was explaining matter-of-factly that in America, "they has sex in the hotel, in Thailand, they has sex in the room." While all the guests are eating rice in the yard? I'm confused if this is right, but I tried to end that convo as quickly as possible, because about 15 eager people had gathered and kept repeating with wide eyes and gestures, "two people only...the room...do you understand?"
6) The school administrators who came to the wedding announce to our tent that I have a boyfriend so the drunk men will stop trying to give me whiskey. Then the same administrators, forgetting that they were the ones to propagate that story, proceeded to quiz me on why I had not told them that I had a boyfriend.
7) Left wedding to hit the road again. Van ride with 7 other teachers coaching me on Thai cartoon trivia. Stopped at a national park in Lampang. Boil eggs in the hot springs. Attempt to go home. Van breaks down. Hang out at national park for 7 hours waiting for a van to drive up from Uttaradit. Hike to waterfall, which I previously - unsuccessfully - tried to persuade everyone to do anyway. Chat up park ranger about biology research projects. Eat rice. Gaze at the stars.
I am a rock.
Boiling eggs in the hot springs.
Stranded with beautiful time on our hands.
8) Late dinner in Lampang city after we climb into the new van and drive down the mountains. Spicy curry sauce. Aroi mok. Fall asleep. Arrive home in the wee morning hours.
9) Assigned to teach music lessons on Saturdays at church. Before English classes. Also assigned to teach Thai-English Bible study with adults. Also leading kid's church, usually in snake-infested building, which is just as well, both because I understand very little in big people church and want to see a long black snake. Also helping with the youth group on Sunday afternoons. Apparently showing the youth how to dance European-style for a show on February 12. Laughed at when I said I could probs teach American-style better. Unclear if the youth leader believes I'm not European. Also spearheading games with children between lunch and youth group. PEOPLE THERE IS ONLY SO MUCH OF ME. I love all-weekend Thai church.
PART II
This week was BOY/GIRL SCOUT WEEK in the 'Dit. No regular school on Thursday and Friday; instead, the M. 1-3 students (7th-9th grades, while 10th-12th grades took part in language camps and whatnot, or rather, played massive classic camp games with yours truly) dressed up in scout uniforms and did some long distance walking, cooking, and plant identifying. Pretty much the dream. Gotta love the 'Dit even more than usual during wilderness week.
I ditched my "English" campers for a bit (they didn't mind, as we took Ships and Sailors, Sharks and Minnows [Tiger and Water Buffalo], and Capture the Flag very seriously and they needed a chance to sprawl) and lit some fires in the wilderness with the little ones. Here we are cooking over an open fire. Yes, we wore dresses. Yes, we built a fire in the woods at school. Yes, the group of 12-14 year old girls nearly burnt down the forest. Yes, it was a competition. Yes, we cooked to win. No, we didn't win.
Sunday, January 15, 2012
Loved
Three women dropped me off yesterday after a beautiful afternoon at church playing keyboard, chasing children, and "teaching English" to their moms.
They asked to see my house, so I led them into our kitchen area and upstairs to my room.
"Rachel," one of the women said gently in Thai, laying her hand on my arm as she stared at my books, my Apple computer, my clothes, my decor, "Jesus loves you very much."
They asked to see my house, so I led them into our kitchen area and upstairs to my room.
"Rachel," one of the women said gently in Thai, laying her hand on my arm as she stared at my books, my Apple computer, my clothes, my decor, "Jesus loves you very much."
Thursday, January 5, 2012
A Picture's Worth a Thousand Words
I overlooked grander idioms like "A Picture's Worth a Thousand Words" for the sake of "pig out" and "you drive me up a wall" when I explained idioms to my students today. But the past couple weeks were super happening on the holiday circuit (wan-yut), so here's a few equivalents of a thousand words. You can check out journeys to Wat Phra Kaew, the "original" home of the Emerald Buddha, found when lightening struck open a golden chedi, and Wat Rong Khun, famously known as the gorgeous White Wat with paradoxical sculptures depicting death and fear.
An entire percussion post is on its way (bells and drums galore in this country, mostly thanks to Buddhist ceremonies), but I couldn't help introducing you to the long pang (sp?) as a teaser. Megan and I discovered it in Chiang Rai and proceeded to collect a crowd while we figured out the scale and dinked around. Megan was the real crowd pleaser -- she broke out the Thai national anthem on this thing! You should've seen the gapes all over our corner of the market.
Wat Phra Kaew
Wat Phra Kaew boasted a gorgeous museum filled with traditional Buddhist artifacts. This text from the early-middle of the last millennium (let's just keep those dates vague) is a cosmological spell book with tricks to change the past & future and manage spirit encounters.
Wat Rong Khun, the work of Thai artist Chalermchai Kositpipat, who is worth reading up on if you happen to be interested in art. He has many seemingly oppositional thoughts about religion and culture (though who does not?).
Messing with the kids' heads at the Christmas assembly.
Why yes, I did acquire a third-degree motorcycle burn on Christmas Eve. Cina, who lives in Si Sat, Sukhothai and taught her students the Nutcracker ballet (I have so much respect for this girl), also couldn't resist the fave mode of transportation in Thailand. This burn makes me LEGIT with my students, who are persistently coming in with broken limbs and gashes as far as the eye can see. (I honestly have never seen such terrible wounds treated like no-big-deals. The motorcycle damage done in this country to teenagers is gruesome. Maybe I will take pictures to prove my point. I've never, ever, ever seen anything like it on a daily basis.) Granted, every student in the school - along with half the staff - thinks it's actually a crocodile bite...It turns out that an outrageous tale is remarkably believable with a language barrier.
Christmas Eve was a bit different in Thailand. What should we do? Um, sit by the river, eat Kanom (snacks), and play Christmas charades. Eat. Eat chocolate. Eat more. Oh look, we're about out of ideas. Let's drink by the river.
Eugene and I in Sukhothai being appropriately modest in accord with 'Dit customs. I say this seriously, as when we took this picture, we were gushing over our appropriateness in attire (Thailand is HOT people, so wearing anything but a swimsuit is a sacrificial act), but in retrospect, we were on a bed, so I'm not sure how many points we get...
Eugene is my male counterpart at a school about 1.5 hours away from mine. He's from Montana and together, we breathe the 'Dit. Look at his Christmas Elephant Santa costume that his school sewed for him. Santa rides elephants in the 'Dit.
Also, check out the pillow in the picture --- it now sits on my bed. When one is forced to comply with Buddhist precepts commanding comfortless sleep in the 'Dit, one is sometimes pushed over the edge and begs guesthouse staffers for mercy. They were super confused; I was super persuasive; they were super awesome.
An entire percussion post is on its way (bells and drums galore in this country, mostly thanks to Buddhist ceremonies), but I couldn't help introducing you to the long pang (sp?) as a teaser. Megan and I discovered it in Chiang Rai and proceeded to collect a crowd while we figured out the scale and dinked around. Megan was the real crowd pleaser -- she broke out the Thai national anthem on this thing! You should've seen the gapes all over our corner of the market.
Wat Phra Kaew
Wat Phra Kaew boasted a gorgeous museum filled with traditional Buddhist artifacts. This text from the early-middle of the last millennium (let's just keep those dates vague) is a cosmological spell book with tricks to change the past & future and manage spirit encounters.
Wat Rong Khun, the work of Thai artist Chalermchai Kositpipat, who is worth reading up on if you happen to be interested in art. He has many seemingly oppositional thoughts about religion and culture (though who does not?).
Messing with the kids' heads at the Christmas assembly.
Why yes, I did acquire a third-degree motorcycle burn on Christmas Eve. Cina, who lives in Si Sat, Sukhothai and taught her students the Nutcracker ballet (I have so much respect for this girl), also couldn't resist the fave mode of transportation in Thailand. This burn makes me LEGIT with my students, who are persistently coming in with broken limbs and gashes as far as the eye can see. (I honestly have never seen such terrible wounds treated like no-big-deals. The motorcycle damage done in this country to teenagers is gruesome. Maybe I will take pictures to prove my point. I've never, ever, ever seen anything like it on a daily basis.) Granted, every student in the school - along with half the staff - thinks it's actually a crocodile bite...It turns out that an outrageous tale is remarkably believable with a language barrier.
Christmas Eve was a bit different in Thailand. What should we do? Um, sit by the river, eat Kanom (snacks), and play Christmas charades. Eat. Eat chocolate. Eat more. Oh look, we're about out of ideas. Let's drink by the river.
Eugene and I in Sukhothai being appropriately modest in accord with 'Dit customs. I say this seriously, as when we took this picture, we were gushing over our appropriateness in attire (Thailand is HOT people, so wearing anything but a swimsuit is a sacrificial act), but in retrospect, we were on a bed, so I'm not sure how many points we get...Eugene is my male counterpart at a school about 1.5 hours away from mine. He's from Montana and together, we breathe the 'Dit. Look at his Christmas Elephant Santa costume that his school sewed for him. Santa rides elephants in the 'Dit.
Also, check out the pillow in the picture --- it now sits on my bed. When one is forced to comply with Buddhist precepts commanding comfortless sleep in the 'Dit, one is sometimes pushed over the edge and begs guesthouse staffers for mercy. They were super confused; I was super persuasive; they were super awesome.
Tuesday, January 3, 2012
Happy New Year 2555!
2012 is way behind on the Thai calendar, so 2555 it is. I don't want to be living decades in the past in the new year!
Legit Thai New Year isn't until April, but Thailand breaks it down on January 1st anyhow. Given the dragons, fireworks, dancing, and general cheery-spiritedness, I'd rank this New Year's one of my best ever (the only drawback was the noticeable lack of clanging pots and pans and running barefoot through the snow for the first 30 minutes of the New Year...miss you Nez Perce Ct!).
Gifted a four-day-weekend, I headed north to Chiang Rai. I arrived around 9 PM on New Year's Eve, just in time for Northern Thailand New Year's festivities: a spontaneous motorcycle ride with young Thai dudes and their girlfriends who wanted to show my friend Megan and I a good time, dancing with middle-aged peeps in front of a band playing Thai country music, banana roti galore, a giant countdown in Thai (...Sam, Song, Nung! Bpee Mai!) around Chiang Rai's gorgeous glowing golden clock tower, a massive Chinese dragon climbing up a towering pole fed a glowing ball by an acrobat on a parallel pole, and a plethora of stages set up on every street for music, music, MUSIC!
No New Year's is complete without a roasted deer-like creature...is it a water buffalo? I am clueless about meat...
The DRAGON.
The esteemed leader of the Dragon squad, full of Dragon knowledge and sobriety.
The DRAGON.
The DRAGON.
The disappearing lights in the sky are the massive paper lanterns launched for good luck. Not a few came back down in flames over the crowd.
The DRAGON HEAD.
Dragon on a towering pole.
Gorgeous. Check out the Dragon squad prepping their act in the background.
Check out the wanna-be dragon on the yellow billboard.
Let's just say safety doesn't come first when it comes to fireworks in Chiang Rai. Fireworks were literally set off in all directions and Megan and I alone got hit by falling ash and fire numerous times. As we cruised Chiang Rai that night, fireworks went off like landmines. Megan has never been so worried.
Learning Thai country dance steps.
The Friday before Christmas Eve, I led the school in a Christmas assembly complete with presents, a Christmas version of Ships and Sailors, and singing. Obviously dressed as a makeshift Rudolph.
New Year's Party at the school, where I made my first Som Tom (papaya salad) after running to the school forest in this outfit to pick papayas by prodding them with a long pole. Technically, it's staff-only, but this student - whose nickname is coincidentally "Gift" - won my favor and protection. Through bribery, you say? Impossible.
My Mattayom 3 (=9th grade) students after learning Jingle Bells.
Rudolph posing with TWO FAMOUS CELEBRITIES - the school director (who seriously needs some Christmas accessories) and Santa Claus.
This is neither here nor there, but it is the most important picture of all. Midterms fell on the week between Christmas and New Year's. Oil and I each wrote an hour-long biology exam in different languages. Seriously awesome. (Since I now have the advantage of hindsight, I could have made it slightly easier. But, you know, only one student got a 4/40 and only 6 students - not all girls - cried.)
New Year's Day at the Chiang Rai flower show. Um, nobody wanted to go to the flower show with me.
Love.
Legit Thai New Year isn't until April, but Thailand breaks it down on January 1st anyhow. Given the dragons, fireworks, dancing, and general cheery-spiritedness, I'd rank this New Year's one of my best ever (the only drawback was the noticeable lack of clanging pots and pans and running barefoot through the snow for the first 30 minutes of the New Year...miss you Nez Perce Ct!).
Gifted a four-day-weekend, I headed north to Chiang Rai. I arrived around 9 PM on New Year's Eve, just in time for Northern Thailand New Year's festivities: a spontaneous motorcycle ride with young Thai dudes and their girlfriends who wanted to show my friend Megan and I a good time, dancing with middle-aged peeps in front of a band playing Thai country music, banana roti galore, a giant countdown in Thai (...Sam, Song, Nung! Bpee Mai!) around Chiang Rai's gorgeous glowing golden clock tower, a massive Chinese dragon climbing up a towering pole fed a glowing ball by an acrobat on a parallel pole, and a plethora of stages set up on every street for music, music, MUSIC!
No New Year's is complete without a roasted deer-like creature...is it a water buffalo? I am clueless about meat...
The DRAGON.
The esteemed leader of the Dragon squad, full of Dragon knowledge and sobriety.
The DRAGON.
The DRAGON.
The disappearing lights in the sky are the massive paper lanterns launched for good luck. Not a few came back down in flames over the crowd.
The DRAGON HEAD.
Dragon on a towering pole.
Gorgeous. Check out the Dragon squad prepping their act in the background.
Check out the wanna-be dragon on the yellow billboard.
Let's just say safety doesn't come first when it comes to fireworks in Chiang Rai. Fireworks were literally set off in all directions and Megan and I alone got hit by falling ash and fire numerous times. As we cruised Chiang Rai that night, fireworks went off like landmines. Megan has never been so worried.
Learning Thai country dance steps.
The Friday before Christmas Eve, I led the school in a Christmas assembly complete with presents, a Christmas version of Ships and Sailors, and singing. Obviously dressed as a makeshift Rudolph.
New Year's Party at the school, where I made my first Som Tom (papaya salad) after running to the school forest in this outfit to pick papayas by prodding them with a long pole. Technically, it's staff-only, but this student - whose nickname is coincidentally "Gift" - won my favor and protection. Through bribery, you say? Impossible.
My Mattayom 3 (=9th grade) students after learning Jingle Bells.
Rudolph posing with TWO FAMOUS CELEBRITIES - the school director (who seriously needs some Christmas accessories) and Santa Claus.
This is neither here nor there, but it is the most important picture of all. Midterms fell on the week between Christmas and New Year's. Oil and I each wrote an hour-long biology exam in different languages. Seriously awesome. (Since I now have the advantage of hindsight, I could have made it slightly easier. But, you know, only one student got a 4/40 and only 6 students - not all girls - cried.)
New Year's Day at the Chiang Rai flower show. Um, nobody wanted to go to the flower show with me.
Love.
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