Yesterday, school “started.”
I put “started” in quotation marks because, while all of the key players were at school, nothing of consequence actually happened. The teachers were there. The students were there. Even the principal, who is rarely at school, was there.
But I did not teach.
Most of the time, my experiences with Thai superstitions are watching my friends and community members practice them. However, recently, I was directly involved with one. I tell the story in the video.
One of the most important things that contributes to the success of a Peace Corps volunteer is community integration. It’s actually enshrined in the 10 Core Expectations of being a volunteer.
This is something that I feel like I have kind of struggled with. I hit a wall with language learning because the people in my village speak a different dialect. The area that my house is in isn’t really in the village, it’s just kind of on the road. Also, because I’m a vegetarian, I often end up turning down a number of meal offers.
When I found out I was coming to Thailand, most people I told were excited for me to learn how to cook real authentic Thai food. I don’t feel like I have learned that much, but I think that is because the host family that I spent time with when my language was at the level of rudimentary communication wasn’t very good in the kitchen. My first host family was awesome and I plan to visit with them and spend all of my time with them in the kitchen. But one thing I have picked up on are the things that are in Thai kitchens. Here are five things you need in your kitchen if you want to cook like the Thais do.
Last month, I was given a kitten. I had mentioned how I missed my cat in the States and that maybe I would want a cat here. Lo and behold, one of the teachers shows up at my house with a tiny orange kitten. I’m glad that I have her; she entertains me in a way that only kittens can entertain. Her name is Julius. One thing about Julius is that, like most cats in Thailand, she has a kinked tail.
I’ve posted about the field trip that I went on to Chonburi with the 4-6th graders, and last week Wednesday was the 1st-3rd graders turn for some end of the semester fun.
I got a message from my co-teacher the day before telling me about it, since school has been out and I wouldn’t have known about it. She told me that they were going to go to the museum and the Korat Zoo. I figured, I haven’t been to the Korat Zoo before and it would be a good opportunity for me to spend some time with some of the other teachers at the school, so I went along.
It’s the end of the first semester, and so the students are going on field trips as a bit of a celebration. Recently, the upper grades went to Chonburi for the day. However, the lower grades were not to be left out. The younger kiddos went to the Korat Fossil Museum and the Korat Zoo.
Healthcare is a seemingly constant policy issue coming up in the United States. Frequently, the healthcare systems in other countries are held up as either examples of improvements or as warnings. Healthcare in Thailand is an interesting topic, as the top reason for tourism to the country is actually medical tourism. In addition to the world class medical centers in Bangkok, people in the rural areas are covered by a universal healthcare scheme.
My first semester of working in Thai schools in now on the books and completed. Last Thursday the students had their second of two days of testing and the school shut down for the semester after that. Officially, by the government, school was supposed to go until October 10, but I’m not complaining. We’re supposed to go back on November 1. It is officially bpit term, literally meaning “closed term.”
Recently, the upper classes went on a field trip to the zoo, aquarium and beach in Chonburi. It was a very Thai-style bpai tiao, with a karaoke bus, rushing through exhibits and swimming with clothes on. Here’s a video summary of the day.