Tuesday afternoon we were going to a school welcome dinner at the new school. The Principal is leaving so this is her farewell dinner. Surprisingly, this is the only school that I know of that has a female principal.

There was still some rain as the tail end of typhoon bolavan passed thru. We went to a pork restaurant which I'd never been to before as I dont eat pork.

















It was the same setup as any other restaurant with the long floor tables and grills on the table.


















As this was a new school I dont know how they would react to my dietary issues following a muslim halal diet. They asked if I would mind about the smell but grilled meat does not have as strong an odour as cooked and boiled so I thought it would be ok







Then they told me to take a bus or cab home so good job I knew how to get back.






Also they told me I have to contribute 30,000w/month ($25) for these dinners. This seemed quite high especially for me as I dont eat the meat or drink alcohol. We only have a dinner at the start and end of term, not every month, so what are they doing with this money in the months inbetween. 

We had staff association back home and I never paid $25/month. For a school this size it should be less when you divide it by the number of staff. They said the reverse. Because they were bigger more people get married, have babies, retire/leave, die, so they have more events throughout the year they have to contribute to.

There is another welcome dinner for the new principal that is coming hence this months contribution will be higher. I also like the part about "it can be a very busy month with lots of people dying"!!