Back to the old grind.

Let's see - this week I was video-interviewed by some first year students for an English project. "Where do you come from? What do they wear to dress up? What festivals do you celebrate? What is there to see in your country?"  It gets old fast.

I am tutoring some pharmacy professors. I'm not really sure how it evolved. I met Tam, a pharmacy lecturer at church and she has been very kind to me (trucking me all over to find a tailor, helping me unravel the lost ATM card debacle) so when she asked if I would help her prepare for her TOFEL exam (which they must pass to get a scholarship to the US to get their PhD) of course I said yes. The second session she was joined by Bun, who is also taking her TOEFL. The next session added a man named Pon I think and I forget the next new girl's name. Today we added Ning. It's like the cats going to St.Ives. They multiply exponentially.

I will be nice. I will be nice. I will be nice.

I had more interviews with my EIC (English for International Communications) students. This week I had them bring in pictures of their family to discuss. I'm running low on discussion topics. Next week I may give them Rorschock ink blots.

My classes have settled into a routine and are a tad boring. Pity the poor students if their teacher is bored. Many of them have had it and are showing up late for class or not at all; my attendance had been good until now as I am pretty adept at scaring the shit out of kids if nothing else. It's an art that I have perfected over the years.

I also helped Tam write her speech for the upcoming International Pharmacy Conference. She took me to a nice dinner at Chawala restaurant, which is one of the only 2 Mahasarakham restaurants mentioned on Wikitravel, so it had to be good, right? And it was. I tried to pay for my dinner, but Tam said, "No, it's my treatment."  You can't argue with logic like that.

I have been invited to attend the Pharmacy conference opening dinner and festivities, but I don't know if I fit in. Plus I never have anything "nice" to wear.

Tam was to pick me up at 630 in front of Alibabar on the main road at the end of my soi. I called her and said, "Which side of the road will you be on?"  (Takonyang Road has unbelievable traffic and no place to stop and park.) "I'm driving in my car right now."  "Should I stand on the Alibabar side of the road or the 7-11 side?"   "Did you walk out to the end of your road?"  "Yes, where are you coming from?"  "I'll be there in 5 minutes, Goodbye."  This is the kind of conversation I have several times a day. You just shake your head and take your best guess.  

Noon is having some 35 Chinese students over to her house for dinner on the same day and I'd like to go to that. It would be fun and she says they want to practice their English.

I have to take some passport sized photos to the International Relations office AGAIN (this will be the third time) to get a teacher id card. We don't need it but it does get you some nice discounts at hotels and if you go to national parks and all you get to pay the Thai price which can be 1/10 of the "foreign" price.

I swear I think some pervert in that office is papering his cubicle with my photos.
Even the clueless girl at the Kodak shop wonders why I keep coming back.


I need a serious industrial strength pedicure. Like Becky Schaepe says, that's when they get out the belt sander. And the jackhammer?

I picked up my laundry; eight pieces washed and ironed, $1.35. Eat your heart out, slavewives. I do feel sorry for you.

Jim Westgate has invited me to his lovely home in Korat for the weekend. I have Christine, the Scottish girl who was doing research here staying with me but I think I'll go anyway. Christine just came back from Laos where she had a serious case of food poisoning and also had her wallet "nicked" as she says. So I think she needs some down time.

TGIF    for me anyway   TGIT for you.
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