The time simply flies throughout the week and yet I haven't been here a month yet. It's so hard to believe! It seems like forever ago when I was living in the hotel worrying if I'd ever find a place to live. I found myself in Big C yesterday and recalled that I had been there before when I first arrived-only 3 weeks ago but so far away in my mind. I guess because so much has happened since then.
A few nights ago the fire alarm in the condo went off at about 10:30 pm; I was already sound asleep. I slipped some pants on over my nightgown, grabbed my backpack and went out only to find no more than 8 of the 84+ residents had left the building. We soon went back in and there was an odor of burned pots on my floor. Dear God, I prayed it wasn't me, I had made tea earlier, but I would have smelled it wouldn't I? Thankfully, it was 2 doors down, all was well, apparently she burned something in the microwave (she must cook like me.) The next day, there was a profuse letter of apology in every single mailbox from the errant tenant.
School is getting better all the time. I may start to even like it. I don't get yelled at quite as much any more, which is a plus. The same as all schools, some teachers like to impress their superiors by correcting you or giving you obvious advice in their presence, but I have to remind myself that that's their shortcoming, not mine. The need to appear important and all knowing is so powerfully overwhelming in some people, you just have to feel sorry for them. Unlike me, who just couldn't give two twiddlyfucks what people think.
The students are starting to grow on me, as I knew they would. Even the PITAs you have to sympathize with - they are very sad, lonely children sometimes. How awful it must be to be a friendless 9 or 10 year old.
I have a fabulous view from my large fourth floor condo window, out across the Muang Thong Thani area of the city and tonight, as often happens after a muggy day, I watch the lightening flash across the sky. So beautiful.
I took the motorcycle taxi out to Chaeng Wattana road tonight and found out (as Scott had clued me in) that it only costs 10B, not the 20B I had been paying them. My first driver asked for 20, so I just automatically gave all the rest 20, but apparently they just took it without letting me in on the secret. The word on the street is the blonde falang is an easy mark - they probably have a poster of me tacked up wherever it is that motorcycle taxi drivers go when they're not waiting for a fare.
I got on the white van to Major Hollywood (Cineplex) which I have learned to pronounce ma JER, but not before being waylaid by some 5-6th grade girls anxious to practice their English. They are so precious and only tonight I realized that the bus stop is in front of a Thai school. After 6 or so years of learning English in the Thai school, their conversation slows to a stop after "My name is------" and "I am --- years old."
Once I tried to talk to a new student waiting in the office. He was about 10 years old, and I pointed to the Thai newspaper on the table and said, " Read this to me, I can't read Thai, " and pointed to the headline. He couldn't read it, and a gentleman in the office explained, "He comes from a Thai school," by way of explanation.
I was surprised yesterday when Jim came to school at the end of the day. He brought a friend from his old school, ISB, International School of Bangkok, apparently the most prestigious expat school in Bangkok ( and just down the street from our school.) Her name is Plun, which Jim pronounces "Bun", or he calls her E-Bun, which means bitch, just for fun.
We went past my home, a little past the Rama IV bridge to a lovely Thai restaurant. Bun ordered for us Thai style - I think about 4 dishes that we all shared - a souffle like omelet with mussels and something green over top of it (?) (the things I eat just to be polite....), a sour-spicy Tom Yung Kung (shrimp soup), little fried fish cakes that you eat with a peanut sauce, and a whole, salted grilled fish. Bun asked me if I had seen various places and when I said I hadn't she offered to show them to me,which was nice. I've always wanted to see the floating market for starters.
Tomorrow is Friday, which is such a great day at school. I really only 'teach' one class - I take my students to library for a half hour, then to computer lab for a half hour, then I ride the van with them to the development's pool, drop them off and escort the morning swimming class back to school, then I'm free till 1 pm when I teach 3/4 grade science. But all that free time is sucked up writing lesson plans with goals and assessments and evaluation criteria, something I haven't done in over 30 years. Plus searching for materials on the Internet. But it's a peaceful day, all in all.
No plans for the weekend. Maybe I can get Ji to show me around Chinatown. Or Chatuchak market.
I am disappointed that I don't hear from any of my friends in PA, it seems like I've dropped off the face of the earth. How hard would it be to email? How quickly they forget.
How time flies when you're clueless
Thursday, September 02, 2010
Pak Kret, Nonthaburi, Thailand
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