Mae Sot (9) - New volunteers, long weekend in Chiang Mai (6 Aug 2007)

Yes, I know I said I was going to combine my last 2 entries into one entry... but I decided that too much has happened in the last week (and I presume that a lot will happen in the upcoming week- my last), that it would only be fair to make it into two entries. Sorry to disappoint you all. :0).

First of all, thanks to all of you who showed concern about my toe.... my toe seems to be doing quite fine, although its still not quite 100%.

So, within hours after my previous entry, I find out that we had a new volunteer- Johann, from France. Although his English is less than exemplary, he's here to teach English (and not French). But, aside from that, and the fact that he is 22, he is the exact opposite of Astrid- meaning to say, that I get along with him quite well. About 5 days later we had two new volunteers from Switzerland- a 27 yr old guy, and his 18 yr old girlfriend.... shes come to teach English, and hes come to teach French (and only French)- theyre both Francophone. In light of his arrival (his name is Pierre), French has been included as a regular part of the curriculum (as opposed to after school and optional), which I could complain about for a long time.... but doing so would be futile.

Last entry I wrote about how I was preparing for a 4 day weekend.... well, without any prior announcements, that turned into a 5 day weekend. I went into school on Tuesday morning, prepared and anxious to use my already twice-delayed plans, only to find out that there was no school after all!!! I wasn't particularly thrilled about that (especially since I was intended to go away for a long weekend- which means 5 lost days overall). But..... this is Asia.

Unfortunately, having only a two day week meant one of two things: either I would have to sacrifice the quality of education I'm giving my students (especially Grade 9), or I would have to work them twice as hard. Considering that I only had one week left, I chose the latter option. For my weekly essays, I normally give them 2 days to write one page, and this week I only gave them 1 day (and actually I asked them for a page and a half- since it was the last graded essay). Fortunatly, it was a pretty easy assignment - i gave them a newspaper picture and told them to write a story about it. Some people gave me work that was at best mediocre, yet others did an absolutely fantastic job with it. So, basically, a few students definitely rose up to the challenege, while others didn't (including some I kinda thought/hoped would). Of course, this all sounds kinda vague, but I'll be able to tell you more specifics in person, which will be pretty soon.

So, if you've been following my blog, you'll know that Matt and Monica (Matt's wife- my sister-in-law) were planning to come up to Chiang Mai. I did indeed meet them for a long weekend in Chiang Mai, which was a mixed blessing. On one hand, it was nice to see some familiar faces and have conversation. It was also nice to be in an environment that resembles the 21st century. And, as before, I really enjoyed the night bazaar.... only now it was 100% nicer, because a) I can speak some Burmese and talk with the Burmese vendors, and b) I can bargain in Thai, which gains instant respect (and savings). That, however, is where the good parts end. Matt and Monica felt compelled to stay at the poshest hotel in the city- which was posh to the point of excess and pretention- which made me feel really uncomfortable the whole time. Especially when I thought that the amount they were paying for that hotel (as opposed to a more moderate choice), could be used in so much better ways. It was also quite a bit outside of the city, which left me kinda bored. Matt and Monica are also pretty bad tourists- they made no effort to learn any bit of the language, or to respect certain customs (like eating off the spoon), and I felt kinda embarassed around them. I also felt bad missing 2 days of school, especially so close to my finish here.... but, at the very least, I have a new supply of reading material, and hopefully I can make it through my final few days without being horribly bored.

I will end my entry here.... I will post one more time from Mae Sot (most likely on Saturday or Sunday). Before I finish, I just have a few notes for my readers. Firstly, pictures from my day trip to Sukhothai are online (facebook), and I will try to have Mae sot pictures up by the end of the week. Secondly, as of next Monday morning (13 August) Asian time (or, Sunday night canadian time), I will no longer have my phone. So, if you feel a desire to call me (and if you already have my number), please don't call me after Monday morning, as I plan to give my phone to Johann. Thanks for reading, and thanks for your comment, Dan. Look for an update in a few days.