I decided to make a list of the things I really like about Thailand. I haven't been able to justify posting it because it's not that long, then I though to include those things that are taken to the extreme here, like the hot weather.

1. It's always warm.

2. Education is very flexible and adaptable.

3. Walking around, you can find pockets of discarded bones. I pass by fish bones on my daily commute, and a different corner on the other side of town full of pig bones.

4. Really great fruits are here and always around.

5. It's fun to watch monkeys, and the people who think themselves better behaved than monkeys.

Skits about blood

In my biology classes, I decided to exploit the Thai student's love of theatrics and assign them a skit. They were supposed to act out human blood, so we had fights between white blood cells and bacteria, sometimes with prop guns and knives. Almost everyone wore some kind of hat to identify who they were, and it was a generally good time.

I was amazed at how much the others, sometimes even kids within the performing group, were talking during the show. I tried to explain that it's rude, but I remembered how Thai's deal with the issue of not being able to hear a performer. They just find the biggest most obnoxious speakers they can find and blast out all other noise. Some of my coworkers do this in their classes, but I think it kind of defeats the purpose.

Science Exhibition Day

My week started with the first class on the first day absent. After I returned to the office, I find a note on our common whiteboard explaining that they (my best class) are on a trip to Bangkok for a science exhibition. First, I would like to know beforehand, second, this is the class I have twice a week and they told me they would miss class on thursday, and third, why is a science teacher not told about the science exhibition.

As the week goes by, my classes are dropping like flies and every time a brave student gets forcibly volunteered by their classmates to have a dreaded "English" conversation with me, I learn a little bit more about why they are missing class. It turns out that they are each working on science projects for today. Naturally, I'm excited and I try to determine the nature of these presentations. Some are dissecting shrimp (they always pronounce it chimp and I really got my hopes up). Others are bending electron beams with a magnet, mixing mentos and cola, or diffusing colors in milk (this last one was very pretty and got translated to me as 'color dance', which I told them was pretty accurate). Again, I wasn't told about this get together of sciences. Nor was I told about the signs that said magic (I assume in a sense that means science is amazing like magic) or the astrology part (the horoscope I was given was printed on a piece of paper in Thai, so I'm not sure if it's accurate or not). A little part of me wants to stay and fix it all, but a bigger part of me is rational.

water

There's a shiny metal box outside my office, where water is kept colder than the ambient temperature. I just got asked by a Thai teacher if it was clean. I replied that I thought it was, I've been drinking it for a while (I started shortly after I was told that the other metal thing with water is not for drinking). She asked if I was sure, and I quickly responded No, generating in her one of the most heartfelt laughs I've gotten out of one of my Thai coworkers. As I walked off, she said, "In the future, it will be clean, coming soon." I hope I don't find out the hard way what she means.

Scheduling

I got office-spaced on yesterday. We spent the whole day trying to figure out what was going on, betting on whether or not my students would show up (one class, not at all; another class only the girls were there), and with the last period cancelled, I sat at my desk watching an old sci fi movie called Capricorn One and grading midterm paragraphs (referring to them as essays won't do). A few times I considered ducking out early, because I could do the work at home, or the next day.

I should have left, because ten minutes before I'm scheduled to be out of the office, they tell me the English contest I was supposed to help with that day got moved to 7 30 the next morning, which is half an hour earlier than I usually come in. I try to explain that, no, I don't have other plans, but I would have liked more notice. Anyway, I come in at 7 30 on the dot, sit around grading those same papers, and at 8 am (normal showing up time, remember), I'm handed my list of English questions I'm supposed to read to the competing students. One of the questions involved asking about a Thai royal, and I only left out a few of the twelve syllables before the Thai teacher took over. At least I was able to pronounce "Her Royal Highness Princess..." correctly.

So I sit at my desk grading for a bit more, and around 8 15, I go read these questions about general English knowledge. So glad I went to bed early and got a good nights sleep. Wait, no I was the one who did laundry, drank beer, and watched Gremlins last night. So leave early and keep your head down is the moral. I never thought I'd be in this kind of office atmosphere, but it's one more experience I can notch on my belt. Is anyone still confused about why I'm coming home in a month?

So I finally made it up to Bangkok for a weekend. It's a nice little city of ten million down town people. I spent my time in a place called Khosan road, which is a popular hang out for backpackers. I haven't seen that many white people since I was in America, and I hadn't had a hot shower like that since I was in Jordan (the country). On sunday, my friends went to a cooking class, and I thought I would leisurely stroll down a street, then come back. I've told people this before, but now I really learned it: walking off by yourself and trying to come back is easiest when the city uses a grid system. In short, I have never been so lost as I was Sunday afternoon in Bangkok. I saw a few of the sights and mostly hung out by the pool a lot, so I had a fine weekend.

I think the rainy season has officially started because I haven't really seen the sun in a couple of days. I thought it would cool things off, but actually the only difference is that humidity is so pervasive that sweat doesn't go anywhere unless it drips off. I'm sure it will flood enough to be annoying pretty soon. But if you haven't heard yet, I'll be back soon. More on that later.

We had a long weekend for the beginning of Buddhist lent, aka three months when monks stay at the temple they're in and out of the rainy season. To celebrate, I took a trip up to see the science teacher I replaced, the snakes he researches, and hang out with some graduate students doing research at an ecotourism reserve. The place was great and I had a really fun time in the field doing some nerd talk with biologists. We took a group photo with a camera trap, used radiotelemeters to find hidden birds, took a night hike in search of herps, and played language centered drinking games ("never have I ever" becomes "I have never" with esl students and I prefer the wording myself). If anyone knows what kind of bug this is, let me know. I argued with the Thai student who told me it was Ephemoptera, and I've determined that it may be Neuroptera, all I know is that I've never seen a dragonfly with antennae that big, but its otherwise a very good mimic of a predatory insect.