Thursday, November 12, 2009
2nd grade story
Tears were shed in one of my classes.
One of the girls, let's call her Jen, is the most popular girl in the entire school. She's mixed (Western/Thai), so that automatically makes you more popular here. Plus, she's kind, socially and mentally intelligent, a great singer, and assertive. She has a bunch of lackey's that basically follow her around the school.
Anyhow, in class, I was going over the idea of ______has a _______. I would let the students fill in the blanks, then draw a picture of their sentence. One of the sentences they created was, "Jen has a pencil," and one of Jen's lackeys, Ploy, came up to draw a picture.
Well, this lackey happens to have a sense of humor, and started drawing Jen with big, buggy eyes. Jen gave a look of extreme perturbation. Ploy didn't notice, and moved straight to the mouth, where she drew a goofy smile and massive buckteeth. The fact that Jen's real face was now permanently buried in her forearms tipped me off that she wasn't in on the joke, so I told Ploy to stop, and quickly erased the HILARIOUS picture.
I changed the sentence to _____is in a_______ and asked for the another student to fill in the blank. Jen's most adoring lackey, Wan, quickly shot her hand up with "Ploy." When I asked for the next blank, she whirled around, shot a look of venom at Ploy, and said a word in Thai. I have no idea what it meant, but I don't think it was nice. I definitely didn't ask Wan to draw a picture of the sentence.
The rest of class, I could see the a look of regret in Ploy's eyes. She had dared to poke at the holy socially status of Queen Jen, and could sense the social scorn.
I taught a bit more, then worksheet time came along. Thankfully, Ploy and Jen are excellent students, so they whizzed through their worksheets. I walked over to Ploy and asked her how she felt about the picture she drew of Jen.(Thank God she spoke some English). She sorrowfully said that she thought it was just a joke, and informed me that she was sorry. She affirmed that she wanted to apologize to Jen, so I called Jen over. As Ploy apologized, her eyes welled up with cleansing tears, and she soon deteriorated to the point that she could only nod or shake her head.
I finished off the ritual by letting Melanie know that when she was sad, Ploy was sad. (I should have yelled at Wan, and made her apologize too, but that occurred to me too late.)
As I walked into school the next day, I saw Ploy and Jen playing together---all anger and sorrows forgotten---I love the transient sadness of little kids. In some ways the story shows how grown up they are. The seven year olds share kindred needs and insecurities with twenty-five year olds. But they forget their worries and animosities much quicker, and their spirit always drifts back towards joy.
One of the girls, let's call her Jen, is the most popular girl in the entire school. She's mixed (Western/Thai), so that automatically makes you more popular here. Plus, she's kind, socially and mentally intelligent, a great singer, and assertive. She has a bunch of lackey's that basically follow her around the school.
Anyhow, in class, I was going over the idea of ______has a _______. I would let the students fill in the blanks, then draw a picture of their sentence. One of the sentences they created was, "Jen has a pencil," and one of Jen's lackeys, Ploy, came up to draw a picture.
Well, this lackey happens to have a sense of humor, and started drawing Jen with big, buggy eyes. Jen gave a look of extreme perturbation. Ploy didn't notice, and moved straight to the mouth, where she drew a goofy smile and massive buckteeth. The fact that Jen's real face was now permanently buried in her forearms tipped me off that she wasn't in on the joke, so I told Ploy to stop, and quickly erased the HILARIOUS picture.
I changed the sentence to _____is in a_______ and asked for the another student to fill in the blank. Jen's most adoring lackey, Wan, quickly shot her hand up with "Ploy." When I asked for the next blank, she whirled around, shot a look of venom at Ploy, and said a word in Thai. I have no idea what it meant, but I don't think it was nice. I definitely didn't ask Wan to draw a picture of the sentence.
The rest of class, I could see the a look of regret in Ploy's eyes. She had dared to poke at the holy socially status of Queen Jen, and could sense the social scorn.
I taught a bit more, then worksheet time came along. Thankfully, Ploy and Jen are excellent students, so they whizzed through their worksheets. I walked over to Ploy and asked her how she felt about the picture she drew of Jen.(Thank God she spoke some English). She sorrowfully said that she thought it was just a joke, and informed me that she was sorry. She affirmed that she wanted to apologize to Jen, so I called Jen over. As Ploy apologized, her eyes welled up with cleansing tears, and she soon deteriorated to the point that she could only nod or shake her head.
I finished off the ritual by letting Melanie know that when she was sad, Ploy was sad. (I should have yelled at Wan, and made her apologize too, but that occurred to me too late.)
As I walked into school the next day, I saw Ploy and Jen playing together---all anger and sorrows forgotten---I love the transient sadness of little kids. In some ways the story shows how grown up they are. The seven year olds share kindred needs and insecurities with twenty-five year olds. But they forget their worries and animosities much quicker, and their spirit always drifts back towards joy.
Sunday, November 8, 2009
Isaan
I recently went to Isaan, Thailand. Through New Song, I had met two sisters who had moved from a poor, remote village in Isaan to Bangkok in hopes of earning more money for their family. They had managed to find jobs, but their aging parents’ house was now decrepit, and in danger of collapsing. The house needed to be torn down and rebuilt. Though seemingly daunting, the house was dilapidated enough that tearing it down was easy, and Isaan “houses” are simple enough that they can be rebuilt in a few days. About twenty of us gathered a few tools, and made the ten hour journey to Isaan to take care of their parents.
The poverty in the remote village was just as stark as the poverty in Haiti. There was no running water or refrigeration. Children had only one or two pairs of clothes. Many children’s parents had died an early death, and I could see weary and pain in the eyes of the adults. But with the pains of poverty came the harmony of community. The lack of running water, refrigeration, and clothes were a trivial part of every day life. The children whose parents were gone had aunts, uncles, and grandparents who loved them like their own. Pain had wearied the adults in the community, but they still had the heart to come together as a community and help those in the direst need. To be able to help these people, and see their joy and thankfulness towards us was a thrill. I was blessed to be able to help them.
The poverty in the remote village was just as stark as the poverty in Haiti. There was no running water or refrigeration. Children had only one or two pairs of clothes. Many children’s parents had died an early death, and I could see weary and pain in the eyes of the adults. But with the pains of poverty came the harmony of community. The lack of running water, refrigeration, and clothes were a trivial part of every day life. The children whose parents were gone had aunts, uncles, and grandparents who loved them like their own. Pain had wearied the adults in the community, but they still had the heart to come together as a community and help those in the direst need. To be able to help these people, and see their joy and thankfulness towards us was a thrill. I was blessed to be able to help them.
Sunday, October 18, 2009
Live Update
So I will of COURSE finish my much anticipated "Into the Wild" series, with lots of pictures to boot. But, I figured I'd give you an update on what I'm doing RIGHT NOW.
Right now, I'm sitting on a beach in Railay---one of the most beautiful beaches in Krabi, Thailand. We got here yesterday afternoon, and spent the day relaxing at the beach. We found a nice restaurant with a view of the beach. We saw the most beautiful sunset I've ever seen seen----the whole sky just filled with different different shades of blue, pin and orange. The texture was the glistening I see in pictures of the Northern lights. All this was framed by the jungle-covered limestone cliff that jut out of the water around this later.
I'll post pictures later.
Today, I spent the morning playing at the beach, and then we chartered a longboat to take us on an island adventure. I snorkeled for the first time in my life. I was told it was "self-explanatory," and started out a little rough, trying to get used to the mask. Every time I went out under, I got a mouthful of salt water.....all this while furiously treading water with my flippers (I still wasn't accustomed to the ease with which you can use your flippers). It was especially frustrating because I kept catching glimpses of the clear water, and beautiful fish.
It took me about twenty minutes to master the art of floating on top of the water, with my eyes IN the water, and my snorkel OUT. I finally did though, and it was AMAZING. We snorkeled at two different coral reefs, and saw a ton of "tiger fish," colorful fish with tigerfish. I was also able to some mini-swordfish, and other fish you only see in fish tanks in the states.
What was especially amazing was the coral. It came in call shapes, colors, and sizes, with menacing, black sea urchins thrown in.
After snorkeling we relaxed on a tropical island. We were the only ones on the white and beach. Everywhere we turned deserved a picture. The water was five different shades of natural blue---the kind you can only appreciate in person--not through paintings and pictures. We were surrounded, at various distances, by limestone, cliffs, islands, and on the horizon, it seemed like mountains. Our guide brought us shrimp-green curry from the mainland. We watched the sunset, and were off to our final adventure: Phosphorescent swimming.
It was night, and our guide took us to a secluded corner of a limestone cliff. I thought it was a bit odd, as we drew near, that the waves from the boat appeared white. The white was from the luminous plankton. We leaped into the water, and and our jump created a splash of white. We glowed. Every movement we made created a white, glowing wave of white. We made snow angels in the water. We'd throw our hands out of the water, and their would be little, fleeting white dots. It was like we were creating millions of mini-fireflies. And sorry, but the camera couldn't capture ANY of this amazingness.
You will just have to come. After all, this whole snorkeling-deserted island-phosphorescent swimming- cost me a whopping $25 USD. So seriously. Come.
Monday, October 12, 2009
Into the wild, part 1
The first half of the school year has come to an end, which means........VACATION! My plan was basically divided into three parts: 1. Go to Laos to visit a sustainable coffee farm. 2. Go to Isaan Thailand, and tear down, then build a new house. 3. Beach.
Of course, the first step was actually leaving Bangkok. I was trying to work on law school applications, and figured I should get my ulcer taken care of before I went off on my own in the third world....
So Finally, at 10:30 PM, I got on the BTS (Sky train), hoping there would be a bus waiting for me at the bus station....that I thought was at the Mo Chit BTS station. As I walked around the BTS station, I soon realized that the bus station was not AT the Mo Chit stop. I didn't see any taxis around, and figured I would take a moto-cy. Midway through the longer than expected ride.
Usually moto-cy's disregard speed limits, stop-lights, the direction of traffic, sidewalks, and physics. Midway through this ride, I found myself thinking that this was an extra-exciting moto-cy ride. Then I remembered the 50 lb. bag I had on my back.
Since I am alive and writing this, you already know I survived the moto-cy ride. I also managed to catch both the bus and some z's, and got into Ubonratchathani (Thai border city with Laos) at 9:30 the next morning.
In Ubon, I met a very friendly Tuk-Tuk driver, who spoke a decent ammount of english....he showed me an internet cafe, good place to eat, then drove me to a Tesco so I could buy a jacket (I was told Laos might be cold). At the bus station i gave 25% more than the price he gave me....he then asked for a 50% increase....but it left a bit of a sour taste in my mouth after what had been a positive experience, but regardless--it wasn't much money, and I was off to Laos!
Of course, the first step was actually leaving Bangkok. I was trying to work on law school applications, and figured I should get my ulcer taken care of before I went off on my own in the third world....
So Finally, at 10:30 PM, I got on the BTS (Sky train), hoping there would be a bus waiting for me at the bus station....that I thought was at the Mo Chit BTS station. As I walked around the BTS station, I soon realized that the bus station was not AT the Mo Chit stop. I didn't see any taxis around, and figured I would take a moto-cy. Midway through the longer than expected ride.
Usually moto-cy's disregard speed limits, stop-lights, the direction of traffic, sidewalks, and physics. Midway through this ride, I found myself thinking that this was an extra-exciting moto-cy ride. Then I remembered the 50 lb. bag I had on my back.
Since I am alive and writing this, you already know I survived the moto-cy ride. I also managed to catch both the bus and some z's, and got into Ubonratchathani (Thai border city with Laos) at 9:30 the next morning.
In Ubon, I met a very friendly Tuk-Tuk driver, who spoke a decent ammount of english....he showed me an internet cafe, good place to eat, then drove me to a Tesco so I could buy a jacket (I was told Laos might be cold). At the bus station i gave 25% more than the price he gave me....he then asked for a 50% increase....but it left a bit of a sour taste in my mouth after what had been a positive experience, but regardless--it wasn't much money, and I was off to Laos!
Friday, October 2, 2009
mosquito
So I've generally been pretty positive about Bangkok. After all, I'm a positive person. One of the downsides though, is the mosquitos. They're everywhere, and sneaky little buggers. I swear the bugs here are higher evolved than in the states. Both mosquitos and ants seem faster, and have these crazy, unpredictable patterns of movement that makes them hard to kill.
Oh yeah, and by everywhere, I mean EVERYWHERE. I have a room on the 3rd floor of an apartment complex. I never open the windows, and maybe walk outside on my "balcony," two or three times a week. And yes, I periodically see mosquitos in my room--my domain. And it's so frustrating...I just see this floating insect, and all of a sudden, it's gone, camoflauged among the many background colors my room provides.
I happen to have an egg-boiler in my room. It's rather small, and can fit about three eggs in it. I boiled some eggs in it, but left the lid off, and water in it for a couple of days.
You guessed it, I found a mosquito larvae IN MY egg-boiler. I'm declaring war on mosquitos, which makes me totally empathize with America's war on terrorists. You can kill so many, but they always seem to be even more. The buggers know how to hide too.
Oh yeah, and by everywhere, I mean EVERYWHERE. I have a room on the 3rd floor of an apartment complex. I never open the windows, and maybe walk outside on my "balcony," two or three times a week. And yes, I periodically see mosquitos in my room--my domain. And it's so frustrating...I just see this floating insect, and all of a sudden, it's gone, camoflauged among the many background colors my room provides.
I happen to have an egg-boiler in my room. It's rather small, and can fit about three eggs in it. I boiled some eggs in it, but left the lid off, and water in it for a couple of days.
You guessed it, I found a mosquito larvae IN MY egg-boiler. I'm declaring war on mosquitos, which makes me totally empathize with America's war on terrorists. You can kill so many, but they always seem to be even more. The buggers know how to hide too.
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
books
So I'm keeping it one post a day, but I didn't promise they'd all be exciting--I went to an english used bookstore that's about a ten minute walk from my apartment, so for my vacation, I'm reading "The Tempting of America" by Robert Bork. For people who enjoy legal reading (Not nearly tittilating as it sounds. The cover definitely gives it away:)
I'm also reading "Freakonomics," by Stephen Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner. So far tha'ts been a real interesting read----that's definitely more interesting to more people than the Bork book.
I'm also reading "Freakonomics," by Stephen Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner. So far tha'ts been a real interesting read----that's definitely more interesting to more people than the Bork book.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)