Second day teaching

Up around 5:30 today to roosters crowing. We had breakfast at the outdoor tables by the road again, which consisted of several dishes. My favorite was sweet sticky rice that was wrapped in a banana leaf and steamed. I will definitely ask them to teach me to make this, although I am not sure how easy fresh banana leaves are to come by in the US. Then we stopped by the hairdresser so that Bu could get her hair washed and I checked my email on the hairdresser’s tablet. Then off to school! Today I was more prepared for class. I had two fifth grade “pratom 5” classes, and one of them I taught for two sessions. We sang “head shoulders knees and toes” and then practiced naming body parts and labeling them on a worksheet. We also did some animals and numbers with another worksheet that I made.

I also had Bu show me exactly where on google maps our town is located. We are basically on the border of Phakdi Chumphon and Nang Bua Dang districts. The house is in a town called Bam Nit Suwan in Nang Bua Dang district, while the school is in another town called Banpattana in Phakdi Chumphon (I don’t think these towns are marked on google maps, though. But if you look at where road 2359 crosses between the districts, that is where we are).

            I also got Bu to write down the names of everyone in her family for me, because it was hard to catch everyone’s name when I met them at the beginning. Her father and mother are named Kod and Kai (which means egg), and her father is also a teacher (teaches biology and Thai), but at a school here in Bam Nit Suwan. She has a brother and a sister, Oat and Kob (means frog), who are both teachers as well. Oat is a teacher here, while Kob teaches in another province so I have not met her yet. Bu’s husband is named Goh, and I think he works on a farm. Her grandfather lives a short way down the street, and there are several aunts and uncles who also live nearby, so there is always lots of family around.

            For dinner, we went to a lake-side restaurant which served hot pot. The restaurant was on stilts sticking out into the water, and there was lotus growing in the water. Also lots of green countryside and mountains in the background, so it was very beautiful. I’m hoping I can post some pictures soon, but I haven’t determined a good way to connect to fast internet yet with my laptop. Most people here tend to use smartphones for internet, it seems like. We also met some more teachers at the restaurant who teach at the local high school. One of them has a husband from Minnesota, so she spoke very good English and it was fun to chat with her.

            New Thai phrase that I am finding useful: “Im maak” = I’m very full. Bu says she wants me to gain 3 kgs in my 3 weeks here, and is trying to feed me a ton of (very tasty) food! Another interesting note about language—while they speak Thai in school here, the local language that they use in everyday life is the Isaan language (Isaan is the name for northeast Thailand, where I am staying). The Isaan language very similar to Lao, and the Isaan region historically has been very connected to the Lao culture. As a result, sometimes they are teaching me new Thai words, and sometimes it is Isaan words. For example, “arroy” = delicious in Thai, while “seb” = delicious in Isaan language, I learned today.

            Overall, a very good day!