Watch out for those speed bumps....

We had a bit of a sour note to the beginning of our week. Initially we were told that we would have a 2 month break to travel inbetween semesters but Pat was telling us that the teachers stay for a couple weeks after the semester and come back a couple weeks before school starts to get lessons together and any other planning that needs to be done. Let's just say we were not happy! I was irritated  because we spend hours of our day doing nothing at school, when we could be getting all of these lesson plans and such in place before the end of the semester. So we talked to them and said that we have no problem working extra hard now so that we can have at least 6 or 7 weeks off. They said we will be able to work out a compromise.
 The other day, I basically got to lead the math lesson, and I was quite excited! We were doing addition of 2 digit numbers in math sentences. We were showing them that you add the ones place from the 2 numbers together and then 10's place from both numbers together. (Nothing where we had to do carrying! Although that is later on in the book, which I think is way too complicated for 1st graders! But I haven't the faintest clue of what I studied in 1st grade...maybe we did do carrying with addition!). Some kids caught on quick, and others struggled. We also did a game where there were like 25 numbers and certain conditions had to be met to figure out what the number was.  For example, "the number does not have a 3 or 9 in it." I felt they enjoyed it. That afternoon when we were helping teach and all these parents walked in the back. I found out later that they were potential parents for next years MEP program. I hope we did a good job convincing them to have their kids in the program! Although we don't have enough staff for too many kids! I don't think there should be more than 20 kids per class and we have 34 now.

This is the entrance to our school.

This shows that there are 3 levels to the school. There are 3 sides like this. There are roughly 2000 students.

This picture is of the center yard area.

 I think I've mentioned in the past, that I have had the most bizarre, random dreams since I've been here...well, they haven't stopped! Just the most random situations, with the most random people...people I have barely had contact with in my life, people I haven't talked to in years...it's weird. I think that's another part of the reason I feel tired every morning when I wake up...I feel that when you wake up in the middle of a dream, you are just out of it for a while. 
I don't believe that I've mentioned the speed bumps yet...they are ALL over the place! I would assume that it's because people drive so crazy here and it's trying to get people to slow down! They are especially frustrating when you are on a bicycle...which is my mode of transportation now! Somehow I always seem to forget about them...I'll be zooming along and then out of nowhere (well, I guess not out of nowhere....it's just that I'm not paying attention to the road...and they blend in really well!), I'll hit one! Luckily with my stellar reflexes, I have never fallen! Although I might have lost an item or 2 from my basket in front!
There were a few exciting happenings this week.  First I got my first package in the mail from home! Actually it wasn't just one, I got 2 in one day! They were both filled with goodies from home that we don't have here (thanks Emily and Tanya!). Second, and this happened right before I received my packages, my thai cell phone rang (and it never rings, because no one ever calls me!), and it was my friend Tanya, telling me that she got engaged and she asked me to be her maid of honor! I couldn't believe it. Congrats again Tanya! For supper that night Cailin and I treated ourselves and really splurged.....and had pizza! It was actually about the same price as it would be back home and I figured that it costs me the price of 8 lunches!

Here is a shot at one of the main streets in Singburi.

The next 2 pictures are of the carts that people sell food from. At some places there is a string side to side, 5 deep.  They are on EVERY street corner and in the back alleys...I mean EVERYWHERE!  I don't think it would ever be possible for you to go hungry. Even though Thailand is kind of a poor country I don't think they have alot of people that go hungry.