And then there were two.....

It was a sad day for me when my friend Cailin, who I had become very close with over the past 6 months, living together and teaching together, was leaving and going back to America. I have never spent so much time together with anyone in my life! We agreed that we even spent more time together than a married couple, because of the fact that we not only lived together but worked together every day and hungout everyday! I definitely share something with Cailin that I don't share with any other human being. It was a surreal day when it was her last day at school. When James told our 2nd grade class, there were many tears shed. Almost all of the girls were crying and even one or two boys! And of course the boys who weren't crying were making fun of everyone who WAS crying!

The actual day that we loaded up all of her stuff in the taxi to take her to the bus station to Bangkok was very strange. Just as quickly as she walked into my life, she walked out! We agreed that we would make an effort to see each other again. That first week after she left I kept thinking she would walk into the room, whether at school or home....and of course, it didn't happen! Since she has been gone I have working more and trying to stay really busy so as to not get lonely. So far it is working! So now it is down to me and Steve, who teaches at the high school, for farangs I know in Singburi!

Klu (teacher) Kheng, who is our computer teacher at school, decided to take a photo shoot of Cailin and I one day, so the next few pictures are in honor of Cailin! I miss you!

Our student Bai-Tong, Mai, Mint, Mind, Kong, Ninee and Maprow.

So a few times I have heard some Thai people, or Laos and Vietnam people, complain about the heat or being hot. I find this very interesting because when I look at them they have long sleeves, jackets or sweaters on! I would be hot too in 90 plus degree weather dressed like that! But again, they are so worried about getting dark, because that is a sign of being poor, or of a lower class manual labor person.

Everything seems to be cleared up in Bangkok but I asked James if we have anything to worry about in the future. What he said did not really put me at ease! He said that we (meaning he is for the red shirts) are not done. He said that before they were non-violent, but that might changed. He talked about how the red shirts might use bombs in the future (not to kill but to scare or prove a point), that they might kidnap political people or that there might be people trying to assassinate certain political leaders. I'm not sure when this would start happening again, but I didn't like the sound of it! The current leader they want out of power is supposed to be in control until November 2011, but the red shirts want him out now. Time will tell I guess.

We had a teacher appreciation day and assembly at school. It is a day when the students are able to show their thanks and appreciation to their teachers and also learn the proper forms of respect towards their teachers. This next picture shows some of the flowers that all of the students had to have for the assembly. In this picture are some of my new 1st graders: Film, Zoom, Nine, Peam, Mix, Formost, Zine and Boss.

There were about 500-600 students packed into this building. At the beginning of the assembly the students were doing some sort of chant or song and bowing. I asked another teacher what the chant was about and she told me that the students were asking Buddah to give them wisdom and knowledge and to be good students. The students were then reminded or taught the proper way to put your hands together and to bow.  The whole time this was going on I was standing in shock, watching this teacher go around and yell at kids and smack them when they weren't doing it properly. This wasn't a light love tap either! I felt so bad for these kids and wanted to tell this lady she can't do that.....but I was too afraid of getting smacked myself!

Different groups of students would come up to the stage where the teachers were sitting and bring bouquets of flowers to give to the teachers. I got to receive the flowers for our grade 2 class. Then the students would bow to the teachers to show respect.

That afternoon James wanted to do a little more teaching to the students to show them how to be respectful to their teachers. At the end I had to sit at the front of the class on a little chair and each of the students came up to me, got on their knees and bowed and said thank you. It was a very bizarre experience. It made me uncomfortable for some reason. I guess I feel that I'm not so special that people should be bowing at my feet!

This is me with Ann, my Thai translator and our Pratom 2 class.

This is me with Tuk, my Thai translator, and our Pratom 1 class.