Misty, Beautiful Mae Hong Son

This land that I find myself in just got a little more interesting. I'm not sure how much I've let on, but Thailand just hadn't held the charm of say, France. Not to say I didn't like it, but it can be hard to compare to quaint coffee shops, amazing food, and a strong franc (when I was there!). To be fair, I just haven't seen a lot of my newly adopted home. My trips to this point had mainly been to get out of the country on a visa run. This past week I finally got a bigger glimpse of Thailand - and I loved it!

A view from our trip up to Mae Hong Son.
We journeyed 5 hours up and down windy, twisty, roads. At the end we arrived at Romklawpangtong School which is in one of the Royal Projects. The day was beautiful and sunny. We passed Pang Tong Palace (although I didn't actually see a palace) and the King's project with its beautifully manicured lawns and numerous animals. Some of the animals, by the way, are released back into the wild after each year and are only there for the sake of conservation. Just past the palace and up another steep and windy hill was the school.

The main classroom building.
The school consists of several large classroom buildings, dorms for boys and girls, a community room, a farm, and a large garden. In the morning the students get up at 5AM, get ready, and head to the community building for singing and exercises. At 6AM (most of) the students are busy working. They rotate their jobs every two weeks and do things like take care of the animals, sweep, cook, and clean.

At this school they are trying to teach children to be self-reliant. All of the children who go here come from families that are too poor to pay for education. The school has about 243 students and about 180 stay at the school. The rest come from a village just over the mountain. The students learn about farming and taking care of animals. They are encouraged to try to succeed with what they grow and then it is sold at the market. The students get to keep the money.

The garden at the school.
The school only goes up through the equivalent of 9th grade. Then most of the students go back to their families and/or get married. Only a few will go on to finish grade 12. Even fewer will go to university. A big problem is that most students do not have ID cards and therefore cannot leave this area.

The students playing religious songs at night before bed.
It was a very fun experience. We were able to teach a couple classes and observe. Mine main reason for going was to see get some background on where my students potentially come from. For example, how is it that all the Thai students in my class have had 9 years of English and barely knew the alphabet when they got here? How are they taught? What do they respond to? I also wanted to learn more about how the school was run. Our students are older to there are going to be definite differences. But I wanted to get an idea of what is expected of students at these schools.

We also went to Ban Rak Thai, which is a small village with a heavy Chinese influence. It looked like it caters to tourists, but when we were there it was almost dead. They sell a lot of tea and dried fruit. The first dried strawberry I ever had came from this place.

Hmmm, which sign is important? Ahhh, yes, the one in Roman script...

Delicious dried fruit sold here!.
Hopefully in the future Legacy will be able to help that school by sending students there to teach a little bit. If not that, I at least have every intention of going back. It would be great if I could go a couple weeks a year to teach - and my Thai would improve dramatically as well!

We were only gone for 3 days, but I feel like I've seen a bit more of my current place of residence. Thailand is no France, and nor would I ever want it to be. My being here is making more sense the more I see of the place.

Having a BLAST!

Being that I am in Thailand, the 4th could not be quite like at home - but it was close! I had class all day but was able to make it back in time for the majority of the fun. Some of the students played games, I mostly talked, and then it was dinner time! We had hamburgers and french fries, potato salad, grilled chicken, and lots of ice cream! Then, there were fireworks! Like last year, they did not disappoint.
Myula plays with her doll while waiting for dinner.
At last!
Ben knows how to enjoy a burger!
We came around the corner and look! - both with a cob of corn and a cone. I guess we're related...
Ben kindly bought 10 kilos of ice cream - a little over 20 pounds. It's the tradition in Thailand that on your birthday you buy others gifts.
Everyone got to participate in the fun this year with sparklers.

Academia et al

Has it really been almost 2 months??? I knew it had been awhile, but that's ridiculous.

The last couple months have not been without their fun and points of interest. In fact, a lot happened which would account for the lack of posts.
I am now a grad student at Payap University. I am working towards a Masters in TESOL. I have a great class. There are a total of 15 (excellent class size in my opinion) students and every one of them is interesting. We have just completed the second week of classes (its all day Thursday and Friday) and already I think we feel at ease. I have been doing a lot of academic reading, but am happy to find that I believe it will end up quite practical as well. Our class is also diverse in terms of native and second language English speakers so it really aids in discussions.

I've also moved into an "apartment" of sorts. Basically a room with a bathroom (and a wee little back "porch"). It has been full of pillows and other miscellaneous bedding. Therefore, no pics - it's a disaster! However, this week I finally was able to get a shelf home on the motorbike (I'm getting the hang of this Thai transportation thing!) and so now there is beginning to be order. Pics to come.

Student-wise things are okay. The students appear to be enjoying their classes. Frankly, I feel a bit out of touch. I only teach three classes and all to the 1st year students. We've had some issues with health. Nothing too major, but still, a few students (or kids as it were) out of 20 and it seems like a lot. relatively speaking, I've spent a bit of time in local hospitals.

Getting out and going to school has increased my proficiency with a motorbike. Prayers for my general safety are of course appreciated! If I think about it, it kind of scares me. But if I want to live here and actually feel a little bit independent - well, motoring around it is. And I do find it fun.

This past summer Ben and I instituted weekly fahrang nights. This entails going out on Wednesday night for food that is more like what we are accustomed to. Now our group has grown to include two of the new teachers and another guy that is staying here as well. It's fun to be able to get out. Having all these native speakers around has done wonders for my vocabulary! It had been on the decline, but I'm happy to see it pick up. I'm sure my masters level reading helps a bit too. ; )

I should really post some pictures and will probably do so in the next couple days.

Just in general, to all those at home that I have done an awful job of emailing, I'm sorry I haven't been keeping in touch! I do think about everyone often!