It’s safe to say that rainy season in Nakhon has officially begun. This week, it rained for about two days straight. Today the clouds decided they would still like to hover overhead and hide the sun, but for the better part of the day, the rain stayed away. I cannot say officially how I feel about rainy season. I feel like I’ve only just gotten my feet wet (pun intended!) so the verdict’s still out.
I do know that Vitamin D is vital to my usually cheery disposition, and if I don’t get some sun, my mood can be shady too. I have to say though, that with the rain, it’s a little cooler and you don’t feel like you’re constantly perspiring. So, there’s that.
This week, I got a package in the mail for my students: Pen-pal letters! My 4th grade teacher (who was also my 6th grade teacher, and one of the teachers who chaperoned the trip to Egypt I took when I was 17) currently teaches sixth-graders, still at the same school. I’ve been talking about how great it would be to do some kind of pen-pal thing with students back in California with a school I used to sub regularly for, but the idea never really came to fruition. Finally, I guess my dad got tired of hearing me say how great it would be, and took matters into his own hands and contacted Mr. Johnson.
Can I say, it’s strange when you reach that point where you're no longer obliged to call your teacher Mr. or Mrs. And you realize, in fact, it’s preferred when you don’t call him or her that. Trying it out for the first couple of times feels so odd, like there's marbles in your mouth, or you really hesitate when typing their name in an email. It’s also strange to be thought of/think of yourself as that person’s peer rather than their pupil. We're both... teachers. . Just another reminder that somehow, I’ve grown up. (In case the first gray hair I found on my head- of course it had to be here Thailand- wasn’t enough.) Sort of. Because, in some ways, I still feel like such a child- that I have so much more growing to do and so much more to learn. Adulthood is funny. Just as funny as adolescence and childhood. I think maybe I like it.
Anyhow, I cannot tell you what a joy it was watching these kids pour over their letters from STUDENTS IN CALIFORNIA! I wasn’t sure when the letters would arrive, but I was just as excited as them, and scrapped this week’s lessons (it’s okay, it was a three-day week anyway) so that I could give them the opportunity to read and write back. We had mini-lessons on letter-writing format, paragraph structure, and California (specifically that particular area in California) and the kids went to town. I have been reading the things they’ve written, and not only am I impressed with their enthusiasm and ability to express themselves and relate to these other students halfway across the world, but I am also humored, touched, and about ten times more in love with them. So, I guess, this week has been another “Aha! This is why I love teaching!” kind of week.
So, I’d like to share with you some of the things they’ve written. I’m sure they wouldn’t mind.
The Humorous
- “My name is Mind. It means “Mind.”
- “You know, at school I work really hard. The reason why I work hard is because I want to meet Justin Bieber. If I can speak English very well, then I can communicate with him or I can go to America and meet him. There is one thing that I would really like to tell you. It’s about “Justin Bieber”. He is my idol. I really love him! I know that he works in America, but he’s Canadian, right? I want to ask you some questions: Have you ever seen Justin Bieber? And do you like him? He is so cute. I want to be his girlfriend. If you know Justin Bieber and like him, please write me back about him.”
- “My favorite color when I was you is ‘pink’.”
- “Yes! People here have iPods! What you think?”
- “Let me tell you about my face and my character.”
- “Now, let’s talk more about Thailand, my country.”
The Honesty
- “I live in the dorms even though my family live in Nakhon same city same as school because if I stay at home, I play games on the computer too much!”
- “Oh! I forgot something and I have to tell, it’s true. My favorite animal is a dog.”
- “In the past, I did breakdancing (B-boy). I have a lot of skills, now.”
- “You said you have pets. In Thailand, dogs and cats don’t usually have owners because dogs and cats make problems. So they live by themselves. That’s why I don’t have pets in my house.”
The Sweetness
- “My dreams? I don’t know too! My dad has been asking this for a while. It’s like my goals keep changing. Sometimes I want to be a principal, sometimes a designer. I don’t know! Also, I’m the only girl at home (well, except my mother). My brothers always bully me. I don’t know why, but it is unfair. It kind of hurts, but they are always caught by my parents so they get punished, so that pushes the bad feelings away. My elder brother is fat, my little brother is totally the opposite, me? I guess I’m in the middle, not too fat, not too thin.”
- “Is your country peaceful or chaotic?”
- “I think be may you would like Thailand you come to Thailand, please tell me! I will be your good guide!”
- “Do you know? That this letter is my first letter I write to students in other country! I think this is cool! I love T. Allison and T. Johnson. Both of them open the way for us to be friends each other. I think we can become good friends.”
And many of the students decorated their letters with drawings and designs (Thailand has SO many great artists and musicians! Their ability levels blow me away!) and included photos of themselves.
And the first thing they asked me when they got the letters was, “Teacher, can we be friends with them on Facebook? Or MSN? Or email?” Oh yeah… we live in the digital age…
Oh well. For now, it’s pen-pals. Good, old-fashioned letter-writing.
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