Wait. Remind Me Please: Why Am I Leaving This Place??

I Fell In Love All Over Again...

I just got home this evening from a weekend spent at one of my three favorite places: Railay Beach. I didn’t think I would have time to go back, so it was a happy surprise when one of my favorite co-teachers at NICS and teacher friend from another school decided to spend their shared birthdays there. My classes were finished by lunchtime on Friday, and I spent the remainder of the afternoon getting everything set up for the upcoming week, then left early on the 2:30 bus to Krabi. From Krabi you hop on a song tao to Ao Nang and then from Ao Nang you catch a long tail over to Railay.

Going there this weekend was kind of like coming full circle for me here in Thailand. Railay is where I spent about four days of my first week here, and I would say it is definitely one of my more memorable trips, if not THE most memorable. I was so excited, so happy, and the weekend was filled with laughter and sun and some of the best people I know. Ao Nang was the first Thai beach I set foot on. This time, as I took off my flip flops and dug my toes into the sand, I got a little bit sentimental, thinking about how this would be my last time just hopping over to the west side for a weekend. It also happened to be sunset, which really set the mood and added to my moment of wistful emotion.

These next few weeks are going to fly by. Coming home tonight, sitting down and sifting through my emails, gearing up for the week, it’s really starting to sink in- I need to prepare to leave! I need to decide what is coming home with me, what is staying behind- what should be given away and what should be tossed, I need to clean my apartment like I’m moving out of it… because I AM moving out of it (and my dear Bliss is moving in!)… and how am I going to tell my LANDLADY? The one I have come to adore and trust and depend on? (Lately I’ve been locking myself out of my apartment AND the building. Why?!?!) I will definitely tell her this week, maybe break it to her gently by bringing Bliss over (they’ll love each other!)

And school?!? My homeroom needs to plan a holiday performance. We need to decorate our part of the school. Finals are in two weeks! And I am pretty sure we’ve found a teacher to take my spot. My creative writing class is working on making children’s books. The journalism class has to get the December newsletter out by the 1^st. And we are doing a fundraiser for the flood victims and a holiday festival… and I need to say my goodbyes. Obviously, this will be harder for me than it will be for the kids. I think by now they are used to teachers leaving. It’s just what happens, I think, when your entire faculty of teachers are not citizens of your home country. It’s got its good and bad. I am going to miss all of them so much. So much.

As soon as school finishes, I leave the next day for Phuket, where I will spend the weekend and then take off to Bali. And then from Bali to HOME. In time for Christmas. All I can think about is hugging my mom and my dad and my sisters and my grandmas. And then everyone else. You know who you are... J

"And THIS Is Considered The Ugly Side..."

Whatever Floats Your Krathong...

Thursday night marked one of the biggest holidays and festivals in Thailand: Loy Krathong. Many of the foreign teachers here have expressed that this is their favorite holiday in Thailand. For Thais, it’s a celebration to make wishes, give thanks, and let their sins be carried away via lanterns sent into the sky and floating vessels sent on the water. Not knowing exactly what Loy Krathong was about, I kind of followed the lead of a few friends who had been to the festival before. You have to be careful about how and where you light the lanterns, doing it low to the ground and then letting the tissue paper walls and ceiling become full of gas. If you let it go too early, it might come back down to the ground, and that is bad luck. And if it hits a tree or gets stuck somewhere where it cannot continue up and up and up- well, that’s also bad luck. It’s a group effort, everyone holding one edge of the lantern until it is time to release it, and then you watch it ascend and ascend until you lose track of it amongst all the other lanterns in the sky, or until it gets so high in the atmosphere that the air is too thin and it extinguishes. Usually, the former happens first. It was beautiful and joyful, people glowing in candle-lit auras, watching Thai families and couples and groups of friends close their eyes and say silent prayers, then release their lanterns with gasps, oohs and aahs, and a peaceful kind of laughter, the kind that sounds like water moving.

Walking down to the riverbank, I watched families gathering to do the same sort of thing with their krathongs. Some of the other teachers had made krathongs with their students at school, and released them, making wishes as they did so. At the edges of the river, extinguished krathongs found their final resting place, making a bed of color. The whole sight- the lanterns in the sky, the krathongs in the water- was remarkable in its beauty.

After releasing our lanterns and krathongs, we kind of just sat and watched the people around us, the lanterns drifting up in the night sky, the full moon shining so brightly. I kind of looked at it as a release for myself. A perfect closing of a chapter, gathered with people who I have become so close to here. I think for a lot of us, it all meant something just a little different.

What I Have Gathered about Loy Krathong:

Just like so many other important national holidays and events, it is one where the meaning and origin are constantly being misinterpreted and reinterpreted, so the actual truth and significance surrounding the holiday is a bit… convoluted. But it looks beautiful, and it’s a reason to celebrate something, and thus, it is embraced by the Thais. After looking up Loy Krathong extensively using my expert Googling skills, I have decided to simply use information about it that was supplied by one of the students in my journalism club for the November newsletter. And then to supplement and add where necessary other details I have learned about this holiday.

Loy Krathong is celebrated on the full moon of the 12^th Lunar month. This is when the moon is the brightest and the rivers are shining, clear and full from the rainy season. This is when the people pay their respects to the goddess of the water, offering expressions of gratitude by sending Loy (which means “to float”) Krathong (which means "vessel") down the river, filled with money and other offerings to the goddess, Phra Mae Kongka. It is often elaborately decorated with flowers and banana leaves folded in intricate designs. In this vessel, people are also to put their wishes and thoughts for the future. By lighting a candle and sticking incense into the Krathong as it is sent on its way, one is not only ensuring fulfillment of their wishes, but also release from their sins. Lovers also light their Krathongs together and send them on their way, as this will ensure that they stay together forever. If the candle goes out while floating downstream, this is considered bad luck and wishes will not be granted, sins will not be released, and lovers shall not see a happy ending. So, as people release their Krathongs into the river, they watch intently to make sure their candle remains lit. It is said that during the Sukothai era (1238-1438 AD), one of the King’s concubines/wives (there are many differing accounts of what her relationship to him really was), Nang Noppomas, was the first to fashion a krathong and begin this tradition. And others say the tradition originated in India, as a tribute to the Buddha’s footprint found on the edge of a river.

While one tradition is to send off a floating krathong into the water, the other is to send off a lantern into the night sky. Loy Krathong used to be known by a different name- Chong Pa Rieng, and this part of the festival originates from Hindu tradition adopted by Buddhists. It was originally a time to pay respect to Siva, Vishnu, and Brahma. Lanterns would be sent off to the heavens to honor these gods and also Buddha's cremated bones at the second level of ascension. Now, the tradition of the lanterns seems, from what I have seen, to mean much of the same thing as the tradition of the krathongs, the historical significance being left to the wayside.

Either way, it's quite an event, with both the floor and the sky lit up and sparkling quietly. (Except for the firecrackers the kids like attaching to their lanterns, of course...)

Khanom. One. Last. Time.

I have just spent the most wonderful weekend away… all by myself. I am reaching back as far as I can remember, back to the beginning of my time here in Thailand, and I am pretty certain that this has been my first weekend away, on my own, with no one else. (I don’t count the two nights I spent alone in Lombok, Indonesia, while I was sick with the mystery illness that I was pretty certain was a deadly combo of malaria and dengue, but if I did count them, then I guess I’m lying.)

It’s been perfect. PERFECT. And of course, even though I brought my camera, I took no photos. Instead, I spent a lot of time gazing lovingly at everything, taking it all in, and then squeezing my eyes shut really tight, seeing if I could capture the perfect image of everything I love about this place in my mind, burn it into the backs of my eyelids, so that every time I close my eyes, this is what I see. Then I would open my eyes, check my work- is that palm tree there in my mind? and those boats on the horizon? good… and do it again. Yes, odd. But how else am I going to make sure I never forget this, or my exact feelings at this point in time?

I love when you love something so much that your heart kind of feels like it’s swelling up in your chest and you just feel like every breath you take isn’t enough. And when you leave something or someone behind, it makes you love it that much more, so when you come back to it, you appreciate it with your whole self. You just want to drink all the happiness in. 

Becare Ful! It Will Coming!

I am so proud of the things I have done here, and proud of the things I have learned. And I am so proud of my students. Yesterday was our Halloween festival at NICS, and the students embraced every single morsel of it. Last Friday, all day, was spent decorating an getting the whole school ready. We divided the school up into sections and each class took one to decorate. My homeroom got the front entryway. And, not to brag, but it was definitely the most attractive. As it should be- they spent the whole day on it! On Monday morning, we gave it the final touches, got dressed up, and then began celebrating Halloween! We extended the invitation to students’ families and the mayor and his entourage. At 11 o’clock, we started with lunch.  I (fortunately and unfortunately) had my meal with the principal and all of the city government officials while all the students ate in the Spooky Cafeteria. Next was an assembly where students gave outstanding performances, including a dramatic play that T. Hana and the drama club she teaches performed. The kids were so great, and I laughed so much! From there, we gave the students a scavenger hunt and turned them loose for the remaining hour and a half to play games. Each teacher was responsible for a game.

Unfortunately (or maybe fortunately) I am so incredibly tired even two days after the celebration, but I wanted to post the photos for all to see. Below are photos I was able to take at the beginning of the event, but as the day wore on, I got busier and busier and wasn’t able to take any photos. My bingo station was quite popular…. ;) and then I was the emcee for the costume contest. Both were pretty successful! The bobbing for apples game clearly stole the show, and then there were various other games strewn about.

I surprisingly got lots of complements on my costume- I went as a Grecian. One of the mothers of a student asked if  it was made from Thai silk. I said no, then thought about it, and confided in them that is was actually a bedsheet with ribbons and safety pins to glorify it. They started cracking up and them told me how impressed they were. It did turn out pretty okay, for only spending about 150 baht (about 5 dollars.) Good news: I didn’t cut it, so as soon as I wash it, I will be able to put it right back on my bed!

Also finished on this day and hot off the press was the school newsletter. All of it (except for the principal’s notes and my excerpt on Focus of the Month) was written by the students. I loved watching them open their issues and be so excited that something they wrote was in there! Starting at the beginning of October, I took over the journalism club. This time, I did the formatting and editing, but next time, it will be up to them!

Until next time…

Dear Justin Bieber: Your #1 Fan Lives in The Land of Thai

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 4^th grade teacher (who was also my 6^th 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.

“WHEN YOU REALIZE HOW PERFECT EVERYTHING IS YOU WILL TILT YOUR HEAD BACK AND LAUGH AT THE SKY”

Our Beach @ the Resort in Koh Mook- yes, it was this empty :)

The first few months I was here, I bought a Lonely Planet guide to Thailand (LP, for short). I was at the Bangkok airport waiting for a friend from home to arrive. Our original plan to head to Samui was thwarted (my word of the day, apparently; I have used it three times thus far) by the floods that hit the southern part of Thailand in April, and we needed a new plan. But I planned nothing. Then, hours before her arrival, I thought I should plan something. Our trip ended up being pretty good, and LP proved to be pretty useful. Sometimes I love LP and sometimes I feel like LP really steers me in the wrong direction and I don’t like to take its advice. 

Anyhow, there’s a section of all color photos with short descriptions in the front. As I sat in the airport, flipping through the pages, I saw this photo of one of the contributing authors, sitting in crystal clear, aqua water. You could tell the sand beneath him was perfectly powdery white and behind him were these beautiful little islands, an archipelago of limestone rock jutting out of the sea. The sky was a perfect blue. It was perfect, it was beautiful, and I dog-eared the page. The Trang Islands. I looked it up on the map. Then, I promised myself I’d go there.

As my months remaining in Thailand are winding down- well, they’re pretty much done winding, as I have just over a month left- I’ve been really thinking about what I want to do and where I want to go before I leave. I’ve slowly been crossing things off my list, and last weekend, I crossed off that photo. 

The Andaman Coast of Thailand, where Trang is located, is just coming into its high season. So last weekend, when I went, it was practically deserted. And perfect. Although it didn’t exactly start out that way. 

As we sat on our broken-down “ferry” while it poured down rain, I asked my travel companion when she thought the real adventure this weekend began. “Hmm. I guess the minute we stepped into the mini-bus to come here?” I disagreed. “I feel like it was when we parked our motorbikes at City Hall, walked across the street to the van station, but it was the wrong van station, and so we had to hop on a teeny motorbike taxi and I almost fell off the back, and had to pay him to take us to the other van station.”

Our broken-down ferry wasn’t the only break-down issue. After we hopped on the motorbike in Nakhon, we went to the van station that took us to Trang. Then we had to stay the night in Trang and get another mini-bus the next day. Our mini-bus from Trang to the ferry terminal also had some issues. First, our driver was quite leisurely in his manner. There must have been some good sales (it WAS a holiday weekend), because we stopped at various stores along the way and he perused many a fine goods. We picked up some kind of water pump, some irrigation hosing at a different place (don’t forget we also stop to pick up/drop off various packages, as our mini-bus also functions as a postal service) and THEN we stopped because there was some kind of issue with the radiator. So he turned off the van and consequently the AC and we sat sweltering with it packed full of people and the door open just barely, while he tinkered with some water and the radiator cap.

At this point, I would like to point out that I don’t find this at all frustrating. It actually makes me smile to think about and it made me smile then. Because it is SO SO typically Thailand. You just kind of have to go with it. About a half hour and a chicken skewer or three for our driver later, he decided it really just needed more water after all, poured in an entire big bottle of it, and we were off again.

Winding through rubber trees and palms. And then we got to the “ferry” terminal. And it started POURING. Just torrential, typically Thai, rain. “I’m SO excited!” I said. And I was. And then the rain let up just a bit, the rickety old wooden glorified longtail boat that was our ferry arrived, and we piled in. Then it started thundering and lightning flashed every few seconds and it was pouring again. And then the boat engine wouldn’t start.

Andaman Sea (West side- I live on the East) in the Land of Southern Thai.
Below Phuket by about 3-4 hours(ish). Stayed on Koh Mook, also
ventured over to Koh Kradan!

And guess who came to the rescue? Our trusty driver! And after about a half hour of tinkering, he finally decided he couldn’t fix it. And so another longtail came by, and our boat driver got them to tie us to their boat and they pulled us all the way to Koh Mook, one of the Trang Islands. It took about an hour and forty-five minutes, but we got there. And on the way, I read some Wuthering Heights and chatted with a travel-writer from Travelfish.org.

We expected to arrive on the island around 1pm, and got to our resort at 5:30pm. A little late. But we had a relaxing evening, watched a beautiful sunset, chatted and in the morning woke up to beautiful skies. At breakfast, a couple invited us to accompany them on their longtail boat that they would be taking through the islands for snorkeling and exploring. Of course, we hopped on and for 400 baht (about $13) we got to spend the day basking in the beauty of the Trang Islands! I really wanted to see Koh Kradan, as it’s supposed to be the most beautiful island there, and the Emerald Cave. I got to do both. And both were simply stunning.

Of course, I forgot my camera. It would have been great to have captured what the inside of the cave was like, and the secret beach that opened up to us after our swim through the cave. We had it all to ourselves for the better part of our time there. And the water was so crystal clear. And the photo from LP- I was there. I lived it. Almost 100% sure it was taken from the shore of Koh Kradan.

I want to post photos, but after scouring the web, I really cannot find one that does even one of these beautiful places justice. 

After snorkeling and the caves, we spent time on Koh Kradan. I sat in the sun and tried to absorb as much of the beauty and as much of the moment and as much of the sea and the warmth and everything about the present as I possibly could. This mini-adventure reminded me again and again that I only have a short time here left. Part of me wants to cram as much in as I possibly can- with school and my students and with traveling. But I also think that if I do that, I won’t be taking time to reflect and enjoy everything before I let go of this part of my life. It’s a delicate balance. Life always is, I guess. No point in trying to control it- just go with the gently ebbing and flowing waves. Ahhhh, I love my life. Thank you for letting me share it with you. 

My Obsession. And A Spelling Bee.

FACT: A group of crows is called a MURDER.

FACT: A group of owls is called a PARLIAMENT.

FACT: A group of cockroaches is called an INTRUSION.

(If you're interested in learning about what other groups of animals are called, click here, 

But read my blog first.)

Just in case you missed my second-to-last post about cockroaches because my incredibly long Land of Northern Thai post overshadowed it: La Cucaracha!

I am hoping you read it because 1) it’s good, and 2) it will help you understand in greater depth what’s happening with my relationship to these little creatures and this post.

Here's the latest update:

On Friday, I found COCKROACH EGGS in my desk. I was digging through my drawer at work, looking for an eraser. And I noticed these 2 things that looked like little coffee beans in my plastic paper clip container. I knew they couldn’t be coffee beans because that’s not something I’ve ever kept in my desk, believe it or not. I don’t drink coffee and even if I did, it’s this instant Nescafe stuff they give to teachers and faculty to use, so a whole bean wouldn’t ever even exist in school.

Cockroach Eggs:
The ones I found looked like American/Oriental.

The principal came in to my room to talk to me right after I made this little discovery, and so I interrupted his very important news about teachers, salaries, the city, and education to discuss my very important problem.

“What are these?” I asked.

“Hmm. They look like-“

“Are they COCKROACH EGGS???” I interrupted again.

He laughed. “Maybe.” And then he grabbed a pencil from my pencil jar and poked one and it shot out of the paper clip container and onto my desk.

“Blech!” I jumped out of my seat.

And he screamed. “Wow. That makes me feel like a man right there.”

Then he told me, “You know what they look like? Purses. Women’s purses- you know, the little clutch ones.”

“And you were worried about the previous outburst being unmanly?” I teased him.

I have never seen cockroach eggs before. I don’t know how cockroaches reproduce, where they do it, when, or how many little cockroaches/cockroach larvae or whatever come out of one cockroach egg . But I just felt like that’s what they were. And I had to hand it to Mama Cockroach. She chose a very safe place. I hardly ever use paperclips, and therefore never dig into that little container. I think cockroaches are smarter than we give them credit for.

Anyhow, I knew not what these little coffee bean-like things were, so I did what I do best and researched extensively on Google. And now, all those things I didn’t know before about cockroaches, I now know. Sometimes, when you are scared of something, it’s usually because it’s foreign and unknown. Humans are terrified of that which they know nothing about, like what happens after you die, or the possibility of a plane crashing while you’re flying, for example. And sometimes the best thing to do is to learn more about it. When you learn that more people die in car crashes than plane crashes, and that a car crash is wayyyyy more likely than a plane crash, and all the other little facts, it doesn’t seem quite as scary. 

Well, this is NOT what happened for me when I learned more about cockroaches. I just got more squeamish. I don’t know why they are consuming my free thoughts. I do know that anything in large groups freaks me out after a while. One ant is okay, but them swarming all over a crumb is disgusting. One cockroach in my classroom can be a fluke, but seeing at least 2 a day and then finding eggs?!? This is excruciating for me. I began having these visions of them hatching in my desk, crawling all over my scissors, my stapler, my sunglasses… these little white baby cockroaches.  This, my friends, is one thing I will not miss about Thailand. Yes, it’s true, we have cockroaches in California. But unless you’re on a dirty street in China Town in San Francisco or digging through a dumptser outside a restaurant, or staying in the dorms at Claremont-McKenna (I did once for leadership), you aren’t likely to see one. Then, when you do, that’s just it- it’s only one. Only one spider in the corner. Only one snake slithering across a wall (yes, this has happened- it was green and beautiful and not at all scary.) Only one macacque in the jungle. It’s when there’s a large gathering- I can’t take it. 

And listen, I know people around the world have it much worse than me. And for these people, cockroaches are probably the least of their concerns. I understand that and appreciate it. But it doesn’t change my feelings.

So, I cleaned my desk. I placed them (without touching them) on this paper that I was planning to take to the toilet and then flush. And then, do you know what happened?! I accidentally hit the paper with a ruler and the little disgusting eggs went FLYING OFF MY DESK. And onto the floor. And the floor is black and white speckled. And I couldn’t find them to save my life. And then my visions of them hatching inside my classrooms returned. And then the principal found one and smashed it with his shoe. And it made this disgusting crunching noise- it sounded wet. Ugh. And then I had baby cockroach egg guts all over my floor.

Sometimes, you just can’t win. I am just so glad I have only ever had one cockroach in my apartment- and I found him because he had climbed onto my lint roller and got stuck. Sucker. And a friend happened to be visiting and he took care of it. I spray regularly, and keep it clean. And I’m keeping my fingers crossed that this will be enough until I leave.

On another note, I have had an excellent, productive, well-rested weekend. We had a dinner party on Friday and I made the main dish, and people loved it, which made me feel good. And I learned a new dinner-party game: Telenary? A cross between pictionary and telephone. We laughed so hard, and it was so good.

It had a billboard like a red-carpet
event. Clearly, we took full
advantage of this.

 I said a while back that I would post photos from the spelling be that I officiated, so here they are. It was recorded and will be shown on Thai TV sometime soon- I want to say November 1^st. But I’m not sure. And the editor of the English magazine that coordinated and sponsored the event at Wailalak University also asked if I would be interested in either editing or writing pieces for his Bangkok-based publication, which was flattering and an exciting prospect. I just heard back from him about this, but everything will be taking place after the new year, when I will be back in the states. Still, it has made me start thinking about other avenues I could explore. 

The peace sign. 

Student contestants saw and asked to take photos
with us. WE were the celebrities
at this red-carpet event.

I made this larger so you could see T. Meaghan and I posing. We were professional, but fun.
And well-received by all.

Officiant White

Nicky, our Operations Manager
and Director of the Primary School

Officiant Paquette

Obviously, we made others we saw pose
on the carpet too.