Tah Ton

Estuve sorprendido de mi conocimiento de Espanol dos semanas pasadas. Recibi un email cerca de un posicion para ensenar Ingles en un proyecto de ecologico en Argentina. Aplique a la posicion y recibi un documento en Espanol con instruciones que leer y escribir una respuesta en Espanol para evaluar mi conocimiento de la idioma. Escribi una respuesta al hombre y el dijo que mi Espanol es bueno y puedo aprender mas de la idioma cuando trabajando con los personas del proyecto. Solo problemo es que el Espanol que aprendi es Castellano y el dijo que eso es la manera de Espanol mas difacil para el entender.

So now, per his request, we are only communicating in English. I will not be able to do the original teaching position I was hoping for because it starts before my contract here terminates. We'll see if I can work something out...

As I was standing by the Maekok river a few kilometers from the Burmese border this morning I thought to myself "what did everyone else do this past week?" Probably attended school, sat at work, the usual. Not me. Naomi, Ajarn Arunee, and I took a trip up to the very northernmost region of Thailand to a place called Tah Ton. With us came 14 12th graders. The trip was part of a project called "Classroom Without Walls". Our group was staying at a river resort which arranged for us to volunteer at a local school dedicated to educating hill tribe minorities. The students were in charge of teaching 5 different ESL classes in the morning, and painting during the afternoon. I was so surprised at how well the students did and how much time and effort they put into making the trip worthwhile - good kids. On Thursday we spent the night in one of the villages with a host family. I stayed with 2 of the boys in a thatch hut sleeping on bamboo. It was such a cool experience. In the morning we were served breakfast by the family: omlettes, fishy rice, fishy noodles, and oranges right off the tree. It was the perfect authentic Thai experience that I had been waiting for ever since I got here. It was so memorable, and I'm glad the kids got to experience it as well. It was also an excellent opportunity to get to know my students better and establish a good rapport with them. Also, seeing them teach renewed by enthusiasm to teach - I'm fired up for Monday (it also helps that I reviewed the next chapters for all my classes hardcore).

I am so blessed. God is so good to me. I got to have an amazing week. Before we left we took a little speedy skiff to the Burmese border, scoped out the armed guards, and toured around the Maekok river for awhile taking in the most beautiful natural scene of bright green rice patties extending all the way up to the rolling hills of orange orchards. What an incredible job I've fallen in to. Of course now it's back to reality and I've got grades and student comments to prepare by the end of the quarter next month on top of some visa troubles I'm having since the administration put off my visa renewal until the day of the expiration. I'm sure I'm going to get stuck paying a fat fine for this. I just hope they don't make me do another border run. Oh dear me no.

Blessed be the name of the Lord.