Ban Chok Amnuay

P.A Gai and Phee Toy

I have spent exactly one week at my placement thus far. When I first left the other WT volunteers, on a Thursday, I went to my Paw Aaw’s house in Sakon Nakhon. He lives in a beautiful, modern, 2 bedroom home with his parents, wife and three children. They are the most wonderful family. They took me in and made sure to make me feel at home by feeding me, teaching me Thai and making sure I was getting exercise. Each day they had me hula hoop, ride a bike into town and back (a 2 minute ride roundtrip) or walk around a garden in Sakon. All which they thought were pretty strenuous and kept asking if I was out of breath. Little do they know the exercise we were doing would not be considered exercise in the States.



My House



This week I moved next to my school and live in a 2 bedroom house with a 17 year old girl whose family lives right next door. The teachers are worried about me being alone and so the first 2 nights she slept in my room with me. I have since told them that Americans don’t believe in ghosts so they are a little less worried about me sleeping in a room by myself. It’s nice to finally have my own space.



Ban Chok Amnuay (My School)



School has been great! The kids are so very cute and can’t help but stare at me every minute of the day. They come to the door or window of my office and peek in. Even if I say hello and wave they continue to stare. I know it is because they are curious but it feels awkward to have them looking at me all the time. It makes me think, why aren’t they in their classrooms learning. There is very little class time as far as I have seen this week. Students play a lot in the classroom or roam around the school grounds as they please while the teachers sit at their desks and do work on their computers. Students also partake in doing a lot of cleaning around the school. Someone is always sweeping this or that. The students carry the teachers’ bags from the car to the classroom. I think it’s a little weird so I tell them, “mai pen rai” (no problem), and carry my own belongings. At lunch all the teachers leave the school and go to restaurants to eat leaving the students unattended at the school to do what they want. In America parents would be furious with the school if they did this.

I teach grades 1^st – 6^th. I see grades 1^st – 3^rd 2 times a week and grades 4^th -6^th I see three times a week. My 1^st, 5^th, and 6^th grade classes are wonderful. I really think it is because the classroom teachers are very helpful and are attentive to my lessons and step in only when really needed. The 4^th grade teacher on the other hand is really difficult to work with. She doesn’t really speak any English and sits in the back of the classroom as I teach talking on her phone or with other teachers or making irrelevant comments to the class as I teach. It’s a huge distraction.

Overall I love my school and how welcoming my Paw Aaw and many of the other teachers have been. Teaching can only go uphill from here.