Big Stuff around Town

Terrence Cutler: When I heard you were gonna be subbing here I almost lost my mind.

Kenny Powers: Well that’s good for you.

Terrence Cutler: There’s something you need to know, Kenny. You’re not the only  athlete here at Jeff Davis. I happen to be training for a triathlon right now. Doin’ a lot of running, and cycling, swimming. Well you know all about that.

Kenny Powers: No actually, I don’t. I do SPORTS. Not try to be the best at exercising.

-        Eastbound and Down

Man, it’s been a wild few weeks around school. Midterms, Sports Day, and an honored guest. Not a lot teaching has been going on, but you learn more outside of the classroom right?

Two weeks ago, I found out a great honor was coming to the Raikhing community (the area around the school). Princess  Soamsawali of Thailand would be coming! She’s very popular and has been a big supporter of medical research. She’s like the Michelle Obama of Thailand.

Naturally, everyone found out three days before she was scheduled to come. There was a flurry of activity to get prepared. The school had a thorough cleaning, with a new fountain being added in front. Additional pictures of the king were put up in each class. Even on the roads around the school, banners were hung to welcome the princess. Pink flags adorned the lampposts as pink is “her” color.

The princess would be visiting the Raikhing hospital, just across the street from the school. The Thai teachers were clad in white uniforms in a roped off area while everyone else gathered along the road. A caravan of cars came down the street and dropped her off under the tented area. A half hour later, she hopped back into the car and drove off. I was a little bummed that I didn’t actually get to see her. The security detail could have been improved - too many vantage points for snipers – but it was still pretty cool.

See that car? Yeah- a Princess of Thailand is in it

Making it rain

Before my last class the other day, the power went out. No big deal. This usually happens once every day or two. We cracked the windows and start class. I had just finished explaining the assignment when a torrential downpour starts. It was so loud that I was shouting at the top of my lungs and they could hardly hear me. To top it off the room is almost pitch black since it’s so dark outside.

Luckily, this was 4/2, smart and resourceful. They used the lights on their cell phones to illuminate their papers so they could see what they were writing. They finished the assignment in record time. A+.

Sports!

Sports day finally arrived this week. Students had been preparing this since the term started. I probably only taught half my classes in the few weeks leading up it. Most classes would be cancelled in preparation for it, or the students who showed up were the waterboys/watergirls who didn’t have anything to prep. That was actually kind of fun; I got to know the students who showed up a little better as they taught me Thai.

They find it hilarious when I speak Thai incorrectly on purpose. I started telling students, “I am Panang Guy.” This translates to, “I am spicy red curry chicken.” It’s sort of a running joke in some classes, with students answering that when they don’t know the answer.

“So, what did you do this weekend?”

*Silence*

“Teacha….we are Panang Guy.”

Glad they’ve got a sense of humor. Anyway, back to sports.

Sports Day is like a high school pep rally on steroids. Students are divided up into teams based on color. Every class I had in the weeks leading up would always badger me with, “Teacha? What col-uha?” I never had the same color as they did, so I got booed.

The opening ceremony began with lots of cheering and chanting with all the students gathered on the field. This contained an aerobics workout that was pretty impressive- it’s hard to get 3,000 students to do one thing at the same time.

p90 Wat Raikhing

Following that, someone from the temple came and gave a motivational speech about pride for the school and Thailand. After some chanting, teachers picked up anointed ashes and sat in front of the crowd. The students would bow in front of the teacher as ashes were rubbed on their foreheads. This was a blessing for success over the next few days.

There was then a flurry of running as students went to eat and change in preparation for the next event. An elaborate parade began around the school. Students dressed in themed costumes based on their color. Check it out, pretty wild.

Donald? What are you doing here?

What stuck out to me the most was how much older the students looked. I usually only see students dressed in their identical uniforms, which makes them all blend together and seem very young. Seeing girls with makeup and guys with gelled hair and blazers added years to them. It was pretty neat to see students showing off their hard work and having fun with it.

After that another long assembly began. This time, the guest speaker was a representative from the National Sports Day organization. That’s definitely not the right name but the organization run sports days all over the country. More chanting, more songs, and more praying.

Foreign dude English teachers

To be honest, it looked pretty miserable for the students. They’re sitting in the beating afternoon sun with these stuffy costumes on. It was actually kind of scary when a few kids passed out within minutes of each other. “Rescue” students ran onto the field and passed out water bottles and assisted ill participants for the rest of the assembly.

Finally the games began! The first day had traditional Thai sports. This included judging dance routine numbers and choreographed Muay Thai “fights.”

The next few days had more traditional sporting events. Track and field, volleyball, basketball, soccer, giant jump ropes, the works. The atmosphere was incredibly fun with students running and laughing all day. But it’s also very hot, so you could see them napping in the shade as well. It was an enjoyable three days but I think the kids were ready for a break at the end.

Yesterday was Thai Mother’s Day, so I had Monday and Tuesday off. I spent it on Koh Chang, one of the islands near Cambodia. Life’s been rough around here lately.

Mark