I had a very busy weekend. Starting at having to go to the debate seminar and workshop with some students, from 8am-9pm Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Friday was 7 hours straight powerpoint university style lecture. We left after that, not staying for the whole thing. They can’t expect high schoolers, who are English language learners, to sit through that with university level vocabulary. We went back on Saturday morning and researched and debated, our students were so nervous that one even broke out in hives! To top it off, they split the teachers and students up in separate rooms and then made the high school students (we had from grade 8-12 there) up against the Univerisity debate team who was going to compete in Germany at the International EU Debate Competition. Way to boost the students self esteem! After lunch we all decided that the students needed a break, they did a wonderful job and were very stressed out, so we all went to the beach instead of staying for more debates, wiping the look of sheer horror off of some of their faces and turning it into a smile. Sunday we decided the workshop was not student friendly and didn’t go back.
Instead on Sunday I went to the orphanage here in Nakhon. It is an all boys government orphanage that has the most beautiful grounds. Everything is very clean and they have grass and trees everywhere, a soccer field, basketball, you name it. It was the nicest orphanage I have ever been to, even having an assortment of fresh fruit and vegetables for the children to choose from at lunch, which is very hard to find here in Thailand, especially the vegetables. I started off in the pre school room but they had just gotten some new toy scooters. They were impossible to control. Then moved to the middle boys room. As soon as they saw two of us coming they ran to us and were so excited, “hello we go to English” They would say, showing off their skills as they took my hand and drapped it on his shoulder, leading me to the room they had their English books in. We played some number bingo and drew some pictures before going outside and playing Duck Duck Grey Duck. We try our hardest to have a structured English lesson that builds every week, but being in a foreign country, you need to be flexible. This was one of those days where the kids were so wound up there was nothing you could do but run around and play. These are the times that you learn that it isn’t always important to have a structured lesson from books, but a chaotic lesson of loving kindness. They might not remember all of the words and phrases we teach them in English, but I know for a fact they will remember the “farong” who came to visit them every week.
After the orphanage a couple of us did the tourist thing and went to one of the biggest temples in Southern Thailand. This Temple is so sacred, because many hundred years ago, monks from all over Thailand came here the same day of the same year without communicating to each other what they were doing. Now every year, they have a candlelight ceremony and march around with a bunch of white clothe at night carrying candles. We went into the Museum that holds many relics, weapons and pottery of past centuries, and also tons and tons of buddhas. I have never seen so much gold in my life. There were Buddha statues that were nearly as big as my house next to ones as small as my pinky toe. The monks aren’t very good Buddhist. They are constantly on their cell phones and smoking cigarettes. Technically they are not supposed to speak unless it a certain time of the day, (usually twenty minutes at morning and night). I guess even they can’t escape technology. There is also a market in the temple where you can buy jewelery, food, flowers, and herbs.
After the Temple they showed me Tesco, and I fell in love. Tesco is like a Super Wal Mart. They have Amercian clothes, American sizes, American Food, and everything you could ever need or want all at Thai prices. They had Philedalphia Cream Cheese, Block Cheddar, and tons and tons of fresh produce. They even had granola bars, ritz bitz cheese crackers, and you can buy in bulk.
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