18 schools in 2 days
Last week I took two trips across Uthai Province to visit primary schools in hopes of recruiting children to attend Kanchanapisek (my school) next year. Each school was quite unique….some had 3 buildings and 1500 students, while others had only 3 classrooms with 100 kids. All the students were the same however, peaking into the class I was presenting in (well attempting to present in thai)…trying to get a look at the white farang, which im sure some have never seen before in their small rural farm villages. The shy ones would run around the corner, point, then run back, while the braver students said hello and answered my questions unconfidently…“what is your name…how old are you…“ exc. Pictures of some of the schools are posted. And I did get quite a few offers to continue teaching at their school. Although I felt like more of a commodity…it was refreshing visiting with the younger students…their enthusiasm and energy. The day was draining in the hot sun though. At the end of the day we dropped off our school students that came and spent a good deal of time visiting with their families. One student lived with his grandmother (pictured) and owned a small shop. Another student lived back on dirt roads…her mom fixed us fresh jack fruit and showed us their juice room (they make and bottle their own juices). They also had a tamarind farm (my favorite fruit in Thailand).
She bagged some for each of us…and they tasted better then the store. I tried everything…and when we were finished….she said in Thai, “youre very easy…most foreigners worry about the cleanliness or think its too dirty but you try everything…” I think this was a compliment…but I didn’t think much of it…cleanliness is all relative. My other student lived in a small Thai style house (thatched roof and wooden walls) that overlooked the cane fields her father farmed on. We drove up to him sleeping in a hammock overlooking the fields watching the sunset. Simplicity.
Tags: Travel
kimmiejean
it was enlightening, no doubt, to see the student’s homes and families, as well as other schools. what a great education and experience, as regards the ways of other parts of the world. so different then our western ways. and as you said, simple living. a good thing, i think-something we could all benefit from on occasion. you’ve been there long enough now to appreciate the things we have here a little more, perhaps. while also realizing that much of it is not as important to life as you once thought it was! i think the whole experience will really help you perservere during difficult times in your life as it moves along.
your commentaries and pictures have given ME more insight into another part of the world and my imagination easily can fill in the gaps. not the same as being there, but the next best thing. interesting to ‘see’ all that you do, even if not thru my own eyes!
u.p.