March Ends-Movin’ On...

March ends...
final exams 
are over...
grades are done!

School Graduation,
happy to be finished
and sad to leave
friends behind.
I believe that is a
universal feeling
among high school
graduates.
The students proudly
carry their diploma and
their brilliant light
out into the world.
                                                                                            

School is out in April, 

so I'm off to China to 

visit my daughter, 

Carrie and grandsons 

Aidan and Taylor. 

I have only seen them 

on Skype since leaving 

Las Vegas last October.  

When school begins in May, I will be teaching at a different school. The Rayong English Programme School (REPS) is in Banchang, two hours south of Bangkok. I am looking forward to meeting new students and teachers.  I have loved teaching here in Sopisai, Nongkhai and will miss my “Thai family and friends”.  

A beautiful and emotional activity that is done at welcome and farewell parties is the connecting circle of love.The Thai Tradition begins with prayers and chanting as string joins everyone together as one. More chanting and then everyone takes pieces of pre-cut white string and ties a circle of love and connection around each others wrists.

This week has been one of contrasts:, Life and Death, Joy and Sadness, Opulence and Poverty, Peace and Turmoil, Hot and Cold, Sunshine and Rain, Hope and Despair, Beginnings and Endings.

A baby born in the morning

A funeral in the afternoon

A wedding in the evening

The circle of life, all in a day

The brilliant rays of the sun against the smoke of cremation…

 This was a reminder to me of how precarious and precious life, health and happiness are. I continue to live in constant gratitude for every day. I so am blessed.

Scout Camp

Boy Scout and Girl Scout Camp - Sopisai, Nongkhai - March 2011

 

Fun, hiking, 

outdoor activities, 

singing, eating, 

camping…

time in the 

wilderness.

We listen 

for instructions

before 

departing…

On the road...

Going 

separate 

ways...

Help, 

I can’t 

see!

I experienced a yellow watermelon for the first time. Imagine my surprise when I cut it open to share with the scouts. We roasted fresh bananas picked from the tree and I couldn’t say the Thai name, so just called them BBQ bananas. Now everyone laughs and says “bar-B-cue, ba-nan-na.” Instead of dipping them in chocolate, we dipped them in sweetened condensed milk, "aroy," “sap-sap” delicious!

Let's take a photo before the performance

Evening Entertainment...The Thai English Teachers put on a SHOW... What a Drama!

Thai dancing around the campfire...

Notice the hands

B-Boy Dance?

Taking a much needed rest.

Camp 2011 Ends.. we all feel like the dog... EXHAUSTED and HAPPY!

Final Field Trip

Of course we had to take a photo before we boarded the bus for the final field trip of this school year.

Once onboard the bus, the Thai music videos began...The old big black box TV is housed at the front of the bus and speakers are placed all through the bus, so there is no escaping the blaring sound. Might as well enjoy the singing and dancing.

Looking out the window during the three hour ride, I was struck by the beauty of the countryside. The vivid wild flowers and lush green tropical plants create a beautiful backdrop for the simple thatched roofs that perch precariously on four poles like stilts. Small bonfires in the front yards are used to stay warm during the cool mornings and also to cook their meals. Bumping along, we passed an elephant on the side of the road, a buffalo cart filled with rice bags, motor bikes zipping by, and a saffron clocked Monk just walking.  Rubber trees lined one side of the road while the salt flats dotted the other side. I wonder if that is where the expression "salt of the earth" comes from?

Arriving at the Ban Chiang National Museum which acheived UNESCO World Heritage status in 1992, we take a picture.
Thai's love their photos and enjoy "posing" for them.

The artifacts in found in the museum near Udon Thani are believed to be between 3,500 and 7,500 years old. Fragments and whole pots are classified  into three periods, early, middle and late based on the shape and the whorl design. The ancient pottery displayed at the museum is exquisite and reminds me of Mexican and Mayan pottery.

An old Thai tradition was to be buried with whole and broken pots covering the entire body... gives a whole new meaning to "you can't take it with you."

One of the original archaeological excavation pits is located at Wat Pho Sri Nai, just a short distance from the World Heritage Museum. The outdoor pit contains 52 human skeletons that were interred with ceremonial pottery.

Of course the day would not be complete without eating and stoping at a Thai temple to light a candle, burn incense, and shake the fortune telling sticks.      Buddha Blessings from Thailand!