Hi there
Rita is here, well I’m back to fill you in on my first full week here in
Chiang Mai which has been jam packed and literally flew by in a heartbeat....
The last time we caught up I was on day one at Wat Muen
Nyeun Gong School. I assisted the main
Teacher with two English classes, the format being, I read the lesson in
English while the students repeat after me, then Teacher May, who is the main
teacher explains what this is all about in Thai...This is where I get a bit
lost -but having said that what better motivation to ramp up in some basic Thai
language phrases.... then the students are given an exercise to test their
knowledge to see if they really understand......Ah brings me back to my own
school days...... As the students are working, I go around checking their work
and helping if they need it. Each class
is an hour long. Lunch is from 11:30 -12:30 and is provided
to all children and teachers in the school.
I am struggling a bit with the food as it is a bit too spicy for me but
don't want to offend anyone so I am trying to adjust as quickly as I can....
Teacher May is constantly producing food for me to eat so I am sure it won't
take me too long at all and at this rate after 3-weeks I’ll have to move into
the gym when I get back to Dublin! Food
is a huge part of the Thai culture, so much so “how are you?” in Thai
translates to “have you eaten yet?”.
Everyone in Thailand talks about food, where as in Ireland everyone
talks about the weather, but having said that the Irish also like their food
As I will only have a max of two English classes a day, I
spoke with Wad about helping CCT out with some back office work, so Wad is
lining up another project at CCT office starting next week - you have to tune
in next week to find out what it is
Just in case I had to prepare lesson plans and run a class
on my own, I brought over some basic teaching resources, some flash cards and
books, including on one on Ireland. As I
won't be needing these I went to give them to Teacher May for the school, but
she wanted me to present them to them to the Headmistress in front of all the
students after roll call the next day and that is exactly what happened. The school made me feel very important, a bit
like an Irish government minster visiting another country, they even took photos
of me presenting the books, I don’t have any to share but will see if the can
send me a copy....
On Wednesday, the school had an in school Science Day. They
kicked this off with some talks from the teachers with a few experiments and
then the children took turn to visit each of the five different demonstration
stands, so well organized. There was only
one English class in the afternoon and this was on”The Weather”. As part of the lesson I explained what the
weather was like in Ireland and showed them where I came from on the world map.
On Thursday, the school went to an annual Science Exhibition
that is sponsored by the Thai Government.
About 10 “Red Trucks” were waiting for us
after roll call and once everyone had collected their packed lunch I have never
seen so many children in one truck...... was a bit nervous for them but this is
Thai culture and they are used to this so I went with the flow. I had a great day at the Exhibition and feel
very lucky to have had the opportunity to experience the biggest annual Science
event in Thailand.
On Friday the school had another day out - it is the
exception not the norm to have two events in the same semester never mind week,
so now I feel totally privileged to be there for both events. Friday was all about the Temple. First we went to the temple beside the school
and the children prayed and listened to the “Holy Man”a Buddhist Monk. Following this the “Red Trucks” were waiting
to take us to Wat Umong Thera Jan (Chiang Mai).
This is a beautiful oasis just outside Chiang Mai, a mediation centre
and beautiful Temple set in the middle of a forest with a beautiful lake. A really lovely day with the school who have
really made feel part of their family even down to including me in their school
photo. Next week it is back to normal
routine.
Over the weekend I did a bit of pampering with pedicure, manicure
and Thai massage all very good. I went
to cabaret show with girls in volunteer house on Saturday night and that was
great fun. On Sunday we all went out for
lunch and afterwards Alexis, Hannah and I went to Wat Doi Suthep and got to
experience the monks chanting and meditating.
As it was Alexis’s last night we all went for something to eat at “The
Gallery” and then it was time to start getting ready for school the next
day........
That’s it for now - catch up again next week!
Rita
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