Back to school.... but not back to teaching

The crazy thing about living in a Kindergarten building is I get to wake up to the sound of screaming children being pried from their parents every morning. The way I start my day is only an analogy to the crazy way my entire day will be. For example my director told me, in my broken Thai and his broken English, the English ONET scores dropped and then continued to ask if my skin was darker because of the air pollution. The thought that I could get a tan from being in the sun is utterly appalling in a country that worships light skin. However irregular my morning was, the beginning of the new school year looks bright: My students tried to communicate in full sentences, and I don’t start “real” teaching until next week (although I took off three days to pick up MOLLY at the airport and Monday and Tuesday National Holidays, so I may not be in the classroom until May 23rd).  The task of asking when I was supposed to start teaching was actually a really difficult process. The students had to come to school on May 9^th, but for now the students are at school to help prepare the school, receive new books, and basically socialize. I have seen the students going to classes, but I am not really sure what they are doing? My Middle school (M1-3) host-teacher was very clear that I do not need to start teaching this week, but the elementary teacher told me very vaguely to start teaching this week although she did not give me a schedule, a roster, or a room number of who I am supposed to teach. This confusion and lack of organization is very hard to describe to anyone who has not taught in a Thai school system, but I hope I have loosely explained my confusions.  

So I am back but not back in the classroom, and I have all next week off! I am not complaining but the transistion is making it very hard to get back in the "work like hell" mindset I thought I would have in my last semester as I try to make the most impact possible. Even if I am not in the right mindset, I have to admit I am much more confident and knowledgeable about how to work this system in my favor, and I understand reasonable expectations of my students.

ASEAN update

There was an interesting CNN article today about the future of ASEAN,  Association of Southeast Asian Nations, who met in Indonesia on Saturday for a two-day summit expected to focus on efforts to achieve economic integration by 2015.

ASEAN summit starts amid cloud of Thai-Cambodia border row

Leaving Ko Chang

For the last three amazing days I have spent my time relaxing by the pool and exploring the beaches of Ko Chang. I am leaving the island mentally ready to go back to Lampang, my home base, for a second semester of teaching. The above picture is a shot from the breakfast table at our guest house on Hat Kai Mook (Pearl beach), a really rocky beach and not the recommended beach for anyone who will visit Ko Chang but the price in this location was perfect.

Cambodian Labor in Thailand

I am currently in Ko Chang, an island about 5 hours Southeast of Bangkok, and I have noticed a really interesting trend in the employees in the service industry- they are mostly Cambodian. In lieu of this recent observation and the news of renewed fighting over the Cambodian-Thai border, I found some interesting articles that helped clarify the bilateral relationship.

Thailand and Cambodia clash again along border (BBC)

Living Conditions Of Cambodian Illegal Migrant Workers In Thailand
 This is a recent Thesis from A Chulalongkorn University, Thailand's best university