English camp on Saturday was actually kind of fun for me. English Camp is pretty much just playing games and singing songs (all in English of course.) I played this Harry Potter tag game...4 people were Voldemort (the bad guy) and had wands (straws) and could put a curse on whoever they tagged (such as jump, spin, dance). I was super sweaty after an hour or so of running around...it was a lot of fun though. There was this one short little chubby boy. I gave him a free icecream for singing "Beautiful Girl" in English. During tag he was running until he realized he was running towards a Voldemort...then he just stopped and started screaming and waving his hands. I was "under a curse" so was just standing and watching...his voice is so high, it was the funniest thing, I couldn't stop laughing. I wish I got it on camera to show everyone.
On the way back the bus and van were also full, so we just crammed in their truck with them (there was 6 of us) and drove back to Lampang. They were headed here anyway b/c they are observing teachers today. Of course I got the front b/c I'm the fattest...seriously they are all so frickin skinny. So they all thought it was funny when I said "It pays to be fat!" Speaking of skinny/fat...my friend Dao is exactly half my weight...I am equal to two Thai girls! (Although in my defense I am like a foot taller than her)
There was a wall down the street from our hotel that I thought was interesting to find in Phrae...
Here are some random things I noticed about the students or Thailand:
-They have to take their shoes off before they enter a school building (teachers don't)
-If a boys hair is too long, a teacher will take scissors or a buzzer and cut one area so he has to get it all cut
-If a girl or boy gets in trouble they can also get their hair chopped
-They all repeat say "I'm fine thank you and you?" when asked "How are you?" without really knowing what they are saying. If the question "How are you?" is varied at all they just give me a blank stare.
-People at the pre-fix "Pee" to people who are older than them. So I call my friend Dao, Pee-Dao.
-There are mirrors in the stairwells- students stop to check themselves out.
-First impressions are the lasting impressions.
-Some teachers have several pictures of themselves on their desks.
-Girls pull out their compacts during class to reapply (white) powder or just check themselves out.
-People ride 4 people on a motorbike...which I guess isn't tooo much considering I'm like 2 Thai people lol
-We drink beer with ice (so it sometimes gets watery)
-At a restaurant/bar, your cup is never empty because they continue to fill it
-Students don't ever have to be on time...10 or 15 minutes late is normal.
That's all I can think of for now.
I've been playing volleyball everyday afterschool since I first went last week. So far the coach has only been there once or twice. The girls (and 2 boys that come) are great. They repeat what I say for some things...like when I call "mine." I have some of the volleyball players in my classes, so I've been beginning to recognize more students. During cool-down they all ask one of my students, Jeab, to ask me questions because she is one of the better English speakers...but I can tell that they are trying to ask me a question. There are 2 boys that come to volleyball-both my students and both what Thais call "Ladyboys." One of the boys that comes to play is definitely the tallest kid in the entire school...which is why his nickname is Big. His height no where near rivals Jake's, but it makes him look that tall because he's among a sea of short people. He tried to make me promise that I would come to play volleyball everyday.
Monday, as a I was about to walk home, there was a group of boys playing football (soccer) on the school field, so I joined them. It was the first time I played football in a while (and just finished playing volleyball)...so I was tired after about 15 minutes. I played until someone popped the soccer ball. There are always kids playing, so I'll probably be playing more soon.
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