My Daily Routine

I've just finished my 1st six months as a kindergarten teacher. I must say I feel pretty tired and in need of a break. Teaching and looking after more than twenty 4 year olds that don't speak much English is a bit tiring although often lots of fun also.

Apartment from the front door

My normal work day starts with waking up at 6am. I get ready for work and maybe quickly check the internet before leaving around 7am. I enjoy riding my motorbike to work through the traffic which takes around 15 minutes. I stop just before work to get breakfast which I take to school and eat. Mainly I eat Pad Ka Pow and rice for breakfast each morning with some orange juice and coffee.

My apartment - looking back towards the front door

I have to be at school by 8am and at 8.30 we have morning assembly. Each morning the kids practice saying hello, they say what day it is and what the weather is like. We raise the flag, sing the National Anthem, have Buddhist prayers and sing and dance to 4 songs. I am very sick of those 4 songs. Then we go upstairs to our classroom put all the bags away and start the day's lessons. In the classroom is the 22 kids, 2 Thai teachers (Khun Pom and Khun Oil) and me.

The 1st lesson of the day is generally my English lesson. It could be anything from learning a letter of the alphabet to going outside to explore the school's grounds. The school has provided me with no text book to help me plan my lessons and getting any resources from them, even just some pieces of paper, is like getting blood from a stone. So trying to come up with interesting and entertaining to educate the kids every day is almost totally up to me. This is quite draining on my imagination and tiring. However the more I do it the better I get. Also many of the kids now are making some good progress and it is good to see their improvements.

View from my apartment window

Generally the kids have another lesson, conducted in Thai, drink milk, have a short play time, and then come back for another lesson that is conducted in Thai. During these other times, I accompany the kids and help look after them.

After the 3rd lesson it is time for lunch. We take the kids to the dining hall, sit them all down and feed them. Lunch is provided free by the school and is generally very nice. However the dining hall is chaotic and noisey and my meal generally rushed down so as I can get back to helping Khun Pom and Khun Oil look after the kids.

From lunch we go back to the classroom. The kids drink more milk, brush their teeth, get into their pajamas and sleep for about an hour. I also often take a 10 minute nap. When they get up, they wash, get dressed, we brush their hair and they play for about 30 minutes and then go home. I hang around for another hour to talk to any parents that want to talk, prepare for the next day and ride my bike home at about 4pm.

Often on the way home I stop and talk to Kanjana for a while. Currently she has concerns about how to best help her children, or about where she will live, or about her future. It is difficult for her to discuss these matters with her other friends due to Thai culture. An important part of Thai behavior is 'Kreng Jai', which is to be considerate and respectful to others. The Thai people, due to this, are generally very polite and considerate, which is mainly very good. However, Kanjana would not disturb other people with her own worries or concerns as that would not be Kreng Jai and she would not feel comfortable. She does seem to be much happier though when she has the opportunity to discuss things with me and share her problems.

Anyway, after a chat with Kanjana I would generally go to the park across the road and do some exercise. Then dinner at the stalls across the road. Back to my apartment to wash and do work on my computer whilst also doing some clothes washing. By the time I have done all of that it is probably already late and time for sleep so I can do it all again the next day.

OK. So that is my normal life at the moment. It isn't too bad, but for some reason I am still not quite satisfied. Perhaps I will change it soon or next year???

See ya

Paul

Stuff to write about next time

Antipodeans Recon

Chinese couple on train.

Sleeping on train.

Meeting

See Phra Boun Thavee

Chiang Mai