Well, I am back to blogging. I had a little motorcycle accident last week and now am in the hospital recovering. I will need surgury (hopefully soon) to repair a tendon in my foot and to do a skin graft on the top of my foot.
I am not in too much pain, but I am bored and lonely. Most days I get a few visitors, but I am not expecting any today. The teachers at work will be working all day today, so I don't expect any of them. But tomorrow is a day off, so I may get quite a few. I pass my time reading, watching TV and surfing the internet.
The Doctor is going to write orders for me to use crutches, so hopefully I can get up some more, maybe walk around the ward some.
Saturday, May 15, 2010
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
Birthday Surprise
Well, I am leaving for Doi Ang Khan in the morning. I am excited about seeing a part of Thailand I have not seen yet. I will certainly take lots of photos, and hopefully post some of them.
I did have a birthday a couple of weeks ago. I turned 48, only two more till I hit the big five-oh. It doesn't bother me at all, I am quite comfortable with my age, and don't particularly want to be any younger. (I would like to have the healthy constitution of a 25 year old, but I don't have any desire at all to actually be 25 again).
I told my students in Summer Term Two that my birthday was in April. I don't normally do anything to try to draw attention to myself, for sure I don't try to encourage my students to give me gifts. I occasionally get a gift from a student or a class, but I don't encourage it. I appreciate the gesture, but I don't want my students spending money on something I may not want, or be able to use. I thought I would be safe this time since my birthday was over a week after the end of that term. But they had other ideas. The last day, after I had handed out grades (unfortunately giving three failing grades to students who had not passed the level 8 test, they threw a party for me, with a cake, a silly pink princess stein, and a big poster with their pictures.
That is supposed to be me in the lower left, although I don't usually have a bird perched on my stomach. They know I am a birdwatcher, so that is in honor of that.
Well, a good time was had by all, even the students who failed. That is one of the things I really love about my students, no matter how disappointed they are, they can shift moods to happy and celebrating in only a few seconds.
Anyway, I need to get to bed so I can get up early.
I did have a birthday a couple of weeks ago. I turned 48, only two more till I hit the big five-oh. It doesn't bother me at all, I am quite comfortable with my age, and don't particularly want to be any younger. (I would like to have the healthy constitution of a 25 year old, but I don't have any desire at all to actually be 25 again).
I told my students in Summer Term Two that my birthday was in April. I don't normally do anything to try to draw attention to myself, for sure I don't try to encourage my students to give me gifts. I occasionally get a gift from a student or a class, but I don't encourage it. I appreciate the gesture, but I don't want my students spending money on something I may not want, or be able to use. I thought I would be safe this time since my birthday was over a week after the end of that term. But they had other ideas. The last day, after I had handed out grades (unfortunately giving three failing grades to students who had not passed the level 8 test, they threw a party for me, with a cake, a silly pink princess stein, and a big poster with their pictures.
That is supposed to be me in the lower left, although I don't usually have a bird perched on my stomach. They know I am a birdwatcher, so that is in honor of that.
Well, a good time was had by all, even the students who failed. That is one of the things I really love about my students, no matter how disappointed they are, they can shift moods to happy and celebrating in only a few seconds.
Anyway, I need to get to bed so I can get up early.
Sunday, May 2, 2010
Musings about this and that
We have finished Summer Terms here in CM, and it couldn't have come soon enough. The last two weeks I have been at the end of my tether. I haven't done a great job of teaching, but my students are a forgiving bunch. In reality they probably didn't even notice the downward slide of my teaching, but I did. Next year I will have to make some other arrangement during Summer Terms. If I am still here I will only work part-time.
Now I have a few days off. I have been cleaning my apartment, exercising, and on Tuesday I will be taking a trip up North. I will visit Doi Ang Khan, the "Little Switzerland" of Thailand, for its high altitude, cool weather, and Swiss architecture.
I also talked with my mother this morning. It was good to talk to her. I should call more often, but time just tends to slip away.
My best wishes to the people on the Gulf Coast, who are being hit by another catastrophe less than five years after Hurricane Katrina.
Now I have a few days off. I have been cleaning my apartment, exercising, and on Tuesday I will be taking a trip up North. I will visit Doi Ang Khan, the "Little Switzerland" of Thailand, for its high altitude, cool weather, and Swiss architecture.
I also talked with my mother this morning. It was good to talk to her. I should call more often, but time just tends to slip away.
My best wishes to the people on the Gulf Coast, who are being hit by another catastrophe less than five years after Hurricane Katrina.
Monday, April 19, 2010
This and That
Well Songkran is over (thank goodness). A couple of comments about it. The numbers of people in CM celebrating Songkran seemed to be down this year. I don't know if this was because of the horrible heat, the political situation or what. The number of foreigners was way down. From the worthless backpacker scum at the bottom, to the socially parasitic, culturally insensitive Five Star Resort Stayers at the top, the number of tourists in Thailand is way down. It is not hard to understand why. The government can't even keep control of its capital city. And now with the travel disruptions in Europe, even more tourists will stay away.
On a more positive note, the weather is cooler this week. Still very hot, but not the Melt You into a Puddle Then Bake You Dry kind of heat we have been having. This morning there were actually some clouds in the sky. Everyone got excited and thought it might rain, but it didn't. The weather forecast shows a 20 to 30 percent chance this weekend, so we will cross our fingers and hope.
We also started the third summer term this week. I got the classes I taught in Summer One, so it is nice to see familiar and friendly faces in the classroom. Only nine more teaching days and summer will be over!
On a more positive note, the weather is cooler this week. Still very hot, but not the Melt You into a Puddle Then Bake You Dry kind of heat we have been having. This morning there were actually some clouds in the sky. Everyone got excited and thought it might rain, but it didn't. The weather forecast shows a 20 to 30 percent chance this weekend, so we will cross our fingers and hope.
We also started the third summer term this week. I got the classes I taught in Summer One, so it is nice to see familiar and friendly faces in the classroom. Only nine more teaching days and summer will be over!
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
Songkran musings
Been a long time since I posted. No excuse really. I have been busy, but even in busy times there are moments of respite. Really I just haven't felt like there was anything worthy of posting happening lately.
Right now I have a week off from work while Thailand celebrates Songkran. This is the traditional Thai New Year. (Although it is also the traditional Lao and Khmer New Year as well. They also celebrate Songkran, although with much less abandon.) Songkran runs from the 13th to the 15th. Most places in Thailand limit the public celebration part to just the 13th. But this is Chiang Mai, the city that started Songkran. They celebrate it full on for five days. You can't travel anywhere in the city without being soaked with water. The city moat is the center of the festivities. The moat is six kilometers long and the entire length of it will be packed with people throwing water on other people. It is quite a spectacle, but one that loses its appeal quickly, at least to an old guy like me. I would have liked to leave town, but I need to save my money, so here I am.
This has also been the hottest summer since I have been in Thailand. It is not as hot as I was last year in Cambodia, nor as humid, but here I have to live and work. There I was able to take a several hour siesta in the hottest part of the day. Normally the rains have begun by now, not the monsoon, but the early "mango rains", so called because they coincide with the ripening of the mango crop. This year we are in the midst of the worst drought in many years, so we haven't had a drop of rain to cool the afternoons down.
Well, I really need to clean my room, so I had better get to it.
Right now I have a week off from work while Thailand celebrates Songkran. This is the traditional Thai New Year. (Although it is also the traditional Lao and Khmer New Year as well. They also celebrate Songkran, although with much less abandon.) Songkran runs from the 13th to the 15th. Most places in Thailand limit the public celebration part to just the 13th. But this is Chiang Mai, the city that started Songkran. They celebrate it full on for five days. You can't travel anywhere in the city without being soaked with water. The city moat is the center of the festivities. The moat is six kilometers long and the entire length of it will be packed with people throwing water on other people. It is quite a spectacle, but one that loses its appeal quickly, at least to an old guy like me. I would have liked to leave town, but I need to save my money, so here I am.
This has also been the hottest summer since I have been in Thailand. It is not as hot as I was last year in Cambodia, nor as humid, but here I have to live and work. There I was able to take a several hour siesta in the hottest part of the day. Normally the rains have begun by now, not the monsoon, but the early "mango rains", so called because they coincide with the ripening of the mango crop. This year we are in the midst of the worst drought in many years, so we haven't had a drop of rain to cool the afternoons down.
Well, I really need to clean my room, so I had better get to it.
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