I tried the idea of using my flat iron to burn the lice to death.  I actually felt better yesterday and today so I think it helped, at least until I could get the medicated shampoo.  Today Pat brought lice shampoo to my house and put it on my head.  I was instructed to leave it on for 4 hours.  Really?  4 hours? Well, I want these critters gone, so I sat around the house in my shower cap for 4 hours.  I have to retreat again tomorrow and then in 9 days.

Yesterday near the end of the day I heard someone on the loud speaker and a lot of cheering.  Then I heard the same few words over and over.  I went outside to see what was going on.  About half the school was in a court yard and a teacher was reading out votes out of a big lock box.  Students were tracking the tally on a large piece of paper.  I assumed it was student council election, but I was told election was for government, this was selection for next year’s leadership.  I think it’s somewhat the same thing as student elections except I think a group is chosen instead of a few people.  I got that it was about 20 students, but I never quite got what they do once selected.

Today was Congratulations Day.  I knew I wouldn’t have classes, but I had no idea there were no classes at all.  I arrived a morning assembly and it was all excitement, flowers, balloons, stuffed animals, pictures, and decorations.  M6 is graduating soon and M3 just had (or will have) a big national exam.  So, it was a day to celebrate these two accomplishments.  There were ceremonies, speeches, dancing, singing, a band, lunch, and lots and lots of selfies.  Each grade created a booth and decorated it.  It looked like they were all set up for taking pictures in front of.

There was one ceremony that really touched me.  They put a row of chairs up front and had most of the teachers sit, including me.  They handed us bundles of string.  We made smaller bundles of string and tied a knot in the middle.  Then students came up and sat on the floor in front of a teacher. (Students usually kneel or sit on the floor when a teacher is sitting.  If they pass in front of a sitting teacher, they bend over lower as they pass. It’s a sign of respect).  The teacher then put the string on their arm like a bracelet.  I was not quite sure what I was doing, but I just watched the other teachers and tried to figure it out.  The best I could tell is that it was a chance for the student to say thank you to the teacher and for the teacher to impart words of wisdom or wish them luck.  It was a closure type ceremony for sure.  Later in the day students would bring string up to the teachers they had not been able to get bracelets from.  At one point I watched a teacher put bracelets on three girls and the girls were crying.  Another teacher told me they were saying goodbye to their Physics teacher and calling him father.  Then I started crying.  I asked a couple other western teachers if their school did this and they said they didn’t think so.

Tonight after the lice massacre, I went to Tip’s house for dinner.  We made spaghetti carbornara.  She looked it up on youtube to figure out how to make it.  It was pretty darn close.  Her house is small and cluttered, but much nicer than a lot of houses I’ve seen.  It was clean and felt much more bug free than mine.  Her kitchen was tiny by American standards, but indoor and delightful by Thai standards.  She said I could stay there any time.  They have a guest room with AC.  I joked that I was moving in when hot season comes.  I met her husband who speaks pretty good English.  He’s a dentist and he’s into fish.  He has tons of tanks around the outside of the house with Koi fish.  He  kept saying over and over that I need to come over all the time.  If I want to got to Tak, he told me I should ask Tip and she will take me.  I had met Tip’s daughter before.  She’s 3 or 4 and not too interested in talking to me, but not shy either, just preoccupied with other things.  Then Tip’s son came home.  He’s around 8 or 9 and speaks fluent English with great pronunciation.  He kept showing me things he had made or dragons in a computer game.  After dinner, I stayed and watched Frozen.  The girls in Thailand are as in love with that movie as they are in the US.

(c) all rights reserved Kimberly Fiore