This week has just been frustrating.  I’m very annoyed about the whole thing where I was told I needed to go to Mae Sot on a weekend and then I find out I could have gone last week.  I’m not sure why I can’t let it go.  Then Wednesday this week, Pat asks if I want to go to Mae Sot with her, Robin and the Director.  They have to go to renew his visa.  I asked why I had to go last weekend if I could have gone this week. I got the whole story again about how Robin’s visa is different and the Director has to be there in person to sign paperwork.  That didn’t answer my question and now I’m more annoyed than before.  I really wanted to go because they were going to turn it into an entire day of sight seeing, but I have way too much work to do and don’t see how I can get it done if I go.  So, I stayed and worked all day Thursday.  I’m all caught up on lesson plans except one so that is good.

But I still have to do a curriculum and syllabus.  On Monday I was told that the curriculum I did was the country standard and couldn’t be changed.  Well, then why did you tell me to change it?  Then I have to do another curriculum. And Pat will ask the lady for the correct other curriculum which is the one I can’t change anyway. I asked for an example and she just told me to pick a few things from the country standard and then put in my curriculum.  You might as well have said “lakjoiy lslieyhh” as that would have made just as much sense.  Later in the week Pat sent me an example, but I’m avoiding opening the email as I’m just not ready to deal with it yet.

The day before exams, Pat asked me to change the cover sheet of my exam because it had the wrong information on it.  I looked at it.  It was the right grade, but not the cover sheet I created and had someone else’s signature on it.  Then I looked inside and it wasn’t the test I created.  I told Pat it wasn’t my test and she and I just looked at each other blankly.  I was told the correct test showed up later.  I assume I have to grade exams too, but no one gave me the finished exams so I don’t know how or when that will happen.  I probably should have asked about them, but if I got some cryptic answer that had nothing useful in it, I just might break my contract and never come back from the upcoming long weekend.

On Sunday Noi had told me that on Tuesday afternoon we would go to local temples to give the big candles to the monks.  I had no idea what that meant.  Pat failed to tell me about this until an hour before.  I chose to go with Noi’s group.  It was 6 teachers and about 8 students in our group.  We went to two temples.  The students had bought giant yellow candles, put them in pails and decorated the pails.  They also had money donations in an envelope.

At the first temple we had to wait because the monk was bathing.  I found that odd, but ok.  A temple cat came up and decided to lay next to me and then scratch Noi.  So, that was my entertainment as we waited. Finally when he came out they presented the candle, there was a lot of chanting and bowing and conversations I didn’t understand.  Then he asked who owned the pink motorbike and one of the students said he did.  The monk directed him to wash it and himself in holy water.  I gathered all this by what happened not that I could understand what they were saying.  He took a cup of water from a big wooden cask and splashed it all over his motorbike and then himself.  Then later Noi filled me in that the monk had seen a bad spirit standing behind the bike while they were chanting.  The spirit was gone, but the bike and it’s driver needed to be cleaned with holy water to keep it from coming back.  Fascinating.  When you sit in a temple you have to have your feet pointing away from the Buddha and monk so you either sit on your knees or you sit on one side with your legs folded under you and feet pointing behind you.  Usually on a marble floor.  Well, we had been there so long, I could barely stand when it was time to leave.  My legs had cramped up completely. This being devout is hard work.  The second temple was just as interesting.  It was in a very poor part of town.  Seeing all the farmer’s houses makes mine look like luxury.  The temple was ornate and pretty, but another building (ordination hall?) next to it looked run down and in bad need of a new paint job and a weed whacker. Noi kept asking me “Isn’t this temple just beautiful”?  This was similar to the other temple in that we waited awhile for the monk then there was chanting and bowing and talking.  This one there were two opalescent vessels with water that two of the teachers poured into matching bowls while all the students and teachers touched each other’s shoulders or arms to form a chain from one vessel to the other.  More chanting and bowing.  More cramped legs.  Even though I don’t understand and probably wouldn’t believe if I did understand, I love this part of living in Thailand.  I love seeing how others live and worship.

After the temples, we took one of the students home and then went to the house of a lady Noi knew.  The lady had such a kind energy to her.  We picked longan from her longan farm. Oh, and there were cows on the road – once again proving my theory that it makes you happy to see cows walking along the road.

Thursday night I went to get a pedicure.  I went back to the only lady in Thailand that didn’t try to take my toenails off completely.  While I waited her young son (4 years old?) tried to have a conversation with me.  It was cute even though I told him I didn’t speak Thai, he kept trying.  Then when I sat in the chair he pulled up the stool, sat down and pulled the cart up with all the pedicure tools and polish in it as if he was going to do my pedicure.  One of the cutest things I’ve ever seen.

I got to have dinner with Tip.  Reading lessons for her daughter turned into pouting and then when Ging and her daughter came over all was lost.  I ended up teaching English to Tip and Ging again.  It was nice to get to spend some time with them.

This weekend is a 5 day weekend.  My friend Andy is visiting from Singapore so I’m going to meet him in Chiang Mai and we are going to Pai.  Noi asked me to go spend 2 days with her family doing fun water things up at another dam.  It turns out that’s the day Andy leaves so I’m out the money for a hotel room for one night, but it sounds fun and I’m excited to meet her family.  She will pick me up in Chaing Mai and take me to the dam and then bring me home after.

(c) All rights reserved Kimberly Fiore