So two weekends ago now there was s fruit festival after church. This was at the Thai church on campus. After playing some ridiculous games, where people had to estimate how much fruit weighed in kilograms, and figuring out all the Thai and English words for each fruit, although there weren't English words for many of them, and then the new girls at GES sang two songs, then we finally got to sample all of the fruit. Some of it was great, some was spit back out, and a few were just a little too much work to get to. However I did come away with a new favorite, the mangosteen. Nothing like a mango, they really taste more like a grape, there is just a really thick skin to get through to the fruit. I ended the fruit medley with watermelon, something I can't get enough of here...maybe because that's what I would be eating at home. I took pictures of the arrangements because they had beans, carrots, and apples in them! Also, I love all the vibrant colors!
Later in the week it was Wai Kru day. To Wai, is to put your hands to your chin or below your chin depending on who you are Waiing, and then bowing your head slightly. This is what you do with the parents and students and certainly anyone older who you should out of respect. Kru means teacher, so basically it is a day to honor the teachers. All of the students bring in lovely flowers and then we had a ceremony where students come to your feet and bow with flowers and promise to be good students in school this year. Of course the ceremony was all in Thai, so we all were a bit unsure as to what to do, but it really is neat how much teachers are held in a position of honor here, even above a doctor or someone with much more training. So then I took pictures of all the beautiful flowers as well as my students. See if you can pick out Ari, my Thai/Amish boy, and Mafuang...pronounced Mah-fuh-luang, I think, she is adorable! There is also a picture of me with the owners of the school, two of the other new teachers, and the owners son.
This past weekend many of the GES teachers were house sitting for the church people. So we went over to one of their houses and cooked tacos and apple crisp and then went biking on the safe and clean streets of Nichita! (Such a nice break from the busy and smelly streets around the shcool). Sorry no pictures of this :(
There is a five day break coming up here, so a group of us are planning on going to Laos, which I am very excited about. It's looking like there will be an 11 hour train or bus ride involved, but the whole trip will probably cost me less then $100 dollars...who wouldn't go to Laos for that small amount? And I hear it is beautiful! So you can pray for safety in going there, but I am in a group with many returning teachers who are experienced travelers in Asia, so I am sure we will get bye just fine.
Be looking for pictures of Laos in my next post!
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