I don’t know if the date had any significance, but yesterday a group of monks visited Hang Chat Wittaya School. It was quite an amazing ordeal, and many people from the community joined the students in offering alms. Teachers and students alike lined up around the school with their bags of rice, juice, soymilk, and snacks.
After the monks has made their rounds, the students all gathered in the assembly hall for a presentation. I’m don’t really know what was going on, but it seemed like they were learning a bit about how to properly bow in prayer and how to meditate.
In fact, I managed to nab VIDEO EVIDENCE that all 550 of my students can be completely silent FOR A FULL MINUTE! I don’t know how it happened, but I will cherish that minute for the rest of the year.
After some warm-up practice with teaching staff, the students were ready to meet a teaching monk. As usual, I had no idea what he was saying, so that was my cue to get back to the office and plan some lessons.
So yesterday was a prime example of why I have to be comfortable not knowing what in the world is going on around me. I used to be a bit of a control-freak before coming here, but I gave that up in lieu of sanity. Sometimes my students come up to me and just start blabbing away in Thai, sometimes the women at the grocery store start chattering about the farang that walked past, and sometimes when there’s an assembly the other teachers push me onto the stage and tell me to say a few words. These things happen everyday, and I can get all paranoid or nervous or anxious, or I can just do my best and keep working on my Thai. What an easy choice!
After the monks has made their rounds, the students all gathered in the assembly hall for a presentation. I’m don’t really know what was going on, but it seemed like they were learning a bit about how to properly bow in prayer and how to meditate.
In fact, I managed to nab VIDEO EVIDENCE that all 550 of my students can be completely silent FOR A FULL MINUTE! I don’t know how it happened, but I will cherish that minute for the rest of the year.
After some warm-up practice with teaching staff, the students were ready to meet a teaching monk. As usual, I had no idea what he was saying, so that was my cue to get back to the office and plan some lessons.
So yesterday was a prime example of why I have to be comfortable not knowing what in the world is going on around me. I used to be a bit of a control-freak before coming here, but I gave that up in lieu of sanity. Sometimes my students come up to me and just start blabbing away in Thai, sometimes the women at the grocery store start chattering about the farang that walked past, and sometimes when there’s an assembly the other teachers push me onto the stage and tell me to say a few words. These things happen everyday, and I can get all paranoid or nervous or anxious, or I can just do my best and keep working on my Thai. What an easy choice!
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