New Year, Caning, and a Religious Celebration

Well these three topics have nothing in common except that they happened in the last week. I normally would start with the oldest event but it also is the middle so I’ll start with New Year.

In Thailand New Year is a big deal, almost like Christmas but not really. They have no classes but they go to school the 30th to celebrate with their class. My class had a party and we ate and played games and traded gifts. There was also a dance competition and some other activities but I didn’t see everything because I started to feel sick from being outside in the heat all day without drinking more than one bottle of water, I know stupid but whatever! The group of girls I gave stockings to for Christmas got together and bought me a Tweety pillow for New Year, which was really nice.

On the 31st I slept in!!! Well kind of, I woke up with the birds but went back to sleep and woke up and went back to sleep and repeat the pattern about a dozen times  In the afternoon Cherry and Peach came over and they went to the beach. I spent most the day reading which was better than the awkward feeling I had when I tried to do something with the girls. For dinner they had this boiled thing but they put egg in and it was all over everything so I just ate dessert and an apple with peanut butter! After dinner they went out the patio and played games while I sat there and eventually I read after getting bored with just sitting there. When they went in to watch TV I went to my room and read until it was close to midnight. At midnight I went and sat with them and counted down. After we wished each other a Happy New Year I went and called home and talked to Sarah for a while. The next day I woke up and loaded pics to facebook (the link is under the blog “Links”) then called home at their New Year to wish them a Happy New Year. All in all it was rather boring, but whatever I brought in the new decade in Thailand so that counts for exciting!!!

Now the caning. In the last two weeks I learned that they take a bamboo stick and hit the kids on the hands with it. Apparently, Meow and Mike got it done several times for being late and so we had to try and be on time, but Mike is rarely on time! So for every day they are late it gets harder. They also had a hair check yesterday and the kids that didn’t have the right hair style got hit and had one day to fix it or they would get it harder. Needless to say that after school yesterday we went and got Mike a haircut, the boy had a surprising amount of hair.

Last topic is the religious ceremony that took place at school today. There were no classes so that the students could sit and listen to the monk’s all day. I listened for most the day but my legs got cramped and kept falling asleep so I missed the last hour and a half. Even though I didn’t understand what they were saying it was really awesome to listen to. It was kind of like a singing, chanting type of thing that was really amazing. I wish I could explain more, but it really is something you would have to hear. All the students had to sit there but Lucas and I could be in the English Corner, though I didn’t go till late afternoon but he sat there most of the day.

Well that’s all that has happened in the last week really. The only other thing that is new is that Lucas is going home in the next week or two due to his stupidity! I am going to miss him though and wish he didn’t have to go home.

Well till later then I guess!
Lots of love,
Allyson