English Camp, Phang Nga Town

Had an English Camp sprung on me by our supervisor who never tells me what is going on. He'll only talk to Chris, who also lives in my province.

I was on my way home from Thanksgiving weekend when he calls me and says,
"So you're coming, right?"

Completely confused, I reply: "Uhh, what are you talking about?"

But off to the English Camp I went, and so did a Swede English teacher, who didn't know that she was going to an English Camp until she arrived and saw all the children. She wins. We planned the camp as the school principal was giving the opening speech.

An English Camp is basically a day-long (or several days long) event with the basic components of a (an):
1. Opening ceremony
2. Big group activity. Usually an ice breaker or some such that forces the kids to do some activity that pushes them out of their comfort zone and by some miracle this kind of humiliation forces a bond between students. Lesson learned: discomfort leads to comfort?
3. Break
4. Rotation. In essence, a class where a pre-assigned group of students will learn/do/sing/make something. The students will of course, use and enhance their English skills and have one heck of a good time. A rotation can focus on speaking, listening, reading, writing or any two of the above or all of the above. One teacher teaches one rotation and kids will move from rotation to rotation. Rotate, if you will.
5. Rotation.
6. Lunch.
7. Big Group Activity.
8. Rotation.
9. Rotation.
10. Closing ceremony.

This is the basic setup. Some camps have more rotations, less big group activities, some have more breaks, some have less rotations. You get the picture.

For this camp, there were around 240 students, 4 farang trainers [which meant 60 students per teacher. which is A LOT of students] and one building with no walls or desks or chalkboards to do all our activities in. Months ago, this complete lack of organization and planning would have had me tearing my hair out. On the second day of the camp, supervisor Nimit managed to shanghai a Dane who had been staying at a local hotel to come and help out. I just had to laugh. The camp was successful, the trainers and I all enjoyed ourselves and (I believe) no one lost any hair. This job definitely teaches you how to go with the flow.

i'm back!!!

apparently, and for whatever reason, people actually read this blog? and there has been demand for more of my inane insights into my boring existence. i'm flattered, and frankly, a little frightened. people actually read this blog?

so here's a quick summary of what's been happening with me:

october - phuket vegetarian festival, chika's wedding, school break, one day decorating the english room/ERIC center, krabi (ao nang)

november - chris comes to visit two weekends in a row.. which meant two weekends in a row of phuket, a minor cold with some major depression, english competitions, english camp, thanksgiving

and what's ahead:

december - christmas at kelly's, george is coming for a visit -- new year's in phuket and then off to phi phi island for hopefully white sand and turqoise water. george's one wish.

tomorrow is a holiday so i'll get you the extended version of the update complete with pictures (backdated a la chris allen. the cheater). perhaps. no promises. you know i'm lazy.

foooood

you know you've been living in rice country too long when ...

- you eat a peanut butter sandwich and savor every bite

- you sadly daydream about grilled cheese sandwiches and promise to never take them for granted ever again

- you invent new ways to eat noodles (weird green noodles made with egyptian herbs from japan bought at the mini mart next door mixed in with pork and beans? yeah. how's that for international?)

and yet despite all your longings and fantasies for sourdough bread, rye bread, french bread, dinner rolls, garlic bread, mashed potatoes, baked potatoes, scalloped potatoes, PIZZA, you know you've been living in rice country too long when..

- you can totally appreciate a steaming plate of fluffy white rice set in front of you

- you order fried rice in a restaurant

- you voluntarily eat rice for breakfast: as a soup, as a kanom, with last night's leftovers.

ah rice. it's what's for dinner. and breakfast. and lunch. and snack.

so... gin kao reu yang? (have you eaten rice yet?)