Today's Thoughts...
(picture from Wai Kru Teacher Appreciation Ceremony last week)
Before I dive back into island mode, I have to deposit a thought about today. Two adorable events that made me swell with the pride of a new mother. So the day is bopping along as per usual. Long lesson about the Trojan War and the history of Troy, Homer, the Iliad, good stuff. Then off I go blissfully to lunch in the afternoon, ready to settle in for a heaping bowl of whatever I manage to stammer in broken Thai or scribble in English on little scraps of paper. Before I get there though, I am accosted, no bombarded, no stampeded by a crowd of exactly 19 of my third-year conversation students (two were in the toilet so they couldn’t join the impromptu meeting; why they were in the toilet together, I don’t need to know). “Ajarn! Ajarn!” they call out, practically squealing as the wave of students run down two flights of stairs to get to me, innocently on my way to the pot before lunch. Overwhelmed, I manage to wave and crack a smile. What’s going on?
They surround me, swarming like a hive of buzzing bees as in scattered fashion, they all try to tell me the same information at once. It sounded sort of like: Teacha! Ajarn! Can’t! Want! Meeting! No good! Ah! Squeak! Ah! Snapping into teacher mode (can I even say that after a month?), I ask them to please speak one at a time. From what I gather from the then 6 students talking instead of 19, there is some sort of an assembly or maybe five that they have to go to during our class time and maybe before or possibly after or maybe all night. I’m not really sure. I just gather that they cannot be in class and they are somehow devastated by this fact. Sad faces, pouting lips, and puppy dog eyes stare as they all chatter around me. “We cannot come to class today. So sorry. This assembly is no good. So sorry to tell you now, teacher.” I nod, still a bit dazed, but slowly understanding. They assure me that they want to make up the class on Monday and then sort of take flight once again in their massive hive.
After a few moments to gather myself, I puff up like an indignant hen, angry that anyone would dare steal my chicks from me for our Friday afternoon. Somewhat defensively, my chin held a little too high, I march back to my desk, if only mildly outraged. The feeling is only compounded when two hours later, in my last class of the day, I confront a student about her week long absence from class only to learn that her boyfriend was stolen by another girl in the class and she couldn’t come because she was heartbroken and never wants to see her again and can she switch sections, oh please teacher please? What is a mother hen to answer to that? Don’t worry about that mean-ole girl, whichever one she is. You are beautiful and will find yourself a new boy soon so soon, don’t worry. Oh and by the way, homework this weekend is to write about your future love life….ouch (it actually is…) Oh my chickadees.
More on Ko Phi Phi tonight!
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