Saturday, February 6, 2010

Farewell to Gerry and Ashley:

Thai orchids (look just like Hawaiian orchids) blooming on restaurant grounds.

Said goodbye to two more volunteers at a dinner in a very nice outdoor garden-type of restaurant. Had tasty chicken and cashews, spring rolls and Singha beer. This night on the town cost a total of $9. including tip.

The occasion brought home to me and Tinu that we ourselves only have one more week of teaching. We leave Trang next Saturday. The school semester is winding down. Exams and the hot season are approaching. (It does seem to be getting hotter.) Am spending today, Sunday, doing laundry (still by hand) and studying maps of Bangkok so I'll be able to find my way around when I get to this teeming, rather intimidating city. There is so much to see in Bangkok. It's hard narrowing down choices and figuring out how to navigate.

Have booked two half-day tours and one full day tour, leaving (I hope) some time to see some things for which there do not appear to be tours. The Sky Train is near my hotel and from all accounts, that and the subway are the only way to avoid being stuck in traffic for hours. (Yes, but where exactly do the Sky Train and subway go? That's what I need to determine this afternoon.)

Already dreading saying goodbye to my students and Wan Li who has begged me to stay on longer or come back next semester. Too far from family and friends, I keep telling her.

But yes, I really will miss those eager faces and beautiful smiles. The kids finally are willing to risk making mistakes in English and are speaking up--and here I am leaving them just as we've gotten to a point where real progress is possible.

Bangkok, Chiang Mai (and the elephants!) and Phuket await. Despite mixed emotions about leaving Trang and my kids here, I'm rarin' to go see it all!

From left: Kristin, Madeline and Ashley.

From left: Rachel, Tinu and Gerry.

Haven't tried Chang beer yet--the other Thai beer that's popular here. (But it has elephants for a symbol so I'll probably like it!)

3 comments:

  1. Maybe you could make a deal with Wan Li for you to return and teach a couple of months every year -- at their expense, of course. It could be an annual event (free vacation). Think of all those caves you could float through, not to mention all the other adventures like bull fights, elephant rides, and bugs to eat!

    ReplyDelete
  2. No, my school is a poor rural one. They cannot afford a farang to teach English like the private ones can. Might consider it if they could!

    ReplyDelete
  3. sad to leave all those kids, but new adventures are waitng just around the corner!

    ReplyDelete