The Big 1-8

Start your countdown widgets. Ajarn Kirsten's triumphant return to America will occur on May 3rd, after a quick 2-week vacation in Bali.

BALI

I know I have much more to update everyone on and I promise I will do so shortly.

more pictures

I'm trying to organize my photos by month. Check them out here.

August
September

More Fun Things about Thailand

1) Sometimes, your co-teacher thinks that your image is worthy of a keychain. Then she decides to sell the keychains to your students, who actually buy them, and makes almost 1000 baht doing so. I'm thinking I really need to start a "Take Your Picture with Aj. Kirsten" side business.



2) Tomorrow is Makha Bucha day. What is Makha Bucha Day, you ask? Beats the hell out of me. All I know is I get the day off.

3) Next week is my last week of teaching. That means I have spent 8 3/4 months as a teacher. Anyone know when that all happened? The way things are shaping up right now, I'll probably spend most of March in Laos with my roommate, and then I'll be back in Nan March 28-April 11 to teach a summer conversation course. Then...?

4) I guess this doesn't really count as new, but I'm still a big fan of the kids' nicknames, especially when I'm grading 180 of the same worksheet and stumble across this gem.

Anybody want to join?

Tomorrow Copplestone and I are going to ride an elephant. If you want to come, meet us at my school at 10 am. See you there.

A round of applause?

Yesterday, as I was finishing my run at the reservoir in town, I passed a group of older men that were streching after their run, and one of them stopped stretching to clap for me. He literally gave me a round of applause and clapped loudly enough for me to hear him over my iPod. It wasn't even in a creepy way - just totally well-meaning and congratulatory. I think it might have been because I'm a woman and Thai women don't ever go running, but I'm not quite sure. I've gotten used to being stared at everywhere I go, but if the Thai people go and up the game and clap at me wherever I go, I'm not really sure what I'm going to do. Not a bad way to end a workout, though.

Happy Teacher's Day!

Today is Teacher's Day in Thailand and we have a day off from school to celebrate. After last week, where I had to break up a fight by physically removing/carrying a student out of the classroom and deal with the aftermath of a boy in 5/4 pulling a knife on a girl in 5/1, this is a much-needed day off. On the agenda for the day - cleaning my room because Copplestone will be in Nan in one week! He will bring the blonde population up to a solid 2. I'm dying to post pictures of the Asian Forbes Family Christmas, but my laptop power cord is broken so that will have to wait until a new one arrives from America.

In the meantime, enjoy this video of my roommate, Steph, teaching her fourth-graders, "I Feel Good" by James Brown. Yes, that really counts as an English lesson, and yes, I really get to teach kids that are that cute (you know, when they're not threatening each other with knives).

Also, I think I've finally stopped being and dumb and figured out how to do links in here, so family member who aren't on facebook, enjoy the following albums:

July vacation to Ko Samet

A trek we did with some friends

A trip to a temple with the 6th graders

Kindergarteners

5th Graders

6th Graders

Back in Nan, Safe and Sound

I've heard about the bombings in southern Thailand, so I just thought I'd report that I'm fine, though a little sad to return to normal life after some amazing travels. Details and pictures to follow. Sawat dii bii mai ka! (Happy New Year!)