The Big 40!

I have finished teaching at the "Border School", (it is called this because it is about 60 kilometers from the border of Myanmar), for the time being.  On Monday I start teaching High School at Thap Sakae Wittya.  I am very excited and a little nervous.  I will be assisting the English teachers in all of the English classes with pronunciation, grammar, and slang.  The students are in full-on mode right now getting ready for final exams that take place in about 3 weeks.  I will be playing guitar and singing in the classes too.  Last week a student gave me the sheet music for 3 popular American pop songs that I am learning.  Singing songs is a great way to learn and practice English.

This last week was my 40th birthday.  It was very special to mark this chapter of my life in Thailand.  On my birthday I taught at the elementary school and in the morning I heard one of the teachers mention my name several times during the morning announcements.  Then throughout the morning every single student approached me individually with a freshly picked flower and presented it to me with a wai, (Thai greeting where you put both of your hands together as if in a prayer and bow), and a "happy birthday".  It was the sweetest thing I have ever experienced.  I had to fight back tears each time one of the little ones approached me.  No material gift could ever match the sincerity and warmth of each beautiful flower and birthday wish.  In the evening several teachers and some of the High School students from the Power of One took me to a fantastic dinner at a restaurant right on the beach in Thap Sakae.  The food was amazing.  We had large grilled prawns, (nearly the size of my fist), oysters, fish, and fresh squid.  (In this region of Thailand one of the primary things they fish for is squid, it is always available at the local restaurants and is so fresh and delicious).  We ate and talked and laughed and ate and ate and ate until I thought I was going to burst.  I taught the rest of the week and then last night, (Saturday), 2 of the adults from the Power of One, Silvia and Diane, took several of us out for dinner at a very nice restaurant, also right on the beach.  I actually had a steak! Beef is not available at very many places in Thailand and is sometimes very expensive.  So this was a very nice departure from 1 month of rice and fish and was very delicious.  It only cost 150 Thai Baht, which equates to about 5 US Dollars.  We were celebrating 3 birthdays on this night and when the owner heard this he approached us during dinner and said that they didn't have any cake so he would like to make us a birthday pancake.  It was just that too...  a very delicious pancake with candles and the whole nine yards.  I really enjoyed myself as this was my first evening of dinner and conversation with just adults.

Thank you for all of the Birthday wishes.  It truly has been one of my my most favorite and memorable Birthdays.  Now...  on to High School!