Wrapping Up

Our school is getting ready for graduation next week! There's not much to do around the office; I've been going in in the morning and staying for the free lunch, then leaving. We've been done with work at the secondary school since mid-February. I feel kind of bad for the primary teachers who just had their final exams this week. (Not bad enough not to enjoy all my free time though!)

We are supposed to wear blue suits for the graduation ceremony, but since I'm staying on next year the school gave me the material to make an official school blazer. It's really nice of them, and with the help of three Thai teachers, I was able to get fitted and order my suit. I hope it'll be ready for the ceremony.

This week I helped my boss count coins. Every year, Geoffrey sets out a bank to collect change to donate to the school in Mae Sot. It's really amazing how quickly quarter and half-baht coins can add up. This year we got B1918 -  nearly $60 for the school. I want to go back to Mae Sot next year... although I'd really like not to have Dengue Fever next time.

I'll be going on the M6 senior trip next week. I never taught any of them, but I was invited along. I won't turn down a free vacation! We're going to Cha'Am, just south of Bangkok on the gulf. It'll be nice to get out of the city for a while; I haven't left Bangkok since January. 

So I'm heading home soon (early April). The school has booked my flight through Seoul, and I'm looking forward to spending some time in what a lot of people consider to be the nicest airport in the world (Incheon). Except for a few political issues, this year has been great. Forget the protests though, the worst thing about Thailand are these guys:

It's a water monitor. They live in the moat surrounding where I work and it freaks me out every time I see them. They're really huge, and they remind me of Komodo dragons! Since it had been cool, they weren't around much in the last few months, but now that it's getting hot again in Bangkok, they've been more active. They just walk around the grounds like they own the place. I don't like it.