Senior Trip 2015: Phetchaburi

The year is over. Graduation rehearsal is tomorrow, and the graduation ceremony will be on Monday the 23rd. That means that it's just a short time now before I'm flying back to visit the USA.

Even though classes have been over since the end of February, it hasn't been just free time. There's still been a lot of work to do with lesson planning and preparing for next year, especially since I'm the only one of the foreign teachers (Geoffrey excluded) who is staying on for another year. I'm going to be responsible for teaching and training the new teachers next year. James and Ryan have helped me prepare as best as they can, but it's still a little overwhelming trying to get things ready by myself.

I've also been spending a lot of time studying and practicing Thai.

But nothing made this year seem so finalized like the M6 farewell trip. I went on the trip last year, and it was fun, although I didn't teach that grade, so I didn't really know the students. This year was different, because this year I taught M6 Writing class, and while it was one of the most challenging, it was also one of the most fun to teach.

On Tuesday morning we took a taxi to school early, loaded up onto big busses, and with our police escort (the royal school has its privileges), headed off to the beach. This year, due to our school's connections, we stayed at a really nice resort owned by the military for officers. It was right on the beach, and the accommodations were very comfortable.

Unfortunately James couldn't go with us this year, as he had to be at his university to do research for his thesis, so Ryan and I were left to navigate the Thai social situation independently, which can be a bit stressful. Luckily for us, Nan was there. As our friend James' wife, she was responsible for us by proxy and tell us what we should be doing and when.

Mostly, we relaxed and ate. After arriving, the students had several hours of free time before dinner to swim at the pool or go to the beach. As for us perpetually confused farangs, we spent our time making friendly mockery of the "inspirational" photos that the Thais spent so many hours taking on the beach.

I was flying 

After a seafood dinner, it was finally time for the big ceremony. First there was Thai dancing. When the music started, the students scrambled to get teachers as their partners. One of the girls from my writing class ran up to where I was sitting at the side of the room, kneeled, gave me a wai, and offered her hand. She told me that she had been accepted into the international program at her dream university because of my letter of recommendation! Wow! Sometimes I wonder if I'll ever really make a difference to the students, of if I'm just this weird, kind of amusing foreigner with novelty value. That made me feel really good! The Thai teachers already know Thai dance, of course, but our students had to show Ryan and I how to hold our hands and some very simple moves as Thai classical music played.

Then it was time for the string ceremony. The hotel didn't allow us to use real candles this year, so we had to use little fake ones, but it still looked cool. The students sat in a circle, and each teacher got a bundle of white bracelets, like the kind that monks give for blessings. We then went around the room tying bracelets around the wrists of special students and wishing them luck, giving them advice, and blessing them. It was really dark and kind of hard to find all the students who I wanted to say something to, but I did pretty well. As I gave them their bracelets, I asked about their college plans and told them something like, "Always do your best, no matter what, and never give up. I wish you all the best in university and in your life". Many of the students waid deeply, some all the way down to the ground, as if before a monk! 

Though I've only known class 45 for a short time (I didn't teach them last year), I've gotten to know my small class of fourteen students well. Saying goodbye in this way was really special, and I can only imagine how meaningful it must be for the students. After fifteen years together at school, they are about to go their separate ways. Graduation day will be the last time for all of them to be together as students.

Then, we all sang the school song. Ryan and I were very proud that we were able to follow along with the words in the program, even if we didn't know what they meant! At least we were able to read and pronounce them. It's been about a month since the students have been in school, so after the headmistress said a few words, one of the teachers got up and lectured the students about the importance of following dress code at graduation. Many of the boys will need to get haircuts.

Last, a few students had magnets with the words "Class 45", and were instructed to give them to the teachers. Another student who had asked me for a letter of recommendation ran over to give me one. I'll miss class 45. Good luck to them!