I'm a teacher?!!!

Hi!

We just finished teaching our second day of classes at a Bangkok middle school. It is going great! My friend Karen and I are working with 7th - 9th graders. (We are splitting a two hour block). There are about 32 kids in the class, and what we have noticed so far is that the students have awesome English listening, reading, and writing skills, but for the most part they seem shy when it comes to speaking (especially in front of their peers). Our job, as English listening and speaking teachers, is to make learning English fun and enjoyable in a way that helps the students feel comfortable. We are also designing lesson plans that incorporate a lot of speaking - as individuals, as pairs, and as groups. Todaywe practiced talking about similarities and differences in pictures by comparing and constrasting magazine cut outs I brought in.

By the end of the class I have been pretty exhausted. And it probably doesn't help that it is about 90 degrees in the classrooms with no airconditioning :) But I have come to accept that sweating is just a part of teaching (and living) in Thailand! We have more teaching tomorrow, and then again on Monday and Tuesday. Next Monday (October 27th), I leave for the province where I'll be teaching and living for the next five months! I feel really positive and excited about all of these experiences and adventures!

I mailed my overseas absentee ballot today! I wonder how it's going back in the United States with the election and everything? I feel so removed from it, and I appreciate any updates!

As you might already know, the Thailand Political system is going through all sorts of craziness right now (and it has been for about a month and a half). I will just give a brief overview of the conflict, but I recommend looking it up to learn more. Everyday, for at least the past 45 days, there are protestors in front of the Government house (kind of the equivalent to the U.S. white house). Most of these protestors are from the Opposition Party (PAD or the People's Alliance for Democracy). The PAD are fed up with having a government full of controversy and deceit - particularly they are fed up with a having a government that is tied very closely to the former Prime Minister, Thaksin. Tha PAD is largely made up of urban (Bangkok) middle-class citizens. The PPP (People's Power Party) supports the current government and is largely made up of people from rural areas. Some of the recents news has been around violence that has broken out between PAD and PPP, as well as between PAD and police/military people.

To tell you the truth, it would be "easy" for me to live in Bangkok and not know what is happening just a few kilometers away. First, I don't speak Thai so I don't understand the news or the newspapers. But, more importantly, politics are not considered a polite discussion topic in everyday life. You will rarely find a Thai person who will publicly discuss politics. It is kind of a taboo subject (along with religion, and controversial issues).

I have to run, but just wanted to give a very brief overview of what is happening here.

Hope you're great!

Love,
Kate