A life of simplicity, clorful chicks, and elephants

The first week of teaching was rather light. On Monday we had a holiday because it was the Queen’s birthday. The King and Queen are worshiped in Thailand with good reason. They have been the promoters for prosperity and peace for the last sixty years of Thai history.

Still, there were no celebrations in Khun Han. I went for my second long bicycle ride, this time towards the East of town. I rode twelve kilometers out towards Kantaralak and then came back. I passed rice paddy after rice paddy until the landscape changed completely. Then, all I saw were rubber tree plantations and fields of a plant with marijuana-looking leaves. I was chased by a dog and stared at by some locals, which was to be expected.

Despite my fears, classes went rather well. Perhaps because it was the first week, the children behaved better than what I expected. I would never dream of standing in front of a large group of teenagers in the US or Argentina, but here teachers are more respected. Remembering how I treated my teachers in high-school, I feel a great deal of appreciation for these kids.

 The teachers and the director are very accommodating and try very hard to make me happy. I guess I am enjoying the results of a huge teacher turn-over. I can see why this would be a tough place to sell to most teachers, especially the younger ones. There is nothing to do here. That is, unless you are someone like me and are in a time of your life when you can actually benefit from a period of solitude.

There are some curious things going on in Khun Hanh, however. This week I saw something that I thought quite bizarre: a pink pick and a green chick. I also rode my bike past an elephant in my way from the market. Albeit there are elephants in Thailand they are usually in reserves and not walking on an interstate road.

Colorful chicks by my hotel

I am enjoying the peace of this place just because I know my time here is finite. I wake up early, do yoga and bike to school. At noon I go to a restaurant where the owner, Ms. Ole, speaks enough English to understand that I do not want MSG in my food. After lunch I come to the hotel and brush my teeth before going back to teach. In the evening I go to the market and buy a salad from a woman who uses many delicious ingredients and then buy my customary two kilos of fruit. I have also started indulging on sweet sticky rice deserts. I sit at dusk at the beautiful garden of the hotel and connect with my loved ones around the world. Life is pretty much stress free, simple, and beautiful. Nonetheless, I would go dead in this town if I did not have an escape plan.