You know what assuming does....

Ok so my mother pointed out that I haven't written in over a week.

Terribly sorry, though I must confess I didn't really think I had any great stories to tell.

I would sit in front of the computer trying to figure out something interesting to write.

For example: Thai Schooling vs. American Schooling? The creepy westernized wedding? The daily compliments on my huge honker? (thats nose in english, jamook in thai)

None seemed sufficient simply because I don't want to bore you. However, certain family members want to know about my day to day life in Thailand.... so here it goes.

First let me describe my room. It's fantastic.

It's blue and small, the mattress is on the floor, and it is decorated with computer game boxes.

It came complete with a tv (though I think I've watched it once), a desk, shelves and such to store my stuff, and a fantastic retro(ish) orange alarm clock.

I really do love it. Mainly because it's small (after my ballroom of a bedroom at home...not complaining mind you, it was loverly. I just despise vacuuming.) but also because I really did not know what to expect in terms of space here. The fact that I get a room of my own, and not a corner with some newspaper laid down, thrills me to no end.

So this is what I wake up to.

Despite three weeks, I still have a slight shock when I first wake up. My dreams always consist of people back home, and a part of me expects New York to be there when I first open my eyes.

As amazing as the alarm clock is, it does not snooze. It is either on or off.

As amazing as Thailand is, old habits die hard and I always turn it (slam is a more appropriate word) off as soon as it buzzes. Thus, a usual morning involves me waking up, sleeping for an extra half hour then waking up again and moving really fast.

The showers here are interesting. (As are the toilets but I won't go into that yet)

First off, there isn't any hot water. There is an electric heater attached to the shower head, but it can't get the temperature past tepid. (To be honest though, it is so hot here there is no need.)

Secondly, the entire bathroom acts as a to bathe, not just a little enclosed area. (this is why bathroom literally translated in thai as 'water room')

Third, (and perhaps most interesting) in addition to a shower head there is a large basin of water that you dip a bowl into and pour it all over yourself.

So after a brief (and brisk) "shower" (water dumping) I throw on my uniform (decribed in past posts) and go down to breakfast.

Still haven't quite figured out the breakfast bit. I seem to have something different every morning. Sometimes it's fruit, toast, sticky rice, pork, anything goes really. One morning in particular Ma bought me a hambuger at the market.

I walk to school everyday. It is not far at all so I'm never worried about doing it alone. And most people I've talked to only warned against walking alone at night.

SCHOOL

School here is bizarre. After months of expecting strict schdules, stricter teachers, and piles of homework written in thai I came to Chalermkwansatree; the best school (so they say) in Phitsanulok.

It is extremely laid back in ways that I had not expected, while focusing it's punishments on actions that I had never considered wrong.

The classes for example, they consist of about 40 students in a room with one teacher whose voice does not reach past the third row. Even if it did it wouldn't matter because everyone is talking. If you want to say something while the teacher is at school in America you must be very discreet. Here, everyone talks during the lesson, or sleeps, or does homework for another class blantantly. The weirdest part is, the teachers don't seem to care that no one is listening. They continue through their lesson as if through total silence. That is if the teachers show up at all, there have been at least 5 classes this past week where the teacher never came. So the students would chat, goof off, or in a rare case, do work for 50 minutes.

I'm still getting my schedule worked out, but at the moment I'm taking English (I kind of help teach it), French, Thai problems (but it's in Thai so....) Art, Thai Cooking, Buddhism (in thai), Modern Dance, Music (a thai flute.. taught in thai), Sewing Flowers (I'm not quite sure what this is called... we make hanging flower arrangements that you see for sale on the streets.) and Basic Thai Speaking twice a week.

School is ok. The classes are the most boring part at times, I usually don't know what is going on. Sometimes the girls next to me try and teach me a new letter or word, other times they just want to talk.

The people are what make school fun. Everyone speaks a little English (though they may be too shy to try it out on me) and really makes me feel welcome.

Ok thats all for now!! I have to go to bed!

Me (in my super sexy school uniform) and some of the gals in my class.