I've received a couple comments about how excited people are to see pictures...yah, me too. I am saving up my Peace Corps money to buy one so they should be coming soon! I really want to show you all the wonderful world I get to live in right now. As a first time traveler, I just can't get enough of the culture and the different environment: 10 year old kids riding motorcycles through the city like it's their job, two adults and one baby packed onto one motorcycle, dead animals at every marketplace, dogs EVERYWHERE (when I say everywhere, I really mean everywhere. They hang out around the city parking lots, country roads, and even at the schools). All of these are things that I absolutely love simply because they are what makes up the culture here. One aspect of the culture that I am working on is the concept of community. I am in individualist - in personality and nationality. Almost every day on my bike ride home someone will come up and ride their bike or motorcycle next to me. Most of the time we will talk until I have exhausted my pasa Thai and then they head off. Some times a family member will ride next to me simply to give me company. The cong Thai are a very caring people and want to make sure I make it home safely but they also believe in community, in togetherness, and biking alone is an extremely undesirable thing in their eyes....I, however, like it. So, needless to say I felt urges of frustration with the fact that she was riding next to, occasionally looking over at me and smiling. I honestly just wanted to ride by myself. I realized to myself after I got home that my frustration is just plain sillyness. How could I be frustrated at someone who only means the best for me. And I mean the best. The first night PC119 got to Sakeo, some people stayed out after dark even though we were suggested not to. Our trainers recieved 13 phone calls that night because they weren't back before dark. They care about us. That brings me to my next point. I have realized truly what an important place I have here in Thailand. I knew coming in that I would do good for the people that I worked with and of course, as nothing is a altruistic act, I would do good for myself as well. But after meeting the governor of Sakeo, representatives from Ministry of Education, and hearing what our trainers have to say, I - we, PC119 - are doing fantastic things for the country. The government and the people really want us here and are genuinely excited that we are working FOR their country. It has been quite humbling for me to realize what I am doing here. Thailand has been under the system of Teacher Centered classrooms and desperately want to change to Student Centered Teaching (which is more what we have grown up with in the states, more or less). The problem that I am running into is how incredibly challenging it is going to be to make the switch. The children are already ingrained into this system and breaking someone of a hard pressed habit is pretty difficult. My language group consisting of two other people (Anton from the Phillipeans and Bekah from Florida) meets at the school 15 minutes from my house (which happens to be the same one at which I am going to be teaching). We were able to go into one of the classrooms and Anton and I decided to sing the Hokey Pokey (which was quite a hit with the kids in my neighborhood). They knew the english work for head but when it came to teaching left and right...oh boy. So we would point to our head, they would say head. We would point to our right arm, they would say nothing. We gave them a little time and then said "right arm". They repeated "right arm". Then we said "what is this" then they said "what is this". They are used to rote memorization, to believing that the teacher had all the answers, and to well, Teacher Centered Learning. It was tough. We did some dancing and movement to help them get the words but most likely, when we come back tomorrow, it will be gone from their minds. This was just a chance meeting. We were not expecting to walk into the classroom so if we did it the right way we would not have taught them left, right and arm in the same lesson. But as challenging as it is going to be, it is going to be amazing and I truly have a fantastic group of people behind me. Time for lunch! Write to me!!!!!!!
The other day I got the pleasure of participating in part of a two day ceremony for Anton's brother who is becoming a monk. They have a hair cutting ceremony (The after picture is on the left there. Anton is on the far left, his brother, Garrett, and then one of our Ajaans (teachers) Denai). so there were about 50-75 people crowding around him as he sat in a chair holding candles between his hands that were in prayer position. There was a group of 3 guys playing music in a truck behind him reminiscent of rock and roll but with a Thai twist. Each person came through and cut part of his hair off and at first I was just watching but as the Thai are generous, they asked me to cut part of his hair as well so I took the scissors, waied him, and then cut. I think I pulled a little harder than would be comfortable but he sat there with his eyes closed through the whole thing. I wonder what he was thinking. I was able to steal some pictures off of Garrett's blog for those of you who want some. 
This one below is of some of us meeting on a weekend at our favorite hang out spot. We call it The Chang named after the Beer Chang, the beer of choice of a lot of volunteers here. I unfortunately don't like beer (unfortunate because it is so cheap) and mixed drinks aren't really common (which is fine) so I just drink green tea (which is actually delicious). The family that runs this shop is very very sweet. They have the one little table that you see in the picture but as more of us show up they will bring out table and chairs from their house to accommodate us. I hope they like us because good god are we loud! I love this picture because of the bike parking lot we have created. They gave us all (56 of us) all brand new Trek bikes with LED lights for the front and back, tire pumps, helmets, and patch kids. They were very good to us. So anyway, I think that that is good for now. My friend did let me borrow her camera for a day so I have some pictures of my own homestay but don't have a USB cord yet sooooo....they are coming. So thank you all for your comments (keep them coming) but I do also really really want people to write me long emails about what is going on in their life!
