The Flood!

Mal's students enjoying the flood....

The semester and my time here in Thailand is quickly coming to a close. I cannot believe I will be done teaching after this week and headed to Bangkok for the wrap up meeting on October 5^th.

This past weekend was an adventure and a half. Last Thursday, I hopped on the back of a teacher's motorcycle to catch the 7:30am bus headed for Chiang Rai. I rode in a tuk tuk to the new bus terminal in Chiang Rai and finally caught a neon fabulous, double-decker, purple-curtained bus for the six and a half hour ride to Pitsanulok for my friend Mal's English camp. I arrived and was quickly fed and shuttled to a hotel with an English music video channel (you will not understand how exciting this is unless you have spent 12 months living without tv in a foreign country!). It was great to compare notes and catch up with Mal about her last few weeks of teaching.

We woke up the next morning and were informed by her host teacher, the illustrious P'Maew, that the school was flooding and the fate of English camp was undecided. We knew it did not look good when P'Maew picked us up wearing cargo shorts...not quite the usual button-up and skirt of Thai teacher attire. We arrived at the school and joined the crowds of gawking students and onlookers. But instead of staying a safe distance and watching we plunged right into the water that came up to our knees. Mal's school was literally a lake. Everyone was quite tickled to see to tall white girls wading through the water to the multipurpose room which was safely on a second floor. I was introduced around to all the teachers and one proceeded to talk my ear off (in Thai) about how my skin was so white and how I should grow my hair longer and oh beautiful beautiful meanwhile touching my arm and my hair. Mal later informed me, she's the crazy one...yep.

So it was decided as the water kept rising that English camp would have to be canceled. We did go ahead with the 12 grade honoring the monks ceremony where 500 students brought food and were blessed by the monks. We noticed many students were checking their blackberries the entire time one even had hers perched in her the crook of her thumbs while her hands were pressed together in “prayer.” After the ceremony we ate a delicious feast (mmm nahm prik!) and ventured back into the flood. By this time, soldiers had arrived and were helping to put library books up high and rescue computers. The water was up to our thighs and students passed by us in boats ferrying things to safety. But it was not all serious, most students seemed to be having the time of their lives having water fights and playing volleyball. Even the director seemed rather festive in his bamboo hat with built in fan!

We were joined later that afternoon by Lana and Jamie, and although we didn't get to have English camp, we had a pretty fantastic time eating Vietnamese food, chatting and watching music videos in our hotel, and enjoying a $10 spa treatment that included an hour oil massage, sauna, exfoliating scrub, getting covered in yogurt, and finally topped off with a bubble bath. So hi-so (the Thai abbreviation for high society).

I headed back to the Saen on Sunday morning and since I left the flooding has only gotten worse. My thoughts are with all the people in P'Lok and I hope it goes down soon! Hang in there!