Motorbike Woes and Middle School Awkwardness

For those who don't already know, my main quest, at least momentarily, is to obtain a motorbike. It is a very slow process, as are many of the processes here in Thailand. Some things get done but most get done later. The biggest stumbling block at the moment is that the person most likely to purchase a bike for me (foreigners cannot buy a bike) refuses to do so. I am working very hard to convince her, but it is not going well. We even had a test ride today where she wasn't impressed, but I say she is just a poor judge of mad skills.


I am in Phayao now, the home of the Srinagarinda Princess Mother School where I am teaching. And officially, the school is not in town, or even close to town (18 km), which explains my even more ferocious desire for personal transportation. Being far away from town and in the boonies presents problems: feeling like a prisoner, eating only school food, having very few English speakers, inability to access town and the lake, to name a few.


My journal from my first day here, the 28th: "I am hoping that once classes begin tomorrow, and when I begin to realize my freedom, that I will find real joy again, instead of a plastered on smile." A bit depressing, I realize. But I can now express those feelings since I am feeling better and more at home here.

In my first day of classes, I found I am teaching Mahthayum (not sure on the spelling) 1, 2, and 3, the equivalent of Middle School kids. They are all funny and look at me as though I am speaking gibberish, but I think that they are smarter than they let on, because one even drew a zombie on the board during the Halloween lesson. Speaking of, Happy Halloween all! The attention I get here is ridiculous, and I think another journal quote is in order:

"A funny thing while running; when I ran by a group of girls, the literally screamed. It sounded as if a really hot rock star walked past. Like the Jonas Brothers and their tween following. ...Eek." Many girls, boys, adults males, and adult females have told my "You are handsome." I think it has something to do with how white I am, because I definitely saw whitening lotion (as opposed to tanning lotion) in the store the other day.

Pictures of Phayao and the school.