Fear and Sobriety in Surat (Still Smiling Though)

The mood here is somber and sobering, to say the least. A couple of countries away, the devastation in Mumbai is making the violent protests here in BKK look like a fart in the wind. I don't know enough about the disturbing events in India yet to opine any educated words about it, but needless to say that hearing those accounts, talking to Thai residents who know people involved, on top of the closing of all airports in Thailand due to the scuffle between the PAD (People's Alliance for Democracy) and the corrupt-ass Thai govt., I'm starting to feel a little claustrophobic. I'm supposed to stop through Bangkok over X-mas break to update my visa. I have mixed feelings about that. I'm not worried about being a foreigner in that situation, as the tension is between the PAD and Thailand's Prime Minister, but the potential for violence is a little nerve-wracking, even here in Surat, about 450 miles from the scene. So, I hope they resolve this shit come X-mas time.



To make things worse, it hasn't stopped raining for three weeks (the rainy season supposedly ended at the end of Oct.) which means all the scorpions and centipedes and millipedes are seeking shelter indoors, a vicious species of mold has begun to colonize my clothes and pillows, my only form of transportation has no pedals, and my computer is kaput. That last piece of news means that I won't be able to keep up with this here blog as much. From here on out I'll have to write everything short-hand, and then find some Internet cafe to transfer the words. But I've decided to breeze through my time in Chiang Mai, my B-day sojourn to Koh Tao, emphasizing the highlights and omitting the bullshit, or else I'll never catch up.

With all this drama, it mind sound like I'm not having any fun, but make no mistake, this has so far been the most fulfilling experience of my life, and that has everything to do with the kids I teach. They are, quite simply, a-may-zing. As soon as I walk into that classroom (just wait till you see my classroom videos, coming-soon I hope), I forget about all the strife going on around me. I forget about the sweltering heat (yes, it's hotter than FL); I forget about the prehistoric bugs haunting my bedsheets; I forget about lady-boys who try to manhandle my man-marbles every time I go to a bar/club; I forget about all the fantastic fucking football I'm missing; I forget about how much I miss my family and friends. I seriously want to smuggle these Thai kids back to America with me. As much as I love their country and culture, I want to show these kids a life they deserve. These kids are budding geniuses; they have a thirst for knowledge the likes of which I've never seen in an American classroom. And it's going unnoticed and unappreciated. So this post is a long overdue tribute to the reason why I'm here. My students. I hope that I'm teaching them a fraction of what I've already learned from them.