My first day of School

---

-So it started with some little 5-year-olds who liked my elephant tie. I spent the next 3 hours working with these beautiful little kiddies, some very apt to learn and others very shy. Although it's by no means an intellectually tiring job, the ol' stand up sit down, trying to control and entertain gig is physically draining. I still have to learn their names, or rather, their nicknames, as no one uses their real one as their identity on their birth certificate is usually a paragraph long, fit with the family name and everyone else's.

I taught colors, and drew a lot. My role as the only English teacher is to be the conversation teacher, sort of the fun one who teaches English in a fun way while all the other experienced teachers work through grammar and syntax of English and Thai. But no one speaks English. One student, PooDang, maybe... his English, especially as a five-year-old is as good as many restaurant owners or average business workers.

Sorry my writing isn't as flowery or rich with literary bounty but I am on a time constraint and need to get back to the apartment to make flash cards for the 3-year-olds I'll teach tomorrow. But luckily it's only 3 hours a day, they provide coffee during break and lunch after school, plus everyone is quite nice, it seems somewhat flexible, the students are eager, and it is very close to where I live... only 10 minutes or so!

I'll post the name of the school when I find out how the hell to spell it. But it's like Chiang Mai garden school, or something. But the Thais know it and say it's a good school.

I don't really make enough to live on, less than $500 a month or about $4.50 per hour but I just got an email from City Life Magazine that is interested in me writing a few articles after I sent some ideas, so I'll start work on those this week. One is about Domestic abuse in Thai relationships, another is a feature on night workers, such as the flower sellers, prostitutes, etc. I'll also talk to that author, Brian, when he gets better from his fluish thing. He is incredibly old and could die from it, but hopefully not since I need to put something about working on a book in my resume.... I MUST!! Even if it means I have to nurse him back to health..... anything it takes to make it in this godforsaken world. BTW, the jellyfish wounds are healing and the gf prospects are looking up, although I haven't actually met anyone other than the first girl I met here (Mo) who fits the dating bill.

I also found brie cheese today... President.... (It know what you are thinking).... quite....

Nonetheless, despite multiple cars and motocys trying to hold me down, thai speakers who are unwilling to work with me, and whores on every corner begging for short term pleasure and sweaty wads of cash...

Miner man is makin' it in this fuckin mad house.

-Andrew

---

Comments

[Tera]

props to the Miner man
wow, it sounds like you got a shit ton of shit done. I thought you said that you weren't working until next month.. Nice job being proactive and motivated homeboy! In regards to Brian, I think you should do the total American mom thing and bring him some chicken noodle soup and then attempt to wipe his burning brow with a damp towel. This should help, as it did when we were kids and our moms helped bring us back to health.. And from that point Brian will forever be grateful that you brought him back from death. Do one thing for me during your teaching adventures and teach the kiddies a good American hi five as props for doing good. Then tell them that the coolest girl from Portland, Or gives them mad props for being bad asses and this gesture is courtesy of her bad ass-ness. Like one bad ass to another giving mad gangsta props. If I know kids at all they'll love this and will think you and this unknown girl Tera are the coolest of the cool. Making these kids putty in your hand.. mwahahahaa..