Thai school fun, food and pictures, Thailand.

Last Saturday we had a family day for parents and the younger students. There was games and fun to be had and of course food as well. Here people are looking at what to buy.

These are hotdogs, deep fried chicken and a vegetable fritter.

These will be popular, cake roll and buns.

This was very yummy, hedgehog log. My mum made the best hedgehog roll and still does, I am sure but I don’t get eat it anymore.

There were even sandwiches and sushi rolls on offer.

These are a pure sugar fix. Very sweet and keep the kids charged up.

These are processed pork, beef and fish balls.

And what would the day be without ice cream.

Fashion central here in Isaan Thailand.

Here a very happy teacher shows off their product, they are little coloured plastic balls that you thread onto nylon line to make bangles and other types of homemade jewelry.

Looking out from behind the bars.

Two happy year 6 girls with cake and donuts.

A dad and his year 1 daughter. She was dressed in a Chinese outfit as she had been part of a show.

A year 1 boy painting.

Two year 1 girls painting.

Two year 1 boys lined up for a game.

Two year 1 girls and a mum enjoying their day.

A year 1 girl and her flying machine.

And there was even a dog enjoying the day, and looked the part as well.

So these are just a few more of the pictures from the family day at a Thai school.

Brunty

Thai school fun, games and dancing, Thailand.

At school today being Saturday there was a get together for the younger parents and kids.

Chayangkool Road, Ubon’s main road is dual lane through the town. At the moment it is nice and quiet.

Chayangkool Road, Ubon’s main road is dual lane through the town. At the moment it is nice and quiet.

The opening gang was rung by a VIP guest and then the school song was played.

The kids were waiting patiently; they weren’t really interested in all the serious side of the day they just wanted to have fun.

In this game students had to maneuver this Lego robot car which has a needle on front of it. They pop a balloon in the allotted time they win a prize.

Here a Lego robot thing goes back and forward and students have to toss a bottle cap into one of the three small holes on top of it.

This was an English game. A flashcard would be shown and then the students had to find the written word. The fastest was the winner of course.

Something the kids really like, pick a stencil and paint.

Here students needed to toss a ring over the bottle to win a prize.

Here is another popular and easy game, lucky dip.

These are two EBP teachers with their homemade washing up liquid and money boxes.

More stencil painting, here students get their painting covered with a lacquer that is then blow dried. I suppose this preserves the painting from fading and maybe enhances the colours.

There were more than just games. No Thai day would be without shows. Here some girls wait to go onto the stage.

Here some students singing and dancing to traditional Thai music.

Wow, what outfits. Outfits here in Thailand are always big, colourful and interesting. These girls upped the tempo a bit on the stage.

Here are some little students dancing up a storm.

These are only a few pictures of the day and there will be more to come over the coming days. Now, I have to go as I want to watch the Manchester United and Bolton game that’s just started on TV and also finish marking my exams.

Work must come first before my fun, that being blogging about my boring life living in Isaan Thailand.

Brunty

AFL Grand Final 2008 in Thailand.

Today in Australia it was grand final day for the Australian Rules Football or AFL. The AFL has a huge following and the crowd at the home of football the Melbourne Cricket Ground or MCG was in excess of 100,000 people.

Back in Australia it means BBQ’s and parties, we did the same here, well to a small degree. We didn’t fire up the BBQ, but we had plenty of quick and easy food on hand. In Australia it is usually the good old Aussie meat pie and beer but here in Isaan Thailand meat pies are hard to find.

There were only two of us Aussies today watching the game live from Thailand, but we had plenty of food. Of course chips and nuts, also deep fried chicken skin, hotdogs, BBQ pork buns and potato wedges.

These are some potato wedges deep frying away.

I had cooked the hotdogs and the esky had some beer and plenty of ice in it.

The junk food was on the table ready to go.

These are the BBQ pork buns or called salipow here. It is a bun that has sweet pork filling inside. They do taste good. I would have killed though for some real meat pies.

The teams lined up and the National Anthem was played. That meant it was time to sit down and relax and watch the great game that is AFL football.

The two teams involved were Geelong V’s Hawthorn. Geelong was the form team having lost only one game all season and I was barracking for them as I don’t like Hawthorn. One of my brothers was a Hawthorn supporter and they gave my team some horrible beatings over time so I dislike them for this and the ribbings I would get.

The game was great, the way a grand final should be played, and players put their bodies on the line at all costs. It was a battle of strength, courage and skill. Hawthorn was tested but held strong in the first half of the game and even though they weren’t winning clearly across the ground the came out on top of the scoreboard at half time.

After half time their confidence grew and their players stood up and showed what is needed to win a premiership medal. They played as a team and eventually came out easy winners in the end. I wasn’t happy but again it doesn’t overly faze me, neither are my beloved Collingwood.

I do admit that I was happy to see one of Hawthorn’s elder statesman who is now 34 years old finally get a premiership medal. After a long career he can now if he wants retire reaching the pinnacle of the sport not just individually but most importantly with his team.

I did enjoy the day, even though there were no meat pies. I had 3 glasses of beer and enjoyed my Aussie mates company even though a few times he nodded off to sleep. I am not sure if it was the company, his age or he found the game boring.

Brunty

Exams start in Thailand 2008.

Today our final exams for the first term started. All the year 12 students sit their exams in the sport’s hall. I taught year 12 the last two years but this year I didn’t have the pleasure, I am not saddened by this.

The students have plenty of teachers around watching over them or invigilating/proctoring them. One thing I noticed last year was students were allowed to use electronic devices, such as talking dictionaries. Some had phones as these also have built in dictionaries. I couldn’t believe this and my students were again told very quickly that no such devices were allowed.

They were told 2 weeks, 1 week and a day out from the exam that they could use a plain old paper dictionary. You cannot police an electronic device; information can be stored anywhere and also outside sources can send information to students. With a plain old dictionary I can flick through it and scan for writing or cheat sheets.

The younger kids sit in their classrooms and are watched over by two teachers. My class is year 5.

This young lady is very bright and also has a cheeky but fun personality, hard to find in Thai students.

This young boy has come on in leaps and bounds. He tries hard and has improved very well this semester.

In the regular classes, class sizes are large, exceeding 45 students at times. The rooms cannot fit all and some have to sit out in the hall ways for their exams.

This student was shy and was laughing for some unknown reason.

These are our year 1 students, full of energy and waiting for their test to arrive.

This is a young year 1 girl, pondering her test.

This boy has powder on his face; Thais apply powder all the time and at times it can be amusing to see. Some times it looks as if the have war paint on like a Native American.

This girl isn’t sleeping but trying to get her brain to work and send the information that she needs for the exam.

These are a few pictures from day 1 of exams at a Thai school. Day two is even better as this means I am on the verge of a much needed holiday. A month off should recuperate the mind, body and soul, hopefully.

Brunty