Tired and Grumpy in Isaan Thailand.

I haven’t posted for a few days as it has been hectic at work as we have exams next week and this means a lot of revision for the students. This then turns into too much marking.

When I taught older students, years 11 and 12 I used to post answer keys in the classes and the students were responsible to check their work and correct their mistakes. If they were having a particular problem with some work, they could see me and I would then try and help them to understand the grammar point, tense or so forth we were studying.

When you teach young learners you cannot do this. You have to check every comma, capital letter, full stop and so forth. The last few days have been very tiring mentally. Also add to this the late nights watching the cricket, Tour De France, and The British Open has meant hardly any sleep. But this is my own entire fault.

Add to that the Thai lessons I have been studying each night, some nights I am really into it and three hours have flown by, other nights I am so frustrated trying to work out some of the craziest rules I have ever heard relating to a language, then put them into practice when I am reading a sentence just about makes me blow my brain at times.

The last two nights I haven’t been in bed before 2am, and then I get up a little later in the morning at 6:30am. Each night I then say, “I am going to bed early tonight.” But of course this just doesn’t happen. It is now 11:30pm and I haven’t even started my Thai lesson for tonight, I don’t even know if I will!

The late nights and lack of sleep has not helped my patience at school. Some small things that don’t usually bug me too much have made me express my real thoughts a little too loudly.

We have a special ceremony next week; I am not going into what it is now. The students have been doing things all week for it here and there. Nothing has affected me though; I have been lucky and not missed a single class.

This morning again I wasn’t affected but other teachers were. If you have ever taught in Thailand you know that Thai people just do not seem to be able to tell you in advance that something is happening. The majority of Thais are really terrible at this.

I knew something was going on this morning when I arrived as a lot of the car park was blocked off to cars. The big ceremony wasn’t until next week so straight away I knew it was a practice session.

And sure enough, about 30 minutes later when the first Thai teacher arrived in our office and told me that this was in fact happening, a full dress rehearsal practice. I shook my head.

What this meant is the first period of the day was cancelled; this didn’t worry me as this was a free period for me anyway. Other teachers who have to test outside the official exam days, had tests or exams to do for the first period and then they were told to postpone them and do them the next week after the official exam days. The practice was much more important.

I really wanted to scream out a fuc* me dead. I wanted to ask if all the senior people were insane in the school. I wanted to ask, “why the fuc*en hell do they need to practice for?”

The students lined up in a different part of the school, near the statue of the man who is the centre of attention this week and then next. That is the only new thing the students have to do.

Apart from that, they were made to sing the Thai National Anthem a few times. The students sing this every day. 5 days a week for 40 weeks, I am sure they can sing it in their sleep.

They have to recite the student pledge; they do this every day as well. When the students do this, it is with such a monotone sound as I think deep down they are entirely sick of it.

They then sing the school song, this is sung to death. Some assembles the students might sing it multiple times if certain people think the students haven’t done it with enough pride and passion.

And so on it goes. The students are sort of put through a mental torture test. But for the teachers it is worse.

This morning I was told I had to join in the practice and I as politely as I could, told the person that this would not be happening. I think I mentioned that having my finger nails pulled off by pliers would be more enjoyable.

The funny thing is that also a lot of other foreign teachers did the same. I think there might have been one foreign teacher who participated in the practice session. During that time there were some very funny conversations that took place. It was an enjoyable hour.

Tuesday is the actual real day for the ceremony, so Monday it could be another practice session, I am not sure. We haven’t been told anything, but again we hardly ever are.

I am secretly praying to god, Buddha or whatever higher being there is meant to be, that it absolutely pisses down rain on Tuesday. I think I will even do an Indian rain dance on Monday night.

Yes, this is mean. And maybe a lot of it is just from the lack of sleep. The other horrible thing is I have to go to school tomorrow being Saturday and also Sunday. It is for teacher training. This is my fifth such installment over the years.

I can honestly and unashamedly say that only one of the four previous training courses was worth it. The other three I took maybe a few small things away that I considered useful. This wasn’t just my observation either but many of the other teachers at the time as well felt the same.

I am hoping that tomorrow it is going to be informative, useful and enjoyable. I will go there with an open mind. I just hope that the first hour doesn’t slam it shut and have me disappearing at the first tea break of the morning.

I will keep you all posted. I must go now as my Thai lesson isn’t going away sadly.

Tonight I am studying “syllables with initial coupled low consonants + short vowel + dead final consonant. Then repeat that with a long vowel.”

I know that you are all enthralled by the sound of this but I am not. The sad thing is it’s very important to understand this part of Thai language if you want to pronounce words with the correct tones.

As I write this at 12.29am with much sorrow, Australia is getting their butts kicked in the cricket. England made 425 and the Aussies are 8 for 156 at stumps on day 2. I am keeping the faith.

Brunty