Tarot and Taro

Teaching has been going well, though the students' English level is quite low. Figuring out the way things work around here (i.e. making copies, opening a locked classroom, knowing where I am supposed to be, knowing when I am supposed to be there, etc.) has become my latest challenge. Thankfully, no major catastrophes, but, don't worry, I have still found myself in plenty of embarrassing and confusing situations.

This past weekend was laid-back and fun. I went to a market on Saturday morning with Ajahn Nattamon- the woman who shows me the ropes around here (except for the first two weeks when she was in Vietnam and then sick). After breakfast, she brought out her Tarot cards and offered to read my fortune. She told me to shuffle the deck with my left hand while thinking of my future, money, love, business, traveling, education, or whatever. Because I am me, I found myself curious about the future doom and misfortune of my love life. When the deck was cut and the 10 cards were revealed to forecast my romantic future, the results were quite surprising (and, dare I say, promising?). The 10th card, the most important indicator of future failure or success, was 'The Lovers' card! Maybe there's hope for me yet. Haha.

In the evening I went over to Ajahn Watana's house and had a feast with the other foreign teachers (see the picture of the leftover food). The two Philippina teachers (Bella and Liza), the two Chinese teachers (Zhoubo and Chai), and I stuffed ourselves until our belts wouldn't loosen anymore. Did I mention that my favorite song (Nothin's Gonna Stop Us)was playing when I went in the dining room? I was so excited, I busted a move right there and frightened everyone around me. Well, after dinner, people had grown accustomed to my insanity and we had a bit of a dance party, which consisted of listening to English songs while I made a spectacle of myself with my awesome skills in the art of awkward dancing. How else was I going to burn off all those calories?

Finally, on Sunday I made my triumphant return to Bangkok with the two male Chinese teachers. We shopped in Siam Square all day (their choice, not mine). Now, I'm ready for another week of attempting to break through the language barrier with my students!