We've got another day in sunny Bangkok before we take off for "sunny" (ha!) Wisconsin! Last week we had our overnight camp and it was obvious the kids are very excited and eager to meet their host families. If you haven't already, please check out Pat's blog. She's written a few updates on the parent meeting and the overnight camp.
As for me, I've been a bit overloaded with work. Pat and I wanted to leave the Center on solid footing before the trip, so we piled on as many lessons as I could possibly teach in one month. It's been hectic and draining, but on the positive side, we're very stable now and that's a big load off my mind.
We also put a lot of effort into getting our house cleaned up. In Thailand, leaving a house empty for a month is an invitation for bugs and other critters to make it their home, and last time we came back, we spent a few weeks battling to regain ownership of our home from the various creepy-crawlies that had moved in. So this time, we've scrubbed the place down and sealed up everything in plastic. We also packed up everything we're going to need for the trip, including snacks for the kids, gifts for the hosts, and all the documents and electronics.
Unfortunately, it's also meant that I've been a bit lax on getting this blog updated. Last night when I got home, Pat and I talked about going over to her house to pick up the stuff from the overnight camp and also stopping by the center so I could finally update the blog while Pat made some photocopies, but first we needed to copy her computer's hard drive to our at-home backup drive. While I was doing that, I literally passed out on the bed. Pat said she tried to wake me up, but it was no use. I was out like a light.
Hopefully, all that hard work will be worth it. We've prepared a really cool trip this year and we've got a lot of fun activities planned. Pat and I are looking forward to traveling with this group, they all seem like great kids and I think this will be one of our best trips yet.
Last week was the overnight camp. This year we stayed at Pat's family's house. It's a ridiculously big, dusty and spooky old place that they don't use at all. The house doesn't have air-conditioning, so it was a bit hot, but the kids seemed to enjoy it. It was like camping in a cabin on a mountain in the jungle.
In fact, I even caught a gecko outside! Pat's murderous little Jack Russell terriers are very good at catching snakes and lizards. So when I went outside to clean up, I noticed them playing with something. When I went to see what they'd caught, a big tokay gecko climbed up my leg to escape the dogs. I asked Pat to grab a towel before I picked it up because I used to have one as a pet and I know how painfully they can bite (Ow!). Turns out, Pat is afraid of geckos! She says she isn't, but she wouldn't come near it and refused to even look at it. Hahah! Thai people are afraid of geckos for some reason, and they get scared whenever they hear the distinctive "Too-kah!" call of the gecko. In fact, geckos are a regular feature in Thai horror movies. When I first moved to Thailand, I could never figure out why people in movies would scream in terror and run around whenever they heard or saw a gecko, but then someone told me that Thais believe geckos will eat your liver!
Luckily, the kids were upstairs and didn't see the gecko, so we avoided any liver-eating nightmares. Hahah! Pat's house is spooky enough already :-).
Once we got the kids fed and ready for bed, Pat helped the newcomers with their blogs while I got the others to answer a questionnaire for their first blog entry. After they'd updated their blogs, I talked to the kids briefly about the trip and then we played some games. During the overnight camp, it's our intention to step back and observe the kids while they get to know each other. That way, we can catch any potential problems before the kids leave home.
The first thing we noticed was that all the kids seemed to get along very well. It only took a few minutes for them to gel as a group and soon they we're laughing and playing like old friends. It helps that we've got a few experienced homestay travelers in this group, because they can ease the anxieties of the new students.
One potential problem Pat and I did notice was that several of the kids seemed very attached to their phones and tablets. This seems to be a recurring problem on each trip and I guess it's just part of living in such a technology-infused world. Once we arrive in America, we will talk to the students about phone-use, and we'll also talk to the host families and Thai parents about setting reasonable limits on phone and computer use. It is important that the kids be able to communicate with friends and family back home, but it is also important that they assimilate with their host families and avoid homesickness. So that's something we're going to have to keep an eye on. If it does become a problem, we may have to remove some phones temporarily. Hopefully that won't happen, but we're making everyone involved aware of the issue in case it does come up, so it won't be a surprise.
Overall, though, this seemed like a very good group of kids and we were pleased to observe that they were helpful and polite. They helped each other prepare their first blog posts and then listened carefully as I went over a few important trip details. Afterwards, we played a few games of "Sorry" and "Uno", and then wrapped up the night with a round of "Charades". That was pretty hilarious! Some of the kids were shy but others flapped their arms around wildly in vain attempts to communicate words. Hahah!
So here are the blogs for this trip:
June's Blog
Dada's Blog
Didi's Blog
In's Blog
Japan's Blog
Fah's Blog
Pooh's Blog
Win's Blog
Carrot's Blog
Please click "Follow" on their blogs to keep up to date on their posts. Remember to encourage the students to blog daily. We're not concerned about grammar or spelling on these blogs, but we do want the kids to consistently update them. The best way to do this is to ask them questions and request more details. And of course, if you want to keep up with all the activities on this trip, you can check my blog or Pat's Blog.
We're going to be "dark" for a few days while we are in transit. I don't expect us to have internet access until Monday, so if you have questions for us, please send me an email and I'll answer as soon as possible.
Thanks!
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