Santhai Claus and His Little Elves

Even though it doesn’t really feel like the holiday season to me, (probably because of the warm weather here), it still feels wrong to be at work during the last week in December.  Some of my friends teaching at other schools have a nice 10-day break, but most of us only have a couple of days off after the New Year.  I shouldn’t really complain though; other than Monday, all classes have been cancelled this week, as the students had Sport Day (again) on Tuesday and Wednesday, and today was Teacher Appreciation Day, with a ceremony and related events in the morning and free time in the afternoon.  Tomorrow (Friday), the students have off, and I’m crossing my fingers for an early dismissal so I can get started on my weekend a little earlier.  One can hope!

As I mentioned in last week’s post, we had a huge all-day Christmas festival at school on Friday.  The festival was amazing; the school, teachers, and students really went all out, and it was probably one of the most fun days I’ve had so far (when you don’t have to teach, school is fun!).  The little girls are so stunning with their perfect makeup and beautiful costumes; the singing, dancing, skits, and contests were entertaining to say the least.  Here are a few select pictures from my day and night.

My special language class- these kids' parents request that they have extra English exposure, so I'm basically tutoring them as a group

So pretty!

Another special language class- these students put on a Christmas skit in English.  Notice all of the 'presents' hanging from the tree; they were empty boxes, and each one had a number written on it.  Students picked a present from the tree, and then got the corresponding numbered gift from a nearby table.  Each teacher brought a small gift to donate to the cause.  Super cute idea.  Side note- check out the twins on the right.

Ladyboy Teacher Pop- he/she is awesome!!  He choreographs a lot of the dances for the students- of course!

 Christmas party on Friday night for staff

This past Saturday was probably the most ‘normal’ Saturday I’ve had in over two months.  I slept in, did some laundry, and went running for the first time since I’ve been here (and was sore for two days afterward…pathetic!).  I then packed an overnight bag and headed to my local beach, Bang Saen.  Bang Saen is only 15 minutes away from me, but I’ve only been there once, and it was at night for the Loy Krathong holiday back in November.  I was anxious to check out the town during the day, and spent a good part of the afternoon and early evening checking out the promenade’s food and vendor stands (it's about two miles long), sitting on the beach, listening to my iPod, and relaxing like it was my job.  On Sunday, Kelsie and Audrey joined me, and we did more of the same; simply enjoyed a low-key Christmas Day at the beach.

I have a couple of days off for the New Year, and have booked a flight to the island of Koh Phangan on Saturday morning.  My friends Kelli and Laura have been there all week (they are a couple of the lucky ones who have an extended Christmas vacation), so I’ll be joining them just in time for the legendary Full Moon Party on New Year’s Eve.  Full Moon Parties typically take place once a month, and on New Year’s Eve, the all-night beach bash boasts over 30,000 attendees.  I heard about this party years ago when I was in Australia, and it’s been on my bucket list ever since.  The island is also supposed to have numerous beautiful beaches, so I’m hoping I have enough energy to do some exploring after experiencing the madness of a FMP.  Happy New Year from the future everyone!!! It’s actually the year 2554 in Thailand, so I can confirm that the world doesn’t end in 2012!  :-) Until next time….Sawatdee kah!