I couldn’t think of a more creative title, so I suppose today’s date will do.  I’m in the process of taking pictures and updating my picasa web album, so hold up… I will have pictures of the campus/my apartment rather soon!

So it’s Tuesday, June 24th.  Officially we are in our second week of teaching, and things seem to be running more smoothly.  I’m in between classes at the moment, and gearing up for my last class of the day, PE for Grade 7.

So, recap on last weekend… Friday came around and we were all pretty excited to have a break from the stress of lesson planning and worrying about problems with our kids, so Friday night we all went downtown to a photo exhibit called “Earth from Above”.  It featured original photography from a world famous photographer with pictures from around the world.  The prints were pretty amazing… there was also a rather large map that you could walk on and there are several photos from that as well that I’m putting up.  After that, we went into the Siam Paragon mall for some ice cream, and sat outside by the fountains.  Then, a group went back to GES, and several of us went down to the Night Market and enjoyed some beverages and live music.

Saturday, my roommate Amanda and myself went to “JJ” market (I can’t say the word in Thai, but it sounds similar to JJ).  You could spend an entire day looking at everything they have there.. but it’s hot, crowded and with the combination, you can easily get very tired.  We bought a few items for our rooms, and I found a few skirts and dresses as well.  Upon returning to GES, we ordered a pizza and didn’t really have the energy for much else that evening. 

For church on Sunday I was somehow talked into playing bass….  It actually went quite well, it was fun to play on a worship team with everyone from GES.  The church we attend is an International church, and most families are on vacation right now so the attendance was rather low this week, and will continue to be through the summer months.

There’s a delicious Mexican place near by the church, so we all ate there, then some went swimming at the nice resort pool, and I enjoyed some Starbucks on the compound.  It’s a nice “ritzy” area with tennis courts and lots to do.  

After our relaxing afternoon, several of us got peticures at a nearby salon for 120 baht.. which is less than four dollars!  What a steal!

Anyway, this week we are back at things once again.  Teaching is going fairly well, I’m just getting into a groove of planning lessons and preparing for classes.  For my music classes, I’m working on motivating my Grade 6 students by dangling recorders over their heads.. they are my most difficult group with NO MOTIVATION and don’t really care much about Music.. Most other classes are going well.  Of course the young Grade 1A and 1B students are quite a handful, but I try and do what I can as a teacher to keep them interested.  

Well, I should get back to lesson planning.  We have a Parent Orientation following classes today and several other “beginning of the year” things to attend to!

I hope all is well on the other side of the world!

❤ Grace and peace to you through our LORD… Meridith