Village life and starting school

 This is a view from the top floor of PornpikulPittaya school. The school is large with between 1,300 and 1,500 students ranging from Anuban 1-4 (Kindergarten) Pratom 1-5 (middle school) and Matyom 1-5 (High school). I have 20 classes a week teaching all of Anuban 2 and Pratom 1-4.

Every morning there is a flag ceremony in which the students all sing the national anthem and watch while two students raise the flag of Thailand. 

Here is one of my colleagues sitting on a childs' chair in his EP (English Programme) kindergarten classroom. 

Each year level has its challenges and enjoyable benefits. I have really enjoyed teaching Pratom 4 -my highest grade as they are quick to pick up information and there is room for adding in extra language into the lessons. Anuban is very enjoyable although it takes a lot of energy playing games and incorporating English language into a fifty minute slot with 20 three year olds, especially when there are two or three classes back to back. 

The children that live across the road from me are beautiful Burmese children. They dont speak Thai or English but we can easily communicate with smiles and gestures. All the children in the village have opened my eyes to the benefits of living life simply. They are so happy and content in what they have available to them which isn't much. They dont have iPads, phones or computers yet I can see them happily playing with geckos and stones for hours on end. 

Mae Sai is beautiful, this was taken from the top of a temple overlooking the town. The sky is often much more smokey than this from the burning forests in the surrounding hills.

This is one of the local Mae Sai markets which has live eels, crabs, fish and sea snakes. Considering the ocean is a very long way from here Im not sure where they are getting all the seafood from, but its a very enjoyable visit nonetheless.