Miss Recycle Pageant

When I got to my first class after lunch on Tuesday, most of the girls were in the back of the room working on a project.  It looked to me like they were making a dress out of trash bags and wads of paper.  They weren't able to communicate to me what exactly they were doing, so we started class.  I had that same class again in the afternoon, for a much less structured class. I asked the Thai teacher in the office what that was all about and he said they were making their dress for the Miss Recycle Pageant happening the next day.  I let them go ahead and work on it in the next class I had with them. But I still wasn't sure what this Miss Recycle Pageant was.  All I knew was that each class makes a dress out of recyclables, and one person from their class wears it in the pageant. 

I only have one class on Wednesday afternoons, so it was cancelled for the pageant.  A few of us foreign teachers went over to where all the contestants were gathered for judging.  And I was blown away.  There were some very impressive outfits.  And it was also the time for the ladyboys to shine.  The contestants were not only impressively dressed, but their make up was on fleek (I did just go there, but seriously that's the only word that can do the makeup skills justice).  After judging, they walked across campus to the hall.  And again I was more than impressed with the fact they were killing it walking in the heels.  Heels that can really only be described as stripper heels! I wouldn't have been able to stand up without falling off them.  

Once in the hall, each grade level was announced and the representative from each class walked down a "runway" and walked up on the stage.  They were hamming it up too!  And it was awesome to see their fellow students cheering them on.  Once each grade level was presented all of them came back in and went up on stage.  Music started playing and there was some random dancing going on.  Then a few were called out to ask questions (questions and answers were in Thai, so I'm not sure if they were hoping for world peace or not...).  Then the winners were announced.  I'll leave you with these photos!  This was one of the bizarre experiences I've had at school!!

My M1 student - Kaimook

Chompoo - my M2 student flashing me the I Love You sign.  

Karwjaw - my M3 student.  She is always so quiet in class, but she was rocking it on stage.

I'm not sure how this boy got picked. He looked miserable until the music stared, then he was busting some moves!

This one was my favorite, but wasn't a winner

Right after I took this pic, this contestant went down! But handled it with grace and got up and kept on strutting. 

Loved that she rocked her Chucks, pigtails, and a newspaper dress

 

She was a tuk tuk

The doctor is in

For about a week, I've felt like I was getting sick.  Sometimes it seemed like it was allergies.  Other times I'd wake up in the middle of the night knowing I had a full on cold.  But I never got full on stay in bed all day sick.  However, on Tuesday night, my ear started hurting.  I am not one to get earaches.  But by Wednesday morning, it was a full on earache and sore throat.  I was grateful I had my two best classes and they could tell I wasn't feeling well and were actually very well behaved.  In one of my classes, I had to read a rather lengthly passage and two of the students volunteered to read it for me.  I asked Mama Tick if she could write down some earache/sore throat medicine for me to show the pharmacist.  She recommended I go to a clinic and see an ear, nose, and throat doctor.  She couldn't tell me exactly where the office was, but gave me a general area and wrote the name down on a piece of paper in Thai so I could show it to people and get directed that way.  She told me he didn't open until 6:00 pm. 

Around 5:30 I left my apartment and started walking towards the area she told me it was in.  When I got near, I went into a pharmacy and showed him the slip of paper.  He said he wasn't exactly sure where it was, but it was on the street I was on.  I just needed to cross the intersection and I'd be heading the right way.  I came up on what looked like a clinic.  But I saw the words Bausch & Lamb on the wall and figured it was an eye doctor.  Next door was another space with what looked like a waiting room, but there wasn't a receptionist.  I walked down to another pharmacy type place and showed him the slip of paper.  He pointed down and said girl. Since there was no one at the front desk, I just signed in on the piece of paper others had signed in on! There were no other forms I needed to fill out or anything. I sat down in the waiting area and took a picture of the writing on the wall behind the check in desk; send it to the Thai teacher. He verified I was at the right place. Then I just sat and waited and watched some weird Thai TV! 

The receptionist came out and sat at the desk for a bit. Finally, the doctor came in around 6:30, and she started calling back patients. I was #10 on the list. Each patient was taking about 2 mins to see him. She just pointed at me when it was my turn, and asked if I speak Thai I told her no and she stuck her head into the area where the doctor was located and said something to him. I walked back behind the wall and the doctor spoke decent English. I told him earache and sore throat. He looked in both my ears, pushed around and asked if that hurt - which it did. He looked at my throat, pushed on my ear once more, and said infection in ear canal. I went back out to the front desk. The lady brought out some medicine, and tried to tell me what to take and when in Thai…I finally heard her say “mai” which is no. I said it back to let her know I had no idea what she was saying! She had me go back around the corner to the doctor, and he explained he gave me eardrops, antibiotic and another pill I wasn’t sure was for. All for 250 baht (which is $7.15) 

It was about 7:00 at this point, and I was getting hungry. My Pad Thai lady and the yellow place (where I get my fried rice chicken) have both been closed the last two days. They need to coordinate their schedules better to not both be closed at the same time! I had to go to the rude Pad Thai place. (She doesn’t put the Pad Thai on a cool bamboo leaf and she doesn’t know that I don’t like the chili flakes). The way back is by the temple with the mean pack of dogs. One day I walked by and one bit at me. Luckily I had pants on that were baggier in the leg and he got just pants and not my skin. It scared me (I am pretty frightened of dogs in general). I've tried to avoid that way but it is the fastest way home. I turned the corner and could see the pack of dogs out and one was chasing a scooter. It saw me and started growl barking and running my way. I just turned around and started back towards the restaurant, not running but walking fast and just hoping he'd stop following me. And when he got right to the corner he stopped and just stood there with a furious bark. I was relieved. But also thinking I'm going to have to take the long long way home now. I went ahead and took a soi (alley) shortcut, hoping the entire time I didn't encounter another pack of dogs in the dark alley. Thankfully I made it home safely! Now let's hope this medicine does the trick!