The past two and a half months have been odd, busy, unpredictable, and fantastic. After the semester 1/2011 finished in mid-September, Assumption University teachers had off for their regular mid-year breaks, which last from the end of final exams until the beginning of the second semester. This break is typically about 4 weeks long. As you may or may not have known, Thailand was hit with relatively disastrous flooding, which put about 1/3 of the country underwater. While my neighborhood was spared, many were not. Transportation was limited. Supply chains were disabled. People were forced to park their vehicles on raised highways and either retreat to the homes of friends and family or stay in their homes and defend their livelihoods with sandbags and tarps. All of this resulted in the University’s postponement of the second semester, ultimately by about four full weeks.
Since I submitted my final grades last semester, I have been staying busy. First, with my second trip to Bangladesh with some very good friends I have made over the past three and a half years. After eleven days in Chittagong, Cox’s Bazar, and Dhaka, I returned to Bangkok. The next day I was on a flight to Chiang Mai, Thailand with a fellow teacher from Chicago and his good friend from home. We drove motorbikes 85 miles to Pai. Then, after four days, drove them back to Chiang Mai. Back to Bangkok. Two nights later, I was on Koh Chang, an island near Cambodia. One week later, on my way back to Bangkok, I was offered a special assignment teaching at a school in the northeast region of Thailand, known as Isaan. Since November 6, I have been teaching at Assumption College Ubon Ratchathani.
This was meant as a brief overview of my past two and a half months. If I can muster the motivation, which I intend to do by “getting all sentimental,” I will write about each of these experiences to post along with the many photos I have taken.
