some=all of them. at least once a day, i get really frustrated with the internet here. it's one of the things i hate most about thailand....actually, it might be the number one thing. i dunno, i've never sat down and ordered them. the terrible internet thing is annoying as all get out. it's hard to talk to people (i hate that i haven't had a normal conversation without the "can you hear me? are you still there?" conversation with mom and dad in four months), it breaks down when i need it to purchase things, it takes five minutes to load a one-minute youtube clip, and i just wanna browse the internet at a reasonable pace. IS THIS SO MUCH TO ASK?
but sometimes, the internet really impresses me. like this morning. i woke up and checked on my downloads and whaddyaknow--two eps of the daily show, an ep of three sheets, AND season four of himym finished downloading overnight. internet gods, thank you. i owe you big time.
headed in to bangkok today to see eclipse, half because i'm obsessed with the movie and half because i know my girls are gonna quiz me on it next week. TEAM JACOB!
1.7.10
a disappointing thing happened this afternoon
i'm giving tests this week. (no, sorry, there'll be no funny answers--they're just circling verbs and writing tenses, boring times.) i have different expectations for different classes. i know the test is way too hard for some of the lower levels, so i just sort of look the other way when they work together and talk. but i know that this test isn't too hard for my upper level classes, so i'm a little bit more strict on the cheating front. most of'em are good students anyway, so cheating hasn't been a huge problem.
*sigh* except in my last class, 6/7. (the first number is the grade [6s are seniors] and the second number is their level--higher is smarter for grades 4, 5, and 6.) they're really smart girls and usually attentive and fun and basically everything a teacher wants in a class. i had to run downstairs to pick up some copies so i asked preeda to watch while i was out. i came back and she was sitting in teh back, not watching the kids at all. some of the students were talking, but as soon as i came in they stopped. ehhhh, so they asked each other a couple questions. no big deal here in my thai classroom.
but then i walked around to this group of four girls in the back. one girl didn't have a test on your desk.
"where's your test?"
(nervous giggling and looking to her friends) "may loo" (i don't know)
the four of them sort of looked down and up at me again, like they knew i was mad and something was wrong. they looked toward the rest of the class, diligently plugging away.
"is it out there?" i asked. if it was whirling around the class, this was a big issue. if it was only these four girls, then i could deal. then i saw the girl with the missing test reach her hand down and back to the girl behind her.
"i can see the test," i said to the girl in the back. "you might as well hand it back so she can finish." they didn't know what i was saying, but they knew i was upset. i left'em alone.
at the end of the class, after everyone handed in their tests, i went back to the girls. i put on nicki disappointed face.
"why did you do that? you're smart. i know you don't need to cheat and copy. just...it makes me sad. please don't do it anymore."
they sort of looked down ashamed. i wasn't smiling. the girls got really awkward--my students+this emotion don't seem to react well--and didn't know what to do. one girl apologized and the others had apologetic looks on their faces, so i took that as sorry enough and told them it was ok.
it was just...ugh. i expected more. sucks.
*sigh* except in my last class, 6/7. (the first number is the grade [6s are seniors] and the second number is their level--higher is smarter for grades 4, 5, and 6.) they're really smart girls and usually attentive and fun and basically everything a teacher wants in a class. i had to run downstairs to pick up some copies so i asked preeda to watch while i was out. i came back and she was sitting in teh back, not watching the kids at all. some of the students were talking, but as soon as i came in they stopped. ehhhh, so they asked each other a couple questions. no big deal here in my thai classroom.
but then i walked around to this group of four girls in the back. one girl didn't have a test on your desk.
"where's your test?"
(nervous giggling and looking to her friends) "may loo" (i don't know)
the four of them sort of looked down and up at me again, like they knew i was mad and something was wrong. they looked toward the rest of the class, diligently plugging away.
"is it out there?" i asked. if it was whirling around the class, this was a big issue. if it was only these four girls, then i could deal. then i saw the girl with the missing test reach her hand down and back to the girl behind her.
"i can see the test," i said to the girl in the back. "you might as well hand it back so she can finish." they didn't know what i was saying, but they knew i was upset. i left'em alone.
at the end of the class, after everyone handed in their tests, i went back to the girls. i put on nicki disappointed face.
"why did you do that? you're smart. i know you don't need to cheat and copy. just...it makes me sad. please don't do it anymore."
they sort of looked down ashamed. i wasn't smiling. the girls got really awkward--my students+this emotion don't seem to react well--and didn't know what to do. one girl apologized and the others had apologetic looks on their faces, so i took that as sorry enough and told them it was ok.
it was just...ugh. i expected more. sucks.
28.6.10
the world cup is stealing my sleep
this is probably a terrible time to blog because i'm tired and complainy, but i just feel like talking and not having to listen to anyone right now, which is rude, i know, but that's the joy of a blog, isn't it?
or maybe something a little less self-centered.
the world cup really is taking my sleep, though. this second round of games have been on at 9 pm at 1:30 am. the us-ghana game was 1:30 am on saturday night (sunday morning...whatever). so on top of the loss--wahhhhhhh--i didn't get to sleep until nearly 5 am.
oh, btw, we went to bangkok this weekend. rockin' times. sort of--you know how i feel about bangkok. friday definitely ruled. ten of us rolled into the city around 6 pm, checked into our hostel (lub*d, which has gotta be one of the nicer hostels i've ever stayed in), and bounced on over to dinner, and now i completely forget where we ate. nicki fail. OH WAIT we had italian. oh my god, how could i forget? we had wine. WINE, FRIENDS.
we went out to shamrock on khao san, which is a bar with this awesome cover band and an excellent song choice. we rang in christie's 23rd year of being and commenced drinking.
our 8-bed room was completely windowless, so we didn't wake up until late the next morning, still in a complete daze. half the group left and the other half of us ambled around the city, taking terrible taxi rides and being out of it. at least i was. i really should've just sat down in an sbux for a while...but such is life.
anyway, i don't feel like rehashing the rest of the trip cuz it was regular and like i said, i'm tired and mostly incoherent.
when i get back to the states, i need to get back into school. i think i'm gonna take some community college classes. my brain doesn't think of high and mighty synonyms anymore--i'm constantly dumbing things down so everyone can understand. my sentences are getting wordier, too, because i've been slowly ditching concise, big words for lnger but clearer sentences that fully explain something. i hate speaking like this.
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