We feel as though our more routine recent lifestyle has lacked some of the sensational adventure we have been blessed to post so often the last year and a half. This excuse for not posting in a while aside, we continue to enjoy life and experience the idiosyncrasies of this culture.

While we grow relationships with our Thai friends, we have accepted that they have a different tone than those with friends at home. Thais live much closer to the surface, preferring not to discuss deeper issues, and allowing very little penetration by themselves or others to the deeper core. Hence, all the smiles. This reaction is easy, and often positive, but does not portray the core contentment we think of as the root of a smile. For example, if there is something bothering a Thai, they would rather smile it off, keep it out of sight,and out of mind. To their credit, they are fairly successful at keeping it out of mind. This is quite different from what I am used to.

This shunning of issues is quite apparent with the country's contemporary affairs. To us, it feels as though the country is likely experiencing a low point in recent history (sounds a bit like home:)). The "temporary" military government seems to be lacking tangible progress and the violent conflict in the deep south seems to be getting worse.

But you wouldn't know it at the dinner table. Not much talk at all. Most of what we get (and this is with our friends that we know we can push) is that it is not great news so people elect not to talk about it.

Staying with the pushing the norm strategy, I have been having a blast joking around with colleagues at school, especially our good friend, Pitt. Pitt and I both teach at the same school and eat lunch together with a couple other teachers in our program. Pitt is an extraordinary individual who has traditionally stayed to the professional expectations of back straight and how are you today interactions. During my first week back in Thailand, I was not sure if she even understood the concept of sarcasm. Well, I am happy to say that now she delivers it to me daily!

We all got embarrassed pretty good last week at our school's "Teacher Appreciation Day." Our school hazes the new teachers by mandating a cat walk performance and then a speed eating contest including getting a coin out of a bowl of flour. All good fun, and that much more supportive of my mission of having fun in the classroom. This objective of "having fun" seems to lead to success in most all aspects of life.

This does not mean it has been all (happy) laughs for me while teaching. I had one great scenario during my second week where my assistant Jean (translator when needed and class controller) had to leave class. I thought I would be fine, but learned my class management skills in this country have a ways to go. Sending kids out of class is a huge wake-up call to the kids, which they despise. In this class, I "tried" to send the back 2 rows out, but with the language barrier and the fact it has probably never been done before, this attempt at class control failed miserably. Soon, there were more well-behaved students outside than the rowdy boys in back. If any other English speaking person (especially a teacher) could have seen my debacle, they would have been on the ground laughing. I was also laughing (inside). So, after a few minutes of complete failure with this, I calmly announced "All students back inside and sit down."

Then there is my after school tutorial class with four-year-olds. Both Em and I are doing a couple of these private classes a week. I did not know how excited I was about this young age, but want to support the new business started by our friends Pitt and Gi. It was the beginning of my second class when the round boy with permanent innocent look grew a wrinkle of frustration on his face just before he puked down his shirt and onto the floor and many seconds before his brain ordered his hand to rise up and try to catch some of it. Coincidentally, this student is evolving into a favorite as his innocence is sincere (unlike some wiser students who use the look to get away with everything) and his round figure can sit in the half-lotus as natural as any bodhisattva.

Socially, we had a surprise visit from a buddy Jase (fellow NATR volunteer) a couple weeks ago . During his stay we helped Pitt move apartments, then she took all of us to dinner at a swanky little restaurant. Jase intended on buying Em and I dinner since we put him up. Refusing to be defeated of the kind gesture, he demanded on buying us many drinks after dinner. Thanks bud.

Last weekend, we headed to Songkhla with Pitt and Pee Lek to help Pee Lek plant trees at the temple he recently spent ten days practicing Buddhism at. It was great to get our hands in some soil again. We then worked some of the tourist hotspots with ice-cream on the beach, a lift up Tang Kuan Hill for good views, and topped it off with another great seafood meal on Ko Yo. (pictures)

Hooray for fruit! I came home from the fruit stand with a full bag yesterday - you're looking at $2.20 worth, minus the mongosteen I ate as soon as I got home.