Back in Ayutthaya.

The taxi driver who took me from the guesthouse to the bus depot offered to drive me all the way to Ayutthaya for another $21. The bus cost $1.75. Guess which I chose? You guessed right because I am cheap you know.
There is much different this year; a new house in a new neighborhood, a new teacher and a new handler. As you can guess there are gains and losses with those changes. I will elaborate.
Let's begin with the house. Last year I was in a modern, new, story house. It had a bedroom and bath on the ground floor. Upstairs was another bath, two more bedrooms and large kitchen/dinning room/living room combo. It was equipped with a computer, phone, tables and chairs.
Now I'm in a tiny, older Thai home with two rooms. The main room has two beds, a small table with a tiny refrigerator on it, two chairs and a hall tree. The other room is the bath. Unlike last year's house, which was on small rise, (Ayutthaya is very flat.) at the edge of town looking over a field this one is nestled back in a neighborhood. The bridge which crosses the creek in front of my house is closed at 6pm. This is to keep motorcyles from disturbing the peace. When the bridge is closed I walk through two neighbors yards to get to my house. I've already become acquainted with the man next door and his daughter who is high school. So far I have the house to myself but I expect a Canadian roommate next week. A downside of this arrangement is not having access to the educational materials in last year's house. I understand it is full of volunteers teaching in other schools.
Kai, the woman who was our handler last year was a real character but she took very good care of us. We got to know her family and I miss them, too. This year the handler is a typical guy "Here's your place and here's your key. The woman at the noodle shop across the street will feed you. Bye," Well, that's an exagaration, but you get the drift. The woman in the noodle shop speaks as much English as I speak Thai. I think there will be some stories out of this part of the adventure. My first meal there last night was good.
I taught two classes today and was disappointed to discover the English teacher with whom I worked last year has retired. I miss her. The good news is that the new teacher is much easier for me to understand. The teaching suggestions I got from Liz worked well and I think I'm off to a good start.
My school day began with an audience with the new school headmistress. It was another situation in which her English and my Thai were about equivalent. I see some changes around the school. Last year volunteers were served meals separately in the teacher's lounge. This year I'm invited to eat with the teachers in their dinning room. That's a much better arrangement.
One of the effects of these changes will be to give me more experience of real Thai life which I welcome.
The high point of my day was seeing the students reactions when they spotted me. They were lined up for their morning formation when I walked across the yard. Their welcoming smiles made my day.