This n. that

   Bumper sticker:  "If you can read this you was to close."   Road sign "City Limits Produce Speed."
   Thai school calendar:   The current school term will end mid-March and the next term will begin mid-May.  That term will end in October followed by a 20 day vacation with the next term beginning in November.
   At the beginning of the school year (May) each teacher will make a home visit on every student in her grade. After lunch the teachers bag up left over food and send it home with poor students.  After lunch students stack the chairs and sweep the floor.  Then they use the broom with which they swept the floor to sweep the table.  Today the 3rd grade took a day-long,standardized test supervised by two teachers from another school.  Two teachers from our school were at another school supervising a test, therefore, two of our grades had no teacher today.
   Thai manners and customs:meals  At a meal the first person present begins eating without waiting for others.  When a person is finished he/she just walks away. There is no custom of thanking for the food. There are no serving utensils,  Using a fork in the left hand and a table spoon in the right the eater ladles food on to his/her plate with the spoon with which he/she is eating.  Entree dishes are not passed, anyone wanting something just stretches for it.  Diners will often take a choice piece of food, e.g., fat pork, and put on another person's plate.  Rice is served at every meal unless the entree is a noodle dish. Breakfast meals are the same food as other meals.  This morning my breakfast was fried pork on rice.  Thai seldom us chop sticks but use them enough so they are very adept.  Foreigners often ask for chop sticks for food that Thais would eat with fork and spoon.  Thais are more likely to eat sitting cross legged on the floor than at a table.  Meal times are very flexible...Thai people are more likely to eat when they are hungry than at designated time.  Food stands are everywhere in Thailand and Thai are as likely to buy food there (take out) as they are to cook at home.  There is little concern about keeping food hot until eaten.  They love extremely spicy food and eat much sea food.
   Customs at home:  People come and go without saying "hello" or "goodbye".  If a person is hungry he/she finds food and eats.  At bedtime people just disappear without saying good night.  When one is asked "you shower?"  It means "Please take your shower now."

4th grade working on the floor

6ht grade doing dishes

Gai's & Mai's tuk tuk.