May all good things come to an end

Hello, faithful readers. Thought it might be time for an update. This past Thursday marked the end of final exams and the school year at Kanchana. I gave a farewell speech at morning flag ceremony and in the afternoon, there was an end of the year/graduation ceremony for students, teachers, and parents. Immediately following, all of the students packed up and went home for the summer with their families. Needless to say, it is very quiet around school grounds these days without several hundred students shouting “hello teacha!” and “teacha, where you going?” when I walk by. I’ll be staying here for another couple weeks. I have to finish calculating final grades, plus it’s a free place to sleep, and from what I’m told, I get paid for these extra couple weeks even though I’m not teaching. So all in all, it’s a sweet deal.

So, what is Kris doing after life in Khaowong? Still figuring that out. I don’t feel ready to come home just yet, plus I feel like I still have so much to see in Thailand and Southeast Asia. I’d love to visit Cambodia again and pop over to Vietnam and Laos, too, if time and money permit. I’m constantly on the lookout for short-term work or internships in Thailand. A few things are in the works but nothing’s finalized, so until they are, I’m just taking things one day at a time.

Other than that, not much to report. This past week I discovered the 7-Eleven sells Kraft singles wannabe cheese for the price of four meals at the market, learned to ride a motorbike (manual, not automatic), sweated through three shirts in one day, attempted to bake cookies in the microwave, went to a wedding (actually just the reception), and chased away the cockroach family living in my bathroom. Oh and it rained for the first time since early November. An eventful week, no?

EDIT: I originally posted several pictures here but after trying to repost ones with a better resolution, I ended up only being able to upload one due to very slooow and touchy internet. Maybe one day I’ll finally be able post a whole bunch of new photos on Picasa.