It's hard to believe that the school year has already come and gone. My students' last day before exams was February 22nd and we celebrated by having a party in each class. The students brought food to share, and the most popular items were as follows:
1. Potato chips (especially seaweed, shrimp, and barbecue flavors)
2. Squid snacks (I don't know the cooking process, but it ends up in rubbery strips. It's a common snack food that you can buy in convenience stores)
3. Seaweed snacks (It's formed into paper-thin sheets and is also available in convenience stores. The best thing is when they combine squid and seaweed snacks together--you get the best of both worlds!)
We had the occasional cookie and candy bar, but the first three were by far the most popular snacks. In one of my classes, a students gave me a handful of squid snacks and said "Teacher, low fat!" I knew it was a big deal for me to share their food, so I had my fill of potato chips, squid, and seaweed that day.
Last weekend, I was able to visit three youth groups with a youth committee that my boyfriend advises. We went to his hometown and also visited the seaside city of Pattaya. I sang a Thai song with the committee and the children at one church crowded around me to see if I was really reading Thai. I was using my own English version of Thai, but I think people at all of the churches were surprised that I was singing in Thai (I didn't know what every word meant however). I also got to eat coconut fresh from the tree at Saichol's house. It's so delicious!
I'm coming home in one week! I am very excited to see everyone and to eat American food at normal prices!
