A busy first day to the week and to the month, In most of my lessons, I went over the Mid-Term exam scores and current total points accumulated by the students before giving them a preview of the upcoming (and last) unit’s subject matter (Music). Today was also the first on which that (foreign) teachers were allowed to confiscate students’ mobile phones if they had … Continue reading Daily Phuket #6: 1 March 2021 – Student Market
Every Sunday afternoon into the early evening for the past six years or so (well, not every week), the historic Thalang Road in the heart of Old Phuket Town is closed to vehicular traffic and transformed into “Lard Yai” — a lengthy stretch of food, souvenir and clothes stalls and shops lining both sides of the narrow street and down the center as well. On … Continue reading Daily Phuket #5: 28 February 2021 – Getting Ready for Lard Yai
February, despite being just 28 days in length, seemed especially lengthy this time around. At least we stopped working on Saturdays early in the month or it would have been worse. We had a myriad of class cancellations for such things as giving alms to the monks, Scouting (which was just the students cleaning the school), and mid-term exams. Extra duties included marking those tests … Continue reading February 2021: The Endless Short Month
Today’s photo may seem like a bit of a cheat but I have honestly not left my home all day. It does depict an important part of my daily life, however…stamp collecting. After teaching at school every day, something that consumes even my rare days off, most of my free time is spent either working on my stamp albums or writing about the people, places, … Continue reading Daily Phuket #4: 26 February 2021 – Mounting the Bluenose
This has been a weird week in a weird year. It’s only the end of February and it seems like we have had more disruptions to the school schedule than in most full years. On Tuesday, classes were cancelled due to Scouting “activities”. Tomorrow is a national holiday marking one of the holiest days in the Buddhist calendar, Makha Bucha Day. So, it gives a … Continue reading Daily Phuket #3: 25 February 2021 – The Monks Are Coming!
Yesterday morning, we were told that all classes for the day (except for the Upper Primary M4 and M5 levels) had been cancelled for a Scouts activity. Most of the students had apparently been told previously as they arrived dressed in the brown & green uniforms of Thailand’s Tiger Scouts. The foreign teachers had to remain in the office for eight hours. I spent most … Continue reading Daily Phuket #2: 24 February 2021 – School Hallway
Welcome to a new feature for Asian Meanderings, something I am calling “Daily Phuket” (as opposed to, say, “A Photo A Day”). I will try to post one (and only one) photo each and every day, taken on my walks around Phuket. That will usually mean the older part of Phuket Town as this is the area where I work and live but I hope … Continue reading Daily Phuket #1: 23 February 2021 – Thalang Road Entrance
Oh, January 2021. How we looked forward to you. How we hoped that the New Year would bring new beginnings and, finally, hope for the future following the Year that Would Not End. But 2020 still has a firm grasp on us all. It’s not over yet and the terrible events of last year linger. In many cases, the start of 2021 has been worse … Continue reading January 2021 Was Just More of 2020
A couple of years ago, I had the idea of filming walking tours around my neighborhood in the heart of Phuket Town, Thailand, and dreamt of having a successful YouTube channel. I planned to call it Phuket Walkabout and spent more time trying to design a logo than I did learning to make good videos. I quickly abandoned the idea after a couple of shaky-cam … Continue reading A Phuket Town Walkabout (Part One)
I did it! I (just barely) met my goal of finishing 50 books in this very long year. Our local lockdown certainly helped as I racked up 17 books during my 105 days of “captivity”. I had a brief panic attack last night when I realized the count in Goodreads was one shy of the reality so I grabbed a novella for a quick read … Continue reading Books Finished (2020 Edition)
