Tuesday, May 24, 2011

The Eve of Adventure

This post will be quick - I'm leaving for Laos and Cambodia tomorrow!  It's gonna be amazing, but that does mean one more awesome trip that I have to procrastinate posting about.

Meanwhile, let me tell you about Teacher's Day, which was this day two weeks ago that was basically set aside for nothing but fun.  Instead of work and classes, the students and teachers spent the whole day playing games together, like...



musical chairs, 



water balloon toss, 



hula-hoop-and-ball race, 



mango-peeling race, 



and futsal!



The students also put on impressive demonstrations of Tae Kwon Do and Silat, which made me feel very safe in case of an unexpected ninja siege.  The Tae Kwon Do club concluded by breaking several boards, then letting the teachers try one.  

 


I managed to remember enough about side-kicks to bust it on the second try!












There was also a drama show put on by each form, in which the students good-naturedly made fun of school, the teachers, and themselves, and ended by thanking their teachers for everything.  One of these performances even parodied speech choir, ripping off the script and exaggerating all the movements.  I forgot how much talent and energy high school performances can have, especially when the students are making it all up on their own!

The student band also put on a great performance, managing to pull off "Rock Around the Clock" in the same program as "We Are the World". 

The student emcees then took the opportunity to award cute little plush hearts to pairs of students and teachers who share an uncanny facial resemblance. 


















And I got to try out the gamelan:


As teachers, we were inundated with gifts from the students and prizes for the games.  I am now the proud owner of a small washcloth, a cute mug, a notebook, some very short-lived chocolate, and a very respectable glass baking tray.  We ended the day with dinner at a seafood restaurant on the beach, where a huge heap of prizes were awarded to teachers whose names were pulled from a hat.  In reflection, I'm glad I didn't have to bring any more swag home; I'm quite satisfied with my baking tray!

Now to find an oven to use it in...

4 comments:

  1. lol. sounds like fun!!!!!!!!!

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  2. Whoa! Elise, this is me. my facebook named YunChanKhalid. the student from Kelantan who was involved in Students Exchange Programme. (: Your school teacher's day was so great! A huge heap of prizes! whoa! And, I bet, 'playing' with gamelan is a great one right?

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  3. oh sweet you were exposed to gamelan!! that music is something else :}}} i'm officially jealous ^_^ also, way to break that board! after that, he will never get in your way again :)

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  4. Hey guys! Sorry it took me so long to reply to you; I was on break in Laos and Cambodia.

    YunChanKhalid, hey! You guys were the ones who did the Quiz Bowl, right?

    Yes, gamelan was awesome! Allen, I should bring one home for you. Like, a mini one or something lol.

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