Picture taken with handheld compact camera against a telescope Thursday 20th Augsust 2009 at 1800h
Friday, August 21, 2009
Painted Stork, Khao Yoi,Petchaburi Province, Thailand
Picture taken with handheld compact camera against a telescope Thursday 20th Augsust 2009 at 1800h
Bird Bonanza
I am happy to report that life continues to be very kind to me over here in Ratchaburi,Thailand. I am blessed with a great wife Luna, and a fine son, Benedict and we are ably assisted by Boo, our helper/factotum. Benedict gave us his first full smile on Monday morning this week. Another significant milestone and I must say he wears his smile very well. Benedict now smiles a lot and his smiles touch that chord deep in my soul. There is a little anxiety about Benedict's lack of weight gain but I am pretty comfortable about this: if you look at the baby, as opposed to the scales, I think you'll see a happy, healthy boy who is being very well looked after. Maybe Benedict is a creeper or perhaps he is a latter day Skinny Malinky. I sense he is going to be very tall. However just a wee worry.
It's hot here at the moment and while it is raining right now there has not been much rain these last few weeks. I have been busy at work which I find challenging but, in general, I enjoy. I am very pleased with the progress most of my students are making in Math and would like to see them emulate that in Science. Obviously there is a greater need for English in Science and I would concede that sometimes I have overlooked this. Some of them bombed in their mid-term exams not because they did not know the answers but because they didn't understand the questions I had set. So I am working on this now and I am learning how to combine some of the science with an appropriate level of English. This is an art form, and I am very much an apprentice, very much in my first year!
I have started teaching a class of 4 six year old kids on a Saturday morning. I am loving it. I never thought I could do something like this. it really is surreal. It is story time and I have discovered the work of Eric Carle, an American children's writer and illustrator. HIs work is awesome and I build my lesson round one his story books which are fantastically illustrated. The English is simple but functional and I find the kids get fully engaged. And it is exactly the sort of English young kids need to know...... simple, things like colours, days of the week, food, and simple sentences and questions: what do you see? If you looked into the classroom you might be shocked to see me on all fours playing with my kids. We have such fun and I am really getting into it!
It looks like my stay in Thailand will now extend beyond a year. This is largely down to securing employment and I believe we will stay here for a while now. It really is an attractive place for Benedict as well and I do not believe his health and educational prospects are any worse here than anywhere else in the world. In fact in some respects Benedict's prospects are decidedly better here. So I think this will become a very occasional blog come the beginning of October. We are almost into the eleventh month and I have to say it has been a great year.
I now have a Thai driving license as well as a fully legal and insured motor. The car is now owned by Luna, everything is in her name including the log book and insurance, and the local office of the Department of Land Transport also issued us with a new Ratchaburi plate. I have to say it was really simple dealing with the Department of Land Transport given that we were actually carrying out some fairly difficult procedures. The staff in the local office were so helpful. In fact there was a hysterical moment when the head man introduced us over the tannoy.... this is the beautiful Miss Luna from the Philippines and her handsome husband Mr Gerry from England....... in English to a packed lobby full of people trying to sort out the things you need to do to make your cars and motorbikes legal. An absolute blast!
Now that the car is completely legal I have started to drive a little further afield and that means birds. I have seen some concentrations of big birds in the last couple of weeks, the highlight being 80 (eighty) spot-billed pelicans pelecanus philippensis in the Khao Yoi Area in the company of 20 painted stork. It has been reported to the records people by Nick Upton from Thaibirding and he says he has never heard of so many. Unfortunately I did not get a pic as some dogs scared them off as I was getting my camera out. I can only say it was an awesome spectacle. They are big birds.
On Thursday late afternoon this week I returned to the same area and took the photograph above... there were about 50 painted stork in total but no pelicans. I think I will be back again early Sunday morning. That is one big learning points from recent weeks, start early. I have joined the Bird Conservation Society of Thailand and am booked to join their sea trip out into the Gulf of Thailand guided by the leading authority on Thai Birds, Philip Round. The trip is billed as speculative and exploratory with nothing guaranteed but there is the possibility of also seeing some fairly exotic marine life such as Bryde's whales, finless porpoises and Irrawaddy dolpins. That comes up mid-September and I am really looking forward to it.
OK that's it for now. As I say we are well and happy.
It's hot here at the moment and while it is raining right now there has not been much rain these last few weeks. I have been busy at work which I find challenging but, in general, I enjoy. I am very pleased with the progress most of my students are making in Math and would like to see them emulate that in Science. Obviously there is a greater need for English in Science and I would concede that sometimes I have overlooked this. Some of them bombed in their mid-term exams not because they did not know the answers but because they didn't understand the questions I had set. So I am working on this now and I am learning how to combine some of the science with an appropriate level of English. This is an art form, and I am very much an apprentice, very much in my first year!
I have started teaching a class of 4 six year old kids on a Saturday morning. I am loving it. I never thought I could do something like this. it really is surreal. It is story time and I have discovered the work of Eric Carle, an American children's writer and illustrator. HIs work is awesome and I build my lesson round one his story books which are fantastically illustrated. The English is simple but functional and I find the kids get fully engaged. And it is exactly the sort of English young kids need to know...... simple, things like colours, days of the week, food, and simple sentences and questions: what do you see? If you looked into the classroom you might be shocked to see me on all fours playing with my kids. We have such fun and I am really getting into it!
It looks like my stay in Thailand will now extend beyond a year. This is largely down to securing employment and I believe we will stay here for a while now. It really is an attractive place for Benedict as well and I do not believe his health and educational prospects are any worse here than anywhere else in the world. In fact in some respects Benedict's prospects are decidedly better here. So I think this will become a very occasional blog come the beginning of October. We are almost into the eleventh month and I have to say it has been a great year.
I now have a Thai driving license as well as a fully legal and insured motor. The car is now owned by Luna, everything is in her name including the log book and insurance, and the local office of the Department of Land Transport also issued us with a new Ratchaburi plate. I have to say it was really simple dealing with the Department of Land Transport given that we were actually carrying out some fairly difficult procedures. The staff in the local office were so helpful. In fact there was a hysterical moment when the head man introduced us over the tannoy.... this is the beautiful Miss Luna from the Philippines and her handsome husband Mr Gerry from England....... in English to a packed lobby full of people trying to sort out the things you need to do to make your cars and motorbikes legal. An absolute blast!
Now that the car is completely legal I have started to drive a little further afield and that means birds. I have seen some concentrations of big birds in the last couple of weeks, the highlight being 80 (eighty) spot-billed pelicans pelecanus philippensis in the Khao Yoi Area in the company of 20 painted stork. It has been reported to the records people by Nick Upton from Thaibirding and he says he has never heard of so many. Unfortunately I did not get a pic as some dogs scared them off as I was getting my camera out. I can only say it was an awesome spectacle. They are big birds.
On Thursday late afternoon this week I returned to the same area and took the photograph above... there were about 50 painted stork in total but no pelicans. I think I will be back again early Sunday morning. That is one big learning points from recent weeks, start early. I have joined the Bird Conservation Society of Thailand and am booked to join their sea trip out into the Gulf of Thailand guided by the leading authority on Thai Birds, Philip Round. The trip is billed as speculative and exploratory with nothing guaranteed but there is the possibility of also seeing some fairly exotic marine life such as Bryde's whales, finless porpoises and Irrawaddy dolpins. That comes up mid-September and I am really looking forward to it.
OK that's it for now. As I say we are well and happy.
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
Mothers Day
Today and tomorrow in particular are very important holidays in Thailand: Queen Sirikit's Birthday. By extension the day becomes Mothers Day as Queen Sirikit is very much the nation's mother. We have had sepcial events at school today and tomorrow, a public holiday, there will be a major parade and assembly at the sports stadium in the evening.
Of course I have a hitherto unknown insight into motherhood. The joy of my life, and I have a few, but the greatest joy in my life is watching my son and his mother, that is watching them together. This is a oomparatively new experience, five weeks, but I can now start to appreciate that unique bond that develops between a mother and a child. Can there be any real surprise that the Madonna & Child Jesus, mother and child, is such an evocative and abiding symbol of Rennaissance and religious art? It has transcended iconography in a religious sense and has become the universal symbol of the love of a mother for a child.
To be honest I am very happy to be a bystander, a helper, second fiddle. Luna, however, doesn't have that choice. Benedict is on her as near as 24/7 and her breast milk is true nectar. It gives life to Benedict but also it lays the foundation for his current and future health and well being. I remember on the Monday after Luna came home with Benedict. She looked shattered, as if the penny had dropped. To her credit, Luna has quite literally got on with it and I would have to rate her mothering skills as extraordinary. I am happy to be an occasional nappy changer and carrier.
My own mother was another extraordinary woman, with amazing energy and a capacity to wear innumerable hats and, God bless her soul, one of those hats was making the finest broth in the world.
Somwwhat belatedly in life I am learning to appreciate the astonishing kindess and unselfishness of mothers. So on this Mothers Day, may God Bless all mothers and may their children be ever grateful.
Of course I have a hitherto unknown insight into motherhood. The joy of my life, and I have a few, but the greatest joy in my life is watching my son and his mother, that is watching them together. This is a oomparatively new experience, five weeks, but I can now start to appreciate that unique bond that develops between a mother and a child. Can there be any real surprise that the Madonna & Child Jesus, mother and child, is such an evocative and abiding symbol of Rennaissance and religious art? It has transcended iconography in a religious sense and has become the universal symbol of the love of a mother for a child.
To be honest I am very happy to be a bystander, a helper, second fiddle. Luna, however, doesn't have that choice. Benedict is on her as near as 24/7 and her breast milk is true nectar. It gives life to Benedict but also it lays the foundation for his current and future health and well being. I remember on the Monday after Luna came home with Benedict. She looked shattered, as if the penny had dropped. To her credit, Luna has quite literally got on with it and I would have to rate her mothering skills as extraordinary. I am happy to be an occasional nappy changer and carrier.
My own mother was another extraordinary woman, with amazing energy and a capacity to wear innumerable hats and, God bless her soul, one of those hats was making the finest broth in the world.
Somwwhat belatedly in life I am learning to appreciate the astonishing kindess and unselfishness of mothers. So on this Mothers Day, may God Bless all mothers and may their children be ever grateful.
Monday, August 10, 2009
Friday, August 7, 2009
Domestic Bliss
It's Friday night and everyone is in bed at 21:43h except me. I am preparing for my Saturday lessons. I have started to teach a small group of Grade 1 students on a Saturday morning and we are doing The Enormous Turnip tomorrow following the success of The Gingerbread Man last week. So I have prepared a writing sheet and the kids can practise writing some of the key words. Yours truly will be Jackanory meets Blue Peter, I apologise for this British reference to 1960/70s children's TV. Those of you familiar with these programmes will understand. Teaching small children is absolutely mind blowing stuff. Prior to this class I am teaching an especially bright Grade 4 child a one to one lesson. I reckon she speaks better English than most of my Grade 5 & 6 students.
A very busy week with Benedict continuing to grow and enthral us both. He is a real joy, a right little character, making his own authentic sounds and threatening to produce his first unmistakable smile. Luna has been granted some additional unpaid leave and I am very grateful to the school for this because it will be good for both mother and son. I can envisage Luna's eventual return to work being very tough.
I taught my normal load of classes this week. It is hard going and we had exams this week. I set my Grade 5 students a very tough science exam. I only realise this now that I have seen the results and I am concerned because I don't want to put them off science for life. Some of my Grade 6 students did brilliantly well in my maths test. Impressive. However my classes contain some difficult students, they simply refuse to concentrate or settle and within this group there are some who simply refuse to engage with the English language in any shape or form.
I don't know much about teaching in real terms but I find the kids enormously competitive. What I am getting at is I wouldn't know how they compare with their British counterparts. Sure we were competitive, but I am not sure we were as much as my kids appear to be. In addition to wanting to outdo each other, and by any means I hasten to add, there are a few who have finished all the exercises in their course books. When I set work to do in class they sit and talk and can be quite disruptive. I'll know next year to give out very clear directives about not working in this way. An additional problem is these speedsters make plenty of mistakes. No doubt the theory is very important but I am learning that in addition to this there is a huge need for experience at the chalk face. I am getting it but at times it is exasperating and I survey my children and I hear myself saying:I am not going to let these kids drive me mad! There again there also sublime moments........ when a kid gets 100% on a tough math test.
We now have a legal motor: insured, taxed and running like a good thing. I am proud of this achievement given the potential of the language barrier to bring life to a halt: buying the car at an auction and then sorting out the paperwork. I am in the process of getting a Thai driver's license. In order to do this among other documents, the applicant has to produce a medical certificate stating they are fit to drive. I went to a doctor today who charged me 30 baht ( about £0.56) and asked me how to spell my name and provided the certificate without any further enquiries or routine procedures! This is Thailand as we say! Anyhow we spent a few hours at the Department of Land Transport this morning and got it all sorted.
On the bird front I had sixteen little ringed plovers in my sights late this evening. I was wondering where they had flown in from as they are very much winter migrants although there are some residents. Maybe China or Siberia or perhaps Korea.....who knows. They are very dainty little fellows. I have seen a few other migrants this week such as marsh sandpipers and brown shrikes. A fair few near IDs but more work required. Great fun really.
Good to be alive and able to get ripped into life. Hope you are all well.
A very busy week with Benedict continuing to grow and enthral us both. He is a real joy, a right little character, making his own authentic sounds and threatening to produce his first unmistakable smile. Luna has been granted some additional unpaid leave and I am very grateful to the school for this because it will be good for both mother and son. I can envisage Luna's eventual return to work being very tough.
I taught my normal load of classes this week. It is hard going and we had exams this week. I set my Grade 5 students a very tough science exam. I only realise this now that I have seen the results and I am concerned because I don't want to put them off science for life. Some of my Grade 6 students did brilliantly well in my maths test. Impressive. However my classes contain some difficult students, they simply refuse to concentrate or settle and within this group there are some who simply refuse to engage with the English language in any shape or form.
I don't know much about teaching in real terms but I find the kids enormously competitive. What I am getting at is I wouldn't know how they compare with their British counterparts. Sure we were competitive, but I am not sure we were as much as my kids appear to be. In addition to wanting to outdo each other, and by any means I hasten to add, there are a few who have finished all the exercises in their course books. When I set work to do in class they sit and talk and can be quite disruptive. I'll know next year to give out very clear directives about not working in this way. An additional problem is these speedsters make plenty of mistakes. No doubt the theory is very important but I am learning that in addition to this there is a huge need for experience at the chalk face. I am getting it but at times it is exasperating and I survey my children and I hear myself saying:I am not going to let these kids drive me mad! There again there also sublime moments........ when a kid gets 100% on a tough math test.
We now have a legal motor: insured, taxed and running like a good thing. I am proud of this achievement given the potential of the language barrier to bring life to a halt: buying the car at an auction and then sorting out the paperwork. I am in the process of getting a Thai driver's license. In order to do this among other documents, the applicant has to produce a medical certificate stating they are fit to drive. I went to a doctor today who charged me 30 baht ( about £0.56) and asked me how to spell my name and provided the certificate without any further enquiries or routine procedures! This is Thailand as we say! Anyhow we spent a few hours at the Department of Land Transport this morning and got it all sorted.
On the bird front I had sixteen little ringed plovers in my sights late this evening. I was wondering where they had flown in from as they are very much winter migrants although there are some residents. Maybe China or Siberia or perhaps Korea.....who knows. They are very dainty little fellows. I have seen a few other migrants this week such as marsh sandpipers and brown shrikes. A fair few near IDs but more work required. Great fun really.
Good to be alive and able to get ripped into life. Hope you are all well.
Sunday, August 2, 2009
On Being a Christian
Today we celebrated Benedict's baptism, a really beautiful service performed by Fr Vic Payuyo CM at St John Bosco Church, Ratchaburi as part of the filipino community's mass. My colleague Scott from school is Benedict's godfather and he did an excellent job in renouncing Satan on Benedict's behalf.
On a day like today everything was about Benedict but Fr Vic mentioned the recent death of Cory Aquino, the former president of the Philippines. I would have liked to hear more about Mrs Aquino because I caught a news clip of her replying to Ferdinand Marcos' quip of being unsuitable for office due to her lack of experience. She agreed she had no experience of telling lies, stealing and corruption and she doubted whether this would disqualify her in the eyes of ordinary Filipinos! I liked that and ordinary Filipnos refused to accept the ensuing Marcos victory,saying it was rigged, and took to the streets and the Marcoses promptly legged it, Imelda and all her shoes you may recall!
The liturgical readings were all about food and I have to say what an excellent metaphor food is for all matters spiritual. Make sure you get the right food for your spirit. Jings, it is so easy to take the wrong stuff, trust me, I know!
Fr Vic kindly brought lechon for the celebrations, barbecued pig and I have to say it was a very pleasant and civilised celebration and everyone seemed to have a pleasant time.
Benedict slept through it all and was untroubled by water being poured over his head. Would any child cry if they understood original sin?! What do you think I am talking to my son about?!! Benedict loves being in church and is very comfortable with other people.
It really was a lovely celebration. Now Benedict has the keys to the kingdom of heaven. What a lucky boy!
On a day like today everything was about Benedict but Fr Vic mentioned the recent death of Cory Aquino, the former president of the Philippines. I would have liked to hear more about Mrs Aquino because I caught a news clip of her replying to Ferdinand Marcos' quip of being unsuitable for office due to her lack of experience. She agreed she had no experience of telling lies, stealing and corruption and she doubted whether this would disqualify her in the eyes of ordinary Filipinos! I liked that and ordinary Filipnos refused to accept the ensuing Marcos victory,saying it was rigged, and took to the streets and the Marcoses promptly legged it, Imelda and all her shoes you may recall!
The liturgical readings were all about food and I have to say what an excellent metaphor food is for all matters spiritual. Make sure you get the right food for your spirit. Jings, it is so easy to take the wrong stuff, trust me, I know!
Fr Vic kindly brought lechon for the celebrations, barbecued pig and I have to say it was a very pleasant and civilised celebration and everyone seemed to have a pleasant time.
Benedict slept through it all and was untroubled by water being poured over his head. Would any child cry if they understood original sin?! What do you think I am talking to my son about?!! Benedict loves being in church and is very comfortable with other people.
It really was a lovely celebration. Now Benedict has the keys to the kingdom of heaven. What a lucky boy!
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