It’s a quieter day than usual at the end of my teaching week. It is testing time for students so they are busily (or at least somewhat busily) spending today in a sea of tests. I will meet with my class later today for a 50 minute rendezvous with an end of the quarter English exam.
Life in Chiang Mai continues to be good. Often I enjoy simply being here in the cornucopia of sights, sounds and new experiences. Amidst the sometimes frenzy of activity at school and in Chiang Mai, I also do my best to find some quiet and slow time, a mainstay for me no matter where I am in the world.
Let me tell you a little bit more about the students I teach and my days teaching in Chiang Mai. Many of the classes I teach I assist Thai teachers with their regular English classes. Packed with 40 to 50 moderately interested students, I visit them twice a week to work with them on speaking and listening skills. With a slew of young students, I do my best to stay on my toes and keep them engaged, often turning the lesson of the week into a game or activity. While I have my rewarding days and moments in these classes, it can also be a challenge to teach a large group of students, some of whom would rather be talking with their friends and likely don’t understand what I am saying. But more often than not, the student’s sweet faces and enthusiastic screams of “Teacher Teresa” from across campus make up for the challenges of the day.
I also teach a more focused English class where I am the main teacher and we meet five days a week. These classes are smaller and, gratefully, air-conditioned. This is my first experience being more of a traditional classroom teacher tending to things like homework, grades and exams. School life is different here in Thailand. While my class is filled with good kids, it seems there is a more laid back and playful attitude towards school here. At the end of the day, I just to my best to be of service to them and also go with the flow of the priorities of local culture.
Recently a friend made his way through Chiang Mai and we had the opportunity to connect and explore a bit of the city. One of the highlights of the time was a visit to an elephant sanctuary. In theory an elephant sanctuary is a place where elephants who have been abandoned or abused can go as a place of refuge. I am told there is a history of elephants being given as gifts in Southeast Asia which has in part contributed to the neglected elephant population. While you can find many places to see elephants in Thailand, not all of them are created equal. We elected to go someplace that treated them a bit more humanely and let them, within the confines of captivity, mostly be themselves as elephants… no brutal training or special “tricks”. For the most part I found the park we visited to be a humane and descent establishment with just one or two things said that slightly raised my eyebrows.
And what an unexpected opportunity – to be close to, connect with and ride an elephant. It was a bit of a surreal experience… first seeing them and feeding them and then in no time at all being quickly shown and invited to hop on to give it a try.
We spent a modest day there and it was the perfect balance of relaxation and engagement with the elephants. After we fed and learned to ride we took a lunch break. Next, the highlight of the day, we were taken to “meet our elephants,” climb aboard and take a few spins around the grounds.
My friend and I “shared” an elephant, as did the other guests on our mini-elephant trek. We took turns with one person riding on the neck and the other on the back. Our elephant’s name was Mee-nah. She was a big beautiful elephant with a great temperament. Without hesitation, she steadfastly made way with her large body through the wooded terrain, up a few hills.
At the end of the trek the elephants were led by their keepers into the water for a little refreshment. And next we were invited to join them, given brushes and buckets to do a little bathing. My first thought, as any good American girl might think was “what is in that water… and is it safe to get in there?” But after a good minute or two of hesitation… I just got over it and jumped in the water to join in the fun.
At the end of our journey we enjoyed checking out the many pictures they took along the way plus a refreshing lounge in their “hammock garden.” Here are a few pics from the day.
And now, back to the land of teaching. I am tucked away in my room on campus preparing for my early afternoon test. I can hear the lunch time screams of the neighboring kindergarden building. I am finding myself happy for a quieter Friday and the weekend ahead.
Gypsy Woman 
Always enjoy your updates! The pictures are great! Love the one of you in the water. I have to say, you are much braver than I would be. What experiences you have had! My granddaughter, Katie was in Thailand last year at this time. She really enjoyed it. She did the elephant ride too. Good luck with your students!