Well here I am again, in my flat with only the internet for company. I guess I should be greatfull for that really, loads of people seem less fortunate in their placements!

I'm doing ok this week, week 2 is almost over and except for wednesday I haven't wanted to go home! The wednesday incident was due to introducing a new lesson for the first time and having a sea full of faces look at me blankly when I knew they knew what I was on about! After reverting back to some of my sticker and throw the teddy bear around the room tactics from last weeks and some quick thinking on my part I managed to drag something back by the end of the hour and went into the second lesson to find those kids got it straight away. I even managed to get some of the kids to play a game, I lined them all up in two rows ( this took a lot of me pushing them into lines and struggling over tables and chairs) and eventually managed to get them to understand that I would show the two at the back a word and they had to whisper the word down the line, the first at the front to write the word on the board would win. Well I'm not sure that they understood the concept of whispering but they seemed to be enjoying themselves by the second go so I wasn't enforcing that rule too strongly. After about 4 words I was exhausted but I did manage to use about 15 minutes of the lesson on it so that was a result.#

Today I got brave and with one of my less motivated classes got them to give me family vocab which I wrote all over the board, I then had two students come up from team 1 and team 2 and gave them different coloured pens. I then stood at the back and with the aid of my microphone shouted out words from the board as they basically beat each other up to be the first to circle the word! The whole class got involved and the noise of children shouting mother mother was mind blowing, I'm sure next doors class didnt care for it but we had a great time! Prob the first time ive genuinely laughed in the classroom since I arrived. I smile lots and giggle in an attempt to stay calm (wouldnt wanna "loose face") but today I was genuinely enjoying it!

Its really hard to find games that are practical with classes as large as mine especially since there is sometimes hardly room for me to stand at the front never mind them to do stuff.

I'm also finding my "teacher" look this week which has worked on and off, I've taken everything from mobile phones to toy guns off the kids today and while they moan and cry about it they are handing them over to me which they wouldnt do last week.

I've found out that this is their final year of compulsory education after 12 they no longer have to attend school so i guess that explains some of the attitude. Plus some of the kids have started to use my name in class which is a nice variation on "teacher teacher"- its the small victories! although theyre pretty clever, I'll tell them to put theyre hand up and be quiet or i wont choose them and the next thing I know someone shouts my name and i automatically look to them and they blurt out an answer straight away! clever little things!!!

A new lesson plan awaits tomorrow so who knows I may wanna head home again by lunch time but hopefully I'll get the swing of it soon.

Adele and the kalasin interns are heading over to me tomorrow night for the weekend so it'll be nice to explore some more of Sakon Nakhon, plus Jenny and Love are organising for us to have food at one of our students aunts bar, apparently they have live music, great food and beer but its a "safe place" to go. The bonus of course is I'll get free food too coz i'm helping train her nephew - EQ. Top name!

Next weekend is the Elephant festival in Surin so were hoping to head over and see some of that, and that sunday is also the Loi Krathong festival all over thailand where they float boats made of banana leaves with candles in them on any body of water around and send all their problems floating down river under a full moon!

I'm sooooooo looking forward to that!

So, yeah things are still bloody tough but I'm doing my best to keep on top of it all and get the "full" Thailand experience!