Shrewsbury is expanding rapidly and opening a further 4 Junior schools in September 18. Two in China, one in Hong Kong and one in Bangkok (to be called the City Campus)

Yesterday after work we had a visit to the new campus/building site which will become the new school. It has just rained so the site was awash with mud but we were all suitably impressed although as with any building project it all looks as though it can’t possibly be ready in time!!!

The new library building hasn’t been finished yet & there is much to do to get it all set up. You can see a picture here is a sample classroom.

The school certainly do know how to do hospitality and the spread was delicious. We even had decent wine which is particularly hard to come by here.  Trust me to be impressed by the food!

I have offered to assist with developing a new library- the adventure continues… and if anyone fancies a job out here we will be recruiting 

Today was the Junior School ceremony of Wai Kru. Kru means teacher and in Thailand teachers are respected as second parents. The Wai is the formal bow with the hands together.

In this ceremony representatives from the teaching areas sat up on the stage while a child came and knelt before us and presented us with a floral arrangement in a special golden bowl. We then gave blessings to the child and encouraged them in their studies. My little girl was from Year 3 and was SO sweet. This has to rank as one of the most memorable occasions in my life.

The flowers are on the library desk as I was accepting them on behalf of the whole team. And the other picture is with Sally, the Head of the Junior School. As you can see each arrangement is slightly different.

Thailand has been dubbed the land of smiles and it really is true. People here smile A LOT and it is part of what makes the place so friendly and welcoming. There are in fact 13 different types of Thai smile and they all mean different things
1. Yim thang taa: The ‘I’m so happy I am crying’ smile
2. Yim Thak Thaai: The polite smile for someone you barely know
3. Yim Cheun Chom: the ‘I admire you’ smile
4Feun Yim; The stiff smile, also known as the ‘I should laugh at the joke even though I know its not funny’ smile
5. Yim mee lessanai: The smile that masks something wicked in your mind
6. Yin yaw: The teasing or ‘I told you so’ smile
7. Yim yae-yae: The ‘I know things look pretty bad but there is no use crying over spilt milt’ smile
8. Yim sao: the sad smile
9. Yim haeng: the dry smile, also known as the ‘I owe you money but I don’t have it’ smile
10. Yim thsk thaan: the ‘I disagree with you’ smile also known as the ‘you can go ahead and propose it but your idea is no good’ smile
11. Yim cheua cheuan: ‘I am the winner’ smile that the winner gives to the losing competitor
12. yim soo: The ‘smile in the face of an impossible struggle’ smile
13. Yim mai awk: |The ‘I’m trying to smile but I can’t’ smile

Thais smile all the time, even if they are being told off in school or if they have no intention of doing what has just been asked of them. It can be very confusing for a westerner at tie as you think that your team are in agreement with you when you are greeted by a set of beaming faces. But it isn’t always the case.
I am hoping that I can get a photo to upload . It is one of the new teachers (maths),called Doy who is half Thai and who smiles as broadly as this ALL the time. e is a real pleasure to be around. He even smiled through the difficult bits in Zumba – something the rest of us were definitely not doing.

Anyway, today I an add another smile to the list.

Its 14. Yim Toner: the ‘my shipping is going to be delivered this morning ‘smile. Yippee!

At last we will be re-united with our stuff. All those things which we packed 10 weeks ago. It is going to be like Christmas. Finally our apartment will start to look more homely. Hot but homely.

I hope that reading these posts makes you smile as broadly as Doy

After three weeks of settling in, learning & finding our way around Bangkok we deserved a break so when the fellow newbies proposed a weekend in Koh Samet we jumped at the opportunity.

They organised the mini bus which was supposed to take 3 hours but actually took 4 as traffic out of the city was bad. Shared between 9 of us it cost £10 each which wasn’t bad. We all piled onto a speedboat for a James Bond-esq super-charged ride to the island (£5 each) and we were on the beach with a drink shortly after 8pm!

We had opted for the luxury end of the market & chosen a superior room which was a real bargain at £60 per night including breakfast and located right on the beach. When you consider that a bog standard Premier Inn can be £69 or more per night… I even had a fresh fruit platter on arrival (the pineapple here is way more delicious that what we get in the UK)

Everyone was highly excited on the drive down discussing what they were going to do. I said to kevin that I didn’t fancy the neon paint party or the bucket of cocktail… but we ended up joining in (ours was a bucket of pina colada) and I felt as though I was living in a Fascinating Aida song (‘getting down with the kids’ – which Jane, Philippa & Honor will recognise).

This island is stunning. We strolled along the white sands, snorkelled among the tropical fish and ate dinner on the beach. It was just the chillax we needed. The sea was the warmest I have ever come across and we have both caught the sun. But we return to the city refreshed and reinvigorated.

We still can’t quite believe that we live here now. We have to keep pinching ourselves. This isn’t just a holiday! If any of you are considering a move then I highly recommend this place. #livingthedream

The royal family in Thailand is both highly revered and greatly respected and no one more than the late King. King Bhumibol worked tirelessly throughout his life on projects to help support his people and his work is much appreciated. The King died in October 2016 and the country is currently in a year long period of mourning for him. Many Thai still wear black and everywhere you go you find pictures and shrines to honour him. In this shopping mall people are making floral symbols in the shape of a number 9 as they are in the ninth month of mourning. There will be an official funeral in October and I understand that the school has changed the dates of half term to allow all staff to be off for the state occasion.

The children in Shrewsbury are lovely. They are so cute and largely well behaved and always immaculately turned out. And best of all they are voracious readers. Keeping them OUT of the library is the biggest challenge (although the air con might be part of the attraction!)

On the subject of occasions the little children in the school are allowed to bring in cake for their class on their birthday. Shrewsbury as a fee paying school attracts the wealthy and often the parents seek to out-do each other by bringing in not only enormous and lavish cakes but also goody bags for each child too. This week one child brought goody bags where the contents must have valued £30 each. It made me think of some of the children in Lebanon or even the west end of Morecambe who sometimes don’t arrive at school having had a decent meal.

In other news we visited Jim Thompson’s House which is a beautiful oasis in the heart of this busy, bustling city. Jim was responsible for reinvigorating the Thai silk trade but his associations with the CIA meant that he disappeared in in 1976 and the mystery remains unresolved to this day. He was a collector of fine

porcelain and Asian antiques. The headless statue of the Buddha in his garden is 1000 years old. We were treated to some beautiful Thai dancing.

Today Miss Roma our maid started work for us. I was so excited. She was a little scathing about the cleaning equipment we had purchased so far and so she sent Kevin out with a shopping list and we now are the proud owners of a rotating mop system. It’s hard to explain but we are happy to show you if you visit. The apartment is Spick & Span now. 

I was just delighted to come home from work to a pile of freshly ironed clothes. Such joy. As it was hot we went for a dip in the pool before ordering chicken & cashew nut with rice (pictured) which cost £3.50 each delivered. This is the life. 

The kids are back and the noise levels have risen. I have spent most of the day fielding a flood of returned books in a system I am unfamiliar with – always a challenge!

Anyway I also ‘volunteered’ to speak at both school assemblies. I had a 3 min slot on the subject of ‘renewal’. My first experience of a school assembly since I was at school myself. Anyway I threw some thoughts about the change curve together and got up and said my bit. It was actually a great way to introduce the new librarian to the whole school community. Interestingly all the newbie teachers congratulated me on taking one for the team and said how brave I was to speak in front of the whole school. This surprised me as they are teachers and used to speaking in front of people- ah yes they replied but there were adults there… we wouldn’t do that!!!

I’m the meantime Kevin went to a coffee morning for spouses organised by the Head’s wife. He actually gleaned quite a lot of useful local info from the longer standing spouses. 

It is very different living in a country to being a tourist. We haven’t seen a single temple or palace yet but we can tell you the best place to buy a mop & bucket. 

Induction, training and orientation are all over. Tomorrow the children arrive. The school is scrubbed, tidied and ready. Here are some photos. I love the fancy tables set outside with the satin cloths. They are all outside safe in the knowledge that they will stay dry. Something you can never guarantee in Britain!

I have already had a little weed and a weeny move around of the stock in the senior library (ok all the fiction) but just moving it up I can free up 3 bays which are going to move to the workroom area and replace cupboards which are moving elsewhere (all in a days work)

In a neat idea we make posters with the 12 favourite titles for each teacher. These are displayed in each classroom and in the library. I have so many that I struggled to narrow it down to just 12. I will post a picture of it when mine is ready.

In the meantime some shots of the school…

Today (Sat) we visited the Big Bad Wolf book fair in the equivalent of the Bangkok NEC. It was huge and very impressive. English language and Thai titles for sale as massively discounted prices.

It was about an hour away and we had to take a sky train (& change lines) then a taxi. We felt quite adventurous. The event was free and crowded with locals who clearly loved reading and knew a bargain when they saw one.

Although not organised to librarian standards I still managed to locate several titles which I want to add to the school library. I started modestly and only bought £97 worth of titles but paid only £38. V pleased with myself. 

We are finding our way around the school now. I have located the canteen, staff room and toilets (essential stuff). Today I even had an hour at my new desk (uncomfortable chair so that might get replaced)

On the subject of food we have coffee/tea on arrival with mini pastries and sandwiches (what they call snacks) which are also available at break time. Lunch is a huge buffet with a choice of Thai or western dishes and it’s all FREE!! It’s help yourself to as much as you want…

The school are so very friendly & welcoming and you really feel valued which is great. Nothing is too much trouble and they are very keen that we are settled and happy (& fed)

I got my ID badge yesterday and if you look closely at the picture you will see one of the challenges of working here! Their English is good but not always perfect. So the badge is being changed and there are one or two signs in the library which might get altered…

Induction sessions have been useful & informative but also fun such as the introduction to Thai culture where I learned that a female must not sit next to a monk on public transport and under no circumstances whatsoever should a female touch a monk. Monks are highly respected and we should allow them to pass first on the street. I guess my vicar friends might be a little jealous

The other photo is a lotus flower which we learned how to fold.  More on lotus flowers later as there is a lot of cultural significance attached to them.

Many of the new teachers here are young enough to be my kids so I do feel a little long in the tooth. Last night they got a Zumba group together and invited us along. Neither of us has done Zumba before but in an attempt to get fit we joined in… an hour later we both resembled boiled beetroots and were totally knackered. It was really hard work but I was told this morning that the others were really impressed that we had ‘kept up’ and their parents wouldn’t/couldn’t have done that- so I’m notching that up as a success (even if our backs are complaining a little today)

Anyway, we are off this evening to a drinks party in the Headmaster’s penthouse apartment. Fortunately kevin is feeling better enough to eat/drink. It might be one of the few opportunities to drink wine as it’s really expensive here & we’ve been sticking to local beer.