Children's Day was celebrated on Friday, January 11, at our school in Baan Nong Phue, the climax of "Sports Week," during which students competed in various athletic competitions. It was a good time from a weather perspective: we're in "winter" now and the temperatures are not too hot, but the sun still warms you quickly.
The celebration started early in the morning with a parade though the town, and the community was heavily involved. Our students were split into four teams identified by their colors: green, red, yellow, and blue.
Our band warmed up:
Flag bearers, parents, students, and teachers got organized:
And they were off!
On the highway through Nong Phue:
Entering the school grounds:
Lining up:
Guests from the community:
Raising the flag of Thailand:
Opening of the day in an exchange between Director Sutipong and the Chair of the School Committee:
Two of the day's announcers -- teachers Tom and Thanorm:
The torch was lit:
The races began and medals were awarded:
The students kept running hard all morning:
George got to dispense some ice cream and award some medals.
An acrobatic dance troupe from a nearby school put on a great show:
There was some dancing going on along the sidelines that George joined for awhile:
The students lined up on the field again for final presentations:
And the flags were lowered:
After a teachers' meeting with the Director to review the event, there was a great al fresco dinner for the teachers (who had worked hard all day) featuring Thai chim chum (according to Wikipedia: a Thai style hot pot where the ingredients (meats, vegetables, mushrooms, noodles) are cooked in a clear herb broth of lemongrass, galangal and kaffir lime leaves.)
A good time was had by all.
George's beard has grown back. Now you look like George.
ReplyDeleteThanks, James, for noticing that and bringing the subject up here. I said I'd probably announce my decision in the posting on Taipei, Part 2, but I was so excited to finish that and get it published that I forgot.
DeleteI did decide to grow the beard back. The argument that I heard for keeping it was that it made me look younger, but I never saw that myself, plus I don't feel a need to look younger -- I still feel pretty young. A beard isn't trouble-free, but I think it is less trouble than being whisker-free. The big factor though was what you said in your comment -- it just wasn't me. From the start (back on July 4, 1972 - shortly after I got out of the Air Force and had the freedom to grow one), the beard carried some notion of "wildness" for me. Yes, I had a serious job for many years and wore a suit and tie for most of those years, but (in my mind) the beard said I wasn't defined by that, that I wasn't a captive of that world. Without a beard for a few weeks, I found I needed that back. So, while I think it's good advice to "Beware of Thai barbers," I'm not totally sorry it happened -- it was a little "midlife" learning experience.