Originally, the whole school (Grades 1 - 12) and staff were supposed to go (already a logistic nightmare) and it was scheduled to take place in a 5 star hotel resort. Unsurprisingly, this pushed costs through the roof and most of the kids pulled out, which meant that not all the teachers got to go, and it came down to my boss-lady's favourites. What is surprising is that I am apparently one of them. Who knew?
So much so, in fact, that KC and I were initially told that we'd have to plan all the activities and things for the kids to do. Insert panic. Luckily as the time got closer (and then further again, because the camp was postponed twice) this became more clear and Jennie's help was also enlisted. Jennie's been on loads of camps and worked as a camp counsellor abroad, so she had lots of really good ideas.
It sounds like the situation should have been completely manageable, right?
Enter my boss-lady, who 1) doesn't speak/understand very much English, and 2) changes her mind faster and more often than some people blink. This was the true spanner in the works of the whole business, and much as I would love to say we eventually got the hang of it and everything worked out, that would be a lie. Great fun WAS had by all, despite crazy boss-lady, but I don't remember a more stressful 3 days in my entire life, and we were very glad to get home.
That said....
A while ago I wrote about new year's resolutions. Mine have gone the way these things always go, and so I have a new and more tangible one - to read the news. I feel this is a considerably more measurable goal than 'taking responsibility for my own happiness', and I have taken to it with gusto. Now, you may not know that before making this resolution, I was not a person who could ever be found reading the paper. I talk while my poor father tries to watch the 7pm broadcast, and I use newspaper mainly to wrap up broken glass. So now I have decided to be informed. And boy, am I informed!
I was all over the protests in Egypt like white on rice, I spent an hour boring my sister to tears telling her every detail I had read on the subject. I know all about Gaddafi and how China and the States (and that scoundrel of a Zuma) don't want the UN security council to impose a no-fly zone etc. I know about that silly Manyi and tracked down Trevor Manuel's open letter in The Mercury (a Durban newspaper), I even know that Sheryl whatshername is in court for possible drug trafficking with a Nigerian.
But it all makes me so angry and sad, I can't stop thinking about it. KC says after a while I won't get so personally involved. I can't imagine reading what I did today about how Gaddafi's forces have pushed the rebellion almost all the way back to Benghazi, and not wanting to cry. Or seeing all the horror in Japan and not wanting to join a search and rescue team and go help where I can. And though it breaks my heart sometimes, I can't stop going back to see what else has happened, every day.
Today was a lovely day. The weather is changing in Bangkok, its been rainy and therefore cooler in the last two days, which has truly been a treat. KC and I had to go to the hospital on Monday to get medical certificates for our work permits (which, after being in Thailand for 6 months, I STILL don't have) and this necessitated getting on the dreaded scale.
Needless to say, we're now viciously attacking our fat in the swimming pool every afternoon and today also bought tennis rackets with which to do further battle.
Thereafter we went to what was supposed to be a supermarket, but as a result of badly worded directions to the taxi-driver on my part, ended up at the mall. There was a man handing out flyers for a deli restaurant with beautiful sandwiches and glorious cheesecake, so I guess we'll be swimming even harder tomorrow.
Most importantly, I bought a fridge. It is the tiniest fridge in the world, but I love it. I think I may even name it. I was desperate to buy this here fridge, because as I may have mentioned before, one cannot drink the tap water in Thailand. To compensate, the state provides filtration machines that dispense water at a minimal cost. The problem is that Thailand is sweltering hot, and so is the water that comes out of the machine. Enter my new fridge. This way I am not constantly buying new plastic bottles that I can't bring myself to throw away for fear of harming the environment. I realise the fridge releases things that are also harmful, but let me deal with one issue at a time.
