With my visa in order and my work permit on the way I have already begun teaching full time at the school and I am very busy. I teach only 14 hours a week but I'm teaching 13 different classes which, for the most part, means different lessons and lesson plans for each.

I can see that most of my work this semester will be spent in planning.

Luckily, I have been given the top 14 classes (in other words the top 500 students) in the school. So thats reassuring.

The students are great and they want to learn.

I will give you some insight into the average day here. I get up at 6:00, to school by 7:30, I'm at school until 5:00, I go home and eat, I go to sleep at 10:00.

School here is a bit surreal* as I get the backstreet boy treatment a lot. There is a lot of pointing and smiling and screaming and other strange reactions. A simple hello and a smile is all it takes.

That is part of the reason why I'm here(and part of why I'm teaching 14 classes). These students will hopefully grow comfortable with farang and, in the end, will learn much more than just English.

I am happy knowing that my work is meaningful.

Soon I will be given an unexpected holiday from work from November 17th to the 26th and I will probably post again around that time.

*speaking of surreal this time of year is really weird. The rainy season just ended which means people celebrate... a lot. Everyday this week, in fact, I have been to a party at night. I always leave(with my family) by around 9pm but I'm sure that they go well into the night. And on the way to school we pick up and drop off people(at about 7am mind you) that are going to this or that party. They supposedly stay all day and all night. The celebrations (called "paa-tee") are held for various reasons; a marriage, a death(yes a death party including plenty of alcohol, music, and dancing), a homecoming, etc. If it can be celebrated - it is. You could say that these "little piggies go merry merry merry all the way home".