But one animal I never thought I would
need to be careful of was dogs. Unfortunately the fluffy, cute and
darling dogs just might have rabies so it’s best to limit contact with
them too. They’ve barked, chased and growled at me countless places,
from random beach towns to crowded city streets. Obviously not all of
them carry rabies but time and time again I’ve been warned to be
cautious. Especially after my friend got attacked in Hua Hin by a stray
dog and had to start the dreaded series of rabies shots. Which you have
to start immediately because once you start showing the signs of rabies
you’re chances of fighting it are slim.
The first time I walked in the Prathom 3/2 classroom back in November I strode in with a huge amount of confidence after I totally rocked the class before (keep in mind this was my third day at school).
I started to show my example of how to
make a name tag, using as much energy as I could to keep the attention
of 42 nuggets. I paced up and down the isle to engage each set of eyes.
As I stood in the middle of the classroom I felt something a tad sharp
ram into my leg. I looked down and it was a skinny, ugly, flee infested
dog. My heart rate spiked as I checked to see if it had bit me.Ever
since I arrived I have this foreboding vision of be being rushed to the
hospital post dog/monkey bite since they harped on this issue
constantly during orientation. Fortunately I was wearing pants and could
be sure that, in fact, the dog didn’t bite me. The kids called the dog
away from me and I slowly walked back to the front of the classroom,
terrified to cross the imaginary boundary that was obviously her
territory. I ended class a tad early and slowly backed up into the
hallway and bolted to my office.
The first month I dreaded this class.
It’s hard to teach while keeping one eye on my kids and one eye on the
dogs whereabouts. This dog straight up hated me. The kids always dragged
it around by its tail and violently hit it, yet she takes it all and
has never snapped at them. After awhile the kids could sense my timid
nature around the dog and would call or push it away. She would bark at
me, growl and bud her head against my leg as if challenging me to a
dual.
I’d even found myself silently wishing
that we would accidentally run over her while we drove into school every
morning expecting every human and animal to move out of our path. (side
note: pedestrians in no way have the right of way here. Teachers honk
to get the students to move each morning….we’ve gotten a bit too close
for my comfort a few times. And personally Christine has saved my life a
few times tugging me away from motorcycles appearing out of thin air).
Fortunately, slowly but surely, the
tables have turned and it’s no longer me running from demon dog. Her
little dog brain started to comprehend that in fact it wasn’t a
one-on-one game we were playing. It was 43 against one and her impolite
behavior was not being tolerated. My timid dance around the classroom
has ceased and now I’m in charge.
The queen has been dethroned and there’s new royalty in town! Watch out upper Prathom building, Teacher Amy is here to stay.
XOXO, Amy
In other news….
1) I can’t wait to try out all of these recipes in my rice cooker!! Chocolate lava cake…I think yes!!
2) Today I had my last P2/2 class.
The same insanity ensued and at one point two girls were sitting on the
floor massaging my legs as I held up pictures while talking with anyone
who would listen.
3) My P2/2 class also kept pointing at my
face saying “black, black.” I thought they were referring to my
slightly tan skin from a weekend in the sun and was impressed by their
knowledge of the word. Only to find out that I indeed have whiteboard
marker smudges all over my face and no idea how long they’ve been there.
Sabai, sabai…
Read more from Amy as she spends her year as a Fulbright Teaching Assistant in Thailand at: https://sameamebutdifferent.wordpress.com/
For more information about the Fulbright Grant Opportunities, check out http://eca.state.gov/fulbright/fulbright-programs
