in trouble

We were met with quiet, almost-tangible hostility when we walked into the office yesterday. Sukjai didn't acknowledge our existence, but sulked into his breakfast of chicken and rice.

We sat down and exchanged nervous glances. When he left the room, we discussed a plan of action.

"Should we let him approach us?"
"No, in Thai culture, younger people always come to the elders. You can't make them seek you out."
"Okay, okay. So we have to approach him somehow."
"Not when La Bruja [a.k.a. P.Cham -- the third grade English teacher/office-politics puppet master] is in the room. We can't have him drawing strength from her."
"No, no. That wouldn't be good."

We caught him 15 minutes later as he was walking past our cluster of desks. Kristy -- a brave soul -- said, "Um, Sukjai? Do you have a second?"

We were immediately shot down. He waved his hand as if to say, "I don't even want to look at you right now" and told us he'd talk with us later.

I, for one, was relieved. At least the ball was in his court.

He waited until 3:40 to finally call us out of the office to have a chat. We sat down in a classroom and he said, "Well, what happened?"

Erin told him the same exact thing that I'd told him on the phone. He told us he felt so surprised on Tuesday when he came to work and none of us were there.

"Believe me, we were just as surprised when you called!" Erin said.

We assured him that we meant no disrespect and never would have missed work had we not truly, sincerely believed we had time off. We told him we'd stay an hour late next week to make it up, and he was placated.

Like everything else that goes on in our department, it was a needlessly dramatic buildup to an inconsequential outcome.

'tis better to give...

I had my first bite of a traditional English pudding at the work Christmas party. It wasn't awesome. It tasted like raisins. I'm not sure what all the hype is about.

We had tons of food, I discovered a new salad recipe, and, after the gift exchange, my coworker Amy learned that you probably shouldn't go around pretending your stuffed, blue gingham water buffalo is a dog and begging people to trade. You will eventually run into the person who brought said buffalo, and you will embarrass yourself.

This was supposed to be a nice gift exchange, as opposed to a White Elephant exchange. The spending limit was 400 baht (about $12). The gift had to be appropriate for either sex.

It's funny, sometimes, the things people bring. There was the infamous buffalo that belonged in a Thai baby's crib, a People magazine, and a bag of Swedish fish. There were also gift cards to Starbucks, boxes of chocolate, and a cute mug accompanied by a box of Twinings tea.

It's so hit or miss sometimes, and people who bring really nice gifts are inevitably disappointed when they receive something like a giant curve-handled old person umbrella (how the heck are we supposed to get that home in a suitcase?!).

What do you prefer: "real gift" exchanges or White Elephant ones? Do you spend up to the limit? How do you find a gift for both genders?

the facts of life

When I walked into class today, I noticed a group of students - mostly boys - crowded around a window. They seemed fascinated. Naturally, I walked over to see what had captured their attention.

Perched on the window was a small fly, with a larger one on its back. Now, I'm no entomologist, but I think we all know what that means.

I shooed the students back to their seats and left the flies to their own devices.

Any time there was an opportunity to get up during class (bathroom breaks, turning in papers, etc.), they would go to the window to check on the flies.

Awesome.

crocodile-proof garments

On the van ride to school this morning, one of the girls was telling a story about her former roommate's encounter with a crocodile. Specifically, she was relating how the girl screamed when she saw one two feet away from her and ran away as fast as she could.

Someone made the comment that screaming and running is probably not the best thing to do when faced with a crocodile. My question was, "What is the appropriate response?"

Then I got to thinking. This thought process normally takes place as an inner monologue. Today, however, I was thinking aloud. I said something like this:

Well, you could wear clothes made of iron. Special crocodile clothes. But then if the crocodile bit you, it's teeth might dent the clothes... and it would be like your clothes were biting you.

The girls sitting around me thought it was a really weird thing to say - probably because it was a really weird thing to say. I don't know what happened... It just came out.