What Happened to February?

I know it's the shortest month, but usually February drags for me. Not so this year. I turned around and the month had disappeared. Also, the semester ended.

Looking back, there are a few good explanations for why February flew. The first was that I basically had five weeks between midterms and finals, so work was quite busy as I tried to fit everything I felt I should into the last "half" of the term. The second possible justification was that I got sick again. I only took two days off school, but I did work quite a bit when I wasn't feeling my best, simply because if you only see your students once a week--and you've only got so many weeks left--missing even one day suddenly makes a huge difference. I also got inundated with late work, as students tried (and sometimes failed) to get past homework in before I had to turn in grades. I think I may have to be a bit firmer on deadlines after the break.

So, here are some of the more memorable experiences from February:

-Every class being amazed by a koosh ball I brought in for review games the last week before finals.

-A class meeting me as I rode my bike up to the building their class is normally in, and telling me something had happened with a dog in the classroom. I don't know whether the dog in question relieved itself, threw up, or died in that classroom, but the general conveyance was that it was too stinky to have class. We had class in the open air lower level of the building, where the students sat on the ground at some low study tables. Instead of the usual whiteboard/blackboard routine, I wrote on a piece of paper and walked around showing it to all the students. Interesting variation, but not the most contained classroom experience.

-Being attacked with stickers on Valentine's Day.

-Having class in a non-airconditioned room where the fans were broken. It makes a difference!

-Being asked six days before-hand if I would organize activity days for the top students in each grade level for next week. It will be mostly games, and given the classes I'll be working with, it should be quite fun, but the planning is quite last minute.

-Procrastinating making solid plans for the two-month break (which turned out to be a good thing because of the point above). I have a list of places I want to see, and a rough idea of when I want to see them, but have avoided dates so far. Hopefully I'll nail those down before the activity days finish two weeks from now. . .

-Believing for two to three weeks after I was sick that I still didn't have my full energy back because riding my bike to school was so draining. But, as it turns out, it's only draining if you're riding a bike with flat tires. When I realized what was happening, I started walking my bike (which was less effort) only to have someone from the school tell me to stop so he could take the bike to the school and fix the tires. Seriously, in case it hasn't been said by now, Thais are the most helpful people in the world.

-Getting home from Bangkok around nine at night one Sunday, and having the security guard not only open the gate so I could get my bike and ride home, but follow me on his own bike to make sure I got home safely. Have I mentioned how nice Thai people are? And how I feel completely safe traveling on my own in this country? It's incredible.

-The beginning of the hot season. The cool season in Thailand lasts two months. Blink, and you might miss it.