Beautiful

View of the Burmese mountains across from Sunshine Orchards, as seen from the village of Mae Salid, about 5 k away The Steck's station wagon Everybody has a water buffalo... Mountain near a river cave Hannah Steck, Sharon Steck, Hannah Powell and I Soler in the back of Gail Haberkham's beastly truck Do what you must while you can... This week was exam week for Sunshine Orchards. I spent Sunday afternoon and parts of Monday preparing six exams for my three classes. Because the students sit so closely together, it's very easy for them to cheat, so I have written two different exams for each class. As hard as I worked on those exams, and though I finished them, I wasn't able to give them to the students. Just as I was about to print the exams yesterday, the power went off, and stayed off until this afternoon. When I told my students, only one out of eighty-four of them was disappointed.  Teachers have to be ready for anything. I wasn't re...

 One time this afternoon, I was sitting in the Steck's house, creating an exam for my fifth grade class. As I was puzzling over how to get the Karen font working in Microsoft word, I heard some voices from behind the house. Hannah Steck soon came from the kitchen and remarked with a knowing smile, "There's somebody back there who wants you! I think you're needed!" I yelled, "I don't think they need me very badly!" and stayed put. Because, of course, I knew that it was Sharon, Hannah Powell and Haley waiting outside to ambush me into a water fight. I don't believe in water fights! I only enjoy being wet if I'm playing in the ocean, or swimming in a pool. Other than that, I do not like being wet. I want to be wet on my own terms, thank you very much! You can't catch me, throw water on me, or throw me into water unless I let you, and I'm not going to do that. Even when I was little, several people at a tim...

La La Mu giving her version of the I-Love-You sign Law Ray Htoo's paper Mu Jel Htoo's paper Paw Leh Say's Paper Mah Keh Keh's paper May June's paper I think Mu Jel Htoo was attempting to use a new vocabulary word I had just taught. Fourth Grade: The boys side of the classroom. The boy beside the wall in the second to last row is Zaw Myo Htet. The girls side of the classroom. Mu Jel Htoo is the girl in the blue striped hoody in the front, and Law Ray Htoo is beside her. Ma Kay Phyo is the girl in the red and white stripes behind Law Ray Htoo. The students were not sure what to do for the picture Fourth Grade English is the last period before lunch. The students are tired and ready to go to lunch. Karen culture is so different from American. Here are some differences I have noticed: 1. The people will ask you straight-up questions.   (i.e. ""Teacher, how many kilos do you weigh?" "Teache...

I am now sitting on my porch, playing with one of the cutest little boys ever. I don't know what his name is, but he's about four years old, and has a bone disease that makes him extremely fragile. He's been living on the porch for the past few days, sleeping, eating, playing, everything. Never leaves, because he can't walk. Both of his legs were recently broken as he fell out of a hammock. Now he's just waiting, uncasted, untreated, for his legs to heal. There's nothing else they can do for him. He chatters to me in Karen, and though I can only understand a very few words of what he says, we're getting along pretty well. He's been fitting puzzle pieces together and showing them to me to see if he's doing it right. He holds a few ill-fitting pieces up and then laughs when I smile at him. His teeth are black in the front from beetle-nut (why would anyone give that to a little kid like him?), but his smile is so charming that you can't help but l...

 Thai mountains Burmese mountains across the river Walking to the river behind the boy's dorm Burmese mountain River that divides Burma from Thailand, looking towards Burma Hannah on the beach Light pouring over the mountain Approaching rain Rain coming in from Burma We started running right after I shot this picture Rainbow over Sunshine Orchards The rainbow  Sabbath afternoon, Sharon, Mrs. Steck, Hannah Steck, Hannah Powell and I spent time on the beach by the river, reading Nyla and the White Crocodile . We lay on the sand for a while until it was almost time for AY, then we looked up and noticed that the clouds were getting thicker over the mountains. As we got up and brushed the sand off our skirts, the breeze picked up and we knew the rain was coming fast. We hurried back towards our huts, looking back occasionally to see the rain pouring on the mountains just behind us. By running a little, we got back to our...