A Little Notoriety Goes a Long Way

So what's been happening lately in The Big Mango? Well, from my side of the mountain, I saw races zoom by, along with some accomplishments, a concert, and a weekend getaway.
The Thai-Japan race on March 11th commemorated the 1-year anniversary of the Japanese Tsunami that left many dead and lives torn. I ran the 11km race in Bangkok, which symbolized March 11th, but it also benefited the victims of last year's Thailand floods. I did take 6th place, and had I known my 5th place girl was right in front of me, I think I would have tried to scoot past her. Oh well, it was much more eye-appealing at this race to be able to look around and see the city, rather than zoning out on a stretch of highway for endless miles.

A lot has been happening in the Education world as well. Wrapping up course 2 of a second Masters and starting my Ed. Leadership internship has made life a little more exciting in some ways, stressful in others. However, learning that my action research course was waived, as a result of a transfer of courses from my previous Masters, is a welcome bit of news. Therefore, I officially go on vacation from grad class for 5 weeks starting very soon. Can’t really beat that, or the 4.0 GPA so far. I thank God above for a husband who bears with me and encourages me along the way. It is helpful to have his guidance, as he had earned his Masters in the same field.
Coupled with that school news, I was fortunate to meet Kim Cofino and Jeff Utecht, a couple of my geek heroes from the Ed. Tech world, at the East Asia Regional Conference of Schools (EARCOS) teachers’ conference that was held last week at the beautiful Shangri-La Hotel on the Chao Phraya River here in Bangkok. I got lots of great tips and have applied for a Weekend Workshop to have Kim come here to share all her 21^st Century knowledge with our teachers. Crossed fingers the grant application is approved, and Berkeley International School can host her here!
Speaking of other approvals, I just learned I have been inducted Tech4Learning’s prestigious group of Innovative Educators for my work and students’ work using the software Pixie. It is very exciting news. I feel special to be able to post my new TIE Badge here on this blog. They will feature a special blog post on me and my work on their web site soon.
With all that recognition and hard work, one has to go play right? I had to be young again, so it was a girls night out to see LMFAO, Afrojack, Lil Jon and Thaitanium here in Bangkok. Of course I had no voice left the next day at parent/teacher conferences, but it was worth the reminder that I don’t have to be a party rocker til 1 a.m. every weekend or even once a year at a concert.
And just as soon as the week ended with a concert, it was off to Pattaya for a long weekend of R&R at a friend’s beautiful, private home. We were able to relax by the pool with friends all weekend long and enjoy time together. I’d say it was the perfect beginning to a Songkran vacation! So for those of you who don’t know what Songkran is, it is the celebration of the Thai New Year. I don’t know any other country whose people can claim to celebrate 3 new years in a single year (Western, Chinese and Thai). It happens all over Thailand, mainly in the streets, mid-April, where people donning bright Hawaiian-esque shirts with flowers on them, literally spray each other with water, soaking especially the tourists. Josh and I have opted for a beach vacation to meet some friends and relatives down in Koh Samui. I said we will need our taxi to pick us up directly in front of our building at the lobby so we don’t get sprayed on our way to the airport.
Looking forward to more rest and relaxation, a book and perhaps some sunny weather to get my tan on before the real summer arrives. School will be ending very soon!