On Thursday night around 8pm we received a message on facebook from a
friend in our basketball group, letting us know that there was a
nationwide curfew in Thailand from 10pm - 5am. The Curfew would last
for as long as the political conflicts continued. The Curfew applied
to everyone; even tourists,and if you were caught breaking this rule,
you could be imprisoned for two years or pay a 40,000 baht fine. This
curfew came as a complete surprise. We knew that there had been
protests in Bangkok from the moment we arrived in Thailand, but so
far we had not seen any action in Chiang Mai. This was the first time
that the political issue was really brought to our attention. All TV
channels were temporarily banned, as well as outside news stations,
and certain websites. The only thing on TV, was an automated message
saying "peace and order", and every half hour or so, the
picture would switch to a short clip of an army general reading a
letter in Thai. Later that night around 10pm we received a call from
Moz, letting us know that all public and private schools would be
closed tomorrow and we would have the day off from work. When we got
this call we were a little worried about the situation. And
unfortunately for us, our information on the situation was limited.
The only news was a short thirty second clip in Thai. Because of
this we relied on our basketball friends, and a Chiang Mai group on
facebook, for news updates. This was not a reliable or very accurate
source. Rumors of the internet being shut off began to spread .People
were talking about Thailand being on the brink of civil war, and
others were saying that the situation wasn’t a big deal, that
Thailand has had a coup every four years for the past fifty years,
and that there was nothing to worry about. Naturally we were a little
worried for our safety and were unsure what to do about the
situation, but we decided to stay positive and make our own judgments
based on how safe we felt. As the weekend passed and we read updates
on facebook, and found a few reliable news articles online, our
feelings were put to ease a bit. A website we found online called
Asiancorrespondence, gives hourly updates about the political
situation around the country. It was on that site as well as from
people on facebook that we learned that there is a military presence
in Chiang Mai now, as well as other places all over the country. Many
people on facebook have been posting pictures of candle lit, peaceful
protests by people in Chiang Mai. The military presence is mostly at
Thapae gate as well as Chueng Gate. On Friday night there were two
hundred posters and about a hundred military men at thapae gate. The
military fired shots into the air to disperse the crowd,and arrested
five, but no one was hurt. Besides the military presence around the
moat and the nightly curfew, life in Chiang Mai seems to be calm. The
conflicts in Thailand have hurt tourism in the last few months, but
with the curfew added, many businesses are hurting even more. As far
as school goes, it was back in session on Monday. I feel fortunate
that the protests in Chiang Mai have remained on a small scale and
have ended without anyone getting hurt. On the other hand Bangkok is
a different story. Everyday thousands of protesters crowd the
streets, and the military has made several arrests, including
politicians. In fact a list of people who are suppose to report to
the military is read almost daily on TV. Those who report are most
likely arrested, and those who don’t, are in hiding. Because of the
political unrest in Thailand many tourists have canceled their travel
plans, and unfortunately for us all of this is happening at the time
our families are scheduled to visit us. But like I stated before,
life in Chiang Mai, from a tourists standpoint remains unchanged
aside from the curfew. With that said my brother Willie and his
girlfriend arrived on Monday. I am so excited to have family
visiting, and so far we are having a wonderful visit. As far as work
goes, Ryan and I are loving our jobs! My kids are adorable, and so
much fun. The first graders are a challenge, every lesson
incorporates dancing, music, and games. The older ones are easier
because of the variety of activities I can do with them. Some new
things I have learned while teaching in Thailand. The students are
very honest.When we play a game, you never have anyone cheating, or
complaining about getting tagged out, which came as a surprise to me
since they are such a competitive group.They are very lazy when it comes to physical activity. Just asking them to walk to the front of the room, they groan and complain. They love using their rulers for everything, and are very finicky about perfection. My only complaint is that I dont get to form close bonds with the kids because I have 1,200 students, and only the same student every other week.
