gym class

this evening i decided to go to the gym and get some exercise since i haven't done much of anything since i got here. not even much walking because the school compound is pretty small and most of the restaurants and stores are right across the street. i was good for about 15 minutes before i thought i might pass out from the heat, since the building isn't air conditioned. on my way out i saw the head gym teacher. he asked me if i play badminton (thais are somewhat obsessed with badminton). when i told him i didn't really know how, he insisted on giving me a private lesson right then. so we played for about 45 minutes. basically, i can do ok but i can't serve to save my life. he showed me a way to serve that i can do, but i think it must be cheating or something. he was making me run all over and totally wore me out! now i think i will have to practice every time i want to go to the gym or he will give me a hard time. after the gym closed he invited me to the gym office for some water, probably because i was sweating like a pig! there was another gym teacher there and we all did our best to chat. well, it came out that the head gym teacher used to be a professional thai boxer. (someone else used to be a professional badminton player, but that is not so impressive.) and then, he offered to teach me thai boxing!! and tried to show me some right there, but it didn't work out so well in the small office and me being about to fall over. i didn't know they would teach girls thai boxing, but then i don't know anything about it. i told him first i would watch some and see what i thought, since i have never really seen it. but maybe i will take him up on the offer. i think thai boxing skills could get me far....

the other thing that happened today is i found out i am getting a paid school trip to a beach resort this weekend. there is some sort of meeting with teachers and alumni and parents and the school board, i don't really know what about, but they invited me and i think don't expect me to do much since i don't know thai and all. i'm all about beach resorts!