a great week

Packing for a weekend in Phuket... here's a quick recap of my week:

Monday-- Schools and businesses throughout Thailand were closed in celebration of a Buddhist holiday. To honor the day, about 15 USAC students and our Thai friends went to Siam Paragon, one of the most posh and fashionable malls in the city. We caught an IMAX film (it was the first IMAX our Thai friends had ever seen!), checked out the hugeee English bookstore, window-shopped, and even managed to find PopTarts (very rare in Thailand)!
Tuesday-- Class as usual.. midterms are next week!
Wednesday-- Class all day. In Thai cooking we made delicious chicken with cashews and some pretty gross fried rice. It was our first failure in the kitchen, but I'm sure that my cooking group will rally next time. After class, I met with the dean of the Rangsit School of Dentistry and set up a semi-regular volunteer gig. The plan is to teach English to the faculty and staff of the school so that they can some day instruct courses in English. I'll have a class of 10 adults and we'll meet twice a week. I'm so excited, I can't wait to meet them. I start on Tuesday! Last night we went to a local bar to see a famous Thai boy band perform. They were great. We danced the night away and made some new Thai friends.
Thursday (today)-- Class this afternoon and a quick trip to the local Thursday market. I'm leaving for the airport in 20 minutes and still haven't packed! I won't need much since I'll be on the beach all weekend long. I'll be in Phuket and Kho Phi Phi through most of Monday and return just in time to take my midterm exams.