November 2 - 15: Jakarta,Loi Krathong and the Khlongs

The return to school from our fall holidays has been pretty hard. We learned on the Saturday/Sunday before coming back that one of our PE teacher, 28 years old from Nova Scotia, had passed away during our week off. Staff and students were pretty shocked.

I took my volleyball team to Jakarta for the South East Asian Student Activity Conference (SEASAC) championship. We didn't really have a chance to visit Jakarta as we didn't have much time, basically going from hotel to gym or vice-versa, plus I don't think there is much to see in Jakarta (I might be wrong).

Meanwhile, Jacqui and her colleagues were celebrating Loi Krathong (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loi_Krathong), which basically is a celebration where you float a small container of leaves often accompanied by a candle light of some sort. In Jakarta, one of my volleyball player built a "boat" out of paper and was shining the light from his cellphone on it; he told me it was the best that he could do to celebrate the occasion given our situation in a hotel room in Jakarta. I would have loved to see it where we live, as we have a lake near the school. Jacqui and some of her colleagues went out and found it pretty neat.

The next day, Jacqui went with a few friends to walk the Khlong, which translates into a "canal". There are many canals around and most of them have some type of cement sidewalk that you can walk along (also used for bicycles and scooters). You can basically walk for hundreds of km on the Khlongs.

Jacqui also had her class start swimming lessons, at the school pool. She went in for the first day, to help out with her students. She enjoyed it and so did her students! I also went in one day to help her make Banana Bread with her students, using the Culinary Arts room at the school. I was quite impressed by that room, and yes, the Banana Bread turned out fine!!

Scooter parking lot near our hotel in Jakarta

Jacqui and her class at swimming lessons at school

Jakarta: they don't seem to use the letter X

Where I spent most of my weekend - we came in third

One of Jacqui's student getting ready for Loi Krathong

Jacqui and Lauren, her PreK3 colleague

Putting it in the water!

There they go, floating away

Parts of the Khlong between MinBuri and Samakhorn

The Culinary Arts room at school

Jacqui's class, getting ready to make Banana Bread

Learning about various quantities: which is larger, smaller ...

Mr Richard helping out!!

How good was it??

Our "burger man", where you order from the back of a truck (but his burgers are really good!)