Around 4:30pm I walked home from my 2nd day of school. You have to understand, I live about 3 minutes, a parking garage and parking lot away from school, so getting home takes little effort or time. But along the way, as I was walking beside the open parking garage, I passed a cackle of teenage Thai students from a local Thai school. They had stopped to get ice-cream from a local vendor that I had gotten ice-cream from during lunch.
I was nearly to my building's main entrance when these kids come running after me -- "Excuse me, Miss! Pii kah! Excuse me!" -- a young girl in a typical white, button-down blouse and navy blue, pleated skirt was ten yards behind me. "Do you mind if I ask you some...do you have a couple minutes....if we ask you some questions?" She stumbled over her uncertain English.
I turned to her as three more students came hurrying after her, panting for breath. She asked for my time again and spit out rapid-fire Thai in a high-pitch whine. Two more girls ran across the parking lot like their life depended on it, a digital camera swinging from one girl's wrist. A boy looked at me hesitantly, then asked if I lived in Parkland.
"Yes I do." I was tempted to answer in Thai, but refrained.
"Are you a teacher?"
"Yes, at the international school right there," I pointed in the direction of the school.
"My name is ....., and I am a student at -some Thai school- and we would like to ask a few questions."
The students kept turning to one another, rapidly speaking complete gibberish. Another camera appeared -- this one of the video persuasion -- and all six teens gathered in a circle to quickly play a round of "Rock-Paper-Scissors" to decide who would do the actual interviewing. Apparently the boy who first asked if I live in Parkland lost (or won, depending on how you look at it), because he pulled out his notes and began instructing the others on where to go and what to do.
Both cameras came out and a girl tried to figure out where she should stand with the cue notes so her partner could see them. With the girl hovering right beside me, my interviewer asked 4 questions in halting English about Parkland.
I smiled, answered in simple sentences, and used my best Thai accent. And just like that I was made into a Thai superstar featured in a school project.
It reminded me of assignments I've given out before, and will give out again this year. Ah, to be a student forced to interview strangers in a foreign language about meaningless things....the good ole days.
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