A warm welcome in Hadsamran, Trang

After a 9-hour van ride from Hua Hin, we had one of the warmest welcomes we have ever seen at Hadsamran High School, the school which is hosting our group along with its cluster primary schools.

As soon as we arrived, we were escorted to a large open-air pavilion under one of the academic buildings. On the stage was the school's traditional Thai music ensemble with the instruments such as the two-string violin (tro), Thai xylophones, gamelan-type bells, a variety of drums and gongs, and other instruments. We were then greeted with a special Traditional dance unique to this southern region of Thailand, which involved four dancers dressed in beautiful flowing beaded costumes representative of rosters. The dancers wore heavy glittering makeup, and long golden curve finger nails. It wa s a beautiful dance. Each of us were presented with a lei of flowers, and each host family was there to get to know their students. There was a virtual feast of Thai fruits and desserts elegantly presented. Dr. Perrotta gave an official thank you speech--in Thai! Mr. Keo was kind enough to help her, and our Thai hosts were kind enough to lie and tell her they understood every word she said!

The students went off to the host families that night, and came back to the high school the next day for debriefings. Most had a great experience and were relieved when they met their host families, and felt very welcomed. Some had already had interesting excursions, including a couple of students who got to attend a funeral that was more of a celebration than a mourning.

Today (Friday) is sports day at Hadsamram. The day began with a parade of the entire student body divided into four teams - green, yellow, pink, and red. Each team was decked out in elaborate customes of a dizzying variety -some dressed for dances, some dressed for races, some dressed in costumes related to the themes of their groups, which appeared to address topics such as the environment, public safety, and Thai culture.

After an elaborate opening ceremonies, the games began with traditional track and field events, and other sports--quite like a mini olympics. Its a major event here at the school, one that we suspect few American high schools would attempt--or want to attempt--to pull off.

We have a weekend excursion planned as a group with our families this weekend. We'll also start posting comments from student journals to give their perspectives on the trip so far.

Note: My computer is no longer able to be charged, so I'm afraid I won't be able to add more pictures until we return to the U.S.