Macau

[Bamboo Grove]

I don't have the experience yet. Maybe this will help.

https://weather-and-climate.com/average ... u-cn,China

[buksida]

Link didn't open but most searches confirm a lot of rain. Looking for somewhere new to go for a long weekend at the end of May.

[Bamboo Grove]

Yes, it's rainy season but as I said, I can't tell what it will be like, short heavy showers or longer showers.

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[Bamboo Grove]

I asked a colleague who was born here (Portuguese) and she said that the rainy season in May/June sees a lot of constant rain, which is different from Thailand. Or at least in the parts of Thailand I have lived. So it's not just heavy showers.

[buksida]

A bit like Bangsaphan from July until December then!

[Bamboo Grove]

My first trip to China was more than 38 years ago. Today, I've seen the last Chinese festival that I hadn't seen before. This is more typical southern Chinese, the Dragon Boat Festival. Made me think about the race some of us participated in 2006. We were (almost ) just as elegant as today's rowers but what we lacked then were the cheerleaders. Maybe that's why we came last then.

[PeteC]

There's still photos of all those boat races in/near Hua Hin on the forum here somewhere. The photo I remember is the boat/occupants posing for a photo, and the boat about 1cm from water flowing in over the sides.

[Bamboo Grove]

Here is the thread from 2006. https://huahinforum.com/viewtopic.php?t ... ragon+boat

[PeteC]

Unfortunately all the photos are gone because of various forum software adjustments over the years.

What jumps out like a lightening bolt from that thread and posts is the banter and the camaraderie from those days. Too many people long gone. I miss them, and the style we don't see on social media now.

[Bamboo Grove]

I went slowly through the whole thread while preparing my dinner. Melancholy hit me a big time. Just like you said, PeteC, it was great time of camaraderie. Miss those days so much. Also so many sad things happened with the pool and dart leagues not long after that. It's just seems that all that is meant to be fun in the first place is turned into too serious things later by some people who don't agree with the original ideas. With that I am talking about the pool and darts leagues, not the dragon boat race.

[Bamboo Grove]

I remember in another thread there was talk about lotuses. Could have been the Khao Tao -lake thread. I've just been to my own around the Taipa wetland walk and seen these lotuses there. Lotus is the symbol of Macau and most of these have been planted in pots. Some of them have already opened their flowers.

Lotus t 2.jpg (87.86 KiB) Viewed 3473 times

[Big Boy]

The Bueng Bua Wood Boardwalk thread I think viewtopic.php?t=41802

[Lost]

How are you finding the teaching there BG? You said the school are using Finnish methods of teaching (best education in the world) am interested to know any positives and negatives you've encountered. Have they given you fairly free reign to implement your homeland's education standards, or is it like Thailand where, 'you're still just a foreigner, we'll be micromanaging every aspect of your duties'

[Bamboo Grove]

I have been able to teach the way I did in Finland. I have only been teaching math and science this school year. That will change in September as I will only have one class, now I have two. What has also been positive is that the school has had quite a large budget for the teachers to buy things they need in their teaching. The class sizes are small, max 16, this year my classes have been 10 and 7.

We are required to teach 18 periods (40 minutes) per week, which is less than in Finland where class teachers teach a minimum of 24 (45 minutes) per week.

On the minus side is that the students are mainly SEN students and need a lot of help but I have had the SEN teacher with me on about half of my classes so that has helped a lot. Lately some mothers of the laziest students have been upset about how the school handles out punishments. One even suggested that no punishments should be given, instead we need to give advice to the students, when they break the rules. What she refuses to understand is that when the advice hasn't changed anything, punishments must be handed out. Luckily there are not many mothers like this.

As a whole I am quite satisfied with the job so I will return here for at least one more year and if I stay in good health, probably will be here even longer. Let's see.

[Lost]