Anything goes school of fighting

So today was my first day back at placement, and I was really excited and happy to see all the kids. Many I recognized, with I think only one new face (new to me, not the day care.) Several of the children came running over to hold my hand or hang on me in some form or fashion, and any time I took a seat there was always some child clamoring on into my lap.

I didn't lead any activities today due to my throat, but I think all the laughing made up for the lack of talking. I spent a lot of time today playing with several of the little boys in the day care.

One thing that has interested me from day one has been the fact that there are multiple toy guns at the facility. I have no issue with guns and find that proper training and knowledge can go a long way, but I was caught off guard by how "realistic" the guns look. All toy guns in America look the part, with something about them being overly cheesy or neon orange. None of these guns have that look, so it's interesting to me to see this little group of boys running around with the guns and playing.

None of them are doing anything mean or with malicious intent, it's all good play, but I guess the visual, especially in the wake of the recent shootings in Connecticut, is odd to me. Plus I'm surprised at some of the mannerisms that the kids are displaying. One kid totally secured the gun in the back strap of his pants line, and then tucked his shirt over it to conceal the gun so he could hide it from the other kids. I was just like "oh my god, that kids packing."

The boys are all total sweethearts however, and I ran around the playground playing with them for the majority of my day. We also played this game where I was on one end of the playground, the kids lined up on the other, and they'd all run at me and tackle me and hug me.

I'd do various things while they were running my way, ranging from Gangnam style end pose, football shuffle, ballet, or dancing to Fantastic Baby. The kids all loved the game and we played several rounds.

After placement, we learned the basics of Thai massage for the head, shoulders, upper body, back and legs. ....I feel like I just covered the whole body, but it's very point specific. It was cool, and frankly doubled as a martial arts lesson considering a lot of these were key pressure points. (Or sure felt like some when applied with the right pressure.). I feel better prepared now in the case of an attack.

Should anyone decide to physically assault me, I can and will give you a very bad Thai massage. I've got the knowledge. Sort of. I know how to use it. ...for the most part.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Location:กรุงเทพ-นนทบุรี 46,Bang Sue,Thailand