Coconuts and Blind Candy

In the afternoon, Ramsey challenges me to do more "agricultural tourism". It is my turn to open a coconut with a machete. As you can see, the side by side comparison of my attempt to open a coconut and Ramsey's attempt reveals a deficit of sorts on my part.

It is difficult to hold onto this little round coconut with one hand while needing to put all your might behind the downward thrust of a machete in your other hand. I keep on feeling like I'm on the verge of cutting off my digits and this takes the force (and effectiveness) out of my chops. I have to concentrate quite hard to aim at the same cut twice and not gravitate towards my fingers. Eh...though it's not pretty, I am happy with my success. Coconuts of the world, beware.

This evening I decide to lead the students in a directional kinesthetic activity. In this game they learn the English words for turn left, turn right, go up, go down, big step and small step. So the aim of the game is to learn these words by both giving and following directions in English. They get into teams of one direction giver and one blindfolded direction follower. All directions must be in English. Their goal is to find candy that I have placed somewhere in the school. They compete in pairs. It is pretty ridiculous and fun as the followers blindly try to find the candy.

The last hidden candy is put high up in some vines growing on a pillar in the school. Fullmoon finds it and looks really happy.

I haven't seen Gong all day, and at night his mom shows up at the school and says that she wants him to come home. She found him in his house crying - he's in a lot of pain. She won't allow him to have his toe lanced because she thinks this type of injury, if punctured, will lead to an infectious pus that will cause other areas to become infected. She makes him traditional Lao medicine instead as a poultice for the wound.