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Dinosaurs in Kalasin


Now that everyone is done teaching, the atmosphere surrounding Anuban Khon Kaen is a lot more relaxed.   However, the work is never finished.  This weekend I was required to come into school both days to start getting ready for the next year.  On Saturday I was needed to help make an English exam for the incoming first graders.  There are over 100 applicants for the English program at Anuban Khon Kaen School and unfortunately we can only take 80 (60 if we followed the rules, but unfortunately in Thailand that is not how it is done).  On Sunday we came in early in the morning to interview the kindergarteners.  The whole process was very inefficient but that is how it works in Thailand.  Even though the steps are unnecessarily complicated and in an entirely roundabout way, the job eventually gets done.

When we finished the interviews in the early afternoon on Sunday we had the majority of the day left.  Air, my friend from Khon Kaen, has been talking about taking us to the dinosaur museum in Kalasin for a long time.  Kalasin, the next province east from Khon Kaen, is only an hour away so it seemed like the perfect time to go!   

When you think of Thailand, you don't normally think of dinosaurs, but here, they are everywhere. Isan is very proud of the dinosaurs that were discovered here.  There was a humorous that was discovered in Khon Kaen and later they discovered the rest of the dinosaur bones from the same dinosaur in Kalasin.  The obsession with dinosaurs in Isan is apparent everywhere, even in the temples! 


The dinosaur museum was enjoyable, even for Ari who is not as enthusiastic about dinosaurs as I am.  The best part was that the museum acknowledged the rest of the world.  Thailand, a country that has never been conquered, is a proud country that likes to keep to itself.  However, when it comes to evolution, there is no way of ignoring the rest of the world.  

A weekend full of work could be quite unfortunate, but overall it turned out to be an adventure of its own. 

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