A few more excerpts. Check this post over the next few days, as I will probably update it with more student reflections.
"Unlike back home, you order food to be shared by your entire party, not just what you want for yourself. You take what you want from the table and put it on your plate, which is usually covered with a bed of steamed rice. It's almost like eating at home or a family gathering like Thanksgiving."

"I tried Thai breakfast, or a bowl of soup with rice and chicken, lightly flavored with green onion. I wish I had tried it yesterday, it was very good."

"[We went to Tanawan's resort, Tonpur,] where we will be staying for the next two nights. I gotta say, I think it is one of the most beautiful places I have ever been. The beach is littered with sea shells and coconut trees shade the area from the bright sun."

And here's another note from Dr. Hal:

"It's time for me to check in with all of you again and provide and update from perspective.
"We have just a couple days of teaching left before we travel to Chiang Mai in the north of Thailand and then return to Bangkok for our trip home. I'm encouraging our students to maintain their focus on their teaching, and finish strong. I'm sure they will.
"What I'm hearing from the Thai teachers is, 'Next time bring more students.' 'Next time stay longer.' The Thai Students have clearly enjoyed having the Dana students teaching their classes. When we leave there will be lots of 'hard to say' goodbyes. The school directors are planning an appreciation dinner and party at a restaurant in nearby Trang Town on Thursday evening.
"We've kept busy. Students have been planning lessons and teaching from two to five hours a day. Often they have the support of a Thai teacher in their classroom, but not always. It has varied from student to student some more than others, but our Dana students have been the ones that have taken the lead in teaching, and they have done it effectively and confidently.
"We've stayed busy with activities on weekends also. Our first weekend was spent boating, snorkeling and a little bit of relaxing on some nearby islands and spending the night in a tent.
"The second weekend we went caving, then kayaking 8 kilometers in a nearby river. Let me tell you, some students are more adept than others at guiding a kayak through rushing waters, but I've rarely heard more laughter.
"I'd like to share some excerpts from our students' journals again." [See above.]

So what're the goings-on? Well, we're just over halfway done with our last week of teaching. Tonight we had an impromptu visit to a beach for some fresh crab and a big delicious dinner after watching the sun set. Tomorrow night we are having a farewell/thank you dinner, as Dr. Hal has told you. Friday we've been asked to help with Had Samran School's Scout Day with some English activities. We'll see what all that entails! And as you should probably know by now, Saturday morning we leave for Bangkok and then Chiang Mai for some more touristy activities before heading home Tuesday.

Tomorrow I will have more details about this week and also about this weekend. There is no telling whether or not I will have time or even the opportunity to blog until I am back home, so I'll go ahead and promise a good one for tomorrow. Until then!