Wednesday 

Wednesday's a quiet day. I have one of those awful teaching schedules with lessons in the morning from 9.00am to 11.30, and then evening lessons from 6.00pm to 8.30. I have a gap in the day which gives me enough time to go shopping.......in Singapore.

The morning students are tired, the evening students are even worse. I love the way that the office people finish work, and then come to class and just want to be entertained. They view me as some sort of circus act. I want to tell them that I'm tired too. I've spent six hours wandering around air-conditioned shopping malls. I've read the Bangkok Post six times. I even picked up the Bangkok Metro - that's how bored I was. I managed to make a coffee in Starbucks last for an hour, and after filling that time, after filling all that time - I still didn't have the motivation to sit down and prepare the lessons.

Relaxing at home with a good book and desperately trying to keep my eyes open, I receive a phone call. The lady who lives just down the soi wants me to teach her two children on a Saturday morning. She has two little barstards - aged somewhere between 5 and 8. It doesn't matter how old they are - let's just say that they're small. There are two issues here - firstly how much do I charge? and secondly, what do they want to learn?

'Just give them conversation' is a sentence I love. It's about as unimaginative and wearisome as any sentence you care to mention. And what exactly madam do you propose that I converse with two small Thai boys about? - China's emergence as an Asian superpower? The advantages of holding the world cup in two different countries that have a history of bitter rivalry?

Saturday morning it is then Khun Somphop. I'll see you at 7.30. Oh...the price? (the price, the price, how much is it worth?) There's a little man in my head. I call him my spiritual accountant. He's saying "charge her 800 baht an hour, go on. You're professional, you're qualified, you have a good reputation. Charge the loaded old bag 800 baht an hour" The words are there in my throat but they won't come out " Shall we say 500 Khun Somphop?"

Khun Somphop is more than happy. I couldn't really understand her reply but I'm guessing it's the Thai equivalent of 'sorted'.

To be continued . . . .