Snapshots from a Commute

  

 On the way to work in the morning....

I live in the green building on the right.  The sun is just coming up at 7:15

 Here's a fried chicken cart just on the main street.  On the far right is a sticky rice steamer.  In the background is a vat of oil cooking out battered shallot slices.  For the authentic Thai breakfast, you put a couple paddlefuls of sticky rice on the paper, add slices of deep fried pig belly or chicken, and top with Maggi until the salt feels like a kick in the teeth. 

 A larger breakfast cart.  They offer boiled chicken in addition to fried pork belly and chicken bits.  Here, your breakfast comes either on a plate or in a styrofoam clamshell. 

 A rare sight: open space on the sidewalk.  (One of the vendors didn't set up)

 Tubs of water for doing dishes.













Students lining up for morning inspection.  They file past a cadre of senior teachers who are armed with various devices for enforcing appearance standards.  And of course the everpresent bamboo canes. 
Depending on the day and the person, they'll look for fingernails--too long/short and there's a ruler for your knuckles--or hair--too long and it gets buzzed into a bob for girls, or a boy gets a skunk stripe buzzed up the back--or a full scout uniform (jumping jacks and caning) or if the backpack/briefcase is out of order *WHACK*




















Looking back up the lineup toward the main road.  There are scout tents set up in the soccer field for an overnight campout: extremely daunting prospect for the prattom students.