So, now that I'm waiting around for my director to be willing to have a meeting with me, I thought that I would take a few moments to discuss the charming man.
When I first arrived to Nong Chang it was very evident that my director aimed not only to please, but to seem like someone who had the power to please. I had to sit through a four hour lunch with him (during which he got me very drunk insisting that on a day when I'm not teaching classes it was perfectly fine to be drunk at around noon. There was no saying no.
Since then, it has become very apparent that he is quite a creature of his ego. He constantly discusses how grand his school is, how it is the biggest in his district, and how he has Farang (read: white) teachers. He insists that we dress nicer than any of the other teachers, and also that we wander about in the mornings so that everyone can see how gloriously white we are.
He also refers to himself as "Big Boss," especially when discussing how he wants to help us if we have any problems, which he seems himself doing (helping us with problems) at apparently every turn. Every conversation with the Big Boss ends with him saying "you are welcome." Conversations with new farang arrivals (as at English camp) begin with "I am happy that you could meet me." They felt very honored, I'm sure.
He's a nice enough man, I do like him and don't mind working under him, but I have to be sure to always know my place. That is one reason, the main reason, why I haven't had much chance to talk to him (and am afraid I may not get to any time soon). Meetings with him must be very formal, and unless I have a problem to be fixed, I'm not worth bothering with... and often when I do have a problem to be fixed he tells me to speak to one of the assistant directors (I.E. his relatives and friends he has given high paying jobs and don't do much).
He is almost never at school, perhaps 15% of the time or less, and when he is stays well secluded in his air-conditioned office (the only room that has the aircondition on most of the time, the assistant directors get the privilege occasionally, and the secretaries did once. Our office has an AC but we've never been so blessed as to turn it on.).
All in all he runs an excellent school, although he tends to see things like giant fountains more important than new books or televisions for the students, which is a little disheartening.
Oh director, Mine director...
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If you meet with your director at lunch again and he tries to get you plowed again, here's an old Wall Street trick. Point to something and say, "What's that?" When he turns his head to look, pour water from your water glass into your cocktail. That way, your cocktail will always be full and you'll just need the one. Also, your director will think that you are foxier than he is.
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