About Myself:

My name is Chatsiree Ganthadhagur. I’m twelve years old. My hometown is in Suphan Buri. It is about 107 kilometres from Bangkok. Suphan Buri is one of Thailand’s oldest cities. Presently, Suphan Buri is a modern and beautiful city.

My Family:

There are five people in my family. I live with my father, mother and sister. My grandmother also lives with us. We are a happy family. My sister and I do all the housework together. When we have free time, we chat. We like to talk about people and what’s happening in our lives. Our house is a twostorey house in the Muang district of Suphan Buri.

My School:

Sa-nguan Ying School is a secondary school for girls in Suphan Buri. There are 123 teachers and about 2,600 students. In addition to its very good academic programmes, our school is well–known for the school’s brass band, athletic event and good school environment. Our school brass band once won a prize in a national competition for secondary brass bands.

Learning and Teaching Atmosphere:

There are 50 students in my class. Our teachers use many teaching materials, such as cassette tapes, videotapes, display boards and books. There’s a room for computer subjects and a language lab. Also there is a gymnasium for physical education, where we can play basketball and volleyball. Student can study in the computer room and the library.

Indoor Activities:

I like reading very much. When I have free time, I usually read. I like to read poems and write Thai verses. Sometimes I watch television or videos with my parents. I help my mother do the housework by cleaning the house, washing the dishes and watering the plants. I also help my mother take care of my grandmother who is very old and not very strong.

Outdoor Activities:

I like to ride my bicycle along the streets in my neighbourhood. During the holidays I join a group of children to help preserve our environment clean and beautiful. My parents sometimes take me to the festivals at the temple, or to visit interesting places. I like to go to Wat Pranon where there is a very big reclining Buddha. When we go there we always visit the pond in order to watch and to feed the hundreds of fish.

My Parent's Occupations:

My Parents are government officials. My father works at the Suphan Buri Municipality Office. He’s a public relations officer. My mother teaches Thai at my school. My parents like Thai poetry very much. They enjoy saying and writing Thai verses and poems. Both of them like to participate in all activities in the province.

Careers in my Province:

Most people in Suphan Buri are farmers. They grow rice, sugarcane, vegetables, and water chestnuts. Some of them have orchards where they grow many kinds of fruit trees, such as bananas, mangoes and roseapples. There are also pigs, ducks, and chicken farms. Fishing is a big industry in Suphan Buri too. There are farms of fresh water fish and prawns. Villagers in Suphan Buri are very good at making baskets and many kinds of utensils from rattan. The rattan goods of Suphan Buri are well-known all over the country. Tricycles and bicycles are used a lot by the villagers, and trucks are used for carrying agricultural products to the markets.

My Special Times:

During weekends and holidays, my family usually spend time together. Sometimes my parents take my sister and me to the park. In the park, there’s a tall tower. We like to go there to view the whole scenery of the city. There are very beautiful plants and flower gardens here. There is also a swimming pool and a water slide. My sister and I like to play on the water slide very much. During summer breaks, we usually hgo to other provinces. Songkran Day is Thai New Year’s Day. On this day all our relatives come to visit our grandparents. We pour scented water on our grandparents’ palms and ask for blessings.

Special Occasions in my Province:

One of the most important customs of the people in Suphan Buri is the ordination of Buddhist monks. Young men who reach the age of twenty will become monks. It’s the greatest pleasure of the parents and relatives of the person who is going to become a monk, even if it’s for a very short period of time. Another special day is the Celebration of Anusorn Don Chedi which is on January 25th. Don Chedi is a monument built to mark the victory of King Naresuan over the Burmese Prince in a fight on an elephant’s back. Another grand celebration is in Wat Paa Laylai, where there is a very large image of the Lord Buddha.

My Hometown and City:

Suphan Buri is a very clean city. The roads and streets in Suphan Buri are wide and shady with trees along both sides of the streets. Suphan Buri, with its many factories, is the centre of industry in the western proviences. Also, there are many interesting and historical places in Suphan Buri , such as the Don Chedi Monument, Wat Paa Laylai, Wat Pranon, U-thong National Museum, the Museum of Thai Farmers and Thasadet Bird Sanctuary.

Climate and Land around my Province:

The weather in Suphan Buri is rather hot, and there’s not much rain here. There are three seasons: rainy, hot and cool. There is a long dry season. The highest temperature here is 40.2 degree Celsius. In the cool season the weather is nice.

The Area around my Province:

Suphan Buri is a part of the ‘Rice Bowl’ of Thailand. The Tha Chine River passes through the province. There are big and small reservoirs throughout the area. The North and West of Suphan Buri are mountainous.

Information from: "We are Thailand - A Project of the APEC HRD Working Group" by the Department of Curriculum and Instruction Developoment Ministry of Education.