About Myself:

Sawatdee Krap. My name is Pongpol Sukhawari and I'm twelve years old. You can call me Pong. I live in Rayong, a province on the east coast. It is about 200 kilometres from Bangkok. Rayong has many beautiful and interesting places to visit.

My Family:

There are five people in my family. I live with my father, mother, brother and sister. I'm the youngest. When we have free time, we go to the seaside. My house is a one-storey house. There are trees around my house, making it cool and shady.

Going to School:

I go to Rayongwittayakom School. It is a large government school with 178 teachers and about 3,500 students. My school is wellknown for its academic peogrammes. It has a hi- tech library and a big computer room where the students can get access to the Internet. My school is cool and shady because there is a lot of trees in the area. I play a Thai musical instrument in my school band.

Learning and Teaching Atmosphere:

There are 54 students in my class. My teahers use teaching aids, such as overhead projector and vedio in teaching. I like computer and physical education classes very much. I also like to play ping-pong and soccer with my friends. At our school there are many ping-pong tables under the trees, and we can always play ping-pong when we are free. I like to swim in the school swimming pool too. Our school has a very good library. Students can work on their assignments in the library, and use the computers and the Internet.

Children's Activities:

Everybody in my family likes plants and pets. I water the plants and flowers and feed the pets. We have four dogs, three birds and many beautiful fighting fish.When we have free time, we like to watch television or videos. We also like to put together jigsaw puzzles. Sometimes my sister plays the guitar or "Khim" a Thai musical instrument. I can play the Khim too and I like it very much.

I like to play football with my friends. I also like to go swimming and fishing in the sea. Sometimes I go shopping at a department store with my parents. I like to eat out in downtown restaurants. When I'm free I go to the seaside to watch fishing boats along the coast of Rayong.

My Parent's Occupations:

My father is a fisherman. He is also a member of Rayong Fishermen Association. He owns a big fishing boat. The men in his fishing boat go fishing in the sea several days at a times. My mother is a Thai teacher at a secondary school in the city.

Careers in my Province:

Most people in my community are fishermen. Some arefish merchants selling fresh or dried fih. Many people work in fish sauce fctories and canned food factories. Some people work in fruit gardens and rubber plantations. Many workera are employed near their houses. The people who work in the factories take the bus or the transportation provided by the factories to work. Some people use their own cars or motorcycles.

Celebration, Customs and Ceremonies:

My favorite day of the year is New Year's Day. On thisday all our relatives from other provinces and Bangkok come to our house. In the morning, our family goes to the temple to offer food to the monks. Later in the morning, my parents visit our older relatives nd give them presents. In the evening we have dinner together. We sing, and each of us receive a lot of New Year's gifts. We enjoy the New year's party very much. The other specialdays are December 5th, H.M. the King's birthday or Father's Day and August 12th, H.M. the Queens birthday or Mother's Day. We have celebrations both in the city and at our schools.

Special Occasions in my Province:

There are many festivals, especially, religious festivals in Rayong. Besides religious festivals, we have Songkran Festivals, Rayong Fruit Fair, Buffalo Racing Festival and Sunthorn Phu's Day. Sunthorn Phu is our great poet whose home town is in Rayong. We also have celebrations on New Year's Day and Red Cross Day. Fishing is very important in Rayong. The fisherman pays homage to "Mae Yaa Nang" or the Lady of the Boat beforo taking his boat to the sea. "Mae Yaa Nang" is believed to be the spirit at the bow of the boat. The fishermen decorate the bow with flowers and offer fruits and sweets to the spirit before they go out to the sea.

My Hometown and City:

My house is near a park. The name of the park is Suan Sri Muang. People come to the park everyday. Other places that people visit are Ko Samet and Klaeng District. Ko Samet is a beautiful island close to the coast of Rayong. Its white sand beaches and the clear blus sea attract a lot of tourists. Klaeng was the hometown of our great poet, Sunthorn Phu. People all over the country come to visit Sunthorn Phu's monument every year. Rayong is a rich and beautiful city. People come here to stay at luxurious seaside hotels and to visit interesting places. They also buy fruits and other products here.

Climate and Land around my Province:

Rayong has a tropical climate. It is hot and humid and it rains frequently. The sea breeze and beautiful scenery make this coastal area a niceplace to spend holidays.

The Area around my Province:

Most of the land in Rayong is cultivated. Two short rivers flow through the valleys and plains. Modern highways and good roads make it very easy to visit Rayong at all times.

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