Earning cash while waiting for school

In lieu of having fun during this longer than usual school vacation like other stu dents, Rungroj Jiemkai or Mac, a 13-year-old student at Rachathiwas School, has spent five days a week, except weekends, during his vacation walking around at different places selling books.
“I earn Bt400-Bt500 a day and I give all the money to my mother,” the boy said with a little smile.
With his share of Bt8 when he can sell a Bt40 book or Bt12 when a book worth Bt50-Bt140 is sold, Mac can get up to Bt400-500 a day if he can sell all 40 books he takes with him.
Although, Mac has longer time to enjoy making more money before school starts the next semester on December 6 – which it was supposed to begin early this month – he said he wanted it to reopen soon, as it had been postponed for weeks.
Since he was in Prathom 3 (Grade 3), Mac has turned his long vacations into a working period to make money.
Mac said he got up at 6am, met his mother’s friend who buys the books from a bookstore, and takes 40 from her at 8am before heading to sell them at hospitals, government agencies and markets in different parts of the capital until late afternoon, or till all the books in his bag are sold.
What kinds of books does he sell They are about interesting general knowledge, important people in Thai history, Thai herbs, maths trick, revered monks’ teaching and dream prediction.
It is often said that many Thai kids don’t like reading, so that was the question I put to this young book vendor: Do you like reading or have you read your books
He said: “At first, I did not like reading, but when I sell them I read them too. Some of my books are in my interest while others I read because I will be able to give information about them to customers. They made me like reading. Of the 40 different books I sell, I have read more than 30.”
He picked up two books bought by a customer who told him to donate them to his school library later. “I will read them entirely before donating them to the library.”
Mac could also be a good role model for other students in terms of living an economic life. He said he had tried to save his pocket money by waiting to catch free public buses or walking back home, which is not so far from his school.
Moreover, Mac and his two brothers often help his mother, who is a janitor at Wimol Commercial School, in Sriyan, to clean up the canteen. They also collect some trash that can be sold to the commercial school’s rubbish bank. “Our accounts have the highest deposits among all the accounts opened with the bank because we have often sell it rubbish.”
Mac is one who prefers selling and earning income for his family during his free time. It is a kind of good activity for a young person in his school break.
But how about you? Do you plan to do something useful during your next school vacation?