Weekend of Festivities!

This past weekend was full of festivities.  After just a half day of school on Friday (Paaw Aaaw moved my classes to the morning so I didn’t have to miss any!) I was able to go home and spend a much-needed afternoon resting.  Turns out though, that I couldn’t rest!  For the past 6 weeks it’s been a constant go, go, go, that being faced with a few hours without plans was quite a conundrum.  I had the internet, I had a kindle full of books, but it just didn’t seem real that I didn’t have a single ounce of work to do.  Laundry was done, lessons were planned, cabin was clean and finally settled. I wanted to go out and do something, but since no one was at my host family’s home, I was told to stay in.  I’m hoping to get a bike soon (thanks to Gen’s host mom, Pi Mok) so a leisurely ride through the village and rice paddies would be a perfect lazy afternoon activity!

After a few hours of pacing (literally – I had NO idea what to do with myself) Gen came over to go to a wedding with me and my family.  My host dad, Loi’s, friend’s daughter was getting married, so of course we could go to the party. It was actually pretty tacky and not at all what I was expecting of a Thai wedding.  Apparently though, the actual ceremony had been in the morning, so we were only attending the party.  As soon as we arrived we were ushered to an area where we were to take a picture WITH the bride and groom.  Never met them before, no idea who they were, but still, we took a picture with them, and they seemed to thinking nothing of having complete strangers, farangs no less, at their wedding.  The rest of the wedding was like a typical Thai party – karaoke, too much food on too many plates, a lot of whiskey, and a lot of people.  We didn’t stay very long, but we did go to another restaurant to eat a second dinner (remember what I said about too much food?!?) with some of my family’s friends.  It was fun, even though there was no real purpose of us being there.

The next day some volunteers met up at Gen’s house for an American dinner and a mini string tying ceremony.  It was great to see everyone in such a relaxed atmosphere.  Pi Mok’s house is incredibly comfortable, and as I’ve stayed there before, it felt like home to me, too.  The dinner, however, was weird.  We made spaghetti, breaded chicken, and garlic broccoli.  It was weird to eat such bland food after all the spices we’re used to.  It was still good, don’t get me wrong, but the spaghetti could have used a little chili sauce.  During dinner Pi Mok wanted to do a string-tying ceremony with us, which was really nice.  It was quiet and intimate, and really special.  I’d heard her asking the other volunteers to be her friends, but when she got to me, she asked if I would be her daughter!  It was really special to be so close with another host mom, and its great to know that if I’m ever stuck in a rut (or at the saawng tao stop without a ride) I have another caring woman to call.  After dinner, we sat out on Gen’s balcony (yeah, she basically lives in a palace by thai standards) and had a really great conversation about all sorts of things.  It was a beautiful night, and it was so nice to spend it outside with close friends.

The next morning we awoke pretty late (late is 7am) to prepare pancakes and French toast.  As we were cooking though, Nit called and told us to pack up the food and bring it back to my house.  Nit had planned a string-tying ceremony for me that morning, and wanted all the other volunteers to be a part of it.  When we pulled up to my house there was a tent set up in the driveway covering tables and tables of food.  There were a bazillion cars there and just about every person I’ve met since being in Kut Chim. We sat on my porch and the village elder presided over the ceremony.  Then, all the guests came around and tied strings around our wrists.  While they tie the string, they say things such as “have a happy year, good health, to be wise, etc.”  It’s a really special ceremony and meaningful in the Thai culture to wish someone well who is undergoing some sort of life transition.  I can’t even imagine all the tears that will fall from my face when they have a ceremony for when I leave Thailand.

Perhaps the best part of the day was that I was able to share it with some other volunteers.  While I wish all of them were able to come, I was so happy to have the seven that did.  For one, the whole ceremony and party would have been pretty overwhelming had I been alone.  But I loved sharing my home and family with all the other volunteers. We’re all in such different situations that I wondered what they would think of mine and what they would think of my family.  While I didn’t get a chance to get their opinions, Nit sure had some of friends.  Nit immediately wanted Zach to come back every weekend and be friends with my host brother, Cinto.  Cinto is 22 and incredibly shy (he won’t even say a word to me, and was sweating in the 5 minutes he made an appearance at the party).  Zach made one comment to him, and Nit was delighted and insisted he come visit often!  Zach is a superstar in Thailand.  He picks up languages in a jiffy, so his thai is half decent, not to mention the fact that all the girls swoon over him all the time.  Peter made quite an impression on her as well, and as soon as she heard he doesn’t have a thai “family” she wanted him to be her son.  When I informed her that she and Peter are the same age, she was disappointed but settled on being friends instead.  My host father, Loi, has not spoken one word of English the entire time I’ve been here, but wanted to impress my friends so much that he tried his best to tell them to “come back soon!”

The party went on all day long. 9 am – 9pm.  It was a long day, but very special.  Its been 3 days now, so I can finally cut the strings from my wrist and place them over my bed, and remove the banana leaf sculpture from my bedroom.  All of this tradition is to ensure that I have a happy and healthy stay in Thailand. 

To see pictures (and more of my house and students): 
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2068466&id=1326450028&l=068b9d4011

Back at school, things are going well.  My biggest frustration is attendance.  There’s a huge festival this weekend (Loy Kratong) that the students are preparing for.  That means only half the students in my classes actually show up.  I’m hoping it’s just because of this special occasion, but I don’t want to teach new material to only half the kids.  I’ve just been teaching lessons again with different activities, which has proven to be a really helpful refresher for the students that do come to class.

I’ve been relatively bored at school, with more free time than I know what to do with.  So I asked my Paaw Aaw if I could teach more.  Starting the next full week of school (who knows when that’ll be – hopefully soon), I’ll be seeing each of my classes 3 times a week instead of two.  This adds 6 hours to my schedule and he and other teachers were all concerned that I would be too busy.  I ensured him that I wanted more classes and that it would be good for the students.  Its still only 18 teaching hours a week and only 3 lessons to plan, but I’m grateful for more to do.  I was feeling that my time and energy wasn’t being used to its greatest potential, so I feel a lot better about that now.

My m.3 (9^th grade) class is my favorite.  I’ve never been one to pick favorites, but if I could end every day with my m.3’s it would just make my day.  I don’t know what it is about them, but they just seem to understand everything so much better than the other grades.  Activities go more smoothly, and in general, they just have so much more fun than the other classes.  They’re the only class that I saw twice the first week of school, and they asked me to be their advisor (still no idea what that entails) so maybe they’re just more invested in learning English.  I’ve also taken mini field trips with them to a fabric store, so I guess I’ve spent more time with these students outside of class too, which probably helps my rapport with them anyway.

Now its time for… Heather’s (Mis)Adventures in Thailand:

1. My family got a new washing machine.  Actual machines are few and far between in Thailand, so they had no idea how to use it. Guess who they asked?  Even though all the instructions were in Thai and the water hose is still manual they assumed I’d know exactly what to do.  Hilarity ensued.

2. I went to clip my fingernails out my window.  The clippers slipped and fell right into the pond. I was worried I’d have to turn into a nail-biter, but luckily Tesco pulled through and I found others.

3. Cinto had to use the family truck to deliver oil, so Nit and I had to take his motorbike home last night.  I was wearing a skirt. I was holding my purse. And my laptop. On the way, our dog, Pi, found us and started chasing us home and nipping at my heels. Interesting ride.

4. My computer cord broke this morning.  I was almost in tears with frustration and knowing it would be weeks before I could get a new one from the states.  I rely on my computer for everything, lesson planning, communicating with friends and family at home, multiple daily worldteach emails, entertainment, posting this blog, etc.  I was not happy.  When I showed Nit, we took a detour to a computer store in That Phanom on our way to school. About $5 and an hour later the cord was fixed, and I made it to school with plenty of time to spare before my first class. Mai Pen Rai prevailed today...of course now Nit basically buckles in my laptop whenever we get into the car hahahaha.

Next time: My trip to Surin for the Elephant Round-Up and Loy Kratong this weekend!