Peace, Love, and Floating Lanterns

I had the pleasure of experiencing the Loy Krathong and Yeepeng festivals this week.  Two different festivals following two different calendars derived over hundreds of years from two different regions yet coinciding on the November full moon.

I had been planning a second trip up to Chiang Mai for the Yeepeng festival and didn’t give Loy Krathong much thought.  Happenstance provided a neat experience of its own.  A co-worker who also owns a restaurant with his Thai wife invited my friend and I to make our own krathongs.  Although my first crack at making a krathong looked like a first grader’s art project, it was still a lot of fun to be involved in the festivities.  The krathong’s base is a slice of banana tree stalk that’s covered with decoratively folded banana leaves.  It’s then decorated with flowers, one candle to honor Buddha with light, and three sticks of incense for purification.  For good measure a coin is added for prosperity and a clipping of hair to symbolize what is old and unwanted.  The krathong is released in the water as a symbolic gesture of letting go of negative thoughts and feelings.  Loy Krathong has been celebrated for over 700 years.  It is believed to have begun as a Hindu festival that honored the Goddess of Water thanking her for the harvest and asking her forgiveness for polluting the waters.  This festival was later adopted by Thai Buddhists who have continued the tradition of honoring the water spirits as well as venerating Buddha.  Whatever the individual belief or practice, the community was involved—couples and families together at the edge of the lake releasing their krathongs.  The candlelit krathongs on the dark lake full of the intention were beautiful.  An evening I would have otherwise missed.

I made a whirlwind trip up to Chiang Mai to experience the beauty of the northern festival of light: Yeepeng.  The famous floating lanterns.  Over time this Lanna celebration has evolved into a ‘sky’ version of Loy Krathong.  The releasing of the sky lanterns was preceded by a ceremony led by monks who prayed, chanted, and meditated in order to focus the mind on pure thoughts and  the intention of the evening: honoring Buddha through peace and love.  With my thoughts focused on peace and love, I made my wish and released my lantern.  It is a magnificent, stunning sight to see thousands of lanterns glowing against the night sky as they drift away to fulfill the wishes.  

Myanmar

Myanmar (formerly known as Burma) was not a place I had a specific interest in visiting while spending a year traveling around Thailand and Southeast Asia.  Nashville is a designated settlement city for Burmese refugees, so I knew there was unrest in the country--brutal military suppression that the Burmese people have been fighting against for almost 25 years in favor of a democracy.  Most famously, Aung San Suu Kyi has been the face of democracy for Myanmar.  As leader of the National League for Democracy, the government has seen her as a political threat.  She was placed under house arrest for nearly 15 years even receiving the Noble Peace Prize in 1991 for her efforts.  For 50 years the state has been under military rule.  Even with overwhelming majority support for the democratic movement, the military refused to recognize the state as a democracy.  Only in the last year has the military begun to release its grip.  Yet military loyalists will remain in government and support the corrupt military's agenda, an agena that has economically ruined Myanmar.  Although this transition to a democracy is good news, there have been far too many people who have suffered at the hands of the military.

Despite how the military has marred its country, Myanmar is beautiful.  Authentic and unspoiled by western, international, or commerical influences. I was fortunate enough to be invited to Myanmar by a colleague.  I enjoyed the unique experience of being a guest taken in by her family who shared their home.  We had interesting conversations about conflicting family support for the developing democracy in Myanmar while we drove around visiting the sights.  The most impressive was the Shwedagon Pagoda, Myanmar's landmark. The gold pagoda sits atop a hill and at over 300' high can be seen from all over the city.  It's over 2,600 years old and thought to have been built to enshrine a few of the Lord Buddha's hairs, or so the story goes...

 I was able to check off another of my life's 'to dos' on this trip--hot air ballooning.  We were up at the crack of dawn to watch the sun rise over the pagoda ruins of Bagan while the early morning mist gave the temples an air of mystery.  From high above we watched the farmers set about their day in the fields.  What a beautiful way to experience what's left of over 2,000 temples sprinled across the landscape.

Views from the Third Floor: Culture Shock

When most people think of the word 'culture shock,' they think of the immediate, in-your-face differences that travelers find uncomfortable and well, foreign, when visiting other places.  It is much more than that, and I have been in the throes of culture shock for about six weeks.  Just like grief or addiction recovery there are steps and phases:

• the honeymoon phase
• negotiation phase
• adjustment phase
• mastery phase

I'm in the negotiation phase, very, very, very slowly making my way into the adjustment phase.  I'm not curled in the fetal position under the covers in the dark although I do miss friends and family very much. I feel frustrated, annoyed, and anxious much of the time.  I crave what is familiar.  I miss the things that have made my life comfortable, convenient, and easy.  I don't like that I wash my dishes in a tub while squatting on my bathroom floor.  I don't like that a trip to the grocery story is so involved.  I don't like that a rain shower can completely ruin my plans.  I miss variety, diversity and individuality.  Everything is 'same-same' here.  Everyone looks the same: black hair, black eyes, brown skin, same uniform, same shoes, same haircut, same hair bow.  What's for breakfast?  Rice and noodles.  What's for lunch?  Rice and noodles.  What's for dinner?  Rice and noodles. Thailand has one season, and it's hot and humid. 

People have asked me if I plan on staying longer.  Hell no.  The Thai lifestyle goes against everything I am made up of, and I think I would go insane.  If anyone could describe me using 3 words I'm sure they would be: 1) organized  2) neat  3) clean.  Thai people are poor communicators; they can't explain anything to you because they don't know themselves, nor do they seem interested in knowing for themselves.  Details are not important here.  Ignorance is bliss is becoming a new mantra.  I like to know what is going on.  I always have a plan, but here, even the best laid plans often go awry.  If I hear "Oh, I forgot to tell you..." one more time I might go postal.  Time is also of no consequence.  When you are asked to do something, it means right now, not at your earliest convenience.  Or you could sit around waiting and waiting and waiting.

The acceptable level of sanitation keeps me constantly amazed.  Bangkok smells like sewage gas and moth balls--even in my apartment.  How many people--adults--have I watched walk straight out of a toilet stall and out the door without a pit stop at the sink???  Too many.  Ugh.  Nose picking is an accepted practice here.  Excuse me, nose digging.  God, what do they do with it after.  I don't know because I stop looking.  Insects don't really bother me anymore.  I have lifted my plate off the dining table to allow a cockroach to scurry across it.  And I have picked numerous ants out of food and drink.  I've learned to deal with it. 

You may be reading this and thinking Robin's attitude stinks!  The honeymoon phase has worn off and this is my everyday, my reality.  I don't have easy ways to vent, and I can't take a break from it. It's fun and exciting on a two-week holiday, but the practical, modified, pared down life I am living has taken its toll.  I don't feel like my whole self.  I find it distracting, and it's making me restless.  My week is mundane, quite boring actually.  It's the adventure of the weekends that keeps me here.  It's the little moments and the friendships I've made that do make working through the frustrations worth it.

Now that's a mouthful!

I bet you probably didn't know that Bangkok isn't really Bangkok, it's Krung Thep Mahanakhon to the locals.  In fact it boasts the longest place name in the world:

Krung Thep Mahanakhon Amon Rattanakosin Mahinthara Ayuthaya Mahadilok Phop Noppharat Ratchathani Burirom Udomratchaniwet Mahasathan Amon Piman Awatan Sathit Sakkathattiya Witsanukam Prasit

And that simply means "City of Angels" (it's easy to understand why everyone has a nickname around here).  There is conflicting information as to whether this is 'officially' a Guinness World Record title.  Whatever.  Hands down, Krung Thep wins.

The name is acutally more a history of the city than a name:

krungthep mahanakhonThe land of angels, the great city of

amorn rattanakosinimmortality, various of devine gems,

mahintara yudthaya mahadilok pohpthe great angelic land unconquerable,

noparat rajathanee bureeromland of nine noble gems, the royal city, the pleasant capital,

udomrajniwes mahasatarnplace of the grand royal palace,

amorn pimarn avaltarnsatitforever land of angels and reincarnated spirits,

sakatattiya visanukram prasitpredestined and created by the highest devas.

There is also uncertainty as to how the name Bangkok derived.  Whatever it is, it stuck with the farangs.  And so Krung Thep will forever be known to the rest of the world as Bangkok.

Dhamma Day: and a lesson in Buddhism

When I arrived to work this morning, I was looking forward to my 7:00pm flight to Phuket for a 4-day holiday weekend on a tropical island beach with friends courtesy of the enlightened Lord Buddha.  Once I got to school, I discovered that there was a special alms ceremony to begin the holiday weekend.  My colleague Ajarn Jay (a native Missourian and 25-year expat Buddhist) invited me to come to the ceremony....But before I continue, a brief lesson on Buddha, Buddhism, and Dhamma Day:

Friday marks the day that Theravada Buddhists celebrate Dhamma Day, also known as Asalha Puja or Asanha Puja Day (*nothing is spelled the same way twice using the Roman alphabet*). The festival is celebrated on the full moon day of the eighth lunar month. Dhamma Day commemorates the first teaching of the Buddha.  After the Buddha attained enlightenment, or gained realization of the truth about reality, Buddha traveled throughout India from the city of Bodh Gaya to the deer park in Sarnath. Today, both Sarnath and Bodh Gaya are major sacred Buddhist sites.  Upon reaching Sarnath, the Buddha gave lessons to his five original disciples. Those lessons delivered by the Buddha are often referred to as “the first turning of the wheel of dhamma.”  Dhamma comes from the ancient Pali term Dhammacakkappavattana Sutta. Dhamma is the teaching of the Buddha and includes norms of behavior and ethical rules.  At this time, the Buddha told his disciples about the Four Noble Truths. The Four Noble Truths are: life is suffering, the cause of suffering is craving, suffering can be eliminated by the extinguishing of craving, and there is a way to achieve this goal.  The Buddha prescribed the Eightfold Path as the way to achieve the goal of extinguishing craving. The steps are: right understanding, right intent, right speech, right conduct, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness and right concentration. Throughout the world, the Four Noble Truths and the Eightfold Path remain central doctrines in Buddhism.  Finally, the Buddha spoke about the Middle Way. The Middle Way is an avoidance of the extremes of indulgence and asceticism. The Buddha believed the Middle Way led to knowledge, calm and self-awakening.  Dhamma Day coincides with the beginning of monsoon season, when the Buddha and his nuns and monks would suspend their wandering lifestyle for three months. The heavy rains would prevent them from journeying forward. They would use this time for meditation and reflection. At the end the rainy season, they would resume traveling and passing on the Buddha’s teachings.

Dhamma Day is a chance to express gratitude to the Buddha and other enlightened teachers. Many celebrate Dhamma Day by reading Buddhist scriptures and listening to sermons. Monks receive small gifts such as food and candles on Dhamma Day. Monasteries in countries such as Thailand, Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar hold three monthlong “rains retreats” shortly after Dhamma Day. The rain retreats are used as a time for study, meditation and teaching new monks.

*taken from: http://www.columbiamissourian.com/stories/2008/07/16/dhamma-day-celebrates-buddhist-teachers/

Monks collect alms (food and money, whatever is needed to help them sustain their lifestyle in the temples). Buddhists make merit by showing gratitude through offerings, and Ajarn Jay was kind enough to share his offering with me.  He received more merit by sharing, and I earned merit by giving the food.  It was a win, win for all!  It was a satisfying feeling to stand among 3000 students who have the inherent qualities of generosity and gratitude.  I found some of my M3 students to share the experience with--and I think they appreciated my interest and participation.  We waited together for the monks to make their rounds.  I was aware that monks cannot touch women, but I learned today that they cannot even take something directly from a woman's hands.  As you can see from the photo below, I had to place my offering in the alms bowl first.

So, needless to say, later in the morning I found my gratitude in a much purer place.

wokin' hard in the kitchen

I've heard great things about Thai cooking classes, so I decided to plan a weekend in town and take one.  I even got a friend to do it, too!  The Silom Thai Cooking School--sounds fancy, but it's tucked away at the back of a long, narrow alley on the third floor of a small apartment building, as quaint as it can be.

We met at the market to pick up the supplies on our menu and learn a few things about the vegetables, herbs, and other ingredients we would use.  Including chilies from set your hair on fire inferno hot to they're only used to add color.  I'm a mai sai prik (or a 'ah no spy-CEE') kind of a girl, so if it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck, it's too hot!...or something like that...At least I was able to control the spiciness of my own dishes, and my taste buds actually enjoyed some delicious Thai food for a change.  Because there's nothing worse than have the spice hit you in the back of your throat--the kind that makes you cough and your eyes water.  Especially when you have to ration your water because you're no longer in the land of free drink refills.  But I digress.

They had the tiny 3 room apartment running like a fine oiled machine with at least 15 students cutting and stirring and eating and never getting in one another's way.  It was traditional cooking in the sense that we were preparing our food while sitting on the floor.  Despite having strangers' bare feet within inches of my food, I was into the experience.  Kind of liberating.

My favorite dishes:

• Chicken Galangal Coconut Soup (tom-kha-gai)--it was very much like tom-yum without the intense spiciness and a different base. 
• Fried Cashew Nuts with Chicken (gai-pad-med-mamaung)--lightly fried cubes of chicken, cashews, and vegetables, lightly coated in a sweet sauce. 
• Desert Banana in Coconut Milk (khluy-buad-chee)--it's as simple and delicious as it sounds (I think.  I don't remember preparing this).

It was a fun day!  What's great about this cooking school is that they offer several different courses (menus) on different days, so I plan to go back and learn how to make some of my other Thai favs--vegetable fried rice (khao-pad-pak) and green papaya salad (som-tam).  I can't wait to come home and test these recipes out for friends and family and share this part of my experience.  Cheers!

Wai Kru

Wai Kru (why crew): teacher appreciation day in Thailand

Wai Kru is celebrated in schools and universities all over Thailand at the start of the school year on a selected Thursday in the month of June.  It is a ceremony that is steeped in culture and religion.  I was able to participate in my first Wai Kru last Thursday.  The school was buzzing with excitement and last minute preparations by the students.  Walking to my office, I was stopped by a group of my M3 girls who presented me with my very first phuang malai (a small jasmine garland arrangment).  They had one for all of their teachers.  I've seen these around either being sold in stalls or on street corners, hanging from the taxi's rearview mirror, or drapped over an alter to Buddha.  What I learned is that it is given as a small gesture of thanks and respect.  I appreciated it--and it smell divine!  Later in the day, I was given another garland by more students.

Because our school is so large, the ceremony was held 3 times.  I don't know how many times one teacher needs to be a part of the ceremony, but this farang got to do it twice!--including listening to the 20 minute speech in Thai by an 89 year old woman in a warm auditorium.  Yay!  But I'm being facetious.  It was a lovely ceremony that I was honored to be a part of.  One boy and one girl were chosen from each class to present beautiful floral arrangements to the teachers.  As the students entered the stage they immediately kneeled, walking only on their knees.  First stopping to krab to the Buddha and the King, then krabbing to the teachers before presenting us with the flowers.  Although there were several hundred, maybe a thousand, people in the room, it felt very personal and very intimate to have someone prostrate themselves to me in that way.  Something I'm not used to as a westerner.  There was something special about the care that was put into the ceremony and witnessing the respect they have for teachers and the institution of education, and that it involved the participation of the students.  A very authentic Thai experience....And then it was back to the real world of incessant talking and copying work.

My M6 students came to sing me a song in Thai about respecting their teachers.

One of my M3 students krabbing me before presenting me with flowers.

Wai Kru ceremony #1.  No one told me there was a dress code, and I had to wear this stupid blazer.

Seen Fun Porn, cultural differences that keep me smiling

Coincidentally enough, this is not the first time I've uttered the phrase 'seen porn' in relation to school.  In fact, it's not even the second time.  Seen, Fun, and Porn are just a few of my Mattayom 3 (9th grade) students' nicknames.  I'm not lucky enough to have a Beer or two, not even in my Friday classes.  Everyone in Thailand is given a nickname by their parents when they are born.  I don't know the story behind the tradition, but for me it's a blessing since the names around here can be pretty long.  Even if those nicknames are Porn (pronounced pawn--phew!)

I've begun my year-long adventure hitting the ground running.  I've finished my second week of work and my third day with students.  I can already tell this year will be filled with joys and challenges.  I am discovering what my experience here at Nawamin School will teach me.  Patience.  Anyone who knows me knows that I'm always prepared...and, of course, organized is an understatement.  That can all be thrown out the window, because no matter how prepared I am, things change.  Before 11am Friday morning, my students brought the wrong textbook to school because their schedules indicated the other subject I teach them, another teacher walked in in the middle of the same class because administration had double booked us for the same period, and then as I try to be creative with my limited teaching resources, my video won't play.  The Thais would say 'mai pen rai'--no problem!  But I feel very ineffective, and I don't like spending my energy for that result.  I hope soon I will find my stride and feel like I'm making gains with my students.

I do enjoy the students; they are all friendly and very respectful.  And I'm impressed with my students' level of English.  I think because they are Asian there is a misconception about the rigors of education.  That isn't the case: Thai schools are not Chinese schools.    Thai classrooms are very loud, lots of talking that never ceases.  Sounds familiar...

...But where else will I have a classroom of students smiling as they wai (why) me at the beginning of each class?  Where else will a student take his shoes off before entering my office to see me?  Where else will you see 3000 Buddhist students sitting in straight rows in silent meditation in the hot morning sun?  Definitely not in America.  So for these things I am thankful.

But I am also preparing myself for the day my principles will be challenged. It's not a matter of if, it's a matter of when. No one fails in a Thai school. No one. And cheating is an accepted practice; administrators and teachers choose to look the other way. Amazing that something that could get an American teacher fired, and possibly cause her to lose her license, is the norm here. My conscience is not looking forward to this. Maybe how I cope with this is another lesson I am supposed to learn while I'm here.

Chang

Chang is the word for elephant. I was excited to find out that my orientation group would be traveling to Kanchanaburi for an overnight trip to the Kwai river for dinner, rafting, and elephant riding!

 Kanchanaburi is most well known for a bridge built over the River Kwai (it was even made into an Academy Award winning movie called The Bridge Over the River Kwai). During WWII the Japanese had a POW camp in Thailand. Japan wanted to build a railway into Burma to increase communication to its many troops there. Over 100,000 POWs and civilians died in the building of this Death Railway that began in 1942 and completed in 1943.

 Friday morning we set out early for the elephant camp for some rafting and riding. Exciting! The bamboo rafting was fun. We loaded up on the raft and headed down the river. The perfect remedy for the hot sun was jumping in. Floating down the river ended all too soon, but it was on to elephant riding.  I understand some people’s feelings about the exploitation and treatment of animals and their refusal to participate in such activities.  I’d read the book Water for Elephants which opened my eyes to the accepted methods of controlling elephants, but I didn’t think much about it.  I wasn’t looking, but I didn’t see any such devices around the camp…until.  My partner and I loaded onto the bench strapped across our elephant’s back.  I quickly discovered our mahout, riding along on the elephant’s neck, had a hook in his hand.  I immediately became uncomfortable, trying hard to enjoy the ride but too distracted by what the mahout had in his hand.  And for good reason.  I don’t know what the elephant did, but in a flash, the mahout took the back side of the hook and cracked it between the eyes.  It’s a sound I can’t get out of my mind.  I thought I wanted to jump off the elephant’s back at that moment until minutes later I watched the elephant in front of me get hooked in the ear.  Never again.  This picture is for the elephant:

Thailand, A Year in the Life...

Having the experience of living abroad is something I've wanted to do since I studied Shakespeare in London one summer in college.  I've made a few lame attempts at applying over the years, but the idea began swirling around in my mind a few years ago.  We all have lots of ideas that are fleeting, but when they stick, it's time to follow through. Feeling unfulfilled and restless, I knew now was the time to shake things up and reassess my goals and priorities. March 2011 my focus became teaching in Thailand, and with lots of planning and waiting I applied for a placement, and after a few more months of waiting, I received the exciting news that I for certain would be fulfilling my desire to live abroad.  Why Thailand?  I have another goal of visiting all 7 continents before I'm 40 (6 down 1 to go!)  So I thought an extended stay in Thailand with the opportunity to visit other countries was the right choice.  And Thailand seemed so exotic.  What it has turned out to be is hot!

After a week of orientation, I was able to settle in to my new digs, see my new school, and catch a glimpse of my new 'willage' (as my school coordinator says :)).  Although I'm in Bangkok, I'm out in a suburb in Summakorn Village.  I think I'm going to enjoy my little community.  From my 3rd floor office at school I can faintly see the Downtown Bangkok skyline.  Kinda cool.  But now the real test begins--can I overcome the daunting challange of a strange country, acclimate to the culture, and have a positive experience?  There will be other native English speakers working at my school who can share in the experience and make the difficult days a little easier.  I have a little time before students arrive; my first day of school is May 14, the students begin May, 23.  It's ironic that as I'm preparing to leave the profession, I take a job teaching abroad and start a new school year the day before students at home finish their school year. 

I know day by day things will get easier.  The days won't feel as hot.  I'll always remember to carry toilet paper and hand sanitizer with me.  And the food won't taste as spicy.

If you think of me during the next year, send a little light and love my way.  Here's to a year in Thailand!  Sawatdee kha!