Today is the last day that I will be in Watsriwisuttharan primary school. I just finished giving a small speech to the students and teachers in front of the flag, at assembly (very much like my first day of school). I thanked all the teachers for their help and thanked the students for being so fantastic. I applauded the teachers' determination in teaching and the students' eagerness in learning.
Ahhhhh, I really don't want to leave this school.. or Thailand. The students that I taught made cards for me and some even gave me gifts-- it was very thoughtful of them. To return the favor I brought along American flags, keychains and pens from my state (Hawaii) and I gave them out as prizes if they could answer English related questions. It's an understatement to say that they enjoyed it-- they were having a great time.
For the teachers who have helped me out and treated me so well, I gave them letters (+ a flag and keychain) that I wrote yesterday. I also added in my address so that they could contact me if they wanted to. Almost all the teachers expressed a desire to go to America, to which I always cheerfully replied, "Yes! Come and visit me!!!"
To end this blog and this day on a sad note, I am attending a funeral today. I went to one last week and it was quite interesting but very sad, as are most funerals. I don't know the deceased but my mom does so I'm going and good golly, I'm wearing yellow- of all colors! Today is Monday so I wore yellow for the king and my mom didn't tell me about the funeral, so hopefully my black jacket will suffice.
I won't be able to write much because I'm leaving for Bangkok to meet with the other AFSers tomorrow night. I'm traveling in a bus with the other 3 Americans for about 5-6 hours and will then catch a taxi to the hotel.
Gosh, it's all ending so quickly.
Look at all the different colors of rice! Purple, green, blue... yellow!
This is a picture of a student getting his head shaved by a teacher because the hair was getting too long. In the school here, and most schools in this area, the uniform as well as hair length has very strict rules and guidelines. However, as you can see, this shaving was done in good humor and everyone was laughing, even the shaved :)
I just got back from a three day trip in Chiang Mai and it was absolutely wonderful. There was definitely a surrounding change when I reached the city. There were much more people and my mother also told me that the northern dialect is a little different, and that they speak much slower than the people do in Phitsanulok.
In Chiang Mai there is almost a clash of time periods. While there are old wooden huts sticking out of the tallest weeds I've ever seen, there are also modern buildings that sweep up to the sky, surrounded by advertisements pasted on billboards.
We went to a temple there and it was a gorgeous ornate structure. I've noticed that much about temples is large and golden.
Ah! And at the famous walking night bazaar in Chiang Mai I sampled my first fried critter- I ate a bamboo worm! It was actually pretty tasty, believe it or not :) At this bazaar, things were sold very cheaply and the place was just crawling with "farang" or "foreigners."
Above: the bamboo worm i ate
Above: other delectable bugs (ranging from crickets to worms to cockroach looking bugs)
I'm typing from the school again and I just finished going over listening comprehension with the students. I interviewed one student at a time and asked them questions about their daily life, the time, etc and they had to answer and listen in English. Most students were struggling a lot with answering the questions or understanding them; however, I was pleased to see that some students spoke in complete sentences and had very good pronunciation.
Yesterday, at the Naresuan University's exhibition, I got to sit down with a lady who was part of a meditation exhibit. It was a very cool experience and I felt very relaxed afterwards. Many Thais practice meditation and in the very school I volunteer in, students meditate for 5 minutes in Music Class! It's hard to imagine how children can sit still for such a period of time.
Also, at the Naresuan University, I saw two huge roosters perched atop an even bigger wooden basket. They were displayed there as symbols of the past King Naresuan's (the university is named after him, and he is greatly revered) rooster. This rooster fought with the rooster of the Prince of Burma and won- the Thais are very proud of this victory :). The roosters that were in the exhibition scared me quite a bit. They were so still and tall! They did not jump off the basket and run around on a pecking rampage, which surprised me :)
I just got back from Naresuan University where the university students and faculty held a sort of "exhibition" for the public (our primary school, level 5 students went). It was very interesting- tons of music and food surrounded us as we weaved through crowds of people who were looking at the different booths. It almost reminded me of "Career Day" in America where are there different booths for different careers. I saw many booths for medical science.
Above: This booth exhibited a certain type of Thai massage where the massagist would step on the patient with the sole of his foot (dipped in hot water, it seemed) and use the stick to balance. On the right, where the mats are, there was another type of massage that used two wood implements that looked a lot like a broader hammer and chisel. One would "chisel" the patient with the wood.
Also, Thai herbs are very popular. There were many booths that were selling these herbs (which were made into tea or other products). A common thing for Thai people, that I've noticed, is that they carry around a tube of liquid (made from herbs) with a very strong, almost medicinal, smell. They sometimes place this tube very close to their nostrils or even dab some on their wrists or neck, in a sort of "healing" manner.
Ah- yes, and the other day I went with my Thai friends to their tutoring session for English, held at their English Teacher's house. I had a very interesting conversation with their teacher about Thai students and their struggle with English. She explained that a huge obstacle in their ability to learn good English is that the students do not get a chance to practice their English. After the mandated 1 or 2 hours of English class in school, students talk in Thai with their friends and go home and speak Thai. Some English teachers even speak mainly Thai when they are teaching in their English classes. The need for cultural immersion is important in learning a language, which is why she encourages studying abroad in England or America.
Above: Thai Friends :)
And that leads me back to, well, myself. I've just come to understand the strength in coming to Thailand. Though I do regret not learning some Thai language before coming here, the opportunity to enter a new culture with new people and a new language is rare and I am extremely thankful to be here.
A few days ago I went to Chatavee Museum and the Bird Park with my Thai friends and it was pretty fun. The museum showcased all kinds of things, from ancient living spaces to ancient rat traps (which were very well crafted). The Thais were very, very good with their hands, especially with wood. Many of the artifacts I viewed were handcrafted from wood and very well made.
Also, the bird park? Absolutely amazing. Some of the birds there were the size and weight of monkeys, hopping around as the wood creaked under their formidable weights. One bird was the last of its kind in Thailand, and no mate to keep the line going : (
Lots of fun things to see in Phitsanulok... and next week my family is taking me to Chiang Mai! A six hour car ride! Here we go.. : )
Hello everyone!
I wasn't able to get a hold of a computer for awhile because there was no school on Thursday and Friday, because those two days (along with the weekend) are part of the holiday for Buddha. On Wednesday I, along with the students and teachers of the school, went to Wat Khuan Kan (a temple) for the holiday. The school offered the monks a candle and each teacher offered them a new orange robe.
Interestingly, monks are not allowed to touch women or be touched by them. Therefore, when I, and another female teacher, went to give the robe to the monk, the monk laid out another piece of cloth. We then laid our article on that piece of cloth- the monk, then, folded the article with the cloth and received it, ultimately avoiding our touch.
Female "monks" are called "shii" or, "nuns." They do not abide by the same 227 rules that monks follow, instead they adhere to a more limited set of rules. Instead of orange, they wear white. In Thailand so far, I have seen many monks but I have not seen a shii yet--I really would like to see and speak with one though.
Also, for the holiday, my family and another close family stayed at a resort in Phu Hin Rong Kla National Park. And it was amazing! The history there is very rich and I had the opportunity to visit camps where young Thai communists got together and planned, even fought. In the picture at the bottom of this blog entry is a waterwheel, designed and built by the Communist students-- the wheel turns and causes the the wood pieces on the left to pound rice, what a way to conserve energy! : )
At Phu Hin Rong Kla I also saw the renowned "rock formations." Stretched a long a vast area were multiple rock formations that had formed with the sole help of Mother Nature, herself. With the wind and rain and erosion, these rocks underwent many changes and ultimately became smooth and round (a picture of this will be up soon).
Thailand, so far, is absolutely wonderful. The culture is vibrant, the food is delicious... but I think that what makes Thailand a truly beautiful country is the people. The people I've met so far are unbelievably kind and generous. They reaffirm the fact that Thailand is, indeed, "the land of smiles."
I have encountered few problems, but the few problems seem to be the biggest. The first problem was the language barrier. Although the teachers and my host mother spoke English (with a Thai accent), the students at the school spoke very, very little. Aged 10-12, these students learn English at the primary school I volunteer at and it's my job to "make English fun." It's hard to make English fun when I'm explaini
ng my lesson with an old Thai-English dictionary in hand! However, the students seem to greatly enjoy themselves with the games/songs/lessons I set up for them. The teachers at the school say that the children are excited for a fresh and young teacher from America (most teachers are 50 years and older). What I know is that I love teaching here and it feels like I can check off "teaching in another country to children" off my list of things to do before I die. HOWEVER, I will definitely want to pursue this in the future... this experience as the inspiration :).
Above: Trying desperately to stick my head out of the sea of students in Music Class. This picture was taken after I attended my own class of Thai music and learned, or attempted to learn, to play a Thai melody on the flute. The students are so full of energy that the thought alone energizes me and makes me smile : ).
Above: At Sukkhothai Historical Park. I'm standing in front of the famed "Talking Buddha," the statue was so big that it was hard to get it in the picture frame!
On Saturday I went to Sukkhothai Historical Park. As a lover of history... I loved it. No, I was in awe of everything. I got to see and touch the pillars of old temples, the big "talking Buddha," and a copy of the large slab of stone that King Ramkhamhaeng inscribed and wrote the first Thai alphabet on. These buildings, temples and artifacts are over 700 years old! 700! To actually be able to touch what the old people of Thailand touched and see what they saw, was very inspiring to me. Physical history is absolutely great. I can't wait to see more.
Above: Sukkhothai
Above: My mom and I pose with the "farang" (foreign tourists) as a background at Sukkhothai
Today after teaching a morning class, I attended a class of my own! I sat in on a Thai music class and learned to play a Thai melody on the flute. Though I don't play very well... my teacher was very encouraging and lent me the flute the practice- and practice I shall! Hopefully, by the end of this experience I will be able to speak Thai, eat the spiciest foods, and play a complete Thai song on a Thai instrument. I love a good challenge :)
Also, yesterday my mother took me to an open market. It was very cool- nothing like what I've experienced. Where I'm from (Hawaii) the closest thing I can compare the night market to is Waikiki. Strolling around in the evening, as my mother explained, is something Thai people love to do. In the evening it is very cool and people are in high spirits.
What shocked me was how cheap things were. I bought many items for under $5 and was smiling the whole way back. I can tell it won't be my only visit to the market :)
Thai people love to eat. They eat large meals and encourage others to eat more, more, more. Instead of asking "how are you," Thais usually ask, "Have you eaten yet?" (Or so my Thai guidebook reports). I thought this was a mere exagerration before I came to Thailand--I was very wrong. I think I may have consumed at LEAST 5 bowls of rice in a day and my stomach actually aches from eating too much! But the food, oh man, the food is just too yummy (and this makes it exceptionally hard to stop eating!).
Hey, Anna from AFS gave me your blog address, and I'm really excited. I haven't looked around a lot, but... read more
on July 29, 2008