11/11/11: Floating Krathongs and Sky Lanterns!

Another week has flown by!  This one went especially fast because there was a lot going on.. and many good things!

BEST care package EVER: Back in August, I went on an online shopping spree and purchased new shorts, beach dresses, and a bikini or two for my mom to send me in my next package.. it may seem silly but wearing the same gross clothes for the past 12 months really got to me one day and I needed a little retail therapy.  I don't mind wearing my teaching clothes in Khon Kaen but I like to look a little more put together while traveling.  After my Malaysia travels, my mom had gathered enough supplies to fill up a large box and ship it as an early Christmas package. Also, I recently had mentioned to one of my best friends, Lauren Jesperson, during a skype chat that I wish I had an iPod touch to travel with, having a small toy that could connect to wireless internet would be really convenient to have, especially when it comes to using skype and searching for info while on the go.  It just so happened that Lauren and her amazing family had an extra one that they were thinking of selling, but they graciously gave it to me instead! I am SO appreciative and can't thank them enough (I owe the Jesperson's a HUGE batch of chocolate chip cookies when I come home)!  Traveling will be super easy and now I know I'll be able to give my family a call on Christmas no matter where I am (wireless is practically everywhere I've been!)  No more paying outrageous internet per minute prices on islands!  I'll still try to limit my internet use while I'm traveling but its so nice to know I have it to use whenever I need it!  After checking the package tracking site multiple times last week, it arrived on Sunday and I arrived to school on Monday to my beautiful package waiting for me in the office.  I couldn't contain myself and opened it while my kids had milk break, sealed it back up, then opened it a second time later in the day to get a better look at my goodies!  All my clothes I ordered, butternut squash soup, tortilla soup, candy corn, peanut butter m&ms, mac and cheese, a few magazines (including Kim Kardashian's wedding edition in People Magazine.. it couldn't even get here before she announced her divorce), NyQuil, dramamine, Dove raspberry chocolate, and my new iPod touch toy!  Thank you Mama and the Jespersons!!

 Loi Krathong: Loi Krathong is a festival celebrated across Thailand on the evening of the full moon of the 12^th month in the traditional Thai lunar calendar, which is usually in November.  Loi means “to float” and krathong refers to the lotus-shaped receptacle made from banana leaves and flowers with candles and incense that can float on water.  The act of floating away the krathong is symbolic go of all one’s grudges, anger and defilements so one can start life afresh on a better foot.  Some people  even cut their fingernails and hair and add them to their krathong as a symbol of letting go of the bad parts of one self.. I didn’t do that one.  Many Thai people believe that floating a raft will bring good luck, the festival does have history and meaning behind it but now-a-days it’s more of a fun tradition.

 Last year, Jess and I went to Khon Kaen University for a huge carnival to celebrate Loi Krathong.  We had to push through crowds and stand in long lines to do anything and the enormous amount of people had extremely overwhelmed me so I decided that this year I wanted to do something a little more low-key.  Emily and Sam (both new teachers in KK, Emily teaches at my school and Sam is at Anuban Khon Kaen) joined me to check out the scene at the local lake.  I had bought a few rice paper lanterns from T. Nim to light and send high into the sky so the girls and I made our way to the lake by following the trail of lit lanterns floating in the full-moon sky.  We found a good spot amongst the small groups of Thai families to light our lanterns , take some pictures, and throw them into the air and hope they float away.   Our last lantern lingered a bit and began smoking heavily but it floated out of our eyesight.  A lantern from a near-by group got caught in a tree and no one seemed to be concerned except for us, guess it happens alot.  We made a spectacle of ourselves and was being paparazzi-ed like crazy, silly farangs not knowing how lanterns work.  We walked around the lake and had dinner at the night market on the way home (best pad thai EVER).. an AMAZING Loi Krathong.

 

"I'm T. Chelsea and I'll be your MC for the evening!":Friday night was the big anticipated festival of the semester, Loi Krathong!  The school magically transforms into a carnival with game booths, prizes, food, dunk tank, astrojump.. everything a Thai carnival needs!  Including a stage and show.. and a farang MC on the microphone all night.. ME!  Yes thats right, I NEVER thought I would get up in front of a huge crowd on a microphone and help host such a large event, maybe it helped that its very possible not many people in the audience could understand my native language of English.  Or maybe I'm finally over my extreme fear of public speaking and stage-fright.  Maybe its a little of both.
  
My afternoon started with school ending early for the event and me going off to my hair appointment and costume fitting.  After seeing seven different students in and out of the shop, the man fussed, teased, and sprayed my hair for about twenty minutes then twisted and pinned my now acquired lion mane into a Thai beauty style.  My hair has never been so big and I wasn't sure if it was really supposed to look that way, but once I was pinned into my costume everyone in the shop said I was "Soi Mak".  One of my student's moms said that even though my makeup wasn't on yet, I was so beautiful and looked like an angel.  Yep, guess he got the hair right.

I arrived at school, finished getting ready, and snapped some pics before it was time to get on stage.  T. Run teaches at the Thai school and was my co-MC, he's often MC for various school events because he's great on the microphone (good at filling up empty air and can think of things to talk about on the spot while making the show fun and entertaining) and a really fun and friendly guy.  We had just enough time to go over our script one final time and work out some kinks and it was our time to hit the stage and welcome the audience! I wasn't nearly as nervous as I thought I'd be and I actually had a blast on the microphone!  I did need to practice pronouncing some Thai names I would be announcing and I was a little concerned about butchering them, but overall I think I did okay!

Hearts because they love T Chelsea

Whats a carnival without some sort of contest?  The big event of a Loi Krathong festival is a "Noppamas Beauty Contest".  According to legend, Nang Noppamas was a consort of the Sukothai King 700 years ago and had been the first to float a krathong.  The beauty contest is tradition and the festival isn't complete without it, it reminds me of a little Miss America contest minus the talent and bikini portions.  Two students from each class in Kindergarten and one student from each grade in elementary is chosen to compete in the contest, which T. Run and I MCed for.  The students introduce themselves on stage and do a beautiful walk and wai in their amazing Thai costumes and only four winners are crowned by the judges.  One of the four winners is awarded "Most Popular" and wins that title by collecting the most balloons.. before the winners are announced, the audience has an opportunity to purchase balloons from a nearby booth and give them to the contestant they think should win, whoever has the most balloons in ten minutes is awarded "Most Popular".  My two absolute favorite students, Mon and Aiko, competed in the Noppamas Beauty Contest (two of twenty contestants) and Aiko won for the Kindergarten girls! I was overjoyed when we announced her name and I'm SO proud of her! Her mom is so nice and was already telling me how much they'll miss me after I leave in March, I took some family pictures with Aiko's family as well.  Along with the beauty contest, we had a home-made krathong contest and three dance performances, one of which my girls danced to a Thai song called "Sapalot" (translation: pineapple).

Blending right in

At one point during the show, T. Run and T. Tu handled the contest and I was able to scope out the booths and games as well as get in a few pictures with students and other teachers.  Every Thai teacher, parent, and multiple students I came across announced in awe "T. Chelsea, SO beautiful!"  Parent's of students that weren't even mine wanted me in a photo with their child or entire family.  I was paparazzi-ed like crazy and was being complemented every minute.  While on stage, I heard my student Jack Jack scream "T. Chelsea, HI!! T. Chelsea BEEAUTIFUL!"  Thai teachers pulling me to take a picture while saying "Teacher, soi mak" was a regular occurrence for the evening and I didn't mind it. It was fun being such a hot-shot celebrity with a microphone for the evening.

Being MC with T. Run was a blast and this year's Loi Krathong was SO much fun! I'm so honored that my school asked me to be the MC and be the face for this fun celebration this year. YAY Loi Krathong!!

Cutie patootie baby AJ

Thai looking farang teachers

 Me and my Thai Teacher!