Loi Krathong, is here!

This past weekend was the long awaited Loi Krathong festival!

Loi Krathong is a big festival that takes place on the night of the full moon in November (the 12th month in the Thai traditional calendar). "Loi" means to float and "Krathong" is traditionally made from a section of a banana tree trunk and are decorated with flowers..., candles, and incense sticks. The Thai people will float their krathong down the river or in a big body of water. The act of floating away the candle raft is symbolic of letting go of all one's grudges, anger and defilements, so that one can start life afresh on a better foot. People will also cut their fingernails and hair and add them to the raft as a symbol of letting go of the bad parts of oneself. Many Thai believe that floating a raft will bring good luck, and they do it to honor and thank the Goddess of Water. (Thanks Wikipedia!)

My school hosted our own festival.  Jess and I got there way too early to get into our Thai attire and we realized that everything runs on Thai time, or 30 minutes after we are told things will start.  After waiting an hour, my Thai teacher, teacher Kookkai, helped me fasten up my costume and put my hair back in a braid. Many people wanted a picture with us foreign teaches, they got a huge kick out of us in our Thai costumes.  Some people tried to be sneaky and attempted to take candid shots of us.  We had numerous carnival-like booths set up, balloon darts, bingo, throw the ball into the hole, throw the ball at the bottles, a bouncy house, snacks etc.  2 other foreign teachers, a Thai teacher, and I ran a booth game of throwing the ball into the cup.  The participants had three balls and depending on how many balls they make into the cup determines what type of prize they get.  It was actually a really challenging game (we played with tennis balls and the cup was pretty small) and we weren’t too strict on the rules.  There was also a beauty contest to determine what child would be this years Mr. and Mrs. Loi Krathong.  The girls in my class performed a dance, which was adorable.. They had been practicing for weeks!  My Thai teacher did I wonderful job teaching and choreographing the dance, which I didn’t realize the song to the dance is about Barbie (the song is in Thai).   All the money earned from the school festival is saved for the end of the year teacher trip! Woo!

The next day, the actual day of Loi Krathong, Jess and I checked out the festivities at the university.  Well, it seemed like the entire city did the same thing!  It was extremely crowded but great fun, it reminded me of the Del Mar Fair (known as the San Diego County Fair to those that are not San Diegans).  Pushing our way through the crowd, we got many stares, some “Welcome to Khon Kaen!” yells, a few “FARANG” (foreigner) screeches, and a couple groups of girls asking to take pictures with us.  There were lots of things for sale, including turtles, birds, eels, and fish to set free into the water for good luck.  There were thousands of krathongs to choose from and I narrowed down my choices to one for 20 baht with beautiful flowers.  After taking the much needed photographs, Jess and I made our way to the water to push our krathongs into the lake and receive some good ole’ Thai goodluck.  We were shocked to discover that there were young boys and a few men wadding in the DIRTY water, begging.  When the police got close, they swan and hid under the dock but quickly came back, holding onto the dock.  I felt extremely uncomfortable as I was trying to put my krathong into the water while these boys were staring at me with their hands out.  I have found that I am often pinpointed by the homeless and others seeking money because I am white (little do they know, I am now making a Thai salary).  I ended up kind of tossing my krathong into the lake to escape and continue onto the rest of the festival.  We ended up getting some Pad Thai (what a shocker!) and rode on the sketchiest ferris wheel I’ve ever been on.  We decided to head home early to beat the crowd out and jumped on what we thought was the last songtell home.  We got a wonderful tour of the Khon Kaen University campus, as the songtell was making its final stop in some very random location.  We met some girls on the songtell who are studying English at the university (thank goodness!) and they called us a cab to take us home.  

Overall, it was a fun weekend! 

Check out more pictures! :)

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2071406&id=1054560056&l=cd262aab18

Each One With His Krathong

Latest news..

• Jess found a wiggling caterpillar clinging on to a piece of lettuce in her salad from the salad bar at Sizzlers. We were so desperate for greens we just pretended it didn’t happen until after we were done eating. We first hand are learning that standards of “clean” are much different here.  We both didn't feel well the next day, we won't be going back for a while.

• After a bit of frustration over the Thai sizes (some of my friends, and especially my Mom, knows how frustrated I can get when I can’t find what I’m shopping for!!), I found an outfit for Loi Krathong! Hallelujah! It took me trying on a few skirts to find one that finally fit (Thai people have tiny waists and no booty). I settled for a pink traditional style dress for the festival we are having this Saturday (I will post pictures!). The set includes a full length skirt, top, sash, and costume jewelery.  I wasn’t originally too fond of the pink, but then decided that maybe I’ll be able to pull off the “Barbie goes to Thailand” look.    (Here is a link about Loi Krathong) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loi_Krathong

• My usual Pad Thai vendor is GONE! I went to the market on Friday and Tuesday and their cart is nowhere to be found! I’m basically a little heart broken and may starve. Well, starving is exaggerating.. I have already found a replacement Pad Thai vendor but it doesn’t taste nearly as good.. and they don’t know how I like my Pad Thai. And I’m not sure how to tell them how I like it.

• I had a break through with one of my “naughty” boys! On Tuesday, he listened to Teacher Chelsea when I asked him to sit down and not to talk. He even raised his hand to answer questions in class! I am trying more positive reinforcement and he is immediately responding to it. Its possible he was on good behavior because the king of the naughty boys was absent that day.. but I’ll be experimenting the rest of this week and will keep you updated.

• I am officially booked to spend New Years on Ko Phi Phi with my friend Jenna (from UCSB, she’s teaching in Bangkok.. I’ve mentioned her a few times before) and I can’t be more excited!  Jess and her sister who will be visiting will be spending New Years on the same island. On my more challenging days, I remind myself that in just over a month I will be spending 5 days and 4 nights on one of the most beautiful islands in Thailand to celebrate the New Year! Having something to look forward to helps keep me sane.

• The theme for my class this week: Thai Culture and Thai Games. I am teaching kids material I know nothing about. Today, I taught about the “Thai Map” and Thai geography. I had a worksheet for the kids to label “North”, “South”, “North East”, “West”, and “Central”. They asked me on a big map where Khon Kaen is and I couldn’t even tell them, the map is in Thai! Krathong is one of our vocabulary words, it is a raft made from a section of banana tree trunk decorated with flowers and candles to send into a large body of water, like a lake (Thanks Wikipedia!). My kids and I go over our vocabulary for Thai Culture and Games everyday and whenever I get to this word, they can’t control their laughing. Apparently I pronounce it funny.  I ask them to teach me how to say it and they all yell "KRAAAATHONG!!!", I repeat it exactly how I hear it, and even more uproar. I try to avoid saying it at all costs to maintain control of my rowdy kids.  But it's still a little funny.

We sing this song everyday as we prepare for Loi Krathong. We play it in Thai and English. Here is the English version. Be careful, it’s one of those songs I hate that I love, its a bit catchy!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NSkriTLhM7A

4 weeks

This week has been the fastest one yet!  Yesterday was the four week mark.. I have officially been in Thailand for four whole weeks!  I feel like it’s been so much longer, but four weeks is a good amount of time. I’m getting more settled into my new apartment but still need to completely finish unpacking my suitcase.  There isn’t as much drawer space here as my last place had so it is currently serving the role as another dresser drawer or two.  I did join the gym and have been going every day since, except for today.  There are some awesome classes offered and I did the abdominal one the other day.  It was intense but a ton of fun and included some hula hooping at the end.  There is a taekwondo class that I may look into, I never thought of martial arts being something for me but hey, I’m in Thailand!  And I heard you get a belt if you do the classes!  I am keeping busy, checking out new markets, and seeing new places.  I’m getting more into the school routine and teaching is getting a little better.  Although of course I miss home (so much!!), I am a lot less homesick than I was at my last place.  Being able to connect to the internet (AKA the outside world) whenever I want/need has been helpful in the homesickness, I think.  I am really liking it here. 

We are just finishing up our “Space and Sky” Theme.  We have made a solar system for our class and a sun with our classes handprints.  The kids seem really into the solar system and planets and LOVE when I have video clips from YouTube to show them about it.  They are still loving that planet song and request it on repeat everyday.. this song will probably remain stuck in my head until another annoying song comes around.  Next week’s theme is Thai Culture, which will be a learning experience for me too.. especially since I am teaching it.  I better start researching.

Highlight of the week: My mom sent me an AMAZING care package that I received today!  It was filled with some special candy requests, ritz cracker snacks, granola bars, chocolate covered pretzels, some clothes I forgot in the dryer (and a new pair of knee length shorts.. not exactly my style but more accepted here than my typical shorts I wear”), and some magazines feature Taylor Swift on the cover.  Thanks mom!

Here are some interesting facts about Thailand.. and my life here.

• Everyday, whenever the kindergarteners go somewhere (example: leave the classroom for the flag ceremony, leave the flag ceremony for the classroom, leave the classroom to go to the playground, leave the playground to go to the class, leave classroom for lunch, music class, sensory center, PE, swimming, computer class, home, everything!) the kindergarteners have a script.  Each week, there is a lady leader and a gentleman leader.  The kids get into two lines (ladies and gentlemen) and the leader is at the front.  It goes something like this.

Leader: Lady liiiiine

Ladies: UP!

Leader: Line, line, liiiiiine!

Ladies: Up, up, up!

Leader: Where are we going?

Ladies: We are goiiiiing to the (insert location.. ex flag ceremoooony)

Leader: Are you sure?

Ladies: Sure.

Leader: Are you ready?

Ladies: Yes, I am.

Leader: Lets go.

• Coming here, I knew there would be a language barrier.  I don’t speak a speck of Thai (now I can “Hello”, “Thank you”, and “I don’t want shrimp/crab/crustacean thingys” in reference to my Pad Thai).  I had no idea that I would resort to Spanish when someone has trouble understanding me.  When my student wasn’t sure where to write her name, I pointed to the line and said “aqui”.  Other words and phrases are always crossing my mind like pollo, come estas, and ahora.  It’s a little strange but very instinctual.  When I do spit out Spanish, I just get looks a notch above confused, bewildered perhaps.

• People purposely stay out of the sun or wear layers of clothes covering all their limbs and body even in the heat.  No, not to avoid skin cancer.. but to stay white.  Being dark is seen as being in the working class and having to work outside in the sun. Pale/white skin is a highly desired here.  It is a serious business.  There is whitener in almost all types of lotions and sunscreens (I had to hunt for some without it).  In my mind, it is almost like bleaching the skin to be lighter.  The kids at my school put some on their face everyday and you can find products to buy all over the mall.  Ideally, Thai people love westerners and find us beautiful because of our skin.  However, I am naturally not pale.  I haven’t sat in the sun since I left a month ago and I am about the shade of an average Thai person (a Thai compared her arm to mine one day and said “Same!”  She was a little surprised when I said I want to be darker.).  I do get a few complements sometimes about “being beautiful”, but not nearly as many as my friends with paler skin.  I plan on maintaining my tan because to be honest, I look better with a little color.  I could never pull off the vampire look and my skin can’t even get near that shade of pale.  Plus, I have to keep on representing California, and that is done with a tan.

• The current weather has been partly cloudy and in mid to high 70s.  This is Thailand Winter.  Kids and teachers come to school bundled in jackets and scarves and I show up in my knee length skirt and t-shirt.  There has been a time or two that I thought it was a little chilly, but never jacket weather.  Nevermind the fact I only brought one pair of jeans and one hoodie.  If this is winter, I am dreading summer weather.  It can’t be good.

Living, Learning, and Learning to Live

Wow! Another crazy week!

   Last week, Jess and I took a look at a friend’s apartment after we had dinner.  We met Caitlin at orientation and traveled with her on the train to Khon Kaen, she is in the same city but at a public school. After looking at her clean, lizard free, internet connected apartment, and mold free shower, Jess and I both realized that our apartment at Kong Thong wasn’t as nice as it could have been.  On Monday, I casually mentioned to our school coordinator that we were thinking of moving downtown to a different apartment building and she immediately looked into it.  Since it was the first of the month, she got us set up to look at an apartment in the same building as our friend at the lunch break and we both decided that day to go ahead and get our own apartments!  And we are still next door to eachother.  We moved in that evening and I honestly can say this is the best decision I’ve made yet in Thailand.  My apartment before was nice in that it was close to school and had AC, but honestly that was about it.  My new apartment has air conditioning, furnished with new furniture, dresser with mirrors and desk (only a fridge though, no microwave), TV that we don’t need to pay per month to have, cable, internet ALL THE TIME, porch, and clean and big bathroom.  Although I am much farther from school, I am right along the songtell path so getting to school is no hassle.  I am within walking distance of the HUGE mall (Central Plaza), numerous restaurants, many bars and the Khon Kaen weekend night life, the five star hotel with a gym and pool (I’ve been planning to join all week but hopefully finally will tomorrow), the night market that has many food choices for good prices (and the best Pad Thai I’ve had!!), and a smaller shopping area with a grocery store, starbucks, and various other places.  Oh, and of course a 7/11.  We are also just one block away from the city’s spirit house, which is a huge landmark and sometimes seems to have festivals and fun community events.  I’m much happier at my new apartment!  At the last one, I would often need to take a tuk-tuk to find something to do.  I didn’t realize it at the time but it’s kind of in the middle of no-where.  With my apartment now, I have so many more things to do and won’t have many opportunities to sit around bored watching Law and Order.  I’m hoping that joining the gym and being able to walk to the night market every night will help time pass faster.  Now that I am more in town (the heart of downtown actually), I can honestly say that I am genuinely enjoying it here! (pictures of my new place will come soon once I’m completely unpacked!)

  Teaching is going okay.  Our theme now is “Space and Sky”.  I taught all about the planets and the kids seem really intrigued.  There is a song that we have on a CD to help the kids remember the order of the planets, the kids love it but us teachers hate it.  I find myself singing it at home when I don’t even realize it.  Its one of those annoying songs you can’t get out of your head.  “I bought a MERCURY to visit friends on VENUS but how on EARTH will I ever get to MARS?” blah blah blah it drives me crazy, the song doesn’t even make any sense!  I know all of my kids names now which has made teaching a lot easier.  However, I have four “naughty boys” that refuse to listen to me.  Two of them are only half Thai so they know and understand English well.  I think all four are at the stage where they are testing the new teacher to see what they can get away with, but boy are they pestering!  They sure know how to push my buttons!  I’m planning to come in Monday refreshed from the weekend and ready to lay down the law.  After talking to a few teachers, I have realized that being more strict in the beginning is beneficial so they know that I mean business.  Later on, I can be fun and play with them, but after they respect and listen to me.  I have some really great kids in my class, and I absolutely adore all of the girls, but these same four boys have been absolutely driving me insane.  I just have to tell myself that it’ll be better as more time goes on.  I don’t know how you teachers do it!

Me and my Co-Teacher, Teacher Kookkai

   Our school week was only four days long this week.  Our school canceled class on Friday so all the teachers could go on a fieldtrip to a “world class” school to observe their teaching methods.  This school has some interesting concepts, like the children don't write until they are 6 and 7 years old, the school doesn't give any formal tests, no bells (to teach time management), the students all agree on what curriculum to be taught (collaboration with teachers and students on topics), focus a lot on self-esteem and confidence, and teachers use very quiet voices (never raising them or yelling so students learn they need to be quiet to hear).  To be honest, it seemed a little cult like.  Maybe that was because everything was in Thai, so us foreign teachers didn’t understand a word of what our guide said, what was going on in class, or the question and answer portion with the principal.  We did have another teacher there to translate but only got portions of it.  The campus was beautiful though!  It had huge outdoor play areas, play grounds,  and many things to explore and learn from outside.  One of my favorite things was parents bring a huge bundle of bananas and hang them in the tree in the play yard every week so kids and pick and eat the bananas when they are hungry.  They also showed us a video of how children learned how to cook.  They video began showing the children digging and looking for worms, then fishing with the worms, catching fish, cooking the fish, then making dinner, and eating it!  Even though I couldn’t understand the commentary, it was pretty cool to watch.  They are much more focused on hand-on learning rather than the traditional classroom style.  Although we left Khon Kaen at 4am (meaning I was up by 3am!!!), I’m glad I had the opportunity to go.

After the school, we went to see some ruins.  The other foreign teachers weren’t interested in seeing the ruins so they took a van back meaning Jess and I were the only foreign teachers on the bus. We went to the Prasat Phanom Rung ruins, “the Hindu religious sanctuary located on the top of the Phanom Rung mountain, an extinct volcano and constructed between 11^th – 12^th century AD.”  The school paid for our admission, Thai people 20 baht each and foreigners 100 baht each!  After exploring for an hour and many of the Thai teachers obsessing over taking pictures with us faragans (Teecha teecha!!  Pictcha!), we then headed back to Khon Kaen. 

   Anyone wonder what 50 Thai teachers do on a bus back from a fieldtrip?  They connect their laptop to the bus TV, turn the music on extremely loud, and sing karaoke! But not before stopping at a 7/11 for beer.  That’s right, the three hour bus ride back turned into a six hour trip with all the stops for beer, bathrooms, and dinner.  The songs they sang were all in Thai with Thai subtitles but they wouldn’t be satisfied until Jess and I sang a song.  They had a few English songs so Jess picked “Barbie Girl” and they just about had a fit, they loved it!!  Luckily, Jess did all of the singing because I’ve been fighting off a nasty cold and was not feeling too hot.  After waking up at 3am and being on the go since then, I wasn’t in the best mood.  The karaoke was fun at first, but after the first hour, I just wanted to get home, get into my bed, and sleep.  My cold was getting worse along with my patience.  Finally, we got home and after taking some Nyquil, I immediately passed out until 11am the next morning!  I never am able to sleep in, so this was a huge accomplishment for me. 

   Tomorrow (Sunday), I am planning to feel better (I have either a cold or some sort with a gross cough, or some hardcore allergies) and to finally join the gym and check out a market at the lake.  (Just to clarify, markets are just like farmers markets or like the food court at the fair.  People have carts and make food right there.  And there are people selling stuff, like a swap meet but most of clothing, shoes, or handmade crafts.  Everything is super cheap, much cheaper than the mall!)  They sure love markets here!  Maybe, just maybe, I’ll try something different from Pad Thai and rice.