Mother's Day, Thai Way

Mother's Day (wan-maeh วันแม่) is celebrated on the Queen's birthday here in Thailand (likewise, Father's Day is celebrated on the King's birthday). Queen Sirikit is affectionately known as "Mother of the Country" so to celebrate her birthday, as well as to honor all mothers in the country, August 12th is a national holiday (which actually resulted in a four day weekend since it fell on a Tuesday this year). Queen Sirikit was born on a Friday, since the customary "color of the day" for Friday is light blue, light blue flags bearing her insignia are flown throughout the country in honor of her special day. Schools and temples host special events and ceremonies to honor mothers in the each community. To prepare for the ceremony at the schools, I was asked to teach the students an English Mother's Day song. I taught a simple song that I found on YouTube and even performed with the students at one of the ceremonies. At the Mother's Day Ceremony, I was truly touched and impressed by the sentiments of love and appreciation shown to the mothers.

First the mothers are seated
Then their children kneel before them
with an offering, a mini wreath.



The children present the mothers with the offering



Then bow three times to the mother's feet



Then they embrace :-)
This mother and son are my neighbors and like my
extended family. I usually have meals at their home and
the son is my bodyguard and stays with me if I'm ever home alone.
He's the most mature ten year old I know, it was nice to see
him embraced so sweetly with his mother on this day.



Kindergartners are always the cutest!



After the ceremony with Kru Ya (one of my co-teachers)



The flag of Queen Sirikit, Mother of the Country



The flag is flown all over the country in her honor.



Students learning mothers day songs,
traditional Thai song and then my English song



Practicing in small groups
(for some odd reason, the videos won't load)



The whole class practicing.
(I wish the videos would load!!)

In my previous post, I mentioned that I would be highlighting some of the individuals who have become near and dear to me over the past few months. It's only appropriate to start with my host mom. I call her Pii Noi - "Pii" is the prefix used to address/refer to older siblings, "Noi" is her nickname, which means little or tiny. It's been a bit over five months since Pii Noi opened her home to me and offered me her top floor, I was a stranger at the time, but I've felt welcomed and at home since day one. Since then, she's played a huge part in helping me to integrate into the community and settle into life here. Pii Noi is well known and respected, and has introduced me to many good-to-know people in the community. Although she doesn't speak any English, we communicate pretty well, she's patient with my broken Thai, we play charades from time to time, and more often than not, we understand each other.



Pii Noi and I at mother's day dinner :-)



 Just a few things about Pii Noi that I love:

• She is extremely kind, generous, caring, understanding, and intuitive.
• Her style balances simple and classy very well.
• She is strong and brave, I've seen her take on a snake and a scorpion!
• She has a great network of friends and family. She knows everybody and everybody knows her.
• She once was a cook, and cooked a lot when her children were young, not so much anymore, but when she does, it's great!
• She has a nice kitchen and keeps it open for others to use.
• She is a busy body and gets up with (if not before) the sun, every single day. Her energy is not quite contagious, but it is motivating.
• She was the only girl in her family and she has two sons, and so she's genuinely very happy to have a girl (me!) around. 



Pii Noi and I at the Sports Day where I was
dressed up in traditional Thai wear for
the opening ceremony.



Before I moved into my community, Peace Corps gave me a list of families in the community that I could potentially live with. For various reasons, circumstances and/or conditions at those homes were not exactly 'fit' when I got here. My supervisor told me that one of the officers at the hub lived nearby and had room in her house so I could stay there. That officer was Pii Noi, and her home has been my home ever since.

My first dinner at my new home with my new family

Recent breakfast with extended family members.

It is a Peace Corps requirment that volunteers live with a family in the assigned community for the initial three months, after which we may rent a home in the community. On day one, before she knew much about me, Pii Noi said that I could stay with her for the full two years if I wanted to. We've revisited the conversation a couple times since, and apparently she still feels the same way, I've even verified with third parties, and well, here we are five months later. 

Recent lunch at a Japanese restaurant
(occasionally we eat non-Thai food)

My host mom has been widowed for about three years, her youngest son studies in a neighboring province and the older is on his own, so it's usually just the two of us. We keep each other's company, we talk, we laugh, we have conversations; on the flip side, she also allows me to be my introverted self and she understands why (or at least accepts that) I don't wake up at 6:30am on the weekends. Overall, I'm happy and comfortable living with her. Sooner or later, I am sure that I will leave the nest, as the independent/introverted parts of me crave more of my own space, but no matter what, I'm sure that I will maintain a close relationship with Pii Noi.

Just chillaxing after a recent dinner



Honorable mention to my first host mom,
who taught me how to eat, sit, dress, and
carry/present myself the "riap-roy"
(Thai appropriate) way.

Extra Special Shout Out to my real mother, my birth mom,
who has encouraged and motivated me every day of my life.
This picture was taken my last night at home -
we went to dinner at a Thai restaurant.
I miss her very much.

All Clear and Bpai-Tiiao

I've been in Thailand for over six months now, and for the first time since I've been here, our Safety and Security Status is at "All Clear" which means that all Peace Corps Volunteers can go about their lives with more ease. Due to the recent changes in the government, however controversial, there haven't been any recent riots or incidents of violence. With the all-clear status, Peace Corps Thailand is no longer limiting volunteers' travel to/within Bangkok (as has been the case ever since I've been here), and we are no longer restricted to just staying in our communities. Politics aside, and although I was virtually unaffected by all of the happenings, it feels really good to know that the coast is clear and that I don't have to be on the lookout for riots and bombings if I head down to the capital. Which I did recently.

The Thai word bpai-tiiao ไป-เที่ยว means to take a trip, particularly for pleasure. You can bpai-tiiao to the mall, to the market, to the beach, to other countries, or anywhere you want to go to have fun. My recent travels were more of a medical trip and a conference, but since returning to my community about about a week ago, the constant questions have been - bpai-tiiao nai? (where did you go on your trip?) bpai-tiiao gap kraii? (who did you travel with?) bpai-tiiao sanuuk mai? (was your trip fun?) - actually, yes, my trip was fun, so I guess it was a bpai-tiiao after all :-)

My first time using the Bangkok Transportation System.
I like how people stand so nicely in line to wait for the sky train

And I love how they remain standing nicely in line
until all passengers have exited the train before they get on

Following a slight injury a few weeks ago, I was summoned to the Peace Corps Medical Office in Bangkok. I had endured two separate injuries in the same area in the course of a couple days, and with the combined care of my neighbors, my coworkers (original incident happened at work), my host mom, my "real" mom, and my community health center, I was on the right track, but the trip was necessary just to be on the safe side (and for peace of mind). I must say, this incident made me realize how fortunate I am to be in a country where medicine is advanced, and I also felt a deeper appreciation for the Peace Corps Medical Staff, they are simply the best.

To make the most of my trip, I decided to go to church - this was the only time that I've been out on my own and I hadn't been to church since I've been in this country, so that's what I decided to do with my weekend. There is a Seventh-day Adventist Church in Bangkok, and the church also has an international university campus in a nearby province. Thanks to the wonders of social media, connections were made, I made a new friend, took a van to the nearby province, and had an overall wonderful and refreshing weekend. Not only did I get to go to church, I stayed on campus for the weekend and met people from all over the world - and everyone spoke English! - it was almost like I'd left Thailand for a couple days. I also learned that there is a Seventh-day Adventist  Church in my region, so I won't have to travel for twelve hours next time I want to go to church, but at the same time, I'm sure I'll be back.

Such a beautiful church!

With my new friend. She was a wonderful host! :-)
Oh, true story, once we got to talking, I learned that
she lived in New York for a while and was friends with one of my aunts.
Small world indeed!

The service was bi-lingual, since it's their summer time, usually
Thai and English speaking congregations meet separately.

It was a blessed and beautiful sunny Sabbath day :-)

 That weekend was followed by a ten-day "Reconnect Conference" where all of the members of my volunteer group (now forty-nine) had an opportunity to do just that, reconnect. The whole group hasn't been together since we were dispersed throughout the country a few months ago. Now that we're all (somewhat) settled in, Peace Corps called us to come together to share experiences and learn new stuff. It was a nice change of pace, I got to sleep in an air-conditioned room, have real hot showers, enjoy meaningful conversations in English, eat meals that didn't include rice, have American-style fun, and commiserate with my fellow volunteers. The training itself was very good, our local counterparts and co-teachers joined us for the last few days. I learned a lot about how to be more effective in my service, and they learned about how they can support me in my role. I'm excited to be able to implement all that I've learned, and with their support, I'm looking forward to great impact.

All Youth in Development Volunteers with our Counterparts
also, Peace Corps programming staff and partner agency staff

Bowling with other volunteers :-) Twas fun, I even got a couple strikes!

Seeing some sites with my counterparts :-)

It really is nice to be back in my village. I truly felt like I was coming home after being away for a couple weeks. As much as I enjoyed being away for that period of time, I also felt a deeper connection and appreciation for my site. I live and work with a really great bunch of people. The Peace Corps experience definitely has its ups and downs, I certainly have my fair share on a regular basis, but I'm so thankful for the people around me who make it easier in so many ways. In subsequent posts, I will be highlighting some of these individuals. 

My posts aren't as frequent as I would like them to be, between the internet situation (which is affected by the monsoon) and other uncertainties of life, it's difficult to have a regular schedule. But I'll continue to do what I can. 

A few more pictures from my trip:

We visited Wat Kiriwong - Temple on a Hill

It was magnificent

Yes, we are all Americans. Yes, the question was asked.

Women are not supposed to touch monks or stand above them.

Roosters (and rooster statues) are offered for religious merit

Something about it reminded me of my Little Havana days ;-)

There were many interesting figures

Yet another one.

Here sits the protector of the community

On a tuk-tuk, popular form of transportation with my roommate 'Spook'

Fun at a Mexican restaurant with one of my favorite PCVs

My first time at a hostel. This was our pit stop in Bangkok
on the way back to site. Saphai-Pae means
"backpackers" - we were definitely backpacking!
Best part is Peace Corps Volunteers get discounts!

My first time eating at McDonald's in Thailand. It was actually pretty good, and I had pretty good company.

Don't you love how multicultural Ronald is?
Thais 'wai' to show respect, and also to say
Hello and Goodbye :-)

School Daze

School has been in session for a few weeks now, and I'm loving it so far. It's a little hectic, and there are still some kinks to be ironed out, but for the most part, I'm happy with the way everything is going. As a Youth Development Volunteer, my role is to work with youth in the community, and with the community itself, to help the upcoming generation develop skills and habits that will help them to mature into healthy, productive, positively contributing adults in society. I felt that the best and most effective way for me to connect with youth would be to meet with them in their schools since that's where they spend most of their time. All of the schools in my community have welcomed me with arms wide open, however, despite having explained my role several times, I'm mistaken for an English Teacher and tasked to teach English (the biggest kink), but one step at a time. 



I attended an English Camp with some of my high-schoolers

 

I've gone from basically just going with the flow of everything around me to having a very rigid schedule. I spend Mondays and Fridays at the Sub-district Administrative Organization (SAO, which operates as the City Hall) working on my lessons and/or participating in community events/activities with my counterparts. Tuesday through Thursday, I work at six schools in the community, five primary schools and one secondary school. I spend a half day at each school (three to four hours) and so far I've been doing a combination of teaching English as it relates to self identity and emotions, and just general English vocabulary, and having the students do activities or have mock conversations using the vocabulary. As time goes on, I will incorporate more activities pertinent to youth development.

 

 

As much as I'd like to distinguish and work in the capacity of my true role, I appreciate and enjoy the level of respect shown to teachers here in Thailand. There is even a tradition near the beginning of the school year when every student makes little floral offerings for their teachers and present them in a near reverent ceremony for Wan Wai Kruu, which is basically Teacher Respect Day.  

 

Here is a video another Peace Corps Volunteer made of the Wan Wai Kruu ceremony at her school

 

 

Here are a few pictures from the Wan Wai Kruu ceremony that I participated in

 

All of the students assembled together with their mini bouquets

Every student comes on stage to present their individual tokens

A representative from each class presents teachers
with an arrangement made by the class

A couple of the mini arrangements that I received



All made by the students 



One made by each class, from Pre-K to Sixth Grade





Aren't they cute?

Outside of this special day, teachers are very highly respected by students and community members alike. A couple other cultural contrasts I've noticed are that Thai students do not challenge or question teachers, at all, the answer to "Do you have any questions?" is always "No" while the answer to "Do you understand?" is always "Yes" (which is not always the truth), and the response to corporal punishment (which I do not practice) is a wai/bow and a thank you. I try to make my time in the classroom fun, and I encourage the students to ask questions and give opinions and suggestions (although I don't always have the language to understand or respond).

 

Here are some photos from an activity that I did with one of my classes. We did an English lesson about animals (which they requested) after which, I challenged them to demonstrate their comprehension through a little competitive game of "telephone" - this is how it went:



The students lined up into two teams, they love boy vs girl
competitions, and I let em have it since it's near equal



I whispered an animal name to one person from each team,
then they passed the word along to the front of the line.

The person at the front of the line runs to the board to draw the animal

Points were first awarded for speed and then for accuracy.
No surprise when duck turned into dog,
but somehow elephant became telephone :-/

I did the same activity at another school, I'm also learning as I go,
notice the less jumbled chalkboard?

After the activity, they wrote their "Today I learned about" sentence





I think I'm settling into my schools quite nicely, and I believe that sooner than later, I'll be well settled into my role as well. For right now though, my school days are off to a pretty good start.