Children's Day

Today, we celebrated Children's Day at school.

Happy Children's Day!

It was like Christmas-

gift exchanges

raffles and prizes,

some of which I had the honor of handing out

games,

this one involved tying a long cucumber-like vegetable around your waist and then racing to hit the ball to the finish line (and yes, they know exactly what it looks like)

And lots of snacks! No wonder the students get so excited.

There were also dance performances like there are at every school event/ festival.

This kindergarten student was very into her dancing.

Students of all ages joined in.

Other students showed their talents in other ways.

Trust me, hula hooping while kneeling is not easy!

We had ice cream too so I'll chalk it up to a good day.

Monday is Teacher's Day I was told this morning.

"Cool, what do we do on Teacher's Day?" I asked.

"We don't teach."

December

The last month of the year fast-forwarded to 2012.

Here's what happened in pictures:

Sukhothai Historical Park, Sukhothai

Sukhothai (which means "the dawn of happiness") was the capital of Thailand during the 13th century and is famous for its Historical Park which holds the ruins of the ancient city. I'd been wanting to visit for a while and finally got the chance to do so last month.

Buddha's footprint

My favorite was Wat Si Chum (Temple of the Bodhi Tree).

The Buddha is seated in a square brick building that it (he?) barely seems to fit in and peeks out of a tapered triangular entrance.

Ramkhamhaeng National Museum, outside the Historical Park

Royal Flora Expo, Chiang Mai

Some of our students made the regional competition for singing/ dance and boy scouts. The five-day competition was in Phitsanulok province and the teachers decided to turn the opportunity into a bpai tiow (field trip). I tagged along. One of our stops was the Royal Flora Ratchaphruek, Southeast Asia's biggest horticultural expo.

The Royal Pavilion

Malaysian dance at the Malaysian garden exhibit

I couldn't miss my change to take a photo at the exit with cardboard cutouts of mustached foreigners and a "Bye Bye" sign.

Amazing Thailand

Random shots I found strange/ interesting along the way

Dancers (left) practice for the regional competition while ladyboy instructors (right) look on. I unfortunately didn't capture the essence of their ladyboy-ness. You'll have to look closely to see the chest on the ladyboy third from right. They are not to be trifled with, however; as you can see he also carries a big stick.

Thai people like to take photos of themselves.

That's real. I'm pretty sure.

Holidays in Thailand (Part 2)

Thanksgiving

Speaking of giving thanks, exactly two weeks after Loi Kratong, I celebrated Thanksgiving in Thailand proper American style with other volunteers.

Besides the usual but no less important parents/ family, friends, home, food, etc., I am thankful for:

• My co-teacher - after watching me teach my Thanksgivingl lesson all week, my co-teacher took me out to dinner the evening before Thanksgiving and told me even though it might not be an American meal, this would be our "Thai Thanksgiving."


• My PC family - during a time when I'm much more vulnerable to feeling homesick, they made this Thanksgiving feel like a celebration in a new home away from home.


• Two of my students in particular who were so thoughtful to text/ call me to say Happy Thanksgiving while I was on my way to celebrate Thanksgiving with volunteers. I was so touched!

There is so much more that I can't list them all. Even though certain situations can feel frustrating to say the least, I feel so blessed with everything: my site (I always think back to training when I was asked what kind of site I wanted - I didn't know, but it's everything I could have asked for), the people in my life, wherever they are in the world, and the direction life is taking me. I might not know where this path will lead me, but I know I'm going the right way.

Holidays in Thailand (Part 1)

Loi Kratong (Festival of Light)

During the second week of November, we celebrated Loi Kratong, or the "Festival of Light." ("Loi" means to float and "kratong" is the boat-like thing that floats on the water.)

Originally, the kratong was made of banana leaves or the layers of the trunk of a banana tree or a spider lily plant and contains food, betel nuts, flowers, sticks of incense, a candle and coins.

But the Festival of Lights isn't just for kratongs; it's an excuse to light anything:

"Khom Loi" (floating paper lanterns)

Candles along the sidewalk which reminded me of Luminaria back home

Sparklers

Fireworks

Every year, Loi Kratong is on the full moon night of the twelfth lunar month. This year, that date fell on Thursday, November 10. People know how to party in Thailand - they celebrate for 3 days, from Tuesday until Thursday (and even through the weekend in bigger cities like Chiang Mai).

On Wednesday, my co-teacher took me to the temple in Mae Hong Son where they were setting off fireworks, balloons with candles attached to them, and paper lanterns.

On Thursday, I went to Chiang Mai to celebrate with friends.

We lit the candle of our kratong, made our wishes and let it float away down the river among the thousands of other kratongs. We set off our own "khom loi" too and let it float into the sky. The candlelight from the "khom loi" drifting up into the sky above us seemed to reflect that of the kratongs in the river. (The flame of the candle is said to symbolize longevity, fulfillment of wishes and release from sins.)

Origins of Loi Kratong:
http://www.thailand.com/travel/festival/festivals_loykratong.htm
"Different legends surround the origins of Loi Kratong. The most popular version is it was an expression of gratitude to the goddess of water 'Phra Mae Kongka' for having extensively used, and sometimes polluted, the water from the rivers and canals. It is also in part a thanksgiving for her bounty in providing water for the livelihood of the people.

"Some believe the festival originates from Buddhism. They say the offering of flowers, candles and joss-sticks is a tribute of respect to the footprint of the Lord Buddha on the sandy beach of the Narmaha River in India, as well as to the great Serpent and dwellers of the underwater world, after the Lord Buddha's visit to their watery realm. It is possible that this is derived from a Hindu festival that pays tribute to the god Vishnu, who meditates at the center of the ocean. Others believe that the floral kratong is offered to the pagoda containing the Lord Buddha's topknot, which was cut off at his self-ordination and is now in heaven.

"Another explanation is that it is a way to pay respect to one's ancestors. Whatever the true origin, the practice of Loi Kratong first began in the ancient kingdom of Sukhothai in the 13th century. A young queen named Nang Noppamas was believed to be the one who made a small boat laden with candles and incense and floated it down the river. The name Nang Noppamas has been associated with Loi Kratong ever since."

Rice Harvesting

My first weekend back at site after the October vacation, I helped harvest rice in a neighboring village.

Rice fields waiting to be harvested

Rice, rice and more rice! That eventually ends up on the breakfast, lunch and dinner table

Cutting the rice

Rolling the rice into bundles

The farmer showing me how it's done

Beating the rice