Crazy Thailand

The past two weekends symbolized two Thai extremes.  On the 10^th and 11^th, Josh and I stayed local in Nan. We rode the motorbikes back up to Nanthaburi National Park on Saturday, only a 40 minute drive away, and then attended a tribal ceremony on Sunday at 3 A.M., which included a horrifying animal sacrifice.  Contrastingly, I spent the weekend of the 17^th and 18^th in modern Bangkok.

As you loyal blog subscribers know, Josh and I had previously visited Nanthaburi National Park, but because time required us to leave without exploring some inviting trails and waterfalls, we made the short ride back for the day.  It was more beautiful than the first time we went!  After chilling by an impressive waterfall in the afternoon, Josh and I hiked back up to the main campgrounds to watch the sunset and eat some grub. A big Thai family was making a campfire and invited us to join for drinks and dinner, which has pleasantly become the hospitable norm around here.

We descended the mountain as it turned dark and paradise was soon lost in the valley.  At 3 A.M. we drove fifteen minutes from our residing town of Thawangpha to a local Tai Lui village to witness their annual heritage rituals.  The Tai Lui people originally immigrated to northern Thailand from the Mekong River in Sipsongpanna, China when they lost a battle with Thailand (which at the time was Siam), since to the victor goes the spoils.  We only learned after the ceremony that the Tai Lui people are more animistic than Buddhist, which surprised us upon arrival because we had acclimated to the peaceful Buddhist ways of Thailand.  With all due respect to cultural relativism, this ceremony was a joke.  It’s hard to be politically correct when you witness something extremely primitive and barbaric.  I’m making these claims based on the assumed premise that the blatant torturing of animals is objectively wrong.  However, the beginning of the ceremony was innocent enough.  A Tai Lui elder who was a descendent of the army commander whom led the Chinese to Thailand performed the first rituals (the rituals and sacrifices performed were supposedly done in honor of the ancestors and revered army commander).   The Tai Lue elder held a baby chicken in front of a miniature home that was built to represent the home of the ancestors and then plucked several feathers from the chicken and offered them to the “ancestral spirits.” 

 If that was the extent of what transpired, I would have perhaps appreciated the emphasis they placed on familial remembrance and respect.  But when the Tai Lui elder subsequently handed the baby chicken off to an assistant whom then threw it in the air for the drunken mob to hysterically chase and catch as a symbol of good luck, I began to get a sour taste in my mouth.  After those shocking shenanigans were over, I begrudgingly meandered my way to the animal sacrifice.  A pig, water buffalo, and a few other helpless creatures were tied to posts, forming a circle.  The executioner held a dull ax.  The water buffalo moaned in agony as the executioner walked around the innocent creature in between blows in order to get a better angle.  It was probably the most unkosher, crude exhibition I have ever witnessed and reminded me of my futile attempts of opening up coconuts with the dull knife we have in our kitchen.  Three strikes to the water buffalo and I decided to head out.  

Khao San Road

The past weekend in bustling Bangkok seemed like I fast-forwarded the clock about 500 years.  I took an 11 hour overnight bus on Friday and a returning one Sunday night, which is one of those things you only do in a foreign country (further than driving from New York to Detroit and back for a weekend).  The company, food, and Thai massage (don’t worry Mom, I was relaxed rather than “happy” at the end of it) made it all worth it.  Bangkok is certainly a crazy metropolis.  Upon arrival at the bus station, I took a 30 minute motorbike-taxi ride to our hotel.  Holy shit!  Nothing like riding helmetless and holding on for dear life as the driver speeds and narrowly weaves between rickshaws and other moving vehicles… all at 5 A.M., right after stumbling off an 11 hour bus ride.  I met up with Jill and the rest of the chill Chonburi crew and we celebrated Danielle’s birthday Saturday night.  We stayed at a hotel on the notoriously touristy Khao San Road, which initially was nice just to get a change of pace from rural Thawangpha, but the extreme foreigner vibe quickly become pretty obnoxious.  If the goal is to be a traveler rather than a tourist, most occupants of Khao San Road didn’t get the memo.  To avoid the daytime commotion, we hung out by the cool of the rooftop pool and ate at an amazing vegetarian restaurant with floor cushions and hip music.  I must say, humus and veggie lasagna really hit the spot, especially after the recent Tai Lue ceremony. 

The two weekends of experiencing the Tai Leu animistic rituals and touristy Khao San Road, respectively, are by no means representative of Thai culture.  However, they do comprise two minority and extreme parts of Thailand as a whole.  Thailand reminds of a line in “Sara,” by Dylan, which goes, “So easy to look at, so hard to define.” 

Our school has midterms next week, so we get a little vacation!  I’ll be back in Chiang Mai, the caves and misty mountains of northwest Thailand, then flying down to stunning Ko Phi Phi Island for New Years.  Hope you have a happy holidays and New Year!

Chiang Rai and Phu Chi Fa Forest Park

The whole country had the day off on Monday in honor of the King’s birthday.  I celebrated by meeting some friends in Chiang Rai, the northern most province in Thailand, for a three day weekend of adventures.  While our friends in the greater Bangkok area endured a 14 hour overnight bus, Josh and I enjoyed a four and half hour motorbike ride over the mountains.  It was simply one the most beautiful rides I’ve seen.  The majority of the time was spent going back and forth on curvy roads with majestic mountains distracting us on either side, compelling us to stop and smell the roses along the way.

We soon discovered that Chiang Rai is a pretty hip place.  The manageable city offers the best of both worlds with a handful of fun downtown bars and the scenery of rice patties, mountains, and forests surrounding the outskirts.  On Saturday we visited Wat Rong Khun, an aesthetically pleasing white temple, which was constructed to resemble hell (it sounds counterintuitive until you see the architectural details).  That night we walked around the bustling Chiang Rai night market and eventually ended the long day at the reggae playing Peace Bar- just what the doctor ordered (especially the alternative California doctor).

The next day we went to Phu Chi Fa Forest Park, which entailed another unforgettable motor 

bike ride.  The journey to Chiang Rai from Nan was smooth sailing, but this ride presented some challenges, to say the least.  Before I rant about the details, I’ll first ease any worries by saying that we were thankfully safe the entire time.  Jill rode on the back of my motorbike and the two of us enjoyed the scenery until it began to get dark, which was around the same time that we turned right on an unmarked fork in the road.  The lack of signs at a crucial intersection was quite typical of Thailand, although the more illogical part was that most of the trip was actually well marked!  Needless to say, turning right was wrong, which we concluded after the next sign indicated 50 more kilometers or so than the previous one.  As the mountain road steadily inclined, the temperature quickly declined (an unfamiliar feeling for us in Thailand) and the unlit roads became more difficult to navigate.  Suddenly, the motor bike stalled and stopped.  I tried kick starting it but to no avail, for the motorbike had run out of gas.  At that moment, when we were mentally and physically drained from the tiring ride (your ass starts to really feel it after a few hours… that’s what she said), and stranded on the side of a dark, cold mountain, Jill started laughing hysterically.  We had been driving the past few hours with no signs of civilization (besides the paved road), but our motorbike had broken down only a few dozen meters away from a small gas pump.  I’d like to add that it was only after we responded with levity when the bike died that we found the gas pump, which made me think that perhaps our ability to stay calm and carry on somehow contributed to the borderline miraculous aftermath.  Or it was merely fortuitous.  Either way, we were thankful to finally find a cozy bungalow and meet up with the rest of our friends.  The night ended on a fun, spontaneous note as Jill and I were walking past the campgrounds when a group of Thai guys invited us over for drinks and food.  It was a real testament to the friendliness of Thai people.  They offered us everything they had to eat and drink, serenated us on the guitar, took numerous photos with us, and repeatedly thanked us for stopping by.  We kept responding, “no, thank you, thank you!” 

The next morning we climbed Phu Chi Fa and waited under the stars in the whipping cold for the sunrise.  The subsequent scenery was beautifully indescribable, so I’ll let the pictures and video give it a shot.  I just kept saying “wow, wow, wow, wow, wow!” whenever I turned and faced the sun, mountains, and clouds.

Doi Phu Kha National Park

Josh and I put on our hiking boots, packed a tent, and rode our motorbikes to Doi Phu Kha National Park over the past weekend.  The main mountain is 2000 meters high and located in northeastern Nan, only an hour away through twisty scenic mountain roads.  


After pitching the tent and snagging a map, we anxiously started hiking up a beautiful nature trail towards the peak of Doi Phu Kha.  The landscape was an intriguing mixture of forest and jungle.  Within 20 minutes, however, the exotic trail spat us out upon our realization of the countless leeches that had inched their way up our hiking boots, latched onto our ankles, and begun sucking away.  We flicked off as many of the vexing vampires as we could and ran back to our tent.  Less anxiously this time, we returned to the trail prepared with... pants (rather than shorts)!  Predictably, wearing pants only temporarily impeded the leeches' blood bath, so we had to systematically stop and terminate the little fuckers every 5 minutes or so.  

Not Curt Schilling's famous bloody sock,
but the result of hiking with leeches

Not only were the leeches an inconvenience, but we also had to deal with a "Thai quality" map.  Imagine you go for a walk with a 4 year old, then give the child a crayon and sheet of paper and instruct a drawing of the route.  What would you expect?  If you're thinking along the lines of a simple oval shaped trail, that's exactly what our map looked like.  The fact that the few words were all in incomprehensible Thai was actually completely irrelevant, because the map never even acknowledged the existence of numerous offshoots and forks in the road along the way.  The night began to spread its darkness and we promptly descended the mountain, until we stumbled upon a stunning and salvaging overlook of the sunset!  The leeches and mosquitoes were feasting on our flesh while Josh and I were busy feasting our eyes on the inspiring sky.  All was well.


We woke up at 4:20 the next morning (purely coincidence...) and attempted to reach the elusive peak in the dark.  Did I mention the Thai map really sucked?  When we reached the highest point in the trail, we traced and retraced our steps looking for a way up to the peak or even any overlook to catch the imminent sunrise.  Needless to say, we were not witnesses of the sunrise that Sunday morning.  After three hours of hiking in the dark and of course plucking off leeches, we had finally reached the "fuck it dude, let's play frisbee" moment.  We opened up some Chang beers (around 7:30 am) and threw around the disc with the mountain as the backdrop.  


"A wiser feller than myself once said, 'sometimes you eat the bear, and sometimes, well, he eats you.'" ~ The Big Lebowski (of course!).  Doi Phu Kha National Park was a wild Thaiventure, much different than the previous beach bum weekend in Ko Samet, but certainly another worthy experience! 

Weekend Paradise in Ko Samet

In the third week of teaching, I took my second consecutive Friday off due to ambitious weekend plans.  I left the misty mountains of the North behind and took a 12 hour overnight bus on Thursday night from Nan City to Chonburi, a buzzing city conveniently located on the Gulf of Thailand, in between Bangkok and the deservingly hyped Thai islands.  There, I met up with some friends from orientation for a bit before taking another, albeit much shorter, bus ride from Chonburi to Ban Phe with Jill, where we then hopped on a ferry to the popular island of Ko Samet. 

After two bus rides and a ferry, I was eager to jump into the ocean, which did not disappoint my expectations.  This was the kind of beach that one conjures up when one imagines an exotic beach paradise (Ko Samet is apparently only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to Thai islands and beaches, so even though I look forward to experiencing the depths of the iceberg, I was thrilled with my first dose of beach paradise for the weekend getaway!  I’m sharing this parenthetical ride on my stream of consciousness because I was mindful over the weekend about enjoying the moment and not getting carried away by the undertow of plans and the insidious tendency of looking forward).  The anticipation for the weekend had transformed from potential energy to kinetic (I can’t make many science allusions, so laugh at it while you can), when we were floating in warm turquoise water and soaking up tropical sun, white beaches, and palm trees.  

If I were to sum up the whole weekend in one sentence (I’m sure anyone reading this was hoping I’d spare them two paragraphs ago), I would say, “pretty chill, man.”  And if I had to add to that eloquent weekend description I would list the endeavors of a beach bum: snorkeling, drinks, western food, young coconuts, reggae music, and sunsets (we tried to make a sunrise, but didn’t exactly wake up in time…). 

Another reason I was so ecstatic this past weekend was due to the reoccurring realization that a weekend of paradise in Thailand can be the norm for the next several months!  Besides a brief stint on the beach during orientation, this was my first taste of Thai paradise on their world class islands.  Furthermore, it was only a few days prior to the Ko Samet trip that I was exploring an isolated national park in the mysterious mountains of the north; experiencing the beach side of the Thai coin made me really appreciate how frieken awesome this Thai coin is and how fortunate I am to have this Thaiventure Time!

Nanthaburi National Park

School has been grrrreat lately, mainly because Josh and I have half days due to “sports week” (which will last 3 weeks and, as a result, is the cause of some envy among teacher friends placed in more "legit" schools...)!  With the invaluable gift of extra daylight, we've made the most of the opportunities and had some sweet Thaiventures! 

One of the more epic afternoons recently was spent riding our motorbikes an hour into the mountains to Nanthaburi National Park. The ride itself was not merely a means to an ends, but part of the invigorating experience. Our manual motorbikes mainly remained in low gears while the altitude increased and the roads became narrower and more twisted.  The challenge was to maintain focus on the road as mountains loomed on both sides, presenting spectacular, distracting views. We made numerous stops to simply admire the surroundings and soak in the newly discovered beauty around our new home. 

When Josh and I arrived at Nanthaburi National Park, we excitedly explored the exotic vegetation and made our way past the friendly ferns to an appealing plateau, where we witnessed a splendid sunset.  Quietude pervaded the national park and we speechlessly enjoyed the landscape of mountains upon mountains upon mountains.  I was high in the clouds and naturally feeling high on nature.  The most memorable moment was when I discovered a sudden migration of an unfamiliar dragonfly species flying from the grassy hill, through the sunset, to the opposite end of the plateau.  Once again, I will let the pictures and video say the remaining thousands of words! 

Loy Krathong Festival in Chiang Mai

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The full moon landed on Thursday, which marked the main night of the Thai festival known as “Loy Krathong.”  Offerings were sent floating down local rivers as a symbolic apology for all the pollution (nothing says sorry for the pollution better than filling the water with more shit) and lanterns were lit and sent soaring in the bright night sky.

Josh and I skipped teaching on Friday and took a 6 hour bus ride to Chiang Mai to celebrate Loy Krathong for the weekend (after receiving the green light from our coordinator, of course.  We wouldn’t just play hooky from teaching… yet).  Undoubtedly one of the chillest spots in Thailand, Chiang Mai is backpacker friendly with numerous outdoor activities, a groovy night life, and plenty of markets and delicious restaurants (that actually serve more than just rice dishes).  It was touristy but not as overwhelmingly or obnoxiously touristy as Pattaya or certain parts of Bangkok.  It reminded me a little of Kathmandu, Nepal in its hippy vibe and is similarly a destination I plan on revisiting.

We stayed in a cool hostel that was run by one of the many ‘Merican Vietnam War vets whom have made their home in Thailand.  He taught his dog how to salute him and he sounded a bugle to call for his Thai wife.  However, that wasn’t the only part of the Loy Krathong weekend in Chiang Mai that reminded me of war… 

Everyone was in upbeat spirits and enjoyed the occasion, especially the Thai kids and teenagers whom were setting off fireworks and various other explosives.  Josh and I almost lost our hearing when some genius launched a firework off within short range from us.   Damn kids!  I don’t want to sound like a party pooper, but when little fuckin Thai kids are setting off fireworks IN PUBLIC, that’s where I draw the line.  I jumped about 5 feet in the air the first time I heard an explosive go off behind me.  I was also slightly burned by some firecrackers that were thrown at my feet.  See, the worst thing you should think in a situation like that is: “Well, I’m sure they know what they’re doing.  After all, the Thai people do this every year and the dangers of messing around with explosives are common knowledge.”  Wrong.  Good luck finding common sense, reason, or efficiency in Thailand, so make assumptions and expectations at your own risk.  As Walter explains in one of the many bowling scenes in The Big Lebowski, “Smokey, this is not ‘Nam… there are rules.”  Welcome to Southeast Asia. 

Despite dodging the bullets and ceaselessly cussing out the Thai kids, we had a lot of fun in Chiang Mai on 11/11/11 for the Loy Kratong festival!  I’ll let the videos and pictures from the memorable weekend tell the rest of the story.

The First Week of School

After spending the past two decades as a student, it seemed a little odd going back to school as a teacher.  The excitement and anticipation that typically surrounds the first day of school came to its climax when I was handed the microphone during the Monday morning assembly in front of 1,500 Thai students. “Sawatdee kraup (Hello).  Pohm chew James kraup (My name is James).”  The students roared with laughter at my mispronunciations.  I continued, “Pohm maa jah New Jersey kraup (I come from New Jersey).  Pohm yin dee tee dai maa Thawangpha (I am very happy to be in Thawangpha.)  I am looking forward to teaching many of you English and also getting to know you!  Karb kun kraup (Thank you)!” 

As I walked around campus with Josh, the two of us clearly standing out as “farangs,” the Thai students pointed, whispered, giggled, and in some cases just burst out laughing at our unusual presence.  The Thai teachers dressed in uniforms and looked like flight attendant, while we looked like two backpackers cloaked in semi-formal attire (at least that’s how we felt). 

I was eager to finally get into the classroom and find out the students’ levels of English and simply what teaching would actually be like.  I walked into my first class and was prepared from orientation for the unfamiliar series of events that marks the beginning of each class: the students stand up and say- “Good morning, teacher!”  I reply, “Good morning, students!  You may sit down.”  “Thank you, teacher!” And we’re off...

In my classes the Thai students go by their English nicknames, which are usually some random English object or adjective and make for some pretty hilarious nicknames.  My favorites are: Soap, Golf, Sack, Moss, Thing, Ball, Gift, Fun, Blue, Cake, Moo, Big, Game, Boss, Mild, Pooky, Noon, Bam, Dream, Milk, View, Flame, Apple, Tiger Woods, Cream, Mop, Park, Cat, Toy, Fame, Lady, Oil, Pooh, M, Fang, Palm, Guitar, Meow, Pancake, Dear, Honey, Barbie, Earth, X, Bat, Arm, Tape, Ice, Up, James, Zigzag, Ping Pong, F, Bye, Dance, Bieber, Wave, Visa, Rabbit, Genie, Bank, Mint, and Stamp.  I have no doubt that this is the first time in the history of writing that those words all appeared in the same sentence. 

With my first week of teaching now in the books, I would say that it went much smoother than expected!  My lesson plan consisted of “getting to know you” questions, which served to not only break the ice, but to gauge the students’ levels of English and discover exactly what I’d be dealing with. A top priority was to get through each class without any major “train wrecks,” and so far the train is safely on track.  Woot, woot!  I was thrown a few curveballs when several female students told me I was “handsome” and asked if I had a girlfriend, and when I was practicing the pronunciation of words ending in “ix” (because Thai people have trouble with that sound) a student shouted out that I should change the word “six” on the board to “sex,” but the show went on.  I was reminded of the “crushes” I used to have on some of my teachers and the inappropriateness that resulted from the early teenage years (clearly that’s long over), so now being a teacher seems a bit like closing the circle of karma.

Half of the 40+ students didn't show up, making class more manageable

Teaching 20 different classes a week to around 45 Thai students naturally creates some ups and downs throughout the school day, let alone the week.  For example, teaching the youngest and “most able” students was much more rewarding than teaching the older, uninterested, and misbehaving students.  The challenge will be to salvage the latter difficult classes and make the most out of them for the students.  There is an extreme spectrum of English literacy not only from one class to another, but also within the same class.  Some students memorized entire speeches in English, while others were unable to respond to the simple “getting to know you” questions.  The students are separated based on age and ability in a ranking system that consists of two numbers.  The first number pertains to age and the second regards ability.  The “age digit” works sequentially from 1, which includes students mostly around 12 years old, to 8, which is comprised of students around 18 years old.  The “ability figure” works something like this: 1 is the best class, and then the order jumps to 8 and steadily declines until the “least able” class of 2.  For example, 1-8 represents the youngest and second “most able” class within that age group.  7-2 is the “least able” class in the older age group of 7’s.  Naturally, the students’ degree of misbehavior corresponds to their “ability” level (and perhaps is also the partial result of their “ability” level, but that is another discussion).  In general, I have been able to use one basic lesson plan throughout the week for all the different age and ability levels, while simply tweaking material for each class as it seems fit.  On one hand, the schedule can get somewhat monotonous, but on the other hand, it enables me to become more comfortable with the lesson plan and have the opportunity during the week to reevaluate whether the material was conveyed successfully or not.

The first week of school has made me empathize with teachers a lot more.  The idea that “those who can’t do, teach” is complete bullshit.  Teaching is for real, man.  Within the first week of teaching in Thailand, my patience was repeatedly tested, my improvisation skills were incessantly invoked, and I learned that playing hangman can save your ass.  More importantly though, the fruits of your labor can be very rewarding, teaching in the classroom makes you live in the moment, and being around smiling students all day makes you feel forever young.

Farang and Frisbee in Thawangpha

Sawatdee Kraub (Hello)! Some random and hopefully coherent thoughts in this second blog post:
 

A view from my apartment

Despite the prior knowledge of my placement in a rural setting 12 hours north of Bangkok up in the mountains, I was still surprised to discover the extent of Thawangpha’s remoteness.  It’s pretty far out, literally and figuratively.  Thawangpha is in the province of Nan and off Facebook’s location map.  Luckily, I was placed with another frisbee and outdoors aficionado named Josh.  “Farang” is Thai slang for “foreigner,” and upon our arrival, Thawangpha’s “farang” population increased from 0 to 2.   

Our teaching coordinator at the Thawangpapittayakom School (still learning how to pronounce it) picked us up from the bus stop and graciously helped us settle in.  We received a dose of reality, however, when she informed us that we each would be teaching 20 classes a week to around 45 “naughty” students with low levels of English and WITHOUT the guidance of a teaching course book.  With my lack of teaching experience, I felt a little like Daniel being tossed into the lion’s den; hopefully I can tame the Thai students.  My coordinator also told me that male Thai teachers do not have beards, because it may “scare the children” (or perhaps because Thai men can’t grow them).  Even though I only hadn’t shaved for a week, I reassured my coordinator that I would lose the “beard” and make sure not to scare anyone (good thing she didn’t see my recent 3 month long beard…).  She then added that male teachers also don’t have long hair, to which I kind of just smiled and nodded, because that doesn’t fit my GAP YEAR plans... (similar to “the ringer” scene in “The Big Lebowski” when Walter wants to make the handoff with the self-proclaimed nihilist kidnappers and find out the whereabouts of “Bunny” Lebowski by “beat[ing] it out of them.”  After the nihilists inform the Dude that no handoff will be made in person, Walter says, “We can’t do that Dude, it fucks up our plan.”).  I don’t want to sound too unreasonable and stubborn, but I’m in Bumblefuck, Thailand for goodness sake!  I deliberately left working for “The Man” in Manhattan so that I could explore the Unknown, and that partially entails growing my hair out to unprecedented lengths (kinda ridiculous, I know).  So my plan is to forget that she mentioned anything and see what happens…

The Thawangpapittayakom School has a nice big soccer field that Josh and I play frisbee on each day.  The field is right next to our apartments, which are behind the school grounds, surrounded by lime green rice patties and grey and blue looming mountains.  It’s pretty epic.  On the first day we arrived, a local Thai army division was using one part of the field for basic training, including shooting practice.  The Thai men in uniform laughed at us “farang” wearing bandanas and tank tops and they were amused by our frisbee throwing.  It reminded me of the numerous times I would watch the Kenyon swim team rigorously practice, as I lazily lounged in the hot tub in my beach bathing suit.  “Mai pen rai” man, “it’s all good.”

Was ecstatic to see the school's field- perfect for frisbee

Contrary to the information we received during orientation, we are expected to speak some Thai in the classroom, especially to the lower English level classes (Josh and I know minimal Thai at this point, although we plan on learning as much as we can).  Thai has 44 consonants, 32 vowels, and 5 tones, so it’s kind of a bitch, but we’ll be practicing every day.  Often words with opposite meanings sound the same to the untrained ear.  For example, the word “klai” means both “near” and “far” and only differs by tone.  Similarly, the word “pa” has 5 different meanings based on tone!  So far I only know a few basic phrases and once embarrassingly said “hello” when I meant to say “thank you…”

                  Some Like it Hot

Not just the weather, but also the food!  If you ask for your food a little bit spicy, it’s the equivalent of spicy back West.  If you ask for spicy, prepare to cry.  Even if you ask for not spicy, it still can be spicy.  The majority of our meals, including breakfast, have consisted of some rice dish.  They got that sticky rice, man.  That sticky icky.

I’m looking forward to my first day of school AS A TEACHER tomorrow!  Josh and I have to give a short speech in Thai to the whole school.  That should be fun.  Mai pen rai, mai pen rai…

Short Enlightening Video from the Grand Palace

The Beginning in Bangkok

Yeaaaaaaah! My first blog post on my first blog! I'm a fan of bogs and logs, so I figured I'd give this blog thing a shot... I was hoping to post something a week ago at an internet café in Bangkok, but I spent half the time figuring out how to change the website’s language from Thai to English… 

Thailand has been really cool so far.  Considered “the land of smiles,” Thailand naturally has that southern Asian vibe to it, in terms of the lush landscapes with palm trees and coconuts and the humid heat that often calls for multiple showers a day.  The Thai people embody the sentiment of their popular phrase “mai pen rai,” meaning “no worries” or “it’s all good,” as they exhibit an easy going, laid back attitude, which partially seems like a result of the widespread Buddhism (95% of the country).  My first reaction was that Thailand is much less intense than India (not as polluted, chaotic, nor overwhelming), although you can similarly experience a thrilling ride on a tuk-tuk (auto rickshaw) or practice your bargaining skills at the local market. 

Thought I was in a Dr. Suess story at The Grand Palace

The 2011 CIEE/OEG teach abroad program has about 140 really chillll participants, so we had a fun orientation week getting to know each other.  I was pleasantly surprised to discover how much we all had in common: another participant also recently graduated from Kenyon, two others studied abroad at the same university in New Zealand as me, and, as anticipated, everyone was really DTE (down to earth) and shared a serious case of the travel bug.  We played a bunch of Frisbee (I thought it was cool that I wasn’t the only one to bring a disc to Thailand), partied in downtown Bangkok (not quite any “Hangover 2” experiences, although we figured out that “ping pong show” has another meaning… ), did some sightseeing at  The Grand Palace, hung out at a really hip art bar, played guitar on the beach, and yes, we actually learned some teaching strategies for the next semester.  Some of our classes were certainly helpful in teaching us how to prepare lesson plans, especially for teaching rookies like me, but it was difficult being cooped up inside when you’re in such an adventurous place like Thailand!  At the least, orientation helped me brush up on some doodling and hangman skills. 

We left Bangkok a day early in order to avoid the approaching flood, which apparently has been one of the worst in decades.  After we climbed onto the ark two by two and locked up the woodpeckers and termites, we headed down south and found shelter from the storm at a baller beach resort by Chonburi and Pattaya.  There, we begrudgingly sat through orientation lectures until we finally jumped into the ocean, pool, and made use of the pool’s tiki bar… actually IN the pool!  I can’t remember how many times I expressed how sweet it was that we’re all finally in frieken Thailand and that instead we could be sitting behind a desk somewhere…!  But I was preaching to the choir as everyone shared my enthusiasm to start exploring.

At night, we hopped on the back of a taxi truck and went to Pattaya to check out the party scene, but were too disgusted by the blatant prostitution.  It was mostly middle aged and older gross European dudes with NO SHAME and it was everywhere… and to make matters even more sickening, the sleaziness occurred in the midst of poor and crippled beggars sitting in the gutters, sometimes even with their children.  I agreed with a shirt that read: “You either go to heaven or Pattaya.”  So we quickly took a taxi back to the hotel and bought some beers and went back to the beach.  In just one week in Thailand, it became pretty evident that there are many different sides to the country that combine to produce an illogical mix of beauty and filth, exploitation and integrity, peacefulness and chaos, degradation and modesty, regulation and lawlessness, and superficiality and substantiality.  The Thai experience includes the juxtaposition of zen gardens and Buddhist monasteries against sex shows where women perform the most unimaginable “vaginal tricks.”  The sex trade is rampant, yet one can get a life sentence for smoking weed.  It has been challenging to reconcile the “yin and yang” of Thailand, although it seems that there is a significant distinction to be made between the tourist culture and the authentic Thai culture.  I look forward to learning and experiencing more of the latter.

Thawangpha is a small village 5 hours northeast of Chaing Mai

Orientation ended and I left the comforts of a 4 star resort on the beach and a fun group of fellow teachers whom I plan on traveling around Asia with during and after the semester.  Most teachers are placed within a few hour radius of Bangkok, while others are scattered down the peninsula in the south by the beautiful beaches or up north in the misty mountains and more rural settings.  I took the 12 hour bus ride from Bangkok to Thawangpha and was ready to embrace the real Thai experience, which quickly smacked me in the face upon arrival…