Dorothy In Thailand

Back Again!

2009-04-24T04:51:00.005-04:00

Well it's been a very long while since I last blogged about my travels... I have no excuse except that I got lazy about it. In between, I no longer work in Thailand - in fact, I'm not working this year, period. This however, puts me in the unique position to travel for longer periods of time and to go to places I wouldn't normally be able to visit due to seasonal differences or distance. While I'd love to write about places I've gone to since my last entry, my laziness is getting the better of me. Besides, observations or comments I might have made had I posted them immediately have either faded into my distant memory or is no longer relevant. So I'll just start writing about my current travels, which is in Asia. Don't expect this to be a routine ritual though, access to the Internet is limited, restrained by time and money...and the fact that I have better things to do than sit for hours uploading photos and writing for a handful of friends who might be minutely interested in what I'm up to. So here goes nothing........

Shampoo, Porn, and Fame - A Rose By Any Other Name

2008-03-02T06:50:00.011-05:00

One aspect of Thai culture that I have not mentioned are the names. Like names from other cultures (Sri Lankan comes to mind), Thai names can be long and difficult for the uninitiated to learn and pronounce. Try saying Sereepisut Taemeeyaves, Sornpichai Kratingdaenggym, or Panomrunglek Kratingdaengym for starters - tongue tied or tongue twister?

Of course, names have personal significance and they give us our identity, so parents often give a lot of thought into the naming of their precious ones. Thai people however, also get a nickname from their parents, to be used pretty much for life. Unless dealing with official or formal matters, one could spend a lifetime knowing a Thai without ever knowing his or her given Thai name. I don't know my students' names. I know them by their nickname - it's even on the attendance form.

Here's the catch: nicknames aren't given to a child with the same consideration that "official" names are given. They seem to be given according to the whims and desires of the parents; some are based on how the baby looks, others are based on a cute or significant characteristic of the child. Take the following for example: Lek, Naam, and Neung, meaning "small," "water," and "one," respectively. Sometimes, nicknames are the shortened form of their longer names, such as Porn, for Jiraporn, or Ham, for Muham. Some parents are inclined to use animal names or even numbers. Can you imagine being called Moo (pig) or Goong (shrimp, as in Tom Yum Goong, the famous Thai soup with shrimp) throughout your life? How about being called Gai (chicken) or Kob (frog)? The oddity doesn't stop at animal names, however. Many parents have been wont to use English words as nicknames for their children. I'm not talking about about English nicknames like Tony, for Anthony, or Lexie, for Alexandra. I'm talking about Thailand being a walking lexicon of the English language.

Here are some actual nicknames of people (and students) I know, and some I don't: Fame, Pond, Bow, Apple, Four, Duck, Boy (hope he actually is one!), Beer, and Ham... his brother's name is Bacon. My colleague has a set of triplets in her class - their names are Four, Five and Nine. Who in Western culture (aside from Hollywood movie stars) would use these names for their kids? Who would endearingly call their child "fatty," "sugar cane" or "elephant"? Suffice to say, it has invited a snicker and open mirth from some English-speaking folk not accustomed to this type of "identity labelling." I guess Asians live by a different set of standards - just ask my sister what our mom fondly called her when she was little.

Perhaps the culture of language gets lost in translation, making it difficult for us "farang" to comprehend. In the end, who are we to judge? Maybe we're just jealous we don't have cute names to be called. Farang, by the way, is the word they use for 'foreigner' - though literally it means guava, the fruit. See, even we have a nickname!

(**Apparently I'm not considered 'farang' because I don't have blond hair and blue eyes. You can't imagine how often I've been mistaken for Thai...or Filipino...or Japanese!

Land of Smiles and Frequent Holidays

2007-12-03T10:33:00.000-05:00

I must admit that it can be slighting to some folks when I mention the number of holidays one has here in Thailand. King's birthday - day off. Queen's birthday - day off. It seems like any member of the royal family's birthday is a cause for celebration, thus - days off. I, for one, am not complaining. This Wednesday (December 5) is the king's 80th birthday. You can bet it's going to be a big birthday bash. As for me?... day off. Oh, did I mention that the coming weekend is a long weekend? I'm not too sure of the reason - maybe it's the birthday of the royal guard. No wonder this country is called the Land of Smiles. I'd be smiling too with so many days off. There are enough long weekends to be able to travel near or far. Even when it's not a three day break it's so easy to hop into a taxi or onto a plane after work for a weekend getaway. In fact, that's what I did just this past weekend. I hopped into a waiting taxi with some friends after work and headed straight for Ko Samed, a small island about 2.5 hours from where I live. Nothing but sun, sand, and the beautiful blue waters - ahhhhh, that's living.

As for the long weekend coming up... I'm off to Hong Kong!

Colours of the Rainbow

2007-12-03T09:38:00.000-05:00

In my previous blog, I had mentioned that yellow was the colour of royalty, thus wearing yellow because of the king's birthday was prevalent. I have since learned that this is not exactly so.
Apparently, Thailand has a "colour of the week" scheme that are considered "lucky" colours or your "birth" colours for attire. Each day of the week is represented by a colour.
For example:

Monday - Yellow
Tuesday - Pink
Wednesday - Green
Thursday - Orange
Friday - Blue
Saturday - Purple
Sunday - Red

Since the king was born on a Monday and because we have been anticipating the celebration of his 80th birthday this year, everyone wears yellow in full force every Monday. The queen's colour is supposedly blue because she was born on a Friday. Even our staff often pay tribute to the royal family by coming to work in yellow on Mondays and blue on Fridays. On Wednesday, December 5th, 2007, we will celebrate the actual birthday of King Bhumibol Adulyadej. You can bet the whole country will be adorned in yellow through and through.

Our school purchased special polo style shirts for all staff and students to wear in celebration of the king's birthday. Tomorrow, I wear pink . . . . how lovely, my favourite colour.

Greenhouse Glory

2007-11-25T10:34:00.000-05:00

5 orchids + 3 free "mini" orchids - 200 baht

Wooden planter - 180 baht

Leafy green plant - 80 baht

Ceramic planter - 150 baht

Getting this all for the cost of ONE orchid plant in Toronto........

PRICELESS!

Standing At Attention

2007-10-26T13:52:00.000-04:00

The Thais wear their patriotic fervor on their sleeves. They love their King, they love their country. And they will stop and stand for the national anthem no matter where they are. We're apt to do it at sports events, school, and maybe special occasions. Here in Thailand, the national anthem is played over loud speakers in public places twice a day and people will stop regardless of where they are or what they are doing. I witnessed this phenomenon while at the Saturday market in Chiang Mai one evening. When the anthem went on everyone stopped in their tracks - you could hear a pin drop, it was so quiet. Not wanting to miss this opportunity to capture it on video, I made sure I brought my camera with me the next day when I went to the Sunday market. Sure enough, right at six o'clock the anthem blasted over the loud speakers and everyone stopped or got up to stand at attention. I tried, though unsuccessfully, to be inconspicuous about the recording. When it was over, people continued what they were doing as if nothing had interrupted them.

Wai Kru

2007-09-24T01:59:00.001-04:00

If you're a teacher from Canada or the U.S. and you feel that your job is a thankless one, raise your hand. Sometimes it feels that way, doesn't it? What I'm about to share with my fellow teachers back home will make you wish that we could inject a bit of Thai culture and customs into the school system.

Our school just celebrated Wai Kru Day. Wai what? Wai Kru - a day in which the students pay homage and respect to the teacher. It was on Thursday, September 27. I'm telling you the date because Thursdays are considered to be an auspicious day for this ceremony. The students had been preparing for weeks. They have Thai language and culture classes at our school and for the past few weeks, they had been practising how to stand, how to kneel in supplication, and how to bow, practically kow-towing. They learned a song that would be sung to the teachers. The day before the ceremony, I had to cancel my lessons to give them the afternoon to arrange flowers that would be presented to the teachers. Specific types of flowers are included, each one with a special meaning. I'll post the meanings another day.

Wai Kru Day:
There was definitely a feeling of excitment in the air. Students came to school with their own bouquets of flowers and parents arrived with their cameras and videocams. There were to be three ceremonies, one for each division - the early years, elementary, and middle school. Walking into the gymnasium one could hear the quiet energy buzzing around us. I joined the teachers at the front, sitting in designated seats while the students aligned themselves in front of us, flowers in hand. With the Thai principal lighting candles and incense sticks to pay homage to Buddha, the ceremony had begun. A short speech was given by three grade ten students, each explaining in Thai, English, and Mandarin, the meaning of the ceremony. The whole of the student body then stood up together, hand in wai form, and sang a song that was dedicated to us, the teachers. It was in Thai so I didn't understand it, but one could figure out what they might have been singing about. I will try to get the lyrical translation later. Afterwards, a group of representatives from each grade come up to the teachers, flower arrangments in hand. They kneeled in front of us and presented us with the arrangments. And then - here's where I started to get teary eyed - they bowed in supplication, forehead to the ground, kow-towing. Class by class, from the grade ones to the grade fives (my class!) the students approached us and presented us with their assortment of flowers that they** had put together before bowing to us. After each class had presented their flowers they returned to their places. Led by an older student, they recited the student vow; basically a vow to be a good student, to listen to the teacher, and to be respectful.

Without a doubt it was one of the most moving experiences I'd ever had as a teacher. I am fortunate to have been a part of it.

** Not all students made their own bouquets. When each group came to present, we'd thank them, comment on the the beauty of the flowers, and ask if they made it themselves. When I asked one little child (grade 2, I think), he replied, "No, my maid went and got it for me."

Here's to the rich kids.

A Sea of Yellow

2007-09-24T01:59:00.000-04:00

Woe is me for attempting to point out the obvious – being immersed with “yellow-skinned” Asians in Thailand. How silly of you to think that. Thais also come in many shades of brown. Thankfully (perhaps hopefully?), I'm not so culturally insensitive that I would spend my time discussing people's skin colour as a blog entry. However, I am talking about culture - the culture of yellow shirts that almost every Thai person wears, especially on Mondays. This year in December, His Majesty the King Bhumipol Adulyadej of Thailand celebrates his 80th birthday - a cause for momentous celebration indeed. The King is revered and loved by his people, as is the rest of the royal family, who are also given their due honour. He is the longest reigning king of any of the present day world’s monarchs (his 60th anniversary to accession was celebrated last year) and the longest-serving monarch in Thai history. As a tribute, the people of Thailand (at least from my observations within Bangkok alone) wear yellow polo-style shirts as yellow is the colour of royalty.

One Monday I was waiting at a Skytrain station for the train to arrive and when it did, a mass of yellow issued from its doors. Such a moving image, this symbol of a people’s dedication to their head of state. On Fridays blue is worn - a tribute to the Queen - I’m told. Wherever you go, you’ll always see someone wearing the yellow or blue jersey, sometimes not even on a Monday or Friday.

Makes picking from the wardrobe a whole lot easier.

Addendum: December 3, 2007
I was wrong, yellow is not the colour of royalty (not in the Chinese sense, anyway). See December 3rd blog for explanation.

How Low Can You Go?

2007-08-15T02:54:00.001-04:00

Okay, I'm sure somewhere in my many e-mails or blogs, I've mentioned just how inexpensive it is to eat in Thailand. And if I haven't mentioned it before, I'm saying it now - food is cheap...and delicious. No wonder Thai food is so popular back home, and that's not even the real deal. Now, I'm not one to fine wine and dine, but you won't catch me eating food from street vendors either. I don't care how tasty or well cooked the meal is, I just can't stomach food that's collecting car exhaust fumes and other yummy particles of Bangkok pollution. I eat at restaurants that offer an assortment of Thai food, sometimes with a "western" mix thrown in. In spite of this, my dinner meals average only three to four bucks each time - tip, tax, and soft drink included. Can you beat that?

Sometimes I'll eat at a food court. I know what you're thinking - crappy, greasy, unhealthy. Sure, if you're in North America eating KFC which, by the way, is also available here. But how about a food court with fresh ingredients of your choice - shrimp, crab, noodle soup, pad thai, stir fried or prepared right before you? All for $1 - $2. No wonder hardly any of the Thais cook. Most of them buy their food (put in a plastic bag) and bring it home to eat. In fact, I was told that the electric stove range in the teachers' apartments had to be specially installed because many units don't come with them. The Thais don't need them! Still think it's expensive to be eating like this all the time? Just when I thought that food couldn't get any cheaper, I recently discovered food stalls along the mall that offered a box of noodles (four different choices) for 10 baht a box - a small box but filling nevertheless. Let me see, 32 baht to 1 Canadian dollar... that would be about 30 cents for a box of take-out noodles!!

What the heck did I bring my fancy Cuisinart cook set for??!!

Settling In

2007-08-15T02:54:00.000-04:00

It's been a little over three weeks since my arrival in Bangkok - well, just a bit outside of Bangkok - and I can safely say that it's the most overwhelming event next to selling my house! What can I say? I'm thousands of kilometres from home, in a different time zone, living with people who barely understand a word I say (or rather, I barely understand what they say) and it's superbly humid. What an awesome experience! Keen to explore the sights and sounds of the land before starting work, I've already played the camera-happy tourist many times over. Photos to come soon.

Bangkok is a vibrant city full of people, cars, and motorbikes. The food is excellent and amazingly inexpensive. I don't know why I even bothered to bring my kitchen set, I can literally have a delicious meal for a buck or two. The people here are very friendly and helpful, many very appreciative of any attempt to speak some Thai, which I am slowly beginning to pick up. There appears to be enough of a working knowledge of English (due to foreigner influence) by the general population so I can often communicate basic needs while trying to improve my Thai. Most important phrases such as “hello”, “thank you”, “straight ahead”, “taxi”, “turn left”, and “turn right” have helped me travel around the city. As for what food to order or buy – looking at photos and pointing is about as far as I’ve gotten at this point!

The weather has been fairly cooperative, raining mostly at night. We've been going through a "cold front" with temperatures in the high 20's. . . . . I can't wait to find out what a heat wave is going to feel like. Did I say it was humid? Unbearably so. Countless showers still doesn't make up for the number of times I've come home wet and sticky. I actually went out to buy “pretty” handkerchiefs just so I could dry my face. Attempting to lower my body temperature by taking a cold shower is near impossible. There is no such thing as cold water. Heck, there's no such thing as hot water. There is only tepid water. In fact, most sinks only have the one faucet for which this very tepid water comes out. The only time I can get hot water is when I turn on the water heater that is attached to the shower. Even then, "hot" is a relative term. You'd think in Thailand, where everything else is hot....

Not much time to write long blogs about every detail of my life here (though I'm sure you're dying to know...), just tidbits, captions, and quirky observations.
Until next time... SAWADEE KA

All My Bags Are Packed

2007-07-29T19:46:00.000-04:00

All my bags are packed...but I'm not sure I'm ready to go. Suddenly reality, which has been suspended for so long while I was busy preparing for what seemed like a mere vacation, has now crept up and bit me where it hurts. The realization that I won't be seeing all my friends and family for a long time is making me challenge the sensibilities of my decision to wander off to foreign lands. Knowing that I'll be stuck in the air for 20 hours isn't helping either. Oh well, I'm sure once I arrive at the airport the excitement and eager anticipation will return. Airports are exciting places to be....really, they are!

Next time I write, I'll be in Samutprakan, Thailand - it's supposed to be a fishing village according to my travel guide. Hey Vu, wanna trade towns?

Take care everyone and keep in touch!

Getting Ready

2007-07-22T19:30:00.000-04:00

Exactly 1 week before I leave for Thailand and suffice to say, it's been a whirlwind of preparations. I've sold my condo and left all my worldly possessions locked up in a tiny storage space the size of a walk-in closet. The trials and tribulations of packing my life in Canada away has been nothing short of punishing. Thank goodness I have creatures called friends and family who come to my rescue, providing me with emotional and physical (did you expect me to move furniture all by myself?) support. Thanks to all of you for spending time with me and for having me over for a meal or two - your kindness and hospitality is truly appreciated. Honestly, after living off of cereal, pizza slices, and canned goods because food has been all but disposed of and kitchenware is packed in a box, there is no limit to my gratitude!