Cultural Training

There's a new law requiring teachers to go through some cultural training before the government gives them a work visa. My visa expires soon so I had to spend my weekend in cultural training. A lot of it I already knew from living here for 5 years. But it was good to clarify some things. I've always known Thais, and most Asians in general, have this thing about losing face. I never understood though, what this meant. Was it that they were embarrassed or didn't like being made fun of or teased? I now see it has more to do with being right and not being humbled by others. There were several situations presented to us and asked for how we would respond. Here's one situation we were presented with:

You are involved with helping to organize an English camp for 500 students. The director proposes to have the camp over the weekend to save costs and not affect regular classes. You disagree with that because the number of students per group will be too large for the camp to be effective in terms of language learning. Moreover, teachers will have to work hard continuously for 2 weeks without a day off which seems unacceptable for all teachers. But the director insists on these stipulations. How do you handle this?

Thai teachers would not raise a fuss, they would just go along with it. We discussed that we would give voice to these issues and raise a big fuss since this affects our performance and the students potential for learning.

It was also discussed that a Thai director does not necessarily respond to issues raised. Rather, they are more likely to demand their own way because the teachers raising the issues threatens their power. A western director is more likely to respond to the issues because they are interested in the welfare of the teachers and students. (Of course there are power hungry people in western countries, this is more based on culture.)

Another topic that was raised was the Thais viewpoint of their king. They have a deep rooted love for him and view him as a divine father. This is a fusion of Brahmanism and Buddhism. I found this information helpful in trying to understand their way of thinking with regards to worship. It's not based on reason. More based on tradition and their striving for good luck. These are not just ways of worship, it's their way of thinking. So becoming a JW for a Thai entails huge changes and they have a lot of opposition because it's their culture, not just a belief. Interesting...

Thinking about all that gives me such an appreciation for knowing the truth. I also value having the opportunity of living here and being exposed to such different ways of thinking. Not that it influences me, but it gives me a wider understanding of people in general and how diverse we all are. I know it sounds abstract, it's hard to express. My point is that I like learning how people think and how that contrasts with how my culture thinks. This is the same reason I loved the James Michener book I read about Afghanistan. I'm starting another book of his called Iberia. It's all about his travels through Spain.

I'm an iGirl

I couldn't take it anymore...the hassle, the wasted time, the miscommunication. So I bought an iPhone. It's beautiful! It's so easy to use and takes photos and videos so easily (which is especially helpful with the deaf). I've downloaded some great apps (if anyone has any good apps to suggest please let me know). I also now have skype on my phone so it'll be a lot easier to call you guys....so many benefits. It was expensive but it's worth it! I'm hoping to get a MacBook when I'm in the States this summer.

I took a run this morning using a really cool app called 'Run Coach'. It keeps track of my pace, distance and routes. Thais really celebrate graduating from university. As I was running in the park today the path was blocked by all these graduates with their personal photographers taking photos. Kind of annoying, it broke my stride. Although it did give me an opportunity to take a photo with my iPhone.

Catching my breath

Nearly a month without a post...sorry. I am still alive, just been totally inundated with, let's see....stuff. The extra hours at work has been a bigger adjustment than I had imagined. Did I really do this for 3 years? Maybe it's different because of how much bigger my ministry is now. There's been huge growth in the past 18 months. I'll share some experiences with you in an email coming soon.

Anyways, I'm getting back on track. One interesting thing at school is the recent outbreaks we've had. I had a student home sick with H1N1 a few weeks ago along with children from other classes. There were several children in the school with Hand Foot Mouth Disease. Wednesday this week a parent approached me, AFTER dropping her daughter off at school, saying she had found head lice in her daughter's hair that morning. I told her she needed to take her daughter home and get it treated. So we had to check all the other children...they were clear. There's also rumors of a new coup d'etat. There's bound to be some extra time off with all that going on. That's what I'm hoping for at least.

The Mountains....sigh

I am finally back to life after my time off and getting reorganized last week.

I had a great ride in the mountains surrounding Chiang Mai on my last day there. The weather was perfect, blue skies and cool enough not to get hot. It was A's idea for a bunch of us to take our bikes up in the mountains. We went SW out of Chiang Mai and drove into some mountains that run along the western side of Chiang Mai. We came out just N of where W & N are staying. All together, including a few stops along the way to enjoy the view, it took about 3 hours.

Here's a few photos from that day.

Sunday Night Walking Street Market

This is one of the reasons I love Chiang Mai. The Sunday Night Walking Street Market is my favorite market in SE Asia. Most markets have the same kinda things; jewelry, textiles, bags, clothes and all kinds of little trinkets. The SNWSM has all those things but also has interesting things I've not seen anywhere else in SE Asia (by that I mean Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, Malaysia and of course all of Thailand).

N and I had planned our day around this market. After the mtg we would go to some fabric shops (for her curtains) and then go to the SNWSM. My first mistake was forgetting my money and my chapstick this morning (chapstick is especially important when using a motor bike). Doh!!! But N had cash so it was ok. We ended up getting carried away at the fabric store (see photo below of N loaded down Thai style on her bike). The plan was for her to take the fabric back to the house, I would pick up some curtain rings and we'd meet back up for the night market (and she could bring me my money and chapstick).

The old "I'm home now and don't feel like going back out" settled into N's mind and I was on my own...without my cash! Doh! And with dry lips...Doh! I had about 1200 baht on me ($36). Not sure how far it'd get me but I was not going to miss the market.

I started out "arrrrrrrrghhhhhh...how could I forget my money and my chapstick and why are there so many people in my way!!! arrrrrrgghhhhh" (the market was very crowded-dang farangs!) I come across a lady selling natural lotions and (drum roll please) CHAPSTICK. But it's 40 baht (the equivalent of 4 necklaces). Hmmmmm. I couldn't go through with it, my lips would make the sacrifice. A few minutes later (and 2 purchases later) I stumbled upon another natural products stand. More chapstick! 75 baht?! But wait...there's a sample. Woohoo! Soft, moist lips for free.

My mood is improving with each purchase and pretty soon I'm laughing out loud at my success. I found the same place I'd been to my first time here 4 years ago, and every year since, to stop and have a drink (a Beer Lao Dark, never seen that before!!!) That's always the time I look over the things I've bought and count up how much I have left.

My night ended with a Mike's Cheeseburger (the best in CM) and 40 baht to spare, only because I forgot about it, could've bought that chaptick.

It can be done!

Myth: Americans can't drive on the left side of the road.
Fact: Americans CAN drive on the left side of the road. I did. Proof will be provided soon via YouTube. Not only did I drive on the left side of the road, I drove a standard with the stick also being on my left side.

Myth: Most people are not good at driving a motor bike.
Fact: Most Thais ONLY drive motor bikes. Some are perfectly comfortable carrying their 2 kids along.

Myth: Foreigners can only find accommodation in a 5-star hotel or a cheap guest house.
Fact: When you have the right source backing you up you can find a home that suits you and even fills a need for familiarity.

Ok, let me get to the details. I chauffeured W & N around (yes, on the left side of the road) in a borrowed 4-wheel drive Suzuki hard top. I enjoyed every moment! Then we rented motor bikes. Isn't N cute on her bike!!!

W & N found the perfect place for them. It's situated in a quaint Thai neighborhood replete with roosters. We've already made friends with the neighbors who are puzzled at these foreigners who have moved in next door. The neighborhood is complete with a noodle lady, laundry lady, a locals bar and even a nosy neighbor who will fix your Fino when it stalls.

Today we drove half way up Doi Suthep mountain on our bikes. It was getting late and we didn't want to drive down in the dark so we didn't stay up there long. We're planning to go back on Monday and explore some hiking/running trails. Stay tuned...

Sick

The late nights have finally caught up with me. I've been sick for about 3 days now. I haven't missed school but I did miss the mtg. After the letter that was read a few weeks ago I didn't want to take the chance of getting anyone else sick. But with school, the kids are usually snottier than me. Plus it's really not that much work. It's a 3-minute walk to get there and the kids mostly play. I did keep my distance with them but didn't feel like I should miss the last few days of the term.

Have I mentioned I'm going back to K2 in January? One of the K2 teachers quit and the school is desperate to fill the position, desperate enough to ask me to leave my Nursery class to take the position. It means a raise which is nice so I can save money. I'll go back to working til 2pm but it's only for 6 months so the money I'm able to save will be worth it!

I think I do enjoy teaching K2 a bit more. It's so cool to teach children how to read! And they have such funny things to say. I'm sure I'll enjoy the next 6 months.