Hot Tub Thaim machine

Let's go back a month, into the past.  Before I was a Peace Corps Volunteer.  Back when I was just a trainee, living in SiPrachan with a wonderful Thai family of farmers and good cooks.  This was me then-

This is a copy of a journal entry I typed up after one of the most interesting and fun weekends I had.  It was also the last weekend I lived with my host family in Si Prachan, Suphanburi, and the weekend of my BIG Thai language test and interview for readiness to be a PCV- words in italics were added today to help with clarity.  This picture is the thousand words-

Monday March 17, 2013

I feel so blessed to be in this moment right now.  This past weekend had perfect timing, as all of life is in perfect timing.  (the monk ordination gave me enough to talk about that the interviewers had little time to ask questions)  Thursday, when I came home from school, my family had set up many tents outside of our house.  My windows no longer opened because of the tents.  There were about 20 family members there cooking.  I helped for a little bit, but not too long.  On Friday, when I came home, Nong Jay was there, home from University, still with his hair and mustache.  We played UNO with the children.  Jas Mine was giddy with excitement as she made her mom “Draw 4” and nearly shrieked with excitement.  Saturday morning, the music started loudly at 5:30am.  I did not realize it, sadly, but Jay was getting his head shaved at this time.  Before his head is shaved, family and community members cut off locks of his hair.  (I have since done this in my community)  I wish I could have seen that.  I had my big Thai Language test that morning so I was very nervous and could not enjoy the party.  Once I took the test, I could go back to the house, to enjoy the party.

  As I approached my house, after my test,  there was a parade coming down the road.  A band on wheels was playing ska music, while people danced in front of the cart.  My bag, and my bike were taken from me.  They insisted.  Dance, “Dten”, Dance they said.  So I danced.  It was a lot of fun dancing with the ladies and the music, and a few of the men.  Someone took my bike and my backpack and took off toward the house.  I swapped hats with the uncle who likes to drink and he danced around with my helmet on, while I danced around with his hat with neck wrap.  We danced all the way to the house.  Jay was walking under an umbrella and not smiling.  This is the custom.  Once we got to the house, Jay went upstairs to the big room.  There was a band that was playing drums, and a few xylophones.   Also, a man was playing a flute like thing with a reed.  He had a few different flutes.  There were a few men who were also playing glong mai or the wooden blocks.  In came the yais. (Thai word for Grandmother)  Many Yais came upstairs and surrounded the mom and the dad and the son, who was ordaining.  My mom was crying a little and dressed so beautifully.  Dad looked nice also.  At a few points Jay put his head into his mom and dad’s laps like a small child.  It was very beautiful to watch.  People, even family members, rarely show physical affection towards one another. 

There was a man and woman who were chanting, all in white, and leading the ceremony.  There was a marigold tower with 9 levels.  There was a tower of flowers with an alms bowl and lots of donations for the monks and some neon lights in a triangle shape.  Many of the neighbors brought bags of bows that they had folded around baht coins.  There were stars, roses, and we also did just orange cellophane around a baht.  Saturday night Jay and his friends, and others stayed up late drinking and having fun. 

The next morning the blasted music started at 4:30am.  The live music started at 5.  We ate breakfast and got dressed up nicely and then rode to the wat.  Once at the Wat (Wat Pang Muang) we danced around the wat with the dancers in the front of the procession.  Behind the dancers was the sound cart playing ska music.  A drummer and a cow bell, a lot of horn players.  Behind that was about 20 people carrying gifts for the monks.  Once we went around the wat 9 times we stopped and Jay threw out the baht coins and candy.  Next, he went into the wat with his parents and we all went back to the house to feast with about 60 of the neighborhood and family members. 

                Soon, the monks came to the house in two pick-up truck loads.  Nong Jay was now Phra Jay and he had exchanged his white robes for the orange robes of a monk.  He would be ordaining for three weeks during his university break.  I unfortunately had to go to an interview, ON SUNDAY!, and missed the monk tamboon at the house.  When I returned home the tents were quickly coming down.  Jay was sitting on the platform under the house where he stayed for the whole day and was taken home that night.  Many of my PCV friends came over and we drank many, many beers.  And had a lot of fun while the family cleaned up the giant mess left over from the Naang Bowat  or ordination.  Later, I helped wash dishes as all of the Peace Corps Trainees must be home before 6pm.  Jay was put into the truck and taken back to the wat. 

I have read that newly ordained monks are not allowed to leave the temple (wat) for a few days, but, the next day I and my cousin offered alms at the end of our driveway to an elder monk and Phra Jay.  It was a beautiful morning, the sun was rising over the rice paddies, and the monks blessed us.  I gave almonds I had brought from the US.

Phone

Fon- or rain- pronounce like the English word phone.  We had two days of it here in Issan.  It really hit me how much I LOVE RAIN!!  I love the feel of the cold water, I love that it makes plants green, I love the way it makes the light yellow when it rains at sunset and the sun comes through.  But most of all, I love that it cleans the Earth.  It cleans the air, it cleans my soul.  We who camp know it can also make a HUGE MESS!, but that is from where we have manipulated nature with our structures and our synthetics.  Damning the flow of water can give us a damn big mess.  But here in Issan, the rain was the perfect ending to Songkran.  Turning the dust into dirt, giving the land a new green.  I have become adjusted to the land here.  At first it was a shock coming from the verdant green of Suphan Buri to the subtle green here.  As with most subtleties, it takes some time to see, and now when I look at my home, I don't see brown and death.  I see life everywhere.  Birds, bugs, frogs, lizards, plants, and most of all people.  Issan people have a life inside of them that shines.  They are very proud to be from this place and have a distinct character.  People have said of Issaners that they create their happiness from within and don't care about material possessions.  Almost all of the faces over 50 are etched with deep smile lines.  One difference I have noticed between American's and Thai Issan is the focus on the here and now versus the future and the past.  In Issan, plans are not as prevalent or as unmovable as they are in the USA.  With few exceptions you figuratively make hay while the sun shines and dance when it rains.  If a friend stops in, you drop what you are doing with no resentment.  This is something I am adjusting to slowly.  I love plans.  I love to do lists.  But I am not being pressured to be a go getter, so why not jai yen yen (translated cool cool heart) and just go with the flow.  Some of the happiest moments I have had are when I am doing just this.  Resistance is futile and prevents a good attitude.  I have learned in Thailand- If you can't beat them, join them.  It's not my job to beat them.  What do I learn if I say "no".  That's all for today.

The first group of PC volunteers in Thailand

Songkran

In an effort to fulfill goal #3 of the Peace Corps 3 goals, I have started a blog.  Something I have never done, so please have compassion on my struggles with not only communicating, but using technology to do so.  By the way, goal #3 is to educate the people back home about the people of Thailand.  Trust me, there is a LOT to learn.  I have been here 3 months and am just scratching the surface of Thai culture.  More about all of that later, today I want to talk about Songkran.  Songkran is the Thai new year.  Most things Thai are not a one day shindig and Songkran is no exception to this rule.  Here in my village in Issan it lasted a week which is a good thing because I didn't jump in to the water throwing on the first day.  A week ago we blessed the elders of my amphur with scented water and dancing in a circle while swaying your hands to and fro.

 And, nothing would be complete without eating some food together.  In Thailand you are expected to eat rice to make all meals "complete"  If you have not eaten rice, you have not really eaten.  That is why you are asked many times a day "Gin kao ruu yang"  or have you eaten rice yet.  Sometimes you are asked this even while you are putting the spoon of rice into your mouth.  (I have not quite gotten used to that)  My brain still reacts with a stupid question alert.  I mean you see me shoveling rice into my mouth...duh.

But stupid questions are not stupid questions in Thailand.  They are nice people trying to make polite conversation.  

For Saturday and Sunday I joined in the fun by throwing buckets of water, or using a water gun to "bless"  anyone in my range.  This really made some connections with my students and with people in my village.   No one, no matter how much they want to stay dry gets upset when you douse them.  That is the Thai way  greng jai or not showing anger.  Also Thais generally have a mai bpen rai attitute- which basically means "don't worry"  Thai people love to have fun, and Songkan is all about fun.

 When no one was around to throw water on, we threw water on each other, beat beats on buckets and tamboreens and sang Thai folk songs.  They know I know one Thai song-"dtaa mon dtaa"  so we sing it a lot.  We partook in sharing a few beers and I saw a few of my friends had headaches at sunset.  It was a long hot day, and beer does not go too well with that combo.  Luckily I escaped that fate by using moderation and drinking coconut water.

plin for sale

Yesterday, the last day of Songkran, I went to the Wat across the street from my homestay to dance with my female friends from around the village.  We danced to Issan "house" music (playing a phin) for a few hours and I really got a sense of how protective Thai women can be.  There was a man there who was a little drunk, but didn't seem to be a threat to me, however the women would always be between me and him and if he came near, they would push him away.  They always knew where I was and kept me safe.  Later we "songkraned" the monks and the elders of our village and by this time I was very very dirty, wet, and powdered.

Next we went down into a rice paddy next to the wat (temple) and filled our buckets with soil and brought them up and made little sand castle mounds in front of three bamboo stumps and a shrine.  Everyone grabbed a handful of flowers and musical instruments and paraded around the perimeter of the village while people threw water on us. Four monks led our parade and blessed people kneeling at the entrance to their homes by using flowers to throw water on the kneeling villagers. When we returned we planted our flowers into our mounds of soil.  By this time I had danced up quite the appetite and wanted a bucket shower.  More about what is a bucket shower in my next post.