Only in Thailand

Thursday, November 13, 2008

So we are just about finished with week two of teaching. Last weekend the Swedish couple, Jarmo and Johanna, that we met at the beach came to Trang for the weekend. It was a rainy weekend, so our hopes for driving motorbikes to the beach for a day just did not work out. After wandering the streets of Trang Saturday, we decided to try to find some waterfalls outside of Trang on Sunday. We waited until the rain slowed and then took our bikes and headed out. We drove about an hour out of town to find the first waterfall. The drive was beautiful with brilliant green rice paddies and navy blue mountains with darkish storm clouds. The first waterfall was amazing! Absolutely no one else was there and the waterfall was beautiful. After good luck with the first one, we tried to find a second. We followed some signs to a deserted parking lot and market and then hiked until we ran into a rubber tree farm in the middle of nowhere. We ended up hiking 30 or 45 minutes and never found a waterfall. (Later talking with our coordinator we found out that the waterfall had some how collapsed or something.) We headed back to Trang to find dinner in the night market which consisted of skewered and grilled meats, Thai omelets with muscles, a variety of pre-made noodle dishes (one that was green noodles with tofu), fried coconut balls with banana in the center, sticky rice with coconut and coconut custard, and sugar coated donuts.

Last night (Wednesday) was Loy Katron, which was explained to me as a festival that marks the end of the rainy season along with the full moon. Loads of people gather at temples, or wats, in what resembled a state fair but in Thai style. There was lots of food!! All kinds of meat skewered on sticks and grilled, candies and cakes, pancakes made from sticky rice and red beans, sweet waffles with corn, brightly colored juices…There was a moon walk and merry-go-round and stages set up for traditional dances and drumming. In the far corner, there was a beauty pageant taking place where the women in sparkling dresses had their name, age, height and weight announced over the loud speaker. Amongst the crowd were monks, young and old, in bright orange tunics and flip-flops. By the river for around 50 cents you could buy a “katron” which was a floating bouquet made from banana tree trunks, banana leaves, incense sticks and candles. You light the incense and the candle and set the bouquet on the river saying a prayer to please the river god and to release the evil from the past year. Pat and I shared a “katron” and squeezed through the crowd to the river to release our “katron.” The dark river was spotted with flickering candles drifting and congregating in the current as other peoples bouquets went by. Under tents there were oversized “katrons” displayed on tables that looked like they may be judged. Some resembled the small ones floating down the river with banana leaves and orchids while others were more contemporary including an earth that was on fire and a computer sucking the brains of the user.

Today Pat and I took an unnecessary trip to Kantang, a neighboring town. Our coordinator took over my class in the middle of the period and sent me to meet her husband in the parking lot to get our visas extended in Kantang. It ended up after the 30 minute drive and 20 minutes of paperwork that we could not extend our visa yet. We have to wait until January. I ended up missing two classes and we were 15 minutes late to our last class. On Thursdays we have English Department meetings and today we quickly learned that Thai teachers are very similar to Thai students. They talked while the meeting was being run and their cell phones rang in the middle and they answer them. Hmm…I guess that apples do not fall far from the tree.

To end today’s blog, I have a few things that seem to only happen in Thailand:

-The ending buzzer on our washing machine is a compilation of Christmas carols including “Dashing through the snow” and “Santa is coming to town”

-The bell between classes at school sounds like an air raid drill.
-On Thursdays at our school, 7th, 8th and 9th graders wear girl scout and boy scout uniforms and one male teacher wears it also.

-Chip flavors include “Double Cheese Pork Burger,” “Spicy Squid,” “Thai Basil”

-There is a wedding dress shop on almost every corner. There are probably at least 5 in Trang Town.

-Thais eat everything spicy including their fruit. Most fruit comes with a sugar, salt and chili flake mixture that you dip fruit slices in.