Testing My Thai 'Zen'.

    Something persuaded me that I should apply for a Global Traveler Pass from TSA. After filling out the requisite paper work online the final step was a personal interview with TSA at their office in the airport. With the interview scheduled online I appeared at the appointed time.  A large sign on the TSA Office announced 'BY APPOINTMENT ONLY'.   After signing in on the sheet by the door I awaited my turn.  Presenting my passport and driver's license I was asked a few simple questions, approved for the pass and given instructions regarding it's use.  A very pleasant encounter with TSA.
    A day later I discovered to my chagrin that, Robert, my middle name was spelled Robertet on my application.  Knowing how exacting  passport control, airlines and other authorities are about such matters I tried to correct the misspelling online.  However, that was not possible and the site informed me that I could only do it in person.
    Assuming the sooner the better I headed for the airport. .  When I arrived at Lindbergh terminal I was met at the parking ramp by an attendant who said I couldn't park there but would need to go to Humphrey Terminal and return via light rail. Checking my 'Zen' I found it was still intact so I decided to make the best of it treating it as a mini-adventure.  I drove to  Lindbergh and I was directed to the orange ramp where I finally found a spot at the 8th level.   Following the signs I got to the light rail station 10 second after a train departed so needed to wait a few minutes for the next one. I took the next one to Lindbergh, up three flights of stairs to a tram which took me to the terminal where I walked to the TSA Office.
    Ignoring the "BY APPOINTMENT ONLY SIGN" I signed the sign in sheet and in the blank for my appointment time I wrote "small emergency".  A TSA Officer looked at the sheet, asked me the issue, and said he'd see my after the next appointee.  Very quickly I was ushered into the office, I pointed out the typo, he turned to his computer and a minute later he said "It's fixed."   Mentioning that I had to park at Humphrey he said "You could have just called us."   (Smile face here.)
   Reversing my course I made my way back to my car and headed home.  Zen?  Well...I did the whole thing without being impatient trying to remember what I observed in Thailand.

The 2nd floor walkway by the school classrooms.

As I left Thailand work had begun on this house which had stood partially completed since the 2011 flood. My house is the coral one in the background.

6th grader Mee, after she'd made a "Thank You" speech to me in English.

More Pictures From Thailand

The new school has a roof but the teachers don't expect completion any time soon.

One of the temples by the school.

Students doing their chores.

I like the old school.

3rd graders lining up for lunch.

Smile!

Travel and Learning

    In his quirky little book, The Art Of Travel, Alain De Botton contrast 'tourists' and 'travelers'.  One of the key differences between the two, he says, is learning.  Tourists don't learn much as they flock to popular sites where they hang out with people much like themselves.  Americans cluster with Americans, etc.
    On the other hand, travelers engage more deeply with their surroundings and accordingly learn more.  Not focused on seeing 'sites' and hanging with people similar to themselves they experience the new and unfamiliar in more profound ways.
    An example of a tourist comes to mind...a true story.   She'd worked faithfully for the same company for many years.  To reward her faithful service her employer offered her an all expense paid trip to any place of her choice.  Given this remarkable opportunity what did she choose?  She chose to go to an enclosed resort in Jamaica.  That's a tourist, not a traveler, choice.
   Perhaps it's presumptuous, but I like to consider myself a traveler.  For example, after observing Thai driving patterns in depth my analysis was that Thai drivers were more patient than drivers in Minnesota.  (See my last post.)  Reflecting on the that observation I've made a resolution to be more patient while driving....I know, I know, it's about time!...but I'm trying.  How long will it last?  Check with me later and I'll tell you.

Kindergarten Students.

Teachers.

2nd Floor Walkway in front of the classrooms.

My house.

Surprising Traffic

   Perhaps you've heard of the infamous Bangkok traffic jams.   Maybe you imagine a cacophony of blaring horns rising above the other sounds.  Well, it's not like that. Very seldom one hear's a horn and when there is a beep it's usually a short one to warn someone that may not have seen the vehicle. Drivers in Minnesota could learn much from the Thai.
   Thai drivers aren't perfect.  In fact their accident rate is high.  Drunken driving is a very serious problem and is only now beginning to be addressed.  They also believe in fate, i.e., what's going to happen is going to happen regardless, so, why worry about accident prevention?
    What Minnesota drivers could learn from Thailand is patience.  Really?  It seems odd in a country where people will drive on road shoulders and motorcycles drive between vehicles always going to the front of the line at stop lights.  However, squeeze in front of another motorist?  No problem. Need to make a turn across traffic?  Just ease out into the approaching traffic until a vehicle is forced to stop for you and make your trun.  No problem.  In all my time in Thailand I do not remember hearing a horn honked in anger.

    Minnesota seems cold after Thailand but I'll adjust...though I may never like the temp.  Thailand's not out of my system so I'll be posting more pictures and adding reflections to this blog.

Adding propane gas to a minibus.  All Bangkok taxis run on propane.

"Song Taow", literally "two benches" for the seating in the back of this truck/bus.  Smaller one's use pickups. 

Propane tanks on a semi-tractor.  Many heavy trucks use propane.

What A Send Off!

   On my last day at school during  morning school gathering I was invited to address the students...this happens  every year.  A 6th grade student, the one most proficient in English, thanked me in English on behalf of her class. Before the students left for classes they all posed for a school picture.  But, the main event happened just before lunch
    With all the students seated on  the floor of the dining room I was invited to sit at a table in front of them.   After some 'thank you' speeches I was told to lean forward with my hands together over a large bowl.  Then followed a Buddhist/Muslim ceremony.  Everyone lined up and the Buddhists poured flowered water over  my hands and dabbed my arms and cheeks with liquid clay.  The Muslims skipped the water but also dabbed my arms and cheeks.  I don't fully understand the entire significance for the participants but for me it was profoundly moving.
     As a little side note it was also interesting to see  who the Muslims are.  The girls don't 'scarf' at this school and the boys have no distinctive dress either.  About 40% of the students are Muslim and I often don't know it.  Some names give me a clue, e.g., Faoud, Kabeem. Abedin, Sakid, Nadeam, are Muslim.  But many names offer no clue.
    Another very touching moment was as I was leaving.  After I said my 'goodbyes' at the teachers table I began to gather up all my gifts, which included cards from all my students. The teachers rose from the table, took my bags and began walking me to the car.  All the students who aware of what was happening joined the procession (recession?) and all accompanied me to the car.  It was so much better than just saying goodbye and walking away.  

Group photo.

Noon, a student teacher, placing a garland of orchids around my neck.

Aronsee dabbing my cheeks.

Apple, a student teacher wai's me.

A student pours water over my hands.

A student dabs my cheeks.

Like Delivering Christmas Baskets!

       Now that my family is keyed into my desire to help others they've become very helpful.  It's in keeping with their values.  Each time Met does a message she puts 20 baht...about 75 cents...aside in honor of her massage teacher.  When that has accumulated she gives it away to someone in need.
       It was clear that we were embarking on an errand of mercy but the details were not clear to me. Relying on my trusty mantra "all will be revealed"  we headed off.  It turned out to be a bit like delivering Christmas baskets in the neighborhood.    Now that Met has  understood my mission to help others she has become more willing to be helpfully assertive by suggesting a range of possible gifts. She also counts as 'friends'  many who are really down and out.
     Our first stop was a young mother and her daughter.  Signals made it clear that I was to present the money to the daughter which I did.  Another stop was similar and was the daughter/granddaughter of a couple of whom I previously reported.  There were other stops but one stands out.
     Though I pass it daily I'd never noticed a foot path back into the trees.  We hiked down the path and in a small clearing came to a man who was turning wood into charcoal...his method of eking out a living.   However, his wife was our target.  She is mute, I suspect from birth, but her face radiates warmth.  But I wasn't prepared for their house.  Perhaps best that I let the picture speak for itself.

Child holding the money.

Granddaughter of couple I helped previously. 

Woman standing in front of her house; no electricity and no running water.

"You ordered the frog."

    "What do you mean, 'you ordered the frog?'"  "Yes, you ordered the frog."  "I did?  Let me see the menu.  No, I was pointing to the fried pork."  "Oh!"   Much laughter follows as we unravel the frog dish on the dinner table.   Ah, yes...My Thai and their English is the cause of many laughs.
    Frog was a new dish to me and, no, it didn't taste like chicken,,,at lease done by Thai cooks.  It was surprisingly bony and I'd put it in the same category as 'duck cheeks'...OK to try but I wouldn't order again.
   
   One day of teaching left.  I'll say goodbye to the 6th graders who'll be off to junior high next year. They are a good group and I've taught them for 4 years. There is grief in knowing I'll not see them again.  If I were to teach much longer I would need to expand my repertoire so maybe it's time to head home.  I'll have weekend in Bangkok and be home on Feb. 15.

    There were two visitors at school yesterday from another school.  They were jealous of my presence at Wat Klang and invited me to teach at their school next year.  It's a flattering request but when they told me that their class sizes begin at 40 and go up it was not tempting at all.  The 3rd grade is the largest I teach at Wat Klang and it has 20 students.  Besides, I'm so embedded at Wat Klang I'd never leave,

Statues in the temple garden

Ayutthaya sunset.

4th grade.

Temple gong always rung three times:  for 1. Buddha, 2. Buddha's teaching and 3. monks.

More Opportunities

    Yesterday we went to visit Chang (his nickname means elephant) and his 82 year old mother.  She is unable to walk and Chang has diabetes.  It was another case where my family had laid the ground work and made it possible for me to bring Chang a financial gift.  The family has turned out to be my best social workers and ambassadors.  They continue to identify people who I may help.
    Today at school I learned of a family from a neighboring school who lost everything in a house fire.  The principal announced it to the students, told the students to be careful of fire and said that there would be a collection for the family.  Naturally I will contribute to that collection.

Cattle grazing in the neighborhood.

With Chang and his mother.

Chang lives in a 4 generation household and this is the youngest member.

After lunch the students brush their teeth.  This is Nada, a twin, now in 5th grade.  I'm holding her as a kindergartner in a picture on my Facebook page.

All Things Thai (Well Somethings Anyway)

     Sitting at dinner the other night there was an empty plate in my way to I put the plate from which I was eating on top of the empty plate. I WON'T DO THAT AGAIN.  It was a major faux pas.  It is bad luck to stack dishes from which you're eating, though, not a problem to stack dirty ones at the end of a meal.  Live and learn Thai customs.
     Another learning has been that when the host asks "Are you hungry?"  The best response is "Yes."  Very likely the host is hungry but it would not be polite to eat if the guest isn't going to.
 In Asian cultures 'saving face' is very important and that is very true in Thailand.  Often it is difficult to get a Thai person to offer an opinion.  "Would you like to go out to eat?"  as an example often elicits the response "Up to you."  I probably hear 'up to you' a dozen times a day at the house as avoiding a commitment also avoid the possibility that someone may lose face.  Having grown up in a passive family has helped me with this one, because I can often read the subtle clues and make the right choice.  In a similar way "Yes" often means "I think that's the answer you want."

    When friends and my home congregation sent me off with a very generous stipend to distribute to persons in need I was concerned that it might be so much that it would be difficult to handle..  I'm not equipped to do the social work that usually accompanies such relief efforts.  Part of my concern stemmed from the reality that most of the people I know could use much help.  I was fearful that they would be unable to see beyond their own needs and thus not guide me to others who need help.  This fear has been unfounded.
    In their very Thai way, i.e., in the context of relationships, they guide me to people in need.  This is how it works...listen in on our conversation
         Met is speaking "The people in the house (squatters shack) have no money."  Al "Doesn't he have a job?"  Met "Yes, but far away away and mini bus expensive."   Al "Should I help them?"  Met "Up to you."  Al "I would like to help them."  Met "OK."  Al "Should I give you the money?"  Met "No, no you give them."  Al "How much should I give them?"  Met "Up to you."   Al "How should I give it to them?"  Met "We go to their house."   Then Met lets them know we are coming and why.
     After we went to their house and I gave them the money Met asked me "How much did you give them?"   I said 3000 baht ($100.)  She said "Good, you jai dee" (you have a good heart.)  Of course I reminded her that it was from friends in America.
     Today Met told me about another family that are so poor that the monks at the temple are feeding them. Every morning the monks leave their temples to beg for food.  They collect much more than they can eat so the extra is distributed to those in need.  Therefore, no one in Thailand has to go hungry. This particular family, one with whom I'm acquainted, is struggling because he's injured and can't work...no paid sick leave here.  They also care for his invalid mother.  This evening we will make a visit so I can give them help.
     Thai culture is helpful in this process.  Receiving gifts from persons perceived to be of greater stature confers status on the recipient.  As an elderly, westerner I have stature and am presumed to be rich which adds even more stature. (I must have been a very good person in my former life to be so rich and powerful in this one,) This is why Met didn't want to distribute the money.  My presence and gift honors the recipient, and in their theology, they understand me to be "making merit" for the next life so by receiving my gift they are helping me,

The house, no electricity, no water.

The couple with their granddaughter, 

To The Temple of Course.

   Those of us with a day off headed to another temple.  This one's claim to fame is having the largest Buddha statue in Thailand.  In addition it sports a huge garden filled with statues, many of which are macabre as you will see in the pictures.  Inside of the temple was a smaller version of the crystal one we saw a few weeks ago.  I think the pictures will tell the rest of the story.

Long tongues were a common feature on many statues.  Notice the people on the ground to get a sense of  how tall the statues are.

Climbing a thorn tree.

Not so uplifting.

Bigger is better?

Touching Buddha's finger brings good luck. 

Father roasting his child after killing his wife.

Are 82 pictures a clue?

     Thai people love a good time.  I thought my Norwegian aunts brought a lot of food to a picnic but that is nothing compared to what the teachers brought for our boat trip.  Food, laughter, conversation, karaoke, dancing and sight seeing were the order of the day.  Launch time was noon and withing minutes we sat down to a feast...sightseeing could wait.
    There were about 20 of us in all.  The group included teachers, students teachers, my favorite teacher who has retired since last year, the retired principal and the current principal's wife. There were 3 ship's crew; pilot, waitress and a 10 year old boy who sat in the corner with his  smart phone.
    "Sanook", i.e., fun is important in Thai life.  They appreciate a good sport. It was fun before we even launched.  At school Friday I asked, when the teachers told me we were leaving at noon, if that was 'Thai time'  or 'American time'?  They told me 'American time' so there was much sport about who would or wouldn't be late for the boat.
     The weather, mid-eighties, was perfect and the river smooth  No one got sea sick and they gave me many gifts.  Thanking me for teaching was the excuse for the whole party.  Valuing relationships as they do, they are deeply appreciative that I return year after year,

     Friday I decided I now had the relationship necessary to do some consulting with them.  Students begin their study of English when they enter school at age 3.  In spite of this third graders have not been taught the sounds of letters.  Aronsee, who has been the 4th grade teacher in addition to teaching upper grades English, will teach Kindergarten next year.  I recommended that she begin teaching kindergartners letter sounds and that 1st and 2nd grades teachers continue that process,  Currently 3rd grade students have some vocabulary yet no idea that letters have sounds.   My suggestions were very positively received which does not necessarily mean anything will change.

St. Joseph's Catholic Church.

My entrees..."I brought this for you."

The table.

Thai house.

With the student teachers.

Each barge has man tending it who lives with his family in a cabin on board.

The crew.

Dancing with Aronsee.

More Random Pictures

Spirit house for the spirits displaced when the house was built.

Dog in restaurant.

Cat on a table in the restaurant.

Teachers lunch table.

The girl in pig tails is the one I am holding on my Facebook page.  She was then in Kindergarten and now is in 5th grade.

With the student teachers.

Girl on an electric trike.

3rd grade classroom.

Eating lunch on the floor.  Thai are more comfortable on the floor than at a table.

Cups and toothbrushes for use after lunch.  See some brushes lying on the floor.