All Good Things Must Come To An End

I can hardly believe it. My two months in Plaboo is coming to a close and while my arrival seems so long ago, the time here went by like lightening. It’s weird how time works that way. I feel as though we just got into a comfortable routine and now it’s time to leave. Don’t get me wrong, it will be nice to be back home among friends, family, hot showers, and flushing toilets. But there are so many things about Plaboo that I will miss dearly.

The past couple of weeks have been filled with teaching and traveling. It seems like Lam wanted to squeeze everything she could out of these last weeks and I was happy to oblige. We went along with Lam and Li to Kanchanaburi, located on the western side of Thailand. The 10-hour ride took place in a pimped out van, complete with DVD player and air conditioning. Lam had brought some English DVDs so we were able to get our t.v. fix with Mr. and Mrs. Smith (terrible) and Serendipity (a Christmas fave). The group was headed there in order to participate in a camp for leaders of alternative schools, which is what Plaboo’s Farmer Community School (FCS) is considered. Upon arrival, I felt like we had stepped inside the book 1984. We slept in little bamboo huts and had to follow various rules. There was a loudspeaker in each hut that played continuously, although I have no idea what it said. We all had to eat together with 10 people to a table and couldn’t begin to chow down until all ten people had their food. The owner of the camp, who only appeared on the first day, is a very famous and respected previous politician in Thailand who positively changed the schooling system in Thailand. During his welcome speech, he specifically pointed at me and spoke, which caused everyone in attendance to glance my way. At first I thought he was just talking about the white girl (a normal occurrence), but Lam informed me that he was really saying that my skirt was too short and everyone had to wear long pants. I was so embarrassed, but how was I supposed to know? Anyway, I changed, but really it wasn’t short at all. To my knees, past my fingertips, I swear. 

The camp was located in the middle of the mountain and jungle region of Thailand; the environment was magnificent. The city is on the River Kwai and Lam snuck out of the endless meetings for a day to show is around with our fabulous van driver, Mr. Sutep. We visited a memorial cemetery for those who died as prisoners of war in WWII, specifically those who died building the railroad between Thailand and Myanmar. We walked across the railroad bridge over the River Kwai. Ha. After our historical tour, we ventured to a movie studio. Weird spot to visit, but we usually don’t pick our destinations. From what I gathered, the movie filmed here was like Thailand’s Star Wars. Very popular and a large following. It was kind of cool and lame at the same time, until the end. They had one of those photo shoots, sort of like at Cedar Point where you can dress like the old western days only in this scene; you dressed like a Thai princess. They did our hair, our makeup, put on elaborate outfits, and decorated us with gobs of costume jewelry. I think Lam had the most fun, as the times are rare when she gets to indulge herself. It was an exciting day and a welcome break from the 3-day conference where we couldn’t understand a word.  

Since the trip, we have been really busy teaching. The FCS hosted two English day camps with over 70 students in attendance. It was a lot of work and preparation, but it went well. Lam hopes that by doing camps like these, she can begin to form meaningful relationships with the teachers and directors of the local schools. This can allow for expansion of her school and its methods into other local villages besides Plaboo. She has expressed her gratitude to us for creating a reason for some schools to come visit. She has said that most are uninterested, but with Americans here, they want to come check it out as often as possible. It’s a weird thing to be such a draw, but I’m glad that it can help Lam and the FCS.

In addition to our normal teaching routine, we also picked up a new school located about 20 minutes away. Again, I was placed with the 4 to 9 year olds, which is a big range of ages. They are really well behaved and extremely eager to learn English, so I have a good time with them. And they love to do the Hokey Pokey, so that’s always a plus. 

One highlight of these last couple weeks was going to a tarot card reader. This type of thing is less of a silly thing to do here than in America and is actually tied to their Buddhist religion. The readers meditate with monks and use some of the same methods to ensure enlightenment. The reader was eerily accurate with certain things about my job and life in Philly. She also said my parents are worried about me being in Thailand, but not extremely worried because they think I am strong, like a boy. Ha. Oh and that money would come to me easily and I would most definitely be rich. We’ll see about that one. If I hit it big, I’ll probably send it all to Plaboo! 

Our last day with the preschoolers was this past Tuesday and it was bittersweet. They were my favorite group to teach, that age is just adorable. I gave the teachers I worked with gifts (English books) and passed out candy to all the kids. We spent the day taking pictures and saying goodbye. I will miss those little rugrats. I will miss them poking my skin and watching it turn from pink to white. I will miss them touching my hair and calling me Barbie. I will miss them waving bye for 5 minutes straight when I leave. I will miss the way they speak English with their Thai accent. And I will miss the teachers who helped us, laughed with us, laughed at us, took so many pictures with us, and filled our stay with more smiles than I anticipated. 

I imagine our goodbye to Plaboo will be much more difficult. I never thought I would become so close with these people in such a short amount of time. Lam is throwing us a goodbye party this Tuesday and we will hop in our rental van and drive to Bangkok that night. From Bangkok, we will head to Trang with Lam, located in southern Thailand on the beach. After a few days of relaxation and final moments with the woman who made this trip possible, we will head back to Bangkok, say goodbye, and begin the next leg of our trip.

By a small twist a fate, two of our great old friends from Purdue will be joining us for the last two weeks of our adventure, Matt and Nate. We will travel through the southern islands of Thailand, the temples of Cambodia, and the entire country of Vietnam before heading back to the homeland. I am extremely excited to be a tourist and to do it with such good friends that I rarely have the opportunity to see. 

Everyone said this experience would change me as a person, and I have to admit, I wasn’t sure if I agreed or not before I came. I guess I thought, how could I change that much in just two months? But I’m pretty sure I was wrong. And that is due mostly to the people I have met and lived with in this amazing country. They bent over backwards to make us comfortable, displayed such patience with our language barrier, and truly made us a part of their family. The core staff here at FCS (Lam, Toy, Om, Li, Pui, Satngad, Narong and Mos) has become especially important to me. They taught me how to be happy with whatever life throws at you, how to laugh at just about every situation, and how to truly live in a completely unselfish manner. Life in Plaboo is based on community, on sharing, and on taking care of one another. Nobody is concerned with who has more or who got the better end of the stick. People are genuinely concerned with the well being of all of those living around them and the organization that Lam envisioned and brought to life just intensifies these characteristics. I learned how to make just about anything with rice, how to shower with a bucket, sleep with a net, and dance through the streets. I can’t deny that I will miss how gorgeous my pale white skin and crazy blond hair is here. I will also miss always knowing when people are talking about me, just from hearing the word falong (thai for white person). 

I will most definitely appreciate the simple things in life thanks to Plaboo. It still amazes me how happy Thai people are to dance around the village, throwing rice and catching candy. The delight on the kids’ faces when we play Bingo never gets old. There is no need for television, video games, or ipads. Most people are happy with each other’s company (and a little whiskey every now and then). I think this is because they have learned to appreciate and understand what’s really important; friends, family, and goodwill. Lam has taught me how far a positive attitude can take you and how truly selfless people have the fullest, richest lives. 

Words can’t really express how grateful I feel to have had this opportunity. I know that most are unable to do a long-term trip like this for one reason or another and I feel lucky that I had the chance. I sincerely hope Plaboo has gotten as much out of me as I have out of them, but I doubt that is possible. I look forward to continuing the relationships I have made with these people after returning to the City of Brotherly Love. And while I have various emotions about leaving these people, the lifestyle, and this country, I look forward to the final leg of this journey. I suppose MOST good things do come to an end (although I’ve always hated that saying).

Whiskey Dancers

Friday

All throughout our stay here in wonderful Plaboo, we have been told about Merit Festivals. Our knowledge of them had become a grab bag of information. I knew they involved food, music, dancing, and the village temple, but I wasn’t sure how it all fit together. This weekend, we finally found out. To make it simple, every month or two, each village conducts their own Merit Festival for various reasons. Each festival celebrates something different, from praying for rain to celebrating the life of someone who has passed.  Mr. Pui, one of Lam’s staff members, lives in a village about 10 minutes away and was hosting their merit on Friday. It was being held at his house because it was celebrating the life and death of his mother and also the commencement of his brother’s studies towards becoming a monk. He invited the whole staff to attend and everyone seemed pretty pumped about it, their excitement became infectious.

We arrived to numerous tables and chairs set up under a tent, much like any graduation or 4^th of July party in America. A guitarist was jammin on stage and we were sat right up front. They immediately served us food, the usual rice, fish soups, noodles, but I saw something new. Chicken wings. Not my usual fare in the states, but the thought of something familiar was too enticing not to dabble. So I did, pretty tasty I must say, but I stopped myself after a couple, not wanting to tempt the fate of my stomach again! It seemed like we had seen most of what the party had to offer, people coming and going, eating and drinking. We were actually offered beer, but refused, unsure if it was acceptable or not. We met Mr. Pui’s brother, who will officially become a monk on Saturday. Soon after we met, four men were all of a sudden carrying out his brother while he sat on a chair. They placed him in the cab of a pickup, one decorated with flowers, garlands, and banners. A traditional Laos band was following the truck, complete with drums, bongos, guitars, and keyboards. Everyone gathered behind the truck and in front of the band, so of course we followed. At this point in the day, most of the men were pretty well sloshed or at least on their way there. One guy in particular found it hilarious to take pictures with me while saying, “1, 2, 3 action” before every shot. After about 10 pictures, it turned from funny to obnoxious. A couple of the older women in the group caught on to his annoying manners and took on the role of our protectors for the rest of the day, pushing away all the drunks who staggered our way.

Eventually, the band began and the event turned into a big parade, with the truck carrying the monk leading the way. We started with Om and Mr. Mos, showing us how to dance and walk with the crowd. The procession moves very slowly, dancing back and forth the entire way. Every few minutes, the monk would throw candy and money from the truck and all the kids, along with Om who is a big kid herself, would race to the ground to snatch up the goodies. The drunks moved through the crowd with surprising grace, balancing ice buckets full of beer in their hands and whiskey bottles in their pockets. We were all constantly stopped and offered gulps of beer. I eventually realized that the rules don’t really apply during Merit Festivals and partook in the drinking. It was enough to wet my whistle, but not to catch a buzz. That’s ok though, cause the beer reminded me of the countless Natty Lights drunk during my earlier days and a few gulps was enough for me.

The parade danced around the entire village, in the extreme Thai heat, and lasted about 2 hours. It was a fantastic time. The people in Thailand really know how to have a good time, and the Merit Festivals are occasions to really let loose. I saw a different side of the people we work with; I knew they were fun but this really confirmed the fact. The procession ended back at Mr. Pui’s house, where it began, and all the drunks began eating whatever food was left over. Some things are the same no matter where you are. Although, if I was drunk, fish stew and papaya salad would not be high on my list! 

Saturday and Sunday

This weekend marks Plaboo’s Merit Festival and we began preparations early Saturday. The reason for the festival this month is to thank the Buddha for a successful rice season. We were called over to Lam’s parents house, Yay Sing and Pop Bay. Behind their house was a large wooden contraption, in use by a number of the village women. As I neared the herd, I got a better look at the device. Basically it’s a large lever made from a tree trunk that is attached to a giant mortar and pestle. In the bowl of the mortar is cooked sticky rice. The pestle is attached to the lever. The women continuously stomp on one end of the log, moving the pestle up and down, eventually turning the sticky rice into rice flour. Of course I took my turn at the stomping; turned out to be a great leg workout. 

After the women were happy with the consistency of the flour, it was moved into Yay Sing’s kitchen, which is located outdoors of course. That’s when the cooking began. We mixed the enormous amount of rice flour with equally enormous amounts of banana, coconuts, peanuts, sesame seeds, and sugar until it formed a sticky goo resembling oatmeal. The mixture is then spooned into a banana leaf and wrapped up to form a packet the size of a credit card. We did this over and over again until all the goo was gone. The packets then steam above a fire for one or two hours, creating the finished product: cow dom dak (cow meaning rice, dom meaning oven, and dak meaning, well, I’m not sure). 

On a side note, yes, cow means rice and moo means pig, but cow can also mean news, white, and mountain depending on the way you pronounce it. Yes that’s correct, every word can be said five different ways and mean five totally different things. Yikes.

Anyway, we made a couple different versions of cow dom dak and the thought of eating them after staring at the ingredients for the entire day was less than appetizing, but I had to try my creation. It was ok, not my favorite, and like a lot of sweets, the dough was better than the finished product.

The packets are made in preparation for Sunday and Monday, the two main days of Plaboo’s festival. Sunday also started out at Yay Sing’s, where I finally got to learn how to make my favorite dish we eat here, coconut soup or as it know here, gang cow pon (soup rice noodle). While I won’t be attempting to recreate this right when I get home as my taste buds will most definitely we worn out of Thai food by then, I will definitely try it in the somewhat near future. Om added a few other creations into the feast, but I missed out on the cooking lessons for those. All the food was put into numerous small baggies. Then throughout the day, visitors come from Plaboo and other neighboring villages. They bring food, eat in Plaboo, and then take home the to-go portions. Of course the men are drinking beer and whiskey throughout all of this and by the time the second half of the day began, the men again were cruisin to drunk town. 

After the visiting and eating commenced, we followed the rest of the village out to the farmland. While marching through acres of dried-up rice paddies, Lam informed us that we were going to collect flowers to bring to the temple as an offering of thanks. Everyone in the village grabs a branch of flowers from a pre-determined tree and heads back to the temple, dancing to the blaring music cart following us along the way. We decorated the temple in preparation for the following day of prayer.

Monday

Early this morning, and by early I mean 6 a.m, we were summoned by Li to accompany her to the temple. In a slight daze, we followed behind, eyes half open on the short walk to the temple. Once there, we realized that three monks had arrived and were sitting in front waiting for the mass to begin. Following Li, we placed sticky rice into the four large urns in sitting in front of the monks. The purpose of this is to share the rice that the Buddha has given them in the previous rice season. The monks began their various prayers, with the whole village repeating. We of course sat there silently, having no idea what was being said. The women then poured water into little bowls while the monk was blessing the liquid. Later, after the mass ended, the water is poured on the plants in front of the temple.

Following this early morning event, we headed straight to school and taught until the afternoon. Once we returned to Plaboo, Li was sitting outside with a big basket of sticks with money attached to the ends. We learned that this afternoon was spent dancing around the village collecting money and various other gifts to bring to the temple for the end of the festival weekend. This sounded a lot tamer than it turned out to be.

The money parade picked us up and headed to the temple. Many things occur in threes within the Buddhist religion, so we began by dancing around the exterior of the temple three times. The men inside throw uncooked rice out the windows, much like old-school weddings in America. I wonder if Thailand is where that tradition began? Anyway, we left the temple and headed out into the village, music cart following. The women taught us all the traditional dance moves and we shook our way to various houses in the village collecting bahts (money). The whiskey drinkers were out again, dancing and offering shots of rice whiskey to anyone interested. After one tiny sip of the locally made whiskey, I was done for the day. Ick. During the middle of this particular parade, we stopped at the village leader’s house for a break. Mostly I think it was so the men could restock their whiskey supply, but what do I know. It was during this time I met Mr. Jam, one of the cutest two year olds I’ve ever seen. He immediately attached himself to Li and started doing the dance moves to the best of his ability. It was so adorable. After trying my best to get him on my good side, he finally let me carry him during our dance parade and I fell in love. The two- hour dance party with the Plaboo-ers was a blast. As I looked around at the people surrounding me, I realized that I actually know these people now and consider them dear friends. It’s amazing how quickly things changed from meeting new people everyday and forgetting names and faces constantly, to actually forming relationships with these new friends, despite the countless language and cultural barriers. This never could have happened had Plaboo not been so welcoming, so friendly, and so endearing. I have a huge amount of respect and adoration for the completely unselfish way these people treat new friends, old friends, strangers, and family. 

They Say It’s Your Birthday…

Tuesday

Well the big 2-9. Sounds old. But I don’t feel old, so I’m ok with it. At least it’s not 60, right Dad? Anyway the day began like all of our other Thailand Tuesdays, teaching at the preschool. Normally, when we first get there, all the kids from each of the four classes gather in the lobby of the school to sing a couple of songs and do a couple dance moves. We always join in on this, and much to the kids’ delight, we rarely know what we are doing. During the sing along today, the teachers called Stephanie and I up to the front; sometimes they do this and we sing an American song with the kids (or we sing and the kids stare). However, Kur At (Kur meaning teacher in Thai) took hold of the mic and said in broken English, “Today is the birthday of Kur Alisa!” All of a sudden another teacher was walking out with a cake and the kids started singing the Happy Birthday song! It made me feel so happy and special. I blew out the candle, but they didn’t get a good picture, so they relit it and made me do it again. The kids were so cute and excited. Later, at the end of one of my preschool classes, two of the students said they wanted to give me a gift for my birthday and they handed me their stickers they got for Valentine’s Day. So sweet! They are just so cute; I want to take them all home with me.  

Lam was gone all day at a meeting, so the afternoon was pretty slow. Om surprised us with candy for Valentine’s Day and she also painted our nails, which was needed; they were looking a little rough. Mr. Satngad also sang Happy Birthday to me in his thick Thai accent, hilarious and such a nice gesture. 

When Lam finally got back from her long and productive meeting, she gathered all the ladies (me, Stephanie, Om, Li and Toi) for my birthday dinner. She decided to do something special, and brought back a ton of Vietnamese food from a local restaurant. When I saw what it was, I almost had to laugh. The meal she picked is exactly what I get at my favorite Vietnamese restaurant in Philly that I frequent often; I call them Vietnamese tacos. They are actually thin papers made from rice that are dipped in water right before eating to become the consistency of a noodle. You then fill the papers with fish, lettuce, vegetables, herbs, peanuts, and various sauces, wrap them up and enjoy. Tacos, right? Before we began our feast, Lam started by saying that she was so happy we were there with them in Plaboo and that they hope they have done everything possible to make us feel a part of their family. Each girl then said some really heartfelt things about our bravery and how our being here has brought so much more attention to the Farmer Community School and to what they are trying to do here. They also spoke about how much they have learned from us and hope that they have taught us some things as well. I said they really don’t understand how much they have taught me, far more than we could teach them. They are sad that we have such a short time left but we all vowed to make the best of it. To end the extremely kind words, they all wished me a very happy birthday, complete with a cake (with big number candles), and amusing caricature drawings that Li had done. They food was delicious, as I expected and even though I am not a big cake person, it tasted amazing. 

We ended the night with Mos playing his guitar to the singing of Om, Li and Toi. They taught us a few dances and then asked us if we knew anything. Being put on the spot, I immediately thought of the Hokey Pokey, which they thought was quite funny. We added in the Macarena to finish off our embarrassing display. Turning 29 was most definitely a memorable event that put me in high spirits, confirmed how special these villagers are, and made me forget for a bit just how much I was missing home on my birthday. 

Wednesday

I had been looking forward to this day for quite a while. Lam had informed us earlier in the week that we would be traveling to the Elephant Village for my continued birthday celebration. Of course everyone loves when birthdays stretch out for two days, so I was pumped. We weren’t really sure what we were getting ourselves into, but as usual, we just had to go with the flow. Lam picked us up after a particularly long day at preschool, maybe due to the anticipation, and we were on our way. As has happened a few times before, after about an hour into the trip, Lam told us she didn’t really know how to get there. We pulled off about every mile to ask whomever we could find on the side of the road. I’m pretty sure the first guy had a little too much whiskey for the day and pointed us in the wrong direction. Eventually, after taking the scenic route, we arrived. 

The first thing I noticed was how open the area was and how free the elephants were to roam around. The village holds 300 elephants, the largest in all of Thailand. Previously, most of the elephants in Thailand were wild and lived in the forests. This occurs much less now due to deforestation. For a time, the situation for elephants in Thailand was depressing. Most were taken to cities in order to make money for their owners, not allowing them to live in the habitat they were meant for. But because the elephant is the symbol of Thailand and very important to it’s people, the government stepped in. Each trainer who responsibly cares for an elephant is given an 8,000 baht subsidy per month, per elephant. That works out to about $270. This program has allowed areas once rich with forests, much like the Elephant Village, to still properly take care of the elephants that roam there. 

The people that work with the elephants live in the village, so elephants constantly surround them. It is nothing like I was imagining, nothing like any zoo or other animal sanctuary I have seen. There are no cages, no glass walls, no fences, and no viewing areas. The elephants are free to roam. The only exception is for the babies, who have chains on one leg, keeping them from straying. This is only done for a short time when they are young and it does not harm them in any way; it is much like a leash for a puppy. I was amazed at these creatures from afar and I couldn’t wait to get a closer look. 

We signed up for a show time, but had about an hour to kill so we headed to see the new baby twin elephants; a sign of luck. I mean come on, they were so adorable. The gentleness of them was so incredible. One is named Gold and the other is named Goldbar (loose translation). The owner gave us sticks of sugar cane to feed them and they ate them right from our hands. Lam was a little nervous to get close, but we pushed her a bit and she ended up really enjoying the experience. The trainer showed me how to rub the top of Gold’s head in between his ears to make him lift his trunk and show me the inside of his mouth. The twins also showed us their newest trick, spinning hula-hoops on their trunks. They were so amazing. I dreamt of taking one home in my backpack, but the large piles of dung brought me back to reality.

The bell rang for our show time, so we headed back to the front. There wasn’t a ton a people there, so we were able to get right up front. The show began much like a circus, with the elephants parading out one by one, doing various tricks along the way. It included about 5 elephants, ranging in size and age. They introduced each mammoth creature while they bowed, sat down, stood on tiny tables, and danced. The trainer then asked for a volunteer. Of course I raised my hand right away; one of those act now, think later moments. I climbed into the arena and was told to lie facedown on a blanket. He then placed another blanket over my rear and told me to look to my right. Out comes the biggest elephant in the show, towering over me as I started to wonder what I had gotten myself into. The elephant then placed his foot on my behind and started rubbing! Apparently, it’s called an elephant massage. Just when I was getting over the nerves of having this gigantic creature stepping on me, it started to make the strangest noise. It was much like a high-pitched dog bark mixed with the squawk of a bird. To top it all off, during this whole episode, the trainer was happily snapping pictures of the pale American underneath the foot of the biggest elephant in the village. It was pretty incredible; after I arose, I fed the elephant some bananas and sugarcane to thank him for not crushing me. 

After the elephants kicked around the soccer ball and dunked a basketball, we got a chance to get even closer with them. The big guy, the same one that stepped on me, came out to the edge of the arena and stuck his trunk over the rail. The trainer told me to sit on the trunk, so following directions, I did. The elephant lifted me straight up in the air and I had visions of riding Dumbo at Disney World in 2^nd grade. Upon lowering, another trainer came out selling the pictures he snapped during my “massage”. They were themed for Valentine’s Day, and of course I had to buy them. After lots of pictures, more feeding, and of course the obligatory souvenir purchases, we headed home. I think I could have stayed there for hours; it was the essence of cool. It was a truly amazing day, spent with amazing people, in amazing Thailand. An experience that I will surely never forget.

So A Monk Rolls Up On A Moped...

Note: Another kidnapped blog. This took place February 3rd and 4th. 

Friday

We awoke to Lam giving us a great piece of news, today we would be accompanying her to Mahasarakham for a meeting and for lunch we would be enjoying pizza. Yes that’s right, pizza. I immediately started to salivate as that has been the one thing I have been craving the most since my diet of fish, noodles, sticky rice, papaya salad and vegetables began. But then I stopped myself, what if it was a Thai version, covered in squid, fish sauce, and rice?? I corralled my excitement, hoped for the best, and expected the worst. 

The meeting was being held at the hospital in the city and the purpose was to brainstorm ideas on how to make the quickly modernized city hold onto its roots. Lam knew this would be a long one, so she dropped Stephanie, Om and I at the “mall” in the center of the city and it was there we stepped into the pizza shop. Now, after looking at the menu, it wasn’t a place I would normally frequent to satisfy my pizza cravings. It looked pretty generic, much like mall pizza in the US. But at this moment, in Thailand, it looked amazing. We ordered plain cheese and when it arrived it resembled a Tony’s Party Pizza, an old staple of Stephanie’s and mine from our Purdue days (mostly because they were like 99 cents). Despite all this, it tasted delicious. Om was less than impressed, but our enthusiasm made up for her lack of excitement. After we finished it off, we shopped around the mall and the plaza, looking for clothing souvenirs. We were unsuccessful in our quest, mostly because everything we found would never fit the recipients of our gifts. Clothes in Thailand are tiny, just like the people. We had to ask Om if we were in the kids’ section, she just laughed. I have never felt so tall in my life as in Thailand. 

We joined the meeting halfway through its completion and, as in all of Lam’s meetings, could not understand a thing being said. This one was particularly long, so we started playing silent hangman. After a few puzzles of Jordan Knight, The Never-Ending Story, and Alex Trebeck, the meeting was finally over. Afterwards, Lam, Toi, Om, Stephanie, and I joined a professor from Mahasarakham University and a few of Lam’s friends for sukiyaki, traditional Japanese barbeque. It was not as tasty as the Thai version of barbeque and I’m pretty sure I ate a whole crab, shell included, at one point. Additionally, I tried the spiciest thing we have had to date, by far. It set my mouth on fire and one bite was enough. We were wiped on the way home and listened to Lam’s American music C.D. that included the likes of Celine Dion and James Taylor. One outta two ain’t bad. 

Saturday

What I thought was going to be a boring, activity-free day turned out to be one of the most interesting we have had so far. Lam had informed us earlier in the week that she would be leaving for Temple today and would be staying through Tuesday. During this time, she would arise at 3 am, eat breakfast, and then walk in a circle for the entirety of the day. The only meal is breakfast, talking is prohibited, and only 6 hours of sleep is allowed. The purpose is to focus on yourself and your movements in order to find calmness and peace within. One of the main facets of Buddhism is that one cannot help others unless they are fully at peace with themselves. We thought we were going with Lam’s cousin, Mr. Jaw, to simply drop off Lam at the Temple. We finally got there, after getting a bit turned around, and were disappointed to see that the gates were locked and no one was there. After a few minutes of trying to decide what to do, a monk pulled up on the back of a moped and it all of a sudden felt like I was in one of those bad jokes. You know, a monk walks into a bar, yadda yadda yadda. Anyway, I couldn’t think long because as soon as Lam saw him, she immediately went down to her knees in prayer position and bowed. I quickly followed; the last thing I need to do in Thailand is insult a monk. Eventually we arose and to our surprise, the monk invited us inside. 

He first sat us down and spoke to us about the importance of being able to stop thinking when trying to relax. This will allow a person to be fully aware of their body’s movements. To Buddhists, it is important to recognize everything your body is doing and to be fully in the moment, not wrapped up in thinking of the past or the future. He also told me that he could see the sincerity in my eyes and he knew right away that I could be trusted. Lam was amazed that he said this; she informed us that this is very high praise from a monk, especially one we just met. After the lesson, we enjoyed a lunch of pork fried rice, cucumbers, and spicy fish paste. Yes that’s right, I ate lunch at a monk’s house. The monk did not join us, as they are forbidden to eat after 11 a.m. We finished lunch and monk gave us a tour of the property. It includes small huts for each visitor, with the paths they walk on day after day during their stays. It also had a slightly larger hut to house the monk, a large indoor praying area, a large outdoor praying area, a crematorium, and tombs. The place gave Mr. Jaw the creeps, but I found it quite serene and beautiful. After the tour, we helped Lam and her friend move all of their stuff into their huts for the week. 

Those staying at the temple are also expected to bring food, which the people in the surrounding village will cook for them during their stay. We went with the monk and his driver into the village to drop off the food. Monks are not allowed to drive themselves, however they do use cell phones and ride on the backs of mopeds. Not sure what to think of that. Anyway, after dropping off the food, we found ourselves at the mechanic. Another odd place to end up with a monk. Apparently, his car needed fixing, so we left it there and were picked up by yet another driver. When we returned to the temple, we finished helping Lam get set up and walked back to the front of the property to meet the monk. I heard voices as I got closer, which was odd because I thought we were the only people there. It turns out, a few of the villagers had come with a sick friend. I’m not exactly sure what was going on, but the friend was spitting up blood while pointing to his stomach and repeating “whiskey, whiskey”. The monk was standing above him very calmly and told us the same, “whiskey”. It seemed that the man was sober at the time, so I concluded that they came to find out what was wrong with him and the monk diagnosed that he drinks too much and something is wrong with his liver. I could be way off though, who knows.

The gang of us, along with the monk, continued on to the indoor praying area where the monk showed us varying movements with our hands, arms, and legs. The point of this exercise is to completely focus on the movement, without thinking of anything else. We were told to chant, “the body moves, the mind knows” while doing the movements. Apparently, monks spend years trying to reach the highest level of self-awareness and enlightenment and this particular monk was at the top. After we learned a set of movements, we were told to repeat them continuously so that eventually, you wouldn’t even have to think about the movement and your mind could be completely free. I had so much trouble not thinking about countless other things, and it seemed the more I tried, the more random my thoughts became. I guess that is why they practice for years. We moved on to the outdoor area, where he showed us how to walk, how to stand up from an Indian style position, and how to properly bow to a monk. We practiced each multiple times. Lam asked how we were feeling, and I couldn’t lie to a monk so I said I couldn’t stop thinking about other things. She told the monk this and he said I must continue to practice and learn. I guess multitasking is not all its cracked up to be, at least according to the monk.

After about 6 hours with the monk, Jaw, Stephanie and I left to go back to Plaboo. We parted with the monk’s final words, “Nothing is certain but uncertainty”. Lam translated his explanation, to stop worrying about things we cannot control for the worrying doesn’t change the fact that we can’t control them. I think he has a point.