Sure, there were no bucket list adventures this week, but that doesn’t mean it wasn’t an exciting and fulfilling time.
The Nonteaching of Teaching
This biggest thing I’ve done this is plan and prepare for my classes next week. I met with Pa Lam, Pi Tour, and Pi Eye multiple times this week to discuss the operations for teaching. We went to the store and bought class supplies and they reviewed my lesson plans. Based on the registration we held in the village, we are expecting to have around fifteen students. Writing lesson plans based on all of this has been very challenging and I have acquired a tremendous amount of respect for my high school teachers. The situation is a little stressful and not something I’d consider one of my strong suits, but I keep trying to focus on the words Pa Lam told me: “Regardless of how good of a teacher you are, you’re all we have. It’s better than nothing.”
Running 101
I have better sense than to rush into running daily 5Ks, so I decided to start small by running for thirty minutes every other day. Already, this has been a huge boost to my mental well being. I no longer feel as guilty about my third serving of rice (yes, this happens). Additionally, being able to go for an evening run surrounded by the beautifully luscious rice paddies sets the perfect backdrop for my daily reflections.
My favorite running story of the week has to be when I passed this Thai runner going the same direction as me. Although we didn’t speak the same language (not that it mattered due to our lack of breath), we both cheered each other on and showed our smiles. When I passed him on my way back home, he yelled across the road and gave me two sweaty thumbs up, to which I eagerly reciprocated. Just another awesome example of the good and loving people of the world.
The Art of Tie Dye
A group from one of the universities came to TBA to learn about Thai tie die and I had the opportunity to join them. Step zero was to acquire and wash a shirt (I was graciously given a white shirt by Pi Oil). The first real step was to pick one of the tie dye designs.
Once we selected our design (the flower and spiral), the next step was to learn how to do it. For the flower design, we had to fold an area of our shirt over and form it into a triangular point. Afterwards, we used sticks and string to make a clothespin in order to hold the fold together. This step was repeated as desired. Once all the flowers were prepared, the spiral was to be added. This was done by wrapping the shirts up into a spiral and securing them in place with rubber bands. I’m not going to lie, I’m utterly terrible at arts and crafts and tie dye was no exception. Three people ending up having to help me, but I promise that I did do a few designs on my own.
Now I didn’t actually do this step myself, but the next step is to get the dye for the clothes. TBA makes their own natural dye by soaking local tree bark in water. Extracting the color from the wood takes a long time, but it produces a beautiful earthy tone.
The fourth step was the actual dying of the clothes.(Again, I didn’t actually do this step myself. There’s a lot of skill involved and it involves open flames.) This was accomplished by heating up the dye mixture and adding the clothes to it. Afterwards, the clothes were to sit and soak up the color.
After the clothes have had some time to soak, the next step was to rinse them in a two-bath process. This was straightforward. You remove the clothespins and rubber bands from the clothes, dip them into the first bucket of water and wring it out. Repeat a couple of times and then do the same thing in the second bucket.
The final and most enjoyable step was to hang our clothes on the line to dry. This was when were able to admire the wonderful fruits of our labor. I honestly wasn’t expecting them to turn out as well as they did. I for one think my shirt (the one on the left) is beautiful.
My Weekly Reflection
In comparison to my previous weeks, this week definitely had a more relaxed vibe. Nevertheless, that doesn’t mean it hasn’t been a week worth remembering. I’ve been so caught up in moving from one adventure to the next that I have neglected to really live and unpack what’s going on. Sure, it’s enjoyable and fun to move from one thing to another, but it really isn’t sustainable and advised. To borrow an idea from Buddhism, living in the present is freedom. I’m constantly thinking about what’s next, how to improve, and what steps I need to take in order to check off my next goal. Obviously, there’s some value to that, but it can also quickly get out of hand.
Being able to step back this week and do some things I enjoy (like playing guitar, exercising, or reading) without any real motive or purpose has been really refreshing. It has caused me better realize that I should be enjoying my time learning in another culture instead of trying to pursue so many things. Of course I still have jobs to do, but I’m starting to realize that taking some time to breathe is better for myself and my work. Ultimately, I’m trying to focus on living in Plaboo instead of just residing here.
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