Loy Krathong
Tuesday was a special Thai festival called Loy Krathong, which is celebrated across the entire country during the twelfth full moon of the Thai calendar. The celebrations usually consist of music, dancing, and lots of food. However, the biggest part of Loy Krathong is floating a little boat on the river. This is done while making a wish in order to receive a blessing from the Goddess of Water.
In the afternoon, some of the staff at TBA got together in order to make krathongs (the floating boats/lamps). I eagerly tagged along and they taught me how to make the lamps. Stalks from a banana plant are used for the base; after all, they’re quite buoyant. The stalks are then decorated by folding banana leaves into pleasing designs and securing them with straight pins. Like all mediums of self-expression, everyone went with a different style/design for their boat. I was shown how to do a lotus design, and honestly, it turned out way better than I expected. However, I didn’t do a good job with balancing boat as it tipped over in the bucket designated for testing. Thankfully, Eye helped me rearrange some of the leaves and cut some material away to make it more balanced.
After finishing the krathongs, a few of us went to the flagship temple of Maha Sarakham (see Week 07 - Report). To some Thais, Loy Krathong is also a Buddhist celebration. This was the first time I’ve returned to a temple that I’ve already visited, which was nice as it allowed me to focus more on some of the smaller details that I overlooked last time. After the short temple excursion, we stopped at a market on the way home. I joyfully bounced from one booth to another, picking out my dinner. I was specifically looking for khao jee (see Week 08 - Report) and was getting disappointed when I couldn’t find any. However, as we were leaving the market, we came across a vendor selling them, to which we bought a bag full.
Once back at TBA, we quickly ate our dinner until Pi Lee came and told us to come look at the moon. Unbeknownst to me, there was a complete lunar eclipse happening tonight. We all ran to the river in order to admire the gorgeous Blood Mood. Afterwards, we went to the pond to launch our lanterns. The first step was to read some sacred text over the boats. Next, candles, incense, and sparklers were placed onto the krathongs. I then placed mine into the water and lit my candles (and my thumb!). Evidently, Eye and I are poor naval engineers as my little raft quickly went the way of the Titanic. Nevertheless, it was a great experience and I’m so lucky to be able to experience traditional Loy Krathong, especially during a Blood Moon. However, I do wonder if my sinking ship will affect my water blessing.
Teaching
This week marked the beginning of my formal teaching adventures, which I will continue to do for the rest of my duration in Thailand. Unlike my small lessons in the village, I’m actually traveling to a few local schools to teach English in actual classrooms. Honestly, the night before my first class, I was extremely nervous. After all, I’m not a real teacher; I lack a degree, experience, and formal training. After dealing with a long night of tossing and turning, I headed to my first cool with the intentions to make the most of it, come what may.
Once I walked into the school and was greeted by the students, my reservations were instantly lifted. The students were just excited to have the opportunity to learn from a foreigner; to them, the quality and content was an after thought. Of course, I’m not a slacker and came prepared with a very thorough lesson plan. We began class by practicing our handshakes and introducing ourselves. I then transitioned into going through the lesson’s presentation. However, I’m not a monster and provided the students with numerous chances to practice their speaking and pronunciation. After a few questions to check for comprehension, I had the kids complete a short worksheet with a partner. Finally, I gave them a chance to stand and be active. They completed a short mingle activity where they had to practice using the conversational vocabulary. It wasn’t much, but the kids really enjoyed the lesson.
I then had lunch at the first school and was then brought to the second school to teach another class. I used the same lesson as before and it was just as successful the second time around. Once finished, I was brought back home to which I promptly took a nap. The following day followed the same structure as before, but with a different lesson plan, obviously. The students' teachers informed me that the kids loved my class and were having such a great time. Needless to say, that made all the hassle worth it. Based on this week’s experiences, until further notice, I’ll be teaching six classes a week at four different schools. It’s a lot of running around and the classrooms can get exceptionally hot, but drive, youthful vigor, and coffee make it all work.
A Quick Update: Are you having trouble sleeping at night due to your cravings of…. If so, then I have some great news for you. The Oxford Public Ledger has graciously given me the opportunity to write weekly posts in the paper. These posts will be OPL exclusives that will differ from my normal blog posts. If you’re not a subscriber already and want to read more about my Thailand adventures, consider subscribing to the Ledger to show your support. Thank you!
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