Once again, I apologize for the missed deadline, but between my thirty hours of flying and my case of jet lag, life got in the way. Also, this will be my last weekly post. I’m still planning on writing more posts about Thailand and any future adventures I have, but from now on, they’ll be on an irregular basis. Nevertheless, thank you so much for supporting my blog, and I hope you enjoy reading about my final week in Thailand.
Vessantara Festival
Wednesday marked the start of a three-day festival in the village, celebrating Gautama Buddha’s past life as Vessantara. In brief, Vessantara was a king who gave many of his possessions away, including his kingdom’s magical elephant, his children, and even his wife. Vessantara’s selflessness and commitment to reaching enlightenment are celebrated in the villages across Isan. It’s also the only previous life of the Buddha given this much significance. This festival is a way of making merit for deceased relatives and spirits, as well as a way to build good karma for the living.
A big component of this celebration involved the communal collection of flowers. Everyone from the village gathered in a line while we marched to the sound of traditional Isan music around the river. Once we reached the blooming tree, a bunch of the men cut down some flowery limbs and branches, which we collected and carried back to the temple with the branches pointed down and the flowers facing up. Once there, we knelt on the floor while the monks chanted and blessed the flowers. Afterwards, we adorned the inside of the temple with the branches and blooms.
Lastly, the monks played a large part in this celebration. Every day, every family from the village brought food to give to them in order to make merit. Additionally, some households made baskets of gifts and money, which were paraded around the village, including circling the temple three times, and presented to the monks. Perhaps the most interesting duty the monks had to do was chant the story of Prince Vessantara. This chant consists of a thousand lines and takes the monks at least twelve hours to complete without any breaks. People believe that listening to the entire chant can cause them to reach enlightenment, and practitioners also pay homage to this story by presenting a thousand balls of sticky rice to the temple.
All in all, it was an interesting experience to be a part of. I enjoyed participating in the different parades around the villages and learning about small practice details (like throwing rice at the temple for good luck). This was also the first time I’d really been involved in village activities alone, so it was nice to be able to spend some time and make memories with some new people in the village.
Parting Ways
Naturally, there were a lot of “see you later"s this week. I visited all six of my schools to return my students' exams, take photos, and say goodbye. This was quite a sad time, and I’m really going to miss seeing all of them every week. Each school did give me some Thai clothing as a traditional thank-you gift, and many of my students wrote me touching cards, so at least there will be plenty of memories and things to remember everyone by.
Additionally, my Thai “family” really went above and beyond to make this a memorable week. From giving me ingredients to bring home to making sure that I know how to cook different dishes, they really made it possible for me to bring a taste of Thailand back home. We took lots of photos, worked really hard on my Thai, and laughed so much. I’ve really grown close to everyone over the past six months, so it was especially hard to say goodbye. I’m going to miss gardening and cooking together, teaching each other new things, and just spending time with one another. As much as it pains me to leave my Plaboo home, I’m trying to remember Pa Lam’s words that it’ll always be here for me and I’m more than welcome to return as often as I’d like. After all, it’s not really a “goodbye,” but rather just a “see you again, soon.”
The Journey Home
Heading back to North Carolina was no easy or enjoyable feat. It involved over thirty-five hours of travel, five airports, three taxi rides, two delayed flights, one hotel, and a whole lot of stress. Nevertheless, I finally made it back home around 2 a.m. Sunday morning, and now I just have to deal with the crazy jet lag. I just want to thank everyone again for all the support during my travels and for keeping up with my Thailand adventures. Although this is now the end of that saga, stay tuned for some new adventures in the near future.
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