Here is an update... so much has happened since I last wrote but I will divide it into about four parts!
Number One - Chinese New Year
My whole family was up, awake, showered and out the door just before 3am. We went to four different places where we brought big offering plates of fruit and meat and also had cups of both water and alchohol. We waiied--prayed and asked or wished for things to come to us in the future year. It was an amazing experience. We waied once in town where there were many other families waing at the same time, then once at the large statue of King Narai in our town and then once at a tiny roadside monk obviously not well known and then once outside the front of our house. The next day I slept in late... and when I woke up my host cousin Mai was there with her mom and dad! That night at about 8pm we drove to the next town over Khok Samrong and at about 9pm we started walking up a mountain. It has something like almost 4,000 steps until you reach the top! It was hot and there were tons of people, it is very good luck if you are able to make it to the top of this mountain. Mai and I finally made it, preceded by my host brother and sister and followed by my host moms and aunt and uncle. At the top there was a beautiful temple and we waiied in multiple places. Then we took another short stairwayed walk to another small one room temple where there was a monk sitting and in the center of the room a large gold colored elephant. You must wai first and wish or ask one thing, then, you must try to lift the elephant. If you can lift the elephant, your wish will come true. Let me tell you, the elephant was extremely heavy! But I lifted it! After the climb back down everyone was exhausted and my cousin (who was staying in my room with me) and I barely stayed awake long enough to shower before falling to sleep. Oh and I almost forgot-- it is tradition for Chinese parents (my host dad is Chinese so this is why I got to celebrate this holiday... I feel very lucky!) to give children money on Chinese New Years... so I am $60 richer! :)
Number Two- King Narai Festival
Because Lop Buri was founded on the old palace of the Great King Narai each year, just in Lop Buri, there is a grand festival in his honor. In the festival there is a huge historical reenactment. The other exchange students and I were asked to act as French Ambassadors in the play, it was quite fun, but also quite hot! The reenactment was absolutely amazing though! As was the rest of the festival... I went to the festival every night... which ended up in me being sick now... but now the festival is over so I can get better now! It was so worth it! Singers and dancers and booths selling silks and jewelry and an AMAZING handmade bag that I fell in love with but had to break up with when I found out it was 4800 baht (aka 160 dollars). And of course, the most gorgeous display of lights ever -- it felt like Christmas in the city... even though I've never been to Christmas in the city...
Number Three- Pibulwittayalai Graduation
My school had graduation for M6 (equivalent of 12th grade). It was such a new experience, so different from America! Each class walked in just with the members of their class (unlike America, the class stays together to study every subject from 9th grade up until 12th) walked in under the school color flags while the band played the schools marching song. They were adorned with sashes, flower crowns, gifts, pins, smiles and of course... their school uniforms. They haven't gotten rid of those yet (in fact most universities in Thailand also enforce uniforms). Graduation was fun, sort of chaotic-- with music and dancing and people running to and fro, photos and hugs and smiles and a few tears. It was so unlike American graduation and I really enjoyed it. It was sad to say goodbye to my class though, I am truly so very thankful for everyone in my class 6/13. They were all so kind and welcoming to me and I wish them all the best of luck in college and the years to come! Maybe I will meet you all again one day!
After graduation we were finally allowed to swim in the pool that was built at my school this year! No one was allowed to swim in it even though it's been done for about 2 months now!
Number Four- Lake
After graduation ended and all the goodbyes were said, photos taken, shirts signed and flowers given I headed off into the mountains of Lop Buri with a bunch of other exchange students. We went swimming a large lake about half an hour away from Lop Buri city, it was so much fun and a refreshing way to end a beautiful but saddening day.
Here is the link to my photos of King Narai Palace --> King Narai Festival 2013
Here is the link to my photos of Graduation --> Pibulwittayalai M6 Graduation <3
(my class is wearing maroon sashes)
Sorry for this post being ridiculously hurried and I apologize for all the mistake I have surely made with my English... I'll write back as soon as I can! Life is crazy busy right now and I'm loving it! Stay healthy and warm in Alaska! And everyone else who is not in Alaska have a great day!
Kearn
Friday, February 22, 2013
Tuesday, February 19, 2013
กรุงเทพ Bangkok
I wrote this in mid January but never posted it... but here is my unfinished, unedited account of my view out the window as I headed to Bangkok on the public van.
We pass shady little creeks covered in floating leaves and algae, bright green rice fields that fade into the misted distance- you can still make out the trees, light grey shapes in the mist. Two tiny boys sitting by the edge of a river fishing. Then the tall grandeur of a temple. Abundant corn fields, concrete water towers and dump trucks moving rocks causing billows of dust that momentarily obscure my view. Banana trees and little sala's where people sit and wait for a bus or van, one single truck sits out on the edge of a rice field under a tree... Dusty, large, tall houses with high gates are followed by tiny squat homes made of concrete and sheet metal.
Like I said, unfinished, but maybe it gives you an idea of what it's like to go partway to Bangkok by van.
kearn
We pass shady little creeks covered in floating leaves and algae, bright green rice fields that fade into the misted distance- you can still make out the trees, light grey shapes in the mist. Two tiny boys sitting by the edge of a river fishing. Then the tall grandeur of a temple. Abundant corn fields, concrete water towers and dump trucks moving rocks causing billows of dust that momentarily obscure my view. Banana trees and little sala's where people sit and wait for a bus or van, one single truck sits out on the edge of a rice field under a tree... Dusty, large, tall houses with high gates are followed by tiny squat homes made of concrete and sheet metal.
Like I said, unfinished, but maybe it gives you an idea of what it's like to go partway to Bangkok by van.
kearn
Small Packages
I think one of the best things about travelling is also the worst. Travelling leads you to meet so many amazing, wonderful, new people from all over the world, with new and strange ideas and cool senses of humor and different directions in life. In this way, travel is awesome. But, at the end of your conversation, what is there? Perhaps an exchange of emails or facebook names, but this person, these people who you could so easily become fast friends with are gone. Leaving people I suddenly care about and want to know more closely truly breaks my heart.
This is an excerpt from my journal from a few weeks ago when I left the children and volunteers at camp in Chiang Rai. Really though, I think this can be applied to many things. I'm not sure if I have ever mentioned in my blog anything about the two AFS exchange students who I happened to run into a few days before my first day of school... they taught me how to order lunch at the chaotic cafeteria, hugged me when I needed a hug and gave me the advice and encouragement that I needed to be able to realize some things about my own character. My eyes are tearing up while I write this as I remember the day they left... it was almost just like another ordinary day at school except when the final bell rang and we all stood up from our usual seats around the table we could all feel it. This was the last time we would see each other... perhaps forever... or at least, for a very long time. I tried my best not to cry, but of course, I did not succeed. It's now been two months since they left, which seems crazy because looking back, the four months that I knew them was nothing in the scheme of time and life... but I suppose even small things can have a big impact. (Shout out Naomi and Angela, I love you two!) Another example would be English camp, though I stayed with the kids for only two days in my life which is now 6099 days long some of my most treasured memories were shared with them. I guess my whole point is that sometimes the best presents come in small packages, sometimes seconds can change our lives and sometimes we have to remember to be thankful for what happened rather than sad that it is over.
kearn
This is an excerpt from my journal from a few weeks ago when I left the children and volunteers at camp in Chiang Rai. Really though, I think this can be applied to many things. I'm not sure if I have ever mentioned in my blog anything about the two AFS exchange students who I happened to run into a few days before my first day of school... they taught me how to order lunch at the chaotic cafeteria, hugged me when I needed a hug and gave me the advice and encouragement that I needed to be able to realize some things about my own character. My eyes are tearing up while I write this as I remember the day they left... it was almost just like another ordinary day at school except when the final bell rang and we all stood up from our usual seats around the table we could all feel it. This was the last time we would see each other... perhaps forever... or at least, for a very long time. I tried my best not to cry, but of course, I did not succeed. It's now been two months since they left, which seems crazy because looking back, the four months that I knew them was nothing in the scheme of time and life... but I suppose even small things can have a big impact. (Shout out Naomi and Angela, I love you two!) Another example would be English camp, though I stayed with the kids for only two days in my life which is now 6099 days long some of my most treasured memories were shared with them. I guess my whole point is that sometimes the best presents come in small packages, sometimes seconds can change our lives and sometimes we have to remember to be thankful for what happened rather than sad that it is over.
kearn
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