Long Time Coming + Loy Krathong

I recently received a letter from my grandpa that mentioned that he hadn't heard from me on the blog in awhile, from which he assumed I was insanely busy and unable to write.  That is incredibly true.  I have been wildly busy at work, often coming home late and resorting to stupid television because my brain was so worn out.  However, since I love getting mail (I think I get more mail abroad than at home) and love my grandpa, I wanted to put out a blog or two about what has been happening.

Let's see.... where to begin.

Well, I have taken over a grade 8 humanities classroom, teaching population geography, human rights, and migration, something that is right up my alley.  It has taken me a bit of time to get it all together, with the IB framework and the like.  However, I love it.  I love teaching the content and really enjoy seeing firsthand what a teacher is required to do in this type of classroom.  I'm getting to know the kids in grade 8 (more on that later) and getting a feel for what these kids can do.  It is incredibly valuable experience, and the opportunity arose when a coworker decided to leave school to take care of some personal business.  Right now I'm teaching population, and will love going into the next unit, about migration.  I knew that one day my sociology degree would come in handy.

That's the busy part; there was one week where I was looking for things every night until late.  I'm still searching for interesting takes on migration, on aid, on human rights, through TED talks and the like, but I enjoy the topic so much that none of it is a challenge.  I'm thrilled to be working on this.

Amidst this teaching, I'm still trying to stay on top of the librarian thing.  It is so much more my passion, and what I'm always trying to incorporate into the school.  To that end, just a week or two ago (I've lost all track of the time), I ran a research based meeting for all the teachers.  I was anxious the whole time, because it has always been difficult for me to speak in front of my peers, but the meeting went off without a hitch.  Honestly, I was proud of the work that I did and the learning that took place under my guidance.  I'm working on an application to be a workshop leader for the IB as well, and this was a trial run.  I'm quite excited.  What a way to learn about my craft with other librarians from other schools.   More details to follow as available.

How about culture, life, etc etc etc?

My Krathong, which I bought from the lovely woman who
sells ice cream from a shop near my house.

There was a festival not long ago called Loy Krathong.  From what I could tell, it is incredibly similar to Cambodia's Water Festival, one of my favorite holidays.  There were lanterns lit and small boats of banana leaves with candles and incense and a coin for luck set out into the lake or the river.

I really enjoyed myself.  I started out with some Japanese food at one of my favorite restaurants, Kyoto.  I actually ran into one of my coworkers there, Rich, and his wife Sapai, and their son Isaac.  Isaac is hilarious; he only smiles at strangers once in awhile, and he's finally warming up to me.

At the lake in my village, getting ready to set it afloat.

I went down to the lake to enjoy the atmosphere a bit, had an ice cream from the truck, and then lit my incense and set my boat afloat.  It's such a spiritual ceremony.  I saw a lot of families praying and setting their little Krathong afloat.  It's lovely, really, seeing all the boats and their candles and the glow of the incense on the lake.  Plus, unlike Cambodia, most of the Krathong are made with banana leaves as a base, meaning that the majority of the materials would be safe to leave in the water.  Our village cleaned up the lake afterward, but if that wasn't possible, it was generally no problem.

Kim releasing a lantern to help a guy struggling in the street.

I ran into Kim and his family, so we went to have a beer together at a local restaurant and sat and enjoyed the lake side view.  We saw lots of lanterns, lots of people enjoying the evening with their families, and generally just had a good time.  Kim even helped a struggling guy release his lantern.

Apparently, the lanterns were banned this year though.  Obviously that is completely enforced.  I wanted to try my hand with a lantern, so I bought one from a local vendor and tried to set it afire near to the lake (in much the same place as the picture).

Look at that beautiful lantern!

However, being the tall white woman that I am, I was stopped mid fire from my lantern releasing activities by a Thai policeman.  It is shockingly difficult to handle these lanterns.  They are made from a really delicate paper and have the fire source attached at the bottom with thin wire.  It was really hard to handle on my own, so the guy that sold it came across the street to help me.  When the cop stopped my fun time, the guy said something to the effect of, "Aw, come on, she's a foreigner."  I still don't speak Thai, but that's the jist that I got from him.  The cop smiled at me, patted out my fire, and I left uneventfully.  I did notice the plethora of English speakers, telling me that it was against the law and the cop was just doing his job.  I'm still unsure what to make of that, but that's the story.

I bought some sparklers and decided to give them to the
Buddha that I keep in my garden, watching over all the plants.

So, I went home (with my big paper lantern hanging off my bicycle), and lit my lantern with Rizza.  She didn't participate much, or hold the lantern while I lit it like I asked, but she was there, and I celebrated all my worries and cares floating into the air.

Then, I lit some sparklers and gave them to Buddha.

It was a pretty eventful Thursday.

Cambodia: I Heart Thee

Coffee man, doing his thing in Sway

3 hours in the salon somehow made my hair straight.

Beautiful guy who owns said salon in Sway.

Trusty tailor lady from near my old place in SR.

Rice and Pork breakfast... with iced coffee and a book.

Breakfast companions: Sophal and Max.

Guey tio, noodle soup... so much more delicious in Cambo.

River shot.  They are prepping for Bon Om Tuk this week.

River II.  More practice.

Sway road near Jan's house.

G&Ts with Jan on her porch... drinking Dan and Deidre's gin too.

Jan's sanctuary.

Oops

I’m mind-boggled at how much I’ve fucked up this week.   I’m writing at the airport, completely disgusted at myself and just annoyed at the (very preventable) mistakes that I’ve made.

Biggest one: My flight was meant to be yesterday.  How I’ve lived with such a lack of awareness is beyond me.  Did it start when I booked my flight?  When I checked again yesterday?  How on earth did I miss something as simple as the day, I’m not sure.

I may have left my ATM card from Bangkok in an ATM, because it has gone and disappeared.  I’ll have to visit the bank tomorrow (or Monday) to cancel the old and get the new.  That’s annoying, and was completely preventable.  How did I do this?  How.

I bought a new suitcase in the Reap and couldn’t open it.  One of the reasons I brought this suitcase was because I was supposed to check a bag in my original plan (which was derailed when I realized that the day I showed up at the airport was one day later than it should have been). 

In other news, I made a mistake.  And I’ve learned my lesson, really.  There are things that I need to be more stressed and careful about, and that will happen more now.  Honestly, I got lucky, very lucky this time.

I was almost too late catching my flight from Bangkok because I misjudged the time.  I got lucky there, passing through every step of the process with a breeze.  I got lucky in the fact that no one has taken my money from the debit card that I haven’t been able to cancel yet.  I’m lucky that the replacement fee is minimal and simple.  I’m lucky that I was able to get a seat on this here flight and that I had the funds available to pay for it.  It was honestly incredibly reasonable.  I’m counting my blessings and taking this opportunity to reflect on my travel practices with the knowledge that things could have been so so so much worse.  Oh, and the lady let me through with scissors in my (supposed to be checked) bag because I couldn’t open it.  She said, “you have scissors?”  And I said, “of course I don’t have scissors.”  And then I remembered that I got some free scissors with the Buddha cross stitch that I purchased. 

I’m getting derailed.  I’m super happy right now. 

Like, ecstatic. 

 I started this blog out with having some troubles and some difficulties, but I’m happy with my response to them.  I’m thrilled that I’ve had a full week with my friend Sarah, that I was recognized by a multitude of people in the big SR.  I’m so happy that I had the time I had in Sway.  I had G&Ts with Jan, coffee with the Coffeeman, and a host of my favorite dishes from home. 

I couldn’t be happier.  I had a brilliant break, and I’m thrilled that even with these little difficulties, I’m dealing in such an adult way.  I noticed my ATM card was gone in Sway and had a moment of panic before getting out a second, equally useful, card to use instead.  I have money in more than one place, like an adult.  I checked my card information, saw that it hadn’t been touched, and thanked my lucky stars.  I noticed my flight details, kicked myself for a minute, and am now writing out the discomfort that I feel for my own ineptitude.  I had my moment, solved the problem, and am now on the way to my home. 

I had such a phenomenal holiday, though.  It was relaxing, starting with some swimming at the pool and ending with some nachos and beers at (Sarah’s) home.  Throughout the week, there was all sorts of visiting.  I saw Vannak and Pheakdey, some old coworkers.  I saw all my JPA kids, doing spectacular things with their schoolwork.  The kids that I taught a few years back in my trial by fire grade one teaching are doing incredibly well.  I’m proud that I had a hand in their education.  I am proud that I was able to keep them on the track that they were on and not allow their English and their phonics to slip.  I was always so worried for them, and I am well aware that they are in great hands and going great places.  Their brief interlude with a non-phonics teacher didn’t damage them. 

(Side bar: there are some blond tourists in front of me on the plane engaging in an inappropriate amount of PDA.)

I saw a bunch of people that I had little interactions with throughout my time.  I saw the lady who sold fabric in the market (she sold me a skirt, despite my lack of desire to buy a skirt…. She’s really persuasive.)  I saw my old tailor, the woman who made the majority of the clothes currently in my wardrobe right now.  I saw a couple of friends that I used to hang out with all the time given their bar right around the corner from my house.  Jacob and Carsten are a Danish couple who own a bar that they are currently renovating.  Cats…. Cats everywhere.  They are some certified cat lovers.

I spent, of course, lots of time with Sarah and her lovely boy Max.  Sophal and I ate some breakfast a few days and I was able to see the very astute Chinese businessman who owns the place I ate all the breakfast in. 

Honestly, I couldn’t have asked for a better trip.