Category: Peace Corps

I served as a Peace Corps volunteer in Thailand from 2013 to 2015. I worked as a Primary Teacher Trainer and lived in Isaan, the rural northeast of the country. In these posts, you’ll find information relating to Peace Corps and things related to the program and agency, as well as official Peace Corps work from my time in Thailand. For Thailand specific information, check out the Thailand category.

Folklore of Thailand: Naga Fireballs

July 15, 2014

This past weekend was the beginning of Vassa, otherwise known as Buddhist Lent, which I wrote about last year. This year, I went to one of the biggest celebrations of this holiday, the Candle Festival in Ubon Ratchathani. These state instituted holidays don’t really fall under the umbrella of “folklore,” per se, but there is some folklore related to the ending of Buddhist Lent, called Ork Phansa, with unexplained fireballs rising out of the Mekong River.

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Bpai Tiao Video: Vassa and the Candle Festival 2014

July 13, 2014

In Thailand, a bpai tiao is a trip of any length. I’ve written about some of my more significant bpai tiaos to tourist destinations here, to be used as travel ideas and tips.

Every year just before the rainy season, Thailand marks the beginning of Vassa, also known as Buddhist Lent. In Ubon Ratchathani, they host what is known as the Candle Festival every year to mark Vassa. Enormous, carved wax candles are made and drawn as floats in a parade through town. Check it out!

Folklore of Thailand: Good Luck Tapestries

July 8, 2014

In my last post about amulets and charms in Thailand, I ended with a short bit on the waan nang kwak, or a figure of a beckoning woman that is displayed in shops in Thailand as a way of encouraging business. That is a good segue into other things that are displayed in shops that are meant to bring the shop good luck and lots of business: nang kwak as well as crocodile and Suvannamaccha, a Hindu mermaid, pha yant or tapestry. The figures represented on the pha yant are rooted in myths and stories as well as the more mystic beliefs of local spirits.

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Folklore of Thailand: Amulets and Charms

July 4, 2014

A must-see list for any trip to Thailand inevitably includes a number of the gorgeous wats, or temples, that fill the country. From Bangkok’s Wat Phra Keaw to Chiang Mai’s Wat Chedi Luang, from Chiang Rai’s Wat Rong Khun to Petchabun’s Wat Paa Son Gaeow, from Si Saket’s Wat Lan Khuat to Bueng Kan’s Wat Phu Tok, wats are quite literally the center of village life in Thailand. Any trip to most any temple will show how folk beliefs and Buddhism have melded into the current practice of wearing and displaying khong khlang (ของลัง), or amulets and charms, which can be purchased at or near the temples. But what do these amulets and charms supposedly do and how do they get their powers?

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Bpai Tiao Video: Phi Ta Khon (Ghost Festival) 2014

June 29, 2014

In Thailand, a bpai tiao is a trip of any length. I’ve written about some of my more significant bpai tiaos to tourist destinations here, to be used as travel ideas and tips.

Earlier this year, I decided that there were a bunch of festivals all over Thailand that I had to go to. The one that I was most excited about going to was the Phi Ta Khon Festival in Loei, which I just got back from. Phi Ta Khon, or the Ghost Festival is so colorful and fun. Check out the video for yourself!

A Short History of Buddhism in Thailand

June 24, 2014

Thailand reports that about 96% of its population is Buddhist. But what does that mean? How did Buddhism come to Thailand and how have I experienced that history? What shape does Buddhism take in current daily life situations? How many days off a year do I get because of Buddhist holidays? Well, like Julie Andrews sang in “The Sound of Music,” let’s start at the very beginning, it’s a very good place to start.

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