Tag: culture

For the Love of Karaoke in Thailand

March 4, 2014

I’m writing this on a Friday night and a raging karaoke party is bumping right outside my door and has been for the past couple hours. I foresee it going a couple more. I ventured out at the beginning of the party to get some stuff from the raan kai ka, or little store and closed my door when I came home as I did not have the energy to try and join the festivities this time. But I did try to analyze karaoke in an Asian context as opposed to a Western one. more “For the Love of Karaoke in Thailand” …

Peace Corps Week 2014 Video: Laura and Zack

March 2, 2014

In honor of Peace Corps Week this year, the team at headquarters in Washington is holding a video contest. The theme is “What I Wish Americans Knew.” My friends and fellow volunteers, Zack and Laura, created a really great video. Check it out!

So Much Fun at the 2014 Thai Youth Theatre Festival

February 25, 2014

Right around this time last year, my group, Thailand 125, watched videos made by the group before us that advertised all the different committees of volunteers working here in Thailand. They ranged from HIV/AIDS Outreach committee to the Project Resource Committee to Sticky Rice Newsletter to the Thai Youth Theatre Project Committee. I was drawn to a number of them, and applied for quite a few and was selected to be an editor of the volunteer produced newsletter Sticky Rice and to be the Deputy Director of Public Relations for the Thai Youth Theatre Committee.

A group of my students have been preparing to perform at the annual Festival, the culminating event of the TYT Project, which was this past weekend. Nearly 140 students from 13 different communities came together in Lopburi to learn about singing, dancing, mask making, shadow puppets and sword fighting and to perform a short play entirely in English that they had prepared in front of the rest of the participants. I’ll let the pictures from this weekend speak for themselves. more “So Much Fun at the 2014 Thai Youth Theatre Festival” …

Woman Monk’s Fight for Equality in Thailand

February 16, 2014

A group of Peace Corps volunteers recently held the first Girls Leading Our World (GLOW) camp in Thailand. One of the aims of this camp is to build the confidence and broaden the horizons of girls. The organizers invited a female monk to come and speak to the girls. In Thailand, only men are allowed to be monks, but these women are challenging the status quo. Check out this documentary about them!

Comparing Cold Seasons: United States and Thailand

January 31, 2014

The U.S. has been experiencing quite a bit of extreme weather lately. The Polar Vortex is encapsulating swaths of the country and plunging it into sub-zero temperatures. It was even the lead story on a lunchtime news show here in Thailand, with the video showing piles of white powder that my community has never seen in real life and cannot even fathom what such an environment is like. The lady that I always buy pineapple from in the market asked me if it was cold in America, to which I replied, “Ka! Naao mak mak! He-ma dtok leao, loei, ka!” (Yes, very cold, the snow has fallen a lot already!)

more “Comparing Cold Seasons: United States and Thailand” …

A Closer Look at the Architectural Details of Wats

January 26, 2014

Wats, or Buddhist temples, are everywhere in Thailand. And for as many temples as there are, there are just as many different styles. However, many of them share similarities as well. Check out the video of some of the details of Thailand’s temples.

Bpai Tiao: One Day Must See Chiang Mai

January 21, 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.

I finally made it up to the northern city of Chiang Mai, a place that other volunteers regularly rave about. But this wasn’t just any bpai tiao, I went to Chiang Mai to attend the 34th Annual Thailand TESOL International Conference along with two other Peace Corps volunteers, my counterpart Kruu Ning and five other counterparts. Kruu Ning had also never been to Chiang Mai, so we arrived early in the morning the day before the conference started to give us a chance to tour around to some of the highlights of the area.

more “Bpai Tiao: One Day Must See Chiang Mai” …

Possibly the Most Thai Video Ever

January 19, 2014

Thailand seems to constantly have music playing. One of the really popular songs right now is called ผมรักเมืองไทย (pom rak mueng thai), which mean “I Love Thailand.” This is not the official music video for this song, but it very much encapsulates Thailand – he ends up dancing in front of a 7-11. Check it out!