Monk ordinations are not the only time for dancing in the street. On April 13-15 Thailand celebrates Songkran, the traditional New Year. I posted a video of it a couple weeks ago, but I thought I would take the time to expand a little more on what happened during the festival and some of the meanings behind it.
So far during my time here in Thailand I have had the opportunity to go to two different monk ordinations. Or at least the celebrations leading up the ordination. In Thailand, every male becomes a monk for at least three months. There is even government assistance for men who take time away from work in order to become a monk.
After swearing in, we newly minted volunteers got right down to business with the Counterpart Conference. We spent the next couple days getting to know our counterparts a little bit better, communicating our expectations of each other, getting on the same page as far as Peace Corps policy and for the TCCS volunteers figuring out what co-teaching and lesson planning together meant in real time. more “Graduation and Welcoming Ceremony”
Did you know that different cultures define the beginning of a new year at different times? For example, the Jewish New Year, Rosh Hashanah, happens around September, while the Islamic New Year moves throughout the Gregorian calendar, and this year happens at the beginning of November. Traditionally in Thailand, Songkran, the Thai New Year, is on April 13th to 15th. Check out the video of some of the traditional celebrations in my village.
When I went to visit my site, I also had the opportunity to go to the opening of the Ya Mo Festival in Bua Yai. I know that those words probably don’t make sense to you so let me explain. Ya Mo is kind of the patron of Nakhon Ratchasima Province, with lots of monuments to her all around the province and a major one in the city. People always wai (place their palms together and bow their heads, a greeting and show of respect) whenever they pass her monument, including when driving. more “Peace Corps: Visiting My Village and Ya Mo Festival”
So after Thai Sport Day, we were shuttled to the National Theatre in Suphan Buri in a snazzy bus with fans mounted all on the ceiling. We made sure we were super riap roy (dressed complete and appropriately) for this event, even though we just spent the morning engaging in physical activity in the heat and humidity. more “Peace Corps: Experiencing Thai Theater”
As part of Thai Day, we learned the Thai song “Dtaa Moong Dtaa.” It literally means “Eye Sees Eye,” but more loosely translated, it refers to friendship and seeing love in the other person. My friend and language classmate Jessie lead us all to sing it together. Check it out!
In addition to spending my work week learning to speak Thai and teaching in a Thai classroom, on Saturday we have half a day dedicated to Thailand cultural and community related activities. The first Saturday in the village was the first day we spent with our families; the next Saturday we biked around our immediate areas to make maps of where we live and what was around us. Then we had “Thai Day,” which involved dressing up in Thai clothes, making Thai food, Thai dancing and eating Thai style. more “Peace Corps: Thai Culture Day”
Week two in Thailand in the books, but it feels like I’ve been here much longer. Every day I have this feeling come over me that I am exactly where I’m supposed to be, that this is exactly what I should be doing in my life. Clearly, spending 4 hours a day learning how to speak Thai and another 4 hours learning teacher basics is what I’m meant to be doing. more “Peace Corps Pre-Service Training: Second Week”