While I’ve devoted much of this blog to sharing what I have learned about Thai culture, with my service winding down I figured I would give a short round-up of some of the recent projects I’ve either spearheaded or had the chance to be a part of, to give you a bit more insight into what being a Peace Corps volunteer in Thailand entails.
Kanoms, or snacks, are a big part of life here in Thailand. You find them all over, packaged in clear, plastic bags sold for a few baht. My host mother in Suphan Buri was an ace kanom maker and her specialty is kanom kai blah. At school, some of the students learned how to make a different kanom, called kanom dok jok. You can learn too, by checking out the video!
As I may have mentioned before, my host mom is a Thai dessert expert. I tell her that she is a Kanom Queen. (Kanom means dessert or snack in Thai.) For a while I thought that she just sold them to friends and neighbors around the village and occasionally at happenings at the watt. Not so. She makes her kanoms and they are sold at the store in Suphan Buri that has every kanom imaginable. When we went to visit, her kanoms were on display right in front of the doorway. Later, my host father showed me a video on the video camera that was a recording of a Thai children’s show that my mom was a guest on, showing the kids how to make her specialty: kanom kai bplaa. more “Selling Thai Desserts, Kanoms, at a Food Festival”
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”