It is nearly impossible to buy any kind of skincare product here in Thailand that doesn’t have skin bleaching properties in it. Fair skin is the beauty standard here and in order to achieve that look, women buy whitening products. Check out this news report for more.
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, usually sometime in November, Thailand celebrates Loi Krathong. It’s believed that the holiday originated in the ancient capital city of Sukhothai. Part of the traditions for celebrating include releasing small floats on bodies of water and floating lanterns in the sky.
I recently had some visitors come to my rural village in Thailand. Since school had recently started up again, I decided to have them come and help me out in my classes. We played a bunch of games to review what was taught last semester. Everyone had a ton of fun!
Most of the time, my experiences with Thai superstitions are watching my friends and community members practice them. However, recently, I was directly involved with one. I tell the story in the video.
While I was in Luang Prabang, Laos, there was a handicraft festival going on. There were dozens of booths of handicrafts from all over. However, in addition to the handicrafts, there was also a stage showcasing cultural performances. The evening I was there, I got to see a variety of dance performances. Some of them are quite similar to the traditional dances I’ve seen in Thailand. But, there were also some b-boys that were pretty good.
Since it’s bpit term, it’s the best time to take an extended vacation. I decided to take a two week trip into Thailand’s ASEAN neighbor, Laos. I read about being able to take a boat ride down the Mekong River from Chiang Rai to the UNESCO Heritage City, Luang Prabang. The trip takes two days, and has beautiful views along the river. Check it out!
It’s the end of the first semester, and so the students are going on field trips as a bit of a celebration. Recently, the upper grades went to Chonburi for the day. However, the lower grades were not to be left out. The younger kiddos went to the Korat Fossil Museum and the Korat Zoo.
Because my house is essentially a garage, my front door is a big rolling door with a small gap when closed. Additionally, one of my co-workers recently brought me a kitten when she found out that I was missing my cat. So, when a crab scuttled underneath my front door, the kitten had a fun new toy to play with. Check it out.
As I’ve mentioned, most learning in Thai classrooms is done through rote memorization. My job is as a teacher training, and I want to help my co-teachers to learn more student-centered teaching techniques. Part of that has involved introducing fun and games into the classroom. It hasn’t always been easy, but thankfully my co-teachers are willing to give it a shot. Check out some of our classroom activities!
Back in Pre-Service Training, on Thai Day we learned some very simple traditional Thai dance moves. Since moving to my village, I’ve had the chance to see some pretty beautiful Thai dances. Because I live in Isaan, or Northeastern Thailand, most of the dances I’ve seen use Isaan music. Check out some of these clips of the dancing I’ve seen!