Wow so a lot has happened since last Thursday, also known as the date of my last blog post. Last Friday was mother’s day in Thailand so it was a long weekend meaning school ended on Thursday. To celebrate mother’s day at school Go and I had to go on stage in front of the school population of 3000 and present our mother with a gift and wai. This was a formal wai meaning we had to kneel and then put our hands in a wai, (palms together) in front of face and then bend down and put or hands on the ground. This demonstrates the utmost respect for our mothers. Mother’s day in Thailand is celebrated on the same day as the Queen’s Birthday. The flower of mother’s day is jasmine. That night we went out to HOT POT Buffet for dinner. Hot Pot Buffet is a Japanese style buffet so each table has a pot with water and oil in it that heats up. Then you go to the buffet and choose what you want to cook in it. Then everyone throws it in and eats whatever they want. It was really good and it was nice to go out with the whole family. We usually don’t all eat together because Go has night classes and you just eat when you are hungry. I usually end up eating later with my host mom. It works out well though because my mom can explain to me how to eat everything and what it is called.
On Friday, we just lounged around the house. My mom spent the day gardening, I read in the little alcove out front and watch the movie Patriot on my laptop. Mostly I just slept. On Saturday my parents were bringing food to the monks at the temple, so I went with them. In the Buddhist religion it is believed that if you bring food to the temple on the date of someone’s death the food will be given to them, (or something to that effect). So one of the close friends of my mom’s parents had passed away a few years ago and every year on that day they bring food to give to them. I thought this was really interesting because I was able to see a temple and monks. I also got an insight on the Buddhist community and how a temple works. My host mom taught me how to pray too. It is the same respectful wai as for mentioned, just you wai from the kneeling position three times. After we prayed for a long time and my legs went so completely numb, we waited while the men served the monks. Females cannot touch the monks and if they give anything to them it must be wrapped in a cloth. The thought behind this is monks are virgins and shall not be exposed overly to women. After they had finished eating we ate. We had this delish meat substance covered in a lemon glaze, it was delicious.
After that my parents took me to the movies to meet up with friends. I went and saw a Thai movie about some past king fighting or something. I am not really sure what happened but I just know that first one king went and beheaded a bunch of fishermen and put their heads on stakes and the other king went and beheaded a whole village and put their heads on stakes and in the end there was a battle and the good king one. I didn’t understand the speaking but I understood the fighting and the kissing, it’s pretty understandable in any language.
On Monday, I went to school again, and I am starting too really like it. I am enrolled in a languages and arts program in grade twelve. I study French, English, Thai, Social Studies, Thai Dance, Hand Embroidery, and Art. I really like the French teachers because it is very easy to understand them. Easier, I’d say than the English teachers, just because of the accent. I have become quite the commodity at school. Everyone wants a piece of me. I am now very familiar with the Thai words for lovely and beautiful. At first just the girls would say, “oh, you so lovely!” but, now everyone, boys come up to me and say you are very beautiful and all my teachers say I am pretty too. I have one French teacher who just adores me; every time I see her she runs up and hugs me. When she was talking to the class she kept saying, “Elle est tres mignon, mignon, mignon, mignon!” (Mignon=cute) It’s very flattering but at times embarrassing to have them talk about you so much. I always just pretend I don’t hear it and continue on with what I am doing.
Last night we attended the Rotary welcome and farewell party. It was a lot more chill then the meetings in Canada. The party/meeting was held at the family of the outbound student’s restaurant and I sat with Go and two other boys at one table, the outbound student and all her friends sat at another and all the Rotarian sat together. For my presentation Go and I went on stage and he asked me questions and then translated back to the audience. It was very easy. The Rotarians presented me with a lovely necklace and purse. I handed out pins and banners to everyone and had fun practising the only sentence I know in Thai, “Sawadee ka, nu chui Shalida Satarom ka,” meaning hello, my name is Shalida Satarom. It was a fun party with lots of delicious food. There was a boy there who went to Canada for a few months so I talked with him mostly about music and what not. I have also been talking to my brother more which helps to make a lot of the situations I am in more liveable.
So, my Thai name is Shalida Satarom. Shalida (Sha-LEE-dah) means to grow and Satarom is my families last name. In Thailand everyone has a nickname too. My nickname is Karn (Kah-n) means lover or sweetheart. This confuses me a lot because I have three names to listen for now and when people ask what my name is; I never know what to tell them. I don’t mind though because I really like my names.
First, real shocker: In Thailand it is not custom to kiss or anything of that nature until after your eighteenth birthday. This really surprised me. I mean when my brother told me that the school had a rule against dating I was like oh, well I guess maybe that would be better, I mean no drama or anything but then when the girls told me this OMG! I was shocked. I am in a grade twelve class at school so all the girls are a year or two older than me, so when they asked me what is was like to kiss a boy I didn’t even know what to say or do. What I thought was rather interesting too was when I said, wait so you have never kissed a boy, they replied with no we are just little girls and it’s true. They are so much smaller; look so much younger and so much more naive. I guess if you grew up in a society where childhood innocence was custom to be kept until you actually became an adult, waiting until your 18 really isn’t that bad. I think it is quite comical though because you can tell the university students from the high school students so painfully. The university students grow their hair long and wear lots of makeup. You have to have your hair short in school and makeup is forbidden. They were short, short skirts and high heels. If you had to wear the same school uniform for six years, you probably would too. I guess it is kinda like our transition to high school. When you’re young you look to when you can go to high school so you can wear spaghetti straps to school and have a boyfriend. The difference is that nothing is dictating when you can grow up, it’s up to you. This has made me very thankful for Canada’s liberal approach to how we raise our kids.
Another, big Shocker about Thai Teenagers lives: They don’t party, or go out at night or does anything fun of that nature. So I noticed my brother spent both Friday and Saturday night at home this weekend and while I thought this was a little strange, I didn’t think much of it. I mean maybe it was an off weekend, maybe he just isn’t very social, who knows? So when I went to school and asked a bunch of different people, and found out they just stay home and watch TV I was shocked. I predicted they wouldn’t party like Westerner’s do just based on their child-like innocence but I figured they did something! Once again, Thank you mom and dad for letting me go out and have fun. I REALLY appreciate it!
Everything here is so different, but I am growing to really enjoy it. Ok, accept the uniforms, seriously those things suck. I mean forty baht fell out of my pocket today. That is two days worth of lunch or a dollar 30 Canadian! I am starting to figure this out a little bit more today. Today for example, my host dad showed me the pond in the back yard with the hundreds of fish. My aunt and I Hoola Hooped for an hour or so and I walked around and took some pictures. I am feeling more confidant and comfortable. Dare, I say I actually really like it here! Well let’s end on a happy note and say this is going to be one of the best years of my life.
Xoxo
Chantel <3
No comments:
Post a Comment