ROCKET DAY!

This post really should be divided into 2 posts, because it was actually 2 days and I uploaded 70 photos! However, it was all "one" whirlwind adventure in my mind, so I am making it one post :)

I showed up at school last Wednesday dressed and prepared to teach. However, little did I know that it was (drum roll) "Rocket Day." What is Rocket Day you ask? Well I had the same question. Girls everywhere were getting their hair teased and their faces powdered (white, of course). It was as if I was backstage at a performance of some sort. Instead of regular classes, there was a huge village-wide parade and celebration. Rocket Day reminded me of Sports Day (way back), but much larger. The villagers were all involved too. Girls dressed up and danced traditionally in the parade (really beautiful),  as well as the lady boys (hilarious). There were huge trucks carrying speakers, and even huger trucks carrying HUGE homemade bamboo rockets. (I've never seen anything like this in the states!) Also, all of the drunk village men came out- whiskey in hand. Thais are not kidding when they talk about their drunk husbands or fathers...when I say "drunk," I mean DRUNK. However, the day was an absolute blast. Good old fashioned fun for everyone! I especially like that the teachers are involved in the village as well, and that the school integrates the outside community (can you imagine going to the 4th of July parade with your TEACHERS?!) Additionally, I really really enjoyed that many teachers put the older students in charge of leading/ protecting the younger students. One of the things that I love so much about Baan Ku Muang School is that it has students as young as kindergarten, and as old as ninth grade. The older students really help the younger students, and the younger students look up to the older students.

On Thursday, having not been told that it was Day 2 of Rocket Day, I again showed up prepared to teach. However, there was a tv crew at school (Thai Teacher TV) and some students were working at the farm while the tv crew filmed. It was amazingly fun because I loitered around the farm watching and helping a bit. I got to see how Thais keep 200 chickens in a coup and collect eggs (and tally how many eggs each chicken has produced/ day). I watched the ducks swim about and the toads ribbit in their netted pen. I also talked with a really silly black pig (which I know will be eaten soon :/) and learned how to collect rice. I watched (really young!) students prepare a BEAUTIFUL meal of fried fish with vegetables, peanuts and chilis, mango salad, and fresh mushrooms. It was a blast! I was introduced to the producer of the show (his name is "Pai" meaning Bamboo) and I was SHOCKED when he opened his mouth and spoke fluent English. It turns out that he went to university in London (no wonder). Anyways, we hit it off, traded emails, went out to dinner that night together (which my school principal CHAPERONED- hilarious) and it was just a really fantastic day. THEN P'Noon took my to the village pond center to see the rockets being launched. Nothing could have prepared me for this- it was one of the FUNNIEST things I have ever seen. It was so dangerous. These "bamboo and rice whiskey" rockets were launched from home-made, super shaky huge bamboo ladders, as children watched below. Yes, these rockets blast into the sky and could easily kill many people if they misfired. Never in America, but definitely in Thailand :)

Oh, and the explanation for WHY there is a "Rocket Day"? I quote, "to let Gods know want rain!"

It was SO much fun for me to see so many of my students there with their families, and they all waied me and said hello...so respectful! However, it was mainly men there, and never have I felt like I stood out so much or was stared at so much. I remember when I moved to Ubon I felt stared at, but now after having lived here for 8 months, there is a huge difference between a city like Ubon (yes, I now consider Ubon a city) and the village where I teach. At the village where I teach, I know that I really am the only white person some of the people have ever seen in their whole lives.

Enjoy the pictures...these ones are really good! The final picture of this post is a special treat. (Ever seen a monsoon flood? :))

Tonight I am heading to Bangkok for the weekend. I have an appointment at the US Embassy tomorrow to add extra passport pages, and at night I have a US State Department reception. It will be a very "American" day in Bangkok! On Saturday I am going to an art exhibit with my new friend Bamboo (Pai) :)

Wednesday morning

Students prepare for the Rocket Day parade.

P'Nuan and other teachers help tease girls' hair.

Is every Thai woman born knowing how to do this or something?

With hair done, powdered faces (white of course) are next.

The whole school listens to Paw Arnold speak.

Two of my former students, now graduated 

and off at secondary school. They look 

so great in their "college" uniforms!

Walking to the village's wat to see the parade.

(Notice the taller boy in purple on the right- in charge 

of the youngsters in the yellow shirts. I love that!)

If this doesn't scream "village," I don't know what does!!

Whiskey-drunk, happy, cross dressing men.

Two of my favorite students!

(I don't really understand why they're wearing cowboy hats, but 

they're wearing sweatshirts to try and  keep their arms white from the sun)

Two of my FAVORITE M.1/1 students

Dao and Ni

My first rocket siting

(Look at that thing!)

I love this so much! Leading the parade are portraits of the Father

and Mother of Thailand: HRM the King and HRH the Queen!

The cotton candy man!!!

This little girl was SO cute with her elephant balloon.

(Didn't quite capture all of her cuteness in this pic)

It's me and my M.1/1 girls who wanted to take care

of me at the parade (so SWEET!)

Marching to the village wat

Ladies dancing traditional Thai dance ("dten ram")

A family selling watermelons (on truck) just outside of the wat.

Balloons and meatballs for sale!

Inside the wat grounds

The parade continues to the wat

This group of dancers was made up of the village's grandmothers!

Truck with a boom box. One of my favorite memories of Thailand.

My students!

One of my students...so beautiful!

P'Peter, our school's technology guy, sets up his video

camera to record the students/ parade.

A dragon decorated truck, bearing a huge rocket

(the rockets can just barely be seen up top!)

One of my lady boys dances with the ladies!!!

More groups of performers

Love this.

Children, their mothers, and their umbrellas watch the parade.

Yes.

This is so normal in Thailand. There is no such thing as

a noise violation in Thailand. I find it beyond hilarious.

How many drunk men do you see?

(Answer: The guy with the flowers in his hair (left) was stumbling

around with his beer, and the guy in the monster mask (middle))

A drunk cross dresser. Not bad, huh?

Em and the lady boys!

Integrating myself within the community? Check.

Helping promote mutual understanding? Check.

Fulfilling the Fulbright mission everyday ;)

I want his shoes.

More dancers!

Look at her long finger decorations (to make her fingers

appear even more graceful and bend "backwardsy")

An elevated rice storage structure (silo?! no..)

Hanging out at the school farm, watching the child cooks work magic!

(And I love his little white chef's hat)

Fresh, marshy rice

(We are officially in the rainy season!)

This is how chickens are kept in a real Thai farm.

They lay their eggs and the eggs are "caught" in 

the wire underneath and roll forward. It made me sad 

though that the chickens are in such small cages :(

Made me even sadder to know that it's WAY worse in America...

200 chickens

Who's under those big hats?

Two happy farmers helping out with the rice gathering!

THIS IS SO COOL!

Our school is growing our own mushrooms! 

I have no idea how you do this, or how you make sure 

the kind of fungus you want to grow, grows!

Students working the fields with our school director,

as Thai Teacher TV films.

My friend the big black pig. He really was missing his mud,

but doing the best he could in the little bit he hadn't knocked over.

I got in an argument with a Thai teacher over whether pigs are 

smarter than dogs. (Obviously pigs are smarter...look at the research!)

She was shocked. 

Then she asked why we eat pigs if they're smarter than dogs

but not dogs? I responded to her, "good question..."

My whole view on meat has changed this year. I think I am going

to try being a vegetarian once I return to America.

Mushrooms and the various dressings you can eat them with!

Students cooking up a feast!

Oh you know, just a banana bunch hanging in the kitchen

ripening. If you want to eat a banana, just pull one off!

Such delicious food and kind teachers!!! 

(And my favorite kitty...Mom and Dara met this cat!)

Some Thai teachers, me, and Pai.

The Thai countryside is so pretty.

Vendors at the Rocket Launch site.

Check out all of the WHISKEY varieties for sale!

Fair games- you can shoot balloons or cans with 

that gun and win a stuffed animal!!

Men launched the rockets from that thing

Ha ha ha hahaha

...And then ran away from all of the smoke

Getting ready to launch a rocket!

Villagers gather round the pond to watch.

Even monks want to see the bamboo rice whiskey rockets launch!

(Just proving that boys will be boys...)

This ladder was my favorite. 

How many drunk Thai men does it take to launch a bamboo rocket?

This was the "finale" rocket.

Do you see how HUGE it is?!

There were legitimately 13 men helping to carry it.

Villagers, mainly men, hang out and watch the commotion.

Look! Baby rockets for your kids to play with!

Men on their motorcycles.

The finale rocket!

(Are you surprised? The rockets REALLY launched high...)

And then it looked like a bomb went off and all you

could see were children running.

Some local Thai fruits for sale.

P'Noon is not beating Gratik, our school dog.

He followed us into the bathroom and stubbornly wouldn't move.

If you've ever had a dog, we've all been there.

Check out this beautiful river next to my house! NOT.

It's monsoon season. Many of the streets flood- forcing 

people to take off their shoes and wade through almost

foot-deep water. I generally am not afraid of snakes, 

except when you're barefoot wading your way through

murky tropical storm water.