Fulbright's Visit, Dressing Up Thai, and Last Day Teaching Teachers

Last Wednesday I was a little bit nervous: On Thursday my two head Fulbright directors were traveling all the way to Ubon to interview students, teachers, and even parents...about me! AND, they were not interviewing me at all. In preparation for it, Mahh Lahng had her neighbor sew a BEAUTIFUL Isaan patterned piece of fabric into a traditional skirt for me. I wore it to school on Thursday, and my students LOVED it. They kept telling me how beautiful I looked and feeling the skirt. My directors also loved it and told me that I looked like a "kon Thai" (Thai person). For about an hour and a half in the afternoon P'Tip and P'Kee interviewed my favorite, best students (strategically picked out for the interview by P'Nuan without my knowing haha), and the feedback was very positive. Apparently they discussed how I teach, but no one told me much else (one thing I am really looking forward to about returning to America is feeling "in the loop" again!) It felt really good when P'Kee sat down and told me, "Your students love you." That's about all of the information I got though. They also brought me really delicious doughy Thai kanom. It felt so odd to have my directors at my school! When the meetings were over, I accompanied them to the school farm and showed them around a bit while many of my school administrators shmoozed with them. UGH I guess politics are everywhere (my school wants to continue to get Fulbrights, and my Fulbright directors were also quizzing parents, students, and teachers on why they value having a Fulbright at their school). I also showed P'Tip and P'Kee my decorated classroom, which I am very proud of. They asked me where I found the blow up "Letter People" that are streamed across my room and how much they cost (shout out to Ellen!) They asked if I planned on leaving all of my materials at school for next year, and I told them of course. They both also commented on my Thai...they were very impressed! P'Kee kept asking me how and where I had learned. I told her about the student who stayed after school helping me last semester, Bow, and about my Thai family in Ubon. I was exhausted after the stressful day (even though I really didn't do anything for it) but I still remembered to go to Big C (like Wal-Mart) to pick up some special treats for the next day- my last day teaching all Kru Kai teachers (school directors). I have been teaching English to neighboring district's school directors for 2 hours every Friday afternoon for the past semester.

The next morning Mahh Lahng called me at 6:30am to make sure that I didn't forget to meet her at the hair salon to get my hair braided. It was the last day that I would be teaching teachers, and, upon request, I had been asked last week to dress up in traditional Thai attire (I am always happy to dress up, and I had never done it yet... Dressing up in fancy Thai clothes was on my Thailand bucket list!!!) Mahh Lahng had the brilliant idea of getting my hair braided, too. We were going all out! However, even though I told her I get picked up at 715am by P'Nuan, Mahh Lahng did not "hear" me (per usual hahah). I was, as I should have known, a good 15  minutes late. Mahh Lahng and her daughter, P'Lew, lent me their beautiful silk skirt, lacey blouse, and then Mahh Lahng tied on a blue and gold jeweled wedding sash, and secured it with a silver jingly pin. She also secured a silver jingly belt around my waist, clasped on a gold and diamond bracelet around my wrist, and the best part of the whole outfit: a beautiful, large, jeweled pendant of His Royal Majesty the King ("Nai Luang"). As I was running out the door she handed me some red, white, and blue crystal earring studs to "put on in the car!" I was so Thailand!

I will never forget stepping out of the car at school. P'Nuan didn't park, so I was forced to get out in front of EVERYONE playing on the kindergarten wing. Everyone stared and stared and just looked at me. Some little girls had grins that stretched all the way from ear to ear. Two teachers walking past me stopped to chat, feel my fabric, ask how much it cost, ask to see the way my skirt clasped, ask who braided my hair, ask how much my hair braid cost, and to take a few pictures. Hilarious. This was my entire day. Throughout the day, students were coming up to me telling me how beautiful I looked. Even the boys!!! (I love that about Thai culture- boys can complement girls on looking pretty and it doesn't mean that they are flirting or like them...American boys take note!) At the end of 9th grade, one of my favorite lady boys came up to me and goes, "Today, Kruu Emily is more beautiful than Miss Universe Thailand!" AWW that's such a sweet complement! Another sweet student, P, noticed my red white and blue earrings and told me "I like your earrings." (So cute!) I dressed up for the teachers I teach at District Area 4 (such a scary name right? actually the name of the administration building for my school, maybe a 20 minute drive away) but it was the STUDENTS who I didn't realize would love it so much. When I think about it, I am dressing up in a fashion that my students understand, so they can therefore appreciate it.

My driver who picks me up to teach the teachers at District Area 4 was half an hour late, or at least I thought he was; he had parked in a different spot and just assumed that I would know. He didn't ask one of the hundreds of students around him to come and get me. Meanwhile, I keep checking where he normally parks, and was waiting in my classroom. I ended up showing up to class 30 minutes late. (So frustrating because it was just so STUPID!) I was completely flustered. However, as soon as my teachers saw me they didn't care at all that I was late! We spent the first 20 minutes of class taking pictures (actually). I taught an extra half hour. No one cared that I was late (I keep forgetting that Thais are always late, and being on time is not a priority the way it is in the West). One Thai teacher even told me that I "looked more beautiful than a  Thai woman." I know that this was a deep complement on her part, but I was uncomfortable with it because of the obvious race implications. Bottom line: The teachers were REALLY excited that I dressed up, and I didn't forget my small cakes at school. I passed out the treats right away, and everyone loved them! Two people asked me what bakeshop I bought them from after class, to which I told them "Big C" haha. Then to my surprise, the teachers had pooled together and bought me a goodbye present! Kaew, one of my favorite teachers and best students, handed me some beautiful silk alibaba pajama pants! (Perfect for me!) Per tradition, we spent another 5 minutes posing for pictures with one of the male teachers handing me the gift (I haven't figured out if this is because he's a man or because he's oldest or what, because he definitely didn't remember it was my last day!) Hilariously though, when he realized it was my last day he gave my "goodbye and thank you" speech, which is custom in Thailand. (Thais are very big on someone "opening" ceremonies, "closing" ceremonies, gratefully addressing/ thanking people...I love this aspect of the culture). Then they asked me if I was free (now!) and I was! The teachers all took me out for dinner :) It was such a special, beautiful ending to a great, fun semester of teaching them.

At dinner, a defining moment in my year happened. A little, chubby, dirty girl carrying a very heavy laundry basket with sliced mangoes and grapefruits stopped by our table soliciting. I was still wearing my formal Thai attire, and she just stared at me. It felt like hours went by. She just stared at me- not blinking, not smiling. The other teachers were laughing...it was pretty funny. She was mesmerized! I don't know if I was the only white person she'd ever seen, or if it was my sparkly Thai attire, or if it was a combination of the both, but she couldn't take her eyes off of me. Several minutes later, some of the teachers started talking with her. We invited her to put her basket down and sit and eat with us.We had just about finished our meal, but there was so much food leftover. We got her a plate and she ate everything from the fried pork to the steamed morning glory to the Tom Yum Goong soup, to which she excalimed "pet!" (spicy). We asked for water for her. We also purchased 4 or 5 of her fruits. She wanted to learn how to say "grape fruit" in English, exclaiming "mai dai yin" (I didn't hear) when I told her the first time. She barely spoke a word the entire time, but she told us she was 7 years old, and that she sold fruit everyday. I couldn't help but think of what I was doing when I was 7 years old on a Friday night. I was probably eating pizza in my basement with my childhood best friend Annie, watching a Mary Kate and Ashley Blockbuster movie. This little girl was carrying a heavy basket, working, helping to support her family, sitting at a table making small talk with complete grown up strangers. Eating their leftovers. Life is so unfair. When this little girl grows up, will she remember this night? Is she invited to eat with her patrons often? What does her future hold for her?

From dinner, one of the teachers drove me home. On the way, however, he wanted to stop at his son's bakery, called "The Soft Cake Bake Shop."His son was really nice and spoke excellent, fast English (he'd studied for a year at Berkeley). His son let me sample many different cakes, cookies, and even ice cream! I bought lots of baked goods as well. (It was cute too, because he was so excited about his different "Western" desserts, and while they were very tasty, they still did not hold a candle to American baked goods. This is something I can't really explain, but for anyone who's visited Thailand, you know what I mean about the baked goods looking really pretty but not tasting like they should).

The next morning I told P'Nuan about my last day and that the teachers took me out to dinner on a whim, and her response was "Why didn't you call me?" This is such a typical P'Nuan, Thai-mother type response. I didn't call her because it didn't even cross my mind, because she has not been a part of my Friday afternoons teaching this group, and because I don't have any obligation to invite her with me every second of my day. (So ungracious, yet so Thai acceptable).

P'Tip walking to see my school farm's chicken coup

Outside of the chicken house, and one of the contributing

factors for why I am becoming a vegetarian!

P'Tip (center) in front of the top students from

all of my classes hahaha. Photo credit: TUSEF

This cloud was UNREAL.

Beautiful Isaan countryside

Candid shot in front of Mr. Ken's house

From right: Mahh Sandra, P'Nuan, P'Kee, P'Tip, 

Mahh Vanessa, Mr. Ken, ME!

P'Tip, Me, P'Kee

The school bus at my school...time for students to go home!

Krim is walking with her red backpack, and Boss (the boy on the

 the right in M.4/1) looks on. The boy wai-ing is one of my best in M.1/2 

I am so fascinated by these school buses! 

So glad I got some pics to remember.

Also, everyone is dressed in their "scout" uniforms

Some students climb to ride on TOP of the bus

Bye bye!

I tried to get a picture of the 3 or 4 students sitting with 

the driver in the front seat! (Poor driver...what a job!)

In America this school bus would make national news.

In Northeastern Thailand, it's just the way you get home.

Helping out my friend, Adam, with a film project at NYU

called "Moral Courage." He is collecting pics from around the world.

The water buffalo, the red dirt road, and my Isaan print skirt :)

Love this one. The rice paddy is such a vibrant green 

during the rainy season! Also, how Thai (Laos!) do I look?!

All day I joked with people, "Wanni Am On been Sow Laos!"

(Today I am a Laotian lady!)

Dress up day #2: Thai formal wear!

In my classroom with P'Nuan

Eating lunch with P'Nancy in her classroom

P'Tony, Mr. Sam, Me, P'Peter

Everyone wanted a pic with me haha

Love the little girl in yellow smiling in the background!

On the playground

Near the school flagpole

Taking pictures with our college student-teachers

Such a special day! 

The coolest part of my outfit: 

A gold painted pendant of the King!

(Also, how beautiful is my sash?!)

Despite showing up half an hour late to teach teachers 

on their last day, all they wanted to do was take photos.

Group shot!

(The man on the left is the one who took me to his son's bakery)

Centered between the King and Queen...how perfect!

Me with the teacher who requested that I 

dress up "Thai" the previous week :)

The teachers INSISTED that I take some pictures showing

me "teaching." Today's lesson was on telling time.

Me with a blank-clock face worksheet!

Such a good student!

I am a very serious teacher... :)

The presenting of the silk alibaba pajama pants!

Opening the box...

Looks like they'll fit!

Wai-ing everyone to thank them :)

Goofing around 

These two women at left were the ones who organized

the purchase of the silk alibaba pajama pants, I think.

Be on the lookout for pics with me wearing them in future posts ;-)!