Lots to be Thankful For

Neighbors to the right in the midst of a huge coconut-drying operation



Sporting my rice-farmer's hat

No one tells you that the cool season is a bout of highs and lows of chilly weather mixed with a few erratic legitimately hot days. I resolve to wear the same attire I have since I arrived in 100 degree + weather. In hindsight, if I were to trade the cool season for the rainy season, I'd definitely choose the cool season. There is more consistency at night with clammy, refreshing breezes and I find myself only using my fan to drown out noisy, drunken neighbors. As my dad used to say during autumn and early spring, it's good sleeping weather.

An update on my health: Like everything, the sickness, too, has passed for the time being and I'm enjoying good health once again. I was hit twice with flu-like symptoms of which, a friend of mine thinks could have very well been H1N1. It remains a mystery. Apparently, taking freezing bucket showers while the weather is 'cool' does not help ward off sickness. This change has prompted another adjustment.
Like we used to do when the power went out during a nasty snow storm, I've grown accustomed to boiling a couple pots of water for my daily bucket shower. It works quite nice actually. I relish in the lukewarm water.


A Budgetary Commitment

As fate would have it, I've captured the attention and commitment of my new supervisor, the Nayoke. Even though, I'm not completely convinced he understands exactly what I'm doing here and what I represent, he believes in me and my ability. It's quite nice to feel this sentiment. In a meeting last week while reviewing the proposed budget for next year I was pleasantly surprised to find that my projects had found their way in as a line-item on the SAO's budget. Maybe it was all those project proposals or my CAT Report or my thesis project design. Whatever the case, the SAO has reserved 50,000 Baht (about $1,500) of their budget for my projects and though it's still just on paper, (yet to see the hard, cold cash) it makes me feel ecstatic.



Harvesting

Lately, I've been doing an array or random activities. Last week, I spent a good two days out in the rice fields with some villagers to get the rice harvesting experience. When ripe for harvesting, rice looks like wheat. At least to me it does. Like with replanting, harvesting is still done by and large by hand. This is the case, at least, with the first stage of separating the rice from the plant. The rice is then husked with a machine and further processed. We started early and went until dusk. Through these two days, I learned to respect this tried and true, meticulous method of harvesting. I love the solemn, peaceful sound of the rice wisping as you gather it up with the harvesting tool and slice it with one long jerk. I love the chatter and laughter of the villagers gossiping in Khmer as they work. And most of all, I love the sense of accomplishment when looking back at all the rice we harvested. My friends were obliged to teach me this seemingly mundane task and no doubt, happy to have the free labor. Note: the going rate for hired labor such as field work out here is about 150-200 Baht/day ($4-6)


Many hands lighten the load




A 'Rot Thai'--Thai tractor used in the country




Site Visit

At the end of the week, I had a visit from my Peace Corps Program Manager. My Program Manager has a way of evoking a renewed and upbeat attitude and making my burdens seem few and far between. She's wonder woman. In one day, she helped me get a commitment out of my landlord to resole the termite problem and put bars on my windows. She conveyed messages to my counterparts and supervisors more clearly than I've been able to convey in months. She met with members of the organic fertilizer group who will attend the upcoming PDM training and explained to them in detail what they can expect from the training and how they should prepare. Then, she treated my counterpart and I to a fabulous lunch at a nice restaurant. In the afternoon, we met with Health Clinic Personnel and school teachers to discuss projects in the works. By the time she left, I was whole-heartedly re-dedicated to my work and exceedingly excited for the future. It was just the boost and support I needed at the time.

Tutoring English

This week, I was asked (with persistence) to tutor some students in preparation for an English competition. I acquiesced for two days to tutor. This was my official first time teaching at this particular school and I enjoyed it. The teachers and children we're very kind and welcoming. Surprisingly, the students I worked with were much more advanced than I anticipated. I marveled at the 11-year-old's ability to recite and write down more than 700 English words. This experience made me look forward to beginning an English Club/Youth Group and working more with kids--which, aside from the Youth Conference, I've had little opportunity to do.


Giving Thanks

That brings me full circle. A lot of random things have been going on and I've managed to keep a lot on my plate. Upon approaching the American holiday of Thanksgiving, and given my experience thus far, I realize I have a lot to be thankful for.
Including...

Good health

Supportive family

Lukewarm bucket showers

Line-item budgetary commitments

A french press that brews amazing, real coffee

A plentiful rice harvest

Kind, compassionate neighbors

Steaming bowls of rice

A place to lay my head at night

Laughs

Patience

Spicy eggplant curry

Peanut butter in Thailand

Amazing friends

Graduate degrees

Watermelon

Peace in my heart


On a youth field trip standing at the border on Laos overlooking the Me Kong River

Thai Idioms

During PST 2, I had the opportunity to continue studying Thai through reading, writing, and technical vocabulary sessions. We had more opportunities to learn more nuances and slang than we did during PST 1. Even though, it was some time ago, I wanted to share some Thai idiom our ajan (teacher) shared with us. I’ve also picked up a few along the way. I think you will find some familiarities with English idioms. It’s been fun to bust out one of these lines at totally random times when I’m around Thai friends and co-workers. They always look at me with a degree of bewilderment and say... “Where did you learn that?!”

‘Cha-lat bpen grot’ = Smart as acid
‘Suay bpen baa’ = Crazy beautiful
‘Wei-la mai kui kaui krai’ = Time and tide wait for no men
‘Glui, glui’ = banana, banana (easy, easy)
‘Ngaai yang gap gluai’ = Easy as peeling a banana
‘Naa dtang mii hoo’ = The window has ears
‘Gin gai wat’ = Eating the temple (forbidden) chicken
‘Dting Daawng’ = Space Cadet
‘Ao ma prao haao bpai kaai nai suan’ Selling ripe coconuts in the Orchard (A meaningless action)
‘Ngoo bpriao’ = Sour grapes
‘Bplaa yie gin bplaa lek’ =Big fish eat little fish
‘Chang dtaai tung dtua ao bai bua maa bpit” = Hiding an elephant behind a leaf
‘Sen pom bang puu-kao’ = Hiding a string of hair behind a mountain → It will be found; if there’s a solution, it cannot be hidden forever
‘Paai rua nai aang’ = Rowing the boat in a circle
‘Nguu nguu, bplaa, bplaa’ = Snake, snake, fish fish; Able only to do a little
‘Bpit thaang lang Phra’ = To put gold on the back of a Buddha (fish for compliments)
‘Ngom kem nai ma haa sa mut’ = Finding a needle in the ocean
‘Naa nua jai sua’ = Face of a deer, heart of a tiger; the outside hides the inside intentions
‘Yaa dtee dtawn bpai gaawn kai’ = To cross a bridge when you come to it
‘Maa hao mai gat’ = A barking dog doesn’t bite

Updates

Pictured: My neighbor and her lime green fields of rice--currently shades of amber and gold.

It would appear the time I set aside to post has repeatedly been compromised for either 'real' work, concentrated r & r, sleep, study, exercise, or random outings. Tomorrow turned into next week and before I knew it, I'd let 3 weeks chalk-full of experiential insights, revelations, and minor catastrophes slip under the radar. Now on a beautiful, breezy Friday afternoon, I can finally sit down to provide a few noteworthy updates.

Big Project in the Works

Since before the epic October vacation, I'd put a huge amount of time and energy into a project involving myself and 2 other Volunteers--those who happened to live nearest to me. Prior to vacation, we took a week to visit each other sites and thoroughly prepare a project proposal, timeline, and budget for our counterparts, Sub-District Administrative Offices, and Peace Corps Administration. This project, though not complex, is slightly difficult to explain. It's less of a project and more of a training which presents a method of designing and executing local projects. This method is what I like to so endearingly refer to as the PDM--Project Design Management. PDM is a Peace Corps model that seeks to enable people to understand the processes of a project and become more interactive in them. The novel part of this particular PDM training project is that it aims to involve local government workers and community group members to design a project together. Since I've been here, I have seen little interaction of the sort--between local official and community groups. They each have their work and their role that usually only traverses when a group needs funding or when the officials need to evaluate something or when there is an official holiday/festival. This leaves an apparent gap between the local community and the local government office. It is our intention then to give these two different groups an opportunity to work together, understand the needs of the community better, and develop a joint project. Additionally, integral to sustainability and the empowerment of our counterparts, the PDM modules will be taught to our 3 counterparts prior to the training in order to have them co-facilitate the training. This way, they get more experience and the participants get more out of it--honestly, how much can I, as a non-Thai foreigner really convey about project design concepts in broken Thai before people start checking out?!

Two-Fold Involvement

I know this may sound pretty dry and boring but, I'll be honest it's the kind of thing that gets me really excited! PDM-eque concepts were a major part of the development project management theories I learned in grad school. To be given the opportunity to continue down that path and apply theory in a real setting is tremendous. I consider it an honor. Even more so, I am lucky to be part of the Committee that edits and teaches the PDM--the Project Review Committee or PRC. We do love our acronyms in Peace Corps! PRC consists of 3 members from PC Group 121 and 3 from Group 120. Along with teaching the PDM, we also review grant proposals for other Volunteers seeking project funding and try to link Volunteers up with potential resources. Proposal writing was yet another theory I learned in school so, of course, I'm happy to continue practicing these skills as well. Being part of the PRC is especially conducive when I hit a low point at site or I'm heading out of my wits with boredom. Keeps me sane. Committee involvement not only keeps me busy at site but it also allows me to travel for meetings and collaboration at other sites.

A big undertaking for the PRC these last few months has been to gut the old PDM model in hopes to make a new, improved, more understandable model. The plot thickens. By the time our joint training rolls around in December, the new model will hopefully be ready to serve as the pilot criteria for our training. Now, it might be easier to understand why this seemingly simple project and my role in it is a bit difficult to explain.

Bottom line, I've put my blood, sweat, and tears into this project on many different levels and I can attribute much of my lack of posting for this very reason.

Enough of that. It's not all that occupies the spaces of my mind and the places in my heart these days.

Saying goodbye to a great man

A couple weeks ago I was saddened and sobered to hear of my paternal grandfather's passing. He was 94. What a great guy, humble and impressionable role model my grandfather was. I had a looming feeling that when I left home in January, it might very well be the last time I would see my grandfather. It just so happened this was indeed the case. I had the pleasure of growing up in the same town as my paternal grandparents and watching my father and grandfather work side by side in the family business. I was even fortunate to attend the same high school he did some 70 years earlier. Early on, I learned many essentials to the human conditions from him--a sense of propriety, consistency, commitment, persistence, and work ethic. Perhaps most importantly, a positive attitude. Long past retirement, my grandfather would come into work and greet everyone with his warm presence and captivating anecdotes then, dutifully get down to business. No matter when or how people near and far would remember meeting this wonderful man. He was one of those people who was always on time and his sense of consistency immeasurable. As the Thais would say 'riap roy maak'. For some time surpassing 20 years, he ate the same thing for lunch and read the Wall Street Journal every day.

Now, reliving my encounters with him and his impacts upon me, I am consoled by knowing that he lead a long and accomplished life surrounded by friends and family. There is no doubt I will forever have his demeanor and good sense etched in my memory. And, I'd like to think I carry a part of him with me, in my own disposition.

I'd like to end this post with one of his fondest quotes:

Press On -The Power of Persistence

"Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent."

~ Calvin Coolidge

Winds of Change

Newly back from the breathtakingly beautiful beaches and too-expensive-for-Volunteers dinner and hotel living in the South, I’m little more tan, definitely penniless, and most definitely happy to be home. Out here amongst the flat, never-ending fields of rice and unforgiving sun of Issan exists a home I’ve come to know, even fancy.

Before I get into the current realities and the brisk blow of changing winds, lets rewind to the last few weeks. After all, being back and relishing in it isn’t to say I didn’t have a fabulous time with some wonderful people. A recap of our trip takes us first to the island of Koh Sumui in the Gulf of Thailand to the Southeast.

Days 1-3 (Koh Sumui): Meet up with friends in Koh Samui and unluckily witness a friend fall and dislocate her kneecap the first night in Koh Samui. The beginning of our relaxing vacation is frozen in time in lieu of the circumstances. My first ambulance ride is disillusioning and before I know it we’re in the Emergency Room of a tropical resort-esque hospital. My 2 friends and I, including the invalid stay the next 3 days in and out of the hospital and forgo a trip to Koh Tao, a nearby island. Though, we manage to fit in some beach time and make some happy memories in Koh Samui.

Day 4-8 (Krabi): The three of us, one on crutches, hop a ferry to Surat Thani, followed by a bus, then a van to cross westerly to the Province of Krabi. Krabi opens to the eastern seaboard of Thailand to the Andaman Sea. It is in Krabi where our vacation really becomes a vacation. Day 4 is spent entirely in transit and Day 5 finally brings us to the sunny stunningly beautiful and serene beaches of Krabi. From this day onward, our luck changes. The moment we step onto the beach, we meet a kind Thai women soliciting for Thai massage at a stand down the beach. Her name is Sophie. Sophie guides us to her stand, greets us with fresh pineapple, and sets up beach chairs for us. Many of us return her kind gestures by electing to get massages at her stand. The $7 coconut oil massage is perhaps the most well spent $7 purchase of my trip. Later that day, Sophie asks of our plans while in Krabi and offers to arrange a day trip for us to Koh Phi Phi Island. Her and the ladies at her stand took a liking to us with our attempts to speak Thai and reminiscence of living as Volunteers throughout Thailand. Not the typical customers they get, I’m sure.

Day 6, then, is spent on a speedboat and intermittently on and around Koh Phi Phi Island where we enjoy snorkeling and viewing the gorgeous natural effigies. Koh Phi Phi is probably one of the most beautiful islands I’ve ever seen. Years ago, it was the setting of the movie, The Island. The watery inlets are brilliant teals, florescent greens and blues meeting intriguing rock formations above and below the waterline. Despite the overflow of speedboats, longboats, and mini cruisers loaded with tourists, Phi Phi still seems to have a certain lure and untainted nature about it. At each days end, we return to our hotel to enjoy epic dinners and the nightlife Krabi has to offer.

Inlet at Koh Phi Phi Island

Day 7-8 (Krabi): Sophie and our newfound friends at the beach continue their amiability towards us and we meet in the afternoon for homemade Som Tom (Papaya Salad), Kaao Niao (Sticky Rice), Gai-Yang (Grilled Chicken) topped off with the ever-savory mangoes and sticky rice. This taste of Issan reminds me of home for a moment but then melts away with the ebb of waves receding with the sunset.

Day 8-12 (Phuket): Day 8 brings us further South and East to the peninsula-like province of Phuket. Phuket is almost an island as it is surrounded completely by water less a narrow land bridge linking it north to Phang Nga Province. It is one of the most popular tourist destinations in Southern Thailand. We see this evidently with the magnitude of resorts, tours, crowded beached, and the booming service industry.

What brings us to Phuket is less about sight seeing than it is about experiencing the Vegetarian Festival. We learn it is a centuries-old 10-day festival that originates from Chinese migrants. During the festival, people wear all white and engage in intensive rituals and parades in and out of the temple. Unable to see what goes on in the temple or really understand the context of things, my friends and I learn what we can about the festivals purpose and origin; then, we take it in. The things that stuck out to me the most about this festival were—the food (a-m-a-z-i-n-g), the white clothing (everyone wears white for the 10 days), and the parades displaying the masochistic nature in which people jammed knives, swords, and pins in their bodies. I know it seems unbearable to do or even watch but I found it interesting and even mystical at times. Obviously, with my anthropological nature, I have to chalk it all up to relativity. That is, recognizing what may seem subdued or seemingly sadistic all depends on the eyes of the beholder. I’ve since learned that the festival seeks to cleanse the spirit and soul of past indiscretions. Also, the self-infliction and vegetarian part stems from animist beliefs of doing to oneself the kind of atrocities animals go through because of humans.

"Pins and Needles in Phuket"

Every day in Phuket, minus one or two when the call of the ocean tides were too strong to ignore, we tried to do something ‘cultural’ and attend one of the Vegetarian festival events. At night, we found ourselves drawn to a lively district of nightclubs. I also meant to mention that Phuket is one of the most popular destinations for sex change operations in the world. We gathered this quickly, meeting more ladyboys (name commonly termed for a transgendered female) than ever. Many of them indistinguishable from their female counterparts are very beautiful, I might add. I kind of feel like this, too, was a cultural experience.

Our last night in Phuket, we danced and sang to our hearts content—relishing in each others’ company and the obscurity of being lost in a crowd of foreigners our vacation had allotted—and before we knew it, we were boarding a plane to Bangkok. Not soon after, I kissed my last 2 friends goodbye, those who’d started the journey with me way back in Koh Samui and the unfortunate trip to the hospital, and I was on a bus back home. Back to reality.

Since being back, I’ve taken a few days to take stock of the time I’d spend down South, the dent I’d put in my savings, and organize my schedule in order to devote my full attention to life and projects at site. I was greeted with the unfamiliar feeling of cool winds causing rise to the hairs on the back of my neck. It may appear the Cool Season was not a myth after all! From the moment I felt it, I dreaded my bodies reaction to the change—as my proneness to allergies in such circumstances in usually unavoidable. Nevertheless, I still welcomed the alleviating coolness with open arms.

One thing I’ll say is that the trip did its job of conjuring up a kind of endearment for this place. I truly appreciate to be living amongst kind and wonderful people who know and care for me. This has become evident in the last few days, myself in a weakened condition. Fast-forwarding to the present, I have to confess my trip and the change in weather has taken a toll on me and these past few days I’ve barely set foot outside my house on account of being sick. Some sort of flu/ allergy combination. It is the first real sick I’ve experience since living at site and I hope, the last! I could feel it coming on all day Friday and by the time my head hit the pillow that night, I knew I was in for some miserable days ahead. Unfortunately, illness never comes at a convenient time. Friday was supposed to be my first working day with the newly elected Nayoke (the Chief Executive Officer of the SAO) and his officers. Bottom line, he is my new supervisor as a Community Development Peace Corps Volunteer and I’ll need to be on his good side if any of my projects stand a chance (I flashback to memories of old “Pa Nayoke” and shudder a little). While I missed most of the day’s festivities, I did manage to make an unmemorable evening appearance. I worked in a small chat with the Nayoke for an hour or so. It was unmemorable because everyone appeared to be three sheets to the wind by the time I showed up. My counterpart says the new Nayoke likes to drink and yeah, he’d got his faults like everyone else; but she thinks he’ll be cooperative and supportive of our projects. Working with him and his new policies will inevitable bring about changes in my own dynamic of working in the SAO and in the community. My mind slips away from the apprehensions of working with a new supervisor as the flu takes over my body and I spend the next two days in bed. What would I do without my neighbors in times like these? They’ve been great. Checking in, bringing me meals, always encouraging a speedy recovery. Which, brings us up to speed on the here and now. Hopefully, tomorrow I’ll be well enough to go into the office and resume business as usual. More to come on my upcoming projects!