Buddhist and Khmer Traditions

Pictured: At the temple with villagers

KAO PANSA
Apparently in the midst of PST II, life skills camps, and consolidation simulations, I forgot to mention the important 3-month period of time we are in right now: Pansa. Vassa or Pansa is what some people call Buddhist Lent. However, having talked to many people and done some research on it, this description is problematic since the “Lenten” season often attaches Christian origins and rituals. Vassa, may more accurately be described at the rain retreat season, which lasts 3 month from July to October. See also: Vassa The Buddhist cosmic calendar determines Pansa and the dates of it depend on a fixed lunar/celestial position. Origins of Pansa date back centuries during the early period of Buddhism when Buddhas proposed that farmers and villagers should take a ‘rest’ period while waiting for the crops to grow. This would also ensure that travelers would not damage crops during the growth period. Monks suggested people could use Pansa to reconnect to Buddhist precepts and with their communities. Since people in Thailand practice Theravada Buddhism, the Pansa season for Mahayana Buddhists may not mean the same thing or may not even be observed at all. Although, from what I gather, Zen and Tibetan Buddhists practice similar occasions.
During Pansa, villagers re-commit to their Buddhist roots and observe more rigorous devotion through meditation, merit making, and chanting. They also visit the temple more often since there are more observable holy days during Passa. In addition, temple populations almost double during this time as well because many people use the Vassa period as an opportunity to take up monastic vows and join the monkhood for a pre-determined amount of time. This usually occurs during the days leading into Pansa and the day that marks the beginning of Vassa called Wan Kao Pansa”. I missed the full effect of Wan Kao Pansa because I was in PST II training during this time. But, apparently it’s a very huge event and one of the biggest traditional ceremonies that takes place is the Candlelight Ceremony in Ubon Ratchathani—a city in Isan relatively close to my site. It’s the biggest; most recognized Wan Kao Pansa festival. I’ll definitely have to make plans to go next year.

The Phenomena of ‘Ngan Buats’
When a man/layperson decides to enter the monkhood for a determined amount of time—like during Pansa—he has what is called a ‘ngan buat’ which I can only describe as a ‘monk party’. I know that’s not the proper term and doesn’t really capture the purpose of the occasion but, I really can’t think of any other way to explain it! And, although ngan buat’s are more prevalent during Pansa, they also take place throughout the year. It’s very common for a young man from 18-25 to have a ngan buat and enter the monkhood for a certain amount of time. So, what happens during a ngan buat? I think it would be more appropriate to ask...what doesn’t happen?! My first experience with a ngan buat was back in pre-service training. I now know that no two ngan buats are not alike and depending on the family they can be a very extravagant or fairly simple event. I’ve observed that people drink and party a lot during ngan buats and they are just as important rites of passages as weddings and funerals. More times than not, ngan buats are usually coupled with a full on shin-dig complete with tons of food, booze, dancing, singing, and half-naked women and/or trans-gendered ‘ladyboys’ providing entertainment. They usually take a couple days. The first day begins with a parade-esque march throughout town with music and dancing while the honored person sits on a thrown-like chair on the back of a pickup truck. The second day is the big shin-dig I already mentioned typically complete with go-go dancers and the third day is when the man takes up his vows to officially begins his monkhood at the temple. I think the idea of all the hoopla is to honor the man/young boy that has decided to enter the monkhood by holding a party for him complete with all the vices he will soon be giving up. It’s quite a thing to experience.

Going Temple-ing
As you might have guessed, I have been taking part routinely in Pansa events in my community. My neighbors usually ask me ahead of time if I will be joining them for the morning excursion to the temple to observe the holy day with them. I have been 4 times thus far during Pansa. It has become a good way for me to get to know people in a different setting and share in their cultural customs. Going to the temple obligates people to dress a certain way, prepare offerings (usually foodstuff) and make monetary donations if possible. The first time I went, I got a lesson in this protocol. It was fun for my neighbors to teach me how to properly dress and act in the temple—even though I thought I already knew the etiquette. My first Pansa holy day experience started early one morning about a month ago. My neighbor dressed me in one of her finest paksins (like a sarong) and had me carry baskets of fruit and steamed rice. When we got to the temple, I somehow was directed to the ‘back room’ where all the excitement occurs. It was a hustle bustle of village women preparing food, eating, and reminiscing. I was immediately sat down and given a bowl of steaming rice with 4 or 5 dishes to compliment it. Not what I expected though, I wasn’t really surprised because Thai people are always cooking and eating! That lasted until I could no long eat anymore. Then, we went to the main temple where people were already sitting in prayer position. We did the usually ‘wai’ to the Buddha (kneeling and bowing 3 times to the Buddha—kind of like in Islam when people put their hands to the floor and then back up in prayer position). Then we waited for the monks to arrive. People intermittently made monetarily offerings and sat in meditation. When the monks came, we sat with our hands folded as they proceeded to chant for a good 30 minutes. At some point, I got up with my neighbor and we put our offerings of fruit and rice on a table. Before I knew it, we were done and on our way home. Not every time I’ve been to the temple is exactly the same but it usually goes a little something like the latter.

Wan San Dton Dta
Unique to the area in which I live is a spiritual festival called Wan San Dton Dta. I’m not sure if it’s coincidental that it falls during Pensa or if it’s purposely that way. This is a Khmer tradition observed only by surrounding sub-districts here. It takes place usually in September or October. The title “San Dton Dta” comes from the Khmer language and actually when I asked some Thai people from Peace Corps about it, many of them did not even understand the words because they don’t speak Khmer. Most had no idea of what I was talking about. Interesting! I first misinterpreted Dton Dta as the Khmer New Year but it is, in fact, something else. As I understand it, Wan San Dton Dta originates from the Khmer era (dating back to 900-1100 A.D.). The significance of Dton Dta comes from the animist and Brahman beliefs that celestial and spiritual inhabit and visit Earth—and therefore, should be recognized and revered. During this 3-day long festival villagers gather to prepare elaborate fruit and food baskets, dress in traditional Khmer clothing, practice ancient dance and organize parade floats to present at the annual parade ceremony in the District. Wan San Dton Dta presents an opportunity for people of Khmer ancestry to come together and pay respects to their common ancestral spirits. It is the local belief that the spirits of the deceased come back to visit on this special occasion and people use this opportunity to acknowledge their ancestors that have passed on an ask for good fortune in their lives. Villagers take great pride in the local custom of Wan San Dton Dta and often welcome guests to observe this special tradition.
This year, Wan San Dton Dta will take place on or around September 18. I am really excited to take part in this event next month. The people I work with have already elected me to dress in traditional clothing and walk with them in the parade. As San Dton Dta quickly approach in the next couple weeks, I will keep everyone posted on new developments!

Consolidation

Hey everyone,
I just returned to site from a 3-day long trip to a nearby Issan Province spurred by a consolidation simulation. Every Peace Corps country has a standard operating procedure ensuring the safety and security of Volunteers will be upheld in any event. Here they call it the EAP: Emergency Action Plan. Our EAP has 5 different action stages that assess the level of necessary precaution that needs to be taken given a circumstance. Part of the EAP responsibilities for Volunteers are to always being accessible by cell phone, inform PC Headquarters when leaving site, and provide details about whereabouts. Things are this way for important reasons. We all know that things can happen at any given moment with little or no warning and Peace Corps wants to make sure to know where Volunteers are in order to guarantee everyone is safe. Take natural disaster or violent outbreak, for example.

Consolidation is the last stage before evacuation so it deserves considerable attention. Basically it consists of Volunteers from different regions meeting at a consolidation point in their respective regions and awaiting further instructions from Peace Corps Headquarters. Understanding the EAP, especially during a consolidation is crucial. In the event a consolidation is issued, you can believe that the situation is very serious. As part of EAP protocol, it is necessary to test the system in order to make sure it works. When I went to my regional consolidation point this last week, it was to test the response rate and ability for Volunteers to understand and apply the consolidation process—a consolidation simulation. I was obligated to leave site and put myself in the consolidation mind frame—what would I do if this were a real emergency? We were asked to identify other methods of communication and respond to the alert as fast as possible. Within my region, there were about 15 people that made the trek and successfully consolidated in less than 24 hours of receiving the go-ahead. Admittedly, most of us had the sneaking suspicion a simulation was coming and had already prepared for travel. Though, if a real consolidation were to happen, we would in most likelihood know it was coming and have time to prepare ourselves. While together, we discussed the experience and gave suggestions on how to improve response times, availability, travel methods, etc. It was a simulation well spent.

What's more, since everyone had made the trip anyways, we got to stick around for a little while and spend time together. I’ve gotten used to leaving site more frequently than I did when I first got here. Since PST II, I’ve realized more how important it is to be a part of the Volunteer network and to try to share more in our experiences together. It just makes sense because the other Volunteers are really the only people who truly understand my daily experience given they are experiencing the same or similar things. Sometimes, it’s nice to have a conversation in “Tinglish” with another English speaker about Thai-napping’s and karaoke overload—among other things—and have them completely get what you’re talking about. We also have a great time together and I find that after spending a short amount away from site with other Volunteers is extremely refreshing. We don’t get to see each other often because we obviously have projects and activities going on at site most of the time. Plus, our Peace Corps allowance doesn’t allow for extensive personal travel and all the costs associated with being away from site. Which is why I’ve taken to saving up for instances like the consolidation weekend. That way, I can treat myself to some shopping and nice meals when I’m away. After consolidation, we spent a couple days frequenting a burger joint and a fabulous Italian restaurant, exploring, shopping, dancing, laughing, playing games, and engaging in deep conversation. By Saturday, I was rejuvenated to get back to site, which has become more and more reminiscent of a legitimate home. It feels good to be back once again.

An Epic Week: August 3-8, 2009

This week was monumental in the world of me—and dare I say of those whose paths I crossed. I don’t know if I can begin to break it all down but I’ll try. Last week was the perfect time to be out of the office because from Monday to Friday, the SAO was busy registering candidates and voters for the local election, which will take place on September 6. It’s kind of like the local equivalent to our presidential election—in the sense that this particular election (for village council members and SAO executive leaders) happens every 4 years, is very publicized, and it’s largely competitive. As a Peace Corps Volunteer, I am obligated to stay out of all election-related activities and discussions. What a better time, then, to go out into the community and spend more time with villagers. Plus, the environment project needed a solid lift-off. My 300 surveys were not going to disperse themselves! And so, the week went a little something like this:

Monday:
Morning: Called Village Headmen from the 11 villages to figure out a good time to visit each in order to disperse environment surveys and tell them about the project.
Mid-Morning: Ended up going into the office for a few hours to check email, tell my counterpart my plans for the week, and talk with some villagers about the project.
Early Afternoon: Set out to meet with the first Village Headman (who happens to be a woman) and ended up staying at her house for a few hours chatting and eating fruit—pretty standard.
Early Evening: Met with the ‘Gaam Laan’ (the person elected to be the leader of all the Village Headmen) to tell him about the project and give him surveys.
Evening: Re-grouped, showered, and ate dinner with my neighbors—the usual routine. Worked on homework later on and went to bed.

Tuesday
Morning-Late Afternoon: Met daycare and primary school teachers at one of the 4 schools/daycares in the area. Then, I randomly stumbled upon a middle school science camp in-progress of which, I was quickly roped into and beckoned to “sing song” (famous last words of every Thai person I know) of which I countered with a pretty awesome version of the classic ‘Banana Song’. Then, I just sort of faded into the background the rest of the time—enjoying a delicious lunch and rich conversation with many teachers. Somewhere in the midst of all this, I vaguely remember explaining SPSS Statistical Analysis Software to my Thai tutor (who was one of the teachers at the camp)—Not an easy thing to do in Thai!
Early Evening: Met with another Village Headman. 3 down and 8 to go at this point.
Evening: Made a scrumptious red curry and had a feast with my neighbors. Then, the usual: shower, homework, Dexter maybe? A phone call here and there.

Wednesday:
Morning- Early Afternoon: Biked to the daycare located at the temple in my village to help out and get to know the daycare teachers better. Washed dished, served lunch, and entertained the munchkins.
Afternoon-Early Evening: Biked my way to 4 villages, met with Headmen, and had some great conversations with villagers of whom I wasn’t acquainted with yet. I ended up finding out some important facts about the different villages. Like, for instance, in the past few years one village had training on organic farming and had implemented techniques before. But, for some reason they thought these methods were expensive and unsustainable. As a result, the majority recently abandoned organic methods and went back to chemical pesticide use. Very interesting and insightful!

I have to pause here to comment on the magnitude of diversity that exists within my Sub-District. There are 11 villages total and at first glimpse, every villager seems to have a very similar, if not the same, livelihood and mind frame. Everyone wakes up at the crack of dawn, plants and harvests rice, goes to the temple, eats rice with 3 meals a day, wears the same color shirt every day, and many go throughout the day in the very same fashion. However, last week, I encountered this very eye-opening experience, which led me to infer that there exists considerable diversity amongst villages and within. I think there is this idea about collectivism that people in ‘collective’ societies all do the same, act the same, think the same, and therefore do not possess a sense of individuality. Perhaps, it’s just my idea. And in many ways people are homogenous; they do live in a ‘collective’ model though, really it’s only to a certain degree. There are still important distinctions between people. Like every human being, people in collective societies still have different ways of thinking and being at any given moment. People react and have differing opinions here too. Not everyone conceives their world to be the same as their neighbors either. That’s part of the beauty of humanity: tapping into the infinite possibilities though which to experience life. Anyways, I digress. The main point of that was that I encountered so many different opinions and fleeting ideas when I was talking to villagers about environmental issues and organic farming that I now can grasp a deeper understanding of the humanity here. Same, same but different.
Evening: Met with the Village Headman in my own village. Then, I ventured out more into my neighborhood and handed out some extra surveys to my neighbors. I got home and before long, I hit the pillow hard, feeling the fatigue through my bones.

Thursday:
Morning-Early Afternoon: Set out early to another daycare—this time at another temple about 7km away. The daycare happened to be short staffed on this particular day with 2 teachers and about 30 children. So, I was compelled to be more engaged with the kids activities and overall regulating. This haphazard circumstance led to a short-lived—maybe 20 minutes—attempt at teaching random English words to toddlers who barely even speak Thai. Actually some only speak Khmer. It wasn’t my original idea but the teachers seemed to be really excited about it. I’ve found that Thai people, in general, are very enthusiastic about English. This activity led to another even more interesting and amusing event in which, I was given a stack of blank white paper with a magic marker and asked to draw pictures for the children; all of them. I’m no artist and I wouldn’t doubt a 4-year-old could draw a better picture than I could. Even so, my creative juices happened to be flowing like a raging river in that particular instance and I have to say I cranked out some pretty fun pictures. It was something definitely out of the norm for the kids and I think they enjoyed it. Given it was just the 3 of us, I had more time in the afternoon to talk to the teacher who were telling me about the problems at the daycares and schools. The bottom line was that they feel overwhelmed because children are not getting adequate care at home and when they come to school, they have a flood of needs to be addressed. Many of the very young children are looked after by their grandparents while their parents go off to work in Bangkok and other places. When they come to preschool, they often learn for the first time how to use the bathroom properly, how to brush their teeth, wash their hands, eat a balanced meal, and otherwise basic routines. This often leaves a huge burden on teachers. The teachers seem to love their jobs but feel very overwhelmed by it all. I’ve known that worker migration is prevalent in this area for a while now. When I went to the health clinic, I witnessed first-hand the problems that arise from leaving children with grandparents or older relatives. Many of them don’t have the means or the energy to take care of little kids, even though they give them love just the same. Heavy. I suggested that maybe we could try to get some of the middle-schoolers to come and have story time once a week. Possibly even start a group. I know one other Volunteer from 120 who came up with this project idea and others have tried it. Seems to be helpful to the teachers and good for the kids. So, I planted the seed just the same. Whenever people tell me about their problems or of those in the community, I instinctively start thinking of ways to address them. I’m kind of that way, in general. It was a start.
Mid-Afternoon: Trekked on over to the 3 nearby villages and sat around with villagers for a bit in each village to talk about the environmental surveys and organic fertilizers. We also put a dent in a bowl of Rambutan too.
Later Afternoon: Made my way back to the office where my counterpart was waiting for me. From there we visited the two local recycling dealers located in the District, about 6 km away. This was a basic assessment of the local recycling resources/outlets to help us organize upcoming community/school recycling activities. Talking to the first dealer, we got the name of a teacher who already does a recycling project at the district middle school. So, once we were done with the dealers, we were hot on the trail of this teacher. By this time it was after 4 PM but we decided to take a chance to see if she was still at school. Even though, I was in no riap roy condition to be at a school or meeting this teacher—hello, I had been riding around on my bike all day—we got lucky and tracked her down. The school is huge so this was really fortunate. She was really helpful and gave us some tips on how to go about setting up a project at school. All the more, she agreed to come by when we set up an activity day at one of the schools and share her knowledge. Naturally, I was very pleased with this whole random occurrence. I’ve noticed that’s kind of the way things happen here—very arbitrarily. Just like I recently saw a friend quote John Lennon’s words, “life happens when you’re busy making other plans.” It’s so very true.
Evening: Went to the market with my counterpart to relish in the productive day and stock up on fruit and goodies. I then went home and, once again, passed out relatively early.

Friday
Morning-Early Afternoon: Saving the farthest village for last, I enjoyed a good 45 minute ride to village 9. I met up with the Village Headman at his assistant’s house. We drank fresh coconut juice and talked about the surveys, rice farming, the ghost that lives in my house, and President Obama. Every now and then I jotted down new Khmer words, which seem to be popping up in every conversation I have nowadays. Only in Thailand could this all happen at once! I ended up staying at the Assistant Village Headman’s house until 2 PM; long after the Headman had left to plant rice. His wife happens to be the leader of the area women’s group so, they were definitely important people to know. Her and her daughters started cooking lunch at 10:30 AM which, I thought was a bit unusual since we wouldn’t probably eat until 12:30-1 PM. Well, turns out they ended up going out and butchering a chicken and slow cooking it so we could eat it with noodles. Meanwhile, her other daughter had gone to the market (a good 16km away) to get more fresh fruit...for me. Talk about killing the fatted calf! Thais sense of hospitality and overall generosity never ceases to amaze me! The noodles were amazing too.
Afternoon: On my way back to the office, I passed through the remaining two villages where I didn’t get the opportunity to have quite the chats I’d had in other villages because there was a funeral going on at one and the other was significantly desolate since everyone was planting rice. Nonetheless, I delivered and briefly explained the surveys.
Late Afternoon: Regrouped at the office to touch base with my counterpart and check my email. The power ended up going out around 4 PM and I took it as a sign it was time to go home.
Early Evening: When I got home I immediately crashed and woke up around 7PM with a fever and terrible stomach pangs. Apparently the weight of the week was toppling over on me. So I took some medicine and called it a night.

Saturday
Mid-Morning: Having only halfway recovered from the night before I decided to give myself a complete day of rest. However, the universe had other plans in mind. After being incessantly summoned to open my door and come out and play by 10 + little rascals, I finally came to the door to deliver the news that P Heidi was in no shape to play today. Still determined, they hung around my yard for a good 2 hours after that and played with my jump rope—if I don’t use it, somebody ought to be, right? So, since I was up and electing to lock myself inside for the time-being, I took the opportunity to tackle my graduate portfolio and finish it once and for all. By the way, if all goes to plan, I will complete my degree by the end of the month! Very exciting. I ended up working on it intermittently all day.
Mid-Afternoon: After the kids left, I heard a bunch of voices and splashing from outside. Then, a man was knocking at my door. Since I didn’t know what was going on, I scooted my chair to the tinted windows that sit above my front door to catch a peek at who it was. I saw my landlord with 3 of his cronies, one of which was completely immersed in my giant earthen water jar. Strange and yes, comical. I opened the door to find that the immersed man was removing the water from the jar so they could move it. The jar had been slowly sinking into the ground and I’m guessing if it stayed that way, it might disappear or have a dramatic demise in a matter of months. I watched as these beanpole-thin Thai men, wearing nothing but what might be considered loincloth, move the jar onto a platform of wood. When they were done with that, my landlord turns to me and nonchalantly says, “So, I hear you’ve been wanting to make a compost bin.” (I’ve only been trying to do this on my own for weeks now!) He continues, “ Oh yeah, we have one at the school, they’re easy to make...I have this old wood laying around, we can make it right now.” I excitedly ran into the house and pulled out a couple model pictures to give them a visual of what I wanted. Then, I watched as they almost effortlessly constructed my bin. After about 10 minutes, I went inside to cut up some mangoes and by the time I was done they had finished. Poof! My very own compost bin! Before we could sit down, take a load off, and eat some mangoes together, my landlord was on his motorbike explaining to me they had to go to the rice field, to drink whiskey. What a guy! I at least managed to get him to take the mangoes with him.

The compost bin-making extravaganza really was the pinnacle of the day and an appropriate closer of this very epic week. It was definitely a week a full of many important strides. Who knows what the following weeks, months, and year will bring so, for the time-being, I’ll continue to make plans, plant seeds, and embrace whatever comes my way. Hopefully, I will have more weeks like this one!

Familar Faces, Different Places

Familiar Faces, Different Places
Have you ever encountered that experience of meeting someone you feel like you already know or they either look/act exactly like someone else? You know, when you start talking to someone and you get that déjà vu feeling like...I have had this conversation before or this person acts/looks/sounds exactly like so and so. It has happened to me more times than I can count. And, it’s peculiar that I have these experiences amongst people I have met from all over the world—from completely different cultures, backgrounds, and even languages. This sort of thing is a consistent occurrence here in Thailand. When I first got to Thailand and especially to site, I was getting these consistent feelings of strange familiarity like I had been here before or I had met certain people previously. Perhaps, in some way this feeling of déjà vu is triggered by the subconscious drive to recognize something, anything from completely new and unfamiliar surroundings. It does indeed help in adapting to different places and relating to people.

In any event, since I have been at site now for more than 4 month I get this feeling with people and places less frequently—with the exception of a few people I work in close proximity to. One of which is my Thai Counterpart. She is 30-years old and married with one daughter, the same age as my oldest niece. Time and time again, she reminds me so much of my older sister. She takes care of me like a sister, makes sure to include me in important events, lets me know what is going on, and is constantly there to be a friend and confident. And she isn’t afraid to give me constructive feedback. I always feel like I can go to her for help or advice or a cup of sugar... She’s even been known to tease me like a sister. The funny thing is, she doesn’t know me as near well as my real sister and can’t possibly. But, she seems to get me without having to say a lot. Even though, my Thai isn’t great she seems to understand me in a way that is more in-depth than words in any language could describe—just like my sister. I know she can’t replace my sister and the relationship we have it is still, nonetheless, very comforting and nice to have someone here like her. Someone more than just a sister figure; someone who I can actually relate to like I do with my own sister.
The other very familiar ‘face’ in this different place is the single person who has probably given me the hardest time since I have been here. He is the Head Elected Official of the sub-district area in which I live, the Naoke. Now, this man, whom everyone refers to as “Pa Naoke”, is a very set in his ways. I’m pretty sure Pa Naoke would refuse to try something new out of principal—tradition being the only tried and true way. Truth be told, he is a bit of an old curmudgeon. People respect him as far as his age and role are concerned but it is obvious that his ability to influence ran its course a long time ago and everyone is anxious to bring in someone new to his position. I can’t tell if Pa Nayoke has always been this way or it’s the onset of retirement. And despite his sour demeanor, he seems to care deeply for his family and he maintains strong friendships within his immediate village community—something that probably helped him get elected in the first place.

For the last 4 month, this man has wanted nothing to do with me. From the moment I was introduced to him he has been snide and facetious. For Thai people, this is pretty uncharacteristic. Once, Pa Naoke told me to wait for him in the afternoon for him to come pick me up and take me to this important community event. Suspiciously, I double-checked with everyone to make sure I hadn’t misheard him. Sure enough, he told everyone else the same that he would pick me up. I ended up waiting all afternoon—intermittently calling my counterpart to make sure the plans hadn’t changed. By 5 PM, the event having come and gone, I was able to finally realize the extent of this man’s distaste for me. When I saw him again, he spitefully asked me why I wasn’t at the event. Other than this one time, I don’t think I gave much concern to whether or not he liked me or not. I guess it might have bothered me more if he was a more influential person in the community but mostly everyone felt that he was limited in his ability have good personal and even work relationships.

I know now that his aversion towards me lies heavily in the fact that I am a young, foreign, unmarried female with a college degree that has arrived to work as a community development facilitator. This makes no sense in his world where the roles between men and women are very defined. To him, women my age should already be married, having babies, working to support a family, and taking care of a household. Not wandering off to volunteer in foreign lands. Silly farang girl! Through everything, though, I still got this weird feeling of déjà vu when I was around him or talking to him. He consistently reminded me of someone. But, I was never able to quite pinpoint who or why until just recently...

Last week I was having lunch with the SAO Office Staff in honor of Pa Naoke for the past four years he spent working in the SAO and representing the community. His term officially ran up at the end of July and the community is currently in an interim election period until September 6, when villagers will cast their votes and elect a new Nayoke. Since he is not running again the special lunch was similar to a going away party—a formality if you will. In all likelihood, his term ending would probably have been a bigger deal if people were fonder of him. I happened to be sitting next to him going through the usual small talk... “mmm...this food is delicious” , “would you like more rice”, “yes, I do get sick of the rain”, and (my personal favorite), “that’s right, I ride my bike everywhere and I LOVE it.” Suddenly, I start to notice him speaking to me in a way he never has before. Telling me that I should bike by his house and have dinner with his family some time and that I should call if I need help or want him to do anything. At one point, he even told me that I was speaking better Khmer. It felt like he was trying to be more than civil to me. Nice even. It also seemed genuine. Then, it suddenly hits me. Pa Naoke, in so many ways, is my maternal grandfather. I don’t know why I never saw it before. My grandfather was a hard man to live with but even harder not to love. He was 100% pure German Catholic, traditional, with a tremendous work ethic, stubborn and frank most of the time, yet, very caring and sincere to his family. He had been through a strict upbringing, war, famines, and supporting his family through several means. He was also a witness to tremendous changes in the world. Boy, could that man tell a story! My grandfather lived until he was 93 and he wore his years of wisdom on his face. I suspect if I had known my grandfather in another context, he might have seemed exactly like Pa Nayoke. But, since I recognized his loving side maybe more than his obstinate side, I couldn’t grasp the familiarity for the first 4 months. Which, is why it was at the moment Pa Naoke started showing his softer side that I finally put two and two together and realized the déjà vu of it all.

Leaving the restaurant, my counterpart leans over to me and says with a grin and sense of sarcasm in her voice: “I saw you talking to Pa Naoke, are you going to miss him around the office?” I think about it for a moment. “Yeah,”, I say, gazing out the window back at him, “actually, he reminds me of someone I used to know.”

Camp-tacular

Camp is a loaded term amongst Peace Corps Volunteers and throughout Thailand in general. If Thais so much as hear the mentioning of the word, their faces light up and their worlds turn into brilliant shades of yellows, reds, pinks, purples, and greens. It’s almost like when I was a kid and the circus was coming to town or when my family was going somewhere lavish—or some otherwise overwhelmingly exciting and fun event. The main reason for this electrifying feel is because camps are a huge deal in Thailand that often entail a whimsical time of fun, games, information sharing, learning new ways of problem solving/team building, socializing, and free food. Hopefully, all this excitement is coupled with a learning experience that will stick. A camp can last anywhere from ½ day to 5 days or longer and participating campers span from ages young to old.

Ahh, Camping!
I must interject here to add my own take on camps. Only because, I can’t help but think of camping in a more traditional sense with my own personal experiences and interpretations attached. Remember good ‘ol summertime camping? When I think of camping, I naturally think of tents, sleeping bags, smores, telling ghost stories around an open campfire, scaring my friends in the middle of the night, hiking in the woods, boating, fishing, and watching the sun come up. Then there were those more formal summer camps that many of us attended when we were kids... theatre camp, bible camp, survival camp, boy/girl scouts camp, space camp, fitness camp, dance camp, science camp and the ‘grab bag’ of camps where you could pursue multiple interests such as archery, sailing, skiing, horseback riding, cooking, painting, basket weaving maybe...or whatever your heart desired (for me, the ‘grab bag’ camp was Camp Foster in Okoboji, Iowa.). Then, unfortunately in my older years I was introduced to derogatory usages of the word camp: refugee camps, prison camps, death camps, torture camps. Granted, they are not what generally comes to mind but are more context-specific definitions.

Being a Peace Corps Volunteer in Thailand has added a completely new dimension to my personal interpretation of camp(s). These fanciful events that happen throughout Thailand are something entirely novel to me. Camps in Thailand usually have themes and a number of rotations that play on the themes. For instance, a life skills health themed camp might entail different rotations of learning about Hygiene, HIV/AIDS awareness, exercise, and nutrition. English and life skills camps are among the most popular camp themes here. And though, they can be targeted at any age group, they are more often held for youth. During Pre-Service training, the concept of camps was presented with more detail to the Teacher Collaboration and Community Outreach Program (TCCO). Logically, TCCO Volunteers have a more direct connection to camps since they teach English and work with kids every day. TCCO Volunteers organized a 6-rotation English Camp during Pre-Service Training of which, CBOD Volunteers came to shadow and learn from.

Camps Uncovered
As far as my own expertise goes on camps—In addition to shadowing TCCO’ers—I went through an abridge training on how to plan and organize a youth life skills camp during Pre-Service Training. This entailed co-planning said camp with 12 other CBOD Volunteers and debriefing afterwards to ensure everyone was capable of identifying how to put together and/or co-facilitate a camp. Afterwards, we were given tips and materials for further camp ideas and resources. I’ll be honest; I committed it to memory after that. Tucking it far away in the nook of my brain under the impression that, as a CBOD Volunteer, I would have little to do with camps. And, while it is true that TCCO’ers bear the brunt of camp-ing experiences in comparison to CBOD’ers, I have more recently come to terms with the reality that camps are an inevitable part of the overall Volunteer experience. Which, I can now attest to—having my first real camp-ing experience last weekend at a friend’s site. This, aside from randomly teaching the hokey pokey during a life skills camp here at my site...

Some TCCO’ers I talk to have expressed apprehensions about camps because they are so time and monetarily consuming. Indeed, to put on a decent camp, it does cost a lot of money and it is often impossible to determine if camps are effective and participants are actually internalizing useful knowledge. All this considered, there are less tangible outcomes of camps than inputs. Clearly, it is hard to measure the effectiveness camps have on participants especially when some camps have little or no evaluative or indicator components built-in. Though, the reality of it is that camps in Thailand (with all their flaws) continue to be a part of life events in the villagers, in schools, and even amongst working professionals.

Let’s fast forward to my recent experience with camps given what I’ve said thus far about camps in Thailand—my limited training plus the good, bad, and gritty details. A fellow CBOD Volunteer who lives in my province asked me about 6 weeks back if I would help out and do a session at a Teacher Training Camp. At that point in time, I had warmed up to the idea of organizing or co-facilitating a camp since I had already experienced a somewhat successful (if not, then definitely amusing) mini-camp experience by teaching the hokey pokey as an ice breaker at a youth life skills camps. I realized after that experience that, if anything, being part of camps can serve as a useful way for me to get out into the community and connect with specific groups—such as school children. Thus, further strengthening my role as a CBOD Volunteer. Baby steps. I know teaching the hokey pokey may not seem like much, but that was a big step for me in lieu of camps. It may be a far cry from planning and preparing a camp but it awakened the ‘camp-er’ in me and I suddenly dusted off the camping training I got during Pre-Service Training and started thinking more about it. After that, I had this notion that okay; maybe I can (and should) do this camp stuff after all.

Teacher Training Camp, July 23, 2009
On July 23, I progressed further into my camp-erience by teaching a session on Environmental issues during a teacher training camp at a nearby site. The camp was part of a larger 2-day teacher training seminar of which, I am pretty sure, our camp was the pinnacle event. It all came about when my friend came into contact with this teacher at her site who had previously worked with Peace Corps Volunteers and knew what we were all about. She (the teacher) invited my friend and some of her fellow Volunteers to come and do a teacher training camp on issues of our choice in order to help Thai teachers practice listening and speaking English along with learning about important issues. We ended up choosing session themes surrounding Team-Building, Environmental Issues, Hygiene, and HIV/AIDS Awareness. The day before the camp, I traveled to my friend’s site and met with 3 other CBOD Volunteers. We briefly introduced ourselves to our target audience of teachers (roughly 60 teachers) and met with the camp organizers to go over session details. I was very impressed by the amount of time and preparation this teacher and her helpers had put into planning the camp. It was clearly run more smoothly than I remember from our life-skills camp during Pre-Service Training. What is more, she (the head organizer) had unrelenting faith in us as inexperienced camp facilitators to put on successful, effective sessions.

Now, I am not an English teacher and I am certainly no expert on the environment but, the concept was simple enough. We all found activities relevant to our session topics and showed up prepared as much as we could be. My session consisted of a scavenger hunt for recyclable items followed by disseminating information on how to properly process recyclables and discussing further ideas on how to get students involved in recycling projects. Then, I briefly touched on the concept of composting and what is needed to properly compost. Lastly, we did an exercise where we take an inanimate environmental component (ie: a tree, a river, a mountain, a beach) and give it human-like qualities. For instance... “This is Mr. Tree. He likes to eat CO2 and water; he give us oxygen; he likes it when he is surrounded by his friends in the forest; he doesn’t like it when people burn him or cut him down or throw garbage at him...” Therefore, giving teachers an exercise they can teach in the classroom that will get kids to start thinking about how they treat the environment and practice English at the same time. Turns out, I really enjoyed teaching my session at the camp and I felt a sense of accomplishment that I hadn’t felt before working at my own site. I think we all felt pleasantly surprised at how well it went.

In retrospect, who really knows the impact my session or interaction had on the teachers? I somehow doubt if any of the teachers rushed back to their schools and started large-scale recycling banks or community composting projects. Nevertheless, I feel that in the very least I sparked an interest in the issues we talked about and gave teachers more ideas to think about and take back to the classroom and gave them an opportunity to practice conversational English. It all starts with planting the seed—and sometimes the right soils for planting emerge through camp-ortunities.
On another note, I also had the opportunity to work more intimately with some fellow CBOD Volunteers and it was really nice to spend time getting to know them better and experiencing this together.

Family Ties and Life Choices

 

Becoming an Aunt, Round 2

I am so excited and happy to announce the newest addition to my family! My sister's second daughter, Sienna Marie, was born on July 21, 2009 at 9:29 AM, weighing in at 7Lbs, 10 ounces. It was great to find out about this in real-time having a consistent stream of phone calls with my sister and her husband from the hospital. Technology is great! Especially when you are on the other side of the world and you still want to share in the lives of your loved ones. When my first niece was born, I was fortunate at the time to be living only 30 minutes away from my sister. Back then, the waters were definitely more unchartered and I was really glad I could be there to support her through the end of her pregnancy, delivery, and after my niece was born. I was also living nearby when she had her wedding. I definitely threw myself full-throttle into the planning/panic mode of making sure many of the last detail had been worked out--I am quite certain I was more stressed about the wedding than the bride was! Point being, I try to ensure I will be around for all momentous occasions.  This time, I was not.

So now, irrespective of the overwhelming joy and excitement in the midst of it all, it does feel very strange not being at the birth like last time. The distance is inevitable and something I have learned to deal with. Even so, when a major event happens, the reality of the space between us (the people I am close to) becomes bittersweetly clear. It is just another reminder that no matter how much we communicate, there will always be that physical distance. This, too, is part of the Peace Corps Experience.  

Actually, this certainty is more a reality of my chosen lifestyle than it is a reality of being in Peace Corps.  It just intensifies in the Peace Corps since I am here for two years and not able to visit home as often as I normally would.   For some time now, my life choices weighed heavily on traveling extensively, going to school in various far-away places, and planning for a career in which I would undoubtedly be traveling or living abroad.  Accordingly, I have come to terms with the trade-offs that are bound to occur because of my chosen lifestyle.  Somehow, it works relatively well for me most of the time.  I don't have to see or talk to my family or good friends every day in order to be closer to them or love them any more.  I truly carry them with me and they know this.  My affections may come out in less conventional ways but are nonetheless, there.  My unconventional affections in this instance have come out via sending baby gifts, talking about life/new experiences, and being steadily supportive through different mediums.

Relating to the Mama-to-be

While my sister was well into her third trimester in the heat of summer back home—surviving by air-conditioning and cold showers—she often asked me..."How do pregnant women get by in Thailand (in the villages) with their way of life?" After all, it is hot in Thailand all the time and many people don't have air-conditioning or any sort of relief from the humidity. Pregnant women in villages get very basic care and have less of a ‘special’ status than those in the U.S.  I recalled meeting a pregnant woman while helping in the rice field one day.  I asked her how she was able to stand the back breaking work, let alone the heat during her pregnancy.  She gave an exceptional response that also reflects Thai culture.  Saying simply, "It's just a part of life... I work in the field just the same as always because it needs to be done every year, I work because I am healthy and able to help... If I weren't here, it would be strange" as if to imply that though she was pregnant, life has to continue, there is still rice that needs to be planted. No matter her circumstance, she still wanted to contribute to the whole if she was able.  As for the heat, she replied..."It's not so hot and I'm used to it already... I rest when I need to." 

I relayed this experience to my sister in awe.  I also told her, I believe it's not because living traditionally and relatively simply, that women feel like they don't have the 'luxury' to rest or do less when they are pregnant. Rather, they view it as just a normal part of life that does not warrant the need to rest all the time.  The woman was obviously aware of her vulnerable state but still felt compelled to contribute when she could. This is a perfect example of the collectivism that exists in Thai culture.  The greatest part of this whole experience was that I could relate it to my pregnant sister back home.  She, in that state herself, could begin to get an idea of the completely different lifestyle and world view here and how it relates to the different stages present in life.  

 

Life Choices & More Experiential Connections

Along these lines, an important thing I believe my lifestyle provides an outlet to share my experiences with everyone and open up a unique exchange of ideas and views of life that would have not otherwise surfaced. Had I not traveled, my life and perhaps that of others around me would be missing something.  For instance (again),  iving with a family in Bolivia last summer gave me the opportunity to share what life is like in America and act as a medium between my family back home and my Bolivian family about what life was like in Bolivia. It was very much like my exchange here--only obviously in a different setting.  Once, we made Mexican food (which, is vastly different from Bolivian food, ie: there are no tortillas in Bolivian cooking).  At the time, we got to talking about the Mexican influence in America.  Which, lead into talking about my brother-in-law who is Mexican and speaks Spanish but with a different dialect than Bolivians. Then, we got to thinking about the mass diversity that exists in Latin America.   The conversations ensued and I continued to share with my family back home about these experiences. Ironically, one year later my real sister and my sister-in-law from Bolivia had babies around the same time.  Through the pregnancies, we conversed about having babies in America and in Bolivia.  These conversations have allowed me to conceptualize and connect this one monumental experience and pivotal change in life between two people who would have otherwise never known or met each other or even realized the other existed. They still may never meet but they can relate to having the same experience at the same time.   It is an awesome thing to encounter.  Especially when I am neither in Bolivia or America but here in Thailand.  

This sort of thing drives me.  It is something that allows room to expand upon the reality of what we know, connect people of different backgrounds and lifestyles, and relate more intimately to the human condition of all people in the greater scheme of things.  

Some people would argue that the changes and physical distance that happen over time will eventually trump the shared experiences and people will grow apart, leading separate lives. The way I see it though, human being are capable of transcending relationships through life changes. After all, change is inevitable. Every day we are changing, growing, shedding our old skins and revealing new layers. No matter if I am here in Thailand or if I am in Iowa.  Time flies, babies are born, babies grow into children, children into teenagers, teenagers into young adults, kids go to college, make life choices, get jobs, get married; people witness tragedy, suffering, love, success, loss, spirituality; they travel, make homes, grow old and on and on and on. My experiences contribute to the changes in myself-- about what I believe, how I act, and how I live but there is something inside that still makes me who I am.  And that is why I believe I can still have meaningful and essentially the same relationships I would have whether or not I am physically present.  Besides, being a semi-nomad is very much a part of who I am, so it makes sense.  

 Travel and discovering the unknown, in general, has been second nature to me since I was a kid.  My dad recently recalled how I used to have an obsession with collecting postcards from all over the world and find excitement in talking about them.  He then realized that the travel bug had been itching inside me for a long time.   In college, I tried to travel and soak up as many unique experiences as possible--always sending home outrageous, fun, and sometimes peculiar recollections.   So when deciding on grad school, I realized that if I was going to continue my travels I should make them more meaningful and try to make a living by working in or in relation to other countries.  Queue Master's of Public Administration in International Management.  I figured since I have traveled so much already I should learn more about internationally-related policies, institutions, and organization--along with global politics and economics. Then try to make a career from that foundation.  It is a great outlet that will allow me to initiate more connections and realizations about people and about the world.  

These life choices arose organically in response to my emergence as an adult that reflect what I am truly passionate about--and what I want out of life.  I suspect as my life ensues I will be presented with more divergences in the wood and whichever way I choose, my decisions will somehow include this part of me. As far as affecting the people I love and care about, they know what makes me who I am and they understand that my lifestyle suits me.  That understanding and acceptance itself fortifies the ties that bind and keeps us together.  We may not agree on everything all the time or quite understand the changes occurring in each other but we listen just the same and strive to continue the exchange.