Monday, January 29, 2007

Here are a few pictures from the performances on Sunday. Unfortunately, my camera battery died near the beginning of the performances. I'll try to get some pictures from other people and put them up later.



The theatre group from Krabi, a province in the south, performed a piece they wrote called "the Queen's party". It was really neat and informative about Muslim customs and values. In the show, the cast was planning a party for the queen. Some were Muslim and some were Buddhist. The dialogue revolved around coming to compromises about food, drink and dress for the party.





the Muslim cast with the "king and queen"



Muslims and Buddhists work together to plan a great party for their queen


One of the groups from Ubon Rachatani province (on the Cambodian border) performed a shortened rendition of "The Wizard of Oz"



Dorothy arrives in Oz from Phibunmangsahan (the group's town) and is greeted by munchkins (behind the flowers) and Glenda the good witch of the north.


the wicked witch of the East under the house and the "ruby slippers" (aka flip flops) on Dorothy's feet

The scarecrow stands up to the cowardly lion
One of the groups from Chiang Mai (northern Thailand near the border of Burma) performed a 10 minute version of "Hamlet" with their elementary students. It was very cute.

these second graders treasure their moment in the spotlight
the royal family
The group from Chumpon province was started by a volunteer in group 114, four years ago. He went home two years ago, but his Thai counterpart carried on the group herself. It is a community group made up of high school students from many schools in the province. Their performance of Shakespeare's "Macbeth" was amazing.

a cast photo after the show

In all, we had over 200 students attend the festival. Before we left, we all put on our TYT 2007 shirts and posed for a group photo. There were so many of us, we spilled off the edges of the photo.

the big group

Though my group didn't manage to get a performance together, one Thai counterpart and twelve students did attend the festival. They got some ideas and motivation for next year.

with my group before they head home

This past weekend was a theatre festival that I have been helping to organize. The festival was for TYT theatre groups around the country. TYT - Thai Youth Theatre is a group that was started by several Peace Corps volunteers four years ago. Around the country, volunteers interested in theatre start clubs at their schools or in their communities. The clubs teach students about theatre and help them improve their English (because the performances are in English. Each year, volunteers work to organize a national festival. At the festival, clubs that are able, come together for theatre workshops and then to watch the performances of all the groups.

The festival has previously been in Bangkok and Chiang Mai. So, this year, we decided it would be in Korat. Since I'm the closest to Korat, I was co-chair of the festival. It was a lot of work and quite frustrating at times to get every detail in place, but we did it.


The festival was a great sucess. It was held at a performing arts college (technical highschool focused on performing arts) in the city. This was a wonderful space and offered a great opportunity for collaboration with the students and teachers of the school.


Groups arrived from around the country on Friday.

Many had traveled over night and were exhausted. The first group arrived around 3pm. I greeted the last group at 2am and shuffeled them off for their four hours of sleep.


The first day was filled with sessions about theatre: drama, costumes, set, sound effects and make-up. The sessions were held around campus with volunteers and Thais working together to teach them.



Volunteers teach about the different parts of the stage



students work in groups to discuss what can be used for sound effects


I helped in the make-up session. Lucky for us, there was a Thai theatre teacher who was an expert on stage make-up. She did most of the session. I'm sure they understood her Thai better than mine.



A make-up demonstration


First the students designed several faces - each with a different character.





Then, they saw a make-up demonstration and helped each other apply make-up to create one of the characters they had drawn.





Some of them came out looking rather strange. But, it was fun for all!


Tuesday, January 23, 2007

Yesterday was Nong Neuy's (one of P Noot's nieces) birthday. She turned ten.


I have started a tradition with P Noot's family that we have a cake for each person's birthday. I bake the cake and then the family comes together and we have a small party. This is a western way of celebrating birthdays, but the family loves it.
For past birthdays, I have just made a simple cake by hand. However, a friend in Atlanta has taken several classes on cake decorating and recently sent me a cake decorating kit. P Noot was excited to try it out with me. Nong Neuy was the first to get a "professional" cake:
Emily and Noot make a border around the edge
P Noot takes a turn with the icing bag
The finished cake
Nong Neuy, the birthday girl, with me and her cake

light the candles - Happy Birthday to Neuy!

Wednesday, January 17, 2007

Every province in Thailand has a hero...or a heroine (as mine does). I've heard differing opinions as to the truth of whether or not these people actually existed. However, real or not, they stand to unite the Thai people in each province. Generally, the hero is some sort of war hero that risked his or her life to hold the Thai nation and the Thai people together. Often these wars were against Cambodia, Laos or Burma.

The capital city of each province has a large monument statue of their hero. People in the province wai or honk when they drive by. On any typical day flowers are placed near the statue and people burn candles and incense to make merit for themselves and their families. I guess you could compare these people to Saints in the Catholic faith.
At any rate, this week the province of Chaiyaphum, which touches my province and is only about an hour's drive from my town, is holding a festival for their hero.
Last night, I traveled to the festival with P Noot and her family. We didn't leave our town until almost 8pm, so it made for a late night. But, here's a glimpse into the Thai festival:
We first walked to the statue of the hero in the middle of town. The family bought flowers, candles and incense to make merit at the statue.

Distributing the flowers

Then, they lit the candles and incense, wai-ed the statue and prayed.
praying and making merit
After this, the fun began. First, I bought some sugar cane for Nong Nan to feed the elephant. She was a little nervous, but really enjoyed it.
Nan feeds the elephant with help from her mom
Now.... to the games. Festival games in Thailand are very similar to those in the states. There is the dart game to pop balloons.
And the "go-fishing" game. The numbers in the little capsules indicate which prize you get. (I won a plastic cup - yippee! )
Nong Nuey goes fishing
After this, we spent a great deal of time walking through the shops and food stalls. Some of us were luckier than others during this part.
Nong Nan hitches a ride!
The food at Thai events is always interesting. Unlike the games, the snacks are generally very different from anything you might find at a carnival in the States. Take a look:
hotdogs and meatballs on a stick - with a sticky sweet dipping sauce
Grilled eggs on a stick look delicious next to the flattened and dried squid on a stick!
And of course, no festival is complete without the fried bugs.
Grasshoppers, beetles, scorpions - take your pick.

a close-up of the grasshoppers
Yes, they really do taste like potato chips.
(And yes, that does mean I've tried them...)
Last week, I officially passed the two year mark. I have been in Thailand for two full years. That is amazing.

In some ways it feels like I have been here much much longer. Thinking back on the surprises, fears and discomforts of the beginning of my time in Thailand makes me chuckle. The concept of Thailand as an unknown seems so foreign now. The surprises are now routine. The fears are now mundane. And though some of the discomforts still exist, I hardly notice the ones that first bothered me two years ago. I live here now. I am a part of this place and it is a part of me, though I often fight it.

And yet, I am so ready to leave. This experience has not been at all what I expected. I was warned to come without expectation. I thought I had. I learned that this is impossible. The patience and enthusiasm I arrived with has been exhausted. The needle on my tank is in the red section. It is time for me to go.

In December, right before I left for India, I had my final Peace Corps conference - "Close of Service" conference.

During this conference, all of the volunteers in my group came together one last time.



We had sessions on resume writing, job application and readjustment back into society in the US.

It was so interesting to look around at the 45 faces left from the group of 50 that arrived together two years ago. We have changed and grown in so many ways. Each of us found a different way to relate to and survive within Thai culture. Everyone's feelings were a little different. A hand-full of poeple are extending their service to finish a project and a couple more are staying for personal reasons. Some people have no idea where they will go from here, others have plans and are in the process of making them happen. This is a momentous turing point in our lives.

I am filled with emotions about this change and excited about what is to come. The sun is setting on this chapter of my life. But, the journey of life itself continues.


I have two more months left in my town before the day of my departure. During this time, I am working on tying up loose ends and preparing for the next step. I want to leave this place and this experience with positive energy - both for myself and my Thai counterparts. In some arenas that will be easier than in others.

The process of sorting - packing, donating, throwing away - is intense and rather tedious. But this is an exciting time. The journey continues.

Also, I wanted to share a neat opportunity I am looking into: Peace Boat. This is run by a Japanese organization. Participants travel in a boat on a journey around the world that takes three months. On the boat workshops are available on topics such as peace projects, social justice work and global health. At ports, participants can take part in local projects or enjoy local cultural experiences. It is just fantastic, though unfortunately quite expensive. I want to spread the word. Check it out. (The site can be viewed in English, Spanish or Japanese.)


Friday, January 12, 2007

The night before the wedding we had a grand dance party. Almost everyone (foreign guests included) came dressed in Indian style and looking great!


Kristina and Kavita, the bride

Nathan, Irina and Emily
One of the bride's sister's friends is a choreographer, so we spent the afternoon learning various bollywood-like dances to be performed that night. Somehow I got roped into being one of the dancers that had to flirt with the groom in one of the dances. I don't have any pictures of this yet, but will post them when/if I get any.

We had such great fun performing all the dances we practiced. None were perfect, but all were enjoyed by everyone.


the choreographer, brother and siter of the bride dance

some of the guests perform their dance

After the choreographed dances, we all participated in the traditional Indian wedding stick dance, called the garba . I had seen this in movies about Indian weddings and was so excited to try my hand at it. It proved to be extremely fun and not difficult at all.

Emily's ready to dance!

the aunties dance the garba

After the garba, many people took to the floor in freestyle dancing - mostly Indian style!

The father of the bride gets his dance on

Kristina gets roped into the spinning dance.

This is my last post from India. The pictures from the wedding and post-wedding were posted several weeks ago. Check the archives.

Thursday, January 11, 2007

As I mentioned before, after the inital wedding events in Bombay, we piled into jeeps and headed up to Matheran - a hill station about and hour outside the city.

On our way we stopped at McDonalds. Well, the McExperience in India is certainly interesting. As most Indians are Hindu, the hamburger has no market in India. Therefore, the menu consists of very few items: McChicken, McVeggie and McAloo. Take a look:


One thing I did like about the menu, however, was that you could order a small sundae - they make it in the cap of the container we know and love. It is perfect if you just want a little snack.

Another humerous part of our trip to McyD's was the preschool fieldtrip that was taking place while we were there. I went upstairs to use the bathroom and was met by a room FULL of dancing preschoolers being led by McDonalds staff.



One of our group even joined in the fun! HA!

Once at the base of the hillstation, I headed up by horseback. I was so excited to get to ride a little bit.

We were greeted by a band at the entrance to the hotel where we were staying

and then ushered to our rooms... and what fantastic rooms they were too. Kristina and I shared a "room" (which was really a suite). She stayed downstairs and I stayed upstairs. I think my favorite part was the stairs!

We were warned when we arrived that we must keep our doors shut, and LOCKED at all times due to the mischevious nature of the moneys in the area. We did have a monkey get in once, but no damage done. Some rooms were plagued with monkeys on the porches or finding their way inside. Those little buggers can open doors if they are not locked from the inside.

This guy takes a cool drink from the padio.

Soon after we were settled into our room, we headed back down to the entrance to welcome the bride and groom. We gathered flower petals to throw

And after a few false alarms, they finally arrived and were showered with the petals.

Another great day in India.