Monk Chat

2009-07-27T07:41:00.000-07:00

I know I am supposed to be writing an update on how my travels went, but to that, I will have to return.

My observations fresh in my mind, I just have to get it down into words.

I went ahead of Maria and Gaelle, who both have mopeds already, as to grab a bite to eat. Today I ran, stretched, did some yoga, and never got around to eating. That happens often these days.

I rode down Suthep Rd. with my red bike, made for small, teenage boys and not for tall farang women, the whole way hoping I do not get hit by a passing moped, or an opening car door, remembering why I think getting a moped would in the end be safer than riding my bike. I settled at the small, organic, vegetarian restaurant inside the temple, and tried the Gang Garee (yellow curry with tofu, mushrooms, and other veggies, coupled with organic, brown rice). Acknowledging I am quite biased toward any vegetarian restaurant due to the freedom to order anything that feels appealing, but this place was delicious in more than one way. The original mix of dozens of Thai spices and herbs, mixed in with the locally grown brown rice, was the perfect, socially and environmentally conscious meal.

Gaelle and Maria arrived just as I was finishing my meal, and we headed to the airy room assigned for 'monk chat.' There were about a dozen monks seated around round tables, joined by a few farangs, yearing for some knowledge into the Budhist world. We were joined by the chatty Zack whom Gaelle knows quite well, a very quiet monk whose presense was very calming, and Chunny, whom I enjoyed very much. The conversation was surely not what I expected. Zack shared all sorts of beliefs and worries with us, especially little quirky remarks about sneaking dinner after 12pm since monks cannot eat anything that is not clear after midday, and about sneaking a cigarette or two when he gets nervous and anxious about his studies. He shared his belief of what Budhism is to him; a system of belief, and not a religion, which even considers its own stories of miracles as problematic. The Budha himself said that everyone should question any belief, any authority, any religious leader, even himself, as only the self must decide what is right for it. Mindfulness. Full mindfullness is all one needs to follow.

Another reason why Budhism is not necessarily a religion, according to Zack, is because it changes, shapes according to time and societies. Though the teachings of the Budha are followed and thaught, all followers and teachers know that within a changing society and within these changing times, it is impossible to retain all lessons and guidelines too strictlly. Quite humbling to hear from men who have devoted 4 years of their lives to studying the words of the Budha, living a simple, humble life.

Chunny and I continued a conversation about values carrying accross societies, and his views were so simple and so clear to me. He opened up a new door to me; one of further intrigue into Budhism and the teachings of the Budha. I hope to attend the two day meditation retreat next week, and take a leap into getting to know my new home's basis of belief and value.

A non-religious soul, finding meaning into the teachngs of a religious figure whose legacy encourages his followers to question and disbelieve, before they believe.

A Milestone.

2009-06-06T23:03:00.000-07:00

Today marks exactly 1.5 months since I made myself a home in the city of Chiang Mai. 1.6 months since I graduated from St. Olaf. It all came so quickly, however, not in any uncomfortably shocking way, but in a welcoming, exciting, hectic way. The last week as a student, a sponge for knowledge, was very emotional. An end of an era, some may say. It was a week full of lasts: the last moments spent with my friends, the last stimulating conversations with fellow colleagues, the last days working as a teaching assistant for the Economics department, the last interactions with my mentors among the St. Olaf faculty which oftentimes consisted of me running into their office with a 'thought', the last enjoyable meals in the caf, the last afternoons spent soaking in the sun as I sit on a wooden chair on Brock lawn and read a book on social European democracies, and the last days I spend sitting behind a student's desk, until the books call me back for more. Until then, I'm sitting behind the teacher's desk--a transition so unnatural but so intriguing. Besides a few sessions or classes on microlending and community economic development, I am yet to teach! Being responsible for the knowledge of 160 Thai students is quite the dive into this field. So under-qualified...

After a day and a half in Toronto, to see my lovely, bubbly sister, and spend some time with the parents and the fuzzy cat, I headed for Chiang Mai.

Arriving was one of the most exciting events; comparable to being handed a diploma from Pres. Anderson. A milestone. A beginning of my life as a graduate, as a person who gets to decide how to spend her time, what activities she wishes to get involved with, all while getting paid as a real employee: part-time faculty at the English Department, Faculty of Humanities at Chiang Mai University. I never thought I would teach English in an Asian country. Never in a million years. My passion and previous involvement with microlending, community development, and issues of political and social justice, just don't seem to naturally lead to a job like this one. However, with 1 year in between graduation and my year as a Rotary Ambassadorial Scholar in either Colombia, Argentina or Turkey (I am yet to hear from them), there was this 15-month gap; a gap I did not wish to fill with a useless restaurant or office job, become comfortable at home, enjoy the perks of driving everywhere, eating familiar foods all of the time, shopping for pointless articles of clothing. I wished to begin a life on my own, a life abroad. Though it does not seem natural for my "path," one shaped by experiences with grassroots development, it is what I wanted to do at that moment. What I could see myself doing, and where my heart was taking me to.

Additionally, as I see it, 'the path' I am to follow to get to where I want to be in life is no path at all; simply because I don't know where I want to be in 10 or 20 years. All I know is that my passions lay somewhere between the less developed world, its people, its culture, and issues of

economic justice and equality. What sort of career I am to have, what postgraduate program I want to enroll in in a few years...that I don't know. And am completely ok with not knowing. For now, Thailand has called me back to her, and I am answering her call.

The first two days were quite crucial to set me up for my new life in Chiang Mai. Firstly, I found that the dynamic between Charlie, Maria, Jonas, Allison and I is very positive. We are all somehow connected to Olaf, and naturally, we all get along very well. Our personalities are very different, not in a way that they clash, but in a way that they compliment each other. We also met many of the other foreign and Thai teachers at CMU: Gaelle from France, Ezra from Coe College, Becca and Jason from Princeton, Weerin

from Chiang Mai, etc.

They make for a pleasant company. Secondly, we found a nice spot to settle in, in the midst of quite a 'Thai neighborhood'. Suthep Road goes right by the back gate of the university, and there are not only many students in the area and very few 'farangs' (foreigners), but also dozens of street food stands that are very VERY cheap (50 cents-1 dollar), and typical Thai occurrences, such as insane traffic and hundreds of moped drivers, quite a lot of rats and cockroaches, enough cheap coffee shops for grading, and decently priced housing. Sak Thong Mansion is right off of Suthep Rd, a completely new 13-apt guest house with many double rooms and a few single rooms. Maria and I were literally the first tenants, as we moved into one of the double apartments that include: a bedroom, a spacious living room with a TV, a table, a couch etc, a nice bathroom, and a small kitchenette. More than the basics, but quite the deal with the free Internet connection and the perfect location from which I can walk to pretty much anywhere. Jonas and Charlie moved into the singles the following week.

Teaching began 2 days after my move. Since I had some visa delays, I arrived here 8 hours after the teacher orientation. Though I heard it was quite useless, I still felt extremely unprepared to begin teaching on June 1st with no previous direction. I teach four courses: three 203s (made up of sophomores) and one 101 (made up of freshies, as they call them here). Though intimidated by the size of my classes (about 40-45 students in each class), I sprung into teaching. I surprised myself how quickly I got the hang of it. Using the teaching guides, accepting that students will never volunteer to answer a question, breaking down some of the student/teacher barriers that prevent students from ever talking to a teacher outside of class or after the class is over, stayin

g enthusiastic throughout all four classes that each last 1 hour and 15 minutes, grading their assignments, and simply speaking slowly and clearly in class, and being very patient. However, there are plenty of frustrations that I face and have to keep addressing as to remain positive and excited about my job:

1. CMU has quite a lack of support system for new teachers. We received no advice on where to stay temporarily when we arrive, where to look for affordable housing, what materials to use to prepare for class, how to use their standardized grading criteria, what the culture of the students is in terms of seeking help, speaking in class, and arriving to class promptly, providing Thai lessons, and simply teaching! I am fortunate enough to be OK simply arriving in a place at 1am and getting myself to a guest house or hostel. I am also fortunate enough to have people like Maria who is up for exploring, finding good accommodations, and dedicating herself to settling in a new neighborhood properly: like a Thai resident rather than a foreign passer-by. However, I was not ready to go to my first class having received no "make-up" training as they said they would hold for a few of us, due to their fault in sending us all visa requirements promptly. But with time, I realized if I have to make this work for me and for my students, it will be my own will and doing. I will have to get over the fear of creating everything from scratch and simply dive into lesson preparations and conducting class the way I feel it, the way I find it effective. The misspelled textbook and I began our battle.

2. The kids' language skills are so extremely different. Some have received Bangkok-style education, and have constant access to the Internet, foreign films and magazines, while some come from the northern Thai villages, have never been exposed to an English-speaking person, have been taught English by a Thai teacher whose accent is very thick, whose English is very poor, and who uses Thai to teach a class. Additionally, some are Mass-Comm students, Nursing students, or Law students who have a much better grasp of the English language, while some are Engineering or Agriculture students who are never asked to read, study or research anything in English. This makes it extremely difficult to teach a class without boring some, and without confusing and discouraging others. Finding the balance is so extremely difficult, as well as the perspective to stay impartial, motivated, and helpful and relatable to your students.

3. The kids are so damn respectful they barely ever speak in class, raise their hand when they don't understand something, or volunteer to read, answer, or comment. They simply bow as I enter, and they bow as I leave, saying in high-pitched voices "Hellooooo teeeaaacher!! Byyyeeee teeeaaacher!!" My first class is the most difficult as it is a 'condition class', meaning I am teaching students from the Faculty of Agriculture. Their level of English is so much lower than students from other faculties that it is difficult to compare this 203 course with the two others that I teach right after. So you can imagine how discouraged I am at 8am in the morning. However, as the day goes on I perk up and watch some of my other students' progress, as it is so apparent. They are also a lot more comfortable with their English that they are open to talking to me, joking around, and simply helping each other rather than passively sitting through the whole hour and 15min. There is a group of girls that constantly comments on my clothes, compliment me on how pretty I am, and how they missed me during the weekend, and hope to see me out at some bars or restaurants sometime. Though unprepared for this type of interaction, I welcome any communication from them :) And lets not even go into my 101, the last class of the day, which has the most hyper, excited, open students who I can joke around with, laugh with, and teach from a book that is actually written by a legitimate English language program for a change.

4. I work part time--10 hours per week, which translates into 18,000 baht per month or less (~$440). This is plenty for a humble life in Chiang Mai. Food, accommodation, sawng taw transportation (an 80 cents truck you can take to anywhere around Chiang Mai), coffee, and a few magazines and newspapers here and there. However, if I do want to see Thailand, take advantage of being here in the Far East, as well as take advantage of the cheap Air Asia flights and see Vietnam, Laos, Indonesia, Malasya, then I will have to get another job as to keep my savings account intact. Additionally, with 10 hours of teaching/week, 2 hours of lesson planning/week, 8 hours of grading/on average per week, I am still left with lots and lots of idle time. I have been filling my time with some yoga, I am starting meditation at a temple this Thursday, I go to all the markets and other people-filled places, explore the old town, hang with the other teachers, go out to the fun-filled streets, write in my journal, read some books, watch BBC world news with coffee every morning and a carrot juice at night..but still feel quite unfulfilled. I NEED something more. I need to do networking and socializing outside of the teacher environment. So I extend to a few Thai friends that we have made since we arrived here, am going to start Thai lessons this week, AND continue to seek for a second job/volunteer opportunity to keep me passionate and working and talking and learning and observing. I already am in touch with the head of the local microfinancing organization, and am invited to begin a volunteer internship with them. Though excited, and very intrigued, I need to earn some cash as to allow myself a few weekend trips, and break-trips to the neighboring countries. If you know me well, you understand just why I have to do this :)

Therefore, today I have an interview aligned with the only local magazine that is in English, called CityLife. They have no official positions, but the chief editor read my writing sample, saw my resume and invited me to meet with her as to figure out a part-time position, or an on-commission position with them. We will see how it goes :)

Alright, enough for this entry. Next entry I will share my travel experiences so far: the mountainous Pai, the turquoise-blue oceans of Krabi, and the rugged trip to the island of Koh Chang.

Much love. Sawatdee ka!

thailand, chalk & i.

Monk Chat

A Milestone.