For being rainy season, we’ve had very little rain this past week. I’m itching for a good storm to cool things down.
After the trip to the floating market and the biking this weekend (video below) Tawn and I went to a wedding on Sunday night. One of his colleagues was getting married, the fourth “hi-so” (high society) wedding we’ve been to since I moved here.
The wedding was held at the Hyatt Erawan Hotel, in a fantastically decorated ballroom. The cocktail reception included small dishes of Thai and western food and cute little desserts. The towering cake stood at the end of a runways and there was all sorts of ceremony including an honor guard of sword-carrying soldiers in their sharp white uniforms.
Tawn’s colleague is an alumni of the same high school that Tawn went to, although a few years later than he. Invited as guests were several of the khruu (teachers) from the school. Tawn spent a lot of time chatting with them including one lady who he later told me had employed corporal punishment when he misbehaved. She looks so friendly and harmless, though. Who could imagine her whacking the back of Tawn’s legs with a ruler? Ah, but it is always the ones you least suspect, right?
We spent most of the time visiting with Tawn’s colleagues, many of whom I know through visits to the office, weddings, and the trip to Seoul last December. One of his colleagues, Mon, with whom he also went to school, just recently left the company and is getting ready for her wedding December 30. Her fiancee, Ross, was in town and accompanied her to the wedding.
After their wedding, Mon will move to London to join Ross. Anticipating that a reception or some other ceremony will be held there in the Spring, Tawn is talking about making a trip over there to support Mon – kind of like being the ambassador for the Thai friends. So all of you in the UK and Europe take note – we may be heading your direction the first half of 2007.
Above: Mon and Ross are on the right of the picture, nearly cropped out by an over zealous photographer.
After the wedding the weather was perfect so we visited the Erawan Shrine just outside the hotel. This is a large spirit house, which is mistakenly referred to as the “Four-Faced Buddha.” Not a Buddha at all, the statue in the shrine is Brhama or Phra Phrom. People visit here day and night to ask for good fortune or to repay wishes that have been granted.
Amphawa Floating Market Video
Wedding Video
Erawan Shrine Video
Electricity? What Electricity?
A few weeks ago I purchased a floor fan, one of those that oscillate back and forth (wildly, like characters in a song by The Smiths*) in the hopes that I can decrease our electricity bill by using only the fan during the day. Since I’m just sitting in front of the computer working, there is no need for it to be 24 or 25 C (75-77 F). Usually the temperature works up to about 29 or 30 C (84-86 F) but with the fan it is pleasant enough.
On Saturday around noon, our friend Jack stopped by as he was going to Amphawa with us. I had the fan blowing but no air on. This shouldn’t have been a problem because when we visited Jack’s house in Ayuthaya his mother only had a fan going, too. However, apparantly the lack of air led Jack to comment about it to Tawn. The rumour is now running around Tawn’s circle of friends that he is too stingy to let me have air.
*Tremendously interesting side note: while Googling for the Smiths Fan Club I came across the Yeardley Smith Fan Club. Yeardley Smith, as you may or may not konw, is the voice of Lisa Simpson on the show The Simpsons.
And Finally, Throwing the Child Over Your Shoulder
Wednesday was my third day teaching at Bangkhonthii. There is one young stuent in the Grade 1-3 section who is from a broken home, lives with his grandfather, and has all of the behavioural issues you would expect. He is very bright but is so starved for attention that he acts up in order to get it.
Finally, after many attempts to keep him involved and focused, he stole the cap off a bottle of glue from another student. When I questioned him about it (this occurred in front of me) he denied having the cap. So I led him out of the room, telling him we were going to go see the principal.
He dragged his feet and squirmed to avoid this death march, so I finally picked him up, threw him over my shoulder and carried him down the hall.
Thankfully, parental lawsuits are much less common in Thailand!
Thirty minutes later, he was returned to the classroom with a glue bottle cap in his hand, an apology to the student from whom he stole it, and an apology to me.
We’ll see what next week holds in store. One thing is for certain, the children view me differently now. Hopefully not in a negative way, but there is no doubt both a cultural context as well as a “this is how children view farang teachers” context that I’m not fully aware of.
The rest of the children did seem relaxed and not aprehensive about me afterwards, so I think they don’t see it as a Rambo-esque move on my part.
christao408 
I wish there was video of you with the kicking child slung over your shoulder. hehehehehWhat are some of the traditions involved with a Thai wedding? Anything similar to the banquets in Chinese weddings?
Well, many Thais have some Chinese heritage in them. For those families, the rituals are a little more similar to the Chinese weddings you’ve attended with Bill.
In September and December we’ll attend weddings of two of Tawn’s close friends. That will give me an opportunity to learn a little more and share it. Stay tuned…
The kids that are at most ease are likely the teacher’s pets. You’re very good with the narration. Did you get training for that?Everyone in Hong Kong know about the “four-faced-buddha”. He’s famous for all the wishes granted.
Gee, this wedding must have cost a fortune. Just imagine you’re shelling out this money, and then a year from now the couple might divorce (in Thai society this may be different). As father of the bride I’d go hunting. But I am stingy.
It is interesting. My impression after four weddings is that we’re either travelling in very wealthy circles or Thai weddings are really extravagant!
While we’ve definitely been invited to weddings from the sons and daughters of comfortably upper middle class families, Tawn and others confirm that because weddings represent an important moment to “show face” for the bride and groom’s parents, they will pull out all the stops for this event.
The wedding, in effect, is more for the parents than for the bride and groom themselves. While this is probably true of most wedding receptions, it seems to take on a special importance in Thailand’s hierarchy-atuned society.
Aaron – ouch!
Video production was one of my emphases in university, as part of the Comunication degree at Santa Clara University. The other was intercultural communication.