No one has ever bowed to me… but I could get used to it.

“Hey You! Hey you, what you doing? Hey You!”

To my surprise, I turned my shoulder to find myself being verbally assaulted in fairly good English by a lanky teenager with a touch of an insolent sneer across his face- an unsettling way to begin my first photo journey into the surrounding neighborhood which encircles GES, our school.

“Chris, how in the blazes did you catch yourself in such a tedious predicament,” I know all of you are asking yourselves. Let me explain. Often, I find it necessary to step away from my arduous lesson plans, escape “the cave” (the pet name for my bedroom- due to the long hours locked within, away all from social contact, in order to complete my tasks) and apply myself to something which will take my mind off my ever-present work. My camera is a fantastic tool for such times. Scoping for the ideal subject. gaining the most dramatic perspective. Manipulating the light’s rays. Capturing the contrasts and contours in my own little box of steel and glass. In an a sort of odd way, the whole process of attempting to capture the perfect image is extremely therapeutic- but I am wandering now.

The Mercedez Benz emblem immediately caught my eye- it was an excellent contrast against the seedy street in which the car was parked. Bending down, my eyes searched for its chromed edge through my viewfinder. That’s when the yelling started. At first, I imagined the raucous noise was directed towards someone less fortunate as myself, but its persistence grew only louder and more agitated. Perturbed, I looked up from my subject into the eyes of a haughty teenager who obviously was not as keen about my shot as I was. “Hey you! What you doing! My car,” he shouted, in quite an un-Thai manner. He was flanked by two other teenagers, his wing men, who I had a slight inkling he was putting the show on for. I smiled one of my well-known “Chris smiles”. And then I laughed- not a mean laugh, but a “I am a friendly white person who does not comprehend the brevity of the situation” laugh. “I am taking pictures,” I smiled again, “are you a photographer as well?” He hadn’t expected that. It is hard to keep up the tough guy act after such an idiotic question.

“No, but, no pictures with my car in it,” he murmured. I obliged him with a nod and ambled away. If a chance to prove his masculinity against the foreigner was what he was vying for, he wasn’t going to get it from me. The rest of the walk was eventful. It is amazing was fantastic little subtleties we discover as soon as we are willing to stop and look around us- they exist everywhere that light and surfaces converge!

But many of you are probably reading this because you are interested in the happenings of my life, beyond my standing down a high school teenager:) This week found my teaching technique dramatically improved; hence, I used technique. For class, I have been teaching the students how to construct their own autobiographical essay, from brainstorming to finished product. Although 7th and 8th are still pretty rocky, I feel as though I have bonded with the 9th grade class, and have found myself internally rejoicing along with them as they begin to grasp the developmental stages of writing. It is a joy like no other to open one’s mind. I suppose my bright-eyed idealism was not fully crushed in my college years.

Wai Kru Day was also quite interesting. In English, this mean “teacher’s day”, and it is quite the occasion in Thai culture. We were made to sit before a school assembly while students from our homeroom, mine being the 9th graders, literally crawled on their knees and presented us with illustrious bouquets and wreaths of flowers, after which they took a deep bow, touching the floor with their heads in front of us.  An awkward situation occurred when one of my lovely students had inched too closed to my knees, resulting in her head-butting my lower thigh, but not hard enough to cause anything more than embarrassment which soon becomes a funny story for all but the two involved. The whole procession was both delightful and unsettling-truly, what are the theological implications of another human being bowing before you? Obviously, my Buddhist students had no problem with it, and one of the buckets brimming with aromatic flowers contained all sorts of delicious fruits inside. Hurray, I love fruit!

Apart from that, I am leaving on the 1st of July for Milwaukee to attend my brother’s wedding. Next week, I will be traveling to Pennsylvania to attend my sisters. It will be an eventful two weeks, I should say. Part of my looks forward to what is in store for us all, but another side of me regrets leaving the community which I have spent the last three weeks establishing and building a schedule around. I fear that when I return in two weeks, I will begin at square one in almost every way. Until then, stay well, dear friends.

I Don’t Make a Habit of “Sniffing” People- Yet.

Some interesting things about Thailand you might not have previously known: Within an intimate relationship between two Thai individuals, it is an accepted practice to “sniff” each other as an expression of intimacy, considering that a person’s own scent is one of their most personal attributes. Vehicles drive on the left side of the road as in the custom of our dear friends, the British. Their language does not use personal pronouns, so “I’m hungry” becomes simply, “Is hungry.” Fascinating.

An extra dollup of good news. Starting today, I am beginning to expel solids- I think there might be a connection between this and the implementation of a water filtering system in our house. Believe what they tell you about the water! Also, I was able to play my first game of tennis in Thailand today. This is extremely gratifying for me.

One most excellent event occurred this weekend. I found a outside photo gallery of Yann Arthus-Bertrand, a renowned aerial photographer, which displayed 120 originals of some of the most fantastic shots taken from over five different continents. We had a great time, and after that, we took a train and explored the unknown streets of Bangkok in the shadowed hours of the evening.

Now I must return to my lesson planning. But things are going well, and don’t forget, I will be returning shortly for my brother and sister’s wedding, so maybe you and I can get together for coffee. Sleep well.

Flesh Wounds Heal, Insincerity Does Not.

Sawadecap!

Good news. I officially cast off my crutches by the first day of school, being yesterday, and today has allotted me the liberty to indefinitely remove the thick medical bandages from my foot. For those who are unaware of the circumstances surrounding this joyous declaration, consider it compassion on my part by sparing you the lucid details of the event. However, I will say that it involved my playing soccer barefoot with the kids and a substantial portion of the skin underneath my foot… departing from me- that should suffice.

The first day of classes was calming and overwhelming all in the same stroke. One little thought-gnome on my right shoulder whispered in my ear, “hey, this really isn’t so bad! The kids seem to like you, although they are probably faking, and you winged the lesson seamlessly, bravo!” Ofcourse, there was that nay-sayer on the other side who piped up to quip, “But if it is going to be like that all year, young lad, you might as well just shoot yourself in the foot right now and get it all over with!” With that being said, I am still a little overwhelmed with this whole lesson planning concept, but the rest went well. The ninth grade kids are great- after being asked on the info card what they would bring with them onto a desert island, one boy shot up his hand and asked, “Mr. Chris, could the nation of Thailand count?” Smart kid, I was only planning on bringing my guitar!:)

The eighth graders were great too, very friendly and polite; unfortunately, the seventh graders will need a bit more work. I don’t think the prior teacher laid out very much structure at all, and several of them cannot actually speak conversational English, which is difficult when you are trying to teach literature, writing, and grammar at a seventh grade level. Admittedly, I was not formally trained as a teacher, but I am hoping and praying that the students will be able to peer through my obvious inadequacy and catch sight of my sincere love for them and their personal growth. Only time will tell.

Beyond that, I am eating delicious Thai meals everyday, and this is a very exciting concept! Along those lines, I will say that I am having a spell of hmm.. stomach illness, so if you could lift me up in prayer for that, it would be much appreciated.

One great memory of this week was singing “Better Is One Day” for the Thai church on the compound. I played guitar and the GES teachers sang- I think the church really enjoyed, at least, that was what their expressions spoke to me, although many thanked us in broken English after the service.

I must get back to lesson planning, but I love you all and I deeply thank all of you who have committed to staying connected to me through email (which is chrismart28@gmail.com, by the way:), it has really been a blessing to me.

A Raft Will Do, Please.

Above my head, a constant whirring of the ceiling fan lulls me into a trance-like state, urging me to spend the afternoon as unproductively as possible. Yet dear friend, I carry out my word, and having reached my destination in good spirits, I will give you a taste of what I have experienced thus far.

Apart from the unexpected overnight delay in Tokyo, the trip was uneventful (a note for all you globetrotters- don’t be alarmed if the toilet triggers the flush as soon as you sit down, this is only natural in Tokyo). Upon reaching Bangkok, I was whisked away to GES (the school where I will be teaching) by two other teachers who were kind enough to pick me up. The school is situated within the thriving heart of Nonthamburi, a suburb of Bangkok. Half a dozen mango trees line the entrance into the campus, which is scattered with school buildings, a playground, a miniature soccer field, and a church building.

I have a comfortable room to myself, which overlooks a small outlet of rainwater outside my right window and construction of the new school building straight ahead. I hear the distant voices of Thai workers chatting and laughing with each other, blending together with the water’s flow.

It has only been a few days, but already I feel like have done much during my time here. The other teachers and I hopped onto a water taxi and ventured out to the Grand Palace, an elaborate site of holy buildings and King Rama’s residence, one housing/ a reclining gold statue of buddha which spans approximately 100 ft. Later on that day, I was invited to attend a fantastic Chinese wedding hosted by relative’s of our school’s owners. Gorgeous downtown Bangkok banquet hall. Nine course dinner, including sharkfin soup, coconut battered shrimp, etc. It is a hard job, but as they say..

Today was the first day of orientation. The sensation of being overwhelmed by information cascaded over me in several waves throughout the day. I will be teaching 7-9th English ( such as grammar, literature, and vocabulary) and in more ways than one, I feel as though I am starting from scratch with virtually no lesson plans left by last year’s teacher. I am in need of a saviour in a not-so-spiritual-but-more-immediate sort of way. The bright side is that I have been dining on the most fantastic Thai cuisine at a Rosie’s, a local  Thai restaurant, and I feel as though the teachers here are starting to develop a tight-knit community which is invaluable in such settings. I will start teaching next Monday- please pray for me. I miss you friend, and hope that you miss me as well and will take the time to e-mail me and catch me up on your life. Remember our little agreement? Stay well.

Mist

Although long faded into memories’ solace, the evening’s sweetness prevails in my thoughts like the presence of crisp morning dew long past the sun’s arrival. Shameless laughter. Endless guitar riffs cascading against the coffee house walls, intertwined with the hypnotic rhythms of Tom’s african drum. Faces of familiarity from all aspects of my life mingled together. In a common room, strangers come together with strangers with a mutual interest: to wish me a hearty farewell on my endeavors across the Pacific.

I couldn’t have chosen a better, more satisfying night. Smooth Grooves, our band, played its final session before a raucous crowd at the New Holland Coffee Co, doubling as a farewell as I depart this coming Wednesday. There is something richly sweet about making music for the people who love you- it is as though you have grasped inside yourself to offer everyone a little piece of you to enjoy. Also, for all my trampoline friends, the post-concert singing was sweet icing on the cake (I will be working on my late-90’s songs)!

However, the thought pervaded my mind as I pressed myself against these dear friends in a final token of farewell- did I give enough? Inevitably, we turn towards our past, asking this question concerning events in our lives, but I wonder this concerning the people I worked with, jammed with, laughed with, ate with; did I I really invest into these people or did I simply allow so many days fade beside me without caring for people in a significant way? Significance in relationships, I have found, is painful and inconvenient. And absolutely essential. I hope that I will recall these last two years in Pennsylvania with a sense of satisfaction and not regret. This is answered only through the illuminating hindsight of time, of which it reveals at its own convenience.

Friend, I promise that the next entry you read from me will be sent from ancient lands in a new home.

May the Lord’s fragrance be upon your head and in your thoughts this day- stay tuned.