Today was my first PAY DAY…I feel rich with all these 1,000 bahts…if only it was the baht was the same as the U.S. Dollar….
Last Sunday, November 21, 2010 marked the first full moon of the 12th lunar month otherwise known as Loi Krathong. This festival is celebrated all throughout Thailand. The festival of Loi Krathong thanks the river goddess for providing life to the fields and forests and asks for forgiveness for the polluting ways of humans (Lonely Planet). Some of the students made some very beautiful Krathongs, or handmade boats made from banana leaves and decorated with flowers, and brought them to school on the Friday before the festival. Katie, her dad, Gan, and I joined some of the other teachers in Bang Plama for a special dinner that was being held. There were about a dozen women dressed in the Thai traditional costumes representing schools and organizations. People bought green and pink colored necklaces to represent an amount of money that was being donated and then gave to the women as they stood on stage. They played the Loi Krathong Festival song and a group of people went on stage to dance. Katie, Gan, and I joined after observing how the dance was done. It was rather simple, a slow skip while you circle the stage and move your hands in a funky way; it was fun! After dinner and a little dancing, we went to the river to light our Krathongs and sent them floating down the river.
During Thanksgiving week, I taught my students about the Traditional food items American’s eat on Thanksgiving. The whole time I was wishing I would be able to eat stuffing, sweet potatoes, and pecan pie on Thursday. It was interesting when I showed a picture of the turkey, all the students were convinced it was a chicken. They scream, “chicken…chicken”. I say “no, no….turkey, turkey”. I suppose there is a strong resemblance. The closest Thanksgiving food I ate on Thursday was the mashed potatoes we bought from KFC. Other than that, it was rice, chicken, and vegetables along with some wantons for an appetizer and pineapple for dessert. Even though it was a “turkey-less” turkey day and I wasn’t put in my yearly food coma, it was a fun Thanksgiving. Nothing compares to being home with family and friends eating the Traditional Thanksgiving dinner though.
Saturday, I was a judge for the “Towards World Class Education” competition. I judged web based projects, majority of which were science based. A few of the presentations were very impressive. One that really peaked my interest was the “mini air-conditioner”. The team even brought in the model for display. It was a mini fan that was hooked up with cords to a Styrofoam cooler filled with ice and water. Something I could really use in my apartment! It got to be a rather long day though. I judged twenty presentations, having to ask each team a few questions based on their presentation. 
After the competition was over, I got on a van to Bangkok and met Jenna and Liz at Siam Center to see most recent Harry Potter movie at the iMax. For having read only the first book and not seeing any of the movies, I actually thought it was very good! Being in Siam Center really made me feel like it was the weekend after Thanksgiving and Christmas is soon approaching with all the decorations. It is now Monday, and my feeling of Christmas approaching has passed. It must be the weather and lack of decorations at school and in my apartment. It’s time to look into buying a Christmas tree!
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