Ratchaphruek trees

Ratchaphruek trees (pronounced rart-cha-pru-ek), scientific name Cassia fistula, are deciduous trees found all throughout Southeast Asia. It's common name is the Golden Shower Tree due to its characteristic bright yellow flowers. It is also supposed to have medical properties including uses as a laxative and a remedy for aching bones and heart problems. My mother recalled fondly that when she was a child, the sight of blooming ratchaphruek trees would lift her spirits greatly, because it heralded the end of the school year and the beginning of the hot summer season. The tree is called Ngu wa in Burma.

The reason I chose this tree as part of my title is because the ratchaphruek is the national flower and a symbol of Thailand, a place where I will call home for the next year. Since the color of the flower is yellow, it is also associated with the king of Thailand, His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej, also known as Rama IX.

Cassia fistula (Photo from Wikipedia)

Games galore

I just ordered a few portable games from Amazon to bring with me to Thailand (UNO, Bananagrams, and Settlers of Catan). I thought they'd be fun to play to pass the time with my fellow Fulbrighters and especially with my students. I don't know if Thai kids like board games and such, but I think it'll be worth introducing them.

Another set of good news is that I have established contact with all my fellow Fulbright ETAs, and we have a nice thread going on in Gmail. Some of us who have the same flight have even opted to sit together. I really hope and pray that we'll all get along well and be of one mind and heart.

I also recently read an article concerning Thai youth in the NY Times. It gave me something to think about concerning my future students. The article essentially talked about connections between the bouts of instability in Thailand and how those events may have created situations in which Thai students are tempted to get into trouble. Supposedly, a problematic connection is that frequent changes in government cause frequent changes in education policies and also declining educational standards. The article cited examples in the Northeast where violence among youth have become increasingly common. Though this could be indirectly connected to the political changes, another culprit could be the financial struggles that the Northeast has been facing for many years.

I am not sure if my future students in Sawankhalok are also going through similar struggles. Two of my fellow Fubrighters have commented that they have seen similar problems among the students they have taught in the US. It could very well be a worldwide occurrence, so I don't agree completely with the article that the political upheavals alone are causing trouble among the youth. Perhaps the economic downtown all around the world is causing direct and indirect effects on children. I hope that as a teacher, I don't only equip my students with greater fluency in English, but that I'm able to plant seeds in their lives that will help them grow up to be successful and happy. I'm not sure what kind of seed that is, and it'll be a challenge with the language barrier. As important that English is in giving the students more flexibility in shaping their futures and communicating globally, I hope that I can give them other gifts to help them.

Thinking of Thailand

Not a day goes by when I don't think of Thailand. I am filled with excitement, hope, and nervousness. I'm also filled with many questions. How will I adjust to life in Thailand? Will I get used to the sweltering heat? Will I find acceptance within the Fulbright family? Will my students like me?

I also think about my future students at Sawananan Wittaya School a lot. I've been shopping on Amazon for a few books on ESL teaching techniques and other materials to better prepare and equip myself for when the time comes. I've read a book on Thai history, bought a Thai language book (I highly recommend Poomsan Becker's book), a guide to SE Asia, and a Thai-English dictionary. When I think about my future students, I try to be aware that my first and foremost job is to help them speak English better. Secondly, I want to share America with them, and I proposed in my grant that I would teach them ballroom dancing. I've been taking classes again to review, but I'm realizing that it is very difficult to teach (I tried it on my sister) especially because I don't know the follower parts very well! This is funny, because the follow is the spotlight of any dance. As my dance teacher said, "The lead is the frame, and the follow is the picture." I've danced lead all my life, and I never thought once that I should pay attention to the follow parts. I am also working on Thai language acquisition, and so far it is going well. I usually put on Thai music or lessons on my iPod whenever I go to the gym to get used to the tones and the pronunciations. I've noticed from just glancing at some writing lessons in my language book that the Thai script and Burmese script are somewhat similar, especially when it comes to the vowels.

Perhaps I'm over-planning things, but I don't think it ever hurts to over plan, as long as one approaches the future with openness and a ready acceptance that things may be completely different from our expectations. In all this planning, I try to consciously remind myself again and again to not go to Thailand with preconceptions and expectations. I've noticed in the past that my predictions have caused me trouble, especially when they don't come to past. I want to go to Thailand with an open mind and an open heart and take in things as they happen. I realized when I was talking to a friend the other day that my past experience in Thailand last year may serve as a stumbling block to me even though that experience was the one the propelled me to apply for the Fulbright. This is because the few weeks I spent in Thailand last summer was one of the best few weeks I've experienced in many years. Those weeks were filled with happiness or kwaam sook as we went on adventures to the west, visited hospitals, and also built the community sala in Chachoengsao. This time, I expect happiness as well, but I tell myself to end that expectation right there. Just happiness. Not how, not when. Just happiness.

With the kids at the sala in Chachoengsao (July 2009)