The Ninth Traveler

Erawan Waterfall

I have been overwhelmed by the amount of kindness shown to me since arriving in Thailand. Many Thais give without any expectation of receiving anything in return. I asked my Thai friend Meaw about this and she said that most of the kindness relates to Buddhism. Thailand’s population is approximately 95% Buddhist. Buddhism consists of a strong belief in karma. Another pillar of the faith is “Making Merit.” This consists of offering good actions, whether it is food donations to monks or performing worship at the local temple. She ended the conversation with “Tam dee, dai dee; tam chooa, dai chooa” (Good actions bring good results; bad actions bring bad results).  I have been fortunate enough to experience this proverb many times in Thailand. Below are 4 examples that I would like to share:

1) I was getting pretty use to my daily walking commute from my apartment on campus to the English building. For all of my Aggies it was probably the equivalent of walking from Aggie stadium to McNair Hall. I didn’t mind the walk and only on days when it was extremely hot did I tell myself I need to hurry up and buy a bicycle. Thais do not walk long distances and could not understand why I would walk. Occasionally, complete strangers would pull next to

My student's Bicycle

me and ask me

to get in their car or on the back of their motorbike. I always obliged them. On a particularly hot day, I walked into my building pretty sweaty. One of my students told me “This is not America. This is

Thailand and you cannot walk that far.” The next day she said “I have a bike for you,” and I naturally said “No Thanks.” At the end of my night class there was a small key on my office desk. It was not mine and I assumed another teacher put it there in error. I left it there and begin my walk home. As, I walked out my building there was a bike locked up that said “Teacher Ford” on it.  The next class she said “Keep it until you buy your own.” I guess it pained her to much to see me make that walk.

2) I had successfully navigated my way to Bangkok for the first time via the public bus system.

Erawan Waterfall

It was quite the experience for a foreigner. I met my roommate, Michael, and some fellow English teachers for a weekend of sightseeing and fun. The weekend turned out to be a great one and Sunday evening Michael and I prepared to head back to our university town of Kamphaeng Saen. It was about 9pm when we arrived at the bus station and it turned out that the last bus to our city had already left. We caught the bus to the closest city to our town, Nakhon Pathom, about 30km away. We stepped off the bus about 10pm not quite sure what our plan was to get the rest of the way home. We wandered up to several taxis only to be told astronomical prices. A gentleman and a lady rode up to us on a motorbike and asked in broken English “Do you need help?” We communicated

to him that we needed to get to Kamphaeng Saen. He replied “Wait here.” Not really

Golfing on Campus

sure what was going on we waited about 10 minutes on the curbside and this gentlemen and lady returned with a car. They drove us all the way to our apartment door. The gentleman’s name was Jake and the lady was his wife. We expressed our deepest gratitude to which he replied “Thank You,” smiled, and drove home.

3) I met my friend Meaw in the cafeteria at school one day. She said that she wanted to work on her English and we decided to meet again for lunch on a Saturday afternoon. We discussed cultural differences and similarities. We somehow got on the topic of me visiting the campus clinic because my foot was hurting.  I stated that the doctor told me he thought it was a small wart forming on the bottom of my foot and that I should visit the hospital in the neighboring city of Nakhon Pathom when I get a chance. Before I knew it, immediately after lunch, we were on the road to the

Hosipital Visit

hospital. It was about a 30 km drive. I told her that I didn’t even have my passport. “Shall we stop by my apartment to pick it up?” “No you do not need it,” she replied. The doctor treated me for a small foot wart and everything is fine. I was really impressed with the efficiency of the Thai healthcare system. I was just expecting lunch and received a first class ride to the hospital.

4) After class one day I hear “Teacher Ford! Look at what I have.” I look down to see this pencil drawn portrait of myself standing at the whiteboard. The pictures my students draw of me hold a significant meaning of kindness to me.  After I scold them for not paying attention in class I cannot help but to smile and have a laugh with them. As a child my dad would occasionally bring drawings home that students made of him. I found them funny. The

Student's Drawing of me

more I think about it now; people do not usually draw people they do not like. Hopefully, my students like me for the knowledge and culture that I try to impart.

Drawing of me on Student's Homework

Thailand Tuk Tuk

On Monday, June 11, 2012 I entered my first class ever as a teacher. There were about 30 2nd year students in this English Speaking/Listening class. I used an icebreaker I found online.

I brought a deck of cards to class. I shuffled them and then placed them out on a desk. A student would come up and pick a card. Whatever number he/she picked is the amount of things he/she would have to say about their self. The student held a microphone while talking. Once the student finished, the student would then pass the microphone to a student of their choice. Most of the students really enjoyed this part because they were able to pick on a friend they did or did not like. I was really surprised by some of the

Thai Street Food

responses. It was a good way to gauge personalities and knowledge of English. With jacks, queens, and kings being equal to 10 most students had to say 10 things to their slight dismay. During teacher orientation in Bangkok, I learned that Thai students are generally shy and it is key to create an atmosphere of activity and involvement.

Some responses from my students:

“I have 21 cats.”
“I am Mr. Cool.”
“I love Justin Beiber”
“I used to be a white man before I came here.”
“I want to dance with you.”
“In the future I want to be a god.”
“I want 2 boyfriends.”
“My favorite subject is English”

Kasetsart University(http://kps.ku.ac.th/eng/) has a focus on agriculture, nature and English. When I first applied to the Teach in Thailand program I thought I would want to work in downtown Bangkok.

Thailand Monks during Visakha Bucha Day

However, I think Kasetsart will turn out to be a great fit for me. It has a plethora of nature trails and plenty of athletic facilities. It boasts an Olympic size pool, basketball courts, gym, golf course, running trails, and about 5 lakes. The students seem very eager to learn and often hang out after class or in my office to practice their English. I look forward to an energetic class environment. If you have any lesson plan ideas please let me know. Thank you Shannon and Gloria for the great ideas so far.

Below are a few photos from my experience so far:

The Laundry Mat Chair

Washer

Dryer

Oklahoma City Thurder beating the Spurs made the sports front page.

Speaking at a Thai Teacher Training Session

Saxophone in Market