Loy Kratong Festival.
 

The Marching band at my school.

 The three Canadian exchange students at my school, with the principle and other important people from the school. 

 All the different colour groups created the signs at the top of the bleachers and had cheers to go along with the theme they chose. 

 The monks who came and blessed the opening of my host families new coffee shop.

My grade in front of the National Science Museum in Bangkok, the blue shirts and dark blue pants are our gym uniform. 

 The National Science Museum in Bangkok.

At Dream Land (amusement park) going sledding in Snow Town, an indoor sledding area.

The Start of December

These past few weeks have been filled with very interesting events, first off we had Loy Kratong festival a few weeks ago, which is the lantern festival and water festival.  It was raining this evening, so unfortunately were could not let off the lanterns, but another water of the festival is the sending off of a boat of flowers  with a candle in the middle, which is to give thanks to the water on the earth and to say sorry for polluting it.  I went with my host mom and sent off the little boats of flowers and saw a beauty and talent competition, where all the girls were dressed in Traditional Thai dress and sang a traditional song.  This was very interesting because it happened that the following day I was going to be dressed in a traditional Thai costume from the time period of King Rama 5 (late 1800’s) and get my makeup done the Thai way, with the pale face painted on and the eyebrows filled in and a whole lot of eye makeup.  I was dressed this way because it was sports day at my school and they had a parade at the start of the first day to introduce all the colour groups.  As a foreigner they were very excited to dress us up and make us walk at the front of the parade, carrying egg shaped things that represented the king and queen.  It was a lot of fun and the Thai students were so amazed that we (the three exchange students at my school) were dressed in Thai costumes and had our makeup up done it felt like we were minor celebrities, because they were obsessed with getting our photos but it was a lot of fun and I hope I get to where more traditional Thai outfits soon!

It was The King’s Birthday Wednesday the fifth of December, and a lot of people were out around town wearing yellow in support of the King, as well as there was a huge gathering of people in Bangkok in front of the palace, where they king who has been sick and in hospital gave a speech to the huge crowds, all the Thai people thought it was very emotional and were very happy to see the King out and about.  Today also doubled as Father`s Day so not only were the Thai people giving respects to the King, but to father`s everywhere.  My host dad went out and played golf on this day off, so a typical father`s day, my host mom also had a yellow shirt for me to wear so I blended right in with the Thai people, except the pale skin of course!

This past weekend, I was over at my friend’s house and her host dad came up to us and said it was time to go we are going to my friend’s house for dinner, no warning or anything, but it was interesting I met people studying in Bangkok, and another student of the 4500 at my school. However that is what some of my days are like, no warning and then we are off on an adventure around Korat or even the nearby towns. 

This past Monday was very interesting as my host family was having the official opening of their new coffee shop, the monks came and blessed the place, showered it with water droplets and then friends of my host family came and ate a lot of food ( as with any Thai celebration there is always lots of good food).  Then in Thai tradition the youngest of the family hosting the gathering get to wash the dishes, so as one of the youngest, myself and two others, sat around three buckets and washed to our hearts content.  It was actually quite nice to be completely immersed in the Thai culture enough for them to think of me as part of the family instead of a guest.

This week, was filled with interesting activities at school, on Thursday we had a day learning about religion from two monks who came to our school, so teach my grade about what Buddha had taught them and how to lead a good fulfilled life.  That evening there was a barbecue festival in Korat and in the town center, they had an entire western scene set up as the stage with life performances and meat cooking everywhere.  They also had Johnny Cash playing in the background which was a little strange to walk by the speakers and hear his voice coming out of it because usually they have remixes here that they play of all the famous songs.

Finally, Friday my entire grade at school went to the national science, IT and Natural History museums in Bangkok, we then went to Dream land, an amusement park in the afternoon.  At Dream Land, they had a snow town, so I got to go sledding and play in the snow for a bit then head back out into 30 degree weather, it was quite and experiences but a lot of fun! I got my one snow day in for the year.

I am now off to the Northern Part of Thailand with rotary for Christmas, so it should be interesting seeing how all the exchanges students react to not spending a Christmas at home.

Sadly we did not see any elephants.

Part of the path up Phukradung.

We finally made it to the top!

We were greeted by this sign and an amazing view at the top of the mountain.

They had a Buddhist shrine at the top of the mountain with tones of bells that all the Thai people hit after they prayed.

 

 One of the many beautiful sights to see.

Lom Sak Cliff the famous cliff at Phukradung.

Thailand has a Giant's Head as well!

The Sunset.

Another sunset picture!

Now the sunrise.

My First Exchange Picture with a Canadian flag!

One of the many waterfalls that some people in the group were crazy enough to play in.

Koh Samed and our awesome pink group shirts!

Just a picture of a beautiful beach and day in Thailand!

One of the gods originating from the Hindu religion, but that the Thais worship along with Buddha.

1st Rotary Trip

These past two weeks have been filled with driving around Thailand. Last weekend I had the opportunity to travel with another exchange student’s host family down to Rayong and Koh Samed.  This trip was actually a thank you trip for the workers that work at their gas station.  They planned for a day at the beach on the Saturday of that weekend. We took a boat over to an island called Koh Samed; it is a huge tourist destination as it houses quite a few resorts and a national park.  There were beautiful beaches there with beautiful white sand and clear warm water that we got to play in.  The funniest part of this day is that Thailand has a love for uniforms and looking the same, that expands past school and jobs.  That day we had to wear bright pink shirts which identified what group we were with and made us look like a team.  It was quite a sight to see about 20 or so Thai people then three foreigners all wearing the same t-shirt and going around in a big group.  It was a great weekend travelling in true Thai fashion turning a five hour trip into a 12 hour one with all the stops they like to make for temples and food, as well as having karaoke in their version of a party night. After this weekend it was off on my first Rotary trip of the year!

This trip was to Phukradung National Park, it is a mountain and we climbed it!  Frist off all 36 exchange students met up at the bottom of the mountain and got to know each other. The following day we hiked to the top, once there we were all mesmerized by the absolutely beautiful views from the top of the mountain.  The top of Phukradung is a plateau, so you can walk for kilometers and experience the wonderful views of the surrounding mountains and the natural beauty of the plentiful waterfalls and bountiful forest.  The second day we went to the famous cliff that Phukradung is known for, with a rock that juts out over the edge, it is a sheer cliff to the bottom, so our Youth Exchange coordinator who was with us did not like us going to close to the edge!  That evening and the following morning we were able to see the sunset and sunrise.  Those were both very picturesque events and it was actually cool once the sun went down so it was a nice change from the heat every single day.  Along with gallivanting around the top of the mountain, we also had to “run” away from the leeches as they liked to hide in the wet grass and latch on to your ankles, there were only mall leeches though that looked like black worms but they seemed to be everywhere.  The most common phrase this past week was “ I've been leeched” as some people would freak out and others would just calmly pull them off, I was lucky enough to only get them on my shoes, thank goodness.  After an amazing few days on the top of the mountain with no showers or freezing cold ones in the waterfalls, we came down the mountain and had to say goodbye to all the exchange students as we made our way back to our respective cities! This trip was amazing and we go off on our second one in only three weeks!

The Thailand a mascot was roped into carrying a Brazilian flag, by the Brazilian fans.

Brazil 3-Portugal 1

 Me and the Thailand mascot!

Announcers at the Phimai production, the boy is wearing traditional Thai pants, and these are what we wear at school to do Thai dance in. 

The part in the production where they are building the palace you see in the background.

This picture pretty much sums up the production, Thai dancers, lights, fireworks and fountains, a very beautiful production. 

Futsal, Wedding and a Festival

Well this week has been full of surprises; first off here in Korat they are hosting the 2012 FIFA Futsal and through my Rotary club here the other exchange student in my club had the opportunity to go see a double header as it is only the start of the tournament.  I went with my second host dad and brother.  We saw Brazil versus Portugal and Costa Rica versus Ukraine.  They were great games and it was really neat to see so many people out supporting a game that in Canada is not popular, but here and around the world is.  Driving to the event there was a “you know you are in Thailand when” moment, and that was when I realised that the person who was driving had attached the passenger seatbelt into his belt buckle so the car wouldn’t make the ding ding noise that occurs when the driver’s seatbelt isn’t plugged in and you start the car.  They really don’t like wearing seatbelts here!

Well that was Wednesday, then Thursday after school, my host mom asked me if I would like to go to a wedding, and who was I to say no.  That evening is was off to a Thai wedding, with a nine course Chinese menu. Here in Thailand weddings are very important events almost everyone that the parents of the couple and the couple know are invited. The bigger the event the more prestige they get from their friends and family. This wedding was huge, it was held in the largest hall at the University in Korat and, there were camera men filming every move the bride and groom were taking and there was a live feed projected onto two big screens in the main room.  As well as having a film crew there were also a camera crew running around taking pictures of everything.  To add to the dynamic of the room, there was a live band playing all night, and when the bridal party walked into the room they were preceded by a solo saxophonist to serenade then down the aisle onto the stage, where a smoke machine and bubble machine were helping set the mood.  During this entire time all the tables in the room were being served our nine course Chinese style meal, including shark fin soup, which isn't actually that bad, just the ethical idea of it.  Well the meal was going on the couple walked in there were speeches, we toasted, and then the bride and groom pour a champagne bottle over a pyramid of wine glasses which was neat to see.  Then the couple walked around to a few of the tables as there were at least 200 tables in the room.  As well they had life size portraits of the couple as you first walked in, as well as a thank you gift for each person who came.  All in all is was great to go to a Thai wedding and see the difference from a wedding in Canada and it was a lot of fun and interesting to try the nine difference Chinese dishes.  

The next thing that occurred was Saturday night, about an hour away there is a festival going on at Phimai, it was a festival celebrating the building of Phimai.  They had a huge night bazaar going on and I had the opportunity to see a production that depicted the history and building of the palace at Phimai.  It was a show that consisted of Thai dancers, fountains, lights and fireworks set in front of the actual ruins of Phimai.  

This week has been full of interesting adventures each one unique in its own way, and with my understanding of Thai getting better I can communicate better with the people who have taken me on these outings. 

The Cambodian Palace at Phimai, walking up the King's walk. 

|A Buddha statue in the middle of the Palace you could only enter from the right of this statue and leave from the doorway directly behind it, if you did not then bad luck would follow you.

Just some interesting carvings of  Buddha at the palace.  

"Inside" the largest tree in Southeast Asia.

The oldest part of the tree, the flags I have yet to find out what the flags mean.  

A pottery picture, Korat is apparently famous for these paintings carved out of pottery, then painted. 

A view from the second tallest mountain in the Korat area, the lake below is actually a  reservoir for the city of Korat.  

From left to right, Riley's host mom, me, Riley (Canadian), Viviana (Mexican), Mariano (Venezuelan), Noelle (Canadian), Lizzy (Canadian) and Noelle's host mom.  All these exchanges students live in my city. 

An very old, very tall tree in the middle of a small tourist village, I just really like this picture. 

My Life in October

It has been a while since a post so here is goes an overview of what has been happening here in Thailand.  I have finally gone back to school and have already gone through a week of the new semester.    The two other Canadians at my school and I have been commissioned to create a board on Canada, highlighting the differences between Thailand and Canada.  So we actually have a project due in school, which is different, but a lot of fun because we get to bring our creative sides out and talk about a subject we actually know! To continue with school, understanding other students is a lot easier now, after taking a Thai language course over the break.  My friends at school though are always surprised when I understand what they are saying, but are almost more nervous to speak to me in Thai then in English, I believe just in case I don’t understand, but they are still helping me improve my Thai and are teaching me slang! That is pretty much everything about school at the moment as I have only been back a week, but more later on, when things pick up pace.

I have also been adventuring with other exchange students and their host families to places around Korat.  We went to the ruins of an ancient palace built by the Cambodians, so the language written on the walls of the palace was Cambodian and they style it was built in a slightly different arrangement they had a path that led up to the palace that only the King was allowed to walk on.  In addition, you could only enter from the south and exit to the east, because it entering from the south gave you good luck, and exiting from the east would make you have good fortune in the future.  This place was called Phimai and was only about an hour outside of Korat.  Well to continue with my escapades with the other exchange students, last Saturday, all of the exchange students in my city went to Pakchong, which turn out to be an amusement park with a Western style town.  We got to go zip lining, their version on luge (going down a slope trying to avoid hitting the tires in a cart that has only brakes) and we got to drive dune buggies! It was a lot of fun.  This day we also went to the second highest point around Korat where they have a huge pool of water, which feeds into their lake and while it falls down to the lake it goes through turbines and creates the energy need for Korat.  All in all a very cool place and amazing view of the surrounding hills. 

The Rotary clubs here threw a Halloween Party for the exchange students and we sang karaoke all evening and they were very confused with the custom of saying trick or treat, they thought they were supposed to trick and the kids said treat, so we have lots of fun explaining that to the Rotarians.

Other than these things I have been living a normal life in Thailand, well if you can say that living in Thailand is normal.  It is great I have really started to understand that you have be ready for absolutely anything here, because they spring plans on you at the last minute, but it is great everyone is relaxed and very welcoming. 

 Tiffany's show in Pattaya. 

Only in Thailand would they need a sign like this!

 The fly by.

 The Thai Air base from the cockpit of a Bombardier water bomber (a little bit of Canadian craftsmanship in Thailand).

The Thai airplane carrier.

Storm clouds moving in, we happened to make it back on the buses seconds before it started to rain.

At the sea turtle conservatory.

The baby turtle I set free into the ocean! 

RYLA (Rotary Youth Leadership Awards)

This past week I attended RYLA, it was a camp with most of the inbound exchange students and then any Thai students who know about Rotary and would like to go can sign up for the week long camp.  Before I even made it to RYLA which is on the coast I spent a night in Pattaya and I had the opportunity to see a show, it was called “Tiffany’s”.  It was a lady boy show as they call it here in Thailand, in other words most or all the actors were men who have had sex changes.  It was a very good show and the costumes and sets were amazing. 

Well after this very interesting evening, the next morning we got up to go to the Thai military base in Sattahip where RYLA was being held.  To go along with it being held at a military base, it was run in a military style, as in every morning we had to line up before the flag and stand a certain way.  In was very interesting to see how a camp in run in Thailand, because everything was very structured and there was no free time really, where as in Canada you are used to having a bit more freedom, so it was definitely an insight into the Thai culture and the way they like order and structure in everything that they do.   The best part of it being held on a military base was they we got to see part of the Thai Air Force and Naval base, which foreigner are never usually allowed to see so the exchange students at RYLA were very privileged to see this.  We got to go in some on the planes, have a helicopter demonstration and explore an aircraft carrier.  We also went to a sea turtle conservation center run by the Royal Thai Navy, here we got to see huge sea turtles and well as set baby ones free into the ocean, so much fun.

Well these were some of the activities outside of our main camp that we did, when we were at our camp, we got to swim in the ocean and on the last day we did a morning of team building activities, as in crossing a pond, using only ropes and getting the whole team across or filling a tube with water that had hole drilled into it.  So all in all it was a fun week and it was great to meet so many Thai and exchange students during the week.  

The water-less waterfall, it is apparently the most famous waterfall on the island!!

View from a point above the waterfall looking at the harbour that the ferry from the mainland arrives at.  

 The view form my hotel room on the first night.

Nangyuan Island Dive Resort, where I went snorkeling.

Huge shrimp, apparently they come from rivers and not the ocean.

This is a royal collection of Buddhas and a monk is covering one of the Buddha`s with little pieces of gold leaf until it is restored to its original beauty.