I'm Teacherless but Learning

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Back home, I have been taught that to get an education means go to school, listen to the teacher speak, take notes on a lecture and regurgitate the information for a good grade. Wait, did you ever think to ask why our system is like that and what we actually learn from it?

Education here is different compared to our western understanding of education. Here we have "contemplative education."It's a holistic model of education that serves to educate not just the intellect but the mind, body and spirit too. Education is no longer limited to what you learn in the classroom. Instead it is shaped by everything around us.

I only realized two days ago that other than my Thai language instructors, I don't have teachers here. Whaaatt? Weird because I'm getting credit, right? By not having teachers, it is making me learn how to learn. Everyone becomes my teachers.

The Group Process:

How do you put into words what is do difficult to explain? We are 20 participants (19 girls and 1 boy). The group process is a tool in this education model. We create our program. We work together, challenging each other and growing from it. Imagine an environment that is truly democratic. We do not vote by majority but by 100% consensus and every persons voice is equally validated. So what the heck am I talking about???

Over a week ago we had to select people to be process facilitators who would be in charge of facilitating group dynamics essentially. For 4 spots, 9 people wanted it. We created a selection process that would be based on consensus. I sat there with others openly offering constructive criticism to my peers in the effort to decide who would be most suited. We stayed overtime and I was exhausted from my day that was over 12 hours long but we all left feeling extremely accomplished knowing that we all gained something from this grueling selection process.

(This is us doing group trust building exercise to build the group dynamic. One person had to lead the blindfolded partner across without touching the pebbles all over)

Ask yourself this: how do you learn best, where have your most transformative educational experiences come from and what do you want from your education. These are some of the questions I am faced with here.

Picture 3 concentric circles. At the inner most is comfort. The middle circle is discomfort and the outer most alarm. The idea is that we learn most in the circle of discomfort but not yet at the alarm stage. I can happily say, I'm in discomfort zone.

(Me and host family) (Me with a villager at a beautiful temple)

Photo Journalism

This week was really exciting finally jumping into some of the academic topics we'll be engaging in throughout the semester.

Today, in particular, was great. We had an all day photo journalism workshop. This is part of our social research methodology course to prepare us for entering villages, conducting interviews and writing about the people. The workshop was conducted by a professional journalist/photographer named Nic Dunlop who specializes in the SE Asia region.

I've always had an interest in photojournalism. A photo can tell us so much about a person or an event without ever being present. The goal of this workshop was 1) to build a relationship with a person and 2) to tell a story through images. After seeing some of Nic's amazing photographs, he gave us some general tips of taking pictures and sent us out on our own to the streets to capture a person in photographs. By the end of the day we needed to have 5 pictures to present. A photographer can take hundreds of pictures only to end up with a few keepers. The task seemed daunting!

I chose to photograph a man who was painting a gate/fence. We exchanged smiles and I knew he would be photogenic. I spent over an hour hanging out with him and photographing him at every angle. It seemed awkward to get up close and personal. I had to lose any inhibition in order to get that perfect photo and to build a relationship. We became buddies and I even painted a post of the gate for him! It was an empowering feeling to get over the fear and throw yourself into a situation that could be quite uncomfortable. Apparently Asians don't have a similar discomfort of being photographed as us Americans do.

In the afternoon I set out for a new subject. I found a colorful hair salon down the block and hung out there taking pictures at every which angle. I loved trying to capture the essence of people in their daily routine through a photograph. Below are some of the over 200 pictures I took today.

Crossing the Language Barrier

This is the article I wrote that will be submitted to the program newsletter. The newsletter goes to study abroad advisors, family and prospective students.

Crossing the Language Barrier

At my dentist’s office back home, there is a repeating quote on the wallpaper in multiple languages saying, “A smile is the same in all languages.” Like language, a smile is a form of communication. Coming to Thailand where I do not speak the native language, language seems like a barrier to communication. So what does it mean to communicate when you can’t share the same language? How do you do it?

This past week at our first school home stay, I was faced with my first language immersion challenge. In my family I had 2 nong sow (little sisters), 2 nong chai (little brothers) and a yai (grandmother) and none of them spoke English. I wanted to ask so many questions to find out about their family and their way of life but I didn’t know how to ask. While I could say some sentences in Thai to them, I could rarely understand what they said to me. After one week of Thai language class, I was still a novice. Sometimes I just shrugged and said "mai kao djai," meaning "I don't understand" and I’d flash a pearly white smile across my face.

The first night, I sat there in silence. The kids were watching a Thai stand up comedian on TV doing a sketch on lady boys (men who dress as women). While I didn’t catch a word he said, I understood the jist because of the lipstick he put on, the high heel shoes he wore and his feminine mannerisms. This comedian didn’t just use his words to communicate, but he used his whole body. I realized that communication is not about the words spoken but the actions and personality expressed.

So what to do when verbal language fails? The rest of the week, my lack of Thai didn't stop me from joking around and playing with the kids. We did yoga together, played volley ball, listened to Thai and American music and looked at pictures. We cracked jokes together through eye contact and winks, pointing and dancing. The kids loved studying my Thai language books with me because there was no English required.

I felt welcomed even though we never used words to communicate endearment to each other. When I left, the grandma gave me a warm hug and smile and tied a piece of string around my wrist, a custom and symbol for wishing good luck and happiness. I think they said I was welcomed to come back, but maybe some things do get lost in translation. Either way, it helped me understand how non-verbal communication allows our personalities to shine and for laughter to sound louder than words could ever speak.

Before I left home, my friend referred to Thailand as the “Land of Smiles.” It is not just Thais who flash their teeth but us farangs (foreigners) too. Lately my cheeks have been hurting from smiling so much because when you have no words to say sometimes, your beaming eyes say it all.” I’m glad I had myteeth cleaned before I left.

Welcome to Home stay #1

This past week we had our first school home stay with families near Khon Kaen city. I was paired with a 13 year old girl to stay in her home for four nights and go to school with her each morning. Her name was View, although because Thais can not pronounce their "V" it sounds more like Bi-ew.

The home stay conditions was not what I expected. I thought that because we were not going to a village this week, and were staying in city suburbs that we would have a western style toilet, a shower with a shower head, internet and maybe a bed... Silly me. There were none of those western style luxuries. There was a squat toilet, no computer, no beds and bucket baths as our shower. When I first walked into the house, I was shocked to see dozens of chickens and chicks running all around the front of the house. Not what I had expected but I embraced it with quite an open heart as part of the experience. I do need more practice at the bucket baths. Give me another month.

View lived with her grandmother and her 11 year old brother named Boat. Her parents worked in the city and the father was a mechanic. The grandmother weaved mats that were sold in the market. There was another 11 year old girl named Maem and 10 year old boy named Mehg who also lived in the house. I still don't understand the family relationship between the kids. Even with the use of a dictionary, I'm not sure if they were cousins or uncles.

Language is quite a barrier to communication. Sometimes you just have to shrug and say "mai kao djai" meaning "I don't understand." While I can say some sentences in Thai to them, I can rarely understand what they say to me.

So what to do when verbal language fails? My lack of Thai didn't stop me from joking around and playing with the kids. We did yoga together, danced, played volley ball, listened to music and looked at pictures. The kids loved studying and practicing Thai with me. We would review the letters and vowels and vocab words for my quiz. It's amazing how well we can communicate without our words. I received my Thai english dictionary on Tuesday. From then, I had in in my pocket during dinner, breakfast and even while walking to school. A necessity!

By the end of the week I felt more comfortable in the house and I could tell they felt more comfortable with me there. When I left the grandma gave me a piece of string as a bracelet which is a custom and symbol for good luck and happiness. I think they said I was welcomed to come back, but again, things get lost in translation.

Other than Thai language, I have yet to start other academic courses. We have been doing contemplative education and group building activities to help us understand how we ourselves learn best and can function within a group environment. This week I will start the course in Social Research Methodology talking about Thai history and human rights. I don't think this will be an easy semester but I know it will be a rewarding semester! I'm already learning so much.

Public link to my facebook uploaded photos. Do not need facebook to see pictures.

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2085895&id=1229130173&l=8026ec7385