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.
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