Fulbright Mid-Grant Meeting

This past Wednesday and Thursday, all of the Fulbrighters in Thailand descended upon Bangkok where most of us enthusiastically met one another for the mid-grant meeting. It’s deceptive, really, that its called “mid-grant” because many of us have only been here several weeks and some of us are in the last couple of months of our grants. Still, it was quite interesting to meet everybody, figure out where they’re at in their grants and learn about some of their victories and trials. It’s also a great deal of fun to learn about their projects and even make a few good contacts who will aid in completing my own! The other nice thing was that I got to meet other people my age! Right now, we have about 4 senior Fulbright scholars, 4 junior researchers like myself, 2-3 DDRA folks (shrug), and 9 English Teaching Assistants. I spent most of my time getting to know the ETAs because many of the senior scholars didn’t seem too interested in talking to anybody but each other, hah hah. Still, I was able to capture the attention of a couple whom I predict will be a great help in putting me in touch with some excellent contacts at various leading and prestigious Thai universities. On Wednesday, I talked so much that I lost my voice! You have to remember that I have nobody to talk to when I’m hanging out at home and that I really don’t do that much talking in class (we are encouraged to respond in English or whatever language we feel comfortable, just not Thai). Anyway, there was already something going on in my sinuses and talking as much as I did turned into full-blown laryngitis!

It was a full day of “work” talk before we were done. Later that night, I got together with a bunch of the ETAs and grabbed some dinner at an over-priced food court, the likes of which I’ve already told you about =). All of them have been assigned to schools that are pretty much rural or small suburbs in the provinces where each meal costs them about 12 baht, or about .35, so they felt like some splurging was in order. So we all went out for a fancy meal that ended up costing me about $8. Yes, that’s splurging! Really now, I could feed myself for three days on that amount of money! Here's a picture of us for your amusement:


After dinner, we headed out to live jazz bar called “Saxophone” in a part of BKK that I haven’t really been to. It’s sort of hidden away from the main street, so even if I had been to what is known as the Victory Monument, I probably wouldn’t see it. Don’t ask me what the monument commemorates, I have no clue – this coming from the guy who wrote his undergraduate “thesis” on the role of monuments, memorials and historical sites with regards to the public reinforcement of the collective memory of the past! Hah hah. Here's a picture of Elizabeth -- she's located in one of the province near Chiang Mai in the north:


This is the sign for the men's room. If you find it a little bit hard to read, it says "man toilet." I found it quite funny:


The ETAs had spent a month in BKK immediately prior to my own arrival, so they had had some time to see BKK before they were shipped off to their various assignments. It’s a good thing too, since I really had a great time at Saxophone. It was really quite amusing for them because as usual, being a male Asian, the cocktail servers all addressed me in Thai and asked me to be the spokesman for the group (they’re all Caucasian looking, FARANG as they’re known in Thailand). It’s ironic because most of the ETAs have a better grip on Thai than I do given the fact that where they live, an English speaking Thai is harder to come by than in BKK. Even though I generally understood the simple questions they were asking me, I didn’t know quite how to respond, so I deferred to the others in my group – besides they needed to order their own drinks anyway =). The funny thing was that even after they answered back in Thai, the servers continued to ask me the usual round of follow-up questions! I felt quite sheepish and it spurred within me a renewed sense of commitment to learning my Thai as quickly as possible. Hopefully, I can get through the first two hours before the school closes for three weeks in December for winter break…

On Thursday, we went to what I think is the National Rose Garden in the nearby province of Nakhorn Phanom. I learned that one of the ETAs is based quite near there, so I shall have to go visit! She also agreed to let me sit in on her classes and see her school so that I could get a sense of the state of public education in Thailand. I plan on visiting many of the others and seeing their schools as well! Hopefully, I can incorporate my observations into my research and make some contacts along the way to keep in touch with once they all finish their assignments at the end of March.

Whoopdy do, you all say. Rose Garden, how much fun could that possibly be for anybody other than me?? Well, the Thais know all about turning a good thing into a better thing and capitalizing on their resources. Today, the garden features more than just the original gardens. They have traditional Thai “activities” such as bamboo leaf weaving, flower garland making, fruit and vegetable carving, Thai pottery, classical music and dance, a silkworm and silk-weaving workshop, martial arts, Thai cooking classes and even a miniature rice paddy! I was able to check out quite a few of these little workshops and had quite a bit of fun bumbling around pretending I don’t speak a lick of Thai (which wasn’t that hard to do given how little I actually do understand!). We capped off the day with an elephant show and traditional Thai village…cabaret of sorts that featured everything from traditional musical instruments, martial arts, dance and even a traditional Thai wedding! In fact, here's a picture of me with the happy couple:


This is a picture of my first attempt at carving a piece of squash...try guessing which one of was carved by the professional, hah hah!


This is me at the garland making station:



Here I am trying my hand at making some clay pottery...not too bad for a first attempt, what do you say?



Also, I went to go visit the silk-making exhibit, check out some of these pictures! The rounded yellow things are silkwork cocoons. The more golden-colored ones are are ready to be processed and unravelled whereas the paler ones are being allowed to continue developing. As you can imagine, it would be a terrible way to meet your end as a silkworm. Death by boiling!




Anyway, we ended the fun and eventful day with Thanksgiving dinner as a group at the home of the Educational and Cultural Affairs officer at the US Embassy here in BKK. Let me just say that they are quite well taken care of by the US Department of State! Not only do they get their housing paid for, but they still earn US level government incomes and have quite enough time and resources to travel in the regions of their assignments. Apparently, Fulbrights are prime candidates to sit for the written and oral examinations one has to pass to become a foreign-service officer with the USDOS – I must say that I’m definitely considering it at the moment! Although having a family makes it a little bit tougher when it comes to the periodic rotation of assignments, it seems they get quite a bit of assistance with things like schools for the children and stuff for the spouse of the FSO to do. The point is that all of you should worry not for me as I still had my turkey (and stuffing too) this year ~

Khao Jai Maak Maak (Understand a lot!)

So I finally started my Thai language classes at a place called the American University Alumni Association (AUA). It’s really a unique experience there because their Thai language courses are designed for people who are going to live in Thailand for some time or for people who do business in Thailand and travel back and forth between Asian countries frequently.

This is a view of the building from the street. It looks a little drab, but the school will be moved to a much nicer facility in the next couple of years...


They call their method the Automatic Language Growth Program (ALG) and it’s definitely not the type of class for somebody looking for a crash course on basics to get around. With that said, here is short blip about their model…

The AUA Thai classes are separated into 10 levels and each level includes about 200 hours of instruction. For the first few levels, not sure about the more advanced levels, there is no homework, tests, quizzes, etc. All you do is go to class and listen. They don’t even want you to speak Thai in class, even if you know the words. You don’t learn the alphabet, so no reading or writing – although they do write Thai words on the board. For the first level, AT 1, you pretty much go into class, which begins every hour on the hour, and just listen and watch. Yes, that’s right, they conduct class in about 99% Thai and 1% other (English, French, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, etc). Usually, they have some sort of pre-planned lesson about some aspect of Thai life, history, culture, etc. Which I think is great because it gives me a chance to get the inside scoop on stuff I would never have known, some of which even people who’ve lived in Thailand for a while still don’t know! Fun topics I’ve seen are Thai marriages, the uses of bamboo in Thailand, the way they make fun of Thais from the Isan (NE) region of Thailand, and Thai business conglomerates and their retail and hospitality empires.

Speaking of business conglomerates, the reason the school is moving, which coincidentally, will be to Central World Plaza (aka, host of Bangkok ELLE Fashion Week; the Central Department Stores group owns CWP and is one of the largest in Thailand), is that the owners of the land that AUA currently sits on want to redevelop it into commercial/hospitality property. Who are the owners? Well, you can see from the words at the building entrance that the AUA sits on royal land!


Sounds a little wonky, huh? I mean, how do I understand what’s going on if they conduct the class in Thai only? Well, they draw lots of pictures, use a lot of visual aids, and act a lot! It’s sort of like charades sometimes, I find it quite amusing! The theory behind their method is that you can take the traditional approach that many of us are familiar with in terms of learning a language – start by learning the alphabet and then learn words and phrases. Practice writing the scripts if it is anything other than the Roman script and also have tests that show you that your vocabulary is growing. After a while, you start having writing assignments that show you have a stronger grasp and command of your newly acquired language. In the end though, you pretty much have a whole bunch of words in your head that you will always pronounce with some sort of accent that will identify you as an American.

The alternative is to approach learning a language like a child would…where you’re sort of immersed in an environment where you’re not really sure what’s going on and you don’t know how to express yourself and all you feel like doing is crying so that somebody will pay attention to you because you can’t seem to make the same foreign sounds that the adults are making to communicate with one another. Wow, talk about a long and convoluted sentence! Sometimes, you can tell that English isn’t my first language, huh? Anyway, so the point is that hopefully, you can learn to put your mind into a mode where it is very much a sponge that soaks up ideas and modes of communication because it is the “natural” way to learn a language. At first, you will feel a little confused and unable to express your thoughts and feelings…and much like a child, you are unable to make the sounds the same way that those who have been speaking the language for all their lives can. You can’t seem to string together a basic sentence even though you know the words and simple phrases, let alone communicate sophisticated ideas. It has certainly tried my patience and for the first 10 hours or so, I kept wondering to myself what I had gotten myself into. However, I’ve been close to 60 hours now after three weeks and am excited to report that I can understand a lot of what’s going on in class! We’re not supposed to focus on words, consult dictionaries on the side, or speak Thai in or out of class – I’ve been very good at all of these. I mean, if I’m going to do it their way, I might as well go all the way, right? They don’t want us speaking in class because, if you didn’t already know, Thai is a tonal language. Thus, if you pronounce a word…say, “mai” in the wrong tone, it could mean anything from new to wood, silk, or a negative answer to a question. They don’t want the other students latching on and also getting stuck on the wrong tones. Therefore, all of the teachers are native Thai speakers.

I do have to admit that I have one secret weapon that many of the students in my class lack. That is the fact that I speak Cambodian. Although Thai and Cambodian are part of different language families (Sino-Tibetan and Mon-Khmer, respectively), they share almost identical grammatical patterns and even some very similar words. It’s hard for me to give you an example that’s not verbal…but here goes. The word for “handwatch” is nah-lee-kah in Thai and nia-le-kah in Cambodian. The word for “doll” is doo-kah-dah in Thai and doe-kah-dah in Cambodian. Also, a lot of the words that express more complex ideas and concepts are quite similar because many of them have Pali and Sanskrit roots (from India). Anyway, I’m probably boring the majority of you to death =)…maybe I should tell you instead that much like the “Bolex” clock we have in the room, they call me an American “copy” because I’m Asian and not Caucasian.

Fah lah lah lah lah...

I’m happy to report that I’ve joined the Bangkok Music Society’s Choir! I just felt quite sad that music has once again, left my life…so I decided to do something about it! I had such a great time singing with the UW summer chorale this year that I just had to keep myself connected (thanks for a fabulous summer, Jason!). For some reason, I couldn’t find any information on the choirs at Chula, so I looked for choirs in BKK and found the Bangkok Music Society. I figured it would be a fabulous way to meet new people and get in touch with the opera going crowd here in BKK -- which reminds me, I went to see an opera called “Ayodhya” last Sunday. Given my fabulous experiences with the magnificent productions that Seattle Opera puts on, I am sad to report that I was thoroughly unimpressed with the production. Ayodhya is an all-new and original opera that was composed by a Thai composer and aside from one beautifully sung aria, the rest of was quite forgettable. When I originally decided to go see it, I had hoped it would be more Thai in nature; I was shocked to find that the libretto was written and therefore sung in English and that the music was for an orchestra featuring mainly Western instruments. Oh well.


Anyway, as for the BMS, we have our first concert on December 1st. I’m quite nervous about it since I’ve been singing with them for less than a month and already I have to be in a concert! Still, most of the stuff is fairly simple and straightforward and some of it, I’ve seen before! There’s not much to report here except that we only get together once a week for two hours, which is hardly enough rehearsal time, I think, but a majority of the people in the choir have normal day jobs and families that keep them too busy to commit much more time than we have.

ลอยกระทง, or Loi Krathong -- The Festival of Lights

I am fortunate enough to have been able to take part in this annual celebration! Loy Krathong is celebrated on a date that changes according to the Lunar Calendar – it usually falls in November (the 12th month) and is always on the night of the full moon in said month.

Looking at the picture above, you can see that “Loy” roughly means, “to float” and “Krathong” (pronounced ka-tong, with a long O) is a small raft that was traditionally made out of a section of banana tree trunk that is beautifully wrapped and lined with intricately folded banana leaves.

These days, however, you don’t have to look very far to see the cheaply and hastily made modern variety styrofoam krathong. Nevermind the fact the you’re going to set them adrift on the Chao Phraya and therefore release this non-biodegradable substance into the already over-polluted main artery of Bangkok’s waterways. I, however, am happy to report that the one I purchased was made entirely of natural materials that will eventually make their ways back into the circle of life…[sigh] I digress…

The pier was full of merchants busy making krathongs. On the left is an example of the styrofoam variety. The lady [?] in the center waves hello ~

This swanky watercraft, which varies from about a hand-span in diameter to as large as four to five feet across, is often decorated with a variety of flowers, candles and incense sticks. Here are some of the more creative ones I ran across:

This is a picture of my friend Jay and I, trying to keep our krathongs lit while battling the winds on the fast-moving Chao Phraya River's surface. Legend says that you will get whatever you ask for if your krathong stays lit until it is out of your sight. No, you can't just close your eyes!

Even the monks are busy at work with their EDIBLE krathongs!


So in addition to the floating of Krathongs, there are also fireworks and beauty contests. I didn’t see any beauty contests, but I did see plenty of fireworks and a lively night fair at Wat Arun (Temple of the Dawn). Here are some pictures for your visual pleasure:


And just because so many of you commented on the Thai architecture I included in an earlier post, here are some close shots of other buildings on the temple grounds that will wow you:


Here are some shots that I feel merit some commentary:

I thought we were in Thailand. No, really. I was surprised to find out that the entire temple is covered in Chinese ceramic. From afar, it looked like the building was made entirely of some kind of stone! Aren't these sculptures exquisite?

Here's an image in color!


So, according to Buddhist tradition, you may earn "merit" by purchasing and affixing gold leaf to Buddha images -- or, you could just give money to the temple and monk community -- the earthly servants of Buddha.


I don't think the guy in green appreciated my capturing on film, this most private of religious moments where you receive the blessings of Buddha's earthly representatives...sorry!


This was definitely put into place for the tourists, no Thai would be caught dead doing something so heinous!


Still, sometimes, holiness gives way to expediency...


Ouch! I wonder what happened here...


In terms of the history behind Loy Krathong...well, we think that it has its roots, like many Thai cultural and linguistic traditions, in India. Loy Krathong has been likened unto the Hindu Divali festival. Who uses that phrase anymore, anyway, "likened unto..." ? Still, it has a certain catchiness to it, non?

Also, I should say that the festival itself and the floating of the krathongs are not just for the sake of fun –- I mentioned above that Thailand celebrates Loy Krathong in the last month of the Lunar calendar. This happens to coincide with the beginning of the dry season AND the harvest. Thus, it is also a celebration of thanksgiving. However, like so many other adopted customs, the people here have made the tradition uniquely Thai by giving it a song as well as a time-honored anecdote explaining its origins that was enshrined within the country’s folklore when it was written down by His Majesty King Rama IV. Also, the Thais have dedicated the festival to Buddha, as opposed to the Hindu gods. As a good student of history, I feel obliged to cite my source for this information – so, thank you, Wikipedia =). If for some reason you want to know the song and the story…”Google it,” as I always say ~

One final thing I should note in terms of the special meaning accorded to the krathongs, courtesy, again, of Wikipedia:

“The act of floating away the candle raft is symbolic of letting go of all one's grudges, anger and defilements, so that one can start life afresh on a better foot. In the olden days, Thai people used to cut their fingernails and hair, floating away the clippings on the raft too, as a symbol of the bad parts of oneself one was letting go of. Many Thai believe that floating a krathong will create good luck, and they do it to honor and thank the Goddess of Water, Phra Mae Khongkha (see the connection with the harvest and change of seasons...?)”

What did I let go of, you ask? WELL, I shall have to politely say, as the Thais do, mai pen rai (never you mind).

ELLE Bangkok Fashion Week 2006

Tonight I went to one of the one of the shows spotlighting work by the designers of the clothing line Headquarter. It was part of a 6 day, 18 show event that featured the creations of some of Thailand’s hottest young designers. Like everything that attracts a crowd, the event was jam packed, though not as bad as other places that I’ve been to in BKK since admission is exclusively by invitation only.

How did I get an invitation you ask? Well, it’s all about who you know! I ran into some Thais that I had met by introduction through other friends. They were quite impressed that in my short three weeks here, that I wound up getting invited to an event like ELLE Bangkok Fashion Week 2006.

Actually, I was the guest of a one Blue Satittammanoon, who works for Sony Thailand – Artist & Repertoire Executive. I’m not quite sure what he does exactly, but he’s a friend of a friend in Seattle and has lived in NY, SF and Vancouver. So he’s quite the international guy and quite well connected to all the hottest events in BKK. All of the shows took place at Central World Plaza, just one Sky Train stop from the one I usually use. Here are a couple pictures for your enjoyment:


View of Ratchaprasong Road from the Grand Hyatt Erawan, kitty-corner from Central World Plaza and home to one of the most revered Hindu shrines in all of BKK. I shall have to dedicate a separate entry to it another time.


A view of the plaza outside of Central World Plaza when it is not full of people and stages like it was tonight.

Anyway, there were models, producers, television and movie stars walking around all over the place! Funny enough, they look very much like normal people in real life…and much smaller in person too! If anything, I saw going to this event (aside from being a blast) as an exercise in networking and getting introduced to people who are part of the BKK hi-so (high society). I’m hoping that some of these younger individuals will lead to an introduction to their parents, aunts, uncles, cousins, etc. who are the executives for some of Thailand’s leading companies.

BKK society is a network of relationships that can be navigated, but are monitored by various “gates” you have to gain access to. The only way to get through these gates is to be the guest of somebody who already has access. I imagine this is very similar to the business world back home, but it seems that Thais are really very willing to introduce you to just about anybody you ask to be introduced to. I’m just doing my best to meet as many people as I can so I can tell them what I’m doing in Thailand. They always ask me anyway, after the question I hear most often: “Where are you from?” I’m always quick to ask them all about what they do and what their background is. When I tell them I’m from the States, they always say oh! I lived in…and then they proceed to name a variety of cities in the US and oftentimes, which American University they attended. One pattern that I’m seeing in all the young, up and comings in BKK is that they’re all Western educated individuals and often times, of mixed heritage as well. One of Blue’s friends, Irene, is half-Swedish and half-Thai. She has lived in Stockholm for about as long as she’s lived in Thailand. So when I asked her where “home” is, she had a bit of a hard time deciding which one felt more like home. Although she did say that she didn’t want to be in Sweden at the moment.

After the show, there was an “After Party.” Those of you who know me best know that I’m not much of a drinker and I don’t smoke, so I was quite ready to leave after the show. However, to have done so would have been counterproductive to the whole point of going. The show was the objective, yes, but the important part is to see and be seen. Anyway, I could never understand how everyone can just hang around forever until tonight. After being offered a drink for the fifth time, I finally relented and said ok. My choices were a Heineken or blended Kahlua; neither of which sounded very good and the fact that I’m not really a big fan of beer made me accept the Heineken with a little bit of reservation. I could do this, I thought. Gulp. Yeah, that’s not so bad, I could probably learn to like beer, seeing as how food and alcohol seems to be the common denominator in all social gatherings I’ve been invited to so far.

And then the buzz hit. All of a sudden, my desire to leave was but a distant memory. Yes, I’m quite the lightweight – I wasn’t even half finished with my first bottle! Anyway, the point is that all of sudden, it hit me how everyone just sort of sits or stands around – they’re all buzzed! I came out pretty proud that I was able to finish my first bottle of beer but declined to join Blue and some of his friends when they decided they weren’t done partying yet (it was close to 1am) and were going to head off to Silom, so I bade them goodnight and headed home ~