Wanasom Wellness and Aesthetic Resort

Yesterday, after our visit to the school, we spent the second half of the day traveling. First to the Nakon Si Thammarat airport, then on a flight to Bangkok, we ate dinner at the airport, and took one last flight to Chiang Mai. This meant we did not arrive to the hotel in Chiang Mai until 11:30 pm, and I have to admit I was pretty tired.

We spent the morning on the bus driving from Chiang Mai to Chiang Rai, which was supposed to take only three hours, but our side shopping adventures made it take a bit longer. Chiang Rai is very close to the Golden Triangle, the place where Thailand, Myanmar, and Laos meet. There is not a bad view in the area-beautiful landscape every direction you look.

The Mae Fah Luang Univesity is our host her in Chiang Mai, and they are treating us incredibly well. After a delicious lunch we were given an excellent lecture this afternoon on the Greater Makong Area, which includes the countries and people relying on the Makong River, a river that travels through China (Tibet), Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, and Vietnam. These countries utilize the river for fish, plants, farming, water, transportation, energy (hydroelectric), and more, and they are working together to assure a good future for the river and the people it supports.

Then we had the opportunity to see our rooms at the Wanasom Wellness and Aesthetic Resort. I have never seen such a beautiful hotel. My room is bigger than my apartment, I have bathtub with jets in it, a deck (which I am currently sitting on) that overlooks the forest and has a mountain view, and an enormous bed. There are trees everywhere. I truly must be the luckiest person in the world.

If you ever have a chance to come to Thailand, and you are looking for a remote get-away, this is the place for you….it is like night and day from Bangkok. I love both, but I am sure the heck happy to be here right now!

Prateepsasana Islamic School

Of Thailand’s population of 65-67 million, about 95-96% are Buddhist. Of the remaining, there is a strong Muslim minority, specifically in the southern part of Thailand near the Malaysian border. Religion seems to be something that people in Thailand are more comfortable talking about in public than Americans, and an individual’s religion is indicated on National Identity Cards. One could assume that, since the country has such a strong Buddhist majority that other religions might not feel comfortable worshiping, but I have not found that to be the case. Thais seem very comfortable with the diversity of religions existing in their country.

During our visit to Nakorn Si Thammarat, in the southern part of Thailand, we had the chance to visit Prateepsasasna Islamic School. The school, often referred to as The Ma’had Misbahuddin (The Torch of Islam), was established in 1941. The school came into existence after a small group of Thai students returned from Mecca and wanted a place to continue their religious studies. The school, which started with 50 students, now has a 500 student elementary day school and 1200 high school boarding students.

Upon our arrival, we were greeted warmly by a student assembly that including singing, dancing, and a cooking demonstration. Then, Fulbrighters and students broke into three groups, each with an interpreter, for a great question and answer session. I unsuccessfully tried to explain the coldness associated with a Chicago winter to students who’ve lived their entire lives in a tropical climate that includes the seasons hot, hotter, and rain. I think there was some discussion on pee freezing before it hits the ground….but I was not the one who brought it up. When asked their first thoughts American, they shouted out the following list: Obama, wanna go there, Hollywood, good schools, and Michael Jordan. The kids at the school reminded me a lot of my students at North Shore. It felt very normal to be at a school, since it is where I spend my time in the United States, and it was great learning from the kids about their future dreams and how they spend their time at the school.

After our sharing time, we had a chance to go on a walking tour of the campus, which included the library, business center (computers), classrooms, art center, sports area, canteen (cafeteria), and dormitories.

The school’s director, Hajjah Sofiyah binti Hajji Ya’koob Pitsuwan, an 83 year old woman referred to as “Mama” by students, was not able to meet with us today because the elementary school was being assessed by the countries accreditation committee and the U.S. Ambassador was visiting the high school the next day (this is big considering we were the first Americans to visit in the school’s recent history). However, her grandson was able to spend the day with us. He finished his undergraduate education at Georgetown and will be attending Harvard for a Masters in public policy this fall. I spoke to him about the biggest struggles facing the school and he indicated two-funding and the balance between religious and secular subjects.

Some of the school’s physical structures are new, beautiful and modern buildings. Most of these buildings were building with money coming from external sources. Specifically, the school has seen a lot of funding from the Muslim communities in other parts of the world. People from Kuwait, Qatar, and UAE have all helped support the school’s new library, mosque, and girls dormitories. These facilities look excellent. It is shocking, however, because other buildings on the campus are literately falling apart. In particular, while the girls now sleep in two brand new dormitory buildings, the boys continue to sleep in the pondoks. These are a large collection of small, elevated shack-like building surrounding the main house. Many of these are close to falling down and all have been given make-shift repairs over the last 70 years. The boys sleep on the floor, either two or four to a pondok. When asked if they are jealous of the girls’ new dorms, the boys clearly stated they like the pondoks better. I can imagine most teenage boys would, as many skinny paths and dark corners between buildings allow for many varieties of debauchery. These are facilities, however, that the parents at North Shore would not allow their children to sleep in for even one night. A donor has provided the funding for new dorms, which we saw being constructed. When completed, the female students will move into the new dorms and the boys will move into the girls current dorms. I am not sure how the girls worked that out, but it sounds like a pretty good deal! It was also interesting along the walk, as they both told me a fellow Fulbrighter was handsome and then introduced me to the most handsome teacher they had at their school…which amounted to an awkward wave surrounded by 30 giggling high schoolers.

It was very interesting talking to the students about a typical day at the school. It because clear students spend a significant portion of the day either praying or in religious studies class. The director’s grandson indicated this as their biggest struggle when it comes to completing with students from other schools. Currently, 60-70% of the school’s students go to college following high school. However, they would like to see that number increase, as well as the number of students going to more prestigious universities. However, only half of the classroom time is currently spent on secular subjects and the students have a difficult time competing, specifically in the areas of math and science. The school would like to see more time devoted to these subjects, but there is resistance from some of the parents.

Overall, the time we spent at the school was educational and enjoyable. The kids and faculty alike were warm and welcoming, including providing use with a wonderful meal. Going to the school gave me yet another perspective on Islam, and it is something I will definitely talk to my students about in the coming years.

Nakhon Si Thammarat

I have to admit, when I saw the schedule I thought today was going to be exhausting, but I feel exhilarated right now! When I think back at all the fun we had today it is staggering!

The day started early, with a 5:30am meeting time in the lobby of the Hotel Montien, our home away from home in Bangkok. From there, we boarded the bus and zipped off to the airport to catch our flight to southern Thailand. Specifically, we were headed to Nakhon Si Thammarat.

Upon landing, we were greeted at the airport by members of the University, who provided us with an enormous bouquet of flowers. By 9:30am we were climbing into the biggest, tallest bus I’ve ever seen. It is tall enough for me to fully stand on both of its levels. This extraordinary bus took us to each of the following locations, to participate in each of the following activities.

Wat Mahathat: This Wat dates back to the time of Ayutthaya. Some of the Buddha statues we saw were over 600 years old. The Wat is very beautiful and different from many of the other sites I’ve seen in Thailand, in that everything was much closer together. While there, our group had the opportunity to wrap one of the Stupas with giant yellow fabric, a tradition at this Wat.

The Shadow Puppet Museum: Our next stop was to the shadow puppet museum created by Suchart Subsin, one of Thailand’s expert shadow puppeteers. Ms. Subsin, who is currently 73 years old, performed with his shadow puppets for our group. The puppets are cut from leather, punched with holes, and creatively dyed. When light shines behind them, they let beautiful shadows to hit the screen and allow the puppeteer the opportunity to act out stories. It was great fun to see what a show looks like, how the puppets are made, and to learn more about the history of shadow puppets. In addition, I was stunned to see a matching homemade swing to the one my grandpa made for the cabin years ago. In fact, the puppeteer reminded me of my grandpa, and I bet they would have built some great stuff if they had met!

Kiriwong Village: The bus then made its way through winding, hilly paths to get to the Kiriwong Village, a small village surrounded by the mountains and located in the trees. Several years ago the people of Kiriwong were devastated due to a mudslide. A nonprofit organization helped them come up with a way they could help themselves, by creating natural dyes out the fruits, leaves, and bark that already exists in the area. Then, they use the dyes in the process of making interesting tie-dyed products, which are both sustainable and beautiful. We had the chance to make our own—although, mine did not turn out that great. I was not feeling too bad until I saw P’Poon’s, which turned out perfectly! In the village I also ate some yummy mangosteen jam candy, which is good stuff!

Nakhon Si Thammarant Kajahat University: The people at the University treated us like royalty. They literally through flower petals into onto the ground as we walked in, just like in the movie Coming to America. Then, they provided us with an incredibly warm official welcome by the president of the university. Students performed incredible dance numbers, including one in which the dancers were dressed like birds and participated in a mock cock fight. Following the performances, we ate another spectacular meal.

Overall, we have only been in Nakhon Si Thammarat for about 13 hours, and I am already sad think we are leaving tomorrow.

My Host Family Experience – Part Two (Sunday)

I was not sure how today could be better than yesterday…but our hosts continued to roll out the red carpet and today was my favorite day in Thailand so far!

After saying good-bye to the Musikasong family, Alex and I were dropped off at the Varapark home. After eating breakfast and playing with their huge, weighted hula-hoop (I want to find one) we boarded a large van and made our way to Ayutthaya, a place I really wanted to visit, but was not on our itinerary. I was thrilled!

Ayutthaya is the former capitol of Thailand, the capitol was moved to the current location in Bangkok. It was the religious, cultural, social and political center of Thailand, known as Siam, 1351 to 1767. We had the opportunity to see the Ancient City ruins, many incredible Buddha statues, including the dressing of a giant Buddha, beautiful Stupas, people riding elephants, and another excellent marketplace. It was stunning to our group that we were able to climb up some of the ruin steps, which gave us a spectacular view of the Ancient City.

After several hours exploring the ruins and temples, we made our way to another unbelievably scrumptious meal next to the river. The food was delicious, the view was stunning, and the company was unmatchable.

Following lunch, we went to the Bang sai Arts and Crafts Centre, which is a place created with help from the Queen. The purpose was to create a central place to sell handmade arts and crafts from around Thailand, arranged into four areas for the four directions away from Bangkok. We ended the day by taking pictures by the river, which is simply beautiful.

The incredible generosity of my hosts will not be forgotten, and I cannot tell you what a wonderful experience it was for me. The smile I have from today’s fun will last for many days to come, as it was, quite simple, a perfect day.

I am hoping that life will bring us together in the future, which is a possibility, since the Varapark’s daughter will be staying in Michigan as a foreign exchange student this upcoming school year, and I hope she takes me up on my offer to host her for a few days in Chicago.