Chinese New Year and Muay Thai

As a working person, I have seriously come to enjoy my weekends. Though my job is fun, entertaining, and really not that hard, it's really great having absolutely no responsibilities on the weekends. It's been working out that every other weekend I have something planned, whether it's my friends coming to Ayutthaya, me going down to Bangkok for a night, or going on a weekend trip. On the weekends we don't plan anything, something always ends up popping up, whether it be a spontaneous visit by some friends, or we find out that something is going on in Ayutthaya by some sort of market or stage magically appearing.

Ladyboy making omelets

one of the many street vendors

Last weekend (and the entire week leading up to it) was part of Ayutthaya's Chinese New Year celebration. Just after our block of Narseuan Rd., the main road in town, the street got closed down after 5 and a huge market filled with the usual moon bounces, miniature roller coasters, vendors, and carnival games was set up. Also set up were multiple stages for various performances. Being here 5 months and after seeing 2 other festivals of the same caliber, I was not nearly as impressed with the magnitude that Thais celebrate every single holiday. It is amazing how they pull out the same bells and whistles multiple times a year and are unafraid to shut down major roads and traffic patterns. Even though Thailand is not China (duh), the Chinese New Year is a big deal here because a large percentage (at least 30%) of Thais are of Chinese descent.

The setup for Chinese New Year differed in that there was a lot more food and there were red and gold Chinese lanterns strung throughout the streets where the celebrations took place. The celebration even spread down to Soi Farang, which is the backpacker district of Ayutthaya, where we generally hang out on the weekends. They had beer stands where they sold beer towers, and a stage for a live band that was actually pretty good.
The celebration cut into one day of school when it was announced mid-day that after 1:40 classes would be cancelled so students could go home because there was going to be a parade starting in front of our school and ending in the center of town. As reasonable as this is, I walked around and watched the parade after school and saw many of my students around, meaning that they were not worried about getting home. And even though the parade was going on, there was still traffic in the road.

One of my students in the parade

me with a beer tower

We ended up watching the parade outside of my school. It was very slow-moving, but had many floats with Chinese/Thai dancers on them and several school marching bands, one of which was ours. When we got tired of standing in the head and watching, we headed back to the center of town where we entered into a cloud of smoke and noise caused by firecrackers.

it's not Chinese New Year without dragons

the big blue thing is a fountain that shoots up when the
next fighter comes out AND it has visual projection
of that fighter on it. Best technology I've seen in
Thailand so far.

This past weekend was a long weekend, and even though I am usually itching to get out of Ayutthaya on a long weekend, I am saving my money and my traveling for my big upcoming trip. My weekend was filled with the expected lazing around, hanging out with friends, sleeping late, and watching movies, but I was not planning on seeing world-class Muay Thai boxing for free.
On my run Saturday morning I noticed a giant stage with a amssive screen set up just behind Wat Mahatat in the ruin park. But the setup was not only confined to the ruin park, along the edges street vendors were setting up, pickups were blasting advertisements through speakers as they drove around the City with the only recognizable words being "THAI FIGHT," and even "Thai Fight" signs that pointed to the ruin park. 

The stage setup. You can see the ruins in the background.

My friends and I decided to check it out and possibly watch from outside, since we were unsure whether or not you had to buy tickets. Upon arrival we were pleased to discover that it was for free and we were able to get fairly good views. I'm no Muay Thai expert, and the only other Muay Thai fight I saw was by amateurs on the King's birthday, but this was some good Thai fighting and very interesting to watch. I don't know if you'll be catching me spending much money to go to another fight, but it's definitely a Thai experience that I needed to have and am glad I enjoyed!

5 months

I'm ready to get my backpaking pants back on...

5 months ago today I landed in the Phuket airport after 30 hours of traveling. I didn't have a hotel room, I had never heard Thai, I wasn't aware that Ayutthaya existed, and I thought that this was going to be a six month adventure. I was most concerned about finding a travel buddy after my TESOL certificate and not being put in a town with no other white people.

...make new friends...

Here I am 5 months in and nowhere ready to go home. I've finished a term of teaching, have seen some of the most beautiful beaches in the world, conquered Bangkok, and have made many incredible friends. I knew that I would grow here, but the fact that I am living every day outside of my comfort zone and wanting it to continue I think speaks volumes about my experience. Even teaching--the "reason" I came here-- was something I didn't think I would be good at, yet here I am loving it every day and having the most incredible connection with my students. I actually hated kids before coming out here...yea, a lot has changed.

...and see new places!

Even though I haven't learned as much of the language as I would like, I feel as if I have a good grip on the culture and am ready to explore South East Asia not only on a budget, but also with minimal travel plans (we have an itinerary, but are not making any hotel reservations or hard dates in each location). 5 months ago I would have never dreamed of this, and would be shocked to know that I was extending my stay in Thailand to a year. I can't wait to see what the next 7 months bring. Right now I am really focused on my trip which will take me through Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos, and Northern Thailand. I will try to keep the blog as up-to-date as possible with all of my stops so that you all can follow what might be an even crazier adventure than what I first set out on!

I've also decided to change the appearance of my blog. I was getting a little sick of the dark elephant skin background. I tried to upload my own beautiful picture of Thailand but unfortunately the size was too big, so bamboo it is!

Ayutthaya

It's nearing the five month mark of me being in Thailand, which means that I've lived in Ayutthaya for nearly 4 months. I've been busy updating the blog about cool trips to other parts of Thailand that I have taken, but I have neglected to write about my own awesome city and the cool things I have seen.

Wat Mahatat
Because Ayutthaya was the capital of Siam for about 300 years, there are many temple ruins. Each large temple was once the royal temple and each new king built his own temple. Wat Mahatat is one of these.
Since Wat Mahatat is just across the street from my guesthouse, I was in no rush to go in. I went in just a month or two ago. It is much bigger than it appears from the outside, and I wish that I could have seen what it looked like in its heyday. The main attraction of the temple is a Buddha head (when the Burmese invaded Ayutthaya, they burned all the temples and beheaded the Buddhas) that is cradled by the roots of a bodhi tree. This is amazing for two reasons: 1. the Buddha's head is perfectly upright; 2. the bodhi is the tree under which Buddha found enlightenment. Pretty cool.
The temple also has some remaining Khmer prangs which are sinking in a lopsided manner into the damp and warped earth. It's a pretty magical place.

Wat Ratachaburana
This wat is also across the street from my guesthouse. It is one of my favorites because it has a perfectly in-tact Kmer prang. you can climb up it and get some pretty cool views of the city. It's also pretty spectacular to just be hanging out on the base of prang that used to be a royal temple. I don' t think many people living in Ayutthaya before it was defeated by the Burmese could say they did that for a mere 50 baht ($1.30)!

It's also famous because it has a crypt down a steep set of stairs that was discovered in the past 60 years. Unfortunately, the crypt held many relics and artifacts that were stolen upon the discovery of the crypt. My friends and I braved the steep and narrow stairs and squeezed 4 of us into the stifling hot room with original paintings. It was cool. But it was really REALLY hot.

inside the crypt (it was too cramped
for me to attempt a picture of all 4
of us in there)

Reclining Buddha

I was VERY uncomfortable touching this giant foot

 There's a giant reclining white stone Buddha a 40 minute walk from my guesthouse. It once was in a temple. The temple is gone, but the Buddha is still in-tact. It is quite large.










Golden Buddha

BIG Buddha

A 30 minute walk from my guesthouse there are not only elephants, but a temple that houses one of the largest golden Buddhas in all of Thailand.













The Temple I walk Through Everyday
This was also a royal temple, though it is not Khmer style. I don't know the name of it or when it was built, but it is awesome because all the monks know my name and say hi to me. There are some gnarly dogs that can bark and be scary (they chased my friend out of the temple while she was walking through), but besides that I love it. Some of the monks have gotten a little too friendly with me (re: Top 5 Ridiculous Moments, That Time a Monk Asked Me Ff I Was Single) and have begun hitting on me. I call them the World's Worst Monks. However, I do enjoying hearing, "Ah! LaulA! Hello!" from across the temple.










Elephants 
I will never get over the elephant rides that take place 30 minutes from my guesthouse. I still stop and take pictures when I see them going off-island on their walk home. I sometimes just go to where they give the rides to pet them. I think they are just so cute.









Festivals
Ayutthaya goes all-out for every festival and is not afraid to close off main streets and bring out the various rides and moon bounces it has in its arsenal for any and every celebration. So far I have had the joy of witnessing Loy Krathong, The King's Birthday, and Chinese New Year, which is going on right now.

This is another cool temple. It's off-island. i have no idea
what it's called.

Even though there are so many cool things in Ayutthaya, the reasons I love it the most are something that a tourist could barely scratch the surface of. I love the laid-back vibe and the overall calm of the island. I do appreciate that it is a tourist attraction so that I am not the only white person around, but I am recognized as "Teecha" or "ajarn" when I walk around in my teacher clothes (I've gotten a couple of shout-outs while walking to and from work, and even offered a ride home).
I don't see my students too often, but I like bumping into them outside of school. I notice that they are a LOT nicer, more well-behaved, and interested in class after they've seen me outside of work. I think they like that I am living like them and not just some weird alien speaking in jibberish to them for 50 minutes each week.

some random ruin/Buddha

I love my job. I love that the monks know me. I just love my Thai life and am so fortunate to not only be in such a cool city, but also have been placed with so many great friends and such a welcoming school. But Ayutthaya is really awesome.

The Weekend I Got Drunk at School AND Had My DJ Debut

I've come to accept that I am never informed of anything. There was no exception this past Friday when my school hosted a sports event for the teachers from 3 other neighboring schools. I had been asked to play volleyball on Monday, and quickly declined because I am terrible. After thinking about it for a couple of hours, I realized it would actually be fun to participate and spend time with other teachers, especially since I am staying another semester.
After Monday, I didn't hear anything about the event until Friday, when I was asked if I was in fact playing. I replied that I would love to, but I hadn't attended any practices and didn't have sports clothes. I was informed that there were no practices and that I could go home after my classes ended at 1:40 and get changed for the events, which began at 3:30. On to my next question: Is it okay that I don't own any workout attire except for what Americans would consider "typical" sports shorts. I was encouraged that this was in fact okay.

a demonstration of our poorly-funded school: the freshly-
chalked soccer field

After classes ended, I went home, changed, and arrived back at school in a baggy red shirt that was given as a uniform and my shorts. As soon as I walked on to school grounds, everyone's eyes went straight to my legs. I've seen Thais show off some serious gams outside of school, but inside of school, where I usually look like a fat, colorful, pilgrim, people were quite surprised. As embarrassing as my short shorts were, my volleyball skills were somehow even worse. I hadn't played in years because I was notorious for being the worst player on any team. Luckily, my whole team was horrible and my wonderful co-teachers could not stop laughing any time they missed the ball. We also had a very enthusiastic cheering section that was comprised of mostly my students who happened to either be girls or lady boys. They all enthusiastically waved their pom poms and screamed whenever the ball went over the net. It was wonderful.

Getting down with the guy who makes
photocopies

After all of our school's teams lost in soccer, volleyball, ping pong, and baci ball, the school had a party for everyone involved. Most of my other friends were at the party because they teach at neighboring schools that partook, or just decided to drop by since our boss was in attendance as well (we got our jobs through a placement company, so even though we all work at different schools, we have the same boss). Now a school party may not sound like that much fun, but a THAI school party, now that's a different story. Each table was equipped with a bottle of Johnnie Walker whiskey, 10 chairs, and an endless supply of thai dishes constantly being brought out. In addition to the table supplies there were pitches of beer and karaoke.
The night started out with a few students singing karaoke, which quickly moved into the directors singing, awards being given, and my friend Erin and I (the only two female farang teachers) being pimped out to dance with the directors of the schools. I even danced with the guy who makes our photocopies for a while. After a few dances, a teacher came up to us and "asked" Matthias, Alex, and I to sing a song. We quickly realized that this was not a request, but a requirement  and for some reason decided that YMCA would be the perfect song to keep the party popping. We danced, we laughed, and we even had a little dance pit in front of us. it was a  great way to end the night.

The note we received Monday night

The next night was a BIG night for me. It was my DJ debut as DJ BadCat. I got the gig on Monday night, when my friend and I thought that we were going into just a normal day of tutoring at the bar next to our guest house. We were given two large beers (something we had been wanting the entire time we had been tutoring him) and a note that made almost no sense. We gathered that it meant his lease was up (which was later confirmed) and he was moving his bar off the island (also later confirmed). We ended up staying at the bar for almost 6 hours and doing everything we had been joking of doing: showing him GOOD American music and drinking free beer. At one point in the night our student turned to me and said, "you. DJ. This weekend." I gladly accepted and was even more enthused because we had several friends who were already planning on coming up for the weekend.
The week was full of stress as I not only had to worry about my set list, but how to make one on a DJ program my friend had showed me. Okay, it wasn't really that stressful and I did it like the pros and prerecorded my set list and just pressed play so I could hang out with my friends. It was a very fun night, though very sad because our friend, student, AND bar are all now gone. We will certainly be making our way off-island to see the new bar and hang out with all of our Thai friends that we can't talk with.

DJ K and DJ BadCat--serious concentration

Our 2 month tutoring gig has been really fun and I'm glad that it ended the way it did. Initially, all of Pas' (our student) friends thought it was weird we would always show up and attempt to teach their friend English. They would often poke fun at him and not really acknowledge us. Now, they seem happy to see us and impressed that their friend is able to speak a bit. I wish we had more time to teach him because he made a ton of progress, but he still had so much more to go. It's really rewarding teaching someone that actually wants to learn and seeing their improvement, which I don't really get to see in my classes at school. I was especially proud when I passed him cleaning up his bar yesterday and realized that one of my students was helping him. I didn't recognize the student, who said "hello teacher." I asked him which class he was in. In the typical Thai fashion, he immediately panicked. Pas came to the rescue and TRANSLATED for him, and then translated back to me. It was a very proud moment and a great way to say goodbye to tutoring at Pen Tor Bar forever.

our Thai friends. The one in all black is the
bar owner and our ex-tutoring student

If you didn't catch it earlier, I have decided to stay at my school and in Thailand for another semester. It's a long time to be away from home, but I can't believe how quickly the first semester has gone by and I am not ready to leave!