A birthday, a wedding, and a baby hair cutting ceremony

The last week has been one celebration after another. Joob's birthday was on Thursday so on Wednesday evening we had particularly active karaoke session. Everyone was a little tired on Thursday morning after all the singing and dancing. I gave a lecture to my 80 second year students in which I relayed the bad news that I would have to cancel their class on Friday. Their English is surprisingly competent when it comes to understanding this type of message! Shortly after the lecture, after attending a staff meeting for a very short time (which is a whole other story), I was whisked off to Bangkok.

Joob's Karaoke Party in Phitsanulok

Less than five hours later I was in the bustling capital city, trying to find my way across town to meet my Ubon friends for dinner and cake. Then it was back to my usual resting place at Pie's. Nong Treuk seems to be getting used to his farang uncle as he didn't scream quite as much when I held him, and a couple of times he forced a smile out for me.

On Friday I met up in the afternoon with the NU gang to go to Samut Prakarn for P'Jair's wedding. It was at a school over looking the Chao Praya River. Lots of photos were taken as the sun went down, with us all looking very smart. The groom was American so I got the opportunity to talk with some (almost) native English speakers for the first time in a month.

Groom, bride and Joob

It was back to Pie's after the wedding and then a reasonable nights rest before meeting up with the Warwick gang on Saturday to celebrate Joob's birthday. After a lovely Korean meal (but costing the equivalent of 30 lunches in the university canteen), we took a taxi, the sky train, and a boat to get to Ploenchit Fair. This annual event is organised by the British community to raise money for good causes in Thailand. Wonderful idea, except that it was a bit too British: lots of beer but not much food. Too many farang too! We didn't stay for very long before we were stuck in traffic again waiting to get to our next destination. Dinner was at a big buffet restaurant where the highlight for me was the opportunity to make your own som tam. After the whole Warwick gang had stuffed themselves completely, we moved next door for karaoke. Basically Joob had the same party twice, just in different cities. That girl does love her karaoke! In between Joob singing and me dancing we managed to eat some delicious birthday cake that P'Min had brought. An excellent evening!

A restaurant where you can make your own papaya salad!

Just when you think things cannot get any better, Pie goes and pulls a super party at his house on Sunday morning for his father's birthday and his baby's first hair cut. The ceremony for inviting monks to cut your baby's hair is almost like the Thai equivalent of a christening. We got up at 7am to start preparations, but already the food stalls were arriving. As on the wedding day, they brought in several different food stalls (drinks, noodles, snacks) that set themselves up in the garden. Guests can just order whatever they want! By 8am I was eating roti (pancakes) and drinking iced tea. I eventually managed to make myself useful when I discovered their were girls in the kitchen chopping fruit. They were particularly impressed by my legendary mango peeling skills. The guests soon started arriving, and then the 9 monks who took their place in Pie's shrine room. Led by the head monk, who will become 'Somdet' on the King's birthday next week, the monks chanted and Nong Treuk got his hair cut. It was all very exciting for me, but Nong Treuk didn't look quite so happy!

Baby Treuk enjoying some chanting

It is always good fun staying at Pie's, but this time it was especially good to speak to lots of interesting people. At one point I was introduced to a lady who a few people were making a fuss of. One of them said to me, do you know who this is? To which I had to reply "no", then I turned to her and said "khun cheu arai krub" (what is your name?). At this point quite a few people started laughing, but the lady replied "Jintara". Later it was explained to me that she is one of the most famous actresses in Thailand -- I doubt anyone has asked her what her name is for at least 10 years!

After the hair cutting ceremony, there was a taxi waiting outside to deliver me at breakneck speed to town. The driver had moments before just seen someone else leave and he was quite excited to ask me in Thai: "Was that Khun Jintara?" To which I replied, "Who?", and then realising what he meant, I cooly continued, "oh yes, that's her" before I told him we better take the toll road because I was afraid to be late for my lift back up north.

I am now on the way home to Phitsanulok. It was fun in Bangkok, but I am looking forward to returning to the countryside where it does not take 2 hours to drive a few kilometers and you can buy lunch for 20 baht!

Loy Kratong

Midnight, fireworks continue to explode outside my window against a background buzz of 100cc motorcycles as students return to their dorms. It is almost the end of the Loy Kratong festival at Naresuan University and what an awesome two days it has been. I have never seen anything like it before in my life!

Yesterday, outside the temple of Phra Buddhachinarat in Phitsanulok, we lit the candles and incense on our kratongs and launched these highly decorated floating bouquets into the River Nan. With any luck, they will float downstream, and in a few days, after joining up with the Chao Praya River, they will float past Bangkok into the sea, taking all our defilements with them so we can feel refreshed. Well that's the theory. It also happens to be one of biggest celebrations of the year. We watched spectacular shows and performances of Thai dancing from the river bank, not to mention the Miss Phitsanulok beauty contest (which sadly was quite difficult to see without my glasses). Given that this is Thailand, we were never more than three meters away from the nearest street seller offering some local sweet snack to maintain our energy levels. Thousands of people had descended on the city to Loy Kratong, and most were also keen to launch flying lanterns into the night sky. Apparently flights across Thailand are cancelled for the evening because the sky is full of these burning lanterns. It is worth it though, to see the sky sparkling with lanterns, especially as the backdrop to the temples around Phitsanulok.

I said yesterday that it was my best day in Thailand yet, and I thought it would be a while again before this experience would be beaten. I was told by P'Fong at the time that the Naresuan University celebrations would be even better, but I didn't believe it. She was right though: today has surpassed all expectations!

The day did start particularly well because P'Nutt from Warwick visited us and we went out to a quaint Isahn restaurant overlooking the rice fields. A 'gratib' of sticky rice always makes me happy. By the time we got back to the office it was already late afternoon and the parade had begun. It was like a carnival, all the participants were first year students, dressed in traditional costumes and dancing their way to the lake. The first years from each department are charged with preparing a giant kratong, finding a beauty queen, putting on a performance, and parading across campus. Of course, for several weeks our faculty of science students had (at the expense of their studies) been constructing a huge float which is a replica of one of the monuments on campus. On the float sat their beauty queen, and in front students carried their elaborate kratong. All around there were brightly dressed students singing, dancing and beating drums. The procession was so long it must have been dark by the time all the floats and students made it to the lake.

As eager as I was to see the beauty contest (glasses in hand!), nothing gets in the way of Thai people and food, so we nipped off for a quick meal. Dinner cost 25 baht (50p) which still makes me chuckle almost every day.

Back at the fair we enjoyed the singing and dancing performances, one from each department. The time and effort involved in preparing all this is way beyond what any western students could achieve. The performances are so professional, you might think you had paid £100 for a show in London. I was just mesmerised -- I don't know what it is like elsewhere in Thailand but I can tell you this: Naresuan rocks!

I had bought some rather special (read: overpriced) flying lanterns to launch (including a giant red one!) so we set them burning and let them off into the night sky. The full moon was shining equally bright in the background and it really was the perfect night.

The Homecoming

Not impressed by farang

This time last week I was far above the clouds somewhere between London and Bangkok. The fun had begun 2 days earlier when I escaped from my 2 year sentence in France and moved my life back to England. I had to discard quite a few material possessions such that my life would fit into one 20kg checked in bag and a piece of hand luggage. Despite continuous strikes for the last couple of months, and a petrol shortage, my trip back to Norfolk was trouble-free. Then I had less than 48 hours to unpack and repack with slightly more summery attire, and get back to the airport.

On the plane I got chatting to a girl who, after talking for a while, I discovered was from Warwick, studied in CS, and graduated the same year as me. How we had never met before I don't know cause we later discovered that we were also both at Pete and Wendy's wedding!

Upon arrival in Bangkok, I sailed through customs despite my one way ticket (which should have meant I was refused entry without a visa). Paradise wasn't there to meet my directly off the plane -- it is one of my dreams to be met as I step out(!) -- but she was there with Pie in arrivals which was a lovely welcome. Dinner with Tam, before back to Pie's to meet Truek! He was sleeping though so his first English lesson with Uncle Ant was postponed until the next day. I love going to Pie's house -- it feels just like being in Leam Green again, only a little bit bigger. I think Pie's father is quite used to me turning up unannounced and we sat around eating and chatting on Sunday like I am there every week. It is just like being at home.

There was a Warwick dinner the following evening, then on Sunday I flew up to Phitsanulok with Joob. You are barely off the ground for more 30 minutes. So if carbon footprints are your thing then that's definitely the way to do it! I think Joob's excuse was that she could not bear to sit next to me in a bus for five hours, so I am sure you all understand.


I started work on Monday morning, much to the excitement of the other staff in the department, and the students. Before long I had an office, a computer, internet access, email, I had met the Dean, and the Head of Department. One secretary in particular enjoyed driving me around on her motorcycle. News travels fast because there were soon female lecturers from other departments passing through our offices just to catch a glimpse of me. I am aware that all things must end at some point, but I do hope this celebrity status doesn't wear off too quickly.

I have two courses to teach this term, one has only 2 students and the other has 80! I managed to blag my way through the first two lectures unprepared, but next week I need to find some material to teach. Getting back into the academic mindset is a bit challenging, but so far I am coping pretty well with the frequent breaks for breakfast, lunch, coffee, cake, dinner. There are so many places to eat that even if I eat in a different establishment each day I still won't be able to visit them all over the next few months.

Joob has been wonderful since I arrived, making sure everything is organised and checking that I behave myself. I don't think her life will be the same again though. I have taken over her motorcycle and frequently ride it in the bustling area outside the university despite being warned of the dangers. Within 24 hours of arriving I had taken her to town on the 'unsafe' bus -- a first for Joob. And to top it off, her students have started to think that she has a farang boyfriend!