Surprise, Surprise!!

After a few weeks of lesson planning with our Thai co-teachers, we were told that we were being taken to TaPhraya to see a parade honoring the Thai New Year. It's a festival where people throw water on each other for four straight days. It is an act of cleansing away the evil spirits and wishing good luck. We were told that we would actually have time to do some shopping. When our driver left, I kept saying that we were going in the wrong direction. Instead, they took us to an event where all the senior citizens from the six villages were trucked in to be blessed. Bob was told that he had to give a speech in Thai and then Carol and Bob, officially blessed the people with fragrant water and powder. Note: It took us a few months to learn to ignore what was being said and just enjoy the ride. The senior citizens were a delight!!! Bob even got into an exercise class with the senior citizens. Note: Bob is in step, the guy on the right didn't understand the Thai instructions!!! This Songkran Festival celebrated in April (the hottest month of the year) is often highlighted by wild antics of water dousing unsuspecting "victims" but we found that it is actually a moving and spiritual event in the smaller villages of Thailand.