Ceremony at Baan KhoKlaan

Carol and I were given a ceremony at Baan KhoKlaan School (the village where we lived for two years). Bob was presented with a Thai silk shirt that had the name of the school embroidered on the sleeve and Carol was presented a beautiful hand-made shawl. We were then blessed during a 30-minute Thai ceremony. At the conclusion, the parents got out of their seats and sat near us before individually blessing us.

Students Paying Respect

Each student presented a flower placed banana leaf in a small rolled banana leaf with candles or incense sticks. They knelt before us before presenting the flower and we wished them good luck. The last picture is the same ceremony at Bob's other school where he said good-bye to 150 students.

Gifts from the Students

We took home the ceremonial "tree" and Bob placed the gifts under the "tree". Many of the gifts were something that the students found in their house and some were just a 5-cent snack but each gift was "priceless" because of the effort came from the heart. Some of them had nothing, so they gave back pictures or items won at the auction. However, one of the gifts was exceptionally different. It came from Panyawadee (Goldilocks in the play "Goldilocks and the 3 Bears)) and was a 3-piece towel set -- each towel had a bear on it!

Saying Good-bye to the Parents

Parents came by bicycle, motorcycle, and on foot, but we were surprised to see a busload of parents arrive at the ceremony. They watched the play presented by Bob's students, listened to the speeches and took part in the ceremony by tying strings around our wrists. We only wished our Thai language was better to tell them that

their children are so special and deserve the best that life can offer, but we think we conveyed that in another manner during our two years in the village.

Saying Good-bye to the Students

It was a time to be happy and sad! Happy that we met so many wonderful students and sad to say good-bye. As the students were presenting gifts to Bob, one student broke down and started crying. Bob instinctively gave her a hug. A few minutes later, all the students lined up to say good-bye and Carol started hugging the first students and a nervous (and excited) expression filled the faces of the remaining students. They then started asking for a hug (a tradition that is not necessarily a part of Thai culture). We gladly responded and embraced them, passing along a symbol of American culture and a hope that we will meet them again.

Ceremony at Submuang Wittaya

Carol's school put on an elaborate two-hour ceremony for us. A play (in English), speeches, and a ceremony with a 12-page Thai chant that obviously had some teasing and jokes due to the laughter and cheering of the parents, students, and teachers.

We then had strings tied to our wrists and many a tearful good-bye was said. We had not expected the emotion from the Thai people as well as ourselves!! The and then came up in small groups to have their picture taken. The second picture is the ceremonial centerpiece that took the woman 12 hours to prepare. We placed it in our home for three days to help bring us good luck and a safe trip home.

Auction - 30 stars Going Once, Twice, ......Sold!!!!

We reward our students for their effort in speaking English with pep points or stars. Carol had held an auction and it was very successful, so Bob decided to have the students at both schools to use their stars to bid on items (watches, bookbags, UNO card games, stuffed animals, DVD's, billfolds, socks, frisbees, balls, and a variety of inexpensive trinkets). It was fun to watch the students bid against each other and the students cheered when the final bid was accepted. They had to bid in English and to our surprise they have become very fluent in English numbers!

Teaching Kickball

We conducted a 3-day "Make and Take" Workshop where we demonstrated an activity to teach English. to 90 teachers in our area. The first 30 minutes, the teachers did the activity and the next hour, they created the visuals (charts, posters, flash cards). Their recreations of our visuals were incredible -- they are very artistic, creative, and meticulous to detail. They had never attended a workshop where they could actually make and take. We got funding to supply all materials and they really appreciate it! What amazed us is that they wanted us to teach them kickball (a sport that Bob introduced two months ago) on the third day. We were surprised how popular it became and many students told Bob that it was now their favorite sport. We believe the reason for that is it combines baseball with a soccer approach. Bob had some students come to the workshop and demonstrate the sport along with two other Peace Corps Volunteers. Thirty students then went outside and played a game so that the teachers could get a better idea of the game. We then we had the teachers play the game for 90 minutes! The only problem is you can't get rubbery kickballs in Thailand!!!! We had a co-teacher order 8 kickballs to give away and they delivered water polo balls. We promised the teachers that we would send kickballs when we returned to America!!!

Thai Wedding

My co-teacher got married and we were invited to an intimate ceremony inside the living room of her house. Small wreaths of flowers were placed on the heads of the bride and groom and were connected by a string to represent a unity of their spirits. Guests tied string around their wrists as a symbol of good health, long life, happiness, and good luck. Afterwards, we were invited to take a picture with them. We wish Rewadee a long, happy marriage. She is a wonderful person who is beautiful in body and mind. We will miss her!!!