Happy (Birth)day for everyone!

Friday, 16 Feb 2007 | Journal

I was told that I could get up whenever I liked. So I’m sure you can imagine my surprise when the phone woke me up at 7:05 and I was told I was late. I sometimes think the Thai live in a different time system than me, a minibus shows up 4 hours late and that is fine while when I’m given complete freedom I am suddenly told I’m late. Go figure.

Nat was waiting for me in the hotel lobby. We took a local tuk-tuk called a song-teaw (lit. ‘two rows’) from the hotel to the bus station (which really was just a bunch of food stalls along the side of a road, “the bus to X leaves from the fish place”) and after a half hour bus ride hopped on another taxi (a converted pickup truck). When crossing the street, I had to jump back to prevent being run over by another pickup truck with a monkey on the back! What the … I was in Nong Bua Ngo, my destination!

A short walk down the road and I stepped into a small house which was full of women all busy preparing food or just keeping those preparing food company. I was stared at, laughed at but most of all warmly welcomed. Quick, quick, quick, because there was a lot to be done. I was sat down in the middle of a circle of the village elderly, who all blessed me and tied a little white ribbon around my wrist. Nat and her family had been packing notebooks, food packets and toys all evening and morning, but I was being blessed. Seemed unfair, but ok.

Those same village elderly had decided there was too much food and toys for just one school, so we would visit two other schools and the nursery of the previously chosen school and deliver some foodpackets and toys and then quickly return to pack for the main event. A pickup truck was pulled up and I was placed in the passenger seat, while all those old women were loaded on the back. We made our way to the nursery, where about 100 kids ran from the playground to the car when it pulled up. They were quickly gathered in a hall and a short ceremonial handing over of the packed lunches to the school headmaster (photo op, anyone?) and we had to rush off. We visited two other schools, where this ritual was repeated. The headmasters all struck up a conversation with me in English and thanked me thoroughly for my contribution. Children were gathered or peeked out the classroom windows and you could hear whispering of the word ‘farang’ everywhere. The school camera was fetched for a few photos and off we were again.

We got back to our headquarters, where the big pans and pots had all been prepared for transport. The old women made room (I didn’t think there was any!) for those scorching hot pots and off we were again. At the Nong Bua Ngo Elementary School all the kids had been gathered and we awaiting my arrival. The headmaster opened the ceremony and told the kids how delighted he had been when he was informed about my plans, he welcomed me to the school and after I said hi to the school we both sat down in big armchairs to watch the show. The kids had prepared some Isaan dances and two groups performed, after which my assistant (Nat) placed a few 20 baht bills in my hand to give one to each of the dancers. I was then escorted to a desk where all the packets with notebooks, pens, etc. were waiting. All kids lined up and someone sat down next to me. I just placed my hand on the desk, that someone placed a packet in my hand and a kid took it out. I didn’t have to move my hand! There was a handing over ceremony of the toys to the headmaster, photos were taken and then I had to go to the corner where the food was set up. Each kid had brought a plate from home and it was passed along and ended up filled with food in my hand, after which the kid got it. Then? Chow time! I got some food too and sat with the village elderly to eat, who were delighted at the sight of seeing me eat Isaan food. Some kids went to play after, some kids cleaned and some kids did the washing up. I handed out (in the now typical way of sitting down, having each kid come up to me from the line and wai me, some of them saying ‘thank you’) packets of dried fruit and chips of some sort. Some group shots were taken and then kids started to walk back to class, some continued to play, etc. Nat showed me around the school and after that I was thanked by one of the teachers and we left.

In the afternoon I hung around the house and just relaxed. I even fell asleep for a while there. Nat showed me around the village, but I’ll write about all that tomorrow. At night, the whole family got into a pickup truck and several kids who had curiously been playing around the house joined as well and we drove back to Kalasin City. I took everyone who had come out for dinner (suki), which was an experience for some of the kids who had never eaten something like that before. And then, piece and quiet at the hotel. Nat and I will go back to Bangkok tomorrow night, no plans have been made for tomorrow and I plan to not set my alarm.

While perhaps not a world changing event, I have been informed that this is indeed a very special event for a school. Such a showing of naam jai (generosity, lit. ‘watery heart’) is extremely rare and while the kids would have eaten without my coming and toys are not perceived to be vital to their education, it shows the kids that there are people that care. Even people from such far away (“its further than kalasin city? wow, that is far!”) places as Holland.

How did all this make me feel? It was a very, very special way to celebrate my birthday. It was an amazing experience and I feel very lucky to have been given the chance to do something like this. It is not a big thing that I did, I got some toys and paid for some food. Most of the work was done by Nat and her family, who by the way will gain great ‘face’ as this thing will be talked about for many months to come. It was certainly not for me to be treated like a king. Instead of being proud, which is what a Thai would have felt, I felt really small and unworthy of all that special treatment. My Calvinist heritage perhaps? It made me see what is also Thailand, beyond my comfortable life in Bangkok. It also taught me more about Thai culture. Aside from the best birthday present ever, it was also a great learning experience.