Apologies to the loyal readers who were missing out on the last week of my trip. Bangkok is a very interesting and diverse place, there are endless possibilities of things to do there...but this comes with the price of not affording leisure in most aspects of life. Everything is a non-stop battle with the physical (cars, boats, buses, people, motorbikes) and the abstract (time). Awesome things are happening, but, like all things in life, trying to take it all in is an invitation to miss out on the essence of what actually matters. So, I didn't write much at the time because I wanted a chance to let the whole cloth dye itself, rather than doing it a bit at a time. The color just wouldn't be right.
I already posted a play-by-play of the Bangkok experience in Thai, but this will be more reflection than explanation. I am going to maybe try to group things together by themes, but some things can't be separated easily at all. Here goes:
Language
For some reason, I went through more periods of "settling" in my Thai speaking this past week. I hit a comfort zone in Chiang Mai that quickly evaporated in Bangkok. It was definitely mental and at various points seemed a bit crippling at times due to over-thinking. My comprehension is way higher than before for certain, but my speaking is still catching-up. Also, an honest friend said that I needed work on more "native-like" speaking, which is true but hit me at an already critical moment, which didn't really help. But, in the past few days I made a concerted effort to speak a lot more and push the envelopes of my comfort zone. The results were really good, plus it made me realize that ego has no place in anything, especially suppressing natural language acquisition and opportunities to take risks to improve. My trip to the airport involved a 40 minute conversation with the taxi driver in which I had well over 90% comprehension and was speaking more fluently than before! So, like, worrying was just a hindrance in the path, but also a necessary step.
Also, my friends took me to chanting at Wat Suwan Keree last Saturday night for the "Buddha Day." It was the first time I could read along in the Thai-Pali book successfully! I was happy with this milestone.
Not Random Connections: Shiva
I ended-up renting a room in a different area of the city than I had stayed in previously called Khlong Saan. It has a ferryboat at Tha Din Deng (I think it means "red earth) pier that goes across the river to the commuter boat pier and Chinatown. Anyways, near the pier, there is a small Shiva shrine at which leaving an offering of a juice or coconut water became a morning routine for me. I found it kind of odd that Shiva was a theme of this trip, from learning that the history of Reusii Datton (Thai yoga) is linked to an ancient Shiva temple in NE Thailand, to buying a small statue of Shiva at the vegetarian restaurant near my place in Chiang Mai, to this shrine that just happened to be there. But...it doesn't end there.
A few days ago, I went back to a small, cluttered shop in a maze of markets in the Little India section of Bangkok. I had been there a few days earlier, but wanted to head back to look again. As I perused the wares, I started talking to the owner who was surprised I could speak Thai and her friend (who also spoke English really well, despite never having had the opportunity to study it abroad...she was impressive, to say the least). We ended up talking for over 3 hours, which was helped a bit by the pouring rain outside for much of that time. It was just great to sit and talk. The owner was glad that we could speak, since she only spoke a little bit of English. The entire time, there was a repetitive Indian song playing in the background, which, I gradually realized, was Shiva chanting. Also, the main altar that the owner had was...Shiva. Coincidence? I think not. I made two really nice new friends that day because of this energy.
The day after that, I made more new friends in a similar Shiva-related episode. I had gone to the area near the Hindu temple, where I used to stay, to eat. After finishing my meal, I talked briefly to a lady that was randomly sitting with me, as there were only a few tables on the sidewalk. After that, I went to pay respects in the temple. After going to the Shiva shrine, I felt compelled to go back to the restaurant to say goodbye to the owner. She asked me to sit with another lady who was maybe in her 50s who wanted to talk to me about eating J-food (the Thai vegan way). She was very nice and told me some of her friends who also ate that way had a sort of self-run charity a few blocks away and she wanted to introduce me. So, why not?
I went and waited in a small hair salon on a nearby alley talking to one very nice lady named Mui, waiting for the owner to come back from seeing someone who was not well. She and a few other ladies returned and were definitely surprised to find me there, but were some of the most gracious and generous people I have ever met. They told me a lot about why they eat J-food and how it benefits the world and all beings. I understood a lot, with the ladies taking turns explaining and clarifying. Then, they invited me to stay for lunch! Needless to say, it was delicious beyond words, they even had a realistic-looking fake fried egg made from tofu and soy beans. Even though my giant, non-Thai body broke the small plastic stool I was sitting on, it was still an amazing time. They sent me on my way with a few books, fruit, several bottled waters and an invitation to visit and travel in Thailand with them next year! Again, this adventure was not random, positive energy was working to make these connections.
Not Random Connections: Laika
A few nights ago, I was walking in Chinatown thinking about all the stories I have been writing about Laika. I had just seen a few happy-go-lucky street dogs, so, of course, she was on my mind. Not a few moments later, I came across a very large sign for a business called Laika Imports & Exports. I, of course, took a photo immediately (and sent it to my parents). Given the other happenings on this trip, I wasn't necessarily surprised, but seeing the ad mostly written in English with a bit of Thai was definitely not normal for the area. So, it was a sign (this is a pun) that her spirit is, indeed, following me still. Next time, if the business is still there, I will see what they sell. I suspect they deal in peanut butter and broken dog toys!
English Teaching
I had the opportunity to teach novice monks again this time. My friend the Professor took me. It was fun, but more like English mixed with Thai, which helped the students get a bit more involved. The school seems like a good place, but has very little structure. The second time, none of the students even came to their regularly scheduled chemistry class that I was supposed to help with. According to the Professor, this is pretty common. Still, I was able to help her do some editing on some English translations of science project abstracts. Next time, I would like to teach again, as the context and characters involved is always interesting.
Massages
I ended the trip on a strong note with near-daily massages from my friend who works at the famous Wat Pho school. It was helpful to know that my back and stomach pains are a result of my legs taking too much abuse. She taught me a lot about massage techniques and general health procedures of Thai medicine. I am glad that I was able to go so frequently, especially because these were good opportunities for both healing and improving my speaking and listening skills, too!
"Banana"
One of the Professor's previous students named Gluai, (which means "banana"), who I met last year, is graduating university soon with a BS in Chemistry. Instead of getting a job directly, he will be going to the USA for a 1-year volunteer internship teaching Thai language at a Thai temple near Philadelphia. He is very exited and wanted to spend time practicing English, so he took me on a motorbike tour of his university, a really impressive temple and to eat dinner one night. He basically taught himself English, and the results are really impressive. It was great to spend time with him and it actually helped me with my Thai speaking, too. His enthusiasm and very considerate ways made it really great to spend time together, too. We are already planning to meet after he comes here next year!
To be continued...
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