Wai Kru 3: Meet the New Team

It's Wai Kru again!

Teacher's day.

One of my favorite days of the year.

Well, actually it was about a month ago, but let's get caught up on the goings-on.

Everything is different this year. My good buddy James, who I've worked with for the last two years, is getting ready to move back to the United States in less than a week. James, who can speak Thai, has been a huge asset to our office, and he will be greatly missed! He's going to give me his TV though, so that's the bright side of the situation.

That leaves me as the most senior farang under Geoffrey, and somewhat of a manager to the new teachers. The guys who I've worked with for the last several years are now gone, and for the first time since my first year I've got an entirely new group of colleagues to work with. Luckily for me and for the students, I suppose (good colleagues make my job much easier), this year's group is very friendly, professional, and easy to get along with.

This year, the Wai Kru ceremony progressed as usual, although now the proceedings were run by Class 46, the first-ever class I taught when I arrived in Thailand. I can't believe that they are in M6 (grade 12) already. Seeing them through to graduation was one of my big motivators in deciding to stay in Thailand for a third year. I looked out at the M6 students during the ceremony, and saw more than a few tears. After twelve years at the same school, not including the three of Anuban (kindergarten), it's their final Wai Kru Day.

This year was especially fun for me, because I got to see some of my former students who had graduated last year and are now preparing for university. I was quite pleased to see some of those who I wrote letters of recommendation for are doing quite well. We were each presented with several floral garlands, which made the office smell really nice for the rest of the day.

Happy Teacher's Day to teachers everywhere!

Bangkok Life Update: Summer in Siam - School Updates and Whatnot

I have been kind of debating how much to post this summer. You see, as many of you who know me personally (pretty much anyone who visits this page, to be honest) probably already know, my brother is studying Turkish in Ankara, and I have been working hard editing his blog posts for him. Check out his adventures here! It seems like he is having an amazing time; I truly believe that traveling and experiencing other places is the best way to grow as a person. He's come a long way from the 13-year old terror-child of a sibling that I remember. (I'm just joking, Kyle!)

Also, I know people on the Internet don't have that much time to spend reading blogs written by people named Desrosiers, and I get to jabber away on here all year long. For the next six weeks, follow Kyle and learn some things about Turkey. You won't regret it! And I'm not just saying that. I really find his blog to be entertaining, inspiring, and informative. He wrote on this blog as a guest writer last year during his visit to Bangkok, and I really think his posts were quality stuff!

That being said, I'm going to use today's post to catch up on some goings on at school. Nothing too important, so I'll use this time to selflessly plug Kyle's blog. I am such a good brother. Really a stand-up guy.

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I have to thank the late Mr. Garnier. On the day of his passing, my boss Geoffrey had to help attend to his affairs on behalf of the school, leaving me in charge of meeting a very special visitor: the principal of Wesley College, a very good 150 year-old private school in Melbourne, Australia, and our sister-school through a traditional exchange program. Some of my all-time best students have attended this exchange program in the past, and I find that this type of immersion environment is more beneficial to them than any amount of classes could ever be.

So on that Friday, Aj. Cherry (and English teacher and the head of international affairs) and I headed out to the five-star Grand Erawan Hotel downtown to meet our VIP guest and bring her to our school.

chilling at the hotel

During lunch, I was invited to dine with both principals and the head of the English department in a private dining room at the school. I felt completely honored to be included in that, and I was seated right next to our Ajarnyai! They even served one of my favorite Thai meals, roast duck with ginger.

In slightly less fun news, my good buddy of three years, James, and his wife, Nan, are getting ready to move back to the States. This past week was James' last at work, so now I'm taking on some of his old responsibilities as the most senior of the Ajarn Farang (Geoffrey and Suzie excluded).

Our department had a very nice dinner to bid farewell, although he'll still be in Bangkok for a few more weeks. The upside to all the recent events is that I'm getting more and more responsibilities, which I very much appreciate! Thus far, things are going quite well for me in Bangkok this year.

In other news, it's hot. Really, really hot. Officially it's rainy season, but the monsoons haven't started yet, so it's just humid and generally unpleasant outside.

July 4, 2015 - Happy Birthday, America

HAPPY 4th OF JULY

For the forth time in my life, I'm abroad for Independence Day. It's always nice to get together with my fellow countrymen and celebrate the holiday the best way we know how- with a delicious feast!

This week, my colleagues and I were approached by two of the M6 girls who are club presidents for the school's International Club. They invited us to come to their club meeting on Wednesday afternoon to speak about Independence Day and join the 4th of July party that they were throwing for us. I thought that was a really sweet gesture, because they know that we are away from home during a really important national holiday, and they wanted us to be able to celebrate it. They threw a birthday party for America, just for us!

At the International Club, the students gave a short presentation (in English) about Independence Day, then asked us to MC a US culture and history quiz. After that, we grilled up some barbecue kebabs, and presented a little bit about the history of the USA. I drew the map on the whiteboard, which was quite difficult. I'm very proud of myself.

attempting to draw the outline of a very difficult country to draw

The two presidents (both of whom study in my M6 Writing class) and club sponsors (three of the Thai English teachers) invited me to join the club on a weekly basis as a sponsor. I visited International Club twice last year and always had a fun time. The students in this club tend to be those who are better at English, which makes it a really fun club for us to join.

American culture quiz

Then on Saturday, the actual 4th of July, all the teachers from Prathom, Mathayom, and Vocational Campus joined together to celebrate at the all-you-can-eat barbecue party at Great American Rib, where I went for my first Independence Day in Thailand. Last year we weren't able to get reservations, but this year we were able to book a table indoors for all eleven of us!

all you can eat American BBQ buffet!

The restaurant, owned by an American, definitely caters to western tastes, and the barbecue was authentic American-style, complete with ribs, corn, cornbread, and apple pie. And did I mention that it was all-you-can-eat? For only 500 baht (about $15 USD) that's a good deal! They played American rock music and oldies, and it really felt like we were at a backyard barbecue back in the States.

Thailand is great, but on the 4th, it's nice to feel like we are home.

Happy 4th, everyone!

Great American Rib

Farewell, Ajarn: My First Thai Funeral

Today's post is going to be a bit different from some of the other things I've written. Today I'll be paying tribute to an old legend in the Chitralada English Department, and discussing my first experience with a Thai funeral.

I've talked a lot about my school- the students, the institution, my coworkers, and my boss, Geoffrey, but the truth is that none of us would be here if it wasn't for the late, and fairly mysterious, Mr. Garnier.

Mr. Derek Garnier, an Englishman and teacher at Chitralada School for forty-some-odd years, sadly passed away a few weeks back. He hasn't actually been in to the office in about five years, in fact, I never met him, although I've heard plenty of stories. It seems that the school thought very highly of him. But I can say with absolute certainty that I owe almost everything of my current life to him. You see, Mr. Garnier was the man who introduced Geoffrey, the man responsible for my being in Thailand, to the school.

Mr. Garnier (incidentally, all the old teachers seem to be known by their surnames... Mr. Owen, Mr. Mulliner, Mr. Garnier... but by Geoffrey's time, it seems that even the Ajarn Farang are known simply by their first names), has been sick for some time, so his passing comes as no great shock. Still, it's been a sad time at the school, as the older teacher reflect fondly on their memories of him.

We always had a running joke that Mr. Garnier was somewhat of a mystery. Last week, I was invited to attend his funeral, and I got to learn a bit more about this old legend.

flowers at the church

It turns out that Mr. Garnier (DG, as he was known to Geoffrey) was very well-respected by all. His funeral was in two parts. First, a Christian funeral was held at Christ Church downtown. James and I attended, as we are the two long-term foreign teachers. Even though I never met the man, I wanted to show my respects to a fellow Chitralada Ajarn. Father Tim performed the service, and I thought it was a great tribute to a good man.

In attendance was most of the English department, dressed fashionably in all black, pearls, and big hair, James, Geoffrey, and I in our Western mourning attire, and a handful of Bangkok's stodgy, aging, British expat community, whom I very much like.

Afterwards, we met in the community hall for tea and biscuits, then Ajarn Ratana, the head of Mathayom, treated all the teachers to a somtam (spicy northeastern papaya salad) lunch at a nearby retaurant.

After lunch, a van took all of the mourners to Wat Makut, a temple not too far from our school. Wat Makut, as James' wife, Nan, informed us, is a very "hi-so" temple. It's main purpose is for funerals of the very elite.

I had never been to a Thai funeral before. Mr. Garnier's, being a "fusion funeral", offered both a traditional funeral experience and a Thai funeral.

Hundreds of people turned out at the cremation. Being a Christian, Mr. Garnier's funeral didn't involve any monks, but the cremation was still held at a Thai temple with Father Tim attending. Each person was given a white paper flower, which we placed in turn beneath his coffin. This would be used as kindling for the actual cremation, and as symbolic way for each person to have a part in bidding DG farewell.

Finally, they moved DG's coffin back into the furnace.

cremation at Wat Maku

"That's surreal...", said James, as the flames ignited and began to lick the white coffin. The doors to the furnace stood open for a few moments, displaying the bright orange flames before finally closing.

Geoffrey always said that I should take any opportunity to attend a Thai funeral, as they are quite interesting and social affairs. I'm glad to have been given the chance to attend. It was quite interesting to  see what a Thai-style cremation ceremony is like. It also really means a lot to me to have been invited, because it means that I'm really becoming a part of the school.

he's got the school blazer, like me

Farewell, Ajarn. And thank you for your years of service to a generation of students. You will not be forgotten.