Ascension Day

๗๐ - 70

 

This past week marked the 70th anniversary of the ascension of His Majesty the King of Thailand to the throne in 1946! He is not only the longest-ruling Thai monarch, but also the current longest-reigning monarch in the world (Queen Elizabeth II, the second-longest reigning monarch, took the throne in 1952).

 

So it's been a festive week! Of course, it seemed like everyone in Bangkok wore yellow on Thursday! We've been asked to wear yellow every day for the rest of the month, in honor of His Majesty, just as we do in December each year.

 

To celebrate, Siam Paragon shopping mall hosted the Thailand Orchid Festival in the lobby, in honor of His Majesty. Botany is one of his many varied interests.

 

There was a long assembly on Thursday morning (two hours!) for the students and teachers to honor the special occasion. We even got new yellow polo shirts!

 

Durian Mountain

Have you heard of durian? It's called the "King of Fruit", and it's a bizarre fruit native to this part of southeast Asia. It's quite popular in Thailand, although due to it's unfortunate odor, it is banned from any public transport in Bangkok, and most hotels as well.

Malaysians love durian! Last year when I went to Kuala Lumpur with my buddy James (also a huge fan of duran), we tried as many durian-flavored things as we could; ice cream, pancakes, crepes... even durian coffee! I've heard Indonesians are fond of durian too. The nickname of Jakarta is "The Big Durian", although I haven't been there, so I can't confirm.

Over time durian has slowly started to grow on me. I guess it's pretty much the definition of an acquired taste.

I heart durian?

On the weekend after the first full week of class, my girlfriend and I, and some of her friends, took a day trip about two hours northeast of Bangkok to the province of Nakhon Nayok, not far from Khao Yai National Park to visit a fruit farm and try some different types of durian. It was called "Durian Mountain".



Nakhon Nayok countryside

Our car pulled off the country road into a clearing in a small bamboo grove. We began making our way through a narrow jungle path, past pineapple bushes and jackfruit trees, to the sounds of the jungle all around. Soon, we came to a traditional Thai-style wooden house in a clearing, where we were met by the owner of the farm, a man who has dedicated his life to growing many different species of durian and educating the public about how many different types there are.



 

 Sitting down at a long wooden table, the "durian master" began presenting us with dozens of different types of the fruit. Some were big and green, others, small and yellow. Some had the strong typical durian smell, others didn't! Some were rich and creamy, others were surprisingly sweet. It was like a wine tasting, as the farmer cut into the fruits, and offered us small pieces to try while explaining the different flavors we should be noticing. While the rain fell outside in one of the first of this year's tropical monsoon storms, we were served some of the sweetest pineapple I've ever tasted! It was so sweet, that I thought I noticed some cotton candy-like flavors!





After leaving the durian farm, we had one more spot to visit. Not far away was another special fruit farm that cultivated a unique type of yellow Hokkaido melon, which had been specially bread to be able to grow well in the southeast Asian climate. Hokkaido is Japan's northernmost island, and cold for most of the year, so it's quite a feat to be able to grow these melons here in Thailand.

 

Hokkaido melons

We even got the chance to look inside the greenhouses and see how the melons are grown. Of course, I had to try all the melon snacks that they sold; melon pie, melon ice cream, melon pudding...

specially grown in Thailand

The (Fourth) First Week of School: A Long-Awaited Visit

Well, I'm back in Thailand now. The first week of school has gone by like any other. It's nice to be back! This year doesn't seem as hot, although I'm told the two weeks before I returned have been awful. I don't know if the weather is cooler, or if I'm just finally starting to adjust to it. It's like my predecessor, Grant me when I asked if you ever get used to the heat. "No", he replied, "you just get used to being miserable."

This year I'm a full-time teacher with a regular faculty position like any of the Thai teachers. That comes with a bit of extra work and duties, such as managing more directly the new American teachers and staying late after school one night a week to make sure all the students get home. I'll also be a club sponsor this year. The benefits are great though. In addition to a higher salary, I also get to move away from the apartment I had shared with the other American teachers to a new condo just 15-minutes walk from my school and with a great 23rd floor view of Siam area downtown! All in all, it's pretty nice!

my new view from the 23rd floor!

This year did start with a long-awaited visit from the woman who sent me to Thailand in the first place, Professor Kay Mueller! After four years away, she finally had the chance to come to Bangkok and see her Americans at work. After three springs of working closely with her arranging the school orientation, handling visas, and helping out, it was great to see her so happy in Thailand!



Professor Kay took all of us out for a seafood dinner at Asiatique, the riverside night market, on the weekend before our first days of class. All of the new teachers seem to be handling the jetlag quite well, and are happily (I hope!) adjusting to life in Thailand. It can be challenging, but it's certainly full of rewards as well. I hope their time here is as wonderful as mine has been. And it's all directly thanks to Professor Kay. Without her, I never would be where I am today!

The class week went fairly smoothly, considering how hectic the first week of school generally can be. This year I'm teaching more of the older classes. My youngest group now are M3, the Freshmen. I taught them last year, so they already know me, which makes teaching them a bit easier. I'm also teaching M5 Main, who I taught in M2 my first year. Now I have the small core group of the top students, which is going to be a lot of fun. I'm also teaching a reading class and my senior writing course as well. It's looking like it's going to be a great schedule!

So here's to Year Four! Let's hope it's the best one yet!