The Flowers offered on Whai Kru Day

The students bring flowers on Whai Kru Day

Whai Kru Day

Whai Kru

Today was Whai - Kru Day at school. This is the traditional act of obeisance on the part of the students toward the teachers. The phrase, "Whai - Kru" means respect to teachers.  In this "Phi - Thee" (means ceremony), which takes several days to bring into being, the students practice songs and gather flowers. Each class creates a configuration of flowers in a pedestal bowl. These are ornate and highly stylized colors and shapes.

Then the students clean the school from top to bottom. On the day of the ceremony, they come to our offices and bow before the chosen teachers. They sing songs of appreciation, present her or him with flowers to wear or to carry. The necklaces I wear are made of "Horm" (fragrant) "Dok Ma-li" (Jasmine blossoms). The Thais present gifts often and they take great store in acts of kindness. I was moved to tears when some of my students presented me with several necklaces. Then I was taken even more aback when an entire class came and sang to me on their knees. They were weeping and I was weeping. They said, "teacher, we love you." I could only reply that I loved them. I can't remember when I have been so moved.

During the second part of the day, a "Phi - Thee" is held in the big hall. The younger students play traditional Chinese instruments as the hall fills with students. There is a pageantry to this ceremony unlike anything that we experience in the West. The older students and the class leaders carry the ornate flower arrangements up the stairs where teachers sit on a dais. They present the arrangements to each teacher and in return we offer them an "Auy Pon" (a blessing). Then each child drops to their knees and presses their face to the floor. Wave after wave, the smaller children come, each bearing a small bouquet of flowers wrapped in banana leaf, in a cone shape. They offer these flowers to the teachers and like the leaders before them, they bow to the floor.

After the ceremony, the children continue to bring flowers, to kneel and sing songs to their teachers. They are often weeping and they hug their teachers in a burst of affection.  The older students visit former teachers and sit at their feet. These acts are voluntary.  I do not know what to make of such humility, except that these lavish displays of love are humbling for the recipient, and they cause the bond between the teacher and the student to deepen. When one of my students said, with tears in her eyes, "I love you," I touched her cheek with my hand and spoke words I never thought I'd say to a student: "I love you too."  And I do love them, as they demand that I love them. They are needy and poor.  They are children and they require a fierce, protective love.  This, I will give them. It's the least any of us can do.

The Thai students are endearing in so many ways. There are far too many of them in one class room, and they misbehave with the same frequency as any students, anywhere. Yet they are also sincere and joyful. This culture expresses itself in other humbling ways. The children are affectionate with each other, often walking arm-in-arm together, singing songs together, the way we did when I was small. They are also affectionate with the adults.

No, I didn't need to be up on that dais. My ego did not swell with power or satisfaction at a child's act of contrition and obeisance. On the contrary, I was moved to tears by so many children trying to please their elders. The West has exported its technology, its fashions, its modes of transportation, skateboard rites-of-passage, and Lady Gaga, but it has not yet succeeded in making Thai children cynical. They are precious, bright and affectionate, and when allowed to be, they are innocent in the extreme. This experience also asks me to consider how it might appear to God when His children willingly humble themselves before Him. I can tell you, from my perspective, it's irresistible.

No, we don't operate like this in the West. We wouldn't consider humbling ourselves before others -- it's out of the question. We're splendidly over-sanitized, a p.c. society that's dying of loneliness. We'd sooner live out our lives in isolation than risk the blank stare that's sure to follow if we ever offered our ritual respect, or lived transparently for that matter. So be it. We've made our beds and just as inevitably, we will lie in them.

Conversely, the Thais have so much community that it makes my head hurt most days. I want nothing more than to shut the door, hole up in my cave, and tap out messages on computer keys, my virtual security blanket. All the while, they're chatting up a storm, eating who knows what from some questionable communal bowl, and beating the living daylights out of each other. We Westerners foster our illusions of family closeness, community connectedness, and respect for one another, but the truth is, we aren't respectful, we're merely uninterested. There's a huge difference. We pretend that we're an egalitarian society, but that's simply not so. One has to care enough to bother asking questions or answering them. We don't care, we don't have to. End of report. We're polite enough that's for sure, but concern ends in 37 seconds, because we've got somewhere else to go, other people to meet. We prefer our illusions of order, and we rationalize about our boundaries until we've negated every human with whom we ever come into contact.

Today I was humbled by child-like obedience to an ages old tradition of respect for one's elders. The thing took several days to accomplish, and hours to sit through. But my students were touched that I cared enough to show up. Their song made it well worth my while.

Inside a Thai Home

We were invited to dinner at the home of a family here in Chiang Rai. Theirs is an exquisite home located across delicate bridge scaling a moat, inside a gate, a curved drive and a lush garden. A golden Retriever, quite an old fellow, and a white Labrador Retriever, met us at the gate. They were inquisitive and territorial at first, and then playful. One brought me his deflated soccer ball. We chatted happily until he was whisked away. I was disappointed that we could not play awhile on the lawn. Dutifully we trooped up marble stairs to a wide lanai, under the eaves of this gracious Asian house.

We stepped into the past when we slipped off our shoes and entered through the teak double doors into a great hall directly inside. It was framed on all sides by paneled walls, several sets of double doors, and a grand staircase. I tried not to gawk but managed not to do so only with difficulty. The house invites exploration that would take hours, days, perhaps weeks and months.

We take our cold drinks in the solarium, a huge room made more cozy by clusters of wicker settees, chairs and marble topped tables. Each conversation area holds a thick Oriental carpet in rich vermillion. The walls, also teak, are paneled, and are covered in paintings and batiks. Enormous cabinets hold shiny treasures, the kind one sees in curios everywhere. The windows are floor to ceiling and open to lush foliage, the flora and fauna outside: palm fronds, bougainvillea, hibiscus, banana and lichee fruit trees. Beyond the edge of the garden, the water floats lazily.

At the appointed time, the double doors open and we are ushered into the dining room, another huge room with several dining tables and immense cabinets. Here are family pictures: weddings, graduations, holidays. The round table is easily suited for ten guests, though we are only eight. At the center is a teak Lazy Susan, inlaid with a golden vine around its perimeter: a gift from a Philippine landlord. Porcelain dishes are placed here, loaded with succulence. The menu: Tom Yum soup, sweet and sour shrimp, shrimp tempura, fresh vegetables, Phad Thai, white rice, fish, chicken and local crawdads. The platters are replenished often throughout the meal. For desert, coconut flavored ice cream, a concoction made with vanilla ice cream, coconut jelly and fruit. The over all effect is complex and delicious.

Finally we take our coffee. The conversation with our hosts is at times hilarious yet also poignant. The topic is hospitality. I am always refreshed by traditional Thai hospitality and by this rare evening inside a Thai home.

Tom Yum Soup

Want a soup to boost your immune system, one that tastes delicious? Tom Yum soup is currently under study for its ability to fight off cold and flu viruses, and perhaps even cancer  It's an easy recipe, and quick to cook, but it tastes absolutely delicious. This soup has a mixture of spicy flavors, even as it retains a delicate quality.

 

 

Total Time: 25 minutes

Yield: SERVES 2-3

Ingredients:

• 4-6 cups good-tasting chicken stock
• 1 stalk lemongrass minced, OR 4 Tbsp. frozen prepared lemongrass (available at Asian stores)
• 3 kaffir lime leaves (available fresh or frozen at Asian stores)
• 3-4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1-2 red chilies, finely sliced, OR substitute 1/2 to 3/4 tsp. dried crushed chili
• 3 Tbsp. fish sauce (available at all Asian/Chinese food stores and some supermarket chains)
• a generous handful of fresh shiitake mushrooms, sliced thinly
• 12 medium raw shrimp, shells removed
• 1/2 can good-quality coconut milk, OR 1/2 can evaporated milk
• 1 Tbsp. freshly-squeezed lime juice
• 1/3 cup fresh coriander (cilantro), roughly chopped
• optional: 1/2 tsp. sugar
• optional: extra vegetables of your choice (shown here: cherry tomatoes & broccoli)

1. Pour stock into a deep cooking pot and bring to a boil.
2. Add the lemongrass and boil for 1-2 minutes. If using fresh lemongrass, also add the upper stalk pieces for extra flavor .
3. Add garlic, chili, lime leaves, and mushrooms. Reduce heat to medium and simmer 1-2 minutes.
4. Add the shrimp (plus other vegetables such as cherry tomatoes and broccoli, if using). Simmer 3-4 minutes, or until shrimp is pink and plump.
5. Reduce heat to medium-low and add the coconut milk plus fish sauce and lime juice. Stir well to combine and gently simmer until hot. Test the soup for salt and spice, adding more fish sauce instead of salt (I usually add 1 more Tbsp.), or more chili as desired. If too sour, add 1/2 tsp. sugar. If too spicy for your taste or if you'd like it creamier, add more coconut milk. If too salty, add another squeeze of lime juice.
6. Serve in bowls with fresh coriander sprinkled over. For an extra hit of flavor, you can also add some Thai chili sauce. Enjoy!

Ramayana

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  • Rama is one of the protagonists of the tale. Portrayed as the seventh avatar of the God Vishnu, he is the eldest and favorite son of the King of Ayodhya, Dasharatha, and his Queen Kausalya. He is portrayed as the epitome of virtue. Dasharatha is forced by Kaikeyi, one of his wives, to command Rama to relinquish his right to the throne for fourteen years and go into exile. An Avatar is defined as "a manifestation of a deity or released soul in bodily form on earth; an incarnate divine teacher" (American Oxford Dictionary).

     

    Sita is another of the protagonists and the beloved wife of Rama, and the daughter of king Janaka. Rama won his chance to marry her by lifting a heavy Bow in a competition organized by King Janaka. The competition was to find the most suitable husband for Sita. Many princes from different states competed to win her hand in marriage. Sita is the avatar of Goddess Lakshmi, the consort of Vishnu. Sita is portrayed as the epitome of female purity and virtue. She follows her husband into exile and is abducted by Ravana. She is imprisoned on the island of Lanka until Rama rescues her by defeating the demon king Ravana. Later, she gives birth to Lava and Kusha, heirs of Rama.

    
    Ravana is the king of Lanka. After performing severe penance for ten thousand years he received a boon from the creator-God: he could henceforth not be killed by Gods, demons, or spirits. He is portrayed as a powerful demon king who disturbs the penances of Rishis. Vishnu incarnates as the human Rama to defeat him, thus circumventing the boon given by Brahma.