Ban Puai Part 3 (9-20)

Saturday we made what would be my last trip to feed the monks at Wat Po. Khun Toy wanted photos that day; she may have known it might be the last time we would go together.

Khun Toy teaches students at the wat on Sundays and had asked me to help her. No problem. A few days later it came out that I wasn’t “helping her,” I was doing English activities for an hour. Khun Dakom explained that I could have a conversation with the students about general topics. In other words, I could ask basic questions. I know that these students don’t know much English and can’t speak a lot and won’t speak to me; so I was not looking forward to this. The morning begins at 8:00 with an hour of chanting and a short meditation. I understood that the class is from 9:00 to 10:00. Her class is about 15 students in 5^th - 9^th grades. When it came time to begin, the class had increased to 45 students in 3^rd or 4^th – 9^th grades, with the majority being the younger ones. I wasn’t really surprised at this change, but I wasn’t happy. That’s too wide a range of ages and skills, but the philosophy is that it doesn’t make a difference. It’s about being exposed to a foreign teacher, which I still find frustrating to deal with. After regrouping my activity ideas, the session went OK. I knew that they wouldn’t know much English, but I’d forgotten how little they know. After my hour was over, Khun Toy said I could do the next hour, as the class goes until 11:00 and students were enjoying it. I think it’s the novelty of having a foreign teacher and the fact that it was a game-like activity. At that point, I said, “No” because she had told me to prepare for one hour; so she did an activity. After having time to think a bit, I came up with another activity that they could do and finished the class. Khun Yindee told me later that everyone was talking about having seen me.

After class, we ate lunch with the abbot in his mesh tent for meals. Then we returned home where I learned that we were going to Adin’s farm. There we had lunch #2 an hour after lunch #1. I ate fruit, as I wasn’t at all hungry. But it’s always relaxing to be on a farm. In the evening we returned to the wat for the evening chanting. When I commented on how long the monks talked, Khun Toy said that every 9 days there is a long talk and this was that day.

Monday morning we went to a rural school about an hour away for a tamboon that Khun Dakom’s niece from Bangkok was having there. There were plates of food ready to be served. Children were being given ice cream when we arrived. A student from each grade was given an envelope, which I suppose had money for the class. 

Students danced. 

Then our plan changed. Instead of having lunch there, we returned to Lue Amnat for lunch, as the Bangkok folks wanted to tour in Ubon. They had a huge van that held all ten of them and the three of us. On the way, they reclined two seats and played a card gambling game similar to 21, but I didn’t figure out how it worked. They had a lot of fun.

Our first stop was Wat Hua Don where they were shown all the buildings. As we walked, I could see that Khun Toy was itching to look for mushrooms in the forest. She found a couple handfuls not too far off the path. 

Then we went to Wat Phatatnongbua, which I’d been to before but I don’t remember seeing the inside of the buildings. 

Next we went to Wat Mahawarem, which I don’t remember visiting before. Then we returned to Lue Amnat and home.

Khun Toy told me Monday evening that we would go to Wat Hua Don on Wednesday and stay until they took me to the bus station on Sunday. So, Tuesday morning I went to the school to say “good-bye” to Khun Yindee and other teachers. I had planned to go before school when most of the teachers are on the sports field for the morning ceremony, but it was raining heavily; so no one would be outside. I saw a few teachers, but ended out spending most of the time with Khun Yindee since we hadn’t had much time together. Then Khun Toy and Khun Teamjan took me to Nam Tuam to say “hello” to teachers there. I was good friends with a few of the teachers even though we have very little common language, and it’s always good to reconnect with them. One of the teachers gave me a box of Thai silk—bright rose colored—from the teachers. I think it was originally for Khun Ratree’s retirement; so it was sweet of them to give it to me and then get her another gift. My friend took me to greet other teachers. The new English teacher then took over and had me go to the 7^th – 9^th grade classes so students could ask me questions. Some of the 8^th and 9^th graders remembered that I had taught their classes when they were in 1^st and 2^nd grades, which was rather touching.

In the afternoon, we went to Amnat Charoen so Khun Toy could buy a new refrigerator to replace the old one that was about twenty years old and was in need of replacing. In preparation for its delivery two hours later, I cleaned the floor under the old refrigerator that hadn’t been cleaned for many years. We had fun as she tried to learn the word “refrigerator” and to remember it in the following days. When I tried to shorten it to “fridge,” that was more challenging; so we stuck with “refrigerator.”

Khun Toy cooked my last dinner in her home and Khun Teamjan and her grandchildren joined us for my “good-bye” dinner. Since it had rained heavily overnight and had rained most of the day, Khun Suwit couldn’t ride his motorcycle from the farm to join us.

Wednesday morning we went to Wat Hua Don for the remainder of my time with them. When I had packed my bags and left Khun Toy’s green outfit, which I had given her when I left and she’d given me to wear to the retirement dinner, she said she’d keep it for me to wear the next time I come. I barely fit it now; so I doubt that I’ll be wearing it in the future, but it’s a sweet thought.

I had a nice walk around the forest, which I did every day, 

stopping at the old tree to do some yoga. After lunch Khun Toy told me we were going to the dentist because Khun Dakom’s tooth was sick. So we went to the hospital. An hour after he checked in we left with his tooth fixed. On the way back, we stopped at the market to purchase food for breakfast on Thursday. Later I helped Khun Toy prepare white radishes for her morning cooking. Each afternoon she prepared some of the food she was cooking for the monks, and I helped with basic tasks.

We did not do daily chanting, as at this wat only the monks chant daily. Other people join them only on Buddha days. I missed this.

Every day I woke up at 5:20 AM so I could be in the kitchen at 6:00 to help Maechi with preparation of food for the monks. My job was preparing fruit—peeling and cutting it into sections, as the monks are given food ready to eat.

Thursday after breakfast we went to a small village school to deliver a donation from the wat for their tamboon to raise money for a new flagpole and playground. We also delivered flip-flops donated by someone. Unfortunately, they were adult sized and would be too large for the students. We arrived at 9:00, and the monks arrived at 10:15. The English teacher spoke with me for a while. She had just transferred from another school to this one. She explained that the school is very small—only 63 students in 1^st to 6^th grades and seven teachers. Having classes of ten students would be a teachers’ dream.

Being VIPs, we were seated on chairs, which was nice during the long wait and the ceremony. After the monks arrived and chanted, donations were received. Then it was time for lunch. We were seated at a table, which was also nice. Khun Toy had them make somtom without chilis for me. 

On the way back, we stopped at a temple with a big Buddha.

Friday morning we went to a nearby wat, Wat Tung Sri Vitrai, to take food for a monk who was ill. Two cars of people from the village went. We arrived at 9:30, greeted the monk and chatted with him, walked around the wat, and waited until 11:00 for the monks to arrive for brief chanting and lunch. While we were waiting, one of the women gave me a cord bracelet like many of them wear.

After the monks ate, the food was put out for the guests. Again, special non-spicy somtom was prepared for me. 

On the way back to Wat Hua Don, we stopped at a bridge across a rice field that was built to connect two small villages so the monks can walk between them to collect food offerings.

Saturday we had a change of plans, as Khun Yindee was able to invite me to her home for the day and night. After breakfast she and her husband picked me up. This was the last I would see Khun Toy, since Sunday was Buddha Day and she wouldn’t go to the bus station to see me off. Saying “good-bye” was hard.

After lunch, Khun Yindee and I hung out at her house. She had a little work to do; so I used her wi-fi while she did that. During breaks, we chatted. In the evening we went out for dinner and then hung out some more. It was good to have this special time with her.