Rialoves2cook: I'm making dragon fruit smoothies to celebrate surviving my first day of work. Although surviving may be a strong word with how adorable my kindergarten camp kids are. For this sweet treat, I enlisted the help of our local smoothie lady, Peach, to blend my market produce since I live in a kitchenless apartment (though I have a hotplate), but I did the rest myself. With the dragon fruit's vibrant purple colour, a smoothie seemed perfect. I combined it with bananas, honey, yogurt and a fresh mint garnish along with Sweet-Tooth sugar substitute to create a healthy yet delicious drink you can enjoy for dessert.
#smoothie #dragonfruit #Isurived #sweettreats #Sweet-Tooth
Posted October 15th, 4:30 PM
***
In the morning, Emma led Maria to Khwām c̄hlād school, whose name translated to intelligence or cleverness. Despite the early hour, the air was thick with humidity and warm on her skin. Maria yawned, wishing she'd slept over four hours. When they arrived at the gate to a modern, imposing three-storey building, Maria's chest tightened. The school must have erred in offering her a job. How could such a professional organization hire her as a teacher?
A colourful play structure dominated the left side of an immaculate oval lawn while a soccer field occupied the rest. She and Emma strode through tall, metal gates alongside parents and kids riding in expensive black cars. She tensed. Affluent people would balk at her teaching their children and smell her inexperience a mile away.
Thai staff in bright, white uniforms swept and tidied the entryway. There were no double sets of doors to keep the weather and cold out like in Canada, just a front wall and an open doorway on either side. In the atrium, a large, gold-framed portrait of the king of Thailand stared down at Maria and Emma.
"Whatever you do, don't insult him. It's a crime," Emma whispered.
Maria knit her eyebrows together. "Seriously?"
"An activist was arrested and sentenced to two-and-a-half years in jail for sharing an honest news story about the new king on social media." Emma's voice was more serious than yesterday.
Maria's jaw dropped. "If I remember one thing today..."
"I don't mean to freak you out. Thailand has a few issues, like most places, but overall it's a decent country."
At least Maria learned something to avoid, but she could make countless other mistakes. Emma led her to the right, and they passed the English department's administration office. At the end of the hall, behind blue doors, was the air-conditioned English department staff room. Thank goodness for small miracles.
In Canada, Maria's teachers had desks in their classroom, but Emma explained because most primary educators taught two groups of students and shared the space with Thai staff, teachers had their own staffrooms to complete prep work. Since the school was large, the English and Thai department rooms were separate.
Emma showed Maria an organized desk with various supplies and books. A printed letter welcomed Maria to her position and spelled out classroom routines and Daniel's rough plans for the upcoming term. Maria flipped through the Math, Science and English textbooks, relieved someone competent had created the curriculum. She hadn't clue what to teach.
"We'll worry about those classes later. We have two weeks of October camp with the K1 to 3s before most of our regular students return from holidays, and the real teaching starts."
"What's a K1 or 3?"
"Thailand has three levels of kindergarten. The three-year-olds go to K1, the K2s are four, and the kids we consider kindergarten-aged back home are K3s."
Maria raised an eyebrow. Could a toddler sit through a full day of school? But she'd loved taking care of her younger cousins, so it would be a fun undertaking.
"Good morning, Miss Maria!" Prae carried an aromatic cup of coffee from a modest kitchen area. She wore her hair in a bun with an ornate hairpiece and not a strand askew.
"Prae, it's great to see you! How was your weekend?"
"It was very nice, very relaxed," she stretched out the last word and smiled. "Have you settled in well?"
When Maria shared yesterday's adventures, including fumbling at the market, Prae didn't laugh but reassured her it would get easier. Prae left to finish up her morning preparations at her desk beside Aom, who was applying an assortment of make-up.
"Welcome back, everyone!" Shawn's deep voice filled the near-empty office.
He stopped by Aom and Prae's desks to hand them both vibrant fabrics. The women stood, placed their hands together in front of their chests, and bowed forward. That was weird; Shawn was so down-to-earth yesterday, yet he commanded respect here.
When he came closer, he gave Maria and Emma bags of brown candies. "Compliments of Myanmar."
Maria's mouth watered until the tight uniform Sunshine had lent her dug into her stomach.
"Are these the Burmese versions of lumps of coal? 'I saw your shoddy work last term. Keep it up, and there'll be more!'" Emma mocked in the voice of a frail but stern ninety-year-old woman.
"It's jaggery, like a sweet dessert." Maria had never tried cooking with it, but it'd be easy to work with if, although she needed to use the sponsor's sugar substitute in today's post somehow. Maria turned to Shawn. "Thanks, you didn't have to buy me anything. You've already been so helpful."
Shawn smiled. "We take care of each other, and you're not rid of me yet. Our orientation tour starts in ten minutes. If you want coffee, there are instant packets in the staff kitchen."
When Maria found the coffee, she made a cup for Emma and herself. As Maria sipped her beverage, Emma explained the counting activities and lion plate craft for the camp kids. It looked simple enough, and Maria had brainstormed songs and dance games too.
Shawn returned with a drink and led her outside onto the grounds behind the main building. Maria's eyes widened, taking in the large, sun-sheltered swimming pool the students used during physical education. Her public school never had amenities like that. She and Shawn continued down the covered walkway toward a library with English and Thai books.
Shawn and Maria visited the outdoor cafeteria, Buddha garden, and kindergarten building she'd teach in this week, complete with a play structure, sheltered from the sun. The CCTV room he pointed out made her sweat more. With parents witnessing her fumbling her way through teaching, the admin would demote her to cleaning the classrooms.
"There's no audio, and they're watching their child's performance, not judging you, so don't stress about it. It seems intimidating, but I forget it's there half the time," Shawn said.
Easy for him to say. If he got to be in charge, he was an excellent teacher.
After their twenty-minute tour, he and Maria sat in the administrative office. Wooden bookshelves and English grammar posters lined the beige walls. A familiar middle-aged man in a blue blazer met her gaze. Mr. Paul and his colleague, Ms. Pim, had interviewed her for the position.
He stood and shook her hand. "Maria, we are happy you could join our staff on such short notice. Before you start, we have a few policies to review. Shawn can answer any follow-up questions."
The Thai woman in her forties with her hair in a neat ponytail scrutinized Maria. With her stomach twisting into a knot, Maria smoothed the stray hairs in her own boring bun. Was she good enough for this school?
Ms. Pim pursed her lips. "Teachers uphold an image at Khwām c̄hlād. Your appearance should be clean and proper. Skirts will reach your knees, and your shoulders must be covered."
Not too different from teaching Sunday school, though she could wear a sleeveless dress from time to time.
Ms. Pim eyed Maria's blouse. "Is this your uniform?"
Maria wrung her hands together. "It belonged to my cousin."
"We will arrange for the tailor to take your measurements so you can have better-fitting attire," Ms. Pim said.
Maria sucked in her stomach and forced her shoulders not to hunch. They already thought she was dishevelled on the first day. "Thank you, I appreciate it."
Ms. Pim glanced at Mr. Paul, who described more cultural nuances. She should not touch her students' heads as it was a sacred part of the body. Pointing the sole of one's foot at others was taboo, and foreign staff needed to speak English with students and colleagues at all times.
"People would have difficulty understanding my broken Thai," Maria joked, then added, "though I look forward to learning the language on my time."
Both nodded while Shawn grinned.
"The morning assembly starts shortly. You will stand with your camp students for the national anthem and supervise them during the announcements." Ms. Pim stood.
As she passed, Shawn bowed his head to her level, and Maria did the same. She would ask him about it later. They exited the office to the hallway foyer.
"Your group is beside Emma's," Shawn whispered.
Nearby, Thai women in navy-skirted uniforms led students into a covered courtyard with a beautiful golden Buddha fountain in the centre, and foreign teachers emerged from the staffroom. Shawn's brow creased as his gaze drifted past Maria where Mitch arrived hand-in-hand with a tall brunette who could have passed for an Amazonian goddess.
"Don't take after them. Showing up late and public displays of affection will cost you your monthly bonus and land you in Ms. Pim's office."
"Shouldn't be a problem." No one wanted to break that rule with her.
The attractive woman's gaze landed on Maria and Shawn, then her face shone with a grin. The woman left Mitch's side and took long strides towards them.
"You must be Maria, a pleasure to meet you, I'm Becca." Her voice had traces of an Australian accent. She embraced Maria tightly for a moment. "Any first-day jitters?"
Maria nodded. "There's so much to remember."
"You'll get the important bits." More students passed with their parents and greeted Becca enthusiastically. "We should grab lunch at the seafood place today. Sunny loved that restaurant!"
It sounded delicious and would be helpful to create new dishes for her contest posts. But seafood sounded expensive, and Maria had factored free lunches into her budget. She forced a smile, to avoid seeming rude. Becca's name came up often in Sunshine's stories and she seemed nice. "I appreciate the offer, but I might try the cafeteria food."
Becca frowned. "Really? It's nothing special."
"I want to prepare for my afternoon activities with the kids. Thanks for the invitation though, another time."
"No drama." Rebecca grinned, and her attention shifted to Mitch and Shawn. As they planned their lunch together, Maria's presence was forgotten.
When Emma entered the atrium, Maria thanked everyone and excused herself. Maria caught up, and Emma teased her about getting friendly with the guys and the 'Aussie hottie'. That would likely be her last meal invitation for a while, given Becca and the guys' responses.
She and Emma found their adorable kindergarteners, who stood facing the Buddha statue. Maria smiled at the Thai teachers with her class. A teacher with thick-rimmed glasses returned her smile and greeted her in English.
Should she try out the welcome wai Shawn had taught her during the tour? Would she get it wrong and offend the woman? Maria kept a smile on her lips. With her sweaty palms pressed together at chest-level, she bowed her head and shoulders then, to her relief, her coworker did the same.
"Sawatdee kha. I'm Maria, the new teacher."
"Sawatdee kha, I am Kru Jan. It is nice to meet you." Her English words were slower and more uncertain than Prae's and Aom's.
Curious heads turned toward Maria, and one or two chubby arms waved, prompting her to smile. As much as her heart raced, teaching these adorable munchkins would be a blast. Soon the band played an upbeat anthem, and the students and teachers sang along. After they raised the red, white and blue striped Thai flag, everyone chanted, and Ms. Pim made announcements in Thai. Then Mr. Paul welcomed the kids to camp in English and called her to the front.
Maria ambled between the classes of seated children until she neared the Buddha statue. First, Mr. Paul spoke in Thai except for the words "Mr. Daniel" and "Ms. Maria". While a few older kids sighed and frowned, others looked at her tentatively. Her mouth went dry despite the surrounding humidity. Were the kids upset about the switch? Did she look that incompetent?
Mr. Paul switched to English to explain Ms. Maria was here for the rest of the school year. He expected the students to respect and warmly welcome her, as Mr. Daniel had to return home to his family. Their blank stares and lack of enthusiasm made Maria sweat.
When Mr. Paul dismissed her with a thank you, Maria returned to her spot behind the kindergarteners. But she couldn't shake the sense of disappointment in some of her future students' eyes. She'd have to work extra hard to win their attention and approval.
***
The video is of the Thai national anthem. Fun fact, every time we'd go to see a movie we would stand for the anthem and a nice montage of the late king's successes as a ruler. He reigned for 70 years and supported the growth, development, and unity of the nation.
Emma's reference to the shared article was true and related to the son who has taken over after the passing of King Bhumibol Adulyadej in 2016. The man arrested (2016) and sentenced (2017) to 2.5 years in prison for liking and sharing a factual BBC article about the new king on Facebook is Jatupat Boonpattararaksa, a human rights-defender and law student.
Also a wonderful thank you to Richard Barrow's blog: 'Thai School Life' which helped fill in the gaps in my memory to make this chapter richer.