Mai bPen Rai

In Thailand they have a saying, "Mai pen rai"* which basically translates to no worries or don't worry about it.  I loved it as soon as I first heard of it a while ago on Pinterest.
Today I had a chance to put my mai pen rai mentality to the test.  I arrived in Tokyo and realised I had not received conformation of my shared private pick up service that I ordered online.  I took my time collecting my bags - yes, bags.  You'll remember that I did a bit of shopping in Thailand.  Also I did pack enough clothing and supplies for a month when I left Bermuda!  My friend Shantae helped me eliminate some items prior to my departure but not without some resistance on my behalf.
Back to my story, I collected my bags exchanged money for some Japanese Yen and then found a seat to check my email again.  Still no confirmation. I was starting to wonder how I was going to be able to navigate the train and subway with my luggage.  The thought was not appealing! If it was one ride then I would have made it work but I needed to go up some stairs and switch lines according to the directions on TripAdvisor. Just then I spotted a sign for a baggage service.  That made sense as surely I'm not the first person to arrive at Narita Airport with luggage not ideal for the train. I did some shuffling with my duty free items, got rid of the plastic bag and my plastic water bottle from the plane and went to check out this baggage service.  Since I've gotten off the plane I realise that I need to fight the urge to speak in {limited} Thai.
The gentleman at the counter was very helpful. I showed him my reservation and he checked my hotel on Google to make sure the information was correct.  He was about to fill out the information when he mentioned that the bag would be delivered tomorrow morning between 9am - 12pm. I was scheduled to check out at 10:00am. I figured I could go back for it later if it wasn't there when I was ready to go to  next hotel when I had an even better idea.  Okay, maybe it wasn't a better idea but more of a "duh" moment.  I asked him if I could change the hotel and he was very kind and easy-going about the change.  Once the paperwork was completed and I had paid the fee I left my luggage feeling good about this new plan.  Next up - the Narita Express!

Mai bPen Rai

In Thailand they have a saying, "Mai pen rai"* which basically translates to no worries or don't worry about it.  I loved it as soon as I first heard of it a while ago on Pinterest.
Today I had a chance to put my mai pen rai mentality to the test.  I arrived in Tokyo and realised I had not received conformation of my shared private pick up service that I ordered online.  I took my time collecting my bags - yes, bags.  You'll remember that I did a bit of shopping in Thailand.  Also I did pack enough clothing and supplies for a month when I left Bermuda!  My friend Shantae helped me eliminate some items prior to my departure but not without some resistance on my behalf.
Back to my story, I collected my bags exchanged money for some Japanese Yen and then found a seat to check my email again.  Still no confirmation. I was starting to wonder how I was going to be able to navigate the train and subway with my luggage.  The thought was not appealing! If it was one ride then I would have made it work but I needed to go up some stairs and switch lines according to the directions on TripAdvisor. Just then I spotted a sign for a baggage service.  That made sense as surely I'm not the first person to arrive at Narita Airport with luggage not ideal for the train. I did some shuffling with my duty free items, got rid of the plastic bag and my plastic water bottle from the plane and went to check out this baggage service.  Since I've gotten off the plane I realise that I need to fight the urge to speak in {limited} Thai.
The gentleman at the counter was very helpful. I showed him my reservation and he checked my hotel on Google to make sure the information was correct.  He was about to fill out the information when he mentioned that the bag would be delivered tomorrow morning between 9am - 12pm. I was scheduled to check out at 10:00am. I figured I could go back for it later if it wasn't there when I was ready to go to  next hotel when I had an even better idea.  Okay, maybe it wasn't a better idea but more of a "duh" moment.  I asked him if I could change the hotel and he was very kind and easy-going about the change.  Once the paperwork was completed and I had paid the fee I left my luggage feeling good about this new plan.  Next up - the Narita Express!

Flower Child

Today was our last excursion (don't cry). Jiea and Jiew took us out to an Agro-Tourism Service Center. It involved a sightseeing tour on the orchards and way of life along Mahasawat Canal.  We went out on a long tail boat and were able to feed the river fish just like at the floating market. We also saw a lotus farm which was on my to do list!  It was beautiful.  I was able to put all my spinning training to good use as I pedaled a bike to water flowers on the side of the canal.  That was pretty cool!

After the tour, Jiew surprised Jiea by taking us all to a special temple.  I wish I could tell you the name, but I can't recall it. It was Jiea's birthday which made us even more happy to do something nice for her. When we finished our tour the three of us ventured out to get Jiea a birthday cake and threw our own little surprise when she returned for dinner. 

I cannot think of a better way to wrap up an amazing adventure! 

The Art Of Being Still

By Pico Iyer

Today we were visited by a monk named Pico Iyer.  Pico originally travelled to Thailand before returning and becoming a monk. He mentioned that making a living and making a life can sometimes move you in different directions.  One thing that struck home with me is when Pico said that the duration of his trip gave him many amazing sights, but in the years that followed taking time to sit still allowed him to turn those into lasting insights. I enjoyed our time listening to his stories and insight into the Buddhist religion as someone who joined from a completely different lifestyle.  It was interesting having already heard another monk speak from a different perspective. I'll leave you with this quote to think about: 

"One of the beauties of travel is that it allows you to bring stillness into the motion and commotion of the world."

Thankful

I am thankful for:

• Little arms giving big hugs 
• The smiles triggered by thumbs up
• Friendly teachers that make me feel like I'm part of their team
• I love you signs from students
• High fives 
• Smiles that melt my heart
• Giggles when my Thai is failing 
• Giggles when my English is incomprehensible 
• The loving nature of the Thai people 
• Did I mention those smiles?!

Candle Ceremony

Hello again, my dear Reader. 
I'm not sure if I've already told you that all schools in Thailand are affiliated with a neighbourhood temple. This stems from a time when monks were the teachers.  I think it is a lovely aspect of the Thai culture.
Friday will mark the beginning of Buddhist Lent here in Thailand. School will be closed on Thursday and Friday. In preparation for the holiday, community members have been preparing candles to present to the monks in the temples. At our school each class has had a turn adding wax to the candle mold. I also saw candle making outside the temple on our trip to Ayutthaya.
This morning I went to school earlier than normal so I could witness the candle ceremony celebrations. The children with special roles were dressed in traditional Thai clothing while the other students had on their school scout uniforms.  Some of my kindergarten cuties had the privilege of riding in the truck with the candle. There were a group of girls doing traditional Thai dance led by the school's dance teacher and a group of students providing the music and song for the march. I was not happy when I realised I had rushed out of the house without my phone to record all of this.  Pitsuda was great about allowing me to use her iPad to take a few photos. She's so kind!
There were also students carrying alms buckets and donation boxes.  Members of the community made donations in the boxes as we paraded through the neighbourhood. My heart raced a few times when some of the older students were playing around as we were walking on the main road. I had visions of preteens being hit by the crazy busy Bangkok traffic but it was all fine (sigh of relief).
We made our way back to the school yard and then in groups the children proceeded to the temple.  Carrying flowers and incense the students and teachers walked slowly around the main hall of the temple three times before going back to school.
It was a beautiful day and I am so grateful to have taken part in this special occasion.

The Problem With Being a Mother Hen

People who place an emphasis on the needs of others, especially in a fussy or overprotective manner, are often referred to as Mother Hens.  At times I've had students who neglect their work because they are too busy helping others. Bless their little hearts for wanting to help their friends!
Now picture it- Thailand 2015. A new group of volunteers enters the CCS Bangkok home base, one of these newbies will be rooming with me, Delainey and Dana. On the first night our new roommate goes out to meet a friend and returns around 3am. We later find out she was lost in a taxi for an hour trying to find her way home.  The next evening one of the other new volunteers informed me that our roommate was sleeping because she had been out so late.  Imagine my surprise when she wasn't even in the room.  Fast forward to bed time and there's still no sign of our roommate. We figured she might be out again so we left a light on for her. 
I am not a great nighttime sleeper. I can sleep like a hibernating bear during the day but I struggle to stay asleep at night. So at 3 o'clock in the morning for the second night in a row you can probably imagine that I was not happy about the fact the newbie's light was still on.  My first feeling was anger that she was being inconsiderate of the others in the room.  After taking a better look at the time I realised it was closer to 4:00am than 3 and that is when my Mother Hen instinct kicked in - what if she was lost? What if she had been hurt and couldn't contact CCS? What if something even scarier had happened? I tried to tell myself that I was overacting and force myself back to sleep.
It was pointless.  If I did drift off to sleep my dreams turned into nightmares of things that could go wrong in a foreign country - thanks to TV shows like Locked Up Abroad and movies like Taken, there is no shortage of story plots in my head. I believe I woke up at every half hour to see if she had gotten back yet.  Around 6:45am I gave up my attempts at getting some sleep and headed downstairs to see if anyone had heard from the Newbie. I asked one of the other volunteers and she was surprised her cohort hadn't returned yet. Unfortunately or fortunately depending on how you look at it the day staff hadn't arrived yet and I had just missed our nighttime security guard.
Fact: Because the Newbie had left so early she hadn't needed to sign out.  If she had signed out there's no way Sak, our guard,  would have left without her being back in the house.
I went back upstairs to get ready and a few minutes later the Newbie bounded into the room loudly asking me if I could change a 1,000 baht. I felt bad for Delainey being woken like that when I was pretty sure my tossing and turning must have affected her all night. 
I guess all is well that ends well. The Newbie was back safely. Surely that was the important thing.

Confessions of a Shopoholic

My dear Reader, you may have heard of Bangkok's famous weekend market, Chatuchak or Jatujak {can be used interchangeably}. My friend Talia recently travelled to Thailand and raved about the offerings at this particular market.  Of course during my prep for this trip I did some "research" on Pinterest and what I found excited me.  By all reviews it was basically a shopper's dream as long as you are into market style shopping. Now I love a good mall as much as the next shopper but I enjoy the barter experience from time to time as well.  Okay wait, I also love online shopping... maybe it's safe to say I simply love shopping! <-- br="" confession=""><-- br="" confession="">One of the articles I read said the food was equally as impressive as the goods for sale.  So when Heather, Sam and I arrived at Jatujak the first thing I did was purchase the yummiest looking mango and sticky rice I came across. Delicious! You might know that I have a sweet tooth so I don't think that'll count as a confession. 
Next up we located the Clock Tower so we all knew exactly where our meeting point was and made a plan to meet again at a set time.  Heather and I started off together with Sam going his own way - I don't blame him at all! 
About the actual shopping - as promised, this market had a little something for everyone!  I found myself picking things up for people I knew at home based on their taste but had to make myself step away from the goods!  I did not have the space nor funds to buy something for everyone.  I hope what they say is true and it really is the thought that counts. 
I had a few souvenirs that I definitely wanted to get so I had prepared a list to ensure I didn't forget anything. I like to have a list when I'm shopping for specifics and not just browsing. <-- --="" confession="" nbsp="" p="">

So it probably seems like the day was going as well as planned with no surprises, and it was.  Right up to that moment when I came across a school supply stall. {My teacher friends all know what comes next}. The time between stumbling across this lovely little piece of market heaven and the approaching meeting time was spent looking through the beautiful display sets and trying to narrow down a reasonable amount of items to take home.  I had to factor in the cost of many items which are inexpensive on their own but quickly add up when purchased together.  I also needed to think of the space they would take up in my luggage.  It was a struggle! I should confess that I had packed an extra duffle bag in the event that something like this happened. <-- a="" confession="" former="" girl="" guide="" i="" is="">always

prepared!<-- a="" always="" confession="" former="" girl="" guide="" is="" p="" prepared="">

Finally I made my purchase and headed out to meet the others.  We found a nice, air conditioned restaurant and had lunch before continuing our shopping. Sam had finished his shopping but he was a great sport about hanging out with the girls a little bit longer.  Since both Heather and Sam had completed their shopping I decided to stay behind for some solo shopping. I don't enjoy feeling like other people are waiting for me and even though they would have browsed with me I didn't want to make Heather and Sam wait on my account. 
I would tell you more about my purchases but this is more about the experience not the final result!
Verdict: Should you ever find yourself in Bangkok on a weekend, make sure you go to the Chatuchak Weekend Market - be prepared to be pleasantly overwhelmed by the amount of vendors and variety of goods and food, then get ready to shop till you drop! Happy Shopping!

The Day We Weren't The Early Bird

The Early Bird Gets the Worm

This weekend I decided to hang out in the Bangkok area and take it easy. I turned off my alarm and slept in relatively late.  Ada, Heather, Sam and I ventured out to a floating market. We skipped the well-known tourist attraction and visited one a little further out that was typically visited by locals.  It seemed like a good idea at the time. 
Our taxi driver wasn't sure exactly where to go, which meant we didn't use any short cuts and became victims of the Bangkok weekend traffic.  The drive seemed to take forever. When we arrived at our destination we were a little surprised to see that only a few floating vendors were on the water.  We signed up for the next longboat and wandered around for a few minutes. Later we found out that we had arrived too late to really see the market in full action.
Unaware of this little fact we boarded our longboat prepared to take in the sights of the floating market.  It did not take long to realise that we would only be experiencing a river ride, but all in all it was an enjoyable experience. Well, minus the splashing catfish!  The catfish were huge. People fed them with the provided bread sparking a feeding frenzy causing splashing of murky river over the sides of the longboat.  Heather and Ada thought my reaction to the water was amusing to watch.  It probably was a funny sight since I can tell you I was not a fan of the water!
Following our tour we had a look around the market stalls back on land.  After a few snacks we headed back to the house.  Although we didn't have the full floating market experience I enjoyed our little group outing.

The First Farewell

Today marked the first official farewell of the trip.  We unfortunately had two volunteers leave a week earlier due to unforeseen circumstances. Today was the last day for my roommate, Allison, and travel companion, Amanda. In the morning they'll be flying back to the States.
I'm glad our paths crossed and Allison has already pencilled in Bermuda on her places to go list!  I look forward to our reunion.
When in Bangkok, there's no better way to end things on a high note than by going to a rooftop restaurant. We enjoyed our night out at a lovely place called "Octave". Sometimes I forget that Bangkok is such a big city but looking out over the city lights tonight makes me think this must be the biggest city I've ever been to in all my journeys. I guess I'll have to check out the statistics and get back to you on that!

Allison S., Allison G (Roomy), Me, Amanda and Heather

Today we visited the ancient ruins of Ayutthaya, the former capital back when the Kingdom of Thailand was known as Siam or the Siamese Kingdom.  It was made a UNESCO World Heritage site in December 1991.  Our tour guide for today was a very warm, cheery and knowledgeable man named TicTac, I promise you I did not make that up, my creativity isn't that good! According to the video TicTac showed us in the museum there are a few things you should do in Ayutthaya.  Here they are, in no particular order:

• Maha Ut Chapel
• Take in the many Buddha images and paintings
• Visit the Reclining Buddha 
• Admire the Royal monuments, ancient palaces and architecture
• Visit any of the various museums, including the Bang Sai Arts and Crafts Museum
• Explore the history of the foreign settlements
• Browse Ayutthaya's markets
• Cruise around Muang Islet
• Take your choice of tour by elephant*, bicycle, tram car, tuk-tuk or rickshaw
• Enjoy a Thai meal at a riverside restaurant

Despite the intense heat, I enjoyed our day in Ayutthaya.  The highlight of my trip was seeing the Buddha head surrounded by Bodhi tree roots.  I had seen photos before coming to Thailand and it was amazing to see in person.  It didn't look exactly like I expected and when reviewing my photos from today I realised it reminded me of a particular Disney movie.  I wished I had noticed before so I could have posed more appropriately 555. I hope you enjoy my photos from today. 

How good is your Disney knowledge?

* I would not endorse the elephant tours.  While I would like to spend all of my time with the lovely ellies, these ones are made to wear harnesses which makes me sad. 

Students visiting a temple at Ayutthaya

My second Reclining Buddha of this trip

Head of a ruined sandstone Buddha image surrounded by tree roots over the years

Feelin' hot, hot, hot!

I do believe I've mentioned the heat prior to this post, but this post is not about the infamous Bangkok heat. This post is actually to say thank you to my darling not-so-little cousin, Brittany.  You might be wondering why she gets a special thank you post and I'll quickly get to the point.  Back in May, Brittany and I took part in the cancer fundraiser, Relay for Life.  At this event a local cellular company was selling handy hot weather items like fans, cell phone carry cases and flip flops.  The fan reminded me of an updated version of something my Grandma would have used in church before the air-conditioning was installed. I wasn't completely convinced I needed it though, I was pretty sure I needed all of my money for the cake pops that were being sold at another tent! My stomach almost always gets priority. :-) 
Back to the matter at hand, Brittany decided to buy me a fan seeing as I would be travelling to a very hot country during the summer. 

Pop-up Fan from Brittany

THANKS, BRE!!!
I've carried my fan almost daily and I have almost always regretted it whenever I haven't.  It folds up to a size that conveniently tucks into the pocket of my bag and produces a pretty refreshing breeze when needed.  I am glad that Brittany had the foresight to provide me with such a handy gift. 

This is my "I'm so over this heat" face

Meet the Roommates

Roomie Roundup 

Allison - Allison comes from North Carolina. Much like me, Allison was drawn to CCS by the opportunity to experience a different culture and influence the lives of other people.  We bonded quickly and our two weeks together flew by even faster. Although it was only a short time we had a ton of fun.
Delainey & Dana - The Dynamic Duo
Dana and Delainey are here with a group from the United States Military Academy at West Point.  The girls are extremely friendly and easy-going.  They signed up to volunteer in Thailand through their school and then later found out they would be joining CCS. I'm glad they did.
The four of us settled in perfectly as roommates.  Even though our schedules are different, the time we have spent together has been full of laughs. The memories we are building will last a lifetime. 

Fighting Fears of Foot Fungus

Muay Thai Fighters

Dear Reader,
If you have a fear of foot fungus that you would like to face head on, I strongly suggest you spend some time in Thailand.  Thai custom dictates that shoes are often removed indoors.  This does not only apply to houses. In fact the students in my school walk around sock-footed most of the day with the main exceptions being outdoor play and the bathroom.  The no-shoe rule applies in some stores as well. Your hint is to look at the doorway for a pile or a few pairs of shoes - if they are there, then go ahead and ditch your shoes before entering.

The most important no-shoe places are the temples.  I can't imagine coming to Thailand and not visiting any temples.  The Golden Mount at Wat Saket is the only temple I can think of that allowed shoes inside the building.  So if you take the average amount of tourists per day and add it to the average amount of locals visiting any given temple each day AND take into account that all of these people are barefooted, you'll have an idea of how freaky this can be for a person who has a fear of foot fungus. 
This afternoon our CCS group went for a special training session with local Muay Thai boxers.

Ada and I before getting hot and sweaty

I knew we would be barefooted but what I did not account for was the excessive amount of sweat those floor mats are subjected to daily.  In the two hours we were there I think it's safe to say there was at least three gallons of sweat dripping on the floor.  Delightful (that was sarcasm).
I had a great time.  I haven't been able to work out for almost three months now so it felt amazing to work up a sweat. We had so much fun as a group cheering on our friends and laughing at ourselves.  The ever present language barrier added to the hilarious exchanges between the boxers and volunteers. My roommate Dana gave one of the instructors a run for his money! I'll have to see if I can add a video to the blog so you can watch her in action.  We had a fantastic time, but let's get back to the subject at hand. 

Delainey getting ready to show off her skills

I'll tell you now, my dear Reader, I have never scrubbed my feet with such intensity as when I came home from our training session.  Yuck. Double yuck! The soles of my feet were as black as tar. It felt like forever before I got them clean.  I did survive though.  I feel like after that experience I can probably walk barefoot just about anywhere. 
And that is how you overcome the fear of foot fungus.

Only men are allowed in the boxing ring - no females

Dana won!

My trainers for the afternoon

CCS Bangkok Group July 2015

The Cuteness in Kindergarten

Today was fellow volunteer Rachel's last day at school.  We headed in early to teach  a kindergarten class before our regularly scheduled classes.  We always see the little ones around campus but the youngest grade I've had so far is grade/pratom 1.
Since the kindergarten class doesn't usually get volunteers we were a new novelty item in the classroom. The children were full of giggles at the "farang" which is Thai for foreigners. Pitsuda introduced us as Teacher Nadia and Teacher Rachel then we got to it. We sang the alphabet song and counted from one to ten. We used coloured balls found in the classroom to review colours. The children were very good with their colour names.  After our review, Rachel and I handed out 3 Uno cards to each student. We played a few rounds of my go - to colour/number game. The children seemed to enjoy it immensely. We also introduced them to the 'Hokey Pokey'. Left and right were trickier than the previously covered topics but still good fun. Pitsuda sang the elephant song which reviews the concept of big and small.  Class ended with a few group photos.
Fun fact: The children are told to say "Pepsi" to smile rather than cheese. This makes sense as cheese is not something often included in Thai meals.  In fact, I can't think of a time that I've had cheese since I've arrived! 

Falling in Love

I am in love with this experience. I'm surrounded by beauty found in the places I've visited, the people I volunteer with and of course the teachers and children I interact with daily. 
I am so grateful for this experience.

LOL

In Thai the number "5" is pronounced "haa", so if you are texting a friend and want to laugh you simply type "555". :-D

Thai 101

Top: My Thai attempt

This afternoon we had another Thai lesson. We were shown the basic steps in a traditional dance in preparation for the upcoming holiday.  We also had a chance to ask for any phrases we found we needed so far in our placements. "Stop" seemed to be the most popular request. ;) 
We then moved on to our first lesson of written Thai language. The Thai language has 44 consonants and about 32 vowel sounds with 4 tones... I'd like my students to think about that the next time they fuss about learning 6 syllable types!
After being introduced to the alphabet we were instructed to write our names in Thai as best we could.  That's a pretty tricky task! I made my best guess.  Orasa wrote our names on the white board so we could see how our attempts faired.
Because of the extensive alphabet there can be more than one way to write a name phonetically. Orasa showed me the two ways to write "Nadia". I think I did pretty good for my first Thai writing! 
Later on in the evening Allison and I walked over to Big C which is probably the Thai equivalent to Walmart. I found a Thai beginner's handwriting workbook so I grabbed that up. I was excited about my find.  Big C also has some Thai composition notebooks which I plan to purchase before I leave for my students at home. My sister had suggested I use the website 'Go Fund Me' to raise money for this trip and if I had listened I probably could have kept it active for school related purchases! She's such a smarty pants, I should have listened. 
In any event, at least we have our Thai handwriting book to enhance our study of the Thai culture!

My name in Thai and mew Thai handwriting book

Days of the Week * snap, snap*

Today the students worked on the Days of the Week.  In Thailand each day is assigned a specific colour.  This is helpful for the students because they can relate the colours to the name of the day in Thai.
I wish I had my laminator so I could make a material for this.  I've asked if I can go to the teachers' store or if it is only for Thai teachers, hopefully I'll find out soon.
The Thai education system is based on a lot of rote learning. I've slowly been adding a few of my preferred methods during my teaching, including asking the children "what is this?" after we've reviewed the names of a topic in English.  It's part of the Montessori three-part lesson.
Joy knew the Days of the Week song to the tune of the Addams Family so we taught the children how it goes.  Music is so universal.  It was great to hear the children humming and singing quietly to themselves as they worked on writing the names of the days in English.
I had noticed that the children enjoy singing and the teachers encourage English songs.  I explained to Joy that my sister's birthday was the next day and asked if the children knew the birthday song, which they do. When the children had finished their work I asked them to sing the birthday song so I could record them.  They love a camera (my spirit children). The students were happy to fulfil my request and I knew my sister would appreciate the birthday wishes.
You can add this to my tally of successful days.

Rest in Peace

This afternoon we had the privilege  of listening to the Venerable Phra Shakyavongsvisuddhi (Anil Sakya) speak at Wat Bovoranives Vihara, a Royal Monastery. The well known monk, who is a descendant of Buddha, told us the impressive history of the monastery which dates back to the reign of King Rama III. The crown prince, and future King Rama IV, was a monk during that time. He was well educated having studied Latin, English and astronomy with missionaries and sailors. As the abbot of Wat Bovoranives he became friends with the Royal Catholic Archdiocese of Bangkok and allowed the Christian missionaries to use the temple.
After the death of King Rama III, Prince Mongkut then called Vajirañāno Bhikkhu, disrobed to take his place as King Rama IV. This was a very important time during Thai history because of the threat of colonisation. Fun fact: Thailand was never colonised. 

The history lesson was followed by a Q and A session which was equally informative.  I regretted not having brought a pencil to take notes! Like I told you already, I can be such a nerd. 
You can imagine that the questions ranged and I can assure you that the answers were very detailed.  One of the points that Anil Sakya touched on was the importance of living in the moment.  Buddhists do not focus on the past or future because it can cause suffering. As an example he said that the Western way to say R.I.P. is too late.  Instead of waiting until someone is dead to say rest in peace we should all be aiming to rest in peace during every moment.  How beautiful would life be if our main focus was peace in each moment? He went on to say that it doesn't mean you can't think about the future, but we shouldn't put too much thought into it and hold on to our plans for the future. I like that.  It reminded me of my Grandma always telling me to never make plans without adding "God spares life" to your thought.  Obviously that is a Christian view on a similar idea.
Here are a few points I found interesting during our session:
Seek to be the knower.
Monks are not there to tell you what to do or convert you. Buddhists do not believe in a higher deity. They tell you the teachings of Buddha and it's up to you to learn from that.  There are 84,000 teachings in 45 volumes all about improving your life to be a quality human being, changing your life to be more beneficial, helpful, happy and compassionate. It's not only about learning the teachings but practising them in your life. Practising will allow you to know the results of living this way rather than relying on the monk's words.
Compassion for its own sake.
Who you are is defined by another human being - "I" is only relevant when there is a "you, he, she, they". Compassion is accepting your influence on others.
Many times people give with the intention of being noticed or appreciated for their deeds. We should aim to be compassionate only to help others, not to feel good about ourselves.
Buddhists monks don't pray.

They chant and recite the teachings of Buddha to use as guidance. The Buddha statue is not a sacred object for them in the sense they are not praying to it but more along the lines of viewing it as a mirror. Buddhists meditation is quite different from the Western idea of meditation. Buddhists use meditation to reflect on life and make sure you take the steps to correct the things you are doing wrong.  It's all about cause and effect.
The four noble truths of Buddhism:
Realisation that life includes suffering,
Attachment is the cause of suffering,
Ceasing suffering can be attained and
the Eightfold Path to cessation of suffering.
All males in Thailand will become a monk at some point during their life.

By law, you are entitled to four months of paid leave to study as a monk. You can go in and out of your time as a monk. Some people will do a month or so before disrobing. In order to get married a man must have completed his four months of Buddhist learning so that he is prepared to care for another life.
Interesting note: I read a passage about the life of Buddha to a grade 6 class last week which provided an excellent schema for this evening's talk. Isn't it fantastic how reading can be so helpful?
Fun fact: Female monks do exist and they are called nunks. Their robes are slightly different to accommodate for necessary undergarments. 

I am thankful that we had this opportunity to hear Anil Sakya speak. I think I could have spent the entire day listening to him.  He travels often, teaching at Oxford and Santa Clara, speaking at events such as the World Economic Forum and addressing the UN headquarters in New York.  As I previously mentioned it was truly a privilege to have the chance to listen to him today.