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.