Learning English "Thais" Us Together

 


The CITY ENGLISH PROJECT offers introductory English classes (City Talk) and advanced classes in English and Western worldview (Exploring Worldview).

The program's main offices and classrooms are located in a building at the end of a long driveway on Pan Road in the heart of downtown Bangkok. Pan Road is strategically situated in the city as it connects two of Bangkok's most important business streets: Strathorn and Silom.  This makes City English easily accessible by all of Bangkok's public transportation services: motorcycle taxi, tuk tuk, conventional taxi, bus, and Sky Train.

Classes are not only offered at the Pan Road facility but also in various locations around Bangkok. City English Project has reached out to businesses and vocational schools throughout the city and made its teachers available to conduct classes on site and at times convenient to the businesses. 

CEP has even begun to tailor instructional offerings to the needs of specific clients. A new course is presently being developed focusing on the conversational English needs of Bangkok's thousands of restaurants, coffee shops and cafes.

One of the more interesting and unique aspects of CEP's program is that it utilizes short-term volunteer teachers from the U.S. who come for one or two weeks to teach alongside a bilingual Thai translator in each class.  The American volunteers each receive training in teaching English as a foreign language before arriving in Bangkok and serve as "native speakers" in the classes. 

Beth and I taught two different classes: City Talk and Exploring Worldview. The classes met for an hour-and-a-half each day for one week. We really enjoyed both classes and found interesting and special differences in each one. 

The people in the City Talk class had never met one another before the first evening's class and therefore it took a few days for them to become comfortable with one another - at the same time they were trying to understand the two new Americans speaking much too fast for them (even though we thought we were speaking slowly). However, by our final class we all felt more comfortable and, after each student received a certificate of completion, we all spent time exchanging contact information before we said good bye.

The people in the Exploring Worldview class had previously taken the City Talk class together and were incredibly friendly and engaging during our class times. We met with them in the early afternoon and on the final day they brought lunch for everyone to enjoy after class.  What an incredible spread of Thai gustatory goodness they shared with us!

It was an honor and a pleasure for us to participate in the work of City English Project.

Sunday Morning Church in Bangkok

Our first Sunday morning in Thailand was spent meeting and worshiping with brothers and sisters in Lampang. Our second Sunday was spent in Bangkok among another group of Thai brothers and sisters.

This new and developing congregation welcomed us warmly and it was a blessing to worship together with them. The service we had attended in Lampang was all in Thai; but the service in Bangkok, fortunately for us, was a mixture of both Thai and English.

We sang a variety of hymns and contemporary Christian songs, led by the congregation's worship leader, Ben Dooley, a well-known and highly regarded Thai musician. The words to the songs we sang were projected onto a screen which really only helped us when there were English subtitles. Still, we knew the music to most of the songs and so even when there were no subtitles, we were able to hum the melody or harmonize as the rest of the congregation sang out in Thai.

Dave Bruner, Global Impact Pastor of East Cooper Baptist Church and our team leader, delivered the morning's sermon: Unity as the essence of church life and ministry.

Ben served as Dave's translator and it was neat watching them work together. Every so often they would stop to engage in brief clarifying discussions before moving on.

Dave and Ben had an extended conversation following the service about the role of a translator and the complexity of  how to translate what was being spoken. The translator has to ensure that the translation is true to what the speaker is saying and do so within the linguistic constraints of the second language while always taking into consideration what the audience will understand.

Following the service, everyone gathered in an  adjoining space for the weekly congregational meal. It was a grand time of getting to know new folks and enjoy some great food.

 

The afternoon concluded with a team meeting to discuss the schedule of classes, assignment of teaching groups and translators (each teaching team has a Thai translator for each class they teach), and the week's schedule. We reviewed three lesson books, one for each of the 3 levels of courses, and then, as if we had not had enough to eat at lunch, all went out to dinner together.

Wat Traimit - The Golden Buddha

This is where we spent our first morning in Bangkok - the Wat (temple) of the Golden Buddha located in the Chinatown section of Bangkok. We "Grab-ed" a car from our hotel to the temple.  We'd never used Grab before but it was quite good, and in a nicer vehicle and a bit cheaper than a taxi.

The Golden Buddha, located inside an elevated temple, dates back to the 1400's; but its exact origins are unknown. It weighs over 5 tons. In the late 1700's it was covered in thick plaster to protect it from being captured during attacks from Burma. It remained encased in its plaster shell, unknown to everyone, until 1954 when it was being moved to a new location (having spent decades under a tin roof in an out-of-the-way Bangkok temple). While being moved, it fell from its harness and the plaster cracked revealing the golden statue for the first time in two hundred years.

The current temple housing the Golden Buddha was built in 2010 and has become a major attraction for tourists and Buddhist pilgrims in recent years.

 

















People entering the temple must remove their shoes before climbing the marble steps to the temple. There are metal racks for shoes under protective umbrellas - each of which carries the warning "Buddha is not for tattoo". Anyone having a Buddha tattoo must cover it before being permitted to enter the temple.

We took a Tuk Tuk ride to nowhere. Actually, we were conned into it by a driver who said he was taking us where we had asked to go but instead took us the his "sponsor's" high end jewelry shop and begged us to "Just look inside for two minute and I take you anywhere you want no charge."

We walked around a very high end jewelry store for 2 minutes then left and had our driver drop us off a few blocks away. We then spent an hour or so walking around Chinatown. We passed the historic Shangri La Hotel with its line of black hotel Mercedes out front and eventually stopped to get out of the heat at a very modern plaza of food shops and department stores - including Starbucks, McDonald's, and what has become a favorite of ours: Swenson's Ice Cream.
 

After another hour of Tuk Tuk riding in 95 degree heat, a visit to a lovely artists' gallery, and a taxicab back to the hotel, we crashed for the evening in air-conditioned comfort.

Not a bad first day in Bangkok.

A Grand Tour of the Grand Palace

Ever find yourself in the middle of thousands of people all pushing in the same direction, none of whose languages you speak, unable to read any of the sign posts, in 90+ degree heat and sunshine? No? Well if this is on your Bucket List, all you need do is come to Thailand's Grand Palace on a Saturday morning in April and your wish will be filled to overflowing.

As our taxi pulled up to the Grand Palace grounds and followed the circular road around to the front of the Grand Palace (or at least to within 200 yards of the entrance) we passed dozens of huge tour buses parked along the curbs. The closer we got to the entrance gate the larger the crowds became. And we could see the masses of people all being funneled through one small doorway opening in the wall surrounding the Palace.

Was it a bit disconcerting as we entered the human traffic jam? Yes. However, before we left Lampang, our dear friend and host, Dr. Nirund Jivasantikarn, had given us a letter in a sealed envelope with addressee notations written in Thai on its outside. He told us he would have his assistant call the Grand Palace and arrange for us to have a guide.  But as we merged with the sea of people all around us, the fact that we had a small white envelope seemed pretty insignificant.

Still, we pressed on, and given the flow of humanity we had little choice. As we passed through the entrance gate we saw a man dressed in a dark khaki uniform, so we approached him and showed him our envelope. He read the note on the front and immediately told us to continue through the big gate ahead of us and turn left at the end of the sidewalk. At the end of the walk we showed our envelope to another officer who asked to read the letter itself. He read it, smiled, and told us to go to the Information office about 20 feet away. We knocked on the door and were immediately greeted by another smiling officer who invited us inside. He took our letter and began filling out information on a form which he asked me to sign. He said, "Only five?" (Our letter had indicated there would be six of us). We said, "Yes, five." He responded, "Six. Too much paperwork to change to five." So we said, "Right. Six!"


He told us his name was Jeffrey and he was to be our guide to the Grand Palace and the Emerald Buddha. We were delighted.  His English was excellent, his knowledge of the Grand Palace was superb, and he led us through the crowds like a downfield blocker often stopping to take photos of us with our cameras (waving his arm to the crowds so they would stand back).


 








We were charged no entrance fee to the Grand Palace nor did we pay the price for a guide. (We did give him a significant gift three hours later when he bid us good bye.)

Jeffrey told us that the exterior of this spire is covered with a mosaic made from broken teacups.

   
Nirund had told us to be certain to see the Emerald Buddha which is housed in its own temple on the grounds of the Grand Palace. We had seen its replica at a temple in Lampang where it had remained for 32 years before being brought to Bangkok. Unfortunately, no photographs are allowed in the Emerald Buddha's temple.

Jeffrey told us that the statue (only 26 inches in height) is not actually emerald but green Jade.  Still, a fascinating piece of Southeast Asian history.

This is one of Jeffrey's photos. The building we are standing in front of was built as a replica of Buckingham Palace but when it was completed the Thai king decided it needed to have a Thai look and so had a Thai tower  added.  Today, this palace is only used for state dinners.

We concluded our visit to the Grand Palace by touring Queen Sirikit's museum which, in addition to displaying designer clothing and photographs of the Queen's world travels in the 1960's and 70's, is presently holding an exhibit of gifts and letters between the kings of Thailand and U.S. Presidents dating all the way back to President James Monroe.  The letters, photographs, and gifts are from the Smithsonian Museum in Washington, D.C. and have never been assembled in one location before and especially never back in Thailand. Again no photographs were permitted; but a fascinating look at the long history of Thai-America relations.

A truly wonderful morning in this fascinating place!

Senior Day Celebration

On our final morning in Lampang, Nirund and Petcharin took us to a meeting of the Lampang Senior Citizens Association. The meetings are held in a large conference room of the Lampang General Hospital, an 800-bed public hospital. The seniors meet monthly but Thursday's meeting was a very special one as it was in conjunction with Thai New Year celebrations. 

Today's festivities were a celebration of elders and the blessing of younger members similar to what we participated in at the Lampang Baptist church the previous  Sunday.  However, this celebration was on a much grander scale. 

Nirund graciously lent us clothing so that we would be appropriately attired for the morning: a beautiful woven stole for Beth and his National Defense College shirt for me. And upon our arrival in the decorated meeting room, we were each given a ring of beautifully woven flower blossoms.

For those of you whose Thai is a little rusty, the sign behind us says Happy New Year (or something close to that)

Two members of the seniors association provided beautiful Thai traditional dancing. When they finished their dances, we were all invited to join them. Beth and I tried to beg out but to no avail. 

There were several speeches and then the ceremonial recognition of the eldest members of the group took place. These men and women, seated at tables at the front of the room, were presented with a tray of gifts and flowers. Beth was given the honor of presenting a tray to one of the oldest members of the group.

Once each of the elder members had received his or her tray of gifts, everyone else lined up and processed by the tables stopping before each elder to be blessed with a sprinkling of water and words of wisdom and well-wishing for the new year to come.

While not one of the eldest members, Nirund was honored and given a seat on the "blessing side" of the table. It was a lovely time with lots of laughter, singing, dancing, and sharing the blessings of friendship.

A luncheon concluded the morning's events and while everyone ate several people took turns going to the front of the room where a computer was set up and connected to speakers for the singing of Thai and English karaoke. I tried to beg off but Beth and Nirund insisted I participate. So I sang "Eidelweiss" from The Sound of Music and "Heart of Gold" by Neil Young. 

Nirund and Petcharin then drove us to the Lampang airport to see us off. Much to our dismay, we learned that our luggage was slightly over the weight limits because Qatar Airways permits more checked baggage than does Bangkok Air.  But with the assistance of the very helpful and gracious ticket agents at Bangkok Air our issues were resolved with no extra costs to us.

We hugged and thanked Nirund and Petcharin for their gracious hospitality during our week in Lampang. Then we walked across the tarmac, boarded the little prop jet with the painted palm trees and fish, and sadly flew away from Lampang to the big city of Bangkok.

Pachyderms on Parade!

An afternoon at the 

Elephant Conservation Center

 

Climb into your car and within a half-hour's drive from Lampang you'll find yourself at the Elephant Conservation Center. Operated by the government of Thailand, the Center is a living museum of the elephant in Thai history and culture.

Elephants are cared for, rescued, bred, and trained in the ways of their ancestors. Each elephant is cared for by his/her own mahout. Some pairs have been together for more than 15 years. 

The Center provides audiences with daily demonstrations of how elephants were trained and used in working northern Thailand's historic teak forests. The Center also maintains a hospital and care center for rescued and ill elephants; and provides the Thai people with direct experience with their country's royal animal. 

 

Every afternoon the Center's mahouts demonstrate how they bathe their charges in the Center's pond. It was obvious that the elephants really enjoy this time and it was surprising to see how playful they were in the water.

 

During each day's shows in the Center's open air amphitheater, there are fascinating demonstrations of elephant artwork. A mahout puts paint onto a brush and gives it to his elephant. The elephant takes the brush in its trunk and begins to paint. While the mahout changes the colors on the brush from time to time, there is no manipulation of the elephant. The creation is the elephant's own.

Following each performance, the audience is invited to purchase small bundles of sugar cane or corn to feed the elephants.

 

Great fun for both people and elephants! 

Concluding our afternoon was a ride on one of these great grey guys. Smooth, comfortable, easy on the body, our preferred mode of transportation? None of these apply. But, it was fun to sit high on the back of one of these incredible animals while she walked through the pond, up a steep bank and along a narrow dirt path.