Art in different Cultures

This weekend was eventful, and although i went to Klong Toey, the largest slum area of Bangkok, that was not the event that left an impact. I got to teach for what will be the last time while I'm here in Thailand, bittersweet in a way. The kids are getting going on their summer break come April. As we were having our nap time in between sessions, the girls and i were having a discussion on how creativity and originality when it comes to art are different here in comparison to home. Every time you walk into a gallery off the street, in any part of Thailand, you see the exact same paintings, and it's always paintings, some photography. There are the images of the Buddha, the chakravartin wheel, and Buddhist related imagery, bedecked in gold leaf, brown tones, and intricate in small details. Then there are the eyes only of middle eastern women showing through the closely hugged bur-qua. And then the more intriguing paintings done with a palatte knife of typical Thai life. It basically is a culture in which art becomes an income, a way of life that is only tolerated and practiced because of the meager income it can make. However it seems to be solely a manufactured practice. I'm curious that if i were to practice art therapy in an asian country would it be perceived as valid, would it even be practiced? And strangely enough that evening i attended a workshop on color therapy. Although the therapist was not Thai, he was Asain, but certainly had western education. I personally had a very filling experience at this workshop, that is for another time. However my Thai friend Racha came with me and was the one who invited me to go. I believe her being Buddhist has a lot of impact on how she viewed the evening. She was interested but said she didn't seem to get as much out of it as the rest of us seemed to. Her perspective being she is happy now and why would i go back in my past to dig up something that may make me unhappy in the present. I see where she is coming from as a valid perspective. And it made me think how we have cultural stereotypes, and yet many times the individual holds an opinion different from that of the collective; which is something i feel is often neglected.

Misc. and a favorite photo

This week has been interesting. Nothing to really look forward to like I have for the past few weeks, but the idea of being back in monotony was kind of nice. It was like i was actually living here, you know where you just go about what you need to do, nothing seems special necessarily, and you are just in the flow of the atmosphere you're surrounded by. I went to the night market last night, hadn't done that in awhile. And i met a woman, Sarahpi (pi being the title given before or after a name to indicate brother or sister-Thailand strangely enough, is apparently the only country to address each other as family) whose English was very good, i conversed with her a little bit about her life, her husband was American, they met in Saudi Arabia, and moved here, he is deceased now, and she spends time every now and then helping out her friend in her jewelry kiosk. I busted out some of my Thai, I think she was pleased, and that put a smile on both our faces! And then today i had to make Webster sound good (not too hard ; )in front of administrators from other schools in Thailand, one being the Governor of Petchaburi. Several of them seemed to really take a liking to me, after only speaking on a panel for about 20 minutes; afterwards an American came up and told me i was on the exact path i needed to be for what i expressed i wanted to accomplish, and the governor was very adamant on me ditching soccer for Muay Thai...perhaps?!

The Irish were just late!

I recovered my pictures!!!! (somehow i managed to outsmart even the IT guy and figure out the inner workings of my computer, however it worked, i have vietnam back!) AND surprise from momma, I have happiness in a box!!

A rant

I must have bad karma or something because within the last two days, less than 48 hours, i have had (to me) three semi-upsetting things happen. First, i managed to rease all of my photos from my trip to Vietnam (as you know), this ironically happening just a few short hours afte rhte buddhist monks cam to bless not only me (by participating) but the entire school witha protection sutra. The maladies continued as i went to futbol practice yesterday afternoon to find out hat i had been essentially kicked off teh B team. I know i am not the greatest when it comes to soccer, and i may have language barrier with half of the team, but i have been showing up to practice, improving, making an effort to know the names ofa ll of my fellow players, and yet, the day after Bom (the team A captaina nd organizer of hte entire tournament) definitively said i would have a spot, and after the jerseys came in, they tell my friend emily and i that we've been replaced (maybe it's a gender thing). THey even had our jerseys made out, but no, they are sending them back to take the names off and adhere new ones. Are you ready for the cherry? It being St. Patrick's day i decided to pick myself up by my 3/8th Irish boot straps and go out for the evening, celebrate St. Patty's day with a Guinness and some Celtic music. Turns out ont he way to the pub i stub my toe on a raised lump of concrete (the streets here aren't in the best of shape, uneven, but i hadn't had a problem with them before...and my accident occurred before i had a sip of anything, i don't know if htat helps my case or not) meanwhile skinning my big left toe producing a pool of blood around it and into my shoe. (Guess what mom, my other toe nail finally fell off, i was on my way to normal feet again) I guess the luck o' de Irish wasn't with me this week.

Vietnam

I attempted to write this a few hours ago, now it will be a completely different post, perhaps. As i was writting it, i tried decided i wanted to upload a photograph to supplement the post, i first wanted to save all my photos to my hardrive just in case, be on the safe side. I guess the safe side wasn't on my side, as i was trying to do so, i clicked something wrong and poof, every single one of my photos from Vietnam are now gone. I don't even have them on the memory card. So the adventure is all in my memory. I can only tell you all, and unfortunately not show you. Much of my favorite moments however are things that can truly only be experienced for oneself, you have to see vast fields of platformed coffee plantations in Da Lat to truly gain the full experience of being there, cool wind and variations of green as far as the eye can see. As i think about some of the images i got, i honestly didn't think that i truly captured the city and country as i experienced it, but it was all a blur, we did so much in such a short amount of time that it would have been very useful to have a photographic journal to jog my memory of what happened. I can see the pictures of people mainly, the rickshaw driver on the street of Saigon in with the afternoon sun giving a yellow glow, the streaks of motobikes wizzing behind him as he lounges across the seat and bike handle bar. The morning market women of Da Lat, each selling a different good, flower bundles being stacked on a mo-ped, a row of three baskets of tiny deep red strawberries, each of the women wearing the traditional Vietnamese cone hat. The vendor selling eggs out of two baskets you carry across your back on a stick, the women with many vegetables, specifically an abundant heap of artichokes. These photos and the immense Elephant Falls, i'm crossing my fingers a miracle happens. But we shall see. Despite the loss, the experience was incredible. My most memorable being my day trip on a motorbike with only a couple from Denmark to accompany me. We drove through the hills and valleys, realizing together that there is no way we could possibly describe what we're seeing together to families back home. We ate crickets, learned how silk is made, ventured into the day markets to find cow's eyes and tongues for sale (it still had the eyelashes by the way). Ate lunch prepared by a Bhuddist nun, sat in the home of a Kinh tribe (minority group) woman as she wove, asking questions through an interpreter. Perhaps it is better i don't have my photos, i will attempt to remember each thing more vividly and remember the memory as oppose to the photograph. Yes it will be less in content, but could it be more in quality?

Ode to travel together

Ok. I have said this many a time before, i despise traveling in large groups. Don't get me wrong i do see the benefit of having many people, for cheaper taxis and safety reasons, however it would be much more efficient, less chaotic, and a meltdown preventative way to go in groups of say no more than 4 (ideally less still). And yes I had a mini meltdown in front of Saigon's version of Notre Dame, which we unfortunately did not get to go inside because we came after hours).

Monte Cristo

This weekend my ladies and i took a trip to Phuket and Koh Phi Phi. And adventure to say the least. I have wanted to go to Halong Bay in Vietnam, northern Vietnam, since i've learned of how absolutely gorgeous it is and how there are these huge bluffs that literally jut out of the water in any and every direction. Taking the boat ride to and around Kho Phi Phi and Koh Phi Lei was in my opinion, the equivolent. Now if i ever get to see Halong Bay this may change my mind. However, i felt as if i where approaching the Southeast Asian version of Monte Cristo. The Isle of Chateu D'if felt like it was just around the corner. The massive rocks loomed over us, tapering significantly inwards at the bottom to reveal tiny crevices, caves, and canals, taunting us with looking as if balancing boulders where going to topple on top of us at any moment. The water is clear a day, all the way to the bottom. The rocks having remnants of red, streaked throughout the length and width; yet this doesn't even compare to the intensity of color found in the world beneath the water. Snorkeling proved to be well worth the bhat, you plunge into the water, carefully because it looks like all of the coral is inches from you (so clear), and yet it turns out to be meters below. The array of colors is nearly indescirbable, electric blue, piercing purple and neon green, all in a single fish. The creatures of the deep are innumerable, from the slightly terrifying form of the sea urchin to the miniature school fish, it's all and experience to be had.