Rice Drying Out In The Morning Sun |
Pre-Schoolers (3 and 4 year olds) Line Up for Start of the Morning Classes |
The central courtyard was a concrete paved area dotted with trees, concrete benches, with several sections that had flowers and ornamental plants. Portions of the paved area were set up with posts where badminton, volleyball, and takraw could be played. There were also several stalls where students could buy food, drinks, and ice cream. Our grandson, Peelawat, always asks for 5 Baht ($0.15 USD) to take to school to buy food. The school provides milk free of charge to the pre-schoolers.
The school has a band comprised of bass drum, snare drums, xylophones, along with mouth organs (small plastic keyboards powered by blowing air into them through a plastic tube). At the appointed time the band marched into place and there was a flag raising ceremony. All the students sang the Thai National Anthem. Afterwards there was a Buddhist prayer. Thailand is 97% Buddhist and Buddhism is actually the state religion. However the country is tolerant of other religions. I have visited mosques in Bangkok, and attended Christian ceremonies here in Isaan. I have also seen Mormon Missionaries here in Udonthani.
Pre-School Students and Classroom, Kumphawapi - No Furniture to Get Hurt On |
Pre-Schooler's Bookbags |
At the conclusion of the prayer the little children walked off to class with their teachers. The older children seated on the concrete by individual classes, did some warm up type exercises for arms, hands, fingers and shoulders. The school Principal; then addressed the student body. He started slowly and gently about having the older students look out for and after the young students. he then built up to saying that too many students were not brushing their teeth and not washing their hands after lunch. he built up to a crescendo about four "Naughty" boys had to go see him after the assembly along with their teachers as well as parents - apparently. according to Duang, the boys had been caught with video games at school. The Principal was definitely not happy.
On our way back to the truck, I saw one of the teachers inspecting his students one by one. Most students passed inspection and were given a nod as they passed. Some students were subjected to a closer inspection, some passed and some others were told something and received a swat across their backside. Each teacher carried a one meter long and about 12mm diameter bamboo rod - something like the pointers that some teachers used for the blackboard when I went to school. However here in Isaan the "pointer" was more versatile. For the pre-schoolers it was used to help position the students where they needed to be. For the older students it was used to strike them when they misbehaved or to humiliate them for infractions. Yes, there is still striking of students, corporal punishment, in schools - at least here in Isaan. The striking that I saw would no way near come close to causing injury or even pain but was humiliating for sure. Personally I find that a little humiliation is a small price, especially a cost that be easily avoided, to learn that there are consequences to our actions or lack of action.
We stopped by Peelawat's classroom to see what it was like. It was very clean and well organized. It did not have any furniture for the students. The students sat on the floor to learn their lessons. This is just like most of their their homes - no tables, chairs of desks. Outside of the classroom there was a rack where all the students had placed their shoes before entering the classroom. On one wall of the classroom student's book bags were neatly hung. The bags are used to transport their homework assignments to and from school. Homework? Yes, even at 3 years old, students have homework.
We spoke with Peelawat's teacher to determine how he is doing in class. We knew that he was a good boy and behaved well. However he is also very shy so there was some concern that he might not be learning as much as he could by not fully participating. His teacher assured us that he was doing fine. She informed this as she was multi-tasking. Three and four year olds at the pre-school are toilet trained but for some boys, zippers and buttons remain a challenge. A little boy had gone to the bathroom but was returning to the classroom with his shorts unzipped, unbuttoned and on the verge of falling to his knees. With some help, actually she did it all, he was squared away at the classroom doorway and happily rejoined his classmates.
I Can Get By - With A Little Help from My Teacher |
The relatives, who live across the street, more aptly "wide sidewalk" from the "Inside" Wat were busy. I pulled in to the Wat to park and was greeted by smiling, laughing, and exuberant relatives. Were they happy to see their falang relative? Perhaps. Were they happy because although it was 10:00 A.M. they had been drinking "Lao Lao" (whiskey - a sort of moonshine)? More likely!
Rice Drying In the Morning Sun at the "Inside" Wat, Tahsang Village |
Gentleman, Start Your Engine! |
Filling the Family Granary |
We crossed the street followed shortly by the filled wagon of rice sacks. As happens in every family, there was one man who was not fully, if at all, to the physical labor. Everyone was r
teasing him about it. Strangely enough, when I started taking photographs of the other men working, he decided to help. Well in all the activity that was going on, I did not get a shot of the one bag that he off loaded. I told everyone that my camera was not fast enough to catch him working and that I needed my movie camera which was at home. Duang translated and every one roared with laughter. I guess that it was a pretty good joke because I was offered whiskey once again which I declined. The man subject to all our joking was sitting down and complaining ( I suspect jokingly) about hurting his shoulder. I asked where and he pointed it out. I drew closer to him and blew on it three times like I do when our grandson shows me his injuries. This is similar to what some Monks do in a healing ritual. I also gave him a little massage and told him that he was OK now to go back to work. There was more laughter, and offers to drink whiskey. He did do another bag and I did get his photograph.
With His Pakama Wrapped Around His Waist, A Villager Hauls A Sack of Rice |
Another Sack, All In A Morning's Work |
Milling Rice In the Morning At Tahsang Village |
Scavenging For Scrap Metal |
Although I did not plan on stopping along the way, circumstances did not cooperate. Once again opportunity presented itself to my curiosity.
Just outside of Kumphawapi is a sugar refinery. Across the road from the refinery is a large vacant piece of land where the solid waste from the sugar refining process is dumped. The waste is a very black sandy type organic soil that farmers use to fertilize their fields. The waste is very smelly - an almost sickening sweet pungent odor; so smelly that Duang and I refer to it as "kee oi" (sugar shit). Several times as we have passed the area, there have been many people going over the piles of waste. I asked Duang why as well what they were doing. She told me that they were looking for mushrooms. Well this time there must have been 4 times the number of people that I have ever seen on the piles. The sugar harvest is just barely getting started so the piles were not all that big. By the end of the season the pile will be about 8 meters high and at least 200 meters by 200 meters.
I pulled over to the side of the dirt road perimeter of the area and parked amongst the somlaws, motorbikes, and pick up trucks. I quickly determined that the people were not looking for mushrooms but were picking scrap metal out of the piles. The piles this day were not just sugar refining waste but included concrete debris, industrial debris, rubber machine belts, bamboo, plastic sheeting and garbage - s if an industrial plant was being demolished and dumped on the field. Despite the sugar shit odor there was also the smells of cow dung and palaa (at least 6 month old fermented fish) - not all that pleasant an environment to photograph in but it was new and different to me. The people were friendly and I asked if they had found any gold and communicated to them with pantomime and my limited vocabulary that I wanted to find some gold. We all shared a laugh, most likely at my expense, but it is such a small price to be able to photograph a part of other people's lives.
In the USA, there are special days when people are encouraged to bring their children to work. I always smile at that concept for here in Southeast Asia everyday is bring your child to work day if not have your child work with you. Small children are brought out to the cane fields, rice paddies, and on this morning out to the dump. There was one little boy who was neither amused or pleased with my presence. He was around a year and one-half. He at first cried when he saw me but after being consoled by his mother just kept a weary stare at me for the entire time that i was there. Luckily I had a longer lens on one of my cameras so as they say here it was "Good for me, good for him". I was able to get my photographs without getting closer to him.
A Nice Drink of Water In the Morning |
As Their Son Keeps His Eyes On Me. A Family Looks For Scrap Metal |
I love this story, great reporting Allen.
ReplyDeleteBy fascinating coincidence, I visited last Sunday a rice cooperative in Maliana, Timor Leste. I recorded the threshing of the rice, the bringing it back home by big sacks on a truck and the milling in the coop's mill room. Then had lunch with them before undertaking our arduous trip back home. Pictures following on MY website in a few days.
Today I photographed a workshop introducing new rice planting techniques. Coming soon on my site..
Thanks Kees.
ReplyDeleteI look forward to reading and viewing your website.
We are both fortunate to have such great opportunities to share with others. I also believe that we are blessed to still find life so exciting and stimulating.