Christmas in Thailand

Ho ho ho.

For the first time this week, while I've been in Thailand, I haven't had to turn on the air-conditioning in my classroom. It's like, around 65-70 degrees Fahrenheit and my students come to school dressed like it was 40 degrees, decked out in hooded sweatshirts. One teacher was even wearing a scarf!

Anyway, what I love about the place I live is that it's such an 'urban village.' Unlike suburban Wilbraham where my home is in the states, I actually run into people here on a normal basis, and I'm familiar with the local people, and we say hello without that fake suburban smile. I know the people that work at the local 7-11, the motorcycle taxi drivers, the local restaurants. I run into my students at local grocery markets and ice cream shops. I live in the school where I teach, and my girlfriend lives on the same street as I, and happens to be my student I teach at a company just down the street. My whole personal life is all right here, and my social life of Capoeira and Salsa is in the city 20 minutes away by motorcycle.

Despite being a Buddhist nation, Thailand celebrates the commercial side of Christmas too. Trees and light decorations are abound, and gifts wrapped up in colorful papers go around. "Teacher, do you believe in Santa Claus?" my sixth grader asked me. He's never believed in Santa Claus because his parents, along with telling him the story of Santa Claus, also enlightened him to the conspiracy behind it. "I'm not stupid," he said. That made me laugh.