Personal Feature: Ajaan Warangkana

As I have 55 days remaining as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Thailand, I’ve decided to highlight a few of the people who have been most important in my time here.

When asked what I will miss about Thailand when I leave, the easiest answer is my co-teacher, Ajaan Warangkana. I teach with her at my Monday-Thursday school, and she has been my constant support here.

Warangkana was born in a small village about twenty miles north of our town. The youngest of three children, she was the daughter of the village leader and his wife, a shopkeeper. Most children in her village did not complete school past third grade, but because her father was relatively important and well-connected, she and her siblings were sent to attend school in town. At age 19, she finished teacher college and began working in schools near her hometown. Shortly after, she met Sawat, another teacher. They married and had two daughters, living for several years in her home village without electricity or running water.

Twenty years ago, they built a house in our town. When their daughters were old enough, they were sent away to school in the city, returning home on weekends or during school breaks. Sawat became a principal and rose to prominence. He is one of three people in our province to have been "knighted" by the King. Now, one daughter is finishing college in Bangkok. The other is currently living in America and plans to study a masters degree in teaching.

During my first interactions with Ajaan Warangkana, I wasn’t sure what to make of her. She seemed intimidating – stern and formal. It was only after a few weeks of teaching together, and living just two houses apart (she and Sawat are our landlords), that I began to feel comfortable with her. In reality, she is quite different from my first impressions. She is giggly, opinionated, and easy to talk to.

In September of 2005, as I was explaining to her why, at a school district teacher training, it had bothered me that the audience started questioning Robert about what types of Thai women he preferred, we had our first real deep conversation. She told me that when we first met, she had been afraid to talk to me because I was so quiet and she was shy about her English skills. (Her English is actually very good.) I told her about my initial intimidation. We laughed about each being wrong about the other. Since then, we’ve had many a conversation discussing our different cultures, interpretations of gender roles and differences, families, and, of course, Thai education. We don’t always agree, but it has been wonderful to have someone to talk to within easy reach.

If I leave Thailand feeling like I’ve accomplished only one thing, it will be my friendship with Warangkana.

[If we look a bit hot and worn out in the photo, it’s because it was over 100 degrees that day. And look at the clothes we had to wear!]