"Seven"

When one applies to and is accepted to the Peace Corps, one often has an image of the "developing" country as being almost entirely without modern conveniences and services. Certainly, many Peace Corps countries are this way, such as Mali in West Africa where my sister spent two years living in a mud hut with no running water, electricity, or telephone service.

Most of Thailand does not fit that description, however, as I realized the first time I stepped into a 7-11 way back during our training in early 2005. Not only was it air-conditioned, it had ice cream, candy bars, yogurt, wheat bread, Corn Flakes cereal, and Lays potato chips!

In Bangkok and other large Thai cities, there might be a 7-11 – called "Seven" by the Thais – nearly every other block. It is quite an institution. We’ll often duck in on our way to or from the Peace Corps office to grab some bottled water, a cell phone card, or some deodarant. Our town does not have one, however, which is probably a good thing. We have to travel 50 kilometers on windy mountain roads before seeing the bright red and green. I’m happier to support our local shops anyway, even if they don’t have M & M’s. A Peace Corps Volunteer does not need to have everything!

Khantoke

Last night we were invited to attend a Khantoke dinner at Jae Hom Wittaya, the local high school. A khantoke is a small round table filled with many dishes, usually including a vegetable stir-fry, a Burmese-style curry, a northern minced meat spicy salad, fried pig skins, spicy sausage, and various other assorted items. Because it is a traditional northern Thai-style dinner, all food is eaten with sticky rice.

This dinner was given in honor of a group of foreign exchange students who arrived in Thailand 2 months ago and are living in various provinces all around the country. They came to our province to attend a camp at a national park. We got to chat with a few of them, including one from Minnesota!

The entertainment at the khantoke was performed by Thai students at the high school. They did a number of traditional dances including classical style, swordfighting, fire-throwing, and drumming. It was very pleasant to sit on ground and watch while snacking on peanuts roasted with ginger and kaffir lime leaves. Mmm.

The Rambutan

Thailand has many interesting fruits. During my last 10 months here, I will try to highlight some of them as they come into season.

Shown in this picture is the lovely rambutan. Robert once described it as a red fruit with green hair! I usually use the prongs of my fork to slice it open around the middle (though most people use their thumbnails), until out pops a white, football-shaped sweet fruit with a big seed in the middle. It can be a bit difficult to eat sometimes – I’ve had more than one fly out of my fingers and onto the floor – but it’s quite tasty, and rather festive, too.

(The other fruits are oranges, which are green in Thailand, and some other sweet-sour thing that grows in the forest that I didn’t like very much.)

Sick!

One of my friends wrote me a letter several months ago asking what I miss from home when I'm sick over here in Thailand. This week I can answer that question very easily!

Last week, Robert and I spent three days helping at our school district's English camp for gifted high school students, which took place at a nearby national park. As English camps go, it was a pretty good one, but as usual we didn't get enough sleep and came down with illnesses immediately following.

The first thing I miss is COOL AIR. When you are sick -- headache, fever, sore throat -- there are few things more unpleasant than lying in bed sweating even while the fan is blowing on you. It keeps you from getting that sleep you need to recover! It also keeps you from wanting to drink the hot tea that might be so helpful for your throat.

The second thing I miss is HEALTHY CONVENIENCE FOOD. At home, when sick, I could easily open a can of soup and heat it up on the stove. Here, I can choose between more intensive cooking (the healthier choice) and local take-out (the faster choice). But again, when you're hit by fever, neither of those choices is particularly appealing.

The third thing I miss is TV, or movies anyway. Yes, we can watch movies on our DVD -- and we did, a bit, on Saturday and Monday -- but setting up the computer and speakers and all the cords is more labor intensive than just walking into the living room and pushing a few buttons like I might have at home. We don't have a real TV here -- and we don't want one -- but once in a while it might be a nice break.

The last thing I miss is PERSONAL SPACE. Back in training, our Peace Corps doctor said to us, "Thai people are very into being sick." This is true. As soon as our neighbors-co-teachers-supervisors-anyone else knows that we're sick, they'll start pelting us with questions: Have you been to the doctor? Did you take medicine? Are you drinking warm water? If the answer to any of those is "no," it will produce an additional flood of questions: Why haven't you been to the doctor? Should I call the hospital for you? Do you need a shot? Why haven't you taken _XXX_ medicine yet?

The questions are all very well and good, and they show a genuine interest on the part of our Thai neighbors in their desire to attend to our health, but sometimes I want to say that what I really need is a night in a quiet, rooster- and karaoke-free, cold building with no one to ask me any questions!

60 Years of the King

This year Thailand is celebrating the 60th aniversary of the King. King Bhumibhol ascended the throne in 1946 and is the longest reigning monarch in the world. In fact, a Peace Corps Volunteer did some research last week and determined that the only monarch who ever reigned longer was Ramses II of Egypt (66 years). So it’s an impressive statistic here in Thailand.

More amazing than the length of his reign, though, is his record of development projects in the country. Not one to sit on a throne and give commands, this King has spent decades traveling to distant rural villages, promoting education and public health, and sponsoring all sorts of programs designed to help the Thai’s – and hill tribes living in Thailand – to help themselves. The people love him, and with good reason.

Friday was declared a national holiday so that everyone would have an opportunity to join in the celebration. (In typical Thai fashion, the declaration was made on Tuesday night, so those of us off at English camp didn’t get to enjoy our holiday until it was nearly over.) We made it back from camp mid-afternoon, so we had time for a quick shower before re-donning our yellow shirts and orange "Long Live the King" bracelets. (Yellow is the King’s color. Thailand has been experiencing a yellow shirt shortage in recent weeks.)

Our town’s parade started at the basketball court near our house and moved up the main road to the town government building. There, we were able to look at some displays showing the King’s life and accomplishments, purchase local products and snacks, and participate in the candle ceremony after sundown. We were both moved during the singing of the King’s anthem. It’s a beautiful song, and being able to honor him in that way with a crowd of adoring Thai’s was a singularly unique experience.

Grace

In many ways, four years of teaching in a Catholic school prepared me well for teaching in Thailand’s public schools. The schools, being Buddhist, incorporate religion throughout the day (at least nominally). Morning prayers are said after the national anthem, a picture of the Buddha hangs in the classroom, and all school ceremonies include giving offerings to the Buddha statue.

An educational movement called "Buddhist Way School" is moving through Thailand now. The idea behind it is that if the daily life in a school is centered and designed around a Buddhist philosophy – one that teaches the students moderation and mental discipline – students will have better behavior and academics will improve. In theory, and if implemented well, it seems like a good idea. The schools in our town are just beginning to follow the "Buddhist Way" plans.

One of the features of the Buddhist Way school is an extended communal prayer before the lunchtime meal. At both of my schools, the students enter the cafeteria, sit down with their trays of food, and then wait to be given a signal. At the signal, they all lift their hands into the "wai" position and say the grace. At one school, it is led line-by-line by the head of the student body, with all other students repeating. At the other, they all speak the entire grace together.

In the photo you might notice: tablecloths on the tables, portraits of the King, Queen, and a monk hanging over the doorways, the teachers’ lunch table through the doorway on the left, all boys have the same haircut and all girls have the same haircut.

Toothbrushing

Back in April I posted a blog about the cavities I’ve developed here in Thailand. At our mid-service conference in April, where all of us January 2005 arrivals had our doctor and dentist check-ups, it turned out that I was not the only one to experience this disturbing phenomenon. (One volunteer had SIX cavities, which certainly beat my four. Robert, amazingly, had none.) The general theories for why this is include the higher sugar levels in the Thai diet and the lack of flouride in our drinking water.

In any case, it seems as though dental health is something that the Thai school system takes somewhat seriously these days. All across Thailand, after lunch is finished, kids troop down to the toothbrushing stations (or canals, or water troughs, or whatever feature is available at their schools) and brush. At many schools – including the four at which Robert and I teach – this is all coordinated by a selection of songs designed just for this purpose: the "call to the toothbrush" song, the "how to brush your teeth" song, and the "now it’s time to return to class" song. The "how-to" song includes such great lines as "now, the upper-left! now, the lower-right!"

While I give high marks to the toothbrushing program, it’s clear to me that there are other steps that could be taken to ensure the students’ dental health. For one, the schools do not need to have canteens selling sweet treats during the lunch hour. Similarly, the local ice cream man does not need to be given permission to sell ice cream to the kids on the playground even before the end of the school day. It’s said that American kids eat way too much junk food – and that’s certainly true – but I will say that after plenty of experience watching kids eat junk in both countries, Thai kids are definitely come out ahead in the sugar race.

Yesterday, the dentist came to one of my schools and my co-teacher and I watched him check all the 6th graders mouths in the hallway outside the classroom. Only 4 out of 18 had cavities this time, so I guess that’s not too bad. When he returns I may get to watch him fill them in the meeting hall, like I did last year!

Wan Wai Kroo

Today was the hottest day we’ve had so far this year. It was also Wan Wai Kroo – the day of honoring teachers. So we all got to be really, really hot in our nicest clothes.

At my school, the ceremonies began shortly after 9am and included several parts. First, the teachers, principal, custodian, and two student body leaders gave offerings to the school spirit house. Next, the same group along with the student council paid respects to the school Buddha statue, King Rama V statue, and King Rama VI statue. We then joined the rest of the students in the meeting hall. They did some chanting, and then two representatives from each class brought a flower arrangement to the teachers.

Following those "honor" ceremonies, the principal gave a speech about being good students and good community members. Then all the students receiving scholarship money from the community fund to help pay for books and supplies lined up to get their envelopes. After some picture taking, the event was concluded and we returned to swelter in the classroms for the remainder of the day!

Things to notice in the photos: the current year in Thailand, the teachers’ fantastic silk suits (except for mine, which is cotton), the microphone, the lack of shoes at certain spots, the incense sticks, the pig’s head and beer.

Update

The floods did not come to our town. However, the four provinces that were hit were hit much harder than we were last year. Massive mudslides and that sort of thing. Three volunteers were flooded out of their houses, but are otherwise safe.

Our town gave a big sigh of relief when the rain stopped on Friday. Things had been pretty tense here for a few days. Now we're just back to roasting hot. Always something!

Here We Go Again...

It's happening. The endless days of rain thanks to typhoons around Southeast Asia are having their effects on northern Thailand.

Yesterday evening our next door neighbor told us that several northern provinces have already flooded in the last couple of days, including ours, though still over a hundred kilometers from our house. With that information, we gathered our passports and a few other emergency supplies into backpacks that are now sitting ready in case of a quick escape. At midnight when the rain came heavily again I couldn't sleep, and stood out on the patio watching it until Robert got me to come back in.

Today it's the first topic on everyone's mind. Our supervisor at Peace Corps called at 7:30am to check in. She reported that another volunteer has been flooded already, two provinces south of us. As soon as we arrived at the school district office we were asked, "Did you pick up your things yet?" (Meaning, did you prepare your house?) We'll be doing a lot of that tonight, I think. My goal is to preserve as much of our material goods as possible this time around! Not that material goods are all-important, of course, but it would be much better if we didn't lose them all the same.

I do like rain. But I don't think I will ever feel quite the same about it again.

An Evening at the Wat

Two Fridays ago we went to our local wat in the evening to see the Wan Wisakhabucha ceremony. We were told it would start around 7pm, so we had a quick dinner and walked over around 7:15 – assuming some Thai lateness, of course. However, when we got there the temple was completely deserted except for the sound of a few monks chanting somewhere. We paced a bit trying to decide what to do, and finally assumed we had gotten it all wrong and started walking back home.

Before we had gone too far, though, a woman came out to ask us where we were going. After our reply she informed us that the ceremony would actually start at 8pm. "And don’t you have any flowers?" she asked with a puzzled look. No, we said, we were just going to watch this time.

We went back to the wat and this time met a few other early arrivers, all of whom had flowers in their hands. "Do you have a flower?" they asked us. No, we’re just watching... We chatted with one young couple visiting from out of town until a loud bell rang and everyone started moving inside the wihan (building).

We sat in a back corner hoping to be inconspicuous. As the room filled up and the monks started chanting, however, we were soon very well surrounded by teenagers, including some from our neighborhood. (To our surprise, this seemed to be a particularly teenager-attracting event.) Several people asked whether we had flowers. No, we said, we’re just watching.

About 20 minutes into the chanting, when my legs were really getting cramped from kneeling on the floor even though I had switched orientation several times, I felt a tap on my shoulder. I glanced behind me, and there was a young woman handing me a lotus flower. A young man was obtaining another for Robert, which I dutifully passed over. It seems the local teens couldn’t imagine the thought of us experiencing Wan Wisakhabucha without our own flowers. We relented, and I spent the remainder of the chanting admiring my nice bloom.

After the monks were finished, we all headed outside – about 150 people in all – and candles were lit. As everyone started walking around the wihan, Robert and I were each handed a candle as well, which we quickly lit before joining in the walk. Three times around in total, commemorating the birth, life, and death of the Buddha, and then we placed the candles and flowers in some little cubbies and went home. It was really a beautiful sight, and a testament to the determination of Thai people to include us in their special moments. No "just watching" allowed!

Big C

On Saturday we visited Big C. It’s kind of like Target, but on a super-sensory, Thai-style level. We go there about once a month to stock up on supplies not available in our town, like raisins, cheddar cheese, Energizer digital batteries, and internet cards.

A typical day trip to Big C, including preceeding and follow-up events, looks something like this:
Sleep in, go for a jog, eat breakfast and shower. Walk to the town bus/songtaew stop. Wait for a vehicle to depart. Ride over many hills and around many curves until arrival in the city. (Usually, Robert looks out the window while Kate reads a book.)

Upon arrival at Big C, to settle the stomach, head for the cash machine and then the lunch counter. Eat a quick and cheap Thai lunch. Attack the aisles, trying to avoid the massive display piles, the young women advertising various products with loud stereos and megaphones, and the crowd of teenagers clustered around the skin-whitening deodarant selections.

After forking over a large portion of PCV monthly stipend (peanut butter is expensive here!), head down the escalator for a recovery stop at the DQ, where mini-blizzards are available in all the usual flavors for less than a dollar. Walk with ice cream out to the parking lot, where a songtaew will be waiting for a full complement of other commuters. Ride that songtaew to the songtaew stop for our town, board it with all the bags of groceries, and ride for another 80 minutes or so to the gate of our house.

Upon arrival at home, lie on the bed for at least 20 minutes to get over car-sickness or songtaew exhaust poisoning before starting to make dinner. Enjoy a relaxing evening that includes at least one food purchase from the day!

Drunk Bugs

"Floods never come to our town!" "It won’t rain at the English camp!" "The drunk bugs aren’t coming this year!"

All of the above are examples of extremely misguided predictions that I’ve heard in Thailand during the last 12 months. Each one turned out to be quite the opposite: the flood DID come to our town, it DID rain at the English camp, and...

It only took an hour this evening between the time that I observed, before leaving on my bicycle for aerobics at the town hall, that the drunk bugs seemed to have not returned to our house this rainy season, and the time that I returned, well-exercised and sweaty, to find the little fluttery wings all over the walls, floors, furniture, and bathroom floor.

We first met these bugs last May, during one of the first rainstorms of the year, when, as we sat outside enjoying the sudden cool breeze, we saw that all of our neighbors were shutting their doors and windows. "How silly," we thought, "for them not to take advantage of the change in the air." In fact, we were the deluded ones, not realizing that with our doors wide open, the house was rapidly filling with strange moth-like creatures that fly dizzily, crash into walls, and flail about on the floor losing their wings all over. Each morning we swept them out the door, and each evening we watched as gecko lizards ate their fill.

We call them the "drunk bugs" because when we were first told their name, "maleng mao," we thought that "mao" (falling tone) was the same as "mao" (flat tone). The first refers to the bugs, the second is the adjective for drunk. They certainly seemed drunk to us, anyway, what with flying into walls and then falling to the floor, so it was an honest mistake.

As I write this blog, we are just hoping that when we turn out the lights for the evening, they will crawl back outside underneath the cracks in the doors... otherwise I do fear for Robert’s sanity!

(The photo also shows a friendly frog.)

Kow Taew

The start of the school year is upon us again. We’ve had an amazing stretch of cool weather to help usher it in, and I really appreciate that I’m not sweating all day. I’m also happy about the sweatshirts and cups of hot tea. I can’t expect it to last more than the four days it already has, but I’ll keep enjoying it in the meantime!

Anyway, the photo shows Kow Taew at Bahn Mai Pa Kao School. Every school in Thailand starts with Kow Taew. Students stand in lines – arranged by grade and gender – and first the flag is raised while everyone sings the national anthem. Next, everyone turns toward the school’s primary Buddha shrine for morning prayers. Finally, they turn back towards the flag for what I call the "Student Oath." (It has lines like, "We students, must be disciplined, listen to our teachers, study hard, etc etc...") These three sections of Kow Taew are always student-led.

Kow Taew can be a relatively short assembly – 10 or 15 minutes – or it can go on for up to a half hour, depending on which teachers have announcements, and of what sort. Sometimes my schools have the "English word of the day" or some other such educational item. One of my schools has a student read neighborhood news every Monday. Occasionally teachers will do uniform or haircut checks. Emphasis is on form. I always enjoy watching the pre-schoolers start to get out of line, jump up and down, make funny faces, and generally lose attention in amusing ways.

For the record, "kow" means "enter" and "taew" means "rows." Or in short form, "Line up!"

Coral Resort Review

Coral Resort is located on Hat Kai Bae (Kai Bae Beach), Ko Chang. The resort is situated right on the water, with excellent views of islands and sea. Our bungalow door opened to a stunning view of shimmering water, and at night we sat on the comfortable patio chairs to look at the stars shining over the Gulf of Thailand.

Because Coral Resort is situated over a rocky tidal area, the resort does not have its own swimming beach, which is a drawback for those who want to walk from their doorway right into the water. The best beach is a 10-minute hike from the bungalows, past several other restaurants and lodgings. We didn’t find the walk to be unpleasant, however, and the relative quietness of the Coral Beach location more than made up for the distance. Joggers will appreciate the long stretch of sand available to the public!

Bungalows are very comfortable; even the cheapest have soft spring mattresses, screened windows, and daily cleaning. Air-con is not necessary thanks to the powerful ceiling fans. Some of our best nights of sleep in Thailand were here!

The resort is owned by a friendly French man, and the menu has both Thai and western offerings. The restaurant and bar offer spectacular views of the pool and Gulf. Most of the food and beverages were absurdly overpriced, however, especially considering the cheaper (and, in my opinion, better-quality) food available just a few steps away. The one standout section on the menu is the salads – a regular garden salad came with delicious chunks of feta cheese, a real treat for the price. For most meals, though, I recommend the close-by KB Bungalows, where we found friendly service as well as affordable and delicious fare.

We visited towards the end of April, the beginning of the low season. Hence, the place was wonderfully quiet both day and night. We did have rain for a good 50% of our visit, but we found this to be no obstacle to relaxation.

Coral Resort: Highly Recommended!!

Shoes

A common site outside many wats, shops, and school classrooms is a pile of assorted pairs of shoes. In Thailand, the foot is considered to be the lowest part of the body, and shoes are not allowed into people’s homes. When you think about it, it makes sense, since the road is generally spotted with animal droppings, gasoline drippings, and other nasty things.

This photo was taken at Wat Doi Suthep in Chiang Mai. One woman is holding a white lotus flower that she will be using to make merit inside the wat. The large fruit hanging from the tree are "canoon." (The English word for them is jackfruit, but I didn’t know what a jackfruit was before I came to Thailand!)

Several of our visitors have nervously asked if they need to worry about their shoes being stolen while they are inside. The answer is no, because if feet are the lowest part of the body, who would want to wear someone’s dirty shoes? We did have a PC friend whose running shoes were stolen about 6 months ago, but I think that was very abnormal.

A quick food report: today for lunch with our respective co-teachers, Robert ate pad si iew (stir-fried noodles with soy sauce) and I ate chi-choom (noodle soup with spicy red sauce). For dinner Robert ate stir-fried soy meat with basil and I ate stir-fried soy meat with kale, both with sticky rice. Ahh, sticky rice.

Elephant Mania

Before coming to Thailand I couldn’t wait to see an elephant. While I am still very fond of the large, smelly creatures, I have to admit they have become almost commonplace to me now. Who would have thought? That has not in any way diminished my desire for elephant-related products of all kinds, however. I was very happy last night to find a wooden elephant necklace in Chiang Mai, in the same pattern as my previously purchased wooden elephant earrings.

There are elephant shows at several locations around Thailand, but I think the best one is located in Lampang province in the north. It’s the most "legit" one since its goal is to take care of the elephants and help them live fulfilling lives now that they can’t do their traditional forest work, not to turn them into circus clowns. We have taken all 12 of our visitors there and it’s a hit every time.

Shown here are Robert and Karin on their elephant ride! The elephant’s name was "Thankahmmi."

Teacher Training

Yesterday, today, and tomorrow Robert and I are leading 3 days of workshops for elementary English teachers in our school district. The full workshop series is actually 15 days long, but we were able to skip out some due to our Peace Corps conference in Bangkok and Karin’s visit. (Unfortunately, Karin is having to entertain herself for a couple of days while we work – she did attend the first day with us but I think it was a but dull! Today she rode my bike around town and ordered herself some food for lunch in Thai – very impressive!)

Anyway, our first day’s theme was "Presentation through Pictures, Songs, and Dialogue." Shown in the photo is one of Robert’s flashcard activities – see if you can zoom in enough to read the sentence! Today was "Teaching English Through Storytelling," and tomorrow will be "Different Kinds of Reading." So far it has been a general success for us, but I do think that the teachers are a bit weary after 12 days of training.

Anyway, this photo is fun because it shows some of the pieces of Thai culture that we are used to seeing but that might not make it into the guidebook. You may be able to see the large sign on the wall behind the stage – it officially announces the title of the workshop series and the dates – April 24th to May 7th. To the left side of the stage is an alter to the Buddha which also has a photograph of the King, though the photo cannot be seen because of a teacher’s head. Every big meeting, workshop, or event is opened by a ceremony taking place at this alter. Also interesting, in my opinion, is the range of acceptable women’s clothing. Starting from left, there is a trendy outfit, 2 fancy silk shirts, and then a t-shirt and jeans in the center. (Were school in session, all the female teachers would be dressed more like the two with silk shirts, and would be wearing skirts.) Finally, the advanced technology occasionally available to us is always interesting. On the stage is a very fancy overhead projector, which I used today to project the pictures from the story book that I was reading for all 49 teachers in the room to see. I never had anything like that at my schools in America!

After a dinner of two different stir-fries (kale and sweet pepper), dragonfruit, and mangosteens, Robert, Karin, and I are all just trying to cool off now before going to bed. It’s hot!

Early Rainy Season?

We are continuing to see evidence that the rainy season will be coming soon. Or, perhaps it’s already here...

We visited Ko Chang – an island off Thailand’s east coast – with Robert’s cousin Karin this past weekend, and we had the opportunity to see a tropical rainforest in the rain. Note how the two of them are standing under their umbrellas, while other wet tourists walk in the background. We had hiked out to see a tropical waterfall and swim in its pool, but instead we just got soaking wet waiting to see if the rain would eventually stop. (It did, after we hiked back.) It was quite beautiful, anyway!

While we were experiencing rain along the rainforest coast, our northern town was visited by a "cyclone." (The correct term might be "tropical depression," but both the English-language newspaper The Bangkok Post and the Thai speakers in our town referred to it – in English – as a "cyclone.") For those of you who may not remember, it was Tropical Storm Domrey that brought us last year’s flood, so the news that a "cyclone" had arrived well before the heart of the usual rainy season did not ease my fears that we may be in for more this year!

Karaoke

Our first night in Thailand, way back in January 2005, the Peace Corps staff organized a "welcome dinner" for all us new trainees. Up on the stage, a karaoke machine was set up, and we were advised to start practicing ASAP!

Karaoke is wildly popular in Thailand. No party is complete without it in some form or another. It might be happening at the restaurant or the bar. Houses that look somewhat dilapidated from the outside may have fancy TV’s and hundreds of karaoke CD’s. It is the rare air-conditioned van or bus that isn’t equipped with a traveling karaoke machine and mike.

Perhaps it makes for great community bonding. Talent is not an issue – you don’t have to be a great singer to assume that everyone wants to hear your voice crooning away. Our co-teachers, principals, and neighbors all do it – some more often than others. I’ve never heard anyone criticized for their lack of singing prowess, but occasionally someone might be good enough to earn a round of applause. If not, no matter, they might sing a few more anyway. Yes, Robert and I have been forced to succomb to peer pressure and belt one out a time or two. Fortunately, most standard machines have a few Beatles tunes in their catalog, so we could at least humiliate ourselves in our own language!

There’s nothing like trying to fall asleep at night to the sound of the neighbor next door singing loudly into a microphone just slightly off tempo. Nor is there anything like waking up to the neighbor on the other side doing the same. Will we miss karaoke when we leave Thailand? Hmmm...

(Shown in the photo is our neighbor across the street, Pi La – who is one of the better singers, in my opinion – sharing a tune with us at a recent wedding.)