Notes from the Field

(University of Minnesota public health students are writing about their experiences abroad this summer.)


By Allison Ishizaki
Writing from Thailand

Allison is at right holding the sign in the parade.

>>>Watch a slideshow of my photos

Last weekend was a 4 day weekend, so I stayed busy traveling around and trying to see as much as possible. My "weekend" actually started on Friday when my school had a parade to raise money for some projects that will help improve the school building. The parade was a very interesting experience for me! At the front of the pack was a group of students who were dancing traditional Thai dances. The music was coming from some huge speakers in the back of the truck that was following them. Behind them were 10 kindergartners dressed up in traditional Thai dresses. They were riding on the back of 2 trucks like they were on a float in an actual parade. Picking up the rear were the rest of the students who attend the school, just walking along for the sake of being there. A couple of students' parents were walking along the parade route with buckets to collect money from people who wanted to donate. I guess they collected about $250 US last year and that's quite a bit of money for here. I'm not sure what the total was this year.

I was very happy because I was able to participate in the parade with the students. One of the teachers at the school let me wear one of her dresses and someone came to the school on Friday morning to do my hair and makeup. By the time they had finished, I barely even recognized myself in the mirror. During the first part of the "parade route" I sat in the back of one of the trucks and was told to wave and smile. During the second half though, I was at the front of the entire pack, holding a sign with our school's name on it. I think that the local people were very amused. Plus, the students could not stop giggling when I tried to dance with them.

On Saturday, I went on a teacher's trip to a city right near Bangkok. It was a long day that started when the bus left school at 5 am. I planned to sleep on the bus during the 3 hour ride, but the driver was blasting Thai pop music very loudly. That seems to be the norm around here because I have had the same experience on every bus I have taken. Anyway, we spent the day sightseeing and visiting various markets. For a good portion of the day, we rode a boat down the river, stopping at various places along the way. To entertain everyone in between stops, the teachers were taking turns singing karaoke. I was very entertained!

I decided to take a little trip of my own on Sunday. I left early Sunday morning and headed to a nearby island called Koh Samet. I spent two days there and really enjoyed myself. The weather was gorgeous and there wasn't much to do other than swim and relax. The weather was especially great considering that it rained everyday for the first two weeks that I was here. The beaches on the island were quite beautiful and the water was clean. I am lucky to have such a beautiful place very close to where I am living.

The "weekend" ended very nicely on Tuesday when one of the teachers that I work with invited me to visit a National Park near our town. She told me that we would go with her son, her brother and her sister. Needless to say, I was very surprised when she came to pick me up in a truck packed with people- 6 people in the extended cab and 8 people in the bed. I squeezed myself into the cab and we were off. I really try to not think about the dangerous driving conditions while I am traveling in these situations. Anyway, we spent the day hiking and swimming in the pools of the waterfall. Our picnic lunch consisted of sticky rice and dried pork. All in all not a bad way to end the great weekend!

Allison