Dear Friends and Family,

If I were writing a book set in Bangkok, I would title it Everywhere, Little Altars – a neat way of distinguishing my words from those of Rebecca Well’s Little Altars Everywhere and a nice tie to my gradual rising awareness regarding proper grammar. Anyway, in Bangkok, there are altars simply everywhere. However, these are not truly Buddha altars as I originally thought; instead they are “spirit houses” that are unexpectedly set in bank plazas or in building corners or in alley ways. The altars are exquisitely covered with offerings such as flowers or food and since my arrival, I have found them intriguing to the point that I have started a mini-photo collection of them. The first altar that I examined was nicely framed by the railing in my Davis room suite – but I have since noticed a myriad of others set in gardens, on rooftops, in building lobbies, and in shopping centers. Every day the largish altar near my ECC School in Siam Square has several devotees at a time as well as swarms of bees enjoying the offerings. Naturally, I’m very curious about these altars… and my current favorite book which I would call “Thailand for rich westerners” written by Chami Jotisalikorn & Annette Tan and actually titled Thailand Chic explains:

A feature unique to Thai culture is the ‘spirit house,’ surrounded by offerings of flowers, incense and food, and visible in many homes and office buildings. Spirit houses are usually elaborate little structures resembling miniature wooden houses or, in the case of office buildings, cement structures imitating Khmer temples.

The Thai people believe that the land is protected by guardian spirits, so when a new house or building is erected, the human occupants must provide a spirit house for the spirits to live in. Daily offerings must be made to keep them happy. In return, the spirits will protect the occupants and bring them peace and security. In the case of office buildings, it is hoped that the spirits will bring financial success.

Spirit Houses should not be neglected, or otherwise disgruntled and hungry spirits may decide to stir up mischief or bring bad luck to the premises!

As I walk through the streets of Bangkok, my eyes shift from side to side in search of these spirit houses and I must admit that the Thai concept of spirits is an interesting one. It was during my tour of the Jim Thompson House that I learned that Thai spirits also have a tendency to slide along the floor akin to the movements of a snake – which is why traditional Thai homes have doorways that closely resemble windows in that one must step over an eight inch ledge to walk through a doorway. Apparently these high doorways have a practical purpose too as they keep people, including crawling babies, from falling off the side of a house traditionally built on high poles (to avoid river flooding). Every doorway at the Jim Thompson house was high and although I remained skeptical about the spirits and their snakelike paths, I could picture myself carrying a tray of food from the kitchen to the dining room and tripping over a high doorway ledge. This image leads me to suspect that the spirits, if they indeed exist, have a way to get their point across. It is probably good that Thais respect them – and perhaps I should learn to make offerings and maybe that would cure my ever-constant clumsiness. (Well… ok, probably not). This tradition in the midst of busy, crowded Bangkok is lovely – a gentle visual and ritualistic reminder regarding importance of faith.

It has been a busy week… this CELTA course makes me feel as if I’m a participant in Survivor or as a classmate suggested tonight: a reality show called Big Brother. I’ve never heard of the show but the guy is bright and I’m certain that the comparison is apt. Anyway, we are 12 people now past the honeymoon stage of the course and at the point where habits of certain people are getting on our nerves not to mention the annoying amount of grade grubbing that seems to be occurring (especially odd for a class that really isn’t about grade). All this means that today, Friday, feels very sweet. I had an assessment today in which my tutor was quite pleased with my progress and assessed me at “standard” – which is a relief, if not a particular surprise. This is a much needed spirit/confidence boost as next week is shall be intense with 3 detailed lesson plans, 1 written paper not to mention two classes to actually teach by next Thursday. The only good thing that I can say about that is next Friday will be even sweeter than this Friday.

You know, I’m pretty darn good at being strong and independent and alone but even I get a bit worn down – and at this moment, I’m there. But I’m about to repair my spirits with a nap, a shower, a cute outfit and going out tonight (I foresee a beer in my immediate future). Tomorrow I plan to seriously set to work on Written Assignment Number 2– with any luck I’ll finish that and most of the 2 lesson plans tomorrow so I can play at a still undetermined place (well, we know that shopping is not on the agenda) on Sunday.

Cheers!

Laura

PS: Cheers is apparently British Boy speak for “thank you” – but from observation, I’ve decided that it is multi-functional. Busy or not, I’ve been amusing myself by mimicking the British boys – which they tolerate and tease me about - and oddly, I’ve acquired a “eh” at the end of my sentences. I really cannot figure out where that came from – or when it will go away. It’ll be interesting to see what happens to my speech after a year of a variety of accents.