Fulbright Thanksgiving

  TUSEF, the Thai Fulbright organization, threw the most lovely of ThaiThanksgivings imaginable. Obviously, nothing can really replace a communal meal with my family but the Fulbright folks worked hard (and succeeded) at organizing a fitting substitute. 
  I made the early morning, Thanksgiving Day commute to the Fulbright office and met the full 2010-2011 Fulbright family. There were 12 ETAs (who are teaching all over the country), 8 current researchers (most of whom do not live in Bangkok), the full office staff and a smattering of alumni and board members present. We were quickly shuffled into waiting mini-vans, handed a to-go breakfast, and whisked out of the city. Our destination: Suraokhlongmai School, a predominantly Islamic school south of the city. Our purpose: bring a library full of books and a Fulbright spirit to do some painting and sprucing up of their school grounds.
  Overall, it was pretty successful. Per Thai style, the preparations the school made for us were overwhelming; hula-hoop show, english welcome, massive-handmade-sign, great food, and, frankly, much of the work was done before we got there. For example, I was assigned to a ‘painting’ crew. The gazebo which we were to refurbish had already received at least 2 coats of white primer so the white paint we layered over it was really icing on the cake. But, this sort of excessive preparation is very Thai and it was nice to get the mingle with the kids even if I didn’t feel like I was getting much accomplished. I think the most impactful part of the day was not the few hours we spent exerting elbow grease but the boxes and boxes of books we donated. Each Fulbright was asked to bring a book with an personal inscription for the school’s library. The Fulbright office also donated a number of books, mostly classroom sets of well known children’s volumes that were translated in both Thai and English.. Naturally, my donation was, ‘The Wonders of Nature’ a National Geographic book, in Thai, that talked about all sorts of neat animal traits and was aimed at the older students (the younger ones got boatloads of storybooks, so I don’t feel too guilty). Nerdy, nerdy, I know. 
  After our brief stint of volunteerism we ventured back to Bangkok to freshen up. I was graciously invited to hang-out and change in an out-of-town Fulbrighters hotel room since my apartment is across the city and would have meant a tight turn around. Kathryn (we high-fived when we discovered we both spelled it correctly) is a Fulbright Fellow based in Ubon who also has her 14 year-old son along for her appoint. She was a delight and it was incredible to hear her stories from her peace-corp placement in country years earlier. Her grant was in information technology and, I think, she was also considered a lecturer since she will be conducting a college-level class within her expertise. It was lovely to chat with her about he experiences and hear about how Thailand, particularly Bangkok, has changed in the short decade or so since she was last here. Her son was hilarious. I have never met a 14 year old who understood dead-pan, sarcastic humor so well. It was clear that he was a bit less thrilled by his mother’s Fulbright appointment than he was but he seemed to be a real trouper. 
  From the hotel we headed to the home of the US Embassy Consulate who kindly hosted a traditional, American Thanksgiving dinner. His apartment was luxurious to say the least., teakwood floors, opulent decor, and a positively massive floor plan. The food, while not nearly as tasty as my Mothers (or mine for that matter) was a welcome treat. But the biggest thrill was the wine. Red wine. It was free-flowing, Redwood Creek, Cabernet Sauvignon. My, how I missed wine. I reveled in every sip and gave thanks for the American tax dollars at work which allowed me this moment of glee (mostly kidding). The spiced peach salad was missing, the cranberry sauce was not homemade and the stuffing was not rife with smoked oysters, nonetheless, I slipped into Thanksgiving bliss thanks to a few glasses of vino. 


  I cannot express what an odd feeling it is to be surrounded by smart people, conversing about relevant, intriguing, complex issues and to realize that you, by some fluke in the universe, are considered worthy company to them. That is my best summation of my interactions with the other Fulbright researchers. Every single one was doing work that seemed so gosh-darn cool. Be it  a facet of Bhuddism, hilltribe anthropology, reforestation methods, novel means of water purification, or information technology. Really, really, really incredible, beautiful minds. I couldn’t have asked for more lovely Thanksgiving company.