Elephants and Appreciation

Last Thursday was Thailand’s national Teacher Appreciation day. We participated in a very touching ceremony. In Thailand, the career hierarchy is such that teachers rank just below monks. Teachers are respected and revered for all that they do in society. So every year in June, the students appreciate them. We met in the hall which is just a covered multipurpose area where the students go for gym and prayer. All 800 students sat in the hall. They sat by grade level and gender and sang and recited prayers and words of appreciation to the most experienced teachers. The students made offerings to Buddha and presented the teachers with gorgeous flower bouquets. The school recognized me and the other foreign teachers with a beautiful bouquet. Following the Buddhist offerings and recognition of specific teachers, all teachers sat down in front of the children. When their grade level was called they ran to the teachers, bowed in front of them and gave them flowers that they had picked and wrapped in banana leaves. It was truly amazing. They were on their hands and knees bowing before us with their heads literally touching the ground. It is a sign of thanks and honor that I have never witnessed in the States. Obviously, I did not feel deserving, but I was very touched.

Flowers for their teachers

Two of my students, Tor and Manoon

On Saturday we went Elephant riding. AMAZING! There are apparently only three elephants left in the area that we are able to ride, the four of us rode two of them. We drove about 30 minutes east of our city to a national park. We met our guides and climbed onto the Elephants. We did this by getting above them on a small hill and stepping onto their heads (this disturbed me greatly) and into a small bench attached to their backs. Then we were on our way. It was kind of a bumpy ride…if the bumps were really large and regular. Each step the elephant took lifted or dropped us a lot. But you got used to his stride quickly. Most of the ride (which lasted about an hour) we were on a relatively narrow road. At one point the elephants were walking by putting one foot directly in front of the other (because the path was so narrow). To add to this, they were always walking to the edge of the path and eating. Initially, we were kind of scared, but you get used to all this.

When you are on flat ground it is a wonderfully relaxing ride. The forests are beautiful. Not a whole lot in the way of mammal or bird life, but tons of cool insects and sun blocking trees and foliage. But when we were going downhill, we were pretty certain we would fall off the elephant. The bench we are seated on (obviously) leans forward when the elephant goes down a steep hill (of which there were many). We had to lean completely back and hold on for dear life…it made it all very exciting. All in all it was a really awesome time. We rode the elephants with their trainers sitting on their shoulders and it was amazing all the things they had taught them. They directed them either left or right by nudging them behind the ears (the same way a horse rider might use spurs or reins). When there was a large branch (or even a tree!!!) in our way, they directed the elephants to move them and they listened with no problem. The one thing the trainers could not control was the elephants urge to eat, but we didn’t mind that.

Our elephants-Edwin (left) and Horton the Old Faithful (right). Obviously those are names we came up with. The chains around his neck connected to his foot so they could not run.

The elephant dropping his head so we could get on

The way the bench connected to the elephant so that it did not actually flip when they go downhill.

Stopping for a bite to eat

Amazing eyes

Me holding the chains