7.18.12

I’ve always said that the best way to start out a Wednesday is with a runway fashion show. I’m glad someone finally figured that out.

It was a beautiful morning but they were assembling on the top floor instead of on the basketball court. Of course, we had no prior knowledge of this. Wish we had. I would have brought my camera. When we got up there, we noticed there were a whole bunch of art objects and things like cowboy hats and visors made out of coke cans. Khun Wanchai explained that the students had made these things, all from recycled materials. They were really great. We sat down on the couches and listened as usual. Patricia got up and spoke English, imploring the students to get their ABA textbooks (they have had them available for three weeks and she is still having classes show up with half of them missing their books). Typically, once we are done speaking English to the assembly, we head back to our office. Something told us to hold off today. I’m really glad we did.

Unexpectedly, they started playing some hard dub step. And then the students went wild. One of the teachers at the school is a transitioning transgender. Teacher Duiy. And they love him. He and one of the male students started catwalking in fashions made from recycled materials. And they looked fabulous. Especially Duiy. His outfit consisted of burlap shorts and top, a long black train, and a back-basket full of roses. The students were screaming like The Beatles had just taken the stage. After a pass down the center of the room, Duiy got behind the podium to introduce the models and dresses to follow.

The first two were wedding dresses. One of them was very Madonna-esque, circa mid-80s. The other was a little more 1920s with a skirt reminiscent of a flapper dress. The Madonna dress was a full petticoat skirt with a sheer net midriff and strapless bodice. It had (what I believe was) a white plastic train coming down in a waterfall over the back half of the petticoat. She strutted that runway in 6-inch platform heels. The other dress was modeled by one of my foreign language students, Sai. She looked a lot more demure in her dress. The skirt was tight all the way to the knee and then it was shredded in 3-inch-wide flowing strips. I really wish I had pictures.

The next two models were wearing black dresses. More like rock and roll prom. Tight strapless bodices. One had a bell skirt that was held away from the legs and didn’t have any movement to it. The other was more of a short, ruffly skirt.

The last model came out in a very elaborate traditional Thai costume. Complete with 6-inch long brass dance fingernails. Very impressed, I asked Khun Wanchai if they had made that costume out of recycled materials. He said, “Only the skirt”. The rest of the outfit (90%) were “accessories”.

The only models who seemed to enjoy themselves were the male model, the one in the Madonna dress, the one in traditional costume, and, of course, Duiy. He worked that runway. Good for him.

Then Khun Sungob gave a shorter-than-usual speech and we went back downstairs. Only lost the first half hour of class…

I have spoken about Donut before. He is a little bit odd, but in a quiet and reclusive way. Spends most of his free time alone on his computer and doesn’t really interact with the students in class. It is possible that he has Aspberger’s or something similar. But I think a lot of the reason he keeps to himself is because the students are mean to him. When he came to class today, instead of sitting in the front like usual, he went to sit in the back row with some of the other students. I don’t know what was said, but it was enough that he got upset, grabbed his laptop case and made like he was going to leave class. He looked at the other students, made a gesture like ‘I’ve had enough’ and said, “Absent!”. I stopped him before he left class and asked him to stay. I indicated a seat in front of my desk. “Please, Donut, I would like you to stay in class.” He acquiesced and I addressed the class. “I don’t speak Thai, but I can tell when someone is being mean to another person. Not in my class.” Later, when I was teaching them “What’s he like?” and eliciting answers with regard to different students, I had to give them another speech. They didn’t have any trouble answering properly when I asked about other students, but when I asked about Donut, they said things like “fat” and “sleep”. “Try ‘smart’ or ‘intelligent’ or ‘artistic’. He has better pronunciation and grammar than most of you and you can take a lesson from him.” I couldn’t abide bullying when I was in school and I especially won’t stand for it now that I am in a position to do something about it. Patricia reported it to Pi Len later on.

Next week on Thursday and Friday, we will all be at the sports stadium all day, both days watching the students compete in different sports. They started competition today. I think they were elimination rounds. Wasn’t able to get that clarified. Anyhow, spent a good portion of the afternoon outside cheering on my team (Marketing) in volleyball and chair ball. Two teams, one ball, two students standing on chairs at either end holding baskets over their heads and two ‘goal tenders’. Basically, you can pass the ball but the person in possession can’t take any steps. When you shoot, the idea is more to get it in reach of the person with the basket so they can catch the ball. Of course, the tallest girls were the goal tenders.

I am fairly certain that most of the boys playing volleyball had never actually played it before. But I tell you what, that didn’t stop the Foreign Language students (and teachers) from screaming their little lungs out cheering. I had to move over twice because I was being deafened. They thought it was hilarious when I would move to another table.

Found out from Zsa Zsa (head of Marketing) that our department is having tees made for the teachers to wear next week. Thank God! I can’t imagine having to wear dress clothes outside all day. She asked me what size I would need. I was going to say ‘large’ but she said, “I think XL, like me.” She also said I could wear pants or capris (something casual). I asked about foot wear. She pointed to the students’ Chuck’s. I knew I should have brought my Converse with me. So, now I have to go shopping for non-dress shoes. I called Mike in to my office later and asked him where I could get Converse. He said at Diana, 4^th floor. I explained the situation. He told me, “Teacher, I take you when have time.” I asked when. He told me that on Friday after school we could go shopping. Yay! I’m really looking forward to it!

When the students were done with sports, they practiced their ‘cheerleading’. Basically, they sat in rows and practiced different cheer songs (including the national anthem) and clapping in rhythm. Five of the girls did actually have a standing cheer routine. One of my students, First, is the leader of the group whole group. Man, that girl has some lungs on her! And she is a task master. But with cheer.

Side note: ‘fat’. I have been teaching my students alternatives to saying ‘fat’. ‘Curvy’ for women, ‘husky’ for men, or ‘heavy’ for either. I’m sick of hearing them call students ‘fat’. They aren’t allowed to use the word in my classes. Especially when they are talking about a girl who is probably only a size 8. Fat?! Really? Come on now. One of my students, Fon, said, “If she’s fat, she’s fat.” I said that I understand that, but there are nicer ways to say it.

I was sitting with Zsa Zsa and a couple of the other marketing teachers while the girls were practicing. I let her know that I think I needed ‘L’ and not ‘XL’ in the tee shirts. I explained that my ABA shirt and my batiks make me look larger than I really am. They aren’t terribly flattering. She got a mock-hurt look on her face. The other teachers said she wanted someone else to wear the same size as her.

When the teachers found out my age, they gasped in disbelief. And Zsa Zsa said she was jealous. “You look so young and so light skin. I will get fat and black.” They tend to say ‘black’ instead of ‘dark’ or ‘tan’. I explained the difference. She is all of 36. I told Zsa Zsa that she was curvy and tan. And that, in America, women clamor to get her skin tone. Pay money for it. She said she needs to marry a white man and move to America. She is also self-conscious about her age.  I guess the students call her ‘mother’ or ‘auntie’ instead of ‘older sister’ like they title the other teachers. I told her that I will call her ‘Pi Zsa Zsa’. She said, “Oh, thank you, my friend!” and shook my hand. I love her to pieces.

Hello, my name is Robyn. I’m the Self-Esteem Fairy of Thailand.