Previous Challenge Entry (Level 3 - Advanced)
Topic: HANDIWORK (01/14/21)
-
TITLE: A Day of Cultural Differences | Previous Challenge Entry
By John Custer
01/18/21 -
LEAVE COMMENT ON ARTICLE
SEND A PRIVATE COMMENT
ADD TO MY FAVORITES
I had witnessed a May Day competition in a Northern Thai village which was comprised of Tug-of-War, flag pole games and other similar games.
When I was told of an inter-high school competition near Chiang Mai that I was not only invited to attend, but also asked to drive the students to, I was excited and wanted to see how it compared to the village competition.
I had driven a school bus for several years in the US. My experience, however, was not a factor in selecting me to drive. Owning a truck, was. What made me nervous, however, was that the students wanted to sit on the sides of the bed as they usually did when traveling in a pickup.
The reason why this is noteworthy is because Thailand is not a litigation society as compared to the US. If someone gets hurt, they generally do not even think about suing. That affects the risks that they are willing to take, but that was a difficult adjustment for me to make.
Ultimately I agreed to them sitting on the sides with one stipulation: I would not let them sit on the tailgate. The ride was otherwise uneventful. Since there were no school busses in Thailand, I had little choice but to adapt to their culture.
Back to the competition, the students were graded on their handiwork skills, such as fruit-carving, sewing, woodworking, poster making, dancing and several more.
Allow me to comment on the fruit carving group first. Each student was given a small watermelon and a place on the ground to work, with no tables or chairs. They used small knives. As they carved they had to be aware of balance, symmetry, design and beauty. The completed entrees were beautiful. I was amazed that their skills were that developed. The closest skill to that in the US is carving Halloween pumpkins, hardly a comparison.
These skills would be very useful if they were to obtain a job in a Thai restaurant.
Then I wandered over to where the students were competing in dance.
Thai tourists most often go to a Cultural Center where they are fed a Traditional Thai meal followed by various Thai dances. There are 13 tribes in Northern Thailand and each one has its own dance and dress. Many times the program features all of the dances. An evening at a cultural center is quite enjoyable and these dance students were being trained to work in these centers.
Most tourists to Thailand also visit a wood working facility and buy something carved from Teak wood. It may be something small like a miniature elephant or a large piece of furniture with intricate carvings. I enjoyed watching the students work, sitting on a small wooden stool with a chisel and a hammer. The students were learning this trade.
Other tourists buy a tailored suit or dress. Therefore the sewing competition was a very practical way of helping the students hone their sewing skills.
The competition was helping them qualify to obtain jobs in their field, and notibly different from the competitions I had witnessed in the US.
As I took the students home that afternoon, I shared in their excitement as they showed me their awarded certificates.
I didn’t receive any certificate that afternoon but I left with a sense of satisfaction that no one fell out of my truck. I also took home with me memories I will never forget.
The opinions expressed by authors may not necessarily reflect the opinion of FaithWriters.com.
Accept Jesus as Your Lord and Savior Right Now - CLICK HERE
JOIN US at FaithWriters for Free. Grow as a Writer and Spread the Gospel.
