On this day we went to learn Thai boxing techniques from actual Thai boxers, which was very exciting. I actually misunderstood what were we going to do before we went there. I thought we were just watching the boxers. My confusion led to me sweating too much in an outfit much too nice for exercising in. As someone who literally never works out, I had so much fun. I knew next to nothing about any type of boxing, but I learned that Muay Thai is considered the “art of eight limbs” because they utilize their elbows, hands, shins, and knees. Learning from the teachers challenged me mentally and physically. I enjoyed this experience so much that I plan to take classes back in the U.S.

On this day we went to a temple to speak to two monks and learn even more about Buddhism. It was a very interesting experience. We learned about different buddhist values and the daily life of a monk. Prior to coming to Thailand I had not know that all the men in Thailand are required to spend three months as a monk. At the temple we also met a Canadian monk who had came to Thailand to become a monk and had been practicing for seven  months. At the end of the discussion they also taught us to be mindful of the present/our body through meditation. They had us just focus on our breathe as they read excerpts of Buddha’s teachings. Meditation was a very calming experience that I would benefit from practicing more often.

I had some of my favorite foods in Thailand on this day. For the past two weeks we went to the same restaurant, which my group all became very attached too. I had some veggies with gravy, which I wish I knew how they made it because I could not get enough. After that we went to Lam Lukka hospital to teach the staff English. Here they gave us these squishy rice balls made with coconut and banana. It was delicious.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

While we were at the hospital we taught the staff how to tell directions. Between teaching the children English and the hospital staff I realized just how difficult learning English is. I always knew we had difficult grammar to learn, but I never realized how tricky just distinguishing words from each other can be.
Regardless, the staff picked up quickly and we were able to have some conversations with them, which my group and I enjoyed.

We once again started our day at the school. My partner and I had the children split into teams and we would hold up a flash card of an item and say (for example) “find 12 blue shoes” and the children would scurry around the class to be the first team to complete the task. We also taught them to count to 30, after they previously only knew up to 11. After the lunch the girls came up to me and asked me to play volleyball with them. This was a really cute experience and I was happy our group ate with the kids and stayed for recess.

 

After the school we went to a location called the Heaven and Hell Temple. I really enjoyed this place. The purpose of the temple is to teach children (around 12-13) about the different levels of Heaven and Hell. So as we went through “Hell” we saw all the different sins one could commit and the punishment for them. Afterwards, we went through Heaven, which had these extremely narrow stairs to symbolize that getting to Heaven is tough. I learned a lot about Buddhists’ beliefs about the afterlife through this activity and speaking with my tour guide.