Sports Day

One more post before the pictures/stories from our travels...this is about Sports Day, which was on the same day as the Monkey Temple.
After returning from the Monkey Temple, we enjoyed a traditional Thai lunch with our fellow teachers. After lunch, it was time for sports day. Sports Day began with a parade featuring each of the schools. We were quickly enlisted to march in this parade, so we headed over to where the rest of our school was standing.  Some of the other schools had really gotten into this portion of Sports Day and were dressed up in all sorts of ridiculous costumes – including a man with white paint on his face and a big brown afro wig, and another group dressed up as the characters from The Wizard of Oz.  Jon started taking pictures, and I was just hanging out talking to some people…when all of the sudden Moo, the music teacher, handed me one of the batons held by the drum majors who lead the parade.  Confused, I quickly tried to hand it back, then looked for anyone else who would take it from me…but no one would.  As a result, I ended up at the front of our school’s portion of the parade.  Luckily, there were two other “drum majors” and one was really into it, so it worked out, but it was still quite the adventure.

The three drum majors posing with our batons

Marching

Chiang Saen Wittayakhom teachers carrying our school flag

The directors watching their staff act ridiculous

           Sports Day started after the parade.  The first half was a set of ridiculous games that reminded me of the field day activities at Celia Clinton.  There was a hula hoop race, a water balloon toss, a three-legged race, and a group activity that involved using the bodies of the group to contract and expand a giant rubberband.  All of the activities were pretty silly, and everyone had a great time just goofing around.  We both participated in some of the activities, including a balloon relay race that we actually helped win!  Our teammates were so happy that I somehow got nominated to go collect the prize.

Water balloon in flight!

After the water balloon smashed to the ground...

Racing to victory!

Collecting the prize from one of the directors

Rubberband game

          The second half of sports day involved more traditional sports:  soccer, volleyball, and basketball.  These were more intense, and we both were asked to help our teams to victory.  I played volleyball with some of the women (volleyball was actually the only sport women played…hmph), and after losing the first game my team won the next two, and we won the match. Jon played basketball, but his competition was a little more fierce – the opposing team came out in matching uniforms and immediately targeted the farang.  Every time Jon’s team would get the ball, the opposing team would yell “farang, farang” and shut him down.  I didn't realize how serious this was until I saw the scratches and bruises on his arms the next day!
           When those games were over, sports day was over and it was time to feast!  We all sat at tables and were brought course after course of "Chinese-style" food.  Unfortunately for us, they consisted primarily of seafood courses, but we did our best to pick around the fish, squid, and shrimp, for any veggies we could find.  Fortunately, we were also distracted by the entertainment onstage - every school was required to prepare at least two performances for the other schools to enjoy.  This turned out to be pretty hilarious, as it included Peter singing (and I was asked to bring him a paper chain to put around his neck), and SEVERAL renditions of Gangnam Style, including one by our school.  

Jon & Peter posing at dinner.

Adding to Peter's necklaces

Our school's skit:  entirely in Thai, so we had no idea what was happening, but we knew it included our coworkers dressing up in school uniforms, and it ended with a Gangnam Style dance