In the summer of 1999 I travelled to Chaiyaphum province with CANHELP Thailand ostensibly to build a school house. The actual building of the school house was conducted by Thai contractors while the thirty Japanese delegates (I was the only non-Japanese in this group) provided menial labour and cultural exchange for the students and community.
It was a joyful trip as we joined the school children and teachers in work, games, and recreation. The boys’ amazed us with their dexterity at Sepak Takraw, similar to volleyball but played with a rattan ball and feet only, and after a sweaty game we jumped in the swimming hole behind the school yard.
An experience I cherish is when the young Thai students humbled me. Working on the foundation for the school house I came upon an ants’ nest, which I proceeded to vacate viciously. On my upswing, a gentle hand grasped my shovel. The young girl, her peers looking on from behind her, simply said “No. It’s OK.” in English. I was ashamed because I remembered that the majority of Thais are Buddhist, and as such they believe in reincarnation and respect for all life. My barbarian attack on the ant nest was an affront to their culture.
The young Thai girl taught the towering farang a lesson in the appreciation of life and respect for diverse cultures, an lesson that would not have been learned poolside at the Hyatt Phuket.
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