Being away from family during the holiday season is never easy. Since I am currently teaching English abroad, I not only missed the holidays with my family but had to work on Christmas. It was a strange feeling and very different from what I am used to, but Christmas in Thailand turned out to be an eventful day that I won't soon forget!
School Christmas Event
I woke up on Christmas day not to presents underneath the Christmas tree but my alarm telling me to get up and go to work. I wasn't sure what to expect but a teacher at the school had warned me that the staff liked to dress up. I donned a red dress and a santa hat and headed out to see what Christmas in Thailand was all about.
Every morning, Thai schools have an assembly where they sing the anthem, sometimes pray, and make announcements for the students. The assembly on Christmas turned into a fun event that lasted for hours!
When I arrived, I was grabbed by a teacher and brought to sit front and center at the assembly. I was happy to have a front row seat for the festivities but little did I know how much I would be involved. A Thai teacher came out and spoke to the kids and then handed a microphone to me and the high school English teacher with no explanation. We awkwardly went on the stage and greeted the students, wishing everyone a Merry Christmas! We asked if they were excited to see Santa and if they had been naughty or nice… all we got was silence and blank stares. The Thai teacher then came up to us and instructed us to sing. Ummm… ok? We sang ‘We Wish You a Merry Christmas' for the 2,000 people present and then looked at each other, laughing. We were soon joined by a student in a Santa suit, who we forced to speak and say ‘ho, ho, ho.' The poor kid was sweating so badly in the 90 degree weather and did not look like jolly Saint Nick. At this point we sat down for the next part of the show.
After our awkward introduction, some students came out dressed in Christmas outfits to explain Christmas to the students and staff in both English and Thai. They talked about how it is a public holiday in many countries and shared some of the traditions associated with it. Once they shared the facts, they brought out giant vocab cards and taught words like ‘bell,' ‘sleigh,' and ‘reindeer' to the students, having them repeat the words and spell them. Very educational!
Next up – singing and dancing! Students filed out to sing a Christmas carol, and the other English teacher and I were forced to stand up and dance in front of all the students. We were joined by other staff members and the kids all screamed like it was a rock concert. So funny.
Afterwards, the director of the school came out to hand out some presents to the teachers! I received a nice pencil case in purple and white (the school colors). Before receiving my gift, I made sure to wai ( a Thai bow to show respect), and then pose for a picture.
Before we could sit back down, the other English teacher and I were handed a microphone yet again and told to ask Christmas questions to the students. ‘Ummm… what kind of questions?' Starting with the youngest students, they wanted us to ask questions in increasing difficulty about Christmas. One student from each grade would come up to answer and if they got it right, they would get a gift. We asked questions like Who is the man in the red suit?, What color is a Christmas tree? and What does Santa ride in to deliver presents? Every student got it right and soon we were handing out gifts.
Seated once again, we got to enjoy some more dancing, gift giving, picture taking, and lots of Christmas cheer. At the very end, I was asked to come up to receive a special gift from the assistant director (a picture frame and another pencil case). It was really nice to be honored and appreciated.
The rest of the school day passed normally and soon it was time to go home and continue the festivities!
Christmas Caroling
My agent had invited me and a few other teachers to a special Christmas event he was hosting, so after work I headed to his office. He gave me a shirt and then told me and the other teachers to meet him at the night market, which is held every Friday and Saturday night. Once there, we gathered with students from one of the schools who would be singing Christmas carols for the people. We wrapped ourselves in tinsel, put on Santa hats, and then paraded through the market wishing everyone a Merry Christmas. Two of the teachers dressed up like Santa Claus and Mrs. Claus; both were a big hit with the kids we saw in the market and even some adults. Our agent's office had prepared little bags of snacks for us to hand out as gifts, which was really fun.
Christmas Dinner
One of my favorite restaurants in Songkhla is called the Secret Garden. It has delicious food and is tucked away on a side street in a walled garden. When I eat there, sometimes it doesn't feel like I am in Thailand at all. The owner of the restaurant had previously invited us to come for a traditional Christmas dinner. We had quickly agreed, knowing that we would be missing the food almost as much as our families back home.
When we arrived, the table was beautifully set. The owner greeted us and soon had out appetizers of almonds followed by pickles, prunes, toasted homemade bread and pate. This was followed by mashed potatoes, brussel sprouts, and roasted ham. We washed everything down with Christmas punch and mulled wine, which was divine. For dessert, we were invited to choose anything from their dessert cabinet. I went with the Apple-Blueberry Crumble – yum!
After dinner we were all so stuffed, we couldn't do much else besides go home, shower, and watch Christmas movies. An excellent end to a non-traditional, but very merry Christmas in Thailand.
Ice Skating
The day after Christmas was a Saturday. In order to keep the holiday mood going, my boyfriend and I drove into the neighboring city where they have an ice skating rink in the mall. Called the ‘Sub Zero Ice Skating Club,' this rink helped us to feel the holiday spirit on a 90 degree day.
Even though my Christmas wasn't what I am used to, it still was full of Christmas cheer and lots of love. The Thai people certainly know how to put on a great show and share their appreciation of people. This is not a Christmas I will forget!
Are you living abroad? How did you celebrate Christmas? Share in the comments below!