Sunday in Bangkok

This morning Tim Snyder and I met up with Father Nash and some of the Loyola students at the Hua Mark campus of Assumption University for Mass and breakfast.  The Hua Mark campus is Assumption's original campus and it is centrally located in Bangkok (as much as anything is centrally located here!).  It is now mainly a center for graduate studies.  The Loyola College students live on this campus and commute to the new Suvarnibhum campus near the airport.  Since the new campus is somewhat isolated, Father Nash arranges for our students to live in town in order to provide them with a richer experience of Thai culture and of life in Bangkok.  The students agree that that is the right choice.  I saw the modern building where the Loyola students live but have not been in it yet but the students I met with today say that their accommodations are better than their rooms/apartments at Loyola (so much for "Dorms like palaces!).

Mass was a very interesting experience for me.  Since I am an honored guest, I was the principal celebrant joined by Father Nash and Father Joseph, a Dominican priest from Vietnam.  The Mass was in English but almost no one in the very crowded congregation was a native English speaker.  I tried to speak clearly and to stick closely to the printed prayers.  At the sign of peace, the custom is to "wai" one another instead of shaking hands as Catholics in the US do.  This is gesture of bringing your folded hands to below your chin and then bowing slightly.  So first I bowed to the congregation and then to Father Joseph and Father Nash.  "Wai-ing" is a traditional form of greeting that I am gradually getting used to.  There is a subtle code of who initiates the wai (usually the person of inferior status) and how high to hold your folded hands (holding your hands higher than usual indicates recognition of highly exalted status.

We had lunch after Mass at a local restaurant "Oscar's" and the students walked me through the menu.  Oscar's is definitely not a tourist trap.  The food was simple and tasty, both Thai and American. Since I am finding that I really like Thai food, I was grateful to my table mates (Lizzie, Megan, and Kathleen) for explaining all of the Thai delicacies to me.  They did not even try to trick me into ordering the snakefish head soup!

After lunch, Kathleen, Colin, Steph, and Nicole took Tim and me to the Chatuchak weekend market for some souvenir shopping.  Acres of stalls filled with "bargains."  I wasn't too successful in my search but it was fascinating.  I was really touched by the role-reversal: the students were very concerned that Dr. Snyder or I not wander away and get lost and they had an extended discussion as to whether or not we were ready to make our way back to the hotel on our own or not.  I am happy to report that we were allowed to travel back on our own and did not get lost, well at least not very lost.

If there are any first year or sophomore readers, I hope that you noticed the comments that have been coming into this blog.  Bangkok alumni and current students love this program.  It seems that the current students would like to stay on longer and the alumnus who wrote in still cherishes the memory of this time in this great country.  As a matter of fact, I have never met anyone who regretted doing an international study program but I have met lots of students and alumni who regret deciding not to take advantage of the opportunity to live in another culture for an extended period of time.  Think about it and talk about it with your parents and advisors.

Note the photo of Father Nash with Kathleen and Stephanie in their King shirts at the top of this post.  Those shirts honor the Thai king on the occasion of his 80th birthday.  They really love the King in this country, in fact you can go to prison for speaking about the King in a negative manner.  Could be a good rule for Loyola College.  Also, there is specially designated seating on public transportation vehicles for the elderly, the infirm, and for monks.  That sounds pretty good to me!!

Finally, good luck to the students in Father Nash's Thai Politics course.  They take their final examinations tomorrow.

Take care,

Father Linnane

Comments

[Andrew Olesh]

Rock on Fr. Linnane! (And Dr. Snyder!) Way to shout out for international programs. Loyola is still standing, and we are praying for you.

Have a great rest of your stay and a safe return--

Andrew Olesh & Friends

[John Dougherty]

Glad to hear you didn't get too lost-- I feel like lost is kind of a constant state in Bangkok. But that, I believe, is an essential part of the adventure. Thank you for the kind words about Thailand alumni and our love for the program, the country, and the people-- mostly everyone else just thinks we're mildly obsessed (which is a pretty fair assessment, actually). I'm really enjoying this blog, and I hope that you and Dr. Snyder continue to enjoy all that Thailand has to offer. Peace, and chai yoh.

- John

[Parents of a BKK student.....]

Lots of parents have visited Bangkok this year, so we'll stay anonymous (for our own safety).

What a growth opportunity for these young adults. Most of us old adults would have never ventured to Thailand, let alone Laos, Cambodia, or Viet Nam. They will come home different people - better people.

Loyola is to be congratulated on such a fine program with such fine leadership.

Now, Fr. Linnane, show some courage and taste that snakehead fish soup. We all ate it! Ok, ok, ok, that's a lie, but it was worth a shot.

Enjoy Grandma's and "have a grilled cheese sandwich dear"........(if you don't know what that means, ask one of your students, they'll lovingly answer it for you).

Sawadeeka