A Fantastic Farewell from Baan Nong Phue School

As in most Western cultures, Thai people hold a farewell ceremony for those leaving a school.  With the end of the semester, Baan Nong Phue was losing its Assistant Director Monthian, who was leaving to become the director of a school in Trat, in the southeast corner of Thailand near Cambodia and the Gulf of Thailand.  The school honored her in a ceremony on Tuesday, March 19th, and included a farewell for Mary and George since we don't expect to be back for the next semester.  But this farewell was unlike any we had ever seen before.

As we arrived at school in the morning, we saw students gathered on the field and we learned they were waiting for us to say a few words.  We told them how much we had enjoyed our time at their school and working with them.  Mary tested whether her instructions to her Prathom stuednts had worked by asking a question and seeing if their response would be to repeat the question or provide the answer.  She asked what school they go to and the students responded in loud voices, "We go to Baan Nong Phue School."  We applauded them.

Then students gathered around for pictures with us and their other teachers.

A part of the ceremony would be a traditional Thai dance by some of Baan Nong Phue's sixth graders in beautiful Thai clothes.  Here they are before the ceremony:

We sat with our friend Dang so she could tell us what was going on.  She is Thai but married Joe, an American, and they have spent most of the last 40 years in West Virginia raising their family.  They travel back and forth between their homes in WV and Isaan.  We were lucky they have been in Isaan while we have been here.  Joe kindly took most of the pictures you'll see in this post.

The School Committee Chair opened the ceremony with a prayer.

Student awards were presented.

 
Monthian presented a cash gift for the school to Director Sutipong.

The beautiful Thai dancers performed.

There followed a ceremony called, according to Wikipedia, Baci: "The ceremony is performed by a senior person of the community who has been a Buddhist monk at some stage, and special arrangements are made for the occasion. The practice involves preparing the pah kwan or the flower tray and placing at a central location for people to gather around it in reverential prayers. ... The paw kwan is elaborately prepared on a ... tray on which a cone or horn made of banana leaves is placed at the centre and is decked with flowers and white cotton and silk threads tied to a bamboo stalk as flags."

That's Monthian, George, and Joe (our great photographer for most of these pictures) -- Mary took this picture.  The man on the right did the chanting in the ceremony and we believe he is called a mor phon.


Even though George is getting older, he still feels pretty young until he's asked to sit on the floor.  Monthian could see how uncomfortable he was and asked a student to bring a chair and told George it was OK to sit on it.

String plays a big part in the ceremony; a big ball is circulated first among those close to the pah kran and then those in circles around them and each person loops the string over his or her hands and passes the ball along.

Those closest to the pah kran lean forward and touch it while the mor phon chants.  Those behind reach forward and touch the arm of the person in front so that they are connected.

Monthian, Mary, and George were given little bouquets to hold.  And we all listened to the mor phon chant (for quite a while).


The mor phon then attached a string to the wrists of Monthian, Mary,and George.  Again according to Wikipedia, "The white thread is symbolic of 'peace, harmony, good fortune, good health and human warmth and community.'"  The strings were wishes for our happiness.

Then teachers and students took their turns tying more strings on our wrists.

There were lots of special wishes for the lovely Monthian.

The younger students took their turn.  As the lines got longer and longer, we had tears in our eyes at the warmth they showed to us.

The middle school students came by on their knees and wai'd us.

There were flowers

and gifts, many gifts.

For Monthian

And for Mary and George from Sutipong on behalf of the school,

From Pitak and Tip (handmade by Pitak),

From Kanoklada,

From Thanorm,
















 From Wachinee and other gracious Baan Nong Phue ladies,

From other teachers and staff and from students.

Then we said good-bye and Wachinee translated for us.

 

We appreciate what all these wonderful people have done for us while we have been at Baan Nong Phue and will miss them so much!

There were many dignitaries present at the ceremony so we took the occasion as an opportunity to acknowledge a gift to the school from Stacey Swartz, co-owner and pharmacist at our own Neighborhood Pharmacy of Del Ray in Alexandria.  George had asked Stacey to send him some vitamins and other supplies, and Stacey graciously offered to send a separate box of first aid supplies for the school at no cost.  Thank you, Stacey and Neighborhood Pharmacy of Del Ray!

Mary laid out the flowers and gifts we were given so we could appreciate them all.  How gracious and generous the people of Isaan are!

 

Later that day we asked Moo at our coffee shop to take a picture of our wrists so we would remember all the good wishes we had from our dear friends at the Baan Nong Phue School.