Elderly Temple Visit - Let's Exercise Together!

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Today was our last day of clinical in the community and we attended an elderly group at a local temple for their weekly Thursday meetings in the morning. We arrived at 9 am and participated in their morning ceremony, which included raising the Thai flag with their anthem, praying with Buddha and worship, sharing goodness or good thought, and a morning “walk” swinging our arms and marching around the temple. This was fun yet confusing, the BCNC professors weren’t attentive to the fact that we couldn’t understand and had no idea what was going on! The PT student from Chiang Mai University and she helped us when she was available. When I first arrive, they asked for a volunteer to help with taking blood pressures and pulses. I was hesitant but volunteered and I was so glad I did! Each elderly person came up and gave me their medical file and I strapped the BP cuff on their arm while I recorded the values for their weight, BP, and pulse according to the findings. This was very difficult and a worker there had to help me write the Thai as I filled in the numbers, which are thankfully universal! Each lady was smiley and many giggled to know a foreigner was there to help. It went well and I enjoyed myself and making communication nonverbally and through a universal smile. We listened to them say their rituals and prayers and songs in Thai, all acapella, and they were beautiful! I felt blessed to listen in. The celebrated the week’s birthdays and as one of their teachers is leaving, had a ceremony for her. We got to watch them tie white stings to her wrists and say nice things to her, I was happy to get to see this traditional piece of Thai. You can tell this elderly generation respect and produce more traditional cultural ties than the generations after, like our buddies. The culture, tradition, and history of Thailand is very important to them! We concluded the time with Melissa and Victoria leading an exercise class and this melted my heart. Watching these able bodied, (very flexible), elderly women and men follow along, laugh, and enjoy themselves made my day.
We headed back to BCNC and participated in Sport’s Day with the BCNC students and our Thai buddies. This turned out to be a much bigger deal than I imagined and I had a great time. We were separated into orange and blue shirted teams and got ready for the events planned. My buddy Meji was an MC again with Few and they got to kick off the time. Suddenly the drums started and all the students were participating in cheers, yet nothing like the Messiah soccer game cheers! These are full-body dances that are faced paced and almost a challenge between the teams. For being a more reserved, respectful people, the students were loud and screaming, giving the cheers their all! I was so surprised at this yet enjoyed it thoroughly and participated as much as I could follow. It was a blast! The games were fun and creative, including more relay type games. The prizes were all snacks and I tried my best to distribute the love amongst our orange team. One note about packaged snacks, they are abundant and quite flavorful. The Thai love for spice and mixing of flavors is seen in the snacks and can be quite interesting in comparison to our milder versions. I have missed cheese flavored snacks and haven’t been able to find a Thai snack that compares to this, yet I did find good ol’ potato chips. The event was more dancing and cheering than I anticipated, but wow what a time!
That evening we looked forward to doing an activity and got permission to go out shopping at the Central Plaza area where a night market was with lots of additional food and stores. The Thai professors set us up with a Tuk Tuk red car and it came, we piled all 13 Messiah students plus our 3 friends from Messiah and just barely fit. Having the experience of being independent was good for us and we were able to coordinate with the driver when and where to be picked up and how much it cost. I got a few souvenirs and snacks and enjoyed watching the people. This was a touristy area and that showed in the clientele, mostly European and Chinese. I noticed they are more willing to pay full price as I overheard conversations with the vendors. I feel more me it is still worth trying to barter and get the right price, though I have often accepted a price just for less hassle. It is a game that is awkward for me to play, yet my buddy Meji did very well with. I have noticed the Thai students get a better price and can barter well, although some want to avoid conflict and avoid bartering. I always wonder those who don’t play prices on their items, if they mark up the price when they see a foreign face. I am sure of it.

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