January 2015 – Week 2

Thai people live in a perpetual state of party preparation. If it looks like they are going to go a week without a holiday, they’ll borrow one from the Chinese or, in a pinch, just make one up. This Saturday was wan Dek or “Children’s Day”.

I found out about it a little late in the game and asked my private students if they thought I needed to bring the kids anything special. They said, no their parents will get for them. Well that answers that question, so off to MUNCHKINLAND I went to get the 411 from the munchkins themselves.

Straight from the horse's mouth. If you want to know what's going on in MUNCHKINLAND Benz is who you need to talk to. — Straight from the horse’s mouth. If you want to know what’s going on in MUNCHKINLAND, you need to talk to Benz.

I’m working with some big personalities over there who know exactly what they want and within a matter of seconds they laid out the whole plan for the weekend with specifics. They said on Friday they want me to come to their dance recital at school and bring Oreos and BBQ Lays. Saturday they want to “make a party” with balloons and gum. Done. As it just so happens this is the perfect outlet for a donation from my aunt who has been know to invent reasons to “make party” herself.

I walked the munchkins home and was about to leave to go get started on the party prep when they ran back out with one last request. “Teacha can you look beautiful tomorrow?” I laughed and asked what do you think is beautiful? Again, they knew the answer immediately. “Lip red color, shoe (hand motion for tall)”. Parents are invited to the dance recital and they want to make sure mom looks pretty. Can’t be embarrassing my babies on their fictitious holiday.

They've requested lipstick before because they want lipstick smudges on their cheeks. — They’ve requested lipstick before because they want lipstick smudges on their cheeks.

I was less than thrilled about this makeup request first of all because, as later pictures will prove, Joe wears makeup better than me and he’s a 9 year old boy. Second because I had to acquire this altogether unflattering cosmetic which meant a dreaded trip to the Korean Beauty Supply. Ever since I purchased some “big money” face cream for my mom last fall, I’ve been on the owners radar as a VIP customer and potential wife for her grandson in Chicago.

I arrived to the dance recital all ladyboy-ed out and the munchkins were thrilled. “Ohhhhh Teacha so beautiful!” Crybaby had been saving me a seat by the other parents for hours, which I may as well just call a booth because it ended up seating five of us. It also served as home base for storing the children’s day gifts they acquired, a “Fisney” princess doll named Elfa, and an “Interchangers” robot. Don’t worry, we not copy.

I wanted to take a picture of the packaging on the toys but Benz had run down the battery with her 17 minute video capturing everything except the dance performance. Which, to her credit, was much more interesting. Turns out children’s dance recitals are long, boring, and loud in every country.