Once in a while, she will visit her mom and her niece who live in her 'old' house, where she grew up. They meet for Aerobics in the evening, a social gathering for the women in the slums, where they dress up according to the colour of the day ( They have a colour code for everyday in Thailand, Mon: Yellow, Tues: Pink, Wed: Green, etc...)
Its quite a fancy multipurpose hall, equipped with gym, playgrounds, basketball court, and park, built just right next to the slum. The land itself is enough for a hundred family in the slums, imagine how little space you need for a family.
I was quite confuse in the beginning, when I first saw the little niece, Phiaw. My friend keep saying that she is her daughter, but I know for sure that she is still single. An angel who loves to smile. Later on, I started to teach in the slums' kindergarten, and Phiaw is in my class. She is the little ambassador who will held my hands, goes around the slums introducing me as her teacher.
One day, we had a trip to the Night Market together with the kindergarten teacher. I was extremely amazed that they still have the movie screening with the old screening machine. She sat on my lap, (while myself on the rough ground ), drinking her favourite blue saft. Random kids stumbled upon her, and some recognised me as their "kunku" (teacher in Thai) , then they started their girls talk.
It was a movie about homosexual( its actually called "Metrosexual". A couple that is about to be married face challenges from the best mates trying to find out the real interest of the groom. Living in a conservative ambient here, I face conflict myself seeing them being so open when they talked about sexuality. Men are free to dress whatever they want( including dresses) yet they are extremely strict when girls are not dressed decently.
There is a joke in the movie that during the " Loi Ka Tong" festival ( which happens This coming Saturday, 24 of November.Everyone makes little paper boats to float into the river, they thank the river God and make wishes for the coming year) , 80% of the Thai women will lose their virginity. Then, I thought that it is a taboo to talk about Virginity, so I whispered to my friend, whether that statement is true. It became the top CNN news the next day in the foundation, and the senior staffs started to joke about it , asking who I will go to Loi Ka Tong with. So much of a taboo hey?
On the other side of the Market, there is this superstitious/religious ceremony. I recognized the Kuan Yin statue from the Chinese beliefs however abit reserved when I saw a 'living Buddha' sitting on a big chair, giving the people 'Words or Wisdom'. From what I understood, when he is touched, his soul will be shared with the person, and images of his /her future will be sent to his mind. I was smart enough to get away from the crowded long lines of people, who were patiently waiting for their turns.
The interesting day ended with me sending Phiaw back home to her grandmother. I was looking at the pictures on the wall. No sign of her family pictures. Cautiously, I asked.
A young girl met a young man. They were in loved. The young girl was pregnant. One month. No sign of the young man. The baby was raised up by her aunt and grandmother. No sign of her mom. The young girl is still out there, searching for love.
Nothing to be cautious about, she says, its normal. It isn't an issue of right or wrong; it is who and how to continue living.
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