Last night, Tim and I attended the funeral of one of our neighbors. Neither of us had actually met him, but we both knew his wife. She is the real estate agent who rented us the house in which we are living. She is a very nice woman, and we are deeply sorry for her loss.
Tim hit traffic on her way home from work, so we were a few minutes late to the temple. We sat on blue plastic chairs outside the temple. The temple had sliding glass doors all around it, so you could see in from the outside. It had been hot and muggy all day, so I was prepared to sweat profusely in my long sleeve black shirt and black pants. Thai's wear all black to funerals, although a while shirt is permitted with a suit. I was pleasantly surprised that there was a very nice breeze blowing the entire time, making it very comfortable.
Most of the ceremony involved the head monk giving a ceremony. His voice was very monotone, and of course he was speaking in Thai. Coupled with the pleasant weather, the monotone monologue in a language I do not speak make the perfect conditions for falling asleep. Fortunately, I was able to resist this temptation.
The ceremony was done in less than an hour, which Tim explained was pretty short. She also told me that instead of long monologues, a lot of funerals involved a lot of chanting. They did do a little chanting, and I have to admit, its almost hypnotic. The chanting is fascinating, even though I don't understand the words. Perhaps not understanding the words makes it more "mystic".
Another difference from most Thai funerals was the presence of a lot of foreigners. There are a lot of Westerners in our neighborhood who knew the widow and her husband. We even saw one of Nalin's teachers there.
Today is a bit happier occassion, as my brother-in-law Top is celebrating his 41st birthday. The group in which he belongs, headed by the fortune teller, is throwing him a party. I think I'll keep myself busy tonight by taking my camera and taking pictures.
I still remember the last party that I was at for Top some ten plus years ago. It was the final day of their wedding celebration, and they hosted 800 or so guests at a nice Bangkok Hotel. During part of the celebration, Tim and I stood with Top, Tam and the rest of the family greeting guests. I would smile and say "sa wa dee kab". Unlike the other people in line, I really didn't engage in a lot of small talk, as then I spoke even less Thai than I do now. Most of my time was spent smiling. By the end of the evening, I had smiled so much that my jaw hurt.
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