Free time and no pressure. Oh those were the joys of an easy life! These were things one could only really appreciate after directly experiencing the opposite. And this was the case for Pancho. After those two tremendous weeks of endless training and fatigue culminating in an epic crescendo Pancho was overjoyed to be able to savour normal life once again. That sweet bliss of not constantly operating at breaking point. An occasional challenge was quite welcome, but Pancho had realised that too much was just a constant drain on energy.
Despite having been additionally strained by having to work the normal 8 to 9 hour day at school, Pancho secretly admired the zeal that some professional athletes upheld. Training that hard took much of the joy out of the sport. As it is with all things, clever Pancho knew that moderation and relatively frequent variation of lifestyles was what maintained joy and pleasure in any activity. Pancho was no fool after all. But he realised this more than ever now that he did not have to wake up at 5:30am any longer. He was not tired throughout the day nor saw teaching as a burden (he actually started enjoying it again). And he could spend his evenings in a more relaxed manor than training hard for several hours and then going straight to sleep. Pancho literally felt as free as a kite.
Part of this freedom however also included having to attend to other duties once again from which he was excused before. One of these duties, which was in fact quite interesting and provided this variety necessary for an interesting life, was taking part in activities that constituted the everyday Thai country lifestyle. Pancho was invited to help in the rice harvest for a day (or more if he wished. Somehow he was not convinced this would be the case though).
So early on a Monday morning (it was holiday time, or rice harvest time for all those who had a farm to attend to) one of the family workers, who had 2 weeks off to harvest rice at his own parents’ farm, came to pick Pancho up. His parents’ place was in the proper country side, where if the roads were ever paved, they looked like the surface of the moon, with hundreds and thousands of potholes. Dirt roads passed through acres and acres of yellow rice fields waiting to be harvested. The worker’s (Jack’s) farm was situated on one of these dirt roads. It was surrounded completely by rice fields and several palm trees that provided shade from the blistering sun. The farm consisted of the animal pens under traditional straw roves and an additional structure with the usual corrugated iron roof found in Thailand. It was perfectly quiet here except for the incessant crow of the cocks in the yard (Pancho found this quite annoying at times, especially when they would start crowing in the middle of the night). After having had a small second breakfast or brunch Pancho and Jack started out. One wore long sleeved tops and trousers in order to be protected from the sun. Additionally a wide rimmed hat was good. Pancho was given an umbrella hat, which literally looked like he was wearing an umbrella on his head. It suited him fantastically. Initially Pancho needed some time to get accustomed to handling the sickle and grabbing the bundles of rice but soon he was just about as proficient as Jack or his parents. A master of the universe would obviously not find any trouble in such a measly little exercise. Despite being convinced of the ease of the task while they had started in the shade of a tree, after a while it was inevitable to be working in the sun. Within minutes Pancho’s shirt was soaked through with sweat. A bucket of ice water stood ready to provide the necessary refreshment, for drinking.
Pancho was a type of person who liked to get on with work and get things done. He had so many splendid plans for life and the world that he could not help working extremely efficiently. Rice harvesting and the general farmer’s life, as he found out were not compatible with such a mindset. The work of harvesting, then threshing and whatever else was needed was never ending. The only difference was that things worked in the rhythm of the seasons. There was no use in rushing to finish something if in the end one would just have to wait around. So work went on but at a pleasant pace. There was no use in getting tired out. There was no use in finishing faster as tomorrow would be just the same as today or yesterday. Pancho felt that he needed some kind of goal to work towards which made him realize how life must have changed dramatically for people in so called civilized countries. Going from the agricultural society, where all things got done in their proper time to a high pressured working environment where nothing could be completed quickly enough. Why was this? Why couldn’t the completion of a project take as long as it took? Why did the profit motive have to drive everything to more efficiency when really there was not really that much difference between having a 21 inch or 50 inch TV. Is it not the way you spend your time more important than the way you spend your money? It was just an interesting observation for Pancho to make while bending over, cutting rice till his left hand was full, placing the bundle on the floor until 5 bundles were heaped up and then starting the next little accumulation.
After lunch Pancho felt incredibly sleepy. The heat was stifling and no breeze came to refresh the workers so one after another they drifted off to sleep in hammocks.
When the sun had lowered slightly and lost some of its intensity, and Pancho had slept enough, work resumed for a bit before Jack decided to drive Pancho back home. He probably had had enough of cutting rice himself for the day. Despite a relatively relaxed speed they did get about half a field done. With a bout 15 more fields to go the whole procedure would most likely take a month. A month of work sounded long, but not if there wasn’t any stress involved. In the end Pancho was actually not that tired at the end of the day. Despite not wanting to be a farmer in his future, how could one if one was destined for greatness...he saw the benefits of such a lifestyle.
But Pancho did not have this lifestyle, even if he had wanted to. This week should have actually been a holiday. But as Pancho had already learned, in rural Thailand one takes it easy during work and when holidays come around one isn’t too shy to dedicate a little time towards said work. So Pancho was booked out, especially to go to other schools and teach there or support them in their teaching of English. He wasn’t all too happy about these circumstances. Who would be about having to give up official holiday time, which Pancho would have of course used extremely efficiently and wisely without the slightest procrastination. But there was nothing to be done. With his incredible intellect he managed to realize that despite being THE superstar he was he couldn’t exactly go prancing around demanding things. He had come to Thailand to offer the people some of his goodness, some of the abundance of his greatness and in a good cause holidays did not exist. As one of his favourite artists once said (He had been shot before a concert and still went on with the performance) "The people, who were trying to make this world worse... are not taking a day off. How can I? Light up the darkness."
So Pancho submitted to these proposals with a smile.
On one of these trips he was in his coordinator’s car just passing through Ubon Ratchatani. The school they were visiting was not exactly close. Just as they were passing through the center of town the engine tied. Immediately Pancho’s hope lit up brightly. Did this mean they would maybe not make it? He would not have to teach some unresponsive class? His coordinator mentioned something about the battery having died. Pancho suppressed his smile (he was very good at looking serious when he wasn’t. In fact he found few things in life worth being serious about). But suddenly as they were all crowding around the bonnet a stranger appeared out of nowhere and asked what was wrong. After Pancho’s coordinator had answered he rushed off through the thick traffic pouring around the car blocking half the road. Before he had really noticed what was going the man was back and with dismay Pancho realized that he had returned with a new battery. The old one was replaced within seconds and everybody climbed back into the car. His coordinator pointed across the road to a car battery shop. This time Pancho cracked a smile of humour. What a situation. They break down and just happen to do it in front of the one shop that can fix the problem. Outwardly he was smiling as if being overjoyed that things had worked out, but inwardly he couldn’t help but curse such ironic luck.
In the end the teaching went well, the children loved Pancho as was to be expected and all was butter and cakes.
In fact Pancho had many more guest visits at other schools after and although he never liked them (Teaching classes for the first time was always difficult as one could never judge their level or commitment properly) he always felt rewarded afterwards for having offered the children something they would not get at any other time.
There were many foreign teachers in Thailand in fact but most of them taught at rich schools that did not need them quite as dearly as the poor country schools. When one had Thai English teachers that hardly understood any of the language it was evident that a foreigner could have a great impact. And if it was only for the students to hear what the language is really supposed to sounds like (Some Thai English teachers were impossible to understand). In the end, Pancho was fulfilling his duty and the fact that students nearly begged him to teach their classes was ample reward (though he did like receiving some kind of payment and liked his free time, and regretted the few classes that were so lazy that they did not bother to show up.)
Despite having been additionally strained by having to work the normal 8 to 9 hour day at school, Pancho secretly admired the zeal that some professional athletes upheld. Training that hard took much of the joy out of the sport. As it is with all things, clever Pancho knew that moderation and relatively frequent variation of lifestyles was what maintained joy and pleasure in any activity. Pancho was no fool after all. But he realised this more than ever now that he did not have to wake up at 5:30am any longer. He was not tired throughout the day nor saw teaching as a burden (he actually started enjoying it again). And he could spend his evenings in a more relaxed manor than training hard for several hours and then going straight to sleep. Pancho literally felt as free as a kite.
Part of this freedom however also included having to attend to other duties once again from which he was excused before. One of these duties, which was in fact quite interesting and provided this variety necessary for an interesting life, was taking part in activities that constituted the everyday Thai country lifestyle. Pancho was invited to help in the rice harvest for a day (or more if he wished. Somehow he was not convinced this would be the case though).
So early on a Monday morning (it was holiday time, or rice harvest time for all those who had a farm to attend to) one of the family workers, who had 2 weeks off to harvest rice at his own parents’ farm, came to pick Pancho up. His parents’ place was in the proper country side, where if the roads were ever paved, they looked like the surface of the moon, with hundreds and thousands of potholes. Dirt roads passed through acres and acres of yellow rice fields waiting to be harvested. The worker’s (Jack’s) farm was situated on one of these dirt roads. It was surrounded completely by rice fields and several palm trees that provided shade from the blistering sun. The farm consisted of the animal pens under traditional straw roves and an additional structure with the usual corrugated iron roof found in Thailand. It was perfectly quiet here except for the incessant crow of the cocks in the yard (Pancho found this quite annoying at times, especially when they would start crowing in the middle of the night). After having had a small second breakfast or brunch Pancho and Jack started out. One wore long sleeved tops and trousers in order to be protected from the sun. Additionally a wide rimmed hat was good. Pancho was given an umbrella hat, which literally looked like he was wearing an umbrella on his head. It suited him fantastically. Initially Pancho needed some time to get accustomed to handling the sickle and grabbing the bundles of rice but soon he was just about as proficient as Jack or his parents. A master of the universe would obviously not find any trouble in such a measly little exercise. Despite being convinced of the ease of the task while they had started in the shade of a tree, after a while it was inevitable to be working in the sun. Within minutes Pancho’s shirt was soaked through with sweat. A bucket of ice water stood ready to provide the necessary refreshment, for drinking.
Pancho was a type of person who liked to get on with work and get things done. He had so many splendid plans for life and the world that he could not help working extremely efficiently. Rice harvesting and the general farmer’s life, as he found out were not compatible with such a mindset. The work of harvesting, then threshing and whatever else was needed was never ending. The only difference was that things worked in the rhythm of the seasons. There was no use in rushing to finish something if in the end one would just have to wait around. So work went on but at a pleasant pace. There was no use in getting tired out. There was no use in finishing faster as tomorrow would be just the same as today or yesterday. Pancho felt that he needed some kind of goal to work towards which made him realize how life must have changed dramatically for people in so called civilized countries. Going from the agricultural society, where all things got done in their proper time to a high pressured working environment where nothing could be completed quickly enough. Why was this? Why couldn’t the completion of a project take as long as it took? Why did the profit motive have to drive everything to more efficiency when really there was not really that much difference between having a 21 inch or 50 inch TV. Is it not the way you spend your time more important than the way you spend your money? It was just an interesting observation for Pancho to make while bending over, cutting rice till his left hand was full, placing the bundle on the floor until 5 bundles were heaped up and then starting the next little accumulation.
After lunch Pancho felt incredibly sleepy. The heat was stifling and no breeze came to refresh the workers so one after another they drifted off to sleep in hammocks.
When the sun had lowered slightly and lost some of its intensity, and Pancho had slept enough, work resumed for a bit before Jack decided to drive Pancho back home. He probably had had enough of cutting rice himself for the day. Despite a relatively relaxed speed they did get about half a field done. With a bout 15 more fields to go the whole procedure would most likely take a month. A month of work sounded long, but not if there wasn’t any stress involved. In the end Pancho was actually not that tired at the end of the day. Despite not wanting to be a farmer in his future, how could one if one was destined for greatness...he saw the benefits of such a lifestyle.
But Pancho did not have this lifestyle, even if he had wanted to. This week should have actually been a holiday. But as Pancho had already learned, in rural Thailand one takes it easy during work and when holidays come around one isn’t too shy to dedicate a little time towards said work. So Pancho was booked out, especially to go to other schools and teach there or support them in their teaching of English. He wasn’t all too happy about these circumstances. Who would be about having to give up official holiday time, which Pancho would have of course used extremely efficiently and wisely without the slightest procrastination. But there was nothing to be done. With his incredible intellect he managed to realize that despite being THE superstar he was he couldn’t exactly go prancing around demanding things. He had come to Thailand to offer the people some of his goodness, some of the abundance of his greatness and in a good cause holidays did not exist. As one of his favourite artists once said (He had been shot before a concert and still went on with the performance) "The people, who were trying to make this world worse... are not taking a day off. How can I? Light up the darkness."
So Pancho submitted to these proposals with a smile.
On one of these trips he was in his coordinator’s car just passing through Ubon Ratchatani. The school they were visiting was not exactly close. Just as they were passing through the center of town the engine tied. Immediately Pancho’s hope lit up brightly. Did this mean they would maybe not make it? He would not have to teach some unresponsive class? His coordinator mentioned something about the battery having died. Pancho suppressed his smile (he was very good at looking serious when he wasn’t. In fact he found few things in life worth being serious about). But suddenly as they were all crowding around the bonnet a stranger appeared out of nowhere and asked what was wrong. After Pancho’s coordinator had answered he rushed off through the thick traffic pouring around the car blocking half the road. Before he had really noticed what was going the man was back and with dismay Pancho realized that he had returned with a new battery. The old one was replaced within seconds and everybody climbed back into the car. His coordinator pointed across the road to a car battery shop. This time Pancho cracked a smile of humour. What a situation. They break down and just happen to do it in front of the one shop that can fix the problem. Outwardly he was smiling as if being overjoyed that things had worked out, but inwardly he couldn’t help but curse such ironic luck.
In the end the teaching went well, the children loved Pancho as was to be expected and all was butter and cakes.
In fact Pancho had many more guest visits at other schools after and although he never liked them (Teaching classes for the first time was always difficult as one could never judge their level or commitment properly) he always felt rewarded afterwards for having offered the children something they would not get at any other time.
There were many foreign teachers in Thailand in fact but most of them taught at rich schools that did not need them quite as dearly as the poor country schools. When one had Thai English teachers that hardly understood any of the language it was evident that a foreigner could have a great impact. And if it was only for the students to hear what the language is really supposed to sounds like (Some Thai English teachers were impossible to understand). In the end, Pancho was fulfilling his duty and the fact that students nearly begged him to teach their classes was ample reward (though he did like receiving some kind of payment and liked his free time, and regretted the few classes that were so lazy that they did not bother to show up.)
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