2001’s Christmas break found the Urban Peasant as the
chosen one to lead 11 teenagers and one prior-preteen on a field trip to
Rayong.
A
little house on the prairie and a gang of 12 team builders
Luckily, Ben, a friend from Texas was passing through
Thailand on his way to Taiwan for his MA in Chinese literature, so he was
netted and taken along. And while the Urban Peasant is sipping green tea
and recuperating from the trip, Ben kindly contributed his summary of the
excursion.
A few days ago I had the good fortune to tag along on a
family holiday to Rayong with my Auntie Sue and eleven other members of
the Malhotra clan. The resort where we stayed was in a valley surrounded
by jungle-covered hills. They had a little man-made pond with paddleboats
and rowboats for rent, an underground chamber of fish tanks containing a
few large gray or white fish, a swimming pool, a trampoline, a restaurant
with good food and service, and everything was pretty much clean, correct,
and on time. It is my experience that these qualities are so rarely found
simultaneously in a single place that I would have to put them at the top
of a list of things I found remarkable about that resort.
Team
members measure the closest ball to the target in a game of “Petong”
On the other side of that coin, however, I can’t
think of anything else I would put on such a list because there was really
nothing else going on there. No beach, no hiking tours up into the
surrounding hills and aside from the trained ducks and fish in the man
made pond and the tougat who stopped by to sample a few of the moths
orbiting our porch light, no animals were to be seen. I suppose it would
be a nice place to go for somebody trying to get away from it all and find
a little peace and quiet, provided they aren’t too particular about the
whole breathtaking scenery and sunsets over the ocean kind of thing.
If any such person was indeed there when we were, then
I offer you my sincere condolences, because the Malhotra clan (plus one)
was LOUD and PROUD and fully engaged in their Team Building antics and/or
shenanigans. This was not a trip for parasailing or riding the inflatable
banana around the bay. We did not ride any elephants nor witness any
traditional dances or arts and crafts. We were there to foster cooperation
and get to know ourselves better through playing games and talking with
each other. As such, a more perfect location could not have been selected.
If I am going to write anything then for Auntie Sue, it will not be about
what I did or what I saw, but who I got to know.
Not
tai chi, but this is Ben teaching Alisa a trick or two in self defense
Asali, our youngest companion, receives the Soundest
Sleeper award for continuing to sleep in the middle of a tight circle of
nine huddled around him screaming the words to Jingle Bells to see if we
could wake him without touching him. He was also instrumental in the more
advanced rounds of charades by hanging from the pants of opposing team
members as they attempted to act out a movie title.
Marisa, a twelve-year-old super genius, speaks English
like she has been living in Seattle for sixteen years. When given the song
“From the Halls of Montezuma” (in a bare knuckled, no holds barred,
late night round of charades) she was ultimately undone by the clock after
successfully acting out the concept of the Emperor of the Aztecs to her
teammates. I was floored. I don’t think I would be going too far out on
a limb if I were to speculate that there are many U.S. Marines out there
who don’t know who Montezuma was - beyond the folklore that he exacts
his “revenge” upon tourists to Mexico who chance to drink the tap
water there. (He supposedly takes his revenge on modern visitors to Mexico
because he was betrayed and overthrown by Cortez and the Spaniards.)
Busily
carrying out the strategy, the winning team builds up their straw tower
Eddie, Marisa’s brother, was a silent contender. He
is full of surprises and bits of knowledge and ingenuity that saved his
team at difficult moments in our marathon charades sessions.
I need to confess at this point that from the early
evening until midnight or maybe even 1 or 2 o’clock on the second and
third nights we played charades, and a few of us are now totally hooked.
The first time we played Auntie Sue and her daughter Alisa were on the
same team. They must have a psychic link of some kind because usually
Alisa or her mother needed only to act out a few syllables and then just
stir the air with their hands as if to say, “Come on, you know what I’m
talking about.” And then the other one would guess correctly!
Asali
team is seen trying to weave their tower to life
While I am still on the topic of charades, I must
mention Dave. Dave, dude, you are the man! He has an encyclopedia of movie
and song titles in his head and he knows how to select exactly the ones
that are the most difficult to act out. With Marisa, he also helped design
a tower out of drinking straws that stood as tall as the ceiling. It was
moved into the front yard for posterity where I believe it survived most
of the night.
Auntie Jasmeet wins the super trooper award for her
participation in anything and everything the kids did. She folded herself
into the van preferring to ride there with all the “monkeys” than to
take a seat in the car. She also preferred to sleep in the room where all
the kids were than to have a room with the other Aunties. Auntie Jasmeet
was also seen in the swimming pool tossing around the ball with the rest
of us.
Vicky is a remarkably good swimmer and she was the star
of our brief game of monkey, or keep away, in the pool. It is a game where
the object is to keep the ball away from the person in the middle who is
called the monkey. Whenever she got the ball she would taunt the monkey
into coming to get it until the last second when she would toss it away.
Oh so cruel, Vicky! But I was in tears I was laughing so hard.
Alisa’s brother Eddy got stuck with some of the more
embarrassing charades titles (The Full Monty, and Do You Think I’m
Sexy?), but he stepped up to the plate and did his duty. What a cool guy!
Trampoline
by the lake trampled by five energetic jumpers
The quietest person of the group was our Aunty Nika,
who made sure that there was enough to feed us, the hungry energetic
monkeys.
Prince and Tony told the best jokes and devised the
sneakiest and most entertaining ways to cheat at the various games we were
playing. Prince also led us in Laughing Therapy. This is a new and weird
way of keeping fit by laughing using different vowel sounds to exercise or
stimulate different parts of the body: Ho ho ho for the belly, ha ha ha
for the chest and upper body, hoo hoo hoo for the throat and neck,
followed by hee hee hee for the face and mouth. The method is to laugh
loudly and fully (use the diaphragm muscles), and what is most odd, in a
slow even tempo, which sounds like the deep slow laugh of a fairytale
giant.
A
suppressed on the loose on the trampoline
So once again, to any who may have gone to a certain Rayong resort in
search of quiet contemplation, but instead were treated to the sounds of
our singing, screaming, and weird laughter reverberating and echoing
around the valley, I offer condolences, but no apologies. What the hell,
at least we know how to have fun!
Students
with their winning designs and teacher, Mr Alan Dighton.