I'm Kind Of A Big Deal

I don't know if you've heard, but I'm kind of a big deal. Seriously- I just got like 50 new facebook friends. Big. Deal. 


Let's back up. Last week, on my daily trip to Baanya's, I was startled when I walked into the cafe and a film crew was set up. Two super cool men, one rocking purple hair, were sitting on the couch and filming their gossip show. And obviously, they couldn't resist asking three farang to get in on the action. So- they gave us their opening line and filmed us saying it. I made my Thai TV debut and it felt so great. But...that was just a preview for the real superstardom I was to encounter. 


EP Night. EP Night has been talked about since they day I arrived at Sa-nguan Ying. It's a night where we celebrate the English Program and all of its achievements. It's a chance for parents to see what the students have done and for the students to be proud of themselves. And they deserve it! They are such hard-workers and a night of fun was just what they needed. 


The students in the EP have worked so incredibly hard, organizing performances, memorizing speeches and making sure this big event would pan out perfectly. Usually, the foreign staff is asked to put on a small performance...maybe sing a diddly, or do a little Thai dance to get a chuckle from the students. But, not us. We went big. Shea, one of the teachers, has a killer singing voice and had been asked to sing Bird's 'Too Much, So Much, Very Much,' which is one of the most popular songs in Thailand. About a week before EP Night, she informed us that aaaalll of us would have to participate in some way. I was all over the dancing. We studied the dance from the video, learned it, added some of our own moves, and practiced our little butts off (kind of). Ally, being such a cool kid, learned the Thai rap in the video and it...was....AMAZING. We kept the performance a secret and so when it was our turn to take the stage at EP Night, the kids went wild. It was a little nerve-wracking to perform a ridiculous dance in a ridiculous outfit in front of hundreds of people, including some of the higher-ups of the school, but I felt like a rock star. It was awesome and the kids loved it. 


Check it out!

Although I loved being a superstar for the night, the kids were the real stars. They worked so hard and put together really incredible performances. They looked absolutely adorable in their outfits and it was so nice to see them in this type of environment. They looked like they were having the best time, donning smiles from beginning to end. I had a lot of fun and I will definitely remember EP Night beyond it being the night I became famous. 

Don't they look so happy to be reppin' the USA?

Students made up and looking pretty to host

The Dancers

How cute are they?

How crazy are they? I love them.

Love.

* Please take note of how many peace signs are happening. I cannot stop. 

Oh Hot Damn, This Is My Jam.

Learning to embrace the Thai music scene has been a challenge. If you asked me back in November how I was finding the music, I probably would have shook my head in disappointment and whined about the lack of good music. Or, I would have sang the Loi Krathong song, because that was on repeat in my head for an obscene amount of time. Very unfortunate. But song by song, and then band by band, I've been discovering really, truly good music. Of course, I am one of the least judgmental people when it comes to rating music (my Itunes varies from Backstreet Boys to the Black Keys to Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat to Ludacris- and I genuinely think they are all very talented and amazing), so me crushing on some of the Thai pop stars should come as no surprise. 

First, it was Gun The Star 6 who came into my life. Some of the M2 students fawned over him, so I obviously had to stalk it out, to find out he was a looker with a voice of an angel (yes, that is an exaggeration), but he was good! He is the Thai Enrique. And then, thanks to some friends, I found out about Bodyslam and 25 Hours and Singular, and my world was rocked. These bands are huge superstars in Thailand because they own the incredibly popular 'punk rock' scene here. Although I can only understand about 12% of the songs, I really enjoy their music. There is a huge gang of these rock bands, that are uber-hipster and ultra-cool, whose faces grace the the advertisements of everything from Pepsi to whitening cream to a bird's saliva health drink (vomit). And the cool thing is that I've seen a few of them in live performances. Superstars are a big deal here, but they are more willing to play a free concert for a big event. I've happened to be in the right place at the right time for a few of these shows, and they put on really good performances. A few months ago I was lucky enough to go to the Legend of Rock concert (Thanks, Wat!) and I was so impressed with their rock n' roll skills. Between their smooth moves, soothing voices and harmonious beats, I was sold on Thai rock. 

Toon from Bodyslam. So cool!

Gun The Star...what a cutie!

When it comes to Thai rock, however, no one does it better than Carabao, the most popular band of Thailand. And it's well deserved- their music is the bomb diggity and loved by everyone. If their music comes on the radio, everyone around will raise their hands up in Carabao pride and sign along. 

Carabao

And then there is Bird. The man who defies age with his fit body and killer dance moves. I believe he is 53 years old, but he looks like he is in his 30s. His music has been extremely popular in Thailand for the past 25 years and he shows no signs of stopping. One of his more recent songs, 'So Much, Too Much, Very Much Right Now,' has not only consistently stayed in the #1 spot on the charts, but it has also managed to find its way into every. single. conversation. because of it's catchy beat and English phrases. Well done, Bird, well done. 


So, ask me now if I like the Thai music scene and my response will be much more enthusiastic. I can recommend bands and tell you my favorite songs of theirs. Heck, I can even give the songs to you because I own them. I happily put them on my Itunes so I can rock out to them in my bedroom when I'm bored (yea, that happens). I wonder how this music would translate in America, but for now, I'm quite content making up my own words and dancing like a fool to Thai music.  


Here are the videos for some of my favorites!