The flower arrangements were beautiful. Bright pink, red and yellow flowers were positioned among leaves which had been folded and intertwined to create impressive displays, which included a dragon, a heart, and birds. Students have lessons on how to construct such arrangements, as they are a traditional part of Thai culture.
While admiring the displays we fell prey to the Thai teachers, who used this as a photo opportunity to have their picture taken with ‘suay farangs’. Soon we were posing and smiling with one teacher after another, as they took turns to get in between us and get a snap before ordering their students to stand with us and do the same. One particular camp teacher with whitening powder clinging to his face was loving it, and practically pushed students out of the way to get in as many photos as possible! It’s strange, this feeling like a celebrity. I thought I’d hate it, but it’s actually quite nice feeling that you are somebody rather than nobody, with people interested in who you are and keen to connect with you. It makes me wonder how I’ll adjust to coming back home and blending into the background, walking down the street and no-one noticing me, just being a regular face among many.