boom.

Today I got to experience a new part of Thai culture... a University Graduation! (Well, not the actual graduation, but the pre-festivities at Thammasat University!) Remember Supot, our Thai tutor in America? He introduced us, via facebook, to Air, one of his childhood friends. When we arrived in Bangkok, she took Claire and I on our first shopping excursion to JJ Market. And today was her graduation! She invited me to come and I'm so glad I was able to go and support her. 

Now, I don't claim to be an expert on Thai graduations... but I did notice a few differences I'd like to share for a cultural snapshot.

1. Lots of street vendors, selling lots of gifts! Balloons, stuffed animals, flowers, and graduation knick-nacks lined the streets of our 15 minute walk to Thammasat. Every street in every direction there were more things that could be purchased for the graduates.

[check out some of the balloon bunches!]

2. Lots of people. I've been to graduation ceremonies at decently large schools... this beat it. It was packed, everywhere. It felt like the BTS at rush hour, but as far as you could see, down every street and path.

3. Professional Photographers. Everywhere. I think that every graduate hires one. Not kidding. The photographer follows the graduate around and takes hundreds of pictures of them, them and their friends, them and their families, etc. I know this is true, because I think I'm in at least 50 of Air's graduation pictures-- It was an authentic graduation photo-shoot, props and everything.

[l-r: Eve, Air, Me, Faah]

4. Props. There were props and photo-set items everywhere! Giant stuffed teddy bears you could pose with, cardboard school buses you could "sit" in with your friends, cutout faces, people in costumes waiting for photo-ops... it was crazy! One girl's photographer brought colored balls and spread them out in the grass around her, and then had her hold a colorful umbrella while someone else blew bubbles and he took pictures.

 5. Boom. I wish we did boom? boomed? practiced booming? at American graduations! Or, maybe some schools do and I've just never seen it. I'm not sure how best to describe it, so watch this video and then I'll try to explain.

The boomers/boom team (I'm not sure how to appropriately use "boom" in all these contexts) usually all had some kind of unifying marker: matching headbands, capes, facepaint, etc. They would surround the graduate and perform some kind of dance/song/cheer. Many times they often brought props with them that the graduate could hold or pose with. The boom team could be friends/family of one particular graduate, underclassmen in the department of the graduates they were booming, or a charity. The charity boom teams would do unsolicited booms to unsuspecting graduates, and then the family of the graduate would donate some Baht to the charity. It's a great photo-op for the photographer, slightly embarrassing for the graduate, and all for a good cause!