Christmas Party in The Slums

Today, I was invited to a Christmas Party in the slums of Bangkok. Not quite the same as a chance to party with royalty, but of course I could not say no. The school where Wayne and Kelly work, supports a small nursery school in a slum area of Bangkok. School staff and friends were invited to attend the neighbourhood Christmas party, to distribute some Christmas gifts to the children. 

The slum was situated beside a canal, or more correctly an open sewer, and under an elevated railway track. Not exactly prime real estate, but then slums generally have to take what they can get. My mind conjured up scenes of abject poverty, grime, filth and questionable sanitation and safety. I was about 50% correct. One of the hosts told me that a recent fire had destroyed ten “homes” in the area, with the displacement of about 400 people. That illustrates slum living!

The nursery school was tiny, about five rooms, not very well equipped, and lacking any kind of amenities that would make you want to send your child there. The workers were truly saints as their working conditions included cramped, dirty and claustrophobic spaces. 

After a brief school tour, we headed for the community Christmas Party about a hundred yards down a “road” that was home to endless huge trucks bumping and belching fumes, avoiding kids and dogs as they passed by. We arrived at a fenced outdoor basketball court that now incorporated a stage with seating, some children’s playground equipment and three long metal tables. I had the feeling the I had seen this under-highway playground in the movie West Side Story. 

As we arrived, the highlight of the party - the food, began to be served. The lineup for supper that sprang up was endless with most guests carrying their own dinner bowl. On the serving tables, six monster cooking pots with a capacity of about 60-70 litres were filled, two with rice and the others with an assortment of stews, meat soups and an unidentifiable green broth.

The word that the food had arrived raced through the local jungle telegraph. Hundreds of people poured out of the surrounding hovels and headed for probably the best meal that they had had in months. The instant the giants pots were empty and scraped clean, the fenced area was practically void of adults, with only the children remaining.

The highlight for me were all the friendly little kids that were having a ball, as only kids can have, running around, chasing each other and having fun. Occasionally someone on a small foot scooter raced among the many legs, and some kids brought some liquid string and began spraying each other. It was harmless mayhem.

I was surprised that all of the kids were wearing “clean” clothes, fairly new and modern. The rips and tatters that I had envisioned were absent. If the party had been held in a middle class neighbourhood you would have never known you were in the slums. I saw no crying, no anger, no fighting and general only joy among all those present. 

After a couple of hours we escaped the loud music and excited children. Organizers slowly raffled (with free raffle tickets) about a hundred food and housekeeping articles like soap, tissues, milk and a single teddy bear, one by one. We never did get to hand out any Christmas gifts, but we were not the reason for the party, so I am sure no one missed us when we left. 

A rather low key evening that left me with a nostalgic feeling. I had again witnessed an occasion where those with so little in the way of material possessions can be happy and accepting and welcoming. In many ways it was an Advent moment that prepared me for Christmas a week away. It is times like this that reinforce what is really important in life and how blessed I am in so many ways. To share it with my grandkids in a dark, dim Bangkok slum will always be a poignant memory. Merry Christmas!