by Dr. Iain
Corness
In
my lifetime I have met many interesting people, many crazy people, many
important people and successful people - but very few ‘good’ people.
Wannapa Wannasri (Khun Ju), the supervisor at the Education Department at
Pattaya City Hall is one of the latter few.
Ju has been with the city administration so long (25
years) that she jokingly introduced herself as, “I’m the godmother!”
She sits there at her desk, a small ‘bird-like’ figure, surrounded by
folders, files, and brochures, with a beatific smile for everyone exuding
an ‘aura’ you can almost see, and definitely can feel.
Ju was born in Surin, the southern part of the
northeast region, and is happy to be counted as an Esarn girl. Her father
was the local lawyer and he and his wife had seven children - all girls,
of which Ju is the second eldest.
She did her schooling in Surin, but was obviously of
the intellect to go further. Her father wanted her to follow him into the
law and then later into politics, but Ju did not want this. Fortunately
her father did not press the point and allowed her the freedom to follow
her own destiny. She entered Khon Kaen University and studied education
for the next three and a half years.
When it was time to leave the cloistered halls of
academia and put all her knowledge to use, she chose to come to Pattaya to
work. She explained this as simply, “Born in the north-east of Thailand,
we don’t have the sea. I wanted to see the sea.”
She started as a teacher in School No. 7, but was
snapped up by the new city hall administration to work in the Policy and
Planning Department. “I thought it would give me good experience as I
was only a teacher. I wanted to make it (Pattaya) better, so I opened my
books and started working.”
After two years in this department she returned to
education, but within the city hall again. There her work has expanded to
include tourism promotion, the Pattaya Festival and others, and ensuring
that mayoral policies are followed where they relate to her fields of
endeavour. That has thrown her into the public spotlight, and Ju is well
known as the Thai MC at multicultural functions. She is also one of the
clearest Thai speakers I have heard, and even I can differentiate the five
tones when I hear Ju enunciate them, but she has had no formal teaching in
elocution. “I practice by myself to read properly,” she said in that
self-effacing way which almost characterizes the woman.
However, her job description relates to the education
of children, and that is one arena that Ju really enjoys. “I love
working with children, and help them develop and become good people for my
homeland. I have the chance to do everything as a teacher of children.”
Since children meant so much to her, I asked Ju if she
had any children herself, and she opened her eyes wide and said, “No. I
have no children - I am single!” It was obvious that there was a
morality issue at stake here, not biology! It was interesting to review
her young life - in a large family of children, where she was the second
eldest, she was always with children, and these days she refers to her
sisters’ children when talking about her family.
During this time in Pattaya, she also took the time to
return to studies herself, going to Burapha University for two years to
get her qualifications in Educational Administration. Naturally she was a
good student then, and she is now also a guest lecturer at her old
university. Other organizations that she gives of her time for lecturing
and education include many private corporations and the Buddhism
Foundation, and Ju even gives instruction to the monks. She is, of course,
a very committed Buddhist. “Do everything good and you will receive
good,” she says, and that seems to be her mantra.
Concepts she holds dear involve her in Thailand, its
culture, wisdom, morals, Buddhism, the family and traditions. “I am
proud to be Thai,” she says with true feeling. She also is proud that
from her position as an educator she can help mould the young people
towards a better way. “I can help the community to grow strong.” I
asked her if she wanted to enter politics, as that could give her an even
stronger platform to influence the society. “No, I do not like politics.
You can love this nation in many ways and work for Thailand in many ways
too.”
She speaks of ‘love’ with complete sincerity. “I
can share my love for the community, and help make peace for the
community. Young people have to love their parents. This will give a
strong family. A strong family makes for a strong society, and a strong
society makes for a strong country.”
This apparently outgoing and almost extroverted person,
an educator and MC, is not however how Ju sees herself. “I have a
private life. I want to stay with my family. I want to write about life, I
want to write poetry. Everyone thinks I am an entertainer, a partygoer, a
public person. In truth I am a simple woman. I just want to support the
people at the front of the stage.” She does not seek or even want the
limelight.
Her father always said to her, “You can do it,” and
Khun Ju certainly has. However, remember the public persona and the
private person are two very different people. And both of them are
delightful! As a parting gift to me she shyly gave me a photograph of
herself. There she was, a happy little face in the back row, surrounded by
16 young children. Happy to be there, but in the background, preparing
everyone else to move into the spotlight. It was an uplifting hour to be
with someone of such humility.
