Greetings from above earth! I am currently in flight from SLC to Portland where I have a layover and will then head to Tokyo en route to Bangkok. Delta now provides WiFi on some flights so i thought I'd take advantage of the free trial and blog from a different angle! :-)
I'm flying over the most magnificent snow covered mountains. They look so inviting from way up here! I'm tempted to book a snow trekking excursion to explore the beauties of the earth more closely. Snowshoeing across the powdery, marshmallow like snow or perhaps being pulled in a sled by dogs sounds so exciting!..but then I remember how frigid that would be and so I decide to enjoy the view from the warmth of the plane. How magnificent are God's creations!
I was a little nervous last night as I looked over all my purchases and gifts (a bed cover, new sheets, clothes, peanut butter, instant oatmeal, bath towels, etc.) and wondered if I could really make it all fit into my 2 suitcases! After some very strategic packing I made it work...but had a sick feeling that i was overweight. Upon arrival to the airport my fears were confirmed. I was 6 lbs over. I couldn't bear the thought of leaving behind the peanut butter so I found a way to fit it into the smaller suitcase which I then had to sit on to close and VOILA!!! I get to take all my happy new things!
Well...we are descending into Portland so I need to shut down. How fun to blog from the sky!
Shortly before I left the US to move to Thailand my little brother, Thomas, announced his engagement to Emily, a sweet, beautiful, talented woman that many of my family members had already had a chance to meet and grow fond of. Emily and Thomas have been friends for several years. Their friendship began before Thomas served as a missionary in Argentina. Emily wrote him letters while he was gone. He returned to the US and they continued their friendship. It was clear that Thomas was developing deep feelings for Emily but she decided that she too desired to serve the Lord as a missionary and Thomas supported her in that, knowing that she would return from the experience an even better woman...if that was possible, in his eyes. He didn't want to be a distraction to her, however, while she was focused on service to the people in the Midwest. Emily returned from her missionary experience earlier this year and the friendship that they had begun several years earlier picked up where they had left off and grew even deeper.
As you can imagine, I was so sad to think that I would not be able to attend my baby brother's wedding to be held on Dec. 22, 2009 in Salt Lake City at the temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. I would only have been in Thailand for 2 months and knew that the possibilities of being able to return to the US for the event would be slim to none. So, I said good-bye to my sweet little brother, gave him my telescope, my stereo system and my video camera as "wedding gifts" (actually they were just "spoiled baby brother" gifts) and I made the move overseas.
As time passed I heard that my supervisor preferred for people to take time off during the holidays since things in the office are typically slow and it was a great time to give people a much needed break so I approached her and asked if it was at all possible for me to also have some time off, despite being so new in the office. She not only said "yes" but encouraged me to take the time off. I sat down at the computer and began looking for a plane ticket to see if I would even be able to afford the trip. The prices I was seeing were more than I felt I could afford for a short visit. I sought help from a travel agency and the best they could do was to find a $2000 ticket....yikes! My hopes were melted in the reality that I would be unable to afford the luxury of being to Thomas' wedding and spending Christmas with family. With a prayer in my heart I got back on the computer and looked one last time to make sure it really would not be possible. To my surprise and absolute delight I found a ticket at what felt like a reasonable price and although I was unable to discuss this with my parents (as I am prone to do about just about every crazy thing I do in my life) I purchased the ticket and found it difficult to wipe the grin off my face!
It was several days before I was able to make contact with my parents and tell them the news. But I asked them to keep it a secret from my brother so I could surprise him. Keeping a secret in my family is no easy task! There are so many of us that someone is bound to slip up and accidentally leak the information. Knowing this I accepted the fact that Thomas would most likely learn of my intentions before I arrived. And to be sure that no one would accidentally post an "I'm so excited to see you" message on facebook, I also kept the information from my friends. I'm NOT a good secret keeper when it comes to my own news, especially when it comes to such exciting news as I had.
The night before I left I got a full hour of sleep after packing, showering and preparing for a 3:30 am departure! But I was sure I'd be able to sleep on the plane. During the 17 hours in flight sleep did NOT come! My mind was racing and my excitement allowed for no rest. I felt the headache that accompanies sleep deprivation and tried desperately to sleep but to no avail.
When I arrived to my aunt's house Friday evening after making a stop by my old office to say hello to dear friends, my niece, who also knew nothing of my arrival (had she known she would have almost certainly been unable to keep the secret) squealed and jumped on me. What a fun "welcome home!" that was! The Christmas spirit finally filled my soul as family and friends gathered around. And how thankful I was to be in much colder temperatures as are found in Thailand right now!
Last night I finally had the chance to see Thomas. He still knew nothing of my arrival although I was sure that the postings I had made to Facebookdropping slight hints of my upcoming arrival and the information my father sent out with details of the weeks events gave away the secret. Thomas was to arrive at my aunt's house shortly after many of us returned from a Christmas party in them home of my mother's sister. I waited with great anticipation and the excitement built as those of us at the house (my parents, sisters and nieces and nephews) discussed what his reaction might be. Thomas had been so disappointed that I would be unable to be to his wedding. Over the years as siblings we have developed a precious friendship. When he was young I would read to him, we would jump on the trampoline together and despite his declaration at one point that the reason he never obeyed me was because I "talk too much" we maintained our friendship. As the years passed and all the McConkie's married off one by one, it was Thomas and I that were left. There was solace in having each others company at family events where we would sneak off when the crowd became too loud or the discussions of each family's children became just a little boring. :-) As Thomas' relationship with Emily developed and the possibility of marriage became more and more obvious Thomas told me that it would be impossible for him to marry before I did since it just didn't seem right and HE wanted to be the last one! I thanked him for his thoughtfulness and encouraged him to follow his heart and marry the woman who had become his best friend although I knew that my relationship with him would change after his life changing event. I feel so lucky to have such an amazing little brother. He is the kindest, most thoughtful little brother a sister could ask for. Yes, it probably helps that he is my ONLY little brother. I love him so much and have to admit that it would be much harder to watch him move on with his life if I didn't love sweet Emily, his soon-to-be companion for life and eternity.
Finally, Thomas arrived to the house. The lights were low and placed myself on a Lazyboy recliner in the living room where he would enter to give out hugs to all in attendance. Those hugs were given and he walked by me to the fridge. We all giggled that he hadn't seen me. Several minutes went by and he became involved in other greetings and delivering updates to others in the room. "So, how was your day today?" I asked him. He began his reply as he looked in my direction and when he finally made the connection that it was me he was answering and that I wasn't "supposed" to be there his eyes widened and a very excited "HEY! What are you doing here?" belted from his mouth. As I lept up he swept me into his arm and off my feet (for those of you who haven't seen Thomas since his infancy...he is now somewhere around 6' 6"). We embraced and I found it difficult to hold back the tears. He really didn't know that I was coming and was so excited to see me. "I have to tell Emily!" he announced, and the phone call was made.
So, there it is. The surprise took place just as I had envisioned it! And now I can announce to all my friends that "I'm here!!!" I'll only be here a short time and won't have a chance to see you all but this trip is about family. I am so grateful for the tender mercies of a loving God who allowed for me to make this trip. A God who as provided me with so many blessings and wonderful opportunities in my life. This time of year I'm deeply grateful for my wonderful family who is so supportive and who make my life so sweet.
I wish you all a very Merry Christmas. May we remember and focus our activities on the Christ whose birth we celebrate this time of year. The half-man-half-divine who lived his life as an example to us all of what the true meaning of life is and then sacrificed his life for us...for our sins...and made it possible for us to be baptized in his name so that we may be cleansed of sin and enter into his presence and the presence of God after we have proven ourselves worthy through our actions and our thoughts. I am so grateful for His influence in my life. I acknowledge that all I have comes from Him and I am truly blessed.
December 5 was the King's birthday. It is a national holiday. In fact, I get Monday off work since his birthday falls on Saturday...no complaints here! So, I decided to go and see what kind of festivities would be taking place by the Grand Palace. I took off in the early afternoon and decided to walk to the metro station instead of taking the skytrain one stop where it links up with the metro. On my walk I discovered some new shops. My favorite was a fair trade handicrafts fair. I decided to take the detour. I went into the air-conditioned building (always a nice break) and found some very beautiful handicrafts made by a variety of artists ranging from people with disabilities, women who had escaped the sex trade to a variety of Thai ethnic groups . I wandered around and decided this was a great place to purchase some Christmas gifts so I made some purchases (I'm not telling but whoever is getting gifts from here is super lucky!!!) and after my shopping adventure I stopped for an Italian lunch.
With bags now in hand I decided to head back to my apartment to unload and head out again. This time I actually made it to the metro station. I reached the last stop on the metro line and started walking. I had a general idea of the direction I needed to head. After meandering through the less than poetic streets I found myself in a flurry of activity! I kept walking and realized that I had reached a HUGE market in the heart of Chinatown. I started off walking through the meats, fish, veggies and before I knew it I was surrounded by cheesy, plastic, bulk items. You know, the kinds of cheesy things you always wonder "who buys this stuff anyway?" We're talking Hello Kitty items...and worse! wow! I just kept walking. For blocks and blocks this stuff went on and on! Finally I found my way out. Then I'm surrounded by tuk-tuk drivers who want to know where they can take me. "No thanks" I kept telling them as I continued to walk.
My first hint that I was reaching my destination was seeing buses packed full of people wearing pink shirts. You see, the King was born on a tuesday and the color of tuesday is pink so everyone wore pink shirts to show their love for their king. Many Thais only know this one king since he has been reining for over 60 years! Pretty amazing. I just started following the buses and people walking on the streets. Before I knew it I had reached the Grand Palace. The streets outside the palace were packed with people. School bands were marching and playing, street vendors were making a killing but didn't seem to have jacked their prices up as is normally done in the US.
At a major street I saw a huge crowd of people so I thought I'd join them to see what it was all about. We stood around for at least 20 minutes. I figured we must be waiting for the king to drive by. Then people started moving. There was a group of guys near me. One said to me in English, "we must go this way, follow us". Grateful to hear English I did as I was told and followed him. We didn't walk far before the military halted us and barricaded us again. My friend started speaking to me. "Did you come with someone?" I answered that I was alone. "Are you bored?" I told him no, that I was just interested in seeing the celebration. I found out that he was Cambodian. He had come to Thailand 6 months earlier to work. He had been able to get a job at a fine furniture factory where he made $5/day. This is better than he could have done in Cambodia. He lives with his sister and her family. He was so happy to have found someone to practice his English with. He says he learned English during his 4 years as a monk but hadn't had a chance to speak it for a long time. I told him I was happy to let him practice with me. He told me that he now spoke good Thai and that it was not difficult to learn. That gave me hope until he reminded me that Cambodian and Thai have many similarities. Then he grabbed my wrist and we joined the throngs of people crossing the street. You mean to tell me that all that waiting was just to cross the street? Indeed it was. But across the street was where the festivities were. I stuck with my 3 Cambodian friends (only 1 spoke English) and we stood around with the 20,000+ other people in the area. My friend stuck with me while his 2 friends disappeared for a bit and returned with cold drinks for all. How could I allow these guys who earn $5/day to buy me a drink? I offered to pay for mine but they wouldn't hear of it. I learned a lesson in selflessness and hospitality.
At last the festivities began. There were a few speeches, none of which I understood, and then everyone began singing and holding candles. Again, i have no idea what they were singing. I'm assuming one of the songs was the national anthem. Then there was gleeful shouting and then the fireworks began. The fireworks were set off from about 3-4 different locations. They were big and beautiful and numerous! It was all fun and games until the ash started falling and my eyes filled with ash...not conducive to contact lenses. There were lots of "aaahhhh"s and "ooohhh"s.
After the fireworks my friends and I began making our way through the crowds. In a large open field several stages had been set up with different performances. We weaved our way through the packed crowds (not an easy task) to the traditional Thai music stage. That didn't hold my guy friends' interest for long so then we pushed our way back through the crowds to the kickboxing ring. The King's Cup tournament was just getting started with 8 world renown boxers fighting for the cup. Two of the fighters were Thai and, of course, got the loudest cheers. We only endured one match before the noise and the pushy crowds became too much. We, again, made our way back through the crowds where we could see both the kickboxing and the rock band performing at the same time. Boy, does the King know how to throw a party! It was amazing. Unfortunately, i'm not as young as I used to be and the noise was just too intense for me. Besides, I had been on my feet since noon and it was now 10 pm and my feet were KILLING me! So, I said goodbye to my new friends after we exchanged phone numbers and the one who spoke English told me how much he had enjoyed meeting me. I thanked him for keeping me from being bored and we agreed to meet up another time.
I headed away from the throngs of people, the noise and away from the smoke of all the food vendors. There were people everywhere!! Buses headed away from the palace were stuffed, nearly bursting, with people. I figured i'd get away from the crowds a bit and then hail a cab back to the metro station. I figured wrong! By the time i got passed all the crowds all the cabs driving by were already filled with people. So, I had a little talk with my feet and they agreed to forgive me for the torture I was about to continue putting them through. I kept walking in what i hopped was the direction of the metro station. Just when I thought I'd escaped the crowds a new crowd appeared. Ah! Night markets! wow! markets everywhere!! I decided to avoid these markets and continue my journey home. Finally, after a 75 minute walk I reached the metro station. Success!!!
When I reached home I removed my shoes and fell into bed and drifted ever so quickly off to sleep.
So there you have it! The King's birthday celebration. Oh, and as a side note, my feet had not yet forgiven me when I woke up this morning and made them walk to church. And I have a feeling they aren't going to love me tomorrow when I take them for another adventure in a nearby town...sshh, we'll keep it a secret from them!
A friend of mine joined me for the Thanksgiving holiday. We decided that while we only had about 4 days we would take a trip to Laos. We determined to make every hour count for 2! We left Bangkok Wednesday at 8 pm and traveled by train to the boarder of Thailand and Laos. After the 13 hour train ride we arrived and made our way across the boarder and into Vientiane, Lao's capitol city. Here we saw several temples, some museums, enjoyed wandering the city and enjoyed a nice long massage. We spent about about 36 hours in Vientiane and then we were off to Vang Vieng known for the variety of outdoor activities from biking, to rafting to climbing. The drive to Vang Vieng we took in an old rickety bus packed with people and a variety of goods being transported to various locations along the way. The drive was spectacular as we headed up into the mountains, passed bamboo homes on stilts and witnessed daily life. The country is so lush with vegetation. The road was shared by vehicles, motor bikes, villagers walking to their destinations and livestock. As we passed villages children were often playing along side the street as homes are built by the road side. As evening set in villagers scrubbed down their children and themselves. The color of red chilies drying out under the sun was a nice contrast against the brown bamboo homes with thatched roofs.
We rose early in the morning to enjoy the sunrise. While I was exhausted it was worth it! The light against the tall mountains and the reflection off the water in the Nam Ngum river was spectacular! As we walked we crossed several swinging bridges from one side of the river to the other. It got a little snug when we had to share the narrow bridge with a motorbike loaded with who-knows-what on all sides. I was unsure the bridge would bear the weight but was gladly mistaken! Along the path we happened upon a small group of monks receiving food gifts from the villagers. Buddhists believe that one way to gain merit is to make such offerings to monks. After receiving their gifts the monks sung a little chant and went on their way wandering through town. There is something about the orange gowns that is very moving. Perhaps it reminds me of my own missionary experience in Spain so many years ago.
Unfortunately we didn't have time to enjoy any of the outdoor activities Vang Vieng had to offer. After our morning speed walk we jumped on a mini bus and enjoyed another beautiful drive to Luang Prabang. Our front row seats were GREAT as we winded our way up the mountain side. Hairpin turns for hours made for an exciting drive. Villagers carried firewood on the shared roads. Clothes were scrubbed down on the road, more bare bottomed children playing gleefully. Older children caring for younger ones. I contemplated how I would do living in such a different world than my own. What did girlfriends do together when there are no malls to shop in? no internet to facebook or blog. It seemed that friendships were made and cemented in working hard side by side attending to the most important tasks...running a family. Farming, collecting fire wood, building fences, washing clothes, cooking...all done together as family and friends. From my own upbringing I know that working together brings families closer together. It deepens friendships. Sharing burdens builds bonds.
We arrived in Luang Prabang in the late afternoon. We found a place to stay and started exploring. We climbed the sacred hill, enjoyed the view of terraced fields along the Mekong River, enjoyed several temples and were mesmerized by the chanting of monks in the temple. There is something so beautiful about people coming together to worship a higher power and express their loyalty and gratitude. I made sure to express my own gratitude to a loving God for the many blessings in my life that night.
We tore ourselves away from the monks and ran to the Royal Theater to enjoy a night of traditional music and dance. The monkey did an excellent job of playing his role as he saved the princess from committing suicide. And the young girl dancing amid all of the much older dancers stole the show with her flawless performance. A nice evening would not be complete without a spectacular dinner! We headed to 3 Nagas for a dining delight! Black, wild, Lao sticky rice, buffalo curry and fish cooked in banana leaves were what we selected from the mouth watering menu. Ah, and creme brulee to polish it all off. Such a wonderful treat! But as all things must come to an end...we had to hurry off and get some shopping done before the night market closed. We only had 30 minutes...or so we thought. As we approached most of the booths had already started breaking down. Normally shopping at markets is a long drawn out process as you go back and forth throwing out prices and making counter offers. I've learned that showing up as people are packing up is a great time to shop! This is when the best bargains are to be found. Let's just say I got a few Christmas gifts! Sorry...i'm not revealing any secrets. You'll have to wait to see what Santa brings you. :-)
Oh! how could I have forgotten to mention the most important detail! While running back and forth from place to place Edgar and I decided that we would spend our last day on an elephant excursion! We booked our adventure for the next day. Riding an elephant has long been on my list of "things to live for". I just didn't realize I'd get the chance so soon after being here!!
Oh, but before we get there...so much more to tell you! :-) We woke early again hoping to enjoy the sunrise and get some good photos. We also wanted to see the procession of monks through the city collecting offerings. We walked outside our hotel door (I think we woke the attendant up to have him let us out of the hotel...oops) and down the street a little ways. We found what we were looking for. It was a sight to behold! A long line of orange robed monks. Their ages ranged from young to old. As we followed them towards the city center the streets became crowded with locals and tourists lined up to make their offerings. The monks bowls were overflowing with rice, bananas and other gifts. My favorite was watching a few monks lined up to make their offerings to other monks. It really was very beautiful.
After that our wanderings continued through the city and we found the fruit and vegetable market. We wandered through, purchased mangosteen and mandarin oranges but declined the insects and river weed. Then it was off to breakfast. We found a great restaurant overlooking the river. An amazing view made breakfast so delicious! We gobbled it down, ran to the hotel, packed, checked out, dropped our luggage and ran to the meeting place for our ELEPHANT ADVENTURE!
The excitement inside me was hardly containable! We drove several kilometers outside the city where the elephants are kept. These are retired logging elephants who can't be returned to the wild as they no longer know how to live in the wild and would not survive. So, they "earn their keep" giving tourists like me an opportunity to live their life long dreams! If you know me pretty well you are aware that I own a chair that sits atop an elephant. Well, I finally got to sit in one of those chairs ON an elephant!!! And then I got off the chair and sat on the neck of my sweet elephant and off we went! She was hungry so she kept getting side tracked which I didn't mind cuz I could totally relate! ;-) It was fun to feel her shoulder blades underneath me, shifting her weight as we went along. Our elephant guide enriched the experience by singing all along and teaching us how to guide the elephant with Laotian phrases (forward, right, left). I savored every moment, the touch of her course hairs and thick dry skin. The feel of her ears flapping and hitting my legs and feet...It was beautiful! We walked down a very steep hill and I felt like I was going to fall out of my seat! Luckily Edgar did a great job of keeping her on track and our sweet elephant maintained her balance. Then we waded through the river and then back up a hill and home. All along I couldn't think of any elephant songs to sing! Sad.
After the amazing elephant ride we took a boat up the river to some beautiful waterfalls. I wasn't prepared for a swim but I soaked my feet in the water after a small hike. We got back into the boat and headed back. The river was dotted with different people fishing, gathering river weed, snails and who knows what else, presumably to be sold at the market the next day. It was fun to watch them.
We got back to town at 2:00 and our flight left at 3:40. We had just enough time to make a run to the Royal Palace Museum. We toured the museum in a record 10 minutes. I don't recommend doing the tour that fast but I highly recommend the museum. There just wasn't enough time to see it all slowly but we had to pack it in!
Off we rushed to the airport...fell fast asleep on the plane and returned to the hustle and bustle of Bangkok. WOW! There you have it! My long winded summary of a short but spectacular trip! It's bed time so I'll post photos tomorrow. And in case you had any doubt...I LOVE living out here! it is a dream come true. Thanks to all of you for your support as I've made this transition! I love you all!!!
I've attached some photos taken by Edgar and some video of our ride on an elephant and the monks chanting...enjoy!
The other day I needed to find a store called Carrefour. It's basically like Super Wal-Mart (or whatever you call the Wal-Mart with a food section). It was too far for walking so my friend told me to take a taxi. He explained that I should tell the driver to take me to "Callafo" since they wouldn't understand if I pronounced the store "careafor". So, I flagged a cab and told the driver I wanted to go to "Callafo". He didn't understand, so I said it again, a little differently knowing that asians sometimes confuse l's and r's. "Carrafo", I said. Still nothing..."careafor?" nope not that either. Back to "callafo". He looked at me and said "caw-fo?" ummm...Yes? maybe? So I told him in Thai the street it was on and he laughed and took off driving. I wasn't sure I was going to end up in the right place but he kept laughing and repeating my pronunciation of "callafo". He then taught me that the correct pronunciation of "carrefour" is "caw-fo" and continued repeating my pathetic version of the store name and laughing! It made me laugh. But I still didn't know if he knew where I was hoping to end up.
It wasn't until we pulled in front of the store that it was confirmed to me that he did indeed understand where I wanted to go...phew! I entered the store and began my shopping. As I was wandering around I listened and laughed to myself as the advertisement playing over the loud speaker repeated over and over again "caw-fo". Who knew that "carrefour" should be pronounced "caw-fo"? That's one thai word i'll NEVER forget! :-)
I thought I'd try to summarize my first impressions and experiences in Bangkok as a new resident. They say that the population of Bangkok, with outlying areas totals around 10 million people. The largest city I've lived in is Salt Lake City with a population of about 1 million if you count the whole valley! While I knew that Bangkok was big I really couldn't imagine how bit that was. I've been to big cities before but to live in one is another story. But I like a new adventure so off I went to the Big Mango!
After a very long flight I arrived at the airport, found my luggage and made my way to the taxi stand. This was supposed to be where I could find a "fair" taxi who would use the meter and not overcharge me. I had so much luggage I was swimming in it! My taxi driver spoke no English. He took me to my hotel which was about a 30 minute drive and then came the price. He charged me 600 Baht or about $18. I was pretty sure I was being overcharged but what could I do? I paid the money and entered the hotel. I was given a key card for my room on the 28th floor. The view from my hotel room reveals a numerous sky scrapers, lots of construction and a view of the sky train. A thin layer of heat and humidity blankets the city.
Thailand is a Buddhist country. They believe the spirits of their ancestors live and that it's important to keep them cared for. For this reason there are shrines and spirit houses everywhere...outside homes, construction sites, on corners. One day as I was walking down the street I noticed a crowd of people and some music. I looked to see a large shrine and people kneeling around it making various offerings. Some offered flowers, others food and others let loose birds in cages. Off to the side there was traditional music and dancing to add to the spiritual atmosphere. I sat and watched as people came, made their offerings, prayed and went on their way. At one point a mother came in with her son. She showed him how to make his offering and pray. It was quite beautiful to watch a mother pass her tradition on to her son.
Walking through the city fills your nostrils with a variety of smells. Some of them pleasant...others more on the unpleasant side. There are street vendors crammed side by side along sidewalks selling foods of various types. Many of them are barbecued meats and fried fish which I haven't been brave enough to try. Some of them are fruit vendors who will cut up watermelon, mangos, pineapple and numerous fruits i don't know in English (or in Thai!) and put them in a plastic bag with a wooden skewer for your eating pleasure. mmmmmm.... my mouth is watering just thinking about it! Lyn, I think of you every time I eat the pineapple (Cheri, i think of you every time I see a rat run across the sidewalk!! eeewwww!!). And there are the vendors with the deserts...again, most of them I haven't tried but the barbecued bananas drowned in condensed milk....mmm.mmmm.mmmm! And the ice cream with sticky rice swimming in coconut milk? Yes, i've tried that too. Most of smells along your walk through the city come from the various meats and fish being fried or barbecued right there on the street. It's a smell i haven't yet fallen in love with.
Speaking of food...it's everywhere! And it can be pretty cheap. Most malls have a food court where a meal can cost as little as $1. Of course there are also plenty of opportunities to get international foods at a higher price. I went to a crepes restaurant last weekend that cost me about $7. So, if yer ok with rice and curry (which I am so ok with) there's really no need to cook. :-) no complaints here!
To live in Bangkok I think one is required to be a compulsive shopper. There are massive malls everywhere and shopping all along the streets as well. There are day markets, night markets, weekend markets! One of the highlights for me is the large weekend market. Stall after stall filled with everything and anything you can think of! Housewares, clothing, souvenirs, furniture, you name it! The secret is to go early before the crowds hit or late when the sun won't kill you.
Then there's the traffic. Pretty much yer better off not driving. I can usually take the sky train or the metro within walking distance of where I want to go. There are rare occasions when i'm hauling things that are too awkward or heavy to carry and a taxi is necessary. Just be ready for the trip to take at lease twice as long. Today I took a taxi and it took me an hour for a trip that usually takes me 30 minutes. Luckily the cab ride only cost $5.
Ok, we'll leave it at that for now. Hopefully i'll be able to write about my new apartment next! Keep your fingers crossed!
I've spent the week in Mae Hong Son in northwestern Thailand. I got to practice my prescreening skills meaning that I interviewed refugee families to verify that we have their correct information and then talked to them about why they fled Burma and why they can't return. It was an interesting process. The process is mostly administrative. Most of the people we met with have been outside their country of origin so long that their children, now adults, were born in the refugee camp and often the children didn't know the stories of why their parents fled in the first place. They know that their people are oppressed and that if they go back they will be mistreated but when asked why their parents fled they aren't always able to provide the details. This is not what i expected. I did meet with one family who said they have a distant relative in Salt Lake and they wanted to join them. You can imagine my joy!
Today I got to go to the Ban Mai NaiSoi refugee camp (the processing in this area takes place outside the camp so this was my first visit to the camp). It was similar in many ways to the ThamHin camp that I visited on an exchange I participated in through the government several years ago. Here is a link the report I gave to the State Department about my trip in 2006. http://www.cal.org/co/coexchange/McConkieReport.pdf In the camp we did some follow ups. We met with a few families to clarify information or gather further information to process their case. For example, we needed contact information for a spouse that was incorrect, we needed to verify which state one case preferred to resettle in since he said he had a friend in Colorado but he also had family members going to Georgia. It was interesting to meet with families and follow up on their cases. When we had delivered all the bad news and gotten all the updates we needed we went to listen in on a cultural orientation that was being held for refugees who have been approved to go to the US. It was fun to see them learn about education and American culture as well as practice writing their names and saying basic phrases. Several of the photos I am uploading are of the orientation.
Each night after work I went out with one of the caseworkers and did various activities. One day we hiked to the top of a nearby mountain. We rented bikes for the several days we were here and went on bike rides around the town of under 8000 people. We tried new (to me) restaurants and new foods. She introduced me to the most delicious foods and treats. So yummy! The big LoiKratong festival was celebrated our first night here. You will see photos of people letting go of lanterns. The lanterns are like hot air balloons. You light a fire under them and they heat up and the heat carries it into the sky along with all the regrets of the year. It was beautiful to see the lanterns fill the sky.
Tonight, the whole crew of us (there have been 6 of us here) had dinner together. We fed all of us at a nice restaurant for $30! I just can't get over how inexpensive and delicious the food is! After dinner I went for a nice long massage. 90 minutes of bliss for a cost of only $7. Not bad eh? She was able to work out part of the kink in my neck from this super hard pillow I've been sleeping on. I learned that in Thai when you get a kink in your neck they say that "the pillow bit you". That's exactly what it did!
All in all the trip was educational, both professionally as well as socially and culturally. It was another fabulous Thai adventure! I never did get to see the big temple on the hill...guess I'll have to come back!
Happy Halloween! Not much halloween activity going on here but it is time for Loi Krathong or the Lantern Festival. According to Wikipedia:
Loy Krathong is held on the full moon of the 12th month in the traditional Thai lunar calendar. In the western calendar this usually falls in November. "Loi" means "to float". "Krathong" is a raft about a handspan in diameter traditionally made from a section of banana tree trunk (although modern-day versions use specially made bread 'flowers' and may use styrofoam), decorated with elaborately-folded banana leaves, flowers, candles, incense sticks etc. During the night of the full moon, many people will release a small raft like this on a river.
Here at my hotel there was a celebration with traditional dancing and wonderful food although the real festival isn't until next week. I will be up north next week where I hear from the locals that the festival is quite beautiful. It was fun to have an introduction to the festival here at the hotel. After all the food and dance we all put our "lanterns" into the water. It was really quite beautiful.
Ok, so i've been in Thailand for just over a week now and it has been an incredible experience so far! I'm living in a hotel in Bangkok (BKK) that is located just a 10 minute walk from my office. The first week of work has been a bit mind boggling. Here is a run down of my job:
I work for an organization that processes refugees. We help refugees in our region (Thailand, Malaysia, Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam, Indonesia, Bangladesh, Hong Kong, China, and a few more I can't remember) who have been referred to the United States refugee resettlement program by the United Nations High Commisioner for Refugees (UNHCR). This means that the family/individual has fled their country due to persecution they experienced or that they fear will take place based on their race, religion, nationality, membership in a social group or political opinion. They are so fearful for their lives that they are unable or unwilling to return to their county of origin. So, they have sought asylum in another country. The UNHCR takes a look at thier case and determines what will happen to them. The first and best option is always to help people return to their country of origin. Unfortunately that is not always possible. Next the UNHCR will assess if the individual/family can stay in the country they have sought asylum. Will the host country give them opportunities for work, education and citizenship? Unfortunately is also not always possible. So, the last option is to refer them to another country for resettlement. The US is one of about 10 countries in the world that offers this opportunity to refugees.
So, when a refugee in our region is referred to the US for resettlement we help the refugees put their information together to prepare them for an interveiw with the US governement to see if they qualify for the US program and if they are approved for US entry. Once they are approved we put the refugees through a 3-5 day orientation class to prepare them for life in the US.
I hope all that makes sense. It's hard to explain the process in just a few words and I don't want to bore you too much but i do want to give you a good idea of what i'm involved in. It really is amazing work.
So, this week i've been focusing on learning the details of the process refugees go through in order to come to the US...it's very extensive. Next week I'll head to a refugee camp to interveiw refugees and start their paper trail. I think i'll stop with that for now. Here is a link where you can see the Thai-Burma boarder and where all the refugee camps are. Most of the refugees we work with are from Burma. http://www.tbbc.org/camps/camps.htm
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