Jetlag, back in phila, and heading to West Virginia

Hello, hello!

My goodness, my lungs are so happy to be filled with FRESH Philadelphia air! I know that sounds bizarre to some folks, but my goodness, I've never lived in such poor air quality as Bangkok! Also, to be fair, our apartment in Philadelphia is across the street from the woods and the Wissahickon, so we have an unsually fresh-smelling environment for a "city." You all know me: I love my green and flowing waters!

On the topic of jet-lag: It is NOT fun! I am slowly, slowly getting my clock turned around. For some reason, it was much easier to get settled in Bangkok than it is to be back here in the States. It is interesting to be experiencing this type of jet-lag----I usually don't get bothered by crossing the US or even going to Europe. Well, I also just finished antibiotics and am floating in a general malaise, so that cannot be helping to relieve my jet-lag. It is probably prolonging it! Either way, I'm not a happy camper at the moment! All I want to do is stay put for a few days in one location, preferably curled on a couch with a warm beverage, and a book, my knitting, or lots of movies!!


It is surprisingly REALLY nice to be back in Philadelphia. I love the cold air, and I really missed our apartment. I feel as though I am straddling two worlds---and in many ways, I am. When I'm in Bangkok, I just want to stay there for a period of time (and by "there" I mean SE Asia in general) and now that I'm back in Philadelphia, I am imagining how many times I can come back here to visit. Betwixt between. Do I come back here in February? In March? What about Callie? What about what we're missing here? Like the Ira Glass evening we're going to miss---I'm so bummed about that! I've written how I love This American Life, and we bought tickets to see him live in Philadelphia the end of January. We won't be here for that! Bummer! And, the Sam Roberts Band (check them out: http://samrobertsband.com/news/) is coming to Philadelphia in February, and we're missing that, too! Ugh! (This is one of our favorite bands, and I've not seen them in concert yet. In an example of Small World: The drummer of the band is the brother of one of my friends at school. They're from Montreal, and was one of the first bands Chris introduced to me when we were first dating.)

Callie is quite the Queen of the Apartment now! She bosses me around meowing emphatically if I am in her spot on the couch or if I need to feed her NOW. She's grown quite plump, too, which adds to her presence. She was clearly annoyed at me when I first arrived, and now, I find that she is getting used to me again. The past two mornings (and by morning, I mean around 2am-3am), I have woken up to see her looking at me from the doorway of our bedroom, perched solidly. I am so glad that she is comfortable in her place now! I worry about the next few months though---will she be really lonely if we don't come back for another 4-5 months? Our landlords, Gordon and Lynda, are doing an amazing job of taking care of her and the plants. Callie definitely recognizes when their door opens now, and it is cute to see her stand at our door expecting one of them to arrive.

From what I hear, Chris is having fun in Bangkok! Bjorn, the General Manager of our apartment building, threw a holiday party for Christmas. Chris sounded quite happy when I talked to him about it. He met lots of people and apparently, he talked to some folks who are excited that I'm going to be helping them with English when I return. (Chris also found out that Bjorn is from Sweden and not from Australia as I had originally thought.) Chris is hanging out with the guys from work a lot (when they aren't working, that is!), and seems to be having fun. He'll be there until the end of the first week in January.

Oh, I'm sure that once I get to West Virgnia and the beautiful Land and People at Gesundheit!, the ickiness will all melt away! I'm heading to West Virginia tomorrow for this year's Health Care Justice Gathering---I am looking forward to seeing how the year's planning works! We have people coming from all over, and I am quite excited (I think I mentioned that before!). And Chris wants me to get the snow tires put on his car before I drive down---just in case.

So, I'm going to go do that this afternoon. I'll be off-line for about a week. Happy New Year everyone!!! May 2009 be filled with smiles, peace, and good health!

Until next time...

Heading back to the US

This morning, I am packing for the trip home to Philadelphia.  So far, I've packed my suit and dress shirts (for the interview), a few books, ONE knitting project only, and a few clothes and souvenirs.  I'm am doing my best to practice restraint in packing EVERYTHING I think I will want to do, read, accomplish, or put together in the brief time I'll be in the Philadelphia.  

Oh, and I'll be in West Virginia for the Health Care Justice Gathering from Dec 28th-Jan 4th. Woohoo! I am so excited for this year's Gathering.  It will be nice to experience what we've been planning for a year!  :)  

So, Jen's Itinerary: 

Tuesday December 23, 2008, on Thai Airways, Flight Number: 794
Depart: Bangkok, Thailand: 7:30 Pm December 23, 2008

Arrive: Los Angeles, CA: 7:20 Pm December 23, 2008
Total Flight Time: 14 Hours 50 Minutes Non-Stop

Tuesday December 23, 2008, on US Airways, Flight Number: 1446
Depart: Los Angeles, CA: 10:20 Pm December 23, 2008
Arrive: Philadelphia, PA 6:12 Am December 24, 2008
Total Flight Time: 4 Hours 52 Minutes Non-Stop

I have my warmest clothes to wear---which consist of a sweatshirt, jeans, and my raincoat.  

Okay, I have to get back to packing...my stomach's been in knots all morning!  Better relax a bit.  I feel so unprepared to return to Phila!!  Just have to be systematic about it, I suppose.

Dressed for Dinner, Part 2

For some reason, it seems that there is a 200 character limit on posts with pictures.  Hmmm, I'm still figuring this Blog thing out! 

We ate at a Thai Fusion restaurant. The meal was mostly okay. I think we both liked the other place (where we went on Tuesday, his actual birthday) a bit better. 

The staff was very nice at both places---Tuesday's place was a bit more happening though with a lot more customers, busy and attentive wait-staff, and great music. Last night, we were one of four couples in the entire restaurant. Two couples were finishing when we arrived and one arrived after us and ate inside. We decided to eat outside (despite the heat) because the fan made it cooler and, honestly, because we felt silly and wasteful to sit inside by ourselves. The owner would have turned on the AC if we ate inside and we simply did not feel right about having money spent on just us to cool the room.

OH--and the wine: a chardonnay and savignon blanc blend.  Very crisp and

 light---a perfect sipping wine and it went well with dinner, too!

Honestly, his meal looked far more picture-worthy than mine! For dinner, he had a Lobster and Noodle Salad. I had Salmon---I know, I know. I have just started eating Salmon, and honestly, I rarely enjoy it.  (Alaska and Washington State had the BEST, though!) I can rarely finish a whole piece, and most times, I leave feeling so unsatisfied.  (Chris ate the other piece of salmon from my meal of two pieces) I just don't like it (meaning fish) as much as I thought I did. I feel like I am vegetarian through and through! So, I'll probably stop eating it and go back to being straight Veg!  Enough of the compromise!!

 

It just gets very old when we eat out--which we tend to do more with his coworkers and when he works long days--- just having a few vegetables and noodles!  You'd be surprised at how challenging it can be to find vegetarian food in most places, and even on the plane ride from Phila to LA, they were out of vegetarian options.  You can only eat so many pasta and vegetables and grilled cheese sandwhiches! I had salmon and tofu so many times on the trip over here!  Ugh, and that's what I get do to tomorrow---spend 20+ hours in flight!  I guess it annoys me a little because there are sooo many delicious, healthy, and varied vegetarian meals if people put just a little effort.  All it takes is a little imagination and thinking outside the box a bit!  That's what I keep telling Chris, too!  There is no need for vegetarian food to be just noodles, peppers, squash, and tofu!  Sheesh!

Anyway, there's a picture of Dessert!  I had fried bananas with ice cream and he had a deliciously rich brownie (I think I already mentioned that!).

We walked home after dinner and stopped by the Angels at the Emporium Mall.  There are lots and lots of poinsettia plants around, too.  On our walk home, we saw a couple of elephants walking in the streets.  Each one was being lead by a person selling food for the elephant.  You're not supposed to take a picture of the elephants, so Chris tried to do so from above.  We have to work on the pictures so you can actually see the elephant.  It is purely a tourist thing!  Oh, I feel so bad for the poor elephants!  You can tell they are so bored and so hungry for positive attention!

Well, I asked Chris if this week made up for missing his previous two birthdays.  He seemed pretty happy!  It is fun to get dressed up every now and again!  We both felt special walking the streets in our fancy clothes! :)  This week was so fun in getting ready for the fancy dinner---we're both really looking forward to the wedding where we get to make it even more fantastic!! :)

Dressed for Dinner! Part 1

We went out to dinner last night (Sunday night) to celebrate (again) Chris's 30th birthday--and this time, we went in style!  Chris wore his tailor-made shirt and a tie (isn't he handsome!), and I wore the Thai Silk Dress that I had made.  The color is absolutely beautiful blue and it matches my ring very nicely!  

  

And here's a picture of Chris!  You can't really tell from the picture, but his shirt is dark, dark blue and has find gray or white checkered pinstripe lines on it.  It wasn't until last night that I noticed it wasn't exactly gray.  It doesn't matter because the shirt still looks dynamite on him!  We need to learn how to tie Double Windsor tie knots---"we" because I've always wanted to learn, too!  

This is Chris's Prawn Salad.  If you look close enough, you can see the eyes!  He said it was very tasty.  I tasted the salad with dressing (and no meat).  We both want to learn how to make sauces while here.  The dressing was a peanut sauce one.  The soup is his, too.  

Drives and Grippers

These are apparently two big topics of discussion for Chris and his coworkers.  I hear a lot about "where are the drives" and "Is the gripper working?".  I really must see the plant where they work so I can get a better idea of what in the world they are talking about!  From what I know, they work on robots that make hard-drives.  And since one company already has a patent on a gripper that works like a hand to "grab" the drives, his company had to design a different kind of gripper.    This is at least how a few of the engineers described it to me.  

I think the robots are many stories high---mind you, I'm just piecing together bits of conversation I've heard at dinner and on the many phonecalls Chris makes pretty much all the time.  He is the keeper of the "Bat Phone" (think Batman), so any time there is a problem at work, his phone rings.  I think this is sort of equivalent to being "on call" except that he doesn't have to go into the Factory on his days "off."  His phone rang for most of the day yesterday, and he got a call early this morning---well, it was 10am, but we were very tired from a long Friday night and an unexpected trip to the hospital (no worries---we're both fine now!).  He said he'd rather people call him at any time so he can answer their questions than have people not know what to do.  I understand this, and overall, he doesn't seem nearly as stressed about work as he was the first two years we were together!  I think (well, I KNOW) he likes answering questions! :) 

He also has to be on a Conference Call every evening (our time) at 8pm on weeknights and 8:30pm on weekends.  This is regardless of whether he has a day off, and it essentially means that his workdays are from the time he leaves in the morning at 7:30am until 9:30pm or later---usually later.  

Apparently, something happened at the plant today and a bunch of drives are out of place.  Man, I really have no clue!  I wonder how he feels when I talk all Medical! :)  

I just found out that I'll get to see the plant on Tuesday before I fly out for the States. Then maybe I can have a better description for what in the world Chris is doing here!  Even though he works very long days, he likes having answers to people's questions, and I think he really does enjoy the work.  That makes up partly for the long days, I think.  Though, I do hope that we can get into more of a regular schedule when we both return in January---a schedule that includes a more balanced life (and not eating dinner at 10pm or later every night!).  

Please don't worry about us---this is all apart of figuring things out!  I was super busy in Philadelphia and Chris spent a lot of time waiting for me to get home from school.  And now, things are flipped, and I am the one waiting for him.  In both cases, we could use more balance, but overall, the happiness in being together AND in pursuing our professional lives...well, it'll take practice!  :)   He's an Engineer, and I want to be a physician---finding balance will be life-long pursuits!  

Okay, he wanted me to clarify that the weekends aren't as bad as I make them sound---and his phone just rang.  More Drive stuff--from different batches and systems and experiments.  :)  See, he enjoys his work! and, we're going out to dinner tonight.  He's going to wear one of his tailor-made shirts (he is SO HANDSOME in it!!!!), and I'm going to wear the dress I had made.  :)  So, it is not all work! :)  

Now, off to go Christmas shopping in the markets! 

Talks to strangers...

I know I've written it before, but I absolutely love being international!  I love meeting and talking to people from all over the world---heck, I just love talking to people in general!!!  

I just officially met the General Manager of Oakwood Residence Sukhumvit 24 (our apartment building).  He popped into the little workout room in the basement, and while I've seen him around and have had a couple of random elevator conversations with him, I officially met him today.  Nice guy!  He is very tall, and I think he's from Australia.  We talked about working out and I asked him if there's a way to get a mat down in the basement gym.  He jumped on that and said Yes, and that he wants to get an exercise ball and the mirror is coming on Saturday.  He was almost more enthusiastic about getting the gym fully equipped than I was!  All I was asking for is a mat! :)  He told me about the park that is up the street that I must go explore.  It is 700 meters around for one loop (I really am getting a dose of metric!), and he said that there are people of all ages there.  He also said I should get there before 8am because then it starts getting pretty hot!  

I've also read that in all the parks around the city, people do  Tai Chi in the early morning (from 5am-7:30am).  I haven't done Tai Chi in years---had a crash class of it at Omega---and I'd love to get into it again.  Oh, but that is so early in the morning!!!!  

The other thing that I asked Bjorn about was the possibility of helping the staff here with English. I know they all take a class three days a week, and I mentioned that to him.  I told him that I love talking to people---obviously---and that I'd love to help them.  My schedule is pretty open, and I'd love to have more people interactions.  He got really excited and said that there is actually one woman in the business office who speaks well enough but really needs help with reading and writing.  Yay!  He gave me his business card and said he'll talk to her and see when we can set something up!  Yay!  Since I can't officially work here maybe we can set up some exchange of sorts---she helps me with Thai and I help her with English!  Oh, I'm so excited to be talking to people! :)  

Oh, and last night, we got a grand tour of the restaurant compound after dinner---two of the managers of the restaurant where we dined last night are from Canada.  I found the restaurant in the Australia and New Zealand's Women's Group Guide to Living in Bangkok---this is the best resource for living in Bangkok I'm told.  (Kristy, one of the women from Australia I met when we were at the Westin, recommended the book---it is a great resource!)

Oh dear, it is late!  I have to get going---I'm going to have my first fitting for the suit I ordered.  I know, I know---sounds so cosmopolitan!  I'll have to write about that humbling and embarrassing experience later!  Now, to shower (hopefully I can get a decent and consistent water temperature!) and the off to the tailors!  I was just SO EXCITED about talking to Bjorn and the prospect of doing some good here and helping out (while maybe learning some Thai in return!) that I had to post this blog and share the excitement!  Oh, then I'm going to call Mookda, and I hope we can meet up and go to her temple this afternoon.  Today is her day off! :)  Busy day! :)  

Chris is 30! and Eating!

Yay!  Today is Chris's birthday, and it is the first time I'm actually able to spend it with him!  I had exams or school-related things for the last 2 birthdays!  So, Yay!  Welcome to 30, my love!  (...for some reason, it sounds so much older to say that HE is 30! :) ) I wonder how Thais celebrate birthdays.  I'll have to ask Mookda! 

Picture: Chris with Bangkok in the background.  We are on an island (I think) at the water temple??  I'm not quite sure, but it was an amazing place!  We took a motorized boat to get there.  It was the last stop on our 1.5 hour tour.  

Last night, Chris cooked dinner.  He LOVES cooking!  I mean, he really enjoys it.  He doesn't just cook because we have to eat something.  He enjoys the chopping things just right (like there are tons of ways to cut onions, and depending on what he's making, he'll cut them in different ways), the mixing, the cooking, the tasting, and the presentatio

n. He loves everything about it except the cleaning---and boy does he known how to dirty up a kitchen! :) 

In this picture, he is eating a leaf with small chunks of fried fish, scallion, some other vegetable, lime (they use a lot of Lime here---it is such an underused fruit in the US!  I encourage you all to add Limes to your water, to your fried food, to your salads.  They are so yummy cut up small and added to things or just squeezed.  Try it!), and some other chunks of things that I'm not sure what they are.  Neither is he, actually!  This picture was taken at our "authentic Thai" dinner outing after a day of exploring with Kobchai, our driver.  Kobchai ordered a bunch of things off the menu so we could eat 'real' Thai food.  Chris liked most of it, I think.  I, on the other hand, well, am finding eating a little more challenging.  This is mainly because I have a sensitive nose and if I don't like the smell of something, it is hard for me to look past that to get to the taste of it.  I also am vegetarian, and that adds challenges sometimes.  Things are quite fishy here.  And not only that, they just smell different.

Take the milk and butter:  Now, I don't really like milk, anyway. I use it in my cereal and in my coffee and tea, but beyond that, I've never really liked just drinking the stuff.  Well, the milk here smells a little off.  It doesn't smell like it has gone bad, it just smells Off.  I have to have Chris check the milk in the States because I don't like the smell of milk anyway, so here, he has to check it even more!  And last night, when he added butter to our pasta and veggies, that tasted different.  

We also added frozen peas to the stirfry, and they were gross!!  They must not be big on frozen veggies here---and if I could find the fresh peas in the produce section, we'd use those!  Ah, all in a day's foraging! 

Now, that I'm on the topic of food, we had some interesting foods this past weekend.  In this picture to the right, I have NO IDEA what I'm eating (hence the wrinkled forehead!).  It was the 

texture of a hardboiled egg, was sweet, and was cooked and served in those leaves.  Chris, on the other hand, is thoroughly enjoying his chicken claw on a stick (picture on left.  You can see another image of the King above the Floating Market sign).  Kobchai bought them for us to try at the Floating Market.  He had such a BLAST buying lots of food and passing

 it back to us in the boat.  Sometimes, the food and money would be exchanged across a couple of boats.  The canals were fairly narrow and they were lined with merchants of sorts.  Food boats had full little kitchens set up---basically, a place for a grill, a cooking vat, and all the ingredients would be in little containers.  Or there would be a rotisserie or a pot of something boiling.  Or there'd be a whole pile of food with a woman peeling the fruits and vegetables to put in bags or to wrap in plastic wrap.  

We also had fried bananas---they were one of my favorite things!!  We also had 

DELICIOUS mango and sweet rice.  YUM, yum, yum!!  I LOVE mango (can you tell?)

 

Knitting in Thai

Well, you can learn knitting from a book like I did, but beware of mistakes!

I had a rather domestic day today! I went to the big grocery store (which is different from the petite grocery on the top floor of the mall) today when I knew I'd have the car so I wouldn't have to carry the loaded bags really far on the narrow sidewalks. (Shoot! That reminds me! I should post a picture of our street so you all have a visual!) So, imagine a Target, Best Buy, Bakery, Napa Auto Parts, deli, fish market, produce stand, wine shop, flower shop, and probably a few other shops I'm not thinking of, all rolled into one huge shop. When I wrote that my mind goes blank at the store, I realized today why. The usual foods that we have in the markets in the states are here, sometimes, but there really is an entirely different menu in the stores here! I think I can tell what the staples are in the Asian world (just by the quantity and variety of those things), and they are not the same!

Oh, and the cool part that I'll get a picture next time Chris and I go there together: Instead of stairs or an escalator, there are inclined conveyer belts that carry you and the shopping cart from level to level! It is wild. Well, not like a rollercoaster at Disney type of wild---just different!

Gosh, it must be getting boring to see post after post on grocery shopping. You'd think we'd have a fully stocked kitchen by now. Funny thing is, we can barely make a healthy meal with our stuff! Fresh fruits and veggies are few in our apartment---mostly b/c I don't know what to get! I asked Moodka today if she cooked, and she said that if I found a recipe, she would make sure I have the right ingredients!

DRAT! Why did we pack that cookbook---and better yet, Identifier (with PICTURES and labels!) book of Thai and Southeast Asia cooking and foods??? We packed it in our "to be shipped" boxes, which, by the way, are sitting at Customs somewhere along with Chris's passport! They picked up his passport yesterday because apparently they need it to get our stuff through Customs.

Anyway, back to the Knitting: On the way to the store, I saw that a knitting shop is within walking distance of our apartment!! So, after I put away the groceries, met our American neighbors (they are leaving in a few days, sadly, after a 2 year stay here) and had a lovely conversation, talked with Mookda and we kidded around a bit, let the engineer in to adjust the clacking on our air conditioner, and gathered my knitting stuff, I then went to the knitting store. :)

At first, I just walked in to see if they had a certain yarn. Interestingly, in all my haste and busyness of the past, oh, 9 months, I've been carrying around a bag of knitting projects with all the wrong or incomplete pieces! So, I decided last night, to get the other yarn I needed for this cool pair of legwarmers I've been itching to learn how to make for over 2 years. There were a group of women of all ages, really, knitting around the table in the TINY shop. I mean TINY! And the one woman, in very little english said, "I can show you." So, I went home, got the right needles (well, actually wrong ones but we're making them work), and went back to the shop. One of the women speaks nearly fluent english, and she interpreted what the owner was showing me. So, I sat with the ladies and knitted for over an hour! Oh, it was lovely! And, there was an adorable 5 month old girl there, too! Oh, it was so much fun! :)

I mean, what a perfect time to catch up on all of my to-do projects! Thing is, I knit so infrequently that I get into bad habits or don't even remember proper techniques or how to do things. It is as though each and every time I pick it up, I have to relearn stuff. Oh, and of course my How-To books are with the Thai food and cooking book sitting in customs somewhere!

So, what a perfect excuse to interact with local Thai women! :)

OH! and one more thing I keep forgetting to mention! When we were at the airport waiting for our driver, we saw two Buddhist monks walk by in their robes (makes them pretty obvious!), and one of them was carrying a Blackberry. Or at least it was an electronic device of sorts that looked like a BB. Anyway, I took note of the scene! :)

And it looks like tonight is going to be another long night for Chris. It is 8pm now, and he is still at work with no sign of leaving. Then, it takes 1 hour to get from the factory to our apartment.  We've seen so little of each other since we moved in together back in July.  First, i was so insanely busy in Philadelphia, and now, he is so busy with work.  I guess there are the fine moments in between the craziness of life that we can cherish.  And hopefully, we'll have this weekend together and he won't have to work.  It is his birthday next week!  

Bargaining 101, and having a policy

When I was living in Boston, my friend, Alexander, asked me if I had "developed a policy" towards panhandlers and the Homeless when they ask for money. I was impressed by his question and even more so by his method. My method in Boston was to politely say, "No, I'm sorry," to the average person. Then, I would, pretty much weekly, buy the "Spare Change News" from Eddie, a homeless guy who sold these papers on one of the corners on my way to work. Spare Change News costs $1, I think, and I know that the proceeds go to helping the homeless person selling the paper get back on his or her feet. In addition to selling the paper, they wrote the articles inside. It was an interesting step into a world that was foreign to me.

My Philadelphia policy is not much different with the exception of the newspaper---I don't give to anyone on the streets of Philadelphia. Oh, except one time I gave a guy some orange juice. Anyway...

Now, here in Bangkok, I don't know what to do. I don't know anything about the political structure here. And the homeless here seem soooooo much worse off. In the States, it is not common to see a mother with a baby on her breast sitting on the street begging for money. You don't see a man with malformed arms and legs that look eerily like those caused by the teratogenic Thalidomide. And while it is slightly more common to see people who have had amputations on the streets in the States, it is definitely more common here.

According to our driver, all the "beggars" on the street are Cambodian. "Thai people no do that," he says.

While we're on the topic of disability, it turns out there seems to be a whole community of deaf street vendors. On my rounds yesterday, I passed a few more stands where people were signing to each other. You know, did I mention that my first lesson in how to bargain was given to me by the guy on the street by the Westin Hotel?

Bargaining 101:
He typed into his calculator (that is how he communicates prices): 100.
I typed in 90.
He looked at me quite puzzled and laughed. Then, he typed in 80. More laughs. But he accepted that price, and I came away with an elephant for a little over $2.50.

That's the thing: Aside from the game of it, I always think, "With $1 equal to about 35 Baht, why am I going to haggle over a few cents in American when it goes so much further in Thialand?" Sometimes, though, it can be fun to engage in some good bargaining! I'm going to have to get used to it, because otherwise, we'll come back broke! I feel bad doing it, sometimes, but hey, it's the name of the game on the streets here!

And yesterday, I came back with 2 skirts for 400 Baht! :) Originally, they were 275 each. Eh, that's not a great bargain, but in the grand scheme of things, it sure beats paying Old Navy for those same items! (And no, I don't know what street vendors do in their spare time....)

Enough with the noodles!

Grocery shopping just won't be the same when I'm back in the States!  It takes me a while to overcome the complete blank I draw when I go to the grocery store here.  While most of the products are familiar in essence, the packaging, placing, and everything else about them is so different!  There are so many different kinds of oranges, too, that just choosing an orange is overwhelming!  I watched an elderly Asian woman meticulously choose a bag of a certain kind of oranges just to put it back when she discovered a different kind that better suited her.  To me, they looked the same; the only other indication of their being different was the prize.  

I'm going to ask Mookda if she cooks.  We're about the same age---she turns 31 on January 27th---and I think I'd enjoy going shopping with her.  Somehow all of my creativity has zipped out the window when it comes to food!  I did venture and get some citrus fruit that I have NO IDEA what it is.  It is about 4 times the size of a large grapefruit and looks like a yellow grapefruit.  

We've been eating a lot of noodles lately---at least for this week, that is!  Not by design; it just happens.  I'm carbo-loading without the big marathon!  Lovely.  Monday night we had spaghetti b/c neither one of us felt like cooking anything else more elaborate.  Besides, we had just returned and hadn't had time to get to the grocery store.  Tuesday night, Chris had to have dinner with the "team" at work, and I had noodles.  He got home really late that night.  Then, last night, he got home very late again (and I, again, had noodles), because he had to take one of his employees to the hospital.  Now, it is almost 9pm, he's still not home, and I actually have food in the fridge!  

(He has an evening meeting every single night that starts at 8pm.  It is a conference call to North Reading, MA, where it is 8am there.  They, in the US, don't feel the need to rush the meeting since the workday has just begun there.  We, on the other hand, feel our evenings controlled by this meeting.  When we were in Malaysia, we were having dinner with Chris's coworker and his wife, and the guys were called to their meeting just before the food arrived.  The other lady and I talked for over an hour waiting for the guys to be finished with their meeting.  That was how I learned about the preferences given to the Malays by the Malaysian Government over the Chinese and Indian people in Malaysia.  Of course, that was just one thing we talked about!  Apparently, it is not uncommon for Malays to have 8-10 kids.  The chinese have 2.) 

I felt bad for Chris last night.  He hates hospitals and pretty much everything medical (except me, of course!).  His coworker has diabetes and after switching from 1st to 2nd shift, he didn't adjust his habits to accommodate.  Next thing  Chris knows, they have to take him to the hospital.  Now, as he explained, in the US, you'd call an ambulance, it'd arrive, and paramedics or medics of sorts would take care of the person, take him to the hospital or whatever.  That's not quite the case here.  They had to drive the worker to the hospital, and he then refused the first hospital (a government one) they took him to.  Then, they found the nice Private hospital where Chris says the rooms were like hotel rooms!  You'd never find something like that in the states!  Anyway, to keep from retelling the whole story, things turned out fine, Chris got home really late and a bit startled (the guy kept asking and expecting Chris to take care of everything. but chris doesn't speak Thai and very few people spoke any English at the hospital), and we both had noodles for dinner---he got his at the hospital and I made mine at home.  

Imagine being sick and scared and completely incapable of communicating with doctors and nurses and everyone else.  That must be terrifying!  Yet, countless folks in the States have htat experience.  It must be terrifying!  Some of the first words he said to me last night were, "Please don't get sick here!"  Then he pulled out our insurance information and wrote down the nearest hospital.  Poor guy had quite the scare!  

I love it when a song or a smell links two unrelated events together!  Walking in the electronics section with my groceries (there must be a back exit or something.  While I'm never the only grocery shopper in the grocery store, I'm usually the only one in the mall!), I heard a song that always reminds me of one moment in time.  There is only one line of the song that I actually remember, but the tune gets stuck in my head.  "So, you've had a bad day!..."  This upbeat song (and catchy tune that always sticks!).  The moments in time it just linked are the first few moments my friend, Jade, and I plopped down on our bed in Luca, Italy, hungry and tired.  Man, we always managed to arrive at a new place between lunch and dinner, European time, when nothing was open!  Today, these two moments in time---one in Italy and the other walking through a mega-mall carrying my groceries---are linked.  I love it! :) 

Fun fact: Kurt Vonnegut's brother, 1975, Bernard Vonnegut, was a atmospheric scientist and published this paper to possibly understand why and how chickens lose their feathers in tornadoes: "Chicken Plucking is a Measure of Windspeed."  In this paper, he stated: "Possibly this might be a mechanism of survival leaving the predator with a mouthful of feathers allowing the chicken to escape."  (This American Life, #369, Poultry Slam).  This is a classy episode and reminds me of growing up in good ol' rural North Carolina. I mean, how many high school chemistry classes take a tour of a chicken processing plant for National Chemistry week?  Chickens were the first animal I stopped eating on my way to being vegetarian. 

I can hear the children (or maybe just one child?) next door laughing and talking over the bath that is being drawn for them.  (wow, is that the right phrase?  Sounds wildly victorian!) Apparently, our neighbor's bathroom is right next to our living room.  Wait---the family next door are American?  It sure sounds like an American accented English that the little kid is speaking to his mom: "I'm done Mom!" He repeats it.  Hmmm.....that is one sort of disappointing feature of where we are living.  I rarely ever run into other tenants.  Maybe I should just start knocking on doors?  The fun part of being at the Westin was hanging out in the lounge downstairs---that's where I had so many lovely conversations with Aussies, and those folks from Belgium.  (BTW: I completely forgot that they speak French in Belgium!) 

Okay, well, my computer battery needs recharging, and I think I'll read a bit before he gets home. It is 9pm and I have no idea when he'll be here.  I picked up a book today (one of the many things I did!).  "The Gate" by Francois Bizot.  It is Bizot's memoir of his being captive by the Khmer Rouge in Cambodia.  He was an ethnologist (that caught my eye!---I love that branch of Anthropology!), and apparently, he was chained and imprisoned after being suspected of being an American Imperialist.  I know nothing of this time period in history, and while I looked all over the bookstore for a nonfiction narrative set in Thailand, once I read a bit of this book, I could not put it down!  

Chris teases me that I only read nonfiction.  I really did not think that was true---I just love reading stories about written by people about their own lives.  I love essays and reflective pieces.  Its not like I read history books (oh, wait, do my History of medicine books count?) or documentaries!  I have my favorite fiction authors!  He's just caught me at a time when all I'm reading are autobiographical works (narrative works) involving medicine!  This book will be slightly different! :) 

TAL

...I am sitting on our couch, after an eventful day exploring more of the city (my goodness, this is the most confusing city to me!!!  It is soooo easy to get lost and turned around!!!  Luckily, I wasn't on a time-schedule, so, a little getting lost was just fine!) and I'm doing one of my favorite things---besides writing incredibly long sentences (Yes, dear Lora, I STILL write long sentences!)---Anyway, I am listening to This American Life podcasts AND starting a knitting project.  Life could not get better! :)  (well, I could have a smooth glass of wine at my side, or a delicious cappuccino, depending!...oh, and Chris could be on the couch beside me with Callie (our cat) on the chair beside us.  And there could be a nice breeze blowing outside and in through the windows.  I could have fresh fruit on the table next to the fresh flowers---picked from my own garden, of course---and I could have just had a wonderful 10 mile run through the countryside.  Oh, but alas, I daydream.  I have none of those things right now (nor can I go out and run 10 miles just yet).  Just my TAL, my knitting, my Mac (which we all know I love more than any electronic thing I've ever owned!), and my imagination!  

Everything in one place!

Hey! Oh my goodness, I saw this huge Mall (the Emporium) in a new light today!   You can get everything there---well, except a house and a car, but pretty much everything else material-wise.  I got SUPER excited (I'm still excited, can you tell?) to be in the Office Supply section.  And this is right beside the knitting section!  There is a huge mall, with perfumes and makeup on the ground floor and lots of restaurants and a grocery stop on the very top and then pretty much everything else in between!  I think I finally understand those cool rice makers they have here.  You can make cakes, pudding, compote (I think?), rice, and mixed rice all in one handy-dandy device.  Well, beside the office supply section (I'm a sucker for notebooks, writing instruments, and carriers for papers and things!) is the knitting section!!  Granted, it is not the quaint knitting store with hand-dyed yarns that i absolutely adore, BUT, they had some nice yarns and tons of needles!  This was in a department store in the mall!  Oh, I am really excited! 

I had a delicious afternoon meal at a little Vietnamese restaurant.  Oh, it was the best food I've had in over a week!!  Halfway through my meal, I asked a lady who was at the table a few down from me about the policy  on tipping here.  I told her that I was new to Bangkok and just didn't want to go against protocol.  She smiled and explained that usually tips are included in prices but that if the service is really nice and good, then giving 10-20 Baht is okay.  (Note: $1=35 Baht).  Then, she looked at my meal (spring rolls and a huge bowl of the best soup I've had in ages and ages!), and asked, "You're vegetarian?"  I replied that I was and then she told me about another restaurant for me to try.  Now, I'm super excited! 

About 10 minutes later, she came back to my table and asked me how I was enjoying my meal.  Oh, I loved it I told her!!  Well, wouldn't know she is the owner?!  This time she gave me her business card with her name on it, and then said that she told her staff to give me a free dessert!  I don't know what excited me more---finding delicious vegetarian food or a free dessert!  :)  The dessert was a shake of sorts with tons and tons of chunks of fruit in a glass.  I really have no idea what it was, but man!!!  It was delicious!!  I want to learn how to make soups like this!  (Luka Wang is the owner's name.  She was absolutely BEAUTIFUL, simply but elegantly dressed, and so kind!  She was with a very handsome fair-skinned blond-headed gentlman.  She didn't seem that much older than me---maybe 40?  And, of course she was so nice!)

Check it out:

We are proud to present Bangkok’s first health-conscious, vegetarian-friendly Vietnamese restaurant.

http://www.tamarind-cafe.com/restuarant.php?shop=bangkok+little+hanoi

Well, now that those two paragraphs read like a kid wrote them, I think I'll take a nap for a while.  I was up for most of the night last night.  Philadelphia and school is haunting me a bit.  I may be on the other side of the world, but my brain is right here.  I'm glad I went out today, though.  And I have charged myself with finding a yoga class and a meditation class this week.  I need to commit to living here, and those are two ways to do that!  

PS: the dessert I had is called Che.  The soup was the Vegetable Pho, and the rolls were vegetable Fresh Rolls.  YUM, YUM, YUM!  

one more thing: the pottery on which the food was served was beautiful!  I'm such a sucker for nice pottery! 

Back in BKK, Take Two!

So, we are back in BKK. I must admit it felt pretty nice to land the second time---and I was definitely more awake this time having just traveled just over an hour from Penang!  I have pictures and stories, of course, but I'll share those later.  I was surprised at how good it felt to be back in BKK!  And this morning, I saw Moodka! Yay!  We were happy to see each other!  

Okay, so, now to explore today a bit.  Where was I about two weeks ago before we had all the moving and such?  Right. About the explore the city. Well, that will be this week's task! :)  I hear there is a pub near the hotel (a few stops down on the Sky Train) that has weekly Quiz Night.  Our Aussie friends told us about that! :)  

December 5th, or 05/12/2008

Happy Father's Day!

and

Happy Birthday to the King of Thailand!

I thought I saw advertisements in Thailand for Father's Day---and I was really confused!  Until, I realized today, that today is in fact Father's Day!  And, it is the Thai King's 81st birthday.  He is the longest reigning monarch in the world, I do believe.  Unfortunately for the Thai people, he was too ill (just from a cold his daughter, the princess, told the papers) to make his annual birthday-eve address.

Here's another fun little fact: The King of Thailand and the King of Japan were childhood friends.  I believe this is the reason Japan did not invade Thailand in WWII and why Japan is one of the biggest investors in Thailand.  I could be wrong on these, but I think I am remembering correctly.

So, in the spirit of Father's Day, I'd like to say something about my ol' man.  Congratulations, Dad!  In preparation for prospective traveling to this part of the world, my father went an entire week without eating ice cream.  The significance of this, some of you may know, and for others, I will explain.  He has had ice cream (a popsicle, a bowl of ice cream, something cold) before he went to bed every single night of the past 40 years.  Since he got back from Viet Nam, where he spent 13 months in combat, he has treated himself to a cold dessert every single night.  He really has shocked me in his desire to come out and visit us in SE Asia, and I am really proud of him for this seemingly small feat.  I still worry about his reaction to being over here again, but I think he has known enough people to revisit SE Asia since the War ended that perhaps he feels comfortable enough.  What about rice?  rice patties? and the smells?  water buffalo?  I suppose it will help that no one will be shooting at him this time.

Still, can we ever really be prepared for the resurrection of sleeping demons? 

Oh, today is also the ceremonial lighting of the Christmas tree in the lobby of our hotel here in Malaysia.  They take Christmas very seriously here in Malaysia, we are told.  I still can't seem to wrap my head around Christmas music, Christmas trees, egg nog, wreaths, and bows in the tropics! 

Oh, Canada!

just pointing out an interesting thing:

Chris receives regular updates via email about the situation in Bangkok from the Canadian Embassy.  The same Embassy took out a 1/4 page advertisement on page 3 of the local newspaper in Bangkok giving an update for all Canadians and to let them know that the Embassy cared.  Or something like that....We both registered with our respective embassies and I've received Squat from mine!  Oh, to be Canadian! :) 

A little bit about Malaysia

Okay, so just in case I wasn't the only one who had to look on a map to find Malaysia, here is some rudimentary information:

It is a country in parts---one part is on the southern tip of Thailand (the Malay peninsula) and the Eastern part shares an island with  Indonesia.  The people are Chinese, Indian, and Malay. We found out at dinner last night with one of Chris's coworkers (who is of Chinese decent but he and his parents were born in Malaysia) that there is a huge difference in governmental subsidies between the Chinese and the Malay people. Malays make up more than half the population with Chinese and Indians being the minorities. As such, the government (according to the couple with whom we dined), gives educational benefits to Malays but not much to Chinese-Malays. Islam, Christianity, Buddhism, and Hinduism are religions represented.  The government is a federal constitutional elective monarchy. "Malaysia comprises 14 states including the three Federal Territories – Kuala Lumpur, Putrajaya and Labuan – which collectively form the 14th 'state.'   The states in Peninsular Malaysia are Perlis, Kedah, Penang, Perak, Selangor, Negri Sembilan, Malacca, Johor, Pahang, Terengganu, Kelantan and the Federal Territories of Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya; while Sabah and Sarawak make up the two remaining states. The Federal Territory of Labuan (area: 91km²) is located just off the west coast of Sabah. The capital city of Malaysia is Kuala Lumpur, while Putrajaya is the seat of the Federal Government. Both Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya are centrally located along the west coast of the peninsula."  [http://allmalaysia.info/msiaknow/general/default.asp?s=nation]

In front of us on the flight from Kuala Lumpur to Penang was the newly elected Chief Minister from the State of Penang. We're told it was a HUGE deal when he won for he is from the Opposition Party (not the party's actual name, but kinda like what the Minority party in the US would be---and by Minority, I mean the one that is not in power. From what I gather from Chris, the party system here is similar to what it is in Canada. But I might have to change that after consulting him!)  When we first got on the plane (oh, and yeah, we were travling business class), a family of two kids and parents, were very excited to see the man in the seat in front of us, and he posed for a picture with them.  Unfortunately, I didn't get to talk to him--just couldn't find the right time when we were getting off the plane to ask, "Hey, excuse me.  Who are you?"  So, instead, I asked the gentleman who was talking to him after the PM escaped through the VIP checkpoint.  "Who was that guy?" That's when we were told he was the newly elected Prime Minster of Penang.  Pretty cool!

oh but wait: Wikipedia states that he is newly appointed...hold on....fact check time.

Anyway, the English colonized Malaysia in the late 1700s. The Japanese invaded and occupied Malaysia in WWII, and Malaysia gained independence from Great Britain in the early 1960s (I'm obviously summarizing!) .  The currency is the Ringgit (RM)---$1 is approximately 3.64 Ringgits. 

Tomorrow, we plan on driving around the island of Penang and were warned to not cross the bridge.  Apparently, make a wrong turn (a series of them, actually) and you can end up in Singapore, Thailand, China, or Europe for that matter.  This is the farthest South both Chris and I have ever been---Penang is approximately 5 degrees and 25 minutes North, and 100 degrees 19 minutes East.  (Compared to Philadelphia: 39 degrees and 53 minutes North, and 75 degrees, 14 minutes West).

We are on the island of Penang which we're told will take us about 4 hours to drive around tomorrow.  Yay---a day off and a day for exploring!!

and the adventure continues...

Greetings from Malaysia! Penang, to be exact.

This place is gorgeous!!! My goodness! I'll post pictures when I get a chance---it is pretty awesome to breathe oxygenated air. Flying into Kuala Lumpur was unlike any other place I've visited. The outline of the lights on the island were breathtaking. We flew past the Twin Towers---two twin towers in Kuala Lumpur that are taller than the Empire State Building. The lights of the city glistened in contrast to the dark of the surrounding country side. Seeing the land in the daylight, I understand how it was so dark. Malaysia is filled with mountains. And, I don't know how, exactly, but I could decipher between darkness on land versus darkness on water. I have seen nothing like it before! Unlike flying into LA or other urban settings, the main roads here are curved and twisted. The lights on the roads decorated the land and carved the landscape. Oh, it was amazing!

So, we obviously survived the long trek here. There was a bit of an exaggeration on the armed nature of our security escorts on Wednesday morning. (we were warned not to be surprised if the security guys who were driving us in two vans to Phuket were armed. We didn't see anything but that doesn't mean much!) I wanted to take pictures of the security details, but the guys weren't too keen on photographs, anyway---I tried to be discreet and take their picture, but they dodged the camera. :) While they were not visibly carrying weapons, they really looked like tough guys---I bet they were trained to defend with their own bare hands! They weren't big and burly like bouncers at a club, but man, I didn't feel like messing with them! It was quite a ride down to Phuket---felt like we were in a James Bond movie at times with the way the drivers were handling the roads! At one point, we were riding on the side of the road trying to pass this huge truck so we could keep up with the other van. Cars were coming in the other direction, and apparently, a car horn carries a lot of weight for the cars pulled over and let us pass. Chris and I woke up just in time to see our van passing a truck going around a curve and the driver honking our horn to get the oncoming traffic to move over and let us pass. I'll have to post pictures....OH! and I forgot to mention a petite detail: There were no seatbelts in the van! (sorry Dad...)

And wouldn't you know it: As soon as we arrived in Kuala Lumpur (after the 10 hour van-ride, the 5 hour wait in the airport, and then the 1.5 hour flight to Kuala Lumpur), Chris received an email on his Blackberry saying that he was needed back in Bangkok ASAP! Geeze, well, at least we managed to squeeze a weekend here in Penang for we'll be leaving for Bangkok on Monday!

For the time being, however, I'm relaxing in Malaysia. Well, I use the word "relaxing" rather loosely---more accurately, I'm writing essays like crazy, doing work, and trying to catch up from lost days in travel and preparing for travel. I really feel as though I've spent most of the past week and a half unpacking and packing and unpacking and packing again. When we left the apartment on Tuesday night, I was prepared to head back to the States next stop. So, of course we had to pack a lot for that! Then, by 1am on Wednesday morning, after we had packed up most of the apartment, we were told a different set of circumstances. Now, we're heading back to Bangkok on Monday morning---and we have all the stuff (my school stuff, etc) that could have lasted us until January!

Man, I have so much to share! but alas, I have to go...more later! :)

the New Update

Wow, what a day.
This morning, we were planning to leave Bangkok for Philadelphia.
By noon, we were moving to Malaysia.
Now, by 10pm, we're only going to Malaysia for a couple of weeks.

So, uh...well...We'll be around. Living an adventure. Not sure where, but somewhere! :)

...off to dinner. We're still meeting up at 3:30 am to be escorted via security detail to the airport---a 10-12 hour drive. We are keeping our Bangkok apartment, so we do plan on coming back here.

WXPN, packing, and ready for another adventure!

I'm in the hotel room packing, yet again, for another trip! We have a long day ahead of us tomorrow. It will start at 4am when we leave with the rest of the Teradyne folk on a van to Phuket, in Thailand where Chris and I head to Malaysia as the rest of the gang continues on to Singapore. Oh, the vanride: 12 hours or so! I went to the grocery store today to get some supplies---bread for pb and J sandwiches, handwipes (I was told by a couple from Australia---a different couple from Ian and Jane---today that the rest stops along the way are less than par), cookies (we all need sweets!) and flavored tamarind. What is that? Well it is this stuff---fruit? seeded thingie---that an herbalist who joined us at the Health Care Justice Gathering last year introduced to me. Well, they sell it like crazy here, so I picked up a small bag to try.

I'm listening to WXPN, streaming it actually, from Philadelphia as I write this and as I pack yet again. It is a GREAT independent radio station in Philadelphia---ah, I love this station! It is kinda funny to think that it is morning in Philadelphia. People are just getting ready for work or school. Yep, the world continues on. I heard that the Administration finally admitted we are in a recession. Oh, really? What was the first clue? Geeze...

The couple I spoke to today is originally from Australia. They are here on vacation after spending 2 years (I think) in Michigan. They were there for her work. Before that, they lived in Bangkok. She was here for the military coup in 2006. She said there were tanks in the streets and people walking around with machine guns. They were under house lockdown (so she and her girlfriend drank wine and played Scrabble!), but she said there was no real threat---at least she didn't feel threatened. She said that they got calls from people outside of here asking about the situation b/c they'd see reports on CNN. She said it was not as bad as it was reported. I asked her her thoughts on the current situation. (Did I mention they were here on vacation before they go to Australia for the holidays?). She was so relaxed and said that she feels that if something were to happen, the Thai people would be the first to protect the tourists and foreigners. However, they both said (she and her husband), that this time it is different. It is hard to know if we are being overly cautious by leaving. What makes this different from the coup in 2006 is that this time, there are two opposing groups. Yes, that makes sense---things are more unpredictable when there are opposing groups!

Oh, and another point: She first spoke to me yesterday when I fell asleep by the pool reading a book. She asked me how much of my book I had read...really funny, lady! :) She is really nice!!! I told her we were leaving for Malaysia, and she said we'll have a blast! :) Also, it is only 6 or so hours flight from Australia. Wohoo! We might actually make it down-under!

Another thing: I returned to the elephant stand (where there are carved elephants) and semi-spoke to the woman there. I didn't get to see the other gentleman, but it was good to see her! I'd tell you her name, but I only know it in sign-language!

Okay, well, I suppose I'll get back to packing. We have no idea what we're doing with the apartment here.

Tail Lamp

OH! In the emotional interruption of the change of plans, I forgot to mention the elephant! We passed a baby elephant on the sidewalk last night coming back from dinner. A man was leading this baby elephant---looked more like a teen, I guess---on the sidewalk! Here we are walking back from dinner as a group and suddenly an elephant is in front of us. Now, try passing a man leading an elephant heading in the opposite direction on a narrow sidewalk with the skytrain entrance to your left, another retaining wall on your right, a tall plant, and a poor homeless person on the other side of the plant. It's rump was about the height of a tall man. It was all too fast to take a picture!

Best part: the elephant had a red bike tail lamp attached to it's tail!

The reminds me: I keep forgetting to mention the people on the streets begging for money. It breaks my heart every time we walk past them. There is also a very mangey dog that is usually on the second level of the Sky train platform. There is usually a mother sitting on the ground outside the Westin who has two small children. The other day, she was breastfeeding her child a we walked past. Without knowing anything about the local's situation and what services exist to help the unfortunate, it is still hard to see such suffering. Everyone has a story, and the world's poor are no exception.

I also forgot to write about the girl who is cleaning our room here in the hotel. My goodness, I hate the way that sounds! I mean, I know it is their jobs, but I am so unaccustomed to having these services! She is 32 years old and has two children. Her sister is a teacher and doesn't have kids of her own. Oh, I cannot remember her name. But she is soooo sweet!!! She works from 7am until 4pm every day. I think she gets one day off.

Well, I suppose I'm off to the gym and maybe sit outside and people watch on our last day in Bangkok...my heart was so crushed this morning at the thought of returning to Philadelphia after such a short trip and after we worked so hard in our preparations to come out here. I'm still sad to not say goodbye. I hate leaving places or people without saying goodbye! Now, the option of moving to Malaysia is exciting!

Change of Plans: Malaysia!

Well, the "look both ways, then jump!" notion continues to be appropriate. We just made the decision to move to Penang, Malaysia.

http://www.geographia.com/malaysia/penang.html

Chris's company has an office there, and he will be able to work there.

Busy times...

The warning

This is an email we received as an "update" on the situation.

THAILAND (Country threat level - 3)

U.S. EMBASSY IN BANGKOK ISSUES WARDEN MESSAGE

The U.S. Embassy in Bangkok sent out the following Warden Message on
November 27: "American citizens travelling or living in Thailand should be
aware that the People’s Alliance for Democracy (PAD) has entered and forced
the closure of Suvarnabhumi and Don Muang airports in Bangkok. All incoming
and outgoing flights have been cancelled. We do not know when flights will
resume. While the U.S. Embassy in Bangkok has conveyed its deep concern
with these closures to the Thai authorities and remain hopeful that the
airports will reopen in the near future, ultimately it is a situation that
can only be resolved by those involved. The Embassy in Bangkok is urging
the Foreign Ministry to provide appropriate compensation to stranded
American travelers, but there are no details on this yet." (27 Nov 2008)

THAI GOVERNMENT TO NEGOTIATE WITH AIRPORT PROTESTERS

A spokesman for Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat announced on 28 November
2008 that the government would attempt to negotiate with People's Alliance
for Democracy (PAD) protesters that have shut down Bangkok's two airports.
Don Muang International Airport (VTBD/DMK) and Suvarnabhumi Airport
(VTBS/BKK) remain closed, with protesters crowding the passenger terminals
and manning roadblocks leading into the airport facilities. The
announcement of possible negotiations is an indication that the government
may be backing off previous threats to forcibly remove the PAD protesters.
Local news reports indicate that Bangkok police officers have been ordered
to remove the protesters in a "peaceful manner." Somchai had earlier
threatened to call in security forces in a harsh crackdown on the protests
after he declared a state of emergency for both airports. Somchai also
announced that he has dismissed the national police chief. The prime
minister did not give a reason for the firing. Because of the tense
security situation in Bangkok, Somchai has moved his offices to Chiang Mai
in northern Thailand.

Thousands of foreign travelers remain stranded in Bangkok, with virtually
no flights being able to get in or out of the city for the past three days.
Several international airlines have reportedly scrambled to reroute
aircraft to Utapao International Airport (VTBU/UTP) approximately 90 mi/140
km south of Bangkok in Rayong where they hope to load passengers out of
Thailand. Thai International Airways, AirAsia and Cathay Pacific Airways
have all announced plans to schedule flights out of Utapao. It is unclear
how passengers on these airlines will travel from Bangkok to Utapao.
Government representatives stated that Utapao is not equipped to handle a
large volume of foreign travelers and that negotiations would work towards
reopening Bangkok's airports as soon as possible. (28 Nov 2008)

GRENADE ATTACK WOUNDS SEVERAL AT STREET MARKET IN BANGKOK

On 29 November 2008 demonstrators gathered to protest against a proposal to
redevelop the area. Shortly after 1900 local time a grenade was launched
from a flyover above the protest site near the city's main port.
Approximately 300 people gathered for the protest and of those, 16 people
were injured. The protest was unrelated to the current government
situation. (29 Nov 2008)

STANDOFF AT BANGKOK AIRPORTS CONTINUES AS PRO-GOVERNMENT RALLY LOOMS

The standoff at Bangkok's Don Muang International Airport (VTBD/DMK) and
Suvarnabhumi Airport (VTBS/BKK) continues for a fifth day on 29 November
2008 as police officers remain stationed around People's Alliance for
Democracy (PAD) protesters holed up at both airports. According to Thai
government officials, the airport will remain shut down until at least
Sunday, 30 November 2008. A state of emergency is still in effect for both
airports; however, there has not yet been any action taken by security
forces or the protesters. Despite earlier claims that negotiations would
begin to find a peaceful resolution to the crisis, spokesmen for both sides
have told reporters that talks have not begun and the absence of
negotiations increases the possibility of a violent confrontation. The
situation at Suvarnabhumi Airport (VTBS/BKK) remains particularly tense, as
a uniformed police officer was seen being forcibly put into a vehicle after
he approached a roadblock manned by PAD protesters. The officer's
whereabouts are unknown at this time and PAD leaders have not commented on
the incident. Approximately 2,000 security forces are stationed along roads
leading into the airport facility, but defiant PAD organizers told
reporters they would fight back any attempt to dislodge them.

The security situation has further been complicated by an announcement from
the pro-government United Front for Democracy Against the Dictatorship
(UDD) that the group will hold a massive rally on 30 November 2008. UDD
leader Veera Musikhapong told reporters that he will rally the group's
members at a demonstration at the Sanam Luang park in front of the Grand
Palace in Bangkok. Although the UDD has announced that their supporters
would not march to confront PAD members at either airport, the potential
for further civil unrest remains with any opposition to the PAD. (29 Nov
2008)

THAILAND SITUATION UPDATE

All operations at Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi International Airport (VTBS/BKK)
and Don Muang International Airport (VTBD/DMK) remains suspended as of 29
November 2008. Airport authorities announced that the Suvarnabhumi Airport
would remain closed at least until 1800 local time on 1 December. At least
2,000 police officers are stationed around the airport and have every exit
and entrance blocked. A checkpoint on the highway leading to the main
airport is being controlled by at least 400 police officers to prevent more
PAD demonstrators from entering airport grounds. Officials have given the
preliminary go-ahead to utilize a small public airport in Rayong, U-Tapao
International Airport (VTBU/UTP) -- which is located approximately 90
mi/140 km south of Bangkok -- to facilitate the movement of passengers
stranded in Bangkok as a result of the recent unrest; however, reports
indicate that the small airport is not equipped to handle such a large load
of travelers. Thousands of tourists have purchased bus tickets for travel
to such locations as Penang and Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, and Singapore in
order to travel on from those locations to their home countries. The state
of emergency is still in effect at both locations.

Another explosion occurred at the PAD occupied government house in Bangkok
at approximately 1700 UTC on 29 November. The explosion occurred as police
officers tried to end the blockade of Bangkok's two airports; at least 51
injuries were reported. Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat made a statement
to the general public to not support PAD demonstrators, as they have
isolated Thailand from the rest of the world. He also remained vague on why
he dismissed Pol Gen Patcharawat Wongsuwan as national police chief.
Another grenade exploded in the Klongtoey market and wounded 16 people. It
was not linked to any anti-government protests. (29 Nov 2008)

THAILAND UPDATE

As of 1 December 2008 members of the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD)
and the government had made little headway in ending the crisis in Bangkok.
On 30 November 2008 PAD protesters gathered for a rally at Interior
Minister Kowit Watana's housing estate and demanded that he lift the state
of emergency over the two Bangkok airports. PAD members showed no signs of
meeting the demands of the government to disperse, and riot police
continued to stand guard at the airports.

On 30 November PAD leader Chamlong Srimuang agreed to meet with Bangkok
police chief Suchart Muenkaew to discuss increasing security at Government
house after an attack on Saturday night injured 45 people, four seriously.
On 1 December 2008 PAD leaders called for protestors to end the rally at
Government house and move to Suvarnabhumi Airport (VTBS/BKK) and Don Mueang
Airport (VTBD/DMK). Reports indicate that daily demonstrations might still
take place at Government House but will only last until evening due to
safety concerns.

PAD leaders showed some willingness to negotiate with the government when
they agreed to allow 88 stranded aircraft to fly out of Suvarnabhumi
Airport without passengers on 30 November. The aircraft were released in
order to help evacuate stranded tourists from airports in other provinces.

On 30 November the United Front of Democracy Against Dictatorship (UDD)
announced that it plans to gather in front of the Grand Palace in Bangkok
until the PAD ends its siege of the airports to demand that the government
along with police and military forces disperse the PAD protestors at the
two airports in Bangkok.

On 1 December a large homemade firecracker exploded at the Democrat party
head office in Bangkok and witnesses reported hearing four gunshots at Don
Mueang Airport (VTBD). No injuries were reported in relation to either
incident. (01 Dec 2008)

We have to leave, and I am so sad!

It is with great sadness that I write this.  As it stands right now, Tuesday (today) will be our last day in Thailand.  While we feel no threat individually---you really can't feel threatened in the streets and where we are---Chris's company and the security company who arranges for our safety here strongly recommends that we leave.  Western Digital, the company where Chris's company is doing their work, has already sent a lot of expatriates back to their countries.  His coworkers are flying out tomorrow morning, local time.  Oh, wait, not flying out.  The itinerary looks like this: Leave hotel at 5am on a bus to Phuket (10 hours, I think?), fly to Singapore, then to Frankfurt, then to Boston.  For us: then to Philadelphia.  

With tears rolling down my face, and of course the accompanying snot, I write this. It is just so unbelievable. I keep waiting for a resolution---for a newspaper to report that everything is cleared and we can go back to business as usual. Chris and I can go back to our apartment, I can look for a medical clinic or hospital to work in, and I can investigate classes in Thai Massage. I even found an Iyengar yoga studio that I was going to explore.

Why do we have to leave?  We just don't feel threatened---but at the same time, we are being advised to stay close to the hotel.  With the airports closed, we can't easily get out of here in case things do go badly.  We prepared for this for weeks, and now, we've been here just over a week and have to flee.  

And I can't say goodbye to Moodka.  I'm so sad!! All the people I've met are sooo incredibly nice.  All are so eager to talk.  And they laugh, but in a kind way, at my struggling Thai language skills!  

As I was crying this morning, Chris said he'd come back and get me so we can pack up the apartment together and hopefully, I can leave a note for Moodka. Oh, drat, here I go getting upset again! I feel so bad for the Thai people. The people I've met are so kind and generous, and they are so easy to smile...I am going to try and get Moodka's contact information.

I guess the other thing is that if something happens, there is no certain exit plan. But come on! Our safety is a greater issue in Philadelphia!!

A picture from our window on the 21st floor of the Westin. See the Sky Train?


a picture of the King on the front of the Westin. There are pictures of him on buildings all over the city. And there are little shrines, too.


A sign on the high sidewalk going to the Skytrain. I want to see Times Square!


a picture of the flowers and plants outside the Westin hotel. The little white flowers give off the best sweet fragrance, almost like honey suckle. I'm not used to seeing pythos or the snake plants (aka: Mother in Law's tongue) growing in the ground.

Using your hands!

I ventured out a bit just now and had mini adventure. First went to the grocery store and bought some dried mangos, some coffee, and some coffee filters. Have I mentioned Arabica coffee and how delicious it is? Well, here at the hotel, the coffee is disgusting, if I might say, so I went to the grocery store to try and find some better coffee. From what I'm told, Arabica coffee is local to Thailand. The particular kind I bought is from Om Koi Estates in Chiang Mai. I must get to that region of Thailand!!

Then, I walked around the mall a bit. Whatever gave me the thought that I would enjoy that when I can't stand malls in the US I have no idea! Add to my general distaste of malls an ounce of odd smells, and I was not pleased! It was probably just this one. Yes, we are in an area that is jam packed with malls! I am hoping to find someone who can explain the deluxe rice cookers they have here. They are quite intriguing, and Chris has already said we're going to come home with one. Apparently, you can do everything from make rice to rice pudding to cakes, all in one handy digitally timed machine. Hmmm....

Then, I hopped around the corner of the hotel to meander around the sidewalk a bit. I've been given the task of bringing back a carved elephant, and there on a table on the sidewalk was a whole slew of them. They were of varying sizes. So were the carved penises (circumsized) right next to them. Anyway, when I picked up an elephant to inquire about the price, my answer was hand gestures. And then I saw that the man and woman was signing! They were both hearing impaired! I only know a few words in sign-language, and thank you is one of them. So, I signed "Thank you" knowing that sign language is language-specific. He got all excited, and I slowly explained that I know very little. He asked me in English, "Where are you from?" I wrote "USA" and then he showed me how to sign "Thank you" in Thai! I almost think I had an easier time communicating with him than people who only speak Thai and very little English. And I could use my hands!!!!

As I think I've mentioned, the Thai people are very reserved in their communications. They rarely ever use their hands. You all KNOW that I use mine all the time! This has been one thing to adjust to! Anyway, talking to this man was fun! I asked him if he is there every day, and I think the answer is yes. Maybe I can introduce Chris to him on his next day off, whenever that might be!

Wow, I had a conversation with a Thai man who is hearing impaired! Oh, and I bought a tiny elephant, too!

Chris's Day off...

We had a nice, and unexpected, day yesterday for Chris' day off. We slept in until 9am or so, then indulged ourselves in laziness for a while before heading down for breakfast, barely making it before the 10:30 am cut off for the buffet. As we're still in the Westin (again, at his company's request), we are enjoying have food made by others!! I, personally, LOVE eating the european meal for breakfast! Or, what seems european to me! (The best yogurt I've ever had was in Switzerland!) Here, it appears that the buffet is organized by regional preferences. American-style, European, Thai, and Japanese. There are only really signs for Thai and Japanese, though--I think anyway! It is cool to see how different cultures take to the same meals differently.

After breakfast, I worked on essays while Chris caught up on his email. We went to the gym around 2pm and had a great workout for about an hour and 15 minutes or so. The gym here is really nice! Sadly, we were the only ones in there for most of the time. I say sadly b/c the entire hotel seems empty. My heart goes out to all the staff. There is no way the tourist industry is going to support itself while the country loses so much money each day that the airports are closed. It seems like such a high price to pay. The BBC reports that the tourist industry is losing $85 million per day that the airport is closed. We also heard that there is a 3.5 week backup for flights out. We feel bad for Chris's coworkers who were supposed to fly out last week and even those scheduled to fly out this week. I wonder how things will look when I'm scheduled to leave Dec. 21st. No need to worry...there is still the king's birthday coming up!

Oh, but I digress! The big thing we did yesterday was treat ourselves to very pricey (we are in the Westin, of course!) massages! We each had 90 minute-massages with lovely scented oils. Oh, it was wonderful! :) Before mine, I got my eyebrows waxed. I'm a little concerned b/c she took off some forehead hair, too! I've never had that done--I was hoping they wouldn't do anything funky, but darn! Not like my forehead was particularly hairy or anything! I just hope that now it doesn't have to be a regular thing! I liked my peach fuzz!! :(

After the massage, I was feeling particularly beat up! I mean, my calves were tight from all the running I've just begun again, and my forearms are sore from all the typing (lame, I know!), but man, she found spots in my back that were just knotty! I felt okay afterwards for about 20 minutes but then I felt nauseous and completely exhausted! We were going to treat ourselves to a quiet dinner alone, but I was simply not up to it! Instead, I was crawled into bed and was asleep by 8:15pm! Not exactly a romantic evening in with my darling on his one day off!

I hear that it is not unusual to feel almost sick-like and exhausted after a massage. One of my friends also tells me that it gets better with time and the more massages you have as more "toxins" are released. Man, I must have had a ton to release! And the saddest thing: Chris told me this morning that my legs were jumpy all night! Boohoo!

While yesterday, I had pastry, granola, fruit, and potatoes (you know how I LOVE potatoes!), this morning I found comfort in Miso soup. I love breakfast foods, but they don't seem to love me--leaving me in a zombie state! I actually prefer soup for breakfast! Though, the creamy yogurt (maybe it is just cream?) with sliced apples and granola is wonderful, too! I wonder how they make it? I first found it in Switzerland, and LOVE having it again. Is it muesli and cream with fresh fruit? I'm really not sure, but I love that the hotel serves it every morning! And I can never really get enough Miso soup! Chris, too, likes having more than toast and granola for breakfast--what we usually have. I really hope we can have some Thai food for dinner this evening!

So, for today, I'm going to continue working on essays, and hopefully venture outside a bit. We hope to be able to leave the hotel Wednesday, but it all depends. I just finished working on and submitted the Nutrition and Medicine budget, and I'm sure I need to do something for the Health Care Justice Gathering today, too. Man, and the dream I had last night that I was in the Dean's suite at school and my advisor was asking me about my research project---goodness, the US seems awfully close right now! Even if I am on the other side of the world!!! Well, at least I think I may have found the perfect place for our wedding next summer. I can't wait to check it out when we get to the States! The Rose Bank Winery. http://www.rosebankwinery.com/

We still have to see about it all, and pick a date (EXCITING!) but I think it is a good location---and if we have it in the barn, as I'd like to, then there are two floors and lots of space and a dance floor. So, people who wish not to see each other don't have to! Oh, to have four sets of folks who really want to avoid each other...or actually, to be technical, just one party on each of our sides who wishes to avoid the other. Geeze, people, thanks for making our lives complicated! Anyway, seems like even though I'm on the other side of the world, the things I left undone in the US have followed me! I hope when I come back in January, that a few of these things have gotten tied up, and I can be a little more present in Thailand!

Okay, I'm off to write downstairs...

MCAT essay

by the way: how remarkable that in this calendar year, I have been to Alaska, Canada, and now Thailand. and I love that one of the two essays I had to answer on the MCAT was about travel: "Travel is the best way to learn about another culture." I could not have been given a more appropriate essay! Life is fascinating when you slow down enough to observe it! :)

An afternoon conversation with Jane and Ian

(written this afternoon, while waiting for a salad...Oh, it was a beautiful salad! Overall, I had a very relaxing day in the Westin. There appears to be very little political activity. It is better to be safe, and that is why we came to the Westin at Chris's company's request. However, to be honest, I have felt no threat, and the Thai people do not seem concerned. It really appears to be a gentle environment, overall...)

Right now, my favorite thing to do is to imagine I am an Anthropologist observing a new place and a different people. Ah, the imagination is a great thing, isn’t it? Isn’t it great to romanticize about being an early explorer, wearing brown linen pants and a white flowing shirt, wide brimmed hat, and carrying a brown leather bag with nothing but a notebook, camera, and writing instrument. Oh, Holywood, what have you done but create these images of white women exploring exotic cultures, tribes, peoples. Wearing mosquito nets and following handsome archeologists. Have I been dreaming of Raiders of the Lost Ark lately? No, I don't know what it is evoking such fictional comparisons! Anyway...nothing like a good bit of observation and people watching! hahaha---people watching, yes! I love it! And apparently, flirting here looks the same as it does other places. And one more thing: The thai women are gorgeous! Yes, that is a grand generalization. Perhaps I should look beyond a luxury hotel before I make sweeping statements.

Three hours later...

Apparently, Melbourne, Australia, is just 9 1/4 hours from Bangkok! This is what the couple with whom I just had at least an hour and a half long conversation told me. Ian and Jane, a newly retired couple from Melbourne, were traveling here for a wedding in Phuket and were supposed to leave last night at midnight. Now, they are deciding between staying here until Tuesday when the airport is supposed to open or leaving tomorrow, for a long journey involving a bus, a shorter flight to Sydney, and then somehow trying to get to Melbourne once in Australia. The latter journey would take many hours longer, and in the end, they say, would not save them that much. He was an engineer and she was a teacher. Now, Jane said she is a photographer.

The conversation actually began when Jane asked me if I am also stranded in Bangkok. When I said, No, the conversation quickly went to the Tiger Temple. They showed me pictures on their cell phones of them actually holding the tiger cubs. According to them, the tiger cub fur feels more like carpet and not soft and furry like domestic cats. I have to see this for myself! They got to feed the tiger cubs!!! Amazing! They told us to go there and to ask for Tim. He takes care of the cubs, and you have to pay extra money to do it, but it is completely worth it, they say. Next weekend, perhaps!

Then they asked me all about an American Thanksgiving and the difference between an American Thanksgiving and an American Christmas in terms of the food. Shoot, and I did not get to express the main difference---it is the company that is kept! As someone who has not spent two years in a row with the same people over Thanksgiving since in 12 years, I can say that Thanksgiving is a holiday which is more than family. You invite everyone, and if someone has no place to go, you bring that person along! I’ve been that person! Christmas, on the other hand, is a more personal, family affair.

Jane told me about another holiday that is not celebrated in Australia, and that is Halloween. Apparently, they were in Changhai, China, (I think) during Halloween. They were so surprised to be caught in a flood of Halloween goers. They then asked me to join them, and I did, and we had a lovely conversation for a while!

Of course, we had an interesting discussion of politics. The world is so excited for the United States for electing Obama. They said, anyway, from their experiences. (It always amazes me how quickly people are to ask about American politics. I suppose so few of us explore the world, that it feels like anytime someone gets ahold of an American, they want to ask so many questions. Okay, maybe that's just my experience of Canada and Switzerland. I haven't really traveled enough to say emphatically.)

Regarding the economy, he claims he is a capitalist, but he has social principles. It is our responsibility to take care of people, he said. He also believed in putting a cap on salaries. I tried to explain how there is a population in the US who believes that such caps reek of communism and socialism. That anyone should have the opportunity to be wealthy and that that chance---the American Dream---should be allowed at all cost.

He says that the capitalist system, as in Free Market, has proven that is cannot sustain. And again, he emphasized that he is a Capitalist. Well, we are in a luxury hotel. But why does someone need more than 2 million dollars, they both asked. Ian attempted to explain economics to me and how the automobile industry has to be bailed out, to save the economy. He also explained other aspects of the economy. It was quite interesting!

Of course the topic of healthcare arose. Non-Americans seem to love to ask us about our health care system. They find it so preposterous that our system is so expensive to the individual and that the government does nothing to help the individual. I told them what I knew about the history of the push for socialized medicine starting in the 60s (though I know there were folks who wanted it before then...), and then I told them about the cost of healthcare in the States. Then, how fewer and fewer people are going into Primary Care. They were shocked to find out how much medical education is in the States and both said I should try for school in Australia. There is a Medical Humanities program there, I told them! :)

Anyway, we had an interesting conversation. I love talking to people from other countries. I wish more Americans had the opportunity—hell, the desire!!---to learn about the rest of the world. Perhaps if we, as a people, had any concept of the effects of our actions on the world, or even if we as a people stepped down from our high horse and reflected on what we stand for, then perhaps there would be peace. What is freedom? What are our values? Whom do our laws protect? And why do we have such a huge disparity between the haves and the have nots?

Sidenote:
I love the fact that every time I think of the term “Corporate Social Responsibility” I am reminded of the first time I heard that term. I was visiting my dear friend, Alexander, in Geneva, Switzerland. He was doing an internship with the WHO, and one of the people he knew was working on promoting CSR.

I love these little reminders that I am in fact a citizen of the world. (or at least I try to be!) That is what traveling teaches me. This is what I seek---to be a world citizen. Not just an American. There are things that I do love about my country, don’t get me wrong. And there are times that, being with a Canadian, I am reminded of the good things of the States. Gosh, poor Chris around the 4th of July! I get so inspired by the Declaration of Independence. To be reminded of a time when intellectual pursuits were held in high esteem. No fools wrote those documents---learned med did! I wonder if Chris will ever really understand. (Can I really understand the French Canadian's story? I would like to think that I do attempt it...and yes, part of me does envy that shared story of a people).

In the same way that being with him has given me cause to think about America---the good and the bad----It is because of Chris that I became aware of the meaning of Thanksgiving to me. The first time I missed Thanksgiving was two years ago when we took the days off from school to go to Canada, and I met his parents that long weekend. And, mind you, I have not spent Thanksgiving in the same place two years in a row in the past 12 years---so, it is not really that deeply of a family holiday for me, but instead, it is a time when you spend with a Family, be it a family of friends, of coworkers, of classmates, or just of people gathered together to give Thanks. It is more than turkey or stuffing or mashed potatoes.

Other holidays allow me to pause and think about what it means to be American. Veterans' Day and Memorial Day do that for right after I am reignited each year over the power of the 4th of July, I am also reminded of the human cost on Memorial and Veterans' Days. Talk about putting meaning back into holidays---if we could put Christ back into Christmas, then we sure as heck should put the Human cost and meaning back into the other holidays. Anyway, I shouldn't go there, I suppose. Just something to think about, I suppose.

Anyway, Chris is coming home from work, soon. I again spent the day writing and talking and writing some more....