My day at the park - 7 March 2010
I got inspired the other day because I figured out that the bus that passes our apartment is the very same bus that goes to the IDC (Immigration Detention Center) AND it's only 14THB. Before I had to walk 10 minutes to the BTS (sky train), go one station & then switch to the MRT (underground), to 5 stops to Lumpini & then either walk 20 minutes or take a taxi or motor bike. So this would take about 45 minutes & cost about 70 or 80THB. WOW! Not sure why it took me more than 4 months to figure this out, but I think it's just transformed my life. I was so excited about the bus that I decided to get a bus map & try some other routes. I've found a new adventure in Bangkok!!
I thought I'd found a new freedom & independence with my trusty bus map. It's written in English & Thai, so how could I go wrong................easy...........seems most Thais don't have a clue how to read a map & seems the ones i encountered went one better & couldn't read Thai either - though my adventurous spirit has not been dashed, just dialed down a notch or 2.
In Hong Kong the bus system was wonderful & as long as you had a map, you could get most anywhere. If you got lost, you just showed your English/Chinese map & they would steer you in the right direction, no problem! But this isn't Hong Kong!!
Today I decided to test out my bus map skills & after much studying it looked like I could get to this park that a friend had taken Jesse to when he was here. He'd told me it was really nice & I was wanting to see some green. I walked the 1/2 block to the main road above our street & found the bus stop. In a few minutes bus 11 came by & I jumped on.It wasn't air conditioned, but I had a window seat, so the breeze was good. Realize that it rarely gets below 90F here & today was no exception & the humidity is always up there.
Of course the challenge is to know where to get off the first time around, since there are no signs at the stops (like in Hong Kong). I tried to follow along on my map, but once we started making turns & there were no road signs I was lost. BUT a group of Africans got on & wouldn't you know it, I knew them from the Refugee Center. We had a good chat & then they asked where I was going. They looked at my map & decided that this bus was not going where I thought it should. In the general direction, but not to the route I was counting on. They told me to get off at the end of the line & walk to the main street & get another bus from there. I thanked them & the kids gave me big smiles & lots of waves! I think they thought it was pretty funny to see me on their bus.
I took their advise, but couldn't really locate where I was by now. Too many twists & turns. So I walked about 15 minutes & then went to a 7 Eleven to get a cold drink, cool off & ask directions. The guy seemed to know where I wanted to go & pointed in the direction I was walking, but he spoke no English. The only Thai I could understand him saying was "go straight & turn right". Couldn't figure out if it was close or far. I walked another 10 minutes along a built up city street. Hadn't succeeded in getting out of the city at all. Lots of car dealerships & used industrial machinery shops. Finally I was just too hot & sweaty & broke down & hailed a taxi.
I showed the taxi driver the map & said where I wanted to go. Of course he said he knew & once he started driving I could only tell that he was asking me which street he should turn down, so he really had no clue where I wanted to go. Apparently couldn't read a map or Thai!! So I broke down again & called my personal 911 rescue worker, Lisa. She's the Thai friend who took Jesse to this park in the first place. She had a very long conversation with the driver & then told me he was initially very confused, but she straightened him out. Indeed after about 15 minutes of driving (SO glad I didn't keep walking) we were at the park!
It was a lovely park, lots of water & trees & flowers. I took along the good camera & had a really good time snapping nature photos. This park seems to be an escape from the city for many people. There were families & friends everywhere, enjoying the shade & greenery. There are several gardens in the park, including a formal English Garden, a rainforest type enclosed area & a US Geodesic dome filled with cacti. There were even swan boats to rent, so I'll have to bring John back so we take a ride together (although in this heat, it might not be that much fun).
I walked around for about 2 hours, then decided I'd better work on getting home, since getting there had not worked so well. I went out the other entrance since it looked like there were more buses that way. As I exited the park, the driver of a Songtawang (not sure of the spelling, but it's a large pickup truck with two long seats in the back running along the side of the truck bed - the name literally means 2 seats) waved to me to get into his truck. They take multiple passengers & act as a small local bus. He indicated the fare would be 6THB & I asked some other people where it was going & pointed up the road to the main street. From my trusty map that at least I could read - the main road with the buses was a good ways down the street. So I hoped aboard. I've wanted to try one of these little buses, but have never known what the fare was or how to tell where the heck they are going. Now I had my chance. I'm really glad I didn't walk as it was a good distance. Paid my 6 THB upon exiting like the rest of the group & chalked this up to another new transportation experience!
Now for the bus back to the city challenge! I crossed the road fairly sure that was the direction I wanted to be going. At the bus stop a woman saw me looking at my map & she spoke to me in English. It wasn't good English, but bless her heart to take pity on me!!! She confirmed that I was indeed headed in the right direction & that bus 206 would pass by here. I figured that would get me closest to home. I would need to get off before it made a turn & then take the klong (canal) taxi the rest of the way (only 2 stops). There were several of these Songtawangs stopping & she began reading where they were going. One of them she read & said, "You should get onto this instead of the big bus, it will take you to the sky train & that will get you home." I really wanted to take the big bus in hopes that it would be air conditioned, but decided to trust her. So I hopped aboard. I figured I'd recognize the sky train better than the klong taxi stop anyway. The ride took about 40 minutes & I wondered if I'd made the right decision. I asked a teenager sitting next to me how my the fare was & he said 6THB. I guess that is the standard fare for these trucks.
Turns out I did indeed recognize where to get off, but it didn't matter, because that was the end of the line anyway. It was in front of a big department store & there was a KFC right there in front of me. KFC has a good reputation for ice cream & I've not tried it, so I decided that I'd earned myself a good soft serve ice cream cone in an air conditioned building! It was YUMMY!! I got to the sky train & found my way home quite nicely.
So I can now add another mode of transportation to my list & did manage to get to the park. I've studied the map again & after seeing the buses that were out there, I think I can make it without the taxi next time. John comes home on Wednesday, so we'll see if he's game to give it a try next weekend!!
Sunday, March 7, 2010
Sunday, October 4, 2009
My WINGS Talk about my time in BK
WINGS Talk 2 Oct 2009
WINGS - Women Investigating & Nurturing their Gifts & Talents
I was asked to give a 5 minute talk about how I have been able to nurture my career during my time in Bangkok.
5 minutes about myself, WOW, that's a tough task for me, since I love to talk. The only way I could manage to come close to 5 minutes was to write it all down & read it to you. This is not my usual style, so please forgive me, but only way I could do 5 minutes.
If anyone had told me 9 months ago that I would be sitting here in front of you as an expat success story, I would have laughed at you or more likely cried. But I certainly would not have believed you. But here I am & how did I get here?
My professional background is in teaching & nursing. I'm a registered nurse having worked most of my career in community health as a school nurse, HIV/AIDS case worker, women's health, child health, maternity & childbirth educator. I was also very involved in my children's lives as a hockey, soccer & lacrosse Mom, helping to run & manage several of their teams & leagues. In my US life I was a very active & involved person.
When I learned we were moving to Asia, I was excited. This would be our first venture outside of the US & something we had always wanted to do. The timing was perfect. I dropped our youngest son at University & the next week boarded a plane for HK. Like most expats we didn't know if we would be here for 6 months or 6 years. I chose to take the 6 month mind set. I figured this might be a once in a lifetime opportunity, so I wanted to take full advantage of it. I became an experienced tourist & learned my way to places in HK that many natives had not seen. In less than 2 years I visited the Big Buddha more than 12 times, a fact that amazed the HK staff, since some of them had never been there. I was loving this new life!
After about a year the honeymoon ended. My 2 best friends left, my husband was traveling more, & I'd seen most of HK. I became lonely & depressed, spending way too much time wondering what my purpose on this earth was. I wouldn't say I was suicidal, but I think I could have been close.
When I learned we were moving to BK, I knew I had to change if I wanted to survive. I needed a different mindset. Instead of the 6 month mind set, I needed to take on the 6 year mindset. Instead of being a tourist, I needed to be a resident. Now I had to think, what do you need when you live somewhere? For me the answer was friends & meaningful activity. The friends part turned out to be relatively easy. I joined the AWC (American Women's Club) & immediately had 250 new friends from all over the world. I joined every activity they offered & as I met more people I learned about other groups & activities, like WINGS. I very quickly developed a group of wonderful friends.
To find meaningful activity (I'm not a shopper or coffee drinker) I had to step out of my comfort zone & do some begging. I let anyone who would listen to me know that I needed to find voluteeer work that in some way related to nursing. I was amazed at the number of great suggestions I received. But the one that grabbed me was the health center at the BK Refugee Center. I began working there 2 days a week last Spring. I didn't do much that required my nursing skills, but just being around the people there gave me a different perspective on life. These people who had so little I found to be inspiring & accepting. They made me feel so good. They actually were doing much more for me than I was for them. Now I had even more friends. As an extention of my work at the BRC, I recently started visiting a Somalian family at the IDC (Immigration Detention Center), but that's another story.
Around the same time last spring, a pregnant friend asked me to be her doula, childbirth support person. This was something I had thought about doing years ago, but with my kids & work had never followed through on. There happened to be a doula training class starting so I enrolled. I now discovered another group of friends through this wonderful group of women training to support other women. I was now embarking on a new but related career, something I could take with me where ever we live. Thru this group I am now teaching childbirth classes at a local hospital, I've assisted with some births, & regularly get calls from dads (got one last night) with questions about labor & breastfeeding. I feel needed & helpful.
In looking forward, I have a vision of combining my 2 new passions. Finding a way for the doula group & possibly other expat women to assist & support the refugee community. I believe that if expat women feel alone & in need of support, then certainly refugee women with far less resources must feel the same way. I'm working on connected pregnant refugee women with support people. This is just in the beginning stages, but I sent out a request for maternity clothes last week to help an African woman who is pregnant as the result of rape & was able to bring her a bag of clothing yesterday. Her smile of gratitude filled me with warmth & joy that she could feel a connection between herself & other caring women in BK. The feeling that she is not alone in this strange & foreign land. A feeling we all need & which I feel I have found.
Recently a Catholic friend whom I introduced to the IDC asked me if I was trying to gain sainthood through my activities. The thought of this made me laugh, I said NO, I am actually very selfish, I do these things for me, because they make me feel good, they give purpose & meaning to my life. These people have rescued me, I am not resuing them.
In closing, I want to give my deepest thanks to the many people who helped me be in this seat today. Your support & caring also rescued me. Kup Khun Ka!
WINGS - Women Investigating & Nurturing their Gifts & Talents
I was asked to give a 5 minute talk about how I have been able to nurture my career during my time in Bangkok.
5 minutes about myself, WOW, that's a tough task for me, since I love to talk. The only way I could manage to come close to 5 minutes was to write it all down & read it to you. This is not my usual style, so please forgive me, but only way I could do 5 minutes.
If anyone had told me 9 months ago that I would be sitting here in front of you as an expat success story, I would have laughed at you or more likely cried. But I certainly would not have believed you. But here I am & how did I get here?
My professional background is in teaching & nursing. I'm a registered nurse having worked most of my career in community health as a school nurse, HIV/AIDS case worker, women's health, child health, maternity & childbirth educator. I was also very involved in my children's lives as a hockey, soccer & lacrosse Mom, helping to run & manage several of their teams & leagues. In my US life I was a very active & involved person.
When I learned we were moving to Asia, I was excited. This would be our first venture outside of the US & something we had always wanted to do. The timing was perfect. I dropped our youngest son at University & the next week boarded a plane for HK. Like most expats we didn't know if we would be here for 6 months or 6 years. I chose to take the 6 month mind set. I figured this might be a once in a lifetime opportunity, so I wanted to take full advantage of it. I became an experienced tourist & learned my way to places in HK that many natives had not seen. In less than 2 years I visited the Big Buddha more than 12 times, a fact that amazed the HK staff, since some of them had never been there. I was loving this new life!
After about a year the honeymoon ended. My 2 best friends left, my husband was traveling more, & I'd seen most of HK. I became lonely & depressed, spending way too much time wondering what my purpose on this earth was. I wouldn't say I was suicidal, but I think I could have been close.
When I learned we were moving to BK, I knew I had to change if I wanted to survive. I needed a different mindset. Instead of the 6 month mind set, I needed to take on the 6 year mindset. Instead of being a tourist, I needed to be a resident. Now I had to think, what do you need when you live somewhere? For me the answer was friends & meaningful activity. The friends part turned out to be relatively easy. I joined the AWC (American Women's Club) & immediately had 250 new friends from all over the world. I joined every activity they offered & as I met more people I learned about other groups & activities, like WINGS. I very quickly developed a group of wonderful friends.
To find meaningful activity (I'm not a shopper or coffee drinker) I had to step out of my comfort zone & do some begging. I let anyone who would listen to me know that I needed to find voluteeer work that in some way related to nursing. I was amazed at the number of great suggestions I received. But the one that grabbed me was the health center at the BK Refugee Center. I began working there 2 days a week last Spring. I didn't do much that required my nursing skills, but just being around the people there gave me a different perspective on life. These people who had so little I found to be inspiring & accepting. They made me feel so good. They actually were doing much more for me than I was for them. Now I had even more friends. As an extention of my work at the BRC, I recently started visiting a Somalian family at the IDC (Immigration Detention Center), but that's another story.
Around the same time last spring, a pregnant friend asked me to be her doula, childbirth support person. This was something I had thought about doing years ago, but with my kids & work had never followed through on. There happened to be a doula training class starting so I enrolled. I now discovered another group of friends through this wonderful group of women training to support other women. I was now embarking on a new but related career, something I could take with me where ever we live. Thru this group I am now teaching childbirth classes at a local hospital, I've assisted with some births, & regularly get calls from dads (got one last night) with questions about labor & breastfeeding. I feel needed & helpful.
In looking forward, I have a vision of combining my 2 new passions. Finding a way for the doula group & possibly other expat women to assist & support the refugee community. I believe that if expat women feel alone & in need of support, then certainly refugee women with far less resources must feel the same way. I'm working on connected pregnant refugee women with support people. This is just in the beginning stages, but I sent out a request for maternity clothes last week to help an African woman who is pregnant as the result of rape & was able to bring her a bag of clothing yesterday. Her smile of gratitude filled me with warmth & joy that she could feel a connection between herself & other caring women in BK. The feeling that she is not alone in this strange & foreign land. A feeling we all need & which I feel I have found.
Recently a Catholic friend whom I introduced to the IDC asked me if I was trying to gain sainthood through my activities. The thought of this made me laugh, I said NO, I am actually very selfish, I do these things for me, because they make me feel good, they give purpose & meaning to my life. These people have rescued me, I am not resuing them.
In closing, I want to give my deepest thanks to the many people who helped me be in this seat today. Your support & caring also rescued me. Kup Khun Ka!
Sunday, August 16, 2009
Asian Grocery Store Aisle Signs
You know you are in an Asian store when the signs above the aisles have the following (this is the high end, fancy grocery store in the mall):
Pickled Green Mustard
Religion Goods - incense stick & candle
Fish Sauce
Instant Curry Paste
Coconut Milk
Bean Thread
Exterminate Rat
Bird's Nest Beverage
Essence of Chicken
Cuttlefish
Seasoned Seaweed
Yakisoba (have no idea what this is)
And down one aisle there was Smuckers, Hershey's & Campbell's soup & right across the aisle was all the food from Japan - seaweed, fish snacks, miso - just seemed amusing to have different stuff in the same aisle, but I guess it was the international aisle.
I was actually looking for pie crust & pumpkin to make a pumpkin pie for one of the women at the office. It is her birthday on Monday & she asked if I'd make pumpkin pie. So I went to 4 different allegedly "Western" grocery stores, but no canned pumpkin & finally found pie crust at the last one (I just hate making pie crust from scratch). So I bought a Japanese pumpkin & cooked it up - a lot cheaper & probably will be just as good if not better. Doesn't seem as strong a flavor as USA pumpkin. Found a good recipe on foodnetwork.com by Paula Dean that has cream cheese in it, so should be good.
Pickled Green Mustard
Religion Goods - incense stick & candle
Fish Sauce
Instant Curry Paste
Coconut Milk
Bean Thread
Exterminate Rat
Bird's Nest Beverage
Essence of Chicken
Cuttlefish
Seasoned Seaweed
Yakisoba (have no idea what this is)
And down one aisle there was Smuckers, Hershey's & Campbell's soup & right across the aisle was all the food from Japan - seaweed, fish snacks, miso - just seemed amusing to have different stuff in the same aisle, but I guess it was the international aisle.
I was actually looking for pie crust & pumpkin to make a pumpkin pie for one of the women at the office. It is her birthday on Monday & she asked if I'd make pumpkin pie. So I went to 4 different allegedly "Western" grocery stores, but no canned pumpkin & finally found pie crust at the last one (I just hate making pie crust from scratch). So I bought a Japanese pumpkin & cooked it up - a lot cheaper & probably will be just as good if not better. Doesn't seem as strong a flavor as USA pumpkin. Found a good recipe on foodnetwork.com by Paula Dean that has cream cheese in it, so should be good.
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
Sun Suk Wan Mae - Happy Mother's Day
Mother’s day in Thailand is Aug 12, which is The Queen’s Birthday. It is a national holiday! Each day in Thailand has a color, for instance Monday is yellow & The King was born on a Monday, so yellow is The King’s color. The Queen was born on a Friday which is blue (for all my southern friends – it’s a Carolina blue); thus, today most people were wearing blue shirts to honor The Queen. There are large photos of The Queen at various ages posted all over the city with blue ribbons surrounding them. Some of the main streets are lit up with white lights like we have a Christmas.
For lunch I met up with an Aussie friend of mine who works full-time, so only time we can meet is on holidays. She brought a friend with her that she’s just met (he’s staying in the same building & visiting Bangkok for 10 days). He’s an American, on vacation from Afghanistan, where he works in the police headquarters as a lawyer. He couldn’t share a lot about his work, but he was very glad to be away for a few weeks. We met at the ferry pier & took the ferry up the river to the last stop. This took almost an hour since it stops at all the stops along the way – 30 in all. I was surprised that we were still in an urban setting this far from the main city. Being a holiday, there were huge groups of blue shirted people on the ferry enjoying their day off. We enjoyed a simple lunch by the river & then headed back.
For dinner I was invited out with my Thai friend, Pam, who is also the Thai language teacher I’ve worked with before. She is the one who last spring invited me to her nephew’s 2nd birthday party at her brother’s home that was like a wedding. So the family sort of knows me. She was meeting her family for a Mother’s Day dinner in Chinatown. She had found out that John as out-of-town & didn’t want me to be alone. I told her I would go, but she had to let me pay for my meal & she agreed & said it would be about 1,000baht ($34).
Pam has 7 siblings & all but 1 was there. There were 2 sisters-in-law also, so 12 people at the “adult” table. At the other table were her nephews & nieces & their various spouses & the one grandkid (the one whose birthday party I went to), another 12 people. I felt right at home with this big noisy family.
Pam told me that Chinese restaurants like this serve a 10 course meal. They were very impressed that I could use chop sticks so well, because some of them asked for forks & spoons (that is what Thai’s use for eating). After some appetizers, we had shark fin soup, a Chinese delicacy & had I known that is what it was I might not have eaten it (just feel sorry for those poor sharks). Next came fried soft shell crab, scallops, crab & egg & onion mixture. Then another delicacy called sea cucumber, that is not actually a plant, but also not a fish. It is very difficult to clean & cook, which makes it a delicacy – it was delicious. There was fried river prawns (shrimp) which are gigantic, almost like lobster. Some vegetables were brought out next, then a whole fish that was cooked & cold with gelatin surrounding it. Next they bought fried noodles. The last thing was Peking Duck – but there was no actual duck meat, just the skin, which you wrap in a small flour pancake, add some onion & cucumber slices & special sauce & eat with your hands. Peking Duck is another delicacy because it takes so long to get the skin brown & perfectly crispy.
Finally we were at dessert. They brought out some sweet dumplings with yellow bean curd in the middle. The dumplings are white & have red Chinese writing on the top of each one. They are for good luck. The mother went around the table & made a ceremony of giving each of her children & me one & saying “Good luck to you, may you be happy, healthy & wealthy in the coming year.” Then the other mother’s went to their children & did the same thing. It was really nice & the dumplings were delicious. The final thing was a thin sweet cold soup with tapioca & beans & coconut slivers.
There was certainly plenty of food, but I didn’t feel stuffed, just very satisfied. It was nice to be around a family having a fun meal. I did get to talk to one niece who graduated from Duke with her MBA. So we talked North Carolina a bit. Most of the young people spoke English well, but I only was at the table for a short time. The older folks had limited English, but they tried very hard to include me in the conversation & Pam was good about translating. They gave out buttons that said “I (heart) Mom” (in English) & flowers to each of the Moms. When we left the restaurant gave each Mom a traditional flower bracelet made from jasmine (the Mother’s day flower) tiny red roses & love flowers. I love these bracelets because the smell so wonderful. They are sold along the street for people to buy to take to the temple as an offering. Whenever I pass a vendor I always take a deep breath to get the full aroma of the jasmine!
So that was my Thai Mother’s Day!
For lunch I met up with an Aussie friend of mine who works full-time, so only time we can meet is on holidays. She brought a friend with her that she’s just met (he’s staying in the same building & visiting Bangkok for 10 days). He’s an American, on vacation from Afghanistan, where he works in the police headquarters as a lawyer. He couldn’t share a lot about his work, but he was very glad to be away for a few weeks. We met at the ferry pier & took the ferry up the river to the last stop. This took almost an hour since it stops at all the stops along the way – 30 in all. I was surprised that we were still in an urban setting this far from the main city. Being a holiday, there were huge groups of blue shirted people on the ferry enjoying their day off. We enjoyed a simple lunch by the river & then headed back.
For dinner I was invited out with my Thai friend, Pam, who is also the Thai language teacher I’ve worked with before. She is the one who last spring invited me to her nephew’s 2nd birthday party at her brother’s home that was like a wedding. So the family sort of knows me. She was meeting her family for a Mother’s Day dinner in Chinatown. She had found out that John as out-of-town & didn’t want me to be alone. I told her I would go, but she had to let me pay for my meal & she agreed & said it would be about 1,000baht ($34).
Pam has 7 siblings & all but 1 was there. There were 2 sisters-in-law also, so 12 people at the “adult” table. At the other table were her nephews & nieces & their various spouses & the one grandkid (the one whose birthday party I went to), another 12 people. I felt right at home with this big noisy family.
Pam told me that Chinese restaurants like this serve a 10 course meal. They were very impressed that I could use chop sticks so well, because some of them asked for forks & spoons (that is what Thai’s use for eating). After some appetizers, we had shark fin soup, a Chinese delicacy & had I known that is what it was I might not have eaten it (just feel sorry for those poor sharks). Next came fried soft shell crab, scallops, crab & egg & onion mixture. Then another delicacy called sea cucumber, that is not actually a plant, but also not a fish. It is very difficult to clean & cook, which makes it a delicacy – it was delicious. There was fried river prawns (shrimp) which are gigantic, almost like lobster. Some vegetables were brought out next, then a whole fish that was cooked & cold with gelatin surrounding it. Next they bought fried noodles. The last thing was Peking Duck – but there was no actual duck meat, just the skin, which you wrap in a small flour pancake, add some onion & cucumber slices & special sauce & eat with your hands. Peking Duck is another delicacy because it takes so long to get the skin brown & perfectly crispy.
Finally we were at dessert. They brought out some sweet dumplings with yellow bean curd in the middle. The dumplings are white & have red Chinese writing on the top of each one. They are for good luck. The mother went around the table & made a ceremony of giving each of her children & me one & saying “Good luck to you, may you be happy, healthy & wealthy in the coming year.” Then the other mother’s went to their children & did the same thing. It was really nice & the dumplings were delicious. The final thing was a thin sweet cold soup with tapioca & beans & coconut slivers.
There was certainly plenty of food, but I didn’t feel stuffed, just very satisfied. It was nice to be around a family having a fun meal. I did get to talk to one niece who graduated from Duke with her MBA. So we talked North Carolina a bit. Most of the young people spoke English well, but I only was at the table for a short time. The older folks had limited English, but they tried very hard to include me in the conversation & Pam was good about translating. They gave out buttons that said “I (heart) Mom” (in English) & flowers to each of the Moms. When we left the restaurant gave each Mom a traditional flower bracelet made from jasmine (the Mother’s day flower) tiny red roses & love flowers. I love these bracelets because the smell so wonderful. They are sold along the street for people to buy to take to the temple as an offering. Whenever I pass a vendor I always take a deep breath to get the full aroma of the jasmine!
So that was my Thai Mother’s Day!
Sunday, August 2, 2009
Hunting for Cedars
I have just returned to Bangkok after a wonderful 3 months in the states, visiting with family and friends. I seem to have adjusted to the time difference pretty quickly, John is not having as much luck with that. It can be a problem. My secret is sleeping pills for the first week, does wonders.
This blog is a bit different from my usual blogging. My brother, Hubs & good friend, Reed, have been encouraging me to write some poetry, so here is an attempt. It is about a day that I spent with my father & have recalled it fondly & just wanted to get my feelings about it down. The photo is from Dad's 88th birthday party & I gave him a fly swatter crown, flies & squirrels are his his constant enemies.
Enjoy:
HUNTING FOR CEDAR WITH THE WISEMAN
Summer 2009
The Wiseman, my father, creates furniture from cedar trees.
It is a family tradition, passed down from his grandfather.
For some reason, in the past, it’s only the boys who get the “training”.
Is it because they are the ones who show the interest or just how it’s always been?
I feel sad I was not more interested in the past, I decide to make an effort.
I go to the workshop hopefully to learn, but at the least to spend time with the Wiseman.
I watch his aged hands pull the drawshave along the raw wood that will become a leg for his table.
I observe as he measures, sands, fits the pieces together.
I note the joy and sometimes frustration on his face as he works the wood.
I regret not having observed these things before & not having learned this from him.
I am selfish when I ask that the next table be for ME,
I crave some legacy of his craft, his knowledge, his loving touch of the wood & his creation.
I am thrilled when he asks me to be his assistant in a hunt for new cedar.
“It is the season”, he says, “this is when the bark will peel easily.”
We choose our weapons – a bow saw, loppers & his trusted cane.
I follow him, feeling like a young child filled with trust & admiration.
I have images of a young Native American child following the wise elder into the woods to learn the craft of creating something from nature’s bounty.
He studies each tree with a trained eye.
He points with his cane, “this one is too thick, this one too narrow, that one too crooked.”
His cane follows the trunk up along with our eyes “this one is just right, cut it!”
I, the apprentice, cut the tree.
It is not easy work, but I know this will one day be a table, I visualize it.
We cut more trees until he decides it’s enough.
We drag them from the woods.
Together we peel the thick bark from the slick wood.
He is right, they are easy to peel.
We enjoy this easy task after our hard work of cutting & dragging.
We carry the wood to its drying place.
We smile at each other, a good days work!
I wonder at this Wiseman, who at times seems so frail and fragile,
But who managed the woods with energy & enthusiasm.
I wonder, will he make another table, will I get my legacy?
Then I realize, I don’t really care,
I’m satisfied to have just spent the time with him,
Sharing his wisdom, enjoying his presence, feeling his love.
This blog is a bit different from my usual blogging. My brother, Hubs & good friend, Reed, have been encouraging me to write some poetry, so here is an attempt. It is about a day that I spent with my father & have recalled it fondly & just wanted to get my feelings about it down. The photo is from Dad's 88th birthday party & I gave him a fly swatter crown, flies & squirrels are his his constant enemies.
Enjoy:
HUNTING FOR CEDAR WITH THE WISEMAN
Summer 2009
The Wiseman, my father, creates furniture from cedar trees.
It is a family tradition, passed down from his grandfather.
For some reason, in the past, it’s only the boys who get the “training”.
Is it because they are the ones who show the interest or just how it’s always been?
I feel sad I was not more interested in the past, I decide to make an effort.
I go to the workshop hopefully to learn, but at the least to spend time with the Wiseman.
I watch his aged hands pull the drawshave along the raw wood that will become a leg for his table.
I observe as he measures, sands, fits the pieces together.
I note the joy and sometimes frustration on his face as he works the wood.
I regret not having observed these things before & not having learned this from him.
I am selfish when I ask that the next table be for ME,
I crave some legacy of his craft, his knowledge, his loving touch of the wood & his creation.
I am thrilled when he asks me to be his assistant in a hunt for new cedar.
“It is the season”, he says, “this is when the bark will peel easily.”
We choose our weapons – a bow saw, loppers & his trusted cane.
I follow him, feeling like a young child filled with trust & admiration.
I have images of a young Native American child following the wise elder into the woods to learn the craft of creating something from nature’s bounty.
He studies each tree with a trained eye.
He points with his cane, “this one is too thick, this one too narrow, that one too crooked.”
His cane follows the trunk up along with our eyes “this one is just right, cut it!”
I, the apprentice, cut the tree.
It is not easy work, but I know this will one day be a table, I visualize it.
We cut more trees until he decides it’s enough.
We drag them from the woods.
Together we peel the thick bark from the slick wood.
He is right, they are easy to peel.
We enjoy this easy task after our hard work of cutting & dragging.
We carry the wood to its drying place.
We smile at each other, a good days work!
I wonder at this Wiseman, who at times seems so frail and fragile,
But who managed the woods with energy & enthusiasm.
I wonder, will he make another table, will I get my legacy?
Then I realize, I don’t really care,
I’m satisfied to have just spent the time with him,
Sharing his wisdom, enjoying his presence, feeling his love.
Sunday, March 8, 2009
Bangkok Refugee Center - 1st posting
11 Feb 2009
Yesterday I went back for a 2nd "interview" with the doctor and learned more about what the needs are from a medical standpoint.
I feel that I have to explain a bit about refugees & asylum seekers in Thailand. Refugees are those who have been accepted as refugee status by the UNHCR (United Nations High Commision for Refugees). The reasons for being accepted as a refugee is fear of persection for race, religion, nationality, social or political associations. Once they are accepted by the UNHCR a refugee gets certain benefits (small amount of money & sometimes housing & medical care). Before being accepted the people are called asylum seekers and they get no benefits at all. It can take sometimes years to get accepted as a refugee, so the asylum seekers are really in a tough situation. Neither group is allowed to work.
The situation is worse in Thailand, because the Thai government does not recognize refugees or asylum seekers, to they are considered illegal immigrants. So at any time these people can be picked up & detained (in horrible conditions) & sent back to their home country, where most likely they will be in even greater danger, because now their home government knows they are trying to escape. It's really complicated & sad.
In Bangkok there are 1,373 refugees. These people are just waiting for other countries to accept them as residents. This can take years & some people are never accepted, so they live the refugee life always. Those who have been involved in the government or military in their home countries are likely not to be accepted. There are 570 registered asylum seekers in Bangkok, but likely many more they just don't know about. These people are from 45 different countries.
The Bangkok Refugee Center does not provide housing, but a place for these people to come during the day. There are classes for the children, a library, medical clinic, computers, a small cafe and space for people to socialize. Each time I've been there it is a very busy place. It is interesting to observe these people, laughing & talking, they seem happy. I don't see the desperation that they must feel, but I guess it is better than what they would be facing in their own countries. We can complain about our country, but let's face it, we are the lucky ones.
I'm sure I will learn a lot more as I begin working there. I'm going to go 2 days a week. The doctor would like help teaching family planning classes. The challange is the different cultural & religious beliefs related to family planning. There is a need to respect these values, but also make them realize there is no place for newborns in this situation. I am also going to help with the immunization program, to make sure people are up-to-date & if not remind them about getting their shots. This will be mostly paper pushing, but a necesary thing. Since my interest is in public health, this should be a good experience for me.
Yesterday I went back for a 2nd "interview" with the doctor and learned more about what the needs are from a medical standpoint.
I feel that I have to explain a bit about refugees & asylum seekers in Thailand. Refugees are those who have been accepted as refugee status by the UNHCR (United Nations High Commision for Refugees). The reasons for being accepted as a refugee is fear of persection for race, religion, nationality, social or political associations. Once they are accepted by the UNHCR a refugee gets certain benefits (small amount of money & sometimes housing & medical care). Before being accepted the people are called asylum seekers and they get no benefits at all. It can take sometimes years to get accepted as a refugee, so the asylum seekers are really in a tough situation. Neither group is allowed to work.
The situation is worse in Thailand, because the Thai government does not recognize refugees or asylum seekers, to they are considered illegal immigrants. So at any time these people can be picked up & detained (in horrible conditions) & sent back to their home country, where most likely they will be in even greater danger, because now their home government knows they are trying to escape. It's really complicated & sad.
In Bangkok there are 1,373 refugees. These people are just waiting for other countries to accept them as residents. This can take years & some people are never accepted, so they live the refugee life always. Those who have been involved in the government or military in their home countries are likely not to be accepted. There are 570 registered asylum seekers in Bangkok, but likely many more they just don't know about. These people are from 45 different countries.
The Bangkok Refugee Center does not provide housing, but a place for these people to come during the day. There are classes for the children, a library, medical clinic, computers, a small cafe and space for people to socialize. Each time I've been there it is a very busy place. It is interesting to observe these people, laughing & talking, they seem happy. I don't see the desperation that they must feel, but I guess it is better than what they would be facing in their own countries. We can complain about our country, but let's face it, we are the lucky ones.
I'm sure I will learn a lot more as I begin working there. I'm going to go 2 days a week. The doctor would like help teaching family planning classes. The challange is the different cultural & religious beliefs related to family planning. There is a need to respect these values, but also make them realize there is no place for newborns in this situation. I am also going to help with the immunization program, to make sure people are up-to-date & if not remind them about getting their shots. This will be mostly paper pushing, but a necesary thing. Since my interest is in public health, this should be a good experience for me.
Thursday, February 12, 2009
Hash House Harriers
So am I the only person in the world who has never heard of the Hash House Harriers???? If I'm not & you've never heard of them, they are a drinking group who does runs. I guess their motto is I try not to let my running problem get in the way of my drinking!
I met a woman last week & she called me this afternoon just after 3pm & said "if you can be at Noregea's Pub before 4pm, you can join us on a Hash tonight." I had no idea what a Hash was, but knew it involved running, so figured, what the heck. So I put on my running shoes & clothes & headed out. The pub was just a 10 minute walk from our apartment. We loaded into cars & drove about 45 minutes outside of the city. There were about 30 people who obviously all knew each other. Very friendly group. In our car there was a couple visiting for just 4 days from Spain & they are Hashers there, so looked up the Bangkok Hashers & join in the fun.
The way it works is that someone plots out a trail & everyone runs or walks depending on their ability. It is not competitive & everyone supports each other. This trail was about 7K & snaked through rice paddies & around local homes (shacks) out in the paddies. It was very beautiful watching the sun set over the rice paddies. I was with the last group & one guy convinced us to try a shortcut, which ended up taking an extra half hour because we got lost!
When the run it over there is lots of beer & food. They form a large circle & call different people into the circle for different reasons & they sing this Hasher's song & the people have to chug their beers. I got called in 3 or 4 times. I was the only "virgin Hasher", which I guess is a big deal. Then I got called in because my husband was out of town, then because I was not wearing a Hashers t-shirt (I guess that's a rule) & then just because! Then we all went out for dinner afterwards to an outdoor Thai restaurant & drank more beer & had more fun.
What an unexpected & lively evening. When we got back to the city our driver dropped the visitors from Spain & myself off near the subway station & I showed them how to get back to the hotel & walked home. Just as I was going into my apt, this woman whom I met in Cambodia last weekend called to say she was in Bangkok & at Mc Donalds' just around the corner from me. So I went out & met her & this young guy she'd picked up at the airport. We hung out for a while until I finally told them I HAD to go home.
Now I'm not tired, but going to hit the sack anyway. This is a strange place sometimes!!
And people worry about me when John is away.......................
For those who have not heard of the HHH, here is a little history of it from Wikapedia:
Hashing began in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, in 1938, when a casual group of British colonial officers and expatriates began meeting on Monday evenings to run, in a fashion patterned after the traditional British Paper Chase (game), to rid themselves of the excesses of the previous weekend. This original group consisted of four members: Cecil Lee, Frederick "Horse" Thomson, Ronald "Torch" Bennett, and Albert Stephen (A.S.) Ignacious "G" Gispert. John Woodrow was also an original member of the group, but is rarely credited as a founder, having left Malaysia soon after the war and returning to Scotland.
After meeting for some months, they were informed by the Registrar of Societies that as a "group," they would require a Constitution and an official name. A.S. Gispert suggested the name "Hash House Harriers" in homage to the Selangor Club Annex, where the men were billeted, so named the "Hash House" for its notoriously monotonous food. The final word, "Harriers," refers to the role of those in the chase, where the "hare" was given a head start to blaze a trail and mark his path with shreds of paper, and then pursued by a shouting pack of "harriers." Apart from the excitement of chasing the hare and finding the "true" path, harriers reaching the end of the trail would be rewarded with beer, ginger beer, and cigarettes.
The Constitution of the Hash House Harriers is laid out in the following philosophy from a KL city club registration card dated 1950:
To promote physical fitness among our members
To get rid of weekend hangovers
To acquire a good thirst and to satisfy it in beer
To persuade the older members that they are not as old as they feel
I met a woman last week & she called me this afternoon just after 3pm & said "if you can be at Noregea's Pub before 4pm, you can join us on a Hash tonight." I had no idea what a Hash was, but knew it involved running, so figured, what the heck. So I put on my running shoes & clothes & headed out. The pub was just a 10 minute walk from our apartment. We loaded into cars & drove about 45 minutes outside of the city. There were about 30 people who obviously all knew each other. Very friendly group. In our car there was a couple visiting for just 4 days from Spain & they are Hashers there, so looked up the Bangkok Hashers & join in the fun.
The way it works is that someone plots out a trail & everyone runs or walks depending on their ability. It is not competitive & everyone supports each other. This trail was about 7K & snaked through rice paddies & around local homes (shacks) out in the paddies. It was very beautiful watching the sun set over the rice paddies. I was with the last group & one guy convinced us to try a shortcut, which ended up taking an extra half hour because we got lost!
When the run it over there is lots of beer & food. They form a large circle & call different people into the circle for different reasons & they sing this Hasher's song & the people have to chug their beers. I got called in 3 or 4 times. I was the only "virgin Hasher", which I guess is a big deal. Then I got called in because my husband was out of town, then because I was not wearing a Hashers t-shirt (I guess that's a rule) & then just because! Then we all went out for dinner afterwards to an outdoor Thai restaurant & drank more beer & had more fun.
What an unexpected & lively evening. When we got back to the city our driver dropped the visitors from Spain & myself off near the subway station & I showed them how to get back to the hotel & walked home. Just as I was going into my apt, this woman whom I met in Cambodia last weekend called to say she was in Bangkok & at Mc Donalds' just around the corner from me. So I went out & met her & this young guy she'd picked up at the airport. We hung out for a while until I finally told them I HAD to go home.
Now I'm not tired, but going to hit the sack anyway. This is a strange place sometimes!!
And people worry about me when John is away.......................
For those who have not heard of the HHH, here is a little history of it from Wikapedia:
Hashing began in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, in 1938, when a casual group of British colonial officers and expatriates began meeting on Monday evenings to run, in a fashion patterned after the traditional British Paper Chase (game), to rid themselves of the excesses of the previous weekend. This original group consisted of four members: Cecil Lee, Frederick "Horse" Thomson, Ronald "Torch" Bennett, and Albert Stephen (A.S.) Ignacious "G" Gispert. John Woodrow was also an original member of the group, but is rarely credited as a founder, having left Malaysia soon after the war and returning to Scotland.
After meeting for some months, they were informed by the Registrar of Societies that as a "group," they would require a Constitution and an official name. A.S. Gispert suggested the name "Hash House Harriers" in homage to the Selangor Club Annex, where the men were billeted, so named the "Hash House" for its notoriously monotonous food. The final word, "Harriers," refers to the role of those in the chase, where the "hare" was given a head start to blaze a trail and mark his path with shreds of paper, and then pursued by a shouting pack of "harriers." Apart from the excitement of chasing the hare and finding the "true" path, harriers reaching the end of the trail would be rewarded with beer, ginger beer, and cigarettes.
The Constitution of the Hash House Harriers is laid out in the following philosophy from a KL city club registration card dated 1950:
To promote physical fitness among our members
To get rid of weekend hangovers
To acquire a good thirst and to satisfy it in beer
To persuade the older members that they are not as old as they feel
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