Life in the Kingdom

Sawaadee kha,

We hope all finds you well. The escalating political situation here seems to be at a stage where either there will be military intervention or the government will resign. The Thais are genuinely concerned and disheartened about the image shown to the world as their country struggles in it's efforts for a healthy democracy. While the situation is of concern and cannot be taken lightly, as we watch the news and observe, it's obvious to us that many of the images sent globally are sensationalized. We have great affection for the Thai people and hope and pray for reconciliation. We feel safe at present and receive regular updates with recommendations to stay away from the protest sites.

Despite the tumultuous political situation and some of the effects in the daily life of Bangkokians, it's life as usual in the city. Bangkok is now being lit up in preparation for the holidays. It's somewhat odd to get into the christmas spirit with temperatures at 33 degrees yet snowmen, santa and christmas trees are showing up in the central section of the city especially in the high end shopping districts better known by one of my friends as "temples of materialism". Although Thais do not celebrate Christmas with the same recognition as us, in Bangkok they are generally ready for a celebration and with such a foreign influence here they are happy to contribute.

During Kelsey's school holiday and our vacation from work we had a great trip to Vietnam. We toured North Vietnam, spent a few days in Hanoi and then traveled through one of Vietnam's famous attractions Halong Bay. Halong Bay is located in north east Vietnam. The bay features thousands of limestone karsts and isles in various sizes and shapes. The bay has a 120 kilometre long coastline and is approximately 1,553 square kilometres in size with 1969 islets. Several of the islands are hollow, with enormous caves, others support floating villages of fishermen. We savored the breathtaking landscape, dined on delicious seafood and slept on a Junk, an oriental style boat equipped with modern conveniences.

Vietnam has a population of over 76,000,000. The population is made up of mainly ethnic Vietnamese people (those whose ancestors moved to the area thousands of years before) who have settled in the lowlands, while the largest minority group consists of ethnic Chinese. The Chinese immigrants (those whose families settled in the area within the last few hundred years) have settled for the most part in cities and provincial towns and consist of around 2,000,000 people.

We were told that the Vietnamese people strive for 4.. 3..2.. meaning they work toward having a vechicle with 4 wheels ( 70% own motorcycles instead of cars ), a house with 3 levels and 2 children. They are deemed successful upon reaching this goal. The Vietnamese sometimes appear to answer "yes" (da)to all questions. However, the way of saying yes is quite polite "Yes, I am listening," "Yes, I am confused," or "Yes, I do not want to offend." "Thua" (meaning please) is often added in front of the first name to show respect. As well as a respectful culture, we found the people of Vietnam to be industrious, serious and focused on the task at hand. The rebuilding process following the devastation of the Vietnam war is underway and the development is rapid. We toured a Humanitarian Centre ( pictured below) employing some of the people who were seriously disabled by Agent Orange. In Vietnam, during the period of 1961-1971, American army sprayed more than 80 million liters of toxic chemical substances, most of which were Agent Orange and caused great suffering to countless families (the Vietnamese government estimates about 3 million people.) This left serious consequences on the natural environment and on generations of Vietnamese. The visible scars are a reminder of their past. Their resourcefulness and resiliency is inspiring.

It is said that blondes have more fun however on Halloween I certainly enjoyed my hours as a brunette. Attending a International Humanitarian fundraising event entitled Jungle Jive was a blast with Michel taking away the "King of the Jungle" award for the best male costume. I think checking out the tigress with his magnifying glass endeared him to the judges :) October seemed to be a month of Tigers with a visit to a Tiger Temple, a Buddhist temple where Tigers who were abandoned were raised by monks. This temple is a forest sanctuary for many animals including deer, boars, and Thailand's popular and hard working water buffalo.

Please meet Banita, another child who resides at Pakreet Orphanage. Banita is 9 years old and has lived at the orphange since she was a baby. She greets us with a big smile when we visit and looks forward to her outing . At Pakreet many of the children if provided with the benefit of psysiotherapy have an opportunity to improve their motor skills and quality of life. Sadly the orphanage does not have the financial resources to support the salary of psysiotherapists. A church group in the UK have helped by sending Interns to Pakreet for 3 month time periods. We are witnessing the positive results of this in the development of these children. There is an need for more continuity and I am attempting to connect with groups in hope of obtaining funding to hire a Physiotherapist for 1 year. The salary for a Physiotherapist is significantly lower than in Canada. For 10,000 baht per month ( $350 cdn) the lives of these children can be significantly improved.

One of the joys of Co-chairing the Welfare Committee of the Canada Club of Thailand is meeting the children the club supports. Recently my friend Sharon and I had fun visiting the children at SangTawan Home. The housemother Tat provides a loving home like environment for the 12 children who reside there. These children do not a 'regular' home due to abandonment, death or a parent who is in prison. They enjoyed hearing my Thai... had many giggles and touched our hearts with their affection and love of life.

Kelsey is doing well. She's discovering the cultural differences and all that brings to her relationship with James. Our conversations have been enlightening as she continues to learn. She's thinking about starting her post secondary education here in September.

Michel recently returned from another trip to China. This was his second trip to China since our arrival. He stayed in the city of Suzhou, an ancient city with a 2500 year history. Although it was a work trip the Chinese hospitality was evident- after putting in some long hours at work he was treated to some sightseeing to break up the work routine. Suzhou is located in the center of the Yangtze Delta, with Shanghai to the east. Since almost half of the city area is covered by water, including a vast number of ponds and streams, Suzhou is praised as the 'Oriental Venice'.

Recently during a brief spell of unity amid the political crisis in this Buddhist kingdom we observed the royal funeral procession and lavish funeral ceremony of Princess Galyani, the beloved sister of the King. In Bangkok, tens of thousands of people were on the streets watching as the canons were fired one minute apart to mark the beginning of the procession which left the Grand Palace. Craftsmen spent the past nine months working on the 40 metre high royal crematorium tower ( pictured below) where the 84-year-old who died in January was cremated. Since her passing the Princess was lieing in state at the Grand Palace. People across the country wore black as part of the official six day mourning period . It was the first royal funeral in the kingdom in more than a decade and was a colourful cultural spectacle, lasting six days. Hundreds of soldiers in crimson outfits, flanked by conch shell-blowers and drummers, pulled a two-centuries-old golden teak carriage bearing the remains of Princess Galyani through the streets of old Bangkok. This practice reinforces the belief in the concept of God-incarnate in the Thai monarcy in which the royal family are believed to be celestial beings that have descended from the heavens to earth to protect and look after the welfare of the people. It then becomes the duty of the people to give the remains ceremonious cremations to help their soul return to the heavenly abode.

We're always thrilled to have visitors from home. Fellow Newfoundlanders Melanie and Andrea joined us for a couple of days while taking a break from an Intern Teaching project in the south. In this photo the brunttee standing next to me is not female but is actually one of Bangkoks infamous and flamboyant Ladyboys.

My cousin Stephanie and her husband Stephen (also newfies) chose Thailand to honeymoon and we were happy to show them some Bangkok sights before they headed to Thailand's famous beaches. In this photo it's souvenier shopping time and they're learning first hand the important art of bargaining. We're using a bit more French in our household now due to my french classes. I'm eager and enthusiastic about speaking this beautiful language. Michel is patient with my eagerness however I'm sure at times he wonders what he got himself into:) I'm gaining more of an appreciation for french culture and style as I continue to facilitate a Conversational English class to french women living in Bangkok.

Teaching English to Thai children is something I've found rewarding and I plan to continue to do this as the opportunity arises. My faciliatation work continues part time with the Thai Burma Refugee Border Consortium.

Though we'll miss the Canadian Christmas we'll celebrate combining some of our traditional values with this cultures traditions. On the 26th we plan to drive to the North and visit the country of Laos during our holiday.

From across the miles we send you our blessing and love during this Christmas season. May your inner wisdom shine with the discovery that spirit that is heightened during this time of year is with you always.

Until next time,

Blessings and Go well

Dorothy, Michel and Kelsey

Life in the Kingdom

Sabai de mai kha ?( Are you well? ) - Sabai is translated as "happy" but its use is closer to "comfortable" "relaxed" or "well". To Thais, happiness is not a state opposite that of sorrow... rather it is more like tranquility. Sitting by the seaside with the wind blowing in your hair is sabai. Winning the lottery is not.

I'll stay away from much talk of the political situation here as I expect you've had your fill with the recent Canadian election. I will say that it appears that anti government demonstrations and pro democracy groups in the streets of Bangkok will force this government to resign. We'll wait and see! We're trying to sift through the news reports and messages we've received and find the reality underneath.

I finally decided to start using the motorcycle taxis. It's amazing what one will do when the temperature is 35 degrees, the traffic is horrendous and there is a need to be at a work meeting for a certain time. For 10 baht ( 0.33 cdn) one can get to a destination in no time. These taxi stands and friendly drivers can be seen on almost every corner donning their orange vests. And actually it wasn't as scary as it appeared. Perhaps I've been lucky to get drivers who manouver through the traffic with some caution:)

I'd like you to meet Ben, one of the children at the Orphanage. I hope you'll understand the importance to me of introducing you to these children in this blog. I have come to know such life- giving beauty there - and although many have been abandoned and have major disabilties , the personalities and spirit of these children continues to inspire and touch me. They have so little, yet are filled with so much graciousness.

Ben is three years old and is blind. He does not speak orally, rarely eats solid food and still drinks milk from a baby bottle. He was abandoned by his mother . Her circumstances did not provide her with the ability to care for a disabled son. Ben is a "live wire". Although he doesn't have sight he has been able to use his other senses to function quite well. He loves to be held and touched and relishes the brief moments he gets outside of the ward.

We continue to leave the hectic pace of Bangkok behind on the weekends and travel to rural villages where we can walk about and mingle with locals.

Recently we visited a Karen tribe. They are commonly known as the "Long Necks"-signifying the practice of adorning their women in multiple brass rings around the neck, the arms and the legs. The rings are a prominent sign of female beauty and status. This neck ring adornment begins when the girls are 5 or 6 years old and the neck grows longer as additional rings are added with each passing year. They have a long history and their customs and traditions come from an ancient medium , the details many Karen themselves have forgotten.

A small fishing village in the south captured our attention on our travels. In areas where the children don't see many foreigners, they're always keen to say hello and check us out. The girl in the photo below was keen about trying out the little bit of English she learned and engaged me in some English banter in which I was happy to share.

Blessed with over 2500 kilometers of fertile coastline, Thailand has emerged as one of the world’s leading suppliers of seafood products to the world. Thailand ranks as the world’s leading producer and exporter of shrimp products.

In a developing country such as Thailand we observe many sites that would not pass any safety code in the western world. The country is developing at such a rapid pace though and in the year we've been here we have observed small noticable improvements in safety standards.

Near one of the popular beach towns is the Sanctuary of Truth, a gigantic wooden construction. Every square inch of the building is covered with wooden carve sculpture. The purpose of decoration with wooden carve sculptures are to use art and culture as the reflection of ancient vision of Earth, ancient knowledge, and eastern philosophy. Within this structure visitors go on a journey in an attempt to understand life, human responsibility, basic thought, cycle of living- overall the relationship between human beings and the universe. It's a phenomenal piece of work.

This sanctuary of truth was conceived out of the vision that human civilization has been achieved and nurtured by religious and philosophical truth. This sanctuary was created from goodness drawn from religion , philosophy and art. Walking througout this building is a reminder of this and whisks us away from the world filled with materialism, devotion to money and advanced technology. It offers reflection and hopefully some other truths to people who are after only happiness in this life, and those that believe that there is no life after this.

Approximately 100 kms from Bangkok is Koh Si Chang island. We took a 40 minute boat trip to reach the island. We spent a leisurely day- rented a motorcycle and enjoyed the day exploring the island and enjoying the local food. The geography of the island consists mostly of hills and a few small beaches. There is no resource of fresh water on the island. The locals have water transported by boat from the shore. The main source of income of islanders comes from fishery and we saw simple and traditional lifestyles of islanders here. The most important attractions on the islands are old European style buildings that are remnants from the early 20th century when King Rama V took refuge here during summer. Nowadays, there are a few small hotels on the island. Our first stop on the tour was the nearby Khao Yai Spirit Shrine which was situated in a Chinese Temple. This temple becomes very crowded during Chinese New Year. There are steps behind the temple that lead up to a viewpoint which houses a replica of Buddha’s Footprint. This was made during the reign of King Rama V from a sacred stone that was brought from the birthplace of the Buddha. The extra 300 hundred or so steps will pass by wild monkeys and there are wonderful panoramic views of the township below and the hills beyond.

The women in the Canadian Club of Thailand showed their stuff recently as models in a fashion show. All for a good cause, as the Canadian women walked the catwalk to support the Queen Sirikit Centre for Breast Cancer a medical facility who assists underprivledged women get the care they need to heal or die with dignity from Breast Cancer . There is no universal health care here and woman who cannot afford the private hospitals are often not able to access quality health care.

Kelsey is getting much exposure to Thai family life through her relationship with James. James will be doing a few weeks in the monkhood on his 21st birthday- this being a traditional Buddhist custom for every boy and young man. He will have his hair and eyebrows shaved and wear the orange robe as he learns more teachings about Buddhism. They are however mourning the future loss of his "corn rows" hairstyle :) Her Thai is improving ( much better than mine) as well as James' English. Her school although small, provides her with an opportunity to make friends with people from other countries. On the balcony of our condominuim pictured below is Kelsey and her Norwegian friend Frieda.

Michel is off to China soon on a work trip. Sadly his father in France has been diagnosed with advanced bone and liver cancer. For now, we keep regular contact and hold him in our thoughts and prayers.

I began my French classes and have begun teaching a Conversational English class to French women once a week living in Bangkok as well as on occasion teach ESL to Thai children . Practicing using Thai is important to me and I continue to hilariously struggle with the tones. Future work with the refugee camp staff will require some more travel to the north in December. With her high school graduation soon to be a reality, Kelsey is now considering options for post secondary education next year.

This country and people still "wows" us. The paradoxes and beauty both in the landscape, culture and the people creates in us teachings that continually mould us.

It's a school holiday next week and we're off to Vietnam for 6 days. I'll share a bit about our trip in our next blog update.

Until then..... With love and blessings

Go well.

Dorothy, Kelsey and Michel