After getting back into a regular work routine, I'm now focusing on getting back to a regular running routine. I'm planning on running the half marathon in Chiang Mai again this year. I don't officially start training for it until October but I want to be well into a routine by then. I ran 4 miles Sunday morning. The sun was strong even at 8am but I pounded through it and had a great run.
Later on I was on the bus heading to my meeting and noticed a couple signing to each other. I said hello and the man responded. After talking for a few minutes I realized that the lady with him was mostly blind, she can see a little out of one eye but not enough to know that I was a foreigner. I noticed his shirt had a picture of 2 runners in a race and asked him about it. He said it was the 2 of them finishing a 10k together. Wow! I'm not sure how often they run races but he knew about the race in Chiang Mai. He even knew the exact date for this year. I sure was glad I had run that morning! I'm sure they'll be crossing my mind each time I run, how inspiring!
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
Malaysia
We flew into Kuala Lumpur and then took a van to Melacca. There's lots of history in Melacca. The British had a big settlement there for a long time. There are lots of interesting old buildings there. Thursday was one of the only nights we had to see the town.
The DC was great of course. There was sign language interpreting which was exciting to watch. I appreciated being able to listen in English and watch how it was interpreted. Malaysian deaf schools have taught ASL for the most part so that's what was used in interpreting. There are about 6 Americans who moved there to help with sign so it was nice meeting them. There were 50 deaf that attended on Sunday. Impressive!
After the DC we rode down to Johor Bahru with an English couple who lives there. We met up with some friends for lunch the next day. I met them 2 years ago when I first went to Malaysia and they've been to Bkk a few times. We had great conversations. They both think deeply and express themselves with passion. But we only had the afternoon with them. That night we stayed with another friend. She showed us all the exciting spots of JB and took us to a great restaurant. We thoroughly enjoyed some naan and dahl with her.
The next day we went to Singapore. It was kind of a hassle getting across. We had to walk what seemed like miles through mazes of hallways. Then we boarded a bus that took us over the bridge and left us at the border. There were more mazes on that side until we finally reached daylight and took a taxi to where we were staying.
We had made arrangements with some friends of friends. They were beautifully hospitable and took care of us well. We didn't really see much because we only had 24 hours there. But Singapore is somewhere I'd definitely go again just to be with the friends. They were really remarkable. I wouldn't mind seeing some of the sights too.
I really enjoyed meeting all the people in Malaysia and Singapore. They all have work under unique circumstances that remind me of how privileged we are in Thailand and in other places. There are other details that I can't post since this is a public site. All I can say is that it was very thought provoking to work with them.
Here are some photos from Malaysia.
The DC was great of course. There was sign language interpreting which was exciting to watch. I appreciated being able to listen in English and watch how it was interpreted. Malaysian deaf schools have taught ASL for the most part so that's what was used in interpreting. There are about 6 Americans who moved there to help with sign so it was nice meeting them. There were 50 deaf that attended on Sunday. Impressive!
After the DC we rode down to Johor Bahru with an English couple who lives there. We met up with some friends for lunch the next day. I met them 2 years ago when I first went to Malaysia and they've been to Bkk a few times. We had great conversations. They both think deeply and express themselves with passion. But we only had the afternoon with them. That night we stayed with another friend. She showed us all the exciting spots of JB and took us to a great restaurant. We thoroughly enjoyed some naan and dahl with her.
The next day we went to Singapore. It was kind of a hassle getting across. We had to walk what seemed like miles through mazes of hallways. Then we boarded a bus that took us over the bridge and left us at the border. There were more mazes on that side until we finally reached daylight and took a taxi to where we were staying.
We had made arrangements with some friends of friends. They were beautifully hospitable and took care of us well. We didn't really see much because we only had 24 hours there. But Singapore is somewhere I'd definitely go again just to be with the friends. They were really remarkable. I wouldn't mind seeing some of the sights too.
I really enjoyed meeting all the people in Malaysia and Singapore. They all have work under unique circumstances that remind me of how privileged we are in Thailand and in other places. There are other details that I can't post since this is a public site. All I can say is that it was very thought provoking to work with them.
Here are some photos from Malaysia.
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
Thap Sakae
Thap Sakae was my first destination. It's a small town near the most narrow point in Thailand which is 10km wide. It rained a lot which isn't so bad except for when you're on a motor bike. So I bought a raincoat for 20 baht that kept me mostly dry. We were on the bikes a lot traveling around in their territory. I didn't get to go up into the mountains though. Another time.
There were two things I really enjoyed. First, the couple I stayed with are really teriffic. We had some really great conversations. They're people I can really be myself around. And they're so kind and good. So I feel like I can learn from them too. Th'ey had some others (3 Koreans, 1 Japanese and 1 Thai) from the cong over one night and we played 'Uno'. I have fond memories from childhood playing Uno with my family. My favorite was when my grandpa, whose eyes weren't so good, would play a green card thinking it was blue or the opposite. We'd have to correct him a lot. It became part of the game. This time the most amusing player was one of the Koreans who has really good manners. She would apologize each time she played a bigger card (skip, draw 2, etc). I usually play those cards with an evil laugh. We had a great time.
Second, we went to a deaf school in the next town to the south. The school was literally right next to the beach, great setting! We got there in the afternoon at about 2:30 so some of the kids were already finished with their classes. We talked with them for a bit, they were surprised to see us there and were full of questions. Little by little the few kids became a crowd. Then teachers were coming out. It was overwhelming but fun too. The sister who went with me is wanting to learn sign language. I think they'll be happy to help her out at that school. I loved meeting all of them. They're so excited to talk to new people, especially foreigners. We stayed for about 45 minutes and could've stayed longer but had to get back. I'd love to go down there again.
Here are some photos of the territory.
There were two things I really enjoyed. First, the couple I stayed with are really teriffic. We had some really great conversations. They're people I can really be myself around. And they're so kind and good. So I feel like I can learn from them too. Th'ey had some others (3 Koreans, 1 Japanese and 1 Thai) from the cong over one night and we played 'Uno'. I have fond memories from childhood playing Uno with my family. My favorite was when my grandpa, whose eyes weren't so good, would play a green card thinking it was blue or the opposite. We'd have to correct him a lot. It became part of the game. This time the most amusing player was one of the Koreans who has really good manners. She would apologize each time she played a bigger card (skip, draw 2, etc). I usually play those cards with an evil laugh. We had a great time.
Second, we went to a deaf school in the next town to the south. The school was literally right next to the beach, great setting! We got there in the afternoon at about 2:30 so some of the kids were already finished with their classes. We talked with them for a bit, they were surprised to see us there and were full of questions. Little by little the few kids became a crowd. Then teachers were coming out. It was overwhelming but fun too. The sister who went with me is wanting to learn sign language. I think they'll be happy to help her out at that school. I loved meeting all of them. They're so excited to talk to new people, especially foreigners. We stayed for about 45 minutes and could've stayed longer but had to get back. I'd love to go down there again.
Here are some photos of the territory.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)
