Running High

Training for the CM Half Marathon is going great! Although I'm a week behind in my training. My long run yesterday should've been 8 miles but I ran 7 instead. But it was a good 7, I finished feeling like I could continue (I was short on time so I had to stop.)

This past week of training was so good that I actually reached a runners high during each run! It's usually about 30 minutes into the run. I'm coasting along as if running on solid clouds. The music is pushing me along like a couple of running buddies (S and N specifically). The sun is pulling me along rather than smothering me like it usually does. Ah...the runner's high!

The race is less than 5 weeks away. I guess I should register, hey?

My life is my own

Our DC in Bkk was great! We had 45 deaf attend and 2 baptized. Total attendance was just over 2000 with 37 baptized. It's so exciting to watch the progress!

With the conventions over, life is settling back into a normal routine. Except I'm hardly working...it's so amazing! The whole month of Oct I might have worked a total of 6 hours. It was great to have free time (that always managed to get filled) and not be rushed from one thing to the next.

Working less has given me more time to focus on running (among the other more important things). I'm planning on running the Chiang Mai Half-Marathon on Dec 26. Training has gone well so far. The weather has been very cooperative...it's getting cooler and I don't have to be out there at the crack of dawn to avoid getting over heated. So I'm enjoying the training more than I have in the past. I've never been a good runner at 6am. I'm much better after a cup of coffee at 7:30am.

DC Season

It started out down south in Surat Thani. I went down to help with interpreting. There were 8 of us that traveled down from Bangkok. After the DC we went to Koh Samui, on of the most popular spots for tourists. Back in Feb we found cheap airline tickets and booked it. Two out of 8 of the girls had never been on a plane before so it was a new experience for them. Too bad I had just spent about 25 hours on a plane or I would've enjoyed it with them more.

The DC was great! I went last year also (posted about it, I think). This year the peak attendance was 425 compared to about 380 last year (I think) with 9 baptized. I also got to hang out with K. It was her 10th anniversary for being here 10 years! Her cong threw a surprise party for her which was really nice! She sure has, and does, work hard and deserved a party!

We received all the new releases in Thai and also received the brochure that was just announced in the states. It's perfect for SE Asia and I'm sure will have a great impact.

Koh Samui was ok. I imagine it could be much better, though. The weather was dreary and rainy the whole time and I ended up getting a cold. So I never actually made it to the beach, thus no photos. I spent a good amount of time resting in our room. It was a guest room of a family that invited 3 of us to stay with them. The room had great big windows with a beautiful view of palm and banana trees. So I was content in the room. We only had 2 days anyways, I definitely have to go again to get the real Koh Samui.

This weekend is the English DC. I have M and T staying with me which will be great fun. G, A and C will be down from Chiang Mai. This is the time I revel in all the socialization!

Two weeks later is our DC in Bkk. There will likely be exciting details to post.

Back to My Life

Had a fantastic 2 months in the states but I must admit that I'm also really happy to be back to Bangkok. I missed my routine, my cong, my students...I missed my life. And it was even better coming back this time knowing how much better my schedule will be now that I'm not working M-F anymore. Rather than diving back into work like I have in the past, I was able to take some time to just get over the jet lag and get reorganized. Both are accomplished now.

My flight back was uneventful. I had a long 7-hour layover in Kuwait. It's kind of a scruffy airport...everyone smokes. There were several announcements saying to only smoke in designated areas. That was defiantly ignored. I couldn't enjoy a cup of coffee at McDonalds without the offensive odor of cigarette smoke looming nearby. I did get a photo while there. The sites were interesting...many in typical Arabic dress, Indian women wearing saris, etc. Not many westerners there, especially women. I was stared at a lot, but I didn't mind, I was equally curious about them.

Here's a photo at the McDonalds.

Photos

Running in Snug Harbor, Rhode Island



Running the Brooklyn Bridge



Running through Central Park



I'm heading to Myrtle Beach, SC for a week with my brother and his wife and kids. I'm excited about playing with the kids in the sand. Hopefully I'll get some runs in too.

Squeezed in some more scenic runs

It was 3 weeks ago now but I did make it to the Brooklyn Bridge. It was a gorgeous day and an exhilarating run. I got some great photos but haven't had a chance to transfer them to my computer yet.

I also got some good runs in during my stay in Rhode Island. My accommodations were near the beach at the southern tip of RI called Snug Harbor. I would do an out-and-back to East Matunuck Beach with great scenery along the way.

I also made it to Cape Cod. I met a couple in Thailand who was on a visa run from Malaysia. Turns out they're from Cape Cod and invited me to stay with them while I was in New England. We spent a few hours at the beach then had a late lunch at this really cool place with excellent lobster and clam chowder. YUM! I also got a chance to try some local brews. My favorite was the Cape Cod IPA. It went nicely with the lobster. Unfortunately I didn't have my camera that day so I can't promise to post any photos from there.

Next week I go with my brother and his family to Myrtle Beach. Looking forward to some fun kid time with my niece and nephew.

Good day for a run.

While staying in NYC I've been staying with a couple girls in Greenwich Village. It's a neat area to walk around, as is most of Manhattan. While in the city I thought it would be cool to run in Central Park. Thursday was my free day. The weather was a bit overcast which helped lower the temp. I looked at a map and started to work out where I'd go. The park is about 3 miles away so I decided to take the subway up to 96th St near the upper west side of the park. I went down the west side switching back and forth between a gravel trail and a bike path. I passed a lake and crossed some bridges. It's amazing how remote it feels until you look up and see buildings in the background.

I exited the park on Central Park South and 7th Ave. I stayed on 7th most of the run back. It goes right through Times Square and near Broadway. It was a great run and I loved seeing the city that way. The only downfall of a city run is having to stop at so many traffic lights. I'm not the kind of runner who keeps running in place, they look so funny. I used the time to stretch.

Saturday night I'm staying in Brooklyn Heights. My goal is to run the Brooklyn Bridge Sunday morning.

I took some photos of my run but will have to post them later. Stay tuned...

Things I don't often do...

Like watching a free movie in the park. Last night I went with K to Bryant Park in Manhattam to watch Monty Python and the Holy Grail (which actually deserves it's own frequented blog). This is something that's already cool. But to do it in a NYC park pocketed around some cool buildings is extra cool. We had some friends saving us space on their blanket. We came prepared with wine and cheese which adds an even cooler element. All that coolness is lost on such a ridiculous movie. Although I suppose that's debatable, it is one of the most quoted movies. Or maybe it's the irony of the cool atmosphere with the corny movie that has a coolness all it's own.

Today I went to have lunch with some friends in Brooklyn. I had some free time in the afternoon so I scoped out Brooklyn Heights. I looked around for the Brooklyn Brewery, even asked a few people but never found it. I'll get there eventually.

I'm thinking about going to Boston the weekend between Pio Schl. Anyone been there? Any suggestions?

Bright Blue Stitches

I got my blue stitches taken out Saturday. The incision is healing fine. I didn't mention this before...since it was so deep the doctor had to cut through several layers of skin which meant having to stitch up 2 layers. The underneath layer of stitches will dissolve but it'll take 3 months. I can feel them which is kinda weird. So I still have to be a bit careful about stretching my neck but I can exercise again and don't have to worry about sweating. Yay!

The mole turned out to be a benign cyst. No worries. Our skin is so amazing! It was such a weird feeling when the doctor pulled the stitches out. I thought surely there would be a scar where each stitch was but that seems to be healing really well too.

By the way, the whole process (minor surgery, 2 layers of stitches, lab test of the cyst and 2 doctor consultations) cost about $100. Not bad.

Gross....but kinda cool

Here's the gross part...a mole started growing on my neck about a year ago. It's kept growing and growing. I didn't really think it was the kind that was cancerous but it sure was ugly. It's gotten so big lately that my students asked me about it. I said it was a button that turned me on and off. They kept trying to turn me off so I decided now is the perfect time to get it cut off.

I checked at several laser clinics and they said it was too big to laser off. So I went to the hospital (had to go twice, the skin doctor is only there Saturdays 4-6). She had to make 2 incisions to remove it. It was bigger under the skin as you could imagine. I needed 7 stitches to close up the incision! Here's the photo:
It's red all around because I just took the bandage off.

The unfortunate thing about this is I'm in the middle of training for a race. The doctor said I shouldn't sweat (funny to say that in Thailand) and no exercise because it could put too much pressure on the skin. sigh. At least it'll be gone when I visit...speaking of which, I'll be in NY in one month!!!!

Back to normal

Last weekend was a major city clean-up. There were thousands of people who volunteered to help clean the former protesting site. I rode by on the sky train and saw all the activity. It was really nice to see and a very positive sense of community was in the air.

So things got back to normal pretty quick. The sky train and subway were both opened on Sunday and the shopping centers around the affected areas were open by Monday. The curfew is hardly worth mentioning since it's only 12:00am-4am. That will finish this weekend.

There are still Thais convinced that the red shirts will surface again and instigate more violence. But for now they are quiet.

Bangkok Bank on Rama 4

Here's one more video that shows the bank nearby that was torched. I took this video between the Rama 4 and Suanben Park videos (just had trouble uploading it last night.)



One thing I learned from being out yesterday was how easy it is for information to be exaggerated or miscommunicated. For instance, I had heard that the Tesco Lotus on Rama 4 had been torched. It in fact wasn't. I heard there was looting at the Carrefour. There were no signs of looting. I think both instances were situations where people were panicking and jumping to conclusions before checking the source. I actually felt a lot better seeing things with my own eyes so I know what really happened.

However, I don't think I need to see the Central World shopping mall burnt to a crisp to believe that. That was the best mall in Bangkok and I'm sure the most visited. A Gap had just opened there, the first one in Bangkok. I was really excited. (Fortunately there's one that opened at the mall nearby.) The loss is incredible and it will take a long time for people to recover from all this.

I really think it's changed Thailand permanently. Thai people have always been known for their friendliness and kindness. And they always had a deep love and respect for their king. That trust seems to be damaged. I guess we'll see the long-term affects of this in time. But one thing is for sure, the face of Thailand has changed.

Check out this article in the Bangkok Post. It has some good photos and a map showing the affected areas. I live on Sukhumvit Soi 22 between Suhkumvit Road and Rama 4. You can locate that on the 2nd map.

Current state of Bangkok

So there was a lot of action yesterday in Bkk. I woke up to the sound of helicopters all around. The news mentioned how the govt was moving in on the protesters. I considered leaving the area but it seemed risky and maybe more safe to stay put. At about noon several of the Red Shirt leaders turned themselves in. But it wasn't over.

The protesters started rioting and burning different parts of the city. That was when it got scary. They set a huge shopping center on fire (Central World) and several other places in the same area. There was a news channel station that's about a mile away that the red shirts set on fire. And then the power went out. I was really worried that people would panic and begin looting. All the shops in the area (7/11, Family Mart, etc) closed and the streets got quiet real fast. The power came back on within the hour and didn't got out again.

Even though I was never in immediate danger it was quite shocking knowing all that was going on. Today the air was clear, literally and figuratively. I took a walk around to see what the state of things was. I was very cautious and made sure the areas I entered were clear. Here's what I have to report:













Sorry I couldn't combine the videos together. I don't have the right software for that. Hope it's not too much trouble looking at them this way.

Schools have been closed...finally

Well, it took live firing to get our school to close. We're closed for the week but teachers have to go in, as long as a full on war isn't on, Wed-Fri. I've been home since Fri. I had to go out briefly Sat because of a problem with my phone which is also my internet connection and the only access I have to the outside world.

Other than that and walking to the park, I haven't left home. I'm deliberating on what to do tomorrow. Things seem to have settled down. There was no fighting today but that could change at any time. I was thinking of visiting a few people on the outskirts of the city and trying to get back by mid-afternoon. We'll see.

In the meantime I've gotten a lot accomplished. In addition to catching up with family on the phone, I cleaned, read a lot and painted a few walls. That was fun and it looks great! It's amazing what a little color can do for a room.

Keeping my head down

Seen the world news today? Thailand made the home page of CNN. Unfortunately it's about violence breaking out between the military and the red shirts. The red shirts refused to accept the offer made by the prime minister. So the government decided to make an attempt at dispersing the crowds which has led to violence.

Our meeting was canceled for tonight. I'm fully stocked with batteries, water, food and toilet paper for at least a week. I do live right around the corner from a handful of seven elevens so I'm not concerned about lacking anything. I don't plan on leaving my apartment tomorrow just to be safe. I'm keeping updated with www.bangkokpost.com. I'm also in good contact with many of the friends here, locals and foreigners. So no need to worry, mom. :)

Have I been in Thailand too long?

I've described my passion for motorbikes on previous posts. In Bangkok I use motorbike taxis all the time. They're so convenient, especially in the hot season when you just can't handle walking down a long soi and can just hop on a motorbike for 10 baht.

Have I described how whole Thai families can fit on motorbikes? It's common to see a dad dropping off 3 of his kids at school. They're all stacked on the motorbike behind him. Doesn't seem safe but it's certainly efficient.

You also have to be careful of motorbikes as a pedestrian walking on the sidewalk. They will often drive against traffic on the sidewalk expecting everyone to just clear the way. I find them quite annoying.

Well, this week I was with a friend and we wanted to take a motorbike taxi to get somewhere. We were in an area with few motorbike taxis so when a guy finally came around he told us both to jump on. I sat side saddle behind my friend. So there were 3 of us on the bike and guess what...we went against traffic on a 3-lane highway to get to where we needed to go. There was no sidewalk. I held onto my friend's shoulders as cars were coming at us. It was the most efficient way of getting there. Have I lost touch with all that is decent? Or have I just discovered the more efficient way of looking at things? Maybe I've discovered the secret to living in Thailand. Hmmmmm

Had Yao

Kate and I spent a day there during my time in Trang. Had Yao means Long Beach. There are these great big cliffs randomly out in the water and on the beach. Kate took me through the water around the corner of one that led to a small cave and private little beach. Very cool but couldn't take my camera over there. Too risky.The water was kind of murky because of some storms that were coming through. The waves were also stronger than usual.
I got stung by a jelly fish TWICE! The first one started on my back and went down to my leg. It was on my calf when I realized what was going on. It didn't hurt terribly, freaked me out more than anything. Then later on I felt the same stinging on my arm. My back and leg were fine but my arm did swell up a bit. I saw the jellyfish both times so I'm positive that's what it was. They were a little bigger than a tennis ball.

Cashew Nuts

Have you ever seen a cashew nut raw or still in its shell? I hadn't. Cashew nuts grow naturally here in Thailand. The owner of the rubber tree plantation bought some cashews still in the shell to roast them. Then we shelled them. I videoed the process for you.


They were really yummy! Our fingers were very black.

Rubber Trees

While in the south a group of us were invited to a friends rubber tree plantation to help spread fertilizer. It was really fun and educational. Here's some video of the plantation with an explanation of how to harvest and process rubber. I was very impressed with K's knowledge. Hopefully you can hear her, I haven't got the sound worked out so well.







Coming up next....Cashew Nuts!

Kate in Trang

I have the privilege of knowing some pretty amazing people. One of them is Kate (she's so amazing that I'm using her name!) She has lived in Thailand for 9 years and 7 of those in Trang. She was assigned with 3 others to help start a group there and has seen growth reach into the 20s with 73 at the Memorial. She's also helping with sign-language there.

This is Kate, ever so diligent in her work.

She uses a motor bike to get around. I sat on the back.
She doesn't mind getting her hands dirty with fish guts. She might of even enjoyed it a bit. You'd be proud, Will.
This is one of the places we visited. She found 5 deaf in the area and visits them each week. They are all proud to have their own book and are making good progress. All 5 attended the Memorial along with 6 other deaf. Kate is also an amazing cook. She has some limitations with her health so she has become quite creative in what she makes. For example, we had a bean/chicken stew with black beans, kidney beans and mung beans. We ate it on toasted rice cakes with cucumbers, lettuce and other fresh veggies. Another day she made an 'all raw' dish with chopped carrots, cabbage, green mango, lemon grass, and sprouted mung beans. To really season things she made a paste of garlic, olive oil and ground black sesame seeds. YUM! Unfortunately I didn't get a photo, I was too excited to eat it. All the dishes were very colorful as you can imagine with so many fresh veggies.

Even though I don't have as many friends here in Thailand as I do back home, the friends that I do have are really special. I hope you get to meet Kate someday.

Traveling by Train

I took the night train to southern Thailand. I really love traveling by train! Looking out at the country side always inspires personal meditation. I get lost in my thoughts. I always come prepared with a book and magazines but they inevitably end up just sitting open on my lap or getting pushed aside while I stare out the window. Maybe it's living in a big city with too many buildings, concrete and people. When I lived in rural Athens I loved sitting on the porch just staring at my surroundings in happy contemplation. I guess this is my Thailand equivalent.

There's so much to look at. Palm trees and their many varieties, banana trees, rows of rubber trees, mountains, rice fields with people bent over working, water buffalo grazing, and all the Thai villages with colorful train stations. I love it!

Here are a few photos that don't do it much justice but it gives you an idea. The sun was setting and it was hard to get a good shot with the light.

The Clash

You've probably heard about the clash between the military and the red shirts in Bkk yesterday. The shocking thing is that 20 people died and the sky train was closed. I'm really glad to be in the south. The government issued several statements on TV saying they're trying to meet with red shirt leaders to come to an agreement. We'll see. I'll arrive back in Bkk on Thursday morning. I'll fill you in.

I've had a great time in Trang so far. I have photos to post from our 3 FULL days in the ministry but I'll wait til I get back to Bkk to post them. Tomorrow we head to the beach (more photo opportunities). Tuesday a local sister invited the cong to her rubber tree plantation. We're all going to help with the fertilizing. I'm very curious how trees make tires. I'll be sure to report my findings.

Fleeing from the Water Festival

The hot season is full on. I nearly passed out after walking the streets for a few hours this morning. I managed to get home and rest in my apartment with my new air-conditioner on full blast. The heat usually peaks mid-April around 100 degrees F.

I have some time off starting next Friday for 10 days. It's during the Thai new year called Songkran (also called the Water Festival). I usually stay busy with little projects at home for the 3 days. But last year after getting doused with water a few times just going to the 7/11 I decided that this year I was definitely fleeing Bangkok. People really go nuts with throwing water at people. The worst is the people riding around in the back of trucks with a big barrel of water splashing anyone they pass. My friend in the south said it's not such a big deal down there so I leave for Trang Thursday on the night train. I'll be there for a week. Most of the time will be spent in service but I'm hoping to go to the beach one day.

The protesting has continued but not enough to cause major issues. It's more like an on going party for them. Plus all the protesters are getting paid by the politicians they're supporting. Today we watched a big group of them piled into the back of trucks driving down the main road. I'm guessing they'll go straight from the protesting to the water festival...still in the back of trucks.

Snow Days vs. Mob Days

Throughout the winter I've been watching the weather feeling very jealous at all those snow days. We of course don't have any snow days here. But we do have......Mob Days!

The protesters are at it again. This time it's the infamous "Red Shirts". They're demanding the parliament dissolve, the prime minister step down and have new elections. Of course that won't happen. So the read shirts are storming the town.

It's been going on since Friday. Each day we're hoping for a "Mob Day". Haven't had one yet but we did get released early Friday. On Sunday we saw them marching by on the main road. Nothing dangerous just holding up traffic. Not sure if the mob day will happen, but it's much more likely than a snow day. Gotta have some kinda hope!

I can see!!

I finally got laser surgery on my eyes. I've been thinking about it for awhile and finally saved enough for it. A friend here had it done at an eye hospital nearby and recommended it. I had to wear my glasses for 6 (loong) weeks prior. I was so ready to toss them!

Rather than the well-known Lasik surgery I had a procedure done called PRK. The outcome is the same but the recovery time is longer and a bit more uncomfortable. I had the procedure done on Wednesday late afternoon and expected to be fine by Thursday. However, it wasn't until Saturday that I could really open my eyes and get around without any trouble.

My friend, N, who had recommended the hospital to me offered to look after me following the precodure. I went home with her Wednesday and ended up staying until Saturday morning. It was actually really fun staying with her and her husband. I was so grateful to them for their help! It's easy to take for granted how much we need our eyes.

Here's a photo just a few hours after the procedure. It was pretty amazing how well I could see immediately afterwards. Then they put these patches over my eyes. I look a bit like a bullfrog, eh?

Cultural Training

There's a new law requiring teachers to go through some cultural training before the government gives them a work visa. My visa expires soon so I had to spend my weekend in cultural training. A lot of it I already knew from living here for 5 years. But it was good to clarify some things. I've always known Thais, and most Asians in general, have this thing about losing face. I never understood though, what this meant. Was it that they were embarrassed or didn't like being made fun of or teased? I now see it has more to do with being right and not being humbled by others. There were several situations presented to us and asked for how we would respond. Here's one situation we were presented with:

You are involved with helping to organize an English camp for 500 students. The director proposes to have the camp over the weekend to save costs and not affect regular classes. You disagree with that because the number of students per group will be too large for the camp to be effective in terms of language learning. Moreover, teachers will have to work hard continuously for 2 weeks without a day off which seems unacceptable for all teachers. But the director insists on these stipulations. How do you handle this?

Thai teachers would not raise a fuss, they would just go along with it. We discussed that we would give voice to these issues and raise a big fuss since this affects our performance and the students potential for learning.

It was also discussed that a Thai director does not necessarily respond to issues raised. Rather, they are more likely to demand their own way because the teachers raising the issues threatens their power. A western director is more likely to respond to the issues because they are interested in the welfare of the teachers and students. (Of course there are power hungry people in western countries, this is more based on culture.)

Another topic that was raised was the Thais viewpoint of their king. They have a deep rooted love for him and view him as a divine father. This is a fusion of Brahmanism and Buddhism. I found this information helpful in trying to understand their way of thinking with regards to worship. It's not based on reason. More based on tradition and their striving for good luck. These are not just ways of worship, it's their way of thinking. So becoming a JW for a Thai entails huge changes and they have a lot of opposition because it's their culture, not just a belief. Interesting...

Thinking about all that gives me such an appreciation for knowing the truth. I also value having the opportunity of living here and being exposed to such different ways of thinking. Not that it influences me, but it gives me a wider understanding of people in general and how diverse we all are. I know it sounds abstract, it's hard to express. My point is that I like learning how people think and how that contrasts with how my culture thinks. This is the same reason I loved the James Michener book I read about Afghanistan. I'm starting another book of his called Iberia. It's all about his travels through Spain.

I'm an iGirl

I couldn't take it anymore...the hassle, the wasted time, the miscommunication. So I bought an iPhone. It's beautiful! It's so easy to use and takes photos and videos so easily (which is especially helpful with the deaf). I've downloaded some great apps (if anyone has any good apps to suggest please let me know). I also now have skype on my phone so it'll be a lot easier to call you guys....so many benefits. It was expensive but it's worth it! I'm hoping to get a MacBook when I'm in the States this summer.

I took a run this morning using a really cool app called 'Run Coach'. It keeps track of my pace, distance and routes. Thais really celebrate graduating from university. As I was running in the park today the path was blocked by all these graduates with their personal photographers taking photos. Kind of annoying, it broke my stride. Although it did give me an opportunity to take a photo with my iPhone.

Catching my breath

Nearly a month without a post...sorry. I am still alive, just been totally inundated with, let's see....stuff. The extra hours at work has been a bigger adjustment than I had imagined. Did I really do this for 3 years? Maybe it's different because of how much bigger my ministry is now. There's been huge growth in the past 18 months. I'll share some experiences with you in an email coming soon.

Anyways, I'm getting back on track. One interesting thing at school is the recent outbreaks we've had. I had a student home sick with H1N1 a few weeks ago along with children from other classes. There were several children in the school with Hand Foot Mouth Disease. Wednesday this week a parent approached me, AFTER dropping her daughter off at school, saying she had found head lice in her daughter's hair that morning. I told her she needed to take her daughter home and get it treated. So we had to check all the other children...they were clear. There's also rumors of a new coup d'etat. There's bound to be some extra time off with all that going on. That's what I'm hoping for at least.

The Mountains....sigh

I am finally back to life after my time off and getting reorganized last week.

I had a great ride in the mountains surrounding Chiang Mai on my last day there. The weather was perfect, blue skies and cool enough not to get hot. It was A's idea for a bunch of us to take our bikes up in the mountains. We went SW out of Chiang Mai and drove into some mountains that run along the western side of Chiang Mai. We came out just N of where W & N are staying. All together, including a few stops along the way to enjoy the view, it took about 3 hours.

Here's a few photos from that day.