Happy New Year Bangkok

Watching fireworks going off everywhere in the city, I couldn't believe it's New Year's eve of 2008, and I am in Bangkok. It actually feels chilly, and I have to have my sweater on today, just like a Thai, when it's 26 degrees centigrade (78 F). Brent questions how I would survive after returning to New York. I don't know, but I will worry about it when it happens. I am preparing myself for the hot season here starting March, when it's going to be 40C (100F) and muggy everyday.

We celebrated New Year's eve at home with my cousin's family and a friend. Brent whipped up his specialty - spaghetti. It was pretty good despite of the poor quality electric stove and having only one pot to cook with that sticks all the time. The two little boys had the grandest time, doing ninja moves on each other, chasing each other non-stop, and taking turns to get shoulder rides from Brent.

2007 was an eventful and interesting year. It started with my never-going-away hand, arm, and back pain; improvement after staying home for a month and physical therapy; worsened pain after returning to work. This pushed me to seriously consider a career change. It wasn't an easy decision. I was quite good at what I did in my profession after all these years, and doing anything else would mean retraining and a big loss on income.

It would be impossible to live in New York on our savings. It would burn up so quickly that I would be forced to go back to the profession that hurts me so much in no time.

After two months of painful search for tenants for our apartment, we packed up and left for China.

There were highs and lows in our time in Asia, but for me, the highs are far outweighing the lows.

Lows:
1. Bureaucracy in visa office in China. But I heard that the American consulate in London is no better.
2. Mosquitoes, my #1 enemy while traveling, were having a feast on me in Yangtze south. Even in our apartment in Bangkok, once I forgot to put repellent on, I got ten bites in 10 minutes typing an email.
3. Rude drivers in Qingdao, could easily claim lives or limbs. I was angry everyday when I went out, as everyday I almost got hit. Bangkok has a lot more cars, but I feel so much safer. People actually yield.
4. The stares I got from women in China when I was walking with Brent, made me feel very uneasy. I no longer get stares in Thailand.
5. True, things don't always work properly here. Internet is slow, despite a high-speed plan. Taxis don't stop or refuse to take us when it's empty, is mind boggling.

Highs:
1. Generous uncles and aunts allowed us to stay in their homes in Shanghai, Hong Kong and Bangkok while we were traveling and searching for places to settle.
2. Cousins who kept their eyes out for apartments, patiently translate for us when I would call frantically in a taxi and couldn't communicate to the driver.
3. Reconnected with some friends whom I haven't seen for 19 years. I do feel having lived two lives already.
4. Visited some incredibly beautiful places in inland China, which I never knew existed before.
5. Met some very wonderful friends in Qingdao. Ran into a woman I met at a conference 15 years ago in Minnesota, then of course, a big dinner was waiting for us in her home.
6. Translated a contract for the 2008 Olympics sailing competition. Very proud to say that I have done something for the Olympics.
7. Having cousins spontaneously visit us when they were on their honeymoon in China.
8. Sharing meals with total strangers. Actually we didn't share, but our neighbors would offer for us to taste their food because we were so curious about what they were eating.
9. Have met some wonderful people in Bangkok, most of whom have lived in this region for many years. We are often invited to dinner in their homes, and learning the tips about living here.
10. While Brent was getting his $3 haircut in downtown Suzhou, I was teaching two young conscientious washers English phrases that they could use with their foreign customers. Teaching is fun when your students want to learn.
11. A Thai woman stopped me to ask for directions, and I understood and answered her.
12. 13. 14... The list goes on and on. I'd just stop here and provide links to places we visited but haven't posted pictures or forgot to bring our camera when visiting.
http://outdoors.webshots.com/album/134379031GuYEYl
http://www.thaiwaysmagazine.com/krabi/krabi_attraction_muang_county.html#ao_nang


By now, I still don't know what's next for me in terms of career. Learning Thai is fun and keeping me busy. Teaching Chinese to kids once a week is rewarding but not sufficient. I have a lot of figure out in the year to come.

Christmas in Bangkok

Picture 1 - Pristine Singapore
Picture 2 - also Singapore, Arab Quarter


I can't believe it's Christmas! It's been so long since I last wrote.

It's 33 degrees Celsius and sunny and it's the first warm Christmas I've ever had. I am very thankful for that.

Think back to the dreadful hand/arm injury and seemingly never ending physical therapy and acupuncture, which couldn't take away my pain, to a life away from computer, I am thankful.

Some have asked how my hand and arm is - I am mostly without pain, as long as I don't stay on the computer for more than half an hour or carry heavy stuff.

So many things happened in the last month and a half, so it's hard to remember to write down everything. I don't have the opportunity to write therefore less chance to injure myself again, because Brent has been working a lot (hogging the computer).

I am happy with the progress I've made in my Thai. I have been chatting with the cleaning lady, the taxi drivers, and the landlady. I can't understand everything they say, but I get the gist of it.

The shopping malls have been blasting Christmas music and singing about the Savior is born, without the worry of political correctness. It's ironic, since most people here are Buddhists. On the other hand, this music just becomes background noise, without meaning. Words have no meaning, without a personal relationship.

We were in Singapore three weeks ago for our second "visa run", and met up with an old friend Tara from New York. Tara is a scientist, and has moved to Singapore earlier this year. She noticed that in the highly educated science community, a lot more people are confessing Christians. Even in the society in large, people are not marginalized if they believe in God. In the States, in New York in particular, people were shocked that she believes in God, because she's a scientist, as if they should be mutually exclusive.

It rained hard in Singapore the first day we got there. As we always bring rain with us, it's become something to laugh about. It is as pristine as I remembered it 10 years ago, but I only went to the pristine places then. This time, thanks to my walking fanatic husband, we walked through Little India and the Arab Quarter, which gave me a glimpse of the "cultured" parts of Singapore, which actually makes it more interesting. Brent enjoyed the wide sidewalks and mostly clean streets, in contrast to Bangkok. On the other hand, he grew tired of it after four days and commented he was happy to be back in Bangkok afterwards. For some reason, December is the busiest time in Singapore and all the low to mid range hotels were booked. There were some very "reasonable" hotels, turned out to be in the Gaylong district - redlight district. I refused to stay there. My cousin was shocked that Singapore has redlight district. Human beings nature do not change even with an efficient government. We need a lot more than government and policies.

I was impressed by Singapore's recycling effort. See picture. And another picture that you would think belongs to New York City:)

I am getting to know my classmates who take Thai lessons with me. One bright eyed young woman is worth writing about. Anita is 22, from Ohio. She lived in northern India for a year, working with YWAM doing social working with some very poor women. She went back to the States for a year and waitressed to save up money, and came to Bangkok in October. She plans to stay here for two years, working with young women who were trafficed into prostitution because of poverty. This particular group is from Isan, a region very poor and looked down by Bangkok people. Many man and women came from Isan to work in Bangkok, to make some money to send home. Many women were tricked into coming to Bangkok, thinking they would be maids or factory workers, but only found out what their job would be after being locked up by the trafficers after they got here. Many of them have children back home. In order to pay off their debt, they feel they have no other way out except to do what makes the most money the fastest. Besides selling their bodies, they are often abused by their "customers" and forced to use drugs, which becomes an addiction which requires them to make more money to feed the addiction. Anyhow, Anita has never gone to college, and she had decided since high school that she wanted to find where her passion is, before wasting money in universities. She lives like a local, with no air conditioning in her place, as was in India.

We went to a couple of friends' home for a Christmas party last night (Christmas Eve) and met a group of Cubans. I chatted with a young Cuban woman. She's a musician and plays flute in a band. She just came to Thailand 3 to 4 months ago. When she heard that I came from China, she lamented - I wish my country is like yours! People in Cuba are so oppressed and blinded by Castro that they have nothing left by the end of the month, financially and emotionally. But at least Castro allows them to dance. This group exhibited the Cuban salsa, which has four pairs of dancers and they switch partner every few seconds. It's amazing to watch. The other Latin people who were not Cuban had to be kicked out, because they had no idea what to do!

Time to quit writing, before my hand starts to hurt...