An Important Feat

This past weekend was a major mark in my service to date. Since the end of September, I have been organizing a PDM (Project Design Management) training project with 2 other Volunteers that just took place last weekend. This training was the first of it's kind for our Thai communities. Before the actual PDM Training, we took 1 day to go over the materials with 3 Host Country National Thai Counterparts to prepare them to teach the material. PDM is a formal process of project planning that is not necessarily common in local Thai communities. The value of it lies in the transparency, practicality, and conceptualization of the project process it affords. The sections are broken down to visioning, goals, objectives, feasibility test, action plan, budget, monitoring and evaluation. Basically, you start broad and narrow a vision into smaller goals and objectives that can be performed in a particular time period given the resources (monetary and otherwise) available. In the design process, monitoring and evaluation plans are also determined. Bottom line: Begin with the end in mind. (Thank you Stephen Covey)

My part in this project was a two-fold contribution. Being part of the Volunteer Committee (PRC) that wrote the new PDM Training Model, I was given the task of taking my understanding of the model, teaching it to HCN Thai Counterparts then, guiding them in training local Thai community groups and government workers on PDM Modules. All the while I was taking note of what worked , what didn't, and how the participants were reacting to the training material overall. On Peace Corps supporting end, we had 4 PRC members come to oversee/facilitate, 2 Bangkok Administrative Staff, and the 2 other Volunteers co-hosting the training with me. At the training there were 33 total participants--11 from 3 different sub-districts--1/2 government workers and 1/2 community group members. The training was new in the sense that PDM had never been taught by Thais to Thais before (in the past it had always been conducted by a PRC member or Peace Corps Administrative Staff) In addition, the villager participants and government workers that came from 3 different sub-districts had never been trained on PDM before. The idea was to get government workers and community member to design a project together--being lead by 3 of their peers (our 3 HCN Thai Counterparts). Considering, community members and government workers rarely design project together in such a controlled setting, it was a pretty audacious ambition.

It's a bit confusing and when I think back to all the moving parts that were simultaneously pulled and levered during the PDM Training, I too get lost.

We found that some things worked and others could be improved. My personal feat was a great sigh of relief when it was all said and done and a sense of accomplishment I had been waiting for since I arrived here.

The big ideas I took away from this experience we're:

HCN Thai Counterparts are apt and more than capable of teaching the PDM process.

Taking people (government workers and villagers) out of their traditional settings and putting them into a non-threatening, learning environment opens up a whole new portal and level of communication that may have not existed otherwise.

Don't assume anything!

Government workers and villagers can design projects together.

Always leave room for adjustment.

Be humble.

If you give people the chance, they can and will perform above and beyond your wildest expectations.

I, as a Peace Corps Volunteer, can do meaningful work!

Father's Day in Thailand

All the hustle, bustle and anticipation this past week has been the focus of Father's Day. December 5, 2009 (tomorrow) will mark the 82nd birthday of the longest ruling monarchy in the world, HM King Bhumibol. See also: Monarchy of Thailand It is, in effect, also Father's Day. Across the nation, no matter background, age, gender, or beliefs, Thais will come out in unprecedented numbers to mark this important celebration together. See also: Thais Unite for His Majesty


Being my first experience with Father's Day in Thailand, I am very enthused for the local festivities. The government officers I work side by side with have held a record-breaking 6 meetings this week in efforts to prepare for the day's activities. We will start early at the one of the local schools for openning ceremonies at 7 AM. The day will then follow with an multitude of celebratory singing, dancing, orations, and an endless buffet of delicious food. One should be so lucky as to experience such a celebration!

Apart from watching the updates on Thai news every night, my closest encounter with Royalty here was when I first arrived back in April and I was invited to attend the commencement ceremony for a local hospital in which HRH Princess Sirindhorn came to induct a formally opening. This was quite the occasion for me and one of my most memorable experiences in Thailand to date. I was lucky to be there and catch a glipse of the Princess as she was received by local officials. Afterward, everyone gathered to take photos next Her Majesty's chair. Along with my Thai Supervisor, I managed to get in on this and get a photo next to her chair as well. Despite my aloofness as an outsider, I still realized this was a big deal.

Coming from a country where Royalty is unfamiliar yet whimsical and fascinating, I feel very fortunate to be here and share in this particular experience. There is something mystical and extraordinary about the whole thing.

At HRH Princess Sirindhorn's Chair

Lots to be Thankful For

Neighbors to the right in the midst of a huge coconut-drying operation



Sporting my rice-farmer's hat

No one tells you that the cool season is a bout of highs and lows of chilly weather mixed with a few erratic legitimately hot days. I resolve to wear the same attire I have since I arrived in 100 degree + weather. In hindsight, if I were to trade the cool season for the rainy season, I'd definitely choose the cool season. There is more consistency at night with clammy, refreshing breezes and I find myself only using my fan to drown out noisy, drunken neighbors. As my dad used to say during autumn and early spring, it's good sleeping weather.

An update on my health: Like everything, the sickness, too, has passed for the time being and I'm enjoying good health once again. I was hit twice with flu-like symptoms of which, a friend of mine thinks could have very well been H1N1. It remains a mystery. Apparently, taking freezing bucket showers while the weather is 'cool' does not help ward off sickness. This change has prompted another adjustment.
Like we used to do when the power went out during a nasty snow storm, I've grown accustomed to boiling a couple pots of water for my daily bucket shower. It works quite nice actually. I relish in the lukewarm water.


A Budgetary Commitment

As fate would have it, I've captured the attention and commitment of my new supervisor, the Nayoke. Even though, I'm not completely convinced he understands exactly what I'm doing here and what I represent, he believes in me and my ability. It's quite nice to feel this sentiment. In a meeting last week while reviewing the proposed budget for next year I was pleasantly surprised to find that my projects had found their way in as a line-item on the SAO's budget. Maybe it was all those project proposals or my CAT Report or my thesis project design. Whatever the case, the SAO has reserved 50,000 Baht (about $1,500) of their budget for my projects and though it's still just on paper, (yet to see the hard, cold cash) it makes me feel ecstatic.



Harvesting

Lately, I've been doing an array or random activities. Last week, I spent a good two days out in the rice fields with some villagers to get the rice harvesting experience. When ripe for harvesting, rice looks like wheat. At least to me it does. Like with replanting, harvesting is still done by and large by hand. This is the case, at least, with the first stage of separating the rice from the plant. The rice is then husked with a machine and further processed. We started early and went until dusk. Through these two days, I learned to respect this tried and true, meticulous method of harvesting. I love the solemn, peaceful sound of the rice wisping as you gather it up with the harvesting tool and slice it with one long jerk. I love the chatter and laughter of the villagers gossiping in Khmer as they work. And most of all, I love the sense of accomplishment when looking back at all the rice we harvested. My friends were obliged to teach me this seemingly mundane task and no doubt, happy to have the free labor. Note: the going rate for hired labor such as field work out here is about 150-200 Baht/day ($4-6)


Many hands lighten the load




A 'Rot Thai'--Thai tractor used in the country




Site Visit

At the end of the week, I had a visit from my Peace Corps Program Manager. My Program Manager has a way of evoking a renewed and upbeat attitude and making my burdens seem few and far between. She's wonder woman. In one day, she helped me get a commitment out of my landlord to resole the termite problem and put bars on my windows. She conveyed messages to my counterparts and supervisors more clearly than I've been able to convey in months. She met with members of the organic fertilizer group who will attend the upcoming PDM training and explained to them in detail what they can expect from the training and how they should prepare. Then, she treated my counterpart and I to a fabulous lunch at a nice restaurant. In the afternoon, we met with Health Clinic Personnel and school teachers to discuss projects in the works. By the time she left, I was whole-heartedly re-dedicated to my work and exceedingly excited for the future. It was just the boost and support I needed at the time.

Tutoring English

This week, I was asked (with persistence) to tutor some students in preparation for an English competition. I acquiesced for two days to tutor. This was my official first time teaching at this particular school and I enjoyed it. The teachers and children we're very kind and welcoming. Surprisingly, the students I worked with were much more advanced than I anticipated. I marveled at the 11-year-old's ability to recite and write down more than 700 English words. This experience made me look forward to beginning an English Club/Youth Group and working more with kids--which, aside from the Youth Conference, I've had little opportunity to do.


Giving Thanks

That brings me full circle. A lot of random things have been going on and I've managed to keep a lot on my plate. Upon approaching the American holiday of Thanksgiving, and given my experience thus far, I realize I have a lot to be thankful for.
Including...

Good health

Supportive family

Lukewarm bucket showers

Line-item budgetary commitments

A french press that brews amazing, real coffee

A plentiful rice harvest

Kind, compassionate neighbors

Steaming bowls of rice

A place to lay my head at night

Laughs

Patience

Spicy eggplant curry

Peanut butter in Thailand

Amazing friends

Graduate degrees

Watermelon

Peace in my heart


On a youth field trip standing at the border on Laos overlooking the Me Kong River

Thai Idioms

During PST 2, I had the opportunity to continue studying Thai through reading, writing, and technical vocabulary sessions. We had more opportunities to learn more nuances and slang than we did during PST 1. Even though, it was some time ago, I wanted to share some Thai idiom our ajan (teacher) shared with us. I’ve also picked up a few along the way. I think you will find some familiarities with English idioms. It’s been fun to bust out one of these lines at totally random times when I’m around Thai friends and co-workers. They always look at me with a degree of bewilderment and say... “Where did you learn that?!”

‘Cha-lat bpen grot’ = Smart as acid
‘Suay bpen baa’ = Crazy beautiful
‘Wei-la mai kui kaui krai’ = Time and tide wait for no men
‘Glui, glui’ = banana, banana (easy, easy)
‘Ngaai yang gap gluai’ = Easy as peeling a banana
‘Naa dtang mii hoo’ = The window has ears
‘Gin gai wat’ = Eating the temple (forbidden) chicken
‘Dting Daawng’ = Space Cadet
‘Ao ma prao haao bpai kaai nai suan’ Selling ripe coconuts in the Orchard (A meaningless action)
‘Ngoo bpriao’ = Sour grapes
‘Bplaa yie gin bplaa lek’ =Big fish eat little fish
‘Chang dtaai tung dtua ao bai bua maa bpit” = Hiding an elephant behind a leaf
‘Sen pom bang puu-kao’ = Hiding a string of hair behind a mountain → It will be found; if there’s a solution, it cannot be hidden forever
‘Paai rua nai aang’ = Rowing the boat in a circle
‘Nguu nguu, bplaa, bplaa’ = Snake, snake, fish fish; Able only to do a little
‘Bpit thaang lang Phra’ = To put gold on the back of a Buddha (fish for compliments)
‘Ngom kem nai ma haa sa mut’ = Finding a needle in the ocean
‘Naa nua jai sua’ = Face of a deer, heart of a tiger; the outside hides the inside intentions
‘Yaa dtee dtawn bpai gaawn kai’ = To cross a bridge when you come to it
‘Maa hao mai gat’ = A barking dog doesn’t bite

Updates

Pictured: My neighbor and her lime green fields of rice--currently shades of amber and gold.

It would appear the time I set aside to post has repeatedly been compromised for either 'real' work, concentrated r & r, sleep, study, exercise, or random outings. Tomorrow turned into next week and before I knew it, I'd let 3 weeks chalk-full of experiential insights, revelations, and minor catastrophes slip under the radar. Now on a beautiful, breezy Friday afternoon, I can finally sit down to provide a few noteworthy updates.

Big Project in the Works

Since before the epic October vacation, I'd put a huge amount of time and energy into a project involving myself and 2 other Volunteers--those who happened to live nearest to me. Prior to vacation, we took a week to visit each other sites and thoroughly prepare a project proposal, timeline, and budget for our counterparts, Sub-District Administrative Offices, and Peace Corps Administration. This project, though not complex, is slightly difficult to explain. It's less of a project and more of a training which presents a method of designing and executing local projects. This method is what I like to so endearingly refer to as the PDM--Project Design Management. PDM is a Peace Corps model that seeks to enable people to understand the processes of a project and become more interactive in them. The novel part of this particular PDM training project is that it aims to involve local government workers and community group members to design a project together. Since I've been here, I have seen little interaction of the sort--between local official and community groups. They each have their work and their role that usually only traverses when a group needs funding or when the officials need to evaluate something or when there is an official holiday/festival. This leaves an apparent gap between the local community and the local government office. It is our intention then to give these two different groups an opportunity to work together, understand the needs of the community better, and develop a joint project. Additionally, integral to sustainability and the empowerment of our counterparts, the PDM modules will be taught to our 3 counterparts prior to the training in order to have them co-facilitate the training. This way, they get more experience and the participants get more out of it--honestly, how much can I, as a non-Thai foreigner really convey about project design concepts in broken Thai before people start checking out?!

Two-Fold Involvement

I know this may sound pretty dry and boring but, I'll be honest it's the kind of thing that gets me really excited! PDM-eque concepts were a major part of the development project management theories I learned in grad school. To be given the opportunity to continue down that path and apply theory in a real setting is tremendous. I consider it an honor. Even more so, I am lucky to be part of the Committee that edits and teaches the PDM--the Project Review Committee or PRC. We do love our acronyms in Peace Corps! PRC consists of 3 members from PC Group 121 and 3 from Group 120. Along with teaching the PDM, we also review grant proposals for other Volunteers seeking project funding and try to link Volunteers up with potential resources. Proposal writing was yet another theory I learned in school so, of course, I'm happy to continue practicing these skills as well. Being part of the PRC is especially conducive when I hit a low point at site or I'm heading out of my wits with boredom. Keeps me sane. Committee involvement not only keeps me busy at site but it also allows me to travel for meetings and collaboration at other sites.

A big undertaking for the PRC these last few months has been to gut the old PDM model in hopes to make a new, improved, more understandable model. The plot thickens. By the time our joint training rolls around in December, the new model will hopefully be ready to serve as the pilot criteria for our training. Now, it might be easier to understand why this seemingly simple project and my role in it is a bit difficult to explain.

Bottom line, I've put my blood, sweat, and tears into this project on many different levels and I can attribute much of my lack of posting for this very reason.

Enough of that. It's not all that occupies the spaces of my mind and the places in my heart these days.

Saying goodbye to a great man

A couple weeks ago I was saddened and sobered to hear of my paternal grandfather's passing. He was 94. What a great guy, humble and impressionable role model my grandfather was. I had a looming feeling that when I left home in January, it might very well be the last time I would see my grandfather. It just so happened this was indeed the case. I had the pleasure of growing up in the same town as my paternal grandparents and watching my father and grandfather work side by side in the family business. I was even fortunate to attend the same high school he did some 70 years earlier. Early on, I learned many essentials to the human conditions from him--a sense of propriety, consistency, commitment, persistence, and work ethic. Perhaps most importantly, a positive attitude. Long past retirement, my grandfather would come into work and greet everyone with his warm presence and captivating anecdotes then, dutifully get down to business. No matter when or how people near and far would remember meeting this wonderful man. He was one of those people who was always on time and his sense of consistency immeasurable. As the Thais would say 'riap roy maak'. For some time surpassing 20 years, he ate the same thing for lunch and read the Wall Street Journal every day.

Now, reliving my encounters with him and his impacts upon me, I am consoled by knowing that he lead a long and accomplished life surrounded by friends and family. There is no doubt I will forever have his demeanor and good sense etched in my memory. And, I'd like to think I carry a part of him with me, in my own disposition.

I'd like to end this post with one of his fondest quotes:

Press On -The Power of Persistence

"Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent."

~ Calvin Coolidge

Winds of Change

Newly back from the breathtakingly beautiful beaches and too-expensive-for-Volunteers dinner and hotel living in the South, I’m little more tan, definitely penniless, and most definitely happy to be home. Out here amongst the flat, never-ending fields of rice and unforgiving sun of Issan exists a home I’ve come to know, even fancy.

Before I get into the current realities and the brisk blow of changing winds, lets rewind to the last few weeks. After all, being back and relishing in it isn’t to say I didn’t have a fabulous time with some wonderful people. A recap of our trip takes us first to the island of Koh Sumui in the Gulf of Thailand to the Southeast.

Days 1-3 (Koh Sumui): Meet up with friends in Koh Samui and unluckily witness a friend fall and dislocate her kneecap the first night in Koh Samui. The beginning of our relaxing vacation is frozen in time in lieu of the circumstances. My first ambulance ride is disillusioning and before I know it we’re in the Emergency Room of a tropical resort-esque hospital. My 2 friends and I, including the invalid stay the next 3 days in and out of the hospital and forgo a trip to Koh Tao, a nearby island. Though, we manage to fit in some beach time and make some happy memories in Koh Samui.

Day 4-8 (Krabi): The three of us, one on crutches, hop a ferry to Surat Thani, followed by a bus, then a van to cross westerly to the Province of Krabi. Krabi opens to the eastern seaboard of Thailand to the Andaman Sea. It is in Krabi where our vacation really becomes a vacation. Day 4 is spent entirely in transit and Day 5 finally brings us to the sunny stunningly beautiful and serene beaches of Krabi. From this day onward, our luck changes. The moment we step onto the beach, we meet a kind Thai women soliciting for Thai massage at a stand down the beach. Her name is Sophie. Sophie guides us to her stand, greets us with fresh pineapple, and sets up beach chairs for us. Many of us return her kind gestures by electing to get massages at her stand. The $7 coconut oil massage is perhaps the most well spent $7 purchase of my trip. Later that day, Sophie asks of our plans while in Krabi and offers to arrange a day trip for us to Koh Phi Phi Island. Her and the ladies at her stand took a liking to us with our attempts to speak Thai and reminiscence of living as Volunteers throughout Thailand. Not the typical customers they get, I’m sure.

Day 6, then, is spent on a speedboat and intermittently on and around Koh Phi Phi Island where we enjoy snorkeling and viewing the gorgeous natural effigies. Koh Phi Phi is probably one of the most beautiful islands I’ve ever seen. Years ago, it was the setting of the movie, The Island. The watery inlets are brilliant teals, florescent greens and blues meeting intriguing rock formations above and below the waterline. Despite the overflow of speedboats, longboats, and mini cruisers loaded with tourists, Phi Phi still seems to have a certain lure and untainted nature about it. At each days end, we return to our hotel to enjoy epic dinners and the nightlife Krabi has to offer.

Inlet at Koh Phi Phi Island

Day 7-8 (Krabi): Sophie and our newfound friends at the beach continue their amiability towards us and we meet in the afternoon for homemade Som Tom (Papaya Salad), Kaao Niao (Sticky Rice), Gai-Yang (Grilled Chicken) topped off with the ever-savory mangoes and sticky rice. This taste of Issan reminds me of home for a moment but then melts away with the ebb of waves receding with the sunset.

Day 8-12 (Phuket): Day 8 brings us further South and East to the peninsula-like province of Phuket. Phuket is almost an island as it is surrounded completely by water less a narrow land bridge linking it north to Phang Nga Province. It is one of the most popular tourist destinations in Southern Thailand. We see this evidently with the magnitude of resorts, tours, crowded beached, and the booming service industry.

What brings us to Phuket is less about sight seeing than it is about experiencing the Vegetarian Festival. We learn it is a centuries-old 10-day festival that originates from Chinese migrants. During the festival, people wear all white and engage in intensive rituals and parades in and out of the temple. Unable to see what goes on in the temple or really understand the context of things, my friends and I learn what we can about the festivals purpose and origin; then, we take it in. The things that stuck out to me the most about this festival were—the food (a-m-a-z-i-n-g), the white clothing (everyone wears white for the 10 days), and the parades displaying the masochistic nature in which people jammed knives, swords, and pins in their bodies. I know it seems unbearable to do or even watch but I found it interesting and even mystical at times. Obviously, with my anthropological nature, I have to chalk it all up to relativity. That is, recognizing what may seem subdued or seemingly sadistic all depends on the eyes of the beholder. I’ve since learned that the festival seeks to cleanse the spirit and soul of past indiscretions. Also, the self-infliction and vegetarian part stems from animist beliefs of doing to oneself the kind of atrocities animals go through because of humans.

"Pins and Needles in Phuket"

Every day in Phuket, minus one or two when the call of the ocean tides were too strong to ignore, we tried to do something ‘cultural’ and attend one of the Vegetarian festival events. At night, we found ourselves drawn to a lively district of nightclubs. I also meant to mention that Phuket is one of the most popular destinations for sex change operations in the world. We gathered this quickly, meeting more ladyboys (name commonly termed for a transgendered female) than ever. Many of them indistinguishable from their female counterparts are very beautiful, I might add. I kind of feel like this, too, was a cultural experience.

Our last night in Phuket, we danced and sang to our hearts content—relishing in each others’ company and the obscurity of being lost in a crowd of foreigners our vacation had allotted—and before we knew it, we were boarding a plane to Bangkok. Not soon after, I kissed my last 2 friends goodbye, those who’d started the journey with me way back in Koh Samui and the unfortunate trip to the hospital, and I was on a bus back home. Back to reality.

Since being back, I’ve taken a few days to take stock of the time I’d spend down South, the dent I’d put in my savings, and organize my schedule in order to devote my full attention to life and projects at site. I was greeted with the unfamiliar feeling of cool winds causing rise to the hairs on the back of my neck. It may appear the Cool Season was not a myth after all! From the moment I felt it, I dreaded my bodies reaction to the change—as my proneness to allergies in such circumstances in usually unavoidable. Nevertheless, I still welcomed the alleviating coolness with open arms.

One thing I’ll say is that the trip did its job of conjuring up a kind of endearment for this place. I truly appreciate to be living amongst kind and wonderful people who know and care for me. This has become evident in the last few days, myself in a weakened condition. Fast-forwarding to the present, I have to confess my trip and the change in weather has taken a toll on me and these past few days I’ve barely set foot outside my house on account of being sick. Some sort of flu/ allergy combination. It is the first real sick I’ve experience since living at site and I hope, the last! I could feel it coming on all day Friday and by the time my head hit the pillow that night, I knew I was in for some miserable days ahead. Unfortunately, illness never comes at a convenient time. Friday was supposed to be my first working day with the newly elected Nayoke (the Chief Executive Officer of the SAO) and his officers. Bottom line, he is my new supervisor as a Community Development Peace Corps Volunteer and I’ll need to be on his good side if any of my projects stand a chance (I flashback to memories of old “Pa Nayoke” and shudder a little). While I missed most of the day’s festivities, I did manage to make an unmemorable evening appearance. I worked in a small chat with the Nayoke for an hour or so. It was unmemorable because everyone appeared to be three sheets to the wind by the time I showed up. My counterpart says the new Nayoke likes to drink and yeah, he’d got his faults like everyone else; but she thinks he’ll be cooperative and supportive of our projects. Working with him and his new policies will inevitable bring about changes in my own dynamic of working in the SAO and in the community. My mind slips away from the apprehensions of working with a new supervisor as the flu takes over my body and I spend the next two days in bed. What would I do without my neighbors in times like these? They’ve been great. Checking in, bringing me meals, always encouraging a speedy recovery. Which, brings us up to speed on the here and now. Hopefully, tomorrow I’ll be well enough to go into the office and resume business as usual. More to come on my upcoming projects!

Yes, Peace Corps Volunteers do take vacations...sometimes.

It’s time, I decided, for a vacation. A real vacation. This comes just as I approach almost 9 months in Thailand and 6 at site. Sometimes it’s hard to believe it’s been that long and sometimes it seems like I’ve been here for hardly any time at all. Two months ago I got talked into taking a 10 day R&R down South with 3 other Volunteers. I was apprehensive at the time to take a vacation.
Then, one of my friends made the point that we get vacation days for a reason and we should take them. If we work hard, then why not get away every now and then? Plus, our counterparts would do the same. So, I’ve worked really hard to get things done the last couple months. I’ve attended 2 conferences, 2 Peace Corps/Thailand Committee meetings, co-designed a Project Design Management (PDM) Training to take place in December, been in a Khmer Festival, been to the temple a record-breaking 15 times, helped write a grant proposal, and fallen victim to many a Thai-nappings (much like the nature of ‘kid-napping’ only in a docile manner and you eventually get returned home safely.) I also figure the timing is good since school is out of session for two weeks and we’re a month ahead of starting the rice harvest season. It also doesn't deter from the fact that yes, whether on vacation or not, I'm still a Peace Corps Volunteer.

So, where am I headed? The beaches of the South. Where else?! The South of Thailand is vastly different from the flat rice fields and unforgiving sun of Issan. Southern Thailand has some of the most beautiful beaches in the world, lavish resorts, high cliffs, beautiful coastline, and...lots of seafood. There are also some religiously related conflict zones in the Southern-most provinces that we’ll stay clear of. In any event, it’s a world away from eating anything that moves and weathering frequent power outages. We’re taking the Peace Corps-salary trip, which, is one for the frugal traveler. No shame is staying in hostels! We’ll backpack through a couple islands and some coastline; then, catch the tail end of the Vegetarian Festival in Phuket—a 10-day Chinese festival dating back about 150 years in Thailand. See also: Vegetarian Festival

I’ll be back with the renewed spirit to tackle our upcoming training and whatever else comes. A 10km run in November? Perhaps...

Southern Thailand...

Good Fixin's and Just Plain Unusual Eats

I figured it was time for another entry dedicated entirely to food. Just because the food here is both outrageous and delicious. Plus, I’ll be honest, eating and cooking does take up a good portion of my time! Thailand truly is the kitchen to the world.

Kanom Geen: It looks like white spaghetti but the consistency is softer and it is complemented with a thick ground meat coconut milk curry (Thai version of marinara without tomatoes?) It’s usually served with a choice of fresh herbs, green vegetables, pickled veggies, and spices on the side.

Kao Dtom: A favorite among, well, everyone. While there are variations of kao dtom, it is basically rice steamed with sesame and black beans or bananas inside a bamboo leaf. (see picture below) It’s customary to make a huge batch of kao dtom before holy days and special events. You can imagine with all the holy days and events here, kao dtom pops up quite frequently. Some time between Wan San Dton Dta and Awk Pensa, I got so sick of eating kao dtom; I had to simply tell people to stop feeding me this stuff.



Gop Pad Pit: Frog meat fried with Thai chilies and kale. I’ve actually grown really fond of dishes with frog in them. It’s almost like the complimenting flavors in frog dishes completely cancel out the fact that you’re eating frog guts. Tastes like chicken.

Bit-Yang and Som Tom: Grilled duck and papaya salad. It’s even more delicious than grilled chicken and papaya salad since duck seems to be more succulent...and expensive. Papaya salad is almost as much a staple in the Thai diet as rice. It is usually made with shredded green papaya (before it turns yellow and sweetens), chilies, garlic, lemon juice, tomatoes, fish sauce, sugar, salt, sometimes fermented shrimp paste, sometimes msg, and sometimes whole crabs. The ingredients are put into a stone crock and mashed together. Roasted peanuts top it off for garnish. People also take the concept of papaya salad and make different variations of it with green beans, cucumbers, green bananas, pineapple, etc. I would venture to say that I eat papaya salad at least once almost every day.

Geao Haan: Start with a clay pot with boiled broth over a coal fire. The broth consists of Thai chilies, shallots, garlic, a dash of sugar/salt, and meat juices. Then add raw meat (chicken, pork, beef) green vegetables such as cabbage and spinach, rice noodles, and crack an egg into the broth. Let it cook, and then eat with chopsticks using sweet chili sauce for dipping. A-Roi. (delicious)

Thai BBQ: Same as Geao Haan except instead of a clay pot, you have a convex frying pan with holes in it. It has a (see picture below) reservoir for broth, noodles, and vegetables. Meat is fried on top of the pan. This is also served with sweet chili sauce. Same as Korean BBQ? All I know is that I'll be eating it for dinner.


Kanom Dtok Bua: Virtually any food in Thailand that is sweet and/or made of starch is called “Kanom”. This can be anything from cookies, cakes, fried dough to coconut milk with kidney beans—for some reason beans and sweet corn are usually only found in Kanom and not regular dishes. There is even a flavor of yogurt featuring moong beans, corn, and kidney beans. Kanom Dtok Bua translates roughly to “lotus flower pastry”. If you’ve ever seen a lotus flower before it blooms, it is cone-shaped with seeds protruding out. The Kanom Dtok Bua gets its name from the attempt to imitate this shape in the form of a Kanom. It’s a greenish globular looking thing and (I’m guessing) made from coconut milk, eggs, and sugar that’s deep-fried. It has a sweet, chewy consistency.


Things I’ve made off the top of my head... I would give more description here but if you know me at all you know I can’t remember what I put in dishes to save my life.

Salt and Honey Popcorn: Self-explanatory.

Tamarind Jam/Butter: Boil dried tamarind until soft, add sugar, cinnamon, and pinch of salt.

Baked Beans: Bring black beans to boil until soft, added salt, oyster sauce, tomatoes, scallions, garlic, and soy sauce to taste.

Sweet Potato Curry: Boil sweet potatoes, onions, kale, and onions mixed with curry paste, oyster sauce, soy sauce, garlic, fish sauce, lime juice, and simmered in coconut milk.

Fried Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwiches: Self-explanatory.

Seafood Pasta Putinesca: Sautee mushrooms, scallions, garlic, basil, green chili’s, oyster sauce, salt & sugar to taste. Then add in chopped carrots, and zucchini. Sautee. Finally fold in about 6 large pulped tomatoes & 10 cherry tomatoes with a cup of water. Cook to taste. Serve with penne pasta.

Banana Bread Pancakes? Here, I tried to make banana bread in my rice cooker at which I failed miserably and resolved to make pancakes out of the salvageable batter. Surprisingly, they were a huge hit with my neighbors.

Banana Syrup: Mash up 5 Thai bananas and bring to boil with water until thick. Fold in sugar to desired sweetness, cinnamon, and vanilla extract.

Walking to the Temple with Neighbors

Weathering the Storm(s)

Hi all, sorry for the hiatus but I have good reason. Since I wrote this entry about a week ago, I am happy to report that the flooding has not caused as dire of effects as I originally thought. I would compare it to a flood in the corn fields of Iowa, later to recede, absorb, and still manage to produce a relatively decent crop. My house has also escaped the grips of the flood waters!

Weathering the Storm(s)
We’ve considered ourselves lucky to be on the cusp and not in the heart all the recent natural disasters in South Asia—cyclones in Vietnam, flooding in Cambodia, typhoons in the Philippines, and the most recent earthquake in Indonesia. I say on the cusp in the sense that people’s homes are for the most part still inhabitable, people have food, shelter, and water and can go about their days with at least partial normality. This isn’t to say we haven’t felt any effects. Before the storm even hit, we had some significant flooding—some roads leading to my sub-district were completely underwater. Apparently, it is normal to have 1 or 2 annual floods, which usually retreat within a few days.

It’s taken a few days of incessant rains to really see the damage of the most current wave of natures wrath. The ripple effect is now starting to set in. I would estimate about 30-40% of the sub-districts rice fields are flooded. Even after the rains’ halt, we’ve been hit with the repercussion of those areas hit harder. Flood waters from the high cliffs of the Cambodian Border and from the Eastern-most provinces of Thailand continue to flow through streams and rivers and creep into our streets and alleyways. Only time will tell what the final effects will be. Even as I speak, water continues to rise up the street on which I live, inching closer and closer to my doorstep. Last night I went to bed with a dry street front and woke to find a stream of water flowing steadily by, covering the front awning of my house. I joked with my neighbors last night that if the waters rose to my bedroom, I’d have to climb up my house and sleep with the birds on my tin roof. However funny the image, it’s not so far fetching.

I never went to New Orleans when Katrina struck. At the time, I was a sophomore in college and I did what I could—supporting the Red Cross and students going to aid and rescue. I can only say from what I’ve seen and heard that it must have been a horrible calamity for so many. Growing up in Iowa near the Missouri River, we had our fair share of flooding—primarily the great flood of ’93. The most recent bout of flooding last year, deemed 89% of counties in Iowa as flood zones. Being in Bolivia at the time, I could only watch from the news and hear in stories from back home. These are the closest personal accounts I’ve come to flooding disasters. Until now, of course.
Like I said, about 30- 40% of the area rice fields were flooded. This, in addition to many homes and important roads. So, what does this mean for my friends and neighbors who subside off rice farming and live in flood zones? At the very least, it’s definitely a hindrance that inundates their homes, tarnishes their food source, and makes day-to-day life more of a struggle. I can only imagine the strife of those in other areas who were hit harder, already living below the poverty line. The years’ rice crop in some areas faces a tumultuous future. I hear far and wide the phrase, “kaao sia” which translates roughly as “ruined rice”. With the harvest season approaching in the next 1-2 months, we can only hope that the rice is still salvageable. It not, some villagers face taking a loss of virtually a whole year’s income. This effects the whole community. People will be working to repair damages for months to come, assuming things don’t get worse. This all makes my job as a community developer ever more complicated. How can people be thinking about recycling and making organic compost when they don’t even have a safe place to call home? It’s possible the nature of my work and projects here may have to shift in light of recent circumstances. We shall see.

In spite of everything, I am amazed (yet once again) at the spirit of Thai people and how they deal with misfortune and tragedy. True, people are stressed. But, they are in good spirits. I went to visit some neighbors whose house had become engulfed knee-deep in water. So many of their belongings had been ruined, they had lost power, the ability to cook over a stove, and even to sleep in their beds. I was astonished to see them hiding their burdens behind smiling faces, looking down at their 7-year-old as he rode his bicycle playfully through the lesser-flooded areas. Seems to me they were happy to have life, a healthy family, generous neighbors, enough food to get by, and a house that was still standing. In the distance, I heard drums and music of the “Awk Pansa” celebrations. Awk Pansa marks the end of the Buddhist rain retreat season (see previous post) that some refer to as Buddhist lent. Life continues no matter the hurdles that are placed in the way. People persist. And for the time being, that’s all they can do.

The Sky’s Not Falling Yet
The waterlogged, impermeable grounds have prompted critters of all sorts to creep out of the fields, cracks and crevices. I’ve seen more lizards, snakes, rodents, and random insects in the past few days than I’d care to share. In my case, the critters have come out of the woodwork, quite literally. Whether related or not, the most effect I personally have felt from the flood is a massive case of termites in my home. To be fair, they have been hanging around for a couple months, unbeknownst to me until just recently. However, in light of recent events, their presences glares me in the face—consequently commanding my full attention. I live in a concrete house with a tin roof and a wooden frame. A paradise of opportunity for termites. My best defense is a can of deadly chemicals promising to exterminate not only termites but an array of equally pesky insects. My landlord claims he’s never had this problem before. Though, I have my suspicions. Really? During San Dton Dta, he came by with his right hand man to fumigate the place. I took a long bike ride. But, since the massive rains and flooding, the termites have resurged efforts in taking the high ground and decided to make the wooden frame of my house their permanent home. Okay, not the most fun situation to find yourself in; my house could tumble to the ground. But, despite it all, I’ve found it somewhat...ironic. Being in a Buddhist country and studying Buddhist principles, I’ve tried to be more tolerable and nonchalant about my co-existence with what would otherwise be considered annoying, scary, and burdensome creatures. I keep my house pretty clean but it’s inevitable I’ll always be sharing it with cockroaches, spiders, beetles, geckos, ants, and on the rare occasion, scorpions. I’ve gotten used to it, resolving to not stress but allow these living things to be. Although, there was the time I smashed a gargantuan spider with a broom. It was in my bedroom! Other than that and bouts of mitigating the spider webs, I’ve become much more accepting of our co-existence. Considering my growth in tolerance of this newfound coexistence, it’s peculiar, then, that I should be taking such an active role in exterminating these termites. Which has led to conclude that I do have a threshold. And that threshold is the threat of my house crumbling while I’m inside it.

A Special Celebration of Sorts

A Special Celebration of Sorts
While the completion of my degree is not 100% official (according to the Monterey Institute), there is nonetheless, reason to celebrate. Mid-August was a special feat as I turned in some last remaining assignments and my graduate portfolio. No small task! It was a huge weight off my shoulders. Not that I didn’t enjoy completing my assignments and doing research for school here but, at times, it was very demanding and hectic. I now have more time and freedom to concentrate on reading Thai, perfecting conversation, researching other topic areas, reviewing project designs and grant proposals for other Volunteers, and focusing on specific projects at site. My graduate studies actually paved the way for me to become more proficient in the aforementioned activities so, you see, it’s all connected.

When I first got to site and people didn’t really know what I was doing here or what to do with me, my counterparts would often introduce me by saying: “This is Heidi, she’s a volunteer from America, she’s getting her Master’s Degree...” I guess that makes more sense then trying to explain the evasive and sometimes complicating details of community-based organizational development. Now that I’ve completed my studies and eagerly await a diploma, people are all about the celebration. My neighbors have been planning something for months. When I say planning, I mean we’ve basically just been talking about eating Thai BBQ and singing karaoke.

My fellow Volunteers, also well aware of my ongoing studies, have periodically checked in with me to see how things are going. I am lucky to have 4 fellow Volunteers living in the same province as me—even more lucky to be only 15km away from the nearest Volunteer. We’ll call her Mrs. S. Mrs. S and I have grown very close in the months since I’ve been at site and I find our ongoing communication to be quite refreshing—especially since we are so close, know many of the same people, and can talk about local issues together. Not to mention, she is a college professor with a PhD and has served as a great mentor through my studies and academic development. I’ve been to visit Mrs. S a couple times and during those times, I’ve had the pleasure to meet and get to know her host family. Some Volunteers choose to live with host families and some live alone—I chose the latter. Her host family is what she calls a modern aristocratic family of teachers, artists, and working professionals. They have a beautiful home with perfectly manicured landscaping and breathtaking displays of artwork speckled about their property. A bit out of place out here considering the conditions under which the majority of the population live in. Her family is the epitome of Thai hospitality and extreme “Naam Jai”. Naam jai translates as “water heart” and I would describe it as having a flowing, open, magnanimous, and self-less heart. Every time I see her family, they are extremely generous and kind. They’re also a fun and spirited bunch. In any event, as we’ve grown close, they too, have been keeping up with the status of my studies. When I told Mrs. S that I would be finished with all my work mid-August, she suggested we celebrate together with the family at her place. It also happened to fall during a time when she had cause for celebration—the induction of her new prayer alter which had followed a lengthy construction process. Mrs. S planned to use the lovely wood alter for daily chants and Buddhist study. She’s Buddhist too, only a different order than what Thais traditionally practice.

When the family caught wind of all the cause for celebration, they went all out. I could not have envisioned such a festivity. It exceeded my wildest expectation and I was completely taken aback and overwhelmed by the magnitude of preparation and thoughtfulness the put in to our joint celebration. Somewhere between the PHA Occupational Training and Wan San Dton Dta, we gathered for this grand event. We were lucky to have 4 other Volunteers attend the event at Mrs. S’s house. Together with the family and other Thai friends, we joined for an enormous degree of feasting, reminiscing, laughing, singing and dancing. But, the absolute best part and most special, was an re-enactment of what my graduation ceremony would be like. That’s right. They created a completely original and outstanding commencement ceremony. While distracting me in another room, I was instructed to put on a homemade graduation gown and wait. When I emerged, the living area of the house had been arranged set with a podium, backdrop, and flowers. Family members stood in two single-filed lines, posing as aisles for me to walk between. And there, at the podium, stood Mrs. S and another Volunteer (we’ll call him Mr. J) fully clothed in the professor’s commencement robes. Off to the side, was another of my friends posing as a reporter from CNN—even using a real microphone. My other friend stood in the audience, barely containing her excitement and laughs. There, I walked down the aisles of onlookers and approached the podium. Mrs.S and Mr. J, greeted me and proceed to give small speeches after which they presented me with a ‘diploma’. Being a one-man-show-graduation, I gave the expected Magna Cum Lauda speech, and tossed my so-called graduation cap into the audience. Then, of course, my friend posing as the reporter came to interview.

The production was a complete shock but so utterly amazing! I had no idea they were planning all that. It wasn’t long before the ceremony broke into karaoke (English songs!), dancing, and tons of photo-ops. I can only hope it was as much fun for everyone who attended as it was for me. The party proceeded with a Volunteer ‘adult-sleepover’ at Mrs. S’s and a terrific morning brunch. No doubt, the whole experience will forever be etched in my mind whenever I think of Thailand, whenever I think of my studies. I only hope that in the months to come, in the next year and ½ I will be able to convey how greatly I appreciate the family’s naam jai and reciprocate back.

3:30 AM: Wan San Dton Dta and the Temple is Packed!

A Khmer-Thai Tradition

For the past 4 days I’ve been utterly engrossed in Wan San Dton Dta. It’s the Khmer holiday I touched a bit on in an earlier entry. This festival is bigger than New Years, Christmas, and your birthday combined. It loosely translates from Khmer as “a day of reverence”. I don’t know if words can do it justice. It’s a very special local tradition for only those people with Khmer heritage. It happens in the 3 provinces of Thailand closest to Cambodia and only within select communities. The only thing I can really equate it to is Day of the Dead in Mexico. The whole point is to honor your ancestors and the spirit world. The climax is the one day out of the year in which you’re ancestors are believed to come back to Earth and dine/ drink in celebration and give blessings to living relatives. In every household, office, and building, people arrange these huge shrines of mattresses decorated with food, beverages, bedding, candles, incense, etc. In each household, the family gathers to hold a special prayer and ask for blessings together. Each person places 7 pieces of sticky rice on the shrine. The significance of 7 is—as I understand it—the seven levels of life and forms of living (whether it be as a spirit or rebirth in to an inanimate object, insect, animal, etc.) Ensuing is a decent amount of drinking, dancing, and singing. If you’re going to have a party and celebrate the lives of the deceased, you must go all out. And they do.
At the beginning of San Dton Dta, there was a huge parade and festival in the District town in which 22 sub-districts participated. I was elected to lead our float all decked out in Thai/Khmer costume—headdress and all. Quite the sight. I think I smiled for 3 hours straight! Including that day, I’ve been getting up absurdly early to partake in the festivities at around 3:30 AM. Today (Saturday), is the last day and by the end of today alone, I will have gone to the temple 4 times. Intense! One of the things I find most interesting about the Dton Dta observance is it’s interconnectedness to Buddhism. A little history: In the Thirteenth Century, the last great Khmer emperor practiced Buddhism and constructed some of the most beautiful and significant Buddhist temples in present-day Thailand and Cambodia. The emperors before had practiced a mix of Animist, Hindu, and Brahman beliefs. SEE ALSO: Khmer Empire http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Khmer_empire
Present-day ethnic Khmers practice varying degrees of all these beliefs. Obviously, the temple is Buddhist and when we went, the monks did the same Sanskrit chants they do at any regular gathering. It was primarily the same as observing a Buddhist holiday but, if this makes sense, the monks were chanting for different, more inclusive reasons—those tied to Khmer animist and Brahman beliefs and customs. In the Buddhist waning moon ceremony that I attended before, people walked around the temple three time, holding candles. As part of the Khmer ceremony, people walked around the temple for a 5-minute period lifting their platters of spirit offerings to the sky while (quite literally) hooting and yelping, as if to summon up the spirit world. Then, when the morning ceremony was over and we were walking away from the temple, people were throwing random foodstuff at the meen’s (Buddhist gravestones). My neighbor explained that this was to offer food to those spirits that may have arisen from the graves inside the temple grounds during the summons ritual. Fascinating.
I don’t think my description can really do this experience justice, which is why I took some videos. This whole whirlwind experience had been incredibly intriguing and fun. I feel special in a way to be so intimately tied to the cultural activities, invited to go places that foreigners don’t normally go, and experience so many unique, sacred things. It’s an Anthropological mecca! That was one of my Undergraduate Degrees.

A Heavy Topic

Since the Youth Conference, a steady stream of events has kept life sufficiently busy. It has been a much more conducive tempo for me since I tend to function better being busy than not. In effect, there’s a lot to write about! Let’s rewind about a week...
On September 9, 2009, I departed from site with four women to one of the Eastern-most provinces bordering Laos called Mukdahan. The purpose of our trip was to attend a PHA occupational training. PHA = Person’s Having HIV/AIDS. It was a very vital and productive experience for myself and the women who came along. Two of these women were PHA’s and two, Health Volunteers. The act of traveling alone gave the women the opportunity to travel on their own and get a taste of self-reliance as we figured out bus tickets and schedules. Seemingly a simple task but nonetheless empowering in it’s own way—particularly since some of them had never traveled on their own before. The training allowed me to spend time with community members outside of our usual environment in a learning and intimate setting. This was particularly significant since I had not yet had a chance to build relationships with PHA’s one-on-one. Three of these women had never been out of Sisaket Province before so this was a monumental trip for them. It was particularly exciting because the training was held in a very calming location near the Mekong River. All the ladies got to see Laos for the first time ever. At the training, we meet other PHA’s, learned some practical skills (like making soaps/shampoos, an herbal compress, and basics about Thai massage), and most importantly, we discussed health issues such as how to keep healthy and overcome the societal stigma of having HIV/AIDS. Towards the end, we discussed viable projects and activities PHA’s could do in our community. I learned that most people in my community have little or no education on the facts about HIV/AIDS, safe sex, sexually transmitted diseases, and family planning. This was a sobering yet important realization. It became apparent during a session with a nurse about sexually transmitted diseases as I noted my ladies were asking the bulk of questions and fervently writing notes. Following, the five of us had a serious discussion about these issues and how villagers had little exposure to information. Even the PHA’s were not aware about all the facts surrounding HIV/AIDS—ironically in the middle of our discussion, one of them got a call from her husband (who is also a PHA) who told her about a recent tattoo he got. What?! Red flag. I almost had a heart attack! It was even more alarming that the women didn’t seem to acknowledge or understand how dangerous getting a tattoo was for a PHA.
In retrospect, the PHA’s were able to ask questions and engage in discussion at such a magnitude they had never been exposed to before. This helped them feel more assured and comfortable with themselves and about their own place in the community. The atmosphere definitely lent itself the space for each person to be themselves and let go of apprehensions.
By the end of the training, we were able to come up with a few project plans that we could do in our community. Together we decided a good start would be having a simply get-together with PHA’s in the sub-district to have an open discussion and get to know each other better over lunch. We realized, every PHA in our area (there are 10) might not be comfortable even doing this since there is no current PHA group/support system of the sort in our sub-district and some people prefer to have full anonymity. Another crucial area we decided to implore was becoming more active in teaching villagers and young adults important health and family planning issues. With Health Volunteers and PHA’s willing to participate, we plan to visit each village and give simple mini-workshop in order to disseminate information to adults and teenagers. In addition, we would like to pursue more occupational trainings in our area modeled after the training we received in Mukdahan. The ladies had many great ideas and seemed to be only very impressed with the whole experience. They were able to gain a new level of confidence and commitment to serve in their community. Personally, I was very thankful to have the opportunity to go and bring these ladies with me. We discovered many things about ourselves and the potential for making important differences in our community. Not only that, but it was also a lot of fun! At the end we had a nice celebration to acknowledge our achievements and sing a little karaoke—it wouldn’t be Thailand without karaoke.
I must pause here for a moment to fully divulge into the realities of HIV/AIDS and PHA’s in Thailand...
Before I came to Peace Corps, I really knew nothing about so many of the miniscule components of Thai society. HIV/AIDS being one of them. During Pre-Service Training 1, we went to an HIV/AIDS hospice center at a Buddhist temple. This is one of a kind center in Thailand as there are very little physical centers for HIV/AIDS patients to seek refuge and support from. The center operates with donations and some aid money. The center also is special in that it uses Buddhist principles to help people deal with their illness. It was a very overpowering experience. At the center, there was a museum of mummified AIDS patients and also preserved body parts. Coupled with the mummified bodies were the victim’s names, occupations, where they were from, how they contracted AIDS and when they died. Those who died donated their bodies to not only to science in this aspect but also to teach people about the disease in a humanistic manner. In another annex, there was a building that had piles of cloth representative of every single patient that had died at the temple that never had a family member or friend come to recover their remains. While at the temple, we met and talked to patients—something I had never really done before—other than maybe once middle school. Then, some of the patients put on a performance and we had Q & A. They told us about their lives having lived with this disease, their likes/dislikes, talents, passions, and families. It was an extremely eye-opening and emotional learning experience.
HIV/AIDS in Thailand has the highest prevalence in Asia with about 750,000 known to be positive. It was decreasing due to a large campaign for prevention but has risen more in recent year. This may or may not be due to a significance slow down of awareness and governmental support programs in the past few years. There’s also been less international aid coming in to tackle HIV/AIDS specifically—think PEPFAR.
Given what I’ve learned and what I can observe, I think the worst part of having HIV/AIDS in Thailand must be the societal stigma attached to it. Many people only associate it with prostitution and promiscuity. Therefore, it may be commonplace to understand a person with HIV/AIDS as being a harlot or a hooker or sexually irresponsible in some aspect. Which, in reality a good portion of the virus is passed from mother to child or husbands who solicit sex workers and give it to their wives. I’ve come across research suggesting that for every man with HIV/AIDS in Thailand, he will infect on average 2 women. Men either will not or do not get tested as often as women get tested. Women probably get checked more due to obvious family planning and reproductive health reasons. Therefore, when say, a married woman does get tested—no matter if she contracted it from her husband or not—she will most likely be the one to blame for having it and be ostracized and scrutinized more by the community. Like I said, I’m talking from the research that I’ve done and what I’ve observed so please don’t take my word as the final end-all. Bottom line, there is a huge societal stigma attached to HIV/AIDS. People who have it are scared they will either be disowned by their family & friends or they will overly burden them by making their loved ones feel obligated to take care of them.
Even my host family in Lop Buri, when I told them I was going to the hospice center, told me not to touch or get close or even talk to any of the patients there. It was very sad. The whole experience really taught me that it's not fair to ostracize people just because they're sick. We shouldn’t make judgments on someone’s past either because in situations like this, it’s impossible to know. They are still human beings and deserve to be treated with dignity and respect. They can still be a valuable part of society. It really made me want to do awareness campaigns and get involved with HIV/AIDS awareness at site. Also made me realize, there is a lot to be done in changing the perspective and misnomers Thai people have about HIV/AIDS. It's a terrible virus/disease and yes, it is contagious given certain circumstances. But, if you know the facts and your conscious of them, then what is there to be scared about when working and living with PHA’s?
Should we treat people with HIV/AIDS any differently than we treat our best friends and family? Should we separate them and oust them and understand them as invalids? Absolutely not. We can eat together, work together, play together, laugh together, cry together, talk together. Experience life together. There’s room in the world for everyone to coexist; compassionately, peacefully, and respectfully. To me, part of being human is acknowledging other human beings as you acknowledge yourself. And if you see yourself as someone with many qualities, indefinable, incandescent, and worthy then there’s no reason why other’s—no matter their circumstance—cannot be seen as this. Sometimes, I have to remind myself of the bigger picture, that what it means to be human and move around the earth (the auspiciousness of it all) is a much greater condition than being labeled a certain way by society or being confined to a certain condition.