More Adventures to Come

My sister was here :D

2011-09-14T00:15:00.000+07:00

I started this post about a month and a half ago... with the title "My sister is here." So I'm about two months behind in my blog posts, which actually isn't too bad, given my usual status.

After the whirlwind trip to DC, Eileen and I headed back to Bangkok with Delta, which is not my favorite airline. The food was bad but our seat companion was friendly (we were in the three middle seats). I am also exceptionally good at sleeping on planes (I woke up to eat one meal and use the bathroom once). We managed to get through immigration relatively quickly and headed back to my apartment. Then I headed to work the next day while Eileen got to rest and get over the jetlag.

Eileen spent the next few days getting lost in Bangkok (especially Chinatown). The next weekend, we headed to some equally unknown territory... Koh Kret. Koh Kret is an island in the middle of the Chao Praya River, just north of Bangkok. I'd heard from several colleagues that it had great pottery so we took a long bus and short ferry over to the island. It was a haven of quiet and nature just outside Bangkok. Here are some of the best pictures:

Across the river from Koh Kret

A charming entrance

Big Buddha across the river

Making beautiful pottery

On the ferry!

We happened upon a Thai dance show

Koh Kret is famous for its pottery

Lunch on the river with Amelia

The following weekend, we headed to southern Thailand, Khao Lak, just north of Phuket. It was pretty much deserted (Khao Lak is the set off point for the Similian Islands, which were closed because it's the rainy season), but we did go on a tour of Ao Phang Nga (which I've now done 3 times... and it's still beautiful) and the national reserve around Khao Lak. We took a particularly adventurous elephant trek up a waterfall.

Not sure what the purpose of this lighthouse was...

My favorite picture of the trip!

So after wandering the beach and relaxing on the almost abandoned beach, we headed for an elephant trek. Now, most of the "treks" I've been on tend to be sad and I try to avoid them. But Eileen had not ridden an elephant yet so we decided to take our chances. When our guide cautioned us to be careful not to slip on the waterfall, I wasn't quite sure what she meant. And then our elephant climbed up a waterfall!

Here's where I closed my eyes!

Our elephant, who gracefully
climbed a waterfall!

NOT the waterfall we climbed on an elephant
but beautiful nonetheless!

Next day was beautiful Ao Phang Nga, full of limestone cliffs, longtail boats, and more delicious food! I always like traveling with people new to Thailand - I've now been to Ao Phang Nga three times and so see it through slightly jaded eyes... "oh well the first tour had a better this, and the second tour had a better that..." Seeing it with Eileen made me put my "oh my goodness this is gorgeous and aren't I super lucky to LIVE here" goggles back on. So thanks Eileen!

On the boat :)

Underneath the island

Koh Dta pbu... or James Bond Island

We match the water!

I think this is when Eileen asked me why I didn't warn her
about all the strange animals in Thailand...
MUDSKIPPERS!

Scenic, right?

Continuing in the nonstop traveling, we headed to Kuala Lumpur for July 4th weekend.Finally, we went to Singapore, the Disney World of Southeast Asia. But those pictures will be in the next post... because I'm tired.

Tones versus Tenses - Part 2: Thai "homonyms"

2011-08-24T14:51:00.001+07:00

In Thai, tones are critical to understand the meaning (compared to non-tonal languages, where tone conveys emotions or feelings). So, you can say "khaaw" five different ways (low tone “^\”, mid tone, high tone “^/”, rising tone ”^”, falling tone “^v”) and have five different meanings (adding different vowel sounds leads to approximately 10 different meanings in what an English-speaker might hear as the same word). It's a little confusing for a non-tonal speaker. True homonyms become particularly rare.

Homonym (“คำพ้องเสียง / kham phɔ́ɔng sǐang”): a word the same as another in sound and spelling but different in meaning, for example, fluke (something lucky, a whale fin, or a fish)

There are a few homonyms in Thai, like “ผม / phǒm,” which means both “I” for males and “ hair” (see more at this awesome Thai langauge blog). This one is my favorite:

ฝรั่ง (fa-ràng)

It means both foreigner and guava. It makes for a great joke if you understand this and want to buy guava:

“คน ฝรั่ง ชอบ ผลไม้ ฝรั่ง มาก”

“khon fa-ràng chɔ̌ɔp phǒn-la-máai fa-ràng mâak mâak”

(Foreigners like guava a lot)

The vendor will probably stare at you for a minute¹ then start laughing and, most likely, speak to you in rapid Thai.²

Now comes the fun part… there a words that, to someone who doesn’t understand/hear tones, seem like the same word in Thai, but they are, in fact, some sort of Thai version of homophones. They sound so similar that, without an understanding (and ability to recognize) tones, they will be like homonyms to the untrained ear. They may or may not be spelled the same way but they sound alike.

Here are my favorite examples:

1. Here are a few that you can typically distinguish based on contextual clues.

“หิว / hǐuw” (hungry)		“หิ้ว / hîw” (to hold or carry something)
“ไข้ / khâi” (fever)		“ไข่ / khài” (egg)
“อยาก / yàak” (to want)		“ยาก / yâak” (hard, difficult)
“แข็ง / kɛ̌ng” (hard, solid)		“แข่ง / kɛ̀ɛng” (to compete)
“หนัง / nǎng” (skin)³	“นั่ง / nâng” (to sit)		“หนัง / nǎng” (movie)³
“มา / mǎa” (to come)	“หมา / maa” (dog)		“ม้า / mâa” (horse)
“หลัง / lǎng” (after)	“ล่าง / lâang” (below, under)		“ล้าง / láang” (to wash)

2. These words might be a bit harder to determine based on context:

“ใกล้ / glâi” (near) vs.

“ไกล / glai” (far)

Imagine this scenario: You are being adventerous, taking the bus from Pak Kret, just north of Bangkok, back home. You get on a bus that you confirm from the sign on the front (“หมอชิต / Mɔ̌ɔ Chit”) and by asking the bus attendent (“รถเมล์ นี่ ไป หมอชิต ใช่ ไหม คะ / rót-may nêe pbai Mɔ̌ɔ Chit châi mai ká” [this bus goes to Mɔɔ Chit, right?]). Unfortunately, you miss your stop and end up on a dark, busy road in the rain. You ask the motorcycle taxi drivers how to get to the MRT subway station, because you know it’s in the general area. They say, “glai maak.” And you don’t know whether or not the station is very near or very far.

3. Varieties of khaaw / khaw – short vowels, long vowels, high tones, rising tones, low tones, mid tones, falling tones… I feel like there is an awesome tongue-twister or Dr. Suess book to be found in “khaw.”

There are six “khaaws” that I have used frequently.

“ข่าว / khàaw” (news, information) – long vowel, low tone

“ข้าว / khâaw” (rice) – long vowel, falling tone

“ขาว / khǎaw” (white color) – long vowel, rising tone

“เข้า / khâw” (to enter) – short vowel, falling tone

“เข้า / khǎw” (he/she/they OR mountain OR animal horn³) – short vowel, rising tone

4. For the more advanced, I learned this one the other day:

“จราจร / jà-raa-jɔɔn” (traffic) vs.

“จลาจล / jà-laa-jon // จราจล / jà-raa-jon” (strike, protest, riots)

For the second word, I’ve seen two variations of how it’s spelled (ล or ร) but this makes sense, given how many Thai people use “R” and “L” interchangeably. In Thai, “R” frequently sounds like “L”. There are many examples of this:

“อร่อย / à-rɔɔie” (delicious)

is frequently pronounced “à-lɔɔie”. My favorite, which I just learned how to spell, is a common utterance that adds emphasis or indicates a question):

“หรือ / rǔu”

which is almost always pronounce “lǔu”. And, I don’t think I would actually ever use these words.

¹ Despite a number of foreigners speaking Thai very well, many don’t learn any Thai, so it always seems to take a minute for Thai people to realize that a foreigner is speaking Thai.

² Because even though many foreigners don’t speak Thai, it seems like when Thai people find someone who does, they don’t realize that you may not know more than what you just said or that you may have trouble understanding them when they speak rapid Thai. So another key phrase I learned was how to ask people, politely, to speak slowly and clearly. Of course, then it just becomes a comic version in the other direction, and everyone ends up laughing.

³ These are actually homonyms!

P.S. I tried to indicate the tones phonetically as best I could. Please excuse any errors!

P.P.S. I am still not very good at using tones (I can hear them, mostly, but have trouble replicating them on a continual basis.). I also tend to move my head according to the tone, which looks really funny!

How to peal a pomelo... or five reasons to buy pomelo pre-pealed

2011-08-22T22:16:00.000+07:00

Last Friday, I went with my awesome Thai teacher, Khun Nooie, and her boyfriend to Amphawa, a town about 1-2 hours southwest of Bangkok, famous for its floating market (ตลาดน้ำอัมพวา, da-laat nam am-pa-waa). Nooie's boyfriend's family lives in the area and owns an orchard, growing durian, rambutan, pomelo (related to a grapefruit, but better), and other fruits. They were very friendly, welcoming, and generous, sharing several meals and lots of fruit. As a parting gift, I was handed two large som-oo, pomelos. Now, never having come into contact with this fruit until moving to Thailand and never actually having pealed one, I was a little apprehensive about dealing with two large fruits. But, I was determined to peal it myself.

Step 1: Cut the peal (not too deeply) - 2 minutes

Step 2: Peal off as much of the rind as possible - 3-5 minutes

Step 3: Begin pealing the pulp off individual sections of the pomelo - 5 min to infinity

Step 4: Continue pealing of the pulp/rind (Helpful hint - cut the rind/pulp from the middle for a smoother peal) - infinity

Step 5: Stop about half-way through because you're fingers are so exhausted they can no longer move. After about 30 minutes of pealing my pomelo, I had this... one perfect piece of pomelo wedge and LOTS of little pieces.

The end result, a plateful of delicious pomelo (note the 1/2+ pomelo remaining after about 45 minutes of cutting and pealing).

Pluses, 1) my fingers smell like aldehydes (they make the citrus smell), which made me 2) think of Mr. Outland, my high school chemistry teacher, and 3) my friend, Cyndi, who in said chemistry class, gave me the nickname "Al", and 4) made me appreciate all of the prepared fruit I buy on the street.

An aldehyde, courtesy of Wikipedia

Also, here's a video of a Thai lady who peals the pomelo beautifully. I'm a little glad I didn't watch this before starting my pealing, because she makes it look WAY too easy.

Tones versus Tenses

2011-08-21T22:03:00.000+07:00

Although I haven’t talked about it much on my blog, I’ve been taking Thai classes for the past two years pretty regularly. I’m still not great at speaking Thai (I’m probably a little above conversational) and I can read, write, and understand a little above that. And, quite frankly, learning to speak Thai isn’t actually that hard. Yet, so many people complain about its difficulty. So, this post will be about why Thai isn’t hard, especially compared to English. My next post, however, will be about the conundrum of what I like to call Thai homonyms.

1. Thai doesn’t really have tenses or conjugations. I took French for five years and so I greatly appreciate the lack of tenses and conjugation. Who remembers conjugating “to be”, depending on the subject and tense? I wonder how much notebook paper is spent on writing and re-writing verb tenses and conjugations. One a website teaching English listed 14 different tenses! Thai, on the other hand, doesn’t really have tenses. They do have key words to indicate where in time you are speaking but you use the same verb regardless of the time.

Tense	English	Thai
Past	I went to the park	ฉันไปสวนแล้ว (Chan pbai suan leew)
Present	I am at the park	ฉันอยู่ที่สวน (Chan yuu thee suan)
Future	I will go to the park	ฉันจะไปสวน (Chan ja pbai suan)

2. Thai doesn’t require punctuation. Look at the paragraph above. I’ve used hyphens, apostrophes, periods, commas, question marks, exclamation points, semicolons, and parentheses. Granted, the punctuation does add value to my ability to read and understand, but, in Thai, I don’t need to worry about the Oxford comma or debate about putting punctuation inside or outside the quotation marks. (Ok, so I changed the paragraph above into a table because all that punctuation was just too much. Imagine the table in paragraph form with appropriate punctuation.)

3. Thai is an alphabetic language. Many people, myself included, first come to Thailand, see the writing and decide it is too unfamiliar for them to understand. Many, knowing a bit about other Asian languages, decide that it must also be a character based language (like Mandarin Chinese) and, therefore, too difficult. But, it’s not actually that hard to learn to read and write. For most English letters, there is a Thai equivalent (or many). Plus, Thai consonants have reminder words that go with them (like “A is for Apple” except they are standardized). Here are a few examples:

Consonants

English	Thai
B (ball)	บ (Bɔɔ, bai mai – tree leaf)
D (doll)	ด (Dɔɔ, dek – child)
F (flag)	ฝ (Fɔɔ, faa – pot lid) or ฟ (Fɔɔ, fan – tooth)
G (grape)	ก (Gɔɔ, gai – chicken)
H (house)	ห (Hɔɔ, hiip – trunk, chest)
J (jug)	จ (Jɔɔ, jaan – plate)
K (kite)	ค (Kɔɔ, kwaai – water buffalo) or ข (Kɔɔ, kai– egg)

Granted, Thai has a few consonants that we don’t have (ป pbɔɔ pblaa - fish, ต dtɔɔ dtaaw - turtle, ง ngɔɔ nguu - snake) but English has a few consonants that Thai doesn’t have (q, v, x, z).

Next post, Thai "homonyms", or the challenge with tones.

Pepsi brings your ancestors back from the grave...

2011-08-15T09:14:00.000+07:00

One (of the many things) I've learned while living abroad and traveling is the value of language. For example: in Sierra Leone, when someone asks you how you're doing (as a general greeting in English), you respond "fine." To a Sierra Leonean, responding "fine" is the standard response. To an American listener, replying "fine" would probably imply that something was wrong, because the standard response for an American is typically "good." To an American, "fine" is somewhere below "good" and, since it doesn't fit the typically, rather neutral response, "fine" actually means "not good."

Another example is a bit more serious. A friend's Thai teacher, who speaks English very well (thanks, Friends and other imported American TV shows...), was offended when an English-speaking friend told the teacher he enjoyed the teacher's "company." To an American, this would probably be a positive compliment, meaning that you're interesting, or fun, or entertaining. The Thai teacher thought his friend was referring to prostitution, associating "company" with "factory" (a derogatory term for women who are prostitutes). While it did not make sense in the context of their friendship, the Thai teacher was offended until my friend helped explain the phrase.

Beyond mere differences in language or cross-cultural missteps, there are extraordinary differences in how people interpret their native language or a secondary language and what connotations words have among different groups of people. The importance of language is constantly under debate in the United States, to the extent that being "politically correct" is now a pejorative. But, really, it shouldn't be. I understand how frustrating it can be when certain terms are considered politically incorrect and you really don't mean to offend someone. I'm in a constant conundrum over how people with darker skin color would prefer to be referred to: should I say "African American?" "Black person?" "Person whose skin has more melanin than mine and most people who are Asian?" "Person who is less likely to get skin cancer because of said increased melanin levels?" I definitely know what terms should NOT be used, but I'd prefer to use a term that doens't carry negative connotations. I wouldn't mind being called "Irish American" but I might if I was only part Irish. I do mind being called "white person" because, well, I'm not white. At the moment, I'm pretty tan, thank you very much.

When Pepsi entered the Chinese market a few years ago, the translation of their slogan "Pepsi Brings you Back to Life" was a little more literal than they intended. In Chinese, the slogan meant, "Pepsi Brings Your Ancestors Back from the Grave."

My confusion, however, is really based on my ignorance and this, I think, gets to the root of why being politically correct, or using the language with the correct denotations and connotations, is important. What are the cultural, political, and societal implications of a term? How does the use of the term frame someone or something? How does it define the insiders and the outsiders? How has it been used in the past? Now, obviously, you can never know all of this for all of the words you use, but you can try to learn.

The Dairy Association's huge success with the campaign "Got Milk?" prompted them to expand advertising to Mexico. It was soon brought to their attention the Spanish translation read "Are you lactating?"

This topic is one I think about a lot (if you can't tell already). At a friend's wedding, I got into a discussion about the use of "Oriental" to describe Asia. I protested at a friend's use of the word "Oriental" because of its negative connotations and implicit ideas of colonization and Western idealizations. He argued that the term "Asian" was not accurate in the context he wanted to refer to and vociferously challenged me to explain why everyone had to be so politically correct (as a pejorative). I have similar objections to the simplified use of "Africa" (This is Sierra Leone). Not that you can't use it to explain the continent, but you should not use it when using a country or regional name would be more accurate.

As a high schooler, I worked at a summer camp for children with disabilities. Note my sentence structure: "children with disabilities," not "disabled children." Why does this matter, you ask? I'll try to illustrate why with a more neutral example. I tend to be a quiet person - I'm rarely, if ever, the loudest person in the room. But that doesn't mean I want to be know as "quiet Katie." That puts one of my characteristics ahead of me! I'm also a writer, a scientist, an American, an Irish-American, a white person, a green-eyed person, a brunette, a lover of chocolate and the color purple, and a clutz with terrible hand-eye coordination. But, when you say "quiet Katie," you limit me to being one thing. Let's go back to the "children with disabilities" statement. A disabled child is just that - someone whose only characteristic is being disabled. The emphasis is on the disability rather than the child. In more formal terms, describing people this way is called "people first language."

Similar linguistic challenges occur when talking about people with HIV infection. The Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) publishes guidelines on important preferred terminology and errors to avoid. Some of the terms are just errors; for example, using the term "AIDS virus" is incorrect because there is no AIDS virus, HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) is the virus that causes AIDS. Similarly, you shouldn't say HIV virus because that's redundant. UNAIDS also adopts "people first language," emphasizing "people living with HIV," rather than "AIDS-infected" or "AIDS victim." I would argue that many of these terms can be used correctly in some situations, but only with the knowledge of how these terms are connoted.

At a recent meeting, a presenter challenged his audience to cut out the word "risk" from our vocabulary for one day. He was talking about the constant emphasis on high-risk people. He argued that people who are at high risk for HIV infection don't like being called high-risk people. It's limiting and, quite frankly, a bit insulting. A person isn't high-risk; a behavior or environment are high-risk.

So, you're probably asking yourself by now, where is she going with all of this? Well, most of it is rambling, a bit is constructively ranting, and a small part is trying to convince you to stop using the term "polically correct" as a pejorative. Yes, it can go too far, but the idea behind using accurate, non-stigmatizing, non-insulting words is important. It might be annoying to have to think constantly about the words you use... but c'est la vie.

Smelly socks

2011-07-18T10:10:00.000+07:00

I saw this article from the Washington Post today: Smelly socks tested in Tanzania as a way to prevent malaria. As someone who kept an extra pair of clean, nice smelling socks inside a plastic bag for use when returning from Sierra Leone, I applaud this effort to use smelly socks. This is one of the reasons why I love public health!

Alcohol and online campaigning

2011-06-30T22:47:00.062+07:00

Welcome to the colorful world of Thai politics! Please keep your arms and legs inside the vehicle at all times as we begin this journey through the maze of colored-shirt specific politics. We've got names, colors, posters, and numbers for you to associate.

On one side, we have the red shirts, the UDD, supporters of Pua Thai (For Thai) and their top-ranked official, Yingluck Shinnawatra, youngest sister of ousted, criminally-charged, former prime minister, Thaksin Shinnawatra, Number 1:

Khun Yingluck

"Accelerate economic recovery
Select Pua Thai Government"

On another side, we have the now blue shirts, the Democrats led by Abhisit Vejjajjiva, Number 10:

Happy Abhisit

Concerned Abhisit

Don't vote in the people who did this...

On yet another side, we have the yellow shirts, the PAD, supporters of who knows but maybe Khun Abhisit now that he's withdrawn Thailand's commitment to the UNESCO World Heritage Convention (really? who knew that the preservation of cultural and national heritage?) or supporters of not voting ("animals into Parliament") in the upcoming elections, partly Number 18:


"Don't vote animals into Parliament"

Some other interesting characters play into the mix, although their color loyalty is not as clear: we have the (in)famous Chuwit Kamolvisit, the former "massage parlor" mogul turned politician whose main message appears to be, "I have lots of experience in being corrupt, so I'll be perfect for the government... at preventing corruption...", Number 5:

Angry, slightly crazy Chuwit...

Fun Chuvit?

Adds a new layer to the whole
politician kissing a baby...

One of the few posters in English

There's the Bhum Jai Thai party, the latest incarnation of a series of parties that apparently have been disbanded (despite my growing knowledge of Thai politics, I still don't understand all of the parties and their histories. The stability of the U.S. Democrats and Republicans is astounding - but maybe not when you consider the instability of the U.S. parties in the first few years as a democracy.), Number 16.

There's also the exercise party... I'm not sure what they're actually running for but many of their posters include people exercising or playing sports. There's also one with a guy and a panda, Number 2:

I don't know... a panda?

Pop quiz? Number 2? Number 5? Number 10?

Here are a few more bloggers who've talked about the awesome Thai campaign season:

And finally the coup de grace of the Thai electoral process: alcohol and online campaigning are banned from 6am Saturday (the day before the election) until midnight election day. I wonder what all those Twitterati will do until the ban lifts?

(PS I'm planning on taking many more election poster pictures and I'll try to post them before the ban comes into effect. Not that I think the Royal Thai Government is following my blog, but you never know exactly who might be reading it? [see Sierra Leone blog and the DHL representative who commented on another blog I worked on... I think I might be on a DHL blacklist now...])

Birthdays, jet lag, and catching up with the fam

2011-06-20T10:34:00.001+07:00

Some pictures from my (2!) trips to the US:

From May, my great aunt Peggy's 90th birthday celebration

My birthday twin (only 64 years apart :))

The great-nieces and nephews (Eileen, me, Nora,
David, Alexis, Colette)

The nieces and nephews (Roz, Bill, Maggie, Margie, Gene)

In my family, we celebrate birthdays in groups... so Aunt Peggy,
David and I have always celebrated our birthdays together!

From June, some pics with friends in DC, my poster at the HPTN annual meeting, and the "London Sheahans" visit to the US (moving on to my mom's side of the family):

The Lovely Lodge 10 Ladies (minus trlanichad and plus aakuip):
Ruth, Alyssa, Maham, me, Arie, Grace, and Doro!

Me and my poster... we match!

Arielle and Eric (yup, Little Mermaid couple) let me stay at
their beautiful house in Bethesda

Eileen, Courtney, Mom, Aunt Kate, Aunt Connie, Angela, Bree
Me, Meghan

No male cousins at this family gathering = no one
locked in closets or drinking milk with peas!
(Meghan, me, Eileen, Courtney, Bree)

Yes, they break out in song quite frequently, with dance moves!

After the whirlwind trips, I headed back to Bangkok, sister in tow, on a not-so-pleasant flight (has your flight ever had drainage issues???). I welcomed the warmth, although not the rain, of Bangkok. Next up... Koh Kret!

My Thai teacher finds blonde jokes hysterical

2011-05-31T20:27:00.000+07:00

Today in my Thai class, we were talking about proper manners in Thailand, like not touching strangers' heads and how to greet someone appropriately. We quickly downgraded to jokes, ending up with my teacher asking me why there are so many blonde jokes. I told her I didn't know but maybe it had something to do with Barbie? Then, she proceeded to tell me the following joke, looking very amused with herself:

Noi: "You know the story about the girl with red hair, the girl with brown hair, and the girl with blonde hair?"
Me: "No..."
Noi: "(giggling) One time the girl with red hair, the girl with brown hair, and the girl with blonde hair did something really bad, really really bad"
Me: "Ok..."
Noi: "So they were given to (hand motions of firing squad) because they did something so bad."
Me: "Really?"
Noi: "Really! So the soldiers are about to (firing squad hand motions) when the girl with red hair shouts, 'Storm!'"
Me: "She shouts, 'storm'?"
Noi: "Yes, and then she runs away! Then the (firing squad hand motions) is about to kill the girl with the brown hair and she shouts, 'earthquake!' and runs away!"

(pregnant pause)

Noi: "And then the (firing squad hand motions) are about to kill the girl with blonde hair and she shouts, 'FIRE!' and then they FIRE and she dies!"

(Noi laughing hysterically!)

It's not cold anymore...

2011-05-22T14:57:00.002+07:00

Nope... we're just at the end of the hot season (ha! like all the other seasons aren't hot?) and the beginning of the rainy season. The beginning of torrential rains, ominous dark clouds, flash floods, and, if you can believe it, worse traffic. But, the onset of the rainy season also means lots of fresh fruits (mangoes, mangosteens, guava, rambutans, starfruit, and even durian). So while I now carry flip flops, a plastic bag, and an umbrella with me at all times, I'm well nutriated...

Since I last wrote (in any details besides about strange WHO jokes and straws), I have, as usual, been traveling quite a bit. (On a side note, plus one for Thailand.) After my family left, I had about a week before my next visitor, a friend from grad school came to visit. We headed down to Phuket (my first time there) for some rest and relaxation. I, being the experienced traveler that I am, packed the night before we left and forgot my camera. So here are a few of the pictures I have (stolen from Facebook) to document:

Our abode on the beach... see anything out of place?

Strange looking tree!

Nam Tok Bang Pae


Our kayak... right before I jumped into the piranha infested waters!

Our guide grabbed this GIANT jellyfish!

Koh Dta pbu
(Nail Island, aka James Bond Island)

Somehow we ended up on a Russian-language tour...

Ok, so it's Charlie's Angels pose but...

And then I was a lazy bum for most of March... and I delighted in it! Although on Saint Patrick's Day, I did go out with my Thai teacher, Khun Noi, to get Mexican food. Only in Thailand!

With a looming U.S. government shutdown in early April, no one was sure if we would all be able to celebrate Songkran, or Thai New Year. While I am technically not an employee of the federal government, I thought it would be a bit nasty to take off traveling during Thai New Year if my Thai colleagues could not. Luckily, Congress did manage to actually fulfill their job and keep the government running. I headed to Burma, again. It truly is one of my favorite places in Southeast Asia and, if it weren't for the government, I think I could live there. I traveled with some great companions (good traveling companions really do make traveling much better!) and we headed to Yangon, Bagan, and Inle Lake. Here are some of my favorite pictures (I remembered my camera this time and took well over 600 pictures in my 5 1/2 days there):

Serena and me on the ferry in Yangon, spent mainly
entertaining all the kids with funny faces and noises

I feel so Thai - posing with things in parks ;)

Me and the Little Mermaid

Burmese Thingyan (New Year)
a mix of Songkran and Mardi Gras

Not sure why Bangkok Hospital advertises in Yangon?

We hiked all around the city and made it across a massive
traffic circle without getting hit by any of the many vehicles!

Why do my feet always get so dirty!?!?!?!
(Melissa, Serena, me)

In the Shwedagon

A good place to store your drink?

Some girls I made friends with hiking back down from the Shwedagon...
they would laugh hysterically until the camera was ready to take a
picture, then straightfaced, then laugh again ;)

Our first meal... which started hesitatingly then
just kept coming and coming and coming! So delicious!

On to Bagan

My one shot of kids preparing the douse someone else with water...
most times were spent avoiding children by any means necessary!

Dhammayangyi Temple

Beautiful Inle Lake

Shwe Inn Tain Monastery

Kid taking my 'picture'

A kid paddling with his foot.
I still don't understand how this works?

Thong Tho Monastery Complex

"Are U Tired of Rice?"

I then rested up before heading to the U.S. for the first time in almost a year, for my dear friend Jess's wedding in Asheville, NC, to see my family (especially my sister), and celebrate my great Aunt Peggy's 90th birthday (a special day we share). Here are the highlights:

Jess's bachelorette
we just happened to find a pig statue!

Katie S, Tiffany, and Georgia, with the hair all done up!

Of course, we had flip flops to match our multicolored sashes...
compliments of Ms. Vance

Ryan and me, team purple

Chris and Tiffany, team light blue

Me (purple), Katie S (dark blue), Tiffany (light blue),
Georgia (teal), Amanda (green), Karie (ivory), and the lovely
Ms. Vance preparing to be Mrs. Sutton :)

Me and trlanichad :)

And, so now I rest up until June 4th, when I head back to the U.S. again, for a meeting in DC. I probably won't write between now and then, but I might... so check back soon!

World Health Organization News Flash

2011-04-06T14:52:00.000+07:00

--NEWS FLASH--
NO CURE FOR DEATH

GENEVA, SWITZERLAND -- World Health Organization officials expressed disappointment Monday at the group's finding that, despite the enormous efforts of doctors, rescue workers and other medical professionals worldwide, the global death rate remains constant at 100 percent.

Death, a metabolic affliction causing total shutdown of all life functions, has long been considered humanity's number one health concern. Responsible for 100 percent of all recorded fatalities worldwide, the condition has no cure.

"I was really hoping, what with all those new radiology treatments, rescue helicopters, aerobics TV shows and what have you, that we might at least make a dent in it this year," WHO Director General Dr. Gernst Bladt said.

"Unfortunately, it would appear that the death rate remains constant and total, as it has inviolably since the dawn of time."

So, a little belated, Happy April Fool's Day!

Naaw mai? (หนาวไหม)

2011-03-31T13:24:00.001+07:00

I've been getting this question quite frequently in the past week or so in Bangkok... roughly translates to, "is it/are you cold?" My response is "naaw maak" (very cold!). Usually this time of year, it would be, "roon mai?" (i.e., is it hot? ร้อนไหม) because it's supposed to be the hot season (or the hottest season). But this year, the weather is not normal, especially with the "mango rains" (fon tok mai? ฝนตกไหม) happening in February and March, and un-Thailand-ishly cold weather in the past week. Yes, I know those of you in the NE US think I'm a baby when I complain about the cold weather here, but when you're used to temperatures ranging from 80-100+ F (26-37+ C), getting into the 60s (19C) is frigid. Even the soi dogs have put on their warm clothing!

See? Cold!

Elsewhere in Thailand, there has been some pretty terrible flooding. Last year, there was extensive flooding in the north and central parts; this year, many parts of southern Thailand are underwater.

Drinking straws

2011-03-16T12:13:00.000+07:00

Plastic bag drinks...
all the rage

Drinking straws? Why, you might be asking, would Katie be writing about drinking straws? Ah, my friend, welcome to Thailand, the Land of Smiles and the Land of Drinking Straws (maybe related?).

When I first came to Thailand, I was confused when, every time I purchased a cool drink, the vendor would give me a straw. Now, yes, when you're drinking out of a plastic bag, straws are handy... or when you're sick... or when you smushed up the right side of your face in a freak accident... but under normal circumstances, I probably could have counted on one hand how many times I'd used a straw.

But, for some reason, they really like straws in Thailand. Rather then letting all those straws sit abandoned in my kitchen drawer, I started using them... and realized how handy they are. After a while, I got used to them. And, now, I'm addicted. I use a straw almost all the time. And, when I don't get a straw, I tend to stare at my drink, wondering how I'm supposed to consume it.

(How I feel without a straw)

(I just really like pigs!)

McGuire ears

2011-03-07T13:47:00.000+07:00

If you've got McGuire ears, I think you tend to become exhausted in countries where they speak a language you don't understand.

My brain, on languages

McGuire ears, for those of you not from my mom's side of the family, are a genetic blessing passed down from generation to generation, allowing their bearer to listen to, follow, and respond to multiple conversations at the same time. They originate from my maternal grandmother and her sisters. They do not allow just simple multitasking. They are a gift that only the chosen can truly appreciate. Unfortunately, this blessing backfires in countries where you don't speak the language. It becomes a constant struggle to understand what people are saying when they are speaking to you, becoming hopelessly futile when trying to eavesdrop on others' conversations. Your ears, double-edged swords that they are, now provide way too much information for your brain to observe, let alone understand. A battle rages in your head, with no winner and shear exhaustion on all sides.

I think it might be even harder with languages you understand a little - for me, French, Krio, and now, Thai. In these languages, I can feel my ears and brain lighting up every time I hear a word I may understand. When I first arrived in Thailand, I understood few words: lucky for my brain (and unlucky for my cultural assimilation). I understood hello (sawatdee ka), thank you (khab kun ka), yes (chai), two (song), small road (soi), road/street (thanon), fish (bplaa), foreigner (farang), and the next station is (sa-thaa-nee dtoo pbai). Now, I understand quite a bit more... but that only makes it harder for my poor ears and brain to keep up! When I hear spoken Thai now, my McGuire ears kick in, trying desperately to understand what the speaker is saying. And, usually, failing miserably. Sometimes, I'll be trying to understand what my colleagues are talking about at lunch (an easier task now that I'm familiar with their Thai a bit more), when someone behind me will start speaking English. "English?!?!," my confused brain asks. "Yes ENGLISH," my ears reply. And then I'm completely lost from the conversation I was trying to follow, and I now know that the farang behind me doesn't like beets. Not useful, brain, not useful.

Ok, so this guy looks angry,
but you get my point?

While I can understand quite a bit of Thai (and speak quite a bit), I am not up to the task of understanding spoken Thai between Thais. It's like trying to understand someone from Long Island speaking when you're from South Carolina... except it's not ever the same language! To top it all off, I was on a trip last weekend where my friend and I were grouped with a Russian-language tour. (First question, why are there so many Russians in Thailand? Second question, where are all the English-speakers?) So this crazy Russian man (with an Indian man mustache, see image, right) is going on and on in Russian, taking 20 minutes when our Thai guide, who speaks delightful English, said the same things in about 5 minutes. And, what do I do? Observe the scenery? No. Take a nap? No. Talk to our Thai guides? No... I try to understand the Russian-Indian-man-mustache guy... like all of a sudden, I'll understand Russian.

Ah, McGuire ears.

(Maybe this is reason number 1 in favor of returning to the USA?)

Why I might have trouble living any place else but Thailand

2011-03-02T14:41:00.001+07:00

As I begin to ponder LAT (Life After Thailand), I'm beginning to realize that there is little to no possibility that I'll not undergo severe culture shock upon returning back to the United States or, really, any place besides Southeast Asia. Here are the reasons:

My addiction to iced coffee/tea - so that caffeine addiction I talked about... yeah, never really went away. While I'm not yet a coffee a day person, I'm pretty darn close. And I like my coffee Thai-style, i.e., not tasting a bit like coffee. I typically get a Thai iced tea (described here) or mo-kaa yen/iced mocha, a delicious chocolaty concoction of chocolate syrup, sugar, sweetened condensed milk, and, oh yes, a bit of coffee.
My lack of bodily temperature control, or as I like to call it, my adaptation to living in warm climates. No, I don't need to drink quite as much water as tourists, nor do I get overheated and sweaty quite as easily or quickly. But put me in an air-conditioned room and I'll start shivering. Worse yet, put me in a climate that gets below 75 Fahrenheit and watch me slowly assume the fetal position in hopes of creating a small bubble of body-heat warmed air.

This is what I feel like (from the website "ilovetheburg")

Removal from US political and social debates - I didn't realize how much of a plus this was until I saw on a Facebook post that an actor/drug addict/wife abuser who shall remain unnamed actually displaced news coverage of Libya on many US media platforms. I'm also pretty happy to be removed from the Planned Parenthood debacle (really? withdraw federal funding from an organization that provides basic health and reproductive public health services for underserved women because they also provide a LEGAL service to women, without federal money, that you think is immoral?), the federal budget debate (again, what other organization or individual could get away with missing a deadline for over 5 months?), and the Arizona legislature (no, the 14th Amendment doesn't apply to ALL people born in the U.S., just those who we happen to like).*
My inability to cook - When you can get delicious Thai food, hot and steaming, from 4 to 10 different vendors, at all times of the day, for less than 2 US dollars, why would you ever cook? Plus, I don't own an oven or most of the necessary cooking tools. (I have a microwave that looks like it can become a convection oven from the picture on the front but the user manual is in Thai and I have two hot plates, a pot, two frying pans, one large chopping knife, and a spatula.) And, quite frankly, I don't really enjoy cooking, despite my love of chemistry.
My love of non-confrontation - as anyone who's ever lived/worked/befriended me knows, I don't like confrontation. I tend to avoid it, instead using the ever helpful passive-aggressive approach to deal with issues (also not healthy, but...). I also find the deliberately-avoiding-the-bush/pretending-there-is-no-bush approach quite useful. And, so do Thai people. It's a great combo!
My inability to read words in English - I used to have this skill. I could sound out words appropriately and effectively, even if I had never seen them before (except for "subtle," which for years I thought was pronounced "sub-til" and was a distinctly different word from the one meaning "delicate or elusive"). Now, I am very good at sounding out Thai-phonetic words, like "Phloen Chit" (plurn jid), and am horrible at sounding out English words ("Phillip" would come out "peereeb"). I'm also probably going to develop "upspeak" from trying determinedly to learn how to use tones.

So, in case you're wondering, I'm still debating my next move - which will happen sometime after Sept. 15. Next post might be reasons why I will not have trouble moving back to the U.S.

* Just in case you can't tell, I'm pretty liberal. But, I am using hyperbole. And, I believe that informative, helpful debates can actually create sustainable solutions. But, the current political situation in the US does not seem to be informative or helpful. And, I don't think it will create sustainable change. But, I'm open to you trying to convince me otherwise.

Blog stats

2011-02-24T09:53:00.000+07:00

Blogger recently introduced "Stats" as one of their many services (ok, maybe not recently... I actually just found it the other day). It compiles statistics from your blog about how often posts have been accessed, how people are getting linked to your blog, and, most interestingly, where people who view your blog come from. Not surprisingly, most people are reading my blog from the United States or Thailand... but there's also an interesting mix of other countries:

Now, I can guess who the people in the Netherlands are and link together the people in South Africa (a friend in Namibia?) and possibly even someone in Malaysia but I have no idea who's viewing my blog from Taiwan, Germany, Canada, Ukraine, or Belgium. Pretty cool! If you're in any of these countries, please let me know who you are :)

(I also love the fact that Alaska and ALL OF CANADA gets highlighted on the map... makes me feel like I have wider coverage than I actually do. In fact, I probably have one small dot around Pennsylvania from my parents and another somewhere in the middle of Washington state from a friend who's currently being stalked by tumbleweeds. Now I just need one reader in Russia and another in China to make it look like I'm really taking over the world!)

Krabi, Siem Reap, and Hong Kong, oh my!

2011-02-20T15:31:00.002+07:00

In hopes of pleasing my one blog-post reader (callefille), I'm going to post this just so you know I eventually will post something again. Here are some pictures from the trips...

Their whirlwind trip began with a flight down to Ao Nang, in southern Thailand, taking in the warm beaches, island hoping, and getting a first introduction to Thai food.

The fam on a small island off Krabi

Elephant ride through Krabi-area jungles

The following weekend, we headed to Angkor Wat, the Khmer temple complex built from the 9th to 13th centuries. Hiking around the temples was amazing, as was hearing about the Thai-Cambodia border conflict from our Cambodian tour guide. He knew that I lived in Thailand and spoke Thai, so I think he wanted to impress upon us/me the Cambodian side of things. It took some carefully worded, politically neutral statements to return the conversation to the safely ancient ruins of the Khmer temples.

Me and Momma in a temple in Angkor

A picture of a self-portrait (Mom, Uncle Bill, Me)

In front of the famous faces of Bayon temple

Our next stop was Hong Kong, where we all were quite cold! However, we did enjoy the many public transportation options available in the city – from the super-express train from the airport to the numerous ferries to the Peak Tram up the mountain to, my favorite, the escalators up the mountain. It was a whirlwind adventure of site-seeing, transportation-hoping, and noodle/dim-sum-eating (that was more me then my new-food-exhausted family). From there, my family headed home and I headed back to belovedly warm Bangkok.

Freezing in Hong Kong!

"Try to avoid breaking your fall with your face from now on"

2011-01-27T11:34:00.001+07:00

I've successfully scaled Thailand's fifth highest mountain; snorkeled in the Andaman; navigated the streets of Bangkok while successfully avoiding motorbikes, tuk-tuks, buses, and cars; taken buses across Sierra Leone; dealt with my fair share of corrupt border people... but walking on the sidewalk is a bit much for me.

My face, Sunday around 1pm

Last week, I managed to break my fall with my face... basically. I was walking along the road and passed out. Rather than fall gracefully like all those movies show, I fell flat on my face. No scratches on my hands, knees, elbows, or any of the many places that you tend to scratch when falling down. Instead, I managed to do this -->

Luckily, it looks worse than it was. While I did manage to scratch myself up quite a bit, I didn't damage anything else and my fainting was probably due to low blood pressure... and some mild dehydration, hot temperatures, and/or MRT nearby (insert doctor handwaving here). Also luckily, I was with several friends, one of whom is a doctor, who promptly took me to the hospital for some good face scrubbing, several stitches in my lip, and continuous ice-packs and IV drugs overnight.

My hotel-like hospital room

Also luckily, I heal pretty quickly - with the help of said doctor-friend, who scrubbed my nasty, scabby face each night and put on nice, healing ointment. And, I had tons of visitors, text messages, and phone calls to keep me company. And, people to bring me soft food that I could eat with the small spoon that could fit in my mouth without stretching my stitches. So, all-in-all, not a bad experience... not good, obviously, but not bad.

And, I got some very helpful advice, namely, from my friend Samhitha, who wisely and sagely told me to "try to avoid breaking your fall with your face from now on." Noted. Thanks! ;)

My face (from top: Mon., Thurs., Fri.)

Christmas and New Year's in Thailand

2011-01-24T21:32:00.001+07:00

I was dreading spending Christmas in Thailand. Yes, I made the decision to stay here, knowing I would miss all of the traditions and family activities and general holiday cheer that makes me adore the holiday season. But, after last year's exhausting whirlwind tour of the Northeast (which was very nice but left me with a horrible cold and an even worse layover in China), I decided to stay here, spending my time touring Laos and relaxing a bit around the holidays. For the first few weeks between Halloween and Thanksgiving, I pretended Christmas was not imminent, despite the lights, decorations, and holiday music that surrounded me even in Thailand.

This lasted until the first week of Advent, the official start of the church Christmas season. We started church with a few holiday songs and I was hooked. And then I went a little Christmas crazy! So here are a few pics from my holiday season in sunny, warm Bangkok with my friend Samhitha to celebrate Christmas and New Year's with me!

It started with caroling on the river...

And then a Christmas tree, garland, and a Santa hat!

Plus some tasteful decorations in JJ market

Celebrating post-Christmas with Amelia and Samhitha, drinking some refreshing Pepsi in JJ market

And then getting a pedicure at MBK

I thought of getting some Krispy Kremes... but the 3 month line keeps growing!

So, instead, we rewarded our long day of shopping and manicuring with some Swensons ice cream!

Making my own "brew" of coffee

Nothing if not resourceful...

Getting ready to ring in the New Year at Central World

Just in case you didn't know, it's the Year of the Rabbit... now put up those bunny ears!!!

And, of course, you need your faithful dog...

Happy New Year!!!

New breakthroughs in TB detection

2011-01-05T09:00:00.002+07:00

Yes, that's right... the Gambian rat!

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/04/health/04tb.html?hpw

Laos

2010-12-29T11:14:00.000+07:00

More to come eventually...

Reasons I love Thailand - part 2

2010-12-17T11:27:00.000+07:00

I think I was on number 5 in my last post... so here are number 6 and 7.

6. When was the last time you thought it was chilly at 22 degrees Celcius (72F)? Yes, today I went to leave my apartment and was surprised when it was chilly outside. I went back inside to get a jacket. There are two things that are lovely about what happened. First, the weather is typically so consistent here that I don't check the weather forecast - during the hot season, it's incredibly hot and I wear light clothes; during the rainy season, it's a little less hot and I wear light clothes and bring an umbrella; during the dry season, it's just hot and I wear light clothes. Second, I can feel refreshed when the temperature drops below 23 Celcius/73F (and keep my A/C at 27 degrees Celcius/81F (when I use it) and feel very comfortable).

7. I just got a "gentle reminder" email. When was the last time you got a message with the subject "gentle reminder" rather than "MEETING: 12 NOON, COMMUNITY CLINIC"? Really, which one looks nicer? Maybe this is why Thailand is the Land of Smiles?

Me, enjoying the beach at Hua Hin

My awesome Christmas tree! (it's even better now because I bought flashing lights!)

Loy Krathong

2010-12-13T11:20:00.023+07:00

Loy Krathong is one of my favorite holidays in Thailand... it's just at the end of the rainy season and the weather has finally started to cool off. Everyone gathers near bodies of water - natural or man-made - and puts small (or large) floats into the water to wash away bad things that have happened in the past year and hope for good things to happen in the next year. Here's a link to some more information.

Suzy, Smitha, Kent, and Rebecca

A beautiful banana-leaf kratong, with candles and incense

Sharing a light ;)

My awesome krathong... made of ice-cream cones!

Me, getting ready to "loy" (float) my "krathong"

Lumpini Park's pond - I think the massive lizards were scared away,
but I did see one chomping on a float...

So pretty!

Doi Lanka Luang

2010-12-09T23:55:00.000+07:00

More to come soon!

Immigration irritations

2010-12-09T23:52:00.000+07:00

Let me start with a bit of brief explanation… in Thailand, you need two things to be able to stay in the country: 1) a visa, of varying type and duration, and 2) an entry permit, also of varying duration. So, I have a multi-entry, year-long education visa, but I still need to leave the country or check in with immigration every 90 days to renew my entry permit. There are long forum posts and discussions about this, but in general, it tends to confuse people. And, there seems to be a profit in confusing all those foreigners who don’t understand Thai immigration rules – with large, daily fines if you overstay your entry permit. I was pretty lucky last year because, 1) I applied for my education visa in the US, and 2) I traveled out of the country a lot. So I never really needed to deal with immigration, besides entering and exiting the country. However, that changed when I tried to research ways to get a new visa.

I tried to get a new visa before my old one expired (but that failed when ASPH failed to renew my contract before my old visa expired). So, I couldn’t leave the country unless I could guarantee that I could get a new visa in whichever country I went to. I wasn’t illegally in Thailand – I still had a month and a half left on my entry permit, but I couldn’t come back unless I had a new visa. With this in mind, I tried to contact several Royal Thai Embassies that had a good (blog) record of distributing education visas (because it depends on the country… urgh). Upon contacting Singapore, I was directed to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, based in Nonthaburi, about 20 minutes from where I’m based. The ministry official made my day when he said I didn’t need to leave the country – I could just come to the immigration office 20 minutes from the MoPH and extend my current visa. All the paperwork was in order – I just needed one more letter (saying the exact same thing but with different letterhead). I obtained my third letter (saying the same thing) and headed to the immigration office, excited at the prospect of getting my visa extended but extremely apprehensive of the ease with which the extension was described. Visa issues are not easy in Thailand.

So, I found the office, had the correct paperwork, and got a number. And then the confusion began. The first immigration official thought I needed a work permit (which I can’t get because technically no one employs me). So she asked me to call my office so that she could explain to someone in Thai what I needed to do. When she got too confused, she passed me off to another official, to whom I tried to explain my situation (in English and in Thai). I referred to my previous contact with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, but had no luck. She asked me to call my office, explained again that I needed a work permit, but also suggested that I needed to go to the Nonthaburi immigration office (40+ minutes away and in the middle of a rice field) because my fellowship is based in Nonthaburi. The office I was at (in Nonthaburi!) only served people living or working in Bangkok, technically another province.

Massive government complex off of Chaeng Wattana (1st & 3rd stop)

Yes, so the dot in the middle is my office - the one northeast (and closest) is Chaeng Wattana's office. The one northwest (and across the river and in the middle of a rice field) is the Nonthaburi office.

Nonthaburi Immigration Office... really, it's in the middle of a rice field!

The next day, I headed off to the Nonthaburi immigration office, this time with a Thai friend accompanying me. We found the office (eventually), waited dutifully, and were told again that I needed a work permit. After talking more, the officer suggested I go to Laos to get an education visa (really? You can’t give me one here?) or go the the other immigration office (yes, please, pass the buck on…). After more talking and several “goodbyes” from the immigration official, I was surprised when he started stamping things into my passport. Miraculously, he gave me an extension (to Sept. 15, which is technically the last day I work also…) but then said I needed to go to the other immigration office to get my 90-day entry permit. Ei! The next day, I headed BACK to the office 20 minutes from me, got my 90-day extension and finally relaxed.

I'm legal - extended AND permitted!

World AIDS Day 2010

2010-12-02T10:49:00.000+07:00

First, a note of caution: Normally, my posts are about life in Thailand, interesting news articles, random thoughts of the day, pictures from traveling far and wide. I try not to be political or post about things that are super controversial. But, it's World AIDS Day, so here are (some) of my opinions and experiences as life as an HIV researcher.

In honor of World AIDS Day 2010, I thought I'd share some of the interesting (and disturbing) reactions from people when I tell them what I do. As you know, I am an ASPH/CDC global health fellow working with the HIV Research Branch with the Thai Ministry of Public Health - U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Nonthaburi, Thailand. The branch is currently conducting studies among injection drug users (IDUs) and men who have sex with men (MSM). I work with the group studying behaviors and HIV among MSM in Bangkok. This, however, is quite a mouthful and I tend to summarize by saying I work in HIV research. So with this in mind, the reactions:

"I hope you're not one of those people who think HIV is just in gay men." No, I'm not. Anyone CAN get infected with HIV. In Thailand, however, if you are a man who has sex with another man, you're much more likely to have HIV or to get HIV then if you're someone else. I'm not judging... I'm just saying, based on surveillance and monitoring the HIV epidemic in Thailand, this is true. This doesn't mean that MSM should be treated differently or unfairly. It actually means that, as a public health professional, I think Thailand should develop programs to prevent HIV in MSM and I think Thailand should provide support to people who have HIV. And, they are starting to. And, based on their 100% condom program, they might have success. I certainly hope so.
"Hmm, should I wear a condom?" Well, yes. Using condoms consistently and correctly is one of the most effective ways at preventing HIV infection. But, really, I'm not a counselor, nor do I appreciate having this conversation on an airplane. (Actually, the question I got from my plane seat neighbor was more disturbing.) There are some other ways to prevent HIV that are currently being researched that are looking more promising:

Microbicides - see the CAPRISA 004 study - They demonstrated that a microbicide used by women in South Africa can decrease HIV transmission by up to 40%.
PrEP (Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis) - see the iPrEX study results - They demonstrated that a drug combination (Tenofovir and emtriciticine) used daily can decrease HIV transmission by about 40% (and almost 80% in those who were very adherent) in men who have sex with men in Peru, Ecuador, Brazil, United States, South Africa, and Thailand.
HIV vaccine - see the Thailand Vaccine Study - This was the first study that showed a vaccine had any effect in preventing HIV infections.

Blank stare. "Oh that's interesting." Averted eyes. Quickly change the conversation... These people tend to be, shall we say, more conservative than others. Sometimes, they think HIV is a disease that bad people get and that people who get HIV deserve to get it. In my opinion, that's bogus. No one deserves to get a life-threatening illness. What if I said your children deserve to get diabetes because they eat too much over-processed sugars. Both can be life-threatening illnesses that require life-long treatment. Diabetes isn't heavily politicized though and people with diabetes are rarely stigmatized. Diabetes programs aren't limited by politicians in providing evidence-based prevention and treatment programs. No one says, "Hey, I think we should pay for people who have diabetes to get insulin because I don't like needles." But it happens quite frequently in HIV programs. Here are just a few examples:

Programs must spend a significant portion of their budget on abstinence education. Yes, I agree, abstinence is a great way of preventing the spread of HIV. But, it doesn't work by itself. Here's a pretty comprehensive review.
Programs cannot set up clean-needle programs for drug injectors. Look, I understand the train-of-thought: Take away access to needles and drug injectors can't inject so they can't do drugs so they can't get HIV. But that doesn't work either. Providing clean needles doesn't make injectors use drugs more often, but it can link they with treatment programs, education, and improved awareness. More information
Programs are limited in how they can promote condoms. There are a few lines of thinking that limit condom-promotion: 1) Condoms are a form of birth-control, which is prohibited by the Catholic church; 2) Condoms lead to promiscuity because if young people have condoms, they will have sex earlier or more often. I'm not going to address the first point (except by linking you to this article by the BBC on the Pontiff's latest remarks of condom use). The second point, however, is a bit absurd. It's along the same lines as the opposition to giving girls the HPV vaccine - if we give them the vaccine, they'll have sex earlier or more often. Really? Do you really thinking giving a girl a vaccine that can prevent a disease they may or may not get in 40 or more years will really prevent her from having sex now? Do you really think not giving a boy a condom now will prevent him from having sex now? Will all those thoughts of potential pregnancy (9 months from now) or potential for sexually transmitted diseases (which may or may not effect his health a few days to a few years from now) will prevent that? I think you're probably deluding yourself. Young people will have sex, regardless of the information or tools you provide them. So why not provide them with the best education and the best tools to prevent harmful consequences? Anyway, that's what I think.

And finally, some news from other sources on World AIDS Day 2010:

Zoom through the rainy season, Part 3 - Roaming around Thailand

2010-11-25T16:44:00.000+07:00

Ok, so I’m not great at updating my blog regularly. But I do think about updating my blog regularly… that’s got to count for something, right?

Since Myanmar, I’ve done quite a bit of “local” travel… as I waited for my contract to be renewed and then my visa and then got my 90-day stamp of approval. I’m going to talk more about my immigration adventures in another post…

In an effort to catch you up to the present, here’s a “zoom through” most of August, September and October!

Towards the end of August I headed to Pattaya (the infamous post of many a Vietnam soldier) for a work-retreat/training. Wow, it was boring! Yes, we were in a nice hotel, but with sessions going most of the day, it was almost impossible to get any relaxation time in. Then, to top it off, many people contracted some sort of foodborne illness. Luckily, my Africa/India/New Orleans-trained intestinal lining repelled whatever pathogen was in the food and I didn’t get sick. And then, I got to investigate the outbreak (and really, what public health person doesn’t like a good outbreak investigation?). So I conducted my interviews, created a questionnaire, entered the data, analyzed the data, presented the results, and am working on a paper! Boring training – definitely; outbreak investigation – so cool (although people got sick, they felt better soon after…).

Most of September was me trying to make plans to have my visa renewed but being unable to do it without a renewal contract. Grrr bureaucratic institutions! I got my contract 6 days before my original one ended. So then there was a little mayhem in getting housing and health insurance renewed and trying to coordinate getting a new/renewed visa (again, see next post). Then came the busy month of October!

Weekend 1 – new ASPH/CDC fellow arrives! Now, I know how lucky I was to have several people hold my hand through the first few weeks of living in Thailand – it’s a big, hot mess of being excited about new everything and being overwhelmed (and, in my case, slightly terrified) of the major life change that just occurred. So, we explored a bit of Bangkok (M.R. Kukrit’s home, Italian food, JJ market, Neilson Hays Library, Sri Mahamariamman Temple) with some friends.

Ganesha statue in M.R. Kukrit's home

Pretty water lilies

Outside Sri Mahamariamman Temple

Weekend 2 – Did I mention the holidays? Yes, I did not have work on Columbus Day. Never have I been so appreciative of random American holidays. I took some extra time and headed to Sukhothai, the once glorious capital of Siam (or what was to become Siam). It’s older than Ayutthaya (my other favorite Thai ancient capital). It’s full of ancient wats with unique statues of Buddha – and you all know how much I love my religious sites! I can never be wat-ed or cathedral-ed out! I went with two other friends and we explored Sukhothai by bike then headed by bus to Si Satchanalai (another ancient city from the same period) and explored again by bike. I forgot, amidst the traffic of Bangkok and desperate need to use the BTS to avoid said traffic, how much I like riding a bike. My next city should have bike paths.

My awesome pink bike!

I love Thai signs... don't climb on the Buddha

One of my favorite temples in Si Satchanalai - Wat Chang Lom (Temple of Elephants surrounding/guarding Buddha)

A sign along the bike path... really, I don't know

A bridge we crossed to get to Si Satchanalai

I might take too many bathroom pictures:

1 - don't put tissue in the toilet (water pressure is usually bad and it will clog the toilet)

2 - don't squat on the Western toilet (that could be difficult)

3 - don't write on the walls (well, yes)

We also went to the Thai poem fish museum - you'd think, given the tropical diversity of Thailand's fish, that we would see some beautiful ones. Instead we were greeted with grey river fish.

Because you always need a spare carrot?

Weekend 3 – moved… while I liked my old apartment (and miss my twice-daily motorbike rides and friendly drivers), it was too far from the BTS and there was not much around it. So, I moved 1 ½ BTS stations out of central Bangkok to the lovely Thong Lo area. Now, I have several Seven Elevens (no change), three roads full of street food (compared to my awesome friend rice lady), two places to get delicious mango sticky rice (compared to none), and a 7-minute walk to the BTS apartments (compared to 25 minutes). The apartment is also set up much better and it’s a condo (so utilities are a bit cheaper). And, my morning walk includes walking past a diverse collection of Thai people – the fancy white-collar workers, street vendors, construction workers, and monks. Overall, I’m really happy with the move!

Weekend 4 – Church retreat in Pranburi – While living in Bangkok, I’ve found a church home at the International Church of Bangkok. It’s one of the most open, welcoming, and compassionate churches I’ve ever been to. And, one of the things that got me to stay was when the pastor offered to discuss which church in Bangkok (there are only a few) would be the best option for me. I was pretty much set then. The people, type of service, and mission of ICB are what kept me coming back. One of my favorite things that I think emphasizes how I’ve felt while being part of ICB is in part of the mission statement: ICB strives to be a place where “Mature Christians come and grow in their faith and service; Less mature Christians come and grow and/or (re)discover their faith while serving; and non-Christians can come and learn about Jesus without fear of being condescended to, condemned or embarrassed.” I think that’s a pretty good goal and although I often fail to do what I should, I like being around people who are constantly striving to be good and to help others, without judgement. So, back to the retreat and off my soap-box… I drove down with Mae and Ken, an American/Thai couple who I adore. Ken helps lead a home-group Bible study I attend and always comes up with the most interesting and relevant connections to what we’re studying and Mae is just full of energy, good-will, and generosity. Amelia, another American teaching English in Nonthaburi, drove down with us and it was an interesting and enjoyable trip. After arriving and settling in a bit, we had a nice ice-breaker and dinner. The following day, we had church with some great music leaders and several of us headed off to nearby Monkey Island (apparently at one point these monkeys were skilled at catching, opening and eating crabs, but now they’re proficient at jumping on tourists to get bananas…). And, after a discussion in the car the previous day about rabies and its incurability (once you show symptoms), I was a little hesitant to get too close to the monkeys (unlike some crazy girls who tried to let them drink out of a water bottle). Then, we headed off to another island to hike to a cave and eat delicious Thai food. After a quick shower, we attended the first of two motivating talks by Ash Barker, who runs Urban Neighbors of Hope (google it!). The following day, we concluded the talks and headed back to Bangkok.

Crazy girls on Monkey Island trying to give water to the monkeys

Our boat - Charis, Samuel, Kent, Smitha, and two German friends

Rebecca and Darrell, relaxing on the boat

Amelia (in the green), taking pictures

Weekend 5 – So, I managed to repel the GI bugs, but not the respiratory bugs. Not fun. And I missed Halloween.

November – yes, we’re almost caught up! Next up, immigration irritations!

A new disease discovered!!!

2010-10-25T21:40:00.000+07:00

"The Center for Disease Control has issued a medical alert about a highly contagious, potentially dangerous virus that is transmitted orally, by hand, and even electronically.

This virus is called Weary Overload Recreational Killer (WORK). If you receive WORK from your boss, any of your colleagues or anyone else via any means whatsoever - DO NOT TOUCH IT. This virus will wipe out your private life completely.

If you should come into contact with WORK you should immediately leave the premises. Take two good friends to the nearest grocery store and purchase one or both of the antidotes - Work Isolating Neutralizer Extract (WINE) and Bothersome Employer Elimination Rebooter (BEER). Take the antidote repeatedly until WORK has been completely eliminated from your system.

You should immediately forward this medical alert to your friends. If you do not have friends, you have already been infected and WORK is controlling your life."

Happy Halloween!

Things that are in the news that interest me (and I want you to look at and listen to me talk about)

2010-10-20T21:57:00.000+07:00

Issues I have... mainly with international news media. Click on the blue letters for links to the articles I'm talking about.

The way Thailand is portrayed by the international news media - This is a little (ok, a big) pet peve of mine. The international news media tends to highlight things pertaining to their interest groups, rather than educate their readers about issues they might not otherwise know about. I understand why they do this ($$$), but maybe this is why Tea Partiers don't know that we have freedom of the press in the United States (and separation of church and state...). Right, so there was a massive protest in Bangkok that ended with a violent standoff and the burning of several major buildings. But before most people saw horrific pictures of "Bangkok Burning" they had little idea of what was actually happening here. Now, CNN is teasing (chiding? highlighting a pointless note about Thailand?) for its obsession with a recent celebrity sex scandal and it makes CNN's homepage. I think this speaks more to what the US news media thinks (and does) sell in the US, rather than a "way for stressed Thais to safely relieve their tension." Is news of Brittany Spears shaving her head a way for Americans to safely relieve their tension concerning the blatant lies of many politicians? I mean, at least Thai politicians don't have to avoid religious sites for fear of being mislabeled Muslims (and really, why is it such a problem to be Muslim? I know Muslims/Sikhs/Buddhists/Hindus/Christians/Jews who are wonderful people because of their religion. I know Christians/Buddhists/Muslims/Jews/Sikhs/Hindus who are less than wonderful people, despite their religion.)

Why not highlight the recent peaceful protests by those "red shirt rioters" that occurred September 19th? Or the horrible flooding that has covered many parts of the country? Or, for that matter, the human rights issues Thailand has with refugees from Burma? No, things aren't perfect in Thailand and the country certainly has many issues to work through, but what country doesn't.

Speaking of refugees in Burma, why isn't their more international news/uproar about the elections to be held in Burma/Myanmar in November? Why aren't all of those Americans who so desperately want to promote democracy calling out in protest at the scam that is the Burmese "democracy"? The military junta that seized control after the last "democratic" elections in 1990 is the same one in power today - they are shifting military leaders to civilian posts (so they can be 'elected'), banning anyone who's been jailed from running (like all of those political dissidents), and sometimes resorting to outright bribery and/or threats.

And now back to my old (and current standard): health care. In 10th grade, I was forced to read the horrible (some call it a "classic") book, Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance. Who knew I would be linking to an article making an artful play on the book I once despised? But here it is - a refreshing outlook on solutions to improve health care - Health care and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance. While I am distressed by the state of health care in the United States, sometimes health care in developing countries seems like a lost cause. (Don't worry, I haven't lost my naive sense that I can fix the world. Just sometimes gets me down.) Because "where else can you find a low-tech investment in health care that increases patient coverage by nearly 600 percent?"

Finally, some perspective from the ever-informative people at Foreign Passport: Africa is really, really big. If you didn't know this already, see the map for some additional perspective.

(Next week, I'll be back to my normal ways, posting delightful pictures of Thai beaches and temples in the hopes of tempting you to come here. Cathay Pacific has flights for less than $1200 from JFK to BKK... take advantage now!)

Zoom through the rainy season, Part 2 - Myanmar

2010-09-18T21:34:00.000+07:00

Shwedagon Paya

As my traveling frequently is, I decided to go to Myanmar at the last minute, about a week before I left. Work was closed for the Queen's birthday and the Thai government (and the US embassy) decided to close business on the following day, giving me a four day weekend. Luckily, a friend of mine had already planned most of the travel in Myanmar and had several contacts there. So, I just hopped along for the ride.

To begin, I want to say that I've had some serious reservations about going to Myanmar. Top on my list was the fact that the country is controlled by a military dictatorship that has suppressed human rights and freedoms for the past 20 years or so. Entering the country and traveling around as a foreigner are strictly controlled and facilitated by the government. While I have gone to countries where corruption is rampant, there usually was at least a semblance of democracy and people had some hope of change. In Myanmar, there seems to be little hope. When elections were announced the day after my arrival, there seemed to be little open discussion (as expected... you never know who is an informant and even when you do know, you don't necessarily want them to know what you think). When it was discussed, people seemed to have little hope of it being a free or fair election. Many had seen the military junta finagle rules, moving military leaders into "civilian" posts, jigging election monitors and effectively destroying an opposition party's chances at winning.

A psychedelic halo

I went because a friend of mine was going who had connections and Burmese friends who could help us avoid some of the "tourist traps." Of course, we did see many touristy sites, but we tried to stay and eat at local venues and supported tours and tour guides who were not government-run. And, I am very glad I went. Not only did I see a beautiful country and learn about the history of the country, I met some wonderful, kind, generous, welcoming people. So now, my trip to Myanmar!

1 of 4 enormous gold-leafed, teak

Buddha statues in Ananda Pahto

We flew into Yangon (Rangoon) and met up with my friend's farang friends. They helped us exchange money (Note: The official, government-controlled exchange rate is 1 USD to about 6 kyat. The street value is approximately 1 USD to 1000 kyat.) Our first stop was the Shwedagon Paya. I really can't describe it to do it justice. It glitters day and night (beat that Eiffel Tower) and doesn't tarnish (you too, Statue of Liberty) and is really just gorgeous. There are numerous Buddha statues and temples surrounding the main stupa. In a slight difference from Thai Buddha's, many of the Buddhas had psychedelic lights glowing behind their heads (almost like halos!).

Our transportation in Bagan

After a (rather sleepless night) in Yangon, we went to Bagan, an ancient capital of Burma. Bagan has roughly 2,000+ temples (there is no exact count... mainly because the junta seems to control things and prevents an accurate count). It is remarkable. As you approach the city, the ground glitters with gold-leafed stupas and more pagodas than you can count. If you know my picture-taking tendencies (and my slight obsession with religious buildings), I went a little crazy with all the temples. As in Thailand, there was a strong Hindu influence on Buddhism in Myanmar. We climbed and saw as many temples as we could in about 8 hours of intense temple seeing :) Luckily, my travel companion has an equal obsession with history, so we traveled well together.

Shwendandaw Kyaung

Our next stop was Mandalay, the capital of Burma when the British took control. We were lucky enough to have some good connections there and upon arriving, we met our friend's friends, the owners of Mandalay's puppet theater and proprietors of the Spoken English school. We were told that if we asked at our guesthouse (pre-booked by friends) that people at the guesthouse would know who we were talking about. That's how famous they are in Mandalay!

We had a delicious lunch and then they gave us suggestions of places to visit in the afternoon. So, we headed out into Mandalay, armed with our faithful Lonely Planet Guide. Unfortunately our guidebook failed us... but led to some fun (in retrospect) adventures. Our friends dropped us at the Shwedandaw Kyaung (the Golden Monastery), with recommendations to see the marble Buddha and Mandalay Hill before heading downtown to the puppet theater. So, the kyaung was our point-of-reference on the map. Turned out to be in the wrong place on the map, so we wandered (quite a bit) to get to Mandalay Hill and completely missed the marble Buddha. When we finally reached the spotless white lions at the foot of Mandalay Hill, we were quite proud of ourselves (and extremely thankful for the kindness of Mandalay's residents).

Me, finally reaching Mandalay Hill

They wanted to take a picture with us... so I took a picture with them!

Buddha, who predicted the formation of Mandalay

The 9ft circumference

Later in the evening, we joined our friends for a Spoken English class and then were guests of honor at the puppet show. The following day, we headed on a tour of the area surrounding Mandalay, visiting another 3 previous capitals of Myanmar. (The whole, moving the capital from Yangon to Naypyidaw makes more sense given the history of moving capitals.)

We went to Bagaya Monastery, which (according to Lonely Planet) was built in 1834 during the reign of King Bagyidaw. The monastery has 267 gigantic teak wood posts and is made entirely of teak wood. Here, Olesya and I are standing next to the largest post, with a circumference of more than 9 feet (determined, quite scientifically, by me wrapping my arms around several posts to see which one I could not wrap myself half-way around... because everyone knows that the length of your arm-span is equal to your height, right?).

Resting along the bridge

We finished our day watching the sun set on U Bein's Bridge, Amarapura. The bridge is... guess what? Made of teak wood! And, guess what? It's the largest teak wood bridge in the world, at 1.2 km long. It has many rest-stops along the way, with people fishing, young people wandering, and boats trying to lure tourists to take scenic tours on Lake Taungthaman. We found it more fun to walk across the bridge and stop along the way to people watch. And, we finally got to see our sunset (the first, planned in Bagan, was rained out).

Monks at a rest stop

Our last stop in Mandalay was to get Olesya an experience in a Mandalay teahouse (she has a bit of an obsession with tea and coffee). We headed back to our guesthouse, thoroughly exhausted. The next day, we headed back to Yangon. After all our site-seeing, we headed with our farang friends for lunch, gift buying in the market, and a nice pedicure.

Then I headed to the airport for my flight back to Bangkok. I had a slight challenge in the airport when I was trying to leave. (Apparently I tend to underestimate my challenges... according to my dad, when I said I had a slight challenge, he was expecting something a little more dramatic. In retrospect, as usual, it's a bit amusing and a familiar experience.) As in many countries were the currency is overinflated and US dollars become the defacto currency, many places in Myanmar only accepted specific kinds of US currency. Where we (as Americans) might see one 1-dollar bill as equally valuable as another 1-dollar bill, people in Myanmar don't (see Zimbabwe). Since I don't use US dollars here, my supply was a bit more limited than the average traveler's might have otherwise been. I brought enough money, but didn't count on a quarter of it being unacceptable due to marks, serial numbers, or something else mysterious being wrong with it. So my challenge came when I needed to pay the $10 departure fee. I had 10 USD but apparently they were not acceptable. I tried Thai baht - I had a beautiful, new 500 baht note (worth about $15). Luckily they accepted (at a slighly poor exchange rate) and I was able to leave as planned!

Our guides and friends :)

I will definitely have to go back to Myanmar some day soon. I really enjoyed my time there and I'd like to go back and see some of the friends I made. I just hope that one day they will be able to have free, fair elections and a peaceful government. If you would like to see more pictures from my trip, I posted them on Facebook.

Zoom through the rainy season, Part 1 - Ayutthaya

2010-09-13T18:56:00.000+07:00

How to predict the weather in Thailand during the rainy season:
1 - Is it sunny? If yes, jump to #4. If no, jump to #4.
2 - Is it cloudy? If yes, jump to #4. If no, jump to #4.
3 - Is it rainy? If yes, jump to #4. If no, jump to #4.
4 - It will rain in the next 5-10 hours.

Again, I've been quite remiss in updating my blog. After coming back from Vienna, I thought I would be staying put for a bit. After all, I'd done a lot of traveling in the past few months!

The next weekend I went to Ayutthaya for the day. I've posted information about Ayutthaya before (it was one of the first places I visited outside Bangkok after I came), but here are a few more pictures from one of the coolest places I've been in Thailand:

Temples of Ayutthaya

Olesya, Rebecca, Darell and Me - so Thai with our umbrellas in the sun!

Garments to clothe the Buddha (it was the beginning of Buddhist Lent)

Me with a large, blinging rooster :P

Famous Buddha head in the roots

Me and the Buddha

Beautiful temple

Next up, Myanmar!

Vienna

2010-08-06T21:35:00.000+07:00

I forgot how much I liked rice. I know this must seem like a strange way to begin a post with the subject, Vienna, but I really enjoy the food in Thailand... and Vienna made me forget ALL about that! Mmm, my mouth is watering just thinking about all the wonderful food I ate (especially the desserts!).

Sachertort at Cafe Sacher

I arrived in Vienna after pretty uneventful flights. Although my flight from Bangkok was delayed, I still managed to make my connections and all of my bags (including the all-important conference posters) made it through to Vienna. Then I headed to the train to make my way to my hotel. I'd printed the directions to the hotel, but still managed to get lost on the train, going several stops past where I was supposed to get off and then getting on the next train in the wrong direction. There are definitely some benefits to have only 3 major train lines in a city (Bangkok!), but once I got to know the system in Vienna, it was fairly easy to navigate. I also appreciate how Bangkok has Thai and English announcements. How spoiled I am!

When I arrived on Saturday, it was particularly warm, and I chided myself for bring almost every single piece of warm clothing I have in Bangkok (which includes several wraps and a light running jacket). I spent the early afternoon wandering around Vienna, waiting until I could check into my hotel and shower/relax a bit. After that, I walked around the neighborhood where I was staying, ate some delicious spaghetti carbonara, and went to bed.

Sunday I woke up early (oh jet lag) and had a delicious breakfast at my hotel. So that you fully appreciate all of the wonderful cheeses, breads, granola that come with a Western breakfast, I'll describe an "American" breakfast in Thailand - one egg, sunny side up, usually runny and cold; white toast, sometimes a bit soggy; two slices of tomatoes; processed "hot dog/sausage." The meal is really only redeemed by delicious Thai fruit. I pretty much gorged myself on yogurt, peaches, and granola every day, with some cheese, sliced meats (real!), coffee, juice, and the odd baguette or pastry... with jam.

I explored most of Sunday - wandering around the older part of the city, went to Stephankirche, taking a tour of Stat Oper (wow), went to Karlskirche (which is a little strange, because they have a viewing tower to see the cupola but it completely ruins the feeling of the church - beautiful paintings though and it was an amazing experience to be so high up in a church). I ate "dinner" at Cafe Sacher, having soup and then some delicious Sachertort. I went to Cafe Demel later in the week (to compare the Sachertort's, of course) and I think Cafe Sacher has better torts, although Cafe Demel has much better character inside and you can watch them baking!

The cupola in Karl's Church

The conference began Sunday night, so I went to the opening session (where people protested, grr) and then promptly passed out from jet lag and too much chocolate!

Monday I was busy with conference things, hanging up posters, standing next to posters, talking about fun HIV things. All in a day's work. Monday evening I wandered around where my hotel was, trying to stay awake. Then I completely deluded myself into thinking it was early (the sun had not set yet) when I realized it was after 8pm and I still hadn't had dinner. I had some delicious schnitzel and, of course, a delicious chocolate pastry.

The elevator/scaffolding to get to the cupola

Tuesday was also a busy conference day, with my poster exhibition, and two of my colleagues presentations. After the conference, I tried to find my way to the tramcar, got lost, found my way again, got lost again, asked for directions, and finally made it. Luckily, Vienna is an excellent place to get lost in because almost everything is scenic. I went to Scottenkirche and tried to eat at the MelkStiftKellar, but it was closed. Instead, I got a kugel at Cafe Landtmann. I think the waiter thought I was crazy because I ordered soup and kugel.

Me and my poster!

Wednesday morning I went to the Schonnbrunn (the summer palace of the kings). Wow! So much better than Versailles! It was also really interesting to learn a bit more about Viennese history, since I knew virtually nothing before coming. Then back to the conference to hear more presentations, gather posters, watch protesters. That evening I went to the Albertina art museum, which has one of Monet's water lilies. I love Monet... and Manet... and Degas... and basically anything that is Impressionist or Pointilist. Figured that out at the Albertina as I got into more modern art and did not like it at all. Not a fan of Picasso or Dali. Good to know! But I do love Monet!

Thursday... hmm, I can't remember what I did... conference things probably. I did meet up with a friend from graduate school for dinner (we went to Glacis Beisl... so great!) and ranted about the stupidity of protesting over a 3% increase in funding. (Long story, but it has to do with HIV funding and crazy people.) Had some (more) delicious food.

Beautiful architecture in Vienna

Friday night I went to a concert of Mozart and Strauss. Unfortunately most of the big concert halls are closed for the season (although they do have great tours) so I couldn't go to an opera. And, after seeing the concert hall at Stat Oper, I really wanted to go - they sell standing tickets for 4 euro!!! I'll just have to go back. But it was wonderful music!

Saturday I went to Grinzing - unfortunately it was a little cold and rainy so I couldn't really wander. I ended up taking the bus farther out, stopping at almost every place to get out, wander until I couldn't take the cold anymore, then hop back on the bus. I went back to my hotel to pick up my bags and headed back to Bangkok in the evening.

Grinzing

Overall, it was a wonderful trip! I would like to go back to Vienna, maybe even live there (although I probably couldn't afford it). There were a few things in particular that I thought were funny - especially in contrast to my life in Bangkok. First, I love museums, and Thailand doesn't seem to fully appreciate them. Most are a bit decrepit so it was great to be able to go to a museum and learn. Second, if you couldn't tell, I really like the food! It was strange for me to be in a country I'd never been to and feel like I was eating comfort food. I know it's Western, but I don't think I've felt that before. Last (and something it is especially strange to appreciate), I really liked being able to mix in with people who lived there. There were several times when people asked me for directions - in English, German and French. Obviously, I don't look like a national here. Not being recognized as a foreigner, at least, until I spoke, was an added perk.

No more Japanese comments!

2010-07-14T10:19:00.000+07:00

Recently, I've been getting notifications from BlogSpot that "someone commented on your post." I excitedly sign into Blogger, head to the dashboard and see the notice that "1 comment needs to be moderated." Wow, I think, someone commented on my post... maybe someone IS reading my blog. So I click on the link, only to find that it's actually just Japanese spam. Come on now, I'm getting spammed by some crazy Japanese spammer and it's almost the highlight of my day. So on that note, some directions when you come to my blog that I would appreciate you follow. Please read carefully.

I'm completely stealing this post from another fellow (A Cheesehead and and Unemployed Engineer in Namibia).

Dear blog friends,
Because I miss you, you are required to comment when you read my blog so I can hear your pretty faces. I know I haven't had an entry in awhile, and I promise to try harder if you do.

Love,
Katie

Oh and I'm definitely going to post a note on the other fellows' blogs now. And tell the Cheesehead in Namibia that I appreciate her post.

I made it through college without getting addicted to caffiene, but I can't make it through the US.

2010-06-28T15:44:00.000+07:00

Jet lag is miserable - I kept trying to figure out why I was falling asleep during important meetings (e.g., some important program reviewers were here from Atlanta... ekk!) and then I realized it was because my body had no idea what time it was! So, I've been drinking an abysmal amount of caffeine - almost three weeks of a cup (or two) of coffee or tea. Right now, I'm drinking Thai iced tea, a delicious concoction of tea, sweetened condensed milk, regular milk and lots of ice. That's how I like my caffeine (and alcohol...). I planned on ridding myself of this addiction over the weekend by catching up on all my sleep and not drinking any caffeinated beverages. It was a challenge and I relapsed today with some chaa yen.

The reason for all this caffeine - in mid-June, I went back to the US for a wedding, a conference, and to see my family (sounds like the opening of a really bad movie). Like all of my trips, it was jam-packed, and this one was no exception. I hit the ground running the night I arrived, scheming with the Kuiper family et al. about wedding plans and schedules. Made it through Thursday (various runnings about to prepare for the wedding plus a late-night bachelorette party and mishap at the hotel - there really WAS NO sofa!) with the help of two large cups of coffee. Friday was a whirlwind of seeing the venue, organizing decorations, topped off by the rehearsal dinner (one+ cups of coffee). Saturday was the wedding (beautiful and only a little bit of rain during an otherwise perfect day). Sunday was brunch, coordinating with Tulane friends, dinner, and collapsing into my third bed of my trip. Monday to Thursday were filled with conference proceedings and dinner/drinks/desserts with old friends (oh, and don't forget the massive amounts of coffee). Friday and Saturday included some wonderful time with my family and neighbors. Sunday was up to NYC to see my Aunt Peggy then take off back to BKK. Whew! I'm exhausted just thinking about it (or that could be the sugar in my chaa yen running off...).

The bridesmaids in yellow - Jocelyn, Brianna, Alexis, me, Tiffany

Friends from all over the country - Jamie, Katie, me, Alana, Emily

In other news, it's now (probably) the rainy season. While there's no specific day designated as the start of the "hotter season" (winter being hot, rainy being hotter, and summer being hottest), it's been raining A LOT recently. It's great from the safety of an enclosed place like my apartment or office, but not so much fun when I need to get home from Thai class and my usual method is via motorbike. I carry an umbrella with me at all times and I'm thinking of adding flip flops and a plastic bag to that.

Bangkok has also been quiet since the blow-up (I really don't know what to call it... maybe I'll follow the Irish and call it the 'Troubles'). Four days after the really bad stuff happened (army storming protest area, Bangkok buildings set on fire), things were pretty much back to normal. And after the government lifted the curfew (about a week and a half later), it seemed like Bangkok had never been "besieged" by protests. A great thing for my life, but probably not such a great thing for Thailand. More on that eventually...

This weekend I took a cooking class... was interesting. Interesting mainly because I can count on one hand the number of times I've cooked anything in Thailand. ("Cooked" being a very broad term, which mainly includes microwaving eggs and oatmeal. If you add in microwaving leftovers, the number jumps to one I can count with fingers and toes.) And my goal was to stay up to watch the US vs Ghana game (beginning at 1:30am Sunday) but that was way too ambitious. I did watch Germany trounce England, despite a bad call on England's almost second goal.

I'm finished with my rambling for now. As soon as I can get over my caffeine addiction (and the "allergies" I probably picked up on my flights back here), everything will be back to normal.

Living in a dream, or rather, some crazy nightmare

2010-06-07T15:03:00.000+07:00

When I last wrote, I was expecting things to cool off. Like the rains in Thailand, just when it seems so hot that you can't stand it anymore, a storm cloud rolls in, drenching and flooding the streets of Bangkok, cleaning the sidewalks of dog poop, the air of pollution, and the heat of humidity. I expected someone - a red shirt leader, the army, protesters, the prime minister - to back down, to renegotiate, to step in, or to just stop. That seemed to have been the pattern for the past month or so. There would be some sort of violence, whether it was a scuffle between protesters and soldiers, a grenade attack, or reports of snipers, and then both sides would step back, in some cases, quite literally. The rhetoric would come down a notch, and things would be quiet for a week or two. That's what I expected to happen.

What did happen was more like the giant thunderstorms Bangkok gets every rainy season. On Monday, I went to bed thinking we would go back to work on Wednesday. On Tuesday, there were sporadic scuffles and firefights between the army, who was trying to close off the site, and the protesters. But, there was less smoke, fewer text messages (only 3 after several days of 10+), and, it seemed, less urgency. There were still rumors of a crackdown by the army, but that threat became as empty as the boy crying wolf.

*****

I woke up before 7am Wednesday morning to the insistent beeping of my cell phone. Work had already been cancelled and the Embassy was closed until Friday. This message had to be something bad.

To give you an idea of the dread I felt at almost every text message, here's an edited sampling: "shooting and explosions... stay indoors" or "security operations to begin... ALL employees directed to seek a place of safety and/or remain home." Not great messages to get at any time, but especially not when you're half asleep.

So, when my cell phone started beeping, I could not just ignore it. "Heavy military presence on Bangkok streets." What? Of course there's a heavy military presence on Bangkok streets! There has been for weeks. What does that mean??? Not being able to go back to sleep, I opened my recently-always-on-standby computer, refreshing Gmail, Bangkok Post, BBC, and Twitter pages in one fell swoop. As they refreshed, I turned on my TV to Channel News Asia. While the news was still limited, reports of the army finally "cracking down" on the protesters were hitting the news channels, along with photos of armored personnel carriers (aka tanks) breaking through the tire-and-bamboo barricades that surrounded the protest site. That day, another 15 text messages came in, telling us to stay indoors and not to move. By 1:30pm, though, it seemed like the government had successfully cleared the protesters. Several red shirt leaders announced they would turn themselves into police custody and many protesters were heading to National Stadium, where buses waited to take them home. It was not over yet though.

A little after 1pm, I started to see heavy smoke from my balcony. It was much closer than the previous smoke I'd seen coming from the Rama IV expressway entrance. Turning my computer back on (which I'd turned off in the hopes of stopping my obsessive page refreshing), I saw new reports of red shirts, or black shirts, or someone, setting fire to numerous buildings throughout Bangkok. The smoke I could see, visibly different from the tire fires earlier in the week, seemed to be coming from the Channel 3 News building near Asoke. There were reports and pictures of fires along Sukhumvit and Rama IV, essentially boxing me into my apartment. Then, my power went out.

Now, I've dealt with losing power before. But not when all of my news was connected to my having power (and internet). It was slightly scary, especially when I realized that my cell phone battery was also low. But, there was nothing I could do, so I just read, glancing at the skyline occasionally (or obsessively) for additional smoke. I tried to go up to the pool-top roof of my building, but it was closed. I saw smoke rising from the protests sites, along with some from what looked like the Asoke interchange, and the Rama IV area. When my power came back on around 5pm, I frantically plugged all of my devices in.

It seemed like things went crazy in Bangkok after the protest area was stormed by the army. Mysterious black shirts spread throughout the city, smashing phone booths, setting fires, and causing chaos. Fires were set in over 30 buildings in Bangkok, destroying the famous Central World shopping mall as well as the Siam Theater.

It was particularly disorienting and disheartening for me - throughout the protests, I'd been amazed by the amount of respect and order involved in the protests. Both sides seemed to respect, and in some cases, empathize with each other. The so-called watermelon soldiers (green on the outside, red on the inside); the Thai citizens who brought food, cold drinks and umbrellas to police; orderly processions of red shirt protesters... everything seemed so respectful. Until the April 10th deaths. Even after the ***** of April 10th by xxx side, both sides stepped back. There was genuine disgust and sadness at the state of events and the deaths that occurred.

There was also respect for property. There was no "rioting" really - cars were not set alight, buildings were not destroyed by fire or attacked and shops were mainly safe from looting. I was impressed. After hearing about riots in San Francisco, Kenya, Jamaica, Kyrgyzstan, or Nigeria, with extensive loss of life and property, I was impressed by the restraint shown by Thai people. It was a "mob," but without a mob mentality. Until May 19th.

*****

Thailand is famous for its tolerance. It's known for it's smiling people who do not take offence at disrespectful foreigners; it's known for being accepting of sex change operations, lady boys, and homosexuals. While this is a generalization, most of it is true. There's a live and let live philosophy; a deep value of saving face; dislike of confrontation; no beating through the bush, or even around the bush. It's not that there isn't a line, though, that can't be crossed. Thai people aren't accepting of everything and the line here is trigger thin. And, once you cross it, there seems to be no going back. I think what happened May 19th was that crossing the line - and once crossed, it was hard for anyone to control the "black shirts" actions.

And then, Thailand jumped right back over the line. The government imposed a curfew, prohibiting everyone from being outside between 8pm and 6am. Miraculously, that's what happened. In the week and a half that a curfew was in place, only a handful of people were arrested for breaking it. After Wednesday night, the violence almost disappeared. On Thursday, I only got 7 text messages, and none of them contained the frantic ALL CAPITAL letters of previous texts. Friday, the text messages were down to a respectable three. On Sunday, the Skytrain and subway started running again. And, on Monday, I went happily back to work.

What this all means for the long-term stability of Thailand is still questionable. And the question of how all of this happened in Thailand is fresh in everyone's mind. Since the army coup in 2006, which ousted Thaksin Shinawatra, there have been protests by all different color shirts. And, there's never been a resolution that all sides agree on. In my opinion, the current prime minister, Abhisit Vejjajjiva, has the greatest opportunity to reunite the country. He can accept accountability for his and his governments' actions as well as provide true and lasting justice to people on all sides. He can bring about national unity. He can become a trustworthy source of information and guidance. He can set up sustainable and just solutions to Thailand's structural and economic inequalities. The key word is can. He CAN; whether he WILL is yet to be seen.

Another summary by BBC of day-by-day events in Bangkok, until May 19th.

(I will try to include some relevant links and pictures soon. Right now, only Bangkok Post links are included, which tend to be a bit biased against the red shirts.)

What to say

2010-06-04T12:59:00.000+07:00

I wrote this on May 17th. I did not post it at the time because I felt it was too negative given all the bad press coming out of Thailand. What I didn't know was that things were going to get much worse in the next two days. Even two weeks later, I am still trying to find the right words to explain the things that happened on May 19th and the events in Thailand since then. I promise I'll post something soon, but I still need to reflect a little bit more on the situation.

As I sit in my comfortable, air-conditioned apartment, watching TV, reading, catching up on long-overdue emails, it is hard to imagine that just down the road, over 30 people have died in the past five days. There has been sustained violence and unrest, centered around the protests areas, but spreading out from the protest hubs in a seemingly random, unpredictable way.

(graphic from Bangkok Post)

The recent round of violence began on Thursday - the government, whose proposed Roadmap to Reconciliation (above) was rejected by UDD leaders (their proposed plan below), decided to end the protests by cutting off electricity and supplies to the red shirt camp and surrounding the protest area, which is spread over several main roads (Thank you, Richard Barrow, for your excellent map and informative Tweets). My office closed early on Thursday and even earlier on Friday, as increasingly worrisome reports came in about the military's operation. On Thursday night, Seh Daeng, the controversial Thai general who supported the Red Shirts and ran security operations for their camp, was shot by a sniper while talking to a foreign journalist. (Please note that there is a pretty graphic picture at the top of the NY Times article in the above link.) He died four days later.

(graphic by Bangkok Post)

Street battles ensued on Saturday and Sunday, primarily around the Lumpini Park camp. On Saturday night, the US Embassy authorized voluntary departures for eligible family members. Throughout the weekend, I could see smoke rising from the Silom area, as protesters lit tires on fire to create a smoke screen.

Today dawned pretty quietly - work is still closed, the Skytrain and subway are closed, but most of the businesses near where I live are open. I have not ventured farther than about 20 walking minutes from my apartment and always check with my apartment guard before going out. Then, we got a text message saying that security operations were expected to begin at 3pm and we were directed to remain home or in a safe place. So, I went out quickly to get some food, then hurried back to celebrate my birthday obsessively watching Al Jezira, BBC, and Channel News Asia, while constantly refreshing my Twitter page. I plan to have my birthday next week, hopefully.

Some pictures from the past few days:

End of March, about 3 weeks into the protests: Red Shirt parade through Asoke area

The red shirt camp in Lumphini Park, just north of Silom Road (near the financial district); end of April

Police guards outside McDonalds - Silom, end of April

Tire smoke rising from Rama IV area, view from my balcony, May 16th

Reasons I love Thailand

2010-05-13T09:28:00.000+07:00

Since all of the news that seems to be coming out of Thailand sounds bad, I thought I might post just a few of the many reasons why I love Thailand. Some you've probably heard before; others show the uniqueness (and quirkiness) of "Amazing Thailand."

So I'll start with the obvious - Thailand is a great place to live because it's also a tourist destination, with some of the best SCUBA and snorkeling sites in the world. It's also a place of great cultural and historical relevance.
Holidays galore - I mentioned this in a previous post, but in Thailand, they love holidays and accept holidays such as Christmas and Halloween with a fervor I've only seen in places like Bethlehem, PA, or Salem, Massachusetts. Plus, there's Thai New Year (Songkran), many Buddhist holidays, and royal holidays (King's birthday, Queen's birthday, Coronation Day).
Another famous reason - the food (and drink). I'm completely addicted to chaa yen (Thai iced tea) and there is no end of tropical fruits (mangoes, guava, lychee, rambutans, mangosteins, watermelon, oranges, papayas, pineapple... durian). Plus, I've started craving noodles and rice, and completely eliminated the use of knives in my eating habits.
A little, strange reason - privacy and consideration in public bathrooms. The stalls are more room-like (lower on the bottom and higher at the top, so you can't look under to see who's in there), there's a hose next to the toilet bowl that people use to cover up bad sounds (really, who likes to hear someone else pooping?), and today someone came into the bathroom, spritzed it with air freshener before using the toilet. Plus they're usually SUPER clean.
Thai people are polite and friendly - best exemplified by the craziness of Songkran. Before people splashed me with freezing cold water or luke-warm moat water, they would say "excuse me." Or apologize after. Plus, there's no one word for "no" in Thai. If you want to say "no" you have to pay attention to what the other person said. For example, if you ask someone if they like Thailand (choop muangthai?), they can't just say no - they have to say "no like" (mai choop). Which is annoying for someone learning Thai, but an interesting cultural phenomenon. And, as far as I know (with my limited Thai), if you want to say something is bad, you say it's not good (mai dii).

Quick protest update: The hopes of last week's reconciliation plan, proposed by the PM (Abhisit Vejjajjiva), were doused after red shirt leaders proposed their "Red Plan," demanding a firm date of Parliament's dissolution, the surrender of the deputy prime minister to the police (which he may or may not have done, depending on whether you consider the Department of Special Investigation part of the police and not a political tool), and the immediate withdrawal of police and soldiers from around the rally site. In response, the government (after a week of red shirt procrastination) demanded the protesters leave or they would shut off electricity, water and phone service to the area (leaving businesses and residents scrambling). The utilities are still on at the protest site, despite the ultimatum and a "crackdown" by the government is predicted to be imminent (although that threat has been popping up for the past month or so). None of this really affects me - in fact, the soldiers who had been posted along the Asoke Skywalk have stopped patrolling during the day, so my daily routine is still unaffected. Here's an interesting article in the Bangkok Post - an opinion.

The last week's Red Shirt activities

2010-05-03T11:17:00.000+07:00

Tuesday - oh poo! Don't throw tires onto the Skytrain track! It makes commuters unhappy! Luckily, the trains were up and running by 10:30am, although the Skytrain now has reduced hours (6am-8pm).

Wednesday - well, that's bad. As red shirt protesters caravaned out of the city to meet with other supporters in the outskirts of Bangkok, police and soldiers halted their progress. Several protesters were injured in the conflict that ensued, and one soldier was killed by friendly fire. Sadly, it had only been 6 days since the last violent conflict ended in death.

Thursday - Don't invade hospitals... it's just a bad idea in general. First of all, bad international press. Second, in the event of the proclaimed "crackdown" by the government, don't you want the hospital across the street from your current protest site to be up and running (and nurture, if not positive feelings, then at least not resentful and pissed off)?

(The opinions in these articles might not be fair and are probably not unbiased. I included links to both Bangkok Post articles and BBC. The Bangkok Post has more articles that provide a real-time look at the issues in Bangkok. The BBC tends to provide more unbiased reporting of events. I also like the BBC reporting because they include relevant links on the right and they have great graphics.)

I'm still fine. It's annoying that the Skytrain closes at 8pm, but other than that, life's been pretty uneventful. It's been raining more frequently and I appreciate watching thunderstorms roll in through my office window.

Excellent podcast - Thai news

2010-04-28T23:04:00.000+07:00

Christiane Amanpour interviews Thai PM, Abhisit Vejjajjiva

The art of rhetoric

2010-04-26T18:22:00.000+07:00

The word war has continued...

After violence occurred on Thursday evening resulting in one confirmed death and about 80 injuries, the red shirt leaders (aka UDD) declared they would compromise by demanding the government step down in 30 days and call elections within 90 days (so, 60 days after the government steps down and a temporary, quite powerless government steps up). Their previous demand was the the government step down immediately (which has been the demand for about, oh, 40 days).

The Thai PM's response on Sunday was this: “Thirty days is out of the question... I don’t think this problem can be solved within 30 days... negotiations must be done to find a solution for most of the country, not just the red shirts... I never reject a political solution, but a political solution must not create a precedent that intimidation will bring about social change.” (Thank you, NY Times for the concise, English quote.)

Now, I find both the compromise and the response quite amusing. I'll begin with why I think the red shirt leaders' compromise (just because this is what happened chronologically).

The red shirts are actually the National United Front of Democracy Against Dictatorship. Democracy, you say? Isn't that the form of government created in ancient Greek city states where everyone has the right to vote directly for their government? Oh yes... well, it's been used to describe other governments as well (like the United States, which is actually a republic). But, the idea is that citizens are given the right to vote on their government. While the current government was not elected (more on that in my response to Vejjajiva's quote), staging a protest to force down the constitutionally-recognized government by means of force (yes, protests here are force - why do you think the red shirts moved to the commercial area and threaten the financial city center?) is not democratic. Why not wait until the elections next year to prove your point that the reds rule? Staging protests (which I recognize is a form of democracy) seem to hurt the country and the people the reds claim to support more than the government. If anything, the protests seem to have lodged the current government even more into its current positions and created a much more vocal, centralized organization to support it. On top of all of the damage done to the country, the protests have marred the international community's view of Thailand, damaging the financial sector and the tourism industry.

Now, the response by PM Abhisit Vejjajiva... to understand why his comment is particularly amusing, you need to understand a bit about recent Thai politics. This brief history is all according to what I understand. Thaksin Shinawatra became prime minister in 2001 and served until 2006, when he was ousted in a coup by the army. He was the first prime minister to serve a full term. (While Thailand has had one king for the past 64 years, it has had 17 constitutions and 27 prime ministers.) There were some strong feelings about Thaksin, both positive and negative (yellow shirts, aka People's Alliance for Democracy). So, after Thaksin was ousted in the coup (due in part to yellow shirt protests), the army held general elections approximately a year after the coup. Thaksin's party won the general elections. The yellow shirts (probably pissed off) staged protests, again, in 2008, taking over the Government House (much like the red shirts did earlier in their protests). The resolution to this set of protests was a court decision to remove the current prime minister (because he accepted money from being on a cooking show!). The brother-in-law of Thaksin then became PM. The yellow shirts continued their protests, culminating in a take-over of the international airport. The solution: the courts invalidated Thaksin's former party. Abhisit became prime minister after all of this.

So, the amusing part - how Abhisit came to power... after a PM was removed by the courts for getting paid for a cooking show and after a PM stepped down because his party was abolished AFTER yellow shirt protests. Sorry, Abhisit, the precedent is already set and you benefited from it. I agree that "a political solution must not create a precedent that intimidation will bring about social change" but in Thailand's recent history, that's been the case. You have a problem with the current government? Stage a protest, take over an important area in Bangkok, and stay there long enough for the courts or the army to invalidate a party or stage a coup.

P.S. The italics are added to emphase my point of view.

Signs of compromise?

2010-04-24T16:45:00.000+07:00

An excellent article by the BBC - please read and check out their related links (in the right hand column) for more information about the background and history of Thai politics.

Things are quiet in Bangkok today. Rumors keep flying around though and most people are on edge. The US, British and Australian governments issued travel warnings on Friday to encourage their citizens not to come to Thailand on non-essential travel. The clinic near Silom is tentatively closed until Tuesday (Sunday and Monday are usually holidays anyway). The BTS Skytrain closed early on Friday evening at 6pm and has yet to reopen at the Sala Daeng, Ratchadamri or National Stadium stations (all near Thursday night's violence in Silom).

Hopefully, there will be some good news soon!

Update

2010-04-23T11:40:00.000+07:00

See the Bangkok Post article for the most recent news.

Last night, there was additional violence in the Silom area of Bangkok. Red shirts have been camped nearby outside Lumpini Park since the beginning of the week, and there was a huge security presence in the area all week. Last night, the "multicolored" or "no-colored" shirts held a counter-protest down the street, on Silom Road under the Sala Daeng BTS station. Four grenades were launched into the area, resulting in several deaths and more injuries.

I was at a bookclub (of mainly Embassy personnel) when we heard a succession of cell phones ringing, indicating text messages. It's now a common sound when around other Embassy people, as we get several text messages from the Embassy each week with updates about the protests. Luckily, everyone got home ok. Also, thankfully, the people who work at our research clinic (a 5-minute walk from where the protests are occurring) were fine and all of the patients were safely evacuated from the building.

Who would have thought the Land of Smiles would become such a volatile place so quickly?

ม็อบเสื้อแดง (Mawp Sua Deeng - Red Shirt Mob)

2010-04-20T14:21:00.000+07:00

I can remember thinking, oh so long ago, that the red shirt protests were a bit like waiting for a hurricane. Usually, with hurricane forecasts, there might be news of a potential threat a week or so before the hurricane may or may not hit the coast. As the week progresses, news increases, until a few days before when the trajectory is more established. Then, the warnings come, telling people to hunker down or evacuate. The hurricane comes, and if we are lucky, passes with minimal damage, maybe a few downed trees and power cuts. So I thought I would hold off on writing a post about the Red Shirts until the protests were over, thinking that there would be a conclusion after a weekend of protesting. Boy, was I wrong!

In late January, the Supreme Court of Thailand announced that it would pass its verdict on the highly anticipated Thaksin trial. Thaksin Shinawatra, former (ousted) prime minister of Thailand, was ousted in a bloodless coup in 2006, and since then, his Thai funds were frozen (all 76 billion baht, more than 2 billion USD). There were stories in the news that Thaksin supporters would protest after the court's decision was released, on February 26.

February 26th came and went with little drama. There were a few explosive devices found in Bangkok, but no mass rallies. The Red Shirts (the United Front for Democracy Against Dictatorship, or UDD) announced a protest date of March 12, more than two weeks after the announcement. (FYI, the courts decided to seize about half of Thaksin's Thai fortune, a decision seen by some as a cop-out and others as a good compromise. Nevertheless, they did decide that he acquired some of his wealth using illegal or immoral ways.)

Interestingly, the Red Shirts' reasons for protesting seemed to change after the verdict was released. Although they still supported Thaksin, their goal was to force the current government to step down and call a snap election. They believe that the current government is not legal (the current government gained control after the Yellow Shirt protests in 2008, when the courts said the current ruling party, supporters of Thaksin, could not hold office due to corruption).

As March 12 approached, people prepared for the protests - setting up phone trees, confirming numbers, and testing emergency SMS systems. The Embassy even closed early on March 12, because of fears that the Thai government might shut down the expressway or red shirts might begin protesting. But March 12 and 13th were very quiet. There were large protests on March 14th. I can remember thinking on March 12, when the news reported Red Shirt leaders saying there were enough funds for the protest to last 3-5 days, "really? five days? It can't go on that long!" Ha.

It's now April 20th, and the protests are still going on. Here are some of the highlights (or lowlights) of the protests, purely from my perspective.

For the most part, the Red Shirts rallied within their base, giving ample time and warning of when they would move. The first fews weeks were mainly quiet, although people still warned me to stay away from the Red Shirts, fearing the "Third Hand" (the almost mythical entity which apparently causes trouble during these types of protests) might instigate violence. But, for the most part, the protesters I saw were friendly, made up of many families. There was nothing sinister or violent about the protests. There were a few times when the protesters marched in front of the US Embassy. (In my opinion, to get more publicity from international sources - international news, save maybe BBC, has either not covered the protests or covered them so sporadically and sensationally that they provide a skewed and distorted picture of what's going on here.)

Nearly two weeks into the protests, the Red Shirts directly affected me. On March 23rd (day 12 of the protests), the prime minister decided to hold his weekly cabinet meeting at the Ministry of Public Health (his usual meeting place held seige by protesters). When I arrived to work the day before, I found several hundred soldiers camped out. As the day progressed, we learned more details - only the main gate would be open from 7-8am the following day and personnel were to remain inside their offices from 8am till noon. Usually, this would not be a problem - I take an Embassy van to get to work but only when there is room. On that Tuesday, there were too many authorized visitors taking the van, so I ended up taking a taxi, arriving at the wrong gate, begging my way across a small moat and through barbed wire, and finally getting to work. Later in the day (I was not in the office at the time), there were two grenades thrown into the complex. No one was hurt.

In the next week, there were several more motorcades. Nothing happened. The Red Shirts talked with the government, but nothing was settled. In the beginning of April, I headed to Hanoi, Vietnam, for a work trip. The same day, the Red Shirts moved into the Siam/Ratchaprasong commerical shopping area, closing the numerous malls and businesses in the area. They remained camped out there until the following Saturday (when I also returned from Vietnam). Things were quiet most of Saturday (April 10), but I got several messages saying I should not go near the Ploen Chit, Chit Lom, or Siam BTS Skytrain stations (about 10 minutes from where I live, and two stations down from me). That evening, the army and police tried to clear the Red Shirts out of the area and not only failed miserably, but their actions escalated the situation, leading to approximately 25 deaths and over 800 injuries.

The following week was Songkran, or Thai New Year, and although it was officially cancelled in Bangkok, celebrations still went on and the protesters were quiet.

Which brings us to this week - day 40(ish) of the protests. The Red Shirts remained camped out in the shopping/commerical area and have threatened to march into the business/banking area (Silom). Several hundred armed soldiers have secured the area and the Red Shirts seemed to have backed off of that idea. Several other groups, with various colored shirts, have held counter-protests, in support of the current government. The Red Shirt leaders have refused to continue negotiations with the government, despite (what I see) as the government's best attempt to compromise.

That, in not quite a nutshell, is what's been going on in Bangkok for the past month and a half. It's not particularly fun, but not particularly bad (for the most part). It's more of a daily annoyance, with the unknown ahead. I feel incredibly sad for those who died as well as those who are still protesting. They are risking their safety occassionally, but risking their livelihoods daily as they continue to protest. Many are farmers, who subsist on their daily wages. That being said, I also don't think holding a city seige is democratic. I'd like to end, though, by stating that I have never once felt unsafe in Bangkok. Thai people are remarkably friendly, kind and considerate, and many will go out of their way to assist you.

If you want to follow the Bangkok news in more detail, check out the Bangkok Post or The Nation. Both are slighly biased but will give you daily updates on the goings-on here. You can also search Twitter for #redmarch or #redshirt.

International Violence Against Women Act

2010-03-05T08:36:00.000+07:00

Monday celebrates International Women's Day. In honor of this, please consider learning more about the International Violence Against Women Act, currently being considered by the U.S. government. Wouldn't it be nice, someday, to not have a special day to celebrate the economic, political and social achievements of half of the world's population as a special occasion?

Violence against women and girls represents a global health, economic development, and human rights problem. At least one out of every three women worldwide are beaten, coerced into sex, or otherwise abused in her lifetime, with rates reaching 70% in some countries. The International Violence Against Women Act (I-VAWA) is an unprecedented effort by the United States to address violence against women globally. (IRC)

This legislation would make ending violence against women a diplomatic priority for the first time in U.S. history. The bill would require the U.S. government to respond to critical outbreaks of gender-based violence in armed conflict. It would invest in local women's organizations overseas that are successfully reducing violence in their communities. And it would help provide resources for economic opportunities that would help lift women and their families out of poverty. (Amnesty USA)

Please consider learning more about the Act from Amnesty International and consider signing a petition to send to your congresspeople, sponsored by the International Rescue Committee.

Here's an excellent video by Plan International.

Mu Koh Surin

2010-03-01T20:33:00.000+07:00

Top Four Reasons Why I Like Traveling With Thai People:

Well, let's go for the obvious first - it's much easier to travel with people who know the language and the region.
They care as much about skin protection as my mom. I never needed to worry about remembering to reapply sunscreen and got only slightly burned after three straight days in the Thai sun!
They travel like I do - go to great places, have a great time, for less!
They always come prepared with snacks and planned meals - some friends brought camping cookers also!

I'll probably add to this list as time goes on, but these are the big ones from my recent trip.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Briefly, I went to Mu Koh Surin last weekend, taking an overnight bus Friday night and returning very early Tuesday morning (fanciest overnight bus ever). Blog post of pictures, because there's really no other way to describe...

At Black Canyon Coffee, in the Southern bus station, waiting for our bus

(P'Boo, Me, Phillipe, Jip, O)

In Phang Nga, on a truck between the bus and boat (Thi, Me, Dr. Mike)

I can't decide whether I'm hot or cold... because it's 5:30 in the morning!

At the marina

My abode for two nights

My view from the tent

Me and the view

Getting ready! (Anchala, P'Boo, Thi and her husband)

On the boat, going snorkeling for the first time (me and Jip)

no photo editing here :)

beautiful water

waiting for the boat to go snorkeling

Nemo!

I think this is a barracuda... if not, I definitely saw a gang of them towards the end of one of our dives. I tried not to move as they passed, then quickly called the boat over!

Shark bait hoo ha ha!

A lobster! (or, at least, its antenna)

A flying lemur (colugo) - I have a video of it flying too! (I'll try to post that soon.)

The spicy noodles they made me try first and laughed at me when I turned bright red. Then they tried some and turned bright red!

The group

Our boat

On the boat

That'd be me

Beautiful yellow fish

Dory: I shall call him Squishy and he shall be mine. Come here Mr. Squishy! Come here little Squishy! Come here dee ba dee ba ba! ZAPP! Ow!
Marlin: Dory! That's a jelly fish!
Dory: Bad Squishy! Bad Squishy!
Marlin: Shoo shoo shoo!

Do you remember what happens next?

We got attacked by a swarm of them (what DO you call a mass of jellyfish?) Luckily, we all managed to climb back into the boat without any stings.

Wonderful trip!

Some basic information, taken from a display at the Phang-nga marina:

Background
Mu Koh Surin was designated the 29th national park of Thailand on July 9, 1981. It covers an area of 141.25 sq.km. 77% of the area is marine. The park consists of 5 islands and also includes the nearby two rocks. Between the months of June and November, there are large waves on the seas and heavy rain. Between December and May, the weather is better, with calm seas and clear skies. This season is suitable for tourists to visit the National Park. The tropical forest and coral reefs are regarded as one of the most valuable natural classrooms in Thailand. About 14 km to the east of Mu Koh Surin is the famed SCUBA diving site known as "Richelieu."

North Surin Island
Tourist bungalow and the restaurant are located at the Park Headquarters on North Surin Island. The hire of snorkeling equipment and long-tailed boats is also available here. The beaches of North Surin Island are rather small, but the island boasts several picturesque peaceful bays. The most popular spot for swimming and camping is Ao (bay) Chong Khad. This bay is also the most scenic location for observing the sunset.

A new campsite has recently opened at Ao Mai Ngam, where a park restaurant and bathrooms are available (this is where I stayed). Tourists can relax, swim, and camp in this huge newly developed area, which is not only the best site for vacationing tourists but also remains very rich in natural diversity. Visitors can reach the bay by long-tailed boat or by following the nature trail from the park's HQ.

South Surin Island
South Surin Island has several interesting sites, though it is necessary to take a boat from North Surin Island to reach them. Ao Satok and Ao pak Kad are very beautiful, while Ao Tao is the site where turtles are most often seen.

Ecosystem
Mu Koh Surin National Park is an invaluable site of natural heritage, not just the destination for tourists to exploit for their own pleasure. The area boasts a rich biodiversity that ranges from the largest fish in the world, the whale shark, to rare birds such as the Beach Thick-Knee and the Nicobar Pigeon. Mammals such as the Malayan Flying Lemur can also be easily seen.

Travel Information
The park is located in Phang-nga Province and is about 720 km from Bangkok. Take any bus from Bangkok's Southern Bus Terminal (Sai Tai) that passes Amphur Khura Buri. Get off and catch a taxi. The park is open from mid-November to mid-May. There is a daily ferry service from Khura Buri Pier to Mu Koh Surin at 9am and takes approximately 2 hours. The return journey leaves the island at 13:30pm daily.

You wouldn't hang out with the carnies, would you?

2010-02-26T15:26:00.000+07:00

Sometimes, I think expats feel special living in a different country. I admit - occasionally, I feel that way. We're the adventurers, the ones who can leave behind those comforting feelings of normalcy, the bonds of long friendships, and the ties to the familiar, to explore, create, begin anew, reveling in our ability to move constantly.* During a recent club meeting (a mixed group of expats from different countries with different backgrounds and nationals), we were talking about this feeling being both beneficial (all those change the world types) and damaging (can you say sexpat?). For some people, their experiences are eye-opening, leading them to delve deeper into their new culture, realizing that something can be learned from everyone encountered, regardless of their station in their culture. For others, this experiences seems to solidify prejudices they already have.

I had an unsettling experience with the latter this week.

As a quasi-member of the US Embassy in Bangkok, I was quasi-required to go to a security training seminar. You're supposed to go within the first two weeks of arriving - I was a little late. But, I trudged down to the seminar (after a lovely overnight bus back to Bangkok from Mu Koh Surin... more on that later), thinking "it can't be that bad."

But it was! I was told to constantly watch my bag, because "people here in Bangkok will grab anything they can... keep it close to your body because they'll cut the bottom with a razor." Thank you, sir, for giving me basic, living in a city advice. Then, we were told not to use ATM or credit cards because "someone's always watching and there have been cases of stolen cards from Villla Market [a grocery store] and hair salons." The piece de resistance was when he told us not to ride motorbikes 1) because they are unsafe and if there is a helmet, do you really want to put it on your head after 10,000 other people have, and 2) because motorbike drivers are the "carnies of Bangkok. You wouldn't want to hang out with the carnies, would you? They sleep on the street and their breakfast is a Red Bull and dinner is vodka." Not five minutes later, he was talking about purse-snatchers who ride motorbikes. "But, you know, the motorbike drivers won't let them [the purse-snatchers] wear their uniform.** They won't let them hang out in the same area either."

Now, I don't know about you, but some of the nicest people I've met while traveling (and the most helpful) are the people you wouldn't expect. The drug-dealing next-door neighbor who makes sure you can safely walk home or the somewhat crazy-looking woman who drags you out of a crowd to point out that your bag is open. Yes, sometimes there are people who you don't want to hang out with, but judging them based on their job just isn't fair. And, the bike drivers I know (yes, I do take motorbikes frequently, so often, in fact, that most of the drivers on the corner of my street know me) are generally kind and very helpful. They laugh at my Thai, then teach me to say something else. They make sure I don't get ripped off by other drivers. They give me directions. They generally drive safely (more carefully then some crazy, fancy-car drivers I've seen).

So, yes, I would hang out with the carnies.

* Please note that I don't always feel this way, or for some of the characteristics, ever feel this way. Living in another country is sometimes as great as it is idealized to be and sometimes it stinks (like not being able to find the only cough medicine that makes you feel better or getting utterly frustrated at not understanding [everything, shampoo products, signs, people who are supposed to be speaking English] or the constant rotation of friends and colleagues).
** Drivers must pay to buy a vest that is usually bright orange, yellow or purple.

Holiday Time

2010-02-18T17:27:00.000+07:00

Sawatdee ka! Happy New Year!

As some of you may not realize, February is a pretty holiday-full month. So to start off, some February holiday trivia for you (answers at the bottom of the email):

1. How many holidays are there in February?

2. What should you give your romantic partner on February 14th?

3. Which color should you wear on February 14, 2010?

4. How many New Years are there in Thailand?

I begin with Happy New Year! This weekend was the Chinese New Year celebration and there were plenty of festivities, especially in Chinatown (or Yaowarat). Over the weekend, the price of oranges skyrocketed (bring wealth and good luck, depending on the type), many people wore red (which is unusual), and the main road in Chinatown was closed for pedestrians to explore the food, displays, and shows (pictures attached). If it were not so hot during the day, I would have spent most of the day exploring. I realized in my last email, I boasted about being able to wear flip-flops and t-shirts... probably not the best idea considering the temperature will only rise in the coming months. April is apparently the warmest month of the year, with temperatures rising over 40 Celsius (104 Fahrenheit). But for now, while most of the US is covered with snow (I heard the other day that 49 of 50 states had measurable snow on the ground!), I am still basking in the warmth that, for now, I adore.

This month, I was able to explore a different side of Thailand, traveling southeast of Bangkok to Koh Samet, an island in the Gulf of Thailand. It's a popular destination with Bangkokians, because it's fairly close to the city but a peaceful respite from it. There are frequent buses to Ban Phe, the launching point for boats to the island, and it's easy to take the ferry or smaller chartered boats directly to the island. The beaches were beautiful, especially those that were slightly secluded from the larger resorts.

In late January I had some unexpected but welcome friends come stay in Bangkok. In a strange, this-really-IS-a-small-world series of events, I met up with my family friend's family friend's daughter and her friend. Don't worry about figuring out the connections! Her friend was brought to Bangkok because of a health condition, before being sent back home. Without knowing the friend's full name and just having a basic description of the daughter, I made my way to a local hospital to try to find them. As luck would have it, I did (to their surprise and mine!). While meeting them under such conditions was not the best, it was very nice to meet both of them and share some quality time in a Bangkok hospital.

I also had some visitors from Phnom Penh come over the holiday weekend (i.e., President's Day, because I work for the USG). I exhausted them with the grand Bangkok tour and frequent trips to American fast food restaurants. There are not many American chains in Phnom Penh, so they were craving some trans fats and cholesterol ;) Luckily, Bangkok can supply that, as well as an absurd number of malls, ranging from outdoor markets that just happen to be inside to the most luxurious malls I've ever seen.

I think that may be all of my updates and world trivia for today. There are lots of pictures posted on Facebook and Flickr. I head to Koh Sarin this weekend for some snorkeling, then to Vietnam sometime in March or early April. In related news, my work (the reason I'm in Thailand) is going well. I submitted an abstract for the International AIDS conference in Vienna and hope to hear a positive response sometime in early April. I also almost definitely will be staying in Bangkok for another year (until October 2011). So, more time to plan visits and explore Southeast Asia with me!

Sawatdee ka,

Katie

1. Well, let's see... if you're in New Orleans, there's pretty much a holiday every day up until Mardi Gras, but most places are only closed on Lundi Gras and Mardi Gras, so we'll say two. If you're in Thailand, there's Chinese New Year, which goes on for about two weeks, but really the first three days are important, so we'll say three. If you're in the US, there's Washington's birthday and Lincoln's birthday, which used to be celebrated separately (see Holiday Inn starring Bing Crosby for highlights) but are now celebrated as President's Day (=1). And if you're in any country where Hallmark or the maker's of bird's nest beverage sell their wares, there's Valentine's Day (=1). And, let's not forget about Punxsutawney Phil, whose shadow predicts the next 6 weeks of weather in Pennsylvania for Groundhog Day. Who knew February was such a jolly month with 8 holidays?!

2. Bird's nest beverage, of course (you were thinking chocolate?). No, the delightful taste of a swallow spit will make him/her swoon.

3. Red! Not a trick question here... Red, the color of love; Red, the lucky color of the Chinese New Year. Just make sure not to wear it another day in Thailand, as it's also a political color.

4. Three - there's New Year according to the Gregorian calendar (so we are in 2010); there's the Chinese or Lunar New Year (Year of the Tiger); and there's the Thai New Year, or Songkran (in mid-April). If you are Vietnamese, you also celebrate Tet (which occurs around Chinese New Year).

Geaux Saints!

2010-02-08T17:04:00.000+07:00

Just a quick post because I'm so excited the Saints won the Superbowl! And, I got to watch the whole game live, starting at 6:30 this morning (being Monday). Although there were no commercials (thank goodness for YouTube) and The Who's half time show was a little off (the audio was about 10 seconds ahead of the visual), it was tons of fun watching the game.

Oh yeah, and there's a live camera at Jackson Square... when I last checked (5pm Thai time = 4am Nola time), there were still people out and about :)

(me and my Saints' colored Zulu coconut last Mardi Gras...

this was also my expression when the Saints won today)

Adventures in Bangkok

2010-01-24T15:08:00.000+07:00

Some pictures from my latest adventures in Bangkok...

Temple around Wat Suthat and the Giant Swing

Giant Swing

Wat Suthat

Buddhas inside Wat Suthat

Me (I'll get better at self-portraits!)

Klong (canal)

Democracy Monument

Golden Mount /Wat Sakhet (beginning of the steps)

Bells along the way

Rama VIII Bridge (as seen from Wat Sakhet)

Top of the Golden Mount

Praying

Chinatown phone booth