Last weekend we took part in a cross cultural training retreat at resort near Bangkok... gorgeous setting on a river where we spied this monk just before breakfast
Our family bungalow
Roald Dahl would've loved this place & its many critters
Ry learning traditional Thai Bamboo Dance with Maria
Love...
Love...
Can't say that I love the innuendo that's so very prevalent here, but it can provide comic relief to things like ice cream
We dread missing out on lives of loved ones back home. Our first nephew Tristan Alexander was just born at 34 weeks gestation, healthy & doing well. Rob's sister Lisa was able to keep incubating him for 6 weeks from a hospital bed after her water broke at just 28 weeks... nice work, Mama! Welcome to this big, beautiful world Tristan!
Ever since my own girls were in utero, I have sung to them the alluring lines from Miss Saigon,
"On the other side of the earth
There's a place where life still has worth
I will take you, I'll go with you.
You won't believe all the things you'll see,
I know 'cause you'll see them all with me..."
I always had Japan in mind while crooning this song, then up popped Europe and Thailand. Beggars can't be choosers, so thank you, Johnson Controls, for the other sides of earth you have gifted to us.
Thai politics is heating up, and we're having to talk about things like evacuation plans should the unlikely need arise...we'd probably head to Singapore or Malaysia for a bit. Recent events are making us stop & better appreciate things we love about Thailand. A few of my favorites, in no particular order:
1. Fruit Vendors - literally everywhere, it's simple to purchase a little bag of healthy, chunked, fresh fruit on the streets.
2. Sunsets - my pictures don't do justice. Grateful for living on the sunset side of Lake Mich, but tropical sunsets are extra special
3. Mai Pen Rai - a phrase & concept that permeates Thai culture, no literal translation, but roughly "no big deal", "it's okay", "you're welcome", "no worries", "oh, well", "never mind". It's a beautiful phrase used in varied circumstances to avoid confrontation or making others feel bad, and I am working to better incorporate the words & spirit in my own journey
4. Smiles - aptly named the Land of Smiles and if you smile at most Thais, not only will they smile back, but it'll be the biggest ear-to-ear grin you've seen in a long time. Thais smile right through to their eyes, genuine. At times I can't help but wonder how they can possibly smile, and then I witness their spirit of mai pen rai and am envious of their ability to grin through thick or thin
5. I'm (Kinda) Tall Here - My 64 inches usually make me the tallest when in a group of Thai women, and even men sometimes. Again living a dream, I enjoy feeling tall
6. Thai Yoga Class - yoga here has clicked with me like never before. My amazing Thai instructor conducts the all-Asian class entirely in Thai... I zone out, don't have a clue what she's saying, just follow along and it's wonderful! Again, mai pen rai if I don't completely get the full physiological benefit of each & every stretch. I'm smiling & happy & that's of benefit. I'm curious if I'll enjoy yoga back home some day where the instructor speaks English
7. Mountainous Landscape - our Thai landscape is simply gorgeous. I love mountains, but have nothing of the sort near our enchanted Waukazoo Woods, so am relishing the small mountain peaks & palm tree terrain I see daily when driving or simply looking out our window
8. Flowers - Orchids in particular, but I am a lover of all flora & appreciate being able to fill the house with blooms for pennies compared to home. My only limit here is the sniffles I need to avoid inducing in my allergic husband
9. Lemongrass - Love the energizing scent found everywhere from hotel soaps & shampoos to oil burners and food. I don't recall ever seeing it fresh back home, and hope I can find there someday
10. Tom Yum - with the exception of some green curries, I adore eating Thai and if the girls were on board, could eat it fresh most every night. Tom Yum Kung (shrimp) is my absolute favorite, and I really hope I'll be able to find the goods to correctly reproduce it back home
These are just 10 of the umpteen things coming to mind when I ponder my Thai loves.
I still can't wait to share Japan with the girls, and finally we will! We booked flights last month for snowboarding there in December... hot onsen, snow monkeys, cozy futons, big ol' bowls of noodles, tea ceremony, bullet trains, Tokyo at rush hour, toilet seats with more apps than i-phones, the art of bowing... I'm a little excited to introduce AJ-chan & Mei-chan and ride snowy mountains.
But until then I'll keep soaking up Siam. I'm so very grateful Rob introduced us to another piece of earth where life still has such worth. Peace to Thailand!
