In No Specific Order: Taking a Moment for the Brain, Heart, and Soul

Let's be honest: it is so damn easy to be consumed by things in our daily life that constantly draw our attention away from what really, truly matters.  It happens, we're all victims of this, and it's inevitable.  However, we can thank goodness for the hearts and minds of three special women: Rachel Sparks-Graeser, Leslie Cunningham, and Hailey Wist.  Why these three women, you ask?  Let me explain...

Two years ago, my cousin Rachel's life forever changed after she had moved to New York City and learned that children were being sold into prostitution all over the world. No longer content to live as she had been, she began wrestling with how to get involved. The result?  The SOLD Project.

Last year, my cousin Leslie took on a challenge to provide mothers--of young and old children alike--a photographic reflection about giving birth.  She combined her powerful, literary eye for the joys and surprises of motherhood along with her talented understanding for the media driven concept of feminine beauty to please and strike home a cause that is common for all women who have walked into the circle of motherhood.  From her dedication to #goodness came The Afterbelly.

This year, my friend Hailey (whom I would say is an Alice Waters protégé) invited four suburbanites to grow a summer garden in rural Arkansas.  During this time, they discovered the forgotten satisfaction of digging in the dirt and porch sitting with neighbors. They ate within a 100-mile radius, sold their goods at a local farmers market, and gained (or deeply instilled) their compassion for sustainability.  Hailey's spark birthed The Garden Summer. 

Please, take a moment outside of yourself to fill your brain, heart, and soul with the amazing and powerful work of these three incredible women.  

A Saturday in the Village, ABCs, and the White Wat

Today was one of the best days in Thailand. With "Thai Lovin" now a thing of the past, I started the day with nothing but smiles from a good night's sleep and no stomach aches. Everyone else in the house was up early, ready to make their way over to the resource center for the new Saturday morning program. The SOLD Project's Resource Center is located just outside the village where most of the outreach work is done.

We arrived to the Resource Center close to 8:30am to begin teaching at 9am, but many of the children from the village had already arrived and were eager to get started. With ages ranging from 7-14 years old, almost 50 students were divided into three levels based on their individual progress with English. The night before, Deirdre had designed a 2 hour lesson plan for the Level 1 students and had approached me about assisting with the lesson. I was ecstatic about the opportunity to teach the young Level 1 students the English alphabet.

As we started going through the alphabet, Christa, Brady, and I had the 28 students repeat each letter of the alphabet a few time, writing down each letter as we went from A to Z. Their enthusiasm was impressive, and I realized that they understood only a small amount of what we were saying and more from what we were doing. After making our way through the ABCs and a few rounds of the alphabet song, we were finally able to allow the students to put their knowledge of the letters to the test in a few short games.

We had them practice writing the alphabet as teams in a race, shaping their bodies as a small team into different letters, and then finally, a closed-note game with the entire group of students getting a random letter and trying as fast as they could to run up to the front and put their letter in order on one of the two tables.

As time grew short with the day quickly heating up, the students were released back to their homes to enjoy the rest of their Saturday. Before we headed back into Chiang Rai, we drove through the village where most of the students live and play. As we drove through the village, I couldn't help but think how irrelevant English, or even staying in school past 9th grade, could be for many of these children.

After much inquiry (a regularity now that I am here with Rachel and Nate who are so patient with all of my questions), I discovered that parents in the village either cannot afford their children's education past 9th grade or they view children as lazy if they are not contributing to their family by working on the farms or in the fields. Needless to say, it was enlightening to be part of The SOLD Project that morning. This feeling was captured in a picture at one of the most picturesque places in the village.

Once we got back on the road to Chiang Rai, we made short detour for lunch and to visit the White Wat. This was quite a unique sight, and we were able to walk around and inside the temple.

Pictures weren't allowed inside the temple, but I can attest to the fact that the paintings on the walls inside the temple are nothing like other Buddhist temples. There were paintings of the twin towers burning on one wall and on an adjacent wall, depictions of superheroes and hollywood characters--even a scene from Avatar. By far, the most peculiar aspect of this modern temple were the hands coming up from ground at the entrance. Can you spot the red finger-nailed hand?? Crazy, huh?

Well, after this incredible morning filled with laughter, joy, and excitement, we found ourselves settled back at the house for some relaxation and reflection. A bit later, I cruised through Chiang Rai on my first motorbike ride. With Brady on a bike in front of me, I had a chance to get a feel for the downtown traffic, driving on the right side of the road, and getting a bug stuck in my eye. Later in the evening, we went for a walk through the city, ate salads with curried chicken, and found ourselves back at the house for another game of Apples to Apples. Another great day in Chiang Rai, and by far the best one yet.

Next up on The Dandygram: Motorbikes, Night Bazaar, and PEACE HOUSE.

First Day in Chiang Rai, "Thai Lovin," and Vietnamese Pho

The first full day (a Friday) in Chiang Rai was absolutely splendid! However, I had slept horribly the first night and also woke up with a very upset stomach...

Not by any choice of my own, I was up early, so I decided to find out if anyone else was awake in the main house (where Rachel and Nate live and the other guests/friends are staying). Luckily, Zack was in the kitchen getting himself some water, so he let me in since the doors and windows remain locked through the night to keep bugs and lizards out. Still, many of those little creatures manage to find their way inside and into most of anything they want. Since arriving into Thailand, I haven't been bitten once, so I for that I am lucky. However, I suffered for nearly 48 hours with what is known as "Thai Lovin."

After spending some time moving from the couch, table, and making trips to the bathroom, the rest of the house was awake and was eating breakfast. Breakfast is my favorite part of the day here so far--next to when it rains--because Nate has whipped up some amazing eggs for the past two days, but back to the first morning . . . despite my suffering from intense "Thai Lovin," I managed to thoroughly enjoy a helping of Nate's signature eggs (scrambled with cream cheese, Thai peppers, and chives) along with some of the best coffee that is grown in the northern mountains of Thailand just outside of Chiang Rai.

Unfortunately, my tasty breakfast did not help much to settle my stomach, but I managed to push through and remain hopeful that it would pass soon because I couldn't let a bad case of "Thai Lovin" keep me down and hold me back from experiencing the sights and sounds of my first day in Chiang Rai. After some relaxing time just lounging around after breakfast, checking emails and updating blogs, Rachel and Deirdre left on a motorbike for a meeting with their work on The SOLD Project and Nate took the rest of us into Chiang Rai for while. We walked around downtown for a while--both in and out of the rain--while Nate ran some errands.

As we regrouped, Nate insisted we eat lunch at his favorite place for Vietnamese food as it is is also one of his top choices for places to eat in all of Chiang Rai. As we dined, the plates of Vietnamese food just kept coming, and we all tried a bite or two of everything--something quite customary in the Asian culture. We each ordered our own bowl of Vietnamese Pho, an entrée served in bowl containing broth, choice of meat (pork), noodles, and then a self-served addition of an array of spices, seasonings, herbs, and of course, bean sprouts! Bean sprouts seem to be a staple addition to any bowl of noodles, so we ordered an entire helping of them so we could each toss a handful into our bowl of Pho.

This was a very filling meal, but like other Thai food, it doesn't leave you feeling stuffed or sluggish after finishing. Instead, you feel awake, refreshed, and if your like me, your lips will still be a little numb. However, I couldn't even make it to the end of the meal before I had another dose of "Thai (or this time: Vietnamese) Lovin." Geesh!! Will it just be over already? Sadly, that episode was not the end of it but merely the beginning of a long day consisting of stomach cramps, heartburn, and what has been coded as an acceptable term for #2: "Thai Lovin." I have to be honest, it has been worth every last cramp because the food tastes like nothing I've had before, it's incredibly cheap, and I can't resort to just eating sticky rice and bland dishes. So, I continued to push through . . .

Shortly after our Pho, we met up with Rachel and Deirdre at the best little coffee place in all of Chiang Rai where we enjoyed lattes, and I took some time to brush up on my conversational Thai.

I am getting some of the essential phrases down, but there is much difficulty understanding some of the ways that words are spoken with the FIVE different tones: rising, falling, mid-tone, low, and high. Some words are very difficult when they require a rising tone that might follow a word with a low tone, or vice versa. Anyway, we drank our coffees, and I learned some Thai!

We drove around Chiang Rai for a bit, making stops at places to meet other friends of Rachel and Nate doing similar work or teaching English. We made a few more stops on our way back for some groceries to make chicken and basil, morning glory, and jasmine rice.

Friday was an early night because Saturdays for the group are big days. Since The SOLD Project recently finished the first stages of building their resource center directly outside the village where they work with the local children, they have started offering a two-hour Saturday program to help teach English to those children who come to participate in the program. Many of the participating children are offered scholarships to pay for their schooling (because it is not free after 9th grade) as well as supplies. The new Saturday morning program is a way for Rachel and others with SOLD to reach out to the children, provide them with mentorships, and teach English!

Saturday was only the second time they've done their Saturday program, and Christa and I were extended an invitation to join them, participate, and we were given a group of the Level 1 kiddos who are still learning their ABCs. I can't wait to share the stories, pictures, and a short video (or two) of this incredibly moving experience!

Next up on The Dandygram: Saturday In the Village, ABCs, and the White Wat.

Cab Rides, Curfews, and Curry!

We arrived safely into Bangkok! Ruben, Elliott, Christa, and I were "warmly" welcomed on the tarmac by HOT and HUMID weather, but no complaints here. It was only to be expected, and honestly, it was breathtaking (to say the least). Unlike the numerous times I have deplaned at the Phoenix airport or in the Middle East at the beginning of a deployment, I embraced the new climate with genuine gratitude because I am on vacation for the next five weeks with new people, exploring new countries, and enjoying absolutely incredible (and CHEAP) food.

We found our backpacks at the baggage claim--backpacks that have, mind you, been loaded to the brim with some seriously unnecessary clothes we believe are going to be essential during our travels around Southeast Asia but work only to incredibly weigh us down. My backpack contained at least 4 or 5 pounds of goodies and gifts (Twizzlers, Mac 'n Cheese, games, etc.) for Rachel and the kids at The SOLD Project, so it was a rewarding haul. However, after about 10 minutes standing at the pick-up curb, searching and waiting for our hostel's shuttle van, we threw up our arms and grabbed a taxi. We managed to hail an ordinary taxi with an extraordinary driver.

Now, in an ordinary taxi around the world, passengers typically find difficulty in trying to make a Westerner backpack fit into a Toyota Corolla-sized trunk--let alone FOUR--but with an extraordinary taxi driver, the options are limitless. Short of tying Ruben's rucksack down onto the hood, our driver managed to rig his overloaded trunk closed using a few worn bungee cords and a prayer was said for a smooth road to the hostel!

You might be thinking: why are you writing about the taxi ride from the airport to you hostel? Easy answer: This taxi ride and driver was NOTHING compared to the one we were finally able to catch around 7:45pm in downtown Bangkok with a mere 15 minutes to spare until the government-imposed curfew kicked in. Now, before I get to the "Curfews and Curry" part of this blog and the long answer to your question, let me photoblog you with some highlights of our first accommodation in Thailand. It's pretty swank for 13 dollars a night (thanks Elliott!):

As you can see, our first arrangements were nothing short of incredible. Christa and I managed to sneak in an hour massage right next to the lobby ($10/ea), and we all enjoyed a decent breakfast earlier this morning. So now, let me get back to our adventures going into the night--our first in Bangkok.

After staying close to our hostel upon arrival, feeling out our new location, playing Rummy 500 in the parking lot, and catching some rays, we decided to each take cat-naps in order to get our heads on straight and overcome the jet-lag. Christa was the only one that truly managed to nap, but we eventually got our rears in gear for a trip into Bangkok for a nice dinner and some casual walking/window-shopping. Our anticipation upon arriving in the city (as well as with our requests for a taxi into the city) was met with confused looks and closed vendors during our entire cab ride into the city of Bangkok.

Many of you may already know, I am a chatty, easy-going, communicable kind of guy, but in all honesty, it has been nearly impossible to communicate without some prior understanding of Thai, or vice versa. However, we managed to make signals using our hands with our taxi driver, and by sounding out a few words, we found ourselves in a nice shopping/retail district of Thailand.

It didn't take long in the city to decide that we should just get some dinner and head back to our hostel by 8pm. As we walked block after block, we were constantly reminded that Bangkok is still a very much alive and bustling city--despite the political unrest.

We took in as many different sights and sounds of Bangkok as we could, we made our way to a little spot just east of downtown Bangkok called Ana Garden. Needless to say, we feasted at our new location, eating Pad Thai, Green Curry Chicken, and other authentic Thai food, but the situation near blocks away kept us from enjoying a longer, later night out in the city. As we ate and drank, we couldn't help but take in the exquisite setting of the restaurant, its greenery, and the flowing waterways throughout the restaurant.

The crux of this post ultimately rests with our decision to savor our surroundings in the Ana Garden a bit longer than we all expected to. Once we made our way outside to hail a cab, taxis were whizzing by in the night, loaded with passengers also intent on making it home before 8pm. We only had 15 minutes to spare before the curfew set in and had no real hope in sight (unless you count the numerous mopeds that slowed down willing to let us jump on the back).

We managed to hail a cab after a few minutes of persistent waving but had no luck; he turned us away proclaiming that he did not have enough time to take us back to our hostel and be home in time for the mandatory curfew. So, we unloaded out of his cab and got back onto the curb.

Low and behold, another ordinary cab with an extraordinary driver approached and stopped to listen to the plea we gave the last cabbie: "Here's the address we need to go. We know it is 20 minutes away and it is already ten until 8pm, but we will pay you good Baht!"

Whether it was our desperation, persistence, charm, or all three, we found ourselves whisked away towards the Silver Gold Garden Hotel at an approximate 130-140 km/h in another gold Toyota Corolla sans backpacks.

Next time, I opt for the mopeds, and according to what I saw around Bangkok, I shouldn't shave my moustache just yet.

Next up on The Dandygram: Chiang Rai, My Cousin Rachie, Nate, and OOSHKI!