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Every day brings new friends and
amazing experiences.
Today we visited a kindergarten where a our new Rotary friends have
provided a pump and generator that brings fresh water to hundreds of
children. We visited a bank for a lesson in how the Thai people are
updating their banking systems, the went to a senior center where we met
and held the hands of very aged people who will soon die in this very
special and caring institution. The team responds to everything with
warmth and love and they are received the same way.
We know the team that will come to the states and we've come to love each
of them. We all know that they will be treated with the same caring
as we have been and are eager to be a major part of their visit. Carol and
I would love to house up to two team members while they are here and to
have a team/team reunion.
Thank you for all that you've done to make this experience possible for
all of us.
Fondly,
Len
Dear friends,
We are on day four of our incredible adventure to Thailand. Each member of
our team is in fine health and seem to be dealing with the >heat and
humidity without a problem. We are amazed by the warmth shown to us by our
hosts, and new friends. Everyone we meet seems interested in GSE Colorado.
Each day we marvel at the traffic, watching motor bikes speed among the
automobiles. It is incredible to us that life moves forward, even with the
traffic jams. It is as if these people take everything in stride. They
smile, bow and say "sawatee Krub" (hello) and you know it comes from the
heart.
This afternoon we completed our fourth vocation session. We've learned
about education from the present District Governor Saowalak, the state of
Rotary in Thailand, the condition of health care at the ST. Louis
Hospital, and have visited a place of personal interest to each
individual. I was taken to an Elementary School where I was greeted by
hundreds of "good mornings," even though it was 4:00pm.. I even had a
chance to teach.
We've attended four Rotary meetings. Today we presented at the oldest club
in the district. Interestingly, it has always been an English speaking
club.
Tomorrow we will have our first informal activity. We will see the Grand
Palace and three other sights of religious importance. Soon we will see
the Ancient City, Crocodile Farm and have our first Thai Massage.
We are all honored to have been selected to reprent Rotary in Thailand,
and send our love to all of our colleagues in District 5450.
Fond regards,
Len Brass
Team Leader
Dear Friends,
The great food, incredible friendships born from home stays and welcoming
Rotary Clubs, and spectacular sights and learning opportunities continue!
March 13:
We visited an AIDS Hospice, the only place of its kind in Thailand. We
were guided through the last stage care ward, where people were
pencil-thin, clearly in pain, but many mustered smiles as we visited them.
We met a physician's assistant from Vermont, who is one of two "docs"
working there - the other a Belgian. Officially, foreign MDs are not
legally able to practice medicine in Thailand; however, they have had very
little luck getting a Thai doctor (some nurses, yes, but doctors, no), to
work there. There is so much stigma associated with HIV/ AIDS, which is
reminiscent of the US, but much more poignant. There was a "museum" of
corpses - literally bodies of people who'd died, with brief bios of each
victim. We were all moved - many to tears. They have a 1.2 million
Baht budget per month - each year, they only receive 1 million Baht from
the government.
The local and international donor communities help fill in the gaps. After
one year of negotiations with the government, we happened to be there the
day the gov't began issuing free antiretrovirals - it will be interesting
to see how long they are able to sustain free distribution, and how people
living with HIV/AIDS respond. And in the Bangkok Post, I read that the
free distribution campaign has been met with much resistance because it
requires people with HIV to "register" with the government, something many
are wary of doing for fear they will be outed with HIV in their home
communities/villages.
That afternoon, we visited King Narai palace, and reveled in the
history of Thailand and the area around
Lopburi in particular. We also were treated to three wheeled bike rides,
visiting the temples famous for the clans of monkeys who reside therein!
Lastly, to rejuvenate in preparation for the evening's party, we
were treated to Thai massage. It is like getting stretched out from head
to toe - intense and relaxing at the same time!
That night, we had a feast - a farewell dinner, and were treated to the
company of our Lopburi hosts, as well as a suprise return visit from many
of our hosts in Angthong, who are so dear to each of us. That night was
our debut in karaoke, and some GSEers stayed later to listen to Northern
Thai folk songs on guitar and sing US folks songs too.
March 14th-15th
We left Lopburi, and headed to visit many beautiful temples along the way
to Huay Pa Pok Resort. We were greeted at the resort, in a lovely
mountainous area of the country, with a banner welcoming us -
including a scanned image of our photo from our business cards. Needless
to say we felt warmly welcomed and impressed. This was the beginning of a
24 hour rest period, during which we met with a couple of Rotary Clubs,
read, relaxed, and the team rented bicycles and to our delight ended up
riding in the rain - to our first and only rainstorm to date which is so
welcomed given most days are in the high 90s. Alas, our time at the
mountainous resort was lovely. The evening of the 15th, we attended a
Rotary meeting in Ban Rai, and again, broke out the karaoke machine...it
appears to be a new trend and we're rehearsing in our free time to prepare
for our next solo or team songs!
March 16th
Today, we saw one of the most beautiful temples yet - tucked in a
rocky hillside, surrounded by flowers in bloom. The temple itself is not
finished on the inside, but the exterior is covered in beautifully carved
dark wood - teak perhaps. We visited many other temples that day,
including a "hall of mirrors" type of temple - full of glass reflected
beautiful Buddha images, and the remains of a famous monk preserved under
glass. We visited a group of women weaving traditional Ban Rai designs,
and were given lovely sashes by the Ban Rai club.
On to Uthai Thani -
We took a lovely boat ride (a welcome cool-down), and fed many wriggling,
writhing fish! In Uthai Thani, we stayed with a Past President and current
Asst District Governor, Khun Kajat. We met his lovely family, some of whom
vacated their rooms so we would have an entire wing to ourselves - three
air conditioned bedrooms and two baths. A luxury! When "Country Roads",
the John Denver song, began booming from the front yard, we knew it was
time. There were probably 15 women in their 50s and 60s dressed in Thai
traditional costume dancing - Thai drums booming through the courtyard.
The feast began. The non-verbal communication and broken Thai rang out
through the evening - and you guessed it, Karaoke! We were so touched when
our 71 year old host, Khun Kajat, broke out in song - about how much
he missed us though we hadn't even gone. The evening was capped off by a
fair. There were fireworks early on in the evening to mark opening night
of the week-long local fair, and we all joked it was to welcome our team.
Honestly, our welcomes are just short of such fanfare!
March 17th
We headed out for a long drive, from Uthai Thani to Petchabun, and were
escorted by so many of our friends from Uthai Thani. We visited several
temples along the way, perched on mountain tops. We could see for miles -
urban hubbub in one direction and parched rice fields in the other (due to
a drought, we were told). There's a snapshot. Tonight, we will meet with
the Rotary Club of Petchabun, and our staying in a hotel for our first
evening together.
I'd like my sponsoring club to get a snapshot of the once in a lifetime
experience we're having, and to express my gratitude for this opportunity!
Warm regards,
Janelle Weissman
My name is Yi-Chun Buckingham and I am
a team member of the GSE team from Colorado visiting Thailand. On behalf
of our team, below is a summary of what we've done in the past 5 days:
The last few days have been nothingn
less than the first week in Thailand. It is only getting better. Our
team has worked great together and along when we had either our vocational
visits or with our individual host families. We arrived in the city
called Angthong and met a new set of host families. Once again, we
received the warmest welcome and hospitality from the clubs in Angthong.
We had the chance to visit a school where a Thai traditional band made up
of elementary students, performed with Thai music instruments especially
for us.
We met the Rotary Club of Pranakorn-sri
Ayutthaya at its weekly Rotary meeting and gave our impressive
presentation. We visited the Ayutthaya Historic Center to learn about the
history of the "Land of the Free". Thailand has never been colonized by
any other country therefore the name "Land of the Free". In the city of
Ayutthaya, we also visited the elephant camp as well as some architectural
sites. The visit to Thai Rayon factory was the last but most educational
session before we left for the city of Khao Yai.
Khao Yai is known for its beautiful
national parks. While in Khao Yai, we stayed one night as a group in the
house of Dr. Songsak Owlarn, a successful commercial real estate
businessman. The surprise of the program at Dr. Songsak's house was an
early Thai New Year celebration (also known as Sonkran in Thai) with many
Rotarians from the near by Rotary Clubs. All six of us, with assistance,
dressed in the beautiful traditional Thai costumes. The celebration not
only consisted of good Thai food, but it also included several New Year
rituals. One ritual involved water, coconut milk splashing on each other
for good luck. Some of the splashing eventually turned into pouring later
on. It really showed us that Thai people truly celebrates their new year,
and considering we are in one of the hottest months in Thailand, some
extra water on our clothing was a good thing. A mixture of coconut milk
and flower peddles were offered to any one sitting down in the palms. A
soap like liquid was also rubbed on each other's faces while giving New
Year blessings. Our team did most of the receiving at first, before
everyone were invited to get up and start Thai dancing in a circle around
the dining table.
All of this took place in the backyard
of Dr. Songsak's house on top of the mountain. Everyone on the team
experience first hand a portion of the celebration of SonKran (April 13 to
15). We were overwhelmed by joy and greatfulness. We made so many
friends that night and experienced a dream-like Thai New Year party.
The next day we visited the Chkchai
Dairy Farms and learned how dairy farms are operated in Thailand, followed
by a visit to more Buddhist temples. Every visit to a temple made us more
humble and peaceful at the same time.
After Khao Yai, we went on to the city
of Lopburi, with another warm welcome by Rotarians and new host families.
As soon as we arrived in town, we were ready for another great
presentation at the Lopburi Rotary Club meeting. Combine our oral
presentation as well as the DVD presentation on Colorado and our team, all
the clubs we have visited have had nothing but congratulations to us.
Thailand is also known for its Saphire
stones and Thai Silk so we had a tour of both facilities in the town
called Banmi. We will be visiting an AIDS Care Center tomorrow in Lopburi
and we have already done some research and reading to prepare us for this
special trip.
Every place we have visited, we have
been regarded one of the best team to Thailand, and we will continue to
represent District 5450 the best we can.
On behalf of my team leader, Len, and
team members, Michelle, Bo, Janelle, and Monica, until next time.
P.S. Len sends his love to Carol.
Yi-Chun Buckingham
GSE Team Member
Dear friends in Rotary,
I hope you've been reading about the Team Thailand adventures on the
Rotary Websight fo our district. Today we presented for the final time in
front of almost six hundred people at the district conference in Pattaya.
Pattaya is a resort community about two hours from Bangkok.
On this day, the team stole the hearts of a Rotary District. Again, we
were received with gifts, hugs, love. The Thai people have take us into
their hearts in a way I had never imagined only thirty days ago. You would
have been proud of this team throughout our visit. Each member put the
team first. There were no problems. The relationships built between the
six of us will last our lifetimes. I have feel as though I have five new
children and I love each of them.
It is impossible to describe the vocational visits, host families,
beautiful sights and the warmth and generosity of the Thai people. They
are beyond comparison. I will always be Thai in my heart because I have
learned that the Thai are truly the most wonderful people I've ever met.
Again, you can be very proud of us. We've represented our clubs, our
district, and our state and nation just exactly as you would have wished
for. I know that the comments you receive from the Rotarians we've met
will praise our team to the sky.
I miss you all. My love from the country of smiles.
Len
Dear friends,
I can't believe that the working part of our visit is over and that is was
such an incredible success. My feelings are so deep and so emotional that
I can't express them in words. The team was called "the best," over and
over again, and I am forced to concur. I could have asked nothing more of
the five wonderful team members than I received. Our hosts, teachers, and
new friends will be a part of us forever and I know that I will return. I
love Thailand.
I have a special request. The Thai Water Festival is held here in the
middle of April.. around the 15th. The Thai team, who I have come to love,
will miss this occasion unless we can make such a festival or party
happen... Our Colorado team and I would like to be a major part of this
celebration.
The Thai team would like us to have a big party. They would like to work
with my our team members to cook Thai meal, would dress in costume and
provide a show of Thai dancing that will take your breath away, and would
like everyone to participate in the fun of the water festival. I need you
to make this happen. I will do whatever you need when I return on the 6th
of April. Please forward to me the agenda for the Thai team so that our
team can participate as much as possible,.
Again, I believe that you can be very proud. The trip couldn't have been
better.
Wishing you the best.
Fondly,
Len
31 March 2004
Dear Len and Team Members,
It's my pleasure and privileges to have crossed your paths through the
excellent GSE program in Thailand. Since your arrival at Bangkok
International Airport on 30 February 2004 early morning hours, you had
made great indelible impressions on your newfound friends, Rotarians, and
host families up till the very last minute we had to part at the end of
our District Conference in Pattaya.
Your team became the talk of the town. In which aspects? You all have an
open heart (to wholeheartedly embrace our Thai culture, spicy Thai
cuisines, the Thai language, our chitchat in Thai in your presence) and
your patient souls (our scorching sun, snarling Bangkok traffic, hot
temperature and humidity). You brace yourselves for any unexpected crash
landing in a new land. You enjoy our food and sometimes burn your tongues
when the little green or yellow bombs split their pods to startle your
taste buds. You sweat and can hardly find any shorter than short pants to
help ventilate the summer heat. You sit through the briefing and
debriefing sessions, club meetings, and vocational visits on factory
floors that make one feel like walking through a huge sauna hall (I have
no idea if they are exciting or boring, to be honest). You love our
simulated Thai Songkran Water Festival up on the hill of Kao Yai (the
actual Songkran Festival will fall on 13-15 April of each year). Yet you
all smile broadly and laugh heartily against all odds.
I guess the major contributing factors and keys to your success are:
Len is such a great, understanding and caring leader with an outstanding
warm fatherly image that helps smoothen any rough corners during the GSE
sojourn in Thailand.
Bo, Monica, Janelle, Michelle and Yi-Chun are more Thai than Thais. The
diversity of your cultural background and birth roots blend you neatly in
our Thai culture bowl. You have pulled through gallantly and beautifully.
You are indeed the Dream Team from Colorado, USA. We shall remember you
deep and long. Your GSE Team has now taken up a special chamber in
the hearts of all Thai Rotarians of District 3350, who had encountered you
by appointment or by chance.
As I had mentioned several times and echoed by my fellow Rotarians and GSE
Chair TV Mike, your Team is the best GSE team I have ever crossed paths.
We all earnestly look forward to your many happy returns to our country
and in particular to our homes.
With fondest regards,
Sincerely,
Rtn. Kasemchai Nitiwanakun
Advisor to GSE Committee, 2003-2004 |
