Let’s Have Another Coup, Shall We?

Posted on 26 August 2008 by christao408

Let me start by making clear that I love Thailand. Wonderful country, the nicest people, a warm and caring culture, etc. But the political back and forth between the two groups who are fighting for control of the country, basically the old money versus the new money, is threatening to make Thailand an irrelevant country in terms of business and foreign investment.

As soon as the current, democratically elected government (the new money) took their seats, the “People’s Alliance for Democracy” (the old money) started protests trying to topple them. (Don’t let the irony pass you by.) This is the same PAD that was behind the protests that so threatened the stability of the Kingdom that the armed forces felt compelled to step in and conduct a coup d’etat in September 2006.

This time, the protests have taken another turn for the more serious. Calling today their “last war”, the PAD’s protestors stormed the government-owned National Broadcast Television station, pictured left.

They climbed the fences of Government House, the “White House” of Thailand. They also set out to close down all of the government ministries and take over the airports in Phuket and Hat Yai. No word yet on their success in those ventures.

Their goal: topple the government of Prime Minister Samak, who many see as the “puppet” of former Prime Minister (and now fugitive) Thaksin Shinawatra, who is in England seeking political asylum. Even though Thaksin’s wife has already been convicted of tax fraud and sentenced to three years and even though Thaksin is facing more serious charges, the government (the justice department, if I’m not mistaken) gave them permission to leave the country to attend the opening ceremony of the Olympics.

“We’ll be right back.” I’m sure they said. “We promise.” Wink, wink.

General Anupong, the Army Commander in Chief, has assured the public that the army will not intervene in this matter. No coup, he says.

Perhaps this is a good time to remind everyone that the Army Commander in Chief in mid-2006 gave the same assurances during that wave of PAD protests.

We’ll see what happens. One again, we have political chaos, further weakening the economy and distracting Thailand’s leaders from their efforts to do anything to help the people of Thailand, to improve education, standards of living, etc.

I’d like to believe in the high-mindedness of the protesters, but I suspect it is more about a juvenile fight over who gets the largest share of the pie. Instead, they should be focusing on how to make the pie larger so the size of everyone’s slice increases.

Secret images snuck in from Soi Soonvijai

Posted on 15 July 2008 by christao408

Recently Tawn asked me to upload some photos from his camera so I could email them to a friend. Along the way I took an opportunity (with his permission, of course) to see what other interesting snaps he had in there that he wasn’t sharing with the world.

Here are some recent, highly sensitive and extremely confidential images snuck out of his parents’ house on Soi Soonvijai. Shhh! Don’t tell Khun Sudha.

Soonvijai is a soi (alley/side street) off of Phetchaburi Road. Bangkok Hospital is off the main soi, but then it branches into more than a dozen sub-sois. Tawn’s childhood home is between the fifth and sixth sub-sois of the fourteenth soi off Soonvijai. Nomenclature for that sould be:

Phetchaburi Road, Soi Soonvijai 14/5-6

Now you know something about reading addresses in Thailand. Interesting little digression, huh?

Their property is comparable in size to two typical 1960s era suburban American lots, back in the days when houses in the US had yards and not just shoulders. Khun Sudha (Tawn’s father) is an avid gardener and has used his green thumb to create a verdant oasis, above.

Here is Khun Nui (Tawn’s mother) in the middle of the property, near a little courtyard that leads off the kitchen. The older section of the house is behind her. To the left is the three-story addition that was built about four years ago. Because a lot of Khun Sudha’s brothers and sisters live in adjacent properties and there is a lot of socializing between the families, the addition includes a large room on the entire ground floor for dining and gatherings, along with a very nice partially-covered deck on the top floor.

Khun Sudha just picked up a new set of wheels – the 2008 Honda Accord. Swanky, huh? To keep the cars out of the sun, there is a covered car park area that can hold four or five vehicles, including his old U.S. Army Jeep that he drove in his youth up in Buriram Province.

Taking the family out for a spin, Khun Tawn takes the opportunity to snap a father-son picture. I think Tawn should grow a moustache so he looks like his father.

Khun Nui chills on the spacious leather rear seats with her Audrey Hepburn cat’s eye sunglasses. Now you know where Tawn gets his fashion sense.

Back at home on July 1st, Khun Sudha celebrates his birthday with a dessert Tawn picked up at Le Notre and a glass of wine.

So there is the top secret footage inside the life of Khun Tawn. But if anyone asks, you didn’t get it from me!

Confronting the reality of southern violence

Posted on 9 July 2008 by christao408

Many of you may be aware, at least in a general way, of the ongoing violence in southern Thailand. From time to time I receive questions from friends and family about my safety, usually after a particular bombing or other incident makes its way into the international media.

This violence, with its deep roots and multiple causes, has claimed more than 2,700 lives in the past four years and completely disrupted life in the three southernmost provinces, an area that was already economically distressed.

I won’t go into the history or a detailed discussion of the insurgency – there’s a well-written article here on Wikipedia – but I was confronted by the reality of it, in a very unexpected way, a few weeks ago at Don Meuang Airport.

In the lobby, set against a wall, is an acrylic box collecting donations to buy bullet-proof vests for policemen and teachers.

One of the biggest impacts on the south has been the closure of schools. As symbols of the government, schools and teachers are often targeted for violence. Schools are bombed, teachers are beheaded and their bodies burned – affecting both Muslim and Buddhist communities and students.

Starting in November 2006, schools in the three southernmost provinces were indefinitely shut down. To this day, many of the schools are still closed primarily because very few people are willing to be teachers there. Teachers have transferred out of the provinces or quit altogether, for fear of their lives.

It is a terrible situation. Sadly, donation boxes may not be the best way to protect people there. Based on the contents of the box (pictured below), I’m not putting a lot of faith in it.

Here’s to a hope that one day, people learn to live in peace. It may be a futile hope, but I still have it.

Khlong Toei Market

Posted on 8 July 2008 by christao408

Saturday proved to be a fruitful day for blog fodder: blueberry muffins, Khun Nui’s visit, the Independence Day celebrations. I’ll squeeze one last entry out of that day based on the walk from the football pitch to the Skytrain station.

Since the weather was cloudy, breezy and relatively cool, we decided to hoof it all the way to Sukhumvit, a good 25-minute walk. Instead of staying on the main streets, we cut through talat Khlong Toei – the wet market in the Khlong Toei district.

Khlong Toei is a rough and tumble part of town, home to a number of slums that have sprung up on unused land owned by the port authority and the state railway.

Located originally near the abattoir or slaughterhouses, the section of town provided housing for the poor workers. To this day it is still known as place where the poor and destitute live.

Once a year or so, a fire will sweep one of the slums, resulting in the destruction of hundreds of homes and the displacement of thousands of people. Amazingly, they rebuild quite quickly. Sadly, the homes are never any safer.

In fact, there is the interesting story about the work of Father Joe Maier, an American-born Catholic priest that has spend more than thirty-five years working in this community fighting the ravages of poverty, disease, prostitution and drug addiction. Here’s a link to a recent book about his efforts.

Unlike some of the other wet markets in the city, which are listed in the guidebooks as “unique” (but decidedly accessible) looks into the heart of the daily lives of residents of the Big Mango, Khlong Toei’s market sits in relative obscurity.

It is one of the largest markets in the city and if you eat at restaurants or street vendors anywhere along Sukhumvit or in Siam Square, it is certain that at least some of your food was originally purchased at this market.

Let’s take a virtual tour of some of the sights in the market:

Below is a look down one of the long aisles in the market.

By late afternoon, almost everything is closed and vendors have cleaned up and gone home for a few hours of rest before their day begins again in the middle of the night.

The concrete footpaths are still damp from scrubbing. Sunlight filters down through the tarpaulins. The community of shopkeepers is tightly-knit. Friendships are made and families intermarry. True to the Thai ethos, despite the hard work there is always time for some fun. And nothing is more fun that some chit-chat and gossip. Well, except eating!

Above, a view of the khlong – canal – that runs through the market. This used to be used as an open-air sewer, the tides flushing refuse out to the river twice a day. While it still isn’t the cleanest water in the city, shopkeepers are now forbidden to dump anything into it. From what I understand, most of them comply. Quarters are close as houses are tightly packed but this part of the district is by no means the most humble.

Thai Buddhists love pork but rarely eat beef. The taste of Thai Muslims is the reverse. But poultry, below, is a favorite food for Thais of all beliefs. Guaranteeing freshness, you can buy your chickens and ducks alive and kill them yourself at home, or if your condo doesn’t allow that, have them slaughtered and cleaned for you.

The market offers an interesting array of food and no shortage of people who were curious about the farangs walking through their world. I want to go back in the predawn hours, when the market is at its busiest, and see how it looks then. Probably a lot harder to take pictures, though.

If you’re in town, you should stop by for a look. The market is a very short walk from the Queen Sirikit Convention Centre subway station.

Visit by Khun Nui

Posted on 7 July 2008 by christao408

Hot on the heels of Independence Day ponderings and a previous post about families that aren’t as close as cozy as they could be, we have an entry about my mother-in-law’s visit this past Saturday.

Several days in advance, Khun Sudha (Tawn’s father) told Khun Nui (Tawn’s mother – “Khun” being a prefix of respect) that he was joining his friends for some social event all day Saturday. She called Tawn to announce that she would come over and visit us on Saturday. Shortly thereafter, she called me to say that she wanted me to cook for her.

Considering my options, I selected a recipe for blueberry muffins from Martha Stewart’s Baking Handbook, a.k.a. Baking on the Cellblock. Muffins are a fun breakfast food and, despite the expense of the imported from Australia berries, a worthwhile treat for my mother-in-law.

The recipe is basically a white cake dough: eggs creamed with sugar, add vanilla, then spoon in a mixture of flour, baking powder (of which I need to buy some more – note to self), and salt.

Mix just until moistened, taking care not to over mix. Fold in the blueberries – coat them lightly with the flour mixture beforehand so they don’t sink to the bottom of the muffin – and then scoop into a buttered and floured muffin tin.

After filling the tins, bake at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the muffins comes out clean.

While the muffins bake, clean out every last bit of goodness from the bowl and eat it with complete disregard for the raw eggs in the batter!

Below: Before and after.

Tawn went to pick up his mother while the muffins were baking. His parents live only about 10 minutes away (when there isn’t any traffic) so by the time the muffins were ready to come out of the oven, Tawn and his mother had returned.

I was fearful that the muffins would stick to the pan, but a little gentle loosening with a table knife was enough to overcome their shyness and they popper right out as if to say, “Hello, world! Eat me!”

Also on the list was a roasted bell pepper fritata.

So easy to roast bell peppers at home using your broiler. Burn them and then thrown them in a plastic container to steam for a few minutes. Peel the charred skins off and then slice and use to add a bit of smoky goodness to your food.

To add some moisture to the eggs, I used cottage cheese. It produces a nice creamy texture and, by adding some additional lumps on top of the fritata, I get a nice browning effect.

Finish with some sliced fresh avocado and you have a good California breakfast on your hands.

Below: Before and after.

Finally, after a flurry of picture taking that caused Khun Nui to arch her eyebrows in a unspoken question, we sat down and ate breakfast.

Above: An artistically-composed show by Tawn and me, Mom and the muffins. Notice that he focused on the muffins.

Independence Day in Khrungthep

Posted on 6 July 2008 by christao408

Saturday July 5th was the American Chamber of Commerce’s annual Independence Day celebration in Khrungthep. What used to be hosted by the U.S. Ambassador on the stately grounds of his residence on Wireless Road was discontinued several years ago because of security concerns. A few years later, AmCham resurrected the tradition, moving to a new location at a football field and sports complex in Khlong Toei.

Invitations for the event came from two directions: Doug, a friend from Oregon, is involved in AmCham and sent an email. A second email came from Democrats Abroad Thailand, which conducts a voter registration drive at the event.

There was a nice breeze Saturday afternoon and the gathering thunderstorm clouds provided some intermittent shade and, thankfully, nothing more than a few seconds of sprinkles.

We were able to find a shady place to sit while the grounds were emptied and swept by heavy security. The process for entering the field was slow – there was only one gate with two metal detectors and everything was being hand searched, much more thoroughly than even at the airport. But we were in the shade and there were plenty of distractions while we waited to enter.

The set-up was very much like any Independence Day celebration in small town America: vendors offering barbeque, hot dogs and beer; raffles and giveaways; informational booths for different civic groups; giant slides and other games for the children; a stage with life music, magic shows, and other entertainments; the presenting of the colors by the local chapter of the Veterans of Foreign Wars; and evening fireworks.

Because it is rainy season, some areas of the field were quite muddy, resulting in more than a few children who looked like they had engaged in pig wrestling contests. Along with many Americans were lots of Thais and other foreign nationals.

I headed over to the Democrats Abroad table and started my two-hour shift as a volunteer registering people as absentee voters, answering dozens of questions, and selling “Bangkok for Barack” t-shirts. In those two hours, we probably signed up sixty voters and there were several hours remaining when I left at about 4:30.

What was most interesting about the experience was the difference in perception between myself and the other four American expats who arrived with me. Maybe this is because I was actively working at the booth while they grabbed some food and drinks and sat under a tent visiting and, it sounds like, complaining about the event.

Talking with two of them later on, I tried to understand what they felt was so bad about the experience, because they definitely sounded unhappy about it. Here is my understanding of their concerns:

Security was unreasonably thorough.
The field was too muddy.
There were too many Americans there (or maybe too many fat Americans?).
Too many of the songs played by the band were not from American artists.
For the 300 baht entrance fee (about US$10; the event was a fund-raiser for charity), there should have been food and drink included.
Instead of hanging around with other Americans trying to do American things, people who attended the event should be participating in Thai culture and doing Thai things.
No cotton candy.

In conclusion, the event was designed “for people who actually miss America”.

Ouch.

While I discard as completely backwards the view of “love it or leave it” – freedom of speech is a constitutional right in the USA, after all – I can understand where that reactionary impulse comes from. Since Saturday, I’ve spent some time thinking about their concerns, trying to understand their point of view. It leaves me feeling kind of odd.

There are many things I dislike about American culture and I try to hang out with a group that is more diverse than just Americans alone precisely because of the “American group think” that is easy to run into amongst any insular group of expats.

Still, my experience at the Independence Day festivities was very different. Maybe if was different just because I was actively involved signing up voters, but here were my observations:

There are a lot of overseas Americans who, despite being expats, care very deeply about their country and want to make it a better place. I spoke with Democrats, Independents and Republicans who were intelligent, passionate, and caring. They have strong views about what their country needs but they are also very interested in talking to and hearing from people with different opinions.
In this gathering, I saw a community coming together that, despite their living in a different country and culture, makes an effort to celebrate their heritage and identity – especially for the many families that were there with their children including families of mixed cultures where the children possibly have never lived in the United States.
I also saw many non-Americans coming to the event to celebrate an ideal (imperfect though it may sometimes be) that they see in America: a functioning, free and fair democracy in which people can climb to great heights and make their own success regardless of social status or background. Something that is decidedly not true in many countries around the world, including Thailand.

The reaction of the others to the event left me frustrated. Frustrated in part at a sort of negativity that, political beliefs aside, looks like a dark vortex around which I wish to steer clear. Sitting around bitching and moaning just breeds more bitching and moaning. If you don’t like it, do something to make it better.

Frustrated also by the increasing habit of Americans both at home and abroad to isolate themselves in like-minded circles, interacting with and gathering news from people and sources that only serve to reinforce their already-held views. It is healthy to challenge our views and beliefs, right?

Finally, frustrated that my friends didn’t have more fun. The weather was nice, the Belgian beer being poured on tap from the Roadhouse BBQ stand was tasty, and the square dancing group from a local elementary school was cute. In my opinion, it certainly beats another afternoon at the mall or another night sitting on Silom Soi 4 drinking whisky and ogling Thai moneyboys.

Lunchtime in Khrungthep

Posted on 4 July 2008 by christao408

Friday afternoon I joined Tawn for lunch near his office. We went to the local talaat nat (regular market), the noontime habitat of office boys and girls throughout Khrungthep. These talaat take different forms, but the one located next to the Ploenchit Ayuddha Bank building is about a quarter-acre of small shops arranged along four alleys, each covered with tarpaulin to keep out the sun and rain.

One alley is exclusively food vendors, small mom-and-pop operations that have their own space or, in some cases, cohabitate in a larger space. This is Thai food at some of its most real: fresh, fast, inexpensive, and full of flavor.

It has to meet the exacting expectations of some of the pickiest eaters in Muang Thai: office workers. Short on time and cash, they are looking for good value for their money. These are not the people who are riding the Skytrain, spending 50 baht each way to and from work. These are the people who are riding the un-airconditioned buses and concerned that fares just raised from 5.5 baht to 8 baht per ride.

Serious value shoppers. If the food doesn’t meet expectations, the shop will be out of business faster than you can stir fry an order of pad thai.

Most vendors are selling prepared gap khao (literally, “with rice”) – curries, stir fries, grilled chicken, green papaya salad, veggies, fried and boiled eggs that are served on a plate with a molded mound of rice. There are also some noodle vendors, who will whip up a bowl of rice noodles to order.

Generally, there is no fried food cooked to order as this would create enormous clouds of smoke and chili oil that would make dining unbearable and result in customers returning to their offices smelling of the restaurant – a definite no-no in cleanliness conscious Thailand.

The vendor at which Tawn and I ate offers many fish and vegetable choices and is also known, incongruously, for their Korean-style pork. They also have a khao soi vendor – the Northern Thai style noodle soup served with a curried broth that is a favorite of mine – which I’ll have to try next time.

The recent price increases for rice have hit the office workers hard: a plate of rice and gap khao cost 25 to 30 baht a year ago. These days it is running 40 to 50. Between the two of us (Tawn was hungry), it cost us 103 baht to eat, not including drinks.

Finding dining space would, at first glance, be a daunting challenge. The dining room is crowded with small tables and smaller stools. Packed shoulder to shoulder, coworkers eat and gossip. Thankfully, turnover is rapid so upon receiving and paying for your plate of food, you’ll find a spot within a few seconds.

From your seat at the table you can order beverages from one of the roving waiters/bus boys. On your way out you settle any outstanding charges with the owner, usually a woman and sometimes a man, who is standing watch over the operations.

The lunch rush is compacted into just 90 minutes, from about quarter before twelve to quarter after one. But by 12:45 the food selections are running out and latecomers can’t be picky.

Afterwards, there is time for some shopping in the nearby boutiques. Each vendor has a space of maybe three meters by four, but sells clothes, shoes, and just about everything else you might need. Bargain hunting is a good way to burn off the calories you’ve just consumed.

Notice the tree in this picture: it is wrapped in strips of fabric and has food, drink, figurines and other offerings at the base of its trunk. I’ve written before about spirit houses and the belief that the land, the trees, and all living things contain spirits. Thais cover their bases when it comes to beliefs, seeing as how Buddhism – strictly speaking – doesn’t subscribe to these animist principles. Here you can see how the tree has been saved and incorporated into the development, and how the spirit or spirits living in the tree are accorded the proper respect by the vendors.

Finally, before returning to the office, there is time to stop at the street vendors at consider which khanom – sweet snack – to bring back to the office to share. Thais know that everything, especially eating, is more fun when done in groups. Whether it is fresh fruit, grilled sticky rice and coconut, little taco-like sweets, or cookies, the bag will contain enough to share.

And that, my friends, is lunchtime in Khrungthep.

Kuppa Brunch

Posted on 4 July 2008 by christao408

Thank you for all the feedback and thoughtful comments on my last entry about Tawn’s father’s birthday. I have realistic expectations and, while optimistic, know that things will progress however far they progress and I haven’t much control over that.

In sort of a poetic irony, though, Khun Sudha will be out of town this weekend and Tawn’s mother, Khun Nui, called me up and said she’s coming over Saturday so I can make her breakfast. On the occasional mornings when she stops by I always make a cafe au lait for her and serve some baked good. Maybe I can make some blueberry muffins.

Stay tuned.

I forgot to include pictures from the brunch with Ian last weekend at Kuppa. The restaurant, which would be completely at home in San Francisco or Melbourne, roasts its own coffee and is located in a former warehouse. The American style breakfasts were okay, but it was the other food that I thought was more impressive. Here are a few examples:

Below: Chai and Ken share a huge bowl of salad – and this is meant to be a side salad! Piyawat’s elbow sticking in on the upper right hand corner, in case you’re wondering.

Below: Tawn ordered a side of oven-roasted vegetables, only to receive this huge plate with a whole onion, a quarter of a butternut squash, a whole potato and nearly a whole bell pepper. Holy side dish, Batman! He barely touched the plate, having a main course on order, so I took it home, chopped it up, and had it with an egg and some tandoori chicken as dinner the following evening.

Below: French Onion Soup, a very nice beef broth (not a pork or beef broth like some restaurants make in Thailand) with sweet onions and plenty of gruyere cheese on top. Very tasty.

Below: Chai went with traditional Thai – gai yang khao niaw – grilled chicken with sticky rice, the most street food of street foods. They served it fancy, with the sticky rice in a chic black basket and a large bunch of fresh herbs.

Happy Birthday Khun Sudha

Posted on 30 June 2008 by christao408

Today is Tawn’s father’s birthday. As a good Thai son, Tawn will join his parents this morning to go to their neighborhood Buddhist temple and feed the monks. This way they will acquire merit on this auspicious day.

Tonight, Tawn will return to his parents’ house for dinner, where they will likely be joined by the many aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews and cousins that live nearby for a birthday dinner.

I have a conference call with my boss at 8:00.

That’s not to say that I chose a conference call over celebrating my father-in-law’s birthday. Unfortunately, though, we’re still not over the hump of Khun Sudha (“Khun” being an honorific equivalent to “Mister”) embracing his son’s gayness and farang partner.

Left: A rare photo of the four of us together, taken when Tawn’s parents came to San Francisco for a visit in (I think) 2002.

I’m an optimist, though. We’ve made it over the hump of acknowledging the situation already. We’re making some progress climbing the windward side of the hump of accepting the situation. So it seems that with enough patience we will make it to the third hump at some point in the future.

It tears Tawn apart, though, as he sees himself as stuck in the middle between his parents (really, just his father as his mother is very embracing) and me. But I’m a “glass half full” type and think that we’ll get there eventually. All it takes is a large does of understanding, something needed from both sides.

I’ll have to spend some time today thinking about whether or not it is appropriate to send a birthday card to a father-in-law who would rather not have to confront my existence. And what exactly do you write in such situations?

Trying to be a role model (or just look like one)

Posted on 29 June 2008 by christao408

This weekend Tawn and I had brunch with an 18-year old exchange student from Canada. He’s another of those “Xanga friends”, that class of interesting people you meet through this community whom you might otherwise never have the opportunity or occasion to know.

In January I received this message (name changed for privacy):

Hi There, My name is Ian, I’m a Canadian Exchange student currently living in Bangkok. I stumbled upon your blog a few days ago – and meant to send a message, however I thought you might find it odd to receive a comment from a boy 20 years younger than you. (I assure this is not some insane form of reverse pedophilia.) haha, this is simply one person, genuinely interested in the life of another.

The truth is that your entries have really brightened my last few days – Seeing a happy successful Gay Couple gives me a lot of hope for my own future. The truth is that although I accepted my sexuality a few years ago – I never managed to meet anyone with the same lifestyle. I’ve met a lot of confused teenagers – but never any adults like yourself. It’s great to know that people like you and Tawn exist!

Anyways, I hope your New Years was a happy one. This has been my first one outside of North America – it was amazing.

This is the first time I can recall that anyone looked at me and Tawn as role models. What a responsibility! What a bad choice on his part! (Ha ha… just a little self-depracating humor there.)

I stayed in touch with Ian through his blog. His time here has been interesting: he’s picked up Thai quickly, explored the city and many pats of the country, made many Thai friends as well as friends with other exchange students, and met a young Thai man his age who (it sounds) stole his heart. Ian says that he’ll be back to study at university as soon as he finished high school.

With Ian’s time in Thailand running out soon, I suggested we should meet up. He is now 18, so my fears of Rotary International exchange parents hunting me down for corrupting the young have subsided.

To provide a wider range of examples of other Thai-western couples, I invited Stuart and Piyawat and Ken and Suchai to join. We had a pleasant brunch at Kuppa, a San Francisco-style restaurant situated in a former warehouse on Sukhumvit Soi 16 that roasts its own coffee.

Meeting Ian in person was a nice experience. He’s young but he handles himself well around what must have been a rather boring bunch of chattering middle (or nearly middle) aged gay men. But I hope he realizes that there are many other people who have already walked down the same paths he will travel.

There are multiple paths we represent, from being gay, to being in successful same-sex intercultural relationships (heck, being in any type of successful relationship), to moving to another country and adjusting and thriving in it.

Most importantly, I hope he realizes that there are many people here who will help and support him when he decides to move here; he’ll have the advantage of a network of resources.

All this got me thinking to the responsibilities we all have to give back, or more accurately, to give forward to the generations that follow us. What contributions are we making to help younger generations? Some of us are parents, many more are aunts and uncles either by blood or by choice. But all of us have the capacity to share our experiences and to help others in their lives.

What other things can I be doing to make this contribution?

christao408

The adventures of an expat American who moved to Bangkok for his husband.

Tag Archives: Thailand